:00:36. > :00:44.Jeremy Corbyn's first Shadow Cabinet reshuffle finished
:00:45. > :00:48.His allies say it was 'small but significant' as he moved
:00:49. > :00:53.to eject dissenters and tighten his control over his frontbench.
:00:54. > :00:55.But with junior ministers now resigning in protest,
:00:56. > :01:01.has it underlined his authority - or reduced it?
:01:02. > :01:03.It's the first Prime Minister's Questions of 2016 -
:01:04. > :01:05.as the Labour leader and David Cameron square off,
:01:06. > :01:08.will the PM be asked about his admission that he can't
:01:09. > :01:14.get the cabinet to hold the line over the EU referendum?
:01:15. > :01:17.Hospital patients have been told to prepare for disruption next week
:01:18. > :01:19.when junior doctors strike after talks with the government
:01:20. > :01:26.And we'll speak to the former MP who thinks it's time
:01:27. > :01:36.the public what they really think. biting their tongues and tell
:01:37. > :01:43.back, it's time for them to get rude.
:01:44. > :01:46.All that in the next hour and with us for the whole
:01:47. > :01:48.of the programme today it's the Conservative MP and former
:01:49. > :01:51.And from Labour, a shadow minister who's survived unscathed
:01:52. > :01:54.through a reshuffle so slow we've had time to watch most
:01:55. > :02:03.And the new BBC adaptation of War and Peace.
:02:04. > :02:07.It's Lisa Nandy and she is still the shadow energy
:02:08. > :02:22.So after 36 hours the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle finally came to an end
:02:23. > :02:26.at a quarter to one this morning, and the impact in the real world
:02:27. > :02:39.I saw that it reduced Barack Obama to tears in the White House!
:02:40. > :02:41.But Jeremy Corbyn has strengthened his grip on his front
:02:42. > :02:44.bench and in key policy areas, even if not as much
:02:45. > :02:48.Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn will remain in his job but has
:02:49. > :02:50.agreed to agree with his leader, at least in public.
:02:51. > :02:56.Maria Eagle was shunted from defence secretary to culture secretary,
:02:57. > :02:59.replacing Michael Dugher who was sacked for "incompetence
:03:00. > :03:03.The new shadow defence secretary is Emily Thornberry,
:03:04. > :03:11.who unlike Maria Eagle opposes the renewal of Trident.
:03:12. > :03:15.At midnight Pat McFadden was relieved of his duties as shadow
:03:16. > :03:17.Europe minister, to be replaced by another Pat,
:03:18. > :03:30.Well, Mr McFadden was given the push for showing "disloyalty"
:03:31. > :03:33.to Mr Corbyn - let's have a listen to the shadow chancellor
:03:34. > :03:35.John McDonnell and then Mr McFadden, both speaking
:03:36. > :03:45.With Pat McFadden, unfortunately there was a series of times
:03:46. > :03:49.when I think, to be frank, the views he had expressed
:03:50. > :03:51.were undermining, challenging Jeremy's mandate, the overwhelming
:03:52. > :03:53.mandate he has got from Labour Party members.
:03:54. > :03:55.So Jeremy put a condition to Hillary that Pat McFadden had
:03:56. > :03:59.Pat I think is immensely talented and he will make a major
:04:00. > :04:04.I have been an MP for 11.5 years and I have never broken
:04:05. > :04:14.So I don't think there is a question of loyalty at all.
:04:15. > :04:17.But sometimes there is disagreement over issues, and Mr Corbyn has not
:04:18. > :04:20.been happy with things I have said, especially about terrorism
:04:21. > :04:38.Well, some Labour backbenchers have taken to Twitter
:04:39. > :05:01.Backbencher Ian Austen said... The new MP Wes streeting said...
:05:02. > :05:06.The former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Chris
:05:07. > :05:24.Jonathan Reynolds resigned following the reshuffle. In his resignation
:05:25. > :05:48.letter, he says... speak to one of those backbenchers,
:05:49. > :06:01.the MP Ian Austin who was a minister Isn't it a well established part of
:06:02. > :06:07.the British political scene that if you are a member of the shadow team
:06:08. > :06:10.Opposition, you should go? I don't Opposition, you should go? I don't
:06:11. > :06:14.think any of the people who have gone have criticised the leader at
:06:15. > :06:16.all. This has been a terrible process,
:06:17. > :06:24.all. This has been a terrible reshuffle is for many years and it
:06:25. > :06:32.is a complete shambles. A journalist told me that Hilary Benn, Pat
:06:33. > :06:34.McFadden was going to be sacked, not for criticising the leader but
:06:35. > :06:43.because they voted a different way on a free vote. I don't think it is
:06:44. > :06:48.about loyalty at all. Last night, actually, the explanation from the
:06:49. > :06:57.leaders' office was of incompetence and disloyalty. Nobody thinks that
:06:58. > :06:59.Pat McFadden is incompetent and neither that either of
:07:00. > :07:05.Pat McFadden is incompetent and been disloyal. Are you seriously
:07:06. > :07:07.saying that nothing they have said could be construed as critical of
:07:08. > :07:10.the Jeremy could be construed as critical of
:07:11. > :07:17.that your position this morning? Michael Duggan is calling for
:07:18. > :07:21.loyalty. When Jeremy Corbyn rang pats last night and told him he was
:07:22. > :07:26.loyalty. When Jeremy Corbyn rang sacked, it was because he criticised
:07:27. > :07:28.ISIS and said they were responsible alone for the terrorist attacks.
:07:29. > :07:33.That has alone for the terrorist attacks.
:07:34. > :07:36.international issues and terrorism ever since we were elected on the
:07:37. > :07:41.same day ten years ago. -- Pat. ever since we were elected on the
:07:42. > :07:48.is not about loyalty at all. Pat has worked
:07:49. > :07:50.is not about loyalty at all. Pat has Michael and Pat leaving the front
:07:51. > :07:59.benches is a big loss. Mr McFadden Michael and Pat leaving the front
:08:00. > :08:02.was like and respected MP, and has been sacked for stating that
:08:03. > :08:05.was like and respected MP, and has terrorists are to blame for
:08:06. > :08:10.terrorism. I don't know why Pat was sacked, I have not heard from Jeremy
:08:11. > :08:12.about it, and I have to agree with Pat and what he said in The Chamber
:08:13. > :08:17.about ISIS and the fact Pat and what he said in The Chamber
:08:18. > :08:20.is responsible for terrorist attacks but I know that Jamie
:08:21. > :08:22.is responsible for terrorist attacks him about that as well. I can only
:08:23. > :08:28.imagine they had a conversation last him about that as well. I can only
:08:29. > :08:32.Jeremy had confidence in him and for some reason he appears to have
:08:33. > :08:37.decided he does not. This happened in the last Parliament. Ed Miliband
:08:38. > :08:42.sacked by an habit for the same reason. The Shadow Chancellor said
:08:43. > :08:49.this morning that he had been sacked for disloyalty. I don't really know
:08:50. > :08:52.why that has happened. Why has he been disloyal? I don't know. Was
:08:53. > :08:57.about Michael? He was sacked for been disloyal? I don't know. Was
:08:58. > :09:00.incompetence, we are told. Are you aware of anything he has done that
:09:01. > :09:04.is incompetent? -- note. I work for aware of anything he has done that
:09:05. > :09:09.Michael in the last Parliament and he is effective and a great
:09:10. > :09:15.campaigner and a nice bloke. Are you sorry to see the back of both of
:09:16. > :09:17.them? I don't think we have seen the last of them because I think they
:09:18. > :09:23.will contribute from the backbenches. Michael in particular,
:09:24. > :09:27.it became increasingly apparent over the last few months that Michael was
:09:28. > :09:30.unhappy with the direction the party was taking and I think it is right
:09:31. > :09:34.that he should have a very strong boys about the future of the party
:09:35. > :09:42.but you obviously cannot do that from the Shadow Cabinet. Jonathan
:09:43. > :09:48.Reynolds, another junior shadow minister, he has gone this morning
:09:49. > :09:54.and resigned in protest, do you think there will be more
:09:55. > :09:57.resignations? Who knows? This has been a terrible process and has gone
:09:58. > :10:02.on for three days but before that we had weeks of speculation driven by
:10:03. > :10:08.the leaders' office, and the whole long list of ministers who were due
:10:09. > :10:14.to be chopped, and I think it has been a really terrible unedifying
:10:15. > :10:19.spectacle. Once we get the shambles out of the way, we need to focus on
:10:20. > :10:24.May and the local elections, we have big challenges. Jeremy was elected
:10:25. > :10:28.to win back support for disaffected unhappy former Labour supporters. We
:10:29. > :10:33.will be looking to win London and win it well, begin to win some
:10:34. > :10:41.ground back in Scotland and do well in the local elections. Why did it
:10:42. > :10:47.take 30 hours of meetings and almost three days to make the minor
:10:48. > :10:51.changes? I don't know. My experience of reshuffle is... You clearly have
:10:52. > :10:56.not been involved in the reshuffle! If you want to stay in your job,
:10:57. > :11:00.keep your head down and stop I have been in my office board but 24
:11:01. > :11:08.hours. One aggro did anybody call you? It was always meant to be a
:11:09. > :11:14.limited reshuffle and it turned out to be that. What about the rumour in
:11:15. > :11:19.Westminster that they dangled Defence in front of you? I have no
:11:20. > :11:23.idea where it came from. I was never offered it and I never had a
:11:24. > :11:27.conversation about it. Did the leaders' office ever have a
:11:28. > :11:35.discussion with you about your position? They must have spoken to
:11:36. > :11:42.somebody! Jeremy was talking to Hilary Benn. We know that but not to
:11:43. > :11:46.you? He talked to Maria and Emily. I had made it very clear from the day
:11:47. > :11:53.I got the job that I was thrilled to be doing it, I want to keep it. No
:11:54. > :12:02.alternative for you? No. What is Hilary Benn's modus operandi? He had
:12:03. > :12:08.long discussions with Hillary about future directions and policy. Maybe
:12:09. > :12:12.you did not hear Mr McDonald this morning may he said if he wants to
:12:13. > :12:15.do another speech like the one on Syria, he would have to do it from
:12:16. > :12:20.the backbenches. Is that your understanding? No, I heard Hilary
:12:21. > :12:25.Benn talking about it and he said there were no conditions put on his
:12:26. > :12:28.job, and I know him and to be honest, I cannot imagine he would
:12:29. > :12:35.have accepted a deal to stay in his job if he could not speak. From the
:12:36. > :12:38.front bench? Yes. What I think they would have agreed is that they will
:12:39. > :12:44.come to a collect view on major questions of the day which is right
:12:45. > :12:53.and important stop do you think it is wise to put Miss Thornbury in
:12:54. > :13:02.charge of Labour's defence policy on the very day that North Korea has
:13:03. > :13:07.exploded a hydrogen bomb? Is it wise? The party makes policy and the
:13:08. > :13:13.party position is that we will renew Trident. Is it your position? Is it
:13:14. > :13:17.right to review it. -- it is right to review it. It has rights to
:13:18. > :13:23.review how we spend the money and I am open to having a discussion. Does
:13:24. > :13:26.the position of North Korea to explode a hydrogen bomb impact on
:13:27. > :13:30.your future decision? You have to look at where the threat is
:13:31. > :13:39.currently and the major threat is from ISIS, we have just spoken about
:13:40. > :13:42.it. There was a big question about whether we spent that proportion of
:13:43. > :13:47.our defence budget on Trident which has no answer to that challenge. The
:13:48. > :13:51.military members have raised that question and I'm glad we have a
:13:52. > :13:56.party leader who can explore it. He has made up his mind. He has not
:13:57. > :14:02.imposed his view on the party. Collective decisions in the party.
:14:03. > :14:05.We need to leave it there. A busy morning and head. Thank you. --
:14:06. > :14:07.ahead. Hospital patients have been told
:14:08. > :14:11.to prepare for disruption next week as junior doctors in England prepare
:14:12. > :14:14.for a series of strikes after talks Three strikes over the next few
:14:15. > :14:26.months. The British Medical Association -
:14:27. > :14:30.or BMA - agreed to cancel three strikes last month to re-enter talks
:14:31. > :14:33.with the government over At this point the concilation
:14:34. > :14:43.service ACAS was brought in - but talks have broken down
:14:44. > :14:46.leading to strikes back on. Unless a deal is reached,
:14:47. > :14:49.there will be a 24 hour walk out next Tuesday, followed by a 48 hour
:14:50. > :14:52.strikes later in the month The strike action is likely to lead
:14:53. > :14:56.to thousands of non-emergency operations and hospital
:14:57. > :14:59.appointments being cancelled. The main sticking point
:15:00. > :15:04.is around weekend pay Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has
:15:05. > :15:13.offered to increase basic salaries by 11% at the expense of overtime -
:15:14. > :15:17.he says this is needed to create But the BMA says the offer
:15:18. > :15:24.would mean doctors working more weekends for no extra money
:15:25. > :15:42.and junior doctors had been "left We can speak now to a junior doctor.
:15:43. > :15:53.But first of all, Alan Duncan, Junior doctors say this will mean
:15:54. > :15:55.more weekends for no extra money, leaving staff tired and demoralised.
:15:56. > :15:58.Is it time now for he is hunt to make further compromises? No, I
:15:59. > :16:01.don't think this is true, by the way. The BMA may be saying that but
:16:02. > :16:03.I'm not sure they are fairly representing doctors. I don't think
:16:04. > :16:08.they are fairly representing the interests of doctors. What happened
:16:09. > :16:12.at the meeting, 17 points they had been discussing, and 16 have been
:16:13. > :16:15.agreed. And so will there was the issue of weekends. What we said
:16:16. > :16:21.clearly in the election was that we wanted a seven-day NHS, so you are
:16:22. > :16:26.not at a disadvantage if you are ill... Doctors say it is not true
:16:27. > :16:30.that they do not work at the weekends, they do. But the structure
:16:31. > :16:34.is not the same at weekends. So often as a patient you are at a
:16:35. > :16:38.disadvantage at the weekend, which is what we are trying to overcome.
:16:39. > :16:42.So there is this final issue, about how we reject the payments. The
:16:43. > :16:46.Government is offering 11% increase in basic pay and trying to even
:16:47. > :16:50.things out so there is much more certainty and smoothness over
:16:51. > :16:54.weekends. That is a good objective. The BMA walked out within an hour,
:16:55. > :16:58.announcing almost in advance that they were going to strike. I am not
:16:59. > :17:02.convinced even though we have gone to a Cas that they are negotiating
:17:03. > :17:06.honestly and fairly in the interests of Junior doctors. Do you accept
:17:07. > :17:17.that the junior doctors will lose out on a certain amount of pay?
:17:18. > :17:22.There is that 11% increase but also a 31% average payment taken away for
:17:23. > :17:25.unsocial hours. When you take it in the round, many junior doctors will
:17:26. > :17:29.be worse off under the new arrangements, why would they elect
:17:30. > :17:34.for that? My understanding is that it is not as clear-cut as you say. I
:17:35. > :17:38.cannot sit here and say absolutely nobody will be worse off. I am not
:17:39. > :17:41.involved in the details of these discussions. But I firmly believe
:17:42. > :17:46.that the basic offer is designed to make sure that people are not worth
:17:47. > :17:51.off, but that the structure of pay is much more rational across the
:17:52. > :17:55.seven-day week. We can ask a junior surgeon now. Hopefully you just
:17:56. > :17:59.heard Alan Duncan saying that you will not be worse off under the new
:18:00. > :18:04.deal being offered by the government - is that the case? Firstly, in
:18:05. > :18:08.answer to what Mr Duncan just said, I feel very happy and confident that
:18:09. > :18:13.the BMA are fully representing and understanding the needs of junior
:18:14. > :18:17.doctors. Secondly, Mr Duncan was talking about 16 out of 17 points.
:18:18. > :18:22.Yesterday he was talking about 15 out of 16. They do not seem very
:18:23. > :18:29.clear on this. Let's talk specifically about this issue - are
:18:30. > :18:32.junior doctors going to be worse off in terms of pay as a result of
:18:33. > :18:36.changes which the Government says it wants to bring in? I will put this
:18:37. > :18:43.to you. If you take what they have been saying at pay -- at face value,
:18:44. > :18:47.the 11% pay rise, and the other changes, I would say this to you,
:18:48. > :18:52.you could double my pay, and I would say, take that money and buy me
:18:53. > :18:55.another doctor. Buy me another nurse, another physiotherapist,
:18:56. > :19:01.because I cannot increase seven-day services above what we already
:19:02. > :19:04.provide without the support of my colleagues, my paramedic colleagues
:19:05. > :19:09.and without more doctors. You cannot provide more with a finite number of
:19:10. > :19:13.doctors. We are already profoundly deplete and already working at
:19:14. > :19:16.maximum capacity. We cannot do more. Nevertheless we were happy to
:19:17. > :19:20.negotiate and try and work with the Government to do this. But still
:19:21. > :19:24.they are not listening to our absolute concerns over safety. I
:19:25. > :19:28.will come back to Alan Duncan on those points. But in terms of
:19:29. > :19:33.negotiation, the Government has moved, it would say, because it has
:19:34. > :19:38.offered this 11% rise on basic salary - where has the compromise
:19:39. > :19:45.being from your side? In terms of compromise, it comes down to
:19:46. > :19:48.absolute safety just in simple terms, you have a financial amount
:19:49. > :19:51.of jam, very thinly spread, over one piece of toast, and the Government
:19:52. > :19:55.are asking us to spread that same amount over two pieces of toast. We
:19:56. > :19:59.are trying to say, it does not matter which way you spread it, it
:20:00. > :20:03.will not work. I have looked at all the detail from the negotiation and
:20:04. > :20:06.all it comes down to is trying to mini plate us to do something which
:20:07. > :20:11.ultimately we are trying to say is unsafe. We want to help, we want to
:20:12. > :20:16.increase seven-day services. We would love to provide those services
:20:17. > :20:19.for our patients. But without the appropriate resort is an support, it
:20:20. > :20:24.will not be safe. It needs to be safe.
:20:25. > :20:26.will not be safe. It needs to be Duncan, it is not just about the
:20:27. > :20:28.deal for the junior doctors, it is that there is not the funding to
:20:29. > :20:32.resource these services, there are that there is not the funding to
:20:33. > :20:37.not even the numbers of doctors, never mount how much you are paying
:20:38. > :20:40.them? That is somebody on the front line, she knows. With respect, that
:20:41. > :20:43.is slightly different line of argument than the one you were
:20:44. > :20:48.putting earlier about the negotiations. I totally accept that
:20:49. > :20:52.the demand for health care is massive compared with any budget one
:20:53. > :20:56.could give in order to provide the service one wants to. That is why
:20:57. > :20:58.big choices have to be made about resources and
:20:59. > :21:03.big choices have to be made about you allocate them. You do
:21:04. > :21:05.big choices have to be made about they are not enough resources being
:21:06. > :21:10.spent in order to make their jobs easier and safer for patients? Every
:21:11. > :21:16.politician over the last 50 years will say, there is never enough
:21:17. > :21:20.money for the NHS. There are always demands on health which outstripped
:21:21. > :21:25.the ability of any government to pay for it. But we think that having
:21:26. > :21:28.this increase, in what we want to put into the NHS, we are trying to
:21:29. > :21:31.rationalise it over weekends. All put into the NHS, we are trying to
:21:32. > :21:37.would say is, please get round the table, not walk out after an hour.
:21:38. > :21:41.Can I just say Liz and because we have run out of time, are you
:21:42. > :21:46.prepared to negotiate further on this? Only if our concerns about
:21:47. > :21:49.absolute safety are less to. There is a huge disconnect with the
:21:50. > :21:58.reality of what is going on on the front line.
:21:59. > :22:05.More developments on Labour. Hilary Benn's team up in arms over claims
:22:06. > :22:09.that he has agreed to a six point feel not to criticise Mr Corbyn. It
:22:10. > :22:15.is a lie, says one of Mr Ben's supporters. Whereas the Jeremy
:22:16. > :22:18.Corbyn team are telling us that Mr McFadden was not sacked for opposing
:22:19. > :22:22.terrorism. That is one, he was sacked for disloyalty on several
:22:23. > :22:24.accounts to the new leadership. Now it's the New Year
:22:25. > :22:27.and if, like the team here at the Daily Politics,
:22:28. > :22:29.you're de-toxing after the Christmas break, we've got just
:22:30. > :22:32.the thing for you. So put your wine glasses
:22:33. > :22:35.and champagne flutes to the back of the cupboard in the hope
:22:36. > :22:37.of winning your very own Daily Politics mug, perfect
:22:38. > :22:40.for all non-alcoholic drinks. Whether it be a smoothie made
:22:41. > :22:42.with kale - which apparently Or for all you Westminster
:22:43. > :22:47.journalists watching, you might need a cup of coffee
:22:48. > :22:51.to keep you awake after the long days and nights spent waiting
:22:52. > :22:54.outside Jeremy Corbyn office waiting To win this mug though,
:22:55. > :23:06.first you'll have to watch this... # And it hurts
:23:07. > :23:22.with every heartbeat. Bouquets
:23:23. > :23:48.have replaced brickbats, respectful tributes,
:23:49. > :24:04.the sneers and the doubts. Supposing you ever got divorced
:24:05. > :24:08.and you've fallen in love She just appreciates
:24:09. > :24:23.the fact that we've To be in with a chance of winning
:24:24. > :24:33.a Daily Politics mug, send your answer to our
:24:34. > :24:36.special quiz email address Entries must arrive by 12.30 today,
:24:37. > :24:43.and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess
:24:44. > :24:47.The Year on our website. It's coming up to midday here -
:24:48. > :24:52.just take a look at Big Ben - Yes, the first
:24:53. > :24:58.Prime Minister's Questions And that's not all -
:24:59. > :25:06.Laura Kuenssberg is here, and she's been joined by the Labour
:25:07. > :25:09.MP and shadow foreign affairs Laura bring us up to speed
:25:10. > :25:20.with what's happening This is a moving story? Absolutely,
:25:21. > :25:24.claims of lies on all sides this morning. 48 hours of blunt spoons,
:25:25. > :25:28.rather than sharp knives, really. There is huge upset at the way this
:25:29. > :25:32.has been handled, do not underestimate that. Massive upset
:25:33. > :25:36.among the shadow cabinet and Shadow ministers who have decided to stay
:25:37. > :25:39.on this and especially over the way Pat McFadden's departure was
:25:40. > :25:45.handled. A lot of people think he has been unfairly treated. That is
:25:46. > :25:50.denied of course by Jeremy Corbyn's team. The way this has unfolded
:25:51. > :25:57.between last night and today, it has led already to the resignation of
:25:58. > :26:01.the Shadow Rail Minister Jonathan Reynolds, and it has also led others
:26:02. > :26:05.to be considering walking out of the door, and one of them is Stephen
:26:06. > :26:09.Doughty. I have just written to Jeremy Corbyn to resign from the
:26:10. > :26:14.front bench. I agreed to serve on Jeremy's front bench for a number of
:26:15. > :26:17.reasons. I had well-publicised differences with him on foreign
:26:18. > :26:21.policy and defence and security. But I recognised the mandate he had been
:26:22. > :26:27.given by the party, and I also have areas where I wholeheartedly agreed
:26:28. > :26:31.with him. Why have you resigned, question make on many issues,
:26:32. > :26:34.including climate change another's. But fundamentally I agree with
:26:35. > :26:39.everything Pat McFadden said, about not being seen to develop a
:26:40. > :26:43.narrative that somehow the West is was possible. I had to look at my
:26:44. > :26:47.own conscience in this situation, and when an individual like that has
:26:48. > :26:50.been singled out for a sacking for words which I completely agree with,
:26:51. > :26:54.I think it is the honourable thing for me to do to tender my
:26:55. > :26:57.resignation. But Jeremy Corbyn's people say this to McFadden was not
:26:58. > :27:02.fired for his remarks about terrorism, he was fired for
:27:03. > :27:07.disloyalty to the leadership. Well, it is simply not true. It is really
:27:08. > :27:10.sad actually the number of lies and unfortunate statements which are
:27:11. > :27:14.coming out from the leader's office about this situation. I was with Pat
:27:15. > :27:19.just after he was informed, and it was very clear what were the reasons
:27:20. > :27:24.for his sacking. He is a team member, are not extremely principled
:27:25. > :27:28.individual, who has always been clear about his own views, but he
:27:29. > :27:31.has always loyally served the party. When an individual like that and my
:27:32. > :27:35.own colleague is singled out for views which I also hold myself, I
:27:36. > :27:39.think it is only honourable for myself also to leave the front
:27:40. > :27:43.bench. You saying that we should not believe what we're being told by Mr
:27:44. > :27:48.Corbyn's team? It is up to you what you think. I think that things which
:27:49. > :27:52.are being briefed out this morning are simply not true. Undoubtedly
:27:53. > :27:56.they will do it about other individuals, about me. One reason I
:27:57. > :28:01.agreed to serve under Jeremy was actually his comments about the new
:28:02. > :28:04.politics, about being open and transparent and straight talking.
:28:05. > :28:08.And that seems to be the case for the first few weeks and months. I
:28:09. > :28:12.was perfectly content with that even on areas where I disagreed with him.
:28:13. > :28:16.His decision to give a free vote on Syria was absolutely right. But
:28:17. > :28:20.unfortunately there is a tendency of some of those around him and within
:28:21. > :28:23.his team to be conducting some pretty unpleasant operations against
:28:24. > :28:32.certain people. And there are others as well. In addition to Pat McFadden
:28:33. > :28:36.and Mr Dugher? It is extremely regrettable is, some of the stuff I
:28:37. > :28:40.am aware of. When it comes down to issues of national security and
:28:41. > :28:44.defence and terrorism, I have got very, very firm views on these
:28:45. > :28:50.things, and many colleagues do as well. We cannot be seen to be
:28:51. > :28:53.equivocating overdose. When an individual like Pat is singled out
:28:54. > :28:57.for his views on those very issues, then it is a matter of conscience
:28:58. > :29:01.for me. Given that I would have said exactly the same things, I cannot
:29:02. > :29:08.continue on the front bench in that situation. What do you say to that?
:29:09. > :29:11.I am sorry to see you go but I am excited about the fact that you
:29:12. > :29:15.might come and do some more stuff on climate change. But I guess I would
:29:16. > :29:20.also say as well that if I thought that Pat had been sacked because of
:29:21. > :29:24.his views on Isil and the West and terrorist attacks, then I would be
:29:25. > :29:30.agreeing with Steve. But that is what he thinks. Hang on, Alan. I
:29:31. > :29:35.completely agree with his view on that. But I would say, so does
:29:36. > :29:41.Jeremy Corbyn. How do you know that? Because I have spoken to him about
:29:42. > :29:46.it. Are you saying that McFadden's views and Jeremy Corbyn's views on
:29:47. > :29:53.terrorism are as one? No, but... Of course they are not. That was the
:29:54. > :29:57.whole point of Jeremy Corbyn putting together a broad best shadow cabinet
:29:58. > :30:01.and front bench, which he still has. Hilary Benn and Jeremy Corbyn have
:30:02. > :30:04.got differences of opinion over things like Syria. They have been
:30:05. > :30:07.very clear about that and they are keen to continue to work together to
:30:08. > :30:13.reach the right answer. But at the end of the day there is not a single
:30:14. > :30:16.Labour MP that I know of who thinks that the West
:30:17. > :30:20.Labour MP that I know of who thinks terrorist attacks but we
:30:21. > :30:23.Labour MP that I know of who thinks You have broken the story that there
:30:24. > :30:27.is another shadow minister going, Stephen Doughty - do we expect more
:30:28. > :30:32.today? I do. Maybe not very many, maybe not huge figures, very well
:30:33. > :30:36.known to the public, but I think there will be at least two, maybe
:30:37. > :30:41.more, who follow what Stephen Doughty has decided to do the course
:30:42. > :30:44.of today. There will always be disagreement in Jeremy Corbyn's
:30:45. > :30:48.Labour Party. He has the right to reshuffle his team, that is
:30:49. > :30:53.absolutely important to remind. But after a very messy reshuffle, this
:30:54. > :30:56.is a extraordinary. We have got different people publicly in the
:30:57. > :31:00.same political party accusing each other of lying. Over very
:31:01. > :31:02.fundamental things. I think there is a fundamental issue here. For me,
:31:03. > :31:06.issues of national a fundamental issue here. For me,
:31:07. > :31:11.defence though beyond party politics and internal machinations. And
:31:12. > :31:15.personal point-scoring and settling, which has
:31:16. > :31:18.personal point-scoring and settling, For me that is a very serious issue.
:31:19. > :31:22.personal point-scoring and settling, that these are issues which go
:31:23. > :31:23.beyond internal politics, then we will be in a very difficult
:31:24. > :31:30.situation. You are will be in a very difficult
:31:31. > :31:33.Nandy? Because I agree with Steve completely that this goes beyond
:31:34. > :31:42.party politics. We have to go over to Prime Minister's Questions now.
:31:43. > :31:52.Condemning terrorist attacks will not be a part of holding office? I
:31:53. > :31:55.would say to my honourable friend that condemning terrorist attacks is
:31:56. > :31:59.an essential component of aspiring to high office in this country and
:32:00. > :32:04.that should the the case whether you are a shadow minister or Minister of
:32:05. > :32:12.the Crown, and it is worth recalling what it is. Terrorists are entirely
:32:13. > :32:13.responsible for their own actions, nobody forces anyone to kill
:32:14. > :32:18.innocent people in Paris, blow nobody forces anyone to kill
:32:19. > :32:22.the underground, behead innocent workers in Syria, he was absolutely
:32:23. > :32:25.right to say that! Frankly, it speaks volumes that he cannot sit in
:32:26. > :32:31.the Shadow Cabinet with the Leader of the Opposition. Thank
:32:32. > :32:36.the Shadow Cabinet with the Leader Speaker. I would like to
:32:37. > :32:39.the Shadow Cabinet with the Leader firefighters, mountain rescue
:32:40. > :32:42.services, the police, armed services, engineers and workers, the
:32:43. > :32:47.Environment Agency, and local government workers, and all the
:32:48. > :32:47.volunteers, for all the work they did in
:32:48. > :32:53.volunteers, for all the work they people on the floods that affected
:32:54. > :32:56.this country. In January 20 14th following the devastating floods
:32:57. > :33:00.this country. In January 20 14th that time, the Prime Minister said
:33:01. > :33:05.and I quote, there are always lessons to be learnt and I will make
:33:06. > :33:12.sure they are learned. -- 2014. Were they learned? Let me join the Leader
:33:13. > :33:15.of the Opposition in thanking the emergency services, the police, the
:33:16. > :33:19.Fire Services, the search and rescue teams who went around the country to
:33:20. > :33:24.Fire Services, the search and rescue areas that were flooded, the
:33:25. > :33:26.military, and as he says, what we saw was communities coming together
:33:27. > :33:31.and volunteers carrying out extraordinary work. Having seen my
:33:32. > :33:38.own constituency very badly flooded in 2007, having had floods while
:33:39. > :33:45.Prime Minister, a number of lessons have been learnt. The military came
:33:46. > :33:49.in far faster than before. The scheme was funded at 100%, more
:33:50. > :33:53.money was got to communities more quickly. A lot of lessons have been
:33:54. > :33:57.learnt. Are there more to learn? I am sure there are, there always are
:33:58. > :34:02.and that is why I will review everything. As we do that, we will
:34:03. > :34:13.make money available because we have a strong economy to build flood
:34:14. > :34:23.resilience in our country. In 2011, ?190 million defence of floods was
:34:24. > :34:26.cancelled, 1000 homes in Leeds was flooded in recent weeks, the
:34:27. > :34:30.government is still only committed to a scaled-down version of the
:34:31. > :34:36.project worth a fraction of its total cost when the Prime Minister
:34:37. > :34:43.claimed money was no object in flood relief. When he meets the Leeds MPs
:34:44. > :34:46.in the near future, will he guarantee the full scheme will go
:34:47. > :34:55.in the near future, will he ahead to protect leads from future
:34:56. > :35:00.flooding? -- Leeds. It is worth putting on record before we get on
:35:01. > :35:03.to flood defence that this was the wettest December for over 100 years,
:35:04. > :35:09.and actually, in Leeds and Yorkshire, it was the wettest
:35:10. > :35:16.December ever on record, and that is why rivers in Yorkshire, it
:35:17. > :35:21.including the Aire in Leeds was a metre higher than it has ever been
:35:22. > :35:25.in stock in terms of floods defence is, no floods defence schemes have
:35:26. > :35:30.been cancelled since 2010. The investment in flood defences was 1.5
:35:31. > :35:33.billion in the last Labour government, 1.7 billion in the
:35:34. > :35:37.government I lead is a Coalition Government, and will be over 2
:35:38. > :35:41.billion in this Parliament. It has gone up and up and up and it has
:35:42. > :35:46.gone up as we run an economy where we are able to invest in the things
:35:47. > :35:53.that our country needs. One more point. Let us not forget this... We
:35:54. > :35:59.inherited the Darling plan for our economy. A plan for 50% cut in
:36:00. > :36:03.capital spending and DEFRA was not a protected department. We protected
:36:04. > :36:11.that flood spending and increased it, something Labour would not have
:36:12. > :36:16.done. Of course rainfall was excessive, of course the river
:36:17. > :36:21.levels were high, but the Prime Minister has still not answered the
:36:22. > :36:27.question on the Leeds flood protection scheme. I will give him
:36:28. > :36:31.an opportunity too. In 2014, Cumbria applied for funding for new schemes
:36:32. > :36:36.in Keswick and Kendall and both were turned down, both areas were flooded
:36:37. > :36:39.again in the last few weeks. Does the Prime Minister believed that
:36:40. > :36:44.turning down those schemes was also a mistake? We are spending more on
:36:45. > :36:53.floods defence schemes is stacking up a whole series of schemes. Let me
:36:54. > :36:56.make this point. If he is going to spend ?10 billion on renationalising
:36:57. > :37:03.railways, where is he going to find the money for flood defences? The
:37:04. > :37:08.idea that this individual would be faster in responding to floods, when
:37:09. > :37:16.it takes in three days to carry out a reshuffle, is laughable! -- him.
:37:17. > :37:20.Since I walked into The Chamber this morning, the Shadow Foreign Minister
:37:21. > :37:26.has resigned, the Shadow Defence Minister has resigned, he could not
:37:27. > :37:31.run anything! It is very strange that when I have asked a question
:37:32. > :37:34.about Leeds floods defence, and Cumbria floods defence, the Prime
:37:35. > :37:39.Minister still seems unable to answer. Canny now tell us if there
:37:40. > :37:46.is going to be funding for those schemes? In October, Professor Colin
:37:47. > :37:54.Mela, he warned the government about funding cuts to flood defences in
:37:55. > :37:59.Yorkshire being formally discontinued in the future. Would
:38:00. > :38:05.that be a mistake or so? Is he going to reverse the cut in the defence to
:38:06. > :38:08.make sure that those cities and areas are protected in the next
:38:09. > :38:15.round of floods which will no doubt come? We have increased and continue
:38:16. > :38:19.to increase the spending of flood defences. We are spending more in
:38:20. > :38:24.this Parliament, and for the first time, it is a six-year spending is
:38:25. > :38:29.active which is ?2.3 billion extra on flood defences, money which would
:38:30. > :38:34.not be available if we trashed the economy in the way he proposes. Of
:38:35. > :38:38.course, after every incident of flooding, you go back and look at
:38:39. > :38:41.what you have is then, what you have built, what you are planning to
:38:42. > :38:45.spend, planning to build, and you see what more can be done, but the
:38:46. > :38:49.head of the Environment Agency was clear that he had the money
:38:50. > :38:54.necessary to take the action necessary, but we can only do that
:38:55. > :38:58.with a strong economy, an economy that is growing, where more people
:38:59. > :39:02.are in work, more people are paying taxes, we have got the strength to
:39:03. > :39:08.solve this problem of floods and we will do it in a proper way. The
:39:09. > :39:14.Prime Minister still has not answered on Leeds, on Cumbria, on
:39:15. > :39:19.the warning from Professor Mellor, and like him, last week, I met
:39:20. > :39:24.people in Yorkshire were affected by flooding and I met a young couple,
:39:25. > :39:37.Chris and Victoria, whose home had been flooded over Christmas. It was
:39:38. > :39:44.not very funny for them. This young couple lost many of their
:39:45. > :39:47.possessions. Photos, children, toys, schoolwork, and they have the foul
:39:48. > :39:52.stench of flood water in their homes as many families do in this country.
:39:53. > :39:59.They are asking all of us wholly legitimate questions. Why was it
:40:00. > :40:03.that the insignificant pump capacity of the barrier, alerted to in 2013
:40:04. > :40:09.by a government report, was not dealt with and those pumps were not
:40:10. > :40:13.upgraded, thus people were flooded in York and their possessions and
:40:14. > :40:18.homes damaged? Those people want answers from all of us and in
:40:19. > :40:21.particular from the Prime Minister. I have the greatest sympathy with
:40:22. > :40:26.anyone flooded and we have to do what it takes to get people and
:40:27. > :40:30.communities back on their feet and that is why we have put record sums
:40:31. > :40:34.in more quickly to help communities in Cumbria, in Lancashire, and now
:40:35. > :40:40.in Yorkshire, and we will continue to do that. On the question of the
:40:41. > :40:43.pumps, that was about to be tended for extra investment and that
:40:44. > :40:49.investment will now go ahead because the money is there. We are putting
:40:50. > :40:51.in the money, we are putting it in more quickly, the military got
:40:52. > :40:55.involved more quickly and to the couple who got flooded, we are also
:40:56. > :40:59.doing something that previous governments have talked about but
:41:00. > :41:02.never achieved and that is to have an insurance scheme so every
:41:03. > :41:10.household in our country can get insured. That is not being done
:41:11. > :41:14.before. Our lessons being learned? Yes. Are there more lessons? Yet.
:41:15. > :41:23.But we do not need a lecture from the honourable gentleman! -- yes.
:41:24. > :41:26.The reality is that flood defence scheme after flood defence scheme
:41:27. > :41:32.has been cancelled, postponed or at stop many more homes have been
:41:33. > :41:37.flooded, and too many lessons have been ignored. Why can't the Prime
:41:38. > :41:42.Minister support our call for a coordinated cross-party approach to
:41:43. > :41:48.flooding that looks at everything including Upland management in
:41:49. > :41:54.making people's homes more flood resilient, and more protection
:41:55. > :41:58.schemes properly funded? Does the Prime Minister agree with this? The
:41:59. > :42:03.Fire and Rescue Service who have done a great job over the last few
:42:04. > :42:09.weeks in all parts of this country, should now be given a statutory duty
:42:10. > :42:15.to deal with loads to help us through any crisis that might occur
:42:16. > :42:20.in the future? When he has worked out how to coordinate his own party,
:42:21. > :42:24.perhaps he can have a word with me. On the issue of a statutory duty,
:42:25. > :42:28.everybody knows what they have to do when let's take place, that is why
:42:29. > :42:32.there was a magnificent response from the emergency services, the
:42:33. > :42:38.Fire Services, the emergency rescue services, they have are backing to
:42:39. > :42:42.do the vital work, and we will go on investing in flood defences, we will
:42:43. > :42:45.increase the money on flood defences because we have a strong economy and
:42:46. > :42:55.strong country that can back the action needed. 2016 is the 400th
:42:56. > :43:01.anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. Does the Right Honourable
:43:02. > :43:08.friend agree that our country should unite to commemorate his work best
:43:09. > :43:12.at their special events at the RSC. The Shakespeare birthplace trust are
:43:13. > :43:19.renovating the sight of his home, and his school is opening the
:43:20. > :43:22.original classroom. Can I invite the House and the whole world to come
:43:23. > :43:32.and celebrate the greatest living writer? I apologise for almost
:43:33. > :43:36.interrupting his celebrity. The 400th anniversary of the death of
:43:37. > :43:39.Shakespeare. Everything he has given to our language and culture and to
:43:40. > :43:44.the world, it will be a fantastic moment for people to come and
:43:45. > :43:46.Great Britain and come and see Stratford, and all the other places
:43:47. > :43:49.that Stratford, and all the other places
:43:50. > :43:53.with Shakespeare. Shakespeare provides language for every moment.
:43:54. > :43:59.Consider what we are thinking about at the moment. There was a moment
:44:00. > :44:03.where it looked like this reshuffle would go into the 12th night! It was
:44:04. > :44:08.a revenge reshuffle so it was going to be as you like it! We can can
:44:09. > :44:13.conclude that it has turned into a comedy of errors, perhaps much ado
:44:14. > :44:30.about nothing! There will be those who worry that Love 's labours lost.
:44:31. > :44:44.Thank you. Thank you for the warm welcome. Mr Speaker, the health
:44:45. > :44:48.service is the role but junior doctors in Scotland are not banning
:44:49. > :44:53.to strike next week. Why does the Prime Minister and the Scottish
:44:54. > :44:59.Government has good relations with junior doctors and his government
:45:00. > :45:03.does not? And now to the Scottish play! It raises an important
:45:04. > :45:05.question and we have taken a different approach to the government
:45:06. > :45:11.in Scotland. We have increased spending on the NHS by more than the
:45:12. > :45:14.government in Scotland and that is the right approach but we are
:45:15. > :45:18.determined to deal with the issue of having a genuine seven-day NHS.
:45:19. > :45:25.Everybody knows, doctors know, patients know it, the BMA knows it,
:45:26. > :45:28.there is a problem with the NHS at the weekend, and one of the ways to
:45:29. > :45:33.correct that is to make sure we have new contracts, including with junior
:45:34. > :45:38.doctors, to make sure not that they work longer hours, and in fact under
:45:39. > :45:44.our plans, many will work less hours. Not to reduce doctors' pay.
:45:45. > :45:50.No one who works legal hours will see a cut in their pay. 75% of
:45:51. > :45:56.doctors will see a rise. This is a good deal for a good NHS and I'm
:45:57. > :46:00.sure in Scotland they will at it as well.
:46:01. > :46:05.The Scottish Government has been investing record levels in the NHS
:46:06. > :46:09.in Scotland and it also works very hard to have the best possible
:46:10. > :46:14.relations with the doctors and nurses and NHS staff. Would the
:46:15. > :46:17.English Health Secretary speak to his Scottish colleague to learn how
:46:18. > :46:21.to resolve the situation in England and stave off strike action, which
:46:22. > :46:27.no-one wants to see, least of all Julia doctors? There should always
:46:28. > :46:30.be good discussions between the Health Secretary in the United
:46:31. > :46:33.Kingdom government and health ministers in the devolved
:46:34. > :46:36.administrations. Obviously, one thing we think is important when we
:46:37. > :46:44.make a decision to increase funding in the NHS, as we have done, ?19
:46:45. > :46:47.billion more in this Parliament, that has consequences for Wales and
:46:48. > :46:50.Scotland and Northern Ireland under the bonnet formula. And of course I
:46:51. > :46:55.find it very depressing that the Welsh have decided under Labour to
:46:56. > :47:04.spend less than we are planning to spend, and Scotland has done the
:47:05. > :47:13.same thing. The local economy in my constituency, Bolton West, continues
:47:14. > :47:19.to strengthen, great businesses relocating and growing in
:47:20. > :47:23.Westhoughton. We are also seeing heritage trading frames investing ?1
:47:24. > :47:30.million in equipping a new factory in Lostock, another company winning
:47:31. > :47:35.new contracts and recruiting more staff in Norwich. Will the Prime
:47:36. > :47:38.Minister agree with me that the northern powerhouse is not just
:47:39. > :47:43.about our great northern cities, it is also about our Great North Run
:47:44. > :47:48.towns? My honourable friend is absolutely right. It is instructive
:47:49. > :47:53.that members opposite do not want to hear good news about businesses and
:47:54. > :47:56.investment which is happening in the economy. Sometimes it can sound as
:47:57. > :48:03.if the plan for a northern powerhouse is all about the cities.
:48:04. > :48:08.Our view is that by linking up the cities, you also helped the towns
:48:09. > :48:09.and the rural areas because you are rebalancing the economy and
:48:10. > :48:17.increasing opportunity in the north of our country. In 2014, in response
:48:18. > :48:20.to the flooding of the Thames Valley, the Prime Minister said that
:48:21. > :48:25.money would be no object. In the light of his cuts to the flood
:48:26. > :48:29.offences, his cuts to the fire and rescue service, his cuts to the
:48:30. > :48:35.Environment Agency, can he say the same to the people of Leeds, of
:48:36. > :48:38.Rochdale, York, of Whitby and of Teesside, or is it one rule for his
:48:39. > :48:43.constituents, and another for ours in the north? She is completely
:48:44. > :48:49.wrong about the funding, as I have explained in great detail. What we
:48:50. > :48:57.put in place under this government is not funding at 85% of what a
:48:58. > :49:06.council spends, but 100%. So what I said absolutely stands good. Thepm
:49:07. > :49:15.has always been a staunch supporter of the Welsh TV channel S4C, so
:49:16. > :49:18.could he use this opportunity to reinforce the future of the channel
:49:19. > :49:24.and the commitment to safeguard its funding? I am happy to do that. S4C
:49:25. > :49:29.is an important part of our broadcasting structure and it is
:49:30. > :49:32.very well liked in Wales. We will meet the spirit of our manifesto
:49:33. > :49:38.promise to make sure this continues to be a very strong channel. With
:49:39. > :49:42.homeownership down to its lowest level in a generation, down every
:49:43. > :49:46.year since he became Prime Minister, why did Tory MPs vote against
:49:47. > :49:50.Labour's amendments to the housing bill last night, which would have
:49:51. > :49:53.protected the publicly funded discount for new starter homes for
:49:54. > :49:58.future buyers? Isn't that better value for money for first-time
:49:59. > :50:06.buyers and for the taxpayer, you saw no? Well, the proposal. The homes is
:50:07. > :50:11.a Conservative Party proposal put into our manifesto, opposed
:50:12. > :50:14.throughout by the Labour Party. This is only happening because we have
:50:15. > :50:18.listed a majority and put a housing bill through this House of Commons.
:50:19. > :50:23.We are taking every step we can to help get more people on the housing
:50:24. > :50:27.ladder. In London we are seeing Help to Buy now funding 40% of the homes
:50:28. > :50:32.people want to buy, rather than 20%. We will see 200,000 starter homes
:50:33. > :50:36.built during this Parliament. Because we are managing the economy
:50:37. > :50:41.properly, interest rates are low and it is easier for people to get a
:50:42. > :50:47.mortgage. With our help to save skin, people can put aside money to
:50:48. > :50:50.help them with their deposit. We are on the side of the homeowner, and
:50:51. > :51:01.above all those people who want to get on the housing ladder.
:51:02. > :51:06.Mr Speaker, on Boxing Day, the village of crust and in my
:51:07. > :51:11.constituency suffered the worst floods in living memory. We had
:51:12. > :51:15.damage to schools, homes and businesses. Will my right honourable
:51:16. > :51:19.friend join with me in praising the efforts of everybody who pulled
:51:20. > :51:23.together to protect their community and will he ask is honourable friend
:51:24. > :51:27.the member for Penrith and The Border to review the decision by the
:51:28. > :51:32.Environment Agency to switch off the pumps in that particular place?
:51:33. > :51:35.First of all let me pay tribute to her constituents, who worked around
:51:36. > :51:40.the clock to help each other in what were appalling floods, with this
:51:41. > :51:44.incredibly high-level of rainfall. Let me join with her in thanking the
:51:45. > :51:47.emergency services again for all the work they did. After floods like
:51:48. > :51:51.this there are always questions about which pumps were used, which
:51:52. > :51:56.flood gates were opened, what decisions were made by the experts
:51:57. > :52:00.on the ground. And it is very important, having seen many
:52:01. > :52:03.communities flooded in my own constituency, to hold meetings in
:52:04. > :52:06.the community to go through those decisions and work out what lessons
:52:07. > :52:11.can be learned and whether the right decisions were made. I absolutely
:52:12. > :52:15.pledge that that should be done if we have announced ?40 million for
:52:16. > :52:19.the work across Lancashire and Cumbria for helping people out. And
:52:20. > :52:23.we will make sure that the flood alleviation money for households and
:52:24. > :52:29.businesses, the scheme is that we set up after 2013, that the money is
:52:30. > :52:35.paid out as it can be. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. In the light
:52:36. > :52:39.of last month's Paris climate agreement, in which all countries
:52:40. > :52:42.promised to keep global warming well below 2 degrees, does the Prime
:52:43. > :52:46.Minister agree that we must now urgently begin the process of
:52:47. > :52:51.strengthening the EU's 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target to
:52:52. > :52:54.50% below 1990 levels at the very least a position which he argued
:52:55. > :52:59.for, I am glad to say, at the European Council? First of all let
:53:00. > :53:02.me join her in once again recognising that Paris was a very
:53:03. > :53:07.big step forward. Previous agreements, like at Kyoto, did not
:53:08. > :53:12.include action by China or America. And now, you have got all the big
:53:13. > :53:16.emitters as part of the deal. We did argue that the EU should go further.
:53:17. > :53:21.We achieved I think a very aggressive package for the EU, but
:53:22. > :53:24.that was the best that we could do in the circumstances. I think the EU
:53:25. > :53:28.agreement helped to bring about the general agreement. Nobody should be
:53:29. > :53:33.in doubt that Britain is playing a very major role. Let me give you one
:53:34. > :53:37.statistic. I know there is a great interest in this house about solar
:53:38. > :53:40.panels. I asked the question the other day, what percentage of solar
:53:41. > :53:45.panels have been installed in Britain since this government took
:53:46. > :53:53.office in 2010, expect it might be 50 or 60%. The answer is 98%.
:53:54. > :53:58.Yesterday it was announced that the Foxhill housing zone in Bath would
:53:59. > :54:01.receive ?313,000 of government funding to help kick-start work to
:54:02. > :54:04.build thousands of new homes in the city. Would the Prime Minister agree
:54:05. > :54:08.with me that this funding will help to reverse the lack of new building
:54:09. > :54:12.under the party opposite and unable struggling families to get onto the
:54:13. > :54:16.property ladder? I am delighted to hear about that development. The
:54:17. > :54:21.fact is, we have built 700,000 houses since this government came to
:54:22. > :54:26.office but there is a lot more to be done. Sometimes it might involve
:54:27. > :54:30.specific planning permissions orders agreements between councils which
:54:31. > :54:33.need to be sorted out. But we should not forget that the developers and
:54:34. > :54:37.house builders will only go ahead with house-building if they believe
:54:38. > :54:42.it is a benign economic environment with a strong and growing economy
:54:43. > :54:49.and stable interest rates. That is the key to the success in housing.
:54:50. > :54:54.The Prime Minister promised to cut the number of government special
:54:55. > :54:59.advisers and the Chancellor wants to limit pay increases to public sector
:55:00. > :55:04.employees to 1% of. So how does he possibly square that with now having
:55:05. > :55:08.26 more special advisers than in 2010 and a 42% pay increase for the
:55:09. > :55:13.Chancellor's own personal image consultant? There are fewer special
:55:14. > :55:23.advisers under this government than there were under the last
:55:24. > :55:28.government. Will my right honourable friend agree with me that it is more
:55:29. > :55:35.than a matter of regret that the new Shadow Defence Secretary has seen
:55:36. > :55:40.fit to take a donation from the immoral, thieving and ambulance
:55:41. > :55:47.chasing lawyers leader a who, together with public interest
:55:48. > :55:52.lawyers, specialise in hounding out brave service personnel in Iraq with
:55:53. > :55:54.spurious claims? Is it time that we removed the latter from the
:55:55. > :55:58.pernicious clutches of the Human Rights Act and honoured our
:55:59. > :56:05.manifesto commitment for a British Bill of Rights? Taking his questions
:56:06. > :56:08.in turn - yes, we should honour our commitment for a Bill of Rights and
:56:09. > :56:14.I look forward to making progress on that. I think this organisation
:56:15. > :56:19.Leigh Day, does have some that. I think this organisation
:56:20. > :56:20.to answer. They were deeply involved in the inquiry where a
:56:21. > :56:24.to answer. They were deeply involved claims completely fell apart and
:56:25. > :56:26.there was it seems evidence which could have shown that those
:56:27. > :56:28.there was it seems evidence which were false. I do think that it is
:56:29. > :56:34.instructive that we have lost Shadow Secretary of State -2
:56:35. > :56:35.believed in strong defence, who believed in strong defence, who
:56:36. > :56:41.and instead we have got somebody believed in strong defence, who
:56:42. > :56:42.apparently who takes funds from Leigh Day. I think that leaves us
:56:43. > :56:46.with Leigh Day. I think that leaves us
:56:47. > :56:51.Speaker, frankly, it goes to a bigger truth, which is, one day this
:56:52. > :56:53.we shovel I suppose will be over, and we will be left with a
:56:54. > :56:58.collection of and we will be left with a
:56:59. > :57:01.doubt, who signed up to unilateral nuclear disarmament, who signed up
:57:02. > :57:04.to backing up taxes, debt and spending, and one of the left-wing
:57:05. > :57:10.programmes in living memory. This is a collective act they would have
:57:11. > :57:12.taken part in. We should not be asking if the Leader of the
:57:13. > :57:15.taken part in. We should not be Opposition would be happy about lead
:57:16. > :57:18.central. The question is, what on earth is the member for lead central
:57:19. > :57:28.and others doing in this Labour Party government? The Prime Minister
:57:29. > :57:33.may be aware that there is also a Shakespeare connection to Knowsley,
:57:34. > :57:37.where midsummer night dream for example was written, amongst other
:57:38. > :57:42.place. I wonder whether he will lend his support to the proposal for a
:57:43. > :57:47.Shakespeare of the north, which will complete the triangle of the Globe
:57:48. > :57:52.theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Knowsley, as a celebration of the
:57:53. > :57:56.work of Shakespeare? I think this sounds like an excellent proposal.
:57:57. > :57:59.We should not try and constrain Shakespeare to Stratford. We should
:58:00. > :58:04.make sure this is a national, indeed international, celebration, so I
:58:05. > :58:10.will look carefully at the proposal he makes. In Derbyshire, the county
:58:11. > :58:17.council have announced plans to cut four care homes including Hillcrest
:58:18. > :58:23.in my constituency, as well as some sheltered housing. This is clearly
:58:24. > :58:26.an attack on the elderly and vulnerable in Derbyshire by an
:58:27. > :58:28.authority with a proven track record of wasting taxpayers' money. Will my
:58:29. > :58:33.right honourable friend look at this dismal situation to ensure all
:58:34. > :58:42.Derbyshire presidents have access to good levels of care? I am happy to
:58:43. > :58:44.look at that problem. Obviously, this is a Labour-controlled council
:58:45. > :58:48.taking these decisions. What I would urge them to do is to look at the
:58:49. > :58:53.proposals that we made in the spending review, at the fact that
:58:54. > :58:57.councils are now able to use a surcharge on council tax to fund
:58:58. > :58:59.additional social care, and to recognise that their job instead of
:59:00. > :59:08.playing politics should be serving local people. Last year, the IMF
:59:09. > :59:11.warned income inequalities is the most defining challenge of our time.
:59:12. > :59:17.It is getting worse and it slows economic growth. By last night,
:59:18. > :59:22.FTSE-100 chief executive is well have been paid more for five days
:59:23. > :59:26.work than the average UK worker will be paid in the whole of 2016,
:59:27. > :59:32.getting a pay rise of nearly 50% last year while the average worker
:59:33. > :59:36.had a pay rise of less than 2%. So, will the Prime Minister support the
:59:37. > :59:41.high pay centre's back and Asians for organisations to publish data on
:59:42. > :59:47.the ratio of top pay to average pay? -- recommendations fully I am a
:59:48. > :59:50.great supporter of these things. But since I have become Prime Minister,
:59:51. > :59:54.income inequality has actually fallen, whereas it went up under
:59:55. > :59:58.Labour. One of the biggest rings wasn't doing to help with income
:59:59. > :00:03.inequality is, for the first time ever, to bring in a national living
:00:04. > :00:08.waged. This is the year that we are going to see people paying no tax
:00:09. > :00:13.until they have earned ?11,000. This is the year we will see a national
:00:14. > :00:18.living waged at ?7 20. Those are big advances in helping the low paid in
:00:19. > :00:22.our country. I would like to pay tribute as well to the countless
:00:23. > :00:30.numbers of people and organisations who helped out during the recent
:00:31. > :00:34.floods. Yesterday, I spoke with the chairman of the new insurance scheme
:00:35. > :00:39.and I know that people who have been hammered by the floods will welcome
:00:40. > :00:45.the fact that their premiums will be quashed and that they will not meet
:00:46. > :00:50.eye-watering excesses. But he told me that it will not cover any houses
:00:51. > :00:54.built since 2009 and it will not cover businesses, either. Will the
:00:55. > :00:57.Prime Minister look again at the scheme to make sure that it is
:00:58. > :01:02.properly comprehensive? We are looking very carefully at this,
:01:03. > :01:05.particularly on the issue of businesses. We have had a number of
:01:06. > :01:09.anecdotal stories from small businesses saying it is going to be
:01:10. > :01:12.very difficult to get insurance. Meanwhile the insurance companies
:01:13. > :01:16.are telling us they will not turn down any small businessesso we need
:01:17. > :01:24.to get to the bottom of this before we get the final introduction of the
:01:25. > :01:28.scheme in April this year. It was good to welcome the Prime
:01:29. > :01:31.Minister and his Excellency the President of China, Chester airport
:01:32. > :01:36.in my constituency recently to talk about investment. But what is in the
:01:37. > :01:40.northinterest and the nation's interest is extra runway capacity in
:01:41. > :01:46.the south-east. Why does the Prime Minister continue to procrastinate?
:01:47. > :01:51.Can I thank him and everybody in Manchester who helped to welcome the
:01:52. > :01:55.Chinese president at the excellent lunch in Manchester and the very
:01:56. > :01:58.good visit to Manchester airport? In response to his question, I would
:01:59. > :02:04.say that the environmental audit committee of this house, and indeed
:02:05. > :02:09.the author of the original report, Howard Davies, have both said that
:02:10. > :02:12.the problems of quality to raise new questions which the Government has
:02:13. > :02:17.to answer. I am in favour of answering those questions and then
:02:18. > :02:22.making a decision. Two years ago I think tomorrow, the House lost a
:02:23. > :02:34.superb parliamentarian and much loved colleague in all parts of the
:02:35. > :02:36.house. The honourable gentleman's predecessor, Paul Goggins. We
:02:37. > :02:42.remember him with affection and respect and we think fondly of his
:02:43. > :02:46.widow and their three children, who are all wonderful human beings and
:02:47. > :02:49.we wish them well for the future. Thank you, Mr Speaker. My
:02:50. > :02:56.constituency was decimated by the recent floods. It was reported in
:02:57. > :02:59.the Bradford Telegraph And Argus earlier this week that the Bradford
:03:00. > :03:03.district would not receive any of the extra funding the Prime Minister
:03:04. > :03:06.announced for Yorkshire for flood defences. Will he take this
:03:07. > :03:10.opportunity to confirm that that is not the case, that whatever money is
:03:11. > :03:14.necessary to protect my constituency from future flooding will be spent?
:03:15. > :03:18.And if he is struggling to find the money, the all could use money from
:03:19. > :03:22.the overseas aid budget, because I am sure he believes that victims
:03:23. > :03:25.flooding in Shipley should not be disconnected against in terms of
:03:26. > :03:30.victims of flooding in other parts of the world? We will do what it
:03:31. > :03:35.takes to make sure that families and communities and businesses can get
:03:36. > :03:39.back on their feet. That's why we have invested record sums more
:03:40. > :03:43.quickly into the affected areas. We have learned the lessons of previous
:03:44. > :03:47.floods, where sometimes the schemes have been too bureaucratic and too
:03:48. > :03:51.much time has been taken. Whether it is building bridges, repairing
:03:52. > :03:54.roads, building flood defences, examining where the water went this
:03:55. > :04:02.time and what more can be done, we will make sure that work is carried
:04:03. > :04:05.out in Bradford, as everywhere else. Is the Prime Minister aware of the
:04:06. > :04:10.valuable work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit not just in
:04:11. > :04:14.enforcing the law but in promoting animal welfare and as part of the
:04:15. > :04:17.international effort against the trade in endangered species? Is he
:04:18. > :04:22.aware that the funding for it expires in a couple of months, and
:04:23. > :04:26.DEFRA and the Home Office have yet to make a decision to continue it?
:04:27. > :04:29.Can I ask him to prevail upon his right honourable friends to make
:04:30. > :04:34.sure that this extremely important and valuable work is continued? My
:04:35. > :04:38.understanding is that we HAVE kept the funding for this organisation.
:04:39. > :04:43.It does important work to mystically and overseas. I will look very
:04:44. > :04:50.carefully at what he suggests. I think there is still a decision to
:04:51. > :04:56.be made about the future. My right honourable friend knows that the
:04:57. > :04:59.legacy of thalidomide stills hangs over more than 500 people in our
:05:00. > :05:04.country today. In the last Parliament, Mr Speaker, the Prime
:05:05. > :05:09.Minister signalled very strong support to get a fair and just
:05:10. > :05:12.solution to their problems. Can I invite my right honourable friend in
:05:13. > :05:18.this Parliament to renew that pledge and to work with the all-party group
:05:19. > :05:21.to ensure a just outcome? I am happy to make that clear. In the last
:05:22. > :05:24.Parliament I met with some of my own constituents who have been affected
:05:25. > :05:27.by thalidomide and they had a number of things they wanted
:05:28. > :05:31.parliamentarians to do and a lot of people got behind their campaign. I
:05:32. > :05:41.am happy to continue to work with them in this Parliament. Order.
:05:42. > :05:53.Jeremy Corbyn to all lessons on the floods and whether the government
:05:54. > :05:56.was investing sufficient money. And whether it is doing enough in the
:05:57. > :06:01.future to stop it happening again. The Prime Minister pointed out that
:06:02. > :06:06.Mr Corbyn had been in Malta while some of the floods were going on and
:06:07. > :06:12.stop he did not point out that when his constituency was under water in
:06:13. > :06:14.2007 he was in Africa. There were a number of Shakespearean quotations
:06:15. > :06:20.from the Prime Minister about the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle. Love
:06:21. > :06:25.Labour's lost, as you like it, a comedy of errors was another one.
:06:26. > :06:32.The Prime Minister then went on to talk about less hours for doctors
:06:33. > :06:42.which showed he has not quite mastered Shakespeare's language! Why
:06:43. > :06:47.was the 190 million flood scheme cutbacks? This is a classic Andrew
:06:48. > :06:54.Neil question, expecting me to know everything! My understanding is that
:06:55. > :06:57.it was not cut back but the Environment Agency decided not to go
:06:58. > :07:01.ahead with it because it would cause flooding elsewhere. You have to be
:07:02. > :07:06.careful about making accusations. David Cameron, in saying that this
:07:07. > :07:10.is how floods spending has gone up and will go up, as clearly held the
:07:11. > :07:17.floor against original request was for a ?190
:07:18. > :07:21.million flood defence and it original request was for a ?190
:07:22. > :07:24.made to the government in 2010. It original request was for a ?190
:07:25. > :07:31.was not turned down by original request was for a ?190
:07:32. > :07:36.will now receive ?33 million which will not cover, actually, part
:07:37. > :07:38.will now receive ?33 million which the city which was flooded recently.
:07:39. > :07:45.The bit that was flooded get no extra defence. Look, this is an
:07:46. > :07:47.The bit that was flooded get no don't know the exact details of the
:07:48. > :07:53.decisions taken on don't know the exact details of the
:07:54. > :07:57.the Minister, but Liz truss gave the answer is in great detail in 90
:07:58. > :07:59.minutes and was very convincing in the way she did, as was David
:08:00. > :08:04.Cameron the Prime Minister. the way she did, as was David
:08:05. > :08:09.remember what she said? I was not there for all of it. It is the
:08:10. > :08:16.issue, looking at the there for all of it. It is the
:08:17. > :08:21.the e-mails and questions raised in the House today, people are
:08:22. > :08:24.unbelievably concerned. Mark said David Cameron failed to
:08:25. > :08:30.legitimate questions that Jeremy Corbyn asked on the government
:08:31. > :08:36.handling of flood defences and government priorities. David said, I
:08:37. > :08:41.find it rich for David Corbyn to stand up
:08:42. > :08:44.find it rich for David Corbyn to fortnight to show his face in York.
:08:45. > :08:46.find it rich for David Corbyn to Malcolm said, what a disgrace, all
:08:47. > :08:50.our politicians are out of touch with the country. And yet said,
:08:51. > :08:57.Jeremy Corbyn looks and with the country. And yet said,
:08:58. > :09:01.a bumbling old lefty. This from Andy... I have never seen anything
:09:02. > :09:06.as durable as David Cameron's performance today. Legitimate
:09:07. > :09:12.questions were derided by Jeremy Corbyn. The sycophantic Tories do
:09:13. > :09:17.nothing to raise the status of the House, physically on the issue of
:09:18. > :09:27.floods. Don said, what are the useless politicians going to do? To
:09:28. > :09:31.floods. Don said, what are the time they banned phones and tablets
:09:32. > :09:35.from The Chamber? They are constantly in use and very annoying.
:09:36. > :09:42.The Speaker let the men and now they all use them. Parliament should be
:09:43. > :09:45.about listening. Not playing around. People are reading speeches on iPad.
:09:46. > :09:47.They should People are reading speeches on iPad.
:09:48. > :10:00.the quill pen! The Prime Minister claimed that
:10:01. > :10:10.there were fewer special advisers and political appointments than the
:10:11. > :10:15.last government. Well, there were 74 special advisers in July 2009 under
:10:16. > :10:20.Mr Brown. It seemed a lot at the time but the run now 100 and three
:10:21. > :10:24.under this government, as of November 20 14. The figure may be
:10:25. > :10:30.higher. The Prime Minister was talking about the previous Coalition
:10:31. > :10:34.Government of which he also led, but they had more special advisers
:10:35. > :10:39.because the Lib Dems had their load as well. What happens, special
:10:40. > :10:45.advisers have a terrible reputation in the press is people who do
:10:46. > :10:49.ghastly deeds. People in the opposite of say they will cut
:10:50. > :10:53.numbers but then they get into power and find them very useful. It has
:10:54. > :11:05.happened before and it's happening now. We also understand that Kevin
:11:06. > :11:10.Jones has quit the Shadow Cabinet. I think it is quite likely that others
:11:11. > :11:15.in the shadow defence team who were being asked to serve under Emily
:11:16. > :11:23.Thornberry who opposes renewing new killer deterrence may follow him
:11:24. > :11:28.through the rest of the day -- nuclear. It is the official policy
:11:29. > :11:33.to back Trident but that is the opposite of what Jeremy Corbyn wants
:11:34. > :11:42.to do. The next seemed to unravel is that members of the defence team who
:11:43. > :11:50.will serve -- won't serve a -- under somebody who is taking the opposite
:11:51. > :11:54.view to them. The pro-Trident policy isn't going to last, is it? Let's be
:11:55. > :12:00.realistic. The leader of the Labour Party is against it. The new Shadow
:12:01. > :12:04.Defence Secretary is against it. The person hurt in to do the defence
:12:05. > :12:10.review with that Shadow Defence Secretary, Mr Livingstone, is
:12:11. > :12:14.against it. The NEC is appointed with people who are moving against
:12:15. > :12:19.it, and there will certainly be a vote at the Labour Party conference
:12:20. > :12:24.which could easily vote against it. That is the direction of trade,
:12:25. > :12:27.isn't it? Yes, that is the context of all of this and that is one of
:12:28. > :12:34.the reasons why there is this sort of race amongst Jeremy Corbyn
:12:35. > :12:37.supporters to try and take over as much of the party machinery as they
:12:38. > :12:41.possibly can before you get to that conference vote in September.
:12:42. > :12:46.Remember, though, one important thing in all of this, there are some
:12:47. > :12:49.big influential backers of Trident because of jobs and that includes a
:12:50. > :12:55.lot of unions and that is one of the reasons a health Jeremy Corbyn win
:12:56. > :13:02.this leadership race. There is disquiet about getting rid of it but
:13:03. > :13:07.it is an important achievement of the reshuffle which has been messy
:13:08. > :13:10.and has had some very dramatic and terrible consequences this morning
:13:11. > :13:17.in terms of broken trust and hurt feelings. He has moved to neutralise
:13:18. > :13:21.a very big row which was coming down the tracks very quickly, which was,
:13:22. > :13:29.how will Labour cope with the boat to come in the House of Commons over
:13:30. > :13:32.whether to renew Trident? He has moved to neutralise that with some
:13:33. > :13:37.success but he has not been able to move his very big target, the Shadow
:13:38. > :13:42.Foreign Secretary, Hilary Benn. I am glad you brought that up. We are
:13:43. > :13:48.being inundated with briefings from Hilary Benn's people, saying,
:13:49. > :13:52.nothing has changed army has not agreed to conditions commonly
:13:53. > :14:00.carries on as before. -- nothing has changed, he has not agreed... What
:14:01. > :14:10.did they talk about drawing that time, then? -- during. Jeremy Corbyn
:14:11. > :14:15.is very, very fond of discussion. Drawing the one-to-one meetings,
:14:16. > :14:21.there were not conversations about how his role which change, and yet
:14:22. > :14:25.we have this briefing now from those around Jeremy Corbyn that there is
:14:26. > :14:29.some kind of New World order in how things will operate. -- during the
:14:30. > :14:35.Shadow Chancellor also said there will be this situation where anybody
:14:36. > :14:40.on the front bench wants to say something that is not Jeremy
:14:41. > :14:43.Corbyn's position, hang on a minute, I am just going to shuffle up to the
:14:44. > :14:49.backbench and say what I really think. It is not a sustainable
:14:50. > :14:56.position. Hilary Benn says he will not do that. I don't want to add to
:14:57. > :14:59.the speculation on this because it has got out of hand but one thing
:15:00. > :15:03.that is missing from this discussion is the fact that it is quite a big
:15:04. > :15:07.change, not just for the Labour Party but for British politics. The
:15:08. > :15:12.biggest change we have seen in my political lifetime. What is the
:15:13. > :15:16.change? A change in leadership and change in the direction of the
:15:17. > :15:21.party, and at the same time, don't forget that Jeremy and many members
:15:22. > :15:24.of the Shadow Cabinet did not know each other very well before this
:15:25. > :15:28.started and one of the rings that has happened over the last few
:15:29. > :15:34.months is that we have been working through that and getting to know one
:15:35. > :15:36.another. -- things. It has been them reaching an agreement on how they
:15:37. > :15:40.work together going forward and it sounds like they have managed to do
:15:41. > :15:45.that. I am sure there are no conditions. Would he resign if it
:15:46. > :15:51.came to the next big confrontation on something like air strikes or
:15:52. > :15:55.Trident? Would you expect Hilary Benn to resign? In the end, he is a
:15:56. > :16:00.principled man and if they could not reach an agreement, keyword, but
:16:01. > :16:08.what they did yesterday was find a way to mutually work together in a
:16:09. > :16:17.respectful way. -- keyword. We do not know what the roles of this are.
:16:18. > :16:22.And, indeed, Mr Benn himself. You have two figures on the record
:16:23. > :16:24.saying two different things. The Shadow Chancellor John McDonald is
:16:25. > :16:30.saying there is a new modus operandi. Hilary Benn is a new set
:16:31. > :16:37.of conditions and ways of working, a bit like -- collective working.
:16:38. > :16:43.Hilary Benn is saying, I have not been muzzled. You cannot both be
:16:44. > :16:47.right. Most people around the country are seeing the headlines in
:16:48. > :16:51.newspapers and will not pay attention to the tiny details but
:16:52. > :16:56.for a political party to work, you have to have trust, people who can
:16:57. > :16:59.work together, we believe you can be a team, and in the last 48 hours,
:17:00. > :17:09.although Jeremy Corbyn has flexed his muscles and shown his authority,
:17:10. > :17:12.in some ways, there have been -- there has been chaos around it, the
:17:13. > :17:16.thin strands of trust that have been, some of them are snapping all
:17:17. > :17:21.over the place in the does the Shadow Cabinet not better reflect
:17:22. > :17:26.Jeremy Corbyn's views and in a sense, he has tightened his grip on
:17:27. > :17:31.those key issues, not on Syria, but certainly on Trident? That is why I
:17:32. > :17:37.say he has achieved one thing, which is neutralising the row over
:17:38. > :17:42.Trident. A defence team will be along the lines of what he wants to
:17:43. > :17:45.do. He has shown to assert his authority to some degree but for
:17:46. > :17:51.things to work and for the party to be able to hold together, rather
:17:52. > :17:55.than just become a much smaller, tighter band of people gathered
:17:56. > :18:01.around Jeremy Corbyn... It is a strange situation where we we know,
:18:02. > :18:04.as we have been told several times, the official Labour policy is in
:18:05. > :18:06.favour of renewing Trident and yet we know that that is not the
:18:07. > :18:21.direction that Mr Corbyn once. In a sense, this is why this has had
:18:22. > :18:26.such wider appeal, for the many people who have signed up to be a
:18:27. > :18:30.part of this, and we must not forget that, but he believes that the real
:18:31. > :18:33.way of changing things is not in this Square Mile, it is not on the
:18:34. > :18:35.green benches, not in the House of Commons, it is by having a
:18:36. > :18:40.grassroots movement around the country, about expanding the way the
:18:41. > :18:47.NEC makes policies, and there is that kind of extra-Parliamentary bit
:18:48. > :18:50.about it. That is part of what he has been doing with Trident. He has
:18:51. > :18:52.been very honest about his own personal views but he has not
:18:53. > :18:57.imposed personal views but he has not
:18:58. > :19:00.And that is quite significant. Were you aware of a number of your shadow
:19:01. > :19:07.cabinet colleagues being prepared to resign if Mr Benn was fired? No. Was
:19:08. > :19:08.that the case, Laura? That is what I was told by several of them, no
:19:09. > :19:15.question. Now, people can say they was told by several of them, no
:19:16. > :19:18.they really have done it if it came to pass? I spoke to many
:19:19. > :19:19.they really have done it if it came colleagues across the shadow cabinet
:19:20. > :19:29.and none of us had colleagues across the shadow cabinet
:19:30. > :19:29.that there was a lot of briefing and speculation
:19:30. > :19:33.that there was a lot of briefing and Hilary Benn getting sacked and about
:19:34. > :19:36.a revenge reshuffle and Hilary Benn getting sacked and about
:19:37. > :19:38.whip being moved, and in the end, none of that happened. I'm not sure
:19:39. > :19:42.there was ever any none of that happened. I'm not sure
:19:43. > :19:47.to happen. So why did it take almost two days for almost nothing to
:19:48. > :19:51.happen? I think Jeremy wanted to have a chance to meet with people
:19:52. > :19:55.and discuss things with them. He did not meet with you. It turned out the
:19:56. > :19:59.media predictions just were not correct. Of course there is always
:20:00. > :20:03.frenzied speculation, but the message from people close to Jeremy
:20:04. > :20:08.Corbyn unquestionably was, he wanted new faces at defence - he has got
:20:09. > :20:14.that, which is a success for him. And he has wanted a new face also in
:20:15. > :20:20.charge of foreign policy. And he hasn't got that bit. And that
:20:21. > :20:26.message was being conveyed. That was being conveyed by
:20:27. > :20:28.message was being conveyed. That was now going to be allowed to go its
:20:29. > :20:29.message was being conveyed. That was way after the deal is done and the
:20:30. > :20:54.referendum campaign is are going to go? I am a mild,
:20:55. > :21:00.non-frothing outer. My first act in the nineteen seventies... I am
:21:01. > :21:06.asking you about this one, not 1975. Which way will you vote? I have just
:21:07. > :21:08.told you. I am probably an outer. For me,
:21:09. > :21:10.told you. I am probably an outer. pull a pretty big rabbit out of the
:21:11. > :21:14.hat. I'm not sure the agenda he pull a pretty big rabbit out of the
:21:15. > :21:16.put forward to try and get reform would suffice for me because I think
:21:17. > :21:20.they would suffice for me because I think
:21:21. > :21:24.benefits and movement of people. The key thing is, who makes our law. And
:21:25. > :21:31.I think at the moment too much of our law is made by this artificial
:21:32. > :21:35.construct, of Europe. This is the day when the Labour Party suddenly
:21:36. > :21:40.labelled itself dysfunctional. Not at all. We are united Europe, unlike
:21:41. > :21:45.you, and focused on the interests of the country, unlike you. We
:21:46. > :21:48.certainly are. And we have got a new Shadow Europe Minister, in Pat
:21:49. > :21:53.Glass, who has campaigned for a long time... Having got rid of a very
:21:54. > :21:59.good, competent person in Pat McFadden, who is a great guy. He is,
:22:00. > :22:04.but Pat Glass... The Prime Minister said on special advisers that there
:22:05. > :22:08.were fewer than under the previous government, whether he was referring
:22:09. > :22:12.to the coalition government... There are currently 92. There were more
:22:13. > :22:19.than 100 and the coalition. Under Mr Brown there were 74. So there are
:22:20. > :22:24.Fuhrer advises under Mr Brown Van there are now under Mr Cameron. Just
:22:25. > :22:30.to clarify that. Can you name every single one of them? I will have to
:22:31. > :22:32.write them all down! You will win a mug if you can!
:22:33. > :22:34.Now, you might not realise it to look at the mild-mannered
:22:35. > :22:37.exteriors of Lisa and Alan here, but underneath they and many other
:22:38. > :22:39.MPs are seething with pent up rudeness they are desperate
:22:40. > :22:43.They're probably just waiting until they no longer
:22:44. > :22:56.Well, here's the former Labour MP Tom Harris with his soapbox...
:22:57. > :22:59.It is hard to believe, I know, but sometimes it seems that people
:23:00. > :23:04.go out of their way to be rude to politicians.
:23:05. > :23:08.And sometimes, not often enough as far as I am concerned,
:23:09. > :23:15.Graham Jones MP recently received an e-mail from a man who told him
:23:16. > :23:19.that by voting for military action in Syria, he would have the blood
:23:20. > :23:22.of tens of thousands of innocents on his hands.
:23:23. > :23:27.And with refreshing northern directness, Graham replied,
:23:28. > :23:37.I once had to physically remove a constituent from my advice surgery
:23:38. > :23:40.because he had been particularly abusive.
:23:41. > :23:44.And I told him that he would not expect to receive any help
:23:45. > :23:50.Unfortunately, to my lasting regret, I never actually told him
:23:51. > :23:58.In a country where honesty and transparency and the right
:23:59. > :24:03.to protest, like this one behind me, are valued above all others,
:24:04. > :24:06.it is significant, nay depressing, that our elected representatives
:24:07. > :24:11.must avoid telling the truth to their constituents,
:24:12. > :24:20.especially when that truth is what they actually think of them.
:24:21. > :24:24.MPs have to take it, not dish it out.
:24:25. > :24:32.It is their job to sit and listen and do as they are told
:24:33. > :24:34.by the people who after all pay their very generous
:24:35. > :24:41.If you want to tell your MP that he is murdering
:24:42. > :24:48.But don't be offended if in return he tells you that
:24:49. > :24:51.you are an appeaser of murdering, fascist, rapist, torturing scum.
:24:52. > :24:56.Oh, and thanks so much for taking the time to write.
:24:57. > :24:58.It is time for politicians to fight back.
:24:59. > :25:18.Don't hold back in this interview, Tom. Tell us what you really think!
:25:19. > :25:21.Is this the result of pent-up anger that you have wanted to unleash on
:25:22. > :25:28.those constituents while you were an MP? It probably is! Did it do you
:25:29. > :25:33.any good, raising your voice occasionally? It did not do me any
:25:34. > :25:36.harm. I remember the occasion that I referred to when I had to physically
:25:37. > :25:41.throw somebody out of my surgery. I was re-elected by an even bigger
:25:42. > :25:47.majority after that. But you were not in a marginal seat? No. I think
:25:48. > :25:51.part of the vast experience that I have is that people are generally
:25:52. > :25:56.respect for and nice. So, you are talking about a few people here.
:25:57. > :25:59.Sometimes you get abuse. But there is a low level of passive aggression
:26:00. > :26:02.which sometimes you have to deal with. When you are out with your
:26:03. > :26:06.family and people feel they have the right to come up to you and just be
:26:07. > :26:13.a little bit undermining in front of your family and your kids. I guess
:26:14. > :26:20.it is completely unacceptable. Are you being thin skinned on this
:26:21. > :26:23.issue? I mean, was ever thus, people get very upset about issues of war
:26:24. > :26:29.and peace, the economy, benefits, whatever it is. Isn't that your job
:26:30. > :26:36.to kind of soak it up a little bit? No, it is not. I think MPs have got
:26:37. > :26:40.as much right to be treated with respect, not deference, in the same
:26:41. > :26:45.way as a GP or a head teacher should be treated with respect. If people
:26:46. > :26:49.are rude to you I think it is perfectly acceptable to offer the
:26:50. > :26:53.same level of rudeness back. Do you do that, Alan, if a constituent is
:26:54. > :26:57.rude to you in that sort of way? Yes, you either humour it and brush
:26:58. > :27:02.them off, but if somebody is consistently rude, yes. What I find
:27:03. > :27:07.has completely changed, setting aside the deep vulgarity of social
:27:08. > :27:11.media, is actually the e-mail, which has made people fire things off in
:27:12. > :27:14.the dead of night, and they are very aggressive in their language. Quite
:27:15. > :27:18.often I go back and say, I refuse to correspond with you until you are
:27:19. > :27:22.prepared to be polite and considerate in your tone deaf I have
:27:23. > :27:29.had to do that more and more over the last five years. Lucy, you are
:27:30. > :27:35.relatively new MP, but do you think people have become more rude since
:27:36. > :27:39.then? I think social media means people correspond in ways that they
:27:40. > :27:42.would not. Also I think people shout at you because they are frustrated.
:27:43. > :27:47.Tom compared it to the GP or the headteacher. You learn to work out
:27:48. > :27:50.when people are actually just really, really frustrated and how to
:27:51. > :27:56.handle that and help them climb down. Have you ever been frightened
:27:57. > :28:05.in surgeries? You are a big chap, Tom... I am not! Would you ever be
:28:06. > :28:09.scared and intimidated? I did have one constituent who came to see me
:28:10. > :28:12.in a rage, demanding that I intervened because he had been
:28:13. > :28:15.turned down for a gun licence because of an anger management
:28:16. > :28:21.problem. I was not so much frightened as very clear! What did
:28:22. > :28:27.you say? And very concise! Tom Harris, thank you very much. Let's
:28:28. > :28:36.put you out of your misery and give you the answer to need guess the
:28:37. > :28:37.year. The year was 2007. Steven Webster from Hemel Hampstead, well
:28:38. > :28:48.done!