09/12/2015

:00:34. > :00:42.David Cameron's off on his European travels again today still trying

:00:43. > :00:49.to drum up support for his renegotiation of Britain's

:00:50. > :00:53.membership of the EU. But the PM's expected to get

:00:54. > :00:56.a frosty reception in Poland - they've declared in work benefits

:00:57. > :01:05.a red-line issue when it comes to EU renegotiation.

:01:06. > :01:07.That means it's the Chancellor, George Osborne's big day

:01:08. > :01:12.Joining him for PMQs for the first time, Labour's Angela Eagle.

:01:13. > :01:14.The Prime Minister's friend and Conservative chairman,

:01:15. > :01:21.Lord Feldman, is facing claims - which he denies - that he was told

:01:22. > :01:30.And should this man become the become the next President

:01:31. > :01:34.Donald J Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown

:01:35. > :01:35.of Muslims entering the United States until our

:01:36. > :01:48.country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

:01:49. > :01:51.All that in the next hour and with us for the duration two MPs

:01:52. > :01:53.who unfortunately would never say anything controversial,

:01:54. > :01:57.The Energy and Climate Change Minister, Andrea Leadson,

:01:58. > :02:00.and the Shadow Education Secretary, Lucy Powell.

:02:01. > :02:06.Now, before we get to talk about anything serious spare

:02:07. > :02:08.a thought for one poor chap who unwittingly stole

:02:09. > :02:27.The Croatian president is on the right. The man there is pulling his

:02:28. > :02:34.trousers up! The president is thoughtfully using this very large

:02:35. > :02:39.award to hide his embarrassment. His name is Ivan and he was therefore a

:02:40. > :02:48.human rights award but it did not go to plan. You feel for him. Maybe he

:02:49. > :02:50.has been on a diet. Indeed but there are things called belts! A few more

:02:51. > :03:04.notches needed in the belt! When you were appointed you said you

:03:05. > :03:09.had not met Jeremy Corbyn, what is his leadership style like? I have

:03:10. > :03:13.got to know him really well over the last few weeks, we talked a lot

:03:14. > :03:17.about education policy and share views about the direction of travel

:03:18. > :03:22.and wants to see education policy go. He is kind and generous and

:03:23. > :03:26.principled and I have got to know him and like him. Actually, apart

:03:27. > :03:32.from some of the things you might have read about happening at Shadow

:03:33. > :03:38.Cabinet meetings, actually, the meetings have been comradely, with

:03:39. > :03:46.wide discussions, and we have shared views in an open and honest way and

:03:47. > :03:49.I welcome that. So you share views and agreed so the idea of collective

:03:50. > :03:56.responsibility has gone out the window with Syria and Trident? On

:03:57. > :04:00.the issue with a free vote, some of us came to a different conclusion

:04:01. > :04:05.than Jeremy but for the vast majority of us, we shared the same

:04:06. > :04:08.concerns one way or another and it was a very finely balanced judgment

:04:09. > :04:14.in the end and those of us who voted for air strikes did so by a few

:04:15. > :04:17.percentage points in that final judgment, as did many of my

:04:18. > :04:23.colleagues who voted the opposite way and we respected each other's

:04:24. > :04:25.views on that. On the whole, Jeremy and I have had many hours of

:04:26. > :04:32.conversations about education policy.

:04:33. > :04:39.I have given a presentation to the Shadow Cabinet about those issues.

:04:40. > :04:46.He was criticised for not appointing a woman to the top three jobs, was

:04:47. > :04:50.that a mistake? The raw many women in the Shadow Cabinet. Strong and

:04:51. > :05:01.capable and able women. We will see Angela Eagle deputising today. He

:05:02. > :05:05.was clear about that. I really welcome her there at the dispatch

:05:06. > :05:12.box. The Prime Minister was in trouble last week for calling Jeromy

:05:13. > :05:17.Corbyn and people like him as terrorist sympathisers. David

:05:18. > :05:25.Cameron's comments were really unhelpful to say the least and he

:05:26. > :05:37.was absolutely wrong about that and it was a dangerous game trying to

:05:38. > :05:43.criticise that. How do you describe people at Stop The War? He is a

:05:44. > :05:47.long-standing loyal member of that organisation and they are a

:05:48. > :05:52.principled organisation that believe that war and military intervention

:05:53. > :05:59.can't ever be part of the process towards peace. I would like to

:06:00. > :06:09.think... That is not what they say. They are not against all wars at

:06:10. > :06:19.all. I understood... They did not raise a voice against the Russian

:06:20. > :06:24.invasion into Ukraine Crimea. As far as I'm aware. Well, they are

:06:25. > :06:32.certainly against military intervention in the middle East. As

:06:33. > :06:36.I was going to go on to say, clearly, given the difference of

:06:37. > :06:41.opinion that Jeremy and I came to last week, I don't agree with

:06:42. > :06:47.everything that the Stop The War coalition advocates. Jeremy does. It

:06:48. > :06:51.is an organisation that he has had a long-standing relationship with, it

:06:52. > :06:57.is entirely a matter for him whether he wants to continue that. It was

:06:58. > :07:01.the terrorist sympathisers I wanted to talk about and how you would

:07:02. > :07:07.describe people at Stop The War. After Paris, Stop The War said

:07:08. > :07:10.France reaped the whirlwind of foreign policy and they said Islamic

:07:11. > :07:16.State had the same spirit of international that motivated the

:07:17. > :07:19.brigade before fascism in the 1930s. Does it indicate some sympathy

:07:20. > :07:28.towards terrorists? I totally disagree with the comment. So does

:07:29. > :07:31.Jeremy Corbyn as I understand. Those comments were not statements of the

:07:32. > :07:38.organisation themselves but of members within them, and as we often

:07:39. > :07:47.have on debating forums, whether it be newspapers... Stop The War

:07:48. > :07:53.comparing him and his colleagues to Islamic State is shameful, isn't it?

:07:54. > :07:58.I disagree with those comments and as I understand it so does Jeremy

:07:59. > :08:02.Corbyn. Why is Jeremy Corbyn going to do their Christmas fundraiser?

:08:03. > :08:06.That is a matter for him coming he has a long-standing relationship

:08:07. > :08:11.with the organisation and as I understand it, those comments were

:08:12. > :08:15.not from the organisation but were put on there by individuals

:08:16. > :08:18.associated with Stop The War and were taken down as quickly as they

:08:19. > :08:23.went up there which is often the case. If you look at the Daily Mail

:08:24. > :08:26.or Guardian website or the Labour Party website or Tory party website,

:08:27. > :08:34.I am sure you can find abhorrent opinions being posted. That is not

:08:35. > :08:39.the same. Some take awhile to be taken down. As I say, I do not agree

:08:40. > :08:44.with Stop The War. Should Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party,

:08:45. > :08:52.the associated with an organisation that says those sorts of things not

:08:53. > :08:55.just once but twice? Some of your colleagues say it is shameful.

:08:56. > :09:00.Caroline Lucas has stepped down from her role because of the things that

:09:01. > :09:04.were said should Jeremy Corbyn? Are they the views of the organisation?

:09:05. > :09:09.Are they a statement from the organisation? I understand that they

:09:10. > :09:12.are not. The statements from individuals associated with it which

:09:13. > :09:17.many people including Jeremy Corbyn had distanced themselves from an say

:09:18. > :09:23.they do not agree with it. Should Jeremy Corbyn he allowed, be able,

:09:24. > :09:26.and should he come to his own decision about whether he wants to

:09:27. > :09:33.go to an event organised by an organisation that he himself said

:09:34. > :09:38.Arp, that he has a principled view that he supports, of course he

:09:39. > :09:43.should be allowed to. -- he himself set up. He was elected because he

:09:44. > :09:49.came from a principled... You are happy to be associated with that

:09:50. > :09:53.organisation? I am not happy... The comments they came from people at

:09:54. > :09:56.Stop The War. We can have a different view about that but my

:09:57. > :10:00.understanding is that they are not the views of the coalition

:10:01. > :10:06.themselves. Some colleagues have urged him not to go? They have and I

:10:07. > :10:13.understand that but is a matter for Jeromy and if he wants to go, he is

:10:14. > :10:16.a man of principle, he was elected, he was supported because he was a

:10:17. > :10:19.man of principle and we might not agree with all of his views and I

:10:20. > :10:22.don't agree with all of what Stop The War said, but it is up to him

:10:23. > :10:33.whether he wants to go or not. David Cameron won't be taking PMQs

:10:34. > :10:35.today because he's off to Romania and Poland

:10:36. > :10:38.for a couple of days. No, not Christmas shopping,

:10:39. > :10:40.but making the case for restricting migration to the UK with two

:10:41. > :10:43.of his most implacable opponents. to in the Daily Politics

:10:44. > :11:08.renegotiation guide update. After calls for clarity from Britain

:11:09. > :11:10.by EU Parliament president Martin Schulz, David Cameron wrote

:11:11. > :11:13.to EU Commission President Donald Tusk setting out four

:11:14. > :11:18.well-rehearsed, areas for reform. Economic governance -

:11:19. > :11:20.an explicit recognition that the euro is not the only

:11:21. > :11:23.currency of the European Union to ensure countries

:11:24. > :11:25.outside the eurozone Setting a target for the reduction

:11:26. > :11:31.of the "burden" of excessive regulation and extending

:11:32. > :11:36.the single market. Allowing Britain to opt out

:11:37. > :11:40.from the EU's founding ambition to forge an "ever closer union"

:11:41. > :11:43.of the peoples of Europe so it will not be drawn

:11:44. > :11:48.into further political integration. And an area that has

:11:49. > :11:52.proved problematic - Restricting access to in and out

:11:53. > :12:02.of work benefits to people who've been in the UK for

:12:03. > :12:04.less than four years. to seal a deal at the EU summit next

:12:05. > :12:09.week, but in a letter this week ahead of that meeting Donald Tusk

:12:10. > :12:12.stated consultations have shown that "issues raised by the British Prime

:12:13. > :12:14.Minister are difficult." "The fourth basket on social

:12:15. > :12:18.benefits and the free movement of persons is the most delicate",

:12:19. > :12:20.with Poland declaring it But as David Cameron flies

:12:21. > :12:25.to Romania and Poland today to make his case for reform,

:12:26. > :12:28.talks remain in deadlock, and the Prime Minister's

:12:29. > :12:44.timetable in tatters. Andrea, if the Prime Minister was to

:12:45. > :12:48.get to achieve the demands that she outlined there, would you vote to

:12:49. > :12:53.stay in? Well, what we have got to do is wait and see what he achieves.

:12:54. > :12:58.I am asking you if he does achieve what was outlined there, and these

:12:59. > :13:03.are his official demands, would you vote to stay in? Yell at the they

:13:04. > :13:10.are top lines and there will be a package where he can and initiate,

:13:11. > :13:14.so I would vote to stay in. -- negotiate. We cannot really

:13:15. > :13:18.speculate on how people should react into we see what he comes back with.

:13:19. > :13:26.If he gets his top lines, that will be enough? They need to be defined.

:13:27. > :13:29.As was said, on the issue of competitiveness, there is a lot

:13:30. > :13:35.within that, within the possibilities of the single market.

:13:36. > :13:43.It is vague and meaningless. It is not vague, it is principle. Less red

:13:44. > :13:47.tape? Everybody says less red tape and then when you get into power you

:13:48. > :13:53.give us more red tape so it is meaningless. The point he is

:13:54. > :13:57.achieving is working towards negotiating the specific meaning of

:13:58. > :14:03.work towards greater competitiveness, economic governance

:14:04. > :14:06.must devil is in the detail but that is part of the negotiations and we

:14:07. > :14:10.have to wait and see what he comes back with. Supposing we agreed

:14:11. > :14:13.parameters by which we determine competitiveness and in five years'

:14:14. > :14:20.time it turns out none have been met, what would happen? The thing

:14:21. > :14:23.the EU has form on, and let's face it, the Prime Minister has done well

:14:24. > :14:30.and has achieved a significant first. Never mind that, what would

:14:31. > :14:35.happen if none of the competitive targets were met?

:14:36. > :14:42.These things stick. He is looking for a legally binding... Not a

:14:43. > :14:48.handshake and cup of coffee, he is looking for legally binding

:14:49. > :14:51.commitment. It can be with an intergovernmental agreement. There

:14:52. > :14:59.is precedence. It is legally binding. What happens if targets are

:15:00. > :15:03.not met? It would be. In 2001, in Lisbon, the origin of the famous

:15:04. > :15:07.Lisbon Treaty it was put in the treaty by 2010, Europe would be the

:15:08. > :15:14.most competitive region in the world. How did that go? Bat was an

:15:15. > :15:17.aspiration, not a policy. The Prime Minister is talking about specifics,

:15:18. > :15:24.what measures will beat you be taking? Give me an exact measure.

:15:25. > :15:28.Free trade agreements the Prime Minister is pitching for. The

:15:29. > :15:33.completion of the single market where implementation... The

:15:34. > :15:39.enforcement of rules agreed to. Europe is going through a free trade

:15:40. > :15:43.agreement. It could do more. That would be legally binding? The

:15:44. > :15:48.package the Prime Minister is looking for will be legally binding

:15:49. > :15:53.on all member states. That free trade agreement with China, that

:15:54. > :15:57.Europe does not have, that will be a legally binding requirement? The

:15:58. > :16:01.work to go into getting more free trade agreements will be a

:16:02. > :16:07.commitment. Europe is committed to more free-trade agreements. It takes

:16:08. > :16:11.its time getting there and it is sometimes difficult to get all to

:16:12. > :16:14.agree but it wants them, I do not understand how that will change. It

:16:15. > :16:20.is policy to have more free-trade agreements. The view of the Prime

:16:21. > :16:28.Minister is the European Union, in its own interest is, can do more to

:16:29. > :16:32.be more competitive. Our position in world competitiveness, world GDP as

:16:33. > :16:38.28 member states has dropped like a stone. We have to turn it around to

:16:39. > :16:42.compete in a more global world. That is what the Prime Minister is

:16:43. > :16:48.seeking to do. If the Prime Minister cannot get what he looks for on

:16:49. > :16:55.welfare, in work welfare for migrants, which is even if they work

:16:56. > :16:58.they do not qualify for in work welfare for several years. If he

:16:59. > :17:00.does not get it, will it be a deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:01. > :17:07.nothing deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:08. > :17:09.speak. I am asking you if it deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:10. > :17:11.be a deal-breaker if you deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:12. > :17:15.it? He needs to negotiate deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:16. > :17:18.four headings, that is his plan. deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:19. > :17:21.will come back and it is for deal-breaker? He said he will rule

:17:22. > :17:26.British people to decide. You are a member of the British people, what

:17:27. > :17:30.does this British person think about the four-year break before migrants

:17:31. > :17:39.qualify for in work welfare? Should it be a deal-breaker? I think some

:17:40. > :17:44.shift in the unity of UK people to not be paying for migrants who have

:17:45. > :17:47.not contributed is vital. In that sense it should be a deal-breaker,

:17:48. > :17:51.but in the sense should it sense it should be a deal-breaker,

:17:52. > :17:52.exactly this form, we have to see what the Prime Minister comes back

:17:53. > :17:57.with. He is committed what the Prime Minister comes back

:17:58. > :18:00.pillars. Why should it be what the Prime Minister comes back

:18:01. > :18:06.deal-breaker since we learned from the OBR that even if we got it and

:18:07. > :18:13.make no difference to the number of migrants coming head? Because it is

:18:14. > :18:16.people who have not paid in should be automatically be able

:18:17. > :18:20.people who have not paid in should out. It was presented as an issue

:18:21. > :18:26.because the Prime Minister wants to reduce migration, but if it doesn't,

:18:27. > :18:31.what is the point? The Office for Budget Responsibility do forecasts.

:18:32. > :18:36.The Prime Minister's proposals would reduce pull factors. In other words

:18:37. > :18:42.some reasons why coming to the UK to work are at the moment attractive.

:18:43. > :18:48.That is not what the OBR says, it assumes continued rising migration.

:18:49. > :18:53.That is why it forecasts on tax revenues. The key point is that we

:18:54. > :18:56.will be looking to make it fairer to taxpayers who have paid into the

:18:57. > :19:03.system over people who have just arrived. So now it is about

:19:04. > :19:08.fairness, not about reducing migration? It is about reducing pull

:19:09. > :19:17.factors. The OBR said it won't. They do not have a crystal ball. What is

:19:18. > :19:22.the minimum wage in Romania? Reducing pull factors for people to

:19:23. > :19:27.come here to get in work benefits, free housing, to send child benefit

:19:28. > :19:31.home to children not resident in the UK, these are things my constituents

:19:32. > :19:37.worry about. I understand that if the national minimum wage is over

:19:38. > :19:42.?9, that is a big pull factor for many of these people. They will not

:19:43. > :19:48.care about in work benefits. Over ?9 an hour will be beyond their wildest

:19:49. > :19:53.dreams in Bulgaria and Romania and that is a pull factor. That will not

:19:54. > :19:58.be the same issue constituents have about people coming to the country

:19:59. > :20:02.and effectively living off taxes of people who work hard. Paying their

:20:03. > :20:07.taxes for someone else to benefit on day one. There is an issue of

:20:08. > :20:11.fairness and pull factors. Does Labour support what the Prime

:20:12. > :20:17.Minister is trying to negotiate? What we want to see is a clearer

:20:18. > :20:25.leadership from the government. About why it is important Britain

:20:26. > :20:30.stays in the EU. Do you support the four areas outlined that he wants to

:20:31. > :20:36.change our relationship? Does Labour support these areas? Broadly

:20:37. > :20:41.speaking will stop but there is wiggle room. The in work benefit

:20:42. > :20:46.issue, that was a Labour Party policy of the last election, albeit

:20:47. > :20:51.for a shorter period. Is it still Labour policy? Yes. It is still

:20:52. > :20:56.Labour policy that migrants coming from the EU should be denied in work

:20:57. > :21:00.benefits for the first two years? We said we would look to get a deal on

:21:01. > :21:05.two years. As the Prime Minister has said, his notion of a four-year

:21:06. > :21:12.break on that is going to be possible. Is it still Labour policy

:21:13. > :21:28.to want a two-year break? Yes, I dearly, yes. -- ideally. Does Jeremy

:21:29. > :21:33.Corbyn support not paying for the first two years? I cannot remember

:21:34. > :21:39.what he's said in that discussion but it is clear it is Labour Party

:21:40. > :21:44.policy. As Andrea said, as the Prime Minister said, the idea we will get

:21:45. > :21:50.agreement across Europe for a four-year break is impossible. I

:21:51. > :21:55.think two is at the upper end of what is achievable. In 2014 your

:21:56. > :21:59.party stated that EU migrants would have to wait two years before

:22:00. > :22:06.claiming out of work benefits. Now you say it is at the upper end. As

:22:07. > :22:10.Rachel Reeves, the then Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary when we

:22:11. > :22:14.develop that policy, she spoke to a number of European colleagues about

:22:15. > :22:18.whether they would agree to that move and that was just over a year

:22:19. > :22:22.ago and all the people she spoke to win the European Commission, Germany

:22:23. > :22:26.and other countries, had not heard from our government at that time

:22:27. > :22:34.asking those questions. The key issue about Europe is because the

:22:35. > :22:38.Prime Minister is hiding behind a pseudo- process. I thought you said

:22:39. > :22:42.you supported it. We support the measures but we are not hiding

:22:43. > :22:46.behind it to say only in those circumstances do we support Britain

:22:47. > :22:51.staying the EU. We have ministers coming on the TV not able to say why

:22:52. > :22:58.Britain benefits from being part of the EU. There are costs but they are

:22:59. > :23:02.outweighed by the benefits and we need leadership on why the benefits

:23:03. > :23:05.outweigh the cost. And keep. -- thank you.

:23:06. > :23:08.George Osborne's hopped back from four days in New York

:23:09. > :23:14.Rumour has it the Christmas shopping has gone rather well.

:23:15. > :23:19.I bumped into him on 5th Avenue just a couple of days ago.

:23:20. > :23:21.But George shouldn't you be ticking off your Christmas list

:23:22. > :23:27.If you want one of these delightful little stocking fillers,

:23:28. > :23:33.Yes, we'll remind you how to enter in a minute but can you guess

:23:34. > :23:44.# We've come too far to give up who we are...#

:23:45. > :23:48.I came into politics to try and make a difference and now I am leaving

:23:49. > :23:51.politics to try and make a difference in a different way.

:23:52. > :23:53.# And we'll never be royals (royals).

:23:54. > :23:59.# That kind of luxe just ain't for us.

:24:00. > :24:04.that is for sure. of lungs on him,

:24:05. > :24:07.# I belong with you, you belong with me, my sweetheart.

:24:08. > :24:14.# My sweet. you belong with me.

:24:15. > :24:23.# All I wanted was to break you off.#

:24:24. > :24:29.above us. the roof collapsed

:24:30. > :24:41.# I see it all, I see it now, I got the eye of the tiger.

:24:42. > :24:45.# Cos I am a champion through the fire.

:24:46. > :24:54.To be in with a chance of winning a Daily Politics mug,

:24:55. > :24:56.send your answer to our special quiz email address

:24:57. > :25:03.Entries must arrive by 12.30 today, and you can see the full terms

:25:04. > :25:09.and conditions for Guess The Year on our website.

:25:10. > :25:27.Yes, Prime Minister's Questions is on its way.

:25:28. > :25:32.Without the Prime Minister. Nor the Leader of the Opposition.

:25:33. > :25:45.A Conservative Party activists said he warned the chairman about alleged

:25:46. > :25:49.bullying in the youth wing five years ago. Patrick Sullivan is the

:25:50. > :25:58.man who told Newsnight he put together a dossier with another

:25:59. > :26:04.Tory, Ben Howlett, now an MP. I have known Ben Howlett for a number of

:26:05. > :26:09.years. He won election for Conservative future chairman and was

:26:10. > :26:13.subjected to bullying during that campaign and subsequently withdrew

:26:14. > :26:18.his chairmanship. He has a strong anti-bullying stance in his

:26:19. > :26:26.campaign. As I said there had been a culture of bullying. As soon as he

:26:27. > :26:30.is elected, myself, Ben, helped compile a dossier and that dossier

:26:31. > :26:36.was given by Ben to Lord Feldman and Sayeeda Warsi. The dossier is not

:26:37. > :26:40.the only thing. There were complaints about Mark Clarke that

:26:41. > :26:46.were given to Roger Pratt in 2008. So complaints about Mark Clarke have

:26:47. > :26:52.been something the Conservative Central office have known about for

:26:53. > :26:56.a very long time. For a very long time. Why did it take so long for

:26:57. > :27:00.the Conservatives to do anything? The first thing I would like to say

:27:01. > :27:06.is this is a serious and awful story. A number of people I work

:27:07. > :27:10.within Parliament new Elliott Johnson, the young man who took his

:27:11. > :27:15.own life. I would like to say I am sorry to hear about that. Genuinely

:27:16. > :27:18.I do not know the background to this story and therefore I think it is

:27:19. > :27:28.right we have a completely independent of what has gone on. It

:27:29. > :27:33.is taking opportunities to get to the level of independence. Every

:27:34. > :27:35.is taking opportunities to get to to be moved to a new level of

:27:36. > :27:44.is taking opportunities to get to independence and even now people are

:27:45. > :27:50.not entirely sure it is -- sure. I am absolutely assured it is an

:27:51. > :27:54.independent review. Five years, we are told, and there were regular

:27:55. > :27:59.accusations of bullying and we are told the dossier was passed over by

:28:00. > :28:02.someone who is now a Tory MP colleague of yours and nothing was

:28:03. > :28:08.really done until this matter came to a head in an appalling tragedy

:28:09. > :28:15.you refer to. That is terrible, isn't it? I genuinely don't know. It

:28:16. > :28:22.is an absolute tragedy. That is why it is important we get to the bottom

:28:23. > :28:29.of it. The trouble something for the Conservative Party is how long this

:28:30. > :28:33.saga is going on, and the way in which more and more revelations keep

:28:34. > :28:38.coming out. It has claimed Grant Shapps as a minister who resigned

:28:39. > :28:45.over the affair and now questions continue for Lord Feldman. Right

:28:46. > :28:52.now, he is emphatic in his denials he did not know exactly what was

:28:53. > :28:56.going on. It is difficult for the party, I think, to appear to have

:28:57. > :29:01.taken this seriously enough when many people say they have been too

:29:02. > :29:07.slow to act. I have had to alter the approach in terms of an independent

:29:08. > :29:12.enquiry. There was going to be an in-house investigation. As often in

:29:13. > :29:17.these quite tangled stories, that sometimes comes down to different

:29:18. > :29:22.people'sversions of event is, it is all about who knew what and when

:29:23. > :29:25.they knew it. At the moment the question of contention is what Lord

:29:26. > :29:30.Feldman knew and when and he is adamant he did not know about these

:29:31. > :29:32.kinds of allegations. We are told the dossier was handed over by Ben

:29:33. > :29:39.Howlett in 2010 to Lord the dossier was handed over by Ben

:29:40. > :29:42.Baroness Warsi. We cannot get hold of Ben Howlett

:29:43. > :29:46.Baroness Warsi. We cannot get hold cannot get hold of Aaron Nastase

:29:47. > :29:53.this morning, why? I think -- Baroness Warsi. This is about

:29:54. > :29:57.personal relationships. Mark Clarke Baroness Warsi. This is about

:29:58. > :30:00.was a controversial figure in Conservative Party headquarters for

:30:01. > :30:07.a long time. But the level of emotion and personal animosity

:30:08. > :30:10.caught up in this, understandably, because the outcome for the

:30:11. > :30:12.caught up in this, understandably, family were so appalling, people are

:30:13. > :30:18.holding back in terms of wading in this. Ben Howlett might be on the

:30:19. > :30:24.benches waiting for George Osborne to take to the dispatch box. He has

:30:25. > :30:30.an opportunity to clear this up. Has anyone seen the dossier? Beyond

:30:31. > :30:35.those... Patrick Sullivan apparently has. He did not keep a copy. A

:30:36. > :30:39.Conservative source said they had been looking for the dossier and had

:30:40. > :30:44.not been able to find it, which is why it is crucial to hear from Ben

:30:45. > :30:49.Howlett in terms of whether he handed it over. It is difficult to

:30:50. > :30:54.imagine that someone would not have kept a copy. Interesting that

:30:55. > :30:58.Patrick Sullivan, who spoke to Newsnight, was explicit hard copies

:30:59. > :31:03.had been passed over and in his view this is a document that existed, but

:31:04. > :31:08.we are not clear what the precise nature of the allegations in a

:31:09. > :31:10.while. Or how strong. This is the crucial thing. We will come back to

:31:11. > :31:48.that. We can go to Prime Minister's they will not enjoy a season of

:31:49. > :31:57.goodwill. Why is he choosing down to cut the budget of the Birmingham

:31:58. > :32:04.They help to 24,000 loan shark victims to get debts written off.

:32:05. > :32:08.Will he have a word with his Business Secretary who seems to

:32:09. > :32:17.refusing to answer questions on the Daily Mirror on this question. We

:32:18. > :32:24.take very seriously illegal loan sharks and excessive interest

:32:25. > :32:32.charges on payday lending which is why the Tories introduced a cap on

:32:33. > :32:35.payday lending. On the question of funding for illegal money-laundering

:32:36. > :32:45.and loan shark teams, we are looking at a levy on the industry to meet

:32:46. > :32:52.funding requirements. Can you give an update on action against jacquard

:32:53. > :33:03.-ists who not only attack Muslims but almost or so pillage mosques.

:33:04. > :33:12.Along side protecting culture and heritage, can we ratify the Hague

:33:13. > :33:16.commission? Thank you for raising this important issue and let me

:33:17. > :33:23.update the house on military action. 16 aircraft are conducting strikes

:33:24. > :33:26.as well as drones. There are 11 missions and there were four strikes

:33:27. > :33:30.against oil fields and we are supporting Iraqi security services,

:33:31. > :33:34.and the Foreign Secretary is going to be in New York for talks on

:33:35. > :33:40.bringing an end to the horrendous conflict in Syria. Very

:33:41. > :33:43.specifically, on the damage being done to the cultural artefacts of

:33:44. > :33:48.the area and we are providing ?30 million as part of a cultural fund

:33:49. > :33:51.and I have discussed that with the director of the British Museum.

:33:52. > :34:00.Ratifying the Hague Convention, that is moving apace. Angela Eagle.

:34:01. > :34:23.CHEERING Thank you, it is nice to get a warm

:34:24. > :34:27.welcome! Our hearts go out to those suffering

:34:28. > :34:33.the consequences of severe flooding in the north-west this week with

:34:34. > :34:36.thousands of businesses affected. The priority has to be for the

:34:37. > :34:46.government to get immediate help to all of them. One year on from the 20

:34:47. > :34:50.13th-14th floods, only some have received payment from the government

:34:51. > :34:56.scheme. Does the Chancellor agree that this cannot possibly be allowed

:34:57. > :34:59.to happen again, these people need urgent help now? Will the Chancellor

:35:00. > :35:07.give a guarantee that people will receive the help that they need and

:35:08. > :35:10.quickly? Let me welcome the Honourable lady to her place and the

:35:11. > :35:18.warm support she has on the other side. Let me join her in expressing

:35:19. > :35:22.the sympathy of the whole House to those who have been with by the

:35:23. > :35:27.terrible floods and the record rainfall that has hit Cumbria and

:35:28. > :35:33.Lancashire. The update is that we have one severe flood warning in

:35:34. > :35:36.place, power has been restored to 168,000 homes, the West Coast Main

:35:37. > :35:43.Line is open, but we have to be there for the long term. We support

:35:44. > :35:49.the immediate rescue efforts, the military have been deployed. On

:35:50. > :35:53.recovery, I can now announce a ?50 million fund for families and

:35:54. > :35:57.businesses affected in the area. This will be administered by the

:35:58. > :36:03.local authorities to avoid some of the administrative problems she

:36:04. > :36:05.alluded to. When it comes to rebuilding the Cumbria and

:36:06. > :36:11.Lancashire infrastructure, we are assessing the damage to floods the

:36:12. > :36:15.fences and the damage to roads and funds will be made available. One of

:36:16. > :36:20.the benefits of the strong economy is helping people in need. I thank

:36:21. > :36:25.the Chancellor for that answer but you would not think from listening

:36:26. > :36:33.to him that he has got flood defence spending by a this year. -- that he

:36:34. > :36:38.has cut. After visiting the floods in the Somerset Levels in 2014, the

:36:39. > :36:43.Prime Minister told this House that money is no object in this relief

:36:44. > :36:47.effort and whatever money is needed will be spent. I welcome the

:36:48. > :36:56.announcement that the Chancellor has just made but will need factor will

:36:57. > :36:59.he confirm that the same will apply? Absolutely money will be made

:37:00. > :37:02.available to those affected and to the communities who have seen their

:37:03. > :37:06.infrastructure damaged. ?5,000 will be made available to individual

:37:07. > :37:10.families to repair their homes and protect them against future flooding

:37:11. > :37:14.and we will provide money to businesses who have seen their

:37:15. > :37:17.businesses ruins and there have been heartbreaking stories that we have

:37:18. > :37:21.seen on TV about businesses that have been affected as well, so that

:37:22. > :37:25.money is available. As I say, because we have a strong and

:37:26. > :37:30.resilient economy, we are increasing the money we spend on flood

:37:31. > :37:35.defences, and it is just not the case to say that that has been

:37:36. > :37:43.reduced. Under the last Labour government, they spent ?100 billion

:37:44. > :37:46.on flood defences. We are spending ?2 billion on flood defences and

:37:47. > :37:51.increasing maintenance spending. -- ?1 billion. It is precisely because

:37:52. > :37:59.we took the difficult decisions to fix our economy. I thank the

:38:00. > :38:04.Chancellor for that and we will hold him to account on the promises he

:38:05. > :38:07.has made today. I note that the government's own figures show that

:38:08. > :38:10.the capital investment in flood defences will only protect one in

:38:11. > :38:16.eight of those households that are at risk. Mr Speaker, I see that the

:38:17. > :38:21.Prime Minister cannot be with us to answer questions today because he is

:38:22. > :38:24.visiting Poland and Romania on the latest leg of his seemingly endless

:38:25. > :38:35.European renegotiation tour. LAUGHTER He has been jetting all

:38:36. > :38:43.over the place. No wonder he had to buy his own

:38:44. > :38:54.aeroplane! Can the Chancellor tell us how it is all going? The good

:38:55. > :39:10.news is... Groaning. We have a party leader who is respected abroad.

:39:11. > :39:15.The Prime Minister is in central and eastern Europe because we are

:39:16. > :39:18.fighting for a better deal for Great Britain, something that would not

:39:19. > :39:26.have happened if there had been a Labour government. Well, Mr Speaker,

:39:27. > :39:41.I have to tell him that many of his own backbenchers are pretty

:39:42. > :39:44.unimpressed with how it is going. Mr Speaker, the honourable member for

:39:45. > :39:51.North East Somerset has described the Prime Minister's renegotiation

:39:52. > :39:54.efforts is pretty thin gruel. One honourable member has called them

:39:55. > :39:57.lame and trivial, and honourable member has called them

:39:58. > :39:59.honourable member for Richmond Park told the press that they were not

:40:00. > :40:07.all that impressive. Mr told the press that they were not

:40:08. > :40:13.Chancellor is well-known for his backbenchers. There is absolutely

:40:14. > :40:23.nothing wrong with that. Can I ask him the question his own side want

:40:24. > :40:31.answering? Given that the Prime Minister has pre-resigns, does he

:40:32. > :40:44.really aspire to be written's first post EU Prime Minister? -- written's

:40:45. > :40:46.-- Britain. Most opposition parties are trying to get momentum, they are

:40:47. > :40:56.trying to get rid of it! We are are trying to get momentum, they are

:40:57. > :41:02.Britain in Europe, we are fighting to make the European economy more

:41:03. > :41:07.competitive for everyone and fighting for Great Britain getting a

:41:08. > :41:11.fair deal. That is what we are fighting for but in the end this

:41:12. > :41:15.will be something we put to the people of Great Britain in a

:41:16. > :41:19.referendum, and the only reason that referendum is happening at all is

:41:20. > :41:28.because the Conservative Party won the general election. Mr Speaker,

:41:29. > :41:32.the Chancellor is that of obsessing about issues in the Labour Party

:41:33. > :41:41.should be condemning activities in Conservative Future. I notice he did

:41:42. > :41:45.not answer the question about his own prime ministerial activities, he

:41:46. > :41:51.might be worried about somebody a few places down him on the bench, I

:41:52. > :42:06.am not sure. He is looking very cross! It is Oliver! Oliver is

:42:07. > :42:26.coming back for more! backbenchers, perhaps he will listen

:42:27. > :42:48.to someone who has written it. backbenchers, perhaps he will listen

:42:49. > :42:50.have a letter here. Mr Speaker, it is from Donald of Brussels.

:42:51. > :43:06.LAUGHTER And he writes, uncertainty about the

:43:07. > :43:14.future of the UK and EU is a destabilising factor. He is right,

:43:15. > :43:19.isn't he? Well, since the Conservative Party announced its

:43:20. > :43:22.policy on the referendum, we have received the lion's share of

:43:23. > :43:27.investment into Europe here in this country. We have built a strong

:43:28. > :43:31.economy because we stand up for Great Britain's interests abroad. It

:43:32. > :43:36.is a competitive place to build and grow a business. There is someone

:43:37. > :43:41.called Tony who has been writing today. He happens to be the most

:43:42. > :43:44.successful Labour leader in history and he is describing the Labour

:43:45. > :43:51.Party is a complete tragedy at the moment. Can she ask some serious

:43:52. > :44:00.questions about the health service, the economy, social care? She can

:44:01. > :44:06.ask any of these questions, she has one more question, let's hear it. Mr

:44:07. > :44:15.Speaker, I prefer this quote from Tony. Just mouth the words. Five

:44:16. > :44:28.more Tory years and you feel repulsed by what they have done to

:44:29. > :44:32.our country. Mr Speaker, we all know that the Chancellor is so

:44:33. > :44:38.preoccupied with his own leadership ambitions that he forgot about the

:44:39. > :44:43.day job, and that is why he ended up trying to slash working families'

:44:44. > :44:46.tax credits in the budget. Shouldn't he spends time focusing on the

:44:47. > :44:56.national interest rather than his own interest? 3 million UK jobs are

:44:57. > :45:06.linked to trade with the EU, half our exports go there, and that is

:45:07. > :45:10.why they are putting it at risk by flirting with Brexit and that is why

:45:11. > :45:16.we know on this side of the house that Britain is better off in. I

:45:17. > :45:19.thought the Labour Party voted for the referendum when it came before

:45:20. > :45:22.the House of Commons. We are fighting for a better deal for Great

:45:23. > :45:27.Britain in Europe, and the truth is this. We have shown we have an

:45:28. > :45:31.economic plan which is delivering for Great Britain, and whether it is

:45:32. > :45:35.well funded flood defences of putting money into our national

:45:36. > :45:38.health service, or backing our teachers in the schools, or

:45:39. > :45:42.introducing a national living wage, we are delivering security for the

:45:43. > :45:47.working people of Great Britain, and their economic and national security

:45:48. > :45:53.will be put at risk if the Labour Party got back into office.

:45:54. > :46:05.I recently visited David Wilton Holmes apprentice workshop and saw

:46:06. > :46:10.what the construction industry is doing to support apprenticeships in

:46:11. > :46:14.Hampshire. Can he tell us what more schools can do to promote

:46:15. > :46:17.apprenticeships as a viable alternative to post-16 study? I

:46:18. > :46:25.think my honourable friend raises an important point. Schools have a duty

:46:26. > :46:29.to provide pupils on the range of training and education and if

:46:30. > :46:33.schools can tell their pupils about the increase in the number of

:46:34. > :46:37.apprenticeship places we are funding... There will be 3 million

:46:38. > :46:41.apprentices in this Parliament, a huge commitment to young people in

:46:42. > :46:45.this country and a big commitment to the construction industry. We want

:46:46. > :46:49.homes to be built and a challenge is to get skilled people in the

:46:50. > :46:55.industry, something no doubt race by the business she spoke to. The 3

:46:56. > :47:03.million will help. Occasionally, highly toxic and dangerous materials

:47:04. > :47:10.are transported around the country. Is the public right to expect the

:47:11. > :47:15.highest safety standards and cooperation between safety agencies?

:47:16. > :47:19.Absolutely, they are expected to have that cooperation. If he is

:47:20. > :47:30.talking about the transportation of nuclear materials from the fast Lane

:47:31. > :47:38.base -- Faslane base, I met teams there. But if he has some thing else

:47:39. > :47:44.to ask about go ahead. There are reports in the North of Scotland

:47:45. > :47:48.about plans to transport dangerous material including potentially

:47:49. > :47:53.nuclear weapons grade uranium from a nuclear facility, on public roads to

:47:54. > :47:58.Wick airport and it is believed it will be flown to the United States.

:47:59. > :48:02.What will this nuclear material used for and have any of his colleagues

:48:03. > :48:11.or himself spoken to a minister in the Scottish Government about this?

:48:12. > :48:16.The transportation of nuclear materials has happened across this

:48:17. > :48:20.country over many decades. There are procedures for doing so. The Royal

:48:21. > :48:27.Marines and police service in Scotland provide security. If he has

:48:28. > :48:31.specific concerns he wants to raise about the plans for the

:48:32. > :48:35.transportation, he can raise them with us. The arrangements are in

:48:36. > :48:41.place to make sure we protect the public.

:48:42. > :48:45.The Chancellor will know the Prime Minister said in his recent

:48:46. > :48:50.conference speech we have to get away from the lock them up or let

:48:51. > :48:55.them out mentality when it comes to prison reform. Our prison system

:48:56. > :48:59.costs constituents of fortune. Would he agree the time for rehabilitation

:49:00. > :49:03.that works is now and we should not be afraid to look at other

:49:04. > :49:09.jurisdictions to find new ideas to tackle an ongoing state failure? I

:49:10. > :49:14.think he is right to raise the question of is an reform. People who

:49:15. > :49:18.commit crime should go to prison but was and should be suitable to

:49:19. > :49:23.rehabilitate prisoners. It is our Victorian prisoners that are not --

:49:24. > :49:28.prisons that are not suitable and that is why we will knock them down

:49:29. > :49:33.and build housing in cities which is desperately needed and build modern

:49:34. > :49:37.prisons on the outskirts of inner cities and cities. I am proud a

:49:38. > :49:47.Conservative government is taking on this progressive social reform. They

:49:48. > :49:51.are a great British institution that earn billions for the economy but

:49:52. > :49:56.I'm sure he will share my concern two curry houses a week are closing

:49:57. > :50:01.in this country due to government policies. The specialist propose

:50:02. > :50:05.colleges have failed. As a fan himself, will he reviewed the

:50:06. > :50:10.situation? He once likened the elements of a strong economy to that

:50:11. > :50:20.of a good curry. Will he head of the curry crisis? We all enjoy a great

:50:21. > :50:26.British curry, but what we want is the curry chefs trained in Britain.

:50:27. > :50:35.So we provide jobs for people in this country and that is what our

:50:36. > :50:41.immigration controls provide. He is well aware from my representations

:50:42. > :50:45.of the need for a Southern relief road and bypass in Lincoln, delayed

:50:46. > :50:51.by bureaucracy for almost 100 years. He is acquainted with the need to

:50:52. > :50:54.drive growth and economic well-being, utilising infrastructure

:50:55. > :50:58.to field the Midlands engine. What would he say to constituents should

:50:59. > :51:09.he visit the beautiful city of Lincoln other than any new road is

:51:10. > :51:13.better. I congratulate him on securing extra funding for Lincoln

:51:14. > :51:17.and ensuring a bypass will go ahead. I know he has concerns that the

:51:18. > :51:27.bypass is not big enough and it needs to be a dual carriageway

:51:28. > :51:30.bypass. What we need is to make sure the local authorities agree with his

:51:31. > :51:39.assessment and I am happy to help him in that task. Since his budget

:51:40. > :51:48.in July I have asked time and again about how he intends to make women

:51:49. > :51:56.prove in order to qualify for tax credits. Will he admit that this

:51:57. > :52:00.abhorrent policy is not workable and will he dropped the clause? It is

:52:01. > :52:07.reasonable to have a system that is fair to those who need it and those

:52:08. > :52:10.who pay for it, as well. We identified the specific case she

:52:11. > :52:12.identifies in her question about women who have been the victim of

:52:13. > :52:17.domestic abuse or indeed women who have been the victim of

:52:18. > :52:24.that is why we are discussing changes to protect those vulnerable

:52:25. > :52:32.women. Over 4000 apprentices are being created in my constituency.

:52:33. > :52:36.Recently I met with a group of local businesses to discuss skills and

:52:37. > :52:39.apprenticeships. Would he confirm what the government is doing to help

:52:40. > :52:43.small businesses help people into what the government is doing to help

:52:44. > :52:49.training and employment and to continue to secure the economy of

:52:50. > :52:54.the Midlands engine? The great news is jobs are being created in the

:52:55. > :52:57.Midlands engine and in her constituency and we are investing in

:52:58. > :53:02.infrastructure there and also in the skills of the next generation with

:53:03. > :53:07.the apprentices she talks about. We are backing the small businesses by

:53:08. > :53:10.cutting corporation tax that small businesses pay and indeed increasing

:53:11. > :53:19.the employment allowance so they can take on more people without paying

:53:20. > :53:23.the job sacks. Medecins Sans Frontieres report that despite

:53:24. > :53:32.giving GPS coordinates, several of the hospitals have been bombed by

:53:33. > :53:37.particularly Assad forces, killing medics as well as patients. Can he

:53:38. > :53:44.explain, with so many forces involved in air strikes, how the

:53:45. > :53:49.government proposes to avoid this? Of course, there was the tragic

:53:50. > :53:54.situation of the bombing of the hospital that she mentions and there

:53:55. > :53:59.is a review going on to make sure the coalition has got accurate

:54:00. > :54:03.information for strikes. When it comes to Yemen, we are working with

:54:04. > :54:08.the Saudi government to ensure they review this information and it is

:54:09. > :54:11.accurate. As for the Syrian government and President Assad, we

:54:12. > :54:24.have no control over them, which is one reason we would like to see a --

:54:25. > :54:30.Assad go. In my constituency new jobs, good news for a constituency

:54:31. > :54:36.where unemployment has halved since 2010. Will he continue to vest in

:54:37. > :54:44.the solar region economy. -- to invest in the Solent region economy.

:54:45. > :54:50.I am glad to hear about regeneration and it is part of good news in his

:54:51. > :54:55.area where the claimant count is down 25% in the last year, thanks to

:54:56. > :55:00.local businesses and to the work he has done as a new MP is attracting

:55:01. > :55:04.investment into his constituency, and I am glad he likes the red book

:55:05. > :55:12.of the government and does not have so much time for the little red book

:55:13. > :55:17.brandished by those opposite. During the Autumn Statement the Chancellor

:55:18. > :55:21.removed vital buses and support the student nurses. I have spoken with

:55:22. > :55:27.nurses and some of the students and all have said they would not have

:55:28. > :55:33.been able to have studied nursing without vital bursary support. What

:55:34. > :55:37.will you say about those who might be prevented from pursuing their

:55:38. > :55:41.dreams? Currently, we have a situation where two thirds of the

:55:42. > :55:46.people in England who applied for nurse training are turned down. That

:55:47. > :55:52.cannot be right and it means hospitals increasingly rely on

:55:53. > :55:55.agency or overseas nurses. We are reforming the education of nurses so

:55:56. > :56:03.that those who apply for nursing places are more likely to get.

:56:04. > :56:08.Carlisle and Cumbria has experienced a traumatic few days with the

:56:09. > :56:13.floods. It was good the Prime Minister saw first-hand the

:56:14. > :56:16.tremendous work of the emergency services and the issue surrounding

:56:17. > :56:25.flood defence and the impact of those floods on families. As part of

:56:26. > :56:30.the recovery, Cumbria foundation, it has launched a flood appeal. I wrote

:56:31. > :56:34.to the PM asking for government support for the appeal as it would

:56:35. > :56:38.help many affected people in the county. With the Chancellor be able

:56:39. > :56:44.to offer such support from the government towards this much-needed

:56:45. > :56:49.fund? I think everyone will pay tribute to the people of Carlisle

:56:50. > :56:52.and the resilience they have shown and the acts of friendship

:56:53. > :56:57.neighbours have shown to those affected by these terrible floods.

:56:58. > :57:01.The Prime Minister, before he left for Central Europe, asked me to make

:57:02. > :57:05.sure we would be able to help on the point of my honourable friend

:57:06. > :57:09.raises, which he raced with the Prime Minister, and I can say we

:57:10. > :57:13.will support the work the Cumbrian foundation does and will match by up

:57:14. > :57:19.to ?1 million the money they are raising for their local flood

:57:20. > :57:23.appeal. When the Chancellor triples student

:57:24. > :57:28.tuition fees he set the repayment threshold at ?21,000. He has frozen

:57:29. > :57:33.that threshold and the Institutes of fiscal studies say many students

:57:34. > :57:37.will bear many extra thousands in repayments. Given he has broken his

:57:38. > :57:43.promise, will he send students of apology, or just a Bill? There seems

:57:44. > :57:53.to be a collective amnesia on the other side they introduce tuition

:57:54. > :58:00.fees. -- introduced. And when they introduced tuition fees, the payment

:58:01. > :58:04.threshold was ?15,000. We have increased it to 20 1000. That

:58:05. > :58:09.enables us to fund the lifting of the cap, so more people who are

:58:10. > :58:14.qualified go to university. I would have hoped on this day, he would

:58:15. > :58:16.welcome the big investment we are making into Cambridge, not least the

:58:17. > :58:25.renovation of the Cavendish laboratory. The Hastings link road

:58:26. > :58:27.will finally open, delivering a business park, new homes for a new

:58:28. > :58:32.labour market and a countryside park. This has been talked about the

:58:33. > :58:37.decades but been commissioned to build on the last five. Will he join

:58:38. > :58:43.me in welcoming new business to relocate to Bexhill and Hastings and

:58:44. > :58:48.to expand? I would encourage businesses to locate to his area and

:58:49. > :58:53.he is right about the link road. For decades, people have called for it.

:58:54. > :58:58.For all those years it is true there was a Conservative MP for Bexhill,

:58:59. > :59:02.but there was a Labour MP for Hastings in many years and nothing

:59:03. > :59:11.happened. Now we have Conservative MPs in both areas we get the

:59:12. > :59:16.investment it needs. On the 7th of September, the Prime Minister told

:59:17. > :59:20.me he could not remove refugees from the migration target because of the

:59:21. > :59:27.requirements for the office national statistics. I wrote to the ONS and

:59:28. > :59:30.they told me it would be possible. Will the Chancellor demonstrate

:59:31. > :59:44.Britain will do its bit and remove refugees from the migration target?

:59:45. > :59:50.First of all,... Let's hear the Chancellor. I'd tell you something

:59:51. > :59:56.surprising, we talk to each other in this government. The cabinet get

:59:57. > :00:00.round and have meetings and stiff discuss things and we agree and move

:00:01. > :00:07.forward. They should try it in the Labour Party. On the honourable

:00:08. > :00:12.lady's question, the ONS is independent but Britain is doing its

:00:13. > :00:15.bit by taking the 20,000 refugees from Syrian refugee camps and we

:00:16. > :00:25.have always provided a home to genuine asylum seekers. Under

:00:26. > :00:30.current Tory regulations, small children can be engulfed in flames

:00:31. > :00:34.by three centimetres in one second. Will the Chancellor speak to the

:00:35. > :00:37.Prime Minister and ask if he will intervene with the Business

:00:38. > :00:42.Secretary to see if we can bring in a statutory instrument to improve

:00:43. > :00:49.flammability for children's play and dress costumes? I think my

:00:50. > :00:53.honourable friend is right to raise this case and we all saw the tragedy

:00:54. > :00:59.that befell the family of the Strictly Come Dancing presenter and

:01:00. > :01:04.the campaign her family have undertaken to change the

:01:05. > :01:09.regulations. It is true we don't have the same regulations for fancy

:01:10. > :01:13.dress costumes for children, which seems wrong. The Business Secretary

:01:14. > :01:17.is looking at it and we will make sure it changes. Will the Chancellor

:01:18. > :01:23.take this opportunity to correct the bizarre claim made yesterday by

:01:24. > :01:27.Donald Trump about parts of London being no go areas for the

:01:28. > :01:30.Metropolitan Police? Will he point out there are excellent

:01:31. > :01:35.relationships between the Muslim communities of London and the

:01:36. > :01:39.police? I think the honourable gentleman speaks for everyone in

:01:40. > :01:42.this House. The Metropolitan Police do a brilliant job and they have

:01:43. > :01:47.fantastic relations with British Muslims and British Muslims have

:01:48. > :01:51.weighed a massive contribution to our country. Donald Trump's comments

:01:52. > :01:55.fly in the face of the founding principles of the United States and

:01:56. > :01:58.it is one reason why those principles have proved an

:01:59. > :02:05.inspiration to so many over the past 200 years. The best way to defeat

:02:06. > :02:16.nonsense like this is to engage in robust, democratic debate, and make

:02:17. > :02:27.it clear his views are not welcome. Cornwall Hospice care, one Hospice

:02:28. > :02:30.is in my constituency. Well appreciated and respected by

:02:31. > :02:35.constituents. The issue they have is they cannot run to capacity because

:02:36. > :02:39.they only receive 11% of funding from NHS funding. When he worked

:02:40. > :02:43.with me and colleagues in Cornwall to see what more money we can put

:02:44. > :02:49.into our hospices and Cornwall Hospice care? I know my honourable

:02:50. > :02:55.friend is a strong champion of his community and for the hospice he

:02:56. > :02:59.talks about. We have taken steps to help the Hospice movement, not least

:03:00. > :03:04.removing VAT paid in the last parliament. We want the right

:03:05. > :03:08.balance. It is a good thing hospices are funded in part by local

:03:09. > :03:12.charities and supported strongly by the community. They need the backing

:03:13. > :03:15.of the NHS and we are putting money into the NHS because we have a

:03:16. > :03:26.strong economy so they can help the Hospice movement. If business rates

:03:27. > :03:31.are localised without equalisation, my authority, Gateshead, Bulls lose

:03:32. > :03:36.?9.4 million a year and that is on top of already severe revenue

:03:37. > :03:41.support grant cuts proposed. The seven north-east authorities will

:03:42. > :03:47.lose 186 million a year and the combined 12 authorities in the

:03:48. > :03:54.north-east, ?223 million. City of London will gain 222 million and

:03:55. > :04:00.Westminster, 440 million. Is this the vision of the northern

:04:01. > :04:05.powerhouse? The top up and tariff system will of apply as

:04:06. > :04:09.powerhouse? The top up and tariff business rates to reflect

:04:10. > :04:11.discrepancies he identifies. I would think the Labour Party would support

:04:12. > :04:16.devolution of business rates. It think the Labour Party would support

:04:17. > :04:20.an opportunity for local areas to grow and see benefits of back growth

:04:21. > :04:23.and when it comes to the northern powerhouse we have the fantastic

:04:24. > :04:26.announcement of the new train franchises which

:04:27. > :04:30.announcement of the new train billion going into new trains,

:04:31. > :04:36.faster journeys and better journey experiences for people in the north.

:04:37. > :04:40.He should get behind it. Today there was an important report that said

:04:41. > :04:45.the TV debates at the general election were a success, engaging

:04:46. > :04:48.people not normally interested in politics,

:04:49. > :04:51.people not normally interested in Would the acting Prime Minister, and

:04:52. > :04:59.I know he may have a personal interest in this, be encouraging TV

:05:00. > :05:07.debates at the next general election? The TV debates are decided

:05:08. > :05:12.by a discussion between the parties and broadcasters. I think the Prime

:05:13. > :05:21.Minister did exceptionally well in them last time. It is my

:05:22. > :05:25.understanding the Home Secretary has banned 84 hate preachers entering

:05:26. > :05:32.the UK. Will the government to lead by example in considering making Mr

:05:33. > :05:39.Donald Trump number 85? The best way to confront the views of someone

:05:40. > :05:43.like Donald Trump is to engage in a robust, democratic argument with him

:05:44. > :05:46.about why he is profoundly wrong about the contribution of American

:05:47. > :05:51.Muslims and indeed British Muslims. That is the best way to deal with

:05:52. > :05:52.Donald Trump and his views, rather than trying to ban presidential

:05:53. > :06:08.candidates. PMQs

:06:09. > :06:10.George Osborne. Angela Eagle began with the floods, the biggest

:06:11. > :06:15.domestic story by far and there was domestic story by far and there was

:06:16. > :06:19.some argument about how much the government has spent on flood

:06:20. > :06:24.defences. The Chancellor announced he was making ?50 million available

:06:25. > :06:29.for people hit by the floods in the flood areas. She then moved on to

:06:30. > :06:34.Europe and wanted to know how the negotiations were going but did not

:06:35. > :06:37.quite get an answer on that. And then there was some argy-bargy over

:06:38. > :06:42.what Tony Blair had said in an interview and what Donald Tusk had

:06:43. > :06:51.said in a letter. I am not sure it got is very far. I have not seen the

:06:52. > :06:59.Labour backbenchers enjoy themselves for quite some time, they were even

:07:00. > :07:03.smiling. Not just Labour backbenchers, the viewers enjoyed

:07:04. > :07:11.it. David said, more jokes from Miss Eagle then the variety show. Barry

:07:12. > :07:18.said I like Angela Eagle. It would appear Miss Eagle is more popular

:07:19. > :07:31.than her leader. Com Dent and professional Miss Eagle, boring Mr

:07:32. > :07:35.Osborne. -- confident. In fact, I think the Chancellor was trying not

:07:36. > :07:43.to laugh when he stood and answered the question. It was like PMQs in

:07:44. > :07:49.days gone by. Both appeared to be well prepped and had jokes ready to

:07:50. > :07:52.go. Both have statistics on particular issues and on the point

:07:53. > :07:56.about flooding, this is something which is not dominated Westminster

:07:57. > :08:01.this week but by goodness it has dominated lives in northern England.

:08:02. > :08:06.-- my goodness. In traditional style PMQs, that was the obvious thing for

:08:07. > :08:15.Angela Eagle to go on today. I wondered if Jeremy Corbyn would have

:08:16. > :08:18.chosen this. The negotiations continue and the Prime Minister

:08:19. > :08:21.continues his tour around Europe and that is preoccupying the

:08:22. > :08:25.Conservatives ahead of the summit next week. Angela was in great form

:08:26. > :08:32.and use humour as well stop Mr Osborne coped. I don't think you

:08:33. > :08:36.could describe it as a stellar performance by the Chancellor. He

:08:37. > :08:40.did find coming he had his bags ready to go coming he looked

:08:41. > :08:44.comfortable. He was not commanding but he was comfortable at the

:08:45. > :08:50.dispatch box. In a way that is no surprise because before he rose to

:08:51. > :08:54.become an MP and became part of the ministerial office, he was part of

:08:55. > :09:00.the prep team for previous Conservative leaders for years. We

:09:01. > :09:03.forget that. PMQs is such a focus at Westminster, but preparation often

:09:04. > :09:08.begins on Tuesday and goes on for hours and hours. This is a big

:09:09. > :09:16.preoccupation for both sides. Actually, that is what sometimes

:09:17. > :09:20.makes some parties despair because it takes up lots of time. Great fun

:09:21. > :09:24.for the viewers and an important session to hold people to recount

:09:25. > :09:27.but no surprise that George Osborne is comfortable in that environment

:09:28. > :09:32.because he has been up close and personal with it for some time. And

:09:33. > :09:38.you have the money, look where the money is stop why are Labour MPs at

:09:39. > :09:46.their happiest when Jeremy Corbyn is not there? That is not fair. You

:09:47. > :09:51.have not seen them happier! Jeremy Corbyn's PMQ performance have been

:09:52. > :09:57.good. He has brought a new style to it. Backbenchers don't smile and

:09:58. > :10:02.laugh as they did today, that is clear. Most of the time they look

:10:03. > :10:06.miserable. It is a completely different style, actually stop

:10:07. > :10:10.Angela has adopted a more traditional style today and has done

:10:11. > :10:16.it very well indeed, bringing humour and scrutiny in that more combative

:10:17. > :10:21.traditional way that PMQs is delivered. Jeremy Corbyn should

:10:22. > :10:26.learn from it. He has adopted a different and threshing style. Quite

:10:27. > :10:32.a lot of the general public and punters like that as well, he has

:10:33. > :10:39.kept PMQs very calm and asked very specific questions which have come

:10:40. > :10:42.from people about important topics so he has adopted a more serious

:10:43. > :10:47.tone and that is reflected in the backbenchers. The backbenchers

:10:48. > :10:52.prefer more of a traditional style that the public preferred the Jeremy

:10:53. > :10:56.Corbyn style. Have you been cutting flood defences? No, we have not, we

:10:57. > :11:02.have increased money for flood defences. In the last Parliament, it

:11:03. > :11:06.was 1.7 billion and in this Parliament it is over 2 billion. I

:11:07. > :11:10.would like to say that I have attended the Cobra meetings since

:11:11. > :11:16.Sunday, and it has been devastating what has gone on in the north of

:11:17. > :11:19.England. We can see that from the pictures and human despair and

:11:20. > :11:26.anger. I was watching one interview where a woman burst into tears on

:11:27. > :11:33.television. Indeed, the interviewer said he was sorry for upsetting her

:11:34. > :11:42.and said he would speak to when he has back. -- when he handed back. It

:11:43. > :11:49.is not far from where I live. Lancashire and Cumbria. We have had

:11:50. > :11:54.the edge of the storm in Manchester and it was an unprecedented amount

:11:55. > :11:57.of rain in a short period of time. I think what many communities will

:11:58. > :12:00.feel is that we go from the same cycle every time, where we get warm

:12:01. > :12:06.words from the government immediately afterwards which is then

:12:07. > :12:12.not followed through, and the most striking figure that was raised at

:12:13. > :12:17.PMQs today was that from the 2013-14 floods which mainly hit the South

:12:18. > :12:25.West of England, only 15% of homes had received the money they were

:12:26. > :12:30.promised then. Only 15% a year on which is terrible. Exactly. So we're

:12:31. > :12:34.not getting this aborts to be built quickly enough. We say the right

:12:35. > :12:41.warm words afterwards and we look like we can get ourselves through

:12:42. > :12:45.our programme or PMQs, but we actually need to get that many to

:12:46. > :12:52.people faster so they can get their businesses back on their feet.

:12:53. > :12:59.Particularly at Windsor. Yes. -- winter. I have been away but you

:13:00. > :13:03.have been following this. In a way, there is something familiar about

:13:04. > :13:07.this row. As ever, it it depends on how you count it. There was an

:13:08. > :13:11.emergency extra cash that went in last years that has been a drop in

:13:12. > :13:14.what was spent last year he gets it was a one-off special amount of cash

:13:15. > :13:19.but the government is adamant it is spending more over time. If you park

:13:20. > :13:23.all of that, very often, politicians get into trouble over this, what

:13:24. > :13:27.happens after? A crisis happens, they get their wellies on, they go

:13:28. > :13:32.up and looked like they are taking it seriously. It is often the

:13:33. > :13:39.delivery of what comes through later that makes people cross. One other

:13:40. > :13:44.thing worth noting this week is important and interesting. Lives

:13:45. > :13:58.said it was part of climate change. -- Liz. Not every politician does

:13:59. > :14:03.that. It absolves the government in not spending enough on flood

:14:04. > :14:07.defences. The IPCC says in its report that it does not have the

:14:08. > :14:13.scientific knowledge to predict with a high degree of confidence that

:14:14. > :14:18.these extreme weather invents are links to climate change. -- events.

:14:19. > :14:22.To deal with the first point first, you are right. What we have done

:14:23. > :14:29.this time around, following this crisis, is the very clear. Greg

:14:30. > :14:32.Clark is specifically asking that all of the pots of funding for

:14:33. > :14:37.different bits of support should be merged into one and as the

:14:38. > :14:39.Chancellor said, the money will be made available to local authorities

:14:40. > :14:43.said the money can get two people really quickly, and we are talking

:14:44. > :14:47.about what we can do to get things back on their feet by Christmas.

:14:48. > :14:51.There is a real recognition that we need to do more but coming to your

:14:52. > :14:54.point on climate change, we would never attribute and events to

:14:55. > :15:00.climate change directly because you cannot be precise. She is saying it

:15:01. > :15:06.is consistent. What is the difference? One event is not

:15:07. > :15:11.necessarily attributable to climate change. You would expect to see more

:15:12. > :15:15.and heavier rainfall and that is what we have seen. These floods are

:15:16. > :15:20.half a metre higher on average than the previous downfall. Civet is

:15:21. > :15:25.climate change? That is consistent with what you would expect from

:15:26. > :15:31.climate change. -- so it is. I am not claiming that, I am saying... I

:15:32. > :15:35.am being very clear, what we are saying is that no one event is

:15:36. > :15:38.directly attributable to climate change because there could be other

:15:39. > :15:45.reasons. The weather can be very unpredictable. It is unpredictable.

:15:46. > :15:51.You would expect see heavier rainfall and the potential for

:15:52. > :15:59.bigger floods. Lives trusted Beverly seemed to credit climate change in

:16:00. > :16:04.the house. -- Liz Trust definitely. Is it true that Diane Abbott tried

:16:05. > :16:11.to mimic your accident in the Shadow Cabinet? Not quite! She tried but

:16:12. > :16:16.was not very good. Sort of stop Diane has her own special approach

:16:17. > :16:22.to these things that usually loses hope the room, shall we say? Shall I

:16:23. > :16:26.have a word with that? You can try if you

:16:27. > :16:29.have a word with that? You can try accident? She had no chance! --

:16:30. > :16:32.accent. Now to Donald Trump,

:16:33. > :16:36.the wannabe Republican presidential candidate, who just

:16:37. > :16:37.can't keep quiet. Yesterday he even provoked

:16:38. > :16:41.a transatlantic row with Britain after he said parts of London

:16:42. > :16:43.were so radicalised, David Cameron said it was wrong

:16:44. > :16:50.of Mr Trump to question the courage of Britain's police and attacked

:16:51. > :16:52.as divisive Mr Trump's call for a total ban on Muslims

:16:53. > :16:54.entering the US. Let's have a listen to some

:16:55. > :17:13.of Mr Trump's finest moments, Donald Jane -- Donald Trump! We will

:17:14. > :17:17.have a wall. A wall will be built. The wall will be successful and if

:17:18. > :17:26.you think walls don't work, all you have to do is ask Israel. Look at

:17:27. > :17:30.Paris, they did not have guns and they were slaughtered. If you look

:17:31. > :17:34.at what happened in California, they did not have guns and they were

:17:35. > :17:40.slaughtered. I think it would have been better if they had guns. We

:17:41. > :17:48.have places in London and other places so radicalise that's police

:17:49. > :17:58.fear for their lives. -- so radicalised that the police fear.

:17:59. > :18:03.She gets out and asks me ridiculous questions. You could see there was

:18:04. > :18:10.blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.

:18:11. > :18:17.You have got to see this guy. "I don't know what I said,

:18:18. > :18:19.I don't remember." He is going, "I don't remember,

:18:20. > :18:25.maybe that is what I said." Donald Trump is calling for a

:18:26. > :18:31.shutdown of Muslims entering Donald Trump is calling for a

:18:32. > :18:32.United States until our government can figure out what the hell is

:18:33. > :18:42.going on. I guess it shows British and

:18:43. > :18:49.American politics can be very different. It certainly does. To his

:18:50. > :18:53.advantage? I cannot imagine many people in Britain are aligning

:18:54. > :18:59.themselves with those comments. 100,000 have signed a petition

:19:00. > :19:06.saying he should not be allowed to come to this country because of what

:19:07. > :19:11.he said. You can understand that. Most of what he says is awful and

:19:12. > :19:18.dangerous. It whips up a fear that for a small number of people they

:19:19. > :19:23.might share. Would you ban him? It is not so much about him being a

:19:24. > :19:28.residential candidate. I am a child of the 80s and I remember Frankie

:19:29. > :19:33.Goes To Hollywood being banned and it shot them to number one. He

:19:34. > :19:38.courts controversy, he is saying this to get himself at the top of

:19:39. > :19:43.the news. If you try to ban it, you raise it to the top of the news and

:19:44. > :19:49.give it more airtime. We have two defeat his views by having robust

:19:50. > :19:56.debates about them, rather than pretending they don't exist. Andrew,

:19:57. > :20:02.you have just come back from New York and have heard the reaction.

:20:03. > :20:06.His poll ratings seem to go up. Yes and maybe they have gone up in

:20:07. > :20:17.the latest poll in Iowa, where the first caucus will take place in the

:20:18. > :20:25.New Year. It dominated the air waves. It dominated the papers. It

:20:26. > :20:29.was a premeditated... It... Donald Trump has a habit of speaking off

:20:30. > :20:34.the top of his head, this wasn't this time. You have to see it in

:20:35. > :20:40.context. It followed the terrible events in San Bernardino, where a

:20:41. > :20:45.Muslim citizen, along with the wife he had brought in, met in Saudi

:20:46. > :20:51.Arabia, created this terrible rampage. And then what was regarded

:20:52. > :20:55.as a lacklustre performance from the president, from the oval office on

:20:56. > :21:00.Sunday night, when even on the left wing shows they were saying he did

:21:01. > :21:06.not do too well. I think Donald Trump saw his chance. He has to keep

:21:07. > :21:12.stoking the fire. He needs to keep on saying things. He has attacked

:21:13. > :21:17.Mexicans, the disabled, within. I guess it was only a matter of time,

:21:18. > :21:25.given the context, Muslims would be next in line.

:21:26. > :21:29.What was the reaction from people? On the conservative top radio shows

:21:30. > :21:37.he had a lot of support. On the left, they were appalled by it. Also

:21:38. > :21:45.be Republican establishment. The new Speaker of the house, appalled by it

:21:46. > :21:51.as well. Jeb Bush attacked him. He said he was unhinged. Jeb Bush,

:21:52. > :21:57.the establishment candidate, is down about 4% in the polls. The problem

:21:58. > :22:02.for the republicans is Donald Trump is sucking the oxygen out of the

:22:03. > :22:06.Republican campaign. It is him, him. I do not think he will win but on

:22:07. > :22:11.the other hand six months ago I would have said I don't think he

:22:12. > :22:17.would get as far as he has. He has turned out to be more formidable. It

:22:18. > :22:26.speaks to the lacklustre range of candidates the Republicans have to

:22:27. > :22:30.choose from. Jeb Bush, nowhere. Mark Rubio still trying to get cut

:22:31. > :22:31.through. Until they get a credible candidate, Donald Trump will call

:22:32. > :22:33.the shots. Now, it's 20 years ago this week

:22:34. > :22:36.since Philip Lawrence, a headmaster, was stabbed to death

:22:37. > :22:39.outside his school in North London. For today's Soapbox, Edward Adoo,

:22:40. > :22:42.who was a pupil at Mr Lawrence's school, remembers his former teacher

:22:43. > :22:45.and asks what has been done since to tackle the issue

:22:46. > :22:55.of knife crime. This week is the 20th anniversary

:22:56. > :23:00.of Philip Lawrence's murder. Philip Lawrence was my former

:23:01. > :23:02.headmaster here at St George's, Philip allowed me to consider

:23:03. > :23:06.a career in broadcasting by setting But when he helped a pupil

:23:07. > :23:18.who was being attacked by a local gang,

:23:19. > :23:23.Philip was stabbed and later died. His death shocked the nation

:23:24. > :23:25.and raised the questions Last year, Ann Maguire was attacked

:23:26. > :23:36.by one of her pupils at her school in Leeds and she died

:23:37. > :23:38.from knife wounds. In Bradford, Vincent Uzomah

:23:39. > :23:40.was stabbed in the stomach, But knife crime goes way

:23:41. > :23:46.beyond the school gates. and Wales, knife crime rose

:23:47. > :23:59.for the first time in four years. Later stats show there has been

:24:00. > :24:02.a 15% increase in knife attacks. In London alone, there has

:24:03. > :24:04.been a 20% increase. So far this year, 15 young people

:24:05. > :24:07.have died from knife And they get stabbed

:24:08. > :24:34.outside or inside schools. It's all about raising

:24:35. > :24:40.awareness and making sure Possibly introducing security

:24:41. > :24:49.guards in classrooms. The days of the playground scrap

:24:50. > :24:54.or street brawl are over. It's not a punch-up,

:24:55. > :24:58.it's a blade-up. Philip Lawrence died 20 years ago

:24:59. > :25:01.and not enough has been done It's time for us to get together

:25:02. > :25:21.to campaign to stop the stabbings. And Edwards joins us. Airport style

:25:22. > :25:24.security sounds drastic. Do you think that would be the right

:25:25. > :25:29.measure on the basis of the statistics that schools

:25:30. > :25:35.particularly? You have to stop it. It is an epidemic and it is not just

:25:36. > :25:42.a London thing. We have had a case of Aberdeen, Bradford, Leeds. It is

:25:43. > :25:47.across political issues but more needs to be done. We need to engage

:25:48. > :25:52.with role models, perhaps mentors, musicians. It would be great if you

:25:53. > :25:56.and Michael Gove could go to an estate on a Saturday night and speak

:25:57. > :26:02.to people on the streets and say, why are you involved in knife crime?

:26:03. > :26:06.What is going on? The social issues, in London, it is about

:26:07. > :26:11.gentrification, people being moved out of London, being moved to

:26:12. > :26:17.Birmingham, Luton, places like that. We need to find out why it is

:26:18. > :26:23.happening. I think we have ignored it. 19 deaths in London. That is

:26:24. > :26:27.knife crime in general. In schools, would you want people with metal

:26:28. > :26:34.detectors, even though the incident, of course, with Philip Lawrence,

:26:35. > :26:39.outside the school gates. People in schools affiliated to gangs, it goes

:26:40. > :26:43.to the crux of it. If there is a scrap in the classroom and someone

:26:44. > :26:48.says, I will do you after school, it is not a punch-up will stop they

:26:49. > :26:53.will get their gangs and it escalates. It is down to education

:26:54. > :26:58.and protection. Not just for pupils but for teachers. The government

:26:59. > :27:02.wants to scale back stop and search mainly because they said it was

:27:03. > :27:09.unfairly targeted on black men. Because of the number of knife

:27:10. > :27:15.incidents, a 20% interest increase in London, is stop and search a

:27:16. > :27:25.useful tool? It should be targeted on everyone. Whether the families of

:27:26. > :27:29.people connected, whether they are Kosovan, Somalian, wherever, it is a

:27:30. > :27:34.problem that affects all people. A gentleman told me today he had a

:27:35. > :27:40.case of a knife crime incident and it was connected... It was a faith

:27:41. > :27:46.issue. We need to get all types of people together to discuss this.

:27:47. > :27:50.Would you like to see security guards outside secondary schools

:27:51. > :27:56.with metal detectors? Of course we would not like to see that. That is

:27:57. > :28:03.not what education should be about. We have to look at all of these

:28:04. > :28:09.issues. I think going deeper into some of the root causes, in my

:28:10. > :28:17.constituency, a big part is Moss Side, which 20 years ago was driven

:28:18. > :28:21.by gun crime and gangland problems. Moss Side is a completely different

:28:22. > :28:22.place now. You have to engage the community.

:28:23. > :28:25.There's just time to put you out of your misery and give

:28:26. > :28:40.We will see what will Our winner from

:28:41. > :28:47.The one o'clock news is starting over on BBC One now.

:28:48. > :29:01.I'll be here at noon tomorrow with the big political stories

:29:02. > :29:05.as BBC Two brings you some inspiring cultural treats -