04/05/2016 Prime Minister's Questions

be more economically empowered, that would add billions to global GDP

every year. So what we are doing is not as good for the poorest on our

planet, it is in our national interest as well. Questions for

Prime Minister. greater resilience and a great team

effort. I've had meetings with others and additional meetings later

today. Martin Day. May I start by associating myself with the comments

regarding Leicester City. The Foreign Secretary said there is a

need for a new initiative in the Syrian dialogue to keep it alive.

Will the Prime Minister withdraw his ear strakes and redouble his

efforts? What I think we should do is both things, continue to hit

Daesh terrorists but do everything we can to support dialogue between

the opposition and the Syrian regime which is what the process has been

about. My right honourable friend will be aware that Conservative

candidates are standing and Labour will lose some seats. We are aware

of the stamping out of racism and anti-Semitism. Would my right

honourable friend join me and our colleagues in condemning the actions

and propaganda of Hezbollah and Hamas? I wish my candidates well. If

you want well-run services and want to keep costs and taxes don't it is

right to vote Conservative. But the point he makes about Hamas is

important. They are a terrorist group who believe in killing Jews.

Whatever the right honourable gentleman says about combating

anti-Semitism, it will mean nothing until he withdraws the remark that

they were his friends. He should do it today.

I join the Prime Minister in congratulating Leicester City on

their amazing achievements. I hope it is not an indication that he is

going to support another football team or is he going to stick with

the two he has got already? Later today, commemorations begin

for Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel. I hope there is agreement

across all parts of this house in sending our best wishes to those

commemorating the occasion, and sending a statement that

anti-Semitism has no place in our society whatsoever and we have a

duty to oppose it. Tomorrow, people will go to the polls in council

elections in England. Nine of the ten most deprived councils are set

to see cuts higher than the national average with eight facing cuts more

than three times the national average, meaning less money for

youth services, adult social care and those in areas of the greatest

need. The Prime Minister used to say we are all in it together. What

happened to that? Left me -- let me join the right honourable gentleman

in saying that we should always support Holocaust they. -- Holocaust

Day. I am going to press him on this point. He said, it will be my

pleasure and my honour to host an event in Parliament where our

friends from Hezbollah will be speaking, I have also invited

friends from Hamas to speak as well. They believe in killing Jews around

the world. If he wants to clear up the problem of anti-Semitism in the

Labour Party, now is a good time to start, withdraw that they are your

friends. Mr Speaker, I've made it clear that Labour is an antiracism

party and there is no place for them in it. We have suspended all members

and -- who have taken part in anti-Semitism and established an

enquiry. The point he was making relate to a discussion I was hosting

in order to promote peace process and it was not an approval of those

organisations, I absolutely do not approve of those organisations. Mr

Speaker, the reality is vulnerable people are being abandoned in this

country. The Prime Minister has said that social care and support for the

elderly is a priority for him. If that is the case, why has he cut 4.5

billion since 2010, leaving 300,000 older people without care and

support they need to live in dignity? We are putting more money

into social care and allowing councils to raise council tax. I'm

afraid he will need to do this one more time. He referred to Hamas and

Hezbollah as his friends. Are they your friends or not? Those

organisations believe in persecuting and killing Jews. They are

anti-Semitic, racist organisations. He must stand up and say that they

are not his friends. Mr Speaker, obviously anyone that commits racist

attacks or is anti-Semitic is not a friend of mine. I would also invite

him to think for a moment about the conduct of his party and his

candidate in the London mayoral election. The way in which they

systematically are smearing my friend, the member for tooting, who

is our candidate for mayor. I wish him well and I invite the Prime

Minister to undertake to ensure that the Conservative Party assists from

the actions it is taking in smearing my friend. Last week, the Joseph

Rowntree foundation's destitution report found 1.25 million people in

Britain were unable to afford the essentials to stay fed and clean.

When will the stronger economy mean that fewer people need to use food

banks? It means there are over 2 million more people in work than

when I became Prime Minister, you can earn ?11,000 before you pay tax,

and we've introduced a national living wage, which was never done in

13 years of a Labour government. I reject what he says about Labour's

candidate for the London mayoralty. We are not responsible for

everything anyone says when they are with us, but there is a pattern of

behaviour for the honourable member for Tooting. He shared a platform

with the man whose trained the ringleader of the 7/7 attacks. He

shared a platform with a man who called for Jews to be drowned in the

ocean. He described this as flowery language. If he wants to know why

they have a problem with anti-Semitism it is because they

share platforms with anti-Semitic people. Withdraw the remark about

Hamas and Hezbollah being your friends. Last week the Prime

Minister tried to smear my friends, the Minister for Tooting. It turns

out that one of those is an active Conservative supporter. He should

reflect on the word is said by Lord Lansley, that racism was endemic

within the Conservatives. We have set up an enquiry and I would

suggest he does the same. It has been said that the housing bill

removes the security these people need, it is fundamentally wrong.

Homelessness is up a third. A voter wrote to me and said he and his

family will lose their home if the housing bill goes through. Why can't

the Prime Minister followed the example from the Welsh Labour

government in placing illegal responsibility -- a legal

responsibility to help people during a housing crisis? What this

government has done in England, rebuilt twice as much council

housing in the last six years as Labour did in 13. I will not let

this rest about the honourable member for Tooting. He raised the

case for Ghani. Do you want to know the views of the person your leader

has just quartered? He described women... The honourable member for

Islington may be interested. He described women as subservient to

men, he said homosexuality was an unnatural act. He stood on a

platform with people who wanted an Islamic state. That is why his

attempts to deal with anti-Semitism are utterly condemned to failure. He

will not even condemn people who sit on platforms with people like that.

I was trying to help the Prime Minister, I did point out that the

gentleman concerned is a conservative.

Maybe he would think about that. Another former Conservative

candidate said, I will be voting Labour, I am ashamed of the

repulsive campaign of hate. Mr Speaker, homelessness has been

reduced by 67% in Wales since the new regulations came in. Why can't

he do the same in this country? Inequality is getting worse,

education should be a route out of poverty. But new figures show that

the number of people participating on an adult education course fell by

a fifth. How can we tackle inequality when the Prime Minister

is taking away opportunities for people to find a pathway out of

poverty. Inequality has gone down under this government. It is because

we've got a growing economy, a living wage, more jobs, people

paying less tax. I say to him, we are investing in the schools to give

people opportunities, schemes to allow people to own homes. He

opposes those things because the truth is, he may be a friend of

Hamas but he is an enemy of aspiration.

Mr Speaker, politics is about choices. The Prime Minister cart...

Order, order. Order, order. Let me very gently say to the assiduous but

slightly overenthusiastic whip, the member for Hexham, his role is to be

seen and not heard. No further noise from the honourable gentleman today

or his sidekick to his right. We will not shout people down in this

chamber. The quiet or leave. Very simple. Jeremy Corbyn. Thank you Mr

Speaker. This government has cut capital gains tax for the richest,

every turn they make the wrong choices. Tomorrow, people can make

their own choices about the crisis of social care, the housing crisis

in this country. The unprecedented cuts to local councils in areas of

greatest need. The cuts to further education, taking opportunities away

from young people. The choices have been made will stop they cut taxes

for the rich. We want to ensure there is proper taxation to ensure

there are decent services for the rest. Prime Minister. Tomorrow is

about choices, you can choose a party on the side of security for

hard-working people, who wants to make sure there are more jobs,

better pay, lower taxes, good schools for your children, a

seven-day NHS you when you need it. Or the other choice, you can back a

party that puts extremists overworking people. And is incapable

of providing the leadership your local council needs, or the country

needs. Does my right honourable friend

agree with me in order to create a northern powerhouse that can produce

innovation and prosperity, investment is needed in vital

transport links in northern cities? Of particular concern to my

constituents is the junction of the 834 and the A5 60 Gatley. Will the

Prime Minister and his ministers meet with me and discuss how we can

keep traffic moving in and out of Manchester and alleviate congestion

in my constituency of Cheadle. She is right to raise this and that is

why we established transport for the North to look at schemes like the

one she proposes, so we can speak with one voice. It is why we are

investing 13 billion. Planning for the next strategy is now underway.

It is the right time to make the point that she does. Last week, the

Prime Minister took issue when I raised the issue of unaccompanied

Syrian refugee children in Europe. And the candid transports of the

1930s. Since then he has been written to by the chairman of

Kindertransport. He said the echoes of the past haunt many fellow and I.

I feel it is incumbent on us to demonstrate our compassion and human

compassion to provide sanctuary to those in need. Why has it taken so

long and the threat of a Parliamentary defeat for the Prime

Minister to begin changing his mind. Let me pay tribute to the gentleman

the honourable member raises. And also, let's be clear, no country has

done more than others when it comes to Syrian refugees. No country has

raised more money and only the United States has spent more money.

I do want us to proceed with as much support across the House as we can.

It is right to stick to the principle we shouldn't be

encouraging people to make this dangerous journey. It is right to

stick to the idea we keep investing in the refugee camps and

neighbouring countries. It is right not to take part in the EU

relocation and resettlement schemes, which have been, in my view, a

failure. We are taking in migrants, child migrants with the direct

family scheme. We will talk to Save the Children to see what we can do

for children who came here before the EU Turkey deal was signed. What

I don't want to do is take steps that will encourage people to make

this dangerous journey. Otherwise, our actions, however well-meaning,

could result in more people dying, rather than more people getting a

good life. Last week I accused the Prime Minister of walking by on the

other side when he defended his then policy opposing further help for

unaccompanied refugee children in Europe will stop if, what we are

hearing now, is the beginnings of a U-turn, I very much welcome it as

I'm sure all members on side of the House do. I encourage him to think

more about what can be done, given the Kindertransport help 10,000

children from Europe. I asked the Prime Minister to thank Lord Alf

Dobbs and all campaigners who have worked hard for the UK to live up to

the example and the spirit of the Kindertransport. I think all those

people deserve recognition for the work they have done to put this

issue so squarely on the agenda. I do reject the comparison with the

Kindertransport. And for this reason, I would argue that what we

are doing primarily which is taking children from the region, vulnerable

people from the camps, going to the neighbouring countries and taking

people into our country, housing, clothing and feeding them and making

sure they have a good life, that to me is like the Kindertransport. To

say the Kindertransport is taking today, children from France, Italy

or Germany, safe countries that our democracy, that is an insult to

those countries. Because of the steps we are taking, it won't be

necessary to send the amendment back to the other place, the amendment

doesn't mention a number of people. We will go round the local

authorities and see what more we can do. But let's stick to the principle

we should not be taking new arrivals to Europe. The Department of Health

are looking to introduce a self DNA test for pregnant women, in order to

reduce the number of miscarriages. This will have the consequence of

increasing the number of abortions with those with down syndrome. I

know there is nobody in this House who cares more for those with

special needs for protection and the safety of those with special needs,

so will the Prime Minister meet with me and representatives of the East

Lancashire down syndrome support group to look at ways to protect

those with down syndrome and it will not simply be screened out? He

raises an important issue. A local people of down syndrome parents came

to my constituency surgery on Friday and made these arguments to me. I am

taking this up with the Department of help to make sure all the

processes are followed. There are moral and ethical issues that need

to be considered in these cases. On the other hand, we have to respect

the view that women want to have screening and testing about the

health of their children. We should be in favour of maximum

transparency. On the basis it is optional, rather than mandatory, but

it is part of routine care. Health Secretary will have to find a way

through this, but we have to make sure we go about it in the right

way. UNESCO car components for Ford and Nissan cars and employs hundreds

of people, including from my constituency. I'm sure the Prime

Minister knows the need to get right our manufacturing industry. Does he

agree with the managing director, Mike Matthews, who said it would be

business suicide for the UK to leave the EU? I listen to all the business

voices, particularly those in manufacturing, and so many say we

are better off in a reformed European union. We get an enormous

amount of investment from Japanese motor industries. I will be

welcoming the Japanese Prime Minister to the UK tomorrow, when I

am sure this is on the agenda. Closed question, Doctor Julian

Lewis. Nato is the cornerstone of Britain's defence but our place in

the EU is a vital part of protecting national security. It helps by

ensuring the issues are settled by dialogue and helping to provide

assistance in particular circumstances, for example, the

Balkans. I entirely agree with the Prime Minister's remarks about Nato.

Does he accept that whilst dictatorships often attacked

democracies or other dictatorships, democracies seldom, if ever, go to

war with each other. If an aim of the EU, is to prevent conflict

between its own members, as in World War I and World War II, is it not

heading in precisely the wrong direction by trying to create an

unelected supranational government of Europe, which is accountable to

nobody? My honourable friend has very long standing and passionate

views on this. I will make a couple of points. I don't think we should

forget some of the country is now in the European Union, until recently,

were not democracies, but what forms of dictatorship. The second point,

those countries that have worked towards an omission of EU have had

to put in place all sorts of democratic and other norms to help

them on their way. The final point, we have had an unparalleled period

of peace and prosperity in Europe and my argument with me, whether you

want to attribute all of that to Nato, or some of that to the EU, why

would you want to put it at risk? The findings of the NHS in England

report into the sudden closure of Bootham Park mental health hospital

in your, has confirmed the relationships and authorities

between all NHS bodies and is defined under the health and social

care at 20 of 12 are dysfunctional and failed patient at -- patient

safety. Harm occurred and life has been lost. Will the Prime Minister

accept his health act has to change due to the serious risk created and

in line with NHS England's recommendations? I will look

carefully at what she said my understanding is she called for

action on an outdated and dangerous facility last year. That is what

happened. I am pleased action was taken, it wasn't fit for purpose.

The CQC identified serious and life-threatening issues on patient

safety and they were not right. As a result, there was a decision to

close and reopen the facility after the changes. You will have incidents

of poor practice. What matters, do we intervene fast enough and put

them right. At this case, I will look again at what she said, but it

does look like action was taken. The Christian News Edie and sheer

children in Syria are suffering from genocide by Daesh and we should

recognise it as such. My urge to the Prime Minister, to indeed do more to

replicate the Kindertransport of the 1930s. That is what we are doing in

taking children directly from the camps in Syria. If we were to take

16-year-olds from a safe environment in Europe, we would be causing more

misery and encouraging the people traffickers. He asked me two

questions, whether there is more we can do to label what has happened as

genocide. This has always been something done under a legal

definition, but I believe very much it is clearly heading, there is a

strong case for saying it is genocide. I hope it will be

portrayed unspoken as such. On the issue of the Kindertransport, I

would agree, we have an enormous amount of what we can be proud of.

The money we put into the camps, we raised more in London on Monday than

any humanitarian conference has ever raised in the world. We are going to

do more for children already registered in Europe after, before

the EU Turkey deal. But the principle we should try to cling do

is we shouldn't do anything that encourages people to make the

perilous journey. That has been the cornerstone of our policy and it

should remain the case. For the benefit of the House and 410 and

11-year-olds up and down the country, will the Minister explain

what the past progressive tense is. Will he set out his definition of a

modal verb? I will say to the honourable lady, the point of these

changes is to make sure our children are better educated than we are.

That is why I am delighted with three children in state schools

going off to do these tests. I am delighted they are going to be.

Thank you Mr Speaker. Three years ago, three years ago... Order,

order. Three years ago five members of a family from County Durham were

killed in a tragic accident A18. The coroner said he had no confidence in

the work of the proposed work of the highway authority to remedy the

situation. The council wants to do all they can and have committed to

carry out the work. But resources are very limited. Could my right

honourable friend give serious consideration to an application from

the council for additional resources? I will have a close

look I will look to see if more evidence can be done to make it

safe. Eritrea was described as the North Korea of Africa in the recent

inaugural all-party group meeting. There was government forced

indefinite constriction. Will the Prime Minister personally and

urgently review Home Office guidance which says it is safe to transport

asylum seekers back to Eritrea? I will look at what he says. We know

Eritrea is a deeply, undemocratic and autocratic country. It has done

appalling things to its people and that is one of the reasons why so

many of those seeking to cross the Mediterranean, through the Libyan

route, have come from a country. When I have the opportunity to meet

the Eritrea leadership in Malta, I made those points very strongly.

Four years ago, I asked my right honourable friend on behalf of my

mother, if the EU referendum vote could be brought forward because of

her age. She was then 100. She now wishes to know if she needs to set a

world record for longevity before the Chilcott report is published? I

think I can reassure Maud, that this summer she will have a double

opportunity to deal with these things. I referendum on June the

23rd and I'm sure the Chilcott report will come not too much longer

after that. I imagine she will want a backbench business debate on the

matter. Tata steel wishes to complete the sale of its assets by

the middle of June and one referred bidder in place by the end of this

month. Does the Prime Minister think it is a realistic time frame and

there will be a credible process of due diligence? What processes is the

Prime Minister taking to make sure Tata is making good on its promises

as a responsible seller? The positive news is the deadline

yesterday was met by a number of serious enquiries of interest into

buying all of Tata, and that is good news. We need to work intensively

with Tata and the buyers to get the list down to those who are seriously

intending to bid. What it is a short timetable. What we are doing is

talking intensively with Tata to make sure they do everything they

can to make sure this is a serious sales process. The Prime Minister

made an important announcement with regard to refugee children.

Obviously, time is of the essence because of the peculiar

vulnerability of children without the guidance and protection of their

families. Could the Prime Minister give an indication to the House of

how quickly he expects to have those arrangements in place? I am grateful

to my right honourable friend, who has spoken passionately about this

issue. I don't see any reason why there needs to be a long delay. We

need to carry on conversations with local councils, because many of

them, particularly in the south of England, are under pressure because

of the number of child refugees who have come. Then hopefully we can

make progress during this year. Documents leaked earlier this week

appeared to confirm what most have feared, that the transatlantic trade

and investment partnership makes unacceptable concessions to public

health and safety regulations, opening the doors for US investors

to sue for loss of rockets. Will the Prime Minister recognise the concern

raised by the French president and Talbot House what this

seeking for a national health service and public service? This is

the register of red herrings. The health service is completely protect

did under this agreement, as it is under other agreements. They're all

sorts agreements people might be against free trade and wanting to

see an expansion of and investment and jobs. People should be honest

and say they don't want to see these things happen instead of inventing

total red herrings. Calm yourself, Mr Campbell, you are supposed to be

a senior statesman in the House. Calm down. Take up yoga, I have told

you before. Cheryl Murray. The lifeboat celebrates its 150th

anniversary this year in my constituency. Will he congratulate

them, not just the new one, but all of them who keep us safe at sea? I

am very happy to do that, in conjunction with my honourable

friend. Very brave people, having met some of them, especially during

the flooding earlier in the year. They put their lives at risk all the

time to save others. They are the bravest. What matters is what works.

In the long-term interests of the country, fixed term parliaments are

an important of that. Can the Prime Minister ensure his government's

performance includes the long overdue creation of a centre

evidence on sexual abuse of children something I raised in PMQs with

Margaret Thatcher. We can deal with the awful consequences of child sex

abuse on victims and perpetrators, but we must use early intervention

expertise to stop it from happening in the first place. Will the Prime

Minister backed the excellent work of ministers and members from all

parties and get this much-needed centre up and running without delay,

within the five-year term of this government? I am glad the honourable

gentleman rescued his own question with those last words. We are

grateful to him, constitutionally at least.

I am sorry it has taken a question in 1989 to get an answer. Setting up

a centre of expertise on sexual abuse is what the Home Office is

doing. It will identify and share high-quality evidence. Alongside

this, the Department for Education's Centre will ensure social workers

across the country can learn from the best examples. It is a good

example of government reform, which I know he supports. The Prime

Minister and we aren't these benches can be proud of the fact, in recent

years we have reduced relative poverty and income inequality. We

are a one nation party, or we are nothing. Does he agree with Lord

rose, the leader of the Remain Campaign that if we were to lead the

EU and exercise greater control over immigration for the sake of public

services, wages would rise even faster? What would happen, if we

were to lead the EU, we would see an impact on our economy that would be

negative. That is the view of the Bank of England, the IMF, the OECD

and a growing number of international bodies. Anybody who

wants to make this choice, it is a choice for the British people to

make. We have to be clear of the economic consequences. In 1972, aged

19, nine months married and six months pregnant with their first

child, my constituent, Susan received the knock on the door to

say her husband had been killed in action in Northern Ireland. Yet when

she married and found love again, she lost all compensation for her

and her daughter. She still has no compensation for having made that

huge sacrifice. It is a disgraceful way to treat those who have lost

loved ones serving our country. Will the Prime Minister meet with me and

Susan to discuss this case and the injustice which still faces war

widows in this country Western Mark I will make sure she gets the

meeting and the attention she deserves. I know the Minister met

with the war Widows Association to put forward their case. It was this

government but did make a historic change, so war widows who remarried

from April one 2015, would retain their war widows pension. That was a

change long as four and only delivered under this government. At

the moment, we are of the view of the long-standing policy of

successive governments, we shouldn't make these changes and apply them

retrospectively. Yesterday the foreign affairs select committee

started our enquiry on Anglo Russian relations. This afternoon, I have a

Westminster Hall debate on Anglo Russian relations. Despite the

tension that exists, will the Prime Minister give us an assurance he

will redouble his efforts to lower tensions with his fellow permanent

member of the UN Security Council? Of course we want to keep tensions

low and the one good relations, but we cannot ignore the fact Russian

backed and direct its separatists have effectively tried to redraw the

boundaries of Europe. When we consider how dangerous exercises

like that have been in the past, we have to take it extremely seriously

in the present. Can I thank the Prime Minister for

joining Leicester MPs and the rest of the planet in congratulating

Leicester City football club on their historic success in the

Premier League. During this amazing season, the local Leicester hero,

Gary Lineker, thought the idea of Leicester winning was so

far-fetched, he said if they did when he would present match of the

day in his underwear. As an Aston Villa supporter and my

commiserations to the Prime Minister on their season, does he agree in

politics, as well as in football, when you make a promise, you should

keep it? I absolutely agree. I have been watching everything Gary

Lineker has said since. He is not quite answering the question.

Something nobody gets away with in this House. I hope it is the start

of him joining the blue team.