08/02/2017

:00:39. > :00:41.Morning folks - welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:42. > :00:43.The Commons gets its final say today on the Bill authorising

:00:44. > :00:49.Have the Government offered MPs a concession with a vote

:00:50. > :00:57.The Speaker is no stranger to controversy, but has

:00:58. > :01:02.he overstepped the mark by condemning the leader of the free

:01:03. > :01:05.world and banning him from Parliament during his state visit?

:01:06. > :01:07.Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are still allowed in

:01:08. > :01:11.They will face each other at PMQs at midday.

:01:12. > :01:15.We'll bring you that live and uninterrupted.

:01:16. > :01:29.MPs take aim at the sea birds that have become a seaside pest.

:01:30. > :01:37.All that in the next 90 minutes of the very finest public service

:01:38. > :01:40.broadcasting and with us for the duration today and looking

:01:41. > :01:42.about as relaxed as two anxious holidaymakers protecting their fish

:01:43. > :01:45.and chips from aerial bombardment, the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb

:01:46. > :01:47.and the Shadow Transport Secretary, Andy Macdonald.

:01:48. > :01:53.First this morning - was it or wasn't it a concession?

:01:54. > :01:59.Yesterday the Brexit Minister, David Jones, told MPs

:02:00. > :02:02.that they would get a vote on the deal that Theresa May

:02:03. > :02:10.brings back at the end of Brexit negotiations.

:02:11. > :02:13.It would be a vote on the divorce settlement and Britain's

:02:14. > :02:16.new relationship with the EU and would happen before a vote

:02:17. > :02:19.in the European Parliament to ratify the deal.

:02:20. > :02:24.Labour's Brexit Secretary, Kier Starmer, welcomed it

:02:25. > :02:26.as a meaningful concession - others said that MPs

:02:27. > :02:36.Let's have a listen to some of those exchanges in the Commons.

:02:37. > :02:42.I can confirm that the Government will bring forward a motion

:02:43. > :02:45.on the final agreement to be approved by both Houses

:02:46. > :02:49.We expect and intend that this will happen before

:02:50. > :02:53.the European Parliament debates and votes on the final agreement.

:02:54. > :03:04.Minister, I am very grateful for that intervention.

:03:05. > :03:08.That is a huge and very important concession about the process

:03:09. > :03:17.The argument I have made about a vote...

:03:18. > :03:25.The argument I have made about a vote over the last three

:03:26. > :03:28.months is that the vote must cover both the article 50 deal and any

:03:29. > :03:32.I know that for my colleagues, that is very important,

:03:33. > :03:35.and that that vote must take place before the deal is concluded.

:03:36. > :03:39.is a debate right at the end of the process

:03:40. > :03:41.and a point, we don't know where exactly,

:03:42. > :03:45.but seemingly right at the dog days of the process,

:03:46. > :03:49.and a choice at that point between the deal that is on offer,

:03:50. > :03:52.which in my view is likely to be a bad deal

:03:53. > :03:55.because it is predicated itself

:03:56. > :03:57.on our leaving the single market, leaving the customs union,

:03:58. > :03:59.the rock-hard Brexit that we all feared, and no deal.

:04:00. > :04:04.then as the minister has confirmed here today,

:04:05. > :04:06.what the country will face

:04:07. > :04:15.is exiting the European Union on WTO terms.

:04:16. > :04:22.Nick Gibb, is it a concession? It is a clarification. What is new

:04:23. > :04:25.yesterday is the date. It'll happen before a vote in the European

:04:26. > :04:28.Parliament. The Prime Minister has always been clear the Parliament

:04:29. > :04:31.would have a vote in terms of the deal on the process and she is

:04:32. > :04:35.confident, the Government is confident we will get a good deal

:04:36. > :04:38.with the European Union. It is in both our interests to secure that

:04:39. > :04:42.deal and I think we will. Why is it different are from what the Prime

:04:43. > :04:46.Minister said in her now famous Lancaster House speech only three

:04:47. > :04:51.weeks ago, "The Government will put the final deal that is agreed

:04:52. > :04:54.between the UK and the EU to both Houses of Parliament before it comes

:04:55. > :04:57.into force." That's what I said. That has been the position for

:04:58. > :05:01.sometime since that speech. What is new yesterday is the timing. That's

:05:02. > :05:08.it? A clarification? Yes, clarification of when it'll take

:05:09. > :05:11.place. So why, Andy Macdonald Macdonald did Kier Starmer say "It

:05:12. > :05:16.was a huge and important concession." We heard the minister

:05:17. > :05:19.say that the draft agreement would come before Parliament, not the

:05:20. > :05:25.final agreement, to be debated and voted upon. This was a huge shift.

:05:26. > :05:28.What we were offered in the past at latch caster House, the final

:05:29. > :05:34.agreement will come before Parliament, yes or not. This will

:05:35. > :05:39.not be the final agreement, a draft agreement. What is the difference?

:05:40. > :05:43.Because it can be amendedes and period ex-stoneded for transitional

:05:44. > :05:47.arrangements. Can it be amended? I don't think it K it is about

:05:48. > :05:51.bringing the final draft agreement to Parliament and the Prime Minister

:05:52. > :05:54.will only bring an agreement to Parliament that she thinks is a good

:05:55. > :05:56.deal and that will take place after a considerable period of

:05:57. > :05:59.negotiation. It is in all our interests. The interests of the

:06:00. > :06:03.European countries and Britain to have a good deal that ensure that is

:06:04. > :06:05.we can continue trading on favourable terms, with industry in

:06:06. > :06:09.Germany and France and throughout the European Union. If you vote

:06:10. > :06:13.against it, this final draft agreement. You don't send the

:06:14. > :06:19.Government back to renegotiate, my understanding of the Government's

:06:20. > :06:23.line is - then we crash out shall as some people put it, on World Trade

:06:24. > :06:27.Organisation rules. That's at final option, I suppose. But at the end of

:06:28. > :06:30.the day, it is up to the Government to come back and persuade the House.

:06:31. > :06:35.They have the majority. They have to persuade their own side this

:06:36. > :06:37.represents a good deal. Of course, I don'tunder stand where the

:06:38. > :06:40.concession comes from. This is what the Government has been saying it'll

:06:41. > :06:45.doo for some time. It'll have a vote. Do it'll do. But it is not a

:06:46. > :06:49.vote to go back and think again, it is a vote to either accept the draft

:06:50. > :06:54.deal or we leave on non-negotiated terms. There is a huge chunk missing

:06:55. > :06:58.here. Because there are two sides to this. It is the divorce settlement

:06:59. > :07:01.itselfp and the new terms of dealing, both elements are to be

:07:02. > :07:06.brought before the House. That's been clarified by the Government and

:07:07. > :07:09.that is to be welcomed. Except you just can't change them. Well they

:07:10. > :07:18.have to persuade the House that it is acceptable and if we have a

:07:19. > :07:22.system scrutiny and examination, and we are examining between the

:07:23. > :07:27.pro-Serbs the Government have to come up to something acceptable. --

:07:28. > :07:30.between the process. Well you are between a rock and hard place, you

:07:31. > :07:35.may not think it is good enough, you vote against t you end up in a hard

:07:36. > :07:38.place, you fall off the rovenlingted That is he at pressure on the

:07:39. > :07:41.Government to make sure they come back with a deal that's acceptable

:07:42. > :07:45.and persuades Parliament. That's where the pressure will apply. Am I

:07:46. > :07:49.right this thinking you will have this vote five months before we are

:07:50. > :07:53.due to leave? Well, we'll have the vote when the agreement has been

:07:54. > :07:56.reached. All this Bill is about, a simple Bill we have been debating

:07:57. > :08:01.this week and last week, it has two clauses. One clause is the title and

:08:02. > :08:06.the other clause is about Article 50. You will forgive me. I'm asking

:08:07. > :08:10.about the time. Is it your understanding, I think it is what

:08:11. > :08:14.from what ministers were saying, it'll come about five months before

:08:15. > :08:18.we are due to leave? If that's what the minister said then that's the

:08:19. > :08:21.timing but the key thing is that the Parliament is being given a vote on

:08:22. > :08:25.the terms of the agreement and MPs have to take the same level of

:08:26. > :08:31.responsibility that ministers are taking as they negotiate... However

:08:32. > :08:35.they vote, we leave. Yes. So, it is a Hobson's choice? Well, the same

:08:36. > :08:39.choice ministers V the British people have said they want us to

:08:40. > :08:43.leave the European yuvenlt -- ministers have. And leave the

:08:44. > :08:47.European Union and the Prime Minister has said we will be leaving

:08:48. > :08:50.the European Union. Between now and then we'll negotiate the best-deal

:08:51. > :08:53.possible and I'm confident she will and we will bring that to

:08:54. > :08:57.Parliament. The decision of whether we stay or not in the European Union

:08:58. > :09:01.has been taken and Parliament has to deliver on the decision of the

:09:02. > :09:04.British people. What makes you think, what makes any of you think,

:09:05. > :09:08.whether you are Brexit or Remain, what makes you think a deal would be

:09:09. > :09:13.ready five months before we are due to come out? As someone who has

:09:14. > :09:16.covered Brussels negotiations, I have never seen Brussels operate

:09:17. > :09:20.like that. I have been covering events where they were so late they

:09:21. > :09:24.had to stop the clock in order to meet the timetable? Well there are

:09:25. > :09:27.huge anxieties about trying to get through this under that tight time

:09:28. > :09:31.scale because it is tight, you are absolutely right but what it means

:09:32. > :09:34.is, if we don't get a deal that's acceptable. It is effectively a bad

:09:35. > :09:39.deal and that's what we have to recognise. It has to persuade people

:09:40. > :09:46.in that time scale. All I would say is - we must be sensible about this.

:09:47. > :09:48.If it isn't done, there must be a transitional arrangement or

:09:49. > :09:52.extension of the period. Those are the options available but that must

:09:53. > :09:55.come from the EU as well. The practiceticalities of Parliament

:09:56. > :09:58.voting against this would leave the Government in an impossible

:09:59. > :10:03.position, would it not? The Government would have done a deal,

:10:04. > :10:07.it says, "This is the best we can get." Then presents this final draft

:10:08. > :10:15.to the British Parliament. The British Parliament says no. What are

:10:16. > :10:18.the Europeans going to think? The British Government would've had its

:10:19. > :10:22.legs cut beneath its knees, they are not going to of give us a Bert deal?

:10:23. > :10:26.These are the decisions Members of Parliament will be taking. -- a

:10:27. > :10:29.better deenchts they'll have to take that into account when they have to

:10:30. > :10:33.vote on the agreement. This is an important decision all of us will be

:10:34. > :10:36.taking. So far on the vote in the Bill. So far on the debates on the

:10:37. > :10:40.issue, there has been overwhelming support to deliver the verdict of

:10:41. > :10:43.the British people. I have absolute confidence that the deal that will

:10:44. > :10:48.be brought will be a favourable deal that we will support. Sure and time

:10:49. > :10:52.will tell. And we'll want to vote for that deal. We are still unclear

:10:53. > :10:56.how some Labour people are going to vote tonight. Clive Lewis, the

:10:57. > :10:59.Shadow Business Secretary, he was doorstepped this morning. He let's

:11:00. > :11:04.listen to what he said. REPORTER: Is this going to be your last day in

:11:05. > :11:10.the Shadow Cabinet? I have to make a decision on how I vote, haven't I?

:11:11. > :11:15.How long have you been there for? It is so cold. If I start running, you

:11:16. > :11:20.are not going to run after us. I don't think we have it in us. Can

:11:21. > :11:26.you tell us which way you are going to vote? I don't know. I'm going to

:11:27. > :11:30.make my mind up. A lot on my plate. A lot on everyone's plate. We will

:11:31. > :11:36.see what happens in the lobbies. You guys will be the first to know. Is

:11:37. > :11:41.it your intention to back your leader? It is my decision to back my

:11:42. > :11:45.constituents and I have to think about the Labour Party. It is a

:11:46. > :11:48.tough kau. I think lots of MPs are having a tough time on this. One

:11:49. > :11:53.final thought, if you defy the whip will you resign your position in the

:11:54. > :11:57.Shadow Cabinet? I think if you defy the whip you do resign, that's the

:11:58. > :12:01.protocould. I have been having aer long, hard think, like lots of MPs,

:12:02. > :12:08.and I'll make a decision later today and you'll all get to hear about it.

:12:09. > :12:12.If Clive Lewis does defy the whip and votes against the Labour

:12:13. > :12:15.position and he resigns, which he has clearly independenticated that's

:12:16. > :12:21.what he would do, how big a crisis is that for the Labour Party? Well,

:12:22. > :12:26.it's not to be welcomed. We don't want Clive to go nowhere other than

:12:27. > :12:30.stay in the Shadow Cabinet. He is a fantastic member of that Shadow

:12:31. > :12:34.Cabinet. It'll not be a crisis for the Labour Party or Shadow Cabinet

:12:35. > :12:38.Really? I don't think so. I think we have to remember if we have a three

:12:39. > :12:41.line whip we're recognising the country did vote to leave the

:12:42. > :12:48.European Union and we accept that entirely. We are a national party.

:12:49. > :12:50.Oi know people are in all manner of difficulties because we come from

:12:51. > :12:56.constituencies that voted to remain but we have to make that decision

:12:57. > :13:00.and stick to it. Can you reassure a worried nation a concerned nation,

:13:01. > :13:06.that Diane Abbott will be fit enough to vote tonight? Andrew, I think you

:13:07. > :13:12.probably spend more time speaking to Diane Abbott than I do. Not since

:13:13. > :13:16.she joined the Shadow Cabinet, no. #1450e did make her apologies and

:13:17. > :13:21.said she was poorly. It is not my choice to go behind that. I don't

:13:22. > :13:26.know what she will do. Is it true a colleague suggested to have a three

:13:27. > :13:33.line whip to force you all to abstain in this vote? No, I don't

:13:34. > :13:38.know who? Barry gardener? Within which context? Within the Shadow

:13:39. > :13:46.Cabinet. It wasn't discussed? No. Because,

:13:47. > :13:50.Emily Thornbury, who we now also call, Lady Nugee, has said that that

:13:51. > :13:53.would be absurd, that Labour would not have a position on the most

:13:54. > :13:59.important issue currently facing Britain. That is right. It would be

:14:00. > :14:04.ludicrous. Just one final thing, Nick Gibb - does this, now after the

:14:05. > :14:09.February recess, this now goes to the Lords. Does the Lords have any

:14:10. > :14:13.concerns for you? No, I'm confident that the House of Lords will also

:14:14. > :14:18.ratify this Bill. It is a simple Bill and the people have spoken

:14:19. > :14:21.clearly and given that it went - well hopefully will go through the

:14:22. > :14:25.Commons without aamendments, I'm sure the same will happen in the

:14:26. > :14:26.House of Lords. We shall see, all that after the recess which starts

:14:27. > :14:30.on Thursday night. Now, The Speaker John Bercow's

:14:31. > :14:33.decision to announce that President Trump would not be

:14:34. > :14:35.permitted to address Parliament in Westminster Hall has raised

:14:36. > :14:38.questions of whether the Speaker is upholding the traditional

:14:39. > :14:40.neutrality of the role. Whilst his words were praised

:14:41. > :14:43.by many in the Labour Party and the SNP, some Conservative MPs

:14:44. > :14:46.have said that The Speaker should It's not the first time that

:14:47. > :14:52.Mr Bercow has courted controversy. He was once an admirer

:14:53. > :14:59.of Enoch Powell and a member of the right-wing

:15:00. > :15:00.Conservative Monday Club. It was an involvement

:15:01. > :15:02.he would later describe as and as an MP, John Bercow

:15:03. > :15:05.started adopting He resigned from the frontbench

:15:06. > :15:11.after supporting gay adoption He fell out with David Cameron just

:15:12. > :15:21.before he became leader in 2015 - Abandoning hopes of a ministerial

:15:22. > :15:26.career, he became Speaker in 2009 with the help of support

:15:27. > :15:30.from Labour MPs. But David Cameron's government

:15:31. > :15:34.became increasingly frustrated at his perceived bias and ministers

:15:35. > :15:37.launched a plot to get rid of him just before

:15:38. > :15:41.the 2015 General Election. As Speaker, he has been lauded

:15:42. > :15:45.by some for championing the power of the Parliament

:15:46. > :15:48.over the Government. But he's also upset traditionalists

:15:49. > :15:51.by ditching the wig traditionally worn by Speakers -

:15:52. > :15:53.yesterday he announced that Commons His chosen coat of arms incorporates

:15:54. > :16:07.the motto "All are Equal". He's come a long way from the young

:16:08. > :16:10.admirer of Enoch Powell. Now, yesterday, Lord Fowler,

:16:11. > :16:14.the Speaker of the House of Lords, criticised John Bercow for failing

:16:15. > :16:17.to consult him before making his He also suggested the power

:16:18. > :16:20.to veto visiting leaders from addressing Parliament,

:16:21. > :16:21.which is currently held by the two speakers

:16:22. > :16:24.and the Lord Great Chamberlain, should be taken away and a "better

:16:25. > :16:27.way in which such decisions can be Back in the House of Commons, Bercow

:16:28. > :16:37.was also under fire from MPs. The Prime Minister,

:16:38. > :16:44.in the view of many of us, managed to secure a very favourable

:16:45. > :16:47.outcome of what was And whilst I was keen yesterday not

:16:48. > :16:55.to accuse you of an executive order in respect of another matter,

:16:56. > :16:58.I do hope, Mr Speaker, that you will help us to ensure

:16:59. > :17:02.that we can have full confidence in your impartiality,

:17:03. > :17:04.because that is the way that this I was honestly and honourably

:17:05. > :17:11.seeking to discharge I think in the interests

:17:12. > :17:16.of the House, we should move on to other matters, but I thank him

:17:17. > :17:27.for what he has said. We are joined now from Central Lobby

:17:28. > :17:31.by the former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale.

:17:32. > :17:36.You told Sky News yesterday that you got what he had done was damaging to

:17:37. > :17:40.the national interest. Why? There are two problems. The first is

:17:41. > :17:45.obviously that it was a personal attack on President Trump. I have my

:17:46. > :17:49.differences with President Trump, but we have to recognise that he is

:17:50. > :17:54.the elected leader of our closest ally and to attack him in those

:17:55. > :17:56.terms will not help our relations at a time when we are trying to build a

:17:57. > :18:02.stronger relationship with the United States. The second problem is

:18:03. > :18:07.that it put the Speaker firmly on one side in a controversial matter,

:18:08. > :18:14.when the chair needs to remain impartial. Do you think this raises

:18:15. > :18:19.the issue of who, in the end, should decide who gets to speak to

:18:20. > :18:23.Parliament, whether in Westminster Hall, which is the ultimate honour,

:18:24. > :18:27.or the world gallery or other places? Should be taken away from

:18:28. > :18:34.what are known as the three current key-holders of the speakers and the

:18:35. > :18:37.Lord on the Lord Great Chamberlain? Lord Fowler's statement yesterday

:18:38. > :18:42.was good. He suggested that there should be some mechanism which will

:18:43. > :18:48.allow proper consideration, rather than just having the common Speaker

:18:49. > :18:54.fire off without consulting anybody. But in this instance, had it been

:18:55. > :18:58.decided that it was not appropriate for an invitation to come to

:18:59. > :19:03.Parliament to be issued, I would have preferred the Speaker to have

:19:04. > :19:06.said privately to the Prime Minister, please don't ask, because

:19:07. > :19:12.the answer may be no and I don't want to damage our relationship.

:19:13. > :19:16.Therefore, it's better that this matter wasn't raised. There was no

:19:17. > :19:20.need to make the statement yesterday, because the matter had

:19:21. > :19:24.not even arisen yet. Why do you think you did it? I think John

:19:25. > :19:27.Bercow likes playing to the gallery and I am afraid this was a bit of

:19:28. > :19:34.grandstanding. And it was popular on the Labour and SNP benches. Does he

:19:35. > :19:38.pay any consequence for this? A number of your colleagues are

:19:39. > :19:42.unhappy about it. Is there a price to be paid, or does he still command

:19:43. > :19:47.a majority in the House for this sort of thing? The Speaker's

:19:48. > :19:51.position is one which is rarely ever challenged. I respect the chair,

:19:52. > :19:55.just as my colleagues were saying in Parliament yesterday. But John

:19:56. > :20:01.Bercow, when he was elected in 2009, said that he would serve nine years.

:20:02. > :20:06.So he is coming to the end of his term if he keeps to that in any

:20:07. > :20:10.case. I suspect you will start to see people speculating about what

:20:11. > :20:14.happens next. And do you think that what he has done reinforces the case

:20:15. > :20:19.for him sticking to his original timetable on the part? Well, he was

:20:20. > :20:22.very clear that he would serve just the nine years and then step down. I

:20:23. > :20:28.would expect him to fulfil that pledge. John Whittingdale, thank you

:20:29. > :20:33.for joining us. I get the feeling the clock is ticking. Let's get

:20:34. > :20:37.reaction from our guests. Nick Gibb, John Bercow said yesterday he was

:20:38. > :20:40.acting honestly and honourably in vowing to block Donald Trump

:20:41. > :20:43.speaking in parliament. Do you believe him? Well, I am one of the

:20:44. > :20:49.few conservative members of Parliament who voted for John to be

:20:50. > :20:53.Speaker back in 2009, and he has been a very good Speaker. He has

:20:54. > :20:57.improved the rights of backbenchers. He is pacey in terms of his chairing

:20:58. > :21:02.of Question Time. We get through the order paper more. That is why MPs

:21:03. > :21:07.like him. They do. He has also modernised the House of Commons. But

:21:08. > :21:11.he can overstate the significance of what he said. We have a good

:21:12. > :21:16.relationship with the United States which goes back a long way. The

:21:17. > :21:20.Prime Minister was the first head of government to visit the president

:21:21. > :21:22.after he was inaugurated, and I think that relationship will be

:21:23. > :21:30.unaffected by statements by the Speaker. But do you believe he acted

:21:31. > :21:33.honourably and within his remit? I wish he hadn't said what he said. He

:21:34. > :21:37.doesn't speak for the government on this issue. But I think you can

:21:38. > :21:42.overstate whether this matter is, what the Speaker of the House of

:21:43. > :21:48.Commons says. You don't think it is important, in his role as Speaker,

:21:49. > :21:54.making the comments he did about a president of the United States? It

:21:55. > :21:58.is insignificant? Well, I wouldn't have said that, but you can

:21:59. > :22:01.overstate the importance. Except that it is about the Parliamentary

:22:02. > :22:05.side of the state visit. So in a way, it does come in his remit and

:22:06. > :22:11.he would have a say with the other two key-holders, as Andrew called

:22:12. > :22:15.them. So in a sense, it is crucial if he speaks out against it. Why

:22:16. > :22:20.should Trump be invited to speak in parliament, which comes under John

:22:21. > :22:23.Bercow's remit? He can decide these things, but the state visit will go

:22:24. > :22:27.ahead whether or not there is a speech to the joint Houses of

:22:28. > :22:30.Parliament. The relationship between the United Kingdom and the United

:22:31. > :22:34.States will not be affected by the decision. The relationship is good.

:22:35. > :22:38.The relationship between the Prime Minister and President Trump is

:22:39. > :22:43.good. She secured his backing for Nato. And you don't think that will

:22:44. > :22:50.be damaged by what John Bercow has said? No. Do you think Jeremy Corbyn

:22:51. > :22:53.should have commented on it? He's supportive of John Bercow in terms

:22:54. > :22:58.of speaking out against Donald Trump and his visit. Was it the right

:22:59. > :23:02.thing for him to do? I do think it was right for him. As the father of

:23:03. > :23:05.two disabled children, I remember very well the scenes of that

:23:06. > :23:10.would-be candidate mocking somebody with cerebral palsy. I don't want to

:23:11. > :23:15.be in the same room as a person who would behave in that way, and his

:23:16. > :23:18.comments and attitude towards women and the other offences that are

:23:19. > :23:23.well-known, I find deeply uncomfortable. John Bercow was right

:23:24. > :23:29.to lay out how we want to conduct ourselves in our country. There are

:23:30. > :23:34.many who will agree with you in personal terms when it comes to what

:23:35. > :23:39.President Trump has said, but do you think he's just virtue signalling

:23:40. > :23:42.here, John Bercow? Isn't it the case that there have been otherworldly

:23:43. > :23:48.donors who are known for oppression and rights abuses who have had on,

:23:49. > :23:51.if not of addressing both Houses of Parliament, but certainly of

:23:52. > :23:56.addressing MPs in the world gallery? Yes. We have also had Nelson Mandela

:23:57. > :24:02.and Barack Obama address us. It is an honour to be earned. And so

:24:03. > :24:07.quickly into somebody's President Xi... Had President Xi Jinping of

:24:08. > :24:10.China earned it? I understand the point you are making, and it is

:24:11. > :24:16.difficult when you have that obvious conflict. But I am saying that this

:24:17. > :24:19.candidate and now the president of the United States has made his

:24:20. > :24:25.attitudes towards women and disabled people abundantly clear and it is

:24:26. > :24:29.right that we draw a line and say that is not acceptable. Do you think

:24:30. > :24:33.the Emperor of Kuwait, in terms of their views towards women, is that

:24:34. > :24:39.acceptable? The red carpet was rolled out by John Bercow when he

:24:40. > :24:42.came to visit. That is for John Bercow to judge on each occasion. He

:24:43. > :24:48.has made his point with this particular invitation, and I think

:24:49. > :24:52.he made the right comments. He speaks for a lot of people modelled

:24:53. > :24:56.in this country, but the United States as well. Do you think has

:24:57. > :25:00.gone beyond what should be a neutral position in terms of his

:25:01. > :25:04.impartiality? We have already stated that there was a controversy and a

:25:05. > :25:09.2-faced approach when it came to some world leaders and different

:25:10. > :25:12.with Donald Trump. I don't think he has overstated. He asked a question,

:25:13. > :25:19.a point of order was raised and he responded to it in a frank way. John

:25:20. > :25:23.has been a superb Speaker, standing up for the backbenchers, and I would

:25:24. > :25:26.not want to see his position affected. There are reports of a

:25:27. > :25:31.no-confidence motion that might be tabled against John Bercow. Would

:25:32. > :25:35.you support that? I will take a position on that issue at the time,

:25:36. > :25:39.but I think he has been a very good Speaker. He has improved the rights

:25:40. > :25:42.of backbenchers. He has a certain style that doesn't appeal to

:25:43. > :25:48.everybody, but you can overgrow this issue. As he said himself in the

:25:49. > :25:52.House, we should move on. And on that, we will!

:25:53. > :25:55.Now, it's with great dismay that some of my colleagues have learned

:25:56. > :25:57.of the difficulties someone called David Beckham -

:25:58. > :25:59.I'm told he is an association footballer -

:26:00. > :26:01.has had in securing himself a knighthood.

:26:02. > :26:03.Despite charity work, warm words about the Queen and even

:26:04. > :26:06.expressing his undying love for the union between England

:26:07. > :26:09.and Scotland, he remains just plain old Mr Beckham.

:26:10. > :26:11.I know how he feels, I've been trying to ingratiate myself

:26:12. > :26:14.to the establishment for years and haven't got so much

:26:15. > :26:27.Actually, I do have a Blue Peter badge! The script writer didn't know

:26:28. > :26:28.that. But don't worry, David,

:26:29. > :26:30.we've got something you can Yes, just tell us

:26:31. > :26:33.when this happened - and here's a clue, David,

:26:34. > :26:37.it was before you were born. # There'll never be anyone else

:26:38. > :27:14.but you for me # Never ever be, just couldn't be

:27:15. > :27:20.anyone else but you... # What do you want if

:27:21. > :27:25.you don't want money... ..render easier finding a solution

:27:26. > :27:31.to trade problems throughout Europe. NEWSREEL: The designer has given

:27:32. > :27:34.them an attractive look. Not even the heaviest

:27:35. > :27:37.passenger can daunt it. # I've waited so long,

:27:38. > :27:44.a lifetime, it seems # For someone to step right

:27:45. > :27:51.out of my dreams To be in with a chance of winning

:27:52. > :27:58.a Daily Politics mug, send your answer to our special quiz

:27:59. > :28:01.email address - Entries must arrive by 12.30 today,

:28:02. > :28:07.and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess The Year

:28:08. > :28:10.on our website - that's It's coming up to midday here -

:28:11. > :28:19.just take a look at Big Ben - and that can mean only one thing,

:28:20. > :28:22.yes, Prime Minister's And that's not all,

:28:23. > :28:34.Laura Kuenssberg is here. You will have seen the doorstepping

:28:35. > :28:38.this morning of Clive Lewis. Sounds like he's going to defy the three

:28:39. > :28:44.line whip. It is clear that that that is a likely outcome, and I also

:28:45. > :28:49.think, from my understanding, that it will also be crystal clear, if he

:28:50. > :28:52.decides to vote that way, he will therefore resign. Although there has

:28:53. > :28:55.been confusion with what happened last week, there were Labour shadow

:28:56. > :28:59.ministers and frontbenchers who abstained but still seemed to be in

:29:00. > :29:03.their jobs, in his case it is clear that if you goes that way, he is

:29:04. > :29:07.going to go. Diane Abbott, in contrast, is thought to be solid.

:29:08. > :29:11.She is thought to be on the side of Jeremy Corbyn's decision to have a

:29:12. > :29:15.three line whip, but never say never. Have we had an updated

:29:16. > :29:24.medical bulletin about her? Some body suggested that she had been

:29:25. > :29:27.given Migraleve, but that was a naughty suggestion. It is a

:29:28. > :29:30.fascinating thing about the Brexit machinations as they proceed that

:29:31. > :29:34.this is just as if not more painful for the Labour Party than for the

:29:35. > :29:38.Tory party, and that is such a reversal. For decades, it was all

:29:39. > :29:43.about Tory splits on this. That is totally now on its head. I am just

:29:44. > :29:51.wait for that Mike Candlelight vigil has worked for Diane. You were

:29:52. > :29:58.tweeting # Prather Diane. Absolutely. The power of prayer has

:29:59. > :30:09.been vindicated. Let's go straight to the chamber.

:30:10. > :30:15.In addition to my duties I shall have further such meetings today Mr

:30:16. > :30:20.Speaker, the Government chose to launch the pupil premium at a school

:30:21. > :30:24.in Chesterfield where 70% of people receive free school meals. The

:30:25. > :30:29.headteacher, Dave Shaw was running the Great North Run for a cancer

:30:30. > :30:32.charity. However, her new schools' funding formula means that the

:30:33. > :30:38.junior school now face the biggest cuts in all of Derbyshire. Running

:30:39. > :30:43.for cash is now the only alternative to sacking staff. Will she go to the

:30:44. > :30:50.finish line and tell Dave Shaw how this is a fairer funding formula?

:30:51. > :30:53.Well, I'm pleased to say that in the local authority that covers the

:30:54. > :30:58.honourable gentleman's constituency, we have seen an increase of over

:30:59. > :31:02.17,000 children at good or outstanding schools since 2010.

:31:03. > :31:06.That's down to Government changes and the hard work of teaches and

:31:07. > :31:10.other staff in the schools. For a very long time, it has been the

:31:11. > :31:15.general view - and I have campaigned on this for a long time - that

:31:16. > :31:23.actually we need to see a fair funding formula for schools. What

:31:24. > :31:28.Government has brought forward is a consultation on a fairer funding

:31:29. > :31:32.formula. We look at the results of that fairer funding formula and will

:31:33. > :31:37.bring forward our firm proposals in due course.

:31:38. > :31:43.Over the course of the last 12 months, as part of the Defence

:31:44. > :31:47.Select Committee, I have' had the opportunity to look into the

:31:48. > :31:50.historic Iraq team and how we as a country deal with more historical

:31:51. > :31:57.allegations for our servicemen and women, not only for us who serve but

:31:58. > :32:01.for many members across this House it has been a deeply disturbing

:32:02. > :32:05.experience. I know the Prime Minister gets it but will she double

:32:06. > :32:11.her and her Government's commitments to get a grip on this historical

:32:12. > :32:15.process, so that never again, will our servicemen and women be

:32:16. > :32:19.exposed... I'm sure the whole House will want to join me in praising the

:32:20. > :32:23.bravery and commitment of all those who Seb in our Armed Forces. I would

:32:24. > :32:26.like to thank my honourable friend for the work he is doing on the

:32:27. > :32:31.Defence Committee because of course he brings personal expertise to that

:32:32. > :32:34.work. Those who serve on the front line deserve our support when they

:32:35. > :32:38.get home. I can assure my honourable friend of the Government's

:32:39. > :32:41.commitment to that. All troops facing allegations receive Legal Aid

:32:42. > :32:47.from the Government, with the guarantee that this will not be

:32:48. > :32:51.claimed back. In relation to the issue he has referred to, we are

:32:52. > :32:54.committed to reducing its case load to a small number of credible cases

:32:55. > :32:57.as quickly as possible and I recognise the action that has been

:32:58. > :33:03.taken in relation to the individuals he has referred to, I think it is

:33:04. > :33:08.absolutely appalling when people try to make a business out of chasing

:33:09. > :33:21.after our brave troops. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

:33:22. > :33:26.Mr Speaker, nine out of ten NHS Trusts say their hospitals have been

:33:27. > :33:31.at unsafe levels of overcrowding. One in six Accident Emergency

:33:32. > :33:35.units in England are set to be closed or downgraded. Could the

:33:36. > :33:39.Prime Minister please explain how closing A departments will tackle

:33:40. > :33:45.overcrowding and ever-growing waiting lists? First of all, can I

:33:46. > :33:52.extend my thanks and I'm sure that of the whole House to the

:33:53. > :33:58.hard-working staff in the NHS who do a great job, day-in and day-out,

:33:59. > :34:02.treating patients. Yes we recognise there are heavy priors on the NHS.

:34:03. > :34:08.That's -- pressures on the NHS. That's why, this year we are funding

:34:09. > :34:13.the NHS at 1.3 billion pounds more than the Labour Party promised at

:34:14. > :34:17.the last election. He refers specifically to Accident

:34:18. > :34:24.Emergency. What is your response in Accident Emergency? We see 600

:34:25. > :34:27.more A consultants. 1,500 more A doctors and 2,000 more paramedics.

:34:28. > :34:31.It's not about standing up and making a sound bite and asking a

:34:32. > :34:38.question, it is about delivering results and that's what this

:34:39. > :34:41.Conservative Government is doing. Mr Speaker, congratulating A staff is

:34:42. > :34:50.one thing, paying them properly is another. I hope she managed to see

:34:51. > :34:54.the BBC reports on the royal Blackburn A department which

:34:55. > :35:00.showed that pep had to wait up to 13 hours and 52 minutes to be seen.

:35:01. > :35:07.Shocking. A major cause of the pressure on A is the 4.6 billion

:35:08. > :35:25.cut in the social care budget since 2010. Shocking. Earlier this week,

:35:26. > :35:31.Liverpool's very esteemed adult social care director resigned

:35:32. > :35:37.saying, "Frankly, I can't see social services surviving after two years".

:35:38. > :35:41."That's the maximum." People are suffering and we are really only

:35:42. > :35:46.seeing the tip of the iceberg. Mr Speaker, what advice does the

:35:47. > :35:50.Government have to the people of Liverpool in this situation?

:35:51. > :35:56.SHOUTING THE SPEAKER: Order, order. It is bad

:35:57. > :35:59.enough that when members who are within the curt ledge of the chamber

:36:00. > :36:03.shout. Those who are not, absolutely should not do so. It is a

:36:04. > :36:07.discourtesy to the House of Commons. Nothing more, nothing less. Please

:36:08. > :36:18.don't do it. The Prime Minister. Well, he refers

:36:19. > :36:24.at an early stage in his question to Blackburn oo. Imehappy to say

:36:25. > :36:27.compared to 2010 there are more hospital doctors and more nurses in

:36:28. > :36:30.the Blackburn East Lang kashire Hospital's NHS Trust. He went on to

:36:31. > :36:37.talk about waiting times and waiting times can be an issue. Where is it

:36:38. > :36:41.that you wait a week longer for pneumonia treatment? That you wait a

:36:42. > :36:49.week longer for heart disease treatment? That you wait seven weeks

:36:50. > :36:52.longer for cataract treatment? 11 weeks longer for hernia treatment

:36:53. > :36:57.and 21 weeks longer for a hip operation? It's not in England, it's

:36:58. > :37:11.in Wales. Who is in power in Wales? Labour. Mr Speaker, my question was

:37:12. > :37:14.about the comments from the director of social care in Liverpool and why

:37:15. > :37:18.the people of Liverpool are having to suffer these great cuts.

:37:19. > :37:22.Liverpool has asked to meet the Government on four occasions. The

:37:23. > :37:27.crisis is so bad that until yesterday, Mr Speaker, David Hodge,

:37:28. > :37:31.the Conservative leader of Surrey County Council, planned to hold a

:37:32. > :37:40.referendum for a 15% increase in council tax. And at the last minute

:37:41. > :37:45.it was called off. Can the Prime Minister tell the House whether or

:37:46. > :37:52.not a special deal was done for Surrey? The decision as to whether

:37:53. > :37:57.or not to hold a referendum in Surrey is entirely a matter for the

:37:58. > :38:02.local authority in Surrey. In Surrey County Council. The right honourable

:38:03. > :38:06.gentleman has raised the issue of social care, which we've exchanged

:38:07. > :38:10.on across this Despatch Box before and as I've said before, we do need

:38:11. > :38:13.to find a long-term sustainable solution for social care in this

:38:14. > :38:17.country. So I recognise the short-term pressures. That's why we

:38:18. > :38:24.have enabled local authorities to put more money into social care. We

:38:25. > :38:26.have provided more money over the next two years, ?900 million more

:38:27. > :38:31.will be available for social care. But we also need to look at ensuring

:38:32. > :38:38.that good practice is spread across the whole of the country. We can

:38:39. > :38:43.look at places like Barnsley, North Tyneside, St Helen's, Rutland,

:38:44. > :38:46.towards the end of last year, no delayed discharges attributed to

:38:47. > :38:51.social care in those councils. We need to look long-term and that's

:38:52. > :38:54.why the Cabinet is driving a review w the relevant department, to find a

:38:55. > :39:01.sustainable solution, which the Labour Party ducked for far too

:39:02. > :39:05.long. My question was, whether there had been a special deal done for

:39:06. > :39:08.Surrey. The #4r50eder said they had many conversations with the

:39:09. > :39:16.Government. We know they have because I've been leaked copies of

:39:17. > :39:21.text be send by by the Tory leader intended to somebody called Nick who

:39:22. > :39:24.works for ministers in the Department for Communities and Local

:39:25. > :39:28.Government and this text reads "I'm advised that DCLG officials have

:39:29. > :39:43.been working on a solution and that you will be contacted me to agree a

:39:44. > :39:48.memorandum of understanding." Ah. Will the Government now publish this

:39:49. > :39:56.memorandum of understanding and while they are about it, will all

:39:57. > :40:01.councils be offered the same deal? What we have given all councils is

:40:02. > :40:06.the opportunity to raise a 3% precept on the council tax for that

:40:07. > :40:14.go to go into social care. He talks about understanding. What the Labour

:40:15. > :40:18.Party fails to understand... THE SPEAKER: Order. There is far too

:40:19. > :40:20.much noise. Mr Pound calm yourself, you are supposed to be a senior

:40:21. > :40:32.statesman. Order. And Mr Rotherham, you should

:40:33. > :40:39.reserve your shouting for the stands at Anfield. Prime Minister.

:40:40. > :40:43.As I say, all councils have the opportunity to raise the 3% precept

:40:44. > :40:46.to put that funding into the provision of social care. What the

:40:47. > :40:50.Labour Party fails to understand is that this is not just a question of

:40:51. > :40:53.looking at money, it is a question of looking at spreading best

:40:54. > :40:58.practice and finding a sustainable solution. And I have to say to him,

:40:59. > :41:02.that if we look at social care provision across the entire country,

:41:03. > :41:07.the last thing social care providers need is another one of Labour's

:41:08. > :41:11.bouncing cheques. Mrnchts speaker, I wonder if it is

:41:12. > :41:14.anything to do with the fact that the Chancellor and Health Secretary

:41:15. > :41:25.both represent Surrey constituencies? Mr Speakerers there

:41:26. > :41:31.was a second text from Surrey County Council leader to Nick and in the

:41:32. > :41:36.second text it says "The numbers you indicated are the numbers that I

:41:37. > :41:44.understand are acceptable for me to accept and call off the R." Now I've

:41:45. > :41:49.been reading a bit of John Le Carre, and apparently R means, referendum.

:41:50. > :41:56.It's very subtle, all this. He goes on to say in his text to

:41:57. > :42:02.Nick "If it is possible for that info to be sent to myself, I can

:42:03. > :42:09.then revert back soonest. Really want to kill this off." So, how much

:42:10. > :42:15.did the Government offer Surrey to kill this off? And is the same

:42:16. > :42:23.sweetheart deal on offer to every council facing the social care

:42:24. > :42:27.crisis, created by her Government? I've made clear to the right

:42:28. > :42:30.honourable gentleman what has been made available to every council,

:42:31. > :42:38.which is the ability to raise the precept. And I have to say to him...

:42:39. > :42:43.THE SPEAKER: Order. As colleagues know, I never mind how long Prime

:42:44. > :42:45.Minister's Questions takes. The questions must be heard and the

:42:46. > :42:49.answers must be heard. The Prime Minister. I have to say to

:42:50. > :42:53.him, he comes to the despatch broks making all sorts of claims. Yet

:42:54. > :43:03.again what we get from Labour are alternative facts. -- Despatch Box.

:43:04. > :43:12.What they really need is an alternative leader.

:43:13. > :43:19.Mr Speaker, my question was - what deal has been offered to Surrey that

:43:20. > :43:25.got them to call off a referendum and will the same deal be offered to

:43:26. > :43:31.every other council going through a social care crisis? Mr Speaker,

:43:32. > :43:35.hospital wards are overcrowded. 1 million people aren't getting the

:43:36. > :43:40.care they need. And family members, mostly women, are having to give up

:43:41. > :43:47.work to care for loved ones. Every day that the Prime Minister fails to

:43:48. > :43:51.act, this crisis gets worse. So will she, finally, come clean and provide

:43:52. > :43:57.local authorities with the funding they need to fund social care

:43:58. > :44:02.properly, so that our often elderly and vulnerable people can be treated

:44:03. > :44:08.with the support and dignity that they deserve in a civilised society?

:44:09. > :44:14.The deal that is on offer to all councils is the one I have already

:44:15. > :44:19.set out. Let me just be very clear with the right honourable gentleman,

:44:20. > :44:25.because as ever, he stands up and consistently asks for more spending.

:44:26. > :44:29.More money, more funding. What he always fails to recognise, what he

:44:30. > :44:36.fails to recognise is that you can only spend money on social care and

:44:37. > :44:40.on the National Health Service if off strong economy to deliver the

:44:41. > :44:46.wealth that you need. There is a fundamental difference between us.

:44:47. > :44:51.When I... THE SPEAKER: Order. I'm sorry there is still too much noise

:44:52. > :44:55.in the chamber. People observing our proceedings here and on the outside

:44:56. > :44:56.what the questions heard and the answers heard and they will be.

:44:57. > :45:01.Prime Minister. There is a difference between us,

:45:02. > :45:05.when I talk about half a trillion pounds, that's the money we will be

:45:06. > :45:08.spending on the NHS this Parliament. When Labour talk about half a

:45:09. > :45:12.trillion pounds, tss the money they want to borrow. Conservatives

:45:13. > :45:19.investing in the NHS, Labour bankrupting Britain.

:45:20. > :45:25.Thank you, Mr Speaker, there are significant challenges facing this

:45:26. > :45:28.great nafgs ours, Prime Minister, one of which is tackling mental

:45:29. > :45:34.health, particularly for young people. The pressures of juggling

:45:35. > :45:37.school life, family life and staying safe and feeling valued online are

:45:38. > :45:41.more difficult than ever, would the Prime Minister agree to meet with me

:45:42. > :45:46.and my team to discuss the Mental Health Act that we have been working

:45:47. > :45:48.on and developing, an app to give young people a tool box to help them

:45:49. > :45:59.in the times of crisis? I am interested to hear of this.

:46:00. > :46:02.Mental health is an area where we do need to put more of a focus and make

:46:03. > :46:08.progress. I am pleased to say that something like 1400 more people are

:46:09. > :46:13.accessing mental health services every day. But more needs to be

:46:14. > :46:15.done. We are putting ?68 million into improving mental health care

:46:16. > :46:19.through digital innovation, which sounds as if it fits right into what

:46:20. > :46:23.my honourable friend is looking at. There will be a particular focus on

:46:24. > :46:26.that with children and young people's mental health in mind. He

:46:27. > :46:28.might want to look out for the Department of Health and the

:46:29. > :46:34.Department for Education joint green paper that they will publish in

:46:35. > :46:39.October. Angus Robertson. Last night, parliamentarians from across

:46:40. > :46:44.the chamber and across the parties voted overwhelmingly against the UK

:46:45. > :46:53.Government's Brexit plans in the Scottish Parliament. If the United

:46:54. > :46:57.Kingdom is a partnership of equals, will the Prime Minister compromise

:46:58. > :47:02.like the Scottish Government and reach a negotiated agreement before

:47:03. > :47:13.invoking Article 50, or will she just carry on regardless? As the

:47:14. > :47:16.right honourable gentleman knows, when the UK Government negotiates,

:47:17. > :47:22.it will be negotiating as the government for the whole of the

:47:23. > :47:26.United Kingdom. We have put in place the JNC arrangements through various

:47:27. > :47:28.committees which enable us to work closely with the devolved

:47:29. > :47:36.administrations identify the particular issues that they want to

:47:37. > :47:39.see represented as we put our views together. We have said we will

:47:40. > :47:47.intensify the discussions within that arrangement and that is what

:47:48. > :47:50.we'll do. Angus Robertson. When the Prime Minister was in Edinburgh on

:47:51. > :47:56.the 15th of July last year, she pledged that she would "Not trigger

:47:57. > :48:01.article 50 until she had an agreed UK-wide approach. So given that the

:48:02. > :48:08.Scottish Parliament has voted overwhelmingly against her approach,

:48:09. > :48:12.and all bar one MP representing a Scottish constituency in this House

:48:13. > :48:20.of Commons has voted against her approach, she does not have an

:48:21. > :48:25.agreed UK-wide approach. As the Prime Minister knows, a lot of

:48:26. > :48:29.people in Scotland watch Prime Minister's Questions. So will she

:48:30. > :48:35.tell those viewers in Scotland when she intends to keep her word to

:48:36. > :48:39.Scotland or not? We are ensuring that we are working with the

:48:40. > :48:44.Scottish Government and the other devolved administrations as we take

:48:45. > :48:47.this matter forward. I would just remind the right honourable

:48:48. > :48:50.gentleman of two things. First of all, the Supreme Court was clear

:48:51. > :48:57.that the Scottish parliament does not have a veto on the triggering of

:48:58. > :49:00.article 50. The bill that is going through the House is obviously

:49:01. > :49:05.giving the power to the government to trigger article 50. I would also

:49:06. > :49:09.remind him of this point, because he constantly refers to the interests

:49:10. > :49:18.of Scotland inside the European Union. An independent Scotland would

:49:19. > :49:23.not be in the European Union. Mr Speaker, the people of Rossendale

:49:24. > :49:26.and Darwen warmly welcome Government's housing White Paper.

:49:27. > :49:30.Will my right honourable friend confirm that when it comes to

:49:31. > :49:35.providing more security for renters, building more affordable homes and

:49:36. > :49:39.helping people buy their own home, it is this party, the Conservative

:49:40. > :49:46.Party, that is fixing our broken housing market? Am happy to agree

:49:47. > :49:49.with my honourable friend. Our broken housing market is one of the

:49:50. > :49:54.greatest barriers to progress in Britain today and the housing White

:49:55. > :49:58.Paper brought out by my right honourable friend II for communities

:49:59. > :50:01.and local government sets out the steps we will take to fix it and my

:50:02. > :50:05.honourable friend is right. It is the Conservatives who are going to

:50:06. > :50:08.support local authorities to deliver more of the right homes in the right

:50:09. > :50:12.places to encourage faster build-up of developments. I'm sure everybody

:50:13. > :50:17.recognised the problem of planning permission that are given and then

:50:18. > :50:21.not built out, and create the conditions for a more competitive

:50:22. > :50:23.and diverse housing market. We are setting out the response abilities

:50:24. > :50:32.of all parties in building the homes that Britain needs. Does the Prime

:50:33. > :50:36.Minister agree that in a 21st century parliament, the rules should

:50:37. > :50:38.not able any member to speak for longer than 58 minutes in a

:50:39. > :50:42.three-hour debate? Does she agree that the rules of the House should

:50:43. > :50:45.be changed to prevent filibustering and French other members from all

:50:46. > :50:53.sides of the House get that our share of the time available? I have

:50:54. > :50:56.to say, I find that a rather curious question from the honourable

:50:57. > :51:03.gentleman. Last night, as it happens, I was out of the House

:51:04. > :51:07.between the two votes. I switched on the BBC Parliament channel and I saw

:51:08. > :51:18.the honourable gentleman speaking. I turned over to something else. I

:51:19. > :51:25.switched back. I saw the honourable gentleman still speaking! I switched

:51:26. > :51:29.over to something else. I switched back and the honourable gentleman

:51:30. > :51:36.was still speaking. He is the last person to complain about

:51:37. > :51:45.filibustering in this House. Mrs Theresa Villiers. Mr Speaker,...

:51:46. > :51:49.Order! Mr Hughes, you seem to be in a state of permanent overexcitement.

:51:50. > :51:54.Calm yourself, man, take some sort of medication and it will soothe

:51:55. > :51:58.you. We must hear Mrs Williams. As we prepare in this House to take

:51:59. > :52:04.back control over our laws on agriculture, was she agree to use

:52:05. > :52:07.Brexit as an opportunity to strengthen, not weaken the rules

:52:08. > :52:14.which safeguard the welfare of animals? My right honourable friend

:52:15. > :52:19.raises an important point which is of concern are many people in this

:52:20. > :52:23.house and outside. We should be proud in the UK that we have some of

:52:24. > :52:27.the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Indeed, one of the

:52:28. > :52:31.highest scores for animal protection in the world. Leaving the EU will

:52:32. > :52:36.not change this. I can assure my right honourable friend that we are

:52:37. > :52:39.committed to maintaining and where possible, improving standards of

:52:40. > :52:48.welfare in the UK while ensuring that our industry is not put at a

:52:49. > :52:53.competitive disadvantage. Last week, the Russian Duma decriminalised

:52:54. > :52:57.violence against women and children. I trust the government will

:52:58. > :53:00.encourage Russia to rethink this aggressive approach which could

:53:01. > :53:04.realise a domestic violence. Does she agree that ratify the Convention

:53:05. > :53:09.would send a message to Russia and the world of the priority that

:53:10. > :53:13.should be placed on ending gender-based violence? I am proud

:53:14. > :53:16.that in this country, we have strengthened the law on domestic

:53:17. > :53:20.violence and violence against women and girls. We see this as a

:53:21. > :53:23.retrograde step by the Russian government, repealing existing

:53:24. > :53:28.legislation sends out absolutely the wrong message on what is a global

:53:29. > :53:36.problem. We have joined others in both the Council of Europe and the

:53:37. > :53:44.OSCE in criticising this decision. Each year, the NHS reportedly spends

:53:45. > :53:46.?80 million more than it needs to on prescriptions for basic painkillers

:53:47. > :53:50.that can be sourced much more cheaply. Yet at the same time,

:53:51. > :53:58.secondary breast cancer patients face being denied life extending

:53:59. > :54:01.drugs. May I ask my right honourable friend to review this poor

:54:02. > :54:07.allocation of resources and give breast cancer sufferers the hope

:54:08. > :54:10.that they deserve? This is obviously an important issue that my

:54:11. > :54:14.honourable friend has raised. I understand that on the point of

:54:15. > :54:17.basic medication, it is in the fact that the NHS pays more for basic

:54:18. > :54:24.painkillers than on the high street. In fact, their prices are lower. In

:54:25. > :54:27.the case of the drug, it is right that difficult decisions are made on

:54:28. > :54:30.the basis of clinical evidence. I understand that Nice is undertaking

:54:31. > :54:34.a comprehensive assessment before making a final recommendation and in

:54:35. > :54:42.the meantime, the drug is still available to patients. Last month, a

:54:43. > :54:47.report was published on historical institutional abuse in Northern

:54:48. > :54:50.Ireland. Given the uncertain political institutions in Northern

:54:51. > :54:55.Ireland, if the executive is not up and running within a month, will the

:54:56. > :54:59.Prime Minister commit to implementing a report on historical

:55:00. > :55:05.institutional abuse in full? This was obviously an important review

:55:06. > :55:12.and of course we have our inquiry into historic child abuse taking

:55:13. > :55:16.place in England and Wales. I recognise the point the honourable

:55:17. > :55:19.gentleman makes about looking ahead to the future. We obviously have the

:55:20. > :55:25.elections on the 2nd of March. There were then be a period of time for an

:55:26. > :55:29.executive to be put together. I would encourage all parties to work

:55:30. > :55:32.to ensure that an executive can be put together in Northern Ireland to

:55:33. > :55:36.maintain the devolved institutions. I don't want to see the benefits

:55:37. > :55:42.that have come of progress being undone at this stage. I am sure that

:55:43. > :55:45.looking ahead, whatever is necessary will be done to ensure that the

:55:46. > :55:53.findings of that report are taken into account and acted on. The Prime

:55:54. > :55:58.Minister has been clear in her negotiating objectives as we prepare

:55:59. > :56:04.to leave the European Union. But with the Prime Minister agree with

:56:05. > :56:08.me that regions like the West Midlands, part of which I represent,

:56:09. > :56:14.needs a voice in those negotiations to ensure that we take the

:56:15. > :56:17.opportunities presented by Brexit to raise investment in education,

:56:18. > :56:21.skills and infrastructure in the region to ensure that her vision of

:56:22. > :56:25.a global Britain represents the interests of all the regions of

:56:26. > :56:31.England as well as the broader United Kingdom? I agree with my

:56:32. > :56:35.honourable friend. When we negotiate as a United Kingdom, we will be

:56:36. > :56:39.negotiating for the whole of the United Kingdom and taking account of

:56:40. > :56:42.all parts of the United Kingdom. We have ambition in terms of making the

:56:43. > :56:46.Midlands and engine for growth. It is about growing the region's

:56:47. > :56:50.economy and more jobs. That is why money has been put into funding the

:56:51. > :56:53.Birmingham rail hub, for example. Of course, the West Midlands will be

:56:54. > :56:59.getting a strong voice nationally with a directed irate elected mayor

:57:00. > :57:04.in May. I believe Andy Street will be a very good mayor for the West

:57:05. > :57:07.Midlands. In welcoming the honourable gentleman back again to

:57:08. > :57:18.the chamber, I call Mr Ronnie Campbell. Looking pretty slim as

:57:19. > :57:25.well, Mr Speaker! Mr Speaker, I had five months under the health service

:57:26. > :57:34.in Newcastle, under the auspices of Professor Griffiths, a marvellous

:57:35. > :57:37.surgeon. He just about saved my life. But there was a flip side.

:57:38. > :57:41.That is the best side of the national health and it has been

:57:42. > :57:49.wonderful, the service I got. But there is a flip side, which is what

:57:50. > :57:52.we are seeing today. We now have dedicated nurses who are called

:57:53. > :57:57.corridor nurses. They are in the corridor, looking after patients on

:57:58. > :58:02.trolleys. That is not the way we want our health service to run. Get

:58:03. > :58:08.your purse open and give them the money they want. As the Speaker

:58:09. > :58:15.said, I welcome the honourable gentleman to his place again in this

:58:16. > :58:19.chamber. And I commend the surgeon and all those who have treated him

:58:20. > :58:25.in the National Health Service that has enabled him to be here today and

:58:26. > :58:29.to continue his duties. As we know, there are surgeons, doctors, nurses

:58:30. > :58:32.and other staff up and down the NHS day in and day out, saving lives. We

:58:33. > :58:38.should commend them for all that they do. The north-east is a good

:58:39. > :58:41.example of some of the really good practice that we see in the National

:58:42. > :58:48.Health Service. I want to see that good practice being spread across

:58:49. > :58:51.the NHS across the whole country. Dr Sarah Wollaston. I am not alone in

:58:52. > :58:54.hearing from family 's long settled here in Britain who are deeply

:58:55. > :58:58.worried that they could be separated after we leave the European Union. I

:58:59. > :59:04.know that the Prime Minister will not want that to happen, and I

:59:05. > :59:07.wonder if today, she could reassure all our constituents that those who

:59:08. > :59:10.were born elsewhere in the European Union but settled here in the UK are

:59:11. > :59:17.married or in partnerships with British citizens, will have the

:59:18. > :59:20.right to remain? My honourable friend raises an issue that is of

:59:21. > :59:25.concern to members across this House. As she says, it is of concern

:59:26. > :59:29.to many individuals outside of this House who will want reassurance

:59:30. > :59:34.about their future. I want to be able to give that reassurance, but I

:59:35. > :59:41.do want to see the same reassurance for UK citizens living in the EU.

:59:42. > :59:45.But when I trigger article 50, I intend to make it clear that I want

:59:46. > :59:48.this to be a priority for an early stage of the negotiations so that we

:59:49. > :00:01.can address this issue and reassure the people concerned. Just two weeks

:00:02. > :00:08.ago, a 15-year-old left school and was stabbed four times and died.

:00:09. > :00:16.Three days earlier, a 19-year-old was stabbed to death in Wembley. And

:00:17. > :00:18.just a few months earlier, two of my young constituents were killed and

:00:19. > :00:25.the police said it was a case of mistaken identity. They were

:00:26. > :00:29.22-year-old and a 27-year-old. Next week, I am eating the deputy Mayor

:00:30. > :00:34.of London to discuss this issue and other issues. The Prime Minister

:00:35. > :00:38.meet with me, fellow MPs and my borough commander to talk about this

:00:39. > :00:40.issue and the sycamore project which we would like to see rolled out in

:00:41. > :00:50.London and beyond? Can I express obviously the

:00:51. > :00:54.condolences of the whole House to the familiar lanes friends to all of

:00:55. > :00:57.those she referred to in her question who of been so brutally

:00:58. > :01:00.stabbed and attacked and suffered from knife attacks she refers to.

:01:01. > :01:03.Obviously this is an important issue. It is a particularly

:01:04. > :01:09.important issue for London but it is one that we want to see addressed. A

:01:10. > :01:12.lot of good work that has been done. I'm in the aware of the sycamore

:01:13. > :01:16.project she has referred to but would be happy to hear more details

:01:17. > :01:26.of it. From medics at Kingston Hospital to

:01:27. > :01:30.researchers at Kingston university, and staff at growing electronics

:01:31. > :01:33.businesses, Kingston's workforce is enriched by highly-skilled workers

:01:34. > :01:38.from abroad so. Can my honourable friend refirm after we leave the EU

:01:39. > :01:40.we'll continue to welcome highly-skilled worksers from the EU

:01:41. > :01:45.and beyond. I thank my honourable friend for his question. We are very

:01:46. > :01:48.clear that we dop want to bring the numbers of net migration down but we

:01:49. > :01:52.also want to ensure that the brightest and best are still welcome

:01:53. > :01:55.here in the United Kingdom. And that's why I think people want to

:01:56. > :01:57.see the UK Government making decisions about people who are

:01:58. > :02:03.coming here from the European Union, but we are very clear about the

:02:04. > :02:06.importance, as I said in my speech in Lancaster House, there will still

:02:07. > :02:09.be immigration from the European Union into the UK and we want to

:02:10. > :02:13.ensure that the brightest and best are able to come here.

:02:14. > :02:18.Yesterday the Brexit minister claimed that Parliament will have a

:02:19. > :02:22.meaningful vote on the final EU deal. But account Prime Minister

:02:23. > :02:27.confirm that under her plans Parliament will either have to

:02:28. > :02:31.accept what the Government offers or fall back on WTO rules? And in the

:02:32. > :02:41.event there's no deal, there'll be no vote at all? Isn't the reality

:02:42. > :02:50.this is just take it or leave it and it is not a meaningful concession,

:02:51. > :02:54.it's a con? We have been very clear. I said in my Lancaster House speech

:02:55. > :02:58.that there would be a vote on the final deal. There were a number of

:02:59. > :03:02.questions on what exactly that meant. We will bring forward o

:03:03. > :03:05.motion on the final agreement for approval by both Houses of

:03:06. > :03:08.Parliament and before the final agreement is concluded. We do

:03:09. > :03:14.expect. I know this has been an issue for a number of honourable and

:03:15. > :03:16.right honourable members. We do expect and intend that will happen

:03:17. > :03:23.before the European Parliament debate before it votes and debates

:03:24. > :03:26.on the final agreement. As the Prime Minister knows,

:03:27. > :03:32.Trafford Schools are the best in the country. But they are also in one of

:03:33. > :03:36.the F40 worst-funded areas but perversely the draft funding formula

:03:37. > :03:41.would actually cut funding to are Trafford Schools not increase T when

:03:42. > :03:46.she reviews the draft proposals l she look, please for a new formula

:03:47. > :03:52.that guarantees that all of the worst-funded areas are increased in

:03:53. > :03:55.funding, not cut? My honourable friend raises, again, an important

:03:56. > :03:59.point that I know is a matter which is on the minds of a number of

:04:00. > :04:03.honourable and right honourable friends. As I said earlier, I think

:04:04. > :04:06.the current system of funding is unfair, it is not transparent. I

:04:07. > :04:10.think it is out of date. I want to see a session at the that does

:04:11. > :04:14.support our aspiration to ensure that every child has a good school

:04:15. > :04:17.place. But, in looking at these reforms I can assure my honourable

:04:18. > :04:21.friend that we want to get this right. It is why we are consulting

:04:22. > :04:27.and why we will look very closely at the responses to that consultation.

:04:28. > :04:31.Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Npower have announced a 9.8%

:04:32. > :04:38.increase on dual fuel bills which even the former boss, the former

:04:39. > :04:41.tsar has described as shocking. EDS announced a 8.4% electricity hike

:04:42. > :04:46.and it is reported that British Gas is preparing its 11 million customs

:04:47. > :04:50.tomorrow Merse for a 9% increase. Ofgem has moved to protect those on

:04:51. > :04:55.prepayment ministers with a cap on energy bills. I ask the Prime

:04:56. > :05:00.Minister why doesn't she demand similar protection for the majority

:05:01. > :05:07.of customs Merse who are being ripped off as the CMA has said to

:05:08. > :05:10.the sum of ?1.4 billion. The Right Honourable lady might have missed

:05:11. > :05:15.the fact that where we have said that markets aren't working we will

:05:16. > :05:23.look at the measures needed and the energy market is one we are looking

:05:24. > :05:28.at at the moment. In the spirit of neutrality. The Prime Minister's

:05:29. > :05:31.Lancaster House was a call to put the divisions behind us. Does my

:05:32. > :05:36.right honourable friend agree that this is a vision that everyone in

:05:37. > :05:44.the House should support, that the more united we are, the stronger our

:05:45. > :05:49.negotiating position will be. THE SPEAKER: The honourable gentleman

:05:50. > :05:54.must be concerned. Does she share my surprise that certain members

:05:55. > :05:57.opposite that disagreeing with their current party leader, can cause

:05:58. > :06:04.headaches, that some may not have learned.

:06:05. > :06:09.Can I say to my honourable friend, he is absolutely right that I think

:06:10. > :06:12.the country wants us, in this House, and everybody in the country, wants

:06:13. > :06:17.to unite behind the Government's work to ensure that we get the

:06:18. > :06:20.best-possible deal for the UK, as we leave the European Union, and I

:06:21. > :06:24.believe that we can get a deal that actually is going to be in the

:06:25. > :06:28.interests both of the UK and of the European Union. I had hoped that I

:06:29. > :06:31.was going to be able to welcome the Shadow Home Secretary to the front

:06:32. > :06:34.bench in time for the vote that's going to take place later tonight.

:06:35. > :06:40.Perhaps members of the Labour Party are starting to realise the only

:06:41. > :06:49.real headache is their leader. Thank you, very much, Mr Speaker.

:06:50. > :06:53.Does the Prime Minister agree with the Director-General of the World

:06:54. > :07:01.Trade Organisation that if Britain were to leave the EU on WTO terms,

:07:02. > :07:06.it would cost ?9 billion in lost trade each year? What we want to do

:07:07. > :07:11.is to ensure that we negotiate a deal with the European Union that

:07:12. > :07:16.enables us to have the best-possible deal in trading with and operating

:07:17. > :07:19.within the European Union single market in goods and services. I

:07:20. > :07:23.believe that's possible, precisely because, as I have just said n

:07:24. > :07:28.response to my honourable friend the member for Lincoln, I believe that

:07:29. > :07:34.is a deal that is good, not just for but for the EU as well.

:07:35. > :07:39.The Prime Minister rightly argues for true parity of esteem between

:07:40. > :07:43.mental and physical health but parent in York have been sold that

:07:44. > :07:49.their children must wait up to a year for an assessment by the child,

:07:50. > :07:51.now adolescent mentalhealth services. As the Department of

:07:52. > :07:55.Health actually does not currently record these figures, would the

:07:56. > :07:58.Prime Minister consider making the monitoring fted waiting times a

:07:59. > :08:03.requirement? My honourable friend has raised an important point. As I

:08:04. > :08:07.set out a few weeks ago, the Government will be reviewing the

:08:08. > :08:10.separation of CAMs services across the country because I recognise some

:08:11. > :08:14.of the concerns that honourable members have made. We want to ensure

:08:15. > :08:17.that children and young people have easy access at the right time to

:08:18. > :08:20.mental health because of the evidence that a significant

:08:21. > :08:27.proportion of mental health problems that arise later in life actually

:08:28. > :08:30.sta of children and adolescents. We have made more money available to

:08:31. > :08:36.support transformation in children and young peep's mental health but

:08:37. > :08:41.the Shadow Health Secretary - sorry, the Health Secretary... -- young

:08:42. > :08:47.people's mental health. He is in his place as well.

:08:48. > :08:52.I haute Shadow Health Secretary will agree with me we need to review CAM

:08:53. > :08:57.services and are giving the right support to children and young

:08:58. > :09:00.people, adolescents with mental health problems and we'll look at

:09:01. > :09:03.the issue my honourable friend has raised.

:09:04. > :09:08.Many honourable members in this House have recently made the long

:09:09. > :09:12.journey up to West Cumbria for the by-election and we've all

:09:13. > :09:17.experienced the states of our roads and local railways. It's taken a

:09:18. > :09:23.by-election for transport ministers to look seriously and show any real

:09:24. > :09:26.interest in this. Can I is ask, is the Prime Minister planning a trip

:09:27. > :09:30.herself, so she too can experience why we need proper investment from

:09:31. > :09:34.this Government into our transport infrastructure in West Cumbria? We

:09:35. > :09:36.are putting more money, the Government is putting more money

:09:37. > :09:40.into infrastructure investment across the country but you have to

:09:41. > :09:43.say to her, the Labour Party had 13 years to improve transport in West

:09:44. > :09:54.Cumbria and didn't do anything about it. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I

:09:55. > :09:57.recently visited a world class coach-building manufacture based in

:09:58. > :10:01.my constituent and heard about their exciting plans for the future. With

:10:02. > :10:04.my right honourable friend join me in emphasising the importance of

:10:05. > :10:09.skills and manufacturing for our economy, especially as we look to

:10:10. > :10:16.leave the European Union? Can I thank my honourable friend for

:10:17. > :10:20.drawing our attention to the example of Woodall Nicholson and say how

:10:21. > :10:25.pleased we are to hear they have good plans for the future. Can I say

:10:26. > :10:28.he is right, as we leave the EU we will be doing that from a position

:10:29. > :10:31.of strength. He is right that skills and manufacturing are an important

:10:32. > :10:34.of our economy for the future that's why in the industrial strategy we

:10:35. > :10:37.are looking at how we can develop the excellence we already have in

:10:38. > :10:44.the UK, for the prosperous, growing economy for the future.

:10:45. > :10:48.Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister's right honourable friend,

:10:49. > :10:54.the member for Rushcliffe last week pointed out that her aspiration to

:10:55. > :10:58.achieve barrier-free tariff-free trade with the single market,

:10:59. > :11:04.getting all the benefits but paying none of the cost, was actually akin

:11:05. > :11:10.to disappearing down the rabbit hole to wonderland. Mr Speaker, I think

:11:11. > :11:17.she makes a very interesting choice for Alice. But, if she doesn't

:11:18. > :11:22.manage to achieve that Higham Biggs, would she produce an analysis of

:11:23. > :11:30.what trading on WTO rules would actually mean for our economy, so we

:11:31. > :11:33.can make a proper choice? Can I say I commend my right honourable friend

:11:34. > :11:37.the member for Rushcliffe for the significant service he has given to

:11:38. > :11:43.this House and his constituents over the years. He and I have have worked

:11:44. > :11:46.well over a number of years although I have to say when I was Home

:11:47. > :11:51.Secretary and he was Justice Secretary, I used to say that I

:11:52. > :11:56.locked him up and he let them out. Can I say to the Right Honourable

:11:57. > :12:00.lady, as far as this Government is concerned, we believe it is possible

:12:01. > :12:04.within the two-year time frame to get the agreement, not just for our

:12:05. > :12:08.withdrawal from the European Union, but also the trade arrangements that

:12:09. > :12:09.will ensure that we have a strong, strategic partnership with the

:12:10. > :12:22.European Union in the future. In my right honourable friend's

:12:23. > :12:26.meeting with Binyamin Netanyahu this week, did she press the only way to

:12:27. > :12:31.get a lasting peace settlement is for young Palestinians and Israelis

:12:32. > :12:35.to look Ford to a job, a sharing prosperity and a life without fear,

:12:36. > :12:39.does she agree the only way to achieve this is face-to-face

:12:40. > :12:43.negotiations? And will she join the Israeli Prime Minister in pressing

:12:44. > :12:48.the Prime Minister of the Palestinian authorities for

:12:49. > :12:52.face-to-face negotiations? My right honourable friend does make a very

:12:53. > :12:56.important point about this. We continue as a Government a

:12:57. > :13:00.Conservative Government in the UK to believe that the two-state solution

:13:01. > :13:05.is a right one. That means a viable Palestinian state but also a safe

:13:06. > :13:10.and secure Israel. And, of course, it is for the parties to negotiate.

:13:11. > :13:14.Obviously there are others on the international arena who are doing

:13:15. > :13:18.their work to facilitate an agreement in the Middle East. But,

:13:19. > :13:20.ultimately it is for the two parties to agree a way forward. THE SPEAKER:

:13:21. > :13:42.Order. There was a good old-fashioned PMQs

:13:43. > :13:46.ambush today. Jeremy Corbyn managed to get hold of some specks r text

:13:47. > :13:51.and put the Prime Minister in a spot. Surrey council faced with

:13:52. > :13:54.social cuts in other areas, decided to hold a referendum allowing it to

:13:55. > :14:00.increase council tax by 15%. If you try to go by more than 5, you have

:14:01. > :14:03.to call a referendum. Thiefs an embarrassment for the Conservative

:14:04. > :14:11.Government in doing it and the text seemed to involve the head of Surrey

:14:12. > :14:16.council, David Hodge, doing some -- this was an embarrassment for the

:14:17. > :14:24.Conservative Government. It was somebody called Nick. We

:14:25. > :14:27.think it may have gone to the wrong Nick, Nick Forbes a Labour

:14:28. > :14:33.politician who works at the local association. And this is courtesy of

:14:34. > :14:36.Guiedo Fox who got the "I understand you could chat this afternoon,

:14:37. > :14:41.grateful if we could speak about the way forward." The rely is", hi,

:14:42. > :14:45.David I haven't asked to speak to you, it is always a pleasure s this

:14:46. > :14:51.something the Local Government Association is trying to set up?"

:14:52. > :14:54.And Surrey then replies "I'm advised that the departmental officials and

:14:55. > :14:59.my director of finance have been working on a solution and have a

:15:00. > :15:04.memo of understanding." This Nick then says, "Do you know what it is b

:15:05. > :15:12.sorry I'm going clueless here." This suggests to us, rather than going to

:15:13. > :15:16.Nick King, Sajid Javid's SPAD, it went to Nick Ford at the "Local

:15:17. > :15:20.Government Association." The key text here would seem to be again,

:15:21. > :15:25.David Hodge, leader of Surrey council saying to Nick, "I have

:15:26. > :15:28.received clarification from my Chief Executive (and I have just spoken to

:15:29. > :15:31.various people) that the numbers you independenticated are the numbers

:15:32. > :15:37.that I understand are acceptable for me to accept and call off the

:15:38. > :15:43.referendum." So the clear implication here is that the leader

:15:44. > :15:47.of Surrey council, assumes he is doing a deal, some kind of deal that

:15:48. > :15:51.allows him not to proceed with this referendum to increase council tax

:15:52. > :15:55.by 15%. We are trying to piece this together as we go along but it is

:15:56. > :15:58.undoubtedly putting the Government on the back foot at the moment.

:15:59. > :16:04.Exactly what the deal is we don't know but as Mr Corbyn said if this

:16:05. > :16:07.deal was available to Surrey, an area which includes the

:16:08. > :16:11.constituencies of the Chancellor and the Health Secretary, for example, a

:16:12. > :16:14.staunch Tory area s this available to councils throughout? We will come

:16:15. > :16:19.back to this in a minute Laura has been pouring over what she knows but

:16:20. > :16:20.let's hear because you picked up on this too, and reflected in the

:16:21. > :16:30.e-mails. And as a result, people for Jeremy

:16:31. > :16:34.Corbyn had a good primer on Asos questions in contrast to last week.

:16:35. > :16:37.A viewer indeed says, I am sure overwhelmed A doctors and nurses

:16:38. > :16:41.will be reassured by the Prime Minister's kind words. They might

:16:42. > :16:48.have preferred greater investment government interference. PS, I agree

:16:49. > :16:53.with Nick, the memorandum of understanding one as opposed to Nick

:16:54. > :16:55.Clegg. Another says Jeremy Corbyn is more effective when he hammers

:16:56. > :17:00.through on health care. It was a good ploy to avoid mentioning

:17:01. > :17:04.Brexit. Talk of sweetheart deals is effective mudslinging rhetoric. It

:17:05. > :17:08.will make the news and united Labour for a day or two. Ian in Altrincham

:17:09. > :17:12.says after a terrible few weeks at PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn stormed back to

:17:13. > :17:17.be, admittedly on safe ground of the NHS and social care, but Mrs May was

:17:18. > :17:34.flawed, not answering Coggan's questions, reduced to insulting NHS

:17:35. > :17:37.Wales. Laura, we are now forced to call this Nickileaks! You stole my

:17:38. > :17:42.line! This could be extremely embarrassing for the government with

:17:43. > :17:46.a clear suggestion from Jeremy Corbyn and from these texts that

:17:47. > :17:51.Surrey Council, of course an area around with Tory MPs, some of them

:17:52. > :17:55.very senior, Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, being one of them, which

:17:56. > :17:58.has somehow been given a special favour in terms of the numbers that

:17:59. > :18:04.are talked about in this text. The key phrase is that the numbers are

:18:05. > :18:09.acceptable for me to call off the referendum. That is clear evidence,

:18:10. > :18:14.not a slam dunk, because we have not seen the origin of these texts, that

:18:15. > :18:18.somehow a solid Tory area has been given a special deal to avoid their

:18:19. > :18:21.being an embarrassing referendum to put up council tax, which would be

:18:22. > :18:25.very unpopular. Theresa May didn't have answers at PMQs. They will be

:18:26. > :18:34.scrabbling to come up with some kind of response to this. This could be

:18:35. > :18:37.extremely embarrassing. Big question of how this came to light. Could it

:18:38. > :18:41.be Nick Forbes, the leader of Newcastle City Council and a senior

:18:42. > :18:44.figure at the Local Government Association? This could be extremely

:18:45. > :18:48.awkward in an area we have discussed so many times in the last few weeks.

:18:49. > :18:51.It is really difficult for the government. They don't have an

:18:52. > :18:58.answer right now on social care. Nick Gibb, can we confirm that you

:18:59. > :19:03.are not the Nick involved in this? Definitely not. There are a lot of

:19:04. > :19:08.Nicks around. Can we also establish that it is now impossible for the

:19:09. > :19:13.government to avoid explaining to us what deal has been done between

:19:14. > :19:19.central government and Surrey County Council? These are routine

:19:20. > :19:22.discussions that take place between the DC Oti and councils in the

:19:23. > :19:25.country as part of the local government financial settlement.

:19:26. > :19:29.They take place every year as they did under Labour. The final

:19:30. > :19:35.settlement will be published later this month. The House of Commons

:19:36. > :19:38.votes on it, so this is routine. But it cannot be routine if Surrey

:19:39. > :19:43.Council were planning a referendum to increase council tax by 50%. They

:19:44. > :19:49.have seen a cut in their central government grant since 2010 of ?170

:19:50. > :19:53.million at a time when a man for the services that that 170 million was

:19:54. > :19:59.meant to cover has been rising. So in real terms, it is a lot more.

:20:00. > :20:03.They wanted a 15% rise. They have to put that to a referendum. Something

:20:04. > :20:10.has been done, as we know from the texts. Let me get the reply -

:20:11. > :20:14.something was done to stop a referendum. It is a crony deal

:20:15. > :20:18.between Tories and Tories. That is clearly the implication. Well, the

:20:19. > :20:22.budget settlement in Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council. I

:20:23. > :20:26.understand they voted it through last night. But these discussions

:20:27. > :20:31.between different councils of all political colours up and down the

:20:32. > :20:33.country take place every year as local authorities settle their

:20:34. > :20:41.financial agreements with the government. No secret memorandum.

:20:42. > :20:45.David Hodge thinks he was doing a deal. It is now clear that he

:20:46. > :20:50.thought he was sending it to Nick King, special adviser to Sajid

:20:51. > :20:56.Javid, but in fact sent it to a different Nick, Nick Forbes at the

:20:57. > :21:03.local government authority. And he of course is a Labour politician. I

:21:04. > :21:07.need to get reaction from you. I am gobsmacked. A good attempt, Nick,

:21:08. > :21:12.but to say this is routine, are you saying this happens on a routine

:21:13. > :21:16.basis that dodgy deals are done if you are in a Tory council and uterus

:21:17. > :21:20.may referendum, you get what you want? Somebody has to resign over

:21:21. > :21:23.this. This is a disgrace. There are people up and down the country

:21:24. > :21:27.suffering these cuts and if you press the button with your Tory

:21:28. > :21:31.mates, you get a good deal? It is an outrage and this is going to run and

:21:32. > :21:37.run. People had better lance this boil quick, or we will see all these

:21:38. > :21:41.documents published. We want to see it all fully disclosed, because this

:21:42. > :21:44.will haunt you if you don't get it right. There will be a demand for

:21:45. > :21:49.total transparency on this. It is not as if there are any security

:21:50. > :21:57.implications. Indeed, and we understand John Ashworth will call

:21:58. > :22:00.for an inquiry. He will suggest that all the correspondence around this

:22:01. > :22:03.should be published. The classic question, if there is nothing to

:22:04. > :22:10.hide and it is all routine, why should it not be out in the public

:22:11. > :22:17.domain? We will see what happens. The whole financial settlement is

:22:18. > :22:22.voted on by the House of Commons. We will see the numbers as they come

:22:23. > :22:25.out. The local government finance settlement was announced after the

:22:26. > :22:29.Autumn Statement. As we discussed at the time, it was delayed for a bit

:22:30. > :22:32.longer because local government leaders were fighting for an

:22:33. > :22:37.expected there to be something extra for them about social care. But

:22:38. > :22:43.there was not. So this row is pushing at a bruise that is already

:22:44. > :22:48.extremely painful. Won't it be the number that is the key? It is worth

:22:49. > :22:53.referring back to the text. "The Numbers you indicated", says David

:22:54. > :22:58.Hodge, "Other numbers I've understand are acceptable for me to

:22:59. > :23:02.call off the referendum". If this text is genuine - we haven't got

:23:03. > :23:10.hold of David Hodge yet or broken to whoever the Nick was - but this

:23:11. > :23:14.seems... What makes this politically difficult is that this is a Tory

:23:15. > :23:18.government, dealing with the Tory heartlands. You don't get more Tory

:23:19. > :23:26.than sorry. Ian McLeod used to refer to it as the deep South. And we know

:23:27. > :23:31.what he meant by that. It is interesting that they were so

:23:32. > :23:36.anxious to do some kind of deal. I would suggest that there was never

:23:37. > :23:40.any chance that Surrey, Tory heartland, was going to vote for a

:23:41. > :23:46.15% increase in council tax. My understanding is that they had voted

:23:47. > :23:50.for increases in the past. Not 15%. Probably not. But these issues do

:23:51. > :23:55.take place because you have to make sure that the figures are correct.

:23:56. > :23:58.We get this in school funding as well. The local authority sometimes

:23:59. > :24:05.comes to us and says, we put the wrong figures in the wrong box, can

:24:06. > :24:10.we have a mission to get extra money from the department? We look at

:24:11. > :24:14.those things every year. I am glad you mentioned school funding,

:24:15. > :24:18.because you will be glad to know that that is what we are going to

:24:19. > :24:21.move on to. We can talk to Toby Perkins, the Labour MP who asked the

:24:22. > :24:25.first question at PMQs, which was about the proposed changes to the

:24:26. > :24:30.government's funding formula for schools. What are your concerns?

:24:31. > :24:36.Well, the school that the government launched the pupil premium in in my

:24:37. > :24:40.constituency is facing the biggest cuts in Derbyshire. It is a very

:24:41. > :24:45.deprived school. 70% of the children are on free school meals. My sense

:24:46. > :24:49.is not only that there is not enough money generally for schools, but

:24:50. > :24:53.that the schools that need that support are facing the biggest cuts.

:24:54. > :24:57.Now we have the headteacher of that school running the Great North Run

:24:58. > :25:01.not for charity, but to try and prop up his core funding so he doesn't

:25:02. > :25:06.have to sack staff. We have the schools minister here. Why are the

:25:07. > :25:10.schools in that constituency, which is in a fairly deprived area, going

:25:11. > :25:13.to lose money and funding from this new formula which the Prime Minister

:25:14. > :25:20.said would be fairer? We are spending record amounts of money on

:25:21. > :25:24.school funding, ?40 billion. But there is increased demand. Yes, so

:25:25. > :25:28.it will rise to deal with that over the rest of the parliament to 42

:25:29. > :25:32.billion by 2019. We had to address the historic unfairness of the way

:25:33. > :25:37.the money was distributed. It is based on 2005 data which is out of

:25:38. > :25:41.date. It is based on an amalgamation of all kinds of grants which went to

:25:42. > :25:46.different parts of the country over a period of time. People have

:25:47. > :25:50.complained for years that this is unfair, so we have grasped the

:25:51. > :25:54.nettle. It is undoubtedly controversial, but we have set a

:25:55. > :25:57.series of principles like deprivation, low prior attainment of

:25:58. > :26:01.pupils and English as a second language. We have consulted on that

:26:02. > :26:04.and got agreement and have applied that two schools based on current

:26:05. > :26:09.data. You will find that some schools lose, because they have been

:26:10. > :26:13.funded more generously in the past. Toby Perkins, have your school is

:26:14. > :26:17.being funded more generously in the past? Derbyshire is one of the 40

:26:18. > :26:24.councils that are underfunded generally. But specifically, we are

:26:25. > :26:27.seeing the school that has the third greatest level of deprivation in all

:26:28. > :26:31.of Derbyshire being the one that gets the biggest cuts. The

:26:32. > :26:36.government are cutting the schools that have the kids with the biggest

:26:37. > :26:40.level of deprivation. It is not just people on the opposition like Toby

:26:41. > :26:44.Perkins. Graham Brady, a Conservative MP, has that

:26:45. > :26:48.historically, funding in his constituency has been extremely low.

:26:49. > :26:51.So it has led the Conservative leader of Kent County Council to say

:26:52. > :26:58.we welcome the new funding formula, but are we getting the right spots?

:26:59. > :27:03.We are. We are putting a great deal of money into deprivation. Then why

:27:04. > :27:07.is the school losing out? The anomaly is not the new funding

:27:08. > :27:13.formula. The anomaly is what happened before. We are having to

:27:14. > :27:18.address historic anomalies. For example, in London ten years ago,

:27:19. > :27:22.27% of pupils were eligible for free school meals. That figure is now 18%

:27:23. > :27:26.because of the increased prosperity of inner London. They are still the

:27:27. > :27:32.best funded part of the country. And now you are going to cut funding.

:27:33. > :27:38.But it is fairer now. 50% of schools will gain and 46% will see a small

:27:39. > :27:42.fall. But 1000 rural schools will have their budgets cut and the

:27:43. > :27:45.proposed formula. The whole idea was to help some of these rural schools

:27:46. > :27:52.in the government claim have lost out to areas like London. But

:27:53. > :27:56.schools will gain which never had it in the past. The point is, when you

:27:57. > :28:00.are creating a fairer national funding formula based on current

:28:01. > :28:03.data and you apply those numbers to the current year, you will see some

:28:04. > :28:07.schools rise and some schools fall. But overall, we are spending more on

:28:08. > :28:12.schools that we have ever done. We have to leave it there. In the

:28:13. > :28:15.interest of fairness, the Surrey County Council leader David Hodge

:28:16. > :28:22.has said that Surrey's decision not to proceed with a 15% council tax

:28:23. > :28:29.increase was ours alone. There has been no deal between Surrey County

:28:30. > :28:32.Council and the government. But these texts have to be expensive but

:28:33. > :28:40.we need to tell you what the year was. Whack that red button. It was

:28:41. > :28:51.1959. That is it for today. The one

:28:52. > :28:55.O'Clock News is starting on BBC One. We will be back tomorrow with

:28:56. > :29:01.another edition of the Daily Politics here on BBC Two. Bye-bye.