Browse content similar to 22/02/2016. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
Hello and welcome to Monday in Parliament, where the debate | :00:13. | :00:14. | |
about whether the United Kingdom should be IN or OUT | :00:15. | :00:17. | |
David Cameron declares he will be campaigning hard for the UK to stay | :00:18. | :00:24. | |
I have no other agenda than what is best for our country. | :00:25. | :00:36. | |
I am standing here telling you what I think. Responsibility is to speak | :00:37. | :00:42. | |
plainly about what I think is right the country. | :00:43. | :00:45. | |
But Boris Johnson questions whether his deal has | :00:46. | :00:47. | |
May I ask my right honourable Friend the Prime Minister to explain | :00:48. | :00:51. | |
to the House and the country in exactly what way this deal | :00:52. | :00:53. | |
returns sovereignty over any field of lawmaking to these | :00:54. | :00:56. | |
Also on the programme, immigration rules are blamed | :00:57. | :01:05. | |
for the rise in the number of so-called Skype families. | :01:06. | :01:09. | |
He is at risk of creating a generation of children whose only | :01:10. | :01:12. | |
contact with one of their parents will be via Skype? | :01:13. | :01:17. | |
And freedom of speech in universities - a confession | :01:18. | :01:19. | |
As an undergraduate I saw things in black and white terms. | :01:20. | :01:32. | |
But first, David Cameron has fired the starting gun for a four-month | :01:33. | :01:35. | |
battle over whether the UK should remain in the European Union | :01:36. | :01:37. | |
It followed several days of frenetic negotiations in Brussels | :01:38. | :01:40. | |
The talks ended with the Prime Minister saying | :01:41. | :01:43. | |
that he had secured some important changes - | :01:44. | :01:45. | |
reducing welfare benefits for EU migrants and protecting the UK | :01:46. | :01:48. | |
from further political union with other EU countries. | :01:49. | :01:55. | |
On that basis, he said he would be campaigning for the UK to remain | :01:56. | :01:59. | |
The referendum campaign is likely to create some | :02:00. | :02:03. | |
interesting parliamentary spectacles. | :02:04. | :02:07. | |
Conservative MPs openly disagreeing with each other. | :02:08. | :02:09. | |
Mr Cameron being cheered on by many Labour MPs as well as the SNP. | :02:10. | :02:14. | |
Six Cabinet Ministers have declared that they are campaigning | :02:15. | :02:16. | |
When Mr Cameron made his Commons statement, sitting behind him | :02:17. | :02:23. | |
member of that group - the Commons Leader Chris Grayling. | :02:24. | :02:27. | |
The Prime Minister told MPs the UK now had a special status | :02:28. | :02:30. | |
and would get the best of both worlds. | :02:31. | :02:33. | |
We will be in the parts of Europe that work for us, | :02:34. | :02:37. | |
influencing the decisions that affect us, in the driving seat | :02:38. | :02:40. | |
of the world s biggest single market, and with the ability to take | :02:41. | :02:43. | |
action to keep our people safe; but we will be out of the parts | :02:44. | :02:47. | |
We will be out of the euro, out of the eurozone bailouts, | :02:48. | :02:52. | |
out of the passport-free, no-borders Schengen area, | :02:53. | :02:56. | |
and permanently and legally protected from ever being part | :02:57. | :02:59. | |
He said the EU still had room for improvement. | :03:00. | :03:06. | |
However, with the special status that this settlement gives us, | :03:07. | :03:08. | |
I do believe the time has come to fulfil another vital commitment | :03:09. | :03:11. | |
that the Government made, and hold a referendum. | :03:12. | :03:19. | |
One of the leading lights of the out campaign is the London Mayor Boris | :03:20. | :03:22. | |
Mr Johnson has suggested that if the UK voted to leave, | :03:23. | :03:26. | |
it could reopen negotiations to seek better terms - | :03:27. | :03:28. | |
paving the way for second referendum. | :03:29. | :03:30. | |
But those arguments were ridiculed by David Cameron. | :03:31. | :03:33. | |
This is a vital decision for the future of our country, | :03:34. | :03:35. | |
and I believe we should also be clear that it is a final decision. | :03:36. | :03:39. | |
An idea has been put forward that if the country voted to leave, | :03:40. | :03:45. | |
we could have a second renegotiation and perhaps another referendum. | :03:46. | :03:51. | |
I will not dwell on the irony that some people who want to vote | :03:52. | :03:58. | |
to leave apparently want to use a leave vote to remain, | :03:59. | :04:01. | |
but such an approach also ignores more profound points | :04:02. | :04:03. | |
about democracy, diplomacy and legality. | :04:04. | :04:09. | |
Sadly, I have known a number of couples who have begun divorce | :04:10. | :04:12. | |
proceedings, but I do not know any who have begun divorce proceedings | :04:13. | :04:15. | |
in order to renew their marriage vows. | :04:16. | :04:24. | |
But I believe the choice is between being an even greater | :04:25. | :04:29. | |
Britain inside a reformed EU and a great leap into the unknown. | :04:30. | :04:32. | |
The challenges facing the west today are genuinely threatening: Putin s | :04:33. | :04:38. | |
aggression in the east; Islamist extremism to the south. | :04:39. | :04:42. | |
In my view, this is no time to divide the west. | :04:43. | :04:47. | |
When faced with challenges to our way of life, | :04:48. | :04:49. | |
our values and our freedoms, this is a time for | :04:50. | :04:53. | |
And let me end by saying this: I am not standing for re-election; I have | :04:54. | 9:57:58 | |
no other agenda than what is best for our country. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I am standing here today telling you what I think. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
My responsibility as Prime Minister is to speak plainly | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
about what I believe is right for our country, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and that is what I will do every day for the next four months. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And I commend this statement to the House. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
As you can see the Commons was packed out for Mr Cameron's | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The debate went on for over two and a half hours | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
with many of the big political players having their say. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
First to respond to Mr Cameron was the Labour leader, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Jeremy Corbyn who said Labour was overwhelmingly FOR remaining | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
But he said Mr Cameron's deal was largely irrelevant. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
It has been a theatrical sideshow about trying to appease, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
or failing to appease, half of the Prime Minister s | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
That is not to say that there have not been some worthwhile changes. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The red card system to strengthen the hands of national Parliaments | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
is something that we on the Labour Benches have long backed. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Indeed, it was in the Labour manifesto for the last general | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And he dismissed the changes to benefits for EU migrants. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The changes that the Prime Minister has secured do nothing | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to address the real challenges of low pay in Britain | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and the undercutting of local wage rates | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
They will not put a penny in the pockets of workers | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in Britain, stop the grotesque exploitation of many migrant workers | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
or reduce inward migration to Britain. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
It is not the politics of fear to point out that those who advocate | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
a no vote do not seem to know what a no vote means? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
They continually imply that all the benefits that flow | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
from Europe in terms of jobs, investment and security will somehow | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
continue to come here when they have swept away the obligations that | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
previous British Government have always accepted. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Scotland is a European nation and the Scottish National party | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
We will campaign positively to remain within the EU. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Hopefully, the Prime Minister can confirm today that he will reject | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the tactics of project fear and that he will make a positive | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
case for remaining part of a reforming European Union. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
In his Bloomberg speech, he made it clear that he regarded our national | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Parliament as the root of our democracy. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Yesterday, he referred to the illusion of sovereignty . | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Will he explain and repudiate that statement, specifically in relation | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to the question now before us, our Parliament, our democracy | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and the making of our laws, which at this moment in time under | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the European Communities Act 1972, are made by a majority vote of other | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
countries, are introduced by an unelected Commission, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and are enforced by the European Court of Justice? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Does he not accept that the only way of getting out of that | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and returning our democracy is to leave the European Union? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
First, I have huge respect for my hon. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Friend, who has campaigned on this issue for many years, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and the one thing he will welcome is the fact that we are now allowing | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the British people a choice on whether to stay in or leave | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the European Union. Despite assurances, it is worth | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
remembering that this referendum is about the future of our country, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
not the future of a divided Conservative party. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Does the Prime Minister agree that it is not just about Britain s | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
place in the European Union but about Britain s place | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in the world? Some Labour MPs are campaigning | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The Prime Minister said that great reform has been granted | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Why, then, did the French President say that the European Union has not | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
granted the United Kingdom any special dispensations from its rules | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in the deal that has been struck, and go on to say | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
that the Prime Minister had accepted that the City of London would not | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
have special status compared with Europe s other stock exchanges? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And last, but not least Boris Johnson. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
May I ask my right honourable Friend the Prime Minister to explain | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to the House and the country in exactly what way this deal | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
returns sovereignty over any field of lawmaking to these | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
This deal brings back some welfare powers, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
it brings back some immigration powers, it brings back some bail-out | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
powers, but more than that, because it carves us forever out | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
of ever closer union, it means that the ratchet | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
of the European Court taking power away from this country cannot | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
For those who worry, and people do worry, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
that somehow if we vote to remain in, the consequence could be more | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
action in Brussels to try and change the arrangements we have, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
we have a lock in this House of Commons: no power can be passed | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
from Britain to Brussels without a referendum | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The first of many tussles on the EU between Mr Cameron | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
You can find out how the debate went in the House | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
You're watching Monday in Parliament, with me, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Tens of thousands of children are said to be growing up | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in so-called Skype families because the only contact they have | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
with one parent is via that internet video calling service. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Opposition MPs blame immigration rules that require British citizens | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to earn ?18,600 a year before they can bring | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
But the Immigration Minister insisted that the rules were fair. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The minimum income threshold of ?18,600 | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
for sponsoring a partner under the family immigration rules ensures | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
that couples wishing to establish their family life | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in the UK do not place burdens on the taxpayer and helps | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The financial threshold family visas is causing particular distress | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to one of my constituents who cannot work the hours required, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
because she is a carer for her vulnerable child. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
This means that my constituent is living without her husband, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and the child is living without his father. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Does the Minister acknowledge that he's | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
at risk of creating a generation of children whose only contact | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
with one of their parents will be via Skype? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
No, I don't accept the point the honourable lady makes. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
These are issues of the welfare of the child | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
are absolutely part of the consideration that we take. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
This is a matter that was considered by the Court of Appeal, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I would say to the honourable lady that when this issue | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
of where the threshold was set back in 2011, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the Migration Advisory Committee gave the lower | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
threshold of 18,600, but equally advised that the threshold | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The Government reflected in the circumstances, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
set the level as it has done, and that level has been upheld | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The honourable member has mentioned Skype. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
According to the Children's Commissioner for England, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
there are 15,000 British children growing up | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in these Skype families, where the only contact they have | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
How can the Minister justify the stress and anxiety caused | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to children by these inflexible and unjust rules? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I don't accept the characterisation that the honourable | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Indeed, I do not recognise the number that she has proffered. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I do say that it is about ensuring good integration. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
This is part of the overall requirement in relation to language. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Yes, not being a burden on the taxpayer, but equally | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
promoting integration, and we believe the policy | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Last year a Conservative think tank called on the Government to change | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
these rules, noting, and I quote, "That there is a significant | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
"contribution made by millions of low-paid Britons to our economy | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
"and society, as well as the value of having families living together | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
If the minister won't listen to the opposition on this, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
will he at least listen to a think tank from his own | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
party and get rid of these rules which discriminate | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I say again to the honourable lady that we do not believe the rules | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
are discriminatory and the way that she suggests and she characterises. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
This system is in place to ensure good integration. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
It is ensuring that people are not a burden on the taxpayer. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I would've thought that is something she would recognise as being | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
a positive aspect of this policy, ensuring that people come | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
We welcome that, but the rules have been set in the way that they have, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
have been upheld by the court and continue to underline | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Staying with Home Office questions, the Policing Minister | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
was challenged over proposals under which Police and Crime Commissioners | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
could take control of Fire Services in England. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Ministers hope the move will improve efficiency | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
But the Fire Brigades Union is opposed to the idea, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and has accused some commissioners of ill-judged interference | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
It's really important that the new generation of police | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and crime commissioners - who will be elected | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in a couple of months' time - get behond this important reform. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Will he in particular join me in the welcoming commitment | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
of the excellent Conservative PCC candidate in Kent, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Matthew Scott, and his strong desire to impliment these vital reforms? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I have seen what Matthew Scott is proposing, - | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I'm sure all of us on this side hope he is elected to that office - | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and we need to make sure that we spend the taxpayers' money | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
efficiently and well, and collaboration is the best way | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The minister is well aware that the Fire And Rescue Services, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
collaborate very well all over the country, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
particularly with the ambulance trusts. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Will he tell us why he sees it necessary under this new bill | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
that the Police and Crime Commissioners will actually take | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Surely the two organisations are so different | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
in so many ways, that you can have this collaboration without the PCC | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I think the truth of the matter is someone who is been duly elected | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to run something, like any PCC would be, is better than anyone | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
At the end of the day I'm sure we all want an efficient emergency | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
services, and the Fire Service working closely with the ambulance | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and police is the way we would like to do that. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Given the cuts in funding to the police service | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and the Fire And Rescue Services already budgeted for | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
by this Government, can the minister guarantee that placing | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Fire And Rescue Services under PCC control | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
will not lead to further cuts in the numbers | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Mr Speaker, thank goodness the Chancellor didn't listen | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to the Labour front bench when we looked | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
at funding for the police until 2020, because they wanted | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
What we must make sure is that we have an | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
efficient service, the sort of service I would've liked to have | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
had when I was in the Fire Service, and | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The Government have always justify their cuts to policing | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
on the basis that crime has not gone up. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Since 2010, Greater Manchester Police | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
has lost 1664 officers, more than any other force. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
However, recorded crime in Manchester is now going up, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and going up faster than any other metropolitan area. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
If crime continues to rise, will the Government reasonably | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
reconsider their reductions in number of | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Mr Speaker, let's go over this again. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
We as a Government have not reduced the number of police officers | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Actually, in terms of percentages, the number has gone up. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The one party at the last election that wanted to cut the police | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
budgets was the Labour Party, a group of people we did | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Over to the House of Lords now, where some peers were worried that | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
freedom of speech is under threat on university campuses. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
A crossbench - or independent peer - Lady Deech gave some examples. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The silencing of a female Muslim reformer at Goldsmiths. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Smashed glass, fire alarms set off and the police called | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
at Kings College London to stop an Israeli peace | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Peter Tatchell at Canterbury, and other examples. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Will the minister speak to the vice chancellors at Universities UK | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to ensure that law and freedom of speech is upheld? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
To ask whether the international reputation of our | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And to what does she attribute the stifling of intellectual freedom | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The noble lady is absolutely right, there is clear guidance | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to universities about their responsibilities to ensure free | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and open debate on campuses, and we shall give full support | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
leaderships in ensuring that legitimate and open debate | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
It has been concerning that we have seen a number of incidents. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The whole part of the beauty of going to | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
university is to be able to debate, have your views challenged | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
We must continue to support all universities to make sure that | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
all students continue to have that opportunity at university. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
She said there'd been an inconsistent approach | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
We have seen examples of student unions | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
actively inviting speakers who promote intolerance, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
As I have said, the Government is supporting | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
university leadership to ensure that we preserve freedom of speech, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
which is hugely important, and also allow students | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the opportunity to challenge and debate ideas. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Which is part of the whole purpose of | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Now is not the time for confessions, but I would observe that | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
as an undergraduate, I saw things in very black-and-white terms. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I don't now, despite what might be suggested by my attire. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I would have loved to have been rebuked by Parliament | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Does the minister agree that there is a great danger | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
about intervening in situations such as these, for fear of the risk | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Of course, universities are autonomous bodies. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
As I've already said, students and academics | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
have the right to protest around peacefully. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
But what we can't do is quash freedom of speech | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Well, there was no stifling freedom of speech in the Lords | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Here's a Conservative former Chancellor, who chairs | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Is it is not clear that the trivial and inconsequential | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
changes which the Prime Minister has secured - | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
subject to the legal challenge, of course - | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
fall far short of the fundamental, far-reaching reform which three | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
years ago in his Bloomberg speech he said was necessary? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
He welcomed the assurance that the UK would not be part | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
But, my Lords, we will still be shackled to it. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And we will have something which is the closest parallel | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
It pains me to have to disagree with him, but I do disagree | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
with his description, in particular, of what | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the Prime Minister secured through his renegotiation in Europe. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And to describe it as trivial and inconsequential | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And the reason why I argue that is because he's right - | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the Prime Minister does acknowledge that | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the European Union is about political union. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
But what he has secured in this document, this legally | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
binding document, is that we're not a part of that. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Pro-European peers wanted the Leave campaign to spell out what leaving | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
The choice, I hope she agrees, is In, or Out. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Not in, out, shake it all about, and then rashly hope that something | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
helpful will turn up for a country that has abandoned all rights, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
all influence, all power by leaving the EU. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Now that the negotiations conducted by the Prime Minister can be subject | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to intense scrutiny and analysis, does my noble friend agree | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
that it is very important for all possible | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
alternative arrangements with the European union be subject | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to an equivilent degree of scrutiny and analysis? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
That she go back to the Cabinet and say, lets find some way | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
of requiring these people, who are against the present | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
arrangement, to put forward their alternatives so that we can | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
They need to be required to do that so we can see | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And if the cabinet can come up with some kind of arrangement, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I'll give her and the Cabinet three cheers. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Does my noble friend recall some time ago an interview given | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
"If the British cannot support the trend towards more | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
"integration in Europe, we can nonetheless remain friends | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
"I could imagine a form such as the European Economic Area | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
"or a free trade agreement with the UK." | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Doesn't that show that there is actually an alternative | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
available, or was Delours just completely wrong? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And there was a broader attack from the Leave side. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
My Lords, can the noble lady tell us how this pathetic deal is in anyway | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the fundamental reform of the EU itself we were promised? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
For instance, can she tell us how it reduces the hugely | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
undemocratic powers of the Luxembourg Court | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And when the Prime Minister tries to frighten us by talking | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
about leaving Europe being a leap in the dark, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
which will, for instance, lose us our present access | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
to the single market, does the noble lady accept | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
that they sell us much more than we sell them? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
That we do have 3 million jobs exporting to them, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
but they have 4.5 million jobs exporting to us? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
That we are their largest client, that they need our free trade very | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
So can she tell us why it won't continue? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Because they will come running after us to have it. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
We have twice saved their bacon in the last hundred years, | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
and there is no doubt at the moment there are huge threats. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And if we left, if we let the EU, I think there would be acertain | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
flakiness with the EU, and does she agree that this | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
would be a very bad moment for that to happen? | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Europe needs us, and if Europe becomes flakey, the risks of people | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
like Putin, from the southern flank, are really huge, and we need to bare | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
I think that's why the Prime Minister has said that perhaps | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
the only person who would cheer outside | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
if we were to vote to leave would be Putin. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Clearly we do not want to do anything that will brighten his day. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
And that discussion about how to spoil Mr Putin's day brings us | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
Alicia McCarthy will here to brighten your day for the rest | 9:57:59 | 9:57:58 | |
of the week but from me, Kristiina Cooper, goodbye. | 9:57:59 | 9:57:59 |