0:00:18 > 0:00:23Questions to the Prime Minister. Chloe Smith.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Thank you, Mr Speaker.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I know the whole House will want to join me in wishing
0:00:29 > 0:00:35Wales luck ahead of the Euros 2016 semi-final this evening.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39They have played superbly and we wish them all the best.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Mr Speaker, this morning, I had meetings with
0:00:41 > 0:00:42ministerial colleagues
0:00:42 > 0:00:46and others and in addition to my duties in this House, I shall have
0:00:46 > 0:00:47further such meetings later today.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Chloe Smith.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53Mr Speaker, I am a Conservative because I believe it is
0:00:53 > 0:00:57not where you are coming from, it is where you are going to that counts.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03Does my right honourable friend agree?
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Does my right honourable friend agree
0:01:05 > 0:01:06that the opportunities to succeed no matter
0:01:06 > 0:01:09what your background is what we want for Britain?
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Prime Minister.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17I absolutely agree with my right honourable friend,
0:01:17 > 0:01:18making sure all citizens have
0:01:18 > 0:01:20life choices to make the most of their talents
0:01:20 > 0:01:23should be the driving mission for the rest of this
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Parliament.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Yesterday, we were talking about boosting national
0:01:25 > 0:01:29citizens service, which I think will play a key role in giving young
0:01:29 > 0:01:32people the confidence and life skills to make the most of the
0:01:32 > 0:01:36talents they undoubtably have.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37Jeremy Corbyn.
0:01:37 > 0:01:44I think today it would be appropriate if we pause for
0:01:44 > 0:01:47a moment to think of those people who lost their lives in the bombings
0:01:47 > 0:01:48in Baghdad in recent days.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52The people that have suffered and their
0:01:52 > 0:01:54families, at the end of Ramadan, it must be
0:01:54 > 0:01:55a terrible experience for
0:01:55 > 0:02:00them and we should send our sympathies and solidarity.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04I join the Prime Minister in wishing Wales well.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I'll be cheering for Wales along with everybody else.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09That's quiet, isn't it?
0:02:09 > 0:02:17LAUGHTER
0:02:17 > 0:02:24There is life after all!
0:02:24 > 0:02:2730 years ago, Mr Speaker, the Shire Brooke colliery employed
0:02:27 > 0:02:32thousands of workers in skilled, well-paid, unionised jobs,
0:02:32 > 0:02:38digging coal.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Today, thousands of people work on the same site.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45The vast majority are an zero-hours contracts, no union representation,
0:02:45 > 0:02:46the minimum wage is not even paid.
0:02:46 > 0:02:52Doesn't it sum up agency Britain?
0:02:52 > 0:02:56First of all, let me join the Leader of the Opposition in
0:02:56 > 0:02:59giving my thoughts to those killed in these terrible terrorist attacks.
0:02:59 > 0:03:08On the issue of what has happened in our coalfield communities, to see
0:03:09 > 0:03:15new jobs and new investment come, we have made sure that there is not
0:03:15 > 0:03:19only a minimum wage, but now a National Living Wage.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Yes, he talks about one colliery.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I recently visited the site of the Grimethorpe
0:03:25 > 0:03:31colliery, there is a business there, Asos, employing 5000 people.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33We are never going to succeed as a country
0:03:33 > 0:03:36if we try to hold onto jobs in industries that have become
0:03:36 > 0:03:37uncompetitive.
0:03:37 > 0:03:45We have to hold onto jobs of the future.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47The problem is, if you are on a zero hours
0:03:47 > 0:03:50contracts, the minimum wage does not add up to a living weekly wage.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52He must understand that.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Can I take him to the Lindsey oil refinery?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58In 2009, hundreds of oil workers worked out
0:03:58 > 0:04:03on strike because agency workers from Italy and Portugal were brought
0:04:03 > 0:04:07in on lower wages to do the same job.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Just down the road in Boston, low pay is endemic.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15The average hourly wage across the whole country
0:04:15 > 0:04:19is ?13.33.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22In the East Midlands, it's ?12.26.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23In Boston, it is ?9.13.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Isn't it time the Government
0:04:25 > 0:04:26intervened to step up for
0:04:26 > 0:04:28those communities that feel they have been left behind in modern
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Britain?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34We have intervened with a National Living Wage, we have
0:04:34 > 0:04:37intervened with more fines against companies that
0:04:37 > 0:04:39don't pay the minimum wage.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41We have intervened, for the first time, something that Labour
0:04:41 > 0:04:43never did, naming and shaming companies involved.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Those interventions help and can make a
0:04:45 > 0:04:48difference.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52The real intervention that you need is an economy that is
0:04:52 > 0:04:55growing and encouraging investment.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57What we want are the industries of the future.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Record numbers are in work, and the British economy has been one
0:05:01 > 0:05:08of the strongest in the G7.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Mr Speaker, this Government promised it
0:05:10 > 0:05:12would rebalance our economy.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15It promised a Northern Powerhouse.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Yet half of 1% of infrastructure investment is going to the
0:05:18 > 0:05:22north-east.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26London is getting 44 times more than that.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Does he not think it is time to have a real
0:05:29 > 0:05:31rebalancing of our economy and invest in those areas that are
0:05:31 > 0:05:35losing out so badly?
0:05:35 > 0:05:38I think he is talking down the performance of
0:05:38 > 0:05:40parts of our economy that are doing well.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42If you look at the fastest-growing part of our economy,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44it has been the north-west, not the south-east.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48If you want to see where exports are growing faster, it is
0:05:48 > 0:05:49the north-east and not London.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52There is a huge amount of work to do to
0:05:52 > 0:05:54make sure we feel that north-south divide.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56For the first time, we have a Government
0:05:56 > 0:05:58with a proper strategy, investing in infrastructure,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02training and skills that will make a difference.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05For years, regional policy was just trying to distribute
0:06:05 > 0:06:08a few Government jobs outside London.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Now we have a strategy about
0:06:09 > 0:06:15skills, training and about growth and it's delivering.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17The idea of this redistribution is a very
0:06:17 > 0:06:18interesting.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20The investment in London is more than the total of
0:06:20 > 0:06:24every other English region combined.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Does he not think these issues should be addressed?
0:06:27 > 0:06:30In March, the Government investment was cut in
0:06:30 > 0:06:32order to meet its fiscal rules.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34How does the Prime Minister think the
0:06:34 > 0:06:38economy can be rebalanced when investment is cut and what little
0:06:38 > 0:06:40investment remains reinforces the regional
0:06:40 > 0:06:44imbalances in this country?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Well, first of all, again, he is talking down the north in the
0:06:47 > 0:06:48questions he asks.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The unemployment rate in the north-west is lower than
0:06:52 > 0:06:55the unemployment rate London.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56I think, actually, his figures are wrong.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58In terms of investment, yes,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01of course, we need to have the Government investment.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05We got it in HS2, we've got it in the railways, the biggest
0:07:05 > 0:07:09investment programme since Victorian times,
0:07:09 > 0:07:10the biggest investment in our
0:07:10 > 0:07:11roads since the 1970s.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13You can only invest if you have a strong and
0:07:13 > 0:07:14growing economy.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16We know what Labour's recipe is, more borrowing,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18more spending, more debt, trashing the economy,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21which is what they did when in office and that is when
0:07:21 > 0:07:24investment collapses.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Mr Speaker, the Chancellor finally did this week what the
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Shadow Chancellor asked him to do in the Autumn Statement and what I
0:07:31 > 0:07:33asked the Prime Minister to do last week,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37abandoned a key part of the fiscal rule.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41We now know the deficit was supposed to vanish by 2015, and
0:07:41 > 0:07:43it will not even be gone by 2020.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49Isn't it time to admit that austerity is a failure and the way
0:07:49 > 0:07:52forward is to invest in infrastructure,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56invest in growth and invest in jobs?
0:07:56 > 0:07:58What he says is simply not the case.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The rules we set out always have flexibility in case
0:08:01 > 0:08:02growth didn't turn out the way...
0:08:02 > 0:08:03JEERING
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Well, the point I would make to him,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I would take his advice more
0:08:07 > 0:08:10seriously if I could think of a single spending reduction that he
0:08:10 > 0:08:14had supported at any time in the last six years.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16The fact is, this Government and the last one, the
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Coalition Government, had to take difficult
0:08:18 > 0:08:21decisions to get our deficit under control.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It's gone from 11% of GDP that we inherited,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26the biggest almost in the entire world, almost,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29to under 3% this year,
0:08:29 > 0:08:30because of difficult decisions.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33If he can tell me one of those decisions he has supported, I would
0:08:34 > 0:08:37be interested to hear it.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Mr Speaker, concerns about the fiscal
0:08:38 > 0:08:40rule and investment are obviously spreading on his own ventures.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The Work and Pensions Secretary and Business Secretary have seen the
0:08:43 > 0:08:44light.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48They now agree with my honourable friend the Shadow Chancellor in
0:08:48 > 0:08:53backing the massive investment programme we have been advocating.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Isn't it time that he thanked the honourable member for Hayes and
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Harlington for the education where he has been doing in this house?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Will he now confirm that the Chancellor's
0:09:02 > 0:09:04fiscal rule is dead and
0:09:04 > 0:09:06invest in the north-east, in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, all of
0:09:06 > 0:09:09those places that feel, with good reason, that they have been left
0:09:09 > 0:09:11behind and the investment is going to the wrong
0:09:11 > 0:09:14places, and they are ending up with few jobs on lower
0:09:14 > 0:09:17wages, and insecure employment to boot?
0:09:17 > 0:09:22If the investment was going in
0:09:22 > 0:09:25the wrong places, we would not see 2.5 million more people in work and
0:09:25 > 0:09:28we would not see a fall in unemployment, and a rise in
0:09:28 > 0:09:33employment in every single region in our country.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36The only area where I think the right honourable gentleman
0:09:36 > 0:09:38has made a massive contribution is in recent
0:09:38 > 0:09:39weeks he has come up with
0:09:39 > 0:09:42the biggest job creation scheme I'd ever seen in my life, almost
0:09:42 > 0:09:45everyone on the benches behind him everyone on the benches behind him
0:09:45 > 0:09:49has had an opportunity to serve on the front bench!
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Rather like those old job creation schemes, it has been a
0:09:52 > 0:09:57bit of a revolving door.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59They get a job, sometimes for only a few hours,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and then they go back to the backbenches.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04But it is a job creation scheme, nonetheless, and we
0:10:04 > 0:10:09should thank him for that!
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Thank you, Mr Speaker.
0:10:10 > 0:10:17On a day when significant questions have been levelled at the collective
0:10:17 > 0:10:19decision-making of politicians, military leaders and intelligence
0:10:19 > 0:10:23services, many of our constituents will be
0:10:23 > 0:10:28seeking reassurance that the
0:10:28 > 0:10:30lives of their loved ones were not given in vain.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32That the mistakes made will never happen again.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Can I ask the Prime Minister, will he
0:10:34 > 0:10:38ensure that the lessons learned will be fully
0:10:38 > 0:10:40examined and acted upon, so
0:10:40 > 0:10:43that there can never be a repeat of the tragic
0:10:43 > 0:10:47mistakes made over a decade ago?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Well, I am grateful to my honourable friend for his question.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I can certainly give that assurance.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55We will have plenty of time this afternoon to discuss the
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Chilcot Report and Sir John Chilcot is on his feet at the moment,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01explaining what he has found.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I think the most important thing we can
0:11:03 > 0:11:07do is to really learn the lessons for the future.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09The lessons that he lays out, quite clearly.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12We will obviously want to spend a lot of time, I'm sure,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14talking about the decisions on going to war
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and all the rest of it.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19The most important thing for all of us is to make sure we
0:11:19 > 0:11:21find out how to make sure Government works
0:11:21 > 0:11:22better, legal advice is
0:11:22 > 0:11:24considered better, those things are the best legacy
0:11:24 > 0:11:29we can sit from this whole thing.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30Angus Robertson.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Today is hugely important for Muslims at
0:11:34 > 0:11:36home and abroad at the end of Ramadan.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I am sure we wish them all Eid Mubarak.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Our thoughts today are
0:11:42 > 0:11:45with those who have died in Iraq, and the families of those in Iraq
0:11:46 > 0:11:48who have lost loved ones.
0:11:48 > 0:11:58The Chilcot Report confirms that in 2002,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Tony Blair wrote to President Bush, saying, "I will be with
0:12:01 > 0:12:04you whatever."
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Does the Prime Minister understand why the families of the
0:12:07 > 0:12:10dead and the injured a UK service personnel,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, feel they were deceived
0:12:12 > 0:12:19about the reasons for going to war in Iraq?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21First of all, let me join the right honourable gentleman in
0:12:21 > 0:12:23wishing Muslims in this country and all over
0:12:23 > 0:12:24the world Eid Mubarak at
0:12:24 > 0:12:25the end of Ramadan.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28In terms of the report, we will discuss it in detail
0:12:28 > 0:12:32later, and I don't want to pre-empt all of the things I will say in my
0:12:32 > 0:12:33statement.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Clearly, we need to learn the lessons of the report, we need
0:12:36 > 0:12:38to study it carefully.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40It is millions of words, thousands of
0:12:40 > 0:12:42pages.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I think we should save our remarks for when we debated in the
0:12:45 > 0:12:46house after the statement.
0:12:46 > 0:12:53The Chilcot Report catalogues the failures in planning for
0:12:53 > 0:12:56post-conflict Iraq and then concludes that, and I quote, "The UK
0:12:56 > 0:13:01did not achieve its objectives."
0:13:01 > 0:13:04That lack of planning has also been evident in relation to Afghanistan,
0:13:04 > 0:13:12Libya, Syria and, most recently, with no plan whatsoever, for Brexit.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17When will the UK Government actually start learning from the mistakes of
0:13:17 > 0:13:21the past, so we are not condemned to repeat them in future?
0:13:21 > 0:13:26First of all, he is right that what Sir John
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Chilcot says about the failure to plan is very, very clear.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31I can read from his statement, that is
0:13:31 > 0:13:32something he has given.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35He says when the invasion began, UK policy rested
0:13:35 > 0:13:38on an assumption that there would be a well executed, US lead and UN
0:13:38 > 0:13:40authorised operation in a relatively benign environment.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43He told the inquiry that the difficulties have
0:13:43 > 0:13:48been known in advance, Mr Blair.
0:13:48 > 0:13:55What I would say to the right honourable gentleman in terms of
0:13:55 > 0:13:58planning is what I put in place, following
0:13:58 > 0:14:00what happened in Iraq, a National Security Council,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02a properly staffed and national
0:14:02 > 0:14:08Security Secretariat, all of those things,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12including listening to expert advice on a National Security
0:14:12 > 0:14:13Council, all of those things are
0:14:13 > 0:14:16designed to avoid the problems that the government have in the case
0:14:17 > 0:14:21of Iraq.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The only point I would make is that, actually, there is no set of
0:14:24 > 0:14:26arrangements and plans that can provide perfection in any of
0:14:26 > 0:14:27these cases.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Military intervention, we can argue whether it is ever justified,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I believe it is.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Military intervention is always difficult.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Planning for the aftermath, that is always difficult.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I don't think in this house we should be naive in any
0:14:42 > 0:14:46way that there is a perfect set of plans or a perfect set of
0:14:46 > 0:14:48arrangements that can solve these problems in perpetuity.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49There aren't.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54Would my right honourable friend join me in congratulating
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Southend Council, once again under the control of the Conservative
0:14:56 > 0:15:04Party, for swiftly acting to sort out the mess left by the previous,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08hopeless administration?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12And would he agree with me that Southend-on-Sea, being the
0:15:12 > 0:15:15alternative City of Culture next year, will produce a considerable
0:15:15 > 0:15:20boost to the local economy?
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Let me pay tribute to my honourable friend
0:15:22 > 0:15:24for his long-standing efforts to promote
0:15:25 > 0:15:26Southend and all it has to offer.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29While Hull is the official City of Culture next year, I am sure
0:15:29 > 0:15:32that Southend will benefit from the tireless campaign he has run.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I join him in encouraging people to go and
0:15:35 > 0:15:39see this excellent seaside town for themselves.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Is the Prime Minister aware that two miles
0:15:43 > 0:15:46north of Shire Brooke, already
0:15:46 > 0:15:50mentioned today, is a town called Bolsover and at the same time they
0:15:50 > 0:16:00were seeing the notices on the bus saying ?350 million for the NHS.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07At that time, they decided this government, with the help of the
0:16:07 > 0:16:14local people, to close the hospital Bolsover.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16We need the beds.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I'm sure he understands that.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22When the hospital is closed, it is gone forever.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I want him here today to use a little bit of
0:16:25 > 0:16:30that money, not very much, to save the Bolsover hospital,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34save the beds, save the jobs,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and the press might have a headline
0:16:38 > 0:16:44saying, "The Prime Minister, Dodgy Dave, assists the Beast
0:16:44 > 0:16:47to save the Bolsover hospital".
0:16:47 > 0:16:50What a temptation!
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Save it!
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I will look very carefully.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I don't have the information about the exact situation
0:16:59 > 0:17:00at the Bolsover hospital.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I'll look at it very carefully and write to him.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06What I would say is that we are putting ?19 billion extra
0:17:06 > 0:17:08into the NHS in this Parliament.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11As for what was on the side of buses and all the rest of it,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13my argument has always been, and will always be,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18that it is a strong economy you require to fund the NHS.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Last week I held my first apprenticeships fair
0:17:21 > 0:17:26in my constituency.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Does my right honourable friend agree with me that apprenticeships
0:17:28 > 0:17:32are an absolutely vital part of economic development in
0:17:32 > 0:17:36our proud Northern towns and cities?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39She is absolutely right and that's why we've set the target
0:17:39 > 0:17:41for 3 million apprentices in this Parliament.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I think it is achievable, just as we achieved the 2 million
0:17:43 > 0:17:46apprentices trained in the last Parliament, and I wish her well
0:17:46 > 0:17:49with what I hope is the first of many apprenticeship fairs
0:17:49 > 0:17:52in her constituency.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Mr Speaker, before I ask my question, can I thank
0:17:56 > 0:18:00the Prime Minister for the support he gave my campaign about getting
0:18:00 > 0:18:04an enquiry into the drug Primodos,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07which was given to pregnant women in the '60s and '70s,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10resulting in thousands of babies being born with deformities.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14I thank him for supporting that campaign.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Our universities, the global success stories, outward looking,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23open for business with the world, and attracting the brightest
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and the best students and researchers to produce
0:18:26 > 0:18:30ground-breaking research from cancer to climate change.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33In the last year, UK universities have received...
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I need a single sentence question.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Forgive me, but there are a lot of other colleagues
0:18:39 > 0:18:42who want to take part.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The university has received ?836 million last year.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48What assurances can the Prime Minister give us
0:18:48 > 0:18:53that in light of the fact that we are now out of the EU,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55that money will be saved?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58First of all, let me thank the honourable lady for her thanks
0:18:58 > 0:19:00because she has raised this case of Primodos
0:19:00 > 0:19:02many times and I can tell her that
0:19:02 > 0:19:04the Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency has been
0:19:04 > 0:19:07gathering evidence for a review by an expert working group
0:19:07 > 0:19:10on medicines and they have met on three occasions, so I think
0:19:10 > 0:19:11we're making progress.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12The point she makes about universities -
0:19:12 > 0:19:17until Britain leaves the EU, we get the full amount of funding under
0:19:17 > 0:19:20the Horizons and other programmes, as you would expect.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22All contracts under that have to be fulfilled,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25but it will be for a future government, as it negotiates
0:19:25 > 0:19:28the exit from the EU, to make sure that we domestically
0:19:28 > 0:19:30continue to fund our universities in a way that makes sure
0:19:30 > 0:19:35they continue to lead the world.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39As my right honourable friend will know, the potential closure
0:19:39 > 0:19:42of the BHS store in Torquay town centre with the loss of over
0:19:42 > 0:19:46100 jobs as again raised the need for urgent, major regeneration
0:19:46 > 0:19:50of town centres across the Tor Bay.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Would he outline what support will be made available
0:19:52 > 0:19:56by the Government to ensure plans can be taken forward?
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It is worth making the point that it is a very sad moment
0:19:59 > 0:20:03for those BHS staff who have worked so long for that business.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05For them, it wasn't simply a high-street brand,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09it was a job, it was a way of life, it was a means of preparing
0:20:09 > 0:20:11for their retirement and their pensions and we must do
0:20:11 > 0:20:15all we can to help them and find them new work and there are many
0:20:15 > 0:20:18vacancies in the retail sector, and we must make sure we help
0:20:18 > 0:20:20them to get those jobs.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22What we've done in terms of high streets
0:20:22 > 0:20:23is around ?18 million has gone to towns
0:20:23 > 0:20:26through a number of initiatives and we should keep those up,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29because keeping our town centres vibrant is so vital, but this sits
0:20:29 > 0:20:32alongside the biggest ever cut in business rates in England,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36worth some ?6.7 billion in the next five years, and I think we need
0:20:36 > 0:20:39to say to those on our high streets to make the most
0:20:39 > 0:20:43of that business rate cut.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47One of my constituents who I've been working with for some time has
0:20:47 > 0:20:50had her mobility cart removed after falling victim
0:20:50 > 0:20:54to a flawed PIP assessment by Atos.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56After the involvement of my office, Atos have since
0:20:56 > 0:20:58admitted their error, and yet my vulnerable constituent
0:20:58 > 0:21:01still remains housebound and without a suitable car.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Will the Prime Minister offer his full assistance
0:21:03 > 0:21:05to rectify this cruel situation,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and will he look again at the regulations which allowed
0:21:08 > 0:21:11this situation to occur in the first place?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Let me congratulate the honourable lady for taking up
0:21:13 > 0:21:14this constituency case.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Many of us have done exactly the same thing with constituents
0:21:17 > 0:21:20who have had assessments that haven't turned out to be accurate.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23If she gives me the details, I'll look at the specific case
0:21:23 > 0:21:28and see what can be done.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30A report recently commissioned by Transport For the North,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34a body created by this Government, highlights the opportunity to halt
0:21:34 > 0:21:37the growing divide between North and South and create
0:21:37 > 0:21:42850,000 new jobs and ?97 billion of economic growth by 2050.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Does he agree that to build on our economic prosperity, we need
0:21:47 > 0:21:50to continue to rebalance infrastructure spending from London
0:21:50 > 0:21:55to the regions, particularly to the North of England?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I think he is absolutely right.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00What that report shows is if we don't take the necessary
0:22:00 > 0:22:04actions, you are going to see a continued North-South divide
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and that's why we are committed, for instance, to seeing increased
0:22:06 > 0:22:10spending on transport infrastructure go up by 50%
0:22:10 > 0:22:13to ?61 billion in this Parliament,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and in my right honourable friend's area, for example,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18we're spending ?380 million
0:22:18 > 0:22:20upgrading the A1 from Leeming to Barton,
0:22:20 > 0:22:26which will be a big boost for the local economy.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I recently met a constituent whose husband,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Andy Tsege, a British citizen,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32has been on Ethiopia's death row for over two years.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Andy was kidnapped while travelling in illegally rendered Ethiopia.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39He was sentenced to death six years ago at a trial he was neither
0:22:39 > 0:22:44present at, nor able to present any defence whatsoever,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47in direct contravention of international law.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Given he has been denied access to his wife and children,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52spent a year in solitary confinement and has had no access
0:22:52 > 0:22:53to legal representation,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56recent reports suggest he is suicidal.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Prime Minister, in your final weeks in office,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Will you finally demand the immediate release of Andy Tsege
0:23:02 > 0:23:08and bring him home to be reunited with his wife and children?
0:23:08 > 0:23:10What I can assure the honourable gentleman about is that
0:23:10 > 0:23:13we are taking a very close interest in this case.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The Foreign Secretary was in Ethiopia recently,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17our consul has been able to meet with Mr Tsege
0:23:18 > 0:23:20on a number of occasions
0:23:20 > 0:23:24and we are working with him and the Ethiopian Government
0:23:24 > 0:23:27to try to get this resolved.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30One of the reports that perhaps won't get so much
0:23:30 > 0:23:33attention is the CQC report into North Middlesex Hospital,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37which confirms that emergency care is inadequate.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Why has it taken so many years, and why does it need regulators
0:23:40 > 0:23:42to know what many of my constituents will know,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45that there has been inadequate care for too long,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47too few doctors, too few consultants?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Can the Prime Minister assure me that we now have in place the right
0:23:50 > 0:23:53plans, the right numbers of doctors and consultants to ensure
0:23:53 > 0:23:56that my constituents get the care they deserve?
0:23:56 > 0:24:00I think he raises an important point, which is that I do think
0:24:00 > 0:24:04the CQC is now acting effectively at getting into hospitals,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08finding bad practice, reporting on it swiftly.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11In some cases that bad practice has always been there, but we haven't
0:24:11 > 0:24:14been as effective as we should have been at shining a light on it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17What we have seen at North Middlesex is one of the busiest emergency
0:24:17 > 0:24:20departments in the country, the practice was unacceptable.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23We've now got a new clinical director at the trust,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27additional senior doctors in A and a change in governance.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Under this Government, we have been the ones that have
0:24:29 > 0:24:32set up the role of the Chief Inspector of Hospitals
0:24:32 > 0:24:35to have a zero tolerance approach to practice like this and make sure
0:24:35 > 0:24:38things are put right.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has stated
0:24:42 > 0:24:46he wants the UK to borrow tens of billions of pounds to create
0:24:46 > 0:24:49a Growing Britain Fund worth up to 100 billion.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Can I ask the PM whether this is a formal plan or whether this
0:24:52 > 0:24:54is merely an attempt to conjure up a plan
0:24:54 > 0:24:58amid a leadership vacuum of the UK Government?
0:24:58 > 0:25:01We are spending billions of pounds on the British economy
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and on investment, as I have just shown, and that has clear
0:25:04 > 0:25:06consequences under the Barnett formula for Scotland,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10but clearly my colleagues, during a leadership election,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and at least on this side of the House,
0:25:12 > 0:25:13we're actually having a leadership election,
0:25:13 > 0:25:18rather than the sort of never-ending...
0:25:18 > 0:25:23I thought you wanted one. You don't want one?
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Hands up who wants a leadership election!
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Oh, they don't want a leadership election!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I'm so confused.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36One minute it is like the Eagle is going to swoop, and the next
0:25:36 > 0:25:39minute it is Eddie the Eagle at the top of the ski jump,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41not knowing whether to go or not.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Anyway, in case you hadn't noticed, we're having a leadership election.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Right from the start, this United Kingdom has been
0:25:48 > 0:25:51an outward looking, international trading nation.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55I'm very glad to see the Trade Minister, Lord Price...
0:25:55 > 0:25:58The honourable gentleman the Member for Worcester is entitled to be
0:25:58 > 0:26:04heard and his constituents are entitled to be represented.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I'm glad to see the Trade Minister out in Hong Kong today, talking up
0:26:07 > 0:26:10the prospects for investment in the British economy, but what
0:26:10 > 0:26:13steps can the Prime Minister take to bolster the resources available
0:26:13 > 0:26:16to UKTI and the Foreign Office to make sure we attract as much
0:26:16 > 0:26:19trade and investment in the wider world is possible?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21He makes an important point,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and a very clear instruction has gone out
0:26:24 > 0:26:26to all our embassies around the world, to UKTI,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and ministers are very clear about this,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31that we should be doing all we can to engage as hard as we can
0:26:31 > 0:26:34with other parts of the world, to start to think
0:26:34 > 0:26:36about those trade deals, those investment deals
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and the inward investment we want to see in the UK.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Business is very clear to us as well.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Whether they agree or disagree
0:26:43 > 0:26:44with the decision the country has made,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47they know we've got to go on and make the most
0:26:47 > 0:26:49of the opportunities we have.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55With the real prospect of a recession on the horizon,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59the offer from the Chancellor is cutting corporation tax,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03yet companies' worry is whether they will make a profit
0:27:03 > 0:27:07in the UK, not how much tax they are going to pay on it.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10So can the Prime Minister tell us what immediate action his Government
0:27:10 > 0:27:16will take to protect people's jobs and livelihoods right now?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Immediate action has been taken, not least the Bank of England
0:27:19 > 0:27:24decision to encourage bank lending by changing the reserve asset ratios
0:27:24 > 0:27:27that they insist on, and I think that's very important,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30because that's a short-term measure that can have some early effect.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Clearly what the Chancellor was talking about is now
0:27:33 > 0:27:36we are in this new situation, we need to make sure
0:27:36 > 0:27:39that we configure all our policies to take advantage of the situation
0:27:39 > 0:27:41that we're going to be in, and that's going to mean
0:27:41 > 0:27:45changes to taxes, changes to the way UKTI works,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48there's going to be a change in focus for the Foreign Office
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and the Business Department.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53All these things we can make a start on, irrespective of the fact
0:27:53 > 0:27:57that she and I were on the same side of the referendum campaign.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Further to my honourable friend from Worcester's question
0:28:00 > 0:28:02about UKTI, may I remind the Prime Minister that
0:28:02 > 0:28:06next Monday, the greatest airshow in the world takes place
0:28:06 > 0:28:09at Farnborough in my constituency, to which all honourable
0:28:09 > 0:28:14and right honourable members are expected to attend!
0:28:14 > 0:28:16And may I remind my right honourable friend that last time,
0:28:16 > 0:28:22two years ago, deals worth $201 billion were signed
0:28:22 > 0:28:23at the Farnborough Airshow.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25May I therefore prevail upon my right honourable friend,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28who may have just a little bit time on his hands,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31to come and open the show on Monday and encourage
0:28:31 > 0:28:32all other ministers to attend?
0:28:32 > 0:28:36I think I'm one of the first Prime Ministers in a while to attend
0:28:36 > 0:28:39the Farnborough Airshow and I'm very happy to announce that I will be
0:28:39 > 0:28:42going back there this year, because I think it's very important.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45We have the second largest aerospace industry in the world
0:28:45 > 0:28:48after the United States, and it is a brilliant moment
0:28:48 > 0:28:51to showcase that industry to the rest of the world
0:28:51 > 0:28:54and to clinch some important export deals, both in the military
0:28:54 > 0:28:57and in the civilian space, and I will always do everything
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I can, whether in this job or in future, to help support
0:29:00 > 0:29:02British industry in that way.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have recently
0:29:08 > 0:29:10joined the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
0:29:10 > 0:29:12in expressing serious concerns
0:29:12 > 0:29:15about this Tory Government's brutal welfare cuts.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17How much more international condemnation would it take
0:29:17 > 0:29:21before this Prime Minister scraps his reggressive two-child policy
0:29:21 > 0:29:25and scraps his rape clause?
0:29:25 > 0:29:28We've seen under this Government many more people in work,
0:29:28 > 0:29:29many more households...
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Many fewer households where no-one works and many fewer households
0:29:33 > 0:29:40where there are children where no-one works.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44All of this has been a huge success, but she and her party now have
0:29:44 > 0:29:46the opportunity, now we've made some huge
0:29:46 > 0:29:48devolution proposals, including in the area of welfare,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51if you don't feel that what we're doing on a UK basis...
0:29:51 > 0:29:53I don't know why you're all shouting.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55You're getting these powers.
0:29:55 > 0:30:03Instead of whingeing endlessly, start to use them!
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Sir John Chilcot finds that the only people who come out
0:30:06 > 0:30:09of the 2003 invasion of Iraq well are servicemen and civilians.
0:30:09 > 0:30:17Will the Prime Minister look at how he can make sure that the precedent
0:30:17 > 0:30:20he set last autumn for transparency and scrutiny ahead of military
0:30:20 > 0:30:23action becomes the norm for his successor?
0:30:23 > 0:30:26I think we have now got a set of arrangements and also a set
0:30:26 > 0:30:30of conventions that put the country in a stronger position.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34I think it is now a clear convention that we have a vote in this House,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36which we did on Iraq, before premeditated military action,
0:30:36 > 0:30:41but it is also important that we have a properly constituted
0:30:41 > 0:30:45National Security Council, proper receipt of legal advice,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49a summary of that legal advice provided to the House of Commons,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53as we did both in the case of Libya and Iraq, and I think these things
0:30:53 > 0:30:56are growing up to be a set of conventions that will work
0:30:56 > 0:30:58for our country, but let me repeat again, even the best rules
0:30:58 > 0:31:02and conventions of the world doesn't mean that you always going to be
0:31:02 > 0:31:04confronted by easy decisions or ones that don't have
0:31:04 > 0:31:08very difficult consequences.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12The Prime Minister will no doubt be aware of my constituent
0:31:12 > 0:31:17Pauline Cafferkey, a nurse who contracted Ebola
0:31:17 > 0:31:23in Sierra Leone in 2014, when there as part of the DFID
0:31:23 > 0:31:25organised response to the outbreak.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30She and around 200 other NHS volunteers have not received
0:31:30 > 0:31:36an equivalent bonus of ?4,000 that was awarded to
0:31:36 > 0:31:38250 Public Health England staff.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with me to discuss how DFID
0:31:43 > 0:31:47can rectify this situation?
0:31:47 > 0:31:49I'm very pleased the honourable lady raises this issue.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Pauline Cafferkey is one of the bravest people I've ever met
0:31:52 > 0:31:54and it was a great privilege to have her come
0:31:54 > 0:31:55to Number Ten Downing Sreet,
0:31:55 > 0:31:58and I'm proud of the fact that she and many others,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02I believe, have received a medal for working in Sierra Leone.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04It is something Britain should be incredibly proud of.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07We took the decision to partner with that country to deal with Ebola
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and it is now Ebola free.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12I will look specifically into the issue of the bonus.
0:32:12 > 0:32:21I wasn't aware of that issue and I will get back to her about it.