14/09/2016

:00:36. > :00:39.Morning folks. Welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:40. > :00:42.David Cameron intervened in Libya without a coherent strategy

:00:43. > :00:45.and on the basis of false intelligence, say MPs.

:00:46. > :00:48.He only left parliament yesterday, but will these claims further damage

:00:49. > :00:56.The EU faces an "existential crisis" in the wake of the Brexit vote,

:00:57. > :00:58.says the European Commission President, but the UK should start

:00:59. > :01:02.the process of leaving as "quickly as possible".

:01:03. > :01:04.So what progress has been made so far?

:01:05. > :01:08.We'll give you the Daily Politics Brexit Tracker.

:01:09. > :01:11.Theresa May squares up for her third bout

:01:12. > :01:14.with Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs - we'll bring you those exchanges live.

:01:15. > :01:20.And re-drawing the electoral map to make parliamentary seats

:01:21. > :01:23.roughly equal in size - but how well do MPs know

:01:24. > :01:35.All that in the next 90 minutes of the very finest public

:01:36. > :01:41.And with us for the duration - they were offered handsome fees

:01:42. > :01:44.to appear on the other side, but they're sticking with the BBC -

:01:45. > :01:45.the Mel and Sue of political broadcasting.

:01:46. > :01:47.The new Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green

:01:48. > :01:49.and the former Labour Cabinet Minister Caroline Flint.

:01:50. > :02:04.Thank you for being so loyal. I believe in public service

:02:05. > :02:07.broadcasting. How long will that last? Until the fees are bigger.

:02:08. > :02:09.David Cameron launched airstrikes on Libya on the basis

:02:10. > :02:11.of inaccurate intelligence and without a coherent strategy.

:02:12. > :02:13.That's according to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee

:02:14. > :02:15.report, which also claims that the intervention resulted

:02:16. > :02:17.in political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal

:02:18. > :02:21.warfare and the growth of so-called Islamic State.

:02:22. > :02:25.It all felt very different back in 2011, when David Cameron flew

:02:26. > :02:29.to Benghazi to stand alongside then French President Nicholas Sarkozy

:02:30. > :02:33.and the rebel forces they had been supporting.

:02:34. > :02:37.Colonel Gaddafi said he would hunt you down like rats,

:02:38. > :02:47.but you showed the courage of lions, and we salute your courage.

:02:48. > :02:52.No, just as your courage has written the last chapter of Libyan history,

:02:53. > :02:56.so it must right the next one, and your friends in Britain

:02:57. > :03:03.and in France will stand with you, as you build your democracy,

:03:04. > :03:05.and build your country for the future.

:03:06. > :03:15.We're joined now by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select

:03:16. > :03:31.criticism of David Cameron is easy in hindsight. At the time the

:03:32. > :03:33.decision was taken on the basis of information available. Was it not

:03:34. > :03:39.the right thing to do, to protect the civilians? We are clear about

:03:40. > :03:46.how the decision was taken and that we genuinely believed civilians were

:03:47. > :03:49.under threat. Our criticism is there had not been proper analysis done

:03:50. > :03:55.before the decision makers of what the threat was to the people of an

:03:56. > :04:00.Gazzi, what had been the modus operandi of Gaddafi in the previous

:04:01. > :04:06.four decades? What had happened in the preceding weeks elsewhere in

:04:07. > :04:10.Libya? We relied on one small part of rhetoric in a 70 minute speech,

:04:11. > :04:15.which is pretty bloodcurdling, but then failed to analyse the entire

:04:16. > :04:20.speech and the offer being made to the people of Ben Gazzi. Nor did we

:04:21. > :04:28.actually understand what we were defending there. With the rise of

:04:29. > :04:33.the Islamist elements, Islamist extremist elements of the rebellion

:04:34. > :04:44.against Gaddafi. Was all of this David Cameron's fault? You say the

:04:45. > :04:48.former Prime Minister was ultimately responsible for the failure to

:04:49. > :04:52.develop a coherent Libyan strategy. This report looks at the initial

:04:53. > :04:57.intervention. It looks at how the mission changed from one of

:04:58. > :05:01.protecting civilians into one of regime change. And then looks at the

:05:02. > :05:06.intervening period after the fall of Gaddafi on till now. It also makes

:05:07. > :06:02.recommendations for the future, given where we are at now in Libya.

:06:03. > :06:08.Of politicians at Colonel Gaddafi in his regime, was it right or wrong to

:06:09. > :06:13.get rid of him. That is a perfectly proper position to take, you managed

:06:14. > :06:18.to establish you have the moral authority to take regime like that

:06:19. > :06:21.on, you have to make sure you have the legal authority basis which will

:06:22. > :06:25.be more disputed but critically, you have then got to make sure you can

:06:26. > :06:28.practically deliver your objectives, the first objective is a military

:06:29. > :06:34.intervention to knock over the regime. We did that. But then what

:06:35. > :06:41.follows, and if what follows is a collapse of the governance of Libya,

:06:42. > :06:44.and the thing falls apart into its tribes and into the militias that

:06:45. > :06:48.come from that, a massive growth in militias and a failure to control

:06:49. > :06:51.the arms that were left behind by the regime, then you fail properly

:06:52. > :07:01.to deal with the follow through. You say it was wrong because of the

:07:02. > :07:04.consequences. That is what he seemed to be saying. There was a failure of

:07:05. > :07:09.intelligence to look at the tribal problems that existed and the

:07:10. > :07:13.potential for Isil to become part of the rebel forces. But intelligence

:07:14. > :07:23.again is not the Prime Minister rock's. -- PM's. He takes it on good

:07:24. > :07:28.faith? All of this is made clear in our report. What we have said about

:07:29. > :07:35.the Prime Minister row is that ultimately be responsible at each

:07:36. > :07:39.rests with him. The International can hit it, France in particular,

:07:40. > :07:41.there is at least as much responsibility for the actions of

:07:42. > :07:47.the international community in this area as does the United Kingdom.

:07:48. > :07:50.Except, of course, the United Kingdom days have -- did have the

:07:51. > :07:56.product of its engagement with the Gaddafi regime over the previous

:07:57. > :07:59.years. Tony Blair's signal diplomatic achievement was the

:08:00. > :08:04.disarming of Gaddafi and his missiles and his weapons of mass

:08:05. > :08:12.destruction. And getting control, agreement from Gaddafi, to control

:08:13. > :08:14.his literal so we did not have the problem of passage into the European

:08:15. > :08:24.Union. Damian Green, when we think back to

:08:25. > :08:30.Iraq, is the lesson, never use military force in the Middle East?

:08:31. > :08:37.No, for two reasons. It is not like Iraq. Failure of intelligence, not

:08:38. > :08:43.having a coherent plan... There was a UN resolution. Iraq was illegal.

:08:44. > :08:47.There was a 17 country coalition. The Arab league supported

:08:48. > :08:51.intervention. Still it was a failure. The best intelligence we

:08:52. > :08:56.had was that Colonel Gaddafi was going to murdered tens of thousands

:08:57. > :09:01.of people. The report says that was overstated. Thankfully, we will

:09:02. > :09:04.never know. But if you are taking that decision in 2011, and somebody

:09:05. > :09:08.tells you that unless you do something, tens of thousands of

:09:09. > :09:13.people will die at the hands of a bloodthirsty dictator, the sensible

:09:14. > :09:17.decision is to intervene. Even so, despite having a legal basis and the

:09:18. > :09:22.agreement of a number of international nations, it was still

:09:23. > :09:24.a disaster, according to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee at every

:09:25. > :09:30.single level, and particularly the failure of intelligence, the fact

:09:31. > :09:33.they underestimated the growth of extremism that then spread across

:09:34. > :09:37.net -- North Africa, and to some extent led to the current migrant

:09:38. > :09:42.crisis we have today. What was its success apart from, and we will

:09:43. > :09:50.never know, defending the civilians of Ben Gazzi? Libya has been

:09:51. > :09:57.terrible since then. You cannot set it in isolation. Look at Syria.

:09:58. > :10:02.Syria, the West took the opposite decision. The West didn't intervene.

:10:03. > :10:07.We only have to look at Syria to see that nonintervention can cause even

:10:08. > :10:11.worse effects. Whether you go in or you don't, it is a disaster. What

:10:12. > :10:16.happens to foreign policy in the Middle East if intervention does not

:10:17. > :10:20.work, nor does nonintervention? You have to take a judgment in each case

:10:21. > :10:26.as to what is the best thing to do and the legal case -- thing to do.

:10:27. > :10:29.It maybe there is no good result. If evil people arrived there with the

:10:30. > :10:34.forced to do evil things, the best you can do is mitigate them. You

:10:35. > :10:39.cannot solve it all together. What has it done to David Cameron's

:10:40. > :10:46.reputation? The is devastating. People will be able to take a

:10:47. > :10:50.judgment. Libya is pretty terrible. Syria is even worse. I think you do

:10:51. > :10:55.come to a sensible conclusion that to say in principle you should never

:10:56. > :10:59.intervene or that this intervention was bad, it's probably wrong. The

:11:00. > :11:03.answer to your question is, I don't think it will have that big an

:11:04. > :11:11.effect. Do you think it is fair on David Cameron? I think it is harsh.

:11:12. > :11:15.Focusing on David Cameron is particularly unfair. This was an

:11:16. > :11:20.international coalition. And morally at the time it felt absolutely the

:11:21. > :11:25.right thing to do, to protect the civilians. You defend David

:11:26. > :11:28.Cameron's decision to intervene in Libya despite mistakes made

:11:29. > :11:34.afterwards. Caroline Flint, was there a case for regime change?

:11:35. > :11:39.There are consequences of doing something and consequences of not

:11:40. > :11:42.doing anything. And possibly, in terms of Libya and Syria, because of

:11:43. > :11:50.Iraq, and wherever people are on that issue, we have almost become

:11:51. > :11:56.worried about talking about... We going to try to save initially the

:11:57. > :12:00.massacre of 700,000 people, from what I understand. Clearly the

:12:01. > :12:08.question has to be asked, what if that leads to Gaddafi running off?

:12:09. > :12:11.Or a change in regime? It is a must as if we cannot have a debate any

:12:12. > :12:19.more because of what has happened in Iraq. All of this is tempered by

:12:20. > :12:22.what happened in Iraq. It is must stopping, I think, some legitimate

:12:23. > :12:26.questions because we are all most afraid of asking those questions. We

:12:27. > :12:32.have had some successes in Sierra Leone, in Bosnia. Pre-Iraq. We

:12:33. > :12:39.always hear about the ones that haven't worked. Nonintervention has

:12:40. > :12:41.an impact as well. Lord Richards felt we should have gone in more

:12:42. > :12:48.comprehensively. There were no ground troops. The other thing is

:12:49. > :12:51.there was a parliamentary vote by 500 plus to go in. It is not as if

:12:52. > :12:54.Parliament did not discuss it as well.

:12:55. > :13:01.It is such a confusing topic that even civil servants

:13:02. > :13:02.are running around Whitehall, scratching their heads.

:13:03. > :13:05.We all know that Britain voted to leave the European Union, but how?

:13:06. > :13:10.This morning, Jean Claude Junker, the EU Commission President,

:13:11. > :13:13.shed a little more light on the process, warning the UK that

:13:14. > :13:16.access to the internal market relies on the free movement of people,

:13:17. > :13:18.and that we won't be able to get "a la carte access".

:13:19. > :13:21.He also said the EU faced an "existential crisis"

:13:22. > :13:23.following the Brexit vote, with countries quicker to say

:13:24. > :13:26.what they don't want from Brussels rather than work together.

:13:27. > :13:33.Here on the Daily Politics we take our public service remit seriously.

:13:34. > :13:36.So I am pleased to introduce now - drum roll, please -

:13:37. > :13:41.our first Daily Politics Brexit Tracker.

:13:42. > :13:44.One of the key questions is when leaving the EU

:13:45. > :13:52.The short answer is we don't yet know, though Theresa May has now

:13:53. > :13:55.said the process will neither be triggered this year nor be "kicked

:13:56. > :14:01.But there is more debate about how Article 50,

:14:02. > :14:04.which starts negotiations, will be triggered.

:14:05. > :14:07.The Prime Minister says there was "no legal obligation"

:14:08. > :14:10.for a vote in parliament, though this week a committee

:14:11. > :14:15.of peers described that as "constitutionally inappropriate".

:14:16. > :14:18.We do at least know who will be negotiating with.

:14:19. > :14:20.For the European Commission, it's Michel Barnier, a former

:14:21. > :14:27.And for the European Parliament, it's Guy Verhofstadt,

:14:28. > :14:29.the federalist former Prime Minster of Belgium.

:14:30. > :14:33.David Davis is our chief negotiator as Secretary

:14:34. > :14:38.This week, he briefed peers and MPs on his

:14:39. > :14:42.plans, but said that he would keep most of

:14:43. > :14:47.He said his department now has about 200 staff and was full

:14:48. > :14:53.but did not have "much grey hair yet".

:14:54. > :14:56.We are also now a little clearer on the government's

:14:57. > :14:59.The Leave Campaign's call for a points-based

:15:00. > :15:04.Instead, Home Secretary Amber Rudd says she will consider introducing

:15:05. > :15:15.So I am pleased to introduce now - drum roll, please -

:15:16. > :15:16.our first Daily Politics Brexit Tracker.

:15:17. > :15:19.One of the key questions is when leaving the EU

:15:20. > :15:23.The short answer is we don't yet know, though Theresa May has now

:15:24. > :15:26.If you were to think of this building as a temple, well,

:15:27. > :15:28.Mr Verhofstadt is the high priest, a fanatic.

:15:29. > :15:29.In fact, there is only one real nationalist

:15:30. > :15:34.Because you want flags, anthems, armies, you are an EU nationalist,

:15:35. > :15:36.and I frankly think that this appointment amounts to pretty much

:15:37. > :15:51.a declaration of war, on any sensible negotiating process.

:15:52. > :15:59.You can see Mr Research was enjoying that. That. The big questions are

:16:00. > :16:04.unanswered so there is no point in going there. Let us look at some of

:16:05. > :16:05.the issues that affect your department, Department for Work and

:16:06. > :16:13.Pensions. Will it be your policy to insist

:16:14. > :16:16.that EU migrants cannot claim welfare benefits until they have

:16:17. > :16:20.been here for at least four years? As you know some of the welfare

:16:21. > :16:28.rules were tightened beforehand, but what we will get at the end of the

:16:29. > :16:32.negotiations, in terms both of benefits of EU citizens in this

:16:33. > :16:35.country or indeed British citizens living in EU countries is precisely

:16:36. > :16:41.the sort of thing that will go into... We don't know yet. We don't

:16:42. > :16:46.know yet. But it was a Conservative manifesto pledge that EU migrants

:16:47. > :16:51.would have to live here for at least a minimum of four years, so that

:16:52. > :16:55.pledge is now off the table? That was clearly a pledge in an era when

:16:56. > :16:59.we were in the EU. Now you can do it. What he welcome back will be

:17:00. > :17:03.doing over the NEC two years is negotiating what is the best deal

:17:04. > :17:09.for Britain. Will you ask for more or less? Forgive me if I don't set

:17:10. > :17:16.out our negotiating position live on television. You put it live on the

:17:17. > :17:20.manifesto when you wanted our votes, what about requiring EU job-seekers

:17:21. > :17:27.to leave this country, if they can't find a job within six months? Will

:17:28. > :17:30.that be DWP policy? Well, a DWP doesn't have a policy, the

:17:31. > :17:35.Government has a policies, and again. It is your department. We can

:17:36. > :17:39.go through the details if you like, but all will be part of the

:17:40. > :17:43.negotiations, as David Davis made clear nobody going into negotiation

:17:44. > :17:47.saying these are what our red lines are. That was also in your

:17:48. > :17:52.manifesto. Are you saying that the manifesto promise to end the ability

:17:53. > :17:56.of EU job-seekers to claim any job seeking benefits at all, and added

:17:57. > :18:01.if they haven't found a job within six months they will be required to

:18:02. > :18:06.leave, a pledge on which you got elected, that is not extant either?

:18:07. > :18:10.Since that manifesto was written, we have had the big event of the

:18:11. > :18:13.referendum, so we are now in a different world where we will be

:18:14. > :18:18.leaving the European Union, over the next few years. That I understand.

:18:19. > :18:22.But you couldn't do this by staying in the EU, that is why you had

:18:23. > :18:26.negotiations about some of these things and you certainly didn't get

:18:27. > :18:30.your own way, how we are heading out of the EU I am trying to get an idea

:18:31. > :18:35.of what is the policy going to be now you are free to do what you

:18:36. > :18:40.want? The policy will end up with what is in the negotiations, we will

:18:41. > :18:44.obviously be asking for lots of things in negotiations, and the

:18:45. > :18:48.other side, as Jung, you have pointed out -- Jean-Claude Juncker,

:18:49. > :18:51.you have pointed out set out an opening position, that is what will

:18:52. > :18:54.happen in public, in private over the next two, two-and-a-half years,

:18:55. > :19:01.there will be those negotiations. What... I can't tell you in a TV

:19:02. > :19:06.studio. What about child tax, child benefit, one of the big complaints

:19:07. > :19:10.was you, if you were an EU migrant, but your children weren't here, you

:19:11. > :19:14.could still claim it and send it back. Are you going to change that?

:19:15. > :19:20.Well, as I say, all of these things we have set out in the past, that we

:19:21. > :19:22.think would be good ideas, they are all possibilities in the

:19:23. > :19:26.negotiations. What I can't do, because it would not be sensible for

:19:27. > :19:30.the interests of this country would be for ministers to say this is our

:19:31. > :19:35.negotiating stance and this is what we will do next. You were tasked by

:19:36. > :19:39.the Prime Minister with coming up for a plan for Brexit, can you give

:19:40. > :19:43.us, no, I mean it was June 23rd we took the vote, can you give us no

:19:44. > :19:48.idea of what the Government's position will be on any of these

:19:49. > :19:52.fundamental issues? I wouldn't say it in public because we will be

:19:53. > :19:56.negotiating them, negotiating with our former European partners, still

:19:57. > :20:02.our existing partners, countries we want to stay friendly with, we want

:20:03. > :20:05.too have a friendly negotiation so megaphone diplomacy s TV diplomacy

:20:06. > :20:09.would not be sensible. I am not asking for that, I am asking on

:20:10. > :20:14.behalf of the viewers whether you stand by what you promised if your

:20:15. > :20:17.manifesto to get elected. It would seem the answer is either you can't

:20:18. > :20:22.tell me or no you don't. The answer is that I am not going to go into

:20:23. > :20:27.the detail of what we will be negotiating on because it is a

:20:28. > :20:32.negotiation and your viewers as well as everyone else sensible will know

:20:33. > :20:36.that you don't go into a negotiation saying in public beforehand, what

:20:37. > :20:39.the details are. Hold on, David Cameron did to negotiate the deal he

:20:40. > :20:44.recommended to the British people to stay in, he told us exactly what he

:20:45. > :20:49.was looking for and allowed us to judge. Why was it different then and

:20:50. > :20:55.from now? The position now is that we know we are having to negotiate

:20:56. > :20:59.every aspect of our relationship. I am asking you about your ministerial

:21:00. > :21:02.responsibility. The same will be true for every individual

:21:03. > :21:06.department. That it is just not sensible to do it. And it is not for

:21:07. > :21:13.the purpose of protecting politician, it is for the purpose of

:21:14. > :21:19.having a successful negotiation. Compton Labour Party Caroline Flint.

:21:20. > :21:24.If you don't know, just say. Jeremy Corbyn has said he wants Article 50,

:21:25. > :21:30.which begins the negotiation process, to be triggered right away.

:21:31. > :21:34.Is that still Labour policy? I think it is sort of a move. He said that

:21:35. > :21:38.straight after the European referendum. I think there has been

:21:39. > :21:43.more influence to bear on that to say that moving straightaway is not

:21:44. > :21:48.a good idea. You can't just hang on forever, so I think we will see it

:21:49. > :21:53.probably February time or so. Early in the New Year. That is an

:21:54. > :21:57.understanding. Is that Labour's policy I don't know. But I know I

:21:58. > :22:03.haven't heard Jeremy Corbyn say that is where we should go. He also said

:22:04. > :22:08.that Britain should... We have got a leadership contest at the moment. I

:22:09. > :22:11.understand makes it difficult. He said Britain should reject key

:22:12. > :22:14.aspects of the single market when we leave the EU. Do you agree with

:22:15. > :22:19.that? I think it depends what you are talking an. Do you know what he

:22:20. > :22:22.is talking about? He has done another speech in which he accepted

:22:23. > :22:27.the single market is important for British business, but what he has

:22:28. > :22:30.said, interestingly, on the points you were raising today, around let

:22:31. > :22:34.us talk about it, it is immigration, that was a top issue for many

:22:35. > :22:38.people, is that we do have to look at whether or not the free. Do of

:22:39. > :22:42.movement of worker, particularly in the low skill, low pay sector could

:22:43. > :22:47.carry on as it was before. But he wanted, according to a briefing, he

:22:48. > :22:53.wanted to ditch some of the rules which other members see as integral

:22:54. > :22:56.part of the single market, is that realistic? Again, part of this is

:22:57. > :23:02.about what we are talking about. If you want to have free tariffs,y is

:23:03. > :23:05.what we have you have to accept certain rule, that is rules about

:23:06. > :23:09.how you deal with private sector businesses as well. That is part of

:23:10. > :23:12.it. Again I would have to say in honesty I think in the Labour Party,

:23:13. > :23:16.we are still working our way through exactly what this should mean, and

:23:17. > :23:20.that is why looking at your previous film clip, it is important that

:23:21. > :23:25.Parliament is involved in these discussions. Doncaster you

:23:26. > :23:31.represent. Overwhelming voted to leave the EU, 69-31%. Despite your

:23:32. > :23:36.views to stay in. How do you think Doncaster feels about Mr Owen Smith

:23:37. > :23:39.saying he wants to pledge to take Britain back in to the European

:23:40. > :23:43.Union? I believe we should respect the vote. I think it is legitimate

:23:44. > :23:47.to say that once we get to the point where we have an idea about what the

:23:48. > :23:50.shape of Brexit is going to look like, it may be we will have a

:23:51. > :23:53.general election, in which people will be able to vote on that and

:23:54. > :23:58.decide whether they support that model. It may be that a referendum

:23:59. > :24:02.just to confirm that as the model would be the right way forward. I

:24:03. > :24:06.personally don't believe we can rerun the referendum to say actually

:24:07. > :24:11.we are going to turn over what has been decided in June and go back in.

:24:12. > :24:14.You are an Owen Smith supporter, do you think the next Labour manifesto

:24:15. > :24:20.should contain a pledge to rejoin the European Union? No. Because do

:24:21. > :24:27.you agree that such a pledge, if we were to leave, and then attempt to

:24:28. > :24:30.rejoin, that it would entail joining the euro, joining Schengen, losing

:24:31. > :24:36.the rebate, we would never get the rebate back. It would be all these

:24:37. > :24:39.things, agreed? Yes I agree. You cannot, I mean this is the problem

:24:40. > :24:42.for Scotland as well when it has talked about if they go for

:24:43. > :24:46.independence and come out, those are the same issues that face anybody

:24:47. > :24:52.who wants to rejoin as a new member, at the moment to be fair Andrew, the

:24:53. > :24:55.most important priority in the table is this, a decision was made, the

:24:56. > :24:59.majority went in favour of leave. We have to make the best of this for

:25:00. > :25:03.the people of the country. I have to say I think we can't avoid Damian,

:25:04. > :25:09.that the immigration was one of the top issues I understand that. We

:25:10. > :25:13.have to say that out friend. As you say, we have a leadership election,

:25:14. > :25:18.you have been back Owen Smith, so, you can't be comfortable that Owen

:25:19. > :25:24.Smith has made a pledge which implicit in it is joining the euro,

:25:25. > :25:30.joining free movement Schengen, going back in without a rebate, that

:25:31. > :25:33.350 million a week on the Brexit bus would be a more realistic figure for

:25:34. > :25:39.once if we did that, when you look at how Labour voters in the north of

:25:40. > :25:44.England voted by substantial majority to leave, what is the

:25:45. > :25:49.thinking, why has he said this? I am supporting Owen for a whole number

:25:50. > :25:54.of reasons, but I days degree with Owen in terms of the idea that we

:25:55. > :26:00.should have another referendum to redo the decision we made in June of

:26:01. > :26:04.this year. I also think there are consequences, if you know, by, we

:26:05. > :26:07.come out before the next general election, understandably, and we

:26:08. > :26:11.have seen it in terms of what Juncker said this morning, there

:26:12. > :26:15.won't be any easy deal for the UK in terms of the negotiation, and if we

:26:16. > :26:18.are out we will have to come in on the rules of that club, so I think

:26:19. > :26:21.there are issues here, in which there are different views within the

:26:22. > :26:26.Labour Party about how we should proceed. I think we have to deal

:26:27. > :26:30.with what he have got, make the best of it and deal with the concerns of

:26:31. > :26:36.the British people... Do most of his supporters feel like you? MPs? There

:26:37. > :26:39.clearly are some MPs and they have been public about this who feel we

:26:40. > :26:42.should have a rerun, there is maybe some Conservatives who might be

:26:43. > :26:46.saying that as well. The truth is, we have come out of what the biggest

:26:47. > :26:50.vote we have made for decades, and we are sitting here talking about

:26:51. > :26:56.what does being out look like? And I I know, can I say one more thing, I

:26:57. > :27:00.did a survey of my constituents post the referendum saying what did they

:27:01. > :27:05.think their priorities should be, one was jobs, two was getting ?350

:27:06. > :27:08.million a week back into the NHS, that is obviously not going to be

:27:09. > :27:11.successful and three was dealing with concerns about immigration, on

:27:12. > :27:16.immigration I asked further questions and it was the impact on

:27:17. > :27:19.the low pay, low skill sector. That may explain why a lot of the

:27:20. > :27:25.That may explain why a lot of the north voted the way it did.

:27:26. > :27:27.Now, the BBC has lost the Great British Bake Off

:27:28. > :27:31.And I'm afraid there's more bad news for BBC viewers this morning.

:27:32. > :27:34.The Daily Politics Guess the Year format is reported to have been

:27:35. > :27:38.The corporation says it was outbid by 20 pence, and simply

:27:39. > :27:40.couldn't afford the ?1.20 needed to keep the popular

:27:41. > :27:45.Jo and I have refused to take Channel Four's shilling.

:27:46. > :27:56.We'll remind you how to enter in a moment.

:27:57. > :28:08.But first, can you guess when this happened?

:28:09. > :28:31.On this car Lord Stokes has based his hope for major sales in Europe.

:28:32. > :28:35.Now it seems that Europe must again be kept waiting.

:28:36. > :28:52.MUSIC: "Eye Level" by The Simon Park Orchestra.

:28:53. > :29:04.# You can't plant me in your penthouse. #

:29:05. > :29:07.I can only give you one gallon, sir.

:29:08. > :29:09.That will get you to your nearest garage.

:29:10. > :29:28.To be in with a chance of winning a Daily Politics mug,

:29:29. > :29:31.send your answer to our special quiz email address -

:29:32. > :29:36.Entries must arrive by 12.30 today, and you can see the full terms and

:29:37. > :29:51.conditions for Guess The Year on our website.

:29:52. > :29:54.It's coming up to midday here - just take a look at Big Ben.

:29:55. > :29:58.yes, Prime Minister's Questions is on its way.

:29:59. > :30:02.And that's not all - Laura Kuenssberg is here.

:30:03. > :30:07.Welcome, do we know what the subject matter or do we have an idea what

:30:08. > :30:15.the subject matter will be? We don't today. Maybe housing. That wouldn't

:30:16. > :30:20.that surprising. That might make a return today, you never know, just

:30:21. > :30:27.briefly, I come with news that we, I have heard from some sources we

:30:28. > :30:31.expect the by-election in Batley and Spen replacing Jo Cox, the date is

:30:32. > :30:35.likely to be October 20th and I pecks that Labour will move the writ

:30:36. > :30:38.for that tomorrow. The Tories will probably also follow that, and the

:30:39. > :30:43.Witney by-election is likely to be on the same day. That is in

:30:44. > :30:48.expectation, so here we are, we will only a few short weeks into the

:30:49. > :30:52.session, One I think in a safe Labour seat. And obviously a safe

:30:53. > :30:56.Conservative seat. Neither would be likely to have unexpected results.

:30:57. > :30:59.By-elections can give an edge to politics down here, people go off to

:31:00. > :31:02.campaign, there are different things on people's minds so it will be a

:31:03. > :31:06.interesting quirk of the autumn as we get going. One thing in the last

:31:07. > :31:13.week we have seen time and time Genk even with a new picture of the new

:31:14. > :31:19.cabinet released by Number Ten, just how different things have been

:31:20. > :31:25.already under Theresa May. Almost as if I knew we had that. It is just

:31:26. > :31:29.fascinating how many things have changed already, you know,

:31:30. > :31:34.immediately we new knew the surplus rule had gone, grammar is on the way

:31:35. > :31:37.back, and one member of the previous cabinet said soon there will be

:31:38. > :31:40.nothing left, as if everything has been torn up. It is not the case

:31:41. > :31:44.that everything has gone, everything has been junked but it is

:31:45. > :31:49.fascinating that when we started talking about Theresa May as a

:31:50. > :31:56.candidate her USP was said to be safe pair of hands, continuity that,

:31:57. > :32:02.has proved not to be the case. And three big decisions coming up. On a

:32:03. > :32:06.third runway, Hinkley Point the nuclear power station and will she

:32:07. > :32:11.continue with HS2, of which there is growing criticism of the cost and

:32:12. > :32:17.the time it will take. From a committee of MPs repeating some of

:32:18. > :32:21.those concerns. Caroline expressed concerns about the certainty of this

:32:22. > :32:25.project. Is it something that will balloon out of control, is it value

:32:26. > :32:30.for money. On Hinkley, we have sort of been playing the hokey-cokey, it

:32:31. > :32:34.has been on and off and then on, off, there was a strong expectation

:32:35. > :32:37.there might be a Parliamentary state today. That is not happening,

:32:38. > :32:43.everybody is looking to tomorrow. Greg Clarke has still not made his

:32:44. > :32:47.final, final, final decision, there are four different inner Jos they

:32:48. > :32:51.are looking at, the expectation from union sources and from business, and

:32:52. > :32:55.from most people in Westminster is that it will happen, but I think

:32:56. > :33:00.that it is most likely at this stage to be a yes with conditions, and

:33:01. > :33:04.frankly, until which hear it come out of Greg Clarke's mouth I

:33:05. > :33:09.wouldn't put much money on it. No. They are split between business and

:33:10. > :33:12.political commentators, feel some of the political commentary didn't

:33:13. > :33:16.think it would go or the price would be high, the business side did.

:33:17. > :33:19.Indeed. I think that is the same, the different members of Government

:33:20. > :33:24.have different view, and of course we know also that Theresa May's very

:33:25. > :33:28.powerful, very smart, one of her chiefs of staff had articulated

:33:29. > :33:32.public opposition to it before he was back in that job, from the

:33:33. > :33:36.security angle of whether it was the right thing to involve China in the

:33:37. > :33:41.nuclear industry in this country, so there are all sorts of factors in

:33:42. > :33:51.that. In terms of consumers probably value for Monday.

:33:52. > :33:57.Let me start by paying tribute to my right honourable friend, the former

:33:58. > :34:04.member of Parliament for Whitney, David Cameron. He has been a

:34:05. > :34:10.tremendous public servant both for his constituency, but also for the

:34:11. > :34:14.country as a whole. Under his leadership we saw the economy being

:34:15. > :34:19.stabilised, more people in work than ever before, people on low incomes

:34:20. > :34:24.being taken out of paying tax altogether. This government will

:34:25. > :34:29.build on that legacy. By extending opportunity to all parts of the

:34:30. > :34:33.country. VISTA Speaker, this morning I had meetings with ministerial

:34:34. > :34:41.colleagues and others,, and I shall have further meetings today.

:34:42. > :34:44.Last week, the Prime Minister could not tell us whether she was in

:34:45. > :34:48.favour of staying in the single market. As an Edinburgh MP, can I

:34:49. > :34:53.tell her how important the financial sector is to the Scottish economy? I

:34:54. > :34:57.wonder if she can tell us whether she agrees with her Foreign

:34:58. > :35:00.Secretary that passport in for a financial services is guaranteed to

:35:01. > :35:05.continue after the UK leads the European Union? I am not going to

:35:06. > :35:09.give the honourable lady any different answer from the answer I

:35:10. > :35:16.gave the House on many occasions last week. Which is that this

:35:17. > :35:22.government will be working to ensure the right deal for the United

:35:23. > :35:26.Kingdom in trade, in goods and services. And that includes

:35:27. > :35:33.listening to the concerns of the Scottish government may wish to

:35:34. > :35:39.raise, the governments of Northern Ireland and Wales as well. We will

:35:40. > :35:42.be fully involved with the devolved organisations -- administrations.

:35:43. > :35:45.The best thing for the financial sector in Edinburgh and the economy

:35:46. > :35:54.in Scotland is to be part of the United Kingdom. Marcus Fish. Will my

:35:55. > :35:58.right honourable friend join me in welcoming figures that show that

:35:59. > :36:04.unemployment in my constituency has halved since 2010? And crucially

:36:05. > :36:10.that youth unemployment has fallen by 12% in the last year. Will she

:36:11. > :36:15.promote the value of technical skills and science and engineering,

:36:16. > :36:18.in her poise for all children to have a good education that enables

:36:19. > :36:24.them to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them? I am

:36:25. > :36:26.very happy to join my honourable friend in welcoming the good

:36:27. > :36:32.employment figures we have seen today. Unemployment has halved in

:36:33. > :36:37.his constituency since 2010. That is because we have had an economic plan

:36:38. > :36:40.and build a strong economy. He is absolutely right. As we look to

:36:41. > :36:46.provide opportunities for young people, we need to ensure we

:36:47. > :36:50.consider those for whom skills and a vocational education is the right

:36:51. > :36:53.route. We want an education that is right for every child, so they can

:36:54. > :37:01.actually get as far as their talents will take them.

:37:02. > :37:10.Jeremy Corbyn. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am sure the whole House

:37:11. > :37:14.will join me in paying tribute to the police constable who was stabbed

:37:15. > :37:20.several times yesterday in the line of duty while trying to arrest a

:37:21. > :37:24.rape suspect in Huyton. Can we wish him well and a speedy recovery. I

:37:25. > :37:29.also wish the former Prime Minister well on his departure from this

:37:30. > :37:33.House and well in his future life. I hope the by-election will

:37:34. > :37:39.concentrate on the issues of education and his views on selection

:37:40. > :37:43.in education. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister. She has brought

:37:44. > :37:46.about unity of Ofsted and the teaching unions. She has united

:37:47. > :37:51.former education Secretary is on both sides of the House. She has

:37:52. > :37:56.truly brought about a new era of unity in educational thinking. I

:37:57. > :38:03.wonder if it is possible for her this morning, within the quiet

:38:04. > :38:07.confines of this House, to name any educational experts that back her

:38:08. > :38:15.proposals on new grammar schools and more selection? Mr Speaker, first of

:38:16. > :38:20.all, may I join the Right honourable gentleman in paying tribute to the

:38:21. > :38:24.police constable who was stabbed in Knowsley? One of the events that I

:38:25. > :38:29.used to look forward to going to every year as Home Secretary was the

:38:30. > :38:32.police bravery awards. At that event we saw police officers who'd never

:38:33. > :38:37.know when they start their shift what is going to happen to them.

:38:38. > :38:41.They run towards danger when other people would run away from it. We

:38:42. > :38:45.owe them a great tribute and our gratitude for that. Now I am glad

:38:46. > :38:49.the right honourable gentleman has raised the issue of education. It

:38:50. > :38:53.enables me to point out that over the last six years we have seen 1.4

:38:54. > :38:58.million more children in good or outstanding schools. That is because

:38:59. > :39:04.of the changes that this government introduced. It is because of the

:39:05. > :39:09.free schools, the academies, headteachers being put in charge,

:39:10. > :39:14.more choice for parents. Changes which I know the right honourable

:39:15. > :39:19.gentleman opposes. What I want to see is more good school places, I

:39:20. > :39:22.diversity in provision of education in this country, so that we really

:39:23. > :39:28.see opportunity for all and young people going as far as their talents

:39:29. > :39:32.will take them. Mr Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister if she could name

:39:33. > :39:38.any experts who could help in this policy. Sadly she wasn't able to.

:39:39. > :39:42.Can I quote one expert, his name is John and he is a teacher. He wrote

:39:43. > :39:46.to me and said the education system and teachers have made great strides

:39:47. > :39:50.forward to improve quality and delivery of the curriculum. And he

:39:51. > :39:55.says, why not fund all schools properly and let us do the job? The

:39:56. > :40:01.evidence of the effects of selection is this. In Kent, which has a

:40:02. > :40:06.grammar school system, 27% of the pupils on free school meals get five

:40:07. > :40:12.good GCSEss, compared with 45% in London. We role for spreading good

:40:13. > :40:16.practice, but wide does the Prime Minister wants to expand a system

:40:17. > :40:21.that can only let system down? -- children down?

:40:22. > :40:23.Can I say to the right honourable gentleman that he needs to stop

:40:24. > :40:44.casting his mind back to the 1950s. What we will be doing, what we will

:40:45. > :40:50.be doing is ensuring that we are able to provide good school places

:40:51. > :40:53.for the one and a quarter million children who are in schools that are

:40:54. > :40:59.failing, inadequate or need improvement. Those children and the

:41:00. > :41:03.parents of those children know, they are not getting the education that

:41:04. > :41:07.is right for them and the opportunities that they need. When

:41:08. > :41:10.we look at the impact of grammar schools, if you look at Thame and

:41:11. > :41:15.for a disadvantage and non-disadvantaged children, the

:41:16. > :41:20.attainment gap in grammar schools is virtually zero. It isn't in other

:41:21. > :41:23.schools. It is opportunity for young people to go where their talents

:41:24. > :41:32.will take them. I know that the right honourable gentleman believes

:41:33. > :41:40.in equality of outcome. I believe in equality of opportunity. He believes

:41:41. > :41:48.in levelling down. We believe in levelling up.

:41:49. > :41:56.CHEERING. Mr Speaker, equality of opportunity

:41:57. > :42:01.is not segregating children at the age of 11. So let me quote the

:42:02. > :42:07.Institute for Fiscal Studies, which says those in selected areas who do

:42:08. > :42:13.not pass the 11 plus, do worse than they would have done in a

:42:14. > :42:17.comprehensive system. The Secretary of State for Education suggested on

:42:18. > :42:22.Monday, that new grammar schools may be required to set up feeder primary

:42:23. > :42:28.schools in poorer areas. We'll be children in these feeder primaries

:42:29. > :42:33.get automatic places in the grammar school? Will they be subject to

:42:34. > :42:37.selection? What we are doing is setting up a

:42:38. > :42:42.more diverse education system that provides more opportunities. And

:42:43. > :42:48.what the right honourable gentleman appears to be defending is the

:42:49. > :42:52.situation we have at the moment, where there is selection in our

:42:53. > :42:56.school system but it is selection by house price. I think we want to

:42:57. > :43:03.ensure that children have the ability to go where their talents

:43:04. > :43:11.take them. Can I just gently remind the right honourable gentleman... He

:43:12. > :43:19.went to a grammar school. I went to a grammar school. It is what got us

:43:20. > :43:28.where we are today. But my side... My side might be rather happier

:43:29. > :43:33.about that than his. Mr Speaker, the two things the Prime

:43:34. > :43:38.Minister and I have in common is we can both remember the 1950s, and we

:43:39. > :43:44.can both remember going to a grammar school. My point is simply this,

:43:45. > :43:49.every child, every child should have the best possible education they can

:43:50. > :43:56.have. We don't need and never should divide children at the age of 11, a

:43:57. > :44:00.life changing division, where the majority end up losing out. I notice

:44:01. > :44:06.she did not answer my question about feeder primary schools. On Monday,

:44:07. > :44:09.the Secretary of State for Education said, we have not engaged much in

:44:10. > :44:14.the reform of grammars. But the government would now start the

:44:15. > :44:18.process. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether existing grammar

:44:19. > :44:21.schools, like those in Kent and Buckinghamshire, will now be

:44:22. > :44:27.instructed to widen their admission policy by the government? The right

:44:28. > :44:31.honourable gentleman is right that what we are looking and consulting

:44:32. > :44:34.on is it diversity provision in education. We want to make sure that

:44:35. > :44:38.all grammar schools actually do the job that we believe is important,

:44:39. > :44:43.which is providing opportunities for a wide range of pupils. There are

:44:44. > :44:47.many examples across the country of different ways that is done through

:44:48. > :44:50.selective education. But he talks about good education for every

:44:51. > :44:58.child. That is what our policy is about. There are 1.25, one and a

:44:59. > :45:03.quarter million children today, who are in schools that are not good or

:45:04. > :45:07.outstanding. There are parents today who fear that their children are not

:45:08. > :45:12.getting the good education to enable them to get on in life. I believe in

:45:13. > :45:16.the education that is right for every child. It is the Labour Party

:45:17. > :45:26.that has stifled opportunity, stifled ambition in this country...

:45:27. > :45:30.It is the Labour Party that is willing members of the Labour Party

:45:31. > :45:32.will take the advantages of a good education for themselves, and pull

:45:33. > :45:38.up the ladder behind them for other people.

:45:39. > :45:45.I am sorry that the Prime Minister was unable to help anyone in Kent of

:45:46. > :45:50.Buckinghamshire in the answer to my question and presumably she will

:45:51. > :45:55.have to return to it, but, it is not about putting up ladders it is about

:45:56. > :46:02.providing a ladder for every child. Let me quote her a critic of grammar

:46:03. > :46:07.schools. There is a kind of hopelessness about the demand to

:46:08. > :46:11.bring back grammars, an assumption that this country will only ever be

:46:12. > :46:17.able to offer a decent education the a select few, the quote goes on to

:46:18. > :46:22.say, I want the Conservative Party to rise above that attitude. Not my

:46:23. > :46:29.words, those of the former right honourable member for Whitney. Isn't

:46:30. > :46:33.he correct, that what we need investment in all of our school, a

:46:34. > :46:39.good school for every child, not this selection at the age of 11.

:46:40. > :46:43.What we need is a good school for every Chile and that is what we will

:46:44. > :46:48.be delivering with the policy that we have announced. And -- child, and

:46:49. > :46:51.with that policy, we will see, we will see universities expanding

:46:52. > :46:56.their support for school, we will see more faith schools being set up,

:46:57. > :46:59.we will see independent schools increasing their support for schools

:47:00. > :47:03.in the state sector, a diversity of provision of education is what we

:47:04. > :47:07.immediate to ensure good school places for every child. That good

:47:08. > :47:10.school place is important so young people can take opportunities, and

:47:11. > :47:15.get into the workplace and I notice I think this is the right honourable

:47:16. > :47:21.gentleman's fifty question. He hasn't yet welcomed the employment

:47:22. > :47:25.figures today. -- fifth. More people, more people in work than

:47:26. > :47:31.ever before, wages rising above inflation, that is more people with

:47:32. > :47:35.a pay packet, more money in those pay packets what would Labour offer?

:47:36. > :47:39.More taxation and misery for working family, it is only the Conservative

:47:40. > :47:42.Party that knows you can only build an economy that works for everyone

:47:43. > :47:48.when even has an opportunity for work.

:47:49. > :47:53.Mr Speaker, of course I welcome anyone that has managed to get a

:47:54. > :47:56.job, I welcome those people that have managed to get jobs and keep

:47:57. > :48:02.themselves and their families together. The problem is, that there

:48:03. > :48:06.are now almost a million of them on zero hours contract, who do not know

:48:07. > :48:12.what they are going to be paid from one week the the other. In order to

:48:13. > :48:18.help her with the expertise on the reform of secondary schools, could I

:48:19. > :48:24.quote to her the Chief Inspector of Schools who said the notion that the

:48:25. > :48:28.poor stand to benefit from the return of grammar schools strikes me

:48:29. > :48:32.as tosh and nonsense. Isn't all this proof that the

:48:33. > :48:38.Conservative Party's green paper addressing none of the actual crises

:48:39. > :48:44.facing our schools system. Real terms cut in schools budget, 500,000

:48:45. > :48:49.pupils in supersize classes, a crisis in teacher recruitment and

:48:50. > :48:52.retention. Rising number of unqualified teachers in classrooms,

:48:53. > :48:58.vital teaching assistants losing their jobs, isn't this the case of a

:48:59. > :49:02.government heading backwards, to a failed segregation for the few, and

:49:03. > :49:09.second classed schooling for the many. -- class. Can't we do better

:49:10. > :49:13.than this? Well, I have to say, I have to say to the right honourable

:49:14. > :49:18.gentleman, that he has got some of his facts wrong. Plain and simple.

:49:19. > :49:22.They, we have more teachers in our schools today, than in 2010. We have

:49:23. > :49:28.more teachers joining the profession than leaving it. We have fewer

:49:29. > :49:31.pupils in supersize classes, than there have been previously, but I

:49:32. > :49:36.simply say this to the right honourable gentleman, first of all,

:49:37. > :49:40.that he has opposed every measure that we have introduced to improve

:49:41. > :49:45.the quality of edge kietion in this country. -- education, he has

:49:46. > :49:48.opposed measures that increase parental choice, that increase the

:49:49. > :49:53.freedom for head teachers to run their school, he has opposed to

:49:54. > :49:56.opportunity for people o set up free school, they are leading to

:49:57. > :50:02.improvements in our education system and we will build on those with our

:50:03. > :50:04.new policies. But I recognise to the, for the right honourable

:50:05. > :50:09.gentleman, this may very well be the last time that he has an opportunity

:50:10. > :50:19.to face me, across this despatch box.

:50:20. > :50:29.Certainly... Certainly if his Members of Parliament have anything

:50:30. > :50:33.to do with it. I accept that he and I don't agree on everything, well,

:50:34. > :50:37.probably we don't agree on anything, but I must say to him that he has

:50:38. > :50:45.made his mark. Let us just think of some of the things that the right

:50:46. > :50:49.honourable gentleman has introduced. He wants coal mines without mining

:50:50. > :50:53.them, submarines without sailing them and he wants to be Labour

:50:54. > :50:58.leader without leading them. One thing we know, who ever is Labour

:50:59. > :51:06.leader, after their leadership election, it will the country that

:51:07. > :51:13.loses. Can I just point out to the House

:51:14. > :51:21.that progress today at this Question Time session has been absurdly slow,

:51:22. > :51:25.absurdly slow. And I ask, order, I ask the House, on behalf of our

:51:26. > :51:29.constituents to show some respect for those colleagues who want to

:51:30. > :51:34.question the Prime Minister. And I am determined to get down the list.

:51:35. > :51:40.Craig Williams. Thank you. Students from Cardiff

:51:41. > :51:44.schools and UK schools attended the recording of the British Holocaust

:51:45. > :51:50.survivors giving their testimony for future generation. It was a moving

:51:51. > :51:53.experience for them and a stark reminder to fight racism,

:51:54. > :51:57.anti-Semitism and hatred in all forms, as part of this vital

:51:58. > :52:01.education effort of which I know my right honourable friend is a

:52:02. > :52:06.supporter is the establishment of a national memorial to the Holocaust,

:52:07. > :52:12.could my right honourable friend update us on this I am grateful. He

:52:13. > :52:16.is right that we need to ensure that we never forget the horrors of the

:52:17. > :52:20.Holocaust and the lessons that must be learned from that. It is right

:52:21. > :52:24.that we have agreed this national memorial, next to Parliament on

:52:25. > :52:30.Victoria garden, that is an important place for it to be. The

:52:31. > :52:34.community's secretary will launch a competition for the design of that

:52:35. > :52:37.them mall and included among that will be the possibility of a

:52:38. > :52:40.learning centre, which will ensure that there will be those

:52:41. > :52:45.opportunities for young people and others truly to learn that the

:52:46. > :52:49.lessons from the Holocaust and to learn about the appallings a Troyes

:52:50. > :52:55.the -- atrocities that took place. Last week the Prime Minister was one

:52:56. > :52:58.willing or unable to give assurances about remaining in the European

:52:59. > :53:03.single market. Today she has been unwilling or unable to give

:53:04. > :53:07.assurances to the financial sector about protecting the passporting of

:53:08. > :53:12.financial services, meanwhile, millions from across the United

:53:13. > :53:15.Kingdom depend on freedom of movement across the EU for business

:53:16. > :53:22.and for pleasure, they face the prospect of having to apply and

:53:23. > :53:28.possibly pay for visas, is the Prime Minister in favour of protecting

:53:29. > :53:32.visa free travel? Yes or no? There was a very clear message from the

:53:33. > :53:37.British people at the time of the referendum vote on June 23rd, that

:53:38. > :53:41.they wanted, that they wanted to see an end to Freeman as it operated,

:53:42. > :53:45.they want to see control of the movement of people from the European

:53:46. > :53:51.Union, into the UK, and that is what we will deliver. Free movement. Mr

:53:52. > :53:57.Speaker, the Prime Minister and the UK Government are totally unwilling

:53:58. > :54:01.to tell us the true cost of Brexit and what their negotiating position

:54:02. > :54:07.will be, in contrast there is a different tune from the European

:54:08. > :54:10.Union union, there knew any away for Guy Verhofstadt said it is wrong

:54:11. > :54:16.that Scotland might be taken out of the EU when it voted to stay. Stay.

:54:17. > :54:20.Does she agree with Guy Verhofstadt and the Scottish Government, who

:54:21. > :54:25.want to protect Scotland's place in Europe? I have to say to the right

:54:26. > :54:28.honourable gentleman, it is all very well him asking that question but

:54:29. > :54:32.only two years ago, only two years ago, he didn't want to protect

:54:33. > :54:39.Scotland's place in the European Union because he wanted Scotland to

:54:40. > :54:44.leave the EU? -- UK? And on all of these questions, whether it is the

:54:45. > :54:47.question of the referendum, for leaving the European Union, the

:54:48. > :54:49.referendum on independence in Scotland, or questions in this

:54:50. > :54:53.House, the right honourable gentleman seems to think that if he

:54:54. > :54:58.asks the question all the time, he will get a different answer. I won't

:54:59. > :55:06.work for me and I won't work for the Scottish people. Thank you Mr

:55:07. > :55:12.Speaker. Freedom of speech is a fundamental British value. Which is

:55:13. > :55:18.undermined by so call safe spaces in our universities where a sense of

:55:19. > :55:24.entitlement by a minority of students that means their wish not

:55:25. > :55:28.to be offended shuts down debate. As students around the country return

:55:29. > :55:32.to their places of learning, at the start of this new academic year,

:55:33. > :55:36.does my right honourable friend agree that university is precisely

:55:37. > :55:44.the place for lively debate, and that fear of being offended must not

:55:45. > :55:49.trump freedom of speech. Well, I absolutely agree with my

:55:50. > :55:53.honourable friend, we want our universities not just places of

:55:54. > :55:56.learning but places where there can be open debate where people can be

:55:57. > :56:01.challenged and get involved in that. I think everybody is finding this

:56:02. > :56:06.concept of safe spaces extraordinary. We want to see that

:56:07. > :56:12.innovation of thought taking place, that is how we develop as a country,

:56:13. > :56:18.as a society, and as an economy, and I agree with my right honourable

:56:19. > :56:22.friend. Mr Speaker, nine-year-old Mohammed is one of thousands of

:56:23. > :56:28.child refugees alone in Syria, his parents fled the country believing

:56:29. > :56:33.he was dead and have Vetteled in my constituency of Midlothian, in March

:56:34. > :56:37.he was identified as being alive, he has been kidnapped, beaten and left

:56:38. > :56:42.for dead before being refound again. He lives in fear of daily attacks or

:56:43. > :56:45.sexual violence and assault. With the Prime Minister agree to meet

:56:46. > :56:51.with me to review the steps the Government could take to reunite

:56:52. > :56:57.Mohammed with his devastated family, and provide him with what is

:56:58. > :57:02.required to help overcome his ordeal. I am not aware of the

:57:03. > :57:05.details of the case. The Home Secretary has heard him, I am sure

:57:06. > :57:09.if he would like to write to the Home Secretary, there are rules that

:57:10. > :57:13.enable family reunion to take place and also we are as a country,

:57:14. > :57:17.taking, have committed to take a number of children who are

:57:18. > :57:20.particularly vulnerable, potentially vulnerable from sexual violence from

:57:21. > :57:24.the region round Syria, to ensure that we can Vettel them in the UK

:57:25. > :57:27.and take them out of that fear that they are seeing, but my right

:57:28. > :57:34.honourable friend the Home Secretary will look at it if he cares to

:57:35. > :57:38.write. What assurance can my right honourable friend give that whatever

:57:39. > :57:43.criteria comes to guide our immigration system, it will be

:57:44. > :57:48.fairer than the present system? It will no longer discriminate peoples

:57:49. > :57:54.from outside the EU, as the present system does. The, as I mentioned

:57:55. > :57:58.earlier in response to a question, it is the case that one aspect of

:57:59. > :58:02.the vote on the ifrd June was that people wanted us to control movement

:58:03. > :58:06.from the European Union into the UK, and of course, we are already able

:58:07. > :58:09.to control movement from outside the European Union into the United

:58:10. > :58:15.Kingdom, and we intend to, details of the system we will introduce for

:58:16. > :58:18.EU citizens are currently being worked on, but I can assure my right

:58:19. > :58:22.honourable friend we will have the ability to control movement from the

:58:23. > :58:26.EU, and movement from outside the EU, and therefore bring that greater

:58:27. > :58:32.degree of fairness that I think people were looking for.

:58:33. > :58:38.How can she try and justify reducing the House of Commons to 600, while

:58:39. > :58:44.the House of Lords now have 820 members and by 2020 even more. Is

:58:45. > :58:50.this her idea of democracy in the 21st century? I have to say, of

:58:51. > :58:53.course, the House of Commons voted for that reduction in the number of

:58:54. > :58:56.members of Parliament. I think people wanted to see that. But I

:58:57. > :59:00.would gently remind him when he refers to the House of Lords, and

:59:01. > :59:06.changes in the House of Lords, that it is this Government that has

:59:07. > :59:10.introduced the retirement procedure for the House of Lords that has soon

:59:11. > :59:17.a reduction in the member of the House of Lords. The NHS five year

:59:18. > :59:21.forward view, states that in future we will see more care delivered

:59:22. > :59:27.locally. Does the Prime Minister think that in line with that, the

:59:28. > :59:32.Cambridgeshire MP, ought to consider the importance of loaningle care

:59:33. > :59:35.when assessing the future of the Princess of Wales minor injuries

:59:36. > :59:41.unit in Ealing. My right honourable friend is right. The five year plan

:59:42. > :59:45.does include that proposal for local, more local input, and it is

:59:46. > :59:51.absolutely right that in looking at for example the future of minor

:59:52. > :59:56.injuries unit Lokes should consulted. I understand there is to

:59:57. > :00:02.be a meeting to consider this an I hope she will be able to make their

:00:03. > :00:07.views known as that meeting. Tomorrow, I will be helping to

:00:08. > :00:12.launch a programme at the engineering company ADI Group. To

:00:13. > :00:15.boost the interest of 14-16-year-olds in engineering

:00:16. > :00:20.skills. Now doubt the Prime Minister would like to join me in

:00:21. > :00:26.congratulating ADI Group but would she take it from me that her words

:00:27. > :00:33.of gloition would mean more if they were not accompanied of between cuts

:00:34. > :00:40.between 30 and 20% in apprenticeship fund, a programme the industry has

:00:41. > :00:44.described as a car crash. Well, I of course am happy to

:00:45. > :00:49.commend the company he has referred to, and of course, the West Midlands

:00:50. > :00:53.are important, driver in terms of engineering skills in this country,

:00:54. > :00:57.but I simply don't recognise the situation he set out in relation to

:00:58. > :01:02.apprenticeship, we have seen two million created over the last six

:01:03. > :01:07.year, we are commits as a government to seeing more being created, that

:01:08. > :01:11.giving young people opportunities, like the young people I met when I

:01:12. > :01:14.went to jaguar Land Rover, to learn a skill to get into a job, to get

:01:15. > :01:21.into the workplace and get on where their talents will take them.

:01:22. > :01:25.Does the Prime Minister agree that the life chances of many children

:01:26. > :01:30.particularly the poorest areas are limited through living in chaotic

:01:31. > :01:34.and unstable household, and would she kindly look at the all party

:01:35. > :01:37.Parliamentary children centre report produced which recommends family

:01:38. > :01:43.hubs in local communities and other solutions to this issue, with a view

:01:44. > :01:48.to considering it further? Thank you. Can I say, commend my right

:01:49. > :01:52.honourable friend on the work she is doing on the all party Parliamentary

:01:53. > :01:55.group. The question of that stable background, that family background

:01:56. > :02:00.that young people are brought up this is an important issue and she

:02:01. > :02:09.has been a champion for families and for family life. I, can I say to her

:02:10. > :02:12.I have set up a policy route with, led my right honourable friend the

:02:13. > :02:19.member for Mid Norfolk, I am surely ask him to look carefully at the

:02:20. > :02:24.report that has come out of the all party Parliamentary group. On Monday

:02:25. > :02:29.the Parliamentary advisory group on carbon capture published their

:02:30. > :02:34.report about the potential of CCS to create thousands of job, save the

:02:35. > :02:38.country billions and play a major role in meeting emission targets.

:02:39. > :02:43.CCS is critical to say side. Can the Prime Minister tell the house when

:02:44. > :02:49.the Government will publish its long-awaited new strategy? Thank

:02:50. > :02:53.you, thank you. I can I first of all say, that the issue of climate

:02:54. > :02:55.change of reducing emissions and our energy policy are very important to

:02:56. > :02:59.this Government, we have a fine record in this area and we will be

:03:00. > :03:04.continuing to, continuing to do that. But, on the issue of carbon

:03:05. > :03:08.captured and storage, this has been looked at carefully in the past. It

:03:09. > :03:13.is one of the key issues round is the cost, we will continue to invest

:03:14. > :03:16.in the development of CCS, we are developing over 120 million to

:03:17. > :03:20.develop the technology, through innovation support with the aim of

:03:21. > :03:28.reducing its costs, and so we will continue to look at the role it can

:03:29. > :03:32.play. I know that schools have to make the

:03:33. > :03:36.best use of their resource, therefore I was shocked to learn

:03:37. > :03:40.that schools in the north-west are charged ?27 million for their water

:03:41. > :03:45.charge, will the Prime Minister agree with me, that schools are

:03:46. > :03:48.important community hubs and will the Government make represent days

:03:49. > :03:51.to Ofwat to change the banding guidance so schools are considered

:03:52. > :03:59.community asset, rather than classified in the same way as big

:04:00. > :04:05.business. Can I commend those who play a role

:04:06. > :04:08.as school governor, she is right schools need to think carefully. The

:04:09. > :04:12.approach does change but we are looking at the guidance to water

:04:13. > :04:15.companies, in relation to how they can deal with schools and whether

:04:16. > :04:19.they could be looking at schools and using more concessionary rates in

:04:20. > :04:25.relation to schools. Thank you very much. The Prime

:04:26. > :04:28.Minister may by a wear of last week's BBC Spotlight programme on

:04:29. > :04:32.what was serious allegation of corruption and fraud round the sale

:04:33. > :04:36.of properties in Northern Ireland. Can the Prime Minister confirm what

:04:37. > :04:41.agencies will be investigating those and if the National Crime Agency

:04:42. > :04:46.will be involved, and will he the report be publicly published in due

:04:47. > :04:52.course? I have to say to the honourable gentleman on the specific

:04:53. > :04:57.issue he has raise, if I may I will come back as he know the National

:04:58. > :05:01.Crime Agency does operate in Northern Ireland on a slightly

:05:02. > :05:05.different basis, and it will be necessary for the issues where they

:05:06. > :05:08.are being looked into to ensure that the appropriate skills and

:05:09. > :05:12.capability are brought to bear. Will write him a detailed answer to his

:05:13. > :05:21.question. Will the Prime Minister give her full and enthusiastic up

:05:22. > :05:26.support to the Presidents as they reach a crucial stage of their

:05:27. > :05:31.negotiations which we hope will deliver a negotiated settlement for

:05:32. > :05:35.a free and united Cyprus. I am happy to join my right honourable friend

:05:36. > :05:39.in what she say, it is important I think everybody across the House

:05:40. > :05:43.will wish these talks well, and hope they have a successful conclusion.

:05:44. > :05:46.It has been two years since the Prime Minister set up the child

:05:47. > :05:53.abuse inquiry, it is on to its fourth chair and last week, the

:05:54. > :05:59.outgoing chair said it had become inherently unmanageable. Since the

:06:00. > :06:05.Prime Minister appointed Dame Goddard to her position, will she

:06:06. > :06:08.insist she comes before this House to explain herself, surely child

:06:09. > :06:13.abuse survivors deserve an eggs plagues. On the process point it is

:06:14. > :06:17.not for the Prime Minister to insist who attends before a committee of

:06:18. > :06:22.this house. I understand as she been invited to attend the committee.

:06:23. > :06:26.What I would say on the child abuse issue, she and I share, we share

:06:27. > :06:31.across this House many honourable members a desire to see these issues

:06:32. > :06:36.of appalling crimes of child abuse being looked into it. It is

:06:37. > :06:40.important that the inquiry, she has set up the diary, many aspects of

:06:41. > :06:48.this which are already in place and operating, and I am very pleased

:06:49. > :06:52.that Alexis Jay has take on the job. She will do it very well and we will

:06:53. > :06:58.have answers to questions that so many have been asking for too long.

:06:59. > :07:01.Thank you. Child sexual exploitation is an issue that affects many

:07:02. > :07:04.community, does the Prime Minister agree that shining a light on the

:07:05. > :07:09.events of the past is the best way to learn lessons in the future, and

:07:10. > :07:14.will she agree to an independent review of child sexual explore

:07:15. > :07:18.tasting in Telford? -- exploitation. I think my right honourable friend

:07:19. > :07:23.has just shown the cross-party's concern that there is on this issue

:07:24. > :07:25.of child abuse and child sexual exploitation, it is right adds my

:07:26. > :07:29.right honourable friend says that we are able to look into the abuses of

:07:30. > :07:33.the past and the crimes of the past, that will be important lessons we

:07:34. > :07:36.immediate to learn from that as to why institutions, that were supposed

:07:37. > :07:39.to protect children failed to protect them. It is for the

:07:40. > :07:43.authorities in Telford to look specifically at how they wish to

:07:44. > :07:46.address these issues in Telford, but I am sure as my right honourable

:07:47. > :07:52.friend the Home Secretary has heard her comments and I am sure she will

:07:53. > :07:54.want to take that up with her. Following the successful

:07:55. > :08:00.Hillsborough independent panel, will the Prime Minister now look at

:08:01. > :08:05.setting up a similar review, of the biggest treatment disaster in the

:08:06. > :08:09.history of the NHS, the contaminated blood scandal. Victims are still

:08:10. > :08:18.waiting for answers and justice 35 years on. The honourable lady raises

:08:19. > :08:22.very important point in relation to contaminated blood. I I will take

:08:23. > :08:27.the point she has made and take it away and consider it. Obviously as

:08:28. > :08:30.she will know that the reasons and the background which let to the

:08:31. > :08:34.Hillsborough independent panel. I recognise that the concern people

:08:35. > :08:35.have about contaminated blood and will consider the point she has

:08:36. > :09:04.made. Will lead Prime Minister take this

:09:05. > :09:09.opportunity to send a loud and clear message that the best way to secure

:09:10. > :09:13.a harmonious society is not only for mainstream bidden to respect

:09:14. > :09:21.minority traditions such as Diwali and Eid, but also that council

:09:22. > :09:27.officials appreciate that minority communities should respect the views

:09:28. > :09:36.and traditions of mainstream Britain. That means Christmas trees

:09:37. > :09:43.are not festive trees. I do agree with my honourable friend. I'm not

:09:44. > :09:46.going to comment or pre-empt the findings of Louise Casey's work and

:09:47. > :09:50.her review. It is an important piece of work. I will join him in saying

:09:51. > :09:55.that what we want in our society is tolerance and understanding, but we

:09:56. > :09:59.also want minority communities to be able to recognise and stand up for

:10:00. > :10:02.their traditions. We also want to be able to stand up for our traditions

:10:03. > :10:10.generally as well, and that includes business. Would the Prime Minister

:10:11. > :10:14.look very carefully at the calls from the Royal British Legion and

:10:15. > :10:19.Poppy Scotland, for a new questions to be added to the next senses so we

:10:20. > :10:24.can better meet the needs of our serving personnel in the armed

:10:25. > :10:27.Forces, veterans and their families? In Northern Ireland, where such a

:10:28. > :10:34.massive contribution is made to the Armed Forces in terms of service,

:10:35. > :10:37.would she look at funding under the Armed Forces covenant so there is

:10:38. > :10:43.equitable funding across all regions of the United Kingdom? I say to the

:10:44. > :10:46.right honourable gentleman that I am pleased it was this government that

:10:47. > :10:51.introduced the military covenant and has recognised the importance of

:10:52. > :10:59.that bond and that link with those who are serving in the Armed Forces,

:11:00. > :11:03.but also the importance in terms of veterans in our armed Forces. I have

:11:04. > :11:05.not seen the request. That will certainly be looked at by the

:11:06. > :11:12.Cabinet office when considering the next senses.

:11:13. > :11:15.Does she agree that the cooperation between Russia and the United States

:11:16. > :11:22.in respect of Aleppo sets a very important precedent, and it is in

:11:23. > :11:25.the British national interest to redevelop links with Russia and then

:11:26. > :11:35.we may be able to solve many more problems in that region? The

:11:36. > :11:40.agreement reached between Russia and the United States about Syria is

:11:41. > :11:44.important, and I think everybody in this House will want to see that

:11:45. > :11:48.working, being put into practice and working on the ground. I would say

:11:49. > :11:51.there have been a number of occasions where we have seen what we

:11:52. > :11:55.thought were steps forward and sadly it has not been possible to

:11:56. > :11:59.implement them. I hope this will be different this time and I hope it

:12:00. > :12:02.will mark an important step. In relation to Russia, we should have

:12:03. > :12:08.no doubt about the relationship we should have with Russia. It is not a

:12:09. > :12:12.business as usual relationship. I made that very clear when I was

:12:13. > :12:16.responding to the report on the murder of little and ankle. We

:12:17. > :12:22.should continue with that position. George Howarth. Can I join with my

:12:23. > :12:27.right honourable friend, the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime

:12:28. > :12:30.Minister, Jane Kennedy, the police and Crime Commissioner on

:12:31. > :12:34.Merseyside, in commending the tremendous bravery of the police

:12:35. > :12:39.officers involved in a stabbing incident in my constituency

:12:40. > :12:43.yesterday? And also, despite that, they apprehended the suspect. With

:12:44. > :12:48.the Prime Minister acknowledge that the police, often in very dangerous

:12:49. > :12:54.circumstances, are being asked to do more and more with fewer and fewer

:12:55. > :12:59.resources? Once again, I join the right honourable gentleman in

:13:00. > :13:05.recognising the work of the individual police constable, as he

:13:06. > :13:10.says, apprehending... Three police constables, I apologise. In

:13:11. > :13:15.apprehending well-being under attack. Our police officers bravely

:13:16. > :13:19.go where others would not go in order to protect the public. They do

:13:20. > :13:24.so much in the line of duty. But also when they are off duty as well,

:13:25. > :13:29.they are prepared to go and face danger. On the issue of resources, I

:13:30. > :13:32.would simply remind him that we have protected police budgets over the

:13:33. > :13:37.period of the comprehensive spending review settlement. In the face of a

:13:38. > :13:40.proposal from his front bench that we should cut them by 5% to 10%.

:13:41. > :13:51.Order. It comes to an end, it is almost

:13:52. > :13:57.quarter to one, almost a record for us. It will be remembered because it

:13:58. > :14:01.was clearly Jeremy Corbyn's best PMQs since he became leader of the

:14:02. > :14:05.Labour Party. He chose all six questions on grammar schools and in

:14:06. > :14:09.a number of these six questions he had the Prime Minister on the ropes.

:14:10. > :14:13.Which was interesting because the whole policy of grammar schools is

:14:14. > :14:20.very much the Prime Minister's policy. Yet when it came to general

:14:21. > :14:24.principles or to some detail in the policy, Mrs May struggled to find

:14:25. > :14:31.the answers. It also produced what has been a unique situation since Mr

:14:32. > :14:36.Corbyn became Labour leader which is that the Labour benches behind him

:14:37. > :14:40.were wholly united in his questions, and in his general approach, where

:14:41. > :14:45.the Conservative benches behind Mrs May were somewhat quiet and

:14:46. > :14:48.strangely mute. We will see what the panel thinks in a moment. Let us see

:14:49. > :14:52.what you thought first. Broad support for Jeremy Corbyn's line of

:14:53. > :14:57.questioning. Claire said Theresa May defending the indefensible. The

:14:58. > :15:05.announcement about grammar schools seems to have created as much talk

:15:06. > :15:11.as The Great British Bake Off. Martin says the provision of grammar

:15:12. > :15:16.school places is very low and there is not a credible plan to improve

:15:17. > :15:25.thing, Helen says someone has given Jeremy Corbyn a shot of at Lynn and

:15:26. > :15:30.he appears relevant. Mike says I failed my 11-Plus,

:15:31. > :15:33.passed the 13 plus and went to the local technical college. I retired

:15:34. > :15:47.with an MSC. If Mrs May thought the grammar

:15:48. > :15:52.school announcement and everything that goes with it, would get people,

:15:53. > :15:55.would be like throwing a dead cat on to the table to stop them talking

:15:56. > :16:01.about Brexit, I would suggest after today she may need to find another

:16:02. > :16:04.dead cat. Quite possibly. This is a hugely risky political project of

:16:05. > :16:09.Theresa May's. She has decided it is very much her policy she wanted --

:16:10. > :16:13.wants to bring this back in a complicated way, with all sorts of

:16:14. > :16:17.caveats and ideas that are meant to sort of mitigate the idea it is

:16:18. > :16:23.somehow a return to the 1950s, a Reto nightmare that many of the

:16:24. > :16:27.modern Tory party find unpalatable. What we saw there, is the big

:16:28. > :16:31.problem for Mrs May in getting this threw. Labour are united on this

:16:32. > :16:34.policy it is probably the only thing they have been united on since

:16:35. > :16:38.Jeremy Corbyn took over and the Tories are split. And I think she

:16:39. > :16:43.was struggling there, to actually defend the policy, to give a clear

:16:44. > :16:47.narrative of what it has... It is her policy. It is. This is one of

:16:48. > :16:52.the interesting thing, if you look at the proposals in the green paper,

:16:53. > :16:58.there are almost as many policies that seem designed to off set the

:16:59. > :17:04.sort of stereo typical horrors of the gram mar system, as there are --

:17:05. > :17:08.grammar system, as there are supporting them. This will be

:17:09. > :17:12.difficult. One thing I would say if there were to be a vote tomorrow, it

:17:13. > :17:17.would really struggle to go through, but Theresa May has decided it to

:17:18. > :17:21.take a more old fashioned approach. Do a green paper, then a white paper

:17:22. > :17:25.before getting to legislation and some Conservative MPs are seeing

:17:26. > :17:30.this as a real opportunity to fight for a bits and pieces of thing they

:17:31. > :17:34.want, because Number Ten is trying to have an open approach, allowing

:17:35. > :17:39.people to make their own arguments I assume she can allow existing

:17:40. > :17:44.grammar schools to expand. Yes under the existing set of, of rules and

:17:45. > :17:48.regulations but even that is a fight. When it did happen under

:17:49. > :17:53.David Cameron, it was something that had huge legal discussions around

:17:54. > :17:58.it, it went on for months and only eventually did Nicky Morgan give the

:17:59. > :18:00.green light for expansion of an existing grammar school under

:18:01. > :18:05.specific condition, one thing that is important to remember, the

:18:06. > :18:11.Education Bill called education for all, that forces low performing

:18:12. > :18:15.schools to become academies, that is still going through, and what Number

:18:16. > :18:20.Ten can't answer effectively is how the two pieces of legislation are

:18:21. > :18:26.going to interact. This is a major set of reforms on top of a major set

:18:27. > :18:32.of reform, that does not have broad and whole hearted political support

:18:33. > :18:36.in Theresa May's own party, so very risky decision to have taken, there

:18:37. > :18:41.is a lot of conspiracy theory about whether this was was to stop people

:18:42. > :18:47.talking about Brexit. There was more to it than that. She believes in it.

:18:48. > :18:52.She does. What is answer? To the To the point many people have raises

:18:53. > :18:58.including Jeremy Corbyn, in those areas where there are grammar

:18:59. > :19:03.school, those who go to them are hugely successful, or as successful

:19:04. > :19:09.as some of the best private school, those that don't make to it the gal

:19:10. > :19:14.mar schools don't perform as well as those in areas where there are no

:19:15. > :19:19.grammar schools. The The answer is to improve all grammar school, my,

:19:20. > :19:26.the other schools have got better, and they have got better for various

:19:27. > :19:29.reason reason, one is a Church of England academy which has been

:19:30. > :19:34.transformed out of all recognition and another one has been taken over

:19:35. > :19:39.by an academy chain and the central point. You are a Kent MP. The

:19:40. > :19:43.central point I would like an answer to the question, if you are an MP

:19:44. > :19:49.from that area, you will know that those that don't make it to the

:19:50. > :19:54.grammar schools in Kent do not perform as well as their equivalent,

:19:55. > :19:58.their peer group in areas where there aren't grammar school, why is

:19:59. > :20:02.that the case? There have been grammar school, you have had plenty

:20:03. > :20:07.of time to put that right. That is not universally true. It is in Kent.

:20:08. > :20:15.It used to be the case in old binary system if you like. I am talking

:20:16. > :20:18.about now. I am too. We have got a much more variegated school system

:20:19. > :20:22.than we used to have, and that is showing the improvements that we

:20:23. > :20:28.have seen, what we are introducing with this and Laura is right, this

:20:29. > :20:32.is a consultation followed by a white paper, following by ledge

:20:33. > :20:38.laying, is another welcome degree of variation investigation, just as

:20:39. > :20:43.schools can concentrate on arts or music, they can concentrate on

:20:44. > :20:47.academic excellence.some Why do the grammar schools in Kent, why do only

:20:48. > :20:52.3% of the children who go there on free school meals? They possibly

:20:53. > :21:00.need to do better on that. What is the average in Kent? About 15, I

:21:01. > :21:04.think. Correct. So three. Yes. There are probably independent day schools

:21:05. > :21:08.do better than that. One of the things we are saying in the

:21:09. > :21:15.consultation is that grammar schools need to make more. Excuse me Mr

:21:16. > :21:20.Green, you are a Tory MP for Kent, Kent is a Tory run council, you have

:21:21. > :21:27.kept these gram many schools going -- grammar schools going while they

:21:28. > :21:33.have been killed off. With massive public support. Who I in 2016 so few

:21:34. > :21:42.of the kids are going there, because the whole point of grammar school is

:21:43. > :21:47.to educate those from poorer background, why are so few on free

:21:48. > :21:51.school meals. Hasn't the council addressed it. You are a Tory MP.

:21:52. > :21:56.There are new things you can do. This has been round forever. It has

:21:57. > :22:00.not been round forever. The percentage of kids on free school

:22:01. > :22:04.meals lower than the national average has been round since you and

:22:05. > :22:10.I were in short trousers, we are going back a while. A lot of the

:22:11. > :22:13.things that have been done to address the opportunities for

:22:14. > :22:17.children from poor background has been the increased different types

:22:18. > :22:21.of schools, that have been introduced both in Kent and other

:22:22. > :22:26.parts, some of them going back to the Blair years, the idea that this

:22:27. > :22:30.is wring bringing anything back is the central misunderstanding. The

:22:31. > :22:36.Prime Minister made that point. It is clearly Labour is united against

:22:37. > :22:41.either extending existing grammar schools or introducing new grammar

:22:42. > :22:44.schools, what is not so clear, the Prime Minister talked about

:22:45. > :22:48.diversity, is Labour in favour of academies, no? We are not in favour

:22:49. > :22:51.of the forced academy programme, and but that was pushed, the

:22:52. > :22:56.government... The Government had to sideline that We are not against

:22:57. > :23:01.academy, what we have said is in areas where we have a mixture of

:23:02. > :23:05.academies, free schools and on the free schools we were concerned they

:23:06. > :23:09.were being set up in areas where we needed other provision and the money

:23:10. > :23:13.Simoned off. What we have said is we don't agree with the idea which

:23:14. > :23:15.sometimes is said about Labour that somehow local authorities should

:23:16. > :23:20.control everything. We think the there needs to be at a local level a

:23:21. > :23:25.sense, if it is the local authority or a commissioner, who can look at

:23:26. > :23:29.how the schools are performing. I have supported academies, but the

:23:30. > :23:36.truth is some, including my own area, have not done as well as

:23:37. > :23:40.expected. But this is a... You would, you wouldn't allow any more

:23:41. > :23:45.grammars, you would stop the creation of more free schools? There

:23:46. > :23:51.is a question mark about them. If it is taking away money from needy

:23:52. > :23:56.area, if you allow free schools to set up when there is a lack of

:23:57. > :24:00.places in other area, I don't think that solves a problem. Would you

:24:01. > :24:05.allow new academies to be formed? Yes, What is the difference? Look,

:24:06. > :24:08.the difference is partly about academy, from what I with say, they

:24:09. > :24:11.are more planned within the area, the problem about the free schools

:24:12. > :24:15.is they can go to the Secretary of State for Education and decide you

:24:16. > :24:18.can have one, with no sense of planning in the local area, can I

:24:19. > :24:22.say something on the grammar school. I think it's a diversion, it may be

:24:23. > :24:25.given they will have to come up with a Brexit model that doesn't please

:24:26. > :24:34.Erne that voted leave it is red meat. It is not working. It is about

:24:35. > :24:37.early years, poorest children are 18 months behind other, we have a

:24:38. > :24:41.problem of getting good teachers into our schools. I need to

:24:42. > :24:47.interrupt. You can blame the speaker for that. I would suggest that Mrs

:24:48. > :24:50.May and her advisers need to have a meeting, and sort out what they are

:24:51. > :24:55.doing and where they are going. There are two things, one is they

:24:56. > :24:59.were bounced into revealing this policy long before they wanted to.

:25:00. > :25:01.That is clear, they were not ready with the details when the storimphed

:25:02. > :25:05.so this was rushed and it shows because they have not been able to

:25:06. > :25:09.answer the questions. And the second? Huge political opportunity

:25:10. > :25:13.here nor the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn I am told didn't have his

:25:14. > :25:17.extra Weetabix, he had jam and whether there was was a sugar rush.

:25:18. > :25:22.Home-made. Maybe it was his own jam he had. Who noes? A much more

:25:23. > :25:28.effective performance from him. We, no, no, no we have to leaf it there.

:25:29. > :25:33.You have had your say. We need to move on. This is an important story.

:25:34. > :25:36.Now, as MPs stroll out of the Commons chamber together

:25:37. > :25:38.after PMQs, there will only be one topic of conversation

:25:39. > :25:41.in the corridors of Westminster - what is happening to your seat

:25:42. > :25:44.Plans to redraw the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies

:25:45. > :25:45.in England and Wales were published yesterday.

:25:46. > :25:48.It's all part of a plan to equalise the number of voters

:25:49. > :25:51.in constituencies across the UK, and reduce the overall number of MPs

:25:52. > :25:55.Some MPs are worried it could leave them out of a job.

:25:56. > :26:12.So do our MPs know what their re-drawn boundaries look like?

:26:13. > :26:19.Let's has a brief look at Caroline's. Don Valley. This is the

:26:20. > :26:25.current boundaries for the constituencies in Doncaster. This is

:26:26. > :26:32.for you, Caroline. This is Damian Green's, Ashford in Kent. Both of

:26:33. > :26:36.you, redraw your boundaries they way they have been suggested by the

:26:37. > :26:43.commission. I am hoping you will be able to talk and draw at the same

:26:44. > :26:49.time. We have run out of time, I'm afraid! There is a consultation

:26:50. > :26:53.period going on for about 12 weeks. And members of the public are

:26:54. > :26:58.encouraged to give their view. It looks as if the two MPs do vaguely

:26:59. > :27:05.know what their new boundaries will look like. You do not have to be

:27:06. > :27:10.precise. Just a vague artistic idea. We will have Caroline's first. I

:27:11. > :27:20.don't want to put you under any pressure. Then Damien has a bit more

:27:21. > :27:28.time. His is very simple. There is no prize, Caroline. You hold it up,

:27:29. > :27:37.turn it around. It is like Blue Peter! Caroline, your constituency

:27:38. > :27:41.has moved to the east. I don't know if it is going to be my

:27:42. > :27:48.constituency. It used to be aired by -- Ed Miliband on the top. Doncaster

:27:49. > :27:54.Central is pretty much the same in the middle. Shift. Damian, you have

:27:55. > :28:00.had plenty of time. Put your pen down. Turn it around. Quickly tell

:28:01. > :28:03.us what has happened? The bit I have shaded in is supposed to go

:28:04. > :28:08.somewhere else and the bits on the other side that used to be mine was

:28:09. > :28:11.given to Folkestone and Hythe in a previous boundary review and they

:28:12. > :28:17.are now proposing to give it back to me. What is wrong with these

:28:18. > :28:20.boundaries? I think it does not take into account 2 million voters who

:28:21. > :28:26.ref -- registered in the EU referendum. By reducing number of

:28:27. > :28:33.MPs? People think politics costs too much. This would be fairer. Very

:28:34. > :28:34.nice drawings. Sometimes you can have too much publicity.

:28:35. > :28:37.There's just time to put you out of your misery and give

:28:38. > :28:50.That's all for today. Thanks to our guests.

:28:51. > :28:55.The One O'Clock News is starting over on BBC One now.

:28:56. > :28:59.Jo and I will be here at noon tomorrow, with all the big political

:29:00. > :29:02.stories of the day. Do join us if you can.