Browse content similar to 15/03/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello there, and welcome to Wednesday In Parliament. | 0:00:18 | 0:00:20 | |
Coming up: | 0:00:20 | 0:00:21 | |
The Government U-turns on its National Insurance hike | 0:00:21 | 0:00:23 | |
for the self-employed. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:26 | |
Isn't it welcome that the Prime Minister today has | 0:00:26 | 0:00:29 | |
admitted she is for turning with her screeching, embarrassing | 0:00:29 | 0:00:32 | |
U-turn on National Insurance? | 0:00:32 | 0:00:35 | |
The Brexit Secretary is asked, | 0:00:35 | 0:00:36 | |
what cost leaving the EU without a deal? | 0:00:36 | 0:00:40 | |
And ministers are urged to get tough on internet safety. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
What is the Government's plan to protect victims of online abuse? | 0:00:43 | 0:00:47 | |
But first - this time last week all the headlines | 0:00:47 | 0:00:49 | |
were about the Chancellor's plans to increase National Insurance | 0:00:49 | 0:00:52 | |
contributions for self-employed people. | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
Almost as soon as Philip Hammond announced the change in the budget, | 0:00:55 | 0:00:59 | |
there were complaints from Conservatives MPs, | 0:00:59 | 0:01:01 | |
who accused him of breaking an election promise not to put up | 0:01:01 | 0:01:04 | |
National Insurance, income tax or VAT. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:09 | |
Ministers spent seven days defending the proposals. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:11 | |
Then, shortly before Prime Minister's Questions, | 0:01:11 | 0:01:14 | |
Mr Hammond said he wouldn't press ahead with the increase | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
in this parliament - | 0:01:16 | 0:01:17 | |
in other words, things won't change until after the next election. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:23 | |
A helpful question from a friendly Conservative MP right at the start | 0:01:23 | 0:01:25 | |
of PMQs gave Theresa May the opportunity to set out her case. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:31 | |
I welcome the announcement from this Government that we will abide | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
by the letter of our manifesto and also the spirit. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:38 | |
CHEERING AND JEERING | 0:01:38 | 0:01:42 | |
Mr Speaker, will the Prime Minister agree with me that, as we move | 0:01:42 | 0:01:46 | |
towards balancing the books, we must ensure we have a fair | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
and sustainable tax system in place? | 0:01:48 | 0:01:54 | |
As a number of my parliamentary colleagues have been | 0:01:54 | 0:01:56 | |
pointing out in recent days, the trend towards greater | 0:01:56 | 0:01:58 | |
self-employment does create a structural issue in the tax base | 0:01:58 | 0:02:01 | |
on which we will have to act, and we want to ensure | 0:02:01 | 0:02:04 | |
that we maintain, as they have said, fairness in the tax system. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:08 | |
So, we are going to await the report from Matthew Taylor | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
on the future of employment. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:13 | |
We will consider the Government's overall approach to employment | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
status and rights, to tax and entitlements. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:20 | |
We will bring forward further proposals, | 0:02:20 | 0:02:22 | |
but we will not bring forward increases to NICs | 0:02:22 | 0:02:25 | |
later in this Parliament. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:28 | |
We have just heard the Prime Minister is about to drop | 0:02:28 | 0:02:31 | |
the National Insurance hike announced only a week ago. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:35 | |
It seems to me like a Government in a bit of chaos, here. | 0:02:35 | 0:02:45 | |
A budget... | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
A budget that unravels in seven days, a Conservative manifesto | 0:02:47 | 0:02:52 | |
with a very pensive Prime Minister on the front page saying | 0:02:52 | 0:02:57 | |
there would be no increase - | 0:02:57 | 0:02:59 | |
a week ago, an increase was announced. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:03 | |
If they are to drop this increase, as they are indicating, | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
then this is a time that she should thank the Federation | 0:03:06 | 0:03:11 | |
of Small Businesses and all those that have pointed out just how | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
unfair this increase would be, but also how big business evades | 0:03:14 | 0:03:21 | |
an awful lot of National Insurance through bogus self-employment. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:25 | |
Prime Minister! | 0:03:25 | 0:03:30 | |
I have to say to the right honourable gentlemen, | 0:03:30 | 0:03:32 | |
I don't think he actually listened to the answer I gave | 0:03:32 | 0:03:35 | |
to my honourable friend, the member for Bexhill and Battle. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:37 | |
But I normally stand at this dispatch voice and say | 0:03:37 | 0:03:40 | |
I won't take any lectures from the right honourable gentlemen. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:42 | |
When it comes to lectures on chaos, | 0:03:42 | 0:03:44 | |
he'd be the first person I'd turn to. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
Jeremy Corbyn! | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
Mr Speaker, I do... I think... | 0:03:50 | 0:03:53 | |
I think the Prime Minister should offer an apology for the chaos | 0:03:53 | 0:03:56 | |
that her Government has caused during the past week, | 0:03:56 | 0:04:01 | |
and the stress it's caused to the 4.8 million self-employed | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
people in this country. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:06 | |
Will she offer that apology? | 0:04:06 | 0:04:09 | |
This measure, if carried through, will create | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
a black hole in the budget. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
What is she going to do to fill that black hole? | 0:04:15 | 0:04:20 | |
Prime Minister! | 0:04:20 | 0:04:22 | |
If the right honourable gentlemen is so concerned | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
about balancing the books, why is it Labour Party policy | 0:04:25 | 0:04:29 | |
to borrow ?0.5 trillion and bankrupt Britain? | 0:04:29 | 0:04:35 | |
We once had a Prime Minister who said that | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
"the lady is not for turning". | 0:04:38 | 0:04:39 | |
My goodness. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:41 | |
Isn't it welcome that the Prime Minister today has | 0:04:41 | 0:04:43 | |
admitted she is for turning, with her screeching, embarrassing | 0:04:43 | 0:04:48 | |
U-turn on National Insurance? | 0:04:48 | 0:04:51 | |
The Prime Minister has just done a ?2 billion budget U-turn | 0:04:51 | 0:04:53 | |
in the space of a week. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:55 | |
Last year, the Government did a ?4 billion U-turn | 0:04:55 | 0:04:59 | |
in the space of five days. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:01 | |
Is that why they want to abolish spring budgets - | 0:05:01 | 0:05:03 | |
cos they just keep ripping them up? | 0:05:03 | 0:05:05 | |
I welcome the measures in the spring budget to ensure | 0:05:05 | 0:05:08 | |
that we're putting money into schools, into skills | 0:05:08 | 0:05:13 | |
and into social care, and I'd have thought that the right | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
honourable lady would have accepted that money into schools, | 0:05:16 | 0:05:18 | |
skills and social care is good for this country. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:21 | |
Theresa May. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:22 | |
Well, a short time later, the Chancellor himself came | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
to the Commons to make a statement to MPs. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
Mr Speaker, it is very important, both to me and my right honourable | 0:05:28 | 0:05:31 | |
friend the Prime Minister, that we comply not just | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
with the letter but also the spirit of the commitments that were made. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
Hear, hear. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
Therefore, as I set out in my letter this morning | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
to the chairman of the select committee, my right honourable | 0:05:44 | 0:05:46 | |
friend the member for Chichester, I have decided not to proceed | 0:05:46 | 0:05:49 | |
with the class for NICs measures set out in the budget. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:55 | |
There will be no increases in National Insurance contribution | 0:05:55 | 0:05:57 | |
rates in this Parliament. | 0:05:57 | 0:06:01 | |
The change of heart was welcomed by a leading Tory | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
critic of the policy. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:05 | |
The genuinely self-employed carry real financial risks | 0:06:05 | 0:06:06 | |
by working for themselves, and I know that the Conservative | 0:06:06 | 0:06:11 | |
Government really wants a tax system that will support risk-takers | 0:06:11 | 0:06:13 | |
and growth creators, so will the Chancellor commit | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
to work with colleagues over the coming months, who believe | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
it is time to take a holistic and simplifying view on personal | 0:06:19 | 0:06:22 | |
taxation for the self-employed, | 0:06:22 | 0:06:24 | |
which will support wholeheartedly those who build | 0:06:24 | 0:06:26 | |
new businesses and take risks? | 0:06:26 | 0:06:29 | |
Yes, Mr Speaker, I can assure my honourable friend | 0:06:29 | 0:06:34 | |
that this Government will always be on the side of those who genuinely | 0:06:34 | 0:06:37 | |
strive to take risks, to innovate, to grow businesses and to contribute | 0:06:37 | 0:06:41 | |
in that way to the economy. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
Might the Chancellor consider, to make up the loss in revenue, | 0:06:44 | 0:06:47 | |
to bear down on those employers who force their employees | 0:06:47 | 0:06:51 | |
into self-employment against their wish, | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
destabilise their lives, and thereby get out of paying | 0:06:54 | 0:06:58 | |
National Insurance contributions, as all good employers do pay? | 0:06:58 | 0:07:02 | |
Who first realised that the Government were in flagrant breach | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
of their manifesto commitment? | 0:07:04 | 0:07:11 | |
Was it the Chancellor or was it the Prime Minister? | 0:07:11 | 0:07:14 | |
And if manifestos are now paramount, and all parties must seek | 0:07:14 | 0:07:16 | |
to implement their manifesto, will the Chancellor confirm, | 0:07:16 | 0:07:18 | |
since he intends to go ahead with these changes, | 0:07:18 | 0:07:20 | |
that they will appear in the Conservative manifesto | 0:07:20 | 0:07:22 | |
at the next election, so the self-employed | 0:07:22 | 0:07:24 | |
can vote accordingly? | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
The Chancellor said he wouldn't be drawn on future commitments. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
As to Alex Salmond's first question... | 0:07:30 | 0:07:33 | |
Who first raised the issue of the manifesto, I think, | 0:07:33 | 0:07:38 | |
credit where credit is due... | 0:07:38 | 0:07:40 | |
I think it was actually Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC, | 0:07:40 | 0:07:42 | |
shortly after I said it in the budget speech. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:47 | |
At the end of the statement, a Conservative raised a point | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
of order with the speaker. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:52 | |
Mr Speaker, as a slavish supporter of the Government, | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
I'm in some difficulty, because my article robustly | 0:07:55 | 0:08:00 | |
supporting the Chancellor's early policy in the Forest Journal | 0:08:00 | 0:08:05 | |
is already with the printer. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:07 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:08:07 | 0:08:09 | |
And I just... | 0:08:09 | 0:08:13 | |
Having been persuaded of the correctness of the course | 0:08:13 | 0:08:16 | |
that he's now following, I merely needed an opportunity | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
in which to recant. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:22 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:08:22 | 0:08:30 | |
Well, I hope the right honourable gentleman is now satisfied that, | 0:08:30 | 0:08:34 | |
by the wanton abuse of the point of order procedure, | 0:08:34 | 0:08:36 | |
he has found his own salvation. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
We'll leave it there. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:42 | |
Let's go back to Prime Minister's Questions, | 0:08:42 | 0:08:44 | |
where the SNP's Westminster leader turned to Brexit. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:48 | |
On Monday, just hours before the bill which gives Theresa May | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
the authority to begin the UK's exit from the EU was approved | 0:08:51 | 0:08:54 | |
by parliament, the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
announced plans for another independence vote. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:00 | |
Angus Robertson reminded Theresa May she'd promised a UK-wide agreement | 0:09:00 | 0:09:05 | |
before triggering Article 50. | 0:09:05 | 0:09:08 | |
He is comparing membership of an organisation that we've been | 0:09:08 | 0:09:12 | |
a member of for 40 years with our country. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:15 | |
We have been one country for over 300 years. | 0:09:15 | 0:09:21 | |
We have fought together, we've worked together, | 0:09:21 | 0:09:23 | |
we have achieved together, | 0:09:23 | 0:09:25 | |
and constitutional gameplaying must not be allowed to break the deep | 0:09:25 | 0:09:31 | |
bonds of our shared history and our future together. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:37 | |
Angus Robertson! | 0:09:37 | 0:09:47 | |
Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister can wag her finger as much as she likes. | 0:09:47 | 0:09:54 | |
Last year she made a promise. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:56 | |
She promised an agreement. | 0:09:56 | 0:09:57 | |
There's not an agreement. | 0:09:57 | 0:09:59 | |
When will there be an agreement? | 0:09:59 | 0:10:03 | |
Because, does she not understand? | 0:10:03 | 0:10:05 | |
If she does not secure an agreement before triggering Article 50, | 0:10:05 | 0:10:10 | |
if she is not prepared to negotiate on behalf of the Scottish Government | 0:10:10 | 0:10:17 | |
and secure membership of the single European market, people in Scotland | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
will have a referendum and we will have our say! | 0:10:20 | 0:10:26 | |
Scotland will be leaving the European Union. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:29 | |
It will leave the European Union either as a member of | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
the United Kingdom or, were it independent, | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
it's very clear with the Barroso document that it | 0:10:35 | 0:10:38 | |
would not be a member of the European Union. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
What we need now is to unite, to come together as a country, | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
and to ensure that we can get the best deal for the whole | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
of the United Kingdom. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:50 | |
Our First Minister was elected with the largest vote in | 0:10:50 | 0:10:52 | |
Scottish parliamentary history, on a manifesto pledge which stated | 0:10:52 | 0:10:57 | |
that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold | 0:10:57 | 0:10:59 | |
an independence referendum if there's a significant | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
and material change in circumstances, | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
like Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:07 | |
So, my question to the Prime Minister is simple. | 0:11:07 | 0:11:10 | |
Wheesht! | 0:11:10 | 0:11:12 | |
Does she agree that governments should stick | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
to their manifesto promises? | 0:11:14 | 0:11:16 | |
At least once. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:17 | |
And, if so, she cannot object to the First Minister sticking to hers. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:21 | |
In September 2014, the Scottish people were given the opportunity | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
to vote as to whether or not they wished to remain | 0:11:24 | 0:11:27 | |
in the United Kingdom. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:29 | |
They chose that Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:34 | |
That was described by the right honourable gentleman, | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
the member for Gordon, as a once-in-a-generation vote. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:43 | |
And the other vote to take note of is that on June 23 last year, | 0:11:43 | 0:11:47 | |
the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, | 0:11:47 | 0:11:50 | |
and that is what we are going to do. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
The Brexit Secretary David Davis has told MPs that the Government has not | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
made an economic assessment of the implications of leaving | 0:11:56 | 0:11:59 | |
the EU without a deal since the referendum. | 0:11:59 | 0:12:03 | |
He made his remarks during a two-hour session with the Brexit | 0:12:03 | 0:12:05 | |
committee, during which he told MPs they were | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
"putting words into his mouth". | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
So, can you just confirm that no deal would mean | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
that British businesses would face tariffs and other | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
nontariff barriers in their trade with the 27 member states of the EU? | 0:12:18 | 0:12:22 | |
A simple yes or no will suffice. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:25 | |
I'm afraid a simple yes or no doesn't actually do it, Mr Chairman. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:30 | |
The presumption of no deal is literally that. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:34 | |
Sorry, could you just say that again? | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
Can you hear me all right? | 0:12:36 | 0:12:37 | |
That's fine. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:38 | |
The presumption of no deal is literally that. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:40 | |
It would be a presumption and it is a presumption at this | 0:12:40 | 0:12:43 | |
point of most favoured nation status under the World Trade Organisation | 0:12:43 | 0:12:46 | |
arrangements, which means there will be tariffs. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:51 | |
It doesn't say very much about nontariff barriers, | 0:12:51 | 0:12:53 | |
but the presumption you're making is probably right. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:56 | |
So there would be tariffs and that would mean, for example, | 0:12:56 | 0:13:00 | |
UK producers of dairy and meat produce would be facing tariffs | 0:13:00 | 0:13:07 | |
of 30% to 40%, and on cars, it would be 10%, is that correct? | 0:13:07 | 0:13:13 | |
That's properly correct. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:14 | |
That is correct, good, thank you. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:16 | |
Forgive me, Mr Chairman, I don't want to mislead | 0:13:16 | 0:13:18 | |
the committee or let them... | 0:13:18 | 0:13:19 | |
Not at all. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:20 | |
By absence. | 0:13:20 | 0:13:21 | |
The range of tariffs is from next to nothing, | 0:13:21 | 0:13:23 | |
in fact nothing, right through to very high | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
numbers on agriculture. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:26 | |
You're quite right, the numbers in agriculture are high | 0:13:26 | 0:13:29 | |
because of the protectionist nature of the Common Agricultural Policy. | 0:13:29 | 0:13:31 | |
OK, can you tell the committee whether the Government has | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
undertaken an economic assessment of the implications for the British | 0:13:33 | 0:13:38 | |
economy and for British businesses of there being no deal? | 0:13:38 | 0:13:45 | |
Well, it made an estimate during the Leave campaign, | 0:13:45 | 0:13:48 | |
the referendum campaign but I think one of the issues that's arisen | 0:13:48 | 0:13:53 | |
is that those forecasts don't appear to have exactly been very | 0:13:53 | 0:13:56 | |
robust since then. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
Right, my question... | 0:13:59 | 0:14:00 | |
Not since then. | 0:14:00 | 0:14:01 | |
The answer is, if you mean under my time, no. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:04 | |
So you're saying there has been no further assessment | 0:14:04 | 0:14:07 | |
of the implications of no deal at all since before | 0:14:07 | 0:14:10 | |
the referendum, is that correct? | 0:14:10 | 0:14:12 | |
No, that's not correct. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:13 | |
You're putting words in my mouth. | 0:14:13 | 0:14:15 | |
No, no, no. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:16 | |
Yes, you are. | 0:14:16 | 0:14:17 | |
One of the difficulties about your sort of style of sort of yes, | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
no answers and questions is, of course, you don't deal | 0:14:20 | 0:14:22 | |
with what we can do to mitigate. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:27 | |
Much of this is about mitigation. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:29 | |
Any forecast that you may, any forecast that you make depends | 0:14:29 | 0:14:31 | |
on the mitigation you undertake. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
A Conservative was struck by the concerns the committee had | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
heard on a trip to Dublin. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:39 | |
When we were over there, the feeling was that there is a lot | 0:14:39 | 0:14:42 | |
of warm words from the UK around the situation in Ireland but | 0:14:42 | 0:14:45 | |
there's no actual clear solutions and we're days away from triggering | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
Article 50 and, you know, Ireland, both Northern Ireland | 0:14:48 | 0:14:50 | |
and the Republic of Ireland need certainty about what | 0:14:50 | 0:14:53 | |
is going to happen. | 0:14:53 | 0:14:54 | |
So, can you be a bit more specific about what's going to happen around | 0:14:54 | 0:14:58 | |
custom checks to goods? | 0:14:58 | 0:14:59 | |
HMRC are working on this at the moment. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
The Northern Ireland Office are working on this at the moment. | 0:15:01 | 0:15:03 | |
We're having discussions with the Irish Republic | 0:15:03 | 0:15:05 | |
on this at the moment. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:06 | |
So that's all going on. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:08 | |
OK, so that's a work in progress. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:09 | |
What about the common travel area? | 0:15:09 | 0:15:11 | |
Have we got agreement from the other 27 member states of the common | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
travel area we can resort to what was there before? | 0:15:14 | 0:15:18 | |
It is our intention and it's the Irish Republic's | 0:15:18 | 0:15:20 | |
intention to maintain it. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:24 | |
OK, so that's also still a work in progress. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:26 | |
No, no, no, stop. | 0:15:26 | 0:15:27 | |
Let's not put words in my mouth. | 0:15:27 | 0:15:29 | |
What I have said to you... | 0:15:29 | 0:15:30 | |
But you can't give us assurance today. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:32 | |
No, it's plainly what we intend and plainly what we expect. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:34 | |
If you like, if you want to put a label on this entire hearing, | 0:15:34 | 0:15:38 | |
you can call it all a work in progress because we actually | 0:15:38 | 0:15:41 | |
haven't engaged in negotiation yet. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:42 | |
I'm telling you very specifically this is a very | 0:15:42 | 0:15:44 | |
well-defined, intended policy. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:45 | |
Please do not reinforce the problems you were talking | 0:15:45 | 0:15:49 | |
about in Northern Ireland by calling everything a work in progress. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
That's why people get worried about this. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:55 | |
We're aiming very plainly and a very clear outcome. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:58 | |
With respect, we were in Dublin a few weeks ago and this is, | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
you know, what we were told by politicians in Ireland | 0:16:01 | 0:16:05 | |
that they have huge concerns about the uncertainty and they want | 0:16:05 | 0:16:07 | |
certainty as soon as possible. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:09 | |
You're watching Wednesday in Parliament with me, | 0:16:09 | 0:16:11 | |
Alicia McCarthy. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:17 | |
The Prime Minister has insisted women should be free | 0:16:17 | 0:16:19 | |
to choose how they dress. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:20 | |
She was responding to this week's European court ruling that workers | 0:16:20 | 0:16:23 | |
can be banned from wearing headscarves and other | 0:16:23 | 0:16:25 | |
religious symbols. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
The European Court of Justice ruling was prompted by the case | 0:16:28 | 0:16:31 | |
of a receptionist in Belgium who was fired for | 0:16:31 | 0:16:33 | |
wearing a headscarf at the security company, G4S. | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
In a statement later, the Equalities Minister said | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
the judgment did not fundamentally change the law. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:44 | |
This Government is completely opposed to discrimination, including | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
whether on the grounds of gender or religion or both. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:53 | |
And it is right of all women to choose how they dress | 0:16:53 | 0:16:56 | |
and we do not believe that these judgments change that. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:59 | |
Exactly the same legal protections apply today | 0:16:59 | 0:17:03 | |
as did before the rulings. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:05 | |
We have a long tradition in this country for | 0:17:05 | 0:17:07 | |
respecting religious freedom and many people | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
will frankly listen in disbelief | 0:17:09 | 0:17:12 | |
to the court's ruling that a corporate multinational like G4S | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
risks its corporate neutrality being undermined | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
by a receptionist in Belgium wearing a headscarf. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:24 | |
At what point did the law decide that | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
expressing religious belief through a cross, | 0:17:27 | 0:17:31 | |
a turban or a headscarf was a threat | 0:17:31 | 0:17:33 | |
to organisational neutrality? | 0:17:33 | 0:17:37 | |
It is and it does remain unlawful to directly discriminate | 0:17:37 | 0:17:41 | |
against someone because of their religion or to create spurious rules | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
which would prevent them from wearing religious clothing | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
or jewellery. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
Employers can, however, enforce a dress code but it must | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
be for proportionate and legitimate reasons and must equally apply | 0:17:51 | 0:17:55 | |
to all employees. | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
Women and men must be allowed to choose their expression of faith. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:03 | |
Simply put, this judgment is not consistent with the British | 0:18:03 | 0:18:06 | |
liberal and human rights tradition. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:07 | |
Of real concern is the implications this may now have for faith | 0:18:07 | 0:18:10 | |
communities. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:11 | |
Already, Madam Deputy Speaker, far right across Europe are | 0:18:11 | 0:18:13 | |
rallying around this judgment. | 0:18:13 | 0:18:18 | |
I'm sure I'm not alone in seeing a big difference | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
between a headscarf, crucifix or turban and | 0:18:21 | 0:18:23 | |
the burqa or niqab. | 0:18:23 | 0:18:25 | |
I wonder how this judgment will affect the two police forces | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
that I am aware of which are currently stating | 0:18:28 | 0:18:30 | |
that they are considering or willing to consider applications | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
from female police officers who may want to wear | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
a full niqab or burqa. | 0:18:36 | 0:18:38 | |
Where the job is safe for them to continue to wear | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
their religious garments, then we feel very much | 0:18:41 | 0:18:45 | |
that they should be encouraged to do so. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:47 | |
In 99.9% of jobs, including the security guard, | 0:18:47 | 0:18:51 | |
your ability to do a job is not affected by whether you wear | 0:18:51 | 0:18:54 | |
a skull cap, a headscarf, a turban, a cross, mangalsutra, | 0:18:54 | 0:19:00 | |
a tilaka or any such thing. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:02 | |
We don't want any employers mistakenly thinking that | 0:19:02 | 0:19:05 | |
this ruling gives them any kind of authority to sack any public | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
facing staff who wear headscarves or any other form | 0:19:08 | 0:19:10 | |
of religious symbols. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:11 | |
These protections are already in our domestic law, it's very clear | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
and we will always make sure | 0:19:14 | 0:19:15 | |
that they are enforced in the strongest possible way. | 0:19:15 | 0:19:21 | |
The rules around Personal Independence Payments, or Pips, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
which help with the extra costs of a long-term health condition | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
or disability, change this week. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
Ministers said they were forced to act after two court judgments | 0:19:28 | 0:19:33 | |
made the benefit more generous, ruling that claimants | 0:19:33 | 0:19:35 | |
with psychological problems who cannot travel without help must | 0:19:35 | 0:19:38 | |
be treated like those who are blind. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:41 | |
The Government argues restoring the original intention of the policy | 0:19:41 | 0:19:44 | |
would save ?3.7 billion by 2023. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:49 | |
The opposition demanded the Government think again. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:53 | |
The Government's decision to change the law on Pip is a clear | 0:19:53 | 0:19:56 | |
example of the way people with mental health conditions are not | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
given an equal treatment. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:00 | |
So does the Secretary of State agree that | 0:20:00 | 0:20:02 | |
his department's new guidance issued yesterday that mobility impairments | 0:20:02 | 0:20:04 | |
caused by psychological issues are not relevant? | 0:20:04 | 0:20:11 | |
The truth is that Pip is much better as a benefit for | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
people with mental health conditions than the predecessor benefit DLA. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:20 | |
It is absolutely the case under these | 0:20:20 | 0:20:22 | |
regulations and under Pip regulations that people can receive | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
the highest rate of the mobility component of Pip with a cognitive | 0:20:25 | 0:20:30 | |
impairment alone. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
This is a cut and it directly targets people with | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
mental health problems. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:37 | |
What the regulation, taking effect tomorrow, does | 0:20:37 | 0:20:39 | |
is to insert in the qualifying conditions for Pip in the section | 0:20:39 | 0:20:43 | |
about planning and following a journey, the phrase, "other than for | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
reasons of psychological distress." | 0:20:46 | 0:20:52 | |
Would my right honourable friend confirm again that | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
actually there is no cuts | 0:20:54 | 0:20:56 | |
involved in this at all to people who have been previously | 0:20:56 | 0:20:58 | |
awarded through Pip and secondly, that actually those with mental | 0:20:58 | 0:21:02 | |
health disabilities get more under Pip than they did under DLA? | 0:21:02 | 0:21:06 | |
The International Development Secretary has told MPs Britain | 0:21:06 | 0:21:09 | |
is helping to win the propaganda war against so called Islamic State | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
on social media. | 0:21:12 | 0:21:14 | |
Priti Patel said the volume of posts on social media by the group had | 0:21:14 | 0:21:17 | |
fallen by 75% over the past 12 months. | 0:21:17 | 0:21:23 | |
And on social media, Daesh posts now outnumber | 0:21:23 | 0:21:25 | |
the pro-Daesh propaganda six to one. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:28 | |
The UK is leading... | 0:21:28 | 0:21:29 | |
The UK's leading coalition efforts to do this. | 0:21:29 | 0:21:33 | |
Much progress has been made against Daesh and since 2014, they | 0:21:33 | 0:21:39 | |
have lost 62% of territory they once held in Iraq and 30% in Syria. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:43 | |
But there remains much more still to be done. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:47 | |
Even once Daesh is militarily defeated, we must continue to be | 0:21:47 | 0:21:52 | |
wary of its resurgence. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:54 | |
In Iraq, this means supporting the government | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
of Iraq to restore order and be accountable to all of its people to | 0:21:57 | 0:22:01 | |
meet their needs. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:02 | |
And in Syria, it means continuing our efforts to deliver | 0:22:02 | 0:22:04 | |
a political settlement that enables a transition | 0:22:04 | 0:22:08 | |
away from Assad towards a government that serves | 0:22:08 | 0:22:10 | |
all of the Syrian people. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:12 | |
Dfid's core role is to tackle the global challenges | 0:22:12 | 0:22:15 | |
of our time, including poverty and disease, mass migration, | 0:22:15 | 0:22:17 | |
insecurity and conflict. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:21 | |
I believe that now we must come together with cross-party support | 0:22:21 | 0:22:25 | |
for helping the most vulnerable civilian refugees | 0:22:25 | 0:22:28 | |
most affected by Daesh. | 0:22:28 | 0:22:31 | |
The UK needs to commit to taking its fair share of | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
refugees, 20,000 over five years is not a fair share, | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
nor is 350 under the Dubs scheme. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:39 | |
And if ODA money is to be used by other Government departments, | 0:22:39 | 0:22:42 | |
the Home Office can use it for the first year of resettlement. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:45 | |
Mr Speaker, the former Prime Minister | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
said UK military involvement in Syria | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
would cut off the head of the snake. | 0:22:49 | 0:22:51 | |
Where is the evidence that that has happened? | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
Humanitarian response is not just the right thing | 0:22:54 | 0:22:56 | |
to do to make us safer. | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
As long as people in Syria and Iraq | 0:22:58 | 0:23:00 | |
live with the consequences of UK military | 0:23:00 | 0:23:01 | |
adventurism, we have a responsibility to help | 0:23:01 | 0:23:03 | |
clean up the mess. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:05 | |
Patrick Grady. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:06 | |
Well, we heard Priti Patel there talking | 0:23:06 | 0:23:08 | |
about the use of social media and down the corridor | 0:23:08 | 0:23:12 | |
in the Lords Peers pressed the Government to impose a duty | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
on social media companies to tackle online abuse. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:17 | |
Last week, when the BBC questioned over 100 images | 0:23:17 | 0:23:21 | |
of children on Facebook, only 18 were removed as a result. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:25 | |
The BBC were then asked to send screen grabs of the | 0:23:25 | 0:23:28 | |
images to Facebook and instead of acting to take them down, | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
Facebook then reported the BBC journalist to the police. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
Yesterday, Google, Twitter and Facebook appeared before | 0:23:33 | 0:23:35 | |
the Home Affairs Select Committee, where Twitter admitted they were | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
doing not a good enough job on hate crime. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
The noble lady expects robust processes to be in place but if she | 0:23:41 | 0:23:47 | |
won't consider statutory guidance, what is the Government's plan to | 0:23:47 | 0:23:49 | |
protect victims of online abuse? | 0:23:49 | 0:23:53 | |
I take note the noble lady's recounting to the House the issues | 0:23:53 | 0:23:59 | |
that you raised and the BBC case last week. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:03 | |
It is, of course, right that we continue to keep our | 0:24:03 | 0:24:06 | |
position under review. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:08 | |
But a complete response to this problem requires more than just | 0:24:08 | 0:24:13 | |
legislation, it requires the support of internet service providers and | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
their communities, it requires the application of advanced | 0:24:16 | 0:24:18 | |
technologies. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
For instance, in our work encountering violent extremism, | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
it requires counter narrative initiatives, disruption mechanism, | 0:24:24 | 0:24:26 | |
robust complaints and takedown procedures. | 0:24:26 | 0:24:28 | |
All of this to safely challenge the hate that people are | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
facing online. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:32 | |
It's far too easy to access abusive and explicit content | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
on social media services, including Facebook, Twitter, | 0:24:35 | 0:24:39 | |
Snapchat, Instagram, Yik Yap, Vine, Kik and doubtless many others. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:47 | |
And that such companies need to do more to help parents | 0:24:47 | 0:24:49 | |
parent in order that children can take advantage of | 0:24:49 | 0:24:53 | |
technology in a safe and responsible way. | 0:24:53 | 0:24:58 | |
The noble lady is absolutely correct, it is indeed important | 0:24:58 | 0:25:03 | |
that these companies take responsibility for thei actions. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:07 | |
The majority of the internet platforms | 0:25:07 | 0:25:12 | |
are based overseas and they provide global | 0:25:12 | 0:25:14 | |
services and as this House is fully aware, there | 0:25:14 | 0:25:16 | |
is significant complexity to introducing any regime | 0:25:16 | 0:25:17 | |
that governs online activity, including keeping any such | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
obligation current, given the speed and evolution of technology and | 0:25:19 | 0:25:22 | |
given the global nature of the internet and the extraterritorial | 0:25:22 | 0:25:26 | |
jurisdiction that applies. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
And that's it from me for now but do join me at the same time | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
tomorrow for another round up of the best | 0:25:32 | 0:25:34 | |
of the day here in Parliament, | 0:25:34 | 0:25:36 | |
including Culture Questions, a debate on the Chilcot inquiry | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
into the Iraq war and a debate on suicide prevention. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:40 | |
But for now, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:48 |