01/02/2017 Prime Minister's Questions

Questions to the Prime Minister. Mr Peter Heaton Jones.

Question number one, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I'm sure the whole House will join me in offering our condolences

to the families and friends of those who lost their lives

and were injured in the gun attack in Quebec city on Sunday,

and also in paying tribute to our former colleague Tam Dalyell

who died last Friday.

He was an outstanding parliamentarian,

and I'm sure that our thoughts are with his friends and family.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others,

and I shall have further such meetings later today.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I associate myself with the tribute paid to the victims in Canada

and to the family of Tam Dalyell.

Mr Speaker, North Devon is quite rightly concerned that the current

review of health services across the county may result

in the loss of some acute services at our hospital in Barnstaple.

For some residents, the nearest alternative

could be three hours away.

Will my right honourable friend assure me that she will listen

carefully to those concerns, because I want to be able

to say to North Devon that we are the party of the NHS?

I thank my honourable friend for his question.

I can reassure him that this Government is absolutely committed

to ensuring the best possible health care for patients right

across the country.

I recognise that there are concerns that have been expressed locally

about the North Devon District Hospital.

I understand that there are no specific proposals at the moment,

but I know that the input of local communities will remain

crucial throughout the process.

And I can assure him that of course it is this party in Government

that is putting in the extra funding into the NHS and showing

how we value it.

Jeremy Corbyn.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I joined the Prime Minister in offering condolences to all those

who died in the horrific attack, fuelled by hate, in Qu bec.

I think we should send our solidarity to everybody in Canada

on this sad occasion.

May I also associate myself with the tribute

to the former member

for West Lothian, Tam Dalyell.

A former Father of the House, he sought to expose

official wrongdoing and cover-ups, from the miners' strike to Iraq.

I'm sure that the Prime Minister would agree with me that his

scrutiny and contributions made this House a better place.

scrutiny and contributions made this House a better place.

And can I recommend to all members his autobiography,

The Importance Of Being Awkward.

LAUGHTER

And I'm quite happy, Mr Speaker, to offer my copy

to the Secretary of State for Brexit to have a good read of it.

I'm sure he's probably already read it.

Mr Speaker, at last week's Prime Minister's Questions,

the Prime Minister told the House, "I'm not afraid to speak

"frankly to the President of the United States."

What happened?

Well, first of all, can I say to the right honourable gentleman

that I wasn't aware of the book that he's referred to, but I suspect,

given the number of resignations he's had from his front bench,

that some of his colleagues have indeed read that book!

I'm happy to say to the right honourable gentleman that

when I visited the United States, I'm pleased to say that I was able

to build on the relationship we have with our

most important ally.

And to get some very significant commitments from President Trump.

And crucial among those was a 100% commitment to Nato -

Nato, which keeps us safe and Europe safe too.

Mr Speaker, Downing Street has not denied that the Prime Minister

was told by the White House that the executive order on travel

to the US was imminent.

So let's be clear: Was the Prime Minister told

about the ban during her visit, and did she try to persuade

President Trump otherwise?

First of all, on the policy that President Trump has introduced,

this Government is clear that that policy is wrong.

We wouldn't do it.

In six years as Home Secretary, I never introduced such a policy.

We believe it is divisive, and wrong.

If he's asking me whether I had advance notice of the ban

on refugees, the answer is no.

If he's asking me if I had advance notice that the executive order

could affect British citizens, the answer is no.

If he's asking if I had advance notice of the travel restrictions,

the answer is, we all did, because President Trump said

he was going to do this, in his election campaign.

The question... The question is how you respond.

The job of Government...

the job of Government is not to chase the headlines.

The job of Government...

The job of Government is not a trait to the streets in protest.

The job of Government is not to take to the streets in protest,

the job of Government is to protect the interests of British citizens,

and that's exactly what we did.

Mr Speaker, on the day after the executive order was made

to ban refugees and visitors from seven predominantly Muslim

countries, why did she three times refuse to condemn the ban then?

I've made very clear, very clear, that we believe this policy

is divisive and wrong.

It's not a policy that we would introduce.

And I've also made very clear when asked about this

that this Government has

a very different approach to these issues.

On refugees, this Government has a proud record of the support

that we have given to refugees, and long may it continue.

Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister said the United States

is responsible for United States policy on refugees.

But surely it is the responsibility of all of us to defend

the 1951 Refugee Convention, which commits this country,

the United States, and 142 other states to accept refugees

without regard to their race, religion or country of origin.

President Trump has breached that convention.

Why didn't she speak out?

First of all, I've made absolutely clear what the Goverment's

view on this policy is.

Secondly, as I've just said, this Government has a proud record,

and this country has a proud record, of how it welcomes refugees.

We have over the last recent years, we've introduced the very particular

scheme to ensure that particularly vulnerable refugees in Syria can be

brought to this country, and something like 10,000 Syrian

refugees have come to this country since the conflict began.

We are also the second biggest bilateral donor,

helping and supporting refugees in the region.

That is what we are doing.

I have said that the policy is wrong,

we would take a different view on we will continue to welcome

refugees to this country.

Mr Speaker, I also wrote to the Prime Minister on this issue,

and I received a reply this morning.

I hold in my hand her piece of paper.

She makes no mention of the Refugee Convention,

nor condemns the US actions in this respect.

Mr Speaker, last week I also asked the Prime Minister to assure

the House that in any United States trade deal, she would not offer

up our National Health Service as a bargaining chip.

She gave no answer, when asked in the US she also refused to rule

it out, so let's ask her a third time -

will she rule out opening up our National Health Service

to private US health care companies?

Yes or no?

Mr Speaker, I could give a detailed answer to the right honourable

gentleman's question, but I think a simple

and straightforward reply is what is required.

The NHS is not for sale, and it never will be.

I hope, Mr Speaker, that includes not having US health care companies

coming in to run any part of our National Health Service.

Mr Speaker, President Trump has torn up international

agreements on refugees.

He's threatened to dump international agreements

on climate change.

He's praised the use of torture.

He's incited hatred against Muslims, he is directly

attacked women's rights.

Just what more does President Trump have to do,

before the Prime Minister will listen to the 1.8 million

people who have already called for his state visit invitation to be

withdrawn?

The right honourable gentleman's foreign policy

is to object to and insult the democratically elected head

of state of our most important ally.

Let's just see what he would have achieved in the last week.

Would he have been able to protect British citizens from the impact

of the executive order? No.

Would he have been able to lay the foundations of a trade deal?

No.

Would he have got a 100% commitment to Nato?

No.

That's what Labour has to offer this country.

Less protection for British citizens, less prosperous,

less safe.

He can lead a protest - I'M leading a country.

Order, order.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Today, it is inconceivable that somebody would be prosecuted

because of who and what they are.

Would my right honourable friend join me in welcoming

to the Goverment's Turing Bill

that was enacted yesterday, and encourage those who are still

alive to come forward so that their are injustices can be overturned?

I'm very happy to join my honourable friend in welcoming what I believe

is an extremely important change to the law.

We made a manifesto commitment to it, we have now delivered on it.

Passing Turing's Law has been a long-standing

commitment for the Government.

It is momentous, it does take action to right the wrongs of the past,

and like my right honourable friend, I would certainly encourage

those still alive to apply to the Home Office

to have their references disregarded.

We on these benches associate ourselves with all the comments thus

far on the tragic deaths in Qu bec city and on the

passing of Tam Dalyell.

The respect for him was held across the political parties,

and he served with great distinction for more than 40 years.

The Prime Minister had a very successful international

visit in this last week,

to Ireland.

And there she spoke publicly about her commitment,

it's very important I think, the commitment not to have a hard

border on these islands,

that there should continue to be free movement of peoples on these

islands, and trade should be protected and enhanced.

So given that people will be watching this not just in Britain

but also in Ireland, would she take the opportunity

to explain how she will deliver these sensible

and important outcomes?

These are absolutely the outcomes that we want to see.

I was very pleased to meet with the Taoiseach, and to discuss

with him the joint intent that both his government and mine have to

ensure that we don't see a return to the borders of the past

in Northern Ireland,

and just to say that of course we focus on the land border

that is between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,

and of course the issue of movements from Ireland does in effect other

and of course the issue of movements from Ireland does affect other

places as well, such as port in Wales.

So it is an important issue for us, and we have agreed the work

we are going to do together to deliver what I believe

will be as frictionless as possible a border,

and also one of the objectives that I set out in my plan

for our negotiating objectives is to retain the Common travel area.

for our negotiating objectives is to retain the common travel area.

We welcome what the Prime Minister has had to say on these issues

and we welcome the intensifying of negotiations between the UK

government and the devolved administrations ahead of triggering

Article 50.

So the Prime Minister is very helpfully explained

that it is perfectly possible for parts of these islands to be

in the single market, without hard borders, with free movement

of people and at the same time protect and enhance

trade with one another.

This is very, very welcome, Mr Speaker.

So, will the Prime Minister give a commitment to work with the Irish

government and a commitment to work with the Scottish government

to deliver all of these things?

Or will we just have to get on with it ourselves?

First of all, the right honourable gentleman is right that

following the meeting of the plenary session on Monday morning we did

agree to an intensification of discussion on issues related

to the bringing back of powers from Brussels,

and as to where those powers should lie within the United Kingdom,

and to intensify that in the run-up to the triggering of Article

50 and beyond the triggering of Article 50.

On the other question, I'm afraid he really should listen

to the answers that are given because he's trying to imply

something that isn't there.

Yes.

We are very clear that we want to see a frictionless border

between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

But I'm also clear that one of the objectives of our negotiation

is to see as frictionless a border as possible between

the United Kingdom and the rest of the European Union.

If he is so worried about having a frictionless

border between Scotland and countries in the European Union,

he shouldn't want to see Scotland independent and take it out

of the European Union.

Order!

We shouldn't have to allow for the reaction to every answer

from the SNP benches before we proceed to the next question.

Mrs Maria Miller.

EU nationals provide a vital and expert service

in my local hospital in Basingstoke.

Along with thousands of others, they face an uncertain future.

I know this is something the Prime Minister wants to give

priority to in sorting out.

Will we be hearing more about it in the forthcoming White Paper?

My right honourable friend makes an important point.

I would like to confirm my intention and expectation that we will be able

to offer that reassurance to EU nationals in the UK.

I do also want to see reassurance offered to UK nationals in the EU.

I will be working to ensure this is an issue we can deal

with at an early stage in the negotiations.

It was one of the objectives I set out in the plan.

It will be referenced in the White Paper which will be published.

I can inform my right honourable friend and the House

that that White Paper will be published tomorrow.

Prime Minister, your responses today have been deeply unsatisfactory.

The president of the United States...

has advocated torture, misogyny, racial discrimination,

sexual assault, isolationism.

The leaders of Canada and Germany responded robustly but your response

was to jump on a plane as soon as possible to hold his hand.

Mr Speaker, doesn't this country deserve our leader willing to stand

up for British values?

Order!

I have issued no response and the honourable gentleman not

only shouldn't breach parliamentary protocol,

but he shouldn't tempt me.

The Prime Minister.

I will tell you what standing up for British values is.

I and this government introduced the first modern slavery

act in this country.

I have ensured that stop and search is reduced because I don't believe

that anybody on the streets of this country should be stopped

and searched because of the colour of their skin.

And I ensured justice for the families of Hillsborough.

In light of the fact that most of the countries covered

by the Trump ban have total exclusion of Israeli

visitors, shouldn't the protestors

be calling for that banned to be lifted?

I thank my right honourable friend for pointing this out.

It is absolutely right that this House should be aware

of the discrimination and the band that exists around the world,

particularly for those who are Israeli citizens.

We don't agree with that approach.

And it is not an approach we shall be taking.

I wait for the day when the right honourable gentleman opposite stance

up and condemns it, too.

Mr Speaker, a constituent of mine suffered a bleed

on the brain in 2012.

She has struggled to work since but was due

to retire in December.

Due to changes to state pension retirement age,

she will not retire until 2022.

This injustice has short-changed 2.2 million WASPI women and brought

shame to this government.

Will the Prime Minister look again and support Diana and the millions

of women who deserve fairness in retirement?

The issue of those who are known as the WASPI women,

to refer the honourable gentleman to the fact we did commit over

?1 billion to lessen the impact on those affected, so no one

will see their pension age changed by more than 18 months.

But we do have to be realistic and looking at pension ages,

but the fact that people are living longer.

If we want a sustainable pension system, we need to equalise

the state pension age faster and bring forward the rise.

I welcome the ?450 million announced in the Autumn Statement to fund

a trial for the pilot of the digital railway.

Given the new fleet of trains on order and the economic

growth opportunity that exists for our region, does

the Prime Minister agree with me that the Great

Eastern Mainline represents the most compelling

case for that pilot?

My honourable friend is right about what he says

about the importance of transport links for economic growth.

I understand digital signalling could increase

capacity by up to 40%.

Hence the investment he refers to.

I know that the Department for Transport is looking currently

at where those trials should take place.

But we certainly recognise that the Great Eastern Mainline

is one of the areas that could benefit.

A few moments ago the Prime Minister tried to claim credit for passing

Stonewall's Turing Bill.

She didn't.

The bill pardons all gay men found guilty of crimes no longer

on the statute book.

So, when will the Prime Minister follow the Scottish government

and pardon automatically the living as well as the dead?

When I was Home Secretary the legislation was introduced that

gives the opportunity for those who are alive to apply

to the Home Office to have those offences that are no

longer on the statute book expunged from their record.

The honourable gentleman says they are not doing it.

My honourable friend the member for Pudsey and I have both,

in this chamber today,

encouraged people to come forward and make that application.

That is a message we should all give.

At the White House, my right honourable friend gained some

assurances from President Trump about his commitment

to Nato, an achievement welcomed by the governments

the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania.

Does my right honourable friend agree with me that the way to engage

with President Trump and win such agreements is by not

insulting our close ally, but by bringing him close,

and not doing as the leader of the Opposition demands,

that we reject our closest ally?

Would this not leave Britain and our European partners less

safe and less secure?

My honourable friend is absolutely right in the points he makes.

We should never forget that America is our most important ally.

It is a long-standing relationship.

American men and women served alongside and died alongside UK

men and women in two world wars to protect our security

and the security of Europe.

If we were not able to have that relationship and see that commitment

to Nato, particularly, we would leave this country

and Europe less safe.

Many were surprised that immediately after those cosy

images with Donald Trump, the Prime Minister chose to meet

with the Turkish president, who has been running an increasingly

repressive regime since the failed coup last summer.

Could the Prime Minister confirm whether she raised any human rights

concerns with President Erdogan?

Will it be the policy of post-Brexit Britain to put arms deals before

human rights abuses?

First of all, I think the honourable lady should recognise that Turkey

is an important country in relation to both our security and the issue

of migration into Turkey and potentially into Europe.

Turkey has, and continues to host, three million refugees from Syria.

I commended the Turkish government on the welcome they have

given those refugees.

And, yes, I did raise and I suggest to the honourable lady she should

just have looked at the press conference I gave after my

discussions with President Erdogan and Prime Minister Yildirim

and again, in which I made it clear

that we had condemned the coup but we also expected the Turkish

government to support its democratic institutions, to support

international human rights and the rule of law.

I wholeheartedly congratulate my right honourable friend

in securing 100% for Nato from the new US administration.

Can my right honourable friend outline what she is doing

to persuade our other Nato allies

of the importance of achieving the Nato Wales Summit 2014 on

their obligations?

Can I thank my honourable friend for the work he does

on the Nato Parliamentary Assembly.

I know he is fully engaged with that.

He is right, there are commitments that have been made.

At the Nato Summit in Wales in 2014, all our Nato allies committed

to spending 2% of their GDP on defence within a decade.

We have seen progress but I agree with President Trump that many

allies need to go further.

I can assure my honourable friend that I and other ministers

across government raise this issue regularly with our allies

and partners and will continue to do so.

Last week's London air pollution was worse than that of Beijing's.

So, will the Prime Minister assure me and my constituents in Osterley,

Brentford, and Chiswick, that the hugely expensive proposal

to double the capacity of the M4 as it arrives in London

will be shelved forthwith?

The issue of air quality is one this government takes seriously.

Quite a lot of work has been done since 2011.

Over ?2 billion has been committed to enable,

for example, bus operators to upgrade their fleets.

But we do recognise that more needs to be done.

We have seen a reduction in nitrous oxide -

17% in recent years -

but we will be bringing forward proposals to ensure we can

maintain the air quality that we all want to see.

As a fellow Berkshire member of Parliament, will my right

honourable friend the show her support for Brighter Berkshire,

the campaign that is part of the 2017 Europe mental health,

and give her continued commitments to ensure we have parity

between mental health and physical health in this country?

I am very happy to endorse the campaign that my honourable

friend has referred to.

I think it is important that we continue to raise awareness

of the issues around mental health.

And the fact the government has committed to this parity of esteem

between mental health and physical health is important.

There is more for us to do on mental health.

I have set out some steps we need to take.

But I commend all those working to raise awareness of mental health

and provide support to those with mental health problems.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services have said

that 4.6 billion has been cut from social care budgets since 2010.

Does the Prime Minister take any responsibility for the pain

and the distress that the Tories have inflicted on poor

vulnerable old people being denied their rightful care?

Yes or no?

This government has taken a number of steps to increase the funding

available for local authorities to provide for social care.

I also believe it is important that we do ensure best practice

is being developed and put into place across the country.

There are some parts of the country where the record on social care,

and the interaction between hospitals, is better than others.

There is a longer term issue for us to ensure that we have a sustainable

system for delivering social care for people in this country.

The Labour Party ducked that issue for 13 years.

We're addressing it.

Will my right honourable friend join me in congratulating

the Morley Academy on the recently received world-class

schools quality mark

award, and indicate how awards such as these drive pupil excellence?

I am happy to join my friend in congratulating the whole

team at Morley Academy on receiving this award.

I think it shows the work the trust is doing in driving up excellence

and improving outcomes for pupils.

We are determined to drive up standards in schools to ensure more

children have good school places, a good school place for every child,

so they can all be at the level we see in the Morley Academy.

How will the thousands of people who've lost their jobs

at British Home Stores feel

that it may take years before the case of Philip Green,

the disgraced and discredited businessperson, will have his

knighthood possibly withdrawn, taken away or otherwise?

Isn't it remarkable?

People lose their jobs, they suffer all the consequences

and this man keeps his billions and his knighthood.

The honourable gentleman has raised an important issue.

This has been raised by many members of this House in terms

of their concern about what happened at BHS and the attitude

and approach Philip Green took.

The issue of whether a knighthood should be taken away

from somebody is a matter for the relevant committee.

They will be looking at this.

I understand they have said they are waiting

for the investigations to complete, but this is an issue

for an independent committee.

Tonight, there will be an historic vote in this place.

A vote that I never thought I would see in my political lifetime.

The British Parliament voting to withdraw from the European Union

under the excellent leadership of the Prime Minister.

Would the Prime Minister be surprised that people

on the opposite bench who demand time to discuss this and debate it,

namely the Liberal Democrats, didn't even bother to turn

up last night?

These benches were packed, both benches were packed,

the DUP were here and there were some Labour members.

Isn't that surprising?

Throughout my political career, I have fought Liberal Democrats,

and nothing the Liberal Democrats do ever surprises me.

But I will join my honourable friend in commending the bill

that is before the House.

This House has a very simple decision to take.

We gave the right of judgment to the British people.

They made their choice, they want to leave the EU.

The question every member must ask themselves as they go

through the lobbies tonight is, do they trust the people?

The right honourable gentleman is here now.

Let's hear the fella!

Tim Farron.

Who'd have guessed it, Mr Speaker?

We are here now...

LAUGHTER.

..asking the questions...

..asking the about the future of our country

on Brexit that a strong Leader of the Opposition should be asking.

Order!

Order, Mr Knight!

I'm very worried about you.

You recently suffered from a bad leg.

With all that shouting, you will be suffering from a bad head.

Calm yourself, man!

The Prime Minister will return...

The Prime Minister will return at some point with a deal

with Europe that our people will have to live with

for decades to come.

Especially our young people, 73% of whom voted to remain.

Nobody knows what that deal will look like.

But someone, someone will get to agree it.

Should it be her government?

Should it be this parliament?

Or should it be, as I believe, the British people?

I've already said there will be a vote on the deal

in this Parliament.

Calm yourself.

You are in a state of excessive excitement, even by your standards.

Nigel Adams.

Quite difficult to follow that, Mr Speaker.

Back in the real world...

LAUGHTER.

In December 2015, my constituency suffered some terrible flooding,

particularly the town of Tadcaster.

The damage was made worse when the bridge collapsed.

Thankfully the bridge will be reopened this week.

Will the Prime Minister thank all those involved

in the restoration of the bridge?

Would you join me in thanking the residents of Tadcaster who have

had a terrible year?

I am very happy to join my honourable friend both

in commending and in thanking all those who have worked so hard

to see the restoration of the bridge at Tadcaster,

but also the people of Tadcaster who have had to put up with this

disruption and inconvenience for such a long period of time.

I'm sure they will all welcome the return of the bridge.

We commend all those involved.

The news revealed yesterday that Toshiba is reviewing its investment

in the Moorside nuclear-power plant.

Not only does it put a cloud over jobs in Cumbria,

but also over the future of our energy and security.

What does he do personally to make sure the deal stays on track?

I can assure the honourable gentleman that in relation

to a number of deals and potential deals around the nuclear industry,

both I and the Business Secretary are involved in these and are very

keen to ensure that these jobs are brought to the United Kingdom,

and that we do see these deals keeping on track.

So I can assure him that the government's

commitment is there.

This week, the Danish drug firm Novo Nordisk invested

?115 million in the UK, in order to further research

into type two diabetes.

With the Prime Minister join me in welcoming the investment,

welcoming those academics and scientists, many from the EU

and around the world, who will appreciate that the surety

she spoke of earlier?

But also work with me to ensure that new treatments get to patients

as quickly as possible?

This is an issue that I do recognise particularly, personally,

although I am a Type I diabetic rather than Type II.

Any investment in research for diabetes is to be welcomed.

We do need to ensure that where there are new solution is found,

where there is support for diabetics found, that we see that getting

to people as quickly as possible.

There is a significant number of people who suffer from Type II

diabetes in this country, and the figures show

there is a great risk that number will increase significantly

in coming years.

We need to do all we can to prevent people becoming Type II

diabetics in the first place, but also to support those who are,

so that we see that people suffer from fewer complications in future

and are able to manage their lives.

Today is World Hijab Day.

I wonder if the Prime Minister would join me in recognising

the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab without

fear, if they wish?

And the right of all women everywhere to wear

what they want, when they want.

Will the Prime Minister also commit to standing up

for the right to refuge for men, women and children wherever they may

be, regardless of their religion?

First of all, on the second point of the honourable lady races,

it is absolutely the case that this country welcomes refugees

to the United Kingdom.

And we do so regardless of their religion.

There is no question of discriminating on the religion.

On the issue that she raises about the wearing of the hijab,

I am absolutely in line with her.

What a woman wears is a woman's choice.

The Russian armed forces regularly carry out large-scale exercises,

including with nuclear capable equipments, on the borders

of eastern Europe.

Would my right honourable friend agree with me that the American

commitment to Nato is absolutely pivotal in protecting

the countries of eastern Europe from going the same way as already

has happened to eastern Ukraine?

I absolutely agree with my honourable friend.

I think the commitment that President Trump has given,

100% commitment to Nato, is crucial in ensuring we can

provide for the security of this country and others in Europe,

and particularly for those in eastern Europe

on the borders with Russia.

I know that my honourable friend earlier referred to the fact

that the Czech republic, the Latvian government,

the Lithuanina government, had welcomed that 100% commitment.

We have played our part.

300 troops will be going to Lithuania and

Estonia later this year.

In 2015, my constituent was lured to her death to Pakistan

where she was brutally raped and murdered.

Will the Prime Minister join me in reiterating the commitment

Will the Prime Minister join me in reiterating the commitment

of this House and this country that we will not tolerate

violence against women, and to encourage the Pakistani

government to continue in its efforts for justice

for our British girl Samia Shahid?

Yes, can I say to the honourable lady that obviously she has raised

a very tragic case that has taken place.

Our deepest sympathies are with Samia's husband

following her tragic death last year.

We don't interfere in the legal processes of another country.

But the Foreign Office, I understand from the Foreign Office

the Pakistani police have charged two people with murder.

The Foreign Office are provided assistance to Samia's husband

and will continue to do so.

I understand the Home Secretary will be meeting the honourable lady

soon to discuss this issue.

Order.