0:00:41 > 0:00:45Morning folks - welcome to the Daily Politics.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Theresa May's key Brexit committee of senior ministers meets today
0:00:48 > 0:00:51to agree the Government's negotiating priorities for the next
0:00:51 > 0:00:58phase of Brexit talks.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Can they come to a consensus or are they still hopelessly divided?
0:01:01 > 0:01:04In Brussels, draft EU plans for a Brexit transition period
0:01:04 > 0:01:09are leaked showing the bloc wants the power to punish Britain
0:01:09 > 0:01:11if it's deemed to break any transitional arrangements,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14without reference to the European Court of Justice.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Adult social care services will get an extra £150 million this year.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The extra cash appears to have headed off
0:01:19 > 0:01:21a parliamentary rebellion, but council chiefs say the long-term
0:01:21 > 0:01:29funding pressures haven't gone away.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33After the B-team last week normal service resumes
0:01:33 > 0:01:36at Prime Minister's Questions today - it's May versus Corbyn
0:01:36 > 0:01:38in the final bout before the half-term recess.
0:01:38 > 0:01:46We'll have the action live and uninterrupted from midday.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52All that in the next 90 minutes, and with me today
0:01:52 > 0:01:55are the International Trade Minister Greg Hands and the Shadow Transport
0:01:55 > 0:01:56Minister Rachael Maskell.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Happily, I can confirm there is absolutely no gap in pay
0:01:59 > 0:02:00between my two guests today.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03That's because we're not paying either of them anything to be here.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Welcome to you both.
0:02:07 > 0:02:17Good morning.They are on zero-hour contracts.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21The EU wants to be able to restrict the UK's access to the single market
0:02:21 > 0:02:23and impose tariffs if the Brussels Commission deems Britain
0:02:23 > 0:02:25to have broken aspects of a transitional agreement.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27It wants the ability to do this quickly,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30without recourse to the ECJ.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33That's according to official EU papers leaked to the media last
0:02:33 > 0:02:41night and published today.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57As you can imagine, Tory Brexiteers aren't too impressed -
0:02:57 > 0:02:58Jacob Rees-Mogg called the EU's position "aggressive."
0:02:58 > 0:03:01And later today, Theresa May will chair the first of two meetings
0:03:01 > 0:03:04of her Brexit war cabinet and this is just one more
0:03:04 > 0:03:05problem on her plate.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06Here's Ellie with all the details.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08That's right, Andrew - the European Union Exit
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and Trade Strategy and Negotiations sub-committee, or to give
0:03:10 > 0:03:13it its more exciting name, the "war cabinet", is chaired
0:03:13 > 0:03:15by the Prime Minister and consists of ten
0:03:15 > 0:03:16other senior ministers.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Today they will discuss Northern Ireland and immigration
0:03:18 > 0:03:19in the first of two crunch meetings.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22And tomorrow they'll move on to trade and the future
0:03:22 > 0:03:23economic partnership.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25So will we get any firm decisions on the UK position?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Probably not.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And today the British Chambers of Commerce has written
0:03:29 > 0:03:31to the Prime Minister calling for more clarity,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34urging ministers to "deliver a clear, unequivocal,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38statement of intent" on Brexit.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42And this morning the EU has published a draft section
0:03:42 > 0:03:45of the final Withdrawal Agreement, saying that there should be
0:03:45 > 0:03:47a mechanism allowing the EU to "suspend certain benefits"
0:03:47 > 0:03:55of single market membership during the transition period.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59The UK Government has sought to play down the leak, saying: "This
0:03:59 > 0:04:01is a draft document produced by the EU that simply
0:04:01 > 0:04:02reflects their stated directives."
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Both sides are hoping to be able to reach agreement on the terms
0:04:05 > 0:04:09of the implementation or "transition period" by the time they meet at the
0:04:09 > 0:04:10European Council summit in March.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Thanks, Ellie. What is the British Government position? Are we prepared
0:04:12 > 0:04:14to negotiate Britain on sanctions on punishments -- and punishment if we
0:04:14 > 0:04:18had deemed to have broken the transitional agreement?This is a
0:04:18 > 0:04:21draft document and is obviously about the rules of what the period
0:04:21 > 0:04:25will be. I will say that in previous times Brussels have been clear that
0:04:25 > 0:04:29they don't want to punish Britain, and actually very much in terms of
0:04:29 > 0:04:34the trade flows, and we have to remember it is very much in the EU's
0:04:34 > 0:04:39interests to keep trade flowing... Sure, I know that, but the talk is
0:04:39 > 0:04:42if they deem us to have broken any aspect of the traditional agreement
0:04:42 > 0:04:48Brussels would have the power to grow and British flights, suspend
0:04:48 > 0:04:50access to the single market and even impose tariffs on British goods. Are
0:04:50 > 0:04:57we prepared to negotiate on that basis?Looks, that will be in terms
0:04:57 > 0:05:01of the details of how the implementation period work and that
0:05:01 > 0:05:04is subject to the negotiation, but on the specific points we have to
0:05:04 > 0:05:08remember it is also in the EU interests to keep trade flowing and
0:05:08 > 0:05:13to keep flights between the EU and the UK, so why would they want...
0:05:13 > 0:05:18They are saying if we agree to a transitional period which they then
0:05:18 > 0:05:22deem we have broken aspect of, they want the power to have sanctions
0:05:22 > 0:05:28against us, and these sanctions could include grounding flights in
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Britain or tariffs against certain manufacturers that are deemed to
0:05:30 > 0:05:35have broken the transitional arrangement. I ask again, is the
0:05:35 > 0:05:39British Government prepared to negotiate on that basis?Looks, we
0:05:39 > 0:05:45will sort it out, there will be an negotiation of how the
0:05:45 > 0:05:48implementation period works. I am saying it would be logical for that
0:05:48 > 0:05:52you'd want to ground flights between you and the UK.It is in the
0:05:52 > 0:05:56document which I have here. They want to suspend certain benefits
0:05:56 > 0:06:00derived very from the UK position in the internal market where it
0:06:00 > 0:06:06considers referring to the court would not happen in time. It needs a
0:06:06 > 0:06:10mechanism for them to be able to respond. Let me try a third time.
0:06:10 > 0:06:17Are we prepared to negotiate on sanctions if we are deemed to have
0:06:17 > 0:06:22broken a transitional agreement? This is a draft document, I will be
0:06:22 > 0:06:26clear again, it will not be in the EU's interest...It is the
0:06:26 > 0:06:31negotiating document am a minister. That is the EU's position. I will
0:06:31 > 0:06:35try to break my rule because I normally only go three times. I will
0:06:35 > 0:06:39try for a fourth time. What is the British Government's negotiating
0:06:39 > 0:06:43position? Is it prepared to negotiate on this basis?We will
0:06:43 > 0:06:46come to an agreement on the terms of the limitation period, that is what
0:06:46 > 0:06:53we will negotiate, and we will not...Will you accept sanctions if
0:06:53 > 0:06:58you are deemed to have broken the deal? I know what the EU position
0:06:58 > 0:07:03is. I am trying to get the British Government's position. Mind you,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06trying on any issue is pretty much a lost cause these days, so let me try
0:07:06 > 0:07:11again. What is our negotiating position? Are we prepared to
0:07:11 > 0:07:16negotiate any kind of sanctions or not?We will have to see how we will
0:07:16 > 0:07:19enter this negotiation. What I am saying is a lot of what is published
0:07:19 > 0:07:23there is a logical. Why would you want to ground flights were
0:07:23 > 0:07:28presumably half of the passengers are coming from the European Union?
0:07:28 > 0:07:33For you would be against it?I am saying let's look at it over the
0:07:33 > 0:07:37implementation be a... Lets wait for that negotiation. It's not for me
0:07:37 > 0:07:42today to pre-empt a negotiation.No, but it is for you as a member of the
0:07:42 > 0:07:44British Government to tell this country what our negotiating
0:07:44 > 0:07:48position is as a country, and you are incapable of doing that.The
0:07:48 > 0:07:53negotiation hasn't started yet, Andrew.The EU has published its
0:07:53 > 0:07:56side and I am asking a simple question on behalf of the British
0:07:56 > 0:08:09voter, what is our side?A draft EU document you have said that four
0:08:09 > 0:08:11times but it is a negotiating document, the position paper on
0:08:11 > 0:08:13transitional arrangements and the withdrawal agreement. This is the
0:08:13 > 0:08:16document. But, Andrew, we will negotiate about the terms...Would
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Labour agree to this?The problem at the moment is we haven't even agreed
0:08:20 > 0:08:24a transition period.Would Labour agree to it?We would be in a far
0:08:24 > 0:08:29different position.But you are not. With Labour agree to that?We
0:08:29 > 0:08:31clearly are because we are not in power at the moment.There could be
0:08:31 > 0:08:37an election any day. Your party is on an election war footing, Mr
0:08:37 > 0:08:46Corbyn has told us that many claims, so if it falls to you to negotiate,
0:08:46 > 0:08:51would it -- which it could, would you agree to this document?We would
0:08:51 > 0:08:57not be in this position.I'm sorry, but you would inherit this. You
0:08:57 > 0:09:00quite rightly constantly complain it is hard to get a position out of the
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Government, who won't answer, and we have seen that this morning, but I
0:09:03 > 0:09:06am asking you as an alternate Government of this country, what
0:09:06 > 0:09:10would your position be when faced with this negotiating demand?I have
0:09:10 > 0:09:18been absolutely clear that we wouldn't even be discussing this
0:09:24 > 0:09:27document been very clear on what we look to the future which is very
0:09:27 > 0:09:29different from the position of the Government which, quite frankly, is
0:09:29 > 0:09:32in complete chaos.You think if there was a Labour Government this
0:09:32 > 0:09:34document would be withdrawn?It would be a very different
0:09:34 > 0:09:35negotiating period. Firstly, we would be clear on transition
0:09:35 > 0:09:38agreements, that we would stay in the single market and the customs
0:09:38 > 0:09:42union, we are not messing around with the European Union...What this
0:09:42 > 0:09:46document is about is the transitional period, so the
0:09:46 > 0:09:51Government says it will stay in the customs union as well during the
0:09:51 > 0:09:54transitional period. What would you as part of the transitional
0:09:54 > 0:09:58agreement, that you say you have been very clear about, except these
0:09:58 > 0:10:01sanctions?We would not be in the position of having to because we
0:10:01 > 0:10:06would be so clear about our relationship with Europe, about...
0:10:06 > 0:10:10I'm sorry, whatever the relationship you need transitional arrangements
0:10:10 > 0:10:13for them and you need a dispute mechanism if someone is found in
0:10:13 > 0:10:19breach. This is the EU's suggested dispute mechanism. Do you accept it,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23or don't you?Clearly there needs to be sanctions on both sides with any
0:10:23 > 0:10:26agreement is moving forward, that is always the case in a negotiation.So
0:10:26 > 0:10:31you would accept these sanctions? But whether it is about those
0:10:31 > 0:10:34sanctions or obviously the sanctions placed on the EU, but where we have
0:10:34 > 0:10:38been very clear is the transition on the same terms we are on now and
0:10:38 > 0:10:42therefore the EU, and Labour has been clear about where we stand on
0:10:42 > 0:10:46these issues.Lets come onto the customs union. Am I right that it is
0:10:46 > 0:10:50the Government position during the transition we stay in the customs
0:10:50 > 0:10:55union?We haven't yet negotiated the transition period.But what is your
0:10:55 > 0:10:59position?Position is we will be leaving the customs union at the end
0:10:59 > 0:11:02state.I'm not asking that. I'm sorry to interrupt, but you simply
0:11:02 > 0:11:11won't address any of the questions I am asking. I
0:11:11 > 0:11:13am asking. I notice the Government position we leave the customs union.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15We will even leave a customs union after the transition. My question
0:11:15 > 0:11:18was quite clear. It was your Government policy, that you would
0:11:18 > 0:11:23stay in the customs union during the transition period...We want there
0:11:23 > 0:11:27to be only one change throughout all of this, that businesses only have
0:11:27 > 0:11:30to prepare a for one change in terms of the current trading relations
0:11:30 > 0:11:35with the European Union.Are we in or out of the customs union during
0:11:35 > 0:11:38the transition period? Labour-saving would stay in. What would you do?
0:11:38 > 0:11:41That would be a matter for the negotiation -- the Labour Party say
0:11:41 > 0:11:45that they will stay in. It is not a matter for the negotiation.I am
0:11:45 > 0:11:50asking for your position going into the negotiation. Is it your position
0:11:50 > 0:11:54that you will accept membership of the customs union during the
0:11:54 > 0:11:57transition?Andrew, that is a matter for the negotiation and I will not
0:11:57 > 0:12:02tell you today what our starting position will be, before the
0:12:02 > 0:12:04negotiators have even started.You are negotiating on behalf of the
0:12:04 > 0:12:08British people and we have a right to know.What I am telling you is
0:12:08 > 0:12:11the position and it has been laid clear over the last year, we are
0:12:11 > 0:12:14leaving the single market and the customs union.We know that
0:12:14 > 0:12:19afterward, but are you telling me this morning, even at this stage, I
0:12:19 > 0:12:22mean, I must confess, I am mistaken, because I thought it was Government
0:12:22 > 0:12:29policy to stay in the customs union and the single market, like Labour,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31during the transition period. You're telling me this morning that
0:12:31 > 0:12:35position has not yet been determined?I am telling you we want
0:12:35 > 0:12:38to preserve the same terms of trade during the implementation period as
0:12:38 > 0:12:43is currently in place today.So you will stay in the customs union? I'm
0:12:43 > 0:12:46not asking about the end state for the moment, Minister. I'm asking
0:12:46 > 0:12:52about the transition period. Are you telling me we will be in the customs
0:12:52 > 0:12:55union for the transition period or are you not?I am telling you that
0:12:55 > 0:13:02as a matter for a negotiation that hasn't yet started.No! It is a
0:13:02 > 0:13:06matter for us to find out what the Government position is going into
0:13:06 > 0:13:10the negotiations, and at this late stage you cannot even tell me that?
0:13:10 > 0:13:14A negotiation that hasn't yet started.It can't start until you
0:13:14 > 0:13:17make up your mind what you want. What is the point of negotiating if
0:13:17 > 0:13:23you can't make up your mind?That is not the case at all. The
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Government's position in terms of long-term position is clear. We want
0:13:27 > 0:13:31the implementation period to be on the same terms of trade as today.Is
0:13:31 > 0:13:35that a convoluted way of saying you will stay in the customs union
0:13:35 > 0:13:39during the transition period?No, it is a way of saying keeping the same
0:13:39 > 0:13:45terms of trade as today.That is the customs union, what we have.That is
0:13:45 > 0:13:54your inference.We are in the customs union.We are going into
0:14:03 > 0:14:06that negotiation, Andrew.Do you have any idea what you're talking
0:14:06 > 0:14:08about?I am the Trade Minister, yes. This is what worries me! This is
0:14:08 > 0:14:11your field and you cannot give a simple answer to a civil question.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14It is a process that hasn't started yet.One question. Even after the
0:14:14 > 0:14:16transition period in the Lords, how should Labour vote on that?We have
0:14:16 > 0:14:19said absolutely clearly in the long term we will stay with the same
0:14:19 > 0:14:22frictionless trade moving forward. But do you want to stay in the
0:14:22 > 0:14:25customs union or not? Post-transition?We have not got
0:14:25 > 0:14:29hung up on names of institutions but what we have said is the terms,
0:14:29 > 0:14:34which are absolutely vital to moving forward...There are votes coming up
0:14:34 > 0:14:37in the house that could determine whether we stay in or leave the
0:14:37 > 0:14:40customs union and the Government position after the transition is to
0:14:40 > 0:14:48leave. We'll Labour vote to leave or stay after the transition?We have
0:14:48 > 0:14:53taken nothing off the table because we agreed...What is your position?
0:14:53 > 0:14:58That is what I am saying, nothing off the table.That is not an answer
0:14:58 > 0:15:01to a question on your position. Do you think we should stay in the
0:15:01 > 0:15:07customs union after the transition period or not?Wheeler said, very
0:15:07 > 0:15:12clearly...You haven't said anything clearly -- we have said, very
0:15:12 > 0:15:16clearly. Everything on the table is just a phrase. Is it Labour's
0:15:16 > 0:15:20position, I will try one more time, is it Labour's position to remain in
0:15:20 > 0:15:26the customs union after the transition period is over?We have
0:15:26 > 0:15:30said we will stay in a customs arrangement with the EU making sure
0:15:30 > 0:15:33we have frictionless trade, and it is the concepts of being able to
0:15:33 > 0:15:36trade freely which is very important. This Government has
0:15:36 > 0:15:39had...I don't have time for the Government when you can't even
0:15:39 > 0:15:44answer. I have done enough of that. You don't get out of not answering
0:15:44 > 0:15:49the question by attacking the Government.Andrew, there have been
0:15:49 > 0:15:55two thoughts.Neither of you have answered, so let's just move on.
0:15:55 > 0:16:02Even by our standards that was remarkably unproductive.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Ministers have announced an extra £150 million for adult social
0:16:05 > 0:16:06care services this financial year.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08It's part of the latest local government finance settlement
0:16:08 > 0:16:14which will be debated and voted on by MPs later today.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16The promise of extra cash looks like it's placated some Conservative
0:16:16 > 0:16:18backbenchers, who were threatening to rebel over the plans.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20However, councils say they are still facing squeezed
0:16:20 > 0:16:23budgets in the years ahead.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Gary Porter is a Conservative peer and the chairman
0:16:25 > 0:16:26of the Local Government Association.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29He joins me now.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34Gary Porter, you get £150 million, my understanding, for this financial
0:16:34 > 0:16:40year. It is better than nothing. It would seem to me it does nothing to
0:16:40 > 0:16:43resolve your long-term financial situation?I think we need to make
0:16:43 > 0:16:48it clear it is a lot better than nothing. Last week we were facing
0:16:48 > 0:16:52being £190 million lighter in cash than we are today, so it is a big
0:16:52 > 0:16:56achievement given the Treasury were not prepared and the Secretary of
0:16:56 > 0:16:59State has done well to achieve what he has, but clearly we all know that
0:16:59 > 0:17:03adult social care, people looking after your mum, dad, you're elderly
0:17:03 > 0:17:07relatives, we don't have enough money in the system.Funding gap of
0:17:07 > 0:17:14£2.3 billion by 2020. Is that true? Yes, 2020, and we need another
0:17:14 > 0:17:17billion into the marketplace now to make it sustainable. We saw in the
0:17:17 > 0:17:21news last week, big heralds going out of business, returning
0:17:21 > 0:17:27contracts.You have the 150 billion -- big care homes going out of
0:17:27 > 0:17:31business. What you want the Government to do now?We urge them
0:17:31 > 0:17:34to move quickly on the Green paper and we should have a seat on the
0:17:34 > 0:17:39table table. Our people providing the care need to be there to sort it
0:17:39 > 0:17:43out.What would you ask them to do? We need more money into the system.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46At the moment the Treasury take half the rate we collect, so as councils
0:17:46 > 0:17:53we collect £27 billion a year and we get 13 back, and the Treasury take
0:17:53 > 0:17:56the other 13. We could sort this problem in the morning by keeping
0:17:56 > 0:18:02the business rates we collect.Keep all £26 billion? I have a funny idea
0:18:02 > 0:18:08the Treasury will not agree to that. I have a funny idea they want
0:18:08 > 0:18:13volley-mac won't either, but it is a local tax, why isn't it being spent
0:18:13 > 0:18:17on local services?The Treasury feels they have no money either so
0:18:17 > 0:18:22that is why the Chancellor was you can for -- looking for obscure ways
0:18:22 > 0:18:26of putting up tax.They shouldn't be using local tax to pay for National
0:18:26 > 0:18:30services, it should be for local services.Will local authorities, to
0:18:30 > 0:18:36try to meet some of this funding gap, council tax payers, Ivy in for
0:18:36 > 0:18:40a regular round of 6% rises? They can do three without a referendum
0:18:40 > 0:18:46and another three if it is for social care. Will that be widespread
0:18:46 > 0:18:51now? They won't be able to carry on because it is coming to an end that
0:18:51 > 0:18:55period, so as it stands we will be back to 3% cap on council tax.But
0:18:55 > 0:18:58why should it be capped? Why shouldn't the council be able to
0:18:58 > 0:19:02determine how much to charge local people for local services? It is not
0:19:02 > 0:19:03for the Government.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08We don't have a referendum on any other tax.We will say goodbye to
0:19:08 > 0:19:11you, but you have given me my next question for which I am grateful.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17Thank you very much, Gary Porter. Why is council tax cut?We have
0:19:17 > 0:19:21introduced a lot of flexibility, being able to increase council tax
0:19:21 > 0:19:25by 3%, an additional 3% on the adult social care precept. The Government
0:19:25 > 0:19:28has an excellent record on keeping down council tax, we froze it
0:19:28 > 0:19:35throughout the course of the last parliament.Why is the Government?
0:19:35 > 0:19:39It is council tax. Why do you control what councils are taxing?We
0:19:39 > 0:19:44think it is the right balance, that councils can raise more.If they
0:19:44 > 0:19:47wanted to raise more than that they go to a local referendum. If they
0:19:47 > 0:19:52want to raise more than 6%, which is well more than the rate of
0:19:52 > 0:19:57inflation, they would have to go to a local referendum.Well, more than
0:19:57 > 0:20:013%, unless they want more money to be earmarked for social care, so it
0:20:01 > 0:20:06is
0:20:16 > 0:20:19more than 3% they would have to go to a referendum for.But on top of
0:20:19 > 0:20:22that there is the 3% adult social care precept as well so they would
0:20:22 > 0:20:25have to go to a local referendum in excess of 6%.He is a Conservative.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29What do you say to?I know him very well. He is good, rivers and local
0:20:29 > 0:20:30Government. We provided more money. -- representing local government.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33These are the Tories saying this, this spending gap, not Labour!We
0:20:33 > 0:20:38have provided £200 billion for local government over the course of these
0:20:38 > 0:20:41five years, and we have also announced a green paper, later this
0:20:41 > 0:20:45year, to look again at the long-term aspects of the funding of social
0:20:45 > 0:20:50care.The funding gap is £2.4 billion by 2020. In the long-term a
0:20:50 > 0:20:55lot of people under social care will be dead. In the long term we are all
0:20:55 > 0:21:02dead! This is a social funding gap now. What is to be done?We
0:21:02 > 0:21:04recognise the degree of the problem and the size of the problem, and
0:21:04 > 0:21:08that is why we are looking afresh with the green paper, but we did
0:21:08 > 0:21:14provide £2 billion... We have provided it, Andrew. We provided 2
0:21:14 > 0:21:20billion in the budget last year, an additional million pounds today.
0:21:20 > 0:21:28Over a course of two years -- an extra £150 million today. We are now
0:21:28 > 0:21:31looking at the longer term aspects, in a correct way, in consultation
0:21:31 > 0:21:36with local government.I would Labour plug this spending gap?Well,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39we wouldn't be just throwing sticking plasters at a problem.
0:21:39 > 0:21:45Fundamentally, we know the 40% cut which has now fallen across all
0:21:45 > 0:21:48local authorities has had a devastating impact, not just an
0:21:48 > 0:21:53adult services...We know the problem, but my question to you is
0:21:53 > 0:21:57how would you fill the gap?We certainly wouldn't be making the
0:21:57 > 0:22:03scale of the cuts from central government to local authorities to
0:22:03 > 0:22:06hollow out local government, so actually it is quite dysfunctional.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10If we think about social care, the crisis, not only is the green paper
0:22:10 > 0:22:15incredibly delayed, by eight years, but we have at that situation where
0:22:15 > 0:22:21we have £6.3 billion deficit.We know! This is all history.No
0:22:21 > 0:22:25comment as the present.The lack of social... Lack of funding for social
0:22:25 > 0:22:30care from central Government goes back almost to 2010. What I am
0:22:30 > 0:22:36asking you is how would you resolve it? Because the Government, other
0:22:36 > 0:22:40than the £150 million and the £2 billion given before, which still
0:22:40 > 0:22:44leaves this gap I was talking to Gary Porter about, it looks to me it
0:22:44 > 0:22:48is not going to fill it. So how would you fill it?The gap is
0:22:48 > 0:22:52growing as well we must remember because obviously the Government are
0:22:52 > 0:22:54withdrawing the revenue support grant to local authorities. We
0:22:54 > 0:22:58wouldn't be going down the action of taking the money of my local
0:22:58 > 0:23:03authorities who are providing crucial services.Even without
0:23:03 > 0:23:08further... No, no, even without further cuts, the cuts that have
0:23:08 > 0:23:16already taken place that you would inherit if you came into power, a
0:23:16 > 0:23:19substantial funding gap, so how would you fill it?We have ready set
0:23:19 > 0:23:24out in our manifesto if you're not back to last summer, about the
0:23:24 > 0:23:27investments we would put back into local government to ensure we can
0:23:27 > 0:23:32pay to care for the most vulnerable people in our communities, whether
0:23:32 > 0:23:36children, adults...How much would you put in extra to social care?I
0:23:36 > 0:23:41don't have those figures on me, but I said there was a £6.3 billion
0:23:41 > 0:23:46funding gap there, and we see that as an essential part of what we're
0:23:46 > 0:23:50doing in the future.Would you fill that gap by an increase of £6
0:23:50 > 0:23:55billion?Have already made a commitment to start addressing those
0:23:55 > 0:23:59issues, but... I didn't have the figures on me. I already stated that
0:23:59 > 0:24:05to you.If we are agreed there has been a £6 billion gap has developed,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09which has been said on this programme many times before, would
0:24:09 > 0:24:13you fill that £6 billion gap?I apologised to you to say I didn't
0:24:13 > 0:24:17have the figures on me on the amount we are putting into social care, but
0:24:17 > 0:24:20we will address the issue and make sure our most vulnerable are cared
0:24:20 > 0:24:23for.We will leave it there.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Now, we hear the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28has been taking a bit of flak recently after he interrupted
0:24:28 > 0:24:35a young woman who used the word "mankind".
0:24:35 > 0:24:36Mankind.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39He says we should all be using the word "peoplekind" instead,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44as it's more "more inclusive".
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Now, we here at the Daily Politics have some sympathy with Mr Trudeau
0:24:47 > 0:24:50as we like to think of ourselves as an inclusive sort of a show.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53And what could be more inclusive than the humble Daily Politics mug?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And luckily for Justin, the competition to win the mug
0:24:56 > 0:24:57is also very inclusive.
0:24:57 > 0:25:05It's open to mankind, womankind, even Canadians...
0:25:05 > 0:25:09But not French Canadians.
0:25:09 > 0:25:17You can take this inclusion to fire. -- too far.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19As long as they're in this country.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21To enter, just tell us when this happened.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22# When the going gets tough
0:25:22 > 0:25:24# The tough get going
0:25:24 > 0:25:25# When the going gets rough...#.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27The President's spokesman described him as "hanging
0:25:27 > 0:25:29tough" on basic principle, including the Strategic Defence
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Initiative or "Star Wars" programme.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38# Word up, everybody say
0:25:38 > 0:25:42# When you hear the call you've got to get it under way
0:25:42 > 0:25:43# Word up...#.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44Let's face up to it.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Let's not deceive ourselves.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50We are on the verge of civil war in Northern Ireland.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55# Don't leave me this way
0:25:55 > 0:25:58# I can't survive, I can't stay alive
0:25:58 > 0:26:00# Without your love
0:26:00 > 0:26:05# Oh, baby, don't leave me this way...#.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11# And I see you true colours shining through...#.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14The Labour leadership is getting rid of the Liverpool Militants it
0:26:14 > 0:26:17considers the most serious threat to the national image of the party.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18There's a battle to be waged.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21That battle will be waged within the rank and file of the
0:26:21 > 0:26:22trade union Labour movement.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24MUSIC: The Final Countdown by Europe.
0:26:24 > 0:26:32# The final countdown...
0:26:33 > 0:26:41# It's the final countdown #.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51To be in with a chance of winning a Daily Politics mug,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53send your answer to our special quiz email address.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58That's dpquiz@bbc.co.uk.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Entries must arrive by 12.30pm today, and you can
0:27:01 > 0:27:04see the full terms and conditions for Guess The Year
0:27:04 > 0:27:04The
0:27:04 > 0:27:12on our website - that's bbc.co.uk/dailypolitics.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15although I know the people of Quebec are renowned for their sense of
0:27:15 > 0:27:20humour, I should emphasise I was only joking when I said
0:27:20 > 0:27:25French-Canadians cannot enter the competition.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30competition. It is all laypeople from Montreal who can't enter. Greg
0:27:30 > 0:27:37Hands it is only people from Montreal.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39-- it is only people from Montreal.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42It's coming up to midday here - just take a look at Big Ben -
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and that can mean only one thing.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Yes, Prime Minister's Questions is on its way.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48And that's not all - Laura Kuenssberg is here.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Can I be a member of womankind?You can be a member of any kind you want
0:27:52 > 0:27:55to. That is how inclusive we are. Brexit, for a change, limbs across
0:27:55 > 0:28:02the airwaves. Mr Corbyn won't go on it. I see that as a prediction, but
0:28:02 > 0:28:10I could be wrong. This EU document about sanctions and so on -- Brexit
0:28:10 > 0:28:13looms across the airwaves. What is the view in London about what
0:28:13 > 0:28:20Brussels is up to?I think, privately for something when you
0:28:20 > 0:28:24talk to ministers about this and how the EU is playing it, I think they
0:28:24 > 0:28:27sometimes feel frustration the EU is playing hardball and playing a
0:28:27 > 0:28:34political game, just as the British side is. And although often the
0:28:34 > 0:28:38documents, issued from Brussels, they are coming from the Council or
0:28:38 > 0:28:41the Commission, from officials without the smiley face of a
0:28:41 > 0:28:46politician at the front of it, but they are still being intensely
0:28:46 > 0:28:50political, of course they are. The process of Brexit, these directives
0:28:50 > 0:28:53and negotiating guidelines and all these kind of things, sometimes they
0:28:53 > 0:28:58come forth with the very sort of official stamp as if "This is the
0:28:58 > 0:29:04law and it must be obeyed," but of course this will be subject of the
0:29:04 > 0:29:07back and forth of the negotiating, the hardball, going backwards and
0:29:07 > 0:29:12forwards. I think ministers will be looking at this latest thing with a
0:29:12 > 0:29:16bit of a sceptical eye, OK, that is their opening position, look at the
0:29:16 > 0:29:20first phase, in the end you did not do as much compromising as the UK,
0:29:20 > 0:29:24but they did in the end have to do is uncompromising. -- in the end the
0:29:24 > 0:29:27EU did not do as much comprising. But I am hearing about this
0:29:27 > 0:29:32particular footnote, whether it is actually getting things a little too
0:29:32 > 0:29:37far in terms of the potential punishment tactics.You said
0:29:37 > 0:29:43something very interesting, because the member states are now finding
0:29:43 > 0:29:46their voice, in phase two. In the first place they were pretty much
0:29:46 > 0:29:50united around the common agreement to screw as much money out of the
0:29:50 > 0:29:54British as they could, but when you look at what is coming out of Italy,
0:29:54 > 0:30:04or even the Belgians, the most federal of all, or Mr Macron on the
0:30:04 > 0:30:08Sandhurst deal, or the Dutch as well, and the Spanish as well, there
0:30:08 > 0:30:14is now a different emphasis. That is absolutely right because in
0:30:14 > 0:30:17the second phase, inevitably, because it is about the long-term
0:30:17 > 0:30:19future relationship rather than settling our bill on the way out or
0:30:19 > 0:30:22being screwed out of money, depending on how you look at it, the
0:30:22 > 0:30:27member states have such different interests. They have such different
0:30:27 > 0:30:31economies, different domestic priorities, and therefore it will,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34as the thinking goes, give more opportunities to the UK to be able
0:30:34 > 0:30:39to play that old diplomatic game of divide and rule. Brussels is still
0:30:39 > 0:30:46very much trying to keep an iron grip on what the member states want,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50they are trying hard and still doing a good job of keeping them together,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53but you're absolutely right, in the second phase there will be more push
0:30:53 > 0:30:56and pull between the member states and I think we are seeing some of
0:30:56 > 0:31:00the sides of that at the start. At the end of the first phase we did an
0:31:00 > 0:31:03interview with the Brexit secretary David Davis in Berlin, where he
0:31:03 > 0:31:06actually named six or seven countries who he believed were being
0:31:06 > 0:31:10more helpful than others. At the time that seemed like a really
0:31:10 > 0:31:14controversial thing to do, but we may well see more of this in the
0:31:14 > 0:31:18next phase.The Government we haven't heard from on this has been
0:31:18 > 0:31:21the Germans because they have been totally consumed by their coalition
0:31:21 > 0:31:26talks, which this morning have come to an end. There is to be a grand
0:31:26 > 0:31:30coalition, and part of that deal is that the social Democrats get the
0:31:30 > 0:31:33finance ministry and the Foreign Ministry. I would suggest that is
0:31:33 > 0:31:36not good news for the British Government. They are very hard line
0:31:36 > 0:31:42on Brexit.Absolutely. Sounds like a very very nerdy point but it
0:31:42 > 0:31:46basically means the most powerful country in the European Union, you
0:31:46 > 0:31:49have a more strident approach on making Brexit hard for Britain or,
0:31:49 > 0:31:56you know, just being that, we must stick together, closer to the
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Commission view, in the most powerful ministries in Berlin. And
0:32:00 > 0:32:04of course that is something that might colour the way some of the
0:32:04 > 0:32:11docs call.I think it will, but it may not. Let's go to our own House
0:32:11 > 0:32:18of Commons.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26And the house will join me in KGB to Dean sprouting in Iraq, his death
0:32:26 > 0:32:30was not the cause of enemy activity. The house will join in offering
0:32:30 > 0:32:32condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
0:32:32 > 0:32:42Yesterday, winning one the right to vote. I know the
0:32:42 > 0:32:45vote. I know the whole house, well, from a sedentary position, Labour
0:32:45 > 0:32:48say someone, I'm pleased to say that universal suffrage did come for
0:32:48 > 0:32:56women ten years later under a Conservative government. But I'm
0:32:56 > 0:33:00sure Mr Speaker, the whole house will want to join me in marking the
0:33:00 > 0:33:04heroic and tireless struggle that led to women having the vote because
0:33:04 > 0:33:08it forever changed our nation's future. Mr Speaker, this morning I
0:33:08 > 0:33:11had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, in addition
0:33:11 > 0:33:13to my duties in this house, I shall have further such meetings later
0:33:13 > 0:33:21today.My constituent, Natasha, suffers from Hank Hanley anaemia, a
0:33:21 > 0:33:25debilitating disease which carries with it a high risk of cancer.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30Natasha was on lifetime disability living allowance which was removed
0:33:30 > 0:33:33following her T20 assessment. When she appealed, she was told because
0:33:33 > 0:33:37she has a degree she does not need as much support. I'm sure the Prime
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Minister is aware that disease and cancer are no respect is of
0:33:41 > 0:33:47disability and qualifications. -- following her PIP assessment. I'm
0:33:47 > 0:33:50asking the Prime Minister what urgent action she will take to
0:33:50 > 0:33:56improve the quality and the standard of PIP assessments?Obviously, the
0:33:56 > 0:33:59DWP is constantly looking at the standard of PIP assessments that are
0:33:59 > 0:34:02being made. I'm sorry to hear the case the honourable lady has set
0:34:02 > 0:34:05out, I think those people would be very concerned at hearing that case
0:34:05 > 0:34:10and I'm surprised at the judgment that was given in relation to that
0:34:10 > 0:34:12individual, can I suggest she sent in the detail and I will make sure
0:34:12 > 0:34:18it is looked into?Mr Speaker, my right honourable friend will be
0:34:18 > 0:34:21aware of the Ukip led Thanet Council's broken election promise to
0:34:21 > 0:34:27support the reopening of minced and airport. On the basis that the site
0:34:27 > 0:34:32was to be redesignated as mixed use with thousands of houses, the plan
0:34:32 > 0:34:35was sensibly rejected by local councillors and I salute them for
0:34:35 > 0:34:41doing so. And she give me her assurance that Thanet should now be
0:34:41 > 0:34:45given as miserable a time as necessary, perhaps under a new
0:34:45 > 0:34:49administration. -- as reasonable time is necessary, perhaps under a
0:34:49 > 0:34:52new administration, to get it right. My honourable friend is right to
0:34:52 > 0:34:57raise this matter on behalf of his constituents. I understand that
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Thanet District Council has not adopted a local plan since 2006.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04That is why my right honourable friend the Housing Secretary has
0:35:04 > 0:35:08written to the District Council to begin the formal process of
0:35:08 > 0:35:11considering intervention and this is a very serious step which shows that
0:35:11 > 0:35:15the council has not been doing what it should be doing in relation to a
0:35:15 > 0:35:19local plan so my right honourable friend the Secretary of State is now
0:35:19 > 0:35:21considering whether to intervene and he will be making an announcement in
0:35:21 > 0:35:28due course.Jeremy Corbyn.Thank you Mr Speaker, I joined the Prime
0:35:28 > 0:35:32Minister in paying tribute to captain Dean Sprouting from Jarrow
0:35:32 > 0:35:38on his death and his family, hopefully they will accept our
0:35:38 > 0:35:41condolences after this terrible incident. It is of course the
0:35:41 > 0:35:46anniversary of women first getting the right to vote in 1918. I pay
0:35:46 > 0:35:49tribute to all those that campaign all over the country to achieve that
0:35:49 > 0:35:53right. We should understand that our rights come from the activities of
0:35:53 > 0:35:57ordinary people doing extraordinary things to bring about democracy and
0:35:57 > 0:36:01justice within our society. And those women that suffered
0:36:01 > 0:36:05grievously, being force-fed in Holloway prison in my constituency,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and those that suffered so much, need to be remembered for all time.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12Working-class women as well as many other women fought for that right
0:36:12 > 0:36:18and it is one we should all be proud of. Mr Speaker, with crime rising,
0:36:18 > 0:36:24does the Prime Minister regret cutting 21,000 police officers?Can
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I first of all said to the right honourable gentleman that we should
0:36:27 > 0:36:31be saluting all of those who were involved in that struggle to ensure
0:36:31 > 0:36:38that women could get the right to vote. I was very pleased yesterday
0:36:38 > 0:36:42to have an opportunity to meet Helen Pankhurst, the great granddaughter
0:36:42 > 0:36:45of Emmeline Pankhurst and to see that the memory is being kept going
0:36:45 > 0:36:51and as I said yesterday in my speech, I myself heard about the
0:36:51 > 0:36:56fight by the suffragettes from my late godmother, whose mother was a
0:36:56 > 0:36:58suffragette and both of whose parents knew the Pankhurst family.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02He raises the issue of police numbers and crime. What we actually
0:37:02 > 0:37:07have seen from the crime survey is that crime is now down at record low
0:37:07 > 0:37:16levels. That is what has been achieved and it has been achieved by
0:37:16 > 0:37:19a Conservative government that at the same time has been protecting
0:37:19 > 0:37:26police budgets.Jeremy Corbyn.Mr Speaker, recorded crime is up by a
0:37:26 > 0:37:30fifth since 2010. Violent crime is up by 20% and during the period the
0:37:30 > 0:37:37Prime Minister was Home Secretary, £2.3 billion was cut from police
0:37:37 > 0:37:40budgets. Her Majesty 's Inspectorate of Constabulary warns neighbourhood
0:37:40 > 0:37:46policing risks being eroded and the shortage of detectives is at a
0:37:46 > 0:37:49national crisis. Does the Prime Minister think the Inspectorate is
0:37:49 > 0:37:55scaremongering?The right honourable gentleman mentions the issue about
0:37:55 > 0:37:58recorded crime. One of the challenges we have seen in the
0:37:58 > 0:38:02police in recent years is ensuring that we get proper recording of
0:38:02 > 0:38:07particularly certain tribes of crime -- types of crime and I'm pleased to
0:38:07 > 0:38:09say we have seen improvements in the last seven or eight years in the
0:38:09 > 0:38:14recording by police of certain types of crime. He also talks about the
0:38:14 > 0:38:18issue of police budgets. As I have said, this is a government that is
0:38:18 > 0:38:22actually protecting police budgets and I might remind the right
0:38:22 > 0:38:27honourable gentleman that the Labour Party's former Shadow Home
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Secretary, now the police and crime commission for greater Manchester,
0:38:31 > 0:38:38Intel said the police could take an up to 10% cut in their budgets.Mr
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Speaker, the Inspectorate also found that the police are failing to
0:38:41 > 0:38:47properly record tens of thousands of offences and in addition to the
0:38:47 > 0:38:54gutting of 21,000 police officers, the government has also cut 6700
0:38:54 > 0:38:58police community support officers. The Chief Constable of Bedfordshire
0:38:58 > 0:39:02says, "We do not have the resources to keep residents safe. The position
0:39:02 > 0:39:03is a scandal"
0:39:03 > 0:39:05to keep residents safe. The position is a scandal". Too many people don't
0:39:05 > 0:39:09feel safe and too many people aren't safe. We have just seen the highest
0:39:09 > 0:39:14rise in recorded crime for a quarter of a century. The Chief Constable of
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Lancashire said, "The government's police cuts have made it much more
0:39:18 > 0:39:25difficult to keep people safe". Is he wrong?Can I say to the right
0:39:25 > 0:39:29honourable gentleman, on the issue of recording crime, he mentions Her
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Majesty 's Inspectorate of Constabulary, it is precisely
0:39:31 > 0:39:34because when I was Home Secretary, I asked the Inspectorate of
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Constabulary to look at the recording of police crime to make
0:39:37 > 0:39:41sure that police forces were doing it properly and indeed, some changes
0:39:41 > 0:39:46were made as a result of that so we now see the better recording of
0:39:46 > 0:39:53crime. We also see £450 million extra being made available to the
0:39:53 > 0:39:57police but what have we also seen over the last few years? The
0:39:57 > 0:40:01creation of the National Crime Agency, our police forces taking
0:40:01 > 0:40:05more notice of helping to support vulnerable victims, doing more on
0:40:05 > 0:40:09modern slavery, doing more domestic violence, taking issues seriously
0:40:09 > 0:40:16that they were not taking seriously before.Mr Speaker, if you ask the
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Inspectorate and look at unrecorded crime and they tell you what is
0:40:19 > 0:40:23going on, the least you could do is act on what they tell you. Mr
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Speaker, if I could quote something at the Prime Minister, it might
0:40:27 > 0:40:30sound familiar to her, "The first duty of the government is to protect
0:40:30 > 0:40:36the public and keep them safe. I have to say to the government they
0:40:36 > 0:40:39are not putting enough focus on police resources". If you cast their
0:40:39 > 0:40:44rise to the bar back benches of the Conservative Party, she will see the
0:40:44 > 0:40:47member for Shipley. That is what he said about her government and what
0:40:47 > 0:40:54it is doing. Gun crime, Mr Speaker, has increased by 20% in the last
0:40:54 > 0:41:00year. The Chief Constable of Merseyside said recently, "Have I
0:41:00 > 0:41:04got sufficient resources to fight gun crime? No, I haven't"
0:41:04 > 0:41:05got sufficient resources to fight gun crime? No, I haven't". Does the
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Prime Minister think he is crying wolf?The right honourable gentleman
0:41:09 > 0:41:12can't get away from the fact that what the government is doing is
0:41:12 > 0:41:16protecting police budgets, in fact, not just protecting police budgets,
0:41:16 > 0:41:23but increasing with £450 million extra. What we are also doing is
0:41:23 > 0:41:27ensuring that our police have the powers that they need to do the job
0:41:27 > 0:41:31that we want them to do. I seem to remember the right honourable
0:41:31 > 0:41:33gentleman does not have that good record when it comes to increasing
0:41:33 > 0:41:40the powers for the police to do their job.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42their job.Mr Speaker, since 2015, direct government funding to the
0:41:42 > 0:41:49police has fallen by £413 million. The Chief Constable of the West
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Midlands, Dave Thompson, said, "The current flat cash settlement for
0:41:53 > 0:41:57policing means force budgets will fall in real terms"
0:41:57 > 0:41:59policing means force budgets will fall in real terms". As well as
0:41:59 > 0:42:02police cuts, other public service cuts are clearly contributing to the
0:42:02 > 0:42:06rise in crime. 3600 youth workers have lost their jobs. 600 youth
0:42:06 > 0:42:13centres have closed and been boarded up. Probation service cut and
0:42:13 > 0:42:17privatised. Re-offenders committing more offences. When it comes to
0:42:17 > 0:42:22tackling crime, prevention and cure our two sides of the same coin. So
0:42:22 > 0:42:30why is the government cutting both prevention and cure?I have to say
0:42:30 > 0:42:34to the right honourable gentleman, we have put in place various pieces
0:42:34 > 0:42:37of work on anti-knife crime, on serious violence, on issues like
0:42:37 > 0:42:42domestic violence but I come back to the point I made in the last
0:42:42 > 0:42:46response, the Leader of the Opposition, the right honourable
0:42:46 > 0:42:51gentleman voted against changing the law so that anyone caught carrying a
0:42:51 > 0:42:58knife for a second time would face a custodial sentence. He has called
0:42:58 > 0:43:04for much shorter sentences for those who break the law and he might want
0:43:04 > 0:43:09to reflect on the fact that when there was a Conservative mayor in
0:43:09 > 0:43:12London, knife crime went down. Now there is a lay-by mayor in London,
0:43:12 > 0:43:20knife crime is going up.Jeremy Corbyn.-- and labour mayor in
0:43:20 > 0:43:25London.Mr Speaker, I am very clear that crime is of course wrong but
0:43:25 > 0:43:31the way you deal with it is by an effective probation service, is by
0:43:31 > 0:43:38community service orders, is by the rehabilitation of offenders. And
0:43:38 > 0:43:43what she said goes to the heart of the Prime Minister's record. She, Mr
0:43:43 > 0:43:48Speaker, was Home Secretary physics years. Crime is up, violent crime
0:43:48 > 0:43:51rising, police numbers down and Chief Constable saying they no
0:43:51 > 0:43:58longer have the resources to keep communities safe. After seven years,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02seven years of cuts, will the Prime Minister today admit that her
0:44:02 > 0:44:06government's relentless cuts to police, probation services and
0:44:06 > 0:44:13social services have left us less safe? The reality is, you can't have
0:44:13 > 0:44:20public safety on the cheap.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21public safety on the cheap.Well, the right honourable gentleman
0:44:21 > 0:44:24really needs to reflect on what Labour would be doing if they were
0:44:24 > 0:44:34in government. You can only pay for our public services if you have a
0:44:34 > 0:44:40strong economy and what would we see, what would we see with the
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Labour Party? Well, we don't need to ask ourselves what we would see with
0:44:43 > 0:44:47the Labour Party because the Shadow Chancellor's adviser told us that
0:44:47 > 0:44:52the weekend. He said this, "We need to think about the obvious problems
0:44:52 > 0:44:56which might face a radical Labour government, such as capital flight
0:44:56 > 0:44:58for a run on the pound"
0:44:58 > 0:45:00government, such as capital flight for a run on the pound". That's what
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Labour would do, bankrupt Britain and the police would have less money
0:45:03 > 0:45:09under Labour than under the Conservatives.
0:45:09 > 0:45:16Conservatives.Thank you Mr Speaker. Travelling around the country and
0:45:16 > 0:45:19meeting people from diverse communities, members of the Jewish
0:45:19 > 0:45:24and Muslim community have raised the point for the coroner's act to
0:45:24 > 0:45:27specifically take into account people's faith considerations, as in
0:45:27 > 0:45:31their faith, loved ones must be buried within 24 hours. Will the
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Prime Minister join me and the honourable member for Maidstone and
0:45:34 > 0:45:39faith communities to look at this important matter.Can I say to my
0:45:39 > 0:45:42honourable friend, I would like to thank him for raising this point
0:45:42 > 0:45:44because he's doing so on behalf of communities across the country and
0:45:44 > 0:45:49he does so from a unique position with his own experience and
0:45:49 > 0:45:54understanding of these issues. It is important that we take into account
0:45:54 > 0:45:57specific requirements of someone's faith, especially when they have
0:45:57 > 0:46:01lost a loved one and are grieving and I know that although, as he will
0:46:01 > 0:46:04be aware, coroners are an independent judicial office, I
0:46:04 > 0:46:07understand the Ministry of Justice is speaking to the Chief coroner
0:46:07 > 0:46:11about this point, to see what more can be done and I am sure my right
0:46:11 > 0:46:13honourable friend the Lord Chancellor will be happy to meet and
0:46:13 > 0:46:22discuss this issue further with my honourable friend.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Yesterday it was announced that ten Royal Bank of Scotland branches in
0:46:26 > 0:46:32Scotland have been -- that were earmarked for closure are to be
0:46:32 > 0:46:36reprieved, news for which I am grateful, on the back of community
0:46:36 > 0:46:43pressure under the leadership shown by the Scottish National Party.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47On three occasions I have asked the Prime Minister at Prime Minister 's
0:46:47 > 0:46:54questions to bring Ross McEwan entered ten Downing St. For the
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Prime Minister to accept responsibilities given that we on
0:46:57 > 0:47:02RBS. Well the Prime Minister Colin Ross McEwan and join us and call for
0:47:02 > 0:47:09all the branches to remain open? -- call in Ross McEwan?As I have said
0:47:09 > 0:47:13before of course it is important for customers, especially those
0:47:13 > 0:47:18vulnerable, to be able to call on the services they need. I welcome
0:47:18 > 0:47:21the decision from the Royal Bank of Scotland, and commercial decision
0:47:21 > 0:47:24for them. But if the right honourable gentleman is so keen on
0:47:24 > 0:47:32ensuring that communities and people perhaps in remote communities have
0:47:36 > 0:47:38access to the services they need, they should ask himself why it is
0:47:38 > 0:47:41the Scottish government has been such a failure in ensuring people in
0:47:41 > 0:47:43remote communities have broadband access to online banking. They need
0:47:43 > 0:47:45to get their act together because quite simply Scotland under the Nats
0:47:45 > 0:47:53is getting left behind.Mr Speaker, that was pathetic. The Prime
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Minister hasn't answered. We have saved the banks. Yesterday we
0:47:57 > 0:48:00celebrated the achievements of the suffragette movement, which was
0:48:00 > 0:48:04about democracy, equality and fairness for women. However today in
0:48:04 > 0:48:10the United Kingdom, 3.8 million women are not receiving the pension
0:48:10 > 0:48:14they are entitled to. A vote in this house last November received
0:48:14 > 0:48:22unanimous cross-party support, 288 to zero, calling on the Government
0:48:22 > 0:48:27in London to do the right thing. Will the Prime Minister do her bit
0:48:27 > 0:48:33for gender equality, and end the injustice faced by 1950s women?I
0:48:33 > 0:48:36say to the right honourable gentleman that as people are living
0:48:36 > 0:48:40longer it is important that we equalise the retirement leader
0:48:40 > 0:48:45pension age between men and women and we are doing that and doing it
0:48:45 > 0:48:50faster -- Villa pension age between men and women. We are giving greater
0:48:50 > 0:48:56protection to the women involved and an extra £1 billion has been put in
0:48:56 > 0:48:59to ensure no one will see their pension entitlement changed by more
0:48:59 > 0:49:02than 18 months. That was a real response to the issue that was being
0:49:02 > 0:49:10addressed, but I think if he wants to talk about equality, then he has
0:49:10 > 0:49:15to recognise the importance of the equality of the state pension age
0:49:15 > 0:49:24between men and women. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I never
0:49:24 > 0:49:32thought I would see the day when where I read the Leader of the
0:49:32 > 0:49:39Opposition follows -- where I lead. There is clearly hope for them yet.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41LAUGHTER Last year the Government advertised
0:49:41 > 0:49:47for the post of disability Commissioner. Lord Shinkwin, my
0:49:47 > 0:49:51noble friend, applied for the position and was appointed. Yet only
0:49:51 > 0:49:55a few weeks later he was told by the equality and human rights commission
0:49:55 > 0:50:00that the post had been abolished altogether. Was the Prime Minister
0:50:00 > 0:50:04consulted about that decision? Does she agree with the decision to
0:50:04 > 0:50:08abolish that post, and if not can I urge her to urge the commission to
0:50:08 > 0:50:12reinstate the post of disability Commissioner and reinstall Lord
0:50:12 > 0:50:19Shinkwin to his rightful place on it?Can I thank my honourable friend
0:50:19 > 0:50:25for raising this point? Firstly, can I say I have known the noble Lord,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Lord Shinkwin, for many years and he has been a valiant champion for the
0:50:28 > 0:50:31rights of disabled people over those years and I think his own experience
0:50:31 > 0:50:36and the example he set in his work in public life, and particularly in
0:50:36 > 0:50:42the other place, are a fine example of how disabled people can actually
0:50:42 > 0:50:46be standing up, speeding up, and ensure they are taking their
0:50:46 > 0:50:51rightful place in public life -- speaking up. The HRC is an
0:50:51 > 0:50:56independent body and it was their decision to abolish the disability
0:50:56 > 0:51:01Commissioner. The question is what is being done to help disabled
0:51:01 > 0:51:05people and how can we ensure we are helping disabled people? That is why
0:51:05 > 0:51:08we are committed to tackling the injustices that disabled people
0:51:08 > 0:51:12face. We are spending over £50 billion a year on benefits to
0:51:12 > 0:51:15support disabled people and people with health conditions, a record
0:51:15 > 0:51:20high. But of course we do want to ensure and I would urge the HRC to
0:51:20 > 0:51:23ensure that in their work they are paying proper attention to the needs
0:51:23 > 0:51:27and rights of disabled people, because that is an important part of
0:51:27 > 0:51:38their remit.Mr Speaker, my constituent's son was killed by a
0:51:38 > 0:51:41learner driver taking a lesson. With one in four young drivers being
0:51:41 > 0:51:46involved in an accident within the first two years of starting to
0:51:46 > 0:51:50drive, and 400 deaths or serious injuries on our roads involving
0:51:50 > 0:51:54young drivers each year, will the Prime Minister meet with me and my
0:51:54 > 0:51:59constituents to hear their story and consider the introduction of a
0:51:59 > 0:52:05graduated licensing system for the UK as they have another countries?
0:52:05 > 0:52:07The honourable lady has obviously raised an important issue and I will
0:52:07 > 0:52:12certainly look at the request that she has made. And I will also ask
0:52:12 > 0:52:16the Department for Transport to look at this as an issue. As she says
0:52:16 > 0:52:19there are too many people who suffer a loss and tragedy at the hands of
0:52:19 > 0:52:23learner drivers in these circumstances and we will certainly
0:52:23 > 0:52:29look at that. The Royal Marines are the most
0:52:29 > 0:52:34adaptable of our elite infantry, central to our amphibious capability
0:52:34 > 0:52:37and they provide much of our special forces. Does the Prime Minister
0:52:37 > 0:52:40agree with me that producing them further at this stage would be
0:52:40 > 0:52:45inconsistent with this Government's strong record on defence and
0:52:45 > 0:52:49security? Can I say to my honourable friend
0:52:49 > 0:52:51that the Royal Marines do indeed play a vital role in defending our
0:52:51 > 0:52:55country and I pay tribute to them for all that they do.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Detecting the UK is of course our priority and as my honourable friend
0:52:58 > 0:53:05will know, we have in place a review, and organising defence
0:53:05 > 0:53:09programme, about ensuring the defence capabilities we have meet
0:53:09 > 0:53:12the rapidly changing and evolving threats that we face. I think that
0:53:12 > 0:53:17is the right thing for us to do, but of course any comments that have
0:53:17 > 0:53:20been made, any suggestions made, about cuts to defence or purely
0:53:20 > 0:53:23speculative. I would remind my honourable friend and other members
0:53:23 > 0:53:26of this House that in fact we are committed to increasing our spending
0:53:26 > 0:53:33on defence.In offering him best wishes for his birthday on Sunday, I
0:53:33 > 0:53:38call Mr Dennis Skinner.I didn't know about that.
0:53:38 > 0:53:43LAUGHTER I don't celebrate things like that.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47I don't think you should celebrate age.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Anyway... LAUGHTER
0:53:49 > 0:53:54There are another group of people that need help, and they are the
0:53:54 > 0:53:58people who work in the National Health Service. And what they told
0:53:58 > 0:54:04me last week was the best period that they ever experienced was in
0:54:04 > 0:54:16the Labour Government when they had the money increased from £33 billion
0:54:16 > 0:54:22in 1997
0:54:22 > 0:54:27in 1997 to £100 billion in 2010. That was a golden period. Why did
0:54:27 > 0:54:34they do it? How did they do it? The Chancellor of the Exchequer but 1%
0:54:34 > 0:54:43on the national insurance, and in hypothecation terms it went directly
0:54:43 > 0:54:49to the health service, and it is called long-term stability. Under
0:54:49 > 0:54:52this Government they don't know whether they are coming or going. It
0:54:52 > 0:55:05is high time this Government did the same as we did between 97 and 2010.
0:55:12 > 0:55:19Yes, and happy birthday, Dennis. Can I say to the honourable
0:55:19 > 0:55:21gentleman, he says why were the Labour Party in that position of
0:55:21 > 0:55:26being able to spend more on public services. I will tell him. Because
0:55:26 > 0:55:32the Conservative Government had left the golden economic legacy.
0:55:32 > 0:55:40a golden economic legacy.
0:55:44 > 0:55:50Regardless of how popular you are... Thank you, Mr Speaker. The
0:55:50 > 0:55:55Conservative lead District Council have refused the proposed expansion
0:55:55 > 0:56:01of the enormous logistics part in -- Logistics Park in my constituency.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05Given the Prime Minister's recent welcome remarks about sustainable
0:56:05 > 0:56:09developments, will she please arrange for me to meet the relevant
0:56:09 > 0:56:15Government ministers to discuss the creation of a national planning
0:56:15 > 0:56:19framework for the future location of these enormous Logistics Park 's?My
0:56:19 > 0:56:25honourable friend has raised an important point, and obviously it is
0:56:25 > 0:56:29a matter of considerable interest to his constituents. Of course we need
0:56:29 > 0:56:32the right balance between enabling development and growth to take place
0:56:32 > 0:56:35while continuing to protect and enhance our natural environment. And
0:56:35 > 0:56:40the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to achieving that
0:56:40 > 0:56:42sustainable development, but regarding the very specific issue
0:56:42 > 0:56:48about these logistics parks, I'm sure one of the ministers from
0:56:48 > 0:56:52housing and communities and local Government, indeed possibly my right
0:56:52 > 0:56:54honourable friend the Housing Secretary, will be happy to meet and
0:56:54 > 0:57:00discuss it with them. Is the Prime Minister were ever
0:57:00 > 0:57:04Universal Credit claimant forgets their username or password they must
0:57:04 > 0:57:07attend a face-to-face interview at the job centre to have them reset?
0:57:07 > 0:57:10The Secretary of State can't give a date when this will be fixed so will
0:57:10 > 0:57:15the Prime Minister to commit to know for the job centre closures until
0:57:15 > 0:57:23Universal Credit claimants can access basic online functions as a
0:57:23 > 0:57:28available with HMRC?I'll ask the Secretary of State responsible to
0:57:28 > 0:57:34look carefully at identifying a date when that change will be made.
0:57:34 > 0:57:40Mr Speaker, according to statistics around 3400 people in my
0:57:40 > 0:57:43constituency last year were diagnosed with cancer. Cancer
0:57:43 > 0:57:47survival rates have meant there are 7000 people alive today who may not
0:57:47 > 0:57:52have been if the rates of 2010 were still in place. Does my right
0:57:52 > 0:57:56honourable friend see this as a testament to the NHS and that she
0:57:56 > 0:58:00recognised...Well, I absolutely agree with my honourable friend. It
0:58:00 > 0:58:05is very good news there are 7000 more people alive today. Cancer
0:58:05 > 0:58:08sufferers alive today, than would have been had we simply continued in
0:58:08 > 0:58:13the way we were in 2010. I am very happy to join him in welcoming the
0:58:13 > 0:58:18news. Cancer survival rates have increased year-on-year. Of course,
0:58:18 > 0:58:22we want them to increase even further.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26Last year we had 7 million more diagnostic tests than in 2010 and
0:58:26 > 0:58:32290,000 patients started treatment for cancer, 57,000 more than in
0:58:32 > 0:58:352010, but he is absolutely right. We should welcome the improvement that
0:58:35 > 0:58:40has been made, we should congratulate and thank the NHS staff
0:58:40 > 0:58:43for all they have been doing, but there is more for us to do and that
0:58:43 > 0:58:48is why we are backing up our plans for cancer with a further £600
0:58:48 > 0:58:53million to implement the cancer strategy for England.
0:58:53 > 0:58:59The Prime Minister, as we have just heard, continues to be in denial
0:58:59 > 0:59:03about the rising level of crime and following police numbers. Despite
0:59:03 > 0:59:07her repeated assurances budgets have not been protected for my local
0:59:07 > 0:59:11police force, with 80 million and 1000 police officers lost already.
0:59:11 > 0:59:14Will she meet with me and a delegation of small businesses that
0:59:14 > 0:59:19do so much for my local economy yet have seen significant rises and
0:59:19 > 0:59:27Brechins in crime as a result of these Tory cuts?-- break-ins.
0:59:27 > 0:59:30Obviously I will look at his request but for those concerned about the
0:59:30 > 0:59:33way in which policing is being undertaken in their area, they
0:59:33 > 0:59:37should actually speak to the local police, who make operational
0:59:37 > 0:59:42decisions about what is happening. We protected overall police spending
0:59:42 > 0:59:47and we continue to protect it, and indeed more money is being put into
0:59:47 > 0:59:51the police. I remind the honourable gentleman that it was a Labour
0:59:51 > 0:59:54Shadow Home Secretary who said that the police budgets could be cut by
0:59:54 > 1:00:0310%. NHS figures show that in the
1:00:03 > 1:00:09south-west NHS funding, the growth in NHS funding, is 2.2% less than
1:00:09 > 1:00:13the national average. It is also true that it is more challenging in
1:00:13 > 1:00:16the south-west with an ageing demographic and sparsity. Does the
1:00:16 > 1:00:23Prime Minister agree with me that providers in the south-west, that
1:00:23 > 1:00:27they deserve their fair share of NHS funding, and will she take action to
1:00:27 > 1:00:32address this inequality?
1:00:32 > 1:00:35Let me say to my honourable friend that the National for me which is
1:00:35 > 1:00:38the basis for calculating funding does take into account a large
1:00:38 > 1:00:44number of factors including being rural and the demographics which
1:00:44 > 1:00:48other factors he has suggested needs to be considered. NHS Curnow saw an
1:00:48 > 1:00:51increase in their funding this year and will see a further increase in
1:00:51 > 1:00:57their funding next year, taking funding to over £760 million. This
1:00:57 > 1:00:59is part of our commitment to ensuring we are putting extra
1:00:59 > 1:01:03funding in the NHS but of course, we continue to look at ensuring the
1:01:03 > 1:01:08distribution of that funding takes account of all the factors that need
1:01:08 > 1:01:15to do.Leila Moran.Thank you, Mr Speaker, under the 1824 rate --
1:01:15 > 1:01:18vagrancy act, rough sleeping is illegal and the act was used nearly
1:01:18 > 1:01:212000 times last year to drag homeless people before the courts.
1:01:21 > 1:01:24Scotland and Northern Ireland have already repealed it is so will the
1:01:24 > 1:01:29Prime Minister support my bill that consigned this heartless Dickensian
1:01:29 > 1:01:35law to the history books across the whole of the UK?What we are doing
1:01:35 > 1:01:37is recognising we need to take action in relation to rough
1:01:37 > 1:01:42sleeping. That is why we are putting more money into projects to reduce
1:01:42 > 1:01:47rough sleeping and indeed, projects like housing first, which are being
1:01:47 > 1:01:50put into place in a number of places in the country to ensure that we can
1:01:50 > 1:01:54provide for those rough sleeping. None of us want to see rough
1:01:54 > 1:01:59sleepers on the street. That is why the government is taking action.
1:01:59 > 1:02:02Thank you, Mr Speaker. Today is the anniversary of the signing of the
1:02:02 > 1:02:10Maastricht Treaty. We have come a very long way. May I congratulate my
1:02:10 > 1:02:16right honourable friend on her approach to the customs union? May I
1:02:16 > 1:02:22also mention the fact that in the liaison committee last December, I
1:02:22 > 1:02:28warned her about ultimatums from the EU and again in my question only
1:02:28 > 1:02:31last week. Would she be given to be very robust when discussing these
1:02:31 > 1:02:36matters in the Brexit committee as I am sure she will be, in order to we
1:02:36 > 1:02:45repudiate any of these EU threats?I can assure my honourable friend the
1:02:45 > 1:02:47first, I suspect that at the time that the legislation was going
1:02:47 > 1:02:52through in this house, there were not many who would have thought that
1:02:52 > 1:02:55my honourable friend would be standing up recognising the signing
1:02:55 > 1:02:59of the anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty. I suspect he only feels able
1:02:59 > 1:03:02to do so because we are coming out of the European Union and I can
1:03:02 > 1:03:06assure you we will be robust in our arguments. As I have said right from
1:03:06 > 1:03:09the very beginning, we will hear noises find all sorts of things
1:03:09 > 1:03:13being said about positions being taken. What matters is the positions
1:03:13 > 1:03:17we take in the negotiations, as we sit down and negotiate the best
1:03:17 > 1:03:20deal. We have shown we can do that. We did it in December and we are
1:03:20 > 1:03:28going to do it again.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Kirklees Council, who serve
1:03:28 > 1:03:33my constituency, have already had their budget cut by nearly £200
1:03:33 > 1:03:39million, with a possible £45 million of cuts to come. Which of the
1:03:39 > 1:03:43following things would the Prime Minister recommend they cut next?
1:03:43 > 1:03:47Care for an older person with dementia, emptying the bends,
1:03:47 > 1:03:51providing hot school meals for vulnerable children, libraries,
1:03:51 > 1:03:56leisure centres or museums, or supporting the 24% of children
1:03:56 > 1:04:03living in poverty? Your choice, Prime Minister.I would have thought
1:04:03 > 1:04:07that the honourable lady should have been welcoming the improvements that
1:04:07 > 1:04:11have taken place in her constituency. She should have
1:04:11 > 1:04:14welcomed them any more children who are in good for outstanding schools
1:04:14 > 1:04:18as a result of this government -- be many more children. She should have
1:04:18 > 1:04:22welcomed the extra help landing and more people...The Prime Minister is
1:04:22 > 1:04:27in the middle of giving her answer, order, members must not shout at the
1:04:27 > 1:04:33Prime Minister when she's giving her answer. OK.Thank you, Mr Speaker.
1:04:33 > 1:04:36Recent reports have suggested the European Commission is asking that
1:04:36 > 1:04:41we enter into certain limited legally binding agreements in
1:04:41 > 1:04:45relation to bits of our exit in isolation. Could the Prime Minister
1:04:45 > 1:04:48confirm it remains the government's policy that nothing is agreed until
1:04:48 > 1:04:53everything is agreed and therefore, we will only enter into a legally
1:04:53 > 1:04:57binding agreement in relation to the entire exit agreement and not just
1:04:57 > 1:05:04part of it as Jamaatmy honourable friend is right and it was reflected
1:05:04 > 1:05:07in the joint report that was published in December that nothing
1:05:07 > 1:05:10is agreed until everything is agreed. The negotiations that are
1:05:10 > 1:05:15now taking place firstly, to put greater detail into the definition
1:05:15 > 1:05:19of the implementation period, and we expect to do that by the March
1:05:19 > 1:05:23European Council. Alongside that, there is looking at the legal basis
1:05:23 > 1:05:26of the withdrawal agreement which of course will have to come to this
1:05:26 > 1:05:32parliament for agreement for both the withdrawal agreement and the
1:05:32 > 1:05:37implementation built in due course. At that stage, I would expect to
1:05:37 > 1:05:40have the future relationship set out in a way so people are able to look
1:05:40 > 1:05:44at the whole package when they come to make the decision.Sir Vincent
1:05:44 > 1:05:49cable.The Prime Minister knows that one of the key objectives of
1:05:49 > 1:05:54American trade negotiators in any future deal after Brexit is to
1:05:54 > 1:05:59secure access for American companies to business in the NHS. Can she give
1:05:59 > 1:06:04an absolute guarantee that in those negotiations, the NHS will be
1:06:04 > 1:06:08excluded from their scope? And can she confirmed that in her
1:06:08 > 1:06:11conversations with President drunk, she has made it absolutely clear to
1:06:11 > 1:06:14him that the NHS is not for sale question mark -- with President
1:06:14 > 1:06:19Trump.I want to say to the right honourable gentleman that we are
1:06:19 > 1:06:22starting the discussions with the American administration, firstly
1:06:22 > 1:06:26looking at what we can do to increase trade between the US and UK
1:06:26 > 1:06:30already, even before a possibility any free trade agreement and he does
1:06:30 > 1:06:33not know what they are going to say their requirements for the free
1:06:33 > 1:06:36trade agreement, we will go into the negotiations to get the best
1:06:36 > 1:06:42possible deal for the UK.
1:06:42 > 1:06:43possible deal for the UK.Mr Speaker, a recent report by open
1:06:43 > 1:06:48doors highlights the top countries that suffer horrific persecution
1:06:48 > 1:06:53against Christians. We need to take action and send a signal to other
1:06:53 > 1:06:57nations. These are countries that are often associated with luxury
1:06:57 > 1:07:01holidays. Will the Prime Minister consider it a marking a specific
1:07:01 > 1:07:04fixed percentage of international aid to go towards tackling religious
1:07:04 > 1:07:11persecution?Yes, well, I have to say to my honourable friend that
1:07:11 > 1:07:15this is an issue that I of concern to many members of this house and I
1:07:15 > 1:07:26was pleased a matter of weeks ago to meet Father Daniel from
1:07:26 > 1:07:28meet Father Daniel from miniver and Idlib, who talked about the very
1:07:28 > 1:07:32real persecution is congregation were suffering and had suffered in
1:07:32 > 1:07:35the past. He presented me with a Bible which was burned, which had
1:07:35 > 1:07:40been rescued when a church had actually been set on fire. This is a
1:07:40 > 1:07:46real issue. We are, all of our aid is distributed on the basis of need
1:07:46 > 1:07:50to ensure civilians are not disconnected against on the basis of
1:07:50 > 1:07:55race, ethnicity or religion. -- discriminated against. We are
1:07:55 > 1:07:57working with governments, the international community and the UN
1:07:57 > 1:08:00to support the rights of minorities and that our aid reaches those in
1:08:00 > 1:08:05need but we will of course further explore Whatmore support we can give
1:08:05 > 1:08:11-- what more support we can give to work against persecution of
1:08:11 > 1:08:15religious minorities.The Prime Minister will be aware that all free
1:08:15 > 1:08:18trade agreements involve some custom checks and therefore infrastructure
1:08:18 > 1:08:21at frontiers which would be completely incompatible with
1:08:21 > 1:08:25maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the republic.
1:08:25 > 1:08:28As the Cabinet subcommittee has apparently today finally got around
1:08:28 > 1:08:32to discussing this, could the Prime Minister explain to the house why
1:08:32 > 1:08:37she is so opposed to the UK remaining in a customs union with
1:08:37 > 1:08:40the EU when not only would this be better for the British economy than
1:08:40 > 1:08:45a vague deep and special partnership, whatever that is but
1:08:45 > 1:08:48would help to ensure that the border remains as it is today which is
1:08:48 > 1:08:54everybody wants? Wright UK is leaving the European Union. That
1:08:54 > 1:08:57means we are leaving the single market. We are leaving the customs
1:08:57 > 1:09:01union.If we were full members of the customs union, we would not be
1:09:01 > 1:09:04able to do trade deals around the rest of the world and we are going
1:09:04 > 1:09:08to have an independent trade policy and do those deals. He asks me about
1:09:08 > 1:09:11customs arrangements but I have to say to him that I suggest he looks
1:09:11 > 1:09:15to the paper that was published by the government last summer.Thank
1:09:15 > 1:09:22you Mr Speaker. Headway, the brain injury charity, says that a family
1:09:22 > 1:09:32recent had to pay £1500 over 15 weeks for hospital car parking
1:09:32 > 1:09:35charges, Clic Sargeant said families that have children with Baghdad to
1:09:35 > 1:09:42pay £100, despite the government misses, hospital staff, nurses and
1:09:42 > 1:09:45Borders have to pay car parking charges, given unanimous motion last
1:09:45 > 1:09:49week in the House of Commons, will my honourable friend address this
1:09:49 > 1:09:52social injustice and abolish hospital car parking charges once
1:09:52 > 1:09:59and for all?I recognise this is an issue my honourable friend has been
1:09:59 > 1:10:03campaigning on for some time. As he says in his question, we have of
1:10:03 > 1:10:08course set strong guidance -- sent strong guidance to hospital trusts
1:10:08 > 1:10:12on the issue of car parking charges and we of course look to ensure that
1:10:12 > 1:10:16those are being met. Of course, individual hospitals are taking
1:10:16 > 1:10:21their own decisions in relation to this matter but I think it is right
1:10:21 > 1:10:24the government has set very clear guidelines to hospitals as to how
1:10:24 > 1:10:31they approach this.Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister has done much to
1:10:31 > 1:10:36tackle modern slavery but my constituent was trafficked here as a
1:10:36 > 1:10:39child, sold at least once on the long journey and then forced to work
1:10:39 > 1:10:45in the dark in a cannabis factory for years. Now the Home Office is
1:10:45 > 1:10:50proposing to send him back to Vietnam. Will the Prime Minister
1:10:50 > 1:10:54intervened, not just in this case but in this complex and confused
1:10:54 > 1:11:00area of the law?I recognise as the honourable lady says that there are
1:11:00 > 1:11:05cases which are complex in terms of the legal application. My right
1:11:05 > 1:11:08honourable friend the Home Secretary has heard the case the honourable
1:11:08 > 1:11:12lady as set out and I'm sure we will look at that particular issue, both
1:11:12 > 1:11:18the individual case but also the wider point that the honourable lady
1:11:18 > 1:11:22is making. I am sure we all want to ensure that actually, as we know,
1:11:22 > 1:11:26the best possible solution for this is people like her constituent not
1:11:26 > 1:11:29to be trafficked into the UK in the first place to be working in
1:11:29 > 1:11:35cannabis factories.Like many, I'm delighted to note the good progress
1:11:35 > 1:11:39made in lifting the ban on beef exports to China. What is my right
1:11:39 > 1:11:43honourable friend doing to ensure that we are able to export Scotch
1:11:43 > 1:11:48beef and other Scottish products like whiskey to other parts or all
1:11:48 > 1:11:54parts of the world?Can I say to my honourable friend I was very pleased
1:11:54 > 1:11:57when I was in China last week, we were able to work with the Chinese
1:11:57 > 1:12:02government towards that opening up of the Chinese market, particularly
1:12:02 > 1:12:06to beef products and also to dairy products, which are two key issues
1:12:06 > 1:12:12for the UK. But also, I'm pleased to say the Chief Executive of the
1:12:12 > 1:12:16Scotch Whisky Association was on the business delegation with me and was
1:12:16 > 1:12:20doing everything that she does most ably to promote the interests of
1:12:20 > 1:12:26Scotch whiskey and of course, the answer to his question is what we
1:12:26 > 1:12:29are doing is making sure we can have an independent trade policy,
1:12:29 > 1:12:34developing trade deals around the rest of the world which means that
1:12:34 > 1:12:36good Scottish products and indeed good products from the rest of UK
1:12:36 > 1:12:45can be sold around world.Mr Speaker, the centuries-old UK in, a
1:12:45 > 1:12:48world-class company, Britain's third biggest engineering company is
1:12:48 > 1:12:52facing a hostile takeover by Melrose, leading to break up,
1:12:52 > 1:12:56sell-off, closures and redundancies. That would be to make a mockery of
1:12:56 > 1:13:01industrial strategy. Can I ask the Prime Minister this, that government
1:13:01 > 1:13:06has the power to intervene because of the defence work carried out by
1:13:06 > 1:13:11GKN? Will the Prime Minister act in the national interest and block this
1:13:11 > 1:13:16unwanted takeover?I can say to the honourable gentleman that of course
1:13:16 > 1:13:19the business department will be looking closely and have been
1:13:19 > 1:13:22following closely the issue he has raised and I can assure him that I
1:13:22 > 1:13:25and the government as a whole will always act in the UK national
1:13:25 > 1:13:32interest.With the largest undeveloped brownfield sites in the
1:13:32 > 1:13:35country located in my constituency at Stanton, will my right honourable
1:13:35 > 1:13:39friend explain to the house at the new housing infrastructure fund will
1:13:39 > 1:13:45help residents buy a new home?Can I say to my honourable friend that I
1:13:45 > 1:13:47think the housing infrastructure fund is a very important
1:13:47 > 1:13:51development, one of the major complaints that constituent often
1:13:51 > 1:13:53have and residents have when they see the possibility of development
1:13:53 > 1:13:57in their area is lack of infrastructure. What the housing
1:13:57 > 1:14:00infrastructure fund enables is infrastructure to be built and put
1:14:00 > 1:14:04in place so it can support of elements in a way that helps support
1:14:04 > 1:14:09local residents. -- support developments. I'm pleased the
1:14:09 > 1:14:12announcement of nearly £900 million which the Housing Secretary
1:14:12 > 1:14:15announced last week, we are seeing real interest in the housing
1:14:15 > 1:14:18infrastructure fund, which is making a difference and enabling more homes
1:14:18 > 1:14:22to be built and more of her constituents to be able to buy her
1:14:22 > 1:14:27own -- their own homes.My constituent is 58, she has the
1:14:27 > 1:14:31beauty, four pins in her leg, a walking frame and is just out of
1:14:31 > 1:14:37hospital after having clot her long billy dragged along, she got exactly
1:14:37 > 1:14:40do the job centre, having found the government posted on Friday, will
1:14:40 > 1:14:43she apologise for not having told any of the constituency Bridgestone
1:14:43 > 1:14:47whose job centres were being closed, will she refund my constituent the
1:14:47 > 1:14:52£10 she spent on a taxi and Wilshere apologise for this absolutely
1:14:52 > 1:14:56ridiculous situation?I say to the honourable lady that yes, we are
1:14:56 > 1:15:00seeing some job being closed in Scotland. There's not going to be
1:15:00 > 1:15:03any decrease in the level of service offered to the people of Scotland.
1:15:03 > 1:15:08We are increasing the number of work coaches across the country. What we
1:15:08 > 1:15:11are doing is ensuring that we can continue to provide a good service
1:15:11 > 1:15:18to the people of Scotland.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Intimidation on
1:15:18 > 1:15:23social media is a growing issue for many people across the country and
1:15:23 > 1:15:26yesterday, highlighted especially for women standing for election. Can
1:15:26 > 1:15:29my right honourable friend update us on the progress being made and does
1:15:29 > 1:15:33she agree we should take no lessons from a party whose Shadow Chancellor
1:15:33 > 1:15:43has called for violence against women?Yes, can I say to my
1:15:43 > 1:15:46honourable friend that I think this issue is a particularly important
1:15:46 > 1:15:51one. I announced yesterday, I said yesterday, as indeed my right
1:15:51 > 1:15:55honourable friend the Home Secretary said at the weekend, we are
1:15:55 > 1:15:58consulting on a new offence of intimidation of election candidates
1:15:58 > 1:16:04and campaigners. That follows the report from the committee about the
1:16:04 > 1:16:11degree to which intimidation was done to at the last election,
1:16:11 > 1:16:15particularly women, BME and LGBT candidates. This is an absolute
1:16:15 > 1:16:19disgrace, it has no part in our public life and I would urge the
1:16:19 > 1:16:23Shadow Chancellor once again come he keeps refusing to do this, to
1:16:23 > 1:16:27apologise to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for saying she
1:16:27 > 1:16:31should be lynched.Order.
1:16:39 > 1:16:44Prime Minister's questions come to an end. It is just after quarter to
1:16:44 > 1:16:48one. Jeremy Corbyn, of surprise to some of us, went on about leader
1:16:48 > 1:16:53police numbers and police funding, and law and order is regarded as
1:16:53 > 1:17:01kind of a Tory issue, but Mr Corbyn decided to go in on this and using
1:17:01 > 1:17:08statistics effectively, he talked about the cuts of 1000, and when she
1:17:08 > 1:17:15came in as Home Secretary, 2.3 billion pounds, real cuts, and the
1:17:15 > 1:17:18doctor but the highest recorded crime in 25 years. Getting into
1:17:18 > 1:17:23crime figures there is of course always annoyed and between the
1:17:23 > 1:17:26recorded crime and the survey crime, recorded crime being what the police
1:17:26 > 1:17:29actually log but survey crime being people ask if they have been victims
1:17:29 > 1:17:44of crime, and if so, what. He also pointed out there were
1:17:44 > 1:17:45pointed out there were 6003000 -- 6003000 fewer police.
1:17:51 > 1:17:55Mr Corbyn was pretty much on top of things, though he did find himself
1:17:55 > 1:17:58uttering the sentence crime is wrong, which I suppose should not be
1:17:58 > 1:18:04a surprise coming from the leader of Her Majesty's opposition. Still with
1:18:04 > 1:18:11me, Greg Hands and Shadow Transport Minister Rachael Maskell.
1:18:11 > 1:18:13Interesting that Jeremy Corbyn feels comfortable on the law and order
1:18:13 > 1:18:20front?Yes, and I think Labour learn this was an issue during the general
1:18:20 > 1:18:23election that could play to their advantage. If you think back to the
1:18:23 > 1:18:26terrible terror attacks this really became an issue in the closing
1:18:26 > 1:18:30stages of the election campaign that raced up the political agenda, and
1:18:30 > 1:18:34although as you say traditionally law and order is a Tory issue, the
1:18:34 > 1:18:39Labour Party managed to really quite successfully push and push on that
1:18:39 > 1:18:41issue in the general election campaign, and played too, you know,
1:18:41 > 1:18:52some of the worry and anxiety among members of the public
1:18:52 > 1:18:54members of the public at crime going up, depending on which survey you
1:18:54 > 1:18:56really believe, and police services around the country, time and again,
1:18:56 > 1:18:58as chief constables worn, being under very real pressure.
1:18:58 > 1:19:01Is broadly true that if you use the recent recorded crime figures, it
1:19:01 > 1:19:05shows a rise, and that is what Mr Corbyn referred to, but if you use
1:19:05 > 1:19:10the survey figures you don't get the same rise?That's right. As you say,
1:19:10 > 1:19:14traditionally there is this debate between things that are noted down,
1:19:14 > 1:19:18when someone goes back to a police station to report something, and the
1:19:18 > 1:19:22things people report when asked face-to-face. Other Office for
1:19:22 > 1:19:24National Statistics which of course does not have an axe to grind in
1:19:24 > 1:19:30this
1:19:30 > 1:19:32this fight. The neutral body, they said after the last statistics came
1:19:32 > 1:19:35out, they said some of the recent rise is down to better recording, so
1:19:35 > 1:19:38some of it is because more people are coming forward, rather than
1:19:38 > 1:19:43society somehow becoming more dangerous.And that is what Mrs May
1:19:43 > 1:19:46referred to with the changing methodology?That's right, but it
1:19:46 > 1:19:53has also been said there is a genuine rise in violent crime, so a
1:19:53 > 1:19:56mixed picture, but you can't just shrug it all off and say, oh, they
1:19:56 > 1:20:03just count it a different way.What do you think, that Mr Corbyn is this
1:20:03 > 1:20:08are able to move onto your turf?I disagree. I think it is
1:20:08 > 1:20:11extraordinary that Corbyn felt after two and a half years as leader of
1:20:11 > 1:20:16the opposition that he had to say the crime was wrong and I think
1:20:16 > 1:20:20Theresa May was very effective in pointing out that the offer, the
1:20:20 > 1:20:24very tough anti-crime laws that Mr Corbyn himself had voted against. If
1:20:24 > 1:20:27you look at his record over the last 30 years in Parliament he is an
1:20:27 > 1:20:31individual has voted against a whole raft of different crime measures,
1:20:31 > 1:20:36whether it be on terrorism, street crime, etc, so I think Corbyn is
1:20:36 > 1:20:40very vulnerable actually.He didn't vote for the 21,000 cuts to police
1:20:40 > 1:20:45officers and you did.As with all these things, Corbyn is unable to
1:20:45 > 1:20:51come up with- every week at PMQs key pledges more and more money for so
1:20:51 > 1:20:53many different things and there is never any sense of where this money
1:20:53 > 1:20:56will come from. The actual reality is Labour if they were in charge
1:20:56 > 1:21:02would crash the economy, there would be far less money available. As the
1:21:02 > 1:21:05Prime Minister makes clear you have to have a growing economy to pay for
1:21:05 > 1:21:11these public services in the first place.The ONS says, from its report
1:21:11 > 1:21:15of January the 25th, using the latest figures, "Our assessment is
1:21:15 > 1:21:19crime levels continue to fall, consistent with long-term trends,
1:21:19 > 1:21:26but not all types of crime have fallen. " Was that scaremongering
1:21:26 > 1:21:33from Mr Corbyn?If you look at the figures we are violent crime up 20%,
1:21:33 > 1:21:38sexual crime is rising, issues around online cyber crime really
1:21:38 > 1:21:41skyrocketing at the moment, so it is going up and that is a real concern
1:21:41 > 1:21:45to the public. Ultimately, our policy has got to be about public
1:21:45 > 1:21:49safety, and what Mr Corbyn really did emphasise was addressing the
1:21:49 > 1:21:54causes of crime, and those issues clearly not being addressed with the
1:21:54 > 1:21:57cuts to services and the money withdrawn from local authorities to
1:21:57 > 1:22:03keep community safer.The ONS points out it is police recorded crime that
1:22:03 > 1:22:07is the main source of evidence for rises in knife and gun crime, the
1:22:07 > 1:22:11sort of violent crime you have been talking about. And of course that is
1:22:11 > 1:22:16the kind - there are many crimes that happened that are not reported
1:22:16 > 1:22:21but the survey picks them up, but even gun crime, most of that is
1:22:21 > 1:22:26pretty much reported, and it shows quite a serious rise.I think we are
1:22:26 > 1:22:29all acknowledging there are issues there a road knife and gun crime,
1:22:29 > 1:22:33particularly I might see in London, around where I am -- around knife
1:22:33 > 1:22:38and gun crime. There has been arise there, and also a perception of that
1:22:38 > 1:22:41rise. The overall crime survey... Just to remind our viewers, when you
1:22:41 > 1:22:49say...The MP
1:23:00 > 1:23:06for Chelsea...But it fatalities from knife crime last year. --
1:23:06 > 1:23:14Chelsea and Phil. It is like an American city, 80 -- Chelsea and
1:23:14 > 1:23:17Fulham.The number of police officers in London has remained
1:23:17 > 1:23:22pretty constant, around 31,000, since the Olympics. The question is
1:23:22 > 1:23:25how the operation and how the police resources are allocated within
1:23:25 > 1:23:30London.So it is the mayor's response ability, not central
1:23:30 > 1:23:34government?It is the mayor's was once ability to allocate those
1:23:34 > 1:23:37resources. The number of officers overall has been pretty constant at
1:23:37 > 1:23:45around 30 1000.But it is not just in London but all around the country
1:23:45 > 1:23:48-- around 30 1000. We have conservatives running our police
1:23:48 > 1:23:53service were crying...So it doesn't matter who is in charge locally. It
1:23:53 > 1:24:00is going up -- our police services were crying...It has a significant
1:24:00 > 1:24:02impact on crime.
1:24:10 > 1:24:14I will just point out, we were talking about Germany earlier, one
1:24:14 > 1:24:19of the remarkable developments, the creation of their coalition
1:24:19 > 1:24:25government, which still has to be approved by SPD members, is that a
1:24:25 > 1:24:29hard right party is a Des Smyth official opposition in Germany, with
1:24:29 > 1:24:3693 members in the Bundestag -- is now the official opposition party in
1:24:36 > 1:24:40Germany. It is well to the right of Ukip. That is quite a remarkable
1:24:40 > 1:24:46development.It certainly is and it is a cause for anxiety among many
1:24:46 > 1:24:51political circles in the European Union. They are now therefore out on
1:24:51 > 1:24:56there own, able to criticise, and not sort of bought in, but it was a
1:24:56 > 1:25:04very difficult situation in Germany for Angela Merkel.The development,
1:25:04 > 1:25:09that far right group, and now they get crucial committees in the
1:25:09 > 1:25:13Bundestag. Anyway, George Osborne, he used to be your boss, didn't he?
1:25:13 > 1:25:20I was Chief Secretary under him as Chancellor, yes.Good man? Sound
1:25:20 > 1:25:25man?Yes, he was, good person to work for.Sound judgment? Good
1:25:25 > 1:25:31Chancellor? Siam and he is now doing a different job. But a good
1:25:31 > 1:25:35Chancellor, you think?He did a good job, reduced the deficit by three
1:25:35 > 1:25:38quarters. When a good, because he has written in the Standard this
1:25:38 > 1:25:46morning, there is no escaping the simple economic trough. -- truth.
1:25:46 > 1:25:49Outside of the customs union the things we buy will go up. The
1:25:49 > 1:25:54ability to sell will be reduced. Britain will have consciously
1:25:54 > 1:25:58engaged in the biggest act of protectionism in our history. Sound
1:25:58 > 1:26:02man?I disagree with that because I think if we were to stay in the
1:26:02 > 1:26:08customs union but have no say over the rules determining the comment
1:26:08 > 1:26:11tariff, and determining the EU's trade policy, I think it would be
1:26:11 > 1:26:14the worst of all worlds.So he is wrong when he says the cost of
1:26:14 > 1:26:20things will go up as we leave the customs union?Most of the modelling
1:26:20 > 1:26:23that has been done does not include the scenario laid out by the Prime
1:26:23 > 1:26:27Minister in her Florence speech. The different modelling that has been
1:26:27 > 1:26:30done at different points, none of it
1:26:30 > 1:26:36includes the optimal scenario the UK Government is trying to negotiate
1:26:36 > 1:26:40and that is the important thing. -Year-old department, with certain
1:26:40 > 1:26:48free-trade deals -- your old department. It says AmeriCorps, with
1:26:48 > 1:26:57only 0.2% of our GDP -- it says that America, our biggest trading partner
1:26:57 > 1:27:01outside the EU.It also says the others will add less than 0.2% would
1:27:01 > 1:27:07seemed a little unusual.The free-trade deal does not compensate
1:27:07 > 1:27:12for leaving the customs union, does that?Don't forget this modelling
1:27:12 > 1:27:16does not include the Government scenario we want to have in terms of
1:27:16 > 1:27:19the Florence speech...Why isn't the civil service producing modelling
1:27:19 > 1:27:27that reflects Government policy? You are the Government, are due? You
1:27:27 > 1:27:30are the international Trade Minister. Why don't you get a model
1:27:30 > 1:27:40that suits your policy?That modelling is in development.Paris,
1:27:40 > 1:27:44Berlin, London?What the modelling should include, Andrew, in an ideal
1:27:44 > 1:27:48world, is all of the scenarios we would like to achieve...So why
1:27:48 > 1:27:54doesn't it?Because the modelling has not been finished yet.Oh, so it
1:27:54 > 1:27:59will now do modelling based on the Government's position.The document
1:27:59 > 1:28:03put out was a draft and early form. It is not for me...So is it going
1:28:03 > 1:28:08to do the modelling of the foreign trade, the International trade
1:28:08 > 1:28:14scenario, you would like to see? What it has done is taken
1:28:14 > 1:28:21selectively, for example, it cushions the USFTA is done, but it
1:28:21 > 1:28:25does not say that the other FTAs would be done in that modelling...
1:28:25 > 1:28:30The answer to guess the year, far more important to free-trade
1:28:30 > 1:28:37agreements and the customs union. The answer was 1986. Rachael
1:28:37 > 1:28:47Maskell, could you press that button so we can find the winner?
1:28:48 > 1:28:51so we can find the winner? Ian Everest from Newhaven has won.
1:28:51 > 1:28:52That's all for today.
1:28:52 > 1:29:00The one o'clock news is starting over on BBC One now.