0:00:19 > 0:00:24Hello and Welcome to Monday in Parliament, our look at the best
0:00:24 > 0:00:26of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28On this programme:
0:00:28 > 0:00:30The Prime Minister tells MPs the interim Brexit deal
0:00:30 > 0:00:32is good news for everyone.
0:00:32 > 0:00:39But there's a mixed reaction from her own side.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44The Prime Minister, with her calm grit her shawl Brexit can and will
0:00:44 > 0:00:48be done.We are giving the EU tens of billions of pounds and they are
0:00:48 > 0:00:49taking them.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Meanwhile, should there be a second referendum
0:00:51 > 0:00:52on Britain's EU exit deal?
0:00:52 > 0:00:56We are not pretending it did not happen or trying to go back to the
0:00:56 > 0:00:5922nd of June of last year.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Is Boris Johnson a liability as Foreign Secretary?
0:01:01 > 0:01:05No, says a ministerial colleague.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10In the role of Foreign Secretary or any Foreign Office minister or any
0:01:10 > 0:01:12minister, personality also counts.
0:01:13 > 0:01:13But first -
0:01:13 > 0:01:17a week is a long time in politics.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Seven days ago Theresa May's initial Brexit deal with the EU lay
0:01:20 > 0:01:23in tatters, scuppered by the leader of the DUP disliking what it meant
0:01:23 > 0:01:24for Northern Ireland.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26But from the jaws of apparent defeat came apparent victory
0:01:26 > 0:01:28for the Prime Minister.
0:01:28 > 0:01:34In the early hours of Friday Theresa May appeared
0:01:34 > 0:01:36in Brussels alongside the European Commission president,
0:01:36 > 0:01:45Jean Claude Juncker, to announce that an interim deal had
0:01:45 > 0:01:47been struck, so allowing a progression to the next stage
0:01:48 > 0:01:49of Brexit negotiations, over trade.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51The moment triggered four days of comment and analysis.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Was the interim deal a success for Britain
0:01:53 > 0:01:54or could we have done better?
0:01:54 > 0:01:59The Commons was keen to hear from Theresa May.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00Statesman, the Prime Minister.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10I would like to update the house on the negotiations for our departure
0:02:10 > 0:02:14from the European Union. She said Britain was 's negotiators
0:02:14 > 0:02:16are good boss Lee for the outcomes achieved.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Reciprocal deal guaranteeing the rates of more than 3 million EU
0:02:21 > 0:02:26citizens in the UK and 1 million UK National in the EU so they can carry
0:02:26 > 0:02:31on living their lives as before. A fair settlement of accounts, meeting
0:02:31 > 0:02:35our rights and obligations as it apart the member state in the spirit
0:02:35 > 0:02:39of our future partnership. A commitment to maintain the Common
0:02:39 > 0:02:44travel area with Ireland and uphold the Belfast agreement in fuel and
0:02:44 > 0:02:49avoid the hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland while
0:02:49 > 0:02:52upholding the constitutional economic integrity of the whole of
0:02:52 > 0:02:59the UK. The role of the European Court of
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Justice has been reduced. EU citizens in the UK will have
0:03:02 > 0:03:05their rights enshrined in UK law and enforced by British courts and UK
0:03:05 > 0:03:10citizens in the EU will also have their rights protected. The
0:03:10 > 0:03:14jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice is coming to an end and
0:03:14 > 0:03:18we are taking control of our own laws once again which is exactly how
0:03:18 > 0:03:24it should be.She warned nothing would be agreed until everything was
0:03:24 > 0:03:29agreed.These are the actions of a responsible nation honouring the
0:03:29 > 0:03:33commitments it has made to its allies having gone through those
0:03:33 > 0:03:42commitments line by line as we said we would. It is a fair settlement
0:03:42 > 0:03:44for the British taxpayer who will soon see significant savings
0:03:44 > 0:03:48compared with remaining in the EU. We well be able to use that money to
0:03:48 > 0:03:51invest in our priorities at home such as housing, schools and the
0:03:51 > 0:03:57NHS. It means the days of paying vast sums to the European Union
0:03:57 > 0:04:03every year are coming to an end. The deal was good news all round,
0:04:03 > 0:04:09she concluded.This is good news for the people who voted leave who were
0:04:09 > 0:04:13worried we were so bogged down in negotiations it was never going to
0:04:13 > 0:04:17happen. It is good news for people who voted remain who are worried
0:04:17 > 0:04:24they would crash out without a deal. We well leave and do so in a smooth
0:04:24 > 0:04:29and orderly way, securing a new deep and special partnership with our
0:04:29 > 0:04:32friends while taking back control of our borders, money and laws once
0:04:32 > 0:04:37again and that is vanishing, discover and's mission and on Friday
0:04:37 > 0:04:40we took a big step towards achieving it and I commend the statement to
0:04:40 > 0:04:48the house. 18 months on from the referendum
0:04:48 > 0:04:51result the Prime Minister has scraped through phase one of the
0:04:51 > 0:05:00negotiations. Scraped through after 18 months. Two months later than
0:05:00 > 0:05:04planned, with many of the key aspects of phase one is still not
0:05:04 > 0:05:13clear. This weekend Cabinet members have managed to contradict each
0:05:13 > 0:05:19other, some have managed to go even further and contradict themselves.
0:05:19 > 0:05:25Ultimately we saw a rather fudged agreement late last week. Has this
0:05:25 > 0:05:30experience given the Prime Minister reason to consider dropping the
0:05:30 > 0:05:37unnecessary except the deadline of the 29th of March 2019 from the EU
0:05:37 > 0:05:43withdrawal bill? I am sure the whole house and probably whole country
0:05:43 > 0:05:49would rather get the best possible deal a little bit later if that
0:05:49 > 0:05:54meant a better deal for people's jobs and the economy.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59The Prime Minister referred to the so-called divorce payment of £39
0:05:59 > 0:06:03billion.This offer is on the table in the context of agreeing the
0:06:03 > 0:06:09partnership for the future and the next stage and the partnership. If
0:06:09 > 0:06:13we do not agree that partnership this offer is off the table.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Despite the prophecies of doom and gloom at the Prime Minister with her
0:06:18 > 0:06:22calm grit her Shawna Brexit can and will be done and we congratulate
0:06:22 > 0:06:29her. It is a compromise but when people like me look at the
0:06:29 > 0:06:33alternative, namely the Labour Government staying in the single
0:06:33 > 0:06:37market forever and having no control over immigration, it's amazing how
0:06:37 > 0:06:40our minds are concentrated in support of the Prime Minister.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45Last week we had the humiliating scene of the Prime Minister being
0:06:45 > 0:06:50forced out of the original deal by the DUP. Rushing back to London, the
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Government had to rewrite the agreement so as to reach the DUP's
0:06:54 > 0:07:01approval. We have to wonder who is running the UK, is it Arlene Foster
0:07:01 > 0:07:04or the right Honourable member for Maidenhead?
0:07:04 > 0:07:09Which she confirmed the text of this agreement note mixed fleet in the
0:07:09 > 0:07:15event of the deal norther Ireland will not be separated by any
0:07:15 > 0:07:19repertory requirements from the rest of the UK, along with zero hard
0:07:19 > 0:07:24border. In the event of no overall deal nothing is agreed.
0:07:24 > 0:07:30Can I suggest in order to strengthen her level ridge in the next stage of
0:07:30 > 0:07:35negotiations she might want to suspend tribal politics national
0:07:35 > 0:07:42average. And invited leader -- invited Leader of the Opposition to
0:07:42 > 0:07:47join her negotiating team. Since whatever their tactical differences,
0:07:47 > 0:07:52they agree with her on the fundamentals of Brexit and
0:07:52 > 0:07:56withdrawal from the single market and Customs union, disasters as that
0:07:56 > 0:08:00may be. Across these benches complete your
0:08:00 > 0:08:06inanity in congratulating the Prime Minister in -- complete agreement. A
0:08:06 > 0:08:11pitiful performance from the Leader of the Opposition. I still do not
0:08:11 > 0:08:15know if he welcomes the agreement because he should do because it's a
0:08:15 > 0:08:19major step forward and looking to the future, around about this time
0:08:19 > 0:08:22next year we should have begun to have concluded the trade
0:08:22 > 0:08:27negotiations towards a trade deal. The Brexit secretary captivated the
0:08:27 > 0:08:30house with tales of regulatory impact assessments that are not
0:08:30 > 0:08:34assessed, the Chancellor said the Divorce Bill will be paid in all
0:08:34 > 0:08:41circumstances and the Brexit second of it contradicted him at the
0:08:41 > 0:08:44weekend saying it is conditional on a trade deal. Her deal promising
0:08:44 > 0:08:47full regulatory alignment he dismissed as a statement of intent.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51She cannot even get her Brexit secretary to agree with her and how
0:08:51 > 0:08:54on earth can she get a good deal protecting jobs, investment and
0:08:54 > 0:08:58growth? The Prime Minister said there had
0:08:58 > 0:09:03been give and take in negotiations and she is right, we are giving the
0:09:03 > 0:09:10EU tens of billions of pounds and they are taking them. As the Prime
0:09:10 > 0:09:15Minister said, the money will not be paid unless that is final agreement,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18by definition that must mean we are not legally obliged to make these
0:09:18 > 0:09:21payments, otherwise that would not be available to us.
0:09:21 > 0:09:29I put it to the Prime Minister of FB members for the lipid -- 50 members
0:09:29 > 0:09:35are in agreement one or both them must be mistaken. You cannot have
0:09:35 > 0:09:40full autonomy and feel alignment at the same time. Cross-border trade
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and services that require some sort of long-term regulatory cooperation
0:09:44 > 0:09:46in place.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51The response of MPs to the Brexit deal.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Meanwhile, there was also reaction from members of the House of Lords.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59The statement from the Prime Minister twice repeated nothing is
0:09:59 > 0:10:03agreed until everything is agreed. Would she not think it was a good
0:10:03 > 0:10:08idea the Government should actually work out a plan B for no deal
0:10:08 > 0:10:15because in that way we will get a much better deal with plan a because
0:10:15 > 0:10:20the great advantage of plan B and leaving with no deal is we cease to
0:10:20 > 0:10:25pay into the EU budget? The Leader of the House is a member
0:10:25 > 0:10:28of the Cabinet and therefore I'm sure she will know the answer to my
0:10:28 > 0:10:36question. Is that the Government's and tension that the ferry port of
0:10:36 > 0:10:43Belfast there will be no customs officials or immigration officers in
0:10:43 > 0:10:49attendance with the remit or ability to check persons non-UK citizens
0:10:49 > 0:10:54travelling to ports in Scotland, England or Wales?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The noble lord asks the question of implementation and I am not in a
0:10:57 > 0:11:02position to answer at the moment. With my noble friend answer a simple
0:11:02 > 0:11:07question? She said in the statement there would be a large sum of money
0:11:07 > 0:11:14available to Britain because of our work leaving the EU. Could she
0:11:14 > 0:11:20promised to place before the house the details of that sum of money,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24how the addition is done and how it is the Government makes that
0:11:24 > 0:11:30statement in the school and flat opposition to every independent
0:11:30 > 0:11:35commentator in this country? -- Phil and flat opposition.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39We have agreed a important principle at Aston how we arrive at the
0:11:39 > 0:11:46valuation which will ensure the protests is fair and how we --
0:11:46 > 0:11:52ensure the process is fair, leaving.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57And back to that divorce settlement of £39 billion.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Will the Minister confirm the UK Government, having agreed the
0:12:03 > 0:12:08definition of its financial obligations, well under no
0:12:08 > 0:12:15circumstances refused to honour them as a matter of honour?As the Prime
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Minister has been clear this money is on the table in the context of
0:12:19 > 0:12:23agreeing our future partnership and if that is not agreed the financial
0:12:23 > 0:12:23offer
0:12:23 > 0:12:24is off the table.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34Lady Evans.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Now, Brexit is happening because of the outcome
0:12:36 > 0:12:38of the national referendum held back in June 2016.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41But should we be taking part in a second national referendum,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44one that decides if we like the exit terms the UK is being offered
0:12:44 > 0:12:45by the European Union?
0:12:45 > 0:12:47An electronic or e-petition on the Parliamentary website,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50calling for the people to have the final say on Brexit, has
0:12:50 > 0:12:52attracted 137,000 signatures, so triggering a special debate
0:12:52 > 0:12:53in Westminster Hall.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58It was a debate that saw some passionate speeches.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00What we are not talking about here I think is some kind
0:13:00 > 0:13:03of reversion to the status quo before the referendum
0:13:03 > 0:13:10happened.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12We are not pretending it didn't happen.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15We are not trying to go back to the 22nd of
0:13:15 > 0:13:16June last year.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19It did happen and people are very angry and many of
0:13:19 > 0:13:21the reasons for that anger are very legitimate.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23The idea that those issues that they were mostly
0:13:23 > 0:13:33concerned about, their future prospects of work, future prospects
0:13:33 > 0:13:35of their kids, whether or not they could get
0:13:35 > 0:13:37into the NHS, whether or not
0:13:37 > 0:13:39they could get affordable housing, the irony is
0:13:39 > 0:13:40that by leaving the EU, all
0:13:40 > 0:13:42of those problems will get 100 times worse.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45And believe me, the anger of those people when they
0:13:45 > 0:13:48realise that is going to be something that we haven't yet begun
0:13:48 > 0:13:57to discuss and to imagine.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00It was a referendum based on fiction and it was a referendum
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and we were going to have a debate in the next
0:14:03 > 0:14:04couple of weeks about the
0:14:04 > 0:14:05influences.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Because I believe that the referendum wasn't a fair vote.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It was heavily influenced by the propaganda machines and those
0:14:10 > 0:14:11propaganda machines are out of the control
0:14:11 > 0:14:12of the Electoral Commission.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Because the changes made, the uses of algorithms,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18of money from abroad, very clever artificial intelligence,
0:14:18 > 0:14:24influenced people in a way that is invisible.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26That is the best reason why we need a new one.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28On the issue of tourism.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30We were told that Britain would benefit from
0:14:30 > 0:14:36tourism.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38More people would come into the UK because the pound was weaker
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and we would see a real boom.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I talk to the industry, they are saying they
0:14:42 > 0:14:43can't cope with Brexit.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45People that previously supported going through
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Brexit, but they are saying it is deeply damaging because they are
0:14:48 > 0:14:50losing all the labour which is working in
0:14:50 > 0:14:55the tourism industry and
0:14:55 > 0:14:58therefore as a result businesses are closing.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00The Prime Minister has gone from Remainer to Leaver, the Foreign
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Secretary had an article written for a newspaper saying
0:15:03 > 0:15:04why we should remain, but
0:15:04 > 0:15:06changed his mind, and the Environment Secretary went from
0:15:06 > 0:15:08the best friend and strong supporter of the Foreign Secretary's
0:15:08 > 0:15:11leadership campaign to somebody who chose to stand against him.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Even at the highest levels of Cabinet
0:15:12 > 0:15:14governance on these islands, Cabinet ministers can
0:15:14 > 0:15:15change their mind very
0:15:15 > 0:15:16quickly.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18And I do understand the argument that says
0:15:18 > 0:15:22that if people change their
0:15:22 > 0:15:25mind at some point in the future should they not be
0:15:25 > 0:15:26given the opportunity to
0:15:26 > 0:15:28express that change of mind at the ballot box?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Generally speaking though I would take the view that
0:15:30 > 0:15:32the way to change the referendum result
0:15:32 > 0:15:34is for the party that wants to
0:15:34 > 0:15:36change it to get elected at the ballot
0:15:36 > 0:15:38box with a referendum as an
0:15:38 > 0:15:40explicit manifesto commitment.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43We heard in earlier discussions about
0:15:43 > 0:15:48how if we had a second referendum we would have a different sort of
0:15:48 > 0:15:51referendum, as if the first one was invalid or incomprehensible or there
0:15:51 > 0:15:53wasn't sufficient discussion.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Again the conversation tended towards the
0:15:55 > 0:15:58emotional and the lies.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Just from the very emotion that I have seen in
0:16:01 > 0:16:05this room today, from the conversations that have occurred,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08from statements such as catastrophe, exodus, dire, crisis, lies, death
0:16:08 > 0:16:11row, malicious, I don't believe that there would be anything less
0:16:11 > 0:16:13than the kind of emotional discussion
0:16:13 > 0:16:15that we had two years ago.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Again, be very careful what we wish for.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22The debate on whether we should have a second referendum
0:16:22 > 0:16:23on leaving the EU.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26You're watching our round-up of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Still to come.
0:16:28 > 0:16:38What sort of person do we need as Foreign Secretary?
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Boris Johnson, has repeated his pledge to leave no
0:16:44 > 0:16:46stone unturned to secure the release of Nazanin
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52She has been held in Iran since April 2016
0:16:52 > 0:16:54on charges of spying, which she denies.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57She was arrested as she attempted to return to the UK
0:16:57 > 0:17:02after a visit to relatives with her young daughter.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Boris Johnson was updating MPs
0:17:06 > 0:17:08following a series of meetings in Iran and in other countries
0:17:08 > 0:17:10in the region over the weekend.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13He said his first priority has been the plight of dual nationals
0:17:13 > 0:17:17being held in Iran.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19These are complex cases involving individuals considered by Iran to
0:17:19 > 0:17:20be their own citizens.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25And I do not wish to raise false hopes.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28But my meetings in Tehran were worthwhile.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32And while I do not believe it would be in the interests of the
0:17:32 > 0:17:35individuals concerned, or their loved ones,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37to provide a running commentary, the House can be assured
0:17:37 > 0:17:40that the Government will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to
0:17:40 > 0:17:50secure their release.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Boris Johnson provoked a storm of criticism
0:17:52 > 0:17:55earlier this autumn when he told a Commons committee
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Ms Zaghari Ratcliffe had been training journalists -
0:17:56 > 0:18:01a comment he later withdrew.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I have no wish to go over old ground concerning the Foreign
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Secretary's remarks to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08And it is right that he has finally apologised
0:18:08 > 0:18:10for those remarks, finally admitted that he was wrong.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13And it is right that he has finally met Richard
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Ratcliffe.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And that is right that he has spent the weekend in the region
0:18:17 > 0:18:19attempting to atone for his mistake and get Nazanin
0:18:19 > 0:18:20released.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22And we welcome the tentative progress that the Foreign
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Secretary has made in that regard.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26As Richard Ratcliffe himself put it, it doesn't change the fundamentals,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29but it makes a change in the fundamentals more likely.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Several Labour MPs pressed the foreign secretary over
0:18:31 > 0:18:41whether he'd tried to see Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe himself.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Did he request to see Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe personally in
0:18:50 > 0:18:52order to judge her mental and physical well-being?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54I must just remind the honourable gentleman
0:18:54 > 0:18:56opposite that the Iranian Government does not recognise the dual
0:18:56 > 0:18:59national system that we have.
0:18:59 > 0:19:09And therefore do not give consular access.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24What response did he get from the president of Iran
0:19:24 > 0:19:25and other authorities when he
0:19:25 > 0:19:27pressed for the release of and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29And does he have any indication of what
0:19:29 > 0:19:31the authorities think of the recent present
0:19:31 > 0:19:32health assessments made on
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her fitness to remain in prison in
0:19:34 > 0:19:35Iran?
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Yes, of course I raised the humanitarian
0:19:37 > 0:19:38concerns in a number of
0:19:38 > 0:19:39consular cases.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And those concerns were taken on board but it would be
0:19:42 > 0:19:45wrong to give a running commentary or report about exactly what they
0:19:45 > 0:19:53are saying in each case.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Boris Johnson also updated MPs on talks aimed at resolving
0:19:56 > 0:19:57the conflict in Yemen.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00The country has been devastated by a war between forces loyal
0:20:00 > 0:20:01to the internationally-recognised government and those allied
0:20:01 > 0:20:02to the Houthi rebel movement.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition backing the government -
0:20:05 > 0:20:07blockading some ports - stopping aid getting through.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08Highlight the devastating consequences of the
0:20:08 > 0:20:11war and can he tell us more about the lifting of the blockade?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13More details on that would be helpful to
0:20:13 > 0:20:14the House.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17And to everybody that the Foreign Secretary met did he
0:20:17 > 0:20:19make it clear that any tactic of starvation
0:20:19 > 0:20:22and surrender is abhorrent?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Finally, did he commit to any increase in aid to Yemen at the
0:20:25 > 0:20:28end of the blockade as well?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32As to the suggestion that starvation is
0:20:32 > 0:20:37being used as an instrument of warfare, that is indeed what I said.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41And what I said to our friends in the region
0:20:41 > 0:20:47is that that is the risk that we are running, that the
0:20:47 > 0:20:51judgment of history will be, that unless we sort this out, people will
0:20:51 > 0:20:54deem that starvation has been used as an instrument for the prosecution
0:20:54 > 0:20:58of a war.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Meanwhile, a Labour peer has claimed that the performance
0:21:01 > 0:21:02of the Foreign Secretary is damaging Britain's
0:21:02 > 0:21:04reputation abroad.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Lord Soley, a former Labour MP, made his strong
0:21:07 > 0:21:11attack during questions in the house of Lords.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Is the minister aware of the immense damage being done
0:21:13 > 0:21:17to Britain's reputation abroad, and
0:21:17 > 0:21:20also to the rights of British citizens abroad, by the tendency of
0:21:20 > 0:21:23the present Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, to speak first and think
0:21:23 > 0:21:25afterwards?
0:21:25 > 0:21:35And can he and his colleagues in Government
0:21:36 > 0:21:39please convey to the Secretary of State that he needs to reverse
0:21:39 > 0:21:42that process because he has a bad reputation for it in this country
0:21:42 > 0:21:44and overseas and it is damaging Britain's relationships and
0:21:44 > 0:21:46damaging individuals.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50My right honourable friend the Foreign
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Secretary, as I am sure many in this House would acknowledge, represents
0:21:52 > 0:21:54our country and indeed the Foreign Office
0:21:54 > 0:21:55in exemplary fashion and this
0:21:55 > 0:21:59weekend...
0:21:59 > 0:22:01This weekend's example is testimony to that.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03My right honourable friend the Foreign
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Secretary has also over the last week raised
0:22:05 > 0:22:08some important issues on
0:22:08 > 0:22:11the issues of counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15This again demonstrates the importance
0:22:15 > 0:22:24that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary attaches to this
0:22:24 > 0:22:33important area of representing Government abroad,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and I have seen the Foreign Secretary in
0:22:35 > 0:22:37operation directly as a minister on this team.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40He does so with a strategic outlook and he does so in
0:22:40 > 0:22:49a positive fashion.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Would he perhaps try to redress the balance by telling us
0:22:52 > 0:22:55about the Foreign Secretary's close mutually confident relationships
0:22:55 > 0:22:57with any particular senior ministers of foreign governments, just to
0:22:57 > 0:22:59redress the balance we have seen in the media?
0:22:59 > 0:23:02The Foreign Secretary has just returned from a very important
0:23:02 > 0:23:10and constructive visit to Iran and the Middle East.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13And I am sure that we will agree that we have important
0:23:13 > 0:23:15relationships with the Foreign Secretary leading from
0:23:15 > 0:23:16the front and ensuring that relationships
0:23:16 > 0:23:17are not just sustained but
0:23:17 > 0:23:19strengthened.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22We have had in this country, and been fortunate to have,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24many interesting individuals that have carried on the role of Foreign
0:23:25 > 0:23:26Secretary over centuries.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Not all of them are straitjacketed by guidance
0:23:27 > 0:23:31or anything that comes from an official level.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36But surely would he not agree with me that the only way
0:23:36 > 0:23:40in which we can judge the success of diplomacy is whether or not that
0:23:40 > 0:23:45serves the best interests at any time of this country?
0:23:45 > 0:23:51I agree with my noble friend and at the same time
0:23:51 > 0:23:54I add this much, that in the role of Foreign Secretary, or any Foreign
0:23:54 > 0:23:59Office minister, personality also counts.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Back in the Commons, Labour has accused the Chancellor
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Philip Hammond of preferring to make giveaway payments to Britain's banks
0:24:05 > 0:24:08over the country's financially stretched public services.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12In last month's Budget Mr Hammond went ahead with cuts
0:24:12 > 0:24:18in the bank levy, that is, an annual tax on bank debt.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Labour believe the bank levy should have been increased, not decreased.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The issue was raised when MPs debated the Bill that implements
0:24:24 > 0:24:27measures announced in the Budget, namely the Finance Bill.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32The Bill proposes a stamp duty cut that according to analysis will
0:24:32 > 0:24:35include house prices while failing to address the housing crisis by
0:24:35 > 0:24:37introducing measures to build more affordable homes.
0:24:37 > 0:24:43It also includes plans to continue with the
0:24:43 > 0:24:48Government's 2015 bank levy cut and go further,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51as the minister seemed to proudly proclaim, exempting all
0:24:51 > 0:24:54foreign banks from the bank levy and ensuring that all banks
0:24:54 > 0:24:56from 2021 only had to pay the levy based on
0:24:56 > 0:25:00their UK balance sheets.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03On the subject of the bank levy, looking
0:25:03 > 0:25:07back in history, in 2011, the Conservative-led government
0:25:07 > 0:25:11introduced it, but Labour voted against it and in 2015, when they
0:25:11 > 0:25:13introduced the 8% surcharge so that banks
0:25:13 > 0:25:23would pay more, again the
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Conservatives voted for it but Labour voted against it.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27So why are you now rewriting history?
0:25:27 > 0:25:28It is not a question of rewriting history.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31We are not supporting bills that continue austerity year in, year
0:25:31 > 0:25:32out.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35And that's it for this programme.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Mandy Baker will be here for the rest of the week.
0:25:38 > 0:25:48Until then, from me, Keith Macdougall, goodbye.