12/07/2017

:00:00. > :00:47.Is the level of abuse in our politics on the rise?

:00:48. > :00:53.As MPs prepare to debate the issue, Labour and Conservatives engage

:00:54. > :00:56.in an increasingly bitter row about the causes of abuse.

:00:57. > :00:58.An EU naval mission, backed by the Royal Navy,

:00:59. > :01:01.is failing to curb the flow of migrants and may even be leading

:01:02. > :01:04.to an increase in deaths at sea - so says a damning report

:01:05. > :01:12.So should the Government rethink its support?

:01:13. > :01:14.It's the penultimate PMQs before the summer break,

:01:15. > :01:18.but it's the battle of the deputies today as Damian Green

:01:19. > :01:20.faces Emily Thornberry - we'll have all the action

:01:21. > :01:25.And Labour MP Chris Bryant will join us to reveal what piece

:01:26. > :01:35.of legislation he will put forward after winning the ballot

:01:36. > :01:44.So the most important story left to last. Absolutely.

:01:45. > :01:47.All that in the next 90 minutes, and with us for the duration

:01:48. > :01:49.the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, David Gauke,

:01:50. > :01:51.and the Shadow Business Minister, Jack Dromey.

:01:52. > :01:54.Now, we know that George Osborne used to say "uncork the Gauke"

:01:55. > :01:56.when he wanted to send David here to the TV studios.

:01:57. > :01:58.Unfortuately history doesn't relate what Jeremy Corbyn

:01:59. > :02:01.says when he wants Jack to appear on television!

:02:02. > :02:08.An EU naval mission designed to curb the flow of migrants

:02:09. > :02:13.in the Mediterranean has failed to achieve its main objective -

:02:14. > :02:23.that's according to a new report from a House of Lords committee.

:02:24. > :02:26.The peers say that Operation Sophia, in which the UK plays a leading

:02:27. > :02:29.role, appears to have done little to deter migration and its mandate

:02:30. > :02:32.Indeed, the report says the operation may even have had

:02:33. > :02:35.the unintended consequence of leading to more deaths at sea.

:02:36. > :02:37.In the report, the peers say the operation has "failed

:02:38. > :02:39.to achieve its objective" of disrupting smuggling

:02:40. > :02:41.and human trafficking in the central Mediterranean.

:02:42. > :02:43.The peers also say that the operation has unintentionally

:02:44. > :02:52.This is because they've been destroying the smugglers boats

:02:53. > :02:54.This is because they've been destroying the smugglers' boats

:02:55. > :02:56.which has led to them attempting the crossing in less

:02:57. > :03:03.But the chair of the committee, Baroness Verma, said

:03:04. > :03:06.that the operation, which has rescued over 30,000 people, has also

:03:07. > :03:12.In 2015, there were 3175 recorded deaths at sea in the central

:03:13. > :03:19.That number increased significantly last year,

:03:20. > :03:26.And the figure for this year is currently at 2150 recorded deaths.

:03:27. > :03:35.David Gauke, do you accept these findings? No. We will want to look

:03:36. > :03:39.very carefully, but I think the objective of operation, which is to

:03:40. > :03:46.disrupt the business model of the people smugglers, these traffickers,

:03:47. > :03:51.is absolutely right, and that does mean that... If you like there are

:03:52. > :03:55.twin objectives, one is humanitarian, which the report

:03:56. > :03:58.accepts has been a success, but also to make it difficult, so that the

:03:59. > :04:04.business model does not work so there is not money to be made and

:04:05. > :04:07.that. And that has not worked. What the report says, that objective of

:04:08. > :04:11.disrupting the trafficking route has failed? I think that is one thing

:04:12. > :04:16.you have to give it plenty of time. It will not be an overnight success.

:04:17. > :04:22.And it has caused more deaths? I would not put it that way. As I say,

:04:23. > :04:26.in terms of the humanitarian effort, it is working, but this is going to

:04:27. > :04:30.be a long haul, you know. It is not going to be an easy overnight

:04:31. > :04:36.solution, but we have to disrupt that model, and of course we might

:04:37. > :04:41.have to adapt, we might have to look at the way the business is working

:04:42. > :04:44.and do what we can to stop it, but nonetheless the intentions behind it

:04:45. > :04:49.I think are sensible. The intentions are fine, but the findings are that

:04:50. > :04:52.it is not working. The objective was to disrupt the roots, and what has

:04:53. > :05:00.actually happened as a result is less seaworthy dinghies and vessels

:05:01. > :05:04.are being used which is having the unintended consequences of more

:05:05. > :05:07.people dying at sea, so instead of disrupting the business model, to

:05:08. > :05:12.use your phrase, the smugglers are just adapting to the new model. I

:05:13. > :05:16.think the challenge with all of these, however you look at it, is

:05:17. > :05:19.trying to work out what is if you like the counterfactual, what would

:05:20. > :05:25.have happened had we not done this? And, you know, had EU nations not

:05:26. > :05:30.been cooperating and trying to disrupt this, the risk that this

:05:31. > :05:35.business, which is what it is for these smugglers... Which has not

:05:36. > :05:44.been disrupted. Well, would we have seen more journeys? Would we have

:05:45. > :05:49.seen bigger vessels being used, more people being smuggled? And I

:05:50. > :05:53.think... The numbers are up this year on last year. My point is you

:05:54. > :05:59.have to work out the counterfactual, had we not done this. All we know

:06:00. > :06:04.the numbers are up every year. A somewhat important point, that if,

:06:05. > :06:08.you know, what would have happened had we not taken this action, it

:06:09. > :06:11.could it be even more? Simply looking at what the numbers were

:06:12. > :06:15.compared to the previous year and does not give you the whole answer.

:06:16. > :06:20.No, but it gives you an indication. It is going in the wrong direction,

:06:21. > :06:23.isn't it? You said look at the long term, you said about disrupting the

:06:24. > :06:28.business model, and they have just adapted that, and now they are

:06:29. > :06:32.sending people over a fairly flimsy vessels, and those people are dying

:06:33. > :06:35.at sea, because they can't make the crossing from Libya. Just to be

:06:36. > :06:42.clear, is the Government going to stick to this model, if you like, of

:06:43. > :06:46.trying to disrupt migrants' groups, or though you've rethink it? I think

:06:47. > :06:50.we do disagree with what the committee has said, but of course

:06:51. > :06:54.these things have to be constantly under review. How much longer would

:06:55. > :06:59.you give it? I will not put a date on it today. As I say, the real

:07:00. > :07:03.challenge here is if those larger vessels had been allowed to operate

:07:04. > :07:09.unimpeded, would we have seen more and more and more making use of it?

:07:10. > :07:12.That is the real risk. So the Government is going to stick with

:07:13. > :07:18.its support for this particular mission. What does Labour the?

:07:19. > :07:22.Humanity given is that you can't allow people to drown at sea. Do you

:07:23. > :07:29.remember the outcry there was when that two-year-old boy was washed up

:07:30. > :07:34.on the beach. I sure? What we have to do is to more effectively tackle

:07:35. > :07:37.the causes as to why we are seeing the biggest movement of humanity

:07:38. > :07:42.since the Second World War. How long could that takes? To be frank, it

:07:43. > :07:46.could take years. In the meantime are you saying that nothing should

:07:47. > :07:50.be done? When you think about economic migration, because so many

:07:51. > :07:53.of these coming now are economic migrants, and crucially it is about

:07:54. > :07:56.the development of their countries, the role we play in helping to

:07:57. > :08:00.develop their countries, so they have a strong economy and jobs to

:08:01. > :08:04.stay in the country. People would agree but it is a long-term plan,

:08:05. > :08:10.isn't it? Yellow in the here and now, again, you can't resolve this

:08:11. > :08:14.overnight. -- yes, and in the here and now, again. We need greater

:08:15. > :08:19.security services, cooperation, to stop the boats leaving the first

:08:20. > :08:22.place. Up until now it has been a country of chaos, very difficult to

:08:23. > :08:26.have any decent communication, so that has not been possible. To

:08:27. > :08:32.pretend these are easily solvable issue is overnight is to pretend

:08:33. > :08:35.unreal. We have to dig down to the causes, that cause people to leave

:08:36. > :08:38.in the first place, then what you do in terms of Libya itself. Do you

:08:39. > :08:43.support one of the recommendations which is some sort of land operation

:08:44. > :08:49.in Libya then? I think we have to look at all options at the next

:08:50. > :08:54.stages, but it can only be by way of cooperation, and under the UN

:08:55. > :08:58.banner. You would look at that? I think in terms of a more stable

:08:59. > :09:01.Libya and preventing the boat sleeping in the first place, I think

:09:02. > :09:05.what we need to do is to have a serious debate around all options

:09:06. > :09:13.contributing towards that -- prevents the boats leaving in the

:09:14. > :09:18.first place. Am I committing to that tomorrow? Norma, but we should have

:09:19. > :09:20.an on the Shore presents working with the Libyan authorities,

:09:21. > :09:24.stabilising the regimes and stopping the flow of boats. That sounds a

:09:25. > :09:29.slightly longer term plan. What is your view of the land operation

:09:30. > :09:31.recommended in this report? That actually you could disrupt people

:09:32. > :09:35.smuggling more effectively from their rather than at the? We ought

:09:36. > :09:40.to consider that. I will not rush into making a policy statement on

:09:41. > :09:45.that. It comes back to the fundamentals. I do not disagree with

:09:46. > :09:51.what Jack is saying about the fundamental problem, and, you know,

:09:52. > :09:55.what we do have to do is find a way to effectively disrupt the

:09:56. > :09:59.smugglers, as it were, and that has to be the key objective. It might

:10:00. > :10:02.just finally, the report says the UK Government and other EU countries

:10:03. > :10:07.have not been sufficiently engaged on Libya at the highest level. You

:10:08. > :10:13.have been close to cabinet for a long time. How often does Libya, in

:10:14. > :10:17.cabinet meetings? I have been attending Cabinet for a year. We

:10:18. > :10:23.have raised issues of the wider region, including Libya, on a number

:10:24. > :10:30.of occasions, but it is not there every week, and I accept that.

:10:31. > :10:34.Clearly, as a wider region it is hugely important. Do you think it

:10:35. > :10:39.should go up the priority list? Clearly there is, as Jack said, this

:10:40. > :10:44.huge movement of people, which is an issue for all of Europe, including

:10:45. > :10:49.the UK, so it is important we get to grips with it. Thank you.

:10:50. > :10:52.MPs will today debate why it is they receive so much

:10:53. > :10:55.But the issue is itself causing bitter divisions

:10:56. > :10:58.Today, Labour has accused the Conservatives of promoting

:10:59. > :11:02.personal attacks as a core part of its election campaign.

:11:03. > :11:04.But some Conservatives have suggested that left-wing activists

:11:05. > :11:07.who back Jeremy Corbyn are behind a rise in abuse.

:11:08. > :11:14.Conservative MP Simon Hart is leading today's Commons debate

:11:15. > :11:19.He was on this programme yesterday and criticised Momentum -

:11:20. > :11:21.the grassroots campaign supportive of Jeremy Corbyn -

:11:22. > :11:31.There's quite a lot of anti-Semitism about, homophobia, sexism -

:11:32. > :11:34.you know, it's not just the left versus the right, although in my

:11:35. > :11:35.experience, and I can only speak for myself,

:11:36. > :11:40.By people feeling they've been given permission by the silence

:11:41. > :11:42.from political leaders, to engage in this with no

:11:43. > :11:46.Meanwhile, Labour's Chairman Ian Lavery has written to Conservative

:11:47. > :11:48.Party Chairman Patrick McLoughlin accusing the Tories of "vitriolic

:11:49. > :11:50.personal attacks" on Labour candidates during the election,

:11:51. > :11:56.The letter singles out treatment received by

:11:57. > :12:03.Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott.

:12:04. > :12:16.A report by the A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group

:12:17. > :12:18.Against Anti-Semitism is demanding new laws and tougher

:12:19. > :12:21.The report details numerous examples of abuse, including:

:12:22. > :12:23.Conservative MP Sheryll Murray whose posters were covered with swastikas

:12:24. > :12:25.during the election, Conservative MP Maria

:12:26. > :12:27.Caulfied who had her tyres slashed outside her home,

:12:28. > :12:29.and Labour MP Iain Wright whose family were threatened

:12:30. > :12:40.Thanks. Jack Dromey, the Tory MP Simon Hart said of this programme

:12:41. > :12:45.yesterday that abuse has been worse since Momentum was founded. What

:12:46. > :12:53.easy to that? I think it has been getting worse for some years. The

:12:54. > :12:56.abuse I get comes overwhelmingly from the right, but it does not

:12:57. > :13:01.matter where it comes from. It is unacceptable. Anyone who practice

:13:02. > :13:05.that is completely wrong. I think when we are talking about abuse it

:13:06. > :13:12.is best if we did not use abusive language... I feel very strongly

:13:13. > :13:17.about this. In relation to what Simon said, he talked about

:13:18. > :13:22.leadership. If I can ask David this question, does Theresa May regret

:13:23. > :13:27.the leadership she gave during the general election campaign, in what

:13:28. > :13:30.was a vitriolic campaign of personal abuse against Jeremy Corbyn,

:13:31. > :13:35.including calling him a threat to security, a terrorist sympathiser? I

:13:36. > :13:39.think that was outrageous, and if the leadership sets at home, it must

:13:40. > :13:46.not be surprised if you then get people who behave badly. David

:13:47. > :13:51.Gauke. I think there is a very big difference in terms of, for example,

:13:52. > :13:56.describing Jeremy Corbyn as an IRA sympathiser, which was done, which

:13:57. > :13:59.happens to be true, and the question is whether you think that is

:14:00. > :14:05.important or not, but I think it is a fair description, between the type

:14:06. > :14:09.of abuse that was received, and let's be clear, there are idiots of

:14:10. > :14:15.all political views, and there is no monopoly here in terms of stupidity,

:14:16. > :14:18.but what we have seen in recent years coming from the hard left is

:14:19. > :14:23.something which is much more aggressive, much more abusive, that

:14:24. > :14:27.we have seen in the past. In the general election it was by and large

:14:28. > :14:30.conservatives who bore the brunt of that, but it is not exclusively

:14:31. > :14:40.conservatives. Angela Eagle has had her office... Shameful. That was

:14:41. > :14:42.absolutely shameful. Yes, and that is coming, Jack, not from

:14:43. > :14:47.conservatives or Conservative supporters, but that is coming from

:14:48. > :14:51.the hard left. Absolutely shameful, and I think the treatment of both of

:14:52. > :14:55.them has been completely wrong, and anyone in Labour's ranks who

:14:56. > :15:00.practices such intimidatory behaviour, to be frank, they have no

:15:01. > :15:06.place in our ranks. Why is it coming from the left? I don't believe that

:15:07. > :15:09.is the case. You think these attacks, on Luciana Berger. Mugello

:15:10. > :15:19.Mike Luciana Berger, yes. Angela Eagle? It is absolutely wrong. But

:15:20. > :15:23.why? I think those who practice it should not do it and at their worst,

:15:24. > :15:27.they should not have any place within our party, but it does come

:15:28. > :15:30.back to this point. What Simon said about the importance of leadership.

:15:31. > :15:33.If you get Theresa May on the one hand, when you remember her

:15:34. > :15:38.launching the campaign on the 18th of April, all of us, we were a

:15:39. > :15:42.saboteur of the country, then you get Donald Trump on the other hand.

:15:43. > :15:46.What you have is public discourse being poisoned by a vitriol and it

:15:47. > :15:53.has no place in politics, and it has to start, David, with leadership.

:15:54. > :16:03.But you'll remember a leading Labour person in Clement Attlee's time,

:16:04. > :16:11.calling the Tories lower than vermin. That is a kind of... That is

:16:12. > :16:15.very different from the racist, misogynist, unrepeatable... The fact

:16:16. > :16:18.that you can repeat some of that view suggests it is political

:16:19. > :16:23.discourse at the outer edges. Most of what we're talking about is

:16:24. > :16:27.unrepeatable abuse. That is a different form of abuse. It is

:16:28. > :16:31.totally outrageous, I am not tried to make any excuse whatsoever for

:16:32. > :16:37.anyone in our ranks who practices that. It is absolutely unacceptable.

:16:38. > :16:40.What is being done about it? A number of initiatives have been

:16:41. > :16:47.taken, both in terms of tone setting, and Jeremy has been good at

:16:48. > :16:51.this, no place in politics for that kind of vitriol, but action taken

:16:52. > :16:55.against individuals guilty of it. These sad boys in their bedrooms who

:16:56. > :17:01.hide behind anonymity to send terrible messages about people like

:17:02. > :17:05.Luciana Berger, but forgive me if I come back once again to this crucial

:17:06. > :17:11.issue of leadership. If you have public discourse poisoned by the

:17:12. > :17:15.kind of vitriol that we are seeing of late, both here and in America,

:17:16. > :17:20.things like this are encouraged, rather than being curbed. There is

:17:21. > :17:23.nothing that Theresa May or indeed any other Conservative said about

:17:24. > :17:34.Jeremy Corbyn that I have not heard said by Labour MPs. Let's not

:17:35. > :17:40.confuse this issue. In this election campaign, the graffiti on posters,

:17:41. > :17:43.the posters pulled down, the messages being sent. I am not going

:17:44. > :17:49.to pretend this was exclusively on one side versus the other, but I am

:17:50. > :17:52.not aware of many cases where there will Labour posters being pulled

:17:53. > :17:56.down. The aggressiveness, not coming from people like Jack, from the

:17:57. > :18:01.decent wing of the Labour Party, it is coming from the hard left, a hard

:18:02. > :18:04.left that is pretty closely associated with the leadership of

:18:05. > :18:10.the Labour Party. Maybe you should all rapture down the hyperbole,

:18:11. > :18:16.because most of the attacks on each of the parties are way over the top.

:18:17. > :18:20.They wouldn't stand a moment's scrutiny. Well, look, I think there

:18:21. > :18:24.may well be something in that, but it is a perfectly legitimate

:18:25. > :18:29.election issue when a party is putting forward, as candidate for

:18:30. > :18:35.Prime Minister, someone who has got a long record of being pretty close

:18:36. > :18:40.to a terrorist organisation, has described Hamas and Hezbollah as

:18:41. > :18:44.friends, I mean, you rightly ask questions in your interviews... Can

:18:45. > :18:47.I ask you this question? You have repeated some of the things that

:18:48. > :18:52.have been repeatedly said about Jeremy Corbyn, can you give me one

:18:53. > :18:57.example of similar vitriol from Jeremy Corbyn about Theresa May? The

:18:58. > :19:01.difference is that Theresa May has never sympathised with terrorist

:19:02. > :19:05.organisations. To its credit, he never engaged in that kind of

:19:06. > :19:11.personal political abuse, the leader of your party did. But plenty of his

:19:12. > :19:16.supporters did. And I have been clear on that. We were just

:19:17. > :19:20.describing his record, that is all. It is one thing for there to be

:19:21. > :19:24.robust political exchanges, I am all in favour of that in a democracy,

:19:25. > :19:32.but when that then becomes personal vitriol, grotesque overstatements,

:19:33. > :19:36.not least because, let's remember this, at its most obscene, we cannot

:19:37. > :19:40.go down the path of where we have a culture where you then get people

:19:41. > :19:46.like Jo Cox ending up being murdered. Now, that was a nasty

:19:47. > :19:50.right-winger, nobody quite knows some of the backgrounds towards

:19:51. > :19:54.that, but setting the tone in politics is really important. So I

:19:55. > :20:00.stress again, robust exchange, differences of opinion, but personal

:20:01. > :20:06.vitriol is absolutely wrong. You know that the problem, look, my

:20:07. > :20:10.colleagues faced it in the election campaign, a lot of your colleagues

:20:11. > :20:18.will face its probably in the years ahead, and it is coming from the

:20:19. > :20:23.hard left, a hard left who feel that they have got, in Jeremy Corbyn, a

:20:24. > :20:28.leader that they agree with. Let me get you to address this, the Labour

:20:29. > :20:34.chairman, Ian Lavery, accused the Conservatives of propagating

:20:35. > :20:40.personal attacks, Conservatives on Diane Abbott, do you agree with

:20:41. > :20:45.that? The vitriol directed water was disgraceful. There can be no

:20:46. > :20:50.argument of that, but your chairman is accusing the Conservatives of

:20:51. > :20:54.propagating personal attacks. Well, the scale of the attacks launched on

:20:55. > :21:01.Diane Abbott from your own party work... Well, give me an example.

:21:02. > :21:06.She was variously described... She was described as someone who had

:21:07. > :21:10.sympathy with terrorist organisations... She wanted the IRA

:21:11. > :21:13.to win at one stage, she is on the record as saying victory for the IRA

:21:14. > :21:20.is a victory against the British state, that is not abuse, that is a

:21:21. > :21:25.factual quote. Ultimately, what we saw was a level of personalised

:21:26. > :21:30.abuse. I understand that, but do you have evidence it was from the

:21:31. > :21:34.Conservatives? Do you have evidence it was from the Conservatives? You

:21:35. > :21:41.have to look at what was said in the public arena. I have just given an

:21:42. > :21:46.example of it. No, you haven't. The idea that she is some sort of crypto

:21:47. > :21:50.terrorist sympathiser is completely wrong. So we shouldn't bring up what

:21:51. > :21:57.she said in the past? Ultimately, what happened was that partly the

:21:58. > :22:02.tone set by your own party, but also some of those on social media, we

:22:03. > :22:06.saw it degenerate into racist, sexist abuse. But where the

:22:07. > :22:11.Conservatives behind it? That is the question. Yvette Cooper was right

:22:12. > :22:16.when she said, whether it is Diane Abbott, Luciana Berger, Yvette

:22:17. > :22:19.herself, the time has come to draw a line in politics against what has

:22:20. > :22:23.happened to the degradation of politics. We understand that, but

:22:24. > :22:27.where is the evidence to back up your chairman's statement that the

:22:28. > :22:31.Conservatives were behind personal attacks on Diane Abbott? I will ask

:22:32. > :22:36.for a third and final time. I have just given you an example. You

:22:37. > :22:42.haven't, it is not abused to point out a record of supporting the IRA

:22:43. > :22:47.in the early 80s. She was systematically described, like

:22:48. > :22:52.Jeremy Corbyn... Why is that abuse? Because that is not where they

:22:53. > :22:57.stand. It was in 1984! If you say things about people that are not

:22:58. > :23:01.true, as they go to the country, is simply not true... Well, you are not

:23:02. > :23:05.addressing this, I think we will move on, I ask you about apples, you

:23:06. > :23:07.apply about pears, it doesn't get us anywhere.

:23:08. > :23:10.Now, regular viewers will know that this is the moment in the show

:23:11. > :23:13.as I introduce our Guess The Year competition.

:23:14. > :23:16.I usually say that politics is a mug's game or some such.

:23:17. > :23:18.But, frankly, I'm running out of ideas,

:23:19. > :23:27.The former First Minister of Scotland, no less!

:23:28. > :23:29.Alex Salmond, no mug he, is swapping politics

:23:30. > :23:32.for comedy this summer, when he will host his own show

:23:33. > :23:47.Tough, tell us about that! It is going to be a lot of fun, a bit of

:23:48. > :23:54.politics, sport, show business, some storytelling, a bit of interviewing.

:23:55. > :23:58.Nothing out of the ordinary! You're going to tell us stories about

:23:59. > :24:02.things you don't know? It is going to be a challenge for me to think of

:24:03. > :24:07.something you don't know! So a bit of humour as well? There will be a

:24:08. > :24:10.different celebrity guest every show, but the one consistent thing

:24:11. > :24:18.is that it will be light-hearted. You will have guests as well? Mr

:24:19. > :24:24.Trump flying in? Unfortunately, it was in the balance, he has turned it

:24:25. > :24:30.down, very foolishly, in my view. Donald Trump junior may have more

:24:31. > :24:33.time on his hands! Let's put it this way, I think the President of the

:24:34. > :24:40.United States may well feature in some of the stories. Surprise,

:24:41. > :24:41.surprise! Well, over to you! Now, it's time for the most

:24:42. > :24:44.famous mug in politics. It is, of course,

:24:45. > :24:46.the Daily Politics mug. A glorious prize that has long

:24:47. > :24:49.eluded me in my career, a cup so magnificent it eclipses

:24:50. > :24:51.even the Scottish quaich Theresa May presented to

:24:52. > :24:59.Donald Trump. In fact, I might keep

:25:00. > :25:01.this one for myself. To reclaim it from me,

:25:02. > :25:03.all you have to do is tell us which year

:25:04. > :25:06.this happened. A warning that is clip does contain

:25:07. > :25:15.flash photography. # Maybe we should

:25:16. > :25:50.take it slow...# # I saw your face

:25:51. > :25:55.in a crowded place. # She's looking in my eyes,

:25:56. > :26:11.now I see no other guys. # Don't think about it,

:26:12. > :26:31.boy, leave her alone...# To be in with a chance of winning

:26:32. > :26:36.a Daily Politics mug, send your answer to the special quiz

:26:37. > :26:38.email address - Entries must arrive by 12:30 today,

:26:39. > :26:45.and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess

:26:46. > :27:02.The Year on the website. Oh, I am out of a job!

:27:03. > :27:05.There we go, we kept in with Compliance as well, job done! You

:27:06. > :27:08.have got the job! See you next Wednesday.

:27:09. > :27:11.It's coming up to midday here, just take a look at Big Ben,

:27:12. > :27:20.It is a pretty humid, cloudy day in London. Prime Minister's Questions

:27:21. > :27:23.does not feature either the Prime Minister or the Leader of the

:27:24. > :27:27.Opposition today, but Laura Kuenssberg is here, what will be on

:27:28. > :27:31.the agenda? One of the strange things about today is that it will

:27:32. > :27:35.add to the rather weird atmosphere at the moment, a sense of Nottingham

:27:36. > :27:40.is going on in Parliament, I have to say, very little going through the

:27:41. > :27:43.House before the end of the session. Normally the Government would be

:27:44. > :27:48.trying to ram through, wash up, tomorrow the Repeal Bill, a really

:27:49. > :27:52.big important piece of legislation will be put forward, but people are

:27:53. > :27:57.trying to dampen expectations of what will be in it, very much

:27:58. > :28:00.process. So this is going to be a bit strange today, frankly, not

:28:01. > :28:05.least because of the characters who part of our audience are not that

:28:06. > :28:12.necessarily familiar with. Damian Green, although hugely important, de

:28:13. > :28:17.facto deputy to Theresa May, will be put through his paces by Emily

:28:18. > :28:26.Thornberry. Crucial economic data, David Gauke, and other pretty

:28:27. > :28:32.healthy fall in unemployment. Employment is up on last year, the

:28:33. > :28:38.largest rise on record, but average earnings are only rising by 1.8%, at

:28:39. > :28:46.a time when inflation is rising at 3%. Now, what is the thought in

:28:47. > :28:48.government that at a time of essentially full employment with

:28:49. > :28:55.these employment figures, wages are rising so slowly? Why? I think it is

:28:56. > :29:00.a complex issue, and it is difficult to put your finger precisely what it

:29:01. > :29:04.is, some of it is due to the fact that inflation has Piketon that has

:29:05. > :29:08.followed the fall in the pound last year, and certainly the Bank of

:29:09. > :29:17.England... But average earnings are down 0.5% in real terms on the? Why?

:29:18. > :29:23.At a time when employment continues to rise, the labour market tightens,

:29:24. > :29:27.why is the rate of increase in average earnings slowing down? I

:29:28. > :29:32.think it is difficult to say, certainly in terms of... Have you

:29:33. > :29:37.done work on this? Because it is crucial to your economic strategy.

:29:38. > :29:41.What we know is what drives up wages and salaries is improved

:29:42. > :29:44.productivity, and clearly we need, as a country, we don't perform as

:29:45. > :29:51.well on productivity as we should do, so policies like having business

:29:52. > :29:53.friendly tax environment to attract investment, improving

:29:54. > :29:56.infrastructure, improving skills... You have been in power for seven

:29:57. > :30:06.years. A lot of these things, the product -- productivity challenge

:30:07. > :30:10.has existed for decades. If you want to keep the economy growing, and

:30:11. > :30:14.consumer spending accounts for 68% of GDP, you need to find ways of

:30:15. > :30:19.pumping up wages, why are you not doing that? We have got a national

:30:20. > :30:23.living wage... That is taken into account. It means those who have

:30:24. > :30:28.seen their wages rise the most part low paid, and that is where... But

:30:29. > :30:33.there is a real squeeze on endings at the moment, and it is and the

:30:34. > :30:39.mining growth, you see that in the GDP figures. In the long term, as

:30:40. > :30:41.you well know, what lives up wages and salaries is improved

:30:42. > :30:48.productivity. In the long term, we are all dead - including those whose

:30:49. > :30:54.wages are only rising by 1.8%, no sense of urgency in the Government

:30:55. > :31:10.about this? Of course, but... It doesn't seem like it. That is why,

:31:11. > :31:14.you know, coming back to skills, infrastructure, it comes back to

:31:15. > :31:18.attracting investment to the UK which... None of that is going to

:31:19. > :31:22.happen overnight. There is a lot of work we have already done, and we

:31:23. > :31:26.need to continue down that path. Jack Dromey, not just a British

:31:27. > :31:31.phenomenon, America and Germany have pretty much full employment, and

:31:32. > :31:35.wages there, for unaccountable reasons, are growing very slowly.

:31:36. > :31:38.Something is happening to the normal economic equation that when labour

:31:39. > :31:44.markets get tight, wages get stronger. You make a very good

:31:45. > :31:48.point. First of all, the Government has got to stop talking about

:31:49. > :31:52.quantity, Matthew Taylor said this yesterday, we need to talk about

:31:53. > :31:56.quality. It is more about what you do in practical terms. There are

:31:57. > :31:59.deep-seated, long-term problems in relation to productivity, but two

:32:00. > :32:05.things that could happen right now to give Britain a pay rise, if you

:32:06. > :32:09.remove the 1% cap on public sector pay, but secondly, were you to go

:32:10. > :32:12.down the path of what we propose, I was a founder member of the drive

:32:13. > :32:17.for the living wage, significantly to increase the living wage - good

:32:18. > :32:21.for the worker, good for their family, good for the employer,

:32:22. > :32:25.because the evidence is that the individuals are more productive,

:32:26. > :32:30.less turnover of labour, good for local economies, because low paid

:32:31. > :32:33.workers don't stick money away in Swiss bank accounts, and good for

:32:34. > :32:38.the taxpayer, because working are claiming less and paying more taxes.

:32:39. > :32:41.There are some things that you could do very quickly indeed that would

:32:42. > :32:45.make a real difference. Laura, will this come up today, do you think?

:32:46. > :32:51.Oblige us to reflect a bit on it, this is what some Conservatives

:32:52. > :32:54.admit they now missed during the election campaign, so these figures

:32:55. > :32:57.deal with what happened in the last quarter or the last couple of

:32:58. > :33:01.months, and the Tories are very proud of the record numbers of jobs

:33:02. > :33:04.created during their time, but one thing that surprised them on the

:33:05. > :33:08.doorstep, and they have not factored in during the election campaign, the

:33:09. > :33:12.fact that lots of people are starting to feel a bit hard up. That

:33:13. > :33:16.misery gap, as you call it, the difference between the rate of pay

:33:17. > :33:22.increase and the rate of inflation, as inflation spiked earlier this

:33:23. > :33:25.year, is something we have not seen for a while in this country, and for

:33:26. > :33:28.any government of the day, if people are feeling that they are worse off,

:33:29. > :33:33.they are going to punish the people in charge. The other thing that we

:33:34. > :33:35.mentioned, one of my sources... We will have to leave that, straight to

:33:36. > :33:54.the House of Commons. My right honourable friend is

:33:55. > :33:59.welcoming the king and queen of Spain on their state visit to the

:34:00. > :34:07.United Kingdom and I am sure the whole House wishes them well. Isn't

:34:08. > :34:12.today's report that the National Grid made ?3 billion profit in 2016

:34:13. > :34:16.at the expense of households further evidence the Government is not

:34:17. > :34:21.delivering their energy prices? Will the Government agreed to an

:34:22. > :34:26.immediate rebate for overcharging, and will the Government now commit

:34:27. > :34:33.and energy price cap for the households on the most expensive

:34:34. > :34:36.tariffs? The right honourable lady is right to identify the issue and I

:34:37. > :34:41.am sure she will welcome the announcement in the Queen's Speech

:34:42. > :34:43.that the Government will ensure there are markets for consumers and

:34:44. > :34:48.this will include bringing forward measures to help tackle unfair

:34:49. > :34:51.practices in the energy market to help produce energy bills. I am sure

:34:52. > :35:00.this is an issue on which we can work across the House together. Mr

:35:01. > :35:03.Speaker, yesterday you kindly hosted discussions on the future of health

:35:04. > :35:06.and social care and their funding, including one by Mike honourable

:35:07. > :35:11.friend. My right honourable friend knows that NHS in Staffordshire and

:35:12. > :35:16.Stoke is delivering fine carer but under great financial pressure along

:35:17. > :35:20.with other parts of the country. Can I encourage the Government to bring

:35:21. > :35:23.together people from across this House to make this Parliament one

:35:24. > :35:30.that puts the NHS and social care on a firm foundation. I am grateful to

:35:31. > :35:36.my honourable friend and I know he has been campaigning vigorously on

:35:37. > :35:40.behalf of the health service in his constituency, including his local

:35:41. > :35:43.hospital, and he is absolutely right to do so. He and I I am sure both

:35:44. > :35:50.welcomed the fact that the Government has committed an extra ?8

:35:51. > :35:53.billion over this Parliament to the NHS, and are also committed to

:35:54. > :35:58.having a full debate across the House and indeed much wider with

:35:59. > :36:01.people about how to improve our social care system because this is

:36:02. > :36:07.indeed one of the big issues facing this country. Emily Thornberry.

:36:08. > :36:13.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me welcome the first secretary to his

:36:14. > :36:17.new role. By my reckoning in the 20 years since he first joined this

:36:18. > :36:22.House ease the 16th member of the party opposite to be represented at

:36:23. > :36:25.prime ministers questions, so how about I give him until the end of

:36:26. > :36:26.this session to be able to name all the others?

:36:27. > :36:33.LAUGHTER In the meantime I am sure he and a

:36:34. > :36:35.whole House will join me in congratulating the British and Irish

:36:36. > :36:42.Lions on their historic achievement in recent days. Mr Speaker, on the

:36:43. > :36:45.subject of British and Irish cooperation, the secretary has huge

:36:46. > :36:48.expertise on the practicalities of the Common travel area. On that

:36:49. > :36:52.basis can he tell the House what will happen to the Irish land border

:36:53. > :36:58.if no deal is reached between Britain and Europe by the end of

:36:59. > :37:05.March 2019? I am grateful to the Saffie for her kind remarks -- I am

:37:06. > :37:08.grateful to the right honourable lady for her kind remarks. I might

:37:09. > :37:13.pick up the offer in the tearoom later rather than disturb the House

:37:14. > :37:16.no. Many distinguished people, of both sexes, who have dealt with this

:37:17. > :37:33.in this party, because we of course elect women leaders. I am also... I

:37:34. > :37:40.also absolutely share her view about the British and Irish Lions, though

:37:41. > :37:44.it strikes me as a particularly British thing to do to celebrate and

:37:45. > :37:48.drawn series quite as hard as we have, but nevertheless that is the

:37:49. > :37:52.way we do sport, and I know you, Mr Speaker, will be very keen in

:37:53. > :37:57.following Joe contact's progress through Wimbledon, as well as Andy

:37:58. > :38:03.Murray. -- Johanna Konta through Wimbledon. Let's hope we have two

:38:04. > :38:07.finalists over the weekend. On the question of the Irish border, she

:38:08. > :38:10.will know it is the aim of this Government to make sure we get the

:38:11. > :38:13.best deal for Britain, and as the prime ministers set out in her

:38:14. > :38:18.Lancaster house speech, one of the key issues we want to bring forward

:38:19. > :38:21.and have brought forward at the start of the negotiations is

:38:22. > :38:25.precisely the issue of the Irish border, because it is extremely

:38:26. > :38:29.important, not just for our own citizens in Northern Ireland, but

:38:30. > :38:34.for the Irish Republic, that we get that right, and indeed I have

:38:35. > :38:39.already had meetings with my opposite number on this and other

:38:40. > :38:45.matters. I mentioned at the outset he is the 16th member to represent

:38:46. > :38:48.his party in jaw-mac since beginning and seven. Only three of those have

:38:49. > :38:58.been women and the last before the current Prime Minister was 16 years

:38:59. > :39:03.ago -- his party in the House since 1997. If I might turn to the

:39:04. > :39:11.question, it was not what deal do we hope to get, but what happens if we

:39:12. > :39:18.get no deal at all? This isn't some sinister nightmare drugged by

:39:19. > :39:21.Remains. It was the Prime Minister who first floated the idea of no

:39:22. > :39:32.deal -- this is not some sinister nightmare

:39:33. > :39:38.dreamt up. Well the first Secretary clear this up? Are ministers just

:39:39. > :39:51.making it up as they are going along? Or is it still the

:39:52. > :40:00.Government's clear policy that no deal is an option? I recommend the

:40:01. > :40:05.right honourable lady read the Prime Minister's Lancaster house speech,

:40:06. > :40:10.the principle on which we are negotiating. Also seeing it is

:40:11. > :40:15.conceivable we would be offered a kind of punishment deal that would

:40:16. > :40:19.be worse than no deal. That is not our intention because we want a good

:40:20. > :40:22.deal. It is for a leader and her party's position that whatever is on

:40:23. > :40:32.offer they will accept it, can I point out? That is a terrible way to

:40:33. > :40:35.go into a negotiation, and all I can congratulate them on is their

:40:36. > :40:40.consistency. They have been consistently in favour of unilateral

:40:41. > :40:44.disarmament, but they don't only apply that in military matters, they

:40:45. > :40:51.clearly applied in matters of negotiation on Britain's future

:40:52. > :40:54.prosperity as well. The first secretary apparently did not get the

:40:55. > :41:03.Prime Minister's mammal. You are supposed to be building consensus,

:41:04. > :41:08.mam. -- man. And if we ignore the political bluster, I think what we

:41:09. > :41:12.heard was that no deal is indeed still an option, and if that is the

:41:13. > :41:19.case, can we turn to what I might call the East India club question?

:41:20. > :41:21.Before the member for Newton Abbot suddenly turned herself into Nick

:41:22. > :41:29.Griffin, this was the question she was trying to ask. What does no deal

:41:30. > :41:34.mean for our people, our businesses, and for issues such as the Irish

:41:35. > :41:40.land border? Can the first secretary addressed this question now? What

:41:41. > :41:47.does no deal look like in practice? I am very happy to address her first

:41:48. > :41:50.point of it consensus. Am always, as she knows, a moderate person keen on

:41:51. > :41:54.consensus, so I very much look forward to sharing the Labour

:41:55. > :42:05.Party's view this morning on the unemployment figures. Unemployment

:42:06. > :42:09.is now down to its lowest level since the early 70s. There are many

:42:10. > :42:13.members of this House who were not born when unemployment was as low as

:42:14. > :42:18.this Government has made it. I would hope that she can bring herself in

:42:19. > :42:23.the course of her questions actually to welcome lower unemployment. On

:42:24. > :42:30.the substance of her question, as she knows, we are seeking a good

:42:31. > :42:35.deal for Britain that will enable us to trade as freely as possible with

:42:36. > :42:38.the European Union to protect our prosperity, at the same time as

:42:39. > :42:43.getting trade deals with other important markets around the world.

:42:44. > :42:46.In the last week alone, both the United States and Australia have

:42:47. > :42:50.said they would like to sign trade deals with Britain as fast as

:42:51. > :42:54.possible. So I am happy to report to her and that negotiations are going

:42:55. > :43:08.well and that her fear of no deal is probably overstated. If he wants to

:43:09. > :43:11.talk about unemployment, let me ask him, specifically, will he publish

:43:12. > :43:16.the Treasury's assessment of the impact of what they're no deal

:43:17. > :43:20.outcome would have on jobs and growth in Britain? -- the impact of

:43:21. > :43:25.what they know deal outcome would have. I didn't think so. Let's

:43:26. > :43:30.continue. If the first secretary will not tell the House... Order.

:43:31. > :43:36.Honourable lady must be heard, and she will be, as well first secretary

:43:37. > :43:43.Green. Members must calm themselves. Emily Thornberry... Thank you, Mr

:43:44. > :43:46.Speaker. If the first secretary will not tell the House what no deal

:43:47. > :43:51.means can he is least clear up the confusion over whether a plan for no

:43:52. > :43:54.deal actually exists? Yesterday the Foreign Secretary told me that

:43:55. > :43:59.indeed there was no plan for no deal. Two hours later, Number ten

:44:00. > :44:02.for it back and said there was a plan. That Brexit secretary might be

:44:03. > :44:10.laughing, but I am turning to him next.

:44:11. > :44:15.LAUGHTER The Brexit secretary was so busy

:44:16. > :44:19.fighting with himself, that on March the 12, he said that there was a

:44:20. > :44:25.plan, and on March 17th he said there was not. On May 19th he said

:44:26. > :44:29.he spent half his time thinking about it, and yesterday he said he

:44:30. > :44:32.was not prepared to comment. So can the first secretary clear up the

:44:33. > :44:37.confusion today? Is there a contingency plan for no deal, or is

:44:38. > :44:43.there not? If there is, will you undertake to publish it?

:44:44. > :44:50.The honourable ladies says she is happy to talk about an employment,

:44:51. > :44:56.but you cannot bring herself to welcome the figures. --

:44:57. > :44:59.unemployment. We will have to work harder to establish consensus on

:45:00. > :45:05.something that I would hope genuinely unites all sides of this

:45:06. > :45:08.House. On the report, the OBR is publishing its fiscal risks report

:45:09. > :45:15.tomorrow, so if she can be patient, she will see the report she wants.

:45:16. > :45:19.Emily Thornberry! So let's be clear, the First Secretary seems to be

:45:20. > :45:25.saying that no deal is still on the table, but he won't say what it

:45:26. > :45:30.means, and there is a no deal contingency plan that he will not

:45:31. > :45:35.publish. This is two steps forward and two steps back. After all, if

:45:36. > :45:39.the Government seriously once open, cross-party debate about the best

:45:40. > :45:44.way forward for Brexit, surely they have to spell out what all the

:45:45. > :45:47.options look like. So can the First Secretary at least provide some

:45:48. > :45:52.clarity on one issue, and let's try to make some progress today. He has

:45:53. > :46:02.said repeatedly that we want to avoid a cliff edge Brexit. But and a

:46:03. > :46:05.no deal scenario, he knows that must be impossible, because the Prime

:46:06. > :46:07.Minister can hardly storm out of the negotiating room saying she will not

:46:08. > :46:10.accept the deal, then pop her head around the door and say, can she

:46:11. > :46:16.have two more years to prepare, because that is not how it works.

:46:17. > :46:19.Does he accept that no deal means no transitional arrangements? That me

:46:20. > :46:23.try harder to establish consensus with the right honourable lady. We

:46:24. > :46:28.both want a deal, I hope we will agree to that, a deal at the end of

:46:29. > :46:32.this, and the reason why I am optimistic because of our negotiated

:46:33. > :46:36.stands and the position set out by the Prime Minister we will get a

:46:37. > :46:40.deal, is that we have, for example, paid a fair and realistic offer

:46:41. > :46:47.about citizenship to try to remove that problem from the equations.

:46:48. > :46:50.That is a first indication of how we will approach these negotiations, we

:46:51. > :46:55.approached them in a positive state, and we believe that it is not just

:46:56. > :46:59.in the interests of Great Britain but also in the interests of the

:47:00. > :47:02.other member states of the European Union to reach a deal with what is

:47:03. > :47:08.one of their biggest trading partners. Though it is in everyone's

:47:09. > :47:10.interest to reach this deal, and frankly she said nothing

:47:11. > :47:17.constructive to contribute to a deal so far, but I will give her another

:47:18. > :47:21.chance. Emily Thornberry! I know the right honourable gentleman is new to

:47:22. > :47:26.this, but the way the rules work... Order! I do not know whether it is

:47:27. > :47:31.spontaneous or orchestrated, and I don't really care which, but

:47:32. > :47:34.whichever it is, the idea that it is going to stop the honourable lady

:47:35. > :47:39.asking her questions is for the birds. Members are wasting their

:47:40. > :47:43.vocal chords, we will carry on as long as necessary to accommodate the

:47:44. > :47:47.backbench members who I wish to accommodate. Emily Thornberry. I

:47:48. > :47:50.know that the honourable and is new to this, but I ask the questions and

:47:51. > :47:59.he... LAUGHTER

:48:00. > :48:08.And I quite happy to swap places with them! Frankly, if he doesn't

:48:09. > :48:12.want to continue under these rules, plenty of other people on the front

:48:13. > :48:18.bench would love the opportunity to audition as Prime Minister. But I do

:48:19. > :48:22.appreciate, I do appreciate the first Secretary's answers, but they

:48:23. > :48:25.just serve to illustrate what a mess the Government has got itself into

:48:26. > :48:30.by threatening to walk away even before talks began. Isn't the truth

:48:31. > :48:34.now that we have a no deal option on the table but they will not tell us

:48:35. > :48:37.what it means, contingency plans that they will not let the public

:48:38. > :48:43.see, a Chancellor demanding transitional arrangements, which a

:48:44. > :48:48.no deal option makes impossible, a Foreign Secretary making it up as he

:48:49. > :48:52.is going along, we have got a Brexit Secretary so used to overruling his

:48:53. > :48:56.colleagues that he has started overruling himself! And we have got

:48:57. > :49:01.a Prime Minister who is so be reft of ideas that she started putting

:49:02. > :49:09.suggestion boxes around Parliament! But as a country, as a country, we

:49:10. > :49:14.have got 20 months until Brexit. We absolutely have got to get a grip,

:49:15. > :49:17.and if the party opposite hasn't got the strength or the task, then we

:49:18. > :49:21.have absolutely got to get rid of them.

:49:22. > :49:29.I think there may have been a question somewhere in that! Can I

:49:30. > :49:35.issue at the right honourable lady of two things? First of all, that is

:49:36. > :49:38.Government is already in the negotiations, she will have seen

:49:39. > :49:43.that, we have started negotiations, they are going well. We said the

:49:44. > :49:47.first thing we wanted to do was negotiate citizens' writes, that was

:49:48. > :49:53.the first item on the agenda of the first meeting. We want to make sure

:49:54. > :49:56.that European citizens in this country and, British citizens living

:49:57. > :50:01.in other European countries have as much certainty about their rights as

:50:02. > :50:05.soon as possible, and that is what we are negotiating, that is the sign

:50:06. > :50:09.of a practical, pragmatic government getting on with work in the

:50:10. > :50:14.interests of the British people. What we would have, as we have seen

:50:15. > :50:18.from the Labour Party, they have so far had nine different plans on

:50:19. > :50:24.Europe. They want to be both in and out of the single market, in and out

:50:25. > :50:28.of the customs union, they said they wanted to remain, they voted for

:50:29. > :50:32.Article 50, they split their party on that, and she made a point about

:50:33. > :50:36.whether she would prefer to be at this despatch box rather than as

:50:37. > :50:39.that despatch box. I would also remind her of the other event that

:50:40. > :50:42.has happened recently, where the Conservative Party got more votes

:50:43. > :50:50.and more seats than the Labour Party, and won the election. David

:50:51. > :50:56.Morris! Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, I welcome the jobs that

:50:57. > :51:00.have been announced today. Furthermore, Mr Speaker, at the 65

:51:01. > :51:03.years in my constituency of talking about a link road, one actually

:51:04. > :51:07.occurred on my watch, and furthermore there is an enterprise

:51:08. > :51:11.zone stroke business park that we are trying to retain, and we have

:51:12. > :51:14.had a very productive meeting with the minister, and the First Minister

:51:15. > :51:18.of the Isle of Man, who I believe is here today. Would my right

:51:19. > :51:23.honourable friends help to ensure that this business park does become

:51:24. > :51:29.a reality to create more jobs in Morecambe and Lunesdale?! I agree

:51:30. > :51:34.with my honourable friend, he will be interested to know that, in the

:51:35. > :51:41.north-west of England, employment has increased by 2.5% over the past

:51:42. > :51:45.year, and the Labour benches may wish to welcome that. He is

:51:46. > :51:49.absolutely right to highlight the importance of having business parks

:51:50. > :51:54.and enterprise zones as tribe is for economic growth. I wish him well,

:51:55. > :52:00.and I'm sure my right honourable friends the Business Secretary would

:52:01. > :52:04.be happy to look into the matter. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I am sure the

:52:05. > :52:09.whole House would want to join with me and my colleagues in marking the

:52:10. > :52:13.anniversary of the sad events in Srebrenica and thank those who held

:52:14. > :52:17.the memorial in London to make sure we never forget. Mr Speaker, will

:52:18. > :52:20.the First Secretary of State confirmed that the devolved

:52:21. > :52:26.administrations will not face a day munition of powers as a result of

:52:27. > :52:32.the Repeal Bill? I joined the honourable gentleman in

:52:33. > :52:36.commemorating the dreadful events at Srebrenica, and I am happy to

:52:37. > :52:40.reconfirm what my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and others

:52:41. > :52:47.have said, that yes, under the terms of the Brexit deal that we will

:52:48. > :52:50.negotiate, there will be no diminution of the devolved

:52:51. > :53:00.administrations' powers, and indeed that we look to devolve more powers

:53:01. > :53:06.during the process. I thank the Secretary of State for that answer.

:53:07. > :53:10.Order! Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Secretary of State for

:53:11. > :53:14.that answer. Would he confirm that there will be a cast-iron guarantee

:53:15. > :53:17.that all powers that come back to the United Kingdom on devolved

:53:18. > :53:21.matters will be returned? Furthermore the, does the UK

:53:22. > :53:24.Government intends to meet schedule five of the Scotland Act to change

:53:25. > :53:30.any aspect of the devolved compensations with the approval of

:53:31. > :53:34.the Scottish referendum in 1997? Answer that! I can only keep

:53:35. > :53:37.repeating the assurances we have already given. I am slightly

:53:38. > :53:40.surprised at the Scottish nationalist approach in that my

:53:41. > :53:43.understanding of their position is that they want power is taken from

:53:44. > :53:50.London to Edinburgh so that it can give them back to Brussels! As I

:53:51. > :53:56.understand it, that is their position. But perhaps their

:53:57. > :53:58.inability to explain the logic of that position might explain the

:53:59. > :54:07.recent general election results they had. Thank you very much, Mr

:54:08. > :54:10.Speaker. Earlier this year, a brilliant new hospital opened in my

:54:11. > :54:15.constituency. The old cottage Hospital which it replaces contains

:54:16. > :54:19.an important and unique warble Morrill. Will the First Secretary

:54:20. > :54:23.agree with me that however the NHS we developed the site, it is vital

:54:24. > :54:27.that that war memorial is preserved in a fitting way so that future

:54:28. > :54:33.generations can remember the sacrifices of those who came before

:54:34. > :54:36.us? I think perhaps particularly at the moment, when we are about to

:54:37. > :54:43.commemorate the centenary of the terrible battle of Passchendaele, it

:54:44. > :54:47.is very important that we consider the issue of war memorials like the

:54:48. > :54:51.one he mentions, they call on us to remember the horrors of war and

:54:52. > :54:57.honour the memories of those who died. In this case, I understand the

:54:58. > :55:00.war memorial is protected by an historic England great two listing

:55:01. > :55:08.so specific planning consent would be required to move it. I hope that

:55:09. > :55:16.will provide the protection that he and his constituents need. My

:55:17. > :55:20.constituent has had over 50 admissions to psychiatric care, she

:55:21. > :55:24.requires regular monitoring to prevent her condition worsening, and

:55:25. > :55:29.she could access a board and at the labour stands to lose ?110 under the

:55:30. > :55:38.new regime. Will he look urgently at this case and change this to ensure

:55:39. > :55:42.that people have the support they need to remain safe? The House will

:55:43. > :55:46.be concerned to hear about the case of a constituent, as I am, and she

:55:47. > :55:53.will know that one of the effects of the transition from DLA to PIP is

:55:54. > :55:58.that more people are eligible for support, particularly those with

:55:59. > :56:01.mental health problems, but the Secretary of State for Work and

:56:02. > :56:04.Pensions will have heard her point, and I have no doubt, if she contacts

:56:05. > :56:10.in, he will look into the case personally. Mr Speaker, some of the

:56:11. > :56:12.most distressing cases that I and other members see in my constituency

:56:13. > :56:18.surgery are those involving domestic violence. The Queen's Speech has

:56:19. > :56:23.promised a bill to help strengthen our confrontation of this problem,

:56:24. > :56:27.so I wonder if the First Secretary could tell us when we can expect the

:56:28. > :56:31.legislation, urgently needed as it is, and what the Government is doing

:56:32. > :56:35.about this problem while we await it? I agree, this is a hugely

:56:36. > :56:37.important issue, and he is right that we have committed in the

:56:38. > :56:43.Queen's Speech to introduce a domestic abuse bill in this session,

:56:44. > :56:47.which I hope will be a landmark in this very important area. What we

:56:48. > :56:53.want to do in the bill is set in motion a transformation not just to

:56:54. > :56:58.protect and support victims, but to recognise the lifelong impact

:56:59. > :57:02.domestic abuse can have on children, and to make sure that the agencies

:57:03. > :57:07.respond effectively to domestic abuse. We will of course be

:57:08. > :57:10.consulting with the relevant professions and voluntary groups on

:57:11. > :57:17.this, but we are absolutely determined to press ahead with this

:57:18. > :57:21.very, very important legislation. Max Johnson is nine, he is in

:57:22. > :57:27.hospital and urgently waiting for a heart transplant. His mum Emma and

:57:28. > :57:31.brother Harry join us today to support Max, but also 10,000 people

:57:32. > :57:35.around the country who need an organ transplant. We can do more to help

:57:36. > :57:39.them. In Wales, they have already moved to an opt out system, as

:57:40. > :57:43.Scotland plan to do the same. Can the First Secretary say whether he

:57:44. > :57:47.agrees with me that, in England, we should change the law to one of

:57:48. > :57:54.presumed consent for organ donation to give Max and people like him the

:57:55. > :57:58.best chance of light? I am sure that the thought of numbers across the

:57:59. > :58:02.House are with Max and his family at this incredibly difficult time, and

:58:03. > :58:07.I agree with him that organ donation is clearly a hugely important part

:58:08. > :58:13.of our system, and I am pleased that there are now more than 23 million

:58:14. > :58:19.organ donors on the register, and over the past year we saw the

:58:20. > :58:24.highest ever donor and transplant rates in the UK. But of course there

:58:25. > :58:30.is more that can be done, and as he says, the law is different in other

:58:31. > :58:33.territories inside the UK. And absolutely I can commit the

:58:34. > :58:36.Department of Health is looking at the impact of those changes to see

:58:37. > :58:46.whether that can give rise to further improvements in the number

:58:47. > :58:50.of available organs we have. Is my friend aware that the Greater

:58:51. > :58:54.Manchester Chambers, in the course of their economic survey, predicts

:58:55. > :59:00.economic growth that 3.25% annually, as it has been broadly since 2013?

:59:01. > :59:03.Is he further aware that Manchester Airport is planning a ?1 billion

:59:04. > :59:09.investment in the coming years? Doesn't this indicate a welcome

:59:10. > :59:14.rebalancing of the economy, underpinned by sound economic

:59:15. > :59:16.management? And will he undertake to continue that sound economic

:59:17. > :59:24.management that is so necessary to our country? My honourable friend

:59:25. > :59:26.makes a number of important points, particularly about Manchester

:59:27. > :59:31.Airport, which I know has been a significant driver of the excellent

:59:32. > :59:36.growth figures of the increasingly excellent economy of Manchester, and

:59:37. > :59:40.the surrounding areas. Everything he says is true, and I think it is a

:59:41. > :59:43.tribute to the work that is being done on the Northern Powerhouse that

:59:44. > :59:49.we are now spreading that prosperity across the North of England. Thank

:59:50. > :59:54.you, Mr Speaker. The First Secretary said the other day that we need to

:59:55. > :59:59.have a national debate on tuition fees, and he admitted that student

:00:00. > :00:05.debt is a huge issue. With the PM touting for ideas, can I recommend

:00:06. > :00:11.page 43 of our manifesto? Can I ask that they adopt Labour's pledge to

:00:12. > :00:17.abolish tuition fees? I don't remember the contents page 43, so I

:00:18. > :00:22.would quite like to hear this! Mr Speaker, can I recommend that they

:00:23. > :00:29.consult page 43 of our manifesto and commit to Labour's policy of the

:00:30. > :00:34.abolition of tuition fees? People often stand at this despatch box and

:00:35. > :00:38.say I am pleased she raised that question, I am genuinely pleased,

:00:39. > :00:42.because it allows me to point out the very slight problem with their

:00:43. > :00:46.arguments which is that her own education spokesman has admitted

:00:47. > :00:54.that the tuition fees policy has a ?100 billion... She has admitted

:00:55. > :01:01.that there is a ?100 billion hole, black hole in Labour's student fees

:01:02. > :01:06.policy. That is as much money nearly as we spend on the NHS in a year,

:01:07. > :01:10.two years worth of disability benefits. Labour, in this area, were

:01:11. > :01:16.particularly incredible at the general election, I am astonished

:01:17. > :01:18.they want to bring it up at Prime Minister's Questions, and I would

:01:19. > :01:26.remind them that misleading students and young people is a very dangerous

:01:27. > :01:41.thing to do. If they don't believe me, they can ask the Liberal

:01:42. > :01:46.Democrats. Just one in five of our public arts sculptures is of a

:01:47. > :01:57.woman, to mark the anniversary of Jane Austen... Will my right

:01:58. > :02:01.honourable friend join me in calling for more people to do what business

:02:02. > :02:12.to has done and celebrate their famous daughters?

:02:13. > :02:18.I welcome this call for the statue in Basingstoke. I am genuinely

:02:19. > :02:21.astonished there is not a statue of Jane Austen anywhere else around the

:02:22. > :02:26.country, one of our greatest authors, and still popular 200 years

:02:27. > :02:34.since her birth, and I would be very happy also to echo her desire for

:02:35. > :02:40.more statues for great women spread around the country. Mr Speaker,

:02:41. > :02:43.politicians are said to be here today and gone tomorrow, but

:02:44. > :02:48.whatever tomorrow may bring the Prime Minister is not even here

:02:49. > :02:54.today to mark the first -- end of her first year in power. Listen, you

:02:55. > :02:58.might like to hear this. For the first time since she has become

:02:59. > :03:03.Prime Minister image has now been removed from the page of the

:03:04. > :03:18.Conservative Party website. Can the first secretary tell us why she has

:03:19. > :03:22.gone from being the next Iron Lady to the Lady vanishes? The honourable

:03:23. > :03:26.gentleman is ingenious in asking personal questions and I commend him

:03:27. > :03:33.for it. Unfortunately he has his own record on the subject. As recently

:03:34. > :03:37.as June last year the members said the leader of the Labour Party is

:03:38. > :03:40.not destined to become Prime Minister and he called on him to

:03:41. > :03:46.resign. I suggest he makes peace with his own front bench before

:03:47. > :03:51.turning to ours. Today's jobs figures show we have the highest

:03:52. > :03:57.employment rate since compatible records began. We have more people

:03:58. > :04:02.in full-time employment and we are touching on the lowest youth

:04:03. > :04:06.unemployment since records began. In light of the Matthew Taylor review

:04:07. > :04:11.and the modern working practices, what more can be done to ensure this

:04:12. > :04:15.record continues and that low youth unemployment continues and that we

:04:16. > :04:25.read this country of that scourge? -- and that we rid this country of

:04:26. > :04:27.that scourge. Yes, one of the particularly welcome figures of the

:04:28. > :04:30.consistently low and falling unemployment figures over which this

:04:31. > :04:34.Government has provided, youth unemployment figures. It is now at

:04:35. > :04:37.historically low levels and lower than many other comparable

:04:38. > :04:41.economies. We will continue this not just with our moves on more

:04:42. > :04:45.apprenticeships in this parliament but also with the introduction of

:04:46. > :04:48.new and better technical and vocational education, which is key

:04:49. > :04:56.to providing long-term prosperity, not just for the economy as a whole,

:04:57. > :05:03.but for everyone in this country. Thank you, Mr Speaker. How can the

:05:04. > :05:07.Government continue to justify not providing fair and equitable funding

:05:08. > :05:14.arrangements for West Lancashire to support drainage boards, to help

:05:15. > :05:20.protect homes and agriculture and horticulture industries, critical to

:05:21. > :05:26.the local economy, instead of causing threats to turn off the

:05:27. > :05:31.pumping station? V Saffie raises a reasonable point -- the Saffie

:05:32. > :05:36.raises a reasonable point about the Environment Agency and it is the

:05:37. > :05:40.Environment Agency's duty to ensure water supplies are good and safe and

:05:41. > :05:44.I am sure if she wishes to bring this up with my right honourable

:05:45. > :05:54.friend, he will be happy to talk to her about it. Zero energy Bill

:05:55. > :05:57.Holmes at market prices are being built with the support of the

:05:58. > :06:01.building research Establishment. Given that the potential to help

:06:02. > :06:06.people find affordable housing, what more can the Government do to help

:06:07. > :06:13.expand this type of housing, as part of our commitment to both enterprise

:06:14. > :06:16.and social justice? I know my honourable friend is an energetic

:06:17. > :06:20.campaigner for social justice and this is a very good example of how

:06:21. > :06:24.having a dynamic and flexible economy is not just good for the

:06:25. > :06:27.economy but is actually good for the whole of society, and I am happy to

:06:28. > :06:32.join him in welcoming this type of innovation. This firm is a good

:06:33. > :06:36.example of such innovation, and I know it has been supported by the

:06:37. > :06:42.Government's enterprise investment scheme, so the Government is doing

:06:43. > :06:45.its best to support this type of measure, and with stimulating the

:06:46. > :06:48.growth of the off-site construction sector which enables homes to be

:06:49. > :06:51.built through our accelerating construction programme and the whole

:06:52. > :06:55.building fund, another very important issue to make sure that we

:06:56. > :07:02.spread the benefits of prosperity around this country. Mr Speaker, I

:07:03. > :07:07.wonder if the first secretary might imagine what it feels like to be a

:07:08. > :07:13.parent forced to up their children from their settled home to flee war

:07:14. > :07:17.and persecution, as millions of refugees around the world have done.

:07:18. > :07:22.And then would he imagine further how it might feel for those who had

:07:23. > :07:27.become separated from their family members, with one family member

:07:28. > :07:30.making it, for instance, to the United Kingdom, needlessly kept

:07:31. > :07:34.apart from their families due to cruel and unnecessary barriers to

:07:35. > :07:39.family reunification? Will the Government today endorse the

:07:40. > :07:46.Baroness's bill in the other place to bring those desperate families

:07:47. > :07:49.back together? The right honourable gentleman raises an important issue

:07:50. > :07:54.and he will be aware that this Government, this country, has done a

:07:55. > :07:58.huge amount, particularly in the region, but also here at home to

:07:59. > :08:03.help refugees from countries such as Syria. We have expanded the

:08:04. > :08:07.vulnerable persons resettlement scheme, so we make sure our doors

:08:08. > :08:11.continue to remain open to people who most need our help, and in

:08:12. > :08:17.particular we work very closely with the UNHCR to identify and refer the

:08:18. > :08:22.most vulnerable refugees. That is the most sensible humanitarian way

:08:23. > :08:26.we can help these very desperate people. Can also say, since I should

:08:27. > :08:32.visitors last question, I suspect, as leader office party, can I wish

:08:33. > :08:36.him a fond farewell from that job? And say I am delighted the Liberal

:08:37. > :08:39.Democrats have taken so seriously the Government's full working life

:08:40. > :08:45.strategy which is about providing more jobs for older workers, and

:08:46. > :08:49.they are about to skip a generation...

:08:50. > :08:55.LAUGHTER -- since I assumed that this is his

:08:56. > :08:59.last question, I suspect. At the recent T20 meeting the Prime

:09:00. > :09:03.Minister had excellent and constructive trade discussions with

:09:04. > :09:10.the leaders of India, China, Japan and America -- at the recent G20

:09:11. > :09:13.meetings. These represent 43% of the world population, these countries,

:09:14. > :09:16.and six times the population of the European Union. Would my right

:09:17. > :09:22.honourable friend agree with me that this demonstrates the potential for

:09:23. > :09:26.a positive future for Britain post-Brexit, and it really is time

:09:27. > :09:33.for the pessimists to look at the cup being half full rather than half

:09:34. > :09:37.empty? I am happy to endorse my honourable friend's approach and

:09:38. > :09:41.just to emphasise to him in the house it is important to do both. We

:09:42. > :09:44.need a good trade deal with the European Union, still a hugely

:09:45. > :09:48.important trading partner for us, but also we need to take the

:09:49. > :09:51.opportunity to strike trade deals with economies round the world, not

:09:52. > :09:56.just currently advanced economies, but those that are growing very fast

:09:57. > :10:02.as well. That is the route to future global prosperity to this country.

:10:03. > :10:05.Thank you, Mr Speaker. We have had to make general elections where the

:10:06. > :10:10.Government has promised investment to the northern powerhouse, and yet

:10:11. > :10:16.again within weeks they have made a U-turn on the electrification of the

:10:17. > :10:20.trans-Pennine. Is the ?1 billion deal to keep the Prime Minister in

:10:21. > :10:28.power with the DUP being funded at the expense of the North? No, not at

:10:29. > :10:31.all. The money that has gone for infrastructure in Northern Ireland

:10:32. > :10:36.is richly needed there. We have signed for example city deals in

:10:37. > :10:41.England, Scotland and Wales, but none yet in Northern Ireland. I

:10:42. > :10:46.would hope... I mean, she is right about the importance of the northern

:10:47. > :10:49.powerhouse, and we will continue with that programme which is hugely

:10:50. > :10:54.important, and as she has already heard in this session, what we see

:10:55. > :11:00.is unemployment falling consistently in the north of England, as a sign

:11:01. > :11:03.of how the economy in that part of England is going as well as anywhere

:11:04. > :11:08.else in the country, and we are determined to continue that. Mr

:11:09. > :11:12.Speaker, I know the title might first secretary will be delighted to

:11:13. > :11:15.see Parliament Square now displays every flight of every British

:11:16. > :11:25.Overseas Territory to welcome the king of Spain this week, including

:11:26. > :11:29.the flag of Gibraltar. Would he as my right honourable friend the Prime

:11:30. > :11:33.Minister to remind the King of Spain that Gibraltar is British and their

:11:34. > :11:37.sovereignty will remain paramount? I am happy to assure my honourable

:11:38. > :11:42.friend that the Government's position on Gibraltar and the

:11:43. > :11:45.privacy of the wishes of its inhabitants which are overwhelmingly

:11:46. > :11:52.to stay British will be respected by the Government. What assessment has

:11:53. > :12:00.the Government made of the effect on radiotherapy for cancer patients of

:12:01. > :12:03.its decision to withdraw from the deal given the Royal College of

:12:04. > :12:10.radiologistss said this week that half a million scans per year are

:12:11. > :12:16.done using imported radioisotopes, and that thousands of patients could

:12:17. > :12:19.be affected by this decision? I am genuinely again happy to answer this

:12:20. > :12:25.question because it is a very important issue, and there has been

:12:26. > :12:29.some unnecessary worry caused to cancer patients by speculative on

:12:30. > :12:34.this. Let me set out the position. The import or export of medical

:12:35. > :12:39.radioisotopes is not subject to any particular licensing requirements.

:12:40. > :12:45.Euratom places no restrictions on the export of medical isotopes to

:12:46. > :12:48.countries outside the EU, so after leaving Euratom our ability to

:12:49. > :12:53.access military isotopes produced in Europe will not be affected. So I

:12:54. > :12:57.hope that clears it and I hope that reassures cancer patients around the

:12:58. > :13:25.country that the scaremongering going on is unnecessary.

:13:26. > :13:30.Emily Thornberry went over the negotiations for Brexit, on what

:13:31. > :13:37.happened with the Irish border, and then asking whether no deal was

:13:38. > :13:42.still an option. . Damian Green standing in for the Prime Minister

:13:43. > :13:45.did his best to talk about the recent unemployment figures,

:13:46. > :13:50.although he was not asked about it, because they are down, so it is what

:13:51. > :13:52.he wanted to talk about it. Then he was asked whether there was a

:13:53. > :13:57.Treasury assessment over the cost of no deal on Brexit, if that was to

:13:58. > :14:00.happen. And coming out tomorrow from the Office for Budget Responsibility

:14:01. > :14:05.on fiscal risks, there is something coming out there, so that was the

:14:06. > :14:09.exchange, quite lively. Probably more lively than usual, with Emily

:14:10. > :14:14.Thornberry seeming to be enjoying herself. And in the end Mr Green

:14:15. > :14:18.also seem to be enjoying is. What are the viewers make of it? The

:14:19. > :14:23.broadly agreed with that assessment, you will be delighted to know. One

:14:24. > :14:27.here, Emily Thornberry more charisma than Jeremy Corbyn, tackling

:14:28. > :14:30.defensive Green who could not answer a single one of her questions, which

:14:31. > :14:35.is a pity because on issues like the Irish border and the no deal

:14:36. > :14:38.possibility, we need answers. Another one, extremely impressed

:14:39. > :14:43.with Damian Green, passionate and on the ball, he showed up the Labour

:14:44. > :14:48.lot. Another one, why are Labour fixated on failure and why would we

:14:49. > :14:52.share our contingency plans at the start of EU negotiations? Ian Lenny,

:14:53. > :14:56.he says anything is better than being in the EU, because being in

:14:57. > :15:01.the EU means we are no longer an independent country. Simples. Philip

:15:02. > :15:07.says, this is so much more fun than the usual PMQs. Please, Theresa and

:15:08. > :15:08.Jeremy, take more time off! LAUGHTER

:15:09. > :15:19.Well, he enjoyed it! I saw that e-mail, anything better

:15:20. > :15:24.than Jeremy Corbyn and team-mate, for either of them, it is not their

:15:25. > :15:30.natural habitat, and I think we did see both of them, very experienced

:15:31. > :15:35.at the despatch box, enjoying themselves on the big day. I don't

:15:36. > :15:41.think Gestede Scot us anywhere in terms of news, apart from Damian

:15:42. > :15:46.Green talking about the OBR publishing a not very interesting

:15:47. > :15:50.sounding paper on fiscal risk. Potentially we will get a whole

:15:51. > :15:57.independent assessment of the various different outcomes of what

:15:58. > :16:01.happens with Brexit. What is this paper about? You will have to wait

:16:02. > :16:05.and see! I have been around long enough not to ask you what is in it,

:16:06. > :16:09.I might as well put my head against a brick wall! But what is it about?

:16:10. > :16:15.What ground is it going to cover? When the OBR has published these

:16:16. > :16:21.reports in the past, they look at, you know, for example, the impact of

:16:22. > :16:28.an ageing population, pressures on health care, you know, the various

:16:29. > :16:33.long-term factors that may impact tax receipts. What will this one

:16:34. > :16:37.look at? It will look at the long-term factors that will have an

:16:38. > :16:50.impact on tax receipts and spending measures. Including Brexit? I have

:16:51. > :16:53.not seen the report, but the last report was very striking about some

:16:54. > :16:59.of the demographic pressures that we face as a country, a reminder that

:17:00. > :17:04.we have to think about public finances. And while Emily Thornberry

:17:05. > :17:08.asked for an assessment of what a no deal scenario would cost, the

:17:09. > :17:12.Treasury already did that during the referendum campaign. Now, that

:17:13. > :17:18.suggestion and... Highly political Treasury report. From memory, it

:17:19. > :17:21.puts that report and 60 billion, were we to crash out, over a

:17:22. > :17:28.five-year period, that is from memory. But as you say, any set of

:17:29. > :17:32.statistics put forward in this current context are highly political

:17:33. > :17:37.in terms of how they are interpreted, but if the OBR comes

:17:38. > :17:41.out with number, they are an independent organisation, and they

:17:42. > :17:44.could have an effect in this debate. Where Emily Thornberry is onto

:17:45. > :17:48.something if you look at all the remarks of Cabinet ministers in the

:17:49. > :17:52.last couple of weeks about the path the negotiations are going to

:17:53. > :17:56.follow, there is obviously, publicly, a range of opinions of how

:17:57. > :17:59.they should do, and that is a huge and estimate of the differences

:18:00. > :18:04.behind closed doors. Let me come back to you, they would go, Jack

:18:05. > :18:10.Dromey, I know you want to do a deal, get the best possible deal for

:18:11. > :18:17.the country, but is it still government policy that no deal would

:18:18. > :18:23.be better than a bad deal? Yes, as Damian Green set out in PMQs, it

:18:24. > :18:28.would be clearly no deal is bad news, but if we were faced with

:18:29. > :18:32.essentially a punishment deal, then we need to be in a position to walk

:18:33. > :18:38.away, and it doesn't make any sense to go into a negotiation and say,

:18:39. > :18:41.whatever happens in the end, we will sign up. That immediately weakens

:18:42. > :18:45.our position, and we're genuinely have to prepare for this, we have to

:18:46. > :18:49.be willing to walk away, but I'm not go to pretend that that is a good

:18:50. > :18:55.outcome for the country, but it might not be the very worst outcome.

:18:56. > :19:01.In these negotiations, what a Labour's redlines? Crucially, if I

:19:02. > :19:07.can give a practical example from my own constituency, we have a jaguar

:19:08. > :19:10.planned, we have heard about unemployment figures today, we have

:19:11. > :19:14.the sixth highest in Britain, and the plant has doubled in size to

:19:15. > :19:21.3000, world-class success story. The chief executive has said, crucially,

:19:22. > :19:26.we need access to the single market, yeah? And if we are denied that, if

:19:27. > :19:31.there are tariff barriers erected, we sell fewer cars, made fewer cars,

:19:32. > :19:36.and that will mean fewer jobs in an area of high and employment. So to

:19:37. > :19:45.contemplate for one moment walking away without a deal is at the

:19:46. > :19:49.irresponsible. -- is utterly responsible. But what I mean by

:19:50. > :19:54.redlines is not what you hope to achieve, everybody understands that

:19:55. > :20:00.we won't tariff free car sales, but what would be unacceptable? What

:20:01. > :20:06.would you regard as unacceptable, a red line that you could not accept?

:20:07. > :20:10.One thing we made clear, for example, on another issue, what we

:20:11. > :20:14.would never accept is a diminishing of rights in Britain, and that

:20:15. > :20:22.raises difficult questions about access to mechanisms to enforce

:20:23. > :20:25.rights. That is not a red line. With respect, rights for workers

:20:26. > :20:29.post-Brexit will be a matter for the parliament across the road, that

:20:30. > :20:36.will be determined there, you will argue your case. What would you...

:20:37. > :20:42.Let me try and help you. If the demand remained as 100 billion euros

:20:43. > :20:48.divorce settlement, would that be a red line? Would you refuse? It will

:20:49. > :20:53.be a tough negotiation, the idea of paying 100 billion would not be

:20:54. > :20:57.acceptable to the British people. Converse Lee, let's recognise this -

:20:58. > :21:03.if you take the transitional period between now and the two year period

:21:04. > :21:07.ending, we have obligations that we have to meet under treaty as they

:21:08. > :21:15.stand. In answer to your question, might there be continuing payments

:21:16. > :21:21.into the European Union as part of a deal around, for example, access to

:21:22. > :21:24.the single market? Yes, ?100 billion? No. The reason I am asking

:21:25. > :21:31.is that there could be an election in the autumn, Labour once and

:21:32. > :21:35.election in the autumn,, and the Brexit negotiations are now under

:21:36. > :21:39.way, so we do have a right now to know what you're negotiating

:21:40. > :21:44.position will be - not just the Government's, we have a right to

:21:45. > :21:48.know that, but yours, and so we have a right to know what you would

:21:49. > :21:51.regard as lines that he would not cross if Europe was demanding

:21:52. > :21:57.certain things. It is quite difficult to work out what they are.

:21:58. > :22:01.It has been difficult to decipher what the Government are saying, not

:22:02. > :22:06.least because it changes from one day to the next... But I am asking

:22:07. > :22:09.about you. We have set out clearly what we need to be able to do, and I

:22:10. > :22:14.have given a practical example which is vital to the economic

:22:15. > :22:18.prosperity... But that is the Government's position as well, there

:22:19. > :22:24.is no difference. What we are not going to do is contemplate for one

:22:25. > :22:28.moment that somehow there is a council of despair, and somehow we

:22:29. > :22:33.might walk away from the table with no agreement whatsoever, isolated

:22:34. > :22:37.with all the economic and other consequences... So no matter how

:22:38. > :22:42.bad, there is no deal you would walk away from? If we form a government,

:22:43. > :22:47.we will negotiate hard for a good deal. That is what they are doing.

:22:48. > :22:52.But he would never walk away? What we will not do... By the way,

:22:53. > :22:58.Andrew, I was a negotiator for 30 years, the idea that you go into a

:22:59. > :23:02.negotiation of this kind, incidentally, led by a weak and

:23:03. > :23:08.divided,... I'm trying to find out your position. The idea that you go

:23:09. > :23:14.in and say, oh, you might walk away. That is what trade unions do all the

:23:15. > :23:17.time, we will go on strike! Negotiations that I conducted with

:23:18. > :23:22.employers, what you do, you seek to establish a common interest, and

:23:23. > :23:26.there is a common interest between ourselves and the European Union.

:23:27. > :23:35.What we have had is confused mixed messages. I ask you about Labour and

:23:36. > :23:39.you attack the Tories. Jack Dromey introduced an interesting idea, that

:23:40. > :23:45.we would pay for continuing access to the single market. Is that the

:23:46. > :23:48.Government's policy or not? In terms of payments, the days of vast

:23:49. > :23:54.contributions to the EU budget would be over. But would we pay for

:23:55. > :23:58.continued access to the single market? Well, in terms of the

:23:59. > :24:02.negotiations, what we're going to do, we have set it out in the

:24:03. > :24:08.Lancaster House macros beach, we are not going to do but contributions...

:24:09. > :24:12.You have said that twice. I do not make paying for special things like

:24:13. > :24:17.Erasmus and all the rest, but as a principle, are we prepared to pay a

:24:18. > :24:22.sum of money to have continued access to the single market for

:24:23. > :24:28.goods and services? What we want to do is have access... I know that.

:24:29. > :24:35.That is not an answer, I am going to move on. Andrew, I am not going to

:24:36. > :24:39.negotiate here. Jack Dromey said that Labour would be prepared to pay

:24:40. > :24:44.for continued access, I have asked you three times, I have not got an

:24:45. > :24:49.answer. Ministers have never ruled it out, they have been asked lots of

:24:50. > :24:51.times, it will one of the first questions that we as the Prime

:24:52. > :24:56.Minister on her first foreign trip, on the plane to China, she did not

:24:57. > :25:00.rule it out in September last year, and therefore it is reasonable to

:25:01. > :25:04.surmise from that that it is something that might be an option.

:25:05. > :25:09.The Norwegians Andy Swiss Beggan. And there is increasing chatter

:25:10. > :25:15.during a transition period about whether you have to reach for what

:25:16. > :25:20.other countries have. That could involve paying a fee. Which have

:25:21. > :25:25.another 18 months, I can hardly wait! Just going around in circles!

:25:26. > :25:34.Laura, we will let you go, thank you very much. No more Prime Minister

:25:35. > :25:35.before the summer? I no, what shall we do?!

:25:36. > :25:37.Now, almost two weeks ago the Labour MP Chris Bryant

:25:38. > :25:40.won the ballot to put forward a private member's bill,

:25:41. > :25:42.the opportunity for backbench MPs to get an idea

:25:43. > :25:46.At the time, he didn't know what legislation he would proposes,

:25:47. > :25:53.and he joins us from Central Lobby with the news.

:25:54. > :26:01.So what have you decided? It is not a question of what I have decided, I

:26:02. > :26:06.decided to put it out to an online poll, I put up six different

:26:07. > :26:10.proposals, which were active terrorism bill, food advertising,

:26:11. > :26:15.marriage equality, exclusion of hereditary peers, and two others,

:26:16. > :26:19.and 33,900 people around the country voted online, and 500 of them in my

:26:20. > :26:26.own constituency, and here are the results, the top two are the

:26:27. > :26:36.refugees families built, 8006 under than 79 votes, and top of the list

:26:37. > :26:41.is the assault on emergency service staff, the same in my constituency,

:26:42. > :26:44.so I will breed the Mike Leigh presenting a bill to introduce a new

:26:45. > :26:49.offence of attacking an emergency worker while they are doing their

:26:50. > :26:52.work. -- so I will be presenting a bill. Some on the anvil and villains

:26:53. > :26:58.workers, doctors and NHS workers have been attacked in recent years

:26:59. > :27:06.and the law is not strong enough. -- so many ambulance workers. Will this

:27:07. > :27:09.get cross-party support, do you think? Many Tory MPs have said they

:27:10. > :27:14.want to help this get on the statute books. We need a proper way of

:27:15. > :27:19.telling people in this country that it is simply not on to attack a fire

:27:20. > :27:23.worker when they are trying to put out a fire, not on to attack a

:27:24. > :27:28.paramedic when they are trying to resist a date somebody, whether in a

:27:29. > :27:32.hospital or out of a hospital, and when people spit at NHS workers,

:27:33. > :27:36.there is no requirement in law that they should have to provide a blood

:27:37. > :27:41.test, and that means that it is very painful and difficult for the health

:27:42. > :27:45.worker, knowing whether they have been infected with something. That

:27:46. > :27:50.is another offence we will introduce. There are currently laws

:27:51. > :27:58.in place that should protect staff in the emergency services, so you

:27:59. > :28:01.are trying to add an extra layer. There are not, there is a summary

:28:02. > :28:03.offence related to police offices, so the biggest sentence is six

:28:04. > :28:12.months, otherwise you are treated as if you are an ordinary member of the

:28:13. > :28:16.public. -- police officers. Everybody goes on about how

:28:17. > :28:19.wonderful hour emergency service workers are, this is an opportunity

:28:20. > :28:26.to put something on the statute books to protect our protectors.

:28:27. > :28:30.Campaign with me, Jo! Can I sign you up? No, she is a TV presenter! You

:28:31. > :28:31.can't take sides! There's just time to put you

:28:32. > :28:34.out of your misery and give you the answer to Guess

:28:35. > :28:43.The Year. It was 2005, Prestat red button.

:28:44. > :28:48.There we go. We might need a new red button! Well done, John Dobson, you

:28:49. > :28:49.got the answer right. The one o'clock news is starting

:28:50. > :28:52.over on BBC One now. Jo and I will be here

:28:53. > :28:54.at noon tomorrow with all the big political

:28:55. > :28:57.stories of the day.