0:00:06 > 0:00:09Tonight, a £4 billion U-turn is underway as the government
0:00:09 > 0:00:14accepts it may have acted unlawfully on disability benefits.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Everyone on PIPs payments will have their claim reviewed
0:00:16 > 0:00:21after a High Court ruling.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24The regulations were blatantly discriminatory and it begs the
0:00:24 > 0:00:27question, what is any government doing introducing regulations that
0:00:27 > 0:00:31are blatantly discriminatory?
0:00:31 > 0:00:33We'll hear from a father whose autistic son had his payments cut
0:00:33 > 0:00:34overnight and a campaigner.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37What does the government say to that?
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Are May's wobbles getting worse?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44As Europe sets out its rules for Brexit, we ask if the Prime Minister
0:00:44 > 0:00:50is still trusted by her own party.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We'll be joined by two senior Tory backbenchers.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Also tonight - why did the French government move thousands
0:00:55 > 0:00:58of children from their home in the Indian Ocean to rural France?
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Some never saw their families again.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03What happened to them next?
0:01:17 > 0:01:25We're with Marlene as she finally returns home half a century later.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Good evening.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Every single person on the government's main disability
0:01:36 > 0:01:37Personal Independence Payment benefit programme will have
0:01:37 > 0:01:39their claim reviewed after what is being seen as a major
0:01:39 > 0:01:42U-turn tonight.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45A total of 1.6 million people will be part of the review
0:01:45 > 0:01:48which ministers have admitted is necessary after a High Court
0:01:48 > 0:01:50judge ruled the changes "blatantly discriminate" against people
0:01:50 > 0:01:54with mental health issues.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Last week Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey confirmed
0:01:56 > 0:01:58the government would not appeal the judgment.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04This evening Sarah Newton, the disabilities minister,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08went further, confirming details of the massive review, which could
0:02:08 > 0:02:09cost £3.7 billion by 2023.
0:02:09 > 0:02:17Here's Nick Watt.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Storm clouds never appear to be that far away from Theresa May
0:02:20 > 0:02:24these days.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27But in welfare, an area that has bedevilled this government for
0:02:27 > 0:02:32years, the Tories hope they may be moving to calmer climes.
0:02:32 > 0:02:40Today's announcement that every single person
0:02:41 > 0:02:43receiving Personal Independence Payments will have their claim
0:02:43 > 0:02:46reviewed, was not of course, born out of government thinking.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Ministers are simply complying with a High Court ruling
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and I understand the Treasury is unamused about the
0:02:50 > 0:02:51potential cost.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55But, Tory backbenchers do hope that today's
0:02:55 > 0:02:57announcement will allow the government to tell a more upbeat
0:02:57 > 0:03:01story about welfare reform.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I think it is unfair to say that all Tories
0:03:04 > 0:03:07ever want to do is cut, because I wouldn't be a member
0:03:07 > 0:03:09of the Tory party if I thought that was what
0:03:09 > 0:03:10they were about.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13But do I think we are seeing, I guess a more balanced approach?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16We had some tight fiscal decisions to make to keep our
0:03:16 > 0:03:17debt and deficit under control.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20We've done a lot of the hard lifting on that and
0:03:20 > 0:03:22now it's time perhaps to be a little bit more
0:03:22 > 0:03:23reflective and think about
0:03:23 > 0:03:25the smaller detail in government that makes a difference in
0:03:25 > 0:03:28people's lives and that's what we are doing with
0:03:28 > 0:03:29this decision today.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35So what is PIP?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Personal Independence Payments are paid to people with
0:03:37 > 0:03:39disabilities to help meet extra costs they may have.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40PIP is replacing the disability living
0:03:40 > 0:03:41allowance.
0:03:41 > 0:03:48In March, the government said people who could not travel
0:03:48 > 0:03:50independently on the grounds of psychological distress, were not
0:03:50 > 0:03:51entitled to a higher PIP payment.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53In December, the High Court ruled the
0:03:53 > 0:03:55government regulations were blatantly discriminatory.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Last week, the new Work and Pensions Secretary,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Esther McVey, said the government would not challenge the court
0:04:02 > 0:04:07ruling, leading to today's announcement.
0:04:07 > 0:04:14A former minister responsible for PIP acknowledges the
0:04:14 > 0:04:17policy was designed to save money, but,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20policy was designed to save money, but, in its original form,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22it was meant to help people with mental health conditions.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Let's not beat about the bush, there are savings
0:04:25 > 0:04:26that was made when PIP was introduced.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29There are people perhaps in the lower area that only just
0:04:29 > 0:04:32about qualify for DLA, don't qualify now for PIP.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I don't deny that, but what is absolutely undeniable is
0:04:35 > 0:04:39that when I was working and bringing PIP through, I wanted a complete
0:04:39 > 0:04:41level playing field for people that had physical disabilities,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43psychiatric and mental health issues, to be treated exactly
0:04:43 > 0:04:44the same.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47What happened with this is the government
0:04:47 > 0:04:49challenged it saying they didn't fit the criteria.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I think that was wrong and I think the
0:04:52 > 0:04:55judge's decision is right and we're now somewhere close to where I
0:04:55 > 0:04:56wanted PIP to be.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00For us, we are pretty appalled and outraged the
0:05:00 > 0:05:02mess the government have found themselves in and this is all of
0:05:02 > 0:05:07own doing.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11From introducing these regulations last February which actually was
0:05:11 > 0:05:16going to restrict the numbers of individuals that would qualify for
0:05:16 > 0:05:21PIP and specifically those with psychological distress, and it begs
0:05:21 > 0:05:27the question what is any government in doing introducing revelations
0:05:27 > 0:05:30that are blatantly does good military to particular groups and
0:05:30 > 0:05:35also what quality impact assessments were carried out. We are pretty
0:05:35 > 0:05:41outraged at it.Theresa May has a reputation for being something of a
0:05:41 > 0:05:45plodding Prime Minister but on Personal Independence Payments, the
0:05:45 > 0:05:49government has shown rare fleet of foot. Tory backbenchers hope that at
0:05:49 > 0:05:54the very least ministers are making a virtue out of necessity.
0:05:54 > 0:06:02Joining us now, Alistair Rolfe, who's son Nick is autistic.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Chris Philip, Conservative MP who works for the Communities
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Secretary and is a strong supporter of the government's welfare policy,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and Ellen Clifford, a campaigner from the organisation Disabled
0:06:09 > 0:06:10People Against Cuts.
0:06:10 > 0:06:19I will come to you a bit later. With Nick, how does the autism show
0:06:19 > 0:06:27itself, what Bercy struggle with? -- what does he struggle with.It is a
0:06:27 > 0:06:30social and communication disorder which means he struggled in any
0:06:30 > 0:06:35social situation to act like another normal child. He finds all kinds of
0:06:35 > 0:06:40things difficult we would take for granted around the house, going out,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44public transport, and the chance of him earning a living wage at the
0:06:44 > 0:06:51moment are very slim.And during his school years, he was fully
0:06:51 > 0:06:56supported, statement did, had learning assistants?That's correct,
0:06:56 > 0:07:02he was diagnosed at the age of three with full-blown autism. We put in
0:07:02 > 0:07:04place and early intervention programme which enabled him to go to
0:07:04 > 0:07:08mainstream school and at that point he had a statement of special needs
0:07:08 > 0:07:13which enabled him to have the full amount of support with a learning
0:07:13 > 0:07:18support assistant. He was then assessed and reviewed, reassessed
0:07:18 > 0:07:26every year for the next 15 years by experts who knew what the problem
0:07:26 > 0:07:30was and it time they came back and said they needed to continue with
0:07:30 > 0:07:35the same level of support. About the same time when he went to school, he
0:07:35 > 0:07:38started receiving visibility living allowance which was a small amount
0:07:38 > 0:07:42but enough to help with certain things. As he left school around the
0:07:42 > 0:07:48time that the disability living allowance change to become the
0:07:48 > 0:07:52personal independence payment and he had to be completely reassessed from
0:07:52 > 0:07:57scratch. After 15 years of being reassessed and acknowledged by the
0:07:57 > 0:08:05government that he had this need for financial support, in an interview
0:08:05 > 0:08:08with 15 minutes, the government decided that he deserved absolutely
0:08:08 > 0:08:13no money whatsoever.What was he asked in the interview?The
0:08:13 > 0:08:18questions that were asked in the interview were completely inadequate
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and not designed to capture the issues that lie behind his autism.
0:08:22 > 0:08:28He was asked questions like, can you dress yourself? Can you cook a meal?
0:08:28 > 0:08:34Can you go on a bus journey? His answers were yes, I can do all of
0:08:34 > 0:08:38those things, but the amount of work that goes behind just getting him to
0:08:38 > 0:08:41the point where he can make a bus journey is enormous on our part and
0:08:41 > 0:08:44he might get on the bus and then he would lose his ticket or forget
0:08:44 > 0:08:48where to get off, there might be noise on the bus.So he should not
0:08:48 > 0:08:55have answered yes but he was trying to say the right answer?That's
0:08:55 > 0:09:03right he did not possibly understand the question, can you dress yourself
0:09:03 > 0:09:09or cook a meal, it was to tick a box. But if they have come to the
0:09:09 > 0:09:12home and watched him, he might cook a meal but leave the cooker on and
0:09:12 > 0:09:16start a fire. We have to be very careful.The assessment itself was
0:09:16 > 0:09:21flawed?It was completely inadequate and when we got the news back that
0:09:21 > 0:09:25he was no longer entitled to any form of payment, we concluded that
0:09:25 > 0:09:30this was prejudicial against people with mental health disabilities.I'm
0:09:30 > 0:09:36really sorry to hear the problem is that Nick experienced, nobody should
0:09:36 > 0:09:41be without support that they clearly need. I am not sure how closely that
0:09:41 > 0:09:45case relates to the PIP position we heard about any piece but I'm
0:09:45 > 0:09:47pleased the government has responded to the High Court decision not by
0:09:47 > 0:09:51trying to challenge it in the Appeal Court or Supreme Court but excepting
0:09:51 > 0:09:56it.You put your hands up and say this was badly wrong and badly
0:09:56 > 0:09:59judged and despite everybody saying to the contrary, you went ahead with
0:09:59 > 0:10:03it and it was the wrong decision? Clearly there was a difference of
0:10:03 > 0:10:06opinion on this measure, the High Court judge made a ruling in
0:10:06 > 0:10:08December.What do you mean a difference of opinion?The
0:10:08 > 0:10:13government felt that the mental health limits of Tabernacle were
0:10:13 > 0:10:19covered separately. The High Court had said they were wrong and the
0:10:19 > 0:10:21government had accepted that immediately and it will not appeal
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and it will backdate the claims to the beginning. And it will write the
0:10:25 > 0:10:30people concerned...Why should anybody trust your government to get
0:10:30 > 0:10:34it right if you have done so much damage? Listen to this case, going
0:10:34 > 0:10:39from being completely helped through his childhood and left with nothing.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45There are clearly individual cases like the one we heard about when the
0:10:45 > 0:10:52assessments need to be improved but the allowance has gone from
0:10:52 > 0:10:5513,000,000,020 ten at 216 billion so when people say there have been cut
0:10:55 > 0:11:05to payment that is not true from £13 billion to £16 billion. There are
0:11:05 > 0:11:09600,000 more disabled people in work now than there were four years ago.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15That is a real success in addition to spending more money.I'm sorry I
0:11:15 > 0:11:18have left you to the end but give us the broader picture as you see it,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22is it a good thing that more people with disabilities are in work?There
0:11:22 > 0:11:27are a lot of barriers that disabled people faced at work and anecdotally
0:11:27 > 0:11:30we are seeing less people in work, people who are struggling because
0:11:30 > 0:11:37they're not getting out of work benefits. But in terms of the PIP
0:11:37 > 0:11:41ruling, we are happy that the government has decided not to appeal
0:11:41 > 0:11:45it but they should never have got to this situation in the first place.
0:11:45 > 0:11:51Disabled people and organisations, we support of the claimants in the
0:11:51 > 0:11:58court in 2016, it was their ruling the government try to overturn in
0:11:58 > 0:12:002017, our organisations, parliamentarians all spoke out
0:12:00 > 0:12:05against bringing these regulations and the government did.Parents and
0:12:05 > 0:12:08campaign is putting this points to you, why was the government not
0:12:08 > 0:12:11listening to this?The point we were hearing is about the assessment
0:12:11 > 0:12:15itself and those cases have to be this Ducab belief. It is different
0:12:15 > 0:12:20to the court ruling point.It is the same larger point that people with
0:12:20 > 0:12:24behavioural disabilities or mental health disabilities or psychological
0:12:24 > 0:12:29disbelief were being ignored.But the answer the point, the proportion
0:12:29 > 0:12:35of people on PIP with mental health conditions who get the highest level
0:12:35 > 0:12:41is 66%. Under the old DLA it was only 22% so there is a three-time
0:12:41 > 0:12:46higher recognition of mental health problems under PIP.There are 1.6
0:12:46 > 0:12:52million cases to be reviewed.On this very specific point about the
0:12:52 > 0:12:55mobility allowance component, but as I said already, the total amount
0:12:55 > 0:13:01paid under DLA has gone up to £16 billion which is a big increase.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06There was a decision taken a year ago that the High Court was found to
0:13:06 > 0:13:08be wrong and the government has accepted that and will not appeal it
0:13:08 > 0:13:12and is putting it right.Are we on the right track now in terms of what
0:13:12 > 0:13:17happened here wrong?I don't think we should be here anyway. This is
0:13:17 > 0:13:23going to cost untold sums, those people are going to go through more
0:13:23 > 0:13:27anxiety and distress having been through enough as it is. The bigger
0:13:27 > 0:13:30picture for disabled people in the UK is it that the government is
0:13:30 > 0:13:34failing them, the UN has made a binding of great and systematic
0:13:34 > 0:13:38violations against this government. They talk about spent on disability
0:13:38 > 0:13:42benefits but as a share of national wealth it has heart and we see
0:13:42 > 0:13:50people suffering, with nowhere to turn -- it has halved.I don't
0:13:50 > 0:13:54accept that because we spent more than any other G-7 country apart
0:13:54 > 0:13:57from Germany on supporting people with disability and health problems.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01There are of course problems to be fixed but we are spending more than
0:14:01 > 0:14:05every other G-7 country apart from Germany.If you compare
0:14:05 > 0:14:07like-for-like it is difficult to compare what is spent on disability
0:14:07 > 0:14:14figures. The amount spent is not comparable in the way you are
0:14:14 > 0:14:19saying.Thank you very much.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Theresa May flies to China tomorrow on a trade mission seeking to secure
0:14:22 > 0:14:25the sort of deal the government is hoping to land after Brexit.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It's possible she might never have been as happy to leave these green
0:14:28 > 0:14:30and pleasant lands, after yet another weekend of torrid
0:14:30 > 0:14:32headlines and a growing chorus of criticism from across her party,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35not least from a band of Brexiteers who seem to feel distrustful
0:14:35 > 0:14:37of the Prime Minister's ability to deliver.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Today Europe's foreign ministers made a point
0:14:39 > 0:14:42of showing their own unity on the issue by taking just two
0:14:42 > 0:14:45minutes to agree the hardline terms on which negotiator Michel Barnier
0:14:45 > 0:14:49can approach the next round of Brexit talks.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54The EU position is very clear.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57The transition will last for 21 months, until
0:14:57 > 0:15:02the 31st of December 2020.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06During this limited period of time, the whole of the EU acquis
0:15:06 > 0:15:12will continue to apply to the UK.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14So how does the state of Brexit talks affect
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Theresa May's leadership, despite the growing noise?
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Is there any sense anything has really changed?
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Nick Watt is here.
0:15:23 > 0:15:29A little bit more movement, what is your sense?An interesting interview
0:15:29 > 0:15:35by Liam Fox in the Sun newspaper tomorrow. He is saying to
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Brexiteers, you will have to learn to live with disappointment because
0:15:38 > 0:15:44we do not command a majority in the House of Commons. But he said the
0:15:44 > 0:15:48core Brexit will be delivered out of the single market and out of the
0:15:48 > 0:15:53customs union. But there are three people who wanted to remain who said
0:15:53 > 0:15:57the Prime Minister needs to set out a domestic vision for Britain after
0:15:57 > 0:16:03Brexit. What is going on? I think what is happening is two forces are
0:16:03 > 0:16:08colliding. The legacy of the recent reshuffle, lots of resentful
0:16:08 > 0:16:13ex-ministers. Then you have Brexiteers who are thinking, is this
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Prime Minister going too far in a soft Brexit direction.But she's
0:16:18 > 0:16:29going to survive?You are reminded of Harold Wilson who said, you ask
0:16:29 > 0:16:35what is going on, I am going on. The quiet ones are still quiet, at the
0:16:35 > 0:16:39noisy ones are noisy. Iain Duncan Smith that was in trouble when the
0:16:39 > 0:16:45quiet ones stopped been quiet. I have been talking to other Tories. I
0:16:45 > 0:16:48spoke to one former minister who said they believe there will be a
0:16:48 > 0:16:52challenge, there should be a challenge against Theresa May in the
0:16:52 > 0:16:57summer to give a new leader a long time to bed in the 2022 election and
0:16:57 > 0:17:03this person said
0:17:03 > 0:17:04this person said Theresa May really isn't working. They say you
0:17:04 > 0:17:07journalists have the wrong end of the stick. You're looking for these
0:17:07 > 0:17:1048 letters we need for the no-confidence vote. We are after the
0:17:10 > 0:17:19149 votes we need to get to oust Theresa May.A quick word on labour?
0:17:19 > 0:17:25There will be an interesting new face on the Labour front bench when
0:17:25 > 0:17:29the withdrawal bill stars its journey and that will be Lord Peter
0:17:29 > 0:17:36Goldsmith. His advice as Tony Blair's Attorney General meant the
0:17:36 > 0:17:41action was authorised for the UK forces. What is interesting about
0:17:41 > 0:17:46this, the defining moment Jeremy Corbyn's career was opposing the
0:17:46 > 0:17:51Iraq war. You could save that is how he managed to bury New Labour in the
0:17:51 > 0:18:00Labour ship contest for the Labour Party. But he doesn't represent the
0:18:00 > 0:18:06front bench in the Lords, but I am told this is more of a guest on the
0:18:06 > 0:18:10front bench, not an actual frontbencher, so Jeremy Corbyn is
0:18:10 > 0:18:16living with it.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18With us from Westminster is Nicky Morgan, a former
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Education Secretary under David Cameron.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22And Jacob Rees-Mogg who now leads the European Research group
0:18:22 > 0:18:23of Tory Eurosceptics.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Now, two backbenchers, if there are grumblings coming
0:18:26 > 0:18:29from both your wings of the party that probably suggests the PM
0:18:29 > 0:18:33is doing something right.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39Let me start with you, Nicky, Nick said forget about the letters to
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Graham Brady. Are you hearing of anyone voicing their unhappiness in
0:18:42 > 0:18:49letter form at the moment or is it gossip?Nobody is going around
0:18:49 > 0:18:52saying we have signed this, or sent this in. I certainly haven't done
0:18:52 > 0:18:59that. It is important. We have seen the EU talking about the negotiating
0:18:59 > 0:19:04stance. We have a critical nine months ahead of us and everybody in
0:19:04 > 0:19:08the Conservative Party realises we will be judged by the success or
0:19:08 > 0:19:12otherwise of these Brexit negotiations, the final deal we get
0:19:12 > 0:19:16to. The Conservative Party has a strong reputation for economic
0:19:16 > 0:19:19competence and we must not jeopardise that in these
0:19:19 > 0:19:23negotiations. The noise about the leadership doesn't help.Where do
0:19:23 > 0:19:28you think the instability is coming from? When you hear Johnny Mercer
0:19:28 > 0:19:32saying the window is closing for the Prime Minister to meet the
0:19:32 > 0:19:37challenges. Is he right to speak out, is it a non-helpful
0:19:37 > 0:19:43intervention?There are the stations, inevitably. Some of my
0:19:43 > 0:19:47other colleagues are talking about the need to focus on domestic
0:19:47 > 0:19:51legislation. We have seen a focus on the environment, for example, it is
0:19:51 > 0:19:56possible to talk about other things than Brexit. We have just had a
0:19:56 > 0:20:01piece talking about mental health and personal independence payments.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07We would like to be talking about that than about Europe.She got that
0:20:07 > 0:20:13one badly wrong, didn't she? Actually, a fast reaction from the
0:20:13 > 0:20:17government saying we will not appeal this, it hasn't been handled right
0:20:17 > 0:20:22in the past, we will get it right now. Broadly supporting people with
0:20:22 > 0:20:27mental health challenges, looking at the NHS, rising educational
0:20:27 > 0:20:31standards in our schools. But Brexit will be central for the next nine
0:20:31 > 0:20:36months. We cannot fall out with each other, the country doesn't need
0:20:36 > 0:20:42that.The way you are talking, you are happy to see her fulfil her
0:20:42 > 0:20:47parliament for five years. You are happy that she has a game plan, a
0:20:47 > 0:20:52series of things that she is, not just talking about, but doing, do
0:20:52 > 0:20:58you believe that?I believe when she took out the Premiership, she laid
0:20:58 > 0:21:04out a plan, speech...But is she doing it?There is action, but
0:21:04 > 0:21:09trying to get attention on anything other than Europe at the moment is
0:21:09 > 0:21:14difficult. The Treasury Select Committee, we know things like the
0:21:14 > 0:21:19budget, productivity and things like growing the economy are incredibly
0:21:19 > 0:21:22important, but of course the Brexit negotiations will be influential in
0:21:22 > 0:21:26all of that. It is important, it is not just about the Prime Minister,
0:21:26 > 0:21:31there is a whole cabinet. If the Prime Minister is the person going
0:21:31 > 0:21:36to be setting out a plan, the Cabinet have got to do within their
0:21:36 > 0:21:41own areas, agri- and end state for Brexit. They have got to stick to
0:21:41 > 0:21:44those lines. But falling out with each other is not the right thing
0:21:44 > 0:21:50for the country at this particular time in our history.Jacob Rees
0:21:50 > 0:21:56Mogg, do you trust the Prime Minister has your best interests at
0:21:56 > 0:22:00heart, your party, Brexit?Of course, I completely trust the Prime
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Minister and I agree with what Nicky Morgan was saying, in relation to
0:22:04 > 0:22:08the need for unity and the government to set out what it end
0:22:08 > 0:22:14state is going to be. There may be bits of the end states I don't like,
0:22:14 > 0:22:19there may be bits of the end states Nicky Morgan doesn't like, but we
0:22:19 > 0:22:23need a proper discussion rather than the Chancellor saying one thing and
0:22:23 > 0:22:29the collective Cabinet view being another.Why does your group in the
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Times tomorrow said they give her a 50-50 chance, it is not a real
0:22:34 > 0:22:41endorsement.That is not me, I have not said that.Is there descent?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45There are always people with different views in a party.It is
0:22:45 > 0:22:53not the party, it is the group you had.The ERG doesn't have a single
0:22:53 > 0:22:57view. We are interested in the Lancaster House speech and the
0:22:57 > 0:23:00manifesto and we want to back the Prime Minister in that. Whether
0:23:00 > 0:23:06individual members speculate on the party membership or not, is nothing
0:23:06 > 0:23:11to do with me.When you talk about the basis of Lancaster House and the
0:23:11 > 0:23:15basis of what she has said, were you happy with what Michel Barnier had
0:23:15 > 0:23:21to say to the Prime Minister today? Will you continue to support her if
0:23:21 > 0:23:25she lets that transition deal go ahead?The terms laid out today in
0:23:25 > 0:23:30the transition deal are very bullying from the European Union.
0:23:30 > 0:23:36They are very harsh and they would continue as to allow free movement
0:23:36 > 0:23:43of people and we would take, for the first time since 1066, laws imposed
0:23:43 > 0:23:47upon us from a foreign power without any say on it from ourselves. That
0:23:47 > 0:23:51might be acceptable if we had a clear idea of what the end point is.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55You would put up with it the two years if you had an idea of what was
0:23:55 > 0:24:02coming afterwards?We had talk about staying in a customs union and not
0:24:02 > 0:24:14get the benefits of Brexit. It means remaining end EU law taker. Not
0:24:14 > 0:24:18removing tariffs, 21% of the household economy, had the chance to
0:24:18 > 0:24:23make the country better. It is an exciting opportunity if we grasp it.
0:24:23 > 0:24:31Your support will remain qualify?My support for the Prime Minister will
0:24:31 > 0:24:36remain qualified. I want her to implement what she has already said.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39As the Prime Minister is a forthright and clear person, I
0:24:39 > 0:24:44expect she will implement the policies she has set out.Let me
0:24:44 > 0:24:48tell you about this story breaking on bus speed, they have seen the
0:24:48 > 0:24:55impact of Brexit from the government's own analysis. They say
0:24:55 > 0:24:58under the government's own assessment, a comprehensive free
0:24:58 > 0:25:02trade agreement with the EU, UK growth would be 5% lower over the
0:25:02 > 0:25:07next 15 years if there was no deal scenario and it was WTO rules, it
0:25:07 > 0:25:13would reduce by 8%. They say from what they have seen, the UK would be
0:25:13 > 0:25:16worse off outside the European Union under every scenario modelled in
0:25:16 > 0:25:22every part of the UK.The key phrases every scenario modelled and
0:25:22 > 0:25:28it depends on the base of the model. If they use the gravity muddles the
0:25:28 > 0:25:32government used prior to Brexit, they were wrong. It predicted an
0:25:32 > 0:25:38increase in unemployment just by voting to read, to 500 to 800,000.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42On the basis of these gravity models and the key is the assumption of the
0:25:42 > 0:25:46tariffs you apply to goods coming into the EU. I don't know about
0:25:46 > 0:25:50these models, but the one done before the Brexit vote assumed we
0:25:50 > 0:25:56would apply the common external tariff to EU trade with the UK. That
0:25:56 > 0:26:01sort of thing makes these models speculative and so far, very
0:26:01 > 0:26:05inaccurate.A quick word from you Nicky Morgan on the Brexit study and
0:26:05 > 0:26:09do you think the Prime Minister will be there to see us through Brexit?
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Yes, it is too important to worry about leadership contests at this
0:26:13 > 0:26:18time. We have to focus. What those models do, we can argue about the
0:26:18 > 0:26:24underlying basis. What they show is there is a risk and this is why I
0:26:24 > 0:26:27wanted to remain and our constituents will not thank us and
0:26:27 > 0:26:30nor will the country if we have weakened their economic security and
0:26:30 > 0:26:35jobs and livelihoods as a result of negotiation. It is critical we make
0:26:35 > 0:26:39sure we don't undermine the economy any more than we are going to bike
0:26:39 > 0:26:46actually leaving in the first place. Thank you both very much.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Next month, a French Government-appointed commission
0:26:49 > 0:26:52will outline what happened to more than 2000 children at the hands
0:26:52 > 0:26:54of the French state between 1963 and 1982.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56These children, from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58a French overseas department, were resettled in rural
0:26:58 > 0:27:00parts of France where populations were in decline.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03With France facing up to a scandal that robbed these children
0:27:03 > 0:27:10of everything they knew, Katie Razzall travelled to Reunion
0:27:10 > 0:27:12with one of those involved, in search of the family she lost
0:27:12 > 0:27:20more than five decades earlier.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Marlene is on her way home for her first visit
0:27:57 > 0:28:00to the Indian Ocean island she was taken from as a child,
0:28:00 > 0:28:08her first trip back in 52 years.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Marlene is in ill health after a difficult life.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18She has never been able to afford the long journey
0:28:18 > 0:28:20back to Reunion before.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Now she's leaving France courtesy of the French government
0:28:23 > 0:28:25which is paying her airfare and some expenses, an acknowledgement
0:28:25 > 0:28:27of the state's moral responsibility for what happened
0:28:27 > 0:28:35to her and 2000 others.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41We first met Marlene in central France where she has lived
0:28:41 > 0:28:43since she was in her teens.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Before that she was in care in Reunion.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Her mother had died of TB.
0:28:49 > 0:28:57Marlene was persuaded to resettle across the world.
0:29:27 > 0:29:33Did you ever see your sister again?
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Once a French colony, Reunion became one of the country's
0:29:45 > 0:29:53overseas department in 1946.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05By the 1960s, with an exploding birth rate, this desperately poor
0:30:05 > 0:30:08island found its orphanages filling up with children, many
0:30:08 > 0:30:11of whom were not orphans at all.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Their families simply could not provide for them.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16The island's French MP, Michel Debre, introduced a policy
0:30:16 > 0:30:20he believed would solve the problem.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22From 1963 until 1982, social services oversaw
0:30:22 > 0:30:24the resettlement of children to rural parts of mainland France
0:30:24 > 0:30:31where populations were in decline.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Some were adopted, others put into children's homes
0:30:33 > 0:30:38and religious institutions.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42Marlene was amongst them, featured here in a TV report
0:30:42 > 0:30:45which portrays the children as lucky to be given a new life.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49But in the four years before this was filmed,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52she said she had minimal schooling.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Instead she had worked the land at a convent,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56done factory labour and even been put in solitary confinement
0:30:56 > 0:30:59when she complained.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Marlene's story is not a one-off, as we discovered at a meeting
0:31:54 > 0:32:01near Toulouse in south-west France.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Marlene is a member of a group battling to find out what happened
0:32:13 > 0:32:19to 2150 children from Reunion at the hands of the French state.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Not everyone had a bad experience but many suffered terribly.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26There was racism, sexual abuse and violence, as well as the loss
0:32:26 > 0:32:29of their culture and identity.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Jessie Moenner and her younger brother and sister were in the first
0:32:47 > 0:32:51resettled group from Reunion to arrive at this children's
0:32:51 > 0:32:58home in rural Gers in south-western France in 1967.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Jessie has spent years trying to discover the background
0:33:36 > 0:33:38to her family story but her care files from the children's
0:33:38 > 0:33:44home have disappeared.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Do you think you can judge what happened back then
0:33:46 > 0:33:53through modern eyes?
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Jessie and her siblings are traumatised by what happened
0:34:15 > 0:34:17to them in France.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20She said they were adopted into a violent family and she holds
0:34:20 > 0:34:27Michel Debre responsible for their suffering.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49I came to Paris to find out how the French government
0:34:49 > 0:34:51views the scandal now.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Those who were exiled hope President Macron will apologise
0:34:53 > 0:34:54for what happened once the investigating commission
0:34:54 > 0:35:02delivers its report.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44It's a big moment for Marlene, arriving on her
0:35:44 > 0:35:52island after 52 years.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05She has brought her daughter, Aurore, for support.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Marlene has had 52 years to dream of this moment,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11and now she is here with a fanfare.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15The French media has increasingly been covering the story.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17The publicity, mixed in with five decades of expectation,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20means Marlene hopes a long lost family member might be
0:36:20 > 0:36:23at the airport to greet her.
0:36:23 > 0:36:31But there's nobody there.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12But they are searching for Marlene's other sister, Marianique,
0:37:12 > 0:37:19who she last saw as a child.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Marlene is not giving up.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33She does not know if Marie-Annique is alive or dead but finding her
0:37:33 > 0:37:39is the focus of this trip.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42The next day we went to the town hall looking for information
0:37:42 > 0:37:44and came away with good news.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46So you have an address for your sister?
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Their fortunes were changing.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51After we left, the town hall official got in touch with Marlene's
0:37:51 > 0:37:55sister and two hours later came the phone call they had longed
0:37:55 > 0:38:03for from Marie-Annique herself.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42So what is it like to see her now?
0:39:04 > 0:39:09But the joy of finding Marie-Annique is bittersweet.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Marlene is returning to France knowing she may not see her sister
0:39:12 > 0:39:20again until the next time the government funds a trip.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34In March, after a two-year investigation, a commission
0:40:34 > 0:40:38will present its 500-page report to the French government
0:40:38 > 0:40:40detailing what happened to Marlene and 2000 others.
0:40:40 > 0:40:48Many are demanding an apology from the French president.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Katie Razzall there.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Her film was produced by Maya Rostowska and you can see
0:40:56 > 0:40:59a longer version on Our World, this Saturday and Sunday at 9:30pm
0:40:59 > 0:41:02on the BBC News Channel and also on iPlayer.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05That's it for tonight.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08But before we go, if you happen to be passing the Bruce Museum
0:41:08 > 0:41:10in Greenwich, Connecticut, you could do worse than pop
0:41:10 > 0:41:13in and see their exhibition of patriotic posters
0:41:13 > 0:41:16from the First World War, and witness how the American government
0:41:16 > 0:41:19used to handle its communications.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21As you can see, unlike now, sensitivity wasn't
0:41:21 > 0:41:22a big part of the sell.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Goodnight.
0:41:28 > 0:41:36MUSIC: "Creep" by Radiohead.