22/03/2017

:00:41. > :00:44.The Government announces a ban on laptops

:00:45. > :00:46.and tablets in aircraft cabins on certain flights

:00:47. > :00:49.US media says it's in response to a specific threat

:00:50. > :00:54.In one week, the Prime Minister will formally

:00:55. > :00:57.launch the process which will take us out of the EU.

:00:58. > :01:03.It's the number one item in her in-tray.

:01:04. > :01:05.But what does it mean for the Government's other priorities?

:01:06. > :01:08.It's been a tough few days for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour's

:01:09. > :01:12.Can he regain the initiative at PMQs?

:01:13. > :01:19.And it's the great political cake-off as MPs get

:01:20. > :01:26.Or will it be soggy bottoms all round?

:01:27. > :01:29.You could expect next door's hamster to decorate a cake better than most

:01:30. > :01:40.of these MPs but it's great fun and it's for a very good cause.

:01:41. > :01:46.I thought you did very well reading that! It was full of pitfalls. It

:01:47. > :01:48.was a bit of a tongue twister! All that in the next 90 minutes

:01:49. > :01:51.and with us for the duration, Home Office Minister Brandon Lewis,

:01:52. > :01:54.and Shadow Justice Now, Brandon is specifically

:01:55. > :01:59.the Minister for Policing and Fire, although it's not clear who has

:02:00. > :02:11.the brief for earth and wind. We could keep this going right up to

:02:12. > :02:22.PMQs! Richard is also the Shadow Lord

:02:23. > :02:24.Chancellor, which means, if he ever gets into government,

:02:25. > :02:28.he'll get to wear the full legal state dress - black silk

:02:29. > :02:32.velvet cutaway tail coat, a waistcoat and breeches,

:02:33. > :02:40.lace cuffs, black silk stockings, It's the uniform all good

:02:41. > :02:43.socialists aspire to! Downing Street has confirmed

:02:44. > :02:47.that it will place a ban large electrical devices in some

:02:48. > :02:57.aircraft cabins in the coming days. The ban will affect passengers

:02:58. > :02:59.travelling on direct flights to the UK from six countries

:03:00. > :03:01.in the Middle East. The US government has also announced

:03:02. > :03:10.similar restrictions They are from the Middle East, not

:03:11. > :03:13.exactly the same countries as the UK.

:03:14. > :03:15.Reports in the American media suggest the ban was prompted

:03:16. > :03:17.by intelligence of a terror threat to US-bound flights.

:03:18. > :03:19.Let's talk to Tom Wilson from the Henry Jackson Society,

:03:20. > :03:24.which is a foreign affairs think tank.

:03:25. > :03:32.Let's get this... We believe there is some specific intelligence of

:03:33. > :03:36.this sort of threat to US and now possibly British flights. Is that

:03:37. > :03:40.correct? What more do we know? I think there must be something quite

:03:41. > :03:45.specific for both the UK and there has been word that Canada might also

:03:46. > :03:48.implement a similar ban. Also the fact that you got people not just in

:03:49. > :03:52.the Trump administration but also Democrats in Congress who have seen

:03:53. > :03:56.some of this intelligence who seem to support this ban. As well as

:03:57. > :04:00.they're probably being something quite specific, we have now seen

:04:01. > :04:08.mounting concerns about attacks relating to aviation. In 2016 there

:04:09. > :04:12.was an attempted attack in Somalia by Al-Shabab. In 2015, a group

:04:13. > :04:17.linked to ISA managed to take out a Russian passenger jet, so there have

:04:18. > :04:20.been mounting and ongoing fears in recent years. But these events

:04:21. > :04:25.happened a little while ago, still in the recent history but a little

:04:26. > :04:29.while ago. Something must have happened. Do you think there might

:04:30. > :04:34.have been a technology breakthrough in that the bomb makers know how to

:04:35. > :04:41.turn not just laptop batteries but the batteries on tablets into bombs,

:04:42. > :04:48.in effect, so that when they are switched on they explode on air in

:04:49. > :04:52.the cabin? There have been some reports, confirmed so far I think,

:04:53. > :04:55.that there may be an Al-Qaeda affiliated group that has been

:04:56. > :04:59.specifically looking into technology related to planting explosives

:05:00. > :05:02.inside batteries of laptops, tablets or perhaps something even smaller. I

:05:03. > :05:08.think one question we do have is whether or not the concern is about

:05:09. > :05:11.the kind of device that would be triggered by an individual outside,

:05:12. > :05:14.actually in the cabin, or whether or not the device could go off

:05:15. > :05:18.automatically without someone being able to trigger its. One final

:05:19. > :05:22.question lots of people have been asking. As I understand it, you will

:05:23. > :05:26.still be allowed to check these things into the hold and people have

:05:27. > :05:31.said, maybe the bomb could go off there but you would then have to add

:05:32. > :05:38.a timer to it, which complicates matters. Aircraft are not always

:05:39. > :05:41.unscheduled. It really works, as I understand it, by you switch it on

:05:42. > :05:45.which is why the biggest danger is in the cabin. Exactly, and in the

:05:46. > :05:49.past that was always the case with aviation bombing, such as the shoe

:05:50. > :05:54.bomb plot, plots to do with liquid explosives which we saw in the

:05:55. > :05:57.mid-2000s. But I think there is a higher level of technology needed if

:05:58. > :06:00.you've got some kind of time, although it was suggested in the

:06:01. > :06:04.case of the Sharm el-Sheikh bombing that the exposer was in the hold. I

:06:05. > :06:07.think it may be the case that airport authorities are able to

:06:08. > :06:11.check what goes into the hold more closely than what passengers are

:06:12. > :06:16.taking on with them. We will leave at there. Thank you for joining us

:06:17. > :06:19.in the rain. I was going to pick up on that point

:06:20. > :06:22.with Brandon Lewis about what evidence there is that it will make

:06:23. > :06:27.us safer, even if there is this point about triggering any device,

:06:28. > :06:31.as we just heard from our guest, the major attack back in 2015 when the

:06:32. > :06:35.Russian airliner was brought down, killing over 200 people, it is

:06:36. > :06:39.thought the bomb was hold luggage so what evidence is there that this

:06:40. > :06:44.will make us safer? For these reasons, I can't comment on

:06:45. > :06:47.particular threats, but we have been on a severe flooding for some time

:06:48. > :06:51.now and the Prime Minister has been chairing meetings for a number of

:06:52. > :06:54.weeks looking at those threats and a decision was made to put this ban on

:06:55. > :06:58.these particular flights to make sure that we keep people safe while

:06:59. > :07:02.they are flying and keep British citizens safe. At what is the

:07:03. > :07:07.evidence that it will keep us safer? If you can still put laptops,

:07:08. > :07:10.tablets and other large electronic devices in the hold, and bombs can

:07:11. > :07:15.be triggered there, how much safer will it really make us by preventing

:07:16. > :07:18.people taking these electronic gadgets in their hand luggage? The

:07:19. > :07:23.assessment has been made looking at what the threats are. Putting this

:07:24. > :07:26.ban on these flights in this way makes people say the. I can't go

:07:27. > :07:29.into the details of specific threats because we don't comment on specific

:07:30. > :07:32.threats like a lot but a decision has been made in light of the

:07:33. > :07:36.evidence that we've got, the meeting the Prime Minister has been chairing

:07:37. > :07:43.herself over the last few weeks, to make sure we are doing the right

:07:44. > :07:46.thing. There has to be some sort of logic to its. One security expert

:07:47. > :07:50.has suggested it could actually make us less safe because, as you know,

:07:51. > :07:55.in the case of cabin baggage, the case can be opened in front of the

:07:56. > :07:59.owner of that particular bag and individual items can be checked in

:08:00. > :08:04.front of them. That isn't the case, obviously, when it goes into the

:08:05. > :08:07.hold. I can say there is logic and there is an assessment of what the

:08:08. > :08:11.threat is and advice has been given by the experts, the security teams,

:08:12. > :08:14.and the decision has been made that the best thing to do to make sure

:08:15. > :08:18.people are safest but a ban on these particular types of equipment. How

:08:19. > :08:22.much disruption do you think it will cause? Adamant it will cause too

:08:23. > :08:27.much disruption. People should check with their travel agents when they

:08:28. > :08:32.are travelling from those countries, they need to have it in their hold

:08:33. > :08:35.luggage. That means putting it in hold luggage rather than in hand

:08:36. > :08:37.luggage or when they get to the airline check-in, the airline will

:08:38. > :08:41.be advising them to put it in the hold luggage as they check in. There

:08:42. > :08:48.may be some delays for them in doing that but that's the only disruption

:08:49. > :08:52.message be -- there should be. People travelling, let's say, from

:08:53. > :08:56.Turkey to London, it affects direct flights but what if you want to

:08:57. > :09:00.travel from Turkey to Paris and you actually are able then to keep your

:09:01. > :09:03.laptop with you, you then change flights, change airlines in Paris

:09:04. > :09:06.and travel to London but you have originally come from Turkey. People

:09:07. > :09:12.would be able to take their laptops into the cabin. You're quite right,

:09:13. > :09:16.the banners on those very specific direct flights. So you will be able

:09:17. > :09:19.to get round it. We continue to work with our colleagues and partners in

:09:20. > :09:23.other countries around the world to do everything we can to make sure

:09:24. > :09:26.airline safety is safe. A particular decision has been taken about these

:09:27. > :09:31.flights. If you come in from Turkey into Paris and you are going on a

:09:32. > :09:36.different line, say to America, they will make you go through security

:09:37. > :09:42.again, as they do in London now. And as was said in the Henry Jackson

:09:43. > :09:45.Society comment, luggage that goes through the hold goes through a

:09:46. > :09:51.certain security check as well but the decision has been made. We have

:09:52. > :09:56.been severe flooding for sometime now and this the right decision to

:09:57. > :09:57.make sure safety is paramount. Once was male scissors, then liquids, now

:09:58. > :10:05.it is your iPad. -- nail scissors. Now, in exactly one week,

:10:06. > :10:07.Theresa May will send a letter to the European Council,

:10:08. > :10:09.triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty

:10:10. > :10:12.and so beginning the formal process It will be an historic moment

:10:13. > :10:15.and will clearly dominate politics But there are plenty of other issues

:10:16. > :10:21.that the Government is wrestling with, and you can be sure that

:10:22. > :10:23.here at the Daily Politics we will be holding ministers' feet

:10:24. > :10:27.to the fire on all Government It's a busy time for

:10:28. > :10:35.politicians on all sides. As well as Brexit, the other huge

:10:36. > :10:37.constitutional issue for Theresa May is a possible second

:10:38. > :10:40.Scottish independence referendum. This afternoon the Scottish

:10:41. > :10:43.Parliament will vote on whether to request a new poll,

:10:44. > :10:47.something which the UK Government has said they won't allow

:10:48. > :10:52.until after Britain has left the EU. Schools funding in England

:10:53. > :10:55.is another hot potato at the moment. The Government is trying to push

:10:56. > :10:59.through a new funding formula for schools, which has

:11:00. > :11:02.angered many headteachers. The Prime Minister has also

:11:03. > :11:06.promised to push ahead with new grammar schools,

:11:07. > :11:08.although the issue is angering Social care is another issue that

:11:09. > :11:14.will be taxing minds in Whitehall. The Chancellor announced an extra

:11:15. > :11:17.?2 billion over the next three years but many are warning

:11:18. > :11:20.it's not enough. Linked to that is health spending,

:11:21. > :11:23.with funding pressures And if that's not enough,

:11:24. > :11:28.the Conservative Party is facing police probes

:11:29. > :11:33.into their election expenses. Last week they were fined ?70,000

:11:34. > :11:37.and 12 police forces have asked the Crown Prosecution Service

:11:38. > :11:39.to consider whether there If you think that's tough,

:11:40. > :11:51.imagine being Jeremy Corbyn. Yesterday MPs rounded

:11:52. > :11:53.on the Labour Leader at a Parliamentary Labour Party

:11:54. > :11:56.meeting for apparently briefing Many MPs are angry at Mr Corbyn's

:11:57. > :12:01.leadership, particularly because Labour's poll

:12:02. > :12:05.ratings aren't good. Earlier this week,

:12:06. > :12:07.a Guardian-ICM poll put Labour on 26%, with the Conservatives

:12:08. > :12:19.on 45%. Joining me now is Joe Twyman from

:12:20. > :12:23.the polling company YouGov. 19 points behind Fort Labour. Is that

:12:24. > :12:28.now becoming an established trend? It certainly seems to be. Our most

:12:29. > :12:32.recent poll for the Times has Labour on 25%, where they've been

:12:33. > :12:36.consistently for the past few weeks, and the Conservatives on 41 and they

:12:37. > :12:40.have been low to middle 40s for some time. That is clearly a difficult

:12:41. > :12:43.situation for the Labour Party to be in but if you look beyond the

:12:44. > :12:47.figures, the situation gets worse when you ask people who would make

:12:48. > :12:51.the best Prime Minister. Theresa May is ahead by some distance. Fewer

:12:52. > :12:55.than half of Labour supporters actually think that Jeremy Corbyn

:12:56. > :12:58.could be the best Prime Minister. Most of them say they don't know but

:12:59. > :13:02.it is still a difficult situation to be in and when you look at things

:13:03. > :13:05.like jobs, housing, the economy, Ronnie Corbett is behind Theresa

:13:06. > :13:09.May, often by some distance, so that is a difficult situation to be in

:13:10. > :13:14.and there is no getting away from that. But there is a big but coming

:13:15. > :13:18.and that is surrounding Brexit. We don't know how things are going to

:13:19. > :13:22.go. We asked people if there were a general election tomorrow, how would

:13:23. > :13:26.you vote, but we know there isn't a general election tomorrow and there

:13:27. > :13:30.was not going to be one on me the fourth, we hear now. It is more

:13:31. > :13:36.likely to be in 2020 and where the country will be at that stage could

:13:37. > :13:39.determine massive differences. So while Labour are behind at the

:13:40. > :13:42.moment, it could be the case that seeing a Brexit disaster with the

:13:43. > :13:47.Conservatives could mean Labour pull ahead but the point is, we don't

:13:48. > :13:50.know. And the Shadow Chancellor John McDonell has said Labour will be

:13:51. > :13:53.more united once they get into the Brexit negotiations and there will

:13:54. > :13:57.be disunity on the Conservative side, as you say. But if you look at

:13:58. > :14:02.the issues that have faced the Tory party, the Omni shambles that many

:14:03. > :14:05.have called it of the budget and the U-turn on the national insurance

:14:06. > :14:09.contributions, business rates, social care, why are the Tories are

:14:10. > :14:13.the Tories still so far ahead? Well, it seems that Labour's policies and

:14:14. > :14:16.their way of getting their argument across, be it through the leader or

:14:17. > :14:21.other members of the party, just aren't resonating with the country.

:14:22. > :14:23.Critics of Conservatives and supporters particularly of Jeremy

:14:24. > :14:28.Corbyn will blame this on the press, on infighting within the party, and

:14:29. > :14:33.I'm not here to discuss the merits of that, other than to say it is

:14:34. > :14:37.having an effect. It is clear they are not resonating, not getting

:14:38. > :14:41.those groups that they need to appeal to to win. Briefly,

:14:42. > :14:46.predictions for the local elections? I think that Labour will do well to

:14:47. > :14:50.hold on to what they had before. I think they are going to suffer. We

:14:51. > :14:55.could see a resurgence of the Lib Dems if they can resonate their

:14:56. > :15:00.anti-Brexit position but there is a lot that can happen before then,

:15:01. > :15:12.with regard to Article 50. Joe Twyman, thank you. Brandon Lewis,

:15:13. > :15:15.last week your colleague, Mr Stewart defended the increase of national

:15:16. > :15:18.insurance contributions for the self-employed at the time the

:15:19. > :15:22.Government was going a screeching U-Turn on this be subject. So within

:15:23. > :15:24.ten minutes he then had to defend the fact they weren't going to

:15:25. > :15:30.increase national insurance contributions. Would you like now to

:15:31. > :15:33.take the same risk on the proposed change on school funding? Well

:15:34. > :15:36.actually I have personally said as a backbencher, and as a Government

:15:37. > :15:41.minister I support that. We need to do the review of school funding, it

:15:42. > :15:46.is a formula that's out of date. The sector itself was clear and the work

:15:47. > :15:49.and consultation is going on and it is still open it doesn't finish

:15:50. > :15:51.until midnight. It is important that we look at increasing funding,

:15:52. > :15:56.record levels of funding going into schools. We will come on to the

:15:57. > :16:01.amount in a minute so let's just get this clear, you are in no doubt that

:16:02. > :16:04.there will be no U-Turn on the new school funding formula? I think the

:16:05. > :16:08.school funding formula is a piece of work that needed to be done. I think

:16:09. > :16:11.the Department for Education and minister Nick Gibbes is doing a

:16:12. > :16:15.phenomenally good piece of work to make sure we look at where the

:16:16. > :16:19.funding is needed to get to the pupils who need it. So, if they do a

:16:20. > :16:22.U-Turn on this, where would that leave you? The Government is always

:16:23. > :16:25.looking at the department, the consultation finishes at midnight.

:16:26. > :16:31.This'll look at the outcome before making... What and then U-Turn? I

:16:32. > :16:35.think the funding formula review will continue and we'll see a new

:16:36. > :16:38.funding formula for schools. It is much more controversial, much more

:16:39. > :16:42.difficult to implement, let me put it that way because, of course, you

:16:43. > :16:45.are actually cutting money to schools, aren't you? Funding for

:16:46. > :16:50.schools is going up. What this is doing is how that cake is shared out

:16:51. > :16:55.and looking at making sure we get a funding formula that is shared

:16:56. > :17:00.correctly. Explain to me how funding is going up? Record levels of ?#40

:17:01. > :17:03.billion it goes up to ?42 billion in 2019. You are dealing in money

:17:04. > :17:08.terms, aren't you, not real terms. And when you take account of

:17:09. > :17:12.inflation and the fact that the number of pupils is rising, it's

:17:13. > :17:17.actually falling, isn't it? Well, if you look - in cash terms it is going

:17:18. > :17:24.up to ?42 billion. ?2 billion is a lot of money. Not if inflation has

:17:25. > :17:33.reached 2.3% and rising. So you are putting per pupil funding by around

:17:34. > :17:37.8% in real terms, 8% between 2015 and 2020. There are two points I

:17:38. > :17:41.will make to answer that. Firstly, I'm not shying away from the fact we

:17:42. > :17:44.have had to make difficult decisions to the economy over the last years.

:17:45. > :17:48.You can't then complain you are increasing in real terms? We are,

:17:49. > :17:52.school term is at ?40 billion, a record level and going up to ?42

:17:53. > :17:56.billion. And as a second pointed to help schools with the cost, we are

:17:57. > :17:59.setting up with a buying scheme to make sure it is as efficient as

:18:00. > :18:04.possible. A lot of schools aren't as owe fisht with were curement and

:18:05. > :18:09.other things. That's another issue. Of course you want schools to be

:18:10. > :18:11.efficient. Of course you have a Budget deficit to manage down,

:18:12. > :18:16.particularly since you are way behind the original thought on that.

:18:17. > :18:20.But that doesn't allow to you claim that you are in real terms,

:18:21. > :18:30.increasing spending on education because let me give you the figures

:18:31. > :18:37.here, funding per pupil will rise from ?5,447 in 2016 to ?5,519, so it

:18:38. > :18:48.is a rise of about ?60, maybe a little more, by 2020. So, ?60-odd,

:18:49. > :18:51.?70 over four years, that when you take inflation into account, is a

:18:52. > :18:55.substantial reduction in real terms. Can we agree with that? Well, I

:18:56. > :19:00.appreciate you have got inflakes you have changing costs but you also

:19:01. > :19:04.have to recognise that is actually ?2 billion which is a huge sum of

:19:05. > :19:07.money that is going up but it is also about getting right outcomes

:19:08. > :19:12.and what is important with this in education as someone who has got

:19:13. > :19:16.children and I have been in education in myself, those outcomes

:19:17. > :19:20.for 1.8 million in et Bev, schoot and outstanding schools, more first

:19:21. > :19:23.class teachers coming into teach and more children from deprived

:19:24. > :19:26.backgrounds going to university and studying core subjects, the outcomes

:19:27. > :19:32.of those children, the people we have to look to for our future is

:19:33. > :19:36.really key. So why are you cutting the budget in real terms because in

:19:37. > :19:40.money terms you will increase the budget, well, the budget will go up

:19:41. > :19:44.by several billion, in money terms but once you take in inflation, and

:19:45. > :19:49.the increase in the number of pupils. There is going to be a 4%

:19:50. > :19:55.rise in primary school pupils, a 10% rise in secondary school pupils, the

:19:56. > :20:00.IFS explains, that spending per pupil falls by 8% in real terms over

:20:01. > :20:05.a five-year period. Why are you doing that? Well, first of all, yes

:20:06. > :20:08.you are quite right, that funding, in cash terms increases by ?2

:20:09. > :20:12.billion but your point about inflation is allowing for there to

:20:13. > :20:16.be no benefits and no changes in the efficiency of how schools work and

:20:17. > :20:20.we do want to see schools... A lot of schools have already done this.

:20:21. > :20:24.There is a huge amount more we can do in terms of efficiencies, sharing

:20:25. > :20:27.administration departments and doing much better on procurement and we

:20:28. > :20:32.see this across a range of sectors, there is much more to do to make

:20:33. > :20:34.sure we are getting the best for our money but ultimately I would argue

:20:35. > :20:38.any parent and child out there, their main focus is the outcome. We

:20:39. > :20:43.are improving. Any child out there is going to see an 8% cut in the

:20:44. > :20:49.funding in real terms to them, so, whatever you - I'm not arguing about

:20:50. > :20:54.efficiency, or even about the funding formula, I simply would like

:20:55. > :20:59.to clarify and get it clear that in real terms, spending per pupil is

:21:00. > :21:03.not rising, it is falling. Well that depends on what schools do around

:21:04. > :21:07.their efficiencies. If they can be more efficient, it reduces cost, it

:21:08. > :21:10.means the bds 2 billion increase on current record levels goes into the

:21:11. > :21:15.pupils but it is also about making sure they get the best education. It

:21:16. > :21:20.is better than it has ever been and we need to see it go further. So, we

:21:21. > :21:27.have a Government, cutting funding per pupil. We have a Government that

:21:28. > :21:33.is presiding over real problems in the NHS, as well, and a Government

:21:34. > :21:37.that has a bit of an omni-shambles in the Budget. Why are you 19 points

:21:38. > :21:41.behind in the polls? Well, Labour clearly isn't in a good position in

:21:42. > :21:48.the opinion polls. We have a mountain to clie. I believe we can

:21:49. > :21:50.climb that mountain. I think it was inevitable when Theresa May was

:21:51. > :21:54.installed in Conservative Party leader that fl would be a period in

:21:55. > :21:59.which the Conservatives would be boosted. But the Tory lead is

:22:00. > :22:02.widening. It is not that at the start it went big baint by bit you

:22:03. > :22:07.are clawing it back. It has got wider. In one poll after the

:22:08. > :22:13.omni-shambles budget, the lead increased by three points, why is it

:22:14. > :22:16.getting worse? The reality is that everyone in Labour needs to up their

:22:17. > :22:20.game, the Conservatives need to up their game but your polling expert

:22:21. > :22:24.was also correct when he said that the public don't like or don't

:22:25. > :22:29.appreciate it when parties are disunited and when much of what is

:22:30. > :22:32.on the television and in the papers are stories about one Labour MP

:22:33. > :22:35.speaking out against another or talks about internal disputes into

:22:36. > :22:40.the Labour Party, that cannot help Labour. Is that Tom Watson, the

:22:41. > :22:45.deputy Chairman's, Tom Watson's fault? I'm not going to get into the

:22:46. > :22:49.game of criticising my colleagues. You blamed that stuff for the reason

:22:50. > :22:53.why you are so far behind in the polls and getting worse. Well, this

:22:54. > :22:56.- well exhibitions of disunity and disagreement public in the Labour

:22:57. > :23:01.Party didn't start this week. And I do... But there has been a quite

:23:02. > :23:04.period but it has broken up again. I think Emily Thornbury was correct on

:23:05. > :23:09.Newsnight the other night when she said that Labour needs to be outward

:23:10. > :23:13.looking, not inward looking. My plea to everybody on the Labour Party,

:23:14. > :23:17.whether on the left or the right of the Labour Party, is - let's unite

:23:18. > :23:22.and let's look outward, not inward. On the doorstep and at my sessions,

:23:23. > :23:26.people aren't raising with me the Labour Party National Executive

:23:27. > :23:31.committee this, amendment or that at all. They probably lost interest.

:23:32. > :23:37.They were never interested in the first place. That's a lot of what

:23:38. > :23:40.you talk about. Except that it is clearly, according tou, having an

:23:41. > :23:44.impact. Somebody is paying attention, otherwise you would not

:23:45. > :23:50.be 19 points behind in the polls and when you call for party unionite, as

:23:51. > :23:54.Mr Corbyn does regularly, is it not hypocritical qual for party unity,

:23:55. > :23:59.whilst come of the people around Mr Corbyn are briefing against his

:24:00. > :24:02.deputy leader. Well I don't agree of taking private disagreements into

:24:03. > :24:06.the public arena, whoever does that. I don't know about briefing about

:24:07. > :24:11.that, I don't know about anything like that. You know where the story

:24:12. > :24:15.has come from. I don't actually. You were at the Shadow Cabinet meeting,

:24:16. > :24:19.weren't you? I wasn't because I was in the chamber of the House of

:24:20. > :24:23.Commons, doing my job, speaking for Labour on the prisons bill, so I

:24:24. > :24:29.wasn't at the Shadow Cabinet. I usually am. Why is your membership

:24:30. > :24:32.now falling? Well the membership of the Labour Party before the general

:24:33. > :24:37.election is 170,000. It is still over... You had a huge bump, no

:24:38. > :24:41.questions about that but it is now falling again, why? Well, at the end

:24:42. > :24:47.of the day once a year you come to the point where people have to fill

:24:48. > :24:51.in their... Actually pay. The reality is you will always get

:24:52. > :24:54.people leaving a political party. Labour is still the biggest

:24:55. > :25:00.left-of-centre party. Not for long... Have you seen how much the

:25:01. > :25:04.German Social Democrats are rising? If people said a few years ago that

:25:05. > :25:08.Labour would have 500,000 members I would have thought that was fan

:25:09. > :25:12.toastical. If I said to you a year later 40,000 people were Ayerza

:25:13. > :25:17.rears and memberships fallen below 500,000 you would have said what?

:25:18. > :25:21.Well, Well it is not welcome that people leave but there is a huge

:25:22. > :25:26.increase in the membership. Let me move on. Mr Livingston, who as you

:25:27. > :25:29.know is always helpful to the Labour Party in his public pronouncements

:25:30. > :25:37.has said that Mr Corbyn should suspend about a dozen disloyal

:25:38. > :25:43.Labour MPs, include what say you? I don't think we should be in the game

:25:44. > :25:47.of suspending MPs or attempting to deselect MPs. I thinks a distraction

:25:48. > :25:52.and weed should be looking outward not inward my plea for everyone,

:25:53. > :25:55.whether on the left or right, is to unite and look outward. Including Mr

:25:56. > :25:59.Livingston, should do that? Of course.

:26:00. > :26:01.Now, let's turn our attention to cake.

:26:02. > :26:04.Our Foreign Secretary once famously declared that his policy

:26:05. > :26:08.on cake was "pro having it and pro eating it".

:26:09. > :26:12.Approximate He is a living embodiment of that. Who are we to

:26:13. > :26:15.disagree? And it seems Boris Johnson's

:26:16. > :26:17.colleagues have been getting in on the act,

:26:18. > :26:20.taking part in a cake decorating contest for Comic Relief -

:26:21. > :26:21.we'll have more on that later. Meanwhile, we're going to see

:26:22. > :26:27.if we can engender a bit of cross-party artistic

:26:28. > :26:29.collaboration here in the studio by asking our guests

:26:30. > :26:31.if they can make less Oh, that doesn't look like it needs

:26:32. > :26:42.decorating. It looks lovely. Like Brexit, we're looking

:26:43. > :26:46.for something clean, uncomplicated, that the public can swallow

:26:47. > :26:49.and preferably red, white and blue. And to go with with your

:26:50. > :26:52.slice of patriotism, you obviously need tea and one

:26:53. > :27:03.of these to put it in. And the only way to get one

:27:04. > :27:07.is to tell us when this happened. And just to warn you, there

:27:08. > :27:23.are flashing images from the start. MUSIC: Would I Lie To

:27:24. > :27:47.You by Charles Eddie Who decides who's to be a number

:27:48. > :27:54.of the British Cabinet - the Prime Minister or the editor

:27:55. > :27:56.of the Daily Mail? # Girl, there's no one else

:27:57. > :27:58.but you MUSIC: I Wonder Why

:27:59. > :28:16.by Curtis Stigers # And I wonder why we hold

:28:17. > :28:19.on with tears in our eyes #. It has turned out to be

:28:20. > :28:22.an annus horribilis. # And I wonder why I can't seem to

:28:23. > :28:28.tell you goodbye To be in with a chance of winning

:28:29. > :28:53.a Daily Politics mug, send your answer to our special quiz

:28:54. > :28:56.email address - that's We can right that so well on the

:28:57. > :29:03.cake. -- write that. arrive by 12.30 today,

:29:04. > :29:06.and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess The Year

:29:07. > :29:08.on our website - that's It's coming up to midday here -

:29:09. > :29:13.just take a look at Big Ben - and that can mean only one thing -

:29:14. > :29:17.yes, Prime Minister's That will lighten things um. Already

:29:18. > :29:24.lightening up the studio, Laura Kuenssberg is here. You were telling

:29:25. > :29:28.me that you think Mr Corbyn is going to go on schools funding? I think it

:29:29. > :29:31.is very likely, not least because there is concern on the Labour

:29:32. > :29:34.benches and lots of concern in the country. Many parents turning up to

:29:35. > :29:37.public meetings on what is going on with their schools but there is also

:29:38. > :29:43.concern on the Tory benches. Behind Theresa May there are plenty of

:29:44. > :29:48.backbenchers, some former minute sisters, and one G Osborne who made

:29:49. > :29:54.his concerns plain. I thought it was originallies his formula Well it

:29:55. > :29:59.was. Never say that Mr G Osborne has what some people describe as you had

:30:00. > :30:03.as aity. Is this Mr George Osborne former Chancellor, still MP or

:30:04. > :30:07.George Osborne, editor-elect of the standed a. I think actually in a

:30:08. > :30:11.letter to his local paper that he has published this morning, this is

:30:12. > :30:15.one of the things he has said - I'm still a local MP fighting for you.

:30:16. > :30:17.He has raised the schools' funding formula as something he has

:30:18. > :30:21.expressed concerns about in Cheshire. He didn't quite mention

:30:22. > :30:26.that actually it was something he announced as Chancellor, almost a

:30:27. > :30:29.clear to the day. And beyond his territory somewhat at the time? It

:30:30. > :30:33.was one of the interesting things, it was the sort of thing - here is

:30:34. > :30:39.this Chancellor who had ambitions beyond his job. It was a Gordon

:30:40. > :30:45.Brown move. It was a domestic land grab that David Cameron was in lock

:30:46. > :30:47.step with. We can't forget how much the two of them were in lock step

:30:48. > :31:06.together. It is a change in I would like to express my

:31:07. > :31:09.condolences to the family and colleagues of the former First

:31:10. > :31:16.Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin We do not condone the path he took

:31:17. > :31:20.in the first period of his life. However, he played an indispensable

:31:21. > :31:23.role in bringing the republican movement away from violence to

:31:24. > :31:28.peaceful and democratic means and to building a better Northern Ireland.

:31:29. > :31:31.This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others

:31:32. > :31:36.and in addition to my duties in this has, I shall have further such

:31:37. > :31:40.meetings later today. The Prime Minister says that there is more

:31:41. > :31:49.money for the National Health Service, more nurses and more

:31:50. > :31:53.doctors, yet Bassetlaw breast care unit has been cut back and Bassetlaw

:31:54. > :32:02.children's ward has been closed overnight. Something clearly does

:32:03. > :32:07.not add up. I and the mothers of the most seriously ill children who use

:32:08. > :32:10.the children's ward the most frequently offer to the Prime

:32:11. > :32:19.Minister to work with her to solve this problem. Is her door at Number

:32:20. > :32:24.Ten open to us? I say to the honourable gentleman, if we look at

:32:25. > :32:27.what has happened in his area, his NHS Bassetlaw clinical commissioning

:32:28. > :32:32.groups is receiving a cash increase, the Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS

:32:33. > :32:37.hospitals foundation trust have over 80 more doctors and nearly 30 more

:32:38. > :32:40.nurses but of course what we see... He talks of listening to the voice

:32:41. > :32:46.of local people in relation to health services in the local area.

:32:47. > :32:49.That is exactly what the sustainability and transformation

:32:50. > :32:53.plans are about. It is about hearing from local people and local

:32:54. > :33:00.clinicians and putting together the health provisions that ensure that

:33:01. > :33:05.they meet local needs. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Telford is a story of trans

:33:06. > :33:08.formation and progress, from the ironmasters of the first industrial

:33:09. > :33:15.revolution through to a new revolution in hi-tech manufacturing

:33:16. > :33:17.in Telford today. It has helped build Britain. As this government

:33:18. > :33:24.delivers on the democratic will of the British people and triggers

:33:25. > :33:28.Article 50, will my right honourable friend tell us how Telford will

:33:29. > :33:34.prosper from Brexit and from her plan for Britain? As I've said

:33:35. > :33:39.before, the referendum result was not just about membership of the EU,

:33:40. > :33:45.it was about to change the this country works and to make Britain a

:33:46. > :33:48.country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. And that's

:33:49. > :33:53.why the plan for Britain is a plan to get the right deal for Britain

:33:54. > :33:57.and abroad but also to build a stronger, fairer Britain for

:33:58. > :34:01.ordinary working families here at home like those in Telford and I'm

:34:02. > :34:09.pleased that we've already provided ?70 million of funding to the local

:34:10. > :34:12.LEP to proof improve in the search in Telford. This government is

:34:13. > :34:16.putting the resources and our plans are Britain will deliver that

:34:17. > :34:23.stronger, fairer economy and a more united, more outward looking country

:34:24. > :34:27.than ever before. Jeremy Corbyn. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

:34:28. > :34:30.Could I start by echoing the words of the Prime Minister concerning the

:34:31. > :34:35.death of Martin McGuinness, the former deputy minister of Northern

:34:36. > :34:39.Ireland. He died this week and our thoughts go to his family, his wife

:34:40. > :34:42.Bernie and the wider community. Martin played an immeasurable role

:34:43. > :34:47.in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland and it is that peace that we

:34:48. > :34:54.all want to see energy for all time, for all people in Northern Ireland.

:34:55. > :35:00.-- endure. The government is cutting the schools budget by 6.5% by 2020

:35:01. > :35:05.and today, we learn the proposed national funding formula will leave

:35:06. > :35:11.1000 schools across England facing additional cuts of a further 7%

:35:12. > :35:16.beyond 2020. Can the Prime Minister explain to parents why cutting

:35:17. > :35:22.capital gains tax, cutting inheritance tax, cutting corporation

:35:23. > :35:28.tax, cutting bank levy are all more important than our children's

:35:29. > :35:31.future? This government is committed to ensuring that all our children

:35:32. > :35:36.get the education that is right for them and that all our children have

:35:37. > :35:41.a good school plays. That is what the Government's plans for education

:35:42. > :35:46.will provide and that is building on a fine record of the past nearly

:35:47. > :35:49.seven years for Conservatives in government, when we've seen 1.8

:35:50. > :35:55.million more children in good or outstanding schools. We've protected

:35:56. > :35:59.the schools budget and the national funding formula is a consultation

:36:00. > :36:04.and obviously there will be a number of views. The consultation closes

:36:05. > :36:08.today and then the Department for Education will respond to that in

:36:09. > :36:13.due course. The manifesto on which she fought the last election

:36:14. > :36:16.promised that under a future Conservative government, the amount

:36:17. > :36:22.of money following your child into school will be protected. No wonder

:36:23. > :36:31.even be editor of the London Evening Standard is up in arms about this!

:36:32. > :36:36.Where is he? There he is! Mr Speaker, the cuts to school funding

:36:37. > :36:40.equates to the loss of two teachers across all primary schools, six

:36:41. > :36:45.teachers across all secondary schools. So is the Prime Minister

:36:46. > :36:52.advocating larger class sizes, shorter school days or unqualified

:36:53. > :36:58.teachers? Which is it? As we said we would, we have protected the schools

:36:59. > :37:02.budget. We now see more teachers in our schools, we see more teachers

:37:03. > :37:08.with first-class degrees in our schools. As I say, we see 1.8

:37:09. > :37:12.million more children in good or outstanding schools. That's a result

:37:13. > :37:18.of the policies of this government, of diversity in education, Free

:37:19. > :37:22.Schools, academies, comprehensives, faith schools, universities, grammar

:37:23. > :37:27.schools. We believe in diversity in education and choice for parents. He

:37:28. > :37:34.believes in a one size fits all, take it or leave it model. She was

:37:35. > :37:38.clearly elected on a pledge not to cut school funding and that is

:37:39. > :37:42.exactly what's happening. Maybe she could listen to headteachers in West

:37:43. > :37:46.Sussex, who say they believe savings will come from, and I quote,

:37:47. > :37:53.staffing reductions, further increased class sizes, withdrawal of

:37:54. > :37:58.counselling and pastoral services, modified school hours, reduction in

:37:59. > :38:03.books, IT and equipment. I've got a heartfelt letter from a primary

:38:04. > :38:10.school teacher by Remain Eileen. Eileen is one of our many hard

:38:11. > :38:15.working teachers who cares our kids and she wrote to me to say, teachers

:38:16. > :38:20.are purchasing items such as pens, pencils, glue sticks and paper out

:38:21. > :38:24.of their own pockets. Fundraising events have quadrupled as funds are

:38:25. > :38:30.so low that parents are having to make donations to purchase books.

:38:31. > :38:36.This is disgraceful, says Eileen. Does the Prime Minister agree with

:38:37. > :38:41.Eileen? We are seeing record levels of funding going into our schools.

:38:42. > :38:46.We have protected the schools budget, we protected the pupil

:38:47. > :38:50.premium, but what matters for parents is the quality of... You

:38:51. > :38:59.shouldn't keep yelling out, what about Eileen? The Prime Minister

:39:00. > :39:03.is... The Prime Minister is giving her response to the leader of the is

:39:04. > :39:12.a, including the references to Eileen. The Prime Minister. What

:39:13. > :39:15.matters for all of us who are concerned about education in this

:39:16. > :39:20.country is to ensure that the quality of education that has

:39:21. > :39:24.provided our children is a quality that enabled them to get on in life

:39:25. > :39:28.and have a better future. That is what this government is about. It is

:39:29. > :39:34.about ensuring that in this country, you get an on the basis of merit,

:39:35. > :39:41.not privileged. It is about ensuring every child, every child... Every

:39:42. > :39:45.child across this country has the opportunity of a good school plays.

:39:46. > :39:49.That's what we have been delivering for the past seven years and is what

:39:50. > :39:54.we will deliver into the future and every single policy that has

:39:55. > :40:02.delivered better education for children has been opposed by the

:40:03. > :40:06.right honourable gentleman. Mr Speaker, maybe she could have a word

:40:07. > :40:12.with her friend the Member for the Cotswolds who said this week, under

:40:13. > :40:16.this new formula all my large primaries and all my secondaries

:40:17. > :40:21.will actually see a cash cut in their budgets. And in the budget,

:40:22. > :40:28.the Government found no more money for the schools budget but it did

:40:29. > :40:34.find ?320 million for her own special schools, grammar schools

:40:35. > :40:38.vanity project. So there was no money for Eileen's schools but 320

:40:39. > :40:48.million for divisive grammar schools. What kind of priority is

:40:49. > :40:52.that? First of all, what we have done in relation to the funding

:40:53. > :41:01.formula is addressed an issue that Labour ignored for all its time in

:41:02. > :41:04.government. Across... Across this House, there has generally, for many

:41:05. > :41:12.years, been an accepted view that the current formula for school

:41:13. > :41:15.funding is not fair. I was calling for a better funding formula over 15

:41:16. > :41:20.years ago when I was the Shadow Education Secretary. We've put

:41:21. > :41:27.forward a proposal, we are consulting on it, the consultation

:41:28. > :41:30.closes today and we will respond to that consultation. But he talks

:41:31. > :41:36.about the issue of the sort of system in schools we want. Yes, we

:41:37. > :41:39.want to diversity, different sorts of schools. We have put money into

:41:40. > :41:44.new school places but I say to the right honourable gentleman, his

:41:45. > :41:48.Shadow Home Secretary sent her child to a private school, his shadow

:41:49. > :41:57.Attorney General sent her child to a private school. He sent... He sent

:41:58. > :42:03.his child to a grammar school. He went to a grammar school himself.

:42:04. > :42:22.Typical Labour - take the advantage and pull up the ladder behind you.

:42:23. > :42:29.Mr Speaker... I want a decent, their opportunity for every child in every

:42:30. > :42:37.school. I want a staircase for all, not a ladder for the few. She hasn't

:42:38. > :42:40.been very good at convincing the former Secretary of State for

:42:41. > :42:45.Education, the honourable member for Loughborough, who wrote last week,"

:42:46. > :42:51.all the evidence is clear that grammar schools damaged social

:42:52. > :42:58.mobility". What evidence has the Prime Minister got that the former

:42:59. > :43:03.Secretary of State is wrong in that? The evidence is that the attainment

:43:04. > :43:08.for the poorest children, the attainment gap in a selective school

:43:09. > :43:15.is virtually zero. That tells us the quality of the education that they

:43:16. > :43:18.are getting. But what I want is a diverse education system, where

:43:19. > :43:22.there are genuine opportunities for all to have the education that is

:43:23. > :43:26.right for them. That's why in the budget, as well as dealing with the

:43:27. > :43:30.issue of new school places, we've also put extra money into technical

:43:31. > :43:35.education, for those young they will for whom the technical education is

:43:36. > :43:39.right. He says he wants opportunities for all children, he

:43:40. > :43:42.says he wants good school places for all children. When he should jolly

:43:43. > :43:48.well support the policies we're putting forward. It is not just the

:43:49. > :43:53.former Education Secretary, it is also the chair of the education

:43:54. > :43:55.select committee, who says grammar schools do little for social

:43:56. > :44:01.mobility and are an unnecessary distraction. Mr Speaker, the Prime

:44:02. > :44:05.Minister and her government arbitrating a generation of young

:44:06. > :44:10.people by cutting the funding of every child to adopt -- are

:44:11. > :44:14.betraying. Children will have fewer teachers, larger classes, fewer

:44:15. > :44:19.subjects to choose from and all the Prime Minister can do is focus on

:44:20. > :44:25.her grammar school vanity project that can only ever benefit a few

:44:26. > :44:28.children. Is the Prime Minister content that this generation, this

:44:29. > :44:33.generation in our schools today, will see their schools decline,

:44:34. > :44:42.their subject choices diminished, and their life chances held back by

:44:43. > :44:46.decisions of her government today? Protected school funding, more

:44:47. > :44:50.teachers in our schools, more teachers with first-class degrees in

:44:51. > :44:55.our schools, more children in good or outstanding schools. It's not a

:44:56. > :44:59.vanity project to want every child in this country to have a good

:45:00. > :45:06.school plays, because that's how they will get on in life and that's

:45:07. > :45:11.what this party will deliver. But it shows that there is a difference...

:45:12. > :45:15.Yes. There is a difference between the right honourable gentleman and

:45:16. > :45:21.meet it up earlier this week, he recorded a video calling for unity.

:45:22. > :45:27.He called for Labour to think of our people first, think of our movement

:45:28. > :45:31.first, think of the party first. That's the difference between him

:45:32. > :45:41.and made it up labour but the party first, we put the country first.

:45:42. > :45:52.Thank you, Mr Speaker. For searching Prime Ministers have taken a close

:45:53. > :45:55.personal interest in the effectiveness of Dover and the

:45:56. > :46:00.channelp ports as gateways and guardians of the kingdom. Can I ask

:46:01. > :46:04.my right honourable friend to take a close interest in making sure Kent's

:46:05. > :46:08.ports are ready for Brexit on day 1, not just for customs but also that

:46:09. > :46:13.the lorry port is on schedule and that the Thames crossing are in

:46:14. > :46:18.force. And Mr Speaker will you join with me and the Prime Minister in

:46:19. > :46:21.wishing Dame Vera Lynn a happy 100th birthday this week? I'm extremely

:46:22. > :46:26.grateful to the honourable gentleman, but I did do that a

:46:27. > :46:31.couple of days ago. Mr Speaker, I didn't have the opportunity in this

:46:32. > :46:37.House to do it a couple of days ago. I'm happy to wish Dame Vera Lynn a

:46:38. > :46:41.very happy 100th birth day. I think it is right to recognise the service

:46:42. > :46:44.she gave to this country as many others Z my honourable friend raises

:46:45. > :46:47.an important issue of transport links in Kent and one which we have

:46:48. > :46:52.discussed on a number of occasions as I have with other Kent MPs. In

:46:53. > :46:56.addition to the M 20 lorry park I can assure him that the department

:46:57. > :46:58.for department is fully committed to delivering a long-term solution as

:46:59. > :47:01.quickly as possible. They're currently consider the findings of

:47:02. > :47:04.the lower Thames crossing consultation and highways England

:47:05. > :47:08.will be doing more detailed work on the A2 and the Home Office will be

:47:09. > :47:12.looking very closely at what measures need to be in place for

:47:13. > :47:18.Brexit for those coming across the border into Dover.

:47:19. > :47:21.May I begin extending condolences as the Prime Minister and the leader of

:47:22. > :47:24.the Labour Party have done to the family, friends and colleagues of

:47:25. > :47:29.the former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness.

:47:30. > :47:32.And we pay tribute to his contribution towards peace, whilst

:47:33. > :47:38.never forgetting the terrible human price during the Troubles. Last

:47:39. > :47:45.year, Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister promised that she would secure a

:47:46. > :47:49.UK-wide agreement between the governments of Scotland, Wales and

:47:50. > :47:55.Northern Ireland and her government, before triggering Article 50 own

:47:56. > :48:00.Brexit. Article -- on Brexit. Since then, she has delayed, blocked, been

:48:01. > :48:05.intransjet and lectured and surprise, surprise, she has no

:48:06. > :48:12.agreement. There is no agreement. Will these be her negotiating

:48:13. > :48:17.tactics with the European Union? Over the past few months, every

:48:18. > :48:21.effort has been put in at various levels, at ministerial and official

:48:22. > :48:24.levels to work with all the devolved administrations, to identify their

:48:25. > :48:29.particular concerns and interests and to ensure we are able to take

:48:30. > :48:33.those into account throughout the negotiating process and discussions

:48:34. > :48:38.will continue in the future. What we want to ensure is that we get the

:48:39. > :48:42.best-possible deal when we leave the European Union, for all the people

:48:43. > :48:51.of the United Kingdom, including the people of Scotland. Because at heart

:48:52. > :48:54.we are one people. And Mr Speaker, viewers will note that the Prime

:48:55. > :48:58.Minister totally glossed over the fact she has reached no agreement

:48:59. > :49:04.with the devolved governments of the United Kingdom. Mr Speaker, the

:49:05. > :49:09.Prime Minister says that she wants Article 50 negotiations to lead to a

:49:10. > :49:15.deal. And she wants people to know the outcome of that deal before it

:49:16. > :49:20.is approved. So, will the Prime Minister confirm that in the period

:49:21. > :49:24.for an I greement, the House of Commons will have a choice -- for an

:49:25. > :49:28.agreement the House of Commons will have a choice, the House of Lords

:49:29. > :49:31.will have a choice. The European Parliament will have a choi.s 27

:49:32. > :49:36.Member States of the European Union will have a choice. Mr Speaker, if

:49:37. > :49:40.it is right for all of them to have a choice about Scotland's future,

:49:41. > :49:48.why should the people of Scotland not have a choice about their own

:49:49. > :50:02.future? This isn't a question about whether the people of Scotland

:50:03. > :50:06.should have a choice. The people of Scotland voted - exercised their

:50:07. > :50:14.right to self-determination and voted in 2014 to remain a part of

:50:15. > :50:21.the United Kingdom. The people of the United Kingdom last year voted

:50:22. > :50:31.to leave the European Union. We are respecting both of those votes. He

:50:32. > :50:35.is respecting neither of them. Mr Speaker, with her strong commitment

:50:36. > :50:43.to defence, would my right honourable friend agree that we must

:50:44. > :50:50.stem the outflow from our flow slinking forces? Could I urge her to

:50:51. > :50:54.reconsidering the approximatelicy she inherited of encouraging service

:50:55. > :51:00.families to get on the housinger why and on the other hand focussing the

:51:01. > :51:05.Army in areas where there is no affordable housing and applying the

:51:06. > :51:09.new landlord tax arrangements of they buy-to-let. Obviously I

:51:10. > :51:12.recognise the passion with with my honourable friend has raised these

:51:13. > :51:16.issues in relation to the Armed Forces. He raises an important point

:51:17. > :51:20.but I can assure him we are fully committed to our goal of an

:51:21. > :51:23.82,000-strong Army by 2020. He raises a point about service

:51:24. > :51:27.accommodation. We want to ensure that people have a greater choice in

:51:28. > :51:29.where they of live, by using private accommodation, and meeting their

:51:30. > :51:35.aspirations for home-ownership. That's why we have set up the ?200

:51:36. > :51:39.million forces help-to-buy scheme and we're considering to support

:51:40. > :51:43.subsidised housing for service personnel and the pot of money will

:51:44. > :51:46.not be cut. The Ministry of Defence is working with the Treasury in

:51:47. > :51:53.relation to the issues he raises and I'm sure they will keep him updated.

:51:54. > :51:57.Thank you Mr Speaker. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and

:51:58. > :52:01.Northern Ireland will be 95 years' old in December N that UK-Scottish

:52:02. > :52:04.economic growth is one-quarter of that independent Iceland and

:52:05. > :52:07.one-third of independent Ireland. Now, given the Prime Minister

:52:08. > :52:11.supports Irish independence and the benefits it has brought its economy

:52:12. > :52:15.and population, why does she owe pose it for Scotland and will she

:52:16. > :52:23.show Scotland the respect the EU shows the UK in regards to a

:52:24. > :52:27.referendum. I have to say to the honourable gentleman that if he is

:52:28. > :52:30.looking at issues around economic growth and he quoted figures for

:52:31. > :52:33.economic groat. He should pay attention for the most important

:52:34. > :52:37.market for Scotland. The most important market for Scotland is the

:52:38. > :52:44.market of the United Kingdom and this is' why Scotland should remain

:52:45. > :52:49.part of it. -- and that's why. Thank you, Mr Speaker, last week, with

:52:50. > :52:58.cross-party support my honourable friend for chipping ham and I set up

:52:59. > :53:01.an all-party group for lime disease this, debilitating disease is a

:53:02. > :53:03.growing problem across the country and including my constituency of

:53:04. > :53:06.North Dorset, yet awareness of it amongst the public and GPs is

:53:07. > :53:09.incredibly low. Will my right honourable friend ensure that her

:53:10. > :53:12.Government does all that it can to raise its profile and resolve the

:53:13. > :53:17.problems surrounding both diagnosis and treatment? Well, my honourable

:53:18. > :53:21.friend raises an important point. I commend him and my honourable friend

:53:22. > :53:25.the member for chipping ham for the attention that is now going given in

:53:26. > :53:29.the House to this issue. He is right, we do need to raise awareness

:53:30. > :53:32.of this issue but we also need to ensure that diagnosis and treatment

:53:33. > :53:36.is - early diagnosis and treatment is there because that's the best way

:53:37. > :53:39.of limiting the complications from this particular disease. The

:53:40. > :53:42.Department of Health is already taking steps, clinical guidelines

:53:43. > :53:47.are being updated and enhanced by NICE. NHS England has undertaken

:53:48. > :53:51.robust reviews on diagnosis, testing and treatment but there is more that

:53:52. > :53:54.we can do and so Public Health England is holding regular medical

:53:55. > :53:57.training days and conducting outreach across the medical

:53:58. > :54:00.community to raise awareness and ensure that that early diagnosis is

:54:01. > :54:05.there. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Yesterday in

:54:06. > :54:08.a Westminster Hall debate a Health Minister said the issue in hand was

:54:09. > :54:13.above his pay grade. On the basis that the Prime Minister has the top

:54:14. > :54:16.pay grade, can she give us a clue as to when we'll see the long-aed

:54:17. > :54:21.waited and very late tobacco-control plan? I can assure him that we are

:54:22. > :54:25.working on the tobacco control plan and one will be issued in due

:54:26. > :54:30.course. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Recently a

:54:31. > :54:37.substantial number of Government ministers took the opportunity to

:54:38. > :54:41.visit Cumbria. . Hear, hear. They saw for themselves not only its

:54:42. > :54:46.beauty, but also its industrial strengths and its potential. If the

:54:47. > :54:50.Government's industrial strategy is to succeed, places such as Cumbria

:54:51. > :54:53.need to be part of that success. Plot Prime Minister ensure that

:54:54. > :54:57.Cumbria gets the infrastructure investment which it requires to make

:54:58. > :55:01.sure that it really does fulfil its potential? I can assure my

:55:02. > :55:04.honourable friend that I and other ministerial colleagues were

:55:05. > :55:09.delighted to be able it take the opportunity to visit the beautiful

:55:10. > :55:13.county of Cumbria and we are even happier now Cumbria has another

:55:14. > :55:17.strong force in the form of the Conservative MP for Copeland. But

:55:18. > :55:19.he's right, Cumbria and the north-west has huge industrial

:55:20. > :55:23.potential that's why we are getting on delivering our investment plans

:55:24. > :55:32.across the country, including in the north-west. And just some figures,

:55:33. > :55:35.?556 million allocated to produce productivity and north is getting

:55:36. > :55:39.?156 million to tackle congestion and local interest. But it is our

:55:40. > :55:43.plan for Britain that will deliver the stronger, fairer economy, and

:55:44. > :55:47.that will deliver the higher-paid, higher-skilled jobs for people

:55:48. > :55:52.across the whole country. The Prime Minister is in denial.

:55:53. > :55:56.Today's report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies confirms that

:55:57. > :56:03.schools are already facing "The largest cut in spending per pupil

:56:04. > :56:08.over a four-year period since at least the early 1980s." And that

:56:09. > :56:11.under her new national formula "You funding is diverted from schools

:56:12. > :56:21.with very high level of deprivation." Every single school in

:56:22. > :56:28.my constituency will lose an average of ?584 per pupil. Has she failed at

:56:29. > :56:38.maths or failed to read her own manifesto? I responded to this point

:56:39. > :56:44.earlier but just to reiterate - across this House, for many years,

:56:45. > :56:51.there has been a general acceptance that the current funding formula for

:56:52. > :56:57.schools is unfair. That is why this Government is looking to find a

:56:58. > :57:00.formula, a fairer formula. There is a consultation exercise and the

:57:01. > :57:07.Department for Education will respond to that in due course. We

:57:08. > :57:17.are grasping this issue. Labour did nothing for 13 years.

:57:18. > :57:21.Can my right honourable friend confirm that in the forthcoming

:57:22. > :57:26.debate on the restoration and renewal of Parliament, all members,

:57:27. > :57:31.including ministers, will have a completely free vote in what is a

:57:32. > :57:38.House matter? And does she understand that many of us believe

:57:39. > :57:42.that in these times of austerity, we should not be front-loading billions

:57:43. > :57:46.of pounds worth of expenditure on ourselves at the expense of schools

:57:47. > :57:55.and hospitals, but that we should carry on the work and stay in what

:57:56. > :57:59.is the iconic image of the nation? Well, this Palace of Westminster is

:58:00. > :58:02.world renowned, tss a very important part of our national heritage. It

:58:03. > :58:05.belongs to the people of the United Kingdom and of course we have a

:58:06. > :58:11.responsibility to our constituents, also, to preserve this place as the

:58:12. > :58:15.home of our democracy. It will be for Parliament to take the final

:58:16. > :58:19.decision on this matter but I can assure my honourable friend, as it

:58:20. > :58:27.will be a House matter, it will be a free vote. Thank you Mr Speaker, air

:58:28. > :58:32.and road pollution, caused mainly by diesel engines brings about 40,000

:58:33. > :58:36.early deaths in this country, while causing severe lung diseases, like

:58:37. > :58:43.bronchitis and asthma in our young people and children. A road in my

:58:44. > :58:48.constituency in Crumlin is the most polluted road outside of lob dovenl

:58:49. > :58:53.it is an absolute disgrace. Most of it is caused by HGVs lorries

:58:54. > :58:58.travelling up that road, spewing out noxious gases on the residents. Will

:58:59. > :59:04.the Prime Minister commit to ensure that hauliers will start using newer

:59:05. > :59:08.diesel engines and cleaner technology and cleaner inner joy to

:59:09. > :59:13.ensure that everybody, including our young people, can enjoy a better

:59:14. > :59:16.quality of life, especially on the road in my constituency? The

:59:17. > :59:20.honourable gentleman speaks up well for his constituents. I have to say

:59:21. > :59:23.to him this is an issue that we all recognise, the problems in relation

:59:24. > :59:25.to air quality. That's why the Government will be bringing forward

:59:26. > :59:30.further proposals in relation to air quality. We have seen some changes

:59:31. > :59:33.taking place and we have, of course, put investment into green transport

:59:34. > :59:38.initiatives and plans to introduce clean air zones around the country

:59:39. > :59:41.will help to tackle and that in fact we have been at the forefront of

:59:42. > :59:47.action in Europe in some aspects in relation to this. I accept there is

:59:48. > :59:51.more to be done. As I say we'll bring forward further proportional

:59:52. > :59:56.in due course Compensation paid by Network Rail to train operators for

:59:57. > :00:02.delays, far exceeds the amount that the passengers who have experienced

:00:03. > :00:07.the delayed are getting because the process can be come boresome. Will

:00:08. > :00:10.the Prime Minister insist the train operators ringfence that company,

:00:11. > :00:13.spend it on smart ticketing automation, so customers can tap on

:00:14. > :00:17.and tap off their train and receive the amount in their bank account for

:00:18. > :00:22.the delays they have been caused? My honourable friend does raise an

:00:23. > :00:25.important point. I know it is a source of much frustration to many

:00:26. > :00:29.rail travellers but I would also like it thank him for the way in

:00:30. > :00:32.which he and others have spoken up on behalf of passengers especially

:00:33. > :00:37.on the Thameslink, Southern and other lines. Now the best way to

:00:38. > :00:40.ensure that the operators do not profit from unclaimed compensation

:00:41. > :00:44.is for passengers to claim the compensation that they are entitled

:00:45. > :00:48.to and we are looking and Department for Transport is looking at how we

:00:49. > :00:54.can ensure that we publicise compensation schemes, make claims

:00:55. > :00:58.easier and we are rolling out improved delay repay compensation to

:00:59. > :01:00.allow passengers to claim after a delay of 15 minutes but the

:01:01. > :01:03.Department for Transport is continuing to look at this issue and

:01:04. > :01:08.I'm sure will pick up the points he has raised.

:01:09. > :01:15.Last week the Electoral Commission issued its largest ever find the

:01:16. > :01:19.Conservative Party for breaking a vital and crucial election ruled.

:01:20. > :01:23.What did the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and her assistants know

:01:24. > :01:26.about this activity, who was responsible for designing and

:01:27. > :01:31.signing off all of this and does she agree with me that this is at best

:01:32. > :01:38.wilful negligence and at worst pure electoral fraud? The honourable

:01:39. > :01:43.gentleman is asking me to respond to what is a party matter but I can

:01:44. > :01:51.assure him that the Conservative Party debt campaign in 2015 across

:01:52. > :01:52.the country for the return of a Conservative government and we

:01:53. > :01:58.should be clear that such campaigning would be part of the

:01:59. > :02:02.party's national return, not candidates' local return, as the

:02:03. > :02:07.Electoral Commission itself has said. We accepted in April 2016, the

:02:08. > :02:12.party accepted Ray Poar 2016, it had made an administrative error on its

:02:13. > :02:16.national spending. -- accepted in April 2016. It brought back to the

:02:17. > :02:21.attention of the commission to amend its national return. National

:02:22. > :02:24.spending is a question for the national party, not for individual

:02:25. > :02:30.members. The Electoral Commission has looked into these issues, as it

:02:31. > :02:34.has for the Liberal Democrat party and the Labour Party, it has issued

:02:35. > :02:40.fines to all three parties and those fines will be paid. The

:02:41. > :02:42.international trade committee has been taking evidence from the

:02:43. > :02:46.chambers of commerce this morning about exports. Given the Prime

:02:47. > :02:49.Minister's commitment to a global Britain, would she agree with me

:02:50. > :02:55.that we can maintain good relations with our European friends as we

:02:56. > :02:57.leave the EU and build on our long-standing relationships with our

:02:58. > :03:02.Commonwealth friends across the world to trade our way to greater

:03:03. > :03:06.prosperity? I say to him, obviously one of the four pillars are planned

:03:07. > :03:10.for Britain is that global Britain, and more outward looking Britain. He

:03:11. > :03:14.is right, it's not just a question of ensuring you get the right

:03:15. > :03:18.relationship with Europe when we leave the EU, we do want to continue

:03:19. > :03:24.to have a partnership, to be able to trade freely across Europe and for

:03:25. > :03:29.companies in European member states, EU member states, to trade with us.

:03:30. > :03:32.But we do want to enhance and improve the arrangements we have

:03:33. > :03:37.portrayed in other parts of the world, including members of the

:03:38. > :03:43.Commonwealth. Last week, through no fault of our own, Amy and her young

:03:44. > :03:47.daughter became homeless. After months of looking for a flat, she

:03:48. > :03:52.finally went to Merton council, who told her they could only offer her

:03:53. > :03:57.temporary accommodation in Birmingham, 140 miles away from her

:03:58. > :04:01.job, from her daughter's school and from the friends and family who make

:04:02. > :04:07.it possible for her to be a working single mum. Can I ask the Prime

:04:08. > :04:12.Minister, in one of the richest cities in the world, where Russian

:04:13. > :04:19.oligarchs and Chinese banks own scores of properties and leave them

:04:20. > :04:27.empty, how can it be right that a London born working family like Amy

:04:28. > :04:29.have not a room to live? Well, the issue, obviously, of housing in the

:04:30. > :04:33.London Borough of Merton is one that the honourable lady and I worked on

:04:34. > :04:36.many years ago when we were on the housing committee of the London

:04:37. > :04:40.Borough of Merton together and I recognise that she has raised a

:04:41. > :04:46.concern for her constituent. Obviously, I won't comment on the

:04:47. > :04:49.individual case. What I will say is what's important is that overall,

:04:50. > :04:53.the Government is dealing with the issue of homelessness, we are rich

:04:54. > :05:00.we are building more homes, we are giving more support to people to get

:05:01. > :05:04.into their own homes. -- we are ensuring we are building more homes.

:05:05. > :05:09.That will take time and as we ensure we maintain the record that we have

:05:10. > :05:13.in providing housing support in all types of housing across this

:05:14. > :05:17.country. As the Prime Minister already said, it must be right that

:05:18. > :05:20.the same pupils with the same characteristics attract the same

:05:21. > :05:23.amount of money and that is an unfairness that was not challenged

:05:24. > :05:28.for 13 years under the Labour government. Yes, there needed to be

:05:29. > :05:32.changes to the current draft formula but I hope that she will commit to

:05:33. > :05:36.confirm -- to fulfilling our manifesto promise of making school

:05:37. > :05:39.funding fairer and I think she will agree with me that if the Labour

:05:40. > :05:42.Party had carried on in office, their spending plans would have led

:05:43. > :05:46.to what has happened in Greece and Spain where not just hundreds, but

:05:47. > :05:51.tens of thousands of teachers, have had to be fired. My right honourable

:05:52. > :05:56.friend is right. As I said earlier, this is an issue in terms of the

:05:57. > :05:58.funding formula for schools that was docked for too long and certainly

:05:59. > :06:05.doctored by the last Labour government. We have started to

:06:06. > :06:09.address it. -- docked. We have put forward a proposal, we will look at

:06:10. > :06:13.the consultation responses on that and respond in due course but she is

:06:14. > :06:17.absolutely right about the Labour Party. The Labour Party's education

:06:18. > :06:20.policies would mean fewer opportunities in schools and their

:06:21. > :06:30.economic policy would mean less funding for schools. Last week, her

:06:31. > :06:35.government confirmed that an assessment of the economic impact of

:06:36. > :06:39.the failure to strike in EU deal before exited top is it not the case

:06:40. > :06:43.that in triggering Article 50 last week, she is the military equivalent

:06:44. > :06:46.of Lord Cardigan, the military commander responsible for the child

:06:47. > :06:51.of light Brigade, and we all love how that ended? In triggering

:06:52. > :06:58.Article 50 next week, what I'm doing is responding to the wishes of the

:06:59. > :07:03.British people. Does the Prime Minister agree that we urgently need

:07:04. > :07:08.to find a solution to the impacts of the national living wage on sleeping

:07:09. > :07:13.shifts in the care sector? This, together with HMRC policies that are

:07:14. > :07:17.insisting on a payment of six-years' backpay plus penalties, may have a

:07:18. > :07:22.devastating impact on this vitally important sector. He has raised a

:07:23. > :07:26.very important point and obviously, through the national living wage, we

:07:27. > :07:32.are giving Britain a pay rise, making sure pay is fair, in social

:07:33. > :07:34.care and all sectors. But on the specific pointy has raised, this is

:07:35. > :07:38.an issue we are addressing, we are looking at it very carefully,

:07:39. > :07:45.including in the context of the funding pressures on social care. We

:07:46. > :07:48.are working to ensure it affects low paid workers in a fair and

:07:49. > :07:51.proportionate manner. As the Chancellor announced in the budget,

:07:52. > :07:54.?2 billion of extra money is going into the social care sector but the

:07:55. > :08:01.very specific issue my honourable friend has raised is being carefully

:08:02. > :08:05.looked at by the Treasury. Despite austerity, shocking pay increases

:08:06. > :08:15.were awarded to the board of Liverpool CCG, where a lady deputy

:08:16. > :08:23.chair is paid over ?100,000 after a 43% increase. -- a lay deputy

:08:24. > :08:26.checked it would the Minister agree to investigate this and the lack of

:08:27. > :08:34.scrutiny within the wider Liverpool health economy, whilst ensuring that

:08:35. > :08:38.no murders take place while this is investigated? I understand that the

:08:39. > :08:41.Health Secretary has asked NHS England to investigate the

:08:42. > :08:45.remuneration of nonexecutive directors at Liverpool CCG and I'm

:08:46. > :08:48.sure he will keep updated about this. We want to make the NHS even

:08:49. > :08:52.more efficient so every penny possible can be spent on front line

:08:53. > :08:56.patient care and we are seeing results, I'm pleased to say, because

:08:57. > :08:59.we now see a financial position that has improved by 1.3 billion compared

:09:00. > :09:04.to this time last year with 44 fewer trust endeavours it but, as I say,

:09:05. > :09:10.NHS England is investigating the issue she has raised. The Prime

:09:11. > :09:14.Minister will be aware that the Jo Cox commission on loneliness is

:09:15. > :09:17.calling us all to action to highlight and tackle loneliness. In

:09:18. > :09:21.Northumberland, a small charity of which I'm a patron is taking up this

:09:22. > :09:23.challenge with female military veterans who are suffering from

:09:24. > :09:29.severe isolation issues. With the Prime Minister meet with me and some

:09:30. > :09:36.of these extraordinary women to learn how our government can help?

:09:37. > :09:39.Can I commend the work that is being done by that organisation in my

:09:40. > :09:44.honourable friend's constituency. It sounds like a valuable project doing

:09:45. > :09:49.valuable work and state for defence will be happy to meet her. Tomorrow

:09:50. > :09:52.the schools minister has been good enough to meet Erdington

:09:53. > :09:57.Headteachers from a constituency rich in talent but one of the

:09:58. > :10:02.poorest in the country in a city, Birmingham, where 96% of schools

:10:03. > :10:07.will lose a total of ?20 million under the government's fair funding

:10:08. > :10:11.formula, yet Surrey gained 17 million, Southwark gains ten million

:10:12. > :10:18.and Windsor and Maidenhead gained 300,000. How can that possibly be

:10:19. > :10:22.fair? I note that the schools minister will be meeting the

:10:23. > :10:26.honourable gentleman and head teachers to discuss this issue. What

:10:27. > :10:30.the fair funding formula is looking at is trying to ensure that the

:10:31. > :10:37.unfair funding which has existed up till now is actually dealt with, and

:10:38. > :10:41.there are some very, very stark differences. There are schools in

:10:42. > :10:45.London, for example, that gets almost twice the funding of schools

:10:46. > :10:48.in other parts of the country. We need to ensure that we are

:10:49. > :10:52.addressing the unfairness in the funding formula but, as I said

:10:53. > :10:53.earlier, there was a consultation exercise and the department will

:10:54. > :11:10.respond in due course. As Laura predicted, the Leader of

:11:11. > :11:19.the Opposition went on school funding. It was a matter we

:11:20. > :11:27.discussed before let's find out first what our viewers made of this.

:11:28. > :11:30.This from John Wakefield in London, we keep hearing the mantra from the

:11:31. > :11:34.Tories when the issue of austerity is raised regarding spending, the

:11:35. > :11:41.children of tomorrow will have to pay the price, well, it appears the

:11:42. > :11:46.children of today do not count. Helen Manning says, Jeremy Corbyn

:11:47. > :11:49.and his front bench went to grammar and private schools while they want

:11:50. > :11:52.to pull up the drawbridge for the rest of us? The Prime Minister is

:11:53. > :11:56.right to offer diversity of choice and should stick to her guns. Tom

:11:57. > :12:01.Baker says the schools budget is being protected but Jeremy Corbyn

:12:02. > :12:05.says it is being cut. The Prime Minister seemed unconvincing and

:12:06. > :12:09.even started to lose her cool. And John Gilbert from Leicester says,

:12:10. > :12:14."For Jeremy Corbyn today and he actually managed to score. One of

:12:15. > :12:22.Theresa May's worst performances, trying to defend the indefensible.

:12:23. > :12:27.This is a matter for England. 11,000 schools better off, 9000 worse off.

:12:28. > :12:32.Those who are worse off will always have the loudest voices. Is the

:12:33. > :12:36.government worried that it can carry the Tory backbenches on this? I was

:12:37. > :12:39.talking to a cabinet minister about this earlier this week and at this

:12:40. > :12:45.stage, they do not see this as the next national insurance or the next

:12:46. > :12:51.business rates budget or the next U-turn, at this stage. There are

:12:52. > :12:55.several reasons for that. First, the consultation is a safety valve for

:12:56. > :12:58.the government. Any government, when they are trying to do anything

:12:59. > :13:02.difficult, you have a consultation, get all the worries out there, you

:13:03. > :13:06.can always tweak, change, redraft the plans. Secondly, this was the

:13:07. > :13:10.Conservative manifesto and look what has just happened in the last two

:13:11. > :13:15.weeks. They've dumped something in the budget at 100 miles an hour

:13:16. > :13:18.because of the accusation of breaking a manifesto promise.

:13:19. > :13:21.Thirdly, there is a genuine belief, as we heard the Prime Minister,

:13:22. > :13:26.having quite a hard time trying to defend the idea behind this, that

:13:27. > :13:30.the change is long overdue. I think there will probably be an awful lot

:13:31. > :13:34.of tweaking and redrafting. But they're not minded at this moment to

:13:35. > :13:39.budge on the principle of whether or not the change, the principle of the

:13:40. > :13:42.change, has to happen. Brandon Lewis, the Conservative manifesto

:13:43. > :13:47.did not use the phrase per-pupil bodies at the following... "Under a

:13:48. > :13:53.future Conservative government, the amount of money following your child

:13:54. > :13:57.into school will be protected". I think most people would assume that

:13:58. > :14:02.that protects spending per pupil. I will repeat the words. "The amount

:14:03. > :14:07.of money following your child into school will be protected". I read

:14:08. > :14:12.that that it is about protecting that schools budget. As the Prime

:14:13. > :14:17.Minister said, we have done that and it is increasing. No, the amount of

:14:18. > :14:22.money following your child, as if each child had a bag of money to go

:14:23. > :14:26.in that would help to pay for their school education. That amount into

:14:27. > :14:31.school will be protected. Philip Hammond said it was important to

:14:32. > :14:36.live by the spirit of the manifesto, as well as the exact letter, which

:14:37. > :14:39.is why he had to do the U-turn on national insurance. I would suggest

:14:40. > :14:44.to you that many people would think the spirit there, if not the exact

:14:45. > :14:47.letter, of the amount of money following your child into school

:14:48. > :14:53.will be protected, is that spending per pupil will be protected. I think

:14:54. > :14:56.it's a something quite different to that. My interpretation is that it

:14:57. > :15:00.is making a general point about children, it is not saying

:15:01. > :15:04.per-pupil, it is talking about your child in a general sense and I think

:15:05. > :15:09.the spirit of the manifesto means education spending is protected. It

:15:10. > :15:13.has gone up to 42 billion. But as we said in a manifesto, making sure you

:15:14. > :15:17.have a fair funding formula. We are having to do work in a range of

:15:18. > :15:23.sectors to get a fair formula. The manifesto goes on to say in the next

:15:24. > :15:27.sentence, "Having said that the amount of money following your child

:15:28. > :15:34.into school will be protected, as the number of pupils increases,"

:15:35. > :15:37.because the government knew that... It is not a difficult thing to

:15:38. > :15:42.predict for primary and secondary education, that the number of pupils

:15:43. > :15:46.increases, "So will the amount of money into our schools". But having

:15:47. > :15:50.said the amount following your child would be protected and that will be

:15:51. > :15:57.protected even as the number of pupils arises, you didn't do that

:15:58. > :16:02.because with the rise in the number of pupils, the amount per as we've

:16:03. > :16:06.established earlier, is falling in real terms by about a % so I put it

:16:07. > :16:08.to you again, a lot of people will think you have not kept to the

:16:09. > :16:20.spirit of that manifesto. Auto I disagree with your issue. I

:16:21. > :16:23.appreciate about inflation but there is work we can do around

:16:24. > :16:26.efficiencies but it is making sure everybody has fair funding so pupils

:16:27. > :16:29.wherever they are in the country get funding that is fair that hasn't

:16:30. > :16:33.been dealt with for a long time. It is important we get it done. Hold

:16:34. > :16:39.on, there is nowhere in the manifesto... That's also why it is

:16:40. > :16:47.important that we get... It says it doesn't say - in order to keep the

:16:48. > :16:50.funding up in real terms, it is not in the manifesto You are talking

:16:51. > :16:54.about the real terms, and efficiency is part of that. It is important we

:16:55. > :16:57.get that right. Costs are going up Schools can look at some of the

:16:58. > :17:01.efficiency in terms of procurement, HR, What about staffing costs and

:17:02. > :17:04.pension contributions? Staffing costs are part of HR. If you are

:17:05. > :17:08.looking at schools and there are schools who have their own teams

:17:09. > :17:12.looking at mod argues, HR and legal issues. Sharing those across schools

:17:13. > :17:17.in the same area can bring huge efficiencies but it is about making

:17:18. > :17:20.sure we get the best outcomes. It is one of the reasons why the

:17:21. > :17:24.Government could be in political trouble. Two things are smashing

:17:25. > :17:27.upping together: One, the real pressure you have been discussing on

:17:28. > :17:32.schools budgets and the schools changes to how the formula are

:17:33. > :17:36.calculated for who gets what. Now, in theory, this policy land, those

:17:37. > :17:41.are two different things, but here what they mean n practice, are

:17:42. > :17:43.potentially much bigger losses than otherwise would've happened for

:17:44. > :17:47.schools in different pockets of the country. Two things going on, cuts

:17:48. > :17:51.on the one hand and changes to the formula that are making itting

:17:52. > :17:56.together, such a political problem. Is Labour -- making it together. Is

:17:57. > :17:59.Labour in favour of the principle behind the school funding formula

:18:00. > :18:07.Well, Labour is obviously very concerned that there has b as you

:18:08. > :18:11.have said, a broken promise, that was in the spirit of the

:18:12. > :18:14.Conservative manifesto, the detail. What concerns us is that these cuts

:18:15. > :18:18.mean the logs of two secondary school teachers in every secondary

:18:19. > :18:23.school across the country but at the same time the Government is finding

:18:24. > :18:27.money, that Jeremy Corbyn said today this, vanity project of expanding

:18:28. > :18:31.divisive grammar schools. Let me come back to the spending in a

:18:32. > :18:35.minute but nemplts principle behind school funding, attempting to

:18:36. > :18:39.equalise spending, to bring spending for each school more in line with

:18:40. > :18:41.the circumstances of that school, because there are huge variations at

:18:42. > :18:46.the moment, do you support that principle or not? Well, Labour

:18:47. > :18:50.doesn't believe that it should be the that in some parts of the

:18:51. > :18:53.country people get much more funding than others in similar social

:18:54. > :18:58.circumstances. So you do support the principle? We support the principle

:18:59. > :19:02.of fair funding for pupils so there aren't pupils being left behind, who

:19:03. > :19:06.are in the same social circumstances as people in... I understand but

:19:07. > :19:10.that's what prompted the new form la. The thing that particularly

:19:11. > :19:16.concerns us, the nub of it that concerns Labour is the fact that

:19:17. > :19:25.these cuts, another broken proims, will mean less money for pupils in

:19:26. > :19:29.our schools across the country. So, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, as

:19:30. > :19:33.I have been probably labouring, with a small l, here, is likely to fall

:19:34. > :19:36.by about 8% over the next five years, in the lifetime of this

:19:37. > :19:41.Parliament, it is going to call by 8%. Would Labour restore that? Well,

:19:42. > :19:46.what Labour wouldn't have done is give tax cuts to the very richest,

:19:47. > :19:53.corporation tax cuts as well. But you have already spent that. Which

:19:54. > :19:57.has seen a forecast from the House of Commons' library of losses to the

:19:58. > :20:00.public purse of billions and billions of pounds. That's not from

:20:01. > :20:04.the House of Commons library. What the Labour Party did was to consult

:20:05. > :20:07.House of Commons' library. That is not research by the Commons' library

:20:08. > :20:12.which we regard as the gold standard. I think you have to be

:20:13. > :20:15.careful when you use that. It is your research, you consulted the

:20:16. > :20:21.Commons. Let me,back to this - would you make up the short fall of the 8%

:20:22. > :20:26.cut, and if so, how would you pay for it Well, Labour announced its

:20:27. > :20:29.specific problem in due course. -- will announce. So you don't know.

:20:30. > :20:32.When it comes to specific spending commitments on education and a host

:20:33. > :20:35.of other thing, Labour will announce. No opposition will be

:20:36. > :20:39.announcing detailed spending plans years and years away from the next

:20:40. > :20:43.election. I don't think, yes, except as I have been told by other members

:20:44. > :20:49.on other problems of your party, you are on an election footing. I was

:20:50. > :20:55.told at the weekend on the Sunday politics by your head of election,

:20:56. > :21:01.Mr Gwyn, if they were to go for an early election, Labour MPs would

:21:02. > :21:06.vote and Mr Corbyn would vote for an early election. Is that right? If it

:21:07. > :21:10.is the case you are applying, that would mean we would have to print a

:21:11. > :21:14.general election manifesto every day. No because you aspire to run

:21:15. > :21:18.the country and you think an election could be called at any

:21:19. > :21:22.moment, Mr Corbyn has told us and that has been since the election

:21:23. > :21:26.last September, given how much you care about health and education, you

:21:27. > :21:31.must have developed these policies, so it is fair to ask, how would you

:21:32. > :21:35.reverse the 8% cut in real terms. If so, do you know how much it would

:21:36. > :21:38.cost and how much would you pay? How would you pay for it? Our priorities

:21:39. > :21:41.are fundamentally different to the priorities of the Conservative

:21:42. > :21:46.Government. I'm in the asking that. People need to know that out there.

:21:47. > :21:50.They need to know if you know how to pay for all these spending pledges.

:21:51. > :21:55.So far you've spent the reverse of the corporation tax about eight

:21:56. > :22:01.times. 10. Well I missed the last two. We wouldn't be making those

:22:02. > :22:05.decisions to release money from the public purse, miss money out from

:22:06. > :22:08.the public coffers, at the same time as cutting pupil finding and

:22:09. > :22:12.breaking Labour manifestos. I wasn't asking what you weren't going to do,

:22:13. > :22:16.I was trying to find out what are you going to do. I'm sure if there

:22:17. > :22:18.is an early election you have something in the bottom drawer to

:22:19. > :22:27.answer the questions. Lawyeria, final word? I think it is risskey

:22:28. > :22:34.territory from the Government. I think it was an unusually angry

:22:35. > :22:37.Prime Minister's Questions on both sides and pure ideological

:22:38. > :22:41.difference. The Prime Minister's plans to bring back grammars, all

:22:42. > :22:45.this simmering away. Very uncomfortable for the Government

:22:46. > :22:49.Very uncomfortable. A better week for Jeremy Corbyn. Not killer blows

:22:50. > :22:53.but this is an issue that's very give and right now they don't want

:22:54. > :22:57.to budge on this principle, as I was suggesting, but you never know. We

:22:58. > :23:00.shall see. We are learning it is a Government that is willing to change

:23:01. > :23:02.its mind as things get hard. Keep your eye on school funding. It is

:23:03. > :23:09.time to talk about cake. Crumbs, eh? So what happens when -

:23:10. > :23:11.for Comic Relief, of course - you put a load of parliamentarians

:23:12. > :23:14.in a big tent with a load Mm, nice cup of tea,

:23:15. > :23:24.wasn't that a long PMQs. What I could really

:23:25. > :23:26.do with now is a... Cake ruined - I mean decorated

:23:27. > :23:35.by the hands of democrasy and The reigning champion was hungry

:23:36. > :23:43.for victory once more. When it comes to baking cakes

:23:44. > :23:46.and decorating cakes, more is more, that's a lesson my children

:23:47. > :23:48.have taught me. I think we have a high

:23:49. > :23:51.art concept cake there and I'm looking forward

:23:52. > :23:55.to win the prize. The rampant bunny cupcake,

:23:56. > :23:57.specially designed for Comic Relief and it's

:23:58. > :24:01.only 99 calories. Interesting our MPs chose cake

:24:02. > :24:10.decorating over sitting in a bath of baked beans to raise

:24:11. > :24:13.money for Comic Relief. When I was a teacher,

:24:14. > :24:15.I once taught for a whole day dressed up as a duck

:24:16. > :24:19.and I've always felt that maybe we should do something

:24:20. > :24:24.like that in Parliament. I've never been able to find a taker

:24:25. > :24:26.for this approach, so, You can expect next door's hamster

:24:27. > :24:32.to decorate a cake better than most of these MPs,

:24:33. > :24:35.but it's great fun and it's Do you know what,

:24:36. > :24:38.this lot are rubbish. Yeah, all right, it

:24:39. > :25:02.all tastes the same. That was hopeless. My mother used to

:25:03. > :25:06.say - it's all going down the same way. That's true but you want to

:25:07. > :25:10.look nice as well. Talking of which, here is how we got on with our

:25:11. > :25:15.earlier efforts. We asked our esteemed guests and give them a cake

:25:16. > :25:19.each. Look there they are, it looks like the Generation Game, do you

:25:20. > :25:25.remember they used to do that. Cuddly toy. Good game, good game. We

:25:26. > :25:29.gave them a set of different coloured icing. Look, the two

:25:30. > :25:36.concentrating so hard. Look, you can see Brandon Lewis thinks he's got

:25:37. > :25:41.something beautiful being created. I never said that. I said you

:25:42. > :25:49.thought it. And Richard Burgon going for what I would say is a - Labour

:25:50. > :25:54.motive. A Labour rose. You are very politically correct. There is mine.

:25:55. > :26:01.Andrew didn't think I would finish my piping during PMQs.

:26:02. > :26:10.I didn't think you would but then I stopped caring.

:26:11. > :26:12.So, to give us an idea of what a well decorated

:26:13. > :26:15.cake should look like, we have brought in an expert.

:26:16. > :26:17.Yes, I said "expert" - a cake school tutor from Konditor

:26:18. > :26:23.Show us how it should be done. What are you got on the top of your cake?

:26:24. > :26:29.So, I got the Daily Politics theme on there and a bit of the style of

:26:30. > :26:35.the logo. I got the... The colours a little bit. The BBC logo of course

:26:36. > :26:39.and some elements into the politics I designed. So when you do it,

:26:40. > :26:46.hopefully a little bit better than you... Them, I think, not me All of

:26:47. > :26:50.you, exactly. You have to have a steady hand. You do. It is quite

:26:51. > :26:59.difficult. Actually the quicker you go, the better it is. Can you judge

:27:00. > :27:04.in Richard and Brandon's case? It is quite minimalistic. I said - less is

:27:05. > :27:09.more. But we can definitely stick to the swirly pattern that we normally

:27:10. > :27:13.have on our cakes. I can see some Easter trends with an Easter nest.

:27:14. > :27:18.And obviously the roses there. Have they risen to the challenge? Well, I

:27:19. > :27:23.would say, definitely kept to the theme of, you know - the rose. It is

:27:24. > :27:31.safe for public consumption as well? Is it? Now, what about mine? Is that

:27:32. > :27:36.half-baked or... ? I like it because it has a nice border which we always

:27:37. > :27:42.try to do at our company. And also, I like the sort of - there is

:27:43. > :27:48.definitely a flower theme to it, I like the flower with a swirl in the

:27:49. > :27:53.centre. I'm not sure it would be. If there was a euphemism for Brexit,

:27:54. > :27:54.Andrew, in terms of clean, uncomplicated, falling off a cliff

:27:55. > :27:59.edge. What? Never mind. You have to

:28:00. > :28:03.remember it is for Comic Relief. Did you actually take part in the film?

:28:04. > :28:10.No, I wasn't there for that. Sadly not. And I don't think you will be

:28:11. > :28:14.asked. Don't worry. Can you be taught how to do this. Richard says

:28:15. > :28:21.he hasn't been trained which implies if he was trained... You can be very

:28:22. > :28:24.much taught. I do this on a daily bases, I'm a teacher. You Kyoto

:28:25. > :28:26.Protocol prove, come and see me. Right we need to go.

:28:27. > :28:29.There's just time to put you out of your misery and give

:28:30. > :28:38.It was 1992. Richard, press the red button. There we go.

:28:39. > :28:40.Bill Thomas. 1992, well done. We don't know where you are fro but

:28:41. > :28:42.we'll leave that. The One O'Clock News is starting

:28:43. > :28:56.over on BBC One now. Jo and I will be here at noon

:28:57. > :29:00.tomorrow with all the big political