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question for David Mundell, about the effect on Scotland of the UK | :00:00. | :00:11. | |
leaving the EU. Order. Order. I have to tell the House that yesterday, | :00:12. | :00:18. | |
together with other right honourable and honourable members, I attended | :00:19. | :00:24. | |
upon Her Majesty The Queen to deliver the House's message of | :00:25. | :00:28. | |
congratulations on her 90th birthday. Her Majesty made the | :00:29. | :00:36. | |
following reply, members of the House of Commons, I am most grateful | :00:37. | :00:41. | |
to you for your address on the occasion of my 90th birthday. I have | :00:42. | :00:48. | |
been deeply touched by the many messages of congratulations, which I | :00:49. | :00:51. | |
have received on this particular birthday. And I warmly reciprocate | :00:52. | :00:55. | |
the good wishes of members of the House of Commons at this time. | :00:56. | :01:04. | |
Order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland. Question number | :01:05. | :01:13. | |
one. Can I begin by congratulating Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish | :01:14. | :01:19. | |
National Party on achieving the largest number of seats in last | :01:20. | :01:25. | |
week's Scottish Parliament elections, and say that I look | :01:26. | :01:30. | |
forward to working with her and the new Scottish Government for the | :01:31. | :01:33. | |
benefit of the people of Scotland. With permission I would like to | :01:34. | :01:39. | |
answer questions one, two, three, six, seven and eight together. The | :01:40. | :01:47. | |
government's position is that Scotland and the United Kingdom will | :01:48. | :01:51. | |
be stronger, safer, and better off remaining in a reformed EU. | :01:52. | :01:55. | |
Membership reduces costs for British businesses, supports jobs in | :01:56. | :01:59. | |
Scotland and provides an export market currently worth ?11.6 | :02:00. | :02:05. | |
billion. -- reduces costs for Scottish businesses. This will not | :02:06. | :02:13. | |
win the European referendum. Stories of war, genocide and economic | :02:14. | :02:15. | |
crashes are not in keeping with making a positive case for the EU. | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
Can the Secretary of State tell us when we will hear the positive case | :02:22. | :02:27. | |
for remaining in the EU? Can I also add my congratulations to the | :02:28. | :02:32. | |
Honourable Lady's husband on his re-election to the Scottish | :02:33. | :02:34. | |
Parliament, where I am sure his witty town will be welcomed. She and | :02:35. | :02:47. | |
her colleagues continue to call for a campaign for Scotland to remain in | :02:48. | :02:50. | |
the EU, but all we hear from them is process and calls for a second | :02:51. | :02:55. | |
referendum. I call on them to disregard that approach and actually | :02:56. | :03:01. | |
start setting out the positive case themselves. The UK Government has | :03:02. | :03:09. | |
shown disregard for Scotland's highly education -- higher education | :03:10. | :03:14. | |
sector, scrapping the post study work Visa, against all Scottish | :03:15. | :03:21. | |
political parties. Does here realise the crippling effect this is having | :03:22. | :03:26. | |
on attracting young talent to Scotland? What I believe is that the | :03:27. | :03:32. | |
biggest issue that faces Scotland currently is the uncertainty over | :03:33. | :03:37. | |
the Scottish Government's inability to rule out a second independence | :03:38. | :03:43. | |
referendum, which they could quite easily do. I look forward to the | :03:44. | :03:49. | |
First Minister, if she is re-elected to that post, setting out clearly | :03:50. | :03:56. | |
that we are not going to have a second independence referendum. | :03:57. | :03:59. | |
Regarding work-study Visa, the work select committee have carried out a | :04:00. | :04:05. | |
very good report into that issue, and the government is looking at it. | :04:06. | :04:11. | |
Does the Secretary of State consider the 60% of the UK landings in | :04:12. | :04:17. | |
Scotland Scottish fisheries minister should lead during the period of the | :04:18. | :04:24. | |
UK presidency of the EU. Would such an initiative not be widely welcomed | :04:25. | :04:29. | |
by Scottish fishermen, or is he still stuck in this rat of some | :04:30. | :04:36. | |
nations being more equal than others? My position is that Scotland | :04:37. | :04:43. | |
voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom | :04:44. | :04:51. | |
represents Scotland's division. We have been up in discussions on | :04:52. | :05:01. | |
issues of representation at the EU, and how they should work. My | :05:02. | :05:05. | |
understanding is the previous lead Scottish Government were agreed with | :05:06. | :05:14. | |
these proposals. This week's even wired report was critical of the | :05:15. | :05:18. | |
approach to the energy sector. Is stating it is not only stalling | :05:19. | :05:23. | |
investment by jeopardising energy security. -- EY report. Does he | :05:24. | :05:31. | |
agree that the best way for Scotland's energy policy to develop | :05:32. | :05:38. | |
is within the EU? I agree it is within the best interests of | :05:39. | :05:41. | |
Scotland to remain in the EU, and the best interest of Scotland to | :05:42. | :05:46. | |
remain in the UK. It has been clearly set out that the best way | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
forward for Scotland's energy sector is to have a UK wide common market. | :05:52. | :06:03. | |
While we want the UK to remain part of the EU, I am wondering if the | :06:04. | :06:08. | |
Secretary of State's mission is to antagonise as many Scots as possible | :06:09. | :06:12. | |
before the referendum. But will he agree that if Scotland should be | :06:13. | :06:18. | |
dragged out against its will, that would be a major constitutional | :06:19. | :06:22. | |
change? He might be interested to know that tomorrow I am sharing a | :06:23. | :06:30. | |
platform with the former Deputy Leader, Jim Sillars, where I will | :06:31. | :06:34. | |
make the positive case for Scotland remaining in the EU, and I | :06:35. | :06:38. | |
understand he will make the case for Scotland leaving. The president of | :06:39. | :06:49. | |
the Royal College of psychiatry has warned that the UK with drawing | :06:50. | :07:04. | |
would remove safeguards for psychiatric users. Would he support | :07:05. | :07:09. | |
me in stopping them removing such human rights? The honourable lady is | :07:10. | :07:16. | |
aware that the government is going to bring forward a consultation on a | :07:17. | :07:23. | |
Bill of Rights post the EU referendum, but I do agree with her | :07:24. | :07:26. | |
that the United Kingdom remaining within the EU is for the benefit of | :07:27. | :07:37. | |
everyone in Scotland. With the Secretary of State agree that the | :07:38. | :07:43. | |
government is split on the issue of whether we should remain in the | :07:44. | :07:47. | |
European Union, just as the SNP are, with Jim Sillars speaking for the | :07:48. | :07:57. | |
leave campaign? It is somewhat embarrassing for the government to | :07:58. | :08:08. | |
be associating with that lot. What the Scottish National Party doesn't | :08:09. | :08:14. | |
always do is respect that people have different opinions. My view is | :08:15. | :08:19. | |
very firmly that Scotland should remain in the EU, but I recognise | :08:20. | :08:24. | |
and respect that there are people in Scotland, including SNP voters and | :08:25. | :08:29. | |
supporters, who want Scotland to leave the EU, and therefore that is | :08:30. | :08:35. | |
why we're having a referendum and debate, and people have their say. | :08:36. | :08:42. | |
Why hasn't my right honourable friend emphasised that when we leave | :08:43. | :08:48. | |
the European Union, the Scottish parliament, Scottish Government and | :08:49. | :08:51. | |
Scottish people will have sole control over Scottish fishing | :08:52. | :08:58. | |
waters? I do not believe that the best interests of Scottish | :08:59. | :09:02. | |
fishermen, Scottish farmers or the general population of Scotland would | :09:03. | :09:07. | |
be served by leaving the EU because, as my honourable friend, who now | :09:08. | :09:13. | |
serves on the select committee will know, large amounts of fish, | :09:14. | :09:20. | |
particularly shellfish caught off the west coast of Scotland goes to a | :09:21. | :09:27. | |
European market. Does my right honourable friend agree that | :09:28. | :09:32. | |
Scotland, like the rest of the United Kingdom, would be safer if it | :09:33. | :09:40. | |
left the European Union because the former head of MI6 has said, Britain | :09:41. | :09:48. | |
is Europe's leader in intelligence, security matters, and gives much | :09:49. | :10:00. | |
more than it gets in return. No. What assessment has the Secretary of | :10:01. | :10:04. | |
State undertaken as to why the SNP are so keen on the EU, when it is | :10:05. | :10:09. | |
clear that they are in the economic slow lane, when the unemployment | :10:10. | :10:14. | |
rates as much higher, youth unemployment of over 50% in certain | :10:15. | :10:20. | |
countries, and when it is a fact that the Common fisheries policy has | :10:21. | :10:22. | |
over the years decimated the Scottish fishing fleet? I note the | :10:23. | :10:35. | |
inherent contradiction in the SNP position because every argument they | :10:36. | :10:39. | |
use for Scotland remaining in the EU where arguments they dismissed in | :10:40. | :10:42. | |
relation to Scotland remaining in the United Kingdom, but in this | :10:43. | :10:47. | |
occasion I will forgive them because I believe, like them, that it is in | :10:48. | :10:51. | |
the best interests of Scotland to remain in the EU. A pensioner in my | :10:52. | :11:00. | |
right honourable friend's constituency, she would like to say | :11:01. | :11:12. | |
that she is very pleased to have two EY to deal with -- Mundells to deal | :11:13. | :11:26. | |
with, but... I am sure the reforms will bring benefits for pensioners, | :11:27. | :11:32. | |
and I also believe it is not the end of this free-form process. The EU is | :11:33. | :11:38. | |
not perfect, even after these reforms, but it is up to the UK to | :11:39. | :11:43. | |
lead in reforming the EU, not withdraw from it. | :11:44. | :11:51. | |
What assessment has the Secretary of State made over last week 's | :11:52. | :11:57. | |
Scottish Parliament election results, over removing the prospect | :11:58. | :12:01. | |
of Scotland having to join as a new member? | :12:02. | :12:07. | |
What I would say to my honourable friend is that there was one clear | :12:08. | :12:11. | |
message from last week's elections, the people of Scotland do not want | :12:12. | :12:17. | |
another referendum. And I hope that the First Minister has heard that | :12:18. | :12:22. | |
message loud and clear. The EU referendum is about the UK's | :12:23. | :12:27. | |
membership of the EU, it is not a rerun of the Scottish independence | :12:28. | :12:34. | |
referendum. Speaker-macro, can I also take this | :12:35. | :12:38. | |
opportunity to congratulate all MSP is elected last week and the SNP on | :12:39. | :12:43. | |
their historic third term in Government. -- Mr Speaker. I do have | :12:44. | :12:49. | |
to say that my own seed was a net gain from the SNP on that evening. | :12:50. | :12:57. | |
-- seat. Can I also congratulate the Secretary of State on his son | :12:58. | :13:01. | |
Oliver, being elected to the Scottish parliament, there are now | :13:02. | :13:05. | |
not only two elected members, but they also both have fetching beards. | :13:06. | :13:13. | |
The evidence is clear that the UK and Scotland are stronger in the UK, | :13:14. | :13:19. | |
in the EU. In the Scottish context for example, 42% of exports, a | :13:20. | :13:26. | |
quarter of a million jobs, 10% of higher education spending, so can | :13:27. | :13:30. | |
the Secretary of State give this assurance that all conservative and | :13:31. | :13:34. | |
-- MSPs will be campaigning to stay in the EU? | :13:35. | :13:41. | |
I thank the honourable gentleman for his congratulations, and their | :13:42. | :13:44. | |
congratulations to my son. The high point of the election for me was | :13:45. | :13:48. | |
when somebody on the door that, you look a lot like your dad. But that | :13:49. | :13:54. | |
aside, what I can assure him is that there will be a proper debate in | :13:55. | :14:03. | |
Scotland. Ruth Davidson, head of the beginning of this referendum | :14:04. | :14:06. | |
process, made her position very clear on supporting Scotland | :14:07. | :14:10. | |
remaining in the EU. But we cannot hide the fact that there are people | :14:11. | :14:14. | |
in Scotland who would like to leave the EU, and I think their views | :14:15. | :14:17. | |
should be reflected. They Conservative Party is not frightened | :14:18. | :14:22. | |
to hide the fact there are different views, there are different views | :14:23. | :14:28. | |
across Scotland. The Secretary of State hasn't told | :14:29. | :14:33. | |
us what Oliver's response was when that man said you look like your | :14:34. | :14:36. | |
dad. Everybody knows this referendum is all about settling old scores in | :14:37. | :14:44. | |
the Conservative Party. We also know that the SNP are desperate for any | :14:45. | :14:49. | |
excuse to trigger another independence referendum. But the | :14:50. | :14:54. | |
truth is that the UK is better in the EU, and Scotland is better off | :14:55. | :14:58. | |
in the UK. So isn't it the case that this Secretary of State and his | :14:59. | :15:02. | |
Government have taken a huge gamble with the UK's future and a huge | :15:03. | :15:06. | |
gamble with Scotland's future as well? | :15:07. | :15:10. | |
Absolutely not, we have allowed the people of Scotland and the people | :15:11. | :15:17. | |
across the UK to have their say on this important issue, and they will | :15:18. | :15:23. | |
do, and we need to have a debate in Scotland, I am campaigning | :15:24. | :15:26. | |
vigorously as he appears to be for Scotland to remain in the EU, the | :15:27. | :15:31. | |
SNP parliamentary party here at Westminster is campaigning for that. | :15:32. | :15:35. | |
People like Jim Sellers are campaigning for Scotland to leave | :15:36. | :15:40. | |
the EU. Let's have a vigorous debate in Scotland over the next few weeks, | :15:41. | :15:45. | |
and I look forward to sharing a platform with him and SNP | :15:46. | :15:51. | |
colleagues. -- Sillars. May I add my congratulations to the | :15:52. | :15:55. | |
election of all over to the parliament. Can he confirmed to the | :15:56. | :16:00. | |
House that he will continue to champion the Scotland Bill, which he | :16:01. | :16:04. | |
passed through this House, which has given so many powers to the Scottish | :16:05. | :16:07. | |
Parliament, to ensure that the Scottish people continue to benefit | :16:08. | :16:11. | |
not just being in the UK but within the EU as well? | :16:12. | :16:21. | |
Thank you for that, I must get my son elected more often, because | :16:22. | :16:27. | |
there are more plaudits today than I recall ever previously! What I would | :16:28. | :16:34. | |
say to him is that of course we will move forward with the implementation | :16:35. | :16:39. | |
of the Scotland Bill, but we will also work hard to achieve a positive | :16:40. | :16:43. | |
outcome for Scotland in the EU referendum on 23rd of June. | :16:44. | :16:48. | |
Does the Secretary of State agree that the already high levels of | :16:49. | :16:51. | |
support in Scotland for remaining in the EU could be improved further | :16:52. | :16:57. | |
still if Scottish farmers could become -- could be confident they | :16:58. | :17:07. | |
will hit their CAP payments? The reason that CAP payments have | :17:08. | :17:14. | |
not been made is entirely due to the previous SNP Scottish Government. | :17:15. | :17:17. | |
And any attempt to suggest that it was the EU is incorrect. I think | :17:18. | :17:24. | |
that farmers and others know the benefits to Scotland of being in the | :17:25. | :17:29. | |
EU and will vote to remain. If the UK were to withdraw from EU, | :17:30. | :17:35. | |
what impact would this have on Scotland and the EU's relationship | :17:36. | :17:39. | |
with Malawi, which I know my right honourable friend has recently been | :17:40. | :17:42. | |
to? My honourable friend knows I did | :17:43. | :17:47. | |
recently visit Malawi, and without being indiscreet I can firmly say | :17:48. | :17:53. | |
that the Malawi Government are in favour of Scotland and the EU -- | :17:54. | :17:57. | |
Scotland and the UK remaining in the EU. | :17:58. | :18:02. | |
There is very little evidence that Scotland wanted this story is you | :18:03. | :18:06. | |
referendum. There only seems like a minority want to leave the EU. What | :18:07. | :18:11. | |
is his message is the Secretary of State, when he has put this message | :18:12. | :18:16. | |
to the Scottish people, if we are taken out of the EU, against our | :18:17. | :18:21. | |
national collective will? Thank you, I think that is another | :18:22. | :18:26. | |
positive campaigning point from the SNP. It is not for me to give the | :18:27. | :18:33. | |
SNP advice. But if my vote had fallen by 500,000 between the | :18:34. | :18:37. | |
General Election and the Scottish regional list, I would be focusing | :18:38. | :18:41. | |
on getting my supporters out to vote on the 23rd of June, to ensure that | :18:42. | :18:49. | |
Scotland votes to remain. We on these benches are delighted in | :18:50. | :18:56. | |
the run up to the European Union referendum, the Scottish electorate | :18:57. | :19:00. | |
has returned a pro-European SNP Government. Return with the highest | :19:01. | :19:06. | |
vote of any party currently anywhere in the national elections anywhere | :19:07. | :19:12. | |
in Western Europe. -- returned. Most people in Scotland are also very | :19:13. | :19:17. | |
pleased that when given the opportunity as the Scottish | :19:18. | :19:19. | |
electorate didn't return a single MSP from the Europhobic UK | :19:20. | :19:25. | |
irrelevance party, and that there is a majority of the Scottish | :19:26. | :19:28. | |
parliament for Scottish independence as a member... On the powerful case, | :19:29. | :19:38. | |
Mr Speaker, for remaining, will the UK Government concentrate plays on | :19:39. | :19:45. | |
making a positive and inspiring case to remain, rather than reheating | :19:46. | :19:49. | |
endless scare stories? I think I have made it clear to the | :19:50. | :19:54. | |
honourable gentleman that that is exactly what my intention is, and | :19:55. | :19:58. | |
perhaps he could undertake today to stop obsessing about process and a | :19:59. | :20:04. | |
second Scottish independence referendum, and concentrate himself | :20:05. | :20:06. | |
entirely on the positive reasons for Scotland remaining in the EU. | :20:07. | :20:12. | |
Scotch whiskey is the largest net goods exported to the European | :20:13. | :20:16. | |
Union, both from Scotland and for the United Kingdom as a whole. Does | :20:17. | :20:22. | |
the Secretary of State agree that the European single market is | :20:23. | :20:27. | |
profoundly important and positive, for the ?1 billion trade, meaning | :20:28. | :20:31. | |
that there is no need for customs forms, duplication of labelling and | :20:32. | :20:36. | |
safety requirements, so will he stress the positive advantages to | :20:37. | :20:41. | |
the whiskey industry, and all exporters from Scotland, to jobs and | :20:42. | :20:45. | |
to profitability, by remaining within the European single market | :20:46. | :20:48. | |
and EU? I am absolutely clear that -- what | :20:49. | :20:55. | |
the honourable gentleman States is the case, and I am sure he will have | :20:56. | :21:01. | |
welcomed the visit yesterday to Scotland by my right honourable | :21:02. | :21:04. | |
friend the Secretary of State for Defra to stress the importance to | :21:05. | :21:08. | |
the whiskey industry of remaining in the single market, and the | :21:09. | :21:12. | |
particular points he makes about duplication in relation to | :21:13. | :21:16. | |
labelling, certification and licensing -- licensing are ones | :21:17. | :21:19. | |
which the Scotch Whisky association have made and I am sure the public | :21:20. | :21:22. | |
will take into account when they vote in the referendum. | :21:23. | :21:30. | |
With your permission, could I answer this question with question 11. This | :21:31. | :21:35. | |
is an important sector, and that is why I am delighted that the | :21:36. | :21:39. | |
Chancellor announced ?1 billion package in the budget, reducing | :21:40. | :21:44. | |
headline rates of tax, major investment opportunities and | :21:45. | :21:49. | |
encouragement and exploration, infrastructure, and of course a | :21:50. | :21:53. | |
quarter of ?1 billion Aberdeen City Deal, along with the creation of an | :21:54. | :21:58. | |
interministerial group specifically targeting the oil and gas sector. | :21:59. | :22:04. | |
Does the Minister agree that we need a long-term approach to secure the | :22:05. | :22:09. | |
future of the jobs in the oil and gas sector in the North Sea, and | :22:10. | :22:13. | |
that part of the future is making sure the skills that have been | :22:14. | :22:17. | |
developed over many decades are not lost? I couldn't agree with my | :22:18. | :22:26. | |
honourable friend more. That is why as I say we have established an | :22:27. | :22:30. | |
interministerial group specifically looking at this and many other | :22:31. | :22:35. | |
issues, and we will shortly publish our workforce plan. The gas industry | :22:36. | :22:43. | |
provides vital home-grown feed stocks to Britain's camel -- | :22:44. | :22:49. | |
chemical industry. Can the Minister assure us that the Government will | :22:50. | :22:53. | |
continue to stake -- take steps to support as many jobs which depend on | :22:54. | :23:00. | |
this sector? Of course, yes. I would like to pay tribute to my honourable | :23:01. | :23:05. | |
friend for the work he does in relation to chemicals, it is a very | :23:06. | :23:09. | |
important sector. I am very pleased to see the sort of work but they are | :23:10. | :23:19. | |
doing to increase exports. Last week I raised concerns related to the | :23:20. | :23:23. | |
transatlantic trade and investment partnership, and the threat to our | :23:24. | :23:27. | |
public services, only for these to be dismissed by the Prime Minister | :23:28. | :23:33. | |
as a red herring. Since then several high profile organisations including | :23:34. | :23:40. | |
Unite have rebuked his claims. Will the Secretary of State make | :23:41. | :23:43. | |
representations to the Prime Minister to insist on specific | :23:44. | :23:48. | |
exemptions, to protect Scotland's NHS and public services? At this | :23:49. | :23:54. | |
dispatch box I and other ministers repeatedly have said that these | :23:55. | :24:02. | |
sorts of claims... I am waiting for the member to take his seat. This is | :24:03. | :24:07. | |
absolute rubbish that the honourable lady puts forward, that my right | :24:08. | :24:12. | |
honourable friend the Prime Minister is right, this is a red herring. I | :24:13. | :24:17. | |
undertake to share with her all the letters from impartial sources, that | :24:18. | :24:22. | |
have been written to support our contention that public services | :24:23. | :24:25. | |
especially the NHS have no threat whatsoever from this, it is a good | :24:26. | :24:33. | |
idea. The minister I am sure am aware of the anxiety of Scottish | :24:34. | :24:37. | |
workers about reductions in investment in safety on shore, and | :24:38. | :24:42. | |
the failure of companies to work cooperatively with trade unions | :24:43. | :24:46. | |
safety representatives. What representation has she made on | :24:47. | :24:51. | |
safety onshore? And can she reassure his constituents -- my constituents | :24:52. | :24:55. | |
that the Government is on the case? I thank the honourable gentleman for | :24:56. | :24:59. | |
his question, he makes some important points and I am more than | :25:00. | :25:04. | |
happy to meet with him to discuss these, including any allegations | :25:05. | :25:07. | |
that the unions are not being fully engaged with. I don't have any | :25:08. | :25:11. | |
difficulty with trade unions, more than happy to discuss this important | :25:12. | :25:17. | |
matter. Despite the worst elements... Thank you, Mr Speaker. | :25:18. | :25:27. | |
The trade union act is now awaiting Royal assent. But it is about | :25:28. | :25:31. | |
employment and industrial relations law, which will apply constant -- | :25:32. | :25:37. | |
consistently across the UK. We have engaged with the Scottish party -- | :25:38. | :25:40. | |
Government through the passage of the Bill, and we will carry on with | :25:41. | :25:50. | |
that word. -- work. Despite the trade unions Bill's worst elements | :25:51. | :25:55. | |
being watered down, it is still a bad Bill. Does the Secretary of | :25:56. | :25:58. | |
State agree that a bad Bill will not make for good industrial relations | :25:59. | :26:03. | |
in Scotland? I don't share the honourable gentleman's views at all, | :26:04. | :26:08. | |
I think it is an excellent act, and I fully support it and its aims. | :26:09. | :26:16. | |
Wales and Scotland have developed legislative memorandums on the trade | :26:17. | :26:19. | |
union Bill on the basis that it clearly impinges on devolved | :26:20. | :26:23. | |
competences. Does the Minister not now agree that the Bill should be | :26:24. | :26:29. | |
subject to legislative content -- consent motions, and what action | :26:30. | :26:32. | |
will be Government take to ensure that similar circumstances do not | :26:33. | :26:39. | |
arise in a future? I think the honourable lady is not date on all | :26:40. | :26:47. | |
of this. -- up-to-date. With the relegation of labour to third place | :26:48. | :26:52. | |
in last week's Scottish elections, with the Minister agree that now | :26:53. | :26:55. | |
would be the right time to introduce an opt in system, rather than it be | :26:56. | :27:09. | |
the default position? Could I pay tribute to Ruth Davidson. Like the | :27:10. | :27:14. | |
Prime Minister she is a moderate, sensible conservative, one nation | :27:15. | :27:19. | |
Conservative. She has turned the skies of Scotland blue, with a | :27:20. | :27:22. | |
rather pleasing tinge of pink at the edges. The Government made a number | :27:23. | :27:33. | |
of concessions on the trade union act, but the act still seeks to | :27:34. | :27:37. | |
undermine constrictive social partnership, and is at odds with the | :27:38. | :27:41. | |
democratic will of the people of Scotland and Wales. Given that the | :27:42. | :27:44. | |
Government says what it believes in mutual respect, will it now hold | :27:45. | :27:50. | |
immediately discussions with devolved | :27:51. | :28:03. | |
institutions? This act is good for Britain and | :28:04. | :28:06. | |
trade unions, it is good for future working relations. | :28:07. | :28:25. | |
This morning, I had meetings with ministers and colleagues and I will | :28:26. | :28:32. | |
have further meetings today. Even fantastically corrupt Nigeria | :28:33. | :28:37. | |
is asking Britain to clean up its act and introduce beneficial | :28:38. | :28:39. | |
ownership registers in the overseas territories. We'll be Prime Minister | :28:40. | :28:44. | |
achieve this tomorrow at the anti-corruption Summit? -- will be | :28:45. | :28:53. | |
Prime Minister? I want to check the microphone is on before speaking. I | :28:54. | :28:58. | |
thank him for his question. The answer is yes. We have asked three | :28:59. | :29:01. | |
things of the | :29:02. | :29:03. |