29/03/2017

:00:00. > :00:07.Good morning from Westminster on an historic day.

:00:08. > :00:11.For 44 years, Britain has been a member of the European Union.

:00:12. > :00:17.Today, the process of withdrawal begins and in two years'

:00:18. > :00:19.time that membership will come to an end.

:00:20. > :00:22.The Prime Minister says it will be a "momentous journey" and promises

:00:23. > :00:31.But with complex negotiations, how will the government navigate its way

:00:32. > :00:32.through? And on the domestic front

:00:33. > :00:34.can Theresa May keep Stay tuned for this

:00:35. > :01:08.Daily Politics special. Welcome to this specially extended

:01:09. > :01:14.Daily Politics on the day Theresa May invokes Article 50

:01:15. > :01:17.of the Lisbon Treaty and begins the formal process of taking

:01:18. > :01:22.the UK out of the EU. Underneath a portrait

:01:23. > :01:26.of our first Prime Minister, our current Prime Minister signs

:01:27. > :01:30.the letter that starts that journey. One small stroke of the pen,

:01:31. > :01:35.one giant leap for the country. Our man in Brussels will deliver

:01:36. > :01:38.the letter by hand to the President It will fire the starting gun

:01:39. > :01:44.on a two-year negotiation period. So will we end up with a deal

:01:45. > :01:48.at the end of it all? Later this morning, the Prime

:01:49. > :01:51.Minister will head to the Commons Immediately afterwards,

:01:52. > :01:55.she will make a statement to MPs and say this is the moment

:01:56. > :01:57.for the country Yes, we'll be here till half past

:01:58. > :02:13.one with all the reaction And with us for the duration

:02:14. > :02:17.are the former Northern Ireland And the former Labour

:02:18. > :02:20.minister, Chris Leslie. Now, it's going to be a busy day -

:02:21. > :02:26.highly choreographed - so JoCo what exactly

:02:27. > :02:31.is the timetable for today? At midday, as usual on Wednesday,

:02:32. > :02:36.it's Prime Minister's Questions. During PMQs, at 12.20,

:02:37. > :02:40.the UK's ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, will hand deliver

:02:41. > :02:43.Theresa May's letter to the President of

:02:44. > :02:45.the European Council, Straight after Prime Minister's

:02:46. > :02:51.Questions from about 12:30, Theresa May will make a statement

:02:52. > :02:55.to MPs confirming that the UK's Once Theresa May sits

:02:56. > :03:03.down, from about 12:45, the European Council President,

:03:04. > :03:06.Donald Tusk will make a formal statement acknowledging that Article

:03:07. > :03:09.50 has been triggered. At three o'clock, the group leaders

:03:10. > :03:15.in the European Parliament will meet to discuss the letter

:03:16. > :03:20.and afterwards, Parliament President Antonio Tajani and Parliament Brexit

:03:21. > :03:23.negotiator Guy Verhofstadt will hold At around 4:30, it's expected that

:03:24. > :03:28.European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will respond

:03:29. > :03:53.formally to the triggering It seems a long time ago. Are you

:03:54. > :03:58.excited? I feel anticipation, I recognise there will be bumps along

:03:59. > :04:01.the way but I feel we will be better off when we leave the European

:04:02. > :04:06.Union, we face a bright future when we leave. The public make their

:04:07. > :04:12.judgment in the referendum and we are seeing the letter, clearly

:04:13. > :04:16.symbolic, and the phoney war, as it were, is finished and we are moving

:04:17. > :04:21.to negotiations. I want to hold those in the Leave campaign to

:04:22. > :04:26.account for the promises they made you are in that campaign. Is it

:04:27. > :04:31.irreversible? I do not think so. By the sounds of it the Justice

:04:32. > :04:34.Secretary Liz Truss said she thought it was not reversible but David

:04:35. > :04:38.Davis said he did not know and there are many others who say there is

:04:39. > :04:44.nothing in the provision of Article 50 that says it cannot be withdrawn.

:04:45. > :04:49.Two years in politics is a very long time but it is important we do not

:04:50. > :04:53.box ourselves into circumstances that could be catastrophic, we

:04:54. > :04:59.should keep options open. Are you sure on this day of days, that it

:05:00. > :05:06.will happen? I am, yes. You hesitated for a minute. Quite often,

:05:07. > :05:11.since it became apparent in the early hours of the 24th of June last

:05:12. > :05:16.year, I felt this sense it was hard to believe it would happen but I am

:05:17. > :05:18.now starting to believe it will happen, we are leaving. We have a

:05:19. > :05:34.lot to talk about. It seems like a lifetime ago since

:05:35. > :05:38.David Cameron announced a date for a referendum on membership of the

:05:39. > :05:44.European Union. A lot has happened since then. Let's take a look. On

:05:45. > :05:49.Monday, I will commence the process set out under our referendum act and

:05:50. > :05:50.go to Parliament and propose the British people decide our future in

:05:51. > :06:12.Europe. The British people have spoken and

:06:13. > :06:31.the answer is we are out. The British people have made a clear

:06:32. > :06:35.decision to take a different path and, as such, I think the country

:06:36. > :06:43.requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction.

:06:44. > :06:50.Brexit means Brexit. Brexit means Brexit. The reason I

:06:51. > :06:54.have been saying Brexit means Brexit is precisely because it does. We

:06:55. > :07:02.want a red, white and blue Brexit. We will make breakfast... Brexit a

:07:03. > :07:03.success! I think it will be Brexit plus, plus, plus, does that make

:07:04. > :07:26.sense? What I am proposing cannot mean

:07:27. > :07:30.membership of the single market. The Supreme Court rules that the

:07:31. > :07:37.government cannot trigger Article 50 without an act of Parliament

:07:38. > :07:41.authorising it to do so. The ayes to the right, 494, the noes

:07:42. > :08:03.to the left, 122. Joining me now former Liberal

:08:04. > :08:08.Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown. Have you come to terms with this yet? Am

:08:09. > :08:12.I disappointed? Of course, have I come to terms with the fact British

:08:13. > :08:18.people have voted to leave, yes I have. Have I come to terms with the

:08:19. > :08:21.fact the government has hijacked the vote for the anti-European

:08:22. > :08:28.prejudices of the Conservative Party and given us a brutal Brexit as far

:08:29. > :08:31.away from the EU as possible, despite a manifesto promise from the

:08:32. > :08:35.Conservatives to stay in the single market, they have removed is. That

:08:36. > :08:42.was a promise within the context of staying in the EU. I don't think it

:08:43. > :08:48.was. If you stay in the EU you have to stay in the single market. It is

:08:49. > :08:52.important you get facts right. They were talking about improving and

:08:53. > :08:56.building on the single market to cover services more, which is why

:08:57. > :09:01.they backed it and within the context of staying. Let's not get

:09:02. > :09:06.into the context. It said bluntly we will stay in the single market. If

:09:07. > :09:11.we stayed in the EU. If we stayed in the EU, you had to stay in the

:09:12. > :09:16.single market. It was not qualified in the way you suggest. Let's put it

:09:17. > :09:22.this way, Mrs May has a mandate to take the country out of the European

:09:23. > :09:26.Union. She has no mandate to take them out of the single market. Many

:09:27. > :09:31.of the Brexiteer is argued we should stay in, such as Daniel Hannan who

:09:32. > :09:35.made a promise along those lines. She had no mandate to take this

:09:36. > :09:39.country to the most extreme form of Brexit as far away from the EU as

:09:40. > :09:43.possible and no mandate to do what she has done which is widened the

:09:44. > :09:48.divisions of a divided country further. Am I coming to terms with

:09:49. > :09:54.the proposition that she has used the vote for exit to put forward

:09:55. > :09:59.which is a proposition as extreme as you can get? No, I haven't and we

:10:00. > :10:02.have to continue to fight that proposition. David Cameron made it

:10:03. > :10:07.clear we would have to lead the single market if we voted to leave

:10:08. > :10:11.and George Osborne made it clear, Michael Gove was explicit, Boris

:10:12. > :10:16.Johnson was explicit we would have to leave. What bit do you not

:10:17. > :10:21.understand? Daniel Hannan and others... Daniel Hannan said it is

:10:22. > :10:28.not what he said and he was talking in the context of a Norwegian

:10:29. > :10:37.arrangement, which you're then leader Nick Clegg, previous leader,

:10:38. > :10:40.described as a fax democracy. If you stay, you are subject to the

:10:41. > :10:43.jurisdiction of the European Court and if you stay in the market you

:10:44. > :10:49.must follow the rules of free movement. If you stay in the customs

:10:50. > :10:54.union, you cannot make your own free trade. What is the difference

:10:55. > :10:58.between that and being in the EU? Ask in Norway, which was an

:10:59. > :11:04.alternative model. It is not part of the customs union. It stays with

:11:05. > :11:10.access to the single market. This is the point. The British people voted.

:11:11. > :11:14.Doubtless some to leave the single market, doubtless some to stop

:11:15. > :11:18.immigration completely and some for many reasons, to send a message to

:11:19. > :11:22.Westminster, some because they got out of bed the wrong way that

:11:23. > :11:28.morning. The government to convert that vote, which I think was about

:11:29. > :11:33.leaving the European Union, but in terms that are beneficial to

:11:34. > :11:38.Britain, into a position where we have to have a brutal Brexit that

:11:39. > :11:41.takes is out of the EU and, by the way, if the government does not get

:11:42. > :11:47.its way, we jumped over the cliff together. That is not what people

:11:48. > :11:51.voted full. When it comes to honouring the sovereign judgment of

:11:52. > :11:55.the British people, it is the government that have hijacked it for

:11:56. > :12:00.the Conservative Party purpose largely to keep their own

:12:01. > :12:05.anti-European people on their backbenchers in line. That is not

:12:06. > :12:09.what the country voted for. Do you want a referendum on the deal? I

:12:10. > :12:15.want a referendum on the deal at the end of the process. What would

:12:16. > :12:19.happen if the country voted against? You would have an election. What

:12:20. > :12:22.would it do to membership of the EU? The new government would have to

:12:23. > :12:28.decide what step is taken next. There is no way this government

:12:29. > :12:33.could have a referendum on the final deal so the British people get to

:12:34. > :12:36.say whether or not that is a deal they find beneficial to them and in

:12:37. > :12:40.the interests of the country. The government loses you get an

:12:41. > :12:45.election. And if the British people voted for the deal, which you give

:12:46. > :12:49.up? You have to go ahead. Mrs May has not chosen a form of Brexit

:12:50. > :12:54.advantageous to Britain or in deed for which she has a mandate. She has

:12:55. > :12:59.chosen the most extreme form and put us in a position where if she does

:13:00. > :13:04.not get her way we jump over the cliff together. Without any voice.

:13:05. > :13:09.You talk about extreme Brexit. I would like to know how you can leave

:13:10. > :13:13.the European Union, which is not the people voted for, and stay in the

:13:14. > :13:17.single market and Customs union. You can stay with access to the single

:13:18. > :13:24.market. You will not have it in the way Norway has it or Sweden has it.

:13:25. > :13:30.We do not know... It is Switzerland. We don't know the nature of the free

:13:31. > :13:35.trade deal. That will give us access. What we will no longer have

:13:36. > :13:39.is membership, because the people voted against the sorts of things

:13:40. > :13:45.that go with membership. Why is that extreme? Because it means we will

:13:46. > :13:50.not have the same kind of access to the single market as enjoyed by

:13:51. > :13:56.Norway or Switzerland or could have been negotiated by the British

:13:57. > :14:01.Government. The trick is this is a deal which I don't believe the

:14:02. > :14:06.British people voted for, for which Mrs May does not have a mandate,

:14:07. > :14:10.which puts us at the edge of the cliff with the most extreme form of

:14:11. > :14:15.Brexit and threatens asked to jump over the cliff, without the British

:14:16. > :14:21.people having a vote at any time. You have made that point, you have

:14:22. > :14:29.made it well and several times. Here is the issue. You criticise the

:14:30. > :14:33.government position for being extreme. In this historically you

:14:34. > :14:37.were extremists and wanted us to join the euro. We can argue as to

:14:38. > :14:43.why I believe that was the right thing at the time. You don't now?

:14:44. > :14:47.That would have been the right thing at the time. That sounds quite

:14:48. > :14:53.extreme to many. I don't think it is extreme. If you want to get into the

:14:54. > :14:57.detail, at that time, Germany had doubled the debt of Britain and was

:14:58. > :15:02.lower in productivity and competitiveness than Britain. At the

:15:03. > :15:07.end of the process because we have the option to devalue, we ended up

:15:08. > :15:08.with doubled the debt of Germany and half the productivity level. Which

:15:09. > :15:22.has That financial crisis was worse for

:15:23. > :15:27.Britain because we were not able to sustain the competitiveness. We are

:15:28. > :15:31.talking about the future, and whether I was right or wrong about

:15:32. > :15:36.monetary union, and I maintain I was right, the question is, what should

:15:37. > :15:39.happen now? I heard Chris say earlier on that the phoney war has

:15:40. > :15:43.ended and we will get down to the details. What we have had up until

:15:44. > :15:48.now is in salt fuelled invective against those who would question the

:15:49. > :15:53.Government in any way, and political statements from ministers with no

:15:54. > :16:00.fact. Can I ask you this, because for about four times, you have

:16:01. > :16:04.criticised the government for saying that we can no longer be members of

:16:05. > :16:09.the single market. Access to the single market. We will always have

:16:10. > :16:16.that, even North Korea has got access. The Prime Minister announced

:16:17. > :16:20.in her Lancaster house speech many weeks ago. Can you name a single

:16:21. > :16:25.European leader who thinks that Britain should stay in the single

:16:26. > :16:28.market? I can name you lots of European leaders, probably all of

:16:29. > :16:34.the without exception, who would wish Britain to retain membership

:16:35. > :16:37.with the single market similar to that of Switzerland and Norway, and

:16:38. > :16:43.it will be beneficial... Can you name in the commission, the Council

:16:44. > :16:47.of the nesters, a leading Prime Minister or president who says

:16:48. > :16:51.Britain should negotiate to stay members of the single market, can

:16:52. > :16:55.you name one? I think every single one of them wants Britain to

:16:56. > :16:59.continue to have substantial access to the single market in the same

:17:00. > :17:02.form as Norway and Switzerland has, but no doubt negotiated on a basis

:17:03. > :17:08.which is useful to Britain. So not one, in other words? Not a single

:17:09. > :17:12.one of them wants us to have a situation in relation to the single

:17:13. > :17:15.market which this Government is now proposing as part of the brutal

:17:16. > :17:21.Brexit deal that will damage the country. That is not true, Michelle

:17:22. > :17:25.Barney says he looks forward to negotiating an extensive

:17:26. > :17:28.arrangement. Let's wait to see whether that can be done. I

:17:29. > :17:33.understand that, but you said nobody wants it, I have just quoted the

:17:34. > :17:37.leader of the EU negotiations saying he wants it. One thing that cannot

:17:38. > :17:40.be done, and every body knows that except some of those managing this

:17:41. > :17:45.for the Government, we cannot have a deal which is better than the one

:17:46. > :17:49.that we had in the European Union. That cannot be done. So it will be a

:17:50. > :17:54.worse deal, and insofar as this is me has deliberately put us on the

:17:55. > :17:59.outer ring, beyond Switzerland, beyond Norway, on the edge of the

:18:00. > :18:03.cliff, it seems to me, that is a position which I think it is

:18:04. > :18:07.impossible for her to negotiate a deal which is to the benefit of our

:18:08. > :18:10.country. Are you one of these rabid Tory backbenchers forcing the Prime

:18:11. > :18:18.Minister into an extreme position? According to Paddy, I think I must

:18:19. > :18:22.be, and I think there are probably a lot of Leave supporters watching

:18:23. > :18:26.this programme who will be quite offended at being described in that

:18:27. > :18:29.way, and I think it is ironic that Paddy in accuses the Government of

:18:30. > :18:34.invective when that is what we have heard from him. It is not an

:18:35. > :18:39.unreasonable, extreme position to want to be a country that governs

:18:40. > :18:44.ourselves, and it is not unreasonable or extreme to say that

:18:45. > :18:49.leaving the EU means just that. We can't remain subject to all the laws

:18:50. > :18:51.of the single market and the European court of justice and

:18:52. > :18:54.implement the result of the referendum. Is there any bit of what

:18:55. > :18:58.Paddy Ashdown was saying that you disagree with? I think I would

:18:59. > :19:05.disagree with the single currency point. As he said, that is in the

:19:06. > :19:08.past. What about now? I think I would go further than Paddy, and I

:19:09. > :19:13.would have said that the real fault of the Prime Minister was ruling out

:19:14. > :19:16.that single market in the Lancaster house speech, because we should have

:19:17. > :19:22.been entering into the negotiations with a view to try and adapt and

:19:23. > :19:28.reform the single market. You can't adapt and reform the single market

:19:29. > :19:34.from the outside. There are lots of other countries who want and have

:19:35. > :19:37.issues with the free movement, for example, and can we retain the

:19:38. > :19:47.single market and adapt that pillar... Mrs Merkel says no. She

:19:48. > :19:53.hasn't been asked. No, she said no. Free movement is not negotiable,

:19:54. > :19:58.said Mrs Merkel. They put down their lines, we put down our lines, we

:19:59. > :20:09.have a negotiation. Very briefly, we are running out of time. What

:20:10. > :20:14.Theresa has done... Which Theresa? This one? Yes, if we dare to

:20:15. > :20:17.criticise the position taken by the Government supported by in the large

:20:18. > :20:21.measure it anti-European backbenchers, probably to keep them

:20:22. > :20:24.on board, then we are somehow insulting the wider collection of

:20:25. > :20:28.people who voted for that. They voted for something completely

:20:29. > :20:33.different. Mrs me has done what Mr Cameron did, it is not about the

:20:34. > :20:37.national interest. We have to stop, you have had a fair innings, I think

:20:38. > :20:42.you will agree. And we didn't mention hats once!

:20:43. > :20:43.So once Article 50 is triggered, what next?

:20:44. > :20:46.According to the Lisbon Treaty, the whole process should be

:20:47. > :20:48.completed within two years - although some are sceptical

:20:49. > :20:55.JoCo, what can we can expect in the coming

:20:56. > :21:00.Donald Tusk, president of the EU Council which represents the leaders

:21:01. > :21:03.of the remaining 27 member states, has said the Council will publish

:21:04. > :21:08.draft negotiation guidelines within 48 hours.

:21:09. > :21:11.Then at an EU summit next month the Council will agree

:21:12. > :21:17.the European Commission's mandate for negotiating with the UK.

:21:18. > :21:19.By mid-May, the Commission will publish a plan for the negotiations

:21:20. > :21:28.This is also when we may hear more about the possibility of a parallel

:21:29. > :21:33.negotiation on a future EU-UK trade deal.

:21:34. > :21:36.But with elections in both France and Germany in the next six months,

:21:37. > :21:37.it will probably be autumn before negotiations

:21:38. > :21:46.Meanwhile Parliament will be busy discussing

:21:47. > :21:49.the Great Repeal Bill, which - as the name suggests -

:21:50. > :21:53.will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act

:21:54. > :21:57.and incorporate areas of EU law into domestic legislation.

:21:58. > :21:59.Michel Barnier, the Commission's chief negotiator, says he thinks

:22:00. > :22:03.the negotiations could be concluded by next October.

:22:04. > :22:06.However, the negotiations could be extended, if all 27 member states

:22:07. > :22:14.If everything goes to plan, both Houses of Parliament will then

:22:15. > :22:17.The European Council and European Parliament

:22:18. > :22:25.If the deal is formally voted through, the UK would then formally

:22:26. > :22:27.withdraw from the EU by the end of March 2019.

:22:28. > :22:31.And we can talk now to the SNP MP Stephen Gethins, who is the party's

:22:32. > :22:41.Welcome back to the daily politics. For you and the SNP, there is a date

:22:42. > :22:46.and an event missing, namely a second independence referendum. Have

:22:47. > :22:50.you accepted that is not going to happen in the next two years? Lets

:22:51. > :22:53.see what happens. The Scottish Parliament voted last night to have

:22:54. > :23:01.another independence referendum, so it used its mandate to ask for

:23:02. > :23:03.another independence referendum, and I think critically, Andrew was

:23:04. > :23:07.talking earlier on when he was speaking to Paddy about Michel

:23:08. > :23:11.Barnier, but Michel Barnier set out the schedule by which we will know

:23:12. > :23:14.what the deal looks like, and that fits in with the referendum

:23:15. > :23:20.timetable that the First Minister set out. In a sense, if that

:23:21. > :23:23.question of when you may hold a second independence referendum is

:23:24. > :23:26.settled, you can get on with the business of government in Scotland.

:23:27. > :23:32.The Scottish Government is already getting on with the business of

:23:33. > :23:36.government in Scotland. When you talk about Theresa May who is being

:23:37. > :23:39.told we have crisis in the NHS where the Red Cross are talking about a

:23:40. > :23:44.humanitarian disaster, I think she has plenty to be getting on with.

:23:45. > :23:47.And on that basis, she has a lot to get on with, as you have said, no

:23:48. > :23:50.one is denying that, and you could argue that there has been posturing

:23:51. > :23:55.on both sides on the referendum question. But is it now in your

:23:56. > :23:58.interests, in Scotland's interest and the interests of the UK

:23:59. > :24:03.Government, for everyone to try to get at their steel for the UK, to

:24:04. > :24:09.park the issue of the timing of the independence referendum? That is why

:24:10. > :24:13.we don't want to have a referendum right now. We want to know what will

:24:14. > :24:17.happen with the deal. This is not a situation that we wanted to find

:24:18. > :24:23.ourselves in. But will you call operate now in terms of getting the

:24:24. > :24:26.best deal? This is a two-way process, and Theresa May has to be

:24:27. > :24:30.seen to want to work with the Scottish Government. She said she

:24:31. > :24:36.wanted to see a UK wide approach to this, and she hasn't taken that.

:24:37. > :24:40.Repatriating powers on things like agriculture and fishing, you could

:24:41. > :24:46.see that as in some ways making an overture on two big issues for the

:24:47. > :24:48.Scottish Government. You could, but when we asked the Secretary of State

:24:49. > :24:55.what new powers Scotland will be getting, we didn't get any answers.

:24:56. > :24:59.We have had nothing on immigration policy. These were among the

:25:00. > :25:02.promises made before the EU referendum, a week before the polls

:25:03. > :25:05.by Michael Gove, and they are not coming through on that. But if you

:25:06. > :25:10.are going to hold Theresa May's feet to the fire on including Scotland

:25:11. > :25:13.and the Scottish Government in those negotiations, and I have been hints

:25:14. > :25:17.that those would be areas where you could get some sort of agreement,

:25:18. > :25:23.would that be where you will concentrate your efforts,

:25:24. > :25:27.repatriating powers on agriculture and fishing, and working towards a

:25:28. > :25:30.separate deal for certain sectors? That is something that the Home

:25:31. > :25:33.Secretary ruled out. The UK Government don't have a great track

:25:34. > :25:41.record. The Scottish Government have a responsibility to those whose jobs

:25:42. > :25:44.will be impacted by this. 80,000 Scottish jobs, in Scotland alone,

:25:45. > :25:49.could go as a direct consequence of a hard Brexit, which is the one we

:25:50. > :25:54.are looking at the moment. What we are trying to do is give people a

:25:55. > :25:57.choice once they know what the deal looks like before it is too late. So

:25:58. > :26:00.you will still fight for the referendum date within the timescale

:26:01. > :26:03.of spring 2019? I think that is imported, but the First Minister has

:26:04. > :26:07.been clear that she is willing to compromise. So it could go beyond

:26:08. > :26:13.that. Theresa Villiers, is that kind of thing that the Government should

:26:14. > :26:16.be offering the Scottish Parliament, executive control on things like

:26:17. > :26:20.agriculture and fishing? The Government has been clear that no

:26:21. > :26:23.powers on those areas would be removed from Scottish Parliament or

:26:24. > :26:28.the Scottish Government, but there is a debate to be have about the

:26:29. > :26:31.powers which are returned to Westminster, as to which stay in

:26:32. > :26:35.Westminster and which go to the devolved authorities. I'm sure there

:26:36. > :26:37.will be extensive powers over fisheries and agriculture that will

:26:38. > :26:43.end up with the Scottish Government, but at this stage we can't be

:26:44. > :26:48.definite about which they will be. If you got fishing back, would you

:26:49. > :26:52.hand it back to Brussels? As you well know, the Treaty of union and

:26:53. > :26:56.the act of union are two very different things. But if you joined

:26:57. > :27:01.Brussels, you would just hand the powers right back, it is ludicrous!

:27:02. > :27:06.It is difficult to see Brussels blocking any referendum in the same

:27:07. > :27:13.way that the UK Government is trying to block the Scottish Government. We

:27:14. > :27:14.will leave it there. It is a historic day for both Britain and

:27:15. > :27:16.the EU. What better

:27:17. > :27:18.way to mark the occasion than with a special edition

:27:19. > :27:21.Daily Politics commemorative mug? We have been painting these

:27:22. > :27:24.all-night! Yes, you can celebrate -

:27:25. > :27:27.or commiserate - the end of 44 years of EU membership,

:27:28. > :27:29.from Ted Heath signing us into the Common Market in 1972

:27:30. > :27:32.to Theresa May signing us out yesterday, by joining us

:27:33. > :27:40.for a Great British brew. All you need to do for this

:27:41. > :27:42.once-in-a-generation chance to win our special mug,

:27:43. > :27:53.is tell us when this happened. # All my life I've

:27:54. > :28:02.been waiting for you # Been living in a fantasy

:28:03. > :28:07.without meaning.# # So now I walk in the midday

:28:08. > :28:49.sun # I never thought

:28:50. > :28:54.that my saviour would come. And to be in with a chance

:28:55. > :29:19.of winning a Daily Politics mug, send your answer to our special quiz

:29:20. > :29:21.email address - Entries must arrive by 12.30 today,

:29:22. > :29:27.and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess

:29:28. > :29:30.The Year on our website - Just take a look at Big Ben -

:29:31. > :29:39.and that can mean only one thing. Yes, Prime Minister's

:29:40. > :29:41.Questions is on its way. And that's not all -

:29:42. > :29:52.Laura Kuenssberg is here. A difficult one on PMQs, because it

:29:53. > :29:57.is just the start, this time. It is absolutely, and Jeremy Corbyn and

:29:58. > :30:01.Theresa May will be upstaged today by a six or seven page piece of

:30:02. > :30:05.paper arriving in Brussels. That is how long we expect the letter to be,

:30:06. > :30:10.and broadly we are not expecting there to be much new substance. One

:30:11. > :30:12.member of the Cabinet at the meeting this morning where they were briefed

:30:13. > :30:16.by the Prime Minister on the contents of the letter told me there

:30:17. > :30:18.was nothing unexpected in it. Today is all going to be about time. Lets

:30:19. > :30:38.see what the tone is the PMQs. They were Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran,

:30:39. > :30:44.Leslie Rhodes and, of course, PC Keith Palmer. I am sure the house

:30:45. > :30:49.will join me in extending condolences to the families. The

:30:50. > :30:53.investigation continues and two people have been arrested and are in

:30:54. > :30:56.custody. This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and I

:30:57. > :31:03.will have further such meetings later today. May I echo her

:31:04. > :31:09.sentiments and congratulate her also on all the good work done since last

:31:10. > :31:13.week. May I also congratulate the Prime Minister and government on

:31:14. > :31:19.triggering Article 50 today. I know this is a momentous action to the

:31:20. > :31:24.whole of the United Kingdom and while I like herself campaigned to

:31:25. > :31:30.stay in, we recognise the people have spoken and we offered the

:31:31. > :31:34.Ulster Unionist Party. Port in ensuring negotiations deliver the

:31:35. > :31:39.best for the whole of the UK and particularly for Northern Ireland.

:31:40. > :31:45.But could I ask the Prime Minister to confirm that in the extremely

:31:46. > :31:49.improbable event that a border poll should take place regarding the

:31:50. > :31:52.future of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom during her

:31:53. > :31:59.premiership, that a government will fully support any official Remain

:32:00. > :32:11.campaign? Just as the government have done both in regard of the EU

:32:12. > :32:16.and indeed Scotland. The honourable gentleman is right. Today we do give

:32:17. > :32:20.effect to the democratic decision of the people of the United Kingdom who

:32:21. > :32:26.voted for us to leave the European Union. It was a call to make the

:32:27. > :32:32.United Kingdom a country that works for everyone not just the privileged

:32:33. > :32:36.few. We are within that fully committed to ensuring the unique

:32:37. > :32:40.interests of Northern Ireland are attracted and advanced as we

:32:41. > :32:45.establish our negotiating position. Our position is we strongly support

:32:46. > :32:49.the Belfast agreement including the principle of consent that Northern

:32:50. > :32:54.Ireland constitutional position is that the people of Northern Ireland

:32:55. > :32:58.to determine. We have a preference that Northern Ireland should remain

:32:59. > :33:03.part of the United Kingdom and we will never be neutral in expressing

:33:04. > :33:10.our support for that. That is because I believe fundamentally in

:33:11. > :33:15.the strength of our union. Pupils and parents deserve good schools and

:33:16. > :33:20.real choice in education including schools focused unashamedly on

:33:21. > :33:22.academic rigour. Can my right honourable friend tell us when the

:33:23. > :33:27.government will open applications for the new wave of free schools and

:33:28. > :33:31.can she confirmed they will be genuinely free to be run as they

:33:32. > :33:36.wish, serving the community and creating scores for everyone? My

:33:37. > :33:41.honourable friend is right. Schools should be free to be run as best

:33:42. > :33:45.suit them. We put autonomy and freedom in the hands of strong

:33:46. > :33:51.leaders and outstanding teachers so they can deliver an excellent

:33:52. > :33:54.education. We want to get out of the way of outstanding education

:33:55. > :33:59.providers to set up the types of schools parents want which is why we

:34:00. > :34:02.have set out plans to remove the ban on new grammar schools and

:34:03. > :34:08.restrictions on new faith schools. We do expect to announce the details

:34:09. > :34:13.of the next wave of free school applications following the

:34:14. > :34:17.publication of the White Paper. I want to begin by paying tribute to

:34:18. > :34:22.the emergency services as the Prime Minister did, across the country,

:34:23. > :34:26.especially those who responded to the Westminster attack and to those

:34:27. > :34:30.who turned out to help the victims of the new ferry explosion on

:34:31. > :34:35.Saturday. Our thoughts remain with the injured and those who have lost

:34:36. > :34:39.loved ones and we thank the police for their investigations. Could the

:34:40. > :34:43.Prime Minister assure Ross police will be given all support and

:34:44. > :34:49.resources to take them through this difficult period -- assure us? I

:34:50. > :34:54.joined the right honourable gentleman in praising the work of

:34:55. > :35:00.the emergency services, who have to deal with a wide range of incidents

:35:01. > :35:06.that take place. Our focus has been most recently on the attack last

:35:07. > :35:09.Wednesday. We should not forget that day in day out emergency services

:35:10. > :35:16.work on our behalf and often put themselves in danger as a result. I

:35:17. > :35:21.have kept in touch as has my right honourable friend the Home Secretary

:35:22. > :35:23.with the security services and Metropolitan Police on the

:35:24. > :35:28.investigation taking place into the attack last week and I am looking

:35:29. > :35:31.forward to security arrangements and I can assure him they have the

:35:32. > :35:37.resources they need to carry out vital work. Of course we all pay

:35:38. > :35:43.tribute to the police for the work they do but there are some problems

:35:44. > :35:49.that between 2015 and 2018 there will be a real terms cut in central

:35:50. > :35:53.government funding to police forces of 330 million. Can the Prime

:35:54. > :35:57.Minister assure the house the police all over the country have the

:35:58. > :36:06.necessary resources to do the job? I would remind him that what we have

:36:07. > :36:11.done is protected that police budget and of course the former Shadow Home

:36:12. > :36:16.Secretary, his colleague, the right honourable member, prior to the...

:36:17. > :36:23.At the Labour Party conference said savings can be found. The police say

:36:24. > :36:29.5-10% is just about doable. We have protected the police budget. I have

:36:30. > :36:36.been speaking to police forces and they are cleared the work they are

:36:37. > :36:41.doing has the resources they need. The Police Federation survey

:36:42. > :36:47.recently undertaken reveals that 55% of serving police officers say

:36:48. > :36:52.morale is low due to the way in which funding has been treated.

:36:53. > :36:58.Front line policing is vital in tackling crime and terrorism. Since

:36:59. > :37:03.2010, there are 20,000 fewer police officers, 12,000 fewer on the front

:37:04. > :37:09.line. I asked the Prime Minister again, will she think again about

:37:10. > :37:13.the cuts and guaranteed policing on the front line will be protected so

:37:14. > :37:21.every community can be assured it has the officers it needs in their

:37:22. > :37:24.community? I said we have protected those police budgets including of

:37:25. > :37:30.course the precepts they raise locally. Let's think about what has

:37:31. > :37:37.happened since 2010. Since 2010 we have seen crime is traditionally

:37:38. > :37:42.measured by the independent crime survey falling by a third to a

:37:43. > :37:47.record low, and that is the work of hard-working officers up and down

:37:48. > :37:52.this country. They have been backed by this government. We have made

:37:53. > :37:55.them more accountable through directly elected Police and Crime

:37:56. > :37:59.Commissioners and there has been reform, including reform of the

:38:00. > :38:03.Police Federation that was necessary, but we have ensured

:38:04. > :38:11.police have resources to do their job and we see crime at a record

:38:12. > :38:18.low. The Royal air forces preparing to fly typhoons from my constituency

:38:19. > :38:25.to Romania, to support Nato allies on the border with Russia. This is

:38:26. > :38:30.as President Putin is locking up political opponents and crushing

:38:31. > :38:35.calls for democracy. Will my right honourable friend confirm that as we

:38:36. > :38:40.leave the EU, the United Kingdom will continue to lead Nato in

:38:41. > :38:45.defending this vital border, and will she paid tribute to the Armed

:38:46. > :38:53.Forces who safeguard our democracy at home and abroad? I am very happy

:38:54. > :38:58.to join my honourable friend in paying tribute to the men and women

:38:59. > :39:06.of our Armed Forces, they are the best in the world and they worked

:39:07. > :39:11.tirelessly to keep us safe and we open every gratitude. Our commitment

:39:12. > :39:17.to collective defence and security through Nato is as strong as ever.

:39:18. > :39:23.We will meet our pledge to spend 2% of GDP wand expense every year of

:39:24. > :39:27.the decade and we plan to spend 178 billion on equipment. She referred

:39:28. > :39:32.to work done by the Royal Air Force in relation to Romania. With Nato we

:39:33. > :39:36.deploy a battalion to Estonia and squadron to Poland and I think that

:39:37. > :39:44.shows our commitment to our collective security and defence. We

:39:45. > :39:47.associate ourselves with the condolences of the Prime Minister

:39:48. > :39:54.and leader of the Labour Party and praise for the emergency and

:39:55. > :39:59.security services. After the appalling terrorist atrocity. Last

:40:00. > :40:04.year, the Prime Minister promised before she would trigger Article 50

:40:05. > :40:17.on leaving the EU, she would secure a UK wide approach and agreement...

:40:18. > :40:21.Last year the Prime Minister did make that promise and promised there

:40:22. > :40:26.would be agreement with the governments of Scotland, Wales and

:40:27. > :40:30.Northern Ireland before triggering Article 50. The Prime Minister has

:40:31. > :40:36.now triggered Article 50 and she has done so without an agreement. There

:40:37. > :40:43.is no agreement. Why has she broken her promise and her word? I have

:40:44. > :40:53.been clear throughout and since the first visit that I made as Prime

:40:54. > :40:57.Minister to Edinburgh last July, which was we would work with the

:40:58. > :41:02.devolved administrations and develop a UK wide approach but in

:41:03. > :41:06.negotiations it would be a UK approach taken into the negotiations

:41:07. > :41:11.and it would be the United Kingdom government that took forward that

:41:12. > :41:24.position and I would remind him that Scotland is part of the United

:41:25. > :41:29.Kingdom. People will note the Prime Minister did not deny she would seek

:41:30. > :41:32.a UK wide approach and agreement with the governments of Scotland,

:41:33. > :41:38.Wales and Northern Ireland and there is no agreement. The Scottish

:41:39. > :41:43.Government was elected with a higher percentage of the vote with a bigger

:41:44. > :41:49.electoral mandate than the UK Government. Yesterday the Scottish

:41:50. > :41:56.Parliament voted by 69 to 59 that people in Scotland should have a

:41:57. > :41:59.choice about their future. After the negotiations with the EU are

:42:00. > :42:04.concluded, there will be a period for democratic approval of the

:42:05. > :42:08.outcome. That choice will be exercised in this Parliament, in the

:42:09. > :42:15.European Parliament, and in 27 member states of the EU. Given that

:42:16. > :42:24.everybody else will have a choice... Will the people of Scotland have a

:42:25. > :42:31.choice... ? I say to the right honourable gentleman that we are

:42:32. > :42:39.taking forward the views of the United Kingdom into the negotiations

:42:40. > :42:42.with the European Union on the United Kingdom exiting the European

:42:43. > :42:56.Union. The Scottish Nationalist party consistently talks... Order!

:42:57. > :43:00.This is unseemly heckling. You are a distinguished QC. You would not

:43:01. > :43:07.behave like that in the Scottish courts. You would be chucked out.

:43:08. > :43:12.Prime Minister. The SNP consistently talks about independence as the only

:43:13. > :43:19.subject they wish to talk about. I said to him and his colleagues that

:43:20. > :43:26.now is not the time to be talking about a second independence

:43:27. > :43:31.referendum. On today of all days, we should be coming together as a

:43:32. > :43:42.United Kingdom to get the best deal for Britain.

:43:43. > :43:47.Improving vocational and technical education is vital to closing our

:43:48. > :43:50.productivity gap so can the Prime Minister assure me vocational

:43:51. > :43:55.education will enjoy equal status with academic education so that as

:43:56. > :44:00.we leave the EU, our young people can be equipped to build the high

:44:01. > :44:05.skilled economy of the future? My honourable friend has raised an

:44:06. > :44:10.important issue. It is essential for young people we give vocational and

:44:11. > :44:15.technical education the right esteem and focus because it is essential in

:44:16. > :44:20.addressing the productivity gap. We want to deliver a world leading

:44:21. > :44:25.technical education system to create genuine options that are equal in

:44:26. > :44:30.esteem, two options for young people in esteem. In the budget, the

:44:31. > :44:36.Chancellor announced a significant package of investment to represent

:44:37. > :44:41.the most ambitious post-16 reform since the introduction of A-levels.

:44:42. > :44:45.We will invest an extra half ?1 billion in Ingham's technical

:44:46. > :44:49.education and introduce maintenance loans or those studying high-level

:44:50. > :44:56.technical qualifications at institutes of technology. The

:44:57. > :45:02.Treasury Select Committee says that having to fill in a tax return every

:45:03. > :45:06.three months means that many smaller companies face disaster. The

:45:07. > :45:13.Federation of small business says the extra cost is likely to be

:45:14. > :45:19.annually ?2700 a year. This is another burden on business from this

:45:20. > :45:23.government. She got it wrong on national Insurance, is she going to

:45:24. > :45:28.backtrack now on tax returns, as well?

:45:29. > :45:32.Perhaps the honourable gentleman should have listened to the

:45:33. > :45:35.announcement the Chancellor made in the budget where he indicated he

:45:36. > :45:40.would be delaying the introduction of this for the smallest businesses

:45:41. > :45:45.below the VAT threshold for a year. But I think it is right that HMRC

:45:46. > :45:49.does try to move to a greater digitisation of the way in which it

:45:50. > :45:53.operates. I think that will enable it to give a better service to those

:45:54. > :45:59.people who are completing their forms, and we should always remember

:46:00. > :46:03.that aspect of what is being proposed. I welcome the additional

:46:04. > :46:06.money the Government has given for adult social care, but it is

:46:07. > :46:14.important we also look at long-term solutions for the. Will the Prime

:46:15. > :46:16.Minister look at issues with how the system works with Northampton county

:46:17. > :46:21.council and Northampton General Hospital? I say to my honourable

:46:22. > :46:28.friend but I'm grateful that he is welcome for the extra money, the ?2

:46:29. > :46:32.billion going to social care and out by the Chancellor. This shows we

:46:33. > :46:37.have recognised the pressures and demands on social care, but it is

:46:38. > :46:40.also important that we ensure best practice is delivered across the

:46:41. > :46:44.whole of the country, it isn't just about money, so we are trying to

:46:45. > :46:46.find a long-term sustainable solution which will help local

:46:47. > :46:50.authorities to learn from each other and raise standards across the

:46:51. > :46:54.system, and we will bring forward proposals in a green paper later

:46:55. > :46:58.this year to put the state funded system on a more sustainable and

:46:59. > :47:03.long-term footing. As Home Secretary, the Prime Minister

:47:04. > :47:08.clearly didn't protect police budgets. Last week she told me four

:47:09. > :47:16.times, we have protected the schools budget. Does she still stand by that

:47:17. > :47:23.statement? We have protected schools budgets, and we are putting record

:47:24. > :47:27.funding into schools. Today, Mr Speaker, the Public Accounts

:47:28. > :47:31.Committee says the Department of Education that it does not seem to

:47:32. > :47:36.understand the pressures that schools are already under. And they

:47:37. > :47:41.went on to say that funding per pupil is reducing in real terms, and

:47:42. > :47:50.goes on to say schools budgets will be cut by ?3 billion, equivalent to

:47:51. > :48:00.8%, by 2020. Is the Public Accounts Committee wrong on this? What we see

:48:01. > :48:03.over the course of this Parliament is ?230 billion going into our

:48:04. > :48:06.schools. But what matters is the quality of education that we see in

:48:07. > :48:12.our schools. 1.8 million more children in good or outstanding

:48:13. > :48:17.schools, and a policy from this Government to ensure that every

:48:18. > :48:23.child gets a good school plays. Mr Speaker, the daily experience of

:48:24. > :48:27.many parents who have children in schools is that they get letters

:48:28. > :48:31.from the schools asking for money. One parent, Elizabeth, wrote to me

:48:32. > :48:35.to say she has received a letter from her daughter's school asking

:48:36. > :48:42.for a monthly donation to top up the reduced funds that her school is

:48:43. > :48:45.receiving. This Government's cuts to schools are betraying a generation

:48:46. > :48:50.of our children. If the Prime Minister is right, then the parents

:48:51. > :48:54.are wrong, the teachers are wrong, the IFF is wrong, the National Audit

:48:55. > :49:00.Office is wrong, the education policy Institute is wrong and now

:49:01. > :49:03.the Public Accounts Committee, which includes eight Conservative members

:49:04. > :49:06.in it, is also wrong. So which organisation does back the Prime

:49:07. > :49:11.Minister's view on education spending in our schools? I would say

:49:12. > :49:15.to the right honourable gentleman that as I have just said to him, we

:49:16. > :49:19.said we would protect school funding, and we have. A real terms

:49:20. > :49:23.protection for the schools budget. We said we would protect the money

:49:24. > :49:31.following children into schools, and we have, it reaches ?42 billion as

:49:32. > :49:36.pupil numbers rise in 19/ 20. But it is also about the quality of

:49:37. > :49:40.education children are receiving. 1.8 million more children in good or

:49:41. > :49:44.outstanding schools than under the Labour government. But I also say

:49:45. > :49:48.this, because time and time again, the gentleman stands up in PMQs and

:49:49. > :49:53.asks questions which would lead to more spending. Let's look at what he

:49:54. > :49:57.has done recently. On the 11th of January, more spending. On the 8th

:49:58. > :50:02.of February, more spending. On the 22nd of February, more spending. On

:50:03. > :50:09.the first and the 8th of March, more spending. On the 15th and 22nd of

:50:10. > :50:14.March, more spending. Barely a PMQs goes by that he doesn't call for

:50:15. > :50:17.more public spending. When it comes to spending money that they haven't

:50:18. > :50:21.got, Labour simply can't help themselves. It's the same old

:50:22. > :50:25.Labour, spend today and give somebody else the Bill tomorrow.

:50:26. > :50:37.Well, we won't do that to the next generation.

:50:38. > :50:43.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm sure everyone in the House will want to

:50:44. > :50:48.join me in paying tribute to the thousands who worked in munitions

:50:49. > :50:50.factories in both world wars. Often in very dangerous conditions. And

:50:51. > :50:55.they produced a vital equipment for the Armed Forces that helped us to

:50:56. > :50:59.victory. I'm sure my honourable friend will recognise that for

:51:00. > :51:02.practical reasons it is not possible to pursue individual awards, but I

:51:03. > :51:05.know that the Department for Business would be happy to work with

:51:06. > :51:10.him to look at further ways to recognise the collective effort of

:51:11. > :51:13.former munitions workers. I thank my right honourable friend for that

:51:14. > :51:19.answer. These ladies found that the chemicals in the shells turned their

:51:20. > :51:22.skins yellow, and they were nicknamed canary girls. I know my

:51:23. > :51:24.right honourable friend is exceptionally busy at the moment,

:51:25. > :51:27.but could she find just a few moments in her diary to meet me and

:51:28. > :51:33.some of these canary girls to recognise their service? I would be

:51:34. > :51:37.very happy to do that. I would be very happy to meet some canary

:51:38. > :51:41.girls. As I said, they did work which was vital to the war effort.

:51:42. > :51:46.They did work which in one sense was absolutely routine, but in another

:51:47. > :51:51.sense was extremely dangerous, and I think we should recognise the

:51:52. > :51:54.efforts that they put in. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister will

:51:55. > :52:04.be aware that the Welsh Labour government has established a

:52:05. > :52:06.children's funeral fund. Many leading funeral providers have also

:52:07. > :52:11.indicated that there will be no charges for children and young

:52:12. > :52:14.people's funerals. I know the Prime Minister is a compassionate woman,

:52:15. > :52:18.and I know she understands the importance of a children's funeral

:52:19. > :52:23.fund. Will she agree to work with me to establish this fund to bring some

:52:24. > :52:28.comfort to bereaved parents in their darkest hour? I pay tribute to the

:52:29. > :52:34.honourable lady who has been campaigning tirelessly on this

:52:35. > :52:37.issue, and obviously it is not just a passionate campaign, but she has

:52:38. > :52:42.spoken on many occasions moving in this House about her personal

:52:43. > :52:46.experience which she has brought to bear on this issue. I welcome the

:52:47. > :52:50.decision taken by the co-operative funeral company to waive the fees on

:52:51. > :52:54.this. There is some financial support available, we are looking at

:52:55. > :52:56.this issue on the problems faced by parents, and at what more can be

:52:57. > :53:00.done through a cross government piece of work, and I ask the

:53:01. > :53:03.Minister for the Cabinet office who is meeting on that piece of work to

:53:04. > :53:09.meet with us and talk about the idea. As the Prime Minister will

:53:10. > :53:13.know, the budget gave an extra ?200 million to the Welsh Labour

:53:14. > :53:17.government in order to provide business rate relief. Will the Prime

:53:18. > :53:20.Minister agree with myself and the leader of Monmouthshire council that

:53:21. > :53:24.Welsh Labour must now commit to spending that money on supporting

:53:25. > :53:27.Welsh businesses and giving the same level of support that has been

:53:28. > :53:34.provided in England by this conservative Government? I say to my

:53:35. > :53:37.honourable friend he is absolutely right. As he said at the budget, my

:53:38. > :53:42.right honourable friend the Chancellor announced a ?200 million

:53:43. > :53:45.boost to the Welsh budget. They will be able to use that money to support

:53:46. > :53:49.their own priorities, but the people of Wales can send a clear signal

:53:50. > :53:53.about these priorities by voting for Conservative councillors like Peter

:53:54. > :53:59.Fox on the 4th of May. And I have to say it is the UK Government actions

:54:00. > :54:04.to support working families throughout the country that will

:54:05. > :54:07.make sure Wales benefits. The Foreign Secretary jury be EU

:54:08. > :54:15.referendum campaign urged people to, and I quote, take back control of

:54:16. > :54:20.huge sums of money, ?350 million per week, and spend it on our priorities

:54:21. > :54:24.such as the NHS. The Prime Minister will trigger article 50 today. Can

:54:25. > :54:29.the Prime Minister confirm precisely when she wants to fulfil the promise

:54:30. > :54:30.made by her Cabinet colleagues who is sitting on the front page

:54:31. > :54:55.smirking at the British public? Order, order, Boris is sitting

:54:56. > :55:00.perfectly comfortably, there is an air of repose about the fellow!

:55:01. > :55:08.Prime Minister. I am very happy to tell the

:55:09. > :55:11.honourable lady that when this country leaves the European Union,

:55:12. > :55:16.we will have control of our budget and we will decide how that money is

:55:17. > :55:22.spent. With modification, schools in my constituency welcome the National

:55:23. > :55:26.funding formula, and given the Leader of the Opposition's

:55:27. > :55:28.intervention, I hope my next question doesn't land me on the

:55:29. > :55:33.naughty step, but given that Stockport schools and other schools

:55:34. > :55:39.have been at the bottom of the funding pile for years, and have

:55:40. > :55:45.less scope for efficiencies, would my right honourable friend consider

:55:46. > :55:48.giving immediate support to them? As my honourable friend is saying, what

:55:49. > :55:52.we are doing is aiming to end the postcode lottery of schools funding,

:55:53. > :55:58.and schools funding is at a record high. In relation to the minimum

:55:59. > :56:03.funding level, as I have said before, the DFE have heard

:56:04. > :56:06.representations on the issue on this national funding formula and will be

:56:07. > :56:11.considering those. There have been a lot of responses to that, but it is

:56:12. > :56:16.a historic and complex reform but there has been general agreement for

:56:17. > :56:21.many years that reform is needed, we want to get this right which is why

:56:22. > :56:26.we are carefully considering it. After nine months of this Prime

:56:27. > :56:30.Minister's approach to Brexit, Northern Ireland is deadlocked, the

:56:31. > :56:37.Welsh are alienated, Scotland is going for a referendum, the English

:56:38. > :56:40.are split down the middle and Brexit MPs are walking out of Commons

:56:41. > :56:47.committees because they don't like home truths. Has the Prime Minister

:56:48. > :56:54.considered in terms of invoking Article 50 that now is not the time?

:56:55. > :57:07.What the UK Government is doing in invoking article 50 is putting into

:57:08. > :57:12.practice the Democratic vote of the British people on the 23rd of June

:57:13. > :57:15.last year in a referendum. There was a referendum in 2014 in Scotland

:57:16. > :57:20.when the Scottish people voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. I

:57:21. > :57:26.suggest The right honourable gentleman and his colleagues put

:57:27. > :57:30.that into practice! Mr Speaker, three quarters of my constituent

:57:31. > :57:35.Umag voted to leave the European Union. Does the Prime Minister agree

:57:36. > :57:40.with me that as she triggers article 50, it marks a watershed moment, not

:57:41. > :57:45.only for this country's control of immigration and our sovereignty, but

:57:46. > :57:51.also for listening to the views of people who were forgotten for far

:57:52. > :58:00.too long? I absolutely agree with my honourable friend. Not only are we

:58:01. > :58:04.putting into place the views of the British people as set out in that

:58:05. > :58:09.referendum on the 23rd of June last year, but crucially that was not

:58:10. > :58:12.just a vote about leaving the EU. It was a vote about changing this

:58:13. > :58:16.country for the future, and this Government has a clear plan for

:58:17. > :58:20.Britain that will change this country, that will see us with a

:58:21. > :58:29.more global outlook, a stronger economy, a fairer society and a more

:58:30. > :58:34.united nation. The people expect the Prime Minister to follow her party's

:58:35. > :58:39.manifesto and abide by a majority vote of this Parliament. So why does

:58:40. > :58:48.she say that the First Minister of Scotland should do the opposite?

:58:49. > :58:57.What I say is that at this point in time Dodge at this point in time as

:58:58. > :59:06.we face this historic moment of facing Article 50 and this country's

:59:07. > :59:11.relationship with the European Union, now is the time for us to

:59:12. > :59:15.pull together and not, part. On Friday, thousands of people will be

:59:16. > :59:26.up and down this country raising funds and awareness of brain tumour

:59:27. > :59:30.research. Many of these people will know people someone who have

:59:31. > :59:36.suffered from a brain tumour. It is a bigger cancer killer of children

:59:37. > :59:39.and adults under 40. Will the Prime Minister join me in commending all

:59:40. > :59:42.these people raising awareness and funds and see what more we can do to

:59:43. > :59:48.raise funding for brain tumour research? This is an important area,

:59:49. > :59:53.and I believe in this area the UK does have a good record of research

:59:54. > :59:57.on brain tumours, and that is important, but he is absolutely

:59:58. > :00:00.right. The people who are raising funds for this important cause

:00:01. > :00:04.should be commended, as he says many of them will have had personal

:00:05. > :00:08.experience in one way or another of brain tumours, and I think it is

:00:09. > :00:11.important that we recognise that there are many killers out there

:00:12. > :00:15.which don't often receive the publicity and support of others, and

:00:16. > :00:16.we should recognise their importance, and commend those who

:00:17. > :00:28.are raising funds. Can the Prime Minister said what she

:00:29. > :00:30.is doing to ensure national and local government prioritise the

:00:31. > :00:38.purchasing and buying of British goods and services, although the

:00:39. > :00:46.Home Secretary on police vehicles, does not give us cause for optimism.

:00:47. > :00:50.We have been encouraging the procurement of British goods and

:00:51. > :00:54.services. He asked what we can do for local authorities, if people

:00:55. > :01:02.want local authorities to take their best interests to heart, they should

:01:03. > :01:09.vote Conservative. Can I ask... I congratulate the Prime Minister and

:01:10. > :01:14.invoking Article 50. Does she agree this needs to be the end of the

:01:15. > :01:19.phoney war and posturing and focus now on the detail for every

:01:20. > :01:25.industry, centre and community to get a bespoke deal we can all get

:01:26. > :01:30.behind? I agree with my honourable friend. Now is the time to come

:01:31. > :01:34.together and be united across this House and country to ensure we work

:01:35. > :01:42.for the best deal for the United Kingdom and best future for us all.

:01:43. > :01:46.The Prime Minister has rightly emphasised her determination to

:01:47. > :01:50.deliver for all constituent parts of the United Kingdom on this historic

:01:51. > :01:55.day and while others are content to moan, we want to see that delivery

:01:56. > :02:00.happen and we are confident she will make that happen. In Northern

:02:01. > :02:04.Ireland, where some have walked away from responsibilities in terms of

:02:05. > :02:09.devolution, we want devolution up and running to have a functioning

:02:10. > :02:14.government and we have set no preconditions. If others continue to

:02:15. > :02:18.stay away from devolution and walk away, will she pledged to work more

:02:19. > :02:23.closely with those of us in this House to defend and protect the

:02:24. > :02:27.interests of Northern Ireland? We say that we all want to work

:02:28. > :02:31.together to ensure we can protect the best interests of Northern

:02:32. > :02:36.Ireland. I think that ensuring we have strong devolved government in

:02:37. > :02:41.Northern Ireland is important for the future and so we can build on

:02:42. > :02:44.the significant progress made in recent years for the people of

:02:45. > :02:49.Northern Ireland and I urge all parties to come to the talks with a

:02:50. > :02:55.view to finding a way through so that Northern Ireland once again can

:02:56. > :02:59.be restored to devolved government. With the Prime Minister agree social

:03:00. > :03:03.media companies need to take action to remove extremist and hate

:03:04. > :03:08.material from platforms and to foot the Bill for the police who are

:03:09. > :03:14.currently doing their dirty work at the taxpayers' expense? This

:03:15. > :03:17.question of working with the companies to ensure extremist

:03:18. > :03:23.material is removed as quickly as possible is one that is not new.

:03:24. > :03:28.Through the counterterrorism internet referral unit we have the

:03:29. > :03:34.process to enable the police to take material down. 250,000 pieces of

:03:35. > :03:38.material have been taken down since 2010 and there has been increase in

:03:39. > :03:42.that activity in the last couple of years. I know the Home Secretary

:03:43. > :03:49.will be meeting companies this week to talk to them about this important

:03:50. > :03:54.issue. We do not want extremist material on the internet, what we

:03:55. > :03:59.want to see is companies taking action to remove material

:04:00. > :04:05.encouraging hate and division. Late on Saturday night, a massive

:04:06. > :04:09.explosion devastated new ferry in my constituency. We are thinking of

:04:10. > :04:15.those who were hurt. It is a miracle more people were not injured. The

:04:16. > :04:19.community faces dereliction. All the Prime Minister join with me in

:04:20. > :04:24.thanking all of those who looked after my community over the weekend

:04:25. > :04:28.and recent days, and will she arrange a meeting with the Secretary

:04:29. > :04:35.of State who can discuss how the government can help us to rebuild

:04:36. > :04:40.New Ferry. I am happy to do those things. I commend and thank all of

:04:41. > :04:45.those who worked hard in the emergency services and others to

:04:46. > :04:49.support her community when this devastating explosion took place.

:04:50. > :04:54.That work will continue. There will be support I am sure being given to

:04:55. > :05:00.the community in the future and I am happy to ask the Secretary of State

:05:01. > :05:03.to meet her and discuss how that community can be rebuilt and

:05:04. > :05:16.overcome the impact of this explosion. Order.

:05:17. > :05:25.Statement, the Prime Minister. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Today, the

:05:26. > :05:31.government acts on the democratic will of the British people. It acts

:05:32. > :05:38.on the clear and convincing position of this House. A few minutes ago in

:05:39. > :05:42.Brussels, the United Kingdom's permanent representative to the EU

:05:43. > :05:47.handed a letter to the president of the European Council on my behalf,

:05:48. > :05:53.confirming the government decision to invoke Article 50. The Article 50

:05:54. > :05:57.process is now under way and in accordance with the wishes of the

:05:58. > :06:04.British people the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. This is

:06:05. > :06:11.an historic moment from which there can be no turning back. Britain is

:06:12. > :06:15.leaving the European Union. We are going to make our own decisions and

:06:16. > :06:20.laws. We are going to take control of things that matter most to us and

:06:21. > :06:24.we are going to take this opportunity to build a stronger,

:06:25. > :06:29.fairer Britain, a country our children and grandchildren are proud

:06:30. > :06:33.to call home. That is our ambition and our opportunity. That is what

:06:34. > :06:41.this government is determined to do. Mr Speaker, at moments like these,

:06:42. > :06:47.great turning points in our national story, the choices we make to find

:06:48. > :06:51.the character of our nation. We can choose to save the task ahead is too

:06:52. > :06:56.great, we can choose to turn our face to the past and believe it

:06:57. > :06:59.cannot be done, or we can look forward with optimism and hope and

:07:00. > :07:06.to believe in the power of the British spirit. I choose to believe

:07:07. > :07:14.in Britain and that our best days lie ahead. I do so because I am

:07:15. > :07:21.confident we have vision and plan to use this moment to build a better

:07:22. > :07:27.Britain. For leaving the EU presents us with a unique opportunity. It is

:07:28. > :07:31.this generation's chance to shape a brighter future, a chance to step

:07:32. > :07:38.back and ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be. My answer is

:07:39. > :07:43.clear. I want the United Kingdom to emerge from this period of change

:07:44. > :07:49.stronger, fairer, more united and more outward looking than ever

:07:50. > :07:53.before. I want us to be a secure, prosperous, tolerant country, a

:07:54. > :07:56.magnet for international talent and are home to the pioneers and

:07:57. > :08:03.innovators who will shape the world ahead. I want us to be a truly

:08:04. > :08:08.global Britain. The best friend and neighbour to our European partners,

:08:09. > :08:16.a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe. Can I apologise

:08:17. > :08:27.for interrupting. Mr Boswell, calm yourself, you have to learn to

:08:28. > :08:32.behave in a statement -- statesman-like fashion. I want all

:08:33. > :08:36.colleagues the chance to question the Prime Minister. This is an

:08:37. > :08:44.important statement and it is reasonable to expect the Prime

:08:45. > :08:51.Minister gets a courteous hearing. Mr Speaker, I want us to be a truly

:08:52. > :08:54.global Britain, the best friend and neighbour to our European partners

:08:55. > :08:59.that a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe, a country

:09:00. > :09:03.that goes into the world to build relationships with new friends and

:09:04. > :09:09.allies alike. That is why I have set out a clear and ambitious plan for

:09:10. > :09:13.the negotiations ahead, a plan for a deep and special partnership between

:09:14. > :09:17.Britain and the European Union, of values, a partnership of interests,

:09:18. > :09:22.a partnership based on cooperation in areas such as security and

:09:23. > :09:27.economic affairs, and a partnership that works in the best interests of

:09:28. > :09:32.the United Kingdom, European Union and wider world. Perhaps now more

:09:33. > :09:38.than ever the world needs the liberal democratic values of Europe.

:09:39. > :10:08.Values... Perhaps... Perhaps now more than ever the world

:10:09. > :10:13.needs the liberal democratic values of Europe, values the United Kingdom

:10:14. > :10:17.shares and that is why while we are leaving the institutions of the

:10:18. > :10:21.European Union, we are not leaving Europe, we will remain a close

:10:22. > :10:27.friend and ally, we would be a committed partner and play our part

:10:28. > :10:31.to ensure Europe is able to protect its values and defend itself from

:10:32. > :10:35.security threats and we will do all we can to help the European Union

:10:36. > :10:39.prosper and succeed. In a letter delivered to resident Donald Tusk

:10:40. > :10:43.today, copies of which I have placed in the library, I have been cleared

:10:44. > :10:48.the deep and special partnership we seek is in the best interests of the

:10:49. > :10:52.United Kingdom and European Union. I have been clear we will work

:10:53. > :10:56.constructively in a spirit of sincere cooperation to bring this

:10:57. > :11:01.partnership into being. I have been clear we should seek to agree the

:11:02. > :11:06.terms of this future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal

:11:07. > :11:09.within the next two years. I am ambitious for Britain and the

:11:10. > :11:15.objectives set out for these negotiations remain. We will deliver

:11:16. > :11:22.certainty wherever possible so that business, the public sector and

:11:23. > :11:25.everybody has as much clarity as we can provide. Tomorrow we will

:11:26. > :11:31.publish a White Paper confirming our plans to convert it into British law

:11:32. > :11:35.so that everyone knows where they stand. It is why I have been clear

:11:36. > :11:40.the government will put the final deal agreed to a vote in both houses

:11:41. > :11:44.of parliament before it comes into force. We will take control of our

:11:45. > :11:49.laws and bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court

:11:50. > :11:54.of Justice in Britain. Leaving the European Union will mean our laws

:11:55. > :11:58.will be made in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, and

:11:59. > :12:04.those laws will be interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg, but in

:12:05. > :12:07.courts across this country. We will strengthen the union of the four

:12:08. > :12:16.nations that comprise our United Kingdom. We will negotiate as one

:12:17. > :12:20.United Kingdom, taking account of the specific interests of every

:12:21. > :12:25.nation and region of the UK and when it comes to the powers we take back

:12:26. > :12:29.from Europe, we will consult on which powers should reside in

:12:30. > :12:33.Westminster and which should be passed on to the devolved

:12:34. > :12:37.administrations. No decision currently taken by the devolved

:12:38. > :12:42.administrations will be removed from them and it is the expectation of

:12:43. > :12:45.the government the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales

:12:46. > :12:48.and Northern Ireland will see a sick that could increase in

:12:49. > :12:54.decision-making power as a result of this process. We want to maintain

:12:55. > :12:57.the common travel area with the Republic of Ireland, there shall be

:12:58. > :13:01.no return to the borders of the past. We will control immigration so

:13:02. > :13:07.we continue to attract the brightest and best to work and study in

:13:08. > :13:12.Britain, but manage the process so that our immigration system serves

:13:13. > :13:16.the national interest. We seek to guarantee the rights of EU citizens

:13:17. > :13:21.living in Britain and the rights of British nationals in member states

:13:22. > :13:26.as early as we can. That is set out clearly in the letter as an early

:13:27. > :13:31.priority for the talks ahead. We will ensure workers' rights are

:13:32. > :13:34.protected and maintained and under my leadership not only with the

:13:35. > :13:40.government protect the rights of workers, but we will build on them.

:13:41. > :13:43.We will pursue an ambitious free trade agreement with the European

:13:44. > :13:48.Union that allows for the freest trading goods and services between

:13:49. > :13:52.Britain and the EU member states. That gives British companies the

:13:53. > :13:57.maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets and

:13:58. > :14:01.let European businesses do the same in Britain, because European leaders

:14:02. > :14:06.have said many times we cannot cherry pick and remain members of

:14:07. > :14:10.the single market without accepting the four freedoms that are

:14:11. > :14:15.indivisible. We respect that position and as accepting those

:14:16. > :14:18.freedoms is incompatible with the expressed will of the British

:14:19. > :14:24.people, we will no longer be members of the single market. We will make

:14:25. > :14:28.sure that we can strike trade agreements with countries from

:14:29. > :14:34.outside the European Union. Because important though trade with the EU

:14:35. > :14:37.is and will remain, it is clear the UK needs to increase significantly

:14:38. > :14:43.its trade with the fastest-growing export markets in the world. We hope

:14:44. > :14:47.to continue to collaborate with European partners in science,

:14:48. > :14:52.education, research and technology, said the UK is one of the best

:14:53. > :14:57.places for science and innovation and we seek cooperation with our

:14:58. > :15:05.European partners in important areas such as crime, terrorism and foreign

:15:06. > :15:07.affairs and it is our aim to deliver a smoother quarterly Brexit,

:15:08. > :15:11.reaching agreement about future partnership by the time the Article

:15:12. > :15:16.50 process has concluded and moving into a process of implementation in

:15:17. > :15:20.which Britain, EU institutions and member states prepare for the new

:15:21. > :15:26.arrangements that will exist between us. We understand that there will be

:15:27. > :15:27.consequences for the UK of leaving the EU. We know we will lose

:15:28. > :15:35.influence... We know that we will lose influence

:15:36. > :15:39.over the rules that affect the European economy. We know that UK

:15:40. > :15:44.companies that trade with the EU will have to align with rules agreed

:15:45. > :15:47.by institutions of which we are no longer part. Just as we do in other

:15:48. > :15:54.overseas markets. And we accept that. However, we approach these

:15:55. > :15:57.talks constructively, respectfully and in a spirit of Cisse

:15:58. > :16:01.Corporation, for it is in the interest of both the UK and the

:16:02. > :16:06.European Union that we use this process to deliver our objectives in

:16:07. > :16:09.a fair and orderly manner. Is it is in the interests of both the United

:16:10. > :16:14.Kingdom and the European Union that there should be as little disruption

:16:15. > :16:17.as possible, and it is in the interests of both the United Kingdom

:16:18. > :16:20.and the European Union that Europe should remain strong, prosperous and

:16:21. > :16:26.capable of projecting its values in the world. At a time when the growth

:16:27. > :16:29.of global trade is slowing and there are signs the protectionist

:16:30. > :16:36.instincts are on the rise in many parts of the world, Europe has a

:16:37. > :16:39.responsibility to stand up for free trade in interest of all our

:16:40. > :16:45.citizens. With Europe's security more fragile today than at any time

:16:46. > :16:48.since the end of the Cold War, weakening our Corporation and

:16:49. > :16:54.failing to stand up for European values would be a costly mistake.

:16:55. > :16:58.Our vote to leave the EU was no rejection of the values we share as

:16:59. > :17:02.fellow Europeans. As a fellow European country, we will continue

:17:03. > :17:07.to play our part in promoting and supporting those values during the

:17:08. > :17:11.negotiations and once they are done. We will continue to be reliable

:17:12. > :17:15.partners, willing allies and close friends. We want to continue to buy

:17:16. > :17:20.goods and services from the EU and sell them hours. We want to trade

:17:21. > :17:24.with them as freely as possible, and work together to make sure we are

:17:25. > :17:28.all safer, more secure and more prosperous through continued

:17:29. > :17:32.friendship. Indeed in an increasingly unstable world, we must

:17:33. > :17:35.continue to forge the closest possible security cooperation to

:17:36. > :17:40.keep our people safe. We face the same global threats from terrorism

:17:41. > :17:43.and extremism. That message was only reinforced by the Borren to tack on

:17:44. > :17:48.Westminster Bridge and this place last week. -- the abhorrent attack.

:17:49. > :17:53.So there is no reason why they should not be a special partnership

:17:54. > :17:58.between the UK and the EU that works for us all. Mr Speaker, I know that

:17:59. > :18:03.this is a day of celebration for some disappointment for others. The

:18:04. > :18:07.referendum last June was divisive at times. Not everyone shared the same

:18:08. > :18:11.point of view or voted the same way. The arguments on both sides were

:18:12. > :18:14.passionate. But Mr Speaker, when I sit around the negotiating table in

:18:15. > :18:21.the months ahead, I will represent every person in the United Kingdom,

:18:22. > :18:25.young and old, rich and poor, city, town, country and all the villages

:18:26. > :18:29.and hamlets in between. And yes, those EU nationals who have made

:18:30. > :18:32.this country their home. And it is my fierce determination to get the

:18:33. > :18:37.right deal for every single person in this country. For as we face the

:18:38. > :18:42.opportunities ahead of us on this momentum journey, our shared values,

:18:43. > :18:46.interests and ambitions can and must bring us together. We all want to

:18:47. > :18:51.see a Britain that is stronger than it is today. We all want a country

:18:52. > :18:55.that is fairer so that everyone has the chance to succeed. We all want a

:18:56. > :19:00.nation that is safe and secure for our children and grandchildren. We

:19:01. > :19:03.all want to live in a truly global Britain that gets out and build

:19:04. > :19:07.relationships with old friends and new allies around the world. These

:19:08. > :19:12.are the ambitions of this Government was my plan for Britain, ambitions

:19:13. > :19:16.that unite us so we are no longer defined by the vote we cast but by

:19:17. > :19:21.our determination to make a success of the result. We are one great

:19:22. > :19:27.union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future.

:19:28. > :19:30.And now that the decision to leave has been made and the process is

:19:31. > :19:34.under way, it is time to come together. For this great national

:19:35. > :19:41.moment needs a great national effort. An effort to shape a

:19:42. > :19:46.stronger future for Britain. So let us do so together. Let us come

:19:47. > :19:51.together and work together. Let us together choose to believe in

:19:52. > :19:56.Britain with optimism and hope. For if we do, we can make the most of

:19:57. > :20:00.the opportunities ahead. We can together make a success of this

:20:01. > :20:05.moment. And we can together will they stronger, fairer, better

:20:06. > :20:08.Britain, a Britain our children and grandchildren are proud to call

:20:09. > :20:15.home. I commend this statement to the House.

:20:16. > :20:22.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the Prime Minister for an

:20:23. > :20:28.advance copy of her statement. Today we embark on the country's most

:20:29. > :20:33.important negotiations in modern times. The British people made the

:20:34. > :20:37.decision to leave the European Union, and Labour respect that

:20:38. > :20:42.decision. The next steps along this journey are the most crucial. If the

:20:43. > :20:47.Prime Minister is to unite the country as she says she aims to do,

:20:48. > :20:55.the Government needs to listen, consult and represent the whole

:20:56. > :21:01.country, not just the hardline Tory ideologues on our own benches.

:21:02. > :21:06.Britain is going to change as a result of leaving the European

:21:07. > :21:11.Union. The question is, how? There are Conservatives who want to use

:21:12. > :21:17.Brexit to turn this country into a low-wage tax havens.

:21:18. > :21:27.Labour is determined to invest in a high skill, high-tech, high wage

:21:28. > :21:35.future, to rebuild and transform Britain, so that no one and no

:21:36. > :21:38.community is left behind. Mr Speaker, the direction the Prime

:21:39. > :21:41.Minister is threatening to take this country in is both a reckless and

:21:42. > :21:47.damaging. And Labour will not give this Government a free hand to use

:21:48. > :21:55.Brexit to attack rights, protections and cut services, or create a tax

:21:56. > :22:02.dodgers' paradise. So let me be clear, Mr Speaker. The Prime

:22:03. > :22:10.Minister says that no deal is better than a bad deal. But the reality is,

:22:11. > :22:16.no deal is a bad deal. Less than a year ago, the Treasury estimated

:22:17. > :22:25.that leaving the European Union on World Trade Organisation terms would

:22:26. > :22:31.lead to a 7.5% fall in our GDP. And ?45 billion lost in tax receipts.

:22:32. > :22:37.Has the Treasury updated those figures, or do they still stand? If

:22:38. > :22:46.updated, can they be published? If not, what deal could be worse than

:22:47. > :22:49.those consequences of no deal? It would be a national failure of

:22:50. > :22:54.historic proportions if the Prime Minister comes back from Brussels

:22:55. > :23:00.without having secured protection for jobs and living standards. So we

:23:01. > :23:04.will use every Parliamentary opportunity to ensure this

:23:05. > :23:12.Government is held to account at every stage of the negotiations. Mr

:23:13. > :23:14.Speaker, we all have an interest in ensuring the Prime Minister gets the

:23:15. > :23:19.best deal for this country. To safeguard jobs, living standards, we

:23:20. > :23:24.do need full access to the single market. The Secretary of State for

:23:25. > :23:31.exiting the EU seems to agree on this. He stated in this House on the

:23:32. > :23:35.24th of January the Government plan is, and I quote, a comprehensive

:23:36. > :23:40.free trade agreement and a comprehensive customs agreement that

:23:41. > :23:48.will deliver the exact same benefits as we have. So that is what they

:23:49. > :23:51.pledged. So will the Prime Minister confirmed today that she intends to

:23:52. > :23:56.deliver a trade and customs agreement with the exact same

:23:57. > :24:01.benefits? The same goes for protecting workers' right and

:24:02. > :24:06.environmental standards, protecting Britain's nations and regions,

:24:07. > :24:11.protecting Britain's financial sector and services and making sure

:24:12. > :24:17.there is no return to a hard border in Northern Ireland. And when, Mr

:24:18. > :24:24.Speaker, does she expect to be able to guarantee the rights of all those

:24:25. > :24:28.EU nationals who live, work and make such a massive and welcome

:24:29. > :24:35.contribution to this country? And for those British and is who live in

:24:36. > :24:39.all parts of the European Union, including guaranteeing that they

:24:40. > :24:51.were a pensions will not be frozen post-Brexit. Brexit would be a huge

:24:52. > :24:55.task for any Government. But so far they seem utterly complacent about

:24:56. > :24:57.the scale of the task ahead. The Government Ministers cannot make up

:24:58. > :25:03.their minds about the real objective. The Foreign Secretary, he

:25:04. > :25:08.is here today, said in October, our policy is having our cake and eating

:25:09. > :25:15.it. How apposite from the Foreign Secretary. Today, the Chancellor on

:25:16. > :25:22.BBC Radio 4 said, we can't have our cake and eat it. Maybe they should

:25:23. > :25:25.get together and talk about it. These at one level Mr Speaker might

:25:26. > :25:30.seem like a flippant exchanges from Ministers, but they do reflect

:25:31. > :25:34.serious differences about Britain's negotiating aims. The Government

:25:35. > :25:39.must speak with a united voice. However, the Foreign Secretary is

:25:40. > :25:47.the same man who promised our National Health Service ?350 million

:25:48. > :25:54.a week once we left the EU. Now he believes that leaving the EU without

:25:55. > :25:58.a deal would be perfectly OK. It would not be perfectly OK, it would

:25:59. > :26:03.damage our economy and people's living standards. Will the Prime

:26:04. > :26:10.Minister confirmed that she rejects such complacency? Labour set out our

:26:11. > :26:13.tests for this Government 's Brexit negotiations, and we will use all

:26:14. > :26:18.means possible to make sure we hold the Government to this word. An full

:26:19. > :26:22.access to the single market, on protecting Britain from being

:26:23. > :26:25.dragged into a race for the bottom, and ensuring our future relationship

:26:26. > :26:30.with the European Union is strong and cooperative. A relationship

:26:31. > :26:35.where we can work together to bring prosperity and peace to our

:26:36. > :26:40.continent. If the Prime Minister can deliver aid Eildon meets our tests,

:26:41. > :26:43.that will be fine, we will backfire. More than ever, Britain needs a

:26:44. > :26:48.Government that will deliver for the whole country, not just a few, and

:26:49. > :26:55.that is the ultimate test of the Brexit deal, that the Prime Minister

:26:56. > :27:09.must now secure. I'm grateful to the right honourable gentleman.

:27:10. > :27:16.Live coverage is continual BBC Parliament. At this point, we also

:27:17. > :27:21.welcome viewers on the BBC News Channel.

:27:22. > :27:28.We can show you a picture of the actual letter being handed over.

:27:29. > :27:36.There is our man in Brussels. Handing over the letter, five or six

:27:37. > :27:41.pages. Donald Tusk is the chairman of the Council Of Ministers. That Is

:27:42. > :27:45.The Body In The Eu In Which Every Member, Or 28 Members, Including

:27:46. > :27:52.Britain, So Far Set. They Determine The Broad Negotiating Position that

:27:53. > :27:55.the EU 27 will have in these talks. They then asked the commission, the

:27:56. > :28:03.European Commission, to carry out the talks. Michel Barnier is the

:28:04. > :28:08.representative that will be the lead negotiator. The European Parliament

:28:09. > :28:15.then has a say if and when the deal is done. An historic moment, as

:28:16. > :28:18.Britain's triggering of the departure of the European Union is

:28:19. > :28:22.handed over to Donald Tusk in Brussels. The Prime Minister said

:28:23. > :28:26.that there can now be no turning back. She thought it was a great

:28:27. > :28:32.turning point, she thought our best days lie ahead. She wanted to see

:28:33. > :28:37.outside of the EU a stronger, fairer, more united country, a

:28:38. > :28:41.magnet for talent, a global Britain that continued to trade with the

:28:42. > :28:47.European Union, but also traded far beyond the European Union as well.

:28:48. > :28:55.She said, a significant point of process, that she wants to agree the

:28:56. > :29:00.terms of our departure, as well as any sort of divorce bill. She did

:29:01. > :29:03.not use that phrase, divorce bill, but in negotiating any costs that

:29:04. > :29:07.Britain may incur to leave the EU, she wants to negotiate the terms of

:29:08. > :29:12.our relationship with the EU once we leave. That is going to be a nearly

:29:13. > :29:17.stumbling block, because the Europeans want to agree any kind of

:29:18. > :29:23.divorce Bill first, before they talk about new relationships. In the end,

:29:24. > :29:28.she did point out that, in or out, we face the same global threats as

:29:29. > :29:32.the European Union. She wanted a new, deep and special partnership

:29:33. > :29:36.with the European Union, even after we left. I suppose, although there

:29:37. > :29:40.is nothing greatly new in the content of the Prime Minister's

:29:41. > :29:46.statement, nor is there anything greatly new in the letter that we

:29:47. > :29:49.have just had a chance to skim, that you saw Donald Tusk getting, the

:29:50. > :29:55.tone was interesting. It was a highly conciliatory tone. It was an

:29:56. > :30:02.attempt to position Britain as even outside the EU, a big supporter of

:30:03. > :30:07.the EU. There were no threats in the Prime Minister's statement, no

:30:08. > :30:10.statement like no deal is better than a bad deal. I think the Prime

:30:11. > :30:17.Minister is trying to set the tone for the talks as they get under way,

:30:18. > :30:21.tried to create an amicable environment in which they get under

:30:22. > :30:25.way. Whether or not that succeeds or not is another matter. Let's get

:30:26. > :30:30.reaction from Laura Kuenssberg, our political editor, who was listening

:30:31. > :30:35.to that. The key thing about this is exactly as you say, the tone here is

:30:36. > :30:39.a world away from Theresa May Mark 1, as you might say, in her

:30:40. > :30:48.conference speech in October, where she was much more strident. Then the

:30:49. > :30:52.Lancaster House speech, which she made to a room of diplomats. But she

:30:53. > :30:56.have that threat in her speech to walk away if it didn't happen. Then

:30:57. > :31:02.here, some people might say she is being pragmatic because it is time

:31:03. > :31:05.to talk, a very different tone. A lot of warm language about European

:31:06. > :31:14.values. Indeed, that Britain would stay part of those. Donald Tusk, a

:31:15. > :31:17.pivotal figure in the upcoming negotiations, he is now speaking in

:31:18. > :31:24.Brussels. Let's hear what he has to say.

:31:25. > :31:41.well, we would like to hear what he had to say. We could lip-read.

:31:42. > :31:48.Interrupting Laura Kuenssberg, in full flight, to listen to a man that

:31:49. > :31:52.we cannot here is unforgivable! You are talking about the importance of

:31:53. > :31:58.the tone? The bold threat that no deal is better than a bad deal, that

:31:59. > :32:01.is nowhere to be seen in here. What one senior MP was saying late last

:32:02. > :32:06.night, the challenge for Theresa May was to seem resolute, but also

:32:07. > :32:14.constructive, to be the iron fist in a velvet glove. I think this is very

:32:15. > :32:25.much a velvet glove, not iron fist. We might be able to hear Donald

:32:26. > :32:36.Tusk. In essence, this is about damage control. Our goal is clear.

:32:37. > :32:46.To minimise the cost for the EU citizens, businesses and members. We

:32:47. > :32:54.will do everything in our power, to achieve this goal. What we should

:32:55. > :33:02.stress today is that, as for now, nothing has changed. Until the

:33:03. > :33:10.United Kingdom leaves the European Union, EU law will continue to apply

:33:11. > :33:14.to and within the UK. Finally, I would like to say that you have just

:33:15. > :33:22.released an official statement by the European Council, in which the

:33:23. > :33:26.leaders stressed that we will act as one and start negotiations by

:33:27. > :33:32.focusing on key arrangements for an orderly withdrawal. On Friday, I

:33:33. > :33:40.will share a proposal on the negotiating guidelines with the

:33:41. > :33:51.member states, to be adopted by the European Council on the 29th of

:33:52. > :33:55.April. I will refer to this, and I will present our proposals on

:33:56. > :34:11.Friday, during the press conference in Malta. What can I add to this?

:34:12. > :34:18.Thank you and goodbye. Donald Tusk, the President of the Council Of

:34:19. > :34:21.Europe, which contains all 28 members of the EU. They meet as

:34:22. > :34:28.heads of state, heads of government, a sombre, almost sad mood on

:34:29. > :34:32.receiving Britain's Article 50 application to begin the process of

:34:33. > :34:39.withdrawal from the European Union. There was no talk of punishment

:34:40. > :34:43.beatings or being angry because Britain is leaving. Sad, clearly, as

:34:44. > :34:49.you could see, but not anger. He talked of damage control, that he

:34:50. > :34:53.wanted to say that the job of the EU 27 is to control the damage that

:34:54. > :34:58.Britain's withdrawal from the European Union could do to the

:34:59. > :35:03.remaining 27 members. He said the council of Europe will act as one in

:35:04. > :35:07.negotiations. What happens now is that Donald Tusk has drawn up some

:35:08. > :35:10.guidelines for the EU 27's negotiating position. They are

:35:11. > :35:14.becoming public, they will be debated within the 27, and then

:35:15. > :35:19.heads of state and heads of government of the EU 27 will meet

:35:20. > :35:24.towards the end of April, I think it is the 28th 29th of April, and they

:35:25. > :35:31.will endorse the bargaining position of the EU 27 as they begin

:35:32. > :35:34.negotiations, probably sometime, I doubt before the end of may or early

:35:35. > :35:40.June. The negotiations are with Michel Barnier, tasked with carrying

:35:41. > :35:47.out the negotiating positions, and he will meet with David Davis, the

:35:48. > :35:51.Secretary of State for Brexit. Just as the Prime Minister's tone was

:35:52. > :35:54.interesting, so Donald Tusk's tone was interesting in the press

:35:55. > :35:59.conference he just gave in Brussels. Many people in London suggest that

:36:00. > :36:03.he would be something of an ally in these negotiations. He wants to get

:36:04. > :36:08.a deal done. He is Polish, and Eastern Europe, he said all 27 will

:36:09. > :36:12.have to have the same position, but we know that there are differences

:36:13. > :36:18.between the original members of the Treaty of Rome and the Eastern

:36:19. > :36:23.European members that came late to the game. They come in particular,

:36:24. > :36:25.want a deal done for EU nationals living in the United Kingdom.

:36:26. > :36:33.Theresa Villiers, what has been your reaction to the Prime Minister's

:36:34. > :36:36.statement and Donald Tusk? I think both are trying to be very positive

:36:37. > :36:39.and set a constructive tone. I hope that reflects a recognition that,

:36:40. > :36:44.actually, these negotiations could leave both sides better off. It

:36:45. > :36:47.doesn't have to be a 0-sum game. It is in the interests of the

:36:48. > :36:55.continuing EU and UK that we come out of this with a flourishing

:36:56. > :37:01.trading relationship between us. The Prime Minister, a symbolic moment,

:37:02. > :37:05.the pulling of the trigger. In some ways, an anti-climax, because she

:37:06. > :37:08.was repeating the points we knew from the white Paper. This is the

:37:09. > :37:13.irony about taking back control. You get the sense that attention is very

:37:14. > :37:19.much an Donald Tusk as to what the negotiating stance will be. Until

:37:20. > :37:25.now, this has all been about what the UK Government's reaction to the

:37:26. > :37:28.referendum will be. I am very worried, because I think the tone

:37:29. > :37:31.that we heard from Donald Tusk was certainly one of regret. He is

:37:32. > :37:34.obviously very sad. He said he was sorry to lose you. When they say

:37:35. > :37:39.damage control, from my conversations with those in the rest

:37:40. > :37:43.of the European Union, they also recognise, politically, that to glue

:37:44. > :37:50.the rest of the EU together they have to make sure that Britain does

:37:51. > :37:54.not Prospero is well outside the EU as it did within it. Apart from

:37:55. > :38:00.saying they are going to approach the talks constructively, he says

:38:01. > :38:03.that the union will act as one and preserve its interests. That is the

:38:04. > :38:08.self-interest point, as you would expect. What kind of union is it, if

:38:09. > :38:14.somebody wants to leave you have to give them a bad time so nobody else

:38:15. > :38:21.leaves? Oh, no, certainly I want Britain to do the best possible

:38:22. > :38:26.thing. We have negotiations. But if the EU is under strain is as it was

:38:27. > :38:32.recently, they want to glue it together. Let's just stand back. The

:38:33. > :38:35.geopolitics of this does not get coverage. Let's look at Europe's

:38:36. > :38:43.position at the moment. To the east it faces a group of autocrats, come

:38:44. > :38:48.dictators, who are threatening its borders from hard and soft power. To

:38:49. > :38:53.the west, a hostile American administration. For the first time

:38:54. > :38:57.ever, an administration that doesn't seem to care about the EU, whether

:38:58. > :39:03.it lives or dies. To the south, the continued outflow and carnage of the

:39:04. > :39:07.Arab Spring, and the huge refugee problem that has brought. When you

:39:08. > :39:12.look at Europe come on three sides, with real problems on its hands, why

:39:13. > :39:15.would you pick a fight with Britain? You picked the right way of

:39:16. > :39:19.characterising it. I was in Germany last week, talking to politicians.

:39:20. > :39:22.They put Brexit in the same basket, with all of these threats and

:39:23. > :39:28.challenges. For them, it is just one of many. The mood that I picked up

:39:29. > :39:32.is that they are trying to glue each other together. In doing so, that

:39:33. > :39:36.might mean proving that you are better off staying within the

:39:37. > :39:41.European Union. That, I worry about. I think they will have to illustrate

:39:42. > :39:46.that we are losing out. But the European Union may well come to the

:39:47. > :39:53.view that for at least two Matt Rodda three problems it faces it

:39:54. > :39:58.really needs Britain's help. -- the two or three problems. It needs to's

:39:59. > :40:01.help on its eastern border, and it needs their help to get some sense

:40:02. > :40:07.out of the trap administration, as they would see it. Again, why would

:40:08. > :40:12.you want to pick a fight? That is one of the things that Number 10 is

:40:13. > :40:17.banking on. That is why, privately, it is clear that part of the

:40:18. > :40:21.strategy is to divide and rule, for Britain to appeal to countries on an

:40:22. > :40:25.individual basis, particularly confusing Eastern Europe, they need

:40:26. > :40:29.is for security for the reasons you have outlined. They will be looking

:40:30. > :40:32.at the 27 different countries around the table, looking at individual

:40:33. > :40:36.agendas and interests, all of the individual ways where they can be

:40:37. > :40:40.persuaded that they need Britain. That is why we have heard so much

:40:41. > :40:45.out of Brussels about the importance of sticking together. What Britain

:40:46. > :40:49.wants to do is go around. One minister put it like this, I said

:40:50. > :40:55.the further you go from Brussels, the more optimistic I feel about

:40:56. > :40:58.getting a deal that actually works for us. That is one of the tactics

:40:59. > :41:02.they are going to employ. Security get a prominent mention in this

:41:03. > :41:06.letter. I remember the first summit that Theresa May went to as Prime

:41:07. > :41:10.Minister, in the very, very short window she was given to speak at the

:41:11. > :41:14.end of the dinner. She tried, even at that early stage, to nudge the

:41:15. > :41:18.leaders gathered there, to start thinking about security. Most of the

:41:19. > :41:21.focus has been on trade. But Number 10 has been trying to edge them into

:41:22. > :41:26.thinking about security as well, partly because it is so important.

:41:27. > :41:30.Also, just to reflect on, that is the area where Theresa May, as a

:41:31. > :41:36.politician, feels more comfortable, because of her background as Home

:41:37. > :41:38.Secretary. There is also increasing resentment in the Eastern European

:41:39. > :41:42.countries that too much is determined by the original Treaty of

:41:43. > :41:47.Rome countries. They have a different perspective on this. We do

:41:48. > :41:54.know something is already about the European position, the EU position,

:41:55. > :41:59.Michel Barnier will be a seminal article in The Financial Times this

:42:00. > :42:05.week. He also wanted a deal and reciprocal rights for EU citizens in

:42:06. > :42:11.the UK and UK citizens in the EU. He wanted it done quickly. Is that

:42:12. > :42:15.looking likely? I think there is a hope on both sides that it can be

:42:16. > :42:20.done. One of the interesting things that was suggested to me is, had

:42:21. > :42:23.Theresa May broached this early on with the European Council, rather

:42:24. > :42:27.than going straight to Angela Merkel, she might have been able to

:42:28. > :42:30.get a deal and get it off the table. But there was offset in European

:42:31. > :42:34.capitals, rather than going through what they have been determined to

:42:35. > :42:39.see as the proper processes, that it was not possible for Angela Merkel

:42:40. > :42:42.to say yes or no to anything as an individual item. It seems on both

:42:43. > :42:47.sides, genuinely, that there is a desire to get this done and get it

:42:48. > :42:51.off the table. Every politician has come in their own countries, people

:42:52. > :42:55.that are anxious about this. And they need reassured? Exactly, it is

:42:56. > :42:59.hard to see the advantage to anybody in playing this long. That is one of

:43:00. > :43:02.the advantages for the British Government. The other priority that

:43:03. > :43:10.reads through almost every line is there hope to be able to get both

:43:11. > :43:14.aspects done at the same time. To be able to talk about withdrawal, the

:43:15. > :43:21.divorce, if you like, as well as the future trade deals. So, the British

:43:22. > :43:27.Government, reciprocal rights, that might come good. You have just moved

:43:28. > :43:30.on to something that could combat? That could come back, and this is

:43:31. > :43:43.likely to be the first really big fight. It is known as parallelism

:43:44. > :43:50.versus sequential -ism. I mentioned it on other programmes, so I thought

:43:51. > :43:54.it was right to mention that on the daily politics as well. The

:43:55. > :43:58.government is determined that we talk about this stuff, how we leave,

:43:59. > :44:05.and what happens afterwards at the same time. In Brussels, not

:44:06. > :44:08.necessarily every European capital, but in Brussels they wanted tie of

:44:09. > :44:13.the divorce, get it done, settled the cash before talking about the

:44:14. > :44:17.next bit. The two documents that have come out, the 6-page letter

:44:18. > :44:21.from the Prime Minister and the short response from the European

:44:22. > :44:25.Council, they display how much they are at odds. The British hope is to

:44:26. > :44:36.be able to agree the principles of the divorce deal, if not every

:44:37. > :44:39.dotted I and crossed T, they can at least get on with it. That will be

:44:40. > :44:45.the first fight, not least because the Brexit bill is part of that.

:44:46. > :44:52.What about the draft resolution. We do not want to overstate because

:44:53. > :44:55.they will not be critical to the negotiations but it has been leaked

:44:56. > :45:00.and it has a tougher tone that we have heard from Theresa May or

:45:01. > :45:04.Donald Tusk about the timescale, the trade deal and a transitional

:45:05. > :45:08.arrangement. The European Parliament has magically managed to put into

:45:09. > :45:13.the public domain there early response. Not as if they are trying

:45:14. > :45:17.to get into this process and have a more prominent role, they are not in

:45:18. > :45:22.the driving seat, they do have a role. They say we could only have a

:45:23. > :45:27.transitional deal of three years maximum and essentially saying you

:45:28. > :45:32.cannot do this on your timetable, it is not realistic. To overstate it

:45:33. > :45:37.would be a mistake that it is important. There is scepticism about

:45:38. > :45:46.our timetable. There are plenty of people who do want to make it hard,

:45:47. > :45:50.make it tough. They said they have Michel Barnier's mark all over it. A

:45:51. > :45:55.couple of things briefly. Worth picking out from the letter, the

:45:56. > :46:01.difference about tone. A couple of things are significant, it says

:46:02. > :46:05.plainly the government wants early agreement on phased implementation

:46:06. > :46:10.some ministers have been careful not to advocate full transitional

:46:11. > :46:14.agreements, a separate deal, leaving the EU with stabilisers. It is plain

:46:15. > :46:21.from this letter they think there will have to be a soft departure in

:46:22. > :46:24.some parts of the deal. The other thing, in black-and-white, the Prime

:46:25. > :46:29.Minister was at pains to mention, significant powers coming back from

:46:30. > :46:33.Brussels will go to the devolved administrations, she was clear to

:46:34. > :46:36.point that out. There will be suspicion in SNP circles about how

:46:37. > :46:50.much would end up going to Hollywood. -- Holyrood. Chris

:46:51. > :46:54.Leslie, do you think that Britain over a large exit bill, a

:46:55. > :46:59.multi-billion pound exit bill? This will be the big early debate and I

:47:00. > :47:06.doubt very much the European Union side of the negotiation will cede

:47:07. > :47:09.the parallelism. While they want to sort out that bill. There might be

:47:10. > :47:16.liabilities in terms of commitments we have made historically. We might

:47:17. > :47:23.have had the UK say spending on European projects to 2020, but there

:47:24. > :47:30.are also assets. In any divorce... You have to split them up. Do you

:47:31. > :47:35.think it will be 50 billion? It sounds like an opening gambit. The

:47:36. > :47:43.worry I have is that, and we should have been on top of parallelism

:47:44. > :47:46.months ago. I have been banging on about it for months because it

:47:47. > :47:50.should have been a condition of the trigger, to sort out the process

:47:51. > :47:55.before we handed them what they wanted, but I worry about the hard

:47:56. > :47:59.Brexiteers view because any compromise they might say, no deal,

:48:00. > :48:06.let's go to WTO. We are going to Ben Brown in Brussels. Before that,

:48:07. > :48:10.Theresa Villiers, it would be politically difficult if not

:48:11. > :48:14.impossible for the Theresa May government to agree any kind of

:48:15. > :48:19.Brexit bill, any divorce bill, without having a good idea what our

:48:20. > :48:25.future relationship with the EU would be after we leave? You make a

:48:26. > :48:29.good point. It was a question. In most negotiations there is a

:48:30. > :48:33.principle nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and I think if

:48:34. > :48:38.the government is going to compromise on money, they will not

:48:39. > :48:45.want to make the decision at an early stage, divorce from the debate

:48:46. > :48:49.on our future relationship. I think we can expect the initial skirmishes

:48:50. > :48:55.of the negotiations. Whether they are parallel or not. That might be

:48:56. > :48:59.one of the first things David Davis and Michel Barnier have to resolve.

:49:00. > :49:07.We can go to Ben Brown in Brussels. Give us a feeling, what is the mood

:49:08. > :49:13.now that this historic event has taken place?

:49:14. > :49:20.Probably a mood of sadness in Brussels as you might expect. Which

:49:21. > :49:25.was reflected in Donald Tusk's tone, sadness, a bit of sarcasm perhaps in

:49:26. > :49:29.his tweets that after nine months the United Kingdom has triggered

:49:30. > :49:34.Brexit, almost saying, why has it taken so long after the referendum?

:49:35. > :49:39.You have to remember the EU throughout its history has only

:49:40. > :49:46.grown and had countries knocking out its door, saying please let us into

:49:47. > :49:48.your club and suddenly you have got the British permanent representative

:49:49. > :49:54.handing a letter to Donald Tusk saying we want out of your club, so

:49:55. > :50:00.it is a new experience for the EU and their identity, I think.

:50:01. > :50:07.One thing we have not quite cottoned onto enough is the importance of

:50:08. > :50:17.money for the EU 27, that Britain is one of only a handful of net donors

:50:18. > :50:23.to the EU. And that with Britain going it leaves a hole in finances.

:50:24. > :50:27.Net donors do not want to pay more and net recipients are worried they

:50:28. > :50:33.could lose out. I would suggest it is a factor in the EU position.

:50:34. > :50:38.I think it absolutely is, it is a lot of money. The EU will be poor

:50:39. > :50:42.all-round with Britain leaving and that is an issue in the coming

:50:43. > :50:49.negotiations and what you have to remember is there are 27 countries

:50:50. > :50:55.left. The EU has rules and likes to stick by rules because if you have

:50:56. > :51:00.27 members, you have to have rules because all the countries are so

:51:01. > :51:05.different. I think that will be... Their emphasis during negotiations,

:51:06. > :51:10.they have to stick by their rules. They can make compromises here and

:51:11. > :51:14.there but too many and it will be difficult because it will undermine

:51:15. > :51:17.their system of rules and as you suggest, the money they earn from a

:51:18. > :51:24.country like the United Kingdom. What should we make of this leaked a

:51:25. > :51:29.resolution, draft resolution from the European Parliament? It could

:51:30. > :51:35.change before it goes before Parliament. Is this the party at

:51:36. > :51:38.trying to muscle in, get it say in the negotiations? Is it

:51:39. > :51:44.representative of a strong strand of opinion? It certainly represents a

:51:45. > :51:47.strand of opinion but I think we will hear more clearly later what

:51:48. > :51:53.the European Parliament think because we will hear from their

:51:54. > :51:56.negotiator Guy Verhofstadt and their president, Antonio Tajani, this

:51:57. > :52:00.afternoon, from the European Parliament and that might give us

:52:01. > :52:05.more clarity and also, we have only heard a little from Donald Tusk, the

:52:06. > :52:10.president of the European Council. We will hear more from him on Friday

:52:11. > :52:15.when he outlines his response to Theresa May's letter and his broad

:52:16. > :52:20.negotiating position, and possibly the EU red lines. Perhaps we have to

:52:21. > :52:30.wait for Friday for more clarity. Thanks. Theresa Villiers, is the

:52:31. > :52:37.British timetable realistic? We need to negotiate the terms of the

:52:38. > :52:43.divorce and that will involve money. The mat could be debatable. We need

:52:44. > :52:47.to agree a complicated new trade deal to replace the membership of

:52:48. > :52:52.the single market involving 27 countries and put in place new

:52:53. > :52:57.security arrangements, like the Europol arrangement, whether we have

:52:58. > :53:01.a health card as we go around and then it has to be ratified by the

:53:02. > :53:08.European Parliament and 27 members as well as our own government. Given

:53:09. > :53:12.the negotiations are not likely to be under way until October and after

:53:13. > :53:21.the German election, is it realistic it could be done by 2018? I think it

:53:22. > :53:26.can be done but it is going to be a difficult process. Are we looking

:53:27. > :53:30.more that there will have to be some kind of transition period, that it

:53:31. > :53:34.cannot all be resolved in that period of time? The government has

:53:35. > :53:39.talked about phased implementation. That is different. You are right. It

:53:40. > :53:44.depends on what transitional arrangements. Some might be

:53:45. > :53:48.acceptable but anything that leaves us locked into EU rules three years

:53:49. > :53:53.in the future would not be acceptable. Donald Tusk we heard

:53:54. > :53:57.earlier saying how sad he is that Britain has triggered Article 50 and

:53:58. > :54:03.he referred when he was talking to the press about a statement from the

:54:04. > :54:08.EU 27, the other member states. I will read an excerpt. We regret the

:54:09. > :54:13.UK will leave the European Union but we are ready for the process we have

:54:14. > :54:18.to follow and for the European Union the first step will be the adoption

:54:19. > :54:21.of guidelines the negotiations by the European Council. These

:54:22. > :54:26.guidelines will set out the overall positions and principles in light of

:54:27. > :54:32.which the union represented by the European Commission will negotiate

:54:33. > :54:36.with the United Kingdom. Their key negotiator Michel Barnier. In these

:54:37. > :54:40.negotiations the union will act as one and preserve its interests and

:54:41. > :54:44.the first priority will be to minimise the uncertainty caused by

:54:45. > :54:47.the decision by the UK for our citizens and member states and we

:54:48. > :54:53.will focus on key arrangements for an orderly withdrawal. Let's get

:54:54. > :54:53.some reaction to that and the day's events.

:54:54. > :54:56.We're joined now by the former Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett,

:54:57. > :54:58.from Sheffield and the Ukip Deputy leader, Peter Whittle,

:54:59. > :55:07.Welcome. Peter Whittle, what is your reaction on this momentous day and

:55:08. > :55:15.the facts Theresa May has triggered Article 50? This is something we

:55:16. > :55:20.have waited for a long time. It is a hugely historic day and I am very

:55:21. > :55:24.pleased. It is a long time coming. David Cameron said that he would

:55:25. > :55:30.trigger it the day after the referendum, we could have done that,

:55:31. > :55:35.we could have spared ourselves. The ten months of this toing and froing

:55:36. > :55:39.and drip of negativity and indeed billions of taxpayers' money paid

:55:40. > :55:44.into the EU, but it is done now and we are on our way. We have to make

:55:45. > :55:48.sure people get exactly what they voted for at the end of the

:55:49. > :55:55.negotiations. How will you be the guard dogs of Brexit, a term used by

:55:56. > :56:02.someone in Ukip? How will you hold Theresa May's feet to the fire? My

:56:03. > :56:06.party has a unique reputation for managing to put pressure on the

:56:07. > :56:10.political world without even having representation. We got the

:56:11. > :56:15.referendum in the first place. Nobody believes it would have

:56:16. > :56:19.happened without us. By putting pressure on the government to ensure

:56:20. > :56:26.we have complete control of our borders, complete control over

:56:27. > :56:31.legislature in this House, behind me, and that all of these vital

:56:32. > :56:38.parts of Brexit are upheld and there is no backsliding. We have managed

:56:39. > :56:42.to do that already. We will hear from Natalie Bennett. What is your

:56:43. > :56:48.reaction, are used satellite Donald Tusk about what is happened? Very

:56:49. > :56:51.much so and I think we need to reflect on the sadness of millions

:56:52. > :56:58.of Britons, particularly young people whose lives now look a bit

:56:59. > :57:03.smaller. People like a student I met in Sheffield Hallam University who

:57:04. > :57:07.is about to go off on the Rasmus scholarship, an exciting time, but

:57:08. > :57:11.he was thinking of younger people coming behind him who might not have

:57:12. > :57:15.the same opportunity and the risk of the loss of free movement means his

:57:16. > :57:20.life does not have the same freedoms his parents and grandparents enjoy.

:57:21. > :57:23.We need to think of young people and the parents and grandparents and

:57:24. > :57:30.acknowledging we have lost something today. We have lost the risk of

:57:31. > :57:35.losing free movement. We have risks presented now, we had environmental

:57:36. > :57:40.and workers' rights protections and for consumers that came from the EU

:57:41. > :57:44.and they are now at risk. People feel sad and worried. They will be

:57:45. > :57:50.disappointment, the word used by the Prime Minister, what is a party will

:57:51. > :57:54.you do to shake the negotiations? We will present a different vision.

:57:55. > :57:59.Theresa May seem to be in and only and mood. We see different Theresa

:58:00. > :58:07.Mays and get different messages from the government but many are about a

:58:08. > :58:12.hard bordered Britain, that is a tax haven, where workers' rights are not

:58:13. > :58:14.protected and we do not see environmental, consumer protections.

:58:15. > :58:18.Members of the government talk about getting rid of red tape. Those are

:58:19. > :58:24.the protections that keep us safe and help clean-up Britain's beaches,

:58:25. > :58:28.pushing to clean up our air, those things we will fight for as the

:58:29. > :58:33.Green Party and fighting against the idea we can be a tax haven. Having

:58:34. > :58:39.multinational companies being parasites and not paying workers

:58:40. > :58:43.properly. What do you say to what Natalie Bennett and the party will

:58:44. > :58:48.argue against? It is rubbish. The last thing we will be as small, we

:58:49. > :58:52.will be bigger, breaking out of something that is smaller and going

:58:53. > :59:00.into the world, a world developing economically far-away from Europe.

:59:01. > :59:06.Also when she talks about free movement, the fact is people voted

:59:07. > :59:13.in their millions last year to have control of our borders. It is a pure

:59:14. > :59:18.denial, denial on the part of people like Natalie who will not accept the

:59:19. > :59:24.result that that was one of the main concerns of the majority of people

:59:25. > :59:31.and the fact is uncontrolled mass migration as a result of membership

:59:32. > :59:36.of the EU. I would say we have to get the best for Britain but we also

:59:37. > :59:41.have to have complete confidence in what is the most extraordinary

:59:42. > :59:44.opportunity now. Chris Leslie, what do you say to that, that Britain

:59:45. > :59:50.will be bigger and breaking out of something smaller and the government

:59:51. > :59:55.will be able to respond to concerns about immigration as a significant

:59:56. > :59:59.part of that vote in the referendum? The realities of geography actually

:00:00. > :00:03.go against that because we are a European country. Even the Prime

:00:04. > :00:08.Minister said we are a European country. When you look at the trade

:00:09. > :00:12.and economic soffit, we would love to do deals with Australia and the

:00:13. > :00:19.States but half of our trade is with the EU. The other 27 countries. What

:00:20. > :00:24.is worse it is not just tariffs, the slowing down of the customs

:00:25. > :00:30.transactions, with 80% of the economy in the service sector, the

:00:31. > :00:33.risks of being allowed to trade in some sectors, financial services,

:00:34. > :00:40.insurance, there are big questions and if you work in those sectors,

:00:41. > :00:43.you should ask employers what certainties we have got that we will

:00:44. > :00:48.be able to do business in the way we could before today? Do you have

:00:49. > :00:53.concerns about workers' rights? About the claim made by Labour that

:00:54. > :00:58.we will become a tax haven, that to use the phrase of Jeremy Corbyn, it

:00:59. > :01:02.will be bargain basement where regulation is stripped away?

:01:03. > :01:07.Workers' rights will stay as they are or arguably be strengthened

:01:08. > :01:10.after Theresa May the's review and in terms of the environment, I

:01:11. > :01:16.believe the government has a commitment to retain almost all EU

:01:17. > :01:21.law, and we will need to look at how we regulate on environmental

:01:22. > :01:26.matters. We will continue to share the same goals as the EU but in a

:01:27. > :01:30.number of instances we can find a way to achieve these goals in a

:01:31. > :01:37.manner not so costly and over burdensome to the economy. Before we

:01:38. > :01:42.say goodbye, Peter Whittle, can you say what you thought about the tone

:01:43. > :01:46.of Theresa May's statement, the fact she talks in her letter of this

:01:47. > :01:51.special and deep partnership that she wants to retain with the EU? She

:01:52. > :02:01.talks of cooperation and talks in ebullient terms, is that what you

:02:02. > :02:07.would have done -- emollient. We cooperated with Europe before the

:02:08. > :02:13.EU. We have been at it 44 years. Just that amount of time. The fact

:02:14. > :02:17.is in all sorts of areas we would co-operate, security being one of

:02:18. > :02:23.them. The problem is for Theresa May, she has a good way of talking

:02:24. > :02:30.the talk, she talks tough and has done it on migration, Islam, and the

:02:31. > :02:34.EU. We have to make sure she walks the walk. That there is no

:02:35. > :02:40.backsliding between now and two years' time and that is vital. Peter

:02:41. > :02:47.Whittle, thanks. Natalie Bennett, a final thought, looking ahead to the

:02:48. > :02:53.negotiations. It needn't be two sides fighting each other, it could

:02:54. > :03:04.be cordial? Possibly it could be, but when we look at the British

:03:05. > :03:07.Government, the obvious fissures. A Tory party torn apart by different

:03:08. > :03:12.views on what the future looks like, it will be a difficult position for

:03:13. > :03:17.Theresa May. Peter Whittle said in Westminster we have a democratic

:03:18. > :03:25.government, but the Tory party only won the support of 24% of eligible

:03:26. > :03:29.voters in the 2015 election. Take back control, the hashtag, I agree

:03:30. > :03:34.with. We need political reform within Britain, which is where some

:03:35. > :03:40.of the crucial issues lie. All right. Thank you both.

:03:41. > :03:46.Just looking at the figures and money, Germany is the biggest net

:03:47. > :03:52.contributor. 14 billion euros a year and Britain's second with 12, France

:03:53. > :03:55.way down in six because of the Common Agricultural Policy and net

:03:56. > :03:57.contributors, a few others, but everybody else is a net recipient

:03:58. > :03:59.which shows money will be important. There's just time to put you out

:04:00. > :04:12.of your misery and give Chris Leslie, press that in front of

:04:13. > :04:23.you and we will see who won. You triggered Article 50! Trevor

:04:24. > :04:31.Arce, congratulations. You have won these special mug. That is it today

:04:32. > :04:36.and we thank our guests. At 7pm on BBC One I will interview the Prime

:04:37. > :04:41.Minister about plans for Brexit negotiations and at 7:30pm I will be

:04:42. > :04:49.joined by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Lib Dem leader Tim

:04:50. > :04:53.Farron. I hope you can join me 7pm tonight on BBC One. And we will be

:04:54. > :04:54.back tomorrow with the reaction to these historic events today.

:04:55. > :04:59.Goodbye.