28/06/2016 Tuesday in Parliament

Hello there and welcome to Tuesday In Parliament

as Westminster, Holyrood and Brussels continue to come

to terms with the UK's vote to leave the EU.

A defiant Nigel Farage tells MEPs Brexit is not the end of the story.

I will make one prediction this morning, the United Kingdom will not

be the last member states to leave the European Union!

But Scotland's First Minister says she's profoundly

It is my responsibility to ensure that Scotland's voice is heard in

And in the Lords, peers wonder what the result will mean for UK

pensioners living overseas and foreign nationals living here.

People who have lived in this country for 20 years, like my

husband, who work up Friday morning thinking his country had rejected

him. There are long term opportunities

for businesses outside That was the message

from the Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, at question

time in the Commons. Speaking to MPs for the first time

since the UK voted to leave the EU, Mr Javid accepted there were some

"short-term challenges" The Business Secretary is thought

to be considering standing for the leadership of

the Conservative Party following the vote and David Cameron's

decision to resign as Prime Despite the Secretary

of State's complacency, this is a very difficult time

for British business. Over the last 24 hours,

we've lost our AAA rating and seen ?150 billion wiped off the value

of the FTSE 350. So, can he reassure the many worried

workers and businesses that unlike with Tata,

when he was on the other side of the planet, he will be

in the boardrooms of Nissan in Sutton and Hitachi

in Newton Aycliffe, Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull

and across the country, sharing with them his plan

for secure, economic exit as they make their investment

decisions in the weeks Mr Speaker, first of all,

I was hoping to welcome the Honourable Lady

as the new Shadow Business Secretary but I understand that she is not

in that position yet. If her leader is having problems

filling that position, I'd be happy I can assure the honourable lady,

yes, because of last week's decision yes, of course there are some

short-term challenges for businesses but we must also remember

that there are medium term and long term opportunities for

business as well and that Mr Speaker, it is clear that not

only does he not have a plan, he doesn't even have a plan

to have a plan. He can't say whether he personally

wants to retain access to the single Isn't the truth that the only plan

the Secretary of State has is for his joint leadership bid

and British businesses and jobs stand to lose from the economic

uncertainty his party's I was hoping the honourable lady

would not play party politics with something as

straightforward as this. There are many businesses up

and down the country that are reflecting on last week's

decision and my job is to reassure them that this decision

can be made to work, There are plenty of

opportunities and when I meet with businesses later

this afternoon, that is exactly the message

I will be giving to them. Ah, splendid, the robust chair

of the select committee, Mr Speaker, I think

that is the kindest thing anyone Mr Speaker, the Secretary of State

fully appreciates that uncertainty lasting months and years

are draining business In the Business Select Committee

this morning, Funding Circle told us that a ?100 million investment deal

with the European consortium Today's roundtable is a welcome

gesture, but in the face of this unprecedented uncertainty

that is happening now, what tangible actions

is the Secretary of State putting in place now to maintain

and stimulate inward investment, to maintain that funding gap

and to steady business nerves? Mr Speaker, it is good to see

that there is some leadership on business issues on the other side

of the House, still. The honourable gentleman makes

a very important point and this roundtable we have today,

it is not a gesture. It is genuinely listening

to businesses, real businessmen and women about the issues

that they face, and also, to listen to them about the opportunities

that will be created, to take advantage of those

opportunities as well. He will know that nothing changes

for at least a couple of years and that will give us time

to plan for the future, including inward investment

opportunities and new trade opportunities, and I would be happy

to meet with him and I commend the ministers

on the Treasury bench for their pragmatic approach

to the result last week. I think we are all committed

to the UK becoming an outward With that in mind, will ministers

redouble their efforts to support the Australian Prime Minister,

who said that he has instructed his officials to work

with New Zealand to prepare a trade deal with the United

Kingdom very shortly? What my right honourable friend

highlights are the opportunities of Brexit and we should now start

embracing this opportunity, free trade agreements with many more

countries is just one of those. Australia is an excellent example

and that is exactly the thing But while eurosceptic MPs

were looking at the opportunities that life outside the EU might

present, the view from the First Minister in Scotland

was very different. Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs

at Holyrood that she was preparing to travel to Brussels for talks,

stressing that she was "utterly determined" to protect Scotland's

relationship with Europe. In a statement, she said she'd set

up a "standing council" of experts to provide her with advice

following the vote. Electors in Scotland,

Northern Ireland and London voted to remain in the EU,

but overall, the UK voted Presiding Officer, I believe

we have made a good start. Our early priority has been

to ensure that there is a widespread awareness across Europe

of Scotland's different choice in the referendum and

of our aspiration to stay We will intensify this work in

the days and weeks that lie ahead. It is my responsibility to ensure

that Scotland's voice is heard She moved on to what the vote meant

for a possible second independence Nicola Sturgeon said things had

changed since the 2014 vote. During the independence referendum,

we were told that staying in the UK meant we could benefit from having

guaranteed access to the EU. Indeed, that was a driving factor

in many people's votes. The country in the constitutional

settlement that people of Scotland voted for in 2014

is no longer a reality. Based on the very clear result

in Scotland, if we were to be removed from the EU,

it would be against That would be democratically

unacceptable. It is for that reason that I have

said that everything to protect our place in Europe,

including a second independence referendum, and to ensure

that the option of holding a referendum in the time frame of UK

negotiations on leaving the EU is viable, we will prepare

the legislation now. We all have people who feel

disempowered and voiceless. Anger at the way power has been

abused in politics and A frustration at a lack of access

and barriers to social mobility. A growing sense of insecurity

of families who feel These are the questions we must face

up to as a country, as we reflect on this debate, and they affect

all of us, no matter which part These are the questions

we should be answering, not repeating the same old arguments

of the past. Presiding Officer, I think we can

all now agree that referendums are bruising and not just bruising,

but on matters of such significance, From now on, I hope we still find

time to learn the right To emerge as a stronger society,

a better nation and a I struggle to put into words

the anger I feel towards her An anger that has been building

since David Cameron announced English votes for English laws

within minutes of the Scottish An anger that grew when her party

set Scottish voters against English voters in a hugely divisive

and disingenuous 2015 campaign. Anger at a party that forced this EU

referendum on a country that did not want it, only to resolve an ego

contest in the Tory party. In Brussels, there was an emergency

sitting of the European Parliament, following the UK's decision

to leave the EU. The European Commission President,

Jean Claude Juncker, greeted the Ukip leader and MEP

Nigel Farage with an embrace and a peck on the cheek before

the session got under way. MEPs will not directly participate

in the exit negotiations between the UK and the remaining EU

members, but will have The European Commission President,

Jean-Claude Juncker, began his speech by telling MEPs

that the outcome of the referendum TRANSLATION: Our British friends

have expressed their view by universal suffrage and,

obviously, the majority view of the British

people demands respect. Democracy is democracy,

we must respect it, we must respect British democracy and the way it has

voiced its view. That's the last time

you applaud in here! And to some extent, I am really

surprised that you are here. The British people voted

in favour of the exit, Mr Juncker said he wouldn't permit

preliminary negotiations with the UK Government before the official

withdrawal process, I have placed a ban,

a presidential ban - I don't like to do that -

on commissioners engaging in discussions with

the British Government, regardless of whether it

was Leave or Remain. I said to them all the same,

that they can have no parliamentary discussions with representatives

in the United Kingdom. No notification,

no negotiation. It's my feeling not so much

the choice that they have made that is hard because, let's say it,

choice is the essence of democracy What makes it so hard for me -

and I think also for the other groups and for everybody

here in this House - The posters of Mr Farage

showing refugees, I never thought it was possible that

somebody in this House The lies on, oh, Turkey will join

the union next week! Or the lies on the ?350 million that

should return immediately to the National Health Service,

and now does not go back It is that climate of fear that has

been created, of negativity That is the most shocking thing

of what happened in Britain. Not the choice of the people,

because the choice of But Ukip leader Nigel

Farage was defiant. You know, when I came here 17 years

ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain

to leave the European Union, Well, I have to say,

you're not laughing now, are you? The reason you're so angry has been

perfectly clear from all the angry You, as a political

project, are in denial. What happened last Thursday

was a remarkable result. Not just for British politics,

for European politics, but perhaps Because what the little people did,

what the ordinary people did, what the people who have been

oppressed over the last few years and seen their living standards

go down, they rejected the multinationals,

they rejected the merchant banks, And they said, actually,

we want our country back. We want to be an independent,

self-governing, normal nation. And that is what we have done,

and that is what must happen. And in doing so, we now

offer a beacon of hope to democrats across the rest

of the European continent. I'll make one prediction this

morning - the United Kingdom will not be the last member state

to leave the European Union. But an SNP member felt

very differently. The people of Scotland,

along with the people of Northern Ireland

and the people of London, and lots and lots of people in Wales

and England, also voted to remain I demand that that status and that

'esprit europeen' be respected. Now, colleagues, there are a lot

of things to be negotiated. We will need cool

heads and warm hearts. But please, remember this,

Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, chers

collegues, do not let And that appeal earned Alyn Smith

a resounding standing ovation from his fellow MEPs in the

European Parliament. You're watching Tuesday In

Parliament with me Alicia McCarthy. It has been somewhat overlooked

with all the other activity at Westminster but in the Commons

chamber, MPs have been dealing with the detail of the Finance Bill,

which puts some of the measures Putting forward an amendment,

Labour's Caroline Flint proposed there should be an official register

requiring multi-national companies to disclose where they do business,

the money they make The proposal had attracted

cross-party support. Caroline Flint said the current

arrangements were not transparent. Isn't there something odd

about a company, let's say Google, with huge numbers of sales staff

in one country but all the revenue And it wouldn't surprise us to find

that the revenues are recorded in a country with a corporate tax

rate of 12.5% as opposed Now, this House can take a stand

against this entirely lawful but also unethical,

I think we all agree, manipulation of different

countries' tax rules. But the Treasury Minister

said her amendment was flawed, as only companies with their HQs

in the UK would need Government legal advice is that

in practice, the amendment would only place a requirement on UK

headquarters multinationals. Foreign headquarters

of multinationals, such as Google, would not be caught at all and that

undermines the transparency It also risks putting UK

multinationals at a competitive disadvantage by imposing a reporting

requirement that does not apply to foreign competitors

operating in the same market. And in the end Caroline Flint's

amendment was defeated by MPs expressed their frustration

at stories of women who had been told to go without pay

because they weren't wearing heels and given detailed

instructions for makeup, Members of the petitons

and equalities committees said they couldn't imagine the head

of the IMF, Christine La Garde, taking kindly to being told

she was wearing the wrong The committee heard

from Nicola Thorp, who went public after being sent home

for wearing flat shoes. I was sent on that particular

day to a Portico site. When I turned up to their main

reception I was told They gave me a dress,

which was fine and then she pointed to my shoes,

which were just plain, flat black ones like the ones I'm

wearing today and the female supervisor said to me

you can't wear those, you have to wear heels or we're

going to send you home. Now, there was a male colleague

stood right next to me who was wearing similarly flat,

black, plain, smart shoes and I pointed out that he wasn't

being sent home so I felt the reason that I was being sent home

was because I was female. She said she'd encountered similar

attitudes when she'd done In one of the interview sessions

that I attended the woman who held the interview who was

working for the agency, diminished responsibility,

she would go around the room and say you need a makeover,

you need a makeover, you're fine, She walked up to a black girl

who was interviewing and says you can't work for me

unless you have your hair Because your hair, as is,

is not professional enough. Ruth Campion worked as Cabin Crew

for British Airways. She was asked if the men had

a similarly restrictive uniform. But all of them, they all

looked immaculate. None of them were enhancing

their sexuality to improve the image of the airline or the service

we were providing. Did you feel unsafe being required

to do what you were asked Only because my feet were in so much

pain I didn't actually physically I used to sometimes queue

for security, as we all queue for security at an airport

when you arrive with your I would sometimes stand on the cold

airport floor in my bare feet, occasionally taking my shoes off

for the sheer relief of having my feet out

of the high-heeled shoes for a bit. The head of the agency which had

sent Nicola Thorp home said it had Firstly I would like to apologise

to Nicola on behalf of myself and on behalf of Portico

for causing this distress. When we learnt of this and I learned

of it we very quickly took the decision to change the policy,

which was outdated. In some areas of transport

and tourism, in hospitality, there are lots of examples of jobs,

particularly front of house, client facing jobs where women

are expected to wear heels I am pleased that members

of the committee have brought up an aspects like make up and short

skirts and that kind It is about advising employers

about what is reasonable and I think somewhere down the line that

has been taken over. What has taken over is the brand

image that these employees are trying to put into the market

and that is the issue. I think it should be that employees

should do health and safety assessments but it doesn't go do

that much detail in terms I think what could come out of this

is proper guidance around what is acceptable and what isn't

and in terms of heels. Young women in precarious

employment, whether those are agency or zero our contracts are always

going to find it difficult to assert their rights and talking about

changes to legislation, legislation is only as good as anyone's ability

to use it. For many, it's a lifetime dream,

to give up work and take up relaxing Thousands of UK citizens live

overseas and many are unsure what Britain's decision to leave

the EU will mean for pensioners and ex-pats

living and working abroad. It was a question put

by a Lib Dem Peer who declared herself to be the part owner

of a French vineyard. Two years is no time to relocate

your business, take your children out of school, relocate your country

and buy a new home so, can the Minister tell me first of all, will

this country be negotiating on a bilateral basis with each of the 27

member states or will they negotiate on block and secondly could she tell

me whether the new unit to be based in Whitehall that was also mentioned

in yesterday's statement, will there be a member of staff in that unit

with special designated responsibility for this area of

work? Clearly it will be those negotiating the terms of our

relationship with the European Union who will do that work with a very

firm view about the importance of preserving the rights of British

citizens where ever possible. Does there need to be any negotiation to

protect the interests of people living, either British people living

in Europe or Europeans living in the United Kingdom, because surely they

are protected by an international treaty as it stands today? I'm

afraid that although I know he asked that question in very good spirits I

can't give him the good news he would like. There is a matter of

rights which is a very complex legal matter and we would need to rely

upon negotiations to give certainty to those who do you need and deserve

it. On that point, it is not only markets that are extremely worried

about the uncertainty. People's lives are affected here. People who

have lived in this country for 20 years, like my husband, who woke up

on Friday morning thinking his country had rejected him. That

creates fear. We need to ensure that we respond to that fear. There is

another point, British citizens, British people who live in the main

land Spain in Gibraltar are going to be even more worried. We need to

have clear guidance to ensure that people are not anxious, they can get

on with their lives and work. I entirely agree. That will be the

thrust of the work being done by the unit being set up and I will think

it will be at the forefront of the minds of those who carry out

negotiations later this year. With regard to Gibraltar specifically, my

colleagues in the Foreign Office have been in contact, of course,

throughout with the Gibraltar administration and we have given

every indication of full support and we support their sovereignty. We

will not let them down. And that's it for now, but do

join me at the same time tomorrow when among other things we'll

have the highlights from what promises to be a fascinating

Prime Minister's Questions, but until then from me,

Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.