26/04/2017

:00:37. > :00:41.It's the final Prime Minister's Questions of this Parliament.

:00:42. > :00:46.We're all geared up for some pre-election fireworks?

:00:47. > :00:49.May versus Corbyn hasn't always lit up Parliament,

:00:50. > :00:51.but there's an election coming and anything can happen.

:00:52. > :00:56.Especially when the leaders will want to give their troops

:00:57. > :01:00.We'll have all the action live from midday.

:01:01. > :01:02.Labour promises higher pay for NHS workers in England

:01:03. > :01:04.and says it would help address staffing shortages.

:01:05. > :01:10.And voice-activated personal assistants are the talk

:01:11. > :01:16.But how are they coping with the approaching General Election?

:01:17. > :01:18.Alexa, who is the leader of the Conservative Party?

:01:19. > :01:21.Alexa: The UK Conservative Party's party leader is

:01:22. > :01:39.Why do you need that to tell you? Adam doesn't know, which is slightly

:01:40. > :01:41.worrying! And with us for the duration,

:01:42. > :01:45.the former Conservative chief whip, Mark Harper, and Labour's Campaigns

:01:46. > :01:47.and Elections Chair, Andrew Gwynne. Harper and Gwynne: sounds like

:01:48. > :02:01.a comic book crime-fighting duo. I think that's the nicest thing

:02:02. > :02:03.you've ever said about me! It doesn't get better!

:02:04. > :02:06.Now, there are a mere 43 days until the election on June the 8th -

:02:07. > :02:09.barely any time to dust off the rosettes and get

:02:10. > :02:12.Anyway, if you haven't got your diary in order

:02:13. > :02:15.for the next six weeks, then fear not, our social secretary

:02:16. > :02:19.JoCo is here with the key dates in the run-up to polling day.

:02:20. > :02:22.We will shortly be watching the final Prime Minister's Questions

:02:23. > :02:24.of this parliament - Jermey Corbyn and Theresa

:02:25. > :02:27.May go head to head - because next Wednesday,

:02:28. > :02:32.the 3rd of May, Parliament will be dissolved.

:02:33. > :02:36.On the 4th of May voters will go to the polls in local

:02:37. > :02:37.elections across England, Wales and Scotland.

:02:38. > :02:42.There are also eight mayoral elections in English cities.

:02:43. > :02:45.Potential candidates have until the 11th of May

:02:46. > :02:49.to submit their application forms to stand in a constituency.

:02:50. > :02:53.On the 15th May, Labour launch their manifesto.

:02:54. > :02:56.Other parties have not yet named the dates for

:02:57. > :03:03.The 22nd of May is your final opportunity to register to vote.

:03:04. > :03:05.The following day - the 23rd - is the deadline

:03:06. > :03:11.The 31st of May is the deadline for a proxy vote, or getting someone

:03:12. > :03:20.Polls open between 7am and 10pm on the 8th of June.

:03:21. > :03:23.And by breakfast time on the 9th of June, we should know who will be

:03:24. > :03:26.forming the next government and holding the keys

:03:27. > :03:41.Have you got all the states? I've got them all, Jo. In my diary.

:03:42. > :03:55.Let's look at some of these -- all of these baits? -- dates.

:03:56. > :04:01.We need to sort out the morale in the NHS, and a way that we do that

:04:02. > :04:04.is, first, we ensure that the staff get a pay rise. I know what you are

:04:05. > :04:09.planning to do, but I am asking how you will pay for it. We have said

:04:10. > :04:13.they are fully costed plans and will be paid for through corporation tax.

:04:14. > :04:18.And what will the rate of corporation tax be? You will have to

:04:19. > :04:22.wait until one of those dates, the 15th of May, when Labour's manifesto

:04:23. > :04:27.is published, and in that manifesto will be all of our tax and spending

:04:28. > :04:32.plans, to the detail, all of our pledges, fully costed. We have

:04:33. > :04:35.announced the first day... They aren't fully costed because you

:04:36. > :04:40.can't tell me how you will pay for them. Through corporation tax. You

:04:41. > :04:44.can't tell me what rate it will be or how much it will raise. Andrew,

:04:45. > :04:48.you will have to be a little patient. I am not going to go into

:04:49. > :04:52.the details. It is not detail but fundamental to your plans. You're

:04:53. > :05:00.telling the British people you will raise spending on health in several

:05:01. > :05:03.ways, including taking away the pay freeze, 1% it has been. But you want

:05:04. > :05:08.tell us how you will raise the money. I have told you, it will be

:05:09. > :05:11.through corporation tax. But that doesn't tell me anything because you

:05:12. > :05:15.can't tell me what rate it will be. Andrew, you will find out what the

:05:16. > :05:22.rate will be when our manifesto is launched. What is important is that

:05:23. > :05:27.we have seen in the NHS average pay falling by 14% since 2010. We think

:05:28. > :05:30.it's now time to put extra resources... I'm not arguing about

:05:31. > :05:36.that, I want to know whether money is from. Your party has a reputation

:05:37. > :05:40.for spending without knowing how you will pay for it, so I am giving you

:05:41. > :05:48.the opportunity... And I have told you. The current rate is 19%. It was

:05:49. > :05:53.20 but has fallen. So, what will it be under Labour? You will see on the

:05:54. > :05:57.15th of May in our manifesto. How much does it bring in at the moment?

:05:58. > :06:03.I'm not going to go into the detail... It is a fact. I didn't ask

:06:04. > :06:10.about Labour. How much does it bring in at the moment? I can tell you

:06:11. > :06:15.that our plans are fully costed. For example, a 1% increase in the

:06:16. > :06:21.staffing budget of the NHS will cost about ?460 million. I am trying to

:06:22. > :06:26.work out how you will pay for it. When it was 20% last year,

:06:27. > :06:31.corporation tax, there was a 20% rise in corporation tax revenues,

:06:32. > :06:36.even though it had been cut. It now brings in almost ?56 billion a year.

:06:37. > :06:41.To pay for everything that you've been talking about, you would need

:06:42. > :06:46.to bring in at least another ?12 billion a year from corporation tax

:06:47. > :06:51.alone, do you accept that? No. In terms of today's announcement, what

:06:52. > :07:01.I am saying is, this is absolutely fully costed. We're talking about

:07:02. > :07:03.making sure that our NHS staff and nurses in particular... Unless

:07:04. > :07:09.you've found the magic money tree again, which politicians of all

:07:10. > :07:12.persuasions tented during an election campaign, the staff of the

:07:13. > :07:17.NHS have a right to know how you are going to pay for it. You just have

:07:18. > :07:22.to be a little patient and wait until the 15th of May, when our

:07:23. > :07:26.manifesto will be out in detail, including our tax and spending

:07:27. > :07:34.priorities. The reason people is a spacious, even nervous, is that you

:07:35. > :07:38.seem to have already spent all of this rise in corporation tax,

:07:39. > :07:42.reducing maintenance grants, ?3 billion a year, to be paid for by

:07:43. > :07:47.corporation tax. Andrew, what we have done today is to set out are

:07:48. > :07:50.very specific pledge on the NHS that is fully funded and costed in our

:07:51. > :07:55.manifesto. But you seem to have already spent the money. He will

:07:56. > :07:59.scrap university tuition fees, another ?7 billion. You will have to

:08:00. > :08:04.wait to see the manifesto as to what our priorities will be and how it

:08:05. > :08:09.will be funded. Reversing the cuts are universal credit? ?5 billion a

:08:10. > :08:15.year. It will be in our manifesto on the 15th of May. How much will you

:08:16. > :08:19.boost the schools budget by? It will be in the manifesto. All of our tax

:08:20. > :08:23.and spending plans will be there in detail, and you will have the

:08:24. > :08:28.absolute certainty of knowing where that has been funded from. You have

:08:29. > :08:32.said already that all of these, higher NHS spending, social care,

:08:33. > :08:37.investing in British Steel, boosting the adult skills budget, maintenance

:08:38. > :08:42.grants, cutting tuition fees, you have said already, your party, that

:08:43. > :08:47.all of these will be paid by a rise in corporation tax. No, we haven't.

:08:48. > :08:52.Yes, you have. We have said in the past that we have used corporation

:08:53. > :08:56.tax as an example of Government priorities. At a time when the

:08:57. > :08:59.Government have cut public services, we have said the Government had made

:09:00. > :09:05.a deliberate choice, cutting corporation tax, cutting taxes to

:09:06. > :09:09.the tune of billions of pounds. Corporation tax brought in ?10

:09:10. > :09:15.billion more last year than the year before. 10 billion! At the same

:09:16. > :09:19.time, Andrew, we have seen ordinary people, workers, pensioners,

:09:20. > :09:24.everybody, paying more in things like VAT. This is a question of

:09:25. > :09:29.priorities. You are not going to lower VAT, are you? If we are making

:09:30. > :09:36.an economy for the many and not a few, you will see on the 15th of

:09:37. > :09:38.May, everything will be fully costed and detail, all the priorities there

:09:39. > :09:42.with costings and where we are getting the money from. You have

:09:43. > :09:45.just got to be patient. To pay for all that, you will have two

:09:46. > :09:51.increased a lot more than corporation tax. Just be patient,

:09:52. > :09:55.Andrew. Doing this job, you have to be! Edit the conservative position

:09:56. > :10:02.that between now and 2020-21, the NHS needs no more extra money than

:10:03. > :10:08.already planned? We have already agreed with the NHS to spend what

:10:09. > :10:12.Simon Stephens, the NHS boss, had in his plan. We put a lot of that in at

:10:13. > :10:19.the front, so an extra ?6 billion for this year, and we will continue

:10:20. > :10:24.those conversations with the NHS. Will you spend more or not? You

:10:25. > :10:30.would not expect me to set out the future budgets of Chancellors. The

:10:31. > :10:33.whole conversation... I want to stick with the Conservatives. It is

:10:34. > :10:37.the same conversation. The fundamental point is, we can only

:10:38. > :10:45.put in more money to the NHS... The only reason we have the 6 billion is

:10:46. > :10:49.when you have a strong economy. Is that it? If you have a strong

:10:50. > :10:53.economy, the Chancellor can look at priorities. We have made the NHS

:10:54. > :10:57.priority, which is why we have continue putting money in. But I am

:10:58. > :11:01.trying to find out if there will be any more. You know as well as I do

:11:02. > :11:05.that even with the extra money you have given it, it is really creaking

:11:06. > :11:11.at the seams. It is struggling. Don't you think it is time that NHS

:11:12. > :11:15.staff got a pay rise? Let me answer your question about more money.

:11:16. > :11:19.Answer this question. You would not expect me to set out now what a

:11:20. > :11:24.Chancellor will do with a budget in four years' time. If you want to

:11:25. > :11:27.look at our priorities, you can see that in the recent budget, Weather

:11:28. > :11:32.Watch challenges raised quite rightly about social care... You

:11:33. > :11:37.didn't give any money to the NHS. The Chancellor found ?2 billion over

:11:38. > :11:43.three years. Shall care. But not for the NHS. They are connected. If you

:11:44. > :11:46.don't have people being able to be discharged from hospital, it puts

:11:47. > :11:50.pressure on the NHS. We have front-loaded the money we have put

:11:51. > :11:56.in. And that still doesn't seem to be enough. -- and they're still

:11:57. > :12:02.doesn't seem to be enough. MPs got a much bigger pay rise than NHS staff.

:12:03. > :12:07.1%. If you are a radiographer or a midwife, how much scrap a week does

:12:08. > :12:13.that give you? I don't know. -- how much extra per week does that give

:12:14. > :12:18.you? ?5. Their pay has been frozen, year after year, so I say again, and

:12:19. > :12:22.given that you have 24,000 nursing vacancies, you are not paying

:12:23. > :12:27.enough, so when will you start to pay NHS workers a proper salary? The

:12:28. > :12:31.reason we had to have a public sector pay cap of 1% was because we

:12:32. > :12:39.were recovering from the deficit we inherited. That is seven years ago.

:12:40. > :12:42.You know it is at the lowest point it has been at for a long time and

:12:43. > :12:46.we are getting the economy on track. I don't think the public will want

:12:47. > :12:49.to risk that in this election. There is a choice between strong and

:12:50. > :12:52.stable Government with the Conservatives and the chaos they

:12:53. > :12:58.would get the flavour. If the economy is damage, there won't be

:12:59. > :13:06.money to put into the NHS. -- you would get with Labour. You quoted

:13:07. > :13:10.Simon Stephens, who said, I think it would be stretching it to claim the

:13:11. > :13:16.NHS has more than it asked for. He went on to say, by 2019, real terms

:13:17. > :13:24.NHS spending per person in England is going to fall. In real terms, the

:13:25. > :13:28.NHS is getting less money, and yet it is ten years since Lehman

:13:29. > :13:31.Brothers collapsed. At the last election, we agreed a five-year plan

:13:32. > :13:39.for the parliament with the NHS, and that was split between efficiency

:13:40. > :13:44.savings... Real terms spending is falling under this Government. No

:13:45. > :13:49.doubt, there will be future plans that Simon Stephens and his team

:13:50. > :13:53.come forward with. Social care is linked with NHS performance, and

:13:54. > :13:58.when more money was required, the Chancellor found it. That is falling

:13:59. > :14:00.in real terms, too. The Prime Minister said yesterday that we

:14:01. > :14:07.would not back the question of social care and there would be a

:14:08. > :14:11.long-term plan set out. As someone said, in the long term, we are all

:14:12. > :14:16.dead, and that is true when it comes to health care. Under this

:14:17. > :14:21.Government, social care funding is falling in real terms, NHS spending

:14:22. > :14:25.per capita, for the first time since the NHS was invented in the late

:14:26. > :14:33.1940s, is going to fall in real terms. A lot now hangs on a Brexit

:14:34. > :14:38.David Dent, doesn't it? How much of that ?350 million a week are we

:14:39. > :14:46.going to get and when? I was on the Remain side. -- a Brexit David Dent.

:14:47. > :14:53.Basically, your message to the viewers this morning is vote Tory

:14:54. > :14:56.and real terms spending on the NHS will continue to be cut. We will

:14:57. > :15:02.have a strong economy which will enable the Chancellor to prioritise

:15:03. > :15:05.spending. The NHS is an important priority, which is why we have

:15:06. > :15:09.protected the spending. Except it has fallen in real terms. We put

:15:10. > :15:11.extra money in the budget for social care, which I think was the right

:15:12. > :15:17.decision. We shall see. is So, as we've been saying,

:15:18. > :15:23.the final PMQs of this short-lived The May-Corbyn clashes haven't

:15:24. > :15:31.always been classics of the genre, but that's not to say there haven't

:15:32. > :15:33.been some highlights. Maybe even a boss who exploits

:15:34. > :15:39.the rules to further his own career. She will turn Britain

:15:40. > :15:43.into a bargain basement tax haven, In a recent poll on who would make

:15:44. > :15:51.a better Prime Minister "don't know" Mr Speaker, it's not so much

:15:52. > :16:04.the Iron Lady as the irony lady. He can lead a protest,

:16:05. > :16:13.I'm leading a country. I thought for a moment

:16:14. > :16:16.the Prime Minister was going to say I think that word actually

:16:17. > :16:19.describes the right honourable gentleman's

:16:20. > :16:24.leadership - incredible. Our NHS, Mr Speaker, is in crisis,

:16:25. > :16:28.but the Prime Minister is in denial. I've long heard the Labour Party

:16:29. > :16:31.asking what the Conservative My question is - what deal was done

:16:32. > :16:46.with Surrey county council? The Prime Minister said

:16:47. > :17:01.there was no deal. Over that silent laughter and those

:17:02. > :17:06.shoulders going. So, those were the best bits. Let's

:17:07. > :17:10.see if we can do the same with you two, then. The Prime Minister has

:17:11. > :17:15.warned colleagues against complacency. But the Conservatives

:17:16. > :17:19.have been put 20, 21 points ahead of Labour. Aren't you telling voters

:17:20. > :17:24.you are going to win and win big? No, not at all. I can remember the

:17:25. > :17:28.last general election when the polls didn't correctly predict the right

:17:29. > :17:33.outcome. The polls didn't correctly predict the referendum outcome and

:17:34. > :17:37.we saw what they did in the US where Donald Trump winning took people by

:17:38. > :17:41.so you are vies and I think Jeremy Corbyn himself joked that he was a

:17:42. > :17:46.200-1 outsider for the leadership and look what happened there.

:17:47. > :17:50.Politicians would be wise not to pay attention to opinion polls and go

:17:51. > :17:54.out and fight for every vote. In your opinion, it is going to be

:17:55. > :17:59.close across the board The message to voters, they only get the result

:18:00. > :18:03.they want if they go out and vote. Are you worried turnout will be low?

:18:04. > :18:07.I'm not worried. I'm saying, if people want a result in an election

:18:08. > :18:10.they have to come out and vote. If they want a strong, stable

:18:11. > :18:15.Government led by Theresa May, they have to come and vote for either her

:18:16. > :18:19.or one of her candidates or if they vote for anybody else, they could

:18:20. > :18:22.end up with a wae, unstable Government. Well, he thinks it is

:18:23. > :18:26.going to be a close-run thing, despite the polls but if we look,

:18:27. > :18:28.let's take Wales for example, bearing in mind the Prime Minister

:18:29. > :18:31.was there yesterday. The Conservative's projected vote share

:18:32. > :18:36.there has risen to 40% in a Labour heartland. Labour's fallen from

:18:37. > :18:40.36.9% to 30% this. Would mean Labour losing in Wales for the first time

:18:41. > :18:44.since the First World War. What does that do to your spirit as the

:18:45. > :18:48.election co-ordinator? Well, where Mark is right, is not a single vote

:18:49. > :18:53.has been cast yet. And we... Well thank you for confirming that. And

:18:54. > :18:57.we are out there to fight for... I understand that. How does it make

:18:58. > :19:02.you feel when you hear those figures in a heartland like Wales. Let's

:19:03. > :19:06.wait and see. Sure. We have six weeks of this campaign. Does ten

:19:07. > :19:10.courage you? A lot can change in the six weeks. That's why we are going

:19:11. > :19:14.out with Jeremy, meeting real people, not closeted away in

:19:15. > :19:18.stage-managed backdrops like the Prime Minister. And it is why we

:19:19. > :19:23.also challenge the Prime Minister to a debate. You know, if she's so far

:19:24. > :19:27.ahead, if she's so cocky and confident that she can win, if she

:19:28. > :19:31.is putting leadership at the heart of this campaign, why is she

:19:32. > :19:35.frightened of debating with Jeremy Corbyn She is not, she debates him

:19:36. > :19:40.every week. Are you saying Prime Minister's Questions is the same as

:19:41. > :19:45.a head-to-head television debate She debates him every week. I think

:19:46. > :19:50.voters have enough material of the two leading contenders for Prime

:19:51. > :19:54.Minister. We have six weeks. She is doing, I think I have noticed this

:19:55. > :19:58.Sunday interviews with two of the top - sparing Andrew's blushes, top

:19:59. > :20:02.interviewers on TV and she'll be going out to all parts of the

:20:03. > :20:08.country, as you saw, in Wales yesterday. Why is she not doing the

:20:09. > :20:12.debate if she's so confident? ? One of the problems with debate and I

:20:13. > :20:15.saw this, you end up with an election campaign, I understand why

:20:16. > :20:18.the broadcasters like them. So does the public. A recent survey has

:20:19. > :20:23.shown the majority of voters want the Prime Minister to go

:20:24. > :20:26.head-to-head with Jeremy Corbyn. As she has said repeatedly that she can

:20:27. > :20:30.offer strong, stable leadership and Jeremy Corbyn can't, why is she

:20:31. > :20:34.running shared? I think the election then ends up being a debate about

:20:35. > :20:38.the dea bit and then you have the debates and a conversation about how

:20:39. > :20:43.the debates went. We are still having a debate, though I think it

:20:44. > :20:48.is more important to focus on the issues. She wants it get out to

:20:49. > :20:52.every part of the UK and go out and meet people around the country which

:20:53. > :20:55.is what she has been doing and I think that's the right approach.

:20:56. > :20:59.Let's lack at the figures, you are right, Theresa May is making it

:21:00. > :21:03.about the leadership and she would, wouldn't she, when you look at the

:21:04. > :21:08.polling for Jeremy Corbyn. Not only are you trailing as a party but if

:21:09. > :21:12.you look at the recent YouGov poll, 13%, of voters think that is Jeremy

:21:13. > :21:16.Corbyn are doing a good job of Labour Leader compared to 55% of

:21:17. > :21:21.voters who say that Theresa May is doing a good job as Prime Minister.

:21:22. > :21:26.Do you have a leadership problem? For the next six weeks we are out

:21:27. > :21:29.there talking about positive transformational politics, stalk

:21:30. > :21:34.being Britain for the many, not the few. Because you have a leadership

:21:35. > :21:38.problem? How would you describe those figures? Jeremy will be out in

:21:39. > :21:41.the country, England, Scotland and Wales. Will that help if those are

:21:42. > :21:46.his personal polling figures? Absolutely. Why? I think the more

:21:47. > :21:51.people see and hear what our policies and visions are, we have 43

:21:52. > :21:56.days to polling day, a long time and that's why, actually, it would be

:21:57. > :22:00.great to have a proper debate, like Gordon Brown had, like David Cameron

:22:01. > :22:05.had, where the manifestos can be debated in detail. Why? They won't

:22:06. > :22:11.get that today in PMQs. If you think he is an asset and going out to

:22:12. > :22:14.constituents up and down the country why would your colleague, John Healy

:22:15. > :22:17.last week, wouldn't say, that he would actually put Jeremy Corbyn on

:22:18. > :22:21.his election literature. Barry Gardiner said this was an election

:22:22. > :22:26.as you were saying about policies and not personalities. And miaow

:22:27. > :22:30.Griffiths the defence spokesman maintained Labour's policy would be

:22:31. > :22:34.to maintain the Trident system, contrary to Jeremy Corbyn. Nobody

:22:35. > :22:40.wants it talk about Jeremy Corbyn as a future Prime Minister within your

:22:41. > :23:00.own party. Well I just have, jo. As Labour's elections chair, I have

:23:01. > :23:03.just said that Jeremy is going to be out in every part of the country,

:23:04. > :23:05.meeting real people, not stage-managed backdrops. Why knted

:23:06. > :23:10.your colleagues not say that they can see him as a if you tour Prime

:23:11. > :23:15.Minister. I'm note sure they have. Well we asked them and they won't

:23:16. > :23:19.say T John Healey won't even say if he will put him on the literature.

:23:20. > :23:23.Well I have not been party to that. John served in Jeremy's cabinet.

:23:24. > :23:26.Well if they are not convinced by Jeremy Corbyn as a future Prime

:23:27. > :23:30.Minister, how are you going to convince the voters? But we are. Why

:23:31. > :23:35.is the evidence? That's why we serve Shadow Cabinet. We have a vision for

:23:36. > :23:39.a Britain that works for the many not the few. We have six weeks to

:23:40. > :23:43.set out that vision for a fairer, better, more equal Britain, that's

:23:44. > :23:46.the challenge for me and the whole Shadow Cabinet, we will be out

:23:47. > :23:49.there, knocking on doors, speaking to people and putting our case.

:23:50. > :23:53.Labour has put forward range of policies on the NHS today, also on

:23:54. > :23:57.education. Would you like to see, Mark, the trip lock on pensions in

:23:58. > :24:00.the Tory manifesto? I'm happy to wait for the Tory manifesto. You

:24:01. > :24:05.haven't got an opinion? You wouldn't expect me to write it on air. But

:24:06. > :24:08.would you like it on air? I'm happy with the record we have with

:24:09. > :24:12.pensioners, where the state pension has gone up to I think ?1250 since

:24:13. > :24:16.2010. We have a solid offer for pensioners. I think they recognise

:24:17. > :24:20.that. I am content. You could see it being dropped? I'm content to wait

:24:21. > :24:24.for the manifesto, it will be out and I'm content to see what the

:24:25. > :24:28.Prime Minister and Chancellor want to put in it. I think we've

:24:29. > :24:31.delivered for pensioners and I think pensioners can have confidence in a

:24:32. > :24:34.Conservative Government and May hae as Prime Minister. All right we'll

:24:35. > :24:40.leave it there. Shall we? No, all right. There is a new Ipsos Mori

:24:41. > :24:46.poll this morning, that puts the Conservatives on 59%, that's plus 6,

:24:47. > :24:53.Labour on 26, that's minus four a Tory lead of 23% with my arithmetic.

:24:54. > :24:58.Lib Dems no change, Ukip at 4, down 2. It is only a poll, there will be

:24:59. > :25:03.plenty more between now and the one that matters on June 8th. I'm sound

:25:04. > :25:09.like a politician now. It is the one that matters. You can get a job.

:25:10. > :25:11.Now, it would be true to say that Mrs May needs all the help

:25:12. > :25:13.she can get when she meets the European Commission President

:25:14. > :25:18.He's flying in for a working dinner, and we're told there will be only

:25:19. > :25:21.Now, we anticipate it may get a little heated over the steak

:25:22. > :25:24.and kidney pudding and jam roly-poly, so we've got the perfect

:25:25. > :25:31.Coffee, with mints, served in our very own Daily Politics mug.

:25:32. > :25:36.Any political disagreements will be instantly forgotten while they take

:25:37. > :25:38.a moment to appreciate how fine the coffee tastes in

:25:39. > :25:47.If you want a chance to win one, let us know when this happened.

:25:48. > :25:49.MUSIC: Heart and Soul by Dean Martin.

:25:50. > :26:09.# Just like a torch, you set the soul within me burning

:26:10. > :26:14.# I must go on along this road of no returning

:26:15. > :26:19.# And though it burns me and it turns me into ashes

:26:20. > :26:23.# My whole world crashes without your kiss of fire.#

:26:24. > :26:27.# Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer

:26:28. > :26:30.# Hey, there, don't get dimmer, dimmer

:26:31. > :26:53.In declaring open the Claerwin reservoir, I congratulate you

:26:54. > :27:21.To be in with a chance of winning a Daily Politics mug,

:27:22. > :27:23.send your answer to our special quiz email address -

:27:24. > :27:28.Entries must arrive by 12.30 today, and you can see the full terms

:27:29. > :27:31.and conditions for Guess The Year on our website - that's

:27:32. > :27:43.I love those old black and white pictures of Winston Churchill

:27:44. > :27:46.meeting President Harry Truman. That's a clue.

:27:47. > :27:49.It's coming up to midday here - just take a look at Big Ben -

:27:50. > :27:53.Yes, Prime Minister's Questions is on its way.

:27:54. > :27:53.And that's not all - Laura Kuenssberg is here.

:27:54. > :27:58.You have been travelling around with the Prime Minister? We were in

:27:59. > :28:01.Bridgend yesterday. Labour constituency, Carwyn Jones the Welsh

:28:02. > :28:06.First Minister's own back yard. And I think what we saw yesterday, in a

:28:07. > :28:09.totally unscientific way, bears out some of what the polls have been

:28:10. > :28:12.suggesting in these early days, that when you talk to people, including

:28:13. > :28:17.life-long Labour voters, they are not in the mood to stick with their

:28:18. > :28:21.party. Voter after voter said to us yesterday - I've been a life-long

:28:22. > :28:26.Labour supporter but this time I'm going to go the other way or indeed

:28:27. > :28:31.not vote at all. When you talk to MPs in the House of Commons, which I

:28:32. > :28:34.have been doing this morning before coming over, strangely there is a

:28:35. > :28:39.bit of a party mood this mornings like the last day of term in a way,

:28:40. > :28:45.that's what most MPs are saying, too but we are very early days, lots of

:28:46. > :28:50.things can happen but it is really, really notable. So Mr Corbyn needs

:28:51. > :28:53.to send them off with a surprisingly good performance. Absolute lively

:28:54. > :28:58.this is his 53rd PMQs on the 299th day of this Parliament. We have done

:28:59. > :29:03.every one of them. Absolutely. Someone might have looked at the

:29:04. > :29:08.diary and counted them this morning. If you think how he started full of

:29:09. > :29:12.the incredible backing of this phenomenon of new people getting

:29:13. > :29:15.involved in politics. Labour voters surging towards him A new kind of

:29:16. > :29:19.Prime Minister's Questions, e-mails from members of the public, but the

:29:20. > :29:23.fact is he has struggled in this format. The other fact is, this is

:29:24. > :29:27.not Theresa May's best format either. It is not an exchange route

:29:28. > :29:34.we have seen particularly work for either but a lot of Labour MPs are

:29:35. > :29:38.feeling despondent. He will to do something in the next 30 minutes to

:29:39. > :29:45.leave them with a spring in their steps. It looks like it'll be busy.

:29:46. > :29:50.My sense is most MPs will be around today. Tomorrow, certainly people in

:29:51. > :29:54.marginals will be out on the road. They have been door knocking over

:29:55. > :29:59.the weekend. Lots of MPs out there. Do we know yet, as the campaign

:30:00. > :30:04.gathers pace, are the Tories - is their are propaganda machine s it

:30:05. > :30:08.going to go for Corbyn and Mr MacDonald, the Shadow Chancellor, or

:30:09. > :30:13.do they think they are so far ahead they don't need to do that. I think

:30:14. > :30:16.we'll go for him. We have had Tory central office using words like

:30:17. > :30:20.nonsensical, ridiculous, dangerous. Absolutely they are going to go for

:30:21. > :30:25.Mr Corbyn because they want this, I think in a way, not even to be seen

:30:26. > :30:29.in making a referendum between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, but I

:30:30. > :30:33.think in some seats and of course the message will differ in different

:30:34. > :30:37.parts of the country, they will try to make it all about Jeremy Corbyn.

:30:38. > :30:40.There was one attack ad doing the rounds online yesterday... I saw

:30:41. > :30:44.that, a short video Very short, but with clips of Jeremy Corbyn talking

:30:45. > :30:46.about NATO, talking about nuclear weapons, talking about

:30:47. > :30:52.shoot-to-kill. Talking about the Army. About the Army and in huge red

:30:53. > :30:57.letters at the end - basically, don't risk it, this man is a danger.

:30:58. > :30:59.Now for some voters, the level of, the personal level. It could put

:31:00. > :31:17.people off. Absolute lie. There is a debate going on among

:31:18. > :31:21.Tory MPs how to pitch that. Is it worth #w450i8 while saying we

:31:22. > :31:25.mustn't be complacent because it could be tight. There is an argument

:31:26. > :31:30.to the counter which says make it a kind of - use the line very much of

:31:31. > :31:35.- this is in the national interest. Come and be with us, don't be left

:31:36. > :31:41.out, be a Tory, be a supporter of Theresa May. That's the done thing.

:31:42. > :31:48.To jump on a bandwagon. It can be a powerful symbol in politics.

:31:49. > :31:52.Well, is Mrs May going to run a her metically sealed campaign? Well, so

:31:53. > :31:55.far she has not been in close contact with members of the public.

:31:56. > :32:00.What about cuddly animals, have we any of them, yet? I haven't seen

:32:01. > :32:04.any. I saw her yesterday, you know, she was among activists and you can

:32:05. > :32:07.see with activists she'd done that so far in terms of an invited

:32:08. > :32:11.audience and her contact with members of the public had been very,

:32:12. > :32:14.very limited and of course for Jeremy Corbyn, who always says that

:32:15. > :32:18.he likes to be among people, he loves rallies with members of the

:32:19. > :32:25.public but we will see. We shall see. Let's get

:32:26. > :32:31.The economy in the West Midlands is performing well. Businesses are

:32:32. > :32:36.continuing to invest, and since 2010, employment has risen by

:32:37. > :32:41.180,000, because conservatives in Government have safeguarded the

:32:42. > :32:45.economy, and as a result, my honourable friend asked about public

:32:46. > :32:49.services, there are more doctors and nurses in his hospitals because you

:32:50. > :32:52.can only have strong public services when you have the strong and stable

:32:53. > :33:01.leadership that delivers a strong economy. Mr Speaker, I think what

:33:02. > :33:10.this nation needs is a strong and stable Government. But isn't it the

:33:11. > :33:15.case that, thanks to devolution, we won't only just have, I hope, strong

:33:16. > :33:22.and stable Government after the general election but in the West

:33:23. > :33:28.Midlands strong and stable leadership and the right choices

:33:29. > :33:32.made after the 4th of May. My honourable friend makes a powerful

:33:33. > :33:36.point. On the 4th of May, people in the West Midlands have the

:33:37. > :33:44.opportunity to elect a strong local leader who will oversee ?8 billion

:33:45. > :33:48.of investment. I think that in Andy Street, they have a man who has the

:33:49. > :33:51.local knowledge, the business experience, and he has the

:33:52. > :33:55.commitment to the West Midlands to deliver for the whole of the West

:33:56. > :33:59.Midlands. On the 8th of June, people in the West midlands have the

:34:00. > :34:05.opportunity to elect the strong and stable leadership of a Conservative

:34:06. > :34:09.Government working together, strong Conservative leadership in the West

:34:10. > :34:17.Midlands and strong Conservative leadership in Government will

:34:18. > :34:20.deliver for the West Midlands. This morning, I had meetings with

:34:21. > :34:24.ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house

:34:25. > :34:36.I shall have further such meetings today. Mr Speaker, in 2015, a group

:34:37. > :34:40.called the Social Campaign For Labour Victory drew up a plan to get

:34:41. > :34:53.rid of MI5, disarm the police and scrap the nuclear deterrent.

:34:54. > :34:59.I can tell my honourable friend, my answer is a resounding no, I would

:35:00. > :35:03.not allow anyone involved in that to be involved in the Cabinet. Can I

:35:04. > :35:06.commend my honourable friend, who has a proud record of defending our

:35:07. > :35:12.country. He raises an important point, because the Leader of the

:35:13. > :35:17.Opposition has chosen just such a person. The plan to disband MI5, to

:35:18. > :35:21.disarm our police and scrap our nuclear deterrent was endorsed by

:35:22. > :35:27.the Right Honourable gentleman's policy chief, and even by his Shadow

:35:28. > :35:30.Chancellor. Again, at the weekend, we saw the Right honourable

:35:31. > :35:34.gentleman refusing to say he would strike against terrorism, refusing

:35:35. > :35:39.to commit to our nuclear deterrent, and refusing to control our borders

:35:40. > :35:43.are keeping the country safe is the first duty of a Prime Minister. The

:35:44. > :35:54.right honourable gentleman is simply not up to the job.

:35:55. > :36:01.Thank you, Mr Speaker. This is the... This is the last Prime

:36:02. > :36:09.Minister's Question Time of this Parliament. And I think it would be

:36:10. > :36:12.appropriate, Mr Speaker, if we all paid tribute to those colleagues who

:36:13. > :36:16.have decided to leave the House at the end of this Parliament, thank

:36:17. > :36:21.them for their service, thank them... Thank them for their service

:36:22. > :36:25.to democracy in this country and to thank you, Mr Speaker, for the way

:36:26. > :36:30.you have presided over this House, and the way in which you have sought

:36:31. > :36:36.to reach out to the wider communities in this country. When I

:36:37. > :36:46.became Leader of the Opposition 18 months ago...

:36:47. > :36:48.CHEERING I said...

:36:49. > :36:53.If they'll wait a moment, I'll explain what I'm about to say. I

:36:54. > :37:00.said I wanted people's voices to be heard in Parliament, so, Mr Speaker,

:37:01. > :37:06.instead of just speaking to hand-picked audiences who can't ask

:37:07. > :37:17.questions, I hope the Prime Minister won't mind if she answers some

:37:18. > :37:21.questions today from the public. I start, Mr Speaker... I start, Mr

:37:22. > :37:28.Speaker, with Christopher, who wrote to me this week, and he says, in the

:37:29. > :37:35.last five years, my husband has had only a 1% increase in his wages. The

:37:36. > :37:42.cost of living has risen each year. We now have at least 15% less buying

:37:43. > :37:46.power than them. So, where is Christopher and his husband's share

:37:47. > :37:50.in the stronger economy? Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I first of all join

:37:51. > :37:58.The Right Honourable gentleman in commending those colleagues who are

:37:59. > :38:00.leaving the house for the service they have shown to their

:38:01. > :38:06.constituents and to Parliament over the years. Can I also say a huge

:38:07. > :38:09.thank you to the staff of the House of Commons and Parliament who

:38:10. > :38:13.support us in the work we do in this chamber and elsewhere. I will come

:38:14. > :38:17.onto the point... I know that the right honourable gentleman did not

:38:18. > :38:22.take the opportunity to stand up and showed how he would stand up for the

:38:23. > :38:28.defence of our country. Once again, he missed that opportunity. I know

:38:29. > :38:34.what the right operable gentleman is saying about wages -- I know what

:38:35. > :38:41.the right honourable gentleman is saying about wages. I think we

:38:42. > :38:46.should, first of all, recognise, actually, that for people working in

:38:47. > :38:51.the NHS, around half of those staff, because of progression and basic pay

:38:52. > :39:00.increases, we'll see, on average, a pay increase of 4%. What we know...

:39:01. > :39:05.What we know... What we know, and what I can say to Christopher, is

:39:06. > :39:08.that he will have a choice at the next election between the strong and

:39:09. > :39:13.stable leadership of the Conservatives, which will secure our

:39:14. > :39:16.economy for the future, and a Labour Party which would crash our economy,

:39:17. > :39:23.which would mean less money for public services and ordinary working

:39:24. > :39:28.families would pay the price. Mr Speaker, isn't the truth that many

:39:29. > :39:32.people are being held back by this Government that has slashed taxes

:39:33. > :39:39.for the rich and held back or cut the pay of dedicated public

:39:40. > :39:44.servants? Mr Speaker, Andy, a parent, is concerned about how his

:39:45. > :39:48.children are being held back. He asks, why, despite the fact they

:39:49. > :39:53.have worked consistently since leaving school, all three of my

:39:54. > :39:58.children, who are now in their mid-20s, cannot afford to move out

:39:59. > :40:03.of the family home? Isn't this a crisis that many people are facing

:40:04. > :40:08.all over the country? Don't we need a housing strategy that deals with

:40:09. > :40:14.it? First of all, let's look and see what happened under a Labour

:40:15. > :40:24.Government for housing. I'll come onto that. Under the last... Under

:40:25. > :40:31.the last Labour Government, house... House building starts fell by 45%.

:40:32. > :40:35.Under the last Labour Government, houses purchased in England fell by

:40:36. > :40:42.40%, and the number of social rented homes, under a Labour Government,

:40:43. > :40:46.fell by 420,000. Under the Conservatives, we have seen more

:40:47. > :40:52.than twice as much council housing being built than under the last

:40:53. > :40:55.Labour Government. That's a record of a Conservative Government

:40:56. > :41:03.delivering on housing, delivering for ordinary working families. Mr

:41:04. > :41:06.Speaker, the last Labour Government delivered a decent homes standard

:41:07. > :41:11.for every council home in the whole of the country, and it is something

:41:12. > :41:18.we are very proud of. Very proud of it indeed. Her Government, house

:41:19. > :41:27.building has fallen to the lowest level since the 1920s. More people

:41:28. > :41:32.homeless, more people on waiting lists, more people overcrowded, more

:41:33. > :41:36.people unable to pay the rent. That is the record of the Tory

:41:37. > :41:41.Government. Mr Speaker, our children are being held back by Conservative

:41:42. > :41:48.cuts will stop Laura, a young primary school teacher --

:41:49. > :41:53.Conservative cuts. Laura, a young primary school teacher, says, IMC

:41:54. > :42:00.Inc a drop each year in available cash to provide quality education to

:42:01. > :42:04.the children in my class and an increase in the reliance on the

:42:05. > :42:07.parent teacher Association. Is the Prime Minister still denying the

:42:08. > :42:12.fact that funding for each pupil is still being cut? What I would say to

:42:13. > :42:17.Laura is that we've said we would protect school budgets, and we have.

:42:18. > :42:22.We have seen record levels of funding going into schools in this

:42:23. > :42:27.country. At the election on the 8th of June... At the election on the

:42:28. > :42:32.8th of June, people will have a very clear choice: A choice between a

:42:33. > :42:36.Conservative Government that has delivered 1.8 million more good and

:42:37. > :42:40.outstanding school places for children across this country, a

:42:41. > :42:44.Conservative Government that believes in parents having choice in

:42:45. > :42:47.a range of schools, providing the education that is right for every

:42:48. > :42:53.child, and a good school place for every child. The right honourable

:42:54. > :42:57.gentleman, he believes in a one size fits all, take everybody down to the

:42:58. > :43:00.lowest common and the nominator, take it or leave it. We believe in

:43:01. > :43:08.encouraging aspiration and encouraging people to get on in

:43:09. > :43:13.their lives. Labour isn't slashing school budgets or putting money into

:43:14. > :43:19.pet projects. We want every child, every child, to have a decent chance

:43:20. > :43:22.in a decent school. We don't want an education system that relies on

:43:23. > :43:29.begging letters from the schools in order to maintain employment and

:43:30. > :43:33.books in the classroom. Many people feel, Mr Speaker, the system is

:43:34. > :43:42.rigged against them. Maureen wrote to me this week... If I was you, I

:43:43. > :43:47.would listen to what Maureen has to say. I really would, I really would,

:43:48. > :43:53.because she writes, and she writes with a heavy heart, we have been

:43:54. > :44:00.treated this casting late. Most of us women born in the 1950s will not

:44:01. > :44:07.be receiving our pension until we are 66, with no notification of this

:44:08. > :44:12.drastic change. We have worked for 45 years and have accrued more than

:44:13. > :44:17.enough to be paid our pension. People want what is rightfully

:44:18. > :44:26.theirs. Maureen asks, what can be done to help the WASPi women? What I

:44:27. > :44:32.would say to the issue Maureen has raised is that the Government has

:44:33. > :44:34.taken steps to help these women. Extra funding has been made

:44:35. > :44:39.available and we have ensured that there is a limit to the period of

:44:40. > :44:43.time that is affected in relation to these changes. If the right

:44:44. > :44:46.honourable gentleman wants to talk about pensions and pensioners,

:44:47. > :44:51.looking to the future, once again, there will be a very clear choice in

:44:52. > :44:56.this election, a clear choice... A clear choice between a Labour Party

:44:57. > :45:01.who, in Government, so the increase in basic state pension of 75p in one

:45:02. > :45:10.year, and a Conservative Government whose changes to pensions mean basic

:45:11. > :45:14.state pension is our ?1250 better off, but you only get that with a

:45:15. > :45:19.strong economy. And what do we know about Labour? Only yesterday, we saw

:45:20. > :45:25.that we had finally emerged from Labour's economic crash. What we now

:45:26. > :45:31.see... What we now see is a Labour Party that would do it again, crash

:45:32. > :45:34.the economy, more debt, more waste, higher taxes, fewer jobs. That does

:45:35. > :45:39.nothing for ordinary working families of pensioners. -- or for

:45:40. > :45:51.pensioners. Mr Speaker, millions of waspy women

:45:52. > :45:54.will have heard that answer, as have the other questions I have put not

:45:55. > :45:57.been answered today. I will say this, Labour will guarantee the

:45:58. > :46:01.triple lock, Labour will treat pensioners with respect and we won't

:46:02. > :46:18.move the goalposts for people looking forward to retirement.

:46:19. > :46:25.I have a writer -- I'm 88, I have a wonderful service from the national

:46:26. > :46:34.health service but nowadays I'm scared at the thought of going into

:46:35. > :46:40.hospital. With more people waiting more than four hours in the a E and

:46:41. > :46:43.more people on trolleys in corridors and more delayed discharges, thanks

:46:44. > :47:02.to Tory kushgts isn't she right to be frightened about the future.

:47:03. > :47:14.... ... We are going more GPs and record levels of funding into our

:47:15. > :47:17.health service, but only possible with a strong economy and only

:47:18. > :47:22.possible with a strong and stable Government. And, of course, over the

:47:23. > :47:27.coming weeks, we are all going to be out there, campaigning across the

:47:28. > :47:34.country as I will be taking our record in the National Health

:47:35. > :47:38.Service. I did note this week that the Shadow Home Secretary has been

:47:39. > :47:44.campaigning in her own personal way. She has directed her supporters, her

:47:45. > :47:54.followers to a website, I Like Corbyn But...

:47:55. > :48:01.It says, "How will he pay for all this? But I've heard he wants to

:48:02. > :48:07.increase taxes. But, I've heard he is a terrorist sympathiser. But his

:48:08. > :48:12.attitudes about defence worry me. They are right to be worried. Unable

:48:13. > :48:18.to defend our country. Determined to raise tax on ordinary workers, no

:48:19. > :48:20.plan to manage our economy. Even his own supporters know he's not fit to

:48:21. > :48:39.run this country. My question was about the National

:48:40. > :48:43.Health Service Sybil's concerns. It's all right, it's all right. The

:48:44. > :48:46.NHS has not got the money it needs. The Prime Minister knows that. She

:48:47. > :48:52.knows waiting times and waiting lists are up. She knows there is a

:48:53. > :48:56.crisis in almost every A department. Maybe she could go to a

:48:57. > :49:05.hospital and allow the staff to ask her a few questions. Mr Speaker,

:49:06. > :49:12.strong leadership is about standing up for the many not the few. But

:49:13. > :49:15.when it comes to the Prime Minister and the Conservatives, they only

:49:16. > :49:23.look after the richest, not the rest.

:49:24. > :49:33.They are strong against the weak and weak against the strong. Far from

:49:34. > :49:39.building a strong economy, schools and our NHS are being cut. People

:49:40. > :49:45.can't afford homes. Millions can't make ends meet. That doesn't add up

:49:46. > :49:55.to a stronger economy for anyone. Mr Speaker, the lings on 8th June is a

:49:56. > :49:59.choice between a Conservative... -- the election on 8th June.

:50:00. > :50:03.Is a choice between the Conservatives for a few and a Labour

:50:04. > :50:11.Government that will stand up for all of our people. If the right

:50:12. > :50:16.honourable gentleman wants it talk about the NHS perhaps he should talk

:50:17. > :50:26.about Labour's custodianship of the NHS in Wales. There is somewhere

:50:27. > :50:31.where the NHS has been cut, it's in Wales under the Labour Party. But

:50:32. > :50:36.the right honourable gentleman is right, in something over six weeks

:50:37. > :50:42.we will be back at these Despatch Boxes again and the only question is

:50:43. > :50:47.where will we be standing, who will be Prime Minister of this great

:50:48. > :50:53.country? And he says the choice is clear and the choice is clear. Every

:50:54. > :50:58.vote for him is a vote for a chaotic Brexit. Every vote for me is a vote

:50:59. > :51:03.to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for

:51:04. > :51:09.Britain. Every vote for him is a vote to weaken our economy. Every

:51:10. > :51:13.vote for me is a vote for a strong economy, for the benefit felt by

:51:14. > :51:20.everyone across the country. And every vote for him is a vote for a

:51:21. > :51:25.coalition of chaos. A weak leader, propped up by the Liberal Democrats

:51:26. > :51:30.and the Scottish Nationalists. Every vote for me is a vote for strong and

:51:31. > :51:37.stable leadership in the national interest, building a stronger and

:51:38. > :51:46.more secure future for this country. CHEERS

:51:47. > :51:56.THE SPEAKER: Order. Order. The exchanges between the

:51:57. > :51:58.Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have been unprecedentedly

:51:59. > :52:03.comprehensive. We do wish to hear questions from backbenchers. Mr Benn

:52:04. > :52:09.Howlett. Thank you Mr Speaker. Thanks to this Conservative

:52:10. > :52:14.Government the west of England has seen billions of investment in trap

:52:15. > :52:17.fra. On freak visits to Bath by the Transport Secretary and Prime

:52:18. > :52:21.Minister I have raised congestion and air pollution as well as

:52:22. > :52:25.feasibility study on the long overdue link road to the east of

:52:26. > :52:29.Bath will the Prime Minister agree the only way to secure this vital

:52:30. > :52:33.project is for Bath residents to give me a renewed mandate on June

:52:34. > :52:43.8th? My honourable friend is absolutely right. I know he has been

:52:44. > :52:45.campaigning tirelessly on behalf of his constituents on this issue. I

:52:46. > :52:47.understand highways England is already considering a number of

:52:48. > :52:50.options to divert traffic awaying from Bath as my honourable friend

:52:51. > :52:51.suggests. It is under this Conservative Government we've

:52:52. > :52:54.increased annual Government infrastructure investment but it is

:52:55. > :52:57.only possible with a strong economy and that's only possible with a

:52:58. > :53:04.strong and stable Conservative leadership and a vote for any other

:53:05. > :53:08.party is a vote for wrecking our economy, for a coalition of chaos,

:53:09. > :53:10.and that will do nothing for my honourable friend's constituents,

:53:11. > :53:26.for whom I hope he will continue to be able to work tirelessly. Sir

:53:27. > :53:28.Angus Robertson. Will the Prime Minister give a clear and

:53:29. > :53:35.unambiguous commitment to maintaining the triple lock on the

:53:36. > :53:40.state pension? I've been very clear that under this Conservative

:53:41. > :53:51.Government we have seen pensioners benefit as a result of what we have

:53:52. > :53:55.done to the basic state pension. To the tune of ?1250 a year and I am

:53:56. > :54:03.clear that under a Conservative Government pension and incomes would

:54:04. > :54:07.continue to increase. Mr Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a pretty

:54:08. > :54:14.simple question, a yes or a no and the Prime Minister failed to answer.

:54:15. > :54:21.So pensioners, right across this land are right to conclude that this

:54:22. > :54:27.Tory Prime Minister plans to ditch the triple lock on the state

:54:28. > :54:31.pension. Mr Speaker, too many women already face pensions inequality and

:54:32. > :54:35.the Tories now won't even guarantee the pensions triple lock. The only

:54:36. > :54:41.reason that they will not guarantee it is because they want to cut

:54:42. > :54:47.pensions. Is not the message to pensioners - you cannot trust this

:54:48. > :54:53.Prime Minister, you cannot trust the Tories on your pension? I say to

:54:54. > :54:57.everybody, as I have just said - if you want to know the party in

:54:58. > :55:02.Government that has improved the lot of pensioners, across this country,

:55:03. > :55:06.it is the Conservative Party. And under a Conservative Party r

:55:07. > :55:09.Conservative Government, those pensioner incomes would continue to

:55:10. > :55:13.increase and he talks about inequality for women. It's the

:55:14. > :55:16.change in the structure of the state pension, introduced by this

:55:17. > :55:20.Government, that is going to improve the lot of women, female pensioners

:55:21. > :55:24.in the future, that is going to be much better for them but one thing

:55:25. > :55:29.that pensioners, one thing that pensioners in Scotland will know, as

:55:30. > :55:32.other voters in Scotland will know, is that if they believe in the

:55:33. > :55:42.union, there's only one way to vote and that's to vote Conservative.

:55:43. > :55:49.Thank you, Mr Speaker, my local CCG is planning to downgrade A at

:55:50. > :55:56.Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and move it to Halifax. This is being

:55:57. > :56:00.Dickicated by a disastrous PFI deal. I have been fighting this plans

:56:01. > :56:04.alongside the community groups Hands Off HRI led by Karl Deech will the

:56:05. > :56:07.Prime Minister join me in praising the community campaigners led by

:56:08. > :56:14.Karl. Does she agree with me that patients should not be suffering as

:56:15. > :56:19.a result of these catastrophic PFI deals, defined by the last Labour

:56:20. > :56:25.Government and will she ensure that communities like mine have their

:56:26. > :56:29.voices listened to properly? Well can I say to my honourable friend,

:56:30. > :56:34.he will know, because it is an issue he has raised with me, I know he has

:56:35. > :56:38.been a tires campaigner on this and has been a strong voice for his

:56:39. > :56:42.local constituency and put his case persuasive to ministers. It is

:56:43. > :56:49.Labour's disastrous PFI deals that are costing the NHS more than ?1

:56:50. > :56:54.billion every year and the choice at the election will be clear - do the

:56:55. > :57:00.people of Colne Valley want that strong voice for their local A

:57:01. > :57:03.with the ear of a strong Government, continuing to keep our economy

:57:04. > :57:07.strong and investing in our national health service or do they want the

:57:08. > :57:11.Leader of the Opposition and his coalition of chaos, less money for

:57:12. > :57:13.public services, less money for National Health Service, fewer

:57:14. > :57:26.doctors, fewer nurses and worse health care for our constituents. Mr

:57:27. > :57:30.Speaker, my honourable friends for Redcar, Scunthorpe and other

:57:31. > :57:33.constituents have all proven local champions for their local steel

:57:34. > :57:37.communities. Doesn't the Prime Minister agree that their ongoing

:57:38. > :57:44.presence in this place is vital for the future of our British Steel

:57:45. > :57:48.industry? Well, can I just say that the honourable gentleman, that I

:57:49. > :57:55.know that he is - I believe he is standing down at the election having

:57:56. > :58:00.said that was due to his significant and irreconcilable differences with

:58:01. > :58:17.the leadership of his party. What is important... SHOUTS

:58:18. > :58:21.THE SPEAKER: Order, I'm trying to help backbenchers be heard. Please

:58:22. > :58:24.help the chair to help backbench ministers, the Prime Minister. What

:58:25. > :58:27.is important for the steel industry in this country is this Government

:58:28. > :58:31.has taken action to support the steel industry. I was very pleased

:58:32. > :58:36.when visiting Wales yesterday to be able to visit a company that works

:58:37. > :58:41.with the steel industry, galvanises products, steel products and they

:58:42. > :58:44.were talking about actually the greater work that they are seeing

:58:45. > :58:49.and the improvement they are seeing in the steel industry. This

:58:50. > :58:52.Conservative Government has taken steps to support the steel industry

:58:53. > :58:56.and will continue to do so. Thank you, Mr Speaker, with the

:58:57. > :59:01.consultation on Greater Manchester's spacial framework now closed I would

:59:02. > :59:07.like to thank the 3,600 cheedal residents who signed my petition. It

:59:08. > :59:12.calls for the green belt in cheed yul homosexual am, To be protected

:59:13. > :59:15.and homes to be built on brownfield land inside. Would the Prime

:59:16. > :59:20.Minister agree with me that we must press for brownfield sites to be

:59:21. > :59:25.identified and redeveloped and the protection of our pressure green

:59:26. > :59:29.spaces can only be maintained under a strong, Government Government? My

:59:30. > :59:40.honourable friend is right on this issue, and I know she has been a

:59:41. > :59:47.strong campaigner and -- the green belt in Cheedal spss Hulme shall. We

:59:48. > :59:53.have set out in the white paper that boundaries should only be locked at

:59:54. > :59:58.when local #240r9s have looked at other sites. I know there was great

:59:59. > :00:03.consultation on the spacial Graham work and I commend my honourable

:00:04. > :00:11.friend for the work she did to gather the views of her constituents

:00:12. > :00:16.in Cheedle. I'm sure they'll be taken into account It has been

:00:17. > :00:23.announced 2,000 jobs will be lost to York. Yesterday Nestle announced job

:00:24. > :00:27.losses in my constituency. Devastating for workers jobs, not

:00:28. > :00:30.products being exported to the EU and as ever, skilled jobs being

:00:31. > :00:35.replaced by low-wage, insecure work. In the light of the special deal at

:00:36. > :00:38.Nissan in Sunderland, will the Prime Minister meet with me, trade unions

:00:39. > :00:41.and the company to strike a special deal to save these jobs, avert the

:00:42. > :00:54.losses both now and in the future? First, I think the honourable lady

:00:55. > :00:58.is right to raise this issue that emerged yesterday the announcement

:00:59. > :01:01.from Nestle. Nestle themselves been clear that this was not a decision

:01:02. > :01:04.affected by leaving the EU, they say they have made it irrespective of

:01:05. > :01:09.that, but of course it is a worrying time for the workers and their

:01:10. > :01:13.families in both York and Newcastle, and I can assure her, we are already

:01:14. > :01:16.in contact with the company to understand their plans and the next

:01:17. > :01:21.steps. The Business Secretary will speak with senior Nestle

:01:22. > :01:26.representatives later today. DWP of course stands ready to put in place

:01:27. > :01:28.their rapid response service to support any workers made redundant

:01:29. > :01:32.by helping them back into employment as quickly as possible, and there

:01:33. > :01:36.are various ways in which job centre plus can help. It is important to

:01:37. > :01:39.ensure the support is Marmite. As I said, the Business Secretary will

:01:40. > :01:50.speak to Nestle representatives later today. Record employment, the

:01:51. > :01:53.national living wage, strong national defence is keeping our

:01:54. > :01:56.promises in Europe - these are some of the achievements we can be proud

:01:57. > :02:02.of. Does my right honourable friend agree that it is only about four

:02:03. > :02:05.strong and stable Conservative leadership in the national interest

:02:06. > :02:08.on the 8th of June that will continue to deliver on the economy,

:02:09. > :02:14.defence and a deal with Europe that will enable businesses to continue

:02:15. > :02:21.to thrive by re-electing a Conservative MP for the second time?

:02:22. > :02:27.Well, I, I, will say to my honourable friend, can I thank him

:02:28. > :02:33.for his question. He has, since that fantastic, historical election of

:02:34. > :02:36.him in Gower, he has been a really powerful voice for his constituents,

:02:37. > :02:40.but also in deed for the needs of Wales more generally. I already

:02:41. > :02:44.referred to the fact that I was in Wales yesterday and had the

:02:45. > :02:48.opportunity to speak to people in business and meet voters and to hear

:02:49. > :02:51.of their concerns, but my honourable friend goes absolutely to the heart

:02:52. > :02:56.of the matter when he says what is necessary is a good Brexit deal. It

:02:57. > :03:03.is crucial for businesses, for jobs, and it is only achievable by a

:03:04. > :03:05.strong and stable Government. Every vote for me and the Conservatives,

:03:06. > :03:08.and Conservative candidates and local levels, will strengthen our

:03:09. > :03:15.hand in those negotiations. Yesterday, the Scottish Tories'

:03:16. > :03:20.defence of the rate close failed. Can the Prime Minister confirm that

:03:21. > :03:28.no organisation in Scotland has signed up to fill in the 8-page why

:03:29. > :03:31.my child is a victim of rape form? Is the Prime Minister seriously

:03:32. > :03:37.going into this election with this unworkable and immoral policy? Well,

:03:38. > :03:42.this is an incredibly sensitive issue, and that is why we have

:03:43. > :03:49.looked at it very cavalier. We consulted very carefully on it --

:03:50. > :03:53.very carefully. We have put in place a series of measures when such cases

:03:54. > :03:57.arise. It is important to look at what lies behind this, because

:03:58. > :04:04.underpinning this policy is a principle of fairness, and we know

:04:05. > :04:08.the SNP want to scrap the policy in its entirety. We believe that people

:04:09. > :04:12.who are in work have to make the same decisions as those people who

:04:13. > :04:17.are out of work, so that people who are on benefits should have to

:04:18. > :04:22.decide whether they can afford more children, the same way that people

:04:23. > :04:27.in work have to decide. York is a fantastic place to work, live and

:04:28. > :04:33.start a business, but transport infrastructure is key for the city

:04:34. > :04:40.to fulfil its economic potential. A ring road, a new railway station,

:04:41. > :04:46.upgrading roads will all help secure yorker's future, so will the Prime

:04:47. > :04:51.Minister continue to improve infrastructure and deliver for

:04:52. > :04:56.regions like Yorkshire? He raises an important point. We have been able

:04:57. > :05:02.to invest ?1.6 million this year for transport improvers, ?2.2 million

:05:03. > :05:06.for highways improvements, and ?3 million for the York initiative, but

:05:07. > :05:09.you can only invest if you have the strong and stable leadership that

:05:10. > :05:14.secures a strong economy, and that is what the choice in June is going

:05:15. > :05:20.to be. A strong economy, guaranteeing investment across the

:05:21. > :05:27.country, in York and other parts, or bankruptcies and chaos under Labour.

:05:28. > :05:31.As the Prime Minister knows, betting terminals cause immense harming

:05:32. > :05:34.communities. On taking office, she authorised a review of maximum

:05:35. > :05:38.stakes and all that information was collected by the end of last year.

:05:39. > :05:42.Why do we still not have a result, and will she today show some

:05:43. > :05:47.leadership and reduce the maximum stake on these appalling machines to

:05:48. > :05:55.?2? I recognise this is an issue that has been raised by a number of

:05:56. > :05:58.members of this House. The answer, we did indeed have that consultation

:05:59. > :06:02.and there will be a Government response. Of course, that

:06:03. > :06:07.response... Well... Get on with it, we're told. We are now in a

:06:08. > :06:14.situation where these things will be published after the purdah period

:06:15. > :06:17.and after the general election, so the honourable gentleman, the right

:06:18. > :06:21.honourable gentleman, we'll have to wait for that response, but we

:06:22. > :06:26.recognise the concern and we will respond in due course. Should the

:06:27. > :06:29.Prime Minister find herself in the vicinity of Milton Keynes over the

:06:30. > :06:34.next few weeks, may I suggest a visit to Milton Keynes hospital

:06:35. > :06:40.where she will find rising clinical standards and investment going into

:06:41. > :06:46.a new ward, a new medical school and a new cancer treatment centre. Can I

:06:47. > :06:51.thank my honourable friend. I think I will be visiting parts of

:06:52. > :06:56.communities around the whole country over the next few weeks, but I want

:06:57. > :06:58.to congratulate the staff at Milton Keynes University Hospital for

:06:59. > :07:02.achieving that rating. As my honourable friend said, it was

:07:03. > :07:07.backed up by considerable investment. Between 2015 and 2020,

:07:08. > :07:10.of ?500 million is being spent on the NHS in England and it is only

:07:11. > :07:14.possible because we have safeguarded the economy over the last seven

:07:15. > :07:18.years. It will only be possible in the future if we secure the strong

:07:19. > :07:23.and stable leadership our country needs. As I said, in Wales, Labour

:07:24. > :07:28.had been cutting the health budget. Can I invite the Prime Minister to

:07:29. > :07:36.visit me in Southampton instead of going to Milton Keynes? She could

:07:37. > :07:40.tour the Southampton schools. If she does, she will find that those

:07:41. > :07:45.schools are in despair about the cut in pupil funding of 10% in

:07:46. > :07:51.Southampton, ?475 per pupil, equivalent to a loss of almost 400

:07:52. > :07:56.teaching jobs across the city. She would find also one school that is

:07:57. > :08:06.inviting parents to clean the school toilets. Order! The Prime

:08:07. > :08:09.Minister... It is perfectly possible I might find myself in Southampton

:08:10. > :08:13.over the coming weeks. As I have said, as I have said before in this

:08:14. > :08:17.House, there has been a general agreement that the current funding

:08:18. > :08:20.formula is not fair, and Labour did nothing in 13 years of Government to

:08:21. > :08:25.address it. It is important we get it right and we will be responding

:08:26. > :08:29.to the consultation in due course. What is good news for schools in the

:08:30. > :08:35.honourable gentleman's constituency is, we now see 7000 more pupils in

:08:36. > :08:46.God are outstanding schools, and overall funding would rise under our

:08:47. > :08:55.reforms. After he steps down after 44 years service in the house, I

:08:56. > :08:59.call Sir Alan Hazlehurst. Can my right honourable friend as you me

:09:00. > :09:05.that her second Government will have high regard for matters of great

:09:06. > :09:13.concern to the Saffron Walden constituency? Namely improved

:09:14. > :09:18.railways, in line with reports, the spread of fast broadband to rural

:09:19. > :09:24.communities, and an airspace regime that prioritises noise reduction?

:09:25. > :09:28.Can I first of all pay tribute to my right honourable friend for his

:09:29. > :09:34.service, not just his constituents over years, but for his service to

:09:35. > :09:39.this House when he took the chair as Deputy Speaker of this House. He has

:09:40. > :09:43.been a stall what and a champion of the people of Saffron Walden over

:09:44. > :09:46.the years, for 40 years, as this speaker has said. He is right to

:09:47. > :09:50.raise issues of infrastructure spending. In the budget, we included

:09:51. > :09:55.?40 million for the East of England, but of course, as I think my right

:09:56. > :09:59.honourable friend implied in his question, it is only possible to do

:10:00. > :10:03.that with the strong economy that comes with a strong and stable

:10:04. > :10:06.Government, and for Saffron Walden, that will mean seeing a Conservative

:10:07. > :10:14.Government elected on the 8th of June. My constituent, Mr Buchanan,

:10:15. > :10:18.who suffered several serious strokes and requires extensive care was

:10:19. > :10:25.deemed to have missed an appointment when Aptos arrived early, and his

:10:26. > :10:28.carers had not turned up yet. His benefits were stopped. Why is the

:10:29. > :10:33.welfare regime punishing vulnerable people like my constituent? We want

:10:34. > :10:37.to ensure that we have a system in place that does properly assess

:10:38. > :10:43.people who are applying for benefits. As he has referred to, and

:10:44. > :10:48.as other members will know, there have been some issues around the way

:10:49. > :10:52.in which that system is operated, which is why the DWP has looked

:10:53. > :11:01.carefully at it to ensure it does make proper assessment and delivers

:11:02. > :11:04.the right results for people. Does my right honourable friend realise I

:11:05. > :11:10.am standing down after 34 years because of her was back because I

:11:11. > :11:17.have confidence that the country will be safe after the election

:11:18. > :11:26.under her strong and stable leadership. Does she realise that

:11:27. > :11:29.seizing the opportunity from regaining control over our laws, our

:11:30. > :11:37.money, our borders and our trade would be more important than the

:11:38. > :11:45.terms of any exit deal? And does she recognise that to get a reasonable

:11:46. > :11:52.deal we must accept that no deal is indeed better than a bad deal, and

:11:53. > :11:58.to deny this signals that no price is too high, no concession to

:11:59. > :12:04.grovelling to accept, a recipe for the worst possible deal? So, I wish

:12:05. > :12:11.my right honourable friend and all honourable members in this tack-mac

:12:12. > :12:18.house I love Godspeed. -- in this House I love. I thank him for the

:12:19. > :12:23.tremendous contribution he has made through his years as a member of

:12:24. > :12:27.this House, not only for his constituents, but also for the time

:12:28. > :12:33.he spent in Government as a valued minister in a Conservative

:12:34. > :12:36.Government. He has rightly highlighted the importance of the

:12:37. > :12:42.decision that was taken last year by the people of the United Kingdom. He

:12:43. > :12:45.played a role in that referendum campaign, and it is right that we

:12:46. > :12:50.get on with that job of delivering Brexit, making a success of it. That

:12:51. > :12:53.does mean a strong hand in negotiations, and the only way to

:12:54. > :12:58.ensure that is the case, the only way to ensure that people of Hitchin

:12:59. > :13:01.and Harpenden and the whole of the UK, is to ensure a Conservative

:13:02. > :13:08.Government is elected on the 8th of June. Thank you, Mr Speaker. We do

:13:09. > :13:12.need a strong Prime Minister to lead this nation, but we also need the

:13:13. > :13:16.countries of this nation to have a strong voice too. Does the Prime

:13:17. > :13:19.Minister agree with me that those who abstain from taking their seats

:13:20. > :13:25.in this house, those who are denying the people of Northern Ireland the

:13:26. > :13:28.Government, the formation of a Government, are denying their

:13:29. > :13:34.constituents a say in the future of this country, and we will not allow

:13:35. > :13:38.that to happen? The honourable gentleman and is absolutely right,

:13:39. > :13:41.of course. It is important that the constituents who we elect members of

:13:42. > :13:45.Parliament feel that those members are able to do their job, able to

:13:46. > :13:49.bring their concerns here to this House and play a full part in this

:13:50. > :13:54.chamber. He is also right that we want to ensure that every part of

:13:55. > :13:58.the UK has a strong voice, which is why it is important that we continue

:13:59. > :14:07.to work for the restoration of the devolved administration in Northern

:14:08. > :14:13.Ireland. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister has shown

:14:14. > :14:16.considerable leadership in adopting the definition of anti-Semitism.

:14:17. > :14:20.Does she believe it is the duty of all party leaders in this House not

:14:21. > :14:27.just pay lip service but to do something about it? And does she

:14:28. > :14:32.share... Does she share my disgust that a former member of this House,

:14:33. > :14:35.criticised by the home affairs select committee for his

:14:36. > :14:43.anti-Semitic utterances, is now the official candidate in Bradford East

:14:44. > :14:55.for the Lib brawl Democrats -- the Liberal Democrats? Can I... Can I

:14:56. > :15:03.first of all pay tribute to my right honourable friend, my chum, for all

:15:04. > :15:08.the service he has given, and not just for his service in this House.

:15:09. > :15:13.He had a considerable record in local Government before he came into

:15:14. > :15:16.this House, and he is also in his time and the work he has done on

:15:17. > :15:21.anti-Semitism performed a very important role. He has had a

:15:22. > :15:24.relentless drive to stamp out anti-Semitism, and indeed

:15:25. > :15:28.intolerance in all its forms in our communities, and he should be proud

:15:29. > :15:35.of the record he has and the work I know he will continue to do as a

:15:36. > :15:41.champion on this issue. He is right to highlight Bradford, of course. He

:15:42. > :15:46.has a particular knowledge of that city, and people will be, I think,

:15:47. > :15:52.rightly disappointed to see the Liberal Democrats readopt a

:15:53. > :15:55.candidate with a questionable record on anti-Semitism. It is important

:15:56. > :16:00.that all parties maintain the strongest possible sense your on all

:16:01. > :16:08.forms of intolerance and send that message to our communities.

:16:09. > :16:19.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Is he standing down, too? In the nine

:16:20. > :16:29.months the Prime Minister has held her office, she has closed the door

:16:30. > :16:32.on desperate child refugees. She has ignored the plight of those

:16:33. > :16:40.suffering under crisis in health and social care and she's responsible

:16:41. > :16:43.for the shameful rape clause. 20 years ago she berated the

:16:44. > :16:50.Conservative Party for being the nasty party but her party has never

:16:51. > :16:54.been nastier. For the legacy of this Parliament... THE SPEAKER: Order,

:16:55. > :16:59.order. Whatever the strength of feeling, the right honourable

:17:00. > :17:04.gentleman must be heard. And the legacy of this Parliament is the

:17:05. > :17:06.utter abject failure of Her Majesty's official Opposition to

:17:07. > :17:12.effectively hold her Government to account for any of it. Is it not

:17:13. > :17:19.time that Britain had a strong, decent, new Opposition? Well, first

:17:20. > :17:23.of all let me pick up thep point he made on child refugees. This

:17:24. > :17:27.Government has a proud record on supporting refugees in Syria. We

:17:28. > :17:31.have been the second biggest by lateral donor to the region, in

:17:32. > :17:35.order to support millions of refugees to educate children, as I

:17:36. > :17:39.saw when I visited Jordan recently and of course we've also supported

:17:40. > :17:43.some of the most vulnerable refugees, including children in

:17:44. > :17:50.bringing them here to make a new life in the United Kingdom. He talks

:17:51. > :17:56.about a decent Opposition. I find it difficult to hear those words coming

:17:57. > :18:04.from his mouth when we've heard his party has selected a candidate with

:18:05. > :18:08.questionable views on anti-Semitism. Mr Speaker, it has been an immensed

:18:09. > :18:14.privilege to serve my constituents for the past 34 years. I arrived in

:18:15. > :18:19.1983 when one formidable and determined female Conservative Prime

:18:20. > :18:22.Minister was transforming the country's economic fortunes and I

:18:23. > :18:26.depart as another is determined to restore to this country the status

:18:27. > :18:32.of a Sovereign mention state, embracing the rest of the world and

:18:33. > :18:39.as I too bid my right honourable friend the Prime Minister God speed

:18:40. > :18:44.for a victory on 8th June, may Aldershot just make one final plea

:18:45. > :18:49.in these troubled times, please will she ensure that Her Majesty's Armed

:18:50. > :18:53.Forces are properly funded, manned, equipped and housed to defend and

:18:54. > :18:58.protect the people of this glorious sceptred Isle, the United Kingdom of

:18:59. > :19:07.Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Hear hear. Well, once again can I

:19:08. > :19:12.pay tribute to the work that my honourable friend has done in this

:19:13. > :19:16.House, representing as he has done, over the 34 years, two different

:19:17. > :19:21.constituencies. But, of course one of the underlying themes of his time

:19:22. > :19:25.in this House has been his passionate championing of the Armed

:19:26. > :19:31.Forces and his consideration for our Armed Forces. And I can assure him

:19:32. > :19:34.that on 8th June people will have a very clear choice between the right

:19:35. > :19:37.honourable gentleman who refuses to defend our country, and a

:19:38. > :19:46.Conservative Government that will continue to support our Armed

:19:47. > :19:55.Forces. THE SPEAKER: Graham Morris. Can I ask the Prime Minister why is

:19:56. > :20:07.she running scared of the televised leadership debates? May I suggest

:20:08. > :20:12.that she holds such a televiced where she can see the consequences

:20:13. > :20:17.of her policies and explain to the people if it is possible that she

:20:18. > :20:22.has any mandate to seek their support and re-election? I have been

:20:23. > :20:25.in televised debates with the right honourable gentleman the Leader of

:20:26. > :20:29.the Opposition week in and week out since I have been Prime Minister and

:20:30. > :20:32.I will be talking across all parts of this country a fine record for a

:20:33. > :20:37.Conservative Government. He talks about housing, twice the amount of

:20:38. > :20:40.council houses, than built under Labour. Record funding into the

:20:41. > :20:44.National Health Service and schools and pensioners on the basic state

:20:45. > :20:48.pension ?1250 aier better off. That's a proud record of the

:20:49. > :20:52.Conservatives and a record that we will continue after 8th June. THE

:20:53. > :21:07.SPEAKER: Mike Wood. Mrnchts speaker, it is good to be

:21:08. > :21:19.back, and to be honest, it is good to be anywhere. -- Mr Speaker

:21:20. > :21:24.Doctors and nurses of my local hospital saved my life in January

:21:25. > :21:30.but each year 44,000 people are less lucky. Will my honourable friend

:21:31. > :21:34.look at the measures we can take, to reduce deaths from sepis, including

:21:35. > :21:40.awareness-raising, including a national registry to properly record

:21:41. > :21:45.the burden of sepis and effective commissioning levers to incentivise

:21:46. > :21:48.best practice. The UK Sepis Trust estimates that measures like these

:21:49. > :21:54.will save 50,000 lives over the next Parliament. Can I say to my

:21:55. > :21:58.honourable friend, that it is fantastic to see him back in his

:21:59. > :22:02.place. I hope he will have noted the welcome he got from across the House

:22:03. > :22:05.for being back in his place but he is absolutely right, to bring a

:22:06. > :22:08.focus on this issue of this devastating condition of sepis and

:22:09. > :22:15.every death from it, of course is a tragedy but as we know, something

:22:16. > :22:18.like 10,000 deaths per year could be avoided through prevention, early

:22:19. > :22:22.diagnosis and treatment. We do need to get better at spotting sepis

:22:23. > :22:26.across the NHS. The Department of Health is beginning work on a new

:22:27. > :22:29.sepis action plan. We are having a new public awhich areness campaign

:22:30. > :22:33.and we expect a NICE quality standard to be published later this

:22:34. > :22:36.year and with the passion that my honourable friend now brings to this

:22:37. > :22:47.campaign, I'm sure he will continue to make his voice heard on this

:22:48. > :22:58.important issue. THE SPEAKER: George Howarth? Yesterday, Mr Speaker, my

:22:59. > :23:01.right honourable friend for Leigh, who will be much missed in this

:23:02. > :23:04.House, had a debate on contaminated blood on which he called for an

:23:05. > :23:07.independent Hillsborough-style panel to get at the truth. The Prime

:23:08. > :23:11.Minister has praised the independent panel approach as a way of opening

:23:12. > :23:15.up the door to justice. So, will she join with Labour and the SNP in

:23:16. > :23:18.committing to setting up such a process in her party's manifesto?

:23:19. > :23:22.Hear hear. Well last July we committed ?125 million of extra

:23:23. > :23:25.funding for those affected by the contaminated blood tragedy of the

:23:26. > :23:28.70s and 8 #0s, more than any previous Government. We published

:23:29. > :23:32.reforms last year and we are now consulting on a new measure to allow

:23:33. > :23:36.people affected to benefit from higher annual payments but I can

:23:37. > :23:40.assure everybody that everyone will receive at a minimum what they

:23:41. > :23:43.receive now as a result of the proposed changes and the Department

:23:44. > :23:47.of Health will respond to the consultation in due course.

:23:48. > :23:52.THE SPEAKER: Dame Angela Watkin son? Thank you, Mr Speaker, it was a

:23:53. > :23:55.privilege to win back the seat of Upminster in 2001 for the

:23:56. > :24:00.Conservatives. Would my right honourable friend tell the House why

:24:01. > :24:08.the good people of Hornchurch and Upminster should continue to vote

:24:09. > :24:18.Conservative at the coming election? Well, can I first of all pay tribe

:24:19. > :24:21.Bute to my honourable friend for the contribution that she has made, not

:24:22. > :24:25.-- pay tribute to my honourable friend for the contribution she has

:24:26. > :24:29.made, not just here but in the whip's office in this House and I'm

:24:30. > :24:34.happy to tell the voters of Hornchurch and Upminster that every

:24:35. > :24:36.vote for me and the local Conservative candidate will

:24:37. > :24:40.strengthen our hand in the Brexit negotiation to get the best deal for

:24:41. > :24:43.this country and every vote for me and the local Conservative candidate

:24:44. > :24:46.will be a vote for a stronger economy and every vote for me and

:24:47. > :24:50.the local Conservative candidate will be a vote for a strong and

:24:51. > :24:52.stable leadership in the national leadership, compared to the

:24:53. > :24:56.coalition of chaos we will see under the Labour Party. THE SPEAKER: Mr

:24:57. > :25:00.Douglas Carswell. Whamplgts assurances account Prime Minister

:25:01. > :25:05.give to the 3.8 million people that voted Ukip at the last election that

:25:06. > :25:08.if she is Prime Minister after June 8th, the United Kingdom will become

:25:09. > :25:14.a Sovereign country again, living under our own Parliament, making our

:25:15. > :25:18.own laws? I will give an assurance to all those people who voted for

:25:19. > :25:21.the United Kingdom to leave the European Union and for all people

:25:22. > :25:25.across the country, regardless of how they voted, who now want to see

:25:26. > :25:29.this Government getting on with the job of Brexit and making a success

:25:30. > :25:33.of it, that we want to see control of our borders, control of our laws,

:25:34. > :25:37.control of our money and that's what we will deliver. THE SPEAKER: In

:25:38. > :25:40.wishing the right honourable gentleman all the best for the

:25:41. > :26:02.future, I I call Sir Simon Burns. Dump SHOUTS Mr Speaker, may I thank

:26:03. > :26:07.you for that. May I tell my right honourable friend the Prime Minister

:26:08. > :26:09.that for 30 years I've had the privilege and honour to represent

:26:10. > :26:22.the great people of Chelmsford. May I also tell her that the great

:26:23. > :26:28.people of Chelmsford are persvicacious. And theyp want a

:26:29. > :26:31.Government that provides strong economy, strong leadership and

:26:32. > :26:34.strong defences and may I tell my honourable friend it is the

:26:35. > :26:37.Conservative Party under her strong leadership that will deliver for

:26:38. > :26:46.this country for the next five years. Well, can I thank my

:26:47. > :26:52.honourable friend for the significant contribution that he has

:26:53. > :26:56.made his constituents in Chelmsford and in this House and in Government

:26:57. > :27:00.over this period of time. And can I say to him that he is absolutely

:27:01. > :27:03.right, his constituents will be looking for strong defences, for a

:27:04. > :27:08.strong economy, a strong leadership that will build a more secure future

:27:09. > :27:16.for this country and it is only a Conservative Government that can

:27:17. > :27:19.provide that. Alex Salmond In this Brexit world the Prime Minister is

:27:20. > :27:22.desperate to have trade deals with anybody and nobody so the

:27:23. > :27:25.international Trade Secretary went to the Philippines this month

:27:26. > :27:31.appeared with the president and said he wanted a strong relationship

:27:32. > :27:34.based on shared values. Can the Prime Minister identify for the

:27:35. > :27:38.House what shared values that she has in common with the president

:27:39. > :27:42.there? Well, the right honourable gentleman is right that as we leave

:27:43. > :27:46.the European Union we want it ensure that we are a truly global Britain,

:27:47. > :27:50.that we do have trade deals around the rest of the world and the reason

:27:51. > :27:53.wep want those trade deals as well as the strong and secure deep and

:27:54. > :27:57.special partnership with the European Union on trade is so we can

:27:58. > :27:59.ensure prosperity across the whole of the country and jobs for ordinary

:28:00. > :28:09.working families. Order.

:28:10. > :28:14.STUDIO: And that was the final Prime Minister's Questions of the

:28:15. > :28:17.Parliament of 2015-17. It was also the longest Prime Minister's

:28:18. > :28:23.Questions on record. It amount went to the full hour. 58 minutes.

:28:24. > :28:27.Beating the record last December on 56 minutes. Only on the Daily

:28:28. > :28:31.Politics do you get statistics like this. We are overrunning just a

:28:32. > :28:36.little bit because we wanted to cover it all. The speaker seemed to

:28:37. > :28:42.be going for most of the MPs who are standing down. He seemed to get a

:28:43. > :28:48.few and another few were thrown N the exchanges between Mr Corbyn and

:28:49. > :28:53.Mrs May. Mr Corbyn wanted to cover falling consumer spending power, NHS

:28:54. > :28:58.spending, school cuts, more about the NHS and so on, Mrs May's replies

:28:59. > :29:01.were largely about strong and stable Government. I think that gives you a

:29:02. > :29:05.flavour of the way they election campaign is going. There is another

:29:06. > :29:10.poll come out while we were on air. It puts the Tories on 49%, plus 10,

:29:11. > :29:14.which suggests the previous one was a bit of an outlier, and Labour

:29:15. > :29:30.27-minus for. Laura, what did you make of it? I

:29:31. > :29:33.think for Jeremy Corbyn it was an attempt to go through his greatest

:29:34. > :29:39.hits. These issues we know he talked about for a long time. He tried to

:29:40. > :29:42.do the full package, Housing, the NHS Irish and issues about school

:29:43. > :29:45.cuts. He went back to his, what was meant to be newfangled, but didn't

:29:46. > :29:49.serve him that way, with those e-mails, those questions from

:29:50. > :29:52.members of the public, so we had Maureen, Laura, Andy Sybil and one

:29:53. > :29:56.final one that I haven't got down in my notes. Christopher.

:29:57. > :30:00.Well-remembered, Jo. I think the new story out of that Prime Minister's

:30:01. > :30:03.Questions is probably that the Prime Minister had the opportunity twice

:30:04. > :30:07.to give assurances about the triple lock on pensions and twice she

:30:08. > :30:11.swerved it. Indeed stumbled a little bit in the swerve Didn't look too

:30:12. > :30:15.pleased to be getting that question from the Westminster leader of the

:30:16. > :30:20.SNP, Angus Robertson. Watch this space. Clearly a live debate behind

:30:21. > :30:22.the scenes going on in the top level of the Tory Party on whether or not

:30:23. > :30:32.to recommit to that guarantee. And there is a debate, is in the?

:30:33. > :30:36.So-called Islamic State I am only a humble backbencher. She set up what

:30:37. > :30:44.I said earlier - the record we have on delivering the pensioners... If

:30:45. > :30:48.you're just a humble backbencher, are you just waiting to be told what

:30:49. > :30:54.to think? I am happy with the record. But the triple lock, do you

:30:55. > :30:59.have a view on that or will you just wait until you read the manifesto? I

:31:00. > :31:02.want to make sure we continue protecting pensioners. Whether you

:31:03. > :31:08.make a commitment about the minimum 2.5% of whether it is just inflation

:31:09. > :31:12.or earnings, that is the debate that is going on, but I want to make sure

:31:13. > :31:17.I can knock on the door of a pensioner and say, we will deliver a

:31:18. > :31:21.good result for pensioners. That Labour are promising to keep it. But

:31:22. > :31:26.like all Labour policies, they don't know how to pay for this. The

:31:27. > :31:30.Corporation tax cut has been spent eight times. They have no idea how

:31:31. > :31:37.to paper any of these promises. Theresa May said she will stick to

:31:38. > :31:46.the 0.7% spending on foreign aid. So why is she not making this

:31:47. > :31:51.commitment? She has been very clear. It is as clear as mud, which is why

:31:52. > :32:02.we have asked these questions. You have to wait for the manifesto. Mrs

:32:03. > :32:04.May had a bit of fun about this website regarding Mr Corbyn, but

:32:05. > :32:09.there are also things about John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor.

:32:10. > :32:14.How am worried are you about these things from the past, for example,

:32:15. > :32:17.Mr McDonnell signing a letter calling for the abolition of MI5 and

:32:18. > :32:22.disarming the police? Are you worried that will haunt you? Yell I

:32:23. > :32:26.am sure the Conservatives will try to use all kinds of scare stories,

:32:27. > :32:36.and that is why we absolutely have to have a vision of hope, of an

:32:37. > :32:39.optimistic, different kind of... Howl worried are you that the Shadow

:32:40. > :32:44.Chancellor called for the abolition of MI5? There is nothing the Labour

:32:45. > :32:47.Government will do that will put the security of the country at risk. How

:32:48. > :32:56.can you be sure, given their previous record? Mr Corbyn, there is

:32:57. > :33:04.a video came out with him calling for the scrapping of Nato. That is

:33:05. > :33:13.not policy, we are a pro-NATO party. There is nothing we will do in

:33:14. > :33:17.Government that puts the defence of this country of ours in jeopardy.

:33:18. > :33:22.These past things do haunt you, don't they? In 2017, the world is a

:33:23. > :33:24.different place. Labour Party policy is very clear. We will discuss it

:33:25. > :33:27.more when your manifesto comes out. There's just time to put you out

:33:28. > :33:39.of your misery and give Press that button, it is not the

:33:40. > :33:49.nuclear one! And Phil Brewer has one. -- has won. 1952. That is it

:33:50. > :33:54.from the longest Prime Minister's Questions. But one o'clock News has

:33:55. > :33:56.just started on BBC One. I will be here tomorrow.

:33:57. > :34:11.It's time to clock in... Whoooa!