14/12/2016 Daily Politics

Intervenion has not been popular since Iraq.

But is the carnage in Aleppo, the rise of Isis, the migration

consequences for the West when it does not intervene?

A deal to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from Aleppo

appears to have stalled, with heavy shelling reported

But, as the siege comes to a bloody end, is it time for Britain

and other Western powers to rethink their global role?

Strikes on the railways, strikes in post offices,

Are we heading for another winter of discontent?

The Prime Minister may well have a spring in her step

as she goes in to the final PMQs of the year, with new figures this

morning showing a fall in unemployment and a rise

The newest member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee,

Philip Davies, and the co-leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas,

All that in the next hour and a half, and with us

for the whole of the programme today are the Work and Pensions

Minister Penny Mordaunt, and the Shadow Transport Secretary

Now, the planned evacuation of injured civilians and defeated

Syrian rebels from eastern Aleppo has been delayed and there

are reports of a resumption of fighting in the city.

A ceasefire was declared in Aleppo yesterday in order to allow

civilians and injured rebels to evacuate.

It was overseen by Russia and Turkey.

Government buses were brought in to rebel areas this morning

but they are now reported to have left.

Opposition sources have suggested that Shia militias loyal

to President Assad had been blocking people from leaving.

And fresh fighting will dash hopes for those civilians

In recent days, though, hundreds of civilians have crossed

from the remaining rebel-held areas in the east of Aleppo

to government-controlled areas in the west of the city.

Yesterday, the United Nations claimed that pro-government forces

had been killing people, including women and children,

on the spot in their homes and on the street.

The UN human rights office said they had seen reports

of up to 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children,

being executed in the days running up to yesterday's ceasefire.

Of course, these reports are as yet unconfirmed, although the UN has

made them. Yesterday, MPs were granted

an emergency debate It included a notable

contribution from the former Chancellor George Osborne -

his first speech from I think we are deceiving

ourselves in this Parliament, if we believe that we have no

responsibility for what has The tragedy in Aleppo did not

come out of a vacuum. Of American leadership,

British leadership. I take responsibility,

as someone who sat on the National Security Council

throughout those years. Parliament should take its

responsibility because of what it prevented being done

and there were multiple Once this House, the Commons,

took its decision, it I believe it did have an impact

on American politics. and then think our decisions have no

impact on the rest of the world. I think it did cause a delay

in the administration's action. It did cause Congress

to get cold feet. Tens of thousands of people have

been killed as a result. Millions of refugees have been sent

from their homes across the world. We have allowed a terrorist state

to emerge, in the form of Isis, Key Allies like Lebanon

and Jordan are destabilised. The refugee crisis has transformed

the politics of Europe, allowed fascism to rise

in Eastern Europe, created extremist parties in Western Europe

and Russia, for the first time since Henry Kissinger kicked them

out of the Middle East in the 1970s, is back as the decisive player

in that region. That is the price

of not intervening. George Osborne in the House of

Commons yesterday. Penny Mordaunt, do you agree with Mr Osborne that

what is happening in Aleppo and other things are a result of what he

called a vacuum of Western leadership, which London must share?

Well, ultimately the responsibility for what's going on lies with Assad

and with his supporters but I think that George is right that Parliament

has to do take responsibility for the consequences of the decision

that it took back in 2013. There were consequences to that. We didn't

just do nothing, we gave a green light to Assad to proceed with the

atrocities that he was committing and we, at that moment, lost any

ability to influence our American allies in getting involved. More

than that, you did influence the American allies. When they saw the

House of Commons voting against any intervention, President Obama

immediately changed his position and sided with the British House of

Commons. And people sometimes think that that vote was a vote about

going to war. It wasn't. What it did was take the option of military

force off the table and that was a grave error. You were one of the 220

Labour MPs who voted against the government on Syria. Do you regret

that now? No, I don't talk when you were talking about intervention, we

got to describe what that intervention would be and how it

would secure an improvement in the situation, and Labour quite rightly,

in my view, tried to set up a framework to identify the criteria

by which intervention would be justified unsuccessful. What was the

main element of a? That you know what the objective is going to be,

who we are trying to get rid of, who we would replace it with and who we

were going to bomb. And what were the main objectives behind the

government motion? It didn't commit us to any specific action. It

condemned the use of chemical weapons, which was what a sad was

doing against his own people, in that week, against a school. It kept

the option open for military force and it was our chance to say, don't

do these things, we know where you're heading, don't do them. We

lost that opportunity. You lost the vote but why did you then

effectively give up? Couldn't you, as events on the ground took several

turns for the worse, have returned to this issue in the Commons? The

Prime Minister did not want to go back to the Commons until he was

confident he was going to win the vote and during part of this time, I

was Minister of State for the Armed Forces and spent many hours with

some of our generals sitting down, sometimes on a one-to-one basis,

with Labour MPs, some of which were in tears during the conversation

because it was a very difficult subject for them. Trying to persuade

them, trying to methodically go through what would be the

consequences of doing one thing or another. It was at the point where

we knew we had that support from, I have to say, some very brave Labour

MPs who were facing, at the time, incredible intimidation not to

support the government, that we were able to take it back to the floor of

the House. One of those MPs was John Woodcock, chairman of the Labour

backbench defence committee. Let's have a look at what he had to say in

the debate. I still feel sick at the idea

of the then Leader of the Opposition going from that vote,

into the whip's office, and congratulating himself and them

on "stopping a war." Well, look what is happening today

and look what's happened over What do you say to that? The motion

is predicated on the basis that if we doubted we would have secured an

improvement in the situation and there is some causative link being

made between this vote in the House of Commons and the subsequent

slaughter in Syria. What could be worse than the situation at the

moment? That we do not know. I think Patrick Cockburn described Syria as

3-D chess with nine players and no rules. It is hard to imagine

anything worse, isn't it? It certainly is. Ed Miliband played a

major part, indeed celebrated, the defeat of the government in that

famous motion in 2013, and yet didn't turn up yesterday. Well, I've

no reason why he wasn't there yesterday. I wouldn't suggest that

there was some sort of celebration on an important issue. I know John

said that but he's got his own views on this. I do remember Douglas

Alexander was very sombre about the whole process. Emily Thornberry, who

I think also voted against the motion in 2013, is now calling to

get aid. She's calling for the use of unmanned drones. I'm not sure

what drones are not unmanned. I think by definition a drone is not

manned or it would be an aircraft. I think what she's talking about our

drones that can carry cargo. How many of these drones do we have? I

don't know the answer to that. We can't do that. We don't have these

drones, do we? Not to deliver packages of age. We don't have cargo

carrying drones? You might have thought the Shadow Foreign Secretary

might object that first. That is the need to be addressed. You either

address them by cargo planes, if they can be secured. How could you

put a British cargo plane over Aleppo when the Russians on the

Syrians are surrounding the area with missiles? Are you going to

pilot that? Absolutely not. It is the right point. It can only be done

if the situation has been secured and that has been agreed that those

cargo planes can access. I accept entirely that, as we speak right

now, that has got to be... She also called for the use of GPS guided

parachutes. These are parachutes that are dropped out from very high

altitude planes that may avoid the SAM missile, but I'm not sure, and

you can then, with the digital technology, helped to guide where

the parish of my client. How many GPS guided parachutes do we have? I

don't know. We can't do that. That is not an option. We don't have any.

So the Shadow Foreign Secretary calls for two things to be done,

neither of which the UK has the capability to do. You criticise the

Government. Is it not incumbent on the Shadow Foreign Secretary to find

out what she's talking about? It's incumbent on us all to try to

encourage the circumstances where we can get aid supplies into this

dreadfully stressed area, where people are absolutely desperate, by

whatever means, but clearly that's got to be by diplomatic pressure and

agreement, to make sure that there is a safe and secure area for that

to happen. Have you followed Secretary of State Kerry's schedule

in recent months? Nobody could have done more to try and bring this...

He's never off the plane. He's in a different time zone every week. Is

it credible that the Russians and the Syrians, given that we know how

they behave, from Chechnya to how Syria was even before the Civil War

broke out, that they will facilitate humanitarian aid to people they want

to destroy? Absolutely, and even... The Russians have signed up to a UN

resolution saying that they will do this but it is absolutely the case

that they have consistently prevented aid from getting through

and they are using starvation as a weapon of war against their own

civilian population. Rather than hand-wringing, shouldn't the British

Government just admit that, given decisions taken in the past, it is

pretty powerless to do anything? Of course it can urged to dramatic

initiatives but as long as China and Russia can control the security

council, that can't happen, America can't make it happen. We should

admit our strategy, which was to get rid of Assad, has failed. Well, I

think that the opportunities that we had to avoid what's happening - and,

of course, we can't take the blame away from Assad and his supporters -

but yes, we have missed opportunities to try and mitigate

this and we now have very few options, other than the immense

diplomatic efforts that are being made. OK, what do you make of the

Morning Star's front page quoting the liberation of Aleppo. That was a

huge error, and it was ill judged. It shouldn't have been expressed in

that way. Thank you for that. Southern Rail passengers face

a second day of chaos on the network due to an ongoing strike

by train drivers. However, talks between the company

and the unions are being held today to try to bring an end

to the dispute. Another 24-hour stoppage is due

to take place on Friday. But it's not just rail commuters

who are being affected We're a long way from a winter

of discontent, but a string of strikes are due to arrive just

in time for Christmas. Today is the second of three days

of strike action by the Aslef train hundreds of thousands of passengers

on Southern Rail services. The RMT union is due to stage

further walk-outs next week. Post Office workers will also stage

five days of walk-outs from Monday in a dispute over jobs,

pensions and branch closures. And the Unite Union announced

yesterday that Argos delivery drivers at its key

distribution centre will also strike for three days

from the 20th December. New figures out today show the UK

has lost 304,000 working days to strikes in the 12 months

to October this year. That's less than the average

over the past 20 years, when around half a million working

days have been lost And it's just a fraction

of the 29 million working days lost So is there anything

the Government can do? The Conservatives have already

passed the Trade Union Act - delivering their manifesto pledge

to introduce minimum turnouts and tougher thresholds for strikes

in essential public services. Could ministers go further

by changing the law to ban strikes or require minimum levels of service

when industrial action takes place? Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

said yesterday that he would rule Penny more dant. What did that mean,

do you think? Chris Grayling hinting yesterday that the Government may

look at changing the law on strike action? Is that something the

Government is now seriously considering? Well, as you heard,

he's not ruled anything out. No doubt he will be working through

what those options might be. I think we are in a new territory with

regard to the rail strike. I think that passengers have put up with

this for a long period of time and it has been extreme. And the

situation that has led to the strike, I think, is not justifiable.

No-one is losing a job. Right. You are blaming the unions, clearly,

rather than the company in this. But would it be warranted to change the

law, in terms of perhaps banning strikes by railway drivers? I think

that where you have a situation where a strike is not justifiable,

where you haven't met those thresholds. But they have met the

thresholds. The point about this, if you look at the figures I quoted.

The level of industrial unrest historically, is pretty low and the

strike action on Southern Ray, it followed a -- on Southern Rail, it

was legal, it met the threshold, what do you mean - in cases that are

not justifial. I think what we have seen is so bad, so detrimental,

people losing jobs because they cannot continue their role.

Commuters even contemplating bringing in their own train in order

to get them to work. It is extreme stuff. So I do think it is worth

looking at the issues. What is it you want to look at? That's the

point. I understand your sentiment. You have said just there "it is

worth looking at the law." What would you change to stop the strike

happening? Well, there is nothing on the cards being announced by the

Department for Transport as yet. But I think we do need to recognise that

the public has had enough. They are fed up of this. I have great

sympathy. My constituents are affected by this. We really do need

to look at protecting them. Interestingly, it's not - the

situation on Southern is not just the issue around the union, there

was some issues around the infrastructure that the company was

managing which the Department for Transport has moved to address.

There are hints there that the law is going to be changed to try to

prevent this sort of strike happening, do you agree with Penny

it has gone on too longs it is unfair on the commuters and that the

unions are to blame I agree it has gone on too long and people are

suffering greatly as a result but I am delighted that at long last,

dragged kicking and screaming, Chris Grayling is at ACAS today. It is the

very thing we have been asking for, unconditional discussions. But Chris

Grayling has a habit of saying this, if he doesn't like the outcome, he

takes more and more Draconian steps. To suggest you go down the path of

starting to ban strikes in a company that compares very favourably with

European counter-Nats terms of industrial action. -- counterparts.

Do you think he will do that Well he is not ruling it out. That's his

position, for him to deny people the ability to withdraw their labour is

a Draconian step a slippery slope. It won't work, that's for sure. The

response would be - there would be great outcry. Do you support the

strike by Aslef on Southern? It is about a critical safety issue. I

support. I'm asking if you support it. Absolutely. It is highlighting a

hugely important issue that's being dismissed continuously and relegated

and denigrated to a discussion about buttons. Can you tell me how many

accidents have been on those trains which are driver-only operated, as

opposed to having the driver and the guard? Out with the Croydon

incident, we have - there are ten ongoing investigations with the rail

accident investigation branch... Who to do with the doors? Eight are

directly-connected with driver-only operational activities. Right. So

there is a real safety concern. I mean, we've had Government ministers

dismissing the issue of safety that has been put forward by Aslef. Well,

that speaks for it, doesn't it? The body that looks at safety on the

railway has said it is not a safety issue. And also, where you have

Southern services that currently have a second person on the train,

you are still going to have that. You are still going to have that.

So, for example, if a passenger needs assistance. So, it is not the

case that that is not going to happen or anyone is losing their

jobs and the body that is charged with looking at safety on the

railway says there is no issue around this change. Right. That's

how trains are operating elsewhere. There are 30% of trains on these

lines that are driver-only operated. Well, what's wrong with them? If

they work and operate perfectly well. What is eight problem with

having them on other lines? When you have something where you have

problems with, you deal with it. We used to chuff children up chimneys

and we stopped it because we didn't think it was a very good idea. Are

you comparing that? When you see a lady being dragged down the platform

and she sustained life-changing issues. And that was with a

driver-only train. Well, you have a driver with the responsibility of

looking at 12 screens, the size of mobile phones, and we are saying

take on the responsibility... Why did the boss of Aslef support

driver-only operated trains on Thameslink? It is horses for

courses. If you have different circumstances. Why did he support

it? If it is such a big safety issue and I take the point there have been

these instances perhaps without the guard you cannot see up and down the

train in the same way if you have a guard and driver, why did the boss

of Aslef give it the go-ahead on Thameslink? Well, it is horses for

courses. What does that mean? Well I will explain, if you have 12

carriages coming out of Victoria and curved platforms where drivers

simply cannot see, they don't have full vision, we have all seen the

hundreds of people on those platforms, it is a dangerous

environment. That wasn't the case on Thameslink. Mick will speak for

himself -- Mick will have to speak for that, I don't know the answer.

But I'm trying to explain to you, this is the safety-critical issue at

the heart of the matter now at arbitration.

Can I just ask. Why is it then that Her Majesty's Chief Inspectorate of

Rail wanes the rail accident investigation branch, say they have

no safety concerns for driver-only operated trains? And then why is it

that the rail safety Standards Board said while there is nothing

inherently wrong with the mechanism, what they did say it s it makes an

accident more likely to happen and if it does happen, it will be

severe. Now, I take that in terms of risk assessment, as sufficient

notice that something can happen and it has happened and we can readily

see this. Who is going to bear responsibility if somebody is badly

injured in these circumstances? The driver, we are asking too much. Can

I ask Penny, would you support a ban on strikes of this kind? I would be

reluctant to do anything that would infringe on someone's ability to

withdraw their labour. I think we need to see how those new

regulations, when they come into affect work. But, in situations like

this, it is clear that perhaps more needs to be done. Like a ban. The

public I think have had enough. And I think we are right to look at

these issues. All right. Now, have you heard the one

about Ukip's Christmas party? Why are Jeremy Corbyn's Christmas

cards on the floor? And, what is David Cameron's

favourite Christmas song. Yes, it's that time of year

for bad cracker jokes and me and Jo Co have been writing

them all year. Sadly, they all got rejected,

so these come courtesy of Twitter, from where TV channel UK Gold has

compiled the best list But, forget about

Christmas crackers. We all know that there's only one

thing that matters this yuletide. And that's what's wrapped

under your Christmas tree. Shoppers are falling over themselves

to get their hands on this year's But all the gold,

frankincense and myrrh Yes, it's time for our

Guess the Year contest. Just tell us which

year this happened. A warning - this does

contain flash photography. # Will she know how

much I loved her? # We've got a little

world of our own #. This disease that has changed

an industry finally defeated. # I don't want to run away

but I can't take it #. I'd like to again sincerely

apologise for the huge offence that # Why does my heart

tell me that I am #. The bed shook, my husband

jumped out of bed, panicked, he ran out,

I jumped up and we thought, # Round, round, baby, round,

round # And we'll ride still fired

on the beach down low # I don't need nobody,

got my honeys when I go # Round, baby, round,

round, spinning out on me # I don't need no man,

got my kicks for free #. To be in with a chance of winning

a Daily Politics' mug, send your answer to our special

quiz email address. Entries must arrive by 12.30 today,

and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess

The Year on our website. That can mean only one thing - Prime

Minister's Questions is on its way. We are going to talk about the

unemployment figures and social care development. Another decent set of

unemployment and even average earnings figures for the Government

Indeed and relief I think again in the post-referendum world that they

are not seeing signs, so far, of what many people warned of before

the vote. And I think, certainly, particularly in the Treasury, I

think there is a view that at some point this will come to pass. Maybe

they want to be proven right because they made so many dire predictions.

Also, there is the situation that the Chancellor, we know, is more

interested in a deal that is with the rest of the EU that's more like

the current system we have now. Close to the status quo and if there

are political consequences that happen, that may make his case. Far

be it from me to suggest that the Chancellor wants the economy to

suffer, but there is a difference between political convenience and

holding their breath in anticipation of things going wrong and the

evidence is not suggesting that right at this stage. The thing to

watch will be the inflation average earnings figures. The misery gap.

Inflation was up to 1.2% on the CPI measure but average earnings, I

forget whether it includes bonuses or not, they go to 2.6, so double

Exactly. But inflation could catch up and will average earnings go

ahead and go 3% or not? The expectation is that there will be,

what some people call the misery gap, if you feel more and more skint

every year, we saw that for a long time during the years of the crash.

That hits consumer spending And therefore, hits politics. The

Government has been criticised for being slow to recognise the maybe

"crisis" is not too strong a word, developing in social care there.

Have been developments on that, too? There have and last week we were

discussing that this had been left out of the Autumn Statement. No

mention. But the local Government settlement, the amount to councils

have not been settled that. Is now officially done, it will be

announced tomorrow but we know, now, that what the Government is going to

do is not give extra cash to social care, which many people say

absolutely has to happen but they will allow councils to increase

council tax bills by up to 3% for the next two years... Per year Per

year. Instead of, what they were going to be allowed to do, to

increase it by up to 2%, for three years in a row. So what they are

going to do is allow councils to increase council tax bills a bit

more in the next couple of years to try to plug the gap but it is not

actually extra cash and most people say that's desperately needed. It

may well come up to This I had the ministerial

colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this House, and I shall

have further such meetings later today to talk can I take the

opportunity to wish you, Mr Speaker, and all members of the House a merry

Christmas. In the light of the Foreign Secretary's display of

chronic foot in mouth disease, when deciding on cabinet positions, does

the Prime Minister now regret that placing F O by his name should have

been an instruction, not a job offer?

LAUGHTER Mr...

LAUGHTER Order! There is far too much noise

in the chamber. We've heard the question but I want to hear the

Prime Minister's answer. Thank you, Mr Speaker. First of all, I join the

honourable gentleman in wishing everybody happy Christmas. I will,

of course, have an opportunity to do that on Monday when I'm sure the

House will be as full for the Senate on the European council meeting.

LAUGHTER -- statement on the European council

meeting. I have to say that the Foreign Secretary is doing an

absolutely excellent job. He is, in short, and F F S, a finer Foreign

Secretary. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Maistre constituency has a really

bright future ahead... I want to hear the voice of Cannock Chase!

Thank you. Rugeley has a really bright future ahead but only if we

are ambitious, bold and visionary in our redevelopment plans. Will my

right honourable friend outline how the Government's industrial strategy

can create the conditions which will help us build a sustainable local

economy and highly skilled jobs for future generations? She is

absolutely right that communities across this country have a bright

future ahead of them, but we need to ensure that we create the conditions

that future. That's why we will be producing a modern industrial

strategy that will show how we can encourage strategic strengths of the

UK, deal with our underlying weaknesses. It will enable companies

to grow, to invest in the UK, to provide those jobs for the future,

but we also need to make sure that that prosperity is spread across the

whole of the UK and is prosperity for everyone. Jeremy Corbyn. Thank

you, Mr Speaker. That I start by wishing yourself, Mr Speaker, and

all members of the House and everyone who works in the House a

very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Sadly, Mr

Speaker, our late colleague Jo Cox will not be celebrating Christmas

this year with her family. She was murdered and taken from us. So I

hope the Prime Minister - I'm sure she will - will join me in

encouraging people to download the song which many members helped to

create as a tribute to Jo's life and work and in everlasting memory of

her. The right honourable gentleman is absolutely right to raise this

issue. I'm sure everybody in this House, we should send a very clear

message, download this single for the Jo Cox foundation. It is a very

important cause and we all recognise that Jo Cox was a fine member of

this House and would have carried on contributing significantly to this

House and to this country, had she not been brutally murdered. I think

the Chancellor is waving the VAT on this single. Everybody involved and

it gave their services for free. I am having a photograph with them

later this afternoon. LAUGHTER

and, once again, let's just encourage everybody to download the

single. The Prime Minister was of course referring, for the benefit of

those referring outside, to the Parliamentary Rock band MP4. I

applaud the work of MP4 but for the benefit of their quality, I am not a

member of it! I thank her for that answer. Social care is crucial. It

provides support for people to live with dignity. Yet Age UK research

has found that 1.2 million older people are currently not receiving

the care that they need. Will the Prime Minister AXA is a crisis in

social care? -- is a crisis. Government I have consistently said

that we recognise the pressures on social care so it might be helpful

if I set out what the government is doing in social care. We recognise

the precious. That is why the government is putting more money

into social care and at the end of this Parliament, that will be

billions of pounds extra. We have enabled the social care precept for

local authorities. We recognise that there are immediate pressures on

social care, that's why this will be addressed by my right honourable

friend, the Secretary of State for communities and local and in the

local government finance settlement tomorrow. But we also recognise that

this is not just about money, it is about delivery. There was a

difference in delivery across the country. We need to make sure reform

takes place we see best practice in terms of integration of health and

social care across the country but we also need to ensure that we have

a longer term solution to give people the reassurance for the

future that there is a sustainable system, which will ensure that they

are receiving the social care that they need in old age, and that is

what the Government is working on. There is a short-term issue, there

is a medium-term need to make local authorities and health services are

delivering consistently, and there is a long-term solution we need to

find. Care Quality Commission warned as recently as October that evidence

suggests we have approached a tipping point so instead of passing

the buck on to local government, shouldn't the Government take

responsibility itself for the crisis? Could the Prime Minister

take this opportunity to inform the House exactly how much was cut from

the social care budget in the last Parliament? We have been putting

more money into social care in this House...

more money into social care in this We have been putting more money into

social care and health. We recognise the pressures that exist and that's

why we will be looking at the short-term pressures that exist in

relation to social care. But you cannot look at this question as

simply being an issue of money in the short term. It is about

delivery, it is about reform, it is about the social care system working

with the health system. That's why this is an issue that is being

addressed not just by the Secretary of State for communities and local

and but also the Secretary of State for Health. But if we are going to

give people the reassurance that they need in the longer term that

their social care needs will be met, this isn't just about looking for a

short-term solution, it's about finding a way forward that can give

a sustainable system of social care for the Prime Minister doesn't seem

to be aware that 4.6 billion was cut from the social care budget in the

last Parliament. And that her talk of putting it on to local government

ought to be taken for what it is, a con. To % of council tax is clearly

a nonsense. 95% of councils use this social care precept and it raised

less than 3% of the money they planned to spend on adult social

care. Billions seem to be available for tax giveaways to corporations,

not mentioned in the Autumn Statement, underfunded, and many

elderly people left isolated and in crisis because of the lack of

government funding of social care. We see many councils around the

country that have taken the benefit of the social care precept and have,

as a result, seen more people being able to access social care and needs

being met. Sadly, there are also some councils across the country,

some Labour councils, who haven't taken the opportunity, where we do

see a worse performance in relation to social care. But he once again

refers to the issue of money. I might remind him that at the last

election, the then Shadow Chancellor said that if Labour were in

government there would be not a penny more for local authorities and

also that when recently asked about spending more money on social care,

Labour's Shadow Health Secretary said when he was asked where the

money would come from, "Ooh, well, we're going to have to come up with

a plan for that". Mr Speaker, this government has cut social care and

she will knows it and she well knows the effect of that. She also well

knows that raising council tax has a different outcome in different parts

of the country. For example, if you raise the council tax in Windsor and

Maidenhead, you get quite a lot of money. If you raise a council tax

precept in Liverpool or Newcastle, you get a lot less. Is she saying

that older people, frail, elderly, vulnerable people are less valuable

in our big cities than they are in wealthier parts of the country? Mr

Speaker, this crisis is a crisis for many elderly people who are living

in a very difficult situation because of this. It is also a crisis

for the National Health Service. Those people who are in hospital

cannot be discharged because there is nowhere for them to go to, so

I'll ask her again - the crisis affects individuals, families and it

affects the national Health Service, so why doesn't she do something

really bold - cancel the corporation tax cut and put the money into

social care instead? The right honourable gentleman has quoted

Newcastle council in the list that he set. I have to say, Newcastle

council is one of the councils where we saw in September virtually no

delayed discharges, so elderly people were not being held up in

hospital and they didn't need to be and when they didn't want to be, so

what this shows is that it is possible for councils to deliver on

the ground. So you see councils like Newcastle and Torbay doing that, and

you see councils like evening not using the social care precept and a

different result it can -- Ealing. The worst performing council -- the

difference between the worst performing council and the best is a

20 fold difference. That is not about the difference of funding but

about the difference of delivery. Councils work very hard to try to

cope with a 40% cut in their budgets across the whole country and the

people that pay the price are those who are stuck in hospital, who

should be allowed to go home, and those that aren't getting the care

and support they need. This is a social care system that deep in

crisis. The crisis is made in Downing Street by this government.

The former chair of the health select committee, Stephen Doll, says

the system is inadequately funded. The current chair of the health

select committee says, "The issue can't be ducked any longer because

of the impact it's having not just on vulnerable people but also on the

NHS". Why can't the Prime Minister listened to those in local

government, to the King's Fund, the NHS Confederation, her own council

leaders, and recognise this social care crisis forces people to give up

work to care for loved ones because there isn't a system to do it, makes

people stay in hospital longer than they should and leads people into a

horrible, isolated life when they should be cared for by all of us

through a properly funded social care system? Get a grip and funded

properly, please. -- fund it properly. The issue of social care

is, indeed, one that has been dogged by governments for too long. That is

why it is this government, it is this government, that will provide a

long-term, sustainable system for social care that gives reassurance

to people. But when he talks about governments docking social care,

let's look about 13 years of Labour in government. They said in 1997

that they would sort it in their manifesto. They had a royal

commission in 1999, a green paper in 2005, the Wanless Report in 2006. In

2007, they said they'd sorted. In 2009, they had another green paper.

13 years and no action whatsoever. Order! Mr Speaker, today a

constituent of mine from shore who struggled to get to university

College Hospital in London for drug trials. Across Sussex, thousands of

others will be unable to get to work, school and college because

Affleck Aslef -- Aslef object to their drivers operating doors. Aslef

drivers are driving tens lick trains on the same rails. And the Prime

Minister give her assurance that everything will be done at the ACAS

talks today to end this nonsense of a strike, address any residuals

safety issues and give our constituents their lives back? He is

right to raise this issue. This is an appalling strike. He's right to

raise the discrepancy in attitude of Aslef. We've seen driver only

operated trains on rail networks in the UK for decades. They are on the

Thameslink train. I hope that the talks at ACAS are going to lead to

an end to this strike but, actually, I've got a suggestion for the Leader

of the Opposition. I think the Leader of the Opposition could do

something to help members of the public. The Labour Party is funded

by Aslef. Why doesn't he get on the phone and tell them to call the

strike of immediately? Angus Robertson. We join with the leader

of the Labour Party and with the Prime Minister in wishing great

success to the Jo Cox single that's available for download on Friday.

I'm sure we're all going to download it. Civilians have suffered

grievously with the bombing of hospitals opt all, of schools, of

markets. The United Nations believes that 60% of civilian casualties are

caused by air strikes. In the last 24 hours, the United States has

stopped the supply of provisional guided munitions to Saudi Arabia to

bomb Yemen. When will the UK follow suit? As the right honourable

gentleman knows, we do have a very strict regime of export licences in

relation to weapons here in the UK. We exercise that very carefully and

in recent years, we have indeed refused export licences in relation

to arms, including two Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The US government has

just said, and I quote, "Systematic, endemic problems in Saudi Arabia's

targeting drove the US decision to halt a future weapons sale involving

precision oil guided munitions". The Saudis have UK supplied missiles,

made in Scotland. The UK has licensed ?3.3 billion of arms to

Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the bombing campaign. What will it

take for the UK to adopt an ethical foreign policy when it comes to

Yemen? As the right honourable gentleman knows, the intervention in

Yemen is a UN backed intervention. As I've said previously, where there

are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, we

require those to be properly investigated. We do have a

relationship with Saudi Arabia. The security of the Gulf is important to

us and I would simply also remind the right honourable gentleman that,

actually, Saudi intelligence, the counterterrorism links we have with

Saudi Arabia, the intelligence we get from Saudi Arabia, has saved

potentially hundreds of lives here in the UK. Mr Speaker, one of my

constituents has just had to move to residential care because no carers

could be found to support her in her own home. She's at the sharp end of

a crisis in social care that is as much about inadequate funding as it

is about a shortfall in our very valued social care workforce. I'm

looking forward to hearing what immediate further support will be

provided for social care but isn't it time that rather than having

confrontational dialogues about social care funding, all parties

work together across this House to look for a sustainable, long-term

solution for funding of both integrated health and social care?

My honourable friend is right to raise the issue of looking at a

sustainable way in which we can support integrated health and social

care and a sustainable way for people to know that in the future

they are going to be able to have the social care they require. As I

said earlier in response to the Leader of the Opposition, we

recognise the short-term pressures on the system but I think it is

important for us to look at those medium and longer term solutions if

we are going to be able to address this issue and I was very pleased to

be able to have a meeting with my honourable friend to discuss this

last week and I look forward to further such meetings. Can I tell

the Prime Minister that the cross-party delegation led by the

right honourable member for common Valley will meet the Russian

ambassador tomorrow morning on Aleppo, and we will reflect and

amplify, in precisely the sort of terms that she and the Foreign

Secretary have used, about Russia, the Assad regime and Iran, not least

because we want to protect those who have heroically struggled to save

lives in that city who are now going to be at particular risk because of

the witness they can give. But does she accept that many of us believe

that those sort of messages are more cogent when we are equally

unequivocal about the primacy of human rights and international

humanitarian law when we need the Gulf states? We do raise the issues

of human rights when we meet the Gulf States but he's absolutely

right in relation to the role that Russia is playing in Syria. There is

a very simple message to President Putin. He has it within his own

hands to be able to actually say to the Assad regime that enough is

enough in Aleppo, we need to ensure that humanitarian aid is there for

people and the people who have, as he says, been heroically saving the

lives of others, ensure that they have their security ensured. I'm

sure that is a message she and others will be giving to the Russian

ambassador. It is an President Putin's hands. He can do it - why

doesn't he? Will the Prime Minister thank me in

enjoying the many people it from this House who Sung for Syrians. It

was created in order to pay the salaries of the medical staff in

Aleppo. Since our hospital was shut two weeks ago, bombed two weeks ago,

we have been buying pros thetedic limbs with all of our money. --

prosthetic limbs. We have a waiting list of 30,000 people. What can we

do to target our humanitarian aid it make sure it gets to the most

vulnerable people in Syria, the old, very young and people who are too

injured to move? Well, first of all, I absolutely join my honourable

friend in congratulating everyone who took part in Singing for

Syrians. I'm sure the whole House would welcome the work that that

group is doing and the money that is being put to extremely good use,

that is being raised. She raises, I think, the House was struck by the

number of people she referred to being on the waiting list for

prosthetic limbs. Of course, in terms of our humanitarian aid

support for Syria, which is the biggest humanitarian effort that the

United Kingdom has made, of course we are giving money to the refugees

who have fled from Syria, we're also, of course, working

diplomatically to try to reduce the suffering, to try to make sure that

we can see the sort of aid and medical support she is talking

about, getting through to the citizens of Aleppo. But we will

continue to ensure that our humanitarian aid is being put to

good use, helping those who are vulnerable but also helping those

who need the education and support to be able, in due course, to

rebuild Syria when we see a stable and secure Syria.

Mr Speaker, rip-off interest rates on household goods are wrong.

Companies like Brighthouse exploit families, who have no other way to

furnish their homes. So, will the Prime Minister look at capping these

interest rates, to help those who are just about managing?

Well, the honourable gentleman raises an important issue and I

recognise there are many people who are just about managing, who are

struggling to get by, who did find themselves actually having to revert

to support from companies who do, sadly, as we see, charge the sort of

interest rates he is talking about. Of course action has been taken in

relation to some of these activities in the past. But I will look at the

issue he raised. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Across the

country, and particularly in Kent, lorry fly park something a blight.

It's antisocial and dangerous. Will my right honourable friend, the

Prime Minister, support my campaign for more lorry parking spaces, more

effective enforcement and ultimately, a ban on lorries parking

in unauthorised places? Well, I recognise the concern my

honourable friend has raised. This is one I think is shared by many

Kent MPs, who see this problem only too closely in their own

constituencies. Can I assure her that the Government shares the

desire to ensure that we don't see this fly parking of lorries across

Kent, that we do provide suitable lorry parking facilities in Kent. I

know that my right honourable friend, the minister for roads, is

looking at this issue very carefully indeed. I recognise it from my time

as the Home Secretary, the pressure at particular times that can be put

on the roads and villages and towns in Kent, in relation to this. It is

something that Government is working on and we will find a solution.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Now we know, courtesy of the

Government's own infrastructure watchdog, that mobile coverage in

the UK is worse than Romania, will the Prime Minister take steps to

introduce a universal service obligation, in the Highlands, it is

fair typical to get the message, no signal. It would often be better to

use carrier pigeons. Will the Prime Minister recognise this is not

acceptable and will she take responsibility? It's time to connect

the Highlands to the rest of the world.

Well, I can assure the honourable gentleman that the issue of decent

mobile coverage isn't one that only affects the Highlands. There are

some other parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland that also get

affected by it, but the Government has very strong commitments in

relation to this. We have very strong commitments in relation to

broadband and my right honourable friend, the Culture Secretary, will

be delivering on those. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker,

money cannot compensate somebody who has been charged accused of a very

similar offence and then finds the details of that are in the press,

along with their name. Nothing can restore, in truth, their reputation,

after it has been thrashed in those circumstances. In 2011 I tried it

change the law in a private member's bill. Today, Sir Bernard Hogan how

said now is the time to introduce new legislation. Would the Prime

Minister, agree to at least consider changing the law, so that everyone,

with a few exceptions, should have a right anonymity if they are a

suspect in criminal proceedings, until such time as they are charged?

Quite right. I recognise the interest that my honourable friend

has taken in this particular issue. As she will know, it is one that has

been debated on a number of occasions in this House. The general

assumption is that somebody should not be named before the point of

charge but there is an allowance for the police to be be able to raise

somebody's name if it is a case where they believe that doing that

will help, perhaps, to find other victims coming forward. This has

been particularly of concern where it is matters of sexual violence, of

rain, for example, or where they believe -- of rape, for example, or

where they believe the naming of the individual will help in the

detection of the crime. But this is a delicate issue. I recognise the

concern my honourable friend has shown. The college of politician is

looking at this issue very carefully. -- the college of

policing. They are Go going to deliver new

guidance in the new year in relation to this issue to the media. The

heartbreaking humanitarian crisis and genocide in Syria, continues to

take place as the world watches on impotently, yet there is still no

end in sight. Does the Prime Minister agree with the right

honourable member for Tatton, that what is happening in Syria is a

failure of Western leadership and does she agree with me, that what is

now urgently required, is what our dear friend, Jo Cox called for,

nearly a year ago, and that is - a UK-led strategy to protect

civilians. Whether it is those fleeing persecution. Whether it is

those surrendering themselves or those that are still besieged?

We must all take responsibility for decisions we have taken, whether we

take those decisions sitting around National Security Council table or

indeed this House, in taking the decision that it did in 2013. The

honourable lady raises the question of a UK-led action in relation to

the protection of civilians. It is the UK that has been pressing for

action inside the United Nations' Security Council, working with the

French, the two most recent emergency UN Security Council

meetings were those that we called for. The most recent of those took

place yesterday. As I'm sure the honourable lady will know, there

have been six UN Security Council resolutions which have been vetoed

by Russia. The most recent also vetoed by China. We are continuing

to work with the United Nations, but if we are to get a solution that

works on the ground, then it has to be a solution that is actually

bought into by other countries and it has to be a solution that Russia

is going to buy into as well as the regime.

Ment Thank you, Mr Speaker, I have received a message from Nick from

Grantham. Actually it was a text message from our honourable friend

the member for Grantham and Stanford. For the avoidance of doubt

this is one text message he is willing to be read in public. Mr

Speaker, getting rid of his tumour and making a swift return to this

place and nothing matters more to him than that, than ensuring around

the clock emergency services are restored had his local hospital in

gran that. Will my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, receive

the petition he has organised, ensure that the passionate views of

his constituents are heard and, above all, reassure people, in this

rural area, that they will always have access to safe, emergency care

for them and their families? Well, can I first of all, I'm sure

that the thoughts of the whole House are our honourable friend, the

member for Grantham and Sandford and can I wish him the very best for his

recovery as he goes through this illness. And I recognise the

strength of feeling that he has about the emergency services in his

local hospital. I believe that there are also concerns that are shared by

ou new honourable friend, the member for Sleaford and I can assure my

honourable friend the member for Grantham and Sandford, that the

process that is taking place in looking at the development of local

services, is about listening to local people, hearing the local

voice and about ensuring that the services available to local people

in their area are the right services for that area and that can be

delivered safely and securely for local people.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. At the last election, the Conservative Party

manifesto said, "We will help local authorities keep council tax low for

hard-working tax payers and ensure residence will continue to veto

rises comboep "Tax payers in my area face paying more with no veto

because of the account of Government's failure to tackle the

social care crisis, so will the Prime Minister now admit her pledge

on council tax has been bane donned. I have to say obviously we put the

social care precept in place, in recognition of the pressures on

social care but I'm pleased to say we have seen many examples over the

country, of good local authorities, actually ensuring they were keeping

council tax down, including may I say the Royal Borough of Windsor and

Maidenhead which cut council tax, for six years running.

Mr Speaker, on 14th August, my constituents George Lowe and Ben

Barker were the victims of a vicious knife attack in eye nappia. George

Lowe sadly died later that day from his injuries. The two culprits fled

to northern Cyprus where they were actually arrested in unrelated

matters. Despite representations made by the Foreign Office, one of

these men was recently able to simply walk free and it is feared

the second man will follow shortedly. Will the Prime Minister

do all she can to help bring justice for George Lowe and Ben Barker for

what was an horrific, vicious attack that was completely without

provocation and has bob devastating for both of their families? -- and

has been. I'm sure all of us across the House would want to send our

deepest sympathies to the family of George Lowe and our best wishes for

a full recovery for Ben Barker from the terrible injuries that he

suffered at what my honourable friend said was a violent and

unprovoked attack. The previous time this case was raised by the relevant

Government was during by the Foreign Secretary during his visit to Cyprus

and he clearly set out his desire to see those guilty brought to justice.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to offer support to

those familiar lanes we'll continue to raise this issue and I'm sure the

Foreign Office will keep my honourable friend informed of any

developments. . Many food and drink projects have benefited a European

scheme, with a guarantees the Prime Minister can give us that we'll

continue to get that protection, should we end up leaving the EU?

Well, first of all, of course, issues like that are ones that we

will be needing to address as we look at the arrangement that is will

be in place, following the EU I'm sure everybody would recognise the

significant of the Arbroath smokey and, indeed other products around

the UK. But, can I just say to the honourable gentleman, at the end

there, he should "should we leave the EU." I can tell him we will be

leaving the EU. Thank you, Mr Spearer, on December

19th, 35 years ago, 16 people lost their lives in ferocious storms off

the coast of West Cornwall. Eight lives were men who launched their

lifeboat to rescue the crew of the Union Star. 35 years later, this

tragedy still haunts the village and many people mark this referry year.

Would the Prime Minister join with me in marking this day, and pay

credit to those men and women who risk their lives for those in peril

on the sea. I thank my honourable friend for raising this issue. I

absolutely join him in marking the 35th anniversary of the Penlee

lifeboat tragedy and sending our sympathies to all those families

affected but also to the local communities who were affected, as he

has set out. Finally I'm sure everybody in this House would want

to pay tribute to the RNLI. The tireless work they do. It is an

island. It is important we have that security and safety around our

shores. The RNLI work tirelessly to protect people, who, as my

honourable friend say are in peril on the sea and we pay tribute to

them. The Prime Minister knows that I and

colleagues from all parties across this House are keen to guarantee the

rights of some 3 million EU and EA citizens in this country. This will

be the largest administrative task the Home Office has ever undertaken.

Could I encourage her to look at the report producedes by British Futures

which suggests practical suggestions on how the Home Office can implement

this and possibly encourage the Home Secretary to update us on any

progress made? Well, I say to the honourable lady I'm keen to ensure

we can protect the rights of EU citizens living here but I'm also

keen that UK citizens' rights for those living in the EU are

protected. The home Serbs I think is aware of the proposals that have

been put forward and is looking at them very carefully. Thank you very

much, Mr Speaker. In October, hundreds of people from -- the Home

Secretary Hundreds of people from across European attended a neo-Nazi

in my constituency. What steps is the what happens taking about this?

Can we make it clear there is no allowance for racial hatred. Earlier

this week my right honourable friend, the Home Secretary,

proscribed the Right Wing Organisation National action, which

means being a member of or inviting support for that organisation will

be a criminal efence. I think it is important we take every step we can

to stop racial hatred in this country. I was pleased to announce

on Monday, that Britain will be the first country in Europe it adopt the

International Haul cast Remembrance Alliance's definition of

anti-Semitism. Yesterday, I met with the CEO of

Providence Financial, one of two FTSE 100 companies in Bradford, yes,

outside of London right in the heart of the North and being in my

condition constituencicy. We agreed that for Bradford to fulfil the

potential of its young #350e78 we need better educational outcomes and

transport. Having been overlooked for so long, can I invite the Prime

Minister to come and meet the leaders of my great city and pave

the way for long overdue investment in Bradford.

-- of its young people. The honourable lady is right to talk

about what is needed that's why I'm pleased the say there has been an

increase of 16,000 people in Bradford who are at good or

outstanding schools since 2010. We are taking control of quality

education but I want it make sure there are enough good school places

for children across the council and this is' what our education

consultation is B I came to PMQs today from an incredibly moving and

powerful private session with the DWP Select Committee, talking and

listening to four Vic tilts of modern slavery who are living in

safe houses. I don't think I will ever forget it in my life. Please

would the Prime Minister take her enshoes yachl -- victims. -- please

would she take her passion and work with the Secretary of State for

Pensions. These people are vulnerable. When thee come to job

centres their back cases are not understood. The same as women and

survivors of domestic violence they need to be fast-tracked F ever they

need the state to step up and support them, please can we do more?

My honourable friend is absolutely right. I think nothing brings home

to one more than anything else, the absolute horrific nature of the

crime of modern slavery, than actually sitting down hearing the

testimony of a Vic ti. These people have gone through the horrendous,

dehumanising experiences very often and it is absolutely right that the

Government brought forward the Modern Slavery Be a. It is right

that we have been looking at how Victim Support is provided and the

international referral member you nichl and a number of steps and

we'll work with the DWP. My honourable friend refers to job

centres but it isn't just job centres. We need to ensure that

those in authority who come into contact with people who have been

the victims of modern slavery, are able it recognise those signs and

are able to treat it in the way and deal with people, sensitively and

sympathetically in an appropriate way.

Thank you I don't think the Prime Minister has any idea of the level

of suffering and pain that rail passengers and businesses in

Brighton and beyond are suffering. And it is not just on strike days.

This has been going on for well over 18 months. So, given the failure of

her passive Transport Secretary who apparently has no intention of

acting to deal with this utterly incompetent company, will she sack

him, strip DCR of the franchise and freeze fares for long-suffering

passengers? Well, first of all my right

honourable friend the Transport Secretary has been taking steps in

relation to the general performance of southern railway. We've stepped

in to invest ?20 million to specifically tackle the issue and

bring a rapid improvement to services. We announced the delay

repay 15 from 11th December for whole of Southern which will make it

easier for passengers to complam exceptcation. We've nounsed a refund

for a month's travel. So we have been looking at that wider issue. --

we've announced. But the honourable lady raises the question of the

current strievenlingt there is only one body responsible for the current

strike, ASLEF. This is a strike from the trade union and she should be

standing up and condemning that strike because it is passengers who

suffer. Thank you, Mr Speaker, the ?1.5

billion additional funding for the Bether care fund is both needed and

welcome. But, the problem is, that this money is not available until

2019. Will my Right Honourable Friend look at seeing whether some

of this funding can be drawndown earlier than, that in order to

alleviate the pressure on social care in areas such as Devon, where

there is a very high level of elderly people?

Well, my right honourable friend raises an important point bht

short-term pressures there are on social care. Thass' why the

Government has been looking at what measures can be taken to alleviate

the short-term pressures. My right honourable friend the Communities'

Secretary will be making the statement on the local government

finance settlement tomorrow. We need to look at the medium-term

delivering issues and longer term assurance to provide to people in

order to ensure we have a sustainable system of care that

gives people the comfort of knowing they will be cared for in their old

age. Can I join colleagues who have

earlier on urged people in this house and beyond to go out and buy

the Jo Coxp foundation single by the excellent MP 4 not just available in

download but in hard copy for those of us who prefer that kind of thing.

Every day, Mr Speaker, since Brexit result on 23rd June, seems to have

been a good day to bury bad news. The worst news is in our social care

and health system. The daily wave of tragedies indignatory tis and near

posts, the short fall in social care funding and thousands ofp hospital

advice its cancelled. Yesterday the NHS and social care said they needed

more money and the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not offer a single

extra money for health or social care within the Autumn Statement.

Which of the two does she agree with? Will she take this opportunity

to provide health and social care, give it the money it needs this side

of Christmas? The Secretary of State for

Communities and Local Government will be making a statement tomorrow

on the local Government finance settlement. I suggest the right

honourable gentleman wait for that statement.

Back in 2010, the overseas aid budget was around ?7 billion a year.

By 2020, it will have more than doubled to over ?15 million a year.

The short fall in social care funding by 2020 is estimated at

about ?2.5 billion. Surely the Government priority should be to

look after the elderly, vulnerable and disabled people in our own

country, before we hand money over to other countries? Will the Prime

Minister take some of that money, a small amount of that increase from

the overseas aid budget and spend it on elderly, vulnerable and disabled

people in our own country? Surely charity begins at home?

I think it is absolutely right that the Government is taking steps in

relation to the pressures on social care here in the United Kingdom but

I would say to my honourable friend, I think it is also important for us

that we do take consideration of those who are in different

circumstances across the world. I think that the record that this

Government has of ensuring that 0.7% of our GDP is spent over overseas

aid is a record second to none. I think we should all be proud of the

help and support we are giving to people around the world who are

living off an incredibly difficult circumstance. So we look after old

people here in the UK, we also take that moral responsibility for people

around the world seriously as well. And the final Prime Minister's

Questions of 2016 comes to an end. It did officially past the 45 minute

mark, which I think makes it the longest Prime Minister's Questions

in recent times, if not the longest ever. 46 minutes by our studio clock

here. It seems to go by but it was a PMQs in which Mr Corbyn, Leader of

the Opposition, performed strongly, perhaps learning from Emily

Thornberry, who stood in for him last week, by narrowing the

questions down into one specific area and going for that again and

again, particularly where the Prime Minister has trouble answering, and

on this occasion it was social care, in which there is talk of a crisis

and a lack of funding and the Government moving several ways to

try to plug the holes in the system and Mr Corbyn pushed the Prime

Minister, saying this was the tipping point, central government

had to take more responsibility, that the local government precept

alone may help but was certainly not the answer to the increasing demands

of social care and there were areas where the Prime Minister had trouble

giving a full answer to that. There will be another statement tomorrow.

Before we look into that of it, let's hear what you made PMQs. What

did the viewers think? The majority was about social care.

Dorothy said, very disappointed with Theresa May. Social care isn't a

joke for elderly people stranded in hospital. She is in

denial about the crisis in social care. We should all pay a bit more

through taxation to spread the cost. This from Andy. Every time Jeremy

Corbyn opens his mouth, he spent taxpayers' money. That scares the

hell out of the electorate and his usual comment about stopping the

lowering of corporation tax scares the hell out of investors. Joan asks

how raising council tax helps last week's major concerns, the Jams,

just about managing. The primaries to mention the number

of areas in which she thought we were doing things to try to address

this problem but the precept which local authorities will now be able

to add on to the council tax which, provided they spend it in social

care, is that different from the Prime Minister saying she will

address immediate pressures or is that the addressing the immediate

pressures? I think that is the addressing of immediate pressures

with the two problems with that, most people who are familiar with

the problem say it is not nearly enough. And of course better off

areas have a bigger tax base to raise money, so better off councils,

as Jeremy Corbyn were suggesting, in better of areas of the country, it

will be easy for them to get extra cash, worse off areas will find it

harder. But I thought what was really interesting about the Prime

Minister's comments on social care - and you were right, she was

struggling to give full and dozens of them because the Government is

vulnerable on this issue - was that she did promise several times that

they will find a long-term solution. In fact we know that the Cabinet

office is being instructed to try to come up with some way out of what is

a black hole here and we also know that before the referendum, Number

Ten was considering a cross-party commission that has been urged by

many people, Sarah Wollaston joining her voice, to take a cross-party

approach because it seems even a private acknowledgement that many

politicians have made behind closed doors for some time that this system

is going to work for much longer is starting to come out into the

public, that the government has to find a better solution. They have

said it before but always bottled it. I wonder if it will be best in

with looking at the triple lock for pensioners. This is one of the

interesting things. The general welfare of pensioners may be seen as

a broader picture than just pension payment. Minister suggested that to

me in the last week or so that it was one of the things that they

might look at, do you somehow read version the idea of guaranteeing

support for the... I will bring Peddie

mordant in. What is the answer to the issue that Jeremy Corbyn raised?

If it is an affluent area, you have a big tax base so you put council

tax by 3%, a lot of big houses, they pay council tax, you get a lot of

money in and the poorer areas don't. And those deprived areas - I'm

generalising - ten to have a higher social care need an poorer health

outcomes. This is a leak from the announcement tomorrow but I would be

surprised if that issue wasn't addressed. There are things like the

Better Care Fund, there are things that could be announced. That is

there already. We've discussed it before on this programme, the danger

is that the areas that, in a sense, need at the least extra social care

have the biggest tax base to raise it, the areas that have the biggest

need more social care have the weakest tax base. It doesn't seem to

be a sustainable solution to social care provision. I think that is

absolutely the case. We will have to see exactly what is announced, in

terms of the precept and what else might be announced tomorrow. It was

very interesting, the Prime Minister's emphasis on something

else being done. We will have to wait and see but you're right, that

issue has to be addressed. Good Labour meet all the demands of

social care, which are quite extensive, into the billions, and

still keep its promise to balance current budgets? Spending on social

care is current spending. York -- you are quite right, there is a

focus on the integration of long-term, but we've got to do

something fundamental to address what is a crisis. We've got to have

the government acknowledging that the crisis exists and what we are

hearing thus far is simply that the poorer areas will do worse off on

every single occasion. We have it when it comes to the tax base across

the business rates collection as well. It is or was punishing and

dividing. We've got to have a much more redistributive approach to

local government funding. We will no doubt be covering the statement

tomorrow. We have to leave it there because the Speaker has left as much

time for the rest of the show and we don't want to bump into the one

o'clock news, which Laura is probably going to do, so we'd better

let you go. Off for the rest of 2016! Last one of the year. Merry

Christmas. And to you and all of our DP devotees.

Philip Davies, the Conservative MP and well-known campaigner for men's

rights, is set to join the Women and Equalities Committee

Now, that's raised a few eyebrows - not because Philip Davies is a man,

there are already two of them on the committee -

but because Mr Davies has previously derided what he calls "militant

feminists" and he even described the creation of the Women

and Equalities Committee as "depressing".

Well, Philip Davies joins me now from Central Lobby, as does

the Co-Leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas.

Welcome to both of you. Philip Davies, if you think the committee

is depressing, why are you joining? The committee is there whether I

like it not so if I can bring some common sense to the committee, that

is surely a good thing, in the same way that Ukip used to take their

seats in the UK Parliament not because they were fans of the EU

Parliament or what it represented but because they it to account. They

didn't just want to hold to account, they wanted to actually end our

involvement in the parliament. Is that what you are going to do with

this committee, try and bring it down, break it up? I would prefer it

if it was to score the equalities commission, I don't see why it needs

to be called the women and equalities commission. You can still

go women's issues on a committee called equalities but it seems to

indicate that there are no issues for men and clearly there are issues

where men suffer so I don't see why it can't just be called the

equalities commission. What do you think about that, Caroline? I hope

that the time he spends on the committee will be an opportunity for

him to understand a bit more about entrenched sexism in our society, so

this is an MP who has been saying, as you said, that this committee

shouldn't even exist, that that it was going ahead and yet he is now

hoping to take his position on it and I just think that we need MPs on

committee who recognise, for example, the level of the gender pay

gap, who recognise the disproportionate violence against

women, who recognise that there is still a very long way to go in

business, politics and just every sphere of life where women are

discriminated against and we need to have concerted effort to support

women. I'm not against having actions to support men, and Philip

does a good job doing that, but let him do that in his work there and

let the women and equalities party carry on, rather than having him, a

person who says he is taking his lead from Ukip in the European

Parliament - as we know they are trying to bring down the presence of

the European parliament. That's not a very good precedent. Do you

understand the issues of entrenched sexism, Philip Davies, as Caroline

Lucas is just outlined? Do you understand those issues? Absolutely.

There are lots of issues that affect women. There is a gender pay gap,

there is also a part-time gender pay gap where women are paid more than

men. Two thirds of domestic violence are women but one third are men.

Issues affecting women should be tackled on the committee but there

are issues that affect men and I don't see why they should be

excluded from having their views on what is supposed to be an equalities

commission. I believe in equality where gender should be irrelevant

and that's what I want to try to bring to the committee. What's wrong

with that? When we have a society where women and men are equally

represented in the different spheres of power in this country, that is

the time to the debate that wants to have. If you want to go ahead and

organise and raise issues around men's equality and a very serious

issues around suicide rates for men and so forth, by all means please go

and do that, we support that, but to have a presence on the committee

when he doesn't believe the committee should exist, to have a

presence who thinks this is about feminist zealots, as he put it, that

Timmy doesn't suggest this is going to be a very constructive

contribution to the work of the committee. One might say you haven't

started off well in terms of the language you've used, feminine

zealots being just one of the terms you've used to describe people like

Caroline Lucas on the committee, but also you commented at an event

organised by a group called justice for men and boys, who have said that

women are whiny, gormless, toxic liars. Were you right to give a

speech at their conference? I appear on the BBC but I'm happy the

greatest fan of the BBC and so just because you appear on a flat form

doesn't mean that that means you endorse everything about that

organisation. -- platform. If that was the case, I would never appear

on the BBC, if you were setting up to give a barrier. People should

listen to what I actually said, play the case that men and women are

treated equally when they go before the courts. The only difference

between me and Caroline is that I want this committee to be called the

equalities committee and she just wanted to be called the women's

committee. I believe in genuine equality between the genders, races,

sexes... You've got a funny way of showing it! What he should be doing

right now on December 14 is giving us all a Christmas present by saying

this is all a joke and he's not going to be on the committee because

everything he's just been saying does not convince me

this is going to be a constructive presence on the committee. There is

serious work to be done, around women and disabilities, the gender

pay gap, which are still glaring when it comes to women, women in

politics. These are issues that need concerted action now. Is it a joke,

your application? No, and I would have thought Caroline would have

been the one person who want to protect people with minority

opinions in parliament. The day you are a minority, a white, Anglo-Saxon

man, I don't think so. It seems Caroline wants people to be on the

committee only if they agree with her and surely the point is to have

a range of opinions, otherwise what is the point of an all-party select

committee if people can only get on there if they agree with Caroline?

It sounds like you will get on there because you are standing unopposed

but, of course, any member of Parliament can block the appointment

or election to this committee. Would you try to block a? I will talk to

others and see what strategies they are pursuing. We

need to have a proper hearing with Philip and just check out that he

doesn't think the people who are standing up for things like equal

pay or standing up for women in the justice system are feminist zealots.

Maybe he should have a role and he could learn something. I'm sure

you're going to get on really well on this committee. Thanks very much.

A white Anglo-Saxon man - you don't hear that very often!

There's just time to put you out of your misery and give

The one o'clock news is starting over on BBC One now.

Jo and I will be here at noon tomorrow with all the big

When I look in your eyes, I think, "Where's the energy?"

You're not exactly a forceful character.

He's probably going to tell everyone how the nation consumes

You all right there? Oh, it's a very exciting day