29/10/2017 Sunday Politics South East

Morning, everyone.

I'm Sarah Smith, and welcome

to The Sunday Politics,

where we always bring you everything

you need to know to understand

what's going on in politics.

Coming up on today's programme...

The Government says

the international trade minister

Mark Garnier will be investigated

following newspaper allegations

of inappropriate behaviour

towards a female staff member.

We'll have the latest.

The Prime Minister says she can

agree a deal with the EU and plenty

of time for Parliament to vote on it

before we leave in 2018. Well

Parliament play ball? New evidence

cast out on the economic

And in the South East: could a hard

Brexit bring our ferries,

planes and Eurotunnel services

to a grinding halt?

on from the abortion act white MPs

are lobbying the Home Secretary to

stop the alleged harassment of women

attending abortion clinics.

All that coming up in the programme.

And with me today to help make sense

of all the big stories,

Julia Hartley-Brewer,

Steve Richards and Anne McElvoy.

Some breaking news this morning.

The Government has announced

that it will investigate

whether the International Trade

Minister Mark Garnier broke

the Ministerial Code

following allegations

of inappropriate behaviour.

It comes after reports in the Mail

on Sunday which has spoken to one

of Mr Garnier's former employees.

News of the investigation

was announced by the Health

Secretary Jeremy Hunt

on the Andrew Marr show earlier.

The stories, if they are true,

are totally unacceptable

and the Cabinet Office will be

conducting an investigation

as to whether there has been

a breach of the ministerial code

in this particular case.

But as you know the

facts are disputed.

This is something that covers

behaviour by MPs of all parties

and that is why the other thing

that is going to happen

is that today Theresa May

is going to write to John Bercow,

the Speaker of the House of Commons,

to ask for his advice as to how

we change that culture.

That was Jeremy Hunt a little

earlier. I want to turn to the panel

to make sense of this news. This is

the government taking these

allegations quite seriously.

What

has changed in this story is they

used to be a bit of delay while

people work out what they should say

about it, how seriously to take it.

As you see now a senior cabinet

member out there, Jeremy Hunt, with

an instant response. He does have

the worry of whether the facts are

disputed, but what they want to be

seen doing is to do something very

quickly. In the past they would say

it was all part of the rough and

tumble of Westminster.

Mark Garnier

does not deny these stories, which

is that he asked an employee to buy

sex toys, but he said it was just

high jinks and it was taken out of

context. Is this the sort of thing

that a few years ago in a different

environment would be investigated?

Not necessarily quite the frenzy

that it is nowadays. The combination

of social media, all the Sunday

political programmes were ministers

have to go on armed with a response

means that you get these we have to

be seen to be doing something. That

means there is this Cabinet Office

investigation. You pointed out to us

before the programme that he was not

a minister before this happened. It

does not matter whether he says yes,

know I did this or did not,

something has to be seen to be done.

Clearly ministers today are being

armed with that bit of information

and that Theresa May will ask John

Bercow the speaker to look into the

whole culture of Parliament in this

context. That is the response to

this kind of frenzy.

If we do live

in an environment where something

has to be seen to be done, does that

always mean the right thing gets

done?

Absolutely not. We are in

witch hunt territory. All of us work

in the Commons over many years and

anyone would think it was a scene

out of Benny Hill or a carry on

film. Sadly it is not that much fun

and it is rather dull and dreary.

Yes, there are sex pests, yes, there

is sexual harassment, but the idea

this is going on on a huge scale is

nonsense.

Doesn't matter whether it

is a huge scale or not? Or just a

few instances?

Any workplace where

you have the mixing of work and

social so intertwined and you throw

a huge amount of alcohol and late

night and people living away from

home you will have this happen.

That

does not make it OK.

It makes sexual

harassment not OK as it is not

anywhere. This happens to men as

well and if they have an issue into

it there are employment tribunal 's

and they can contact lawyers. I do

not think this should be a matter of

the speaker, it should be someone

completely independent of any party.

People think MPs are employees of

the party or the Commons, they are

not.

Because they are self-employed

to whom do you go if you are a

researcher?

That has to be

clarified. I agree you need a much

clearer line of reporting. It was a

bit like the situation when we came

into the media many years ago, the

Punic wars in my case! You were not

quite sure who to go to. If you work

worried that it might impede your

career, and you had to talk to

people who work next to you, that is

just one example, but in the Commons

people do not know who they should

go to. Where Theresa May might be

making a mistake, it is the same

mistake when it was decided to

investigate through Levinson the

culture of the media which was like

nailing jelly to a wall. Look at the

culture of anybody's job and the

environment they are in and there is

usually a lot wrong with it. When

you try and make it general, they

are not trying to blame individuals,

or it say they need a better line on

reporting of sexual harassment,

which I support, the Commons is a

funny place and it is a rough old

trade and you are never going to

iron out the human foibles of that.

Diane Abbott was talking about this

earlier.

When I first went into Parliament so

many of those men had been to all

boys boarding schools and had really

difficult attitudes towards women.

The world has moved on and

middle-aged women are less likely

than middle-aged men to believe that

young research are irresistibly

attracted to them. We have seen the

issues and we have seen one of our

colleagues been suspended for quite

unacceptable language.

That is a point, Jarrod O'Mara, a

Labour MP who has had the whip

suspended, this goes across all

parties.

The idea that there is a

left or right divide over this is

absurd. This is a cultural issue. In

the media and in a lot of other

institutions if this is going to

develop politically, the frenzy will

carry on for a bit and other names

will come out over the next few

days, not just the two we have

mentioned so far in politics. But it

also raises questions about how

candidates are selected for example.

There has been a huge pressure for

the centre to keep out of things. I

bet from now on there will be much

greater scrutiny of all candidates

and tweets will have to be looked at

and all the rest of it.

Selecting

candidates is interesting. Miriam

Gonzalez, Nick Clegg's wife, says

that during that election they knew

about Jarrod O'Mara and the Lib Dems

knew about it, so it is difficult to

suggest the Labour Party did not as

well.

There is very clear evidence

the Labour Party did know. But we

are in a situation of how perfect

and well-behaved does everyone have

to be? If you look at past American

presidents, JFK and Bill Clinton,

these men were sex pest

extraordinaire, with totally

inappropriate behaviour on a regular

basis. There are things you are not

allowed to say if you are feminists.

Young women are really attracted to

powerful men. I was busted for the

idea that there are young women in

the House of commons who are

throwing themselves at middle-aged,

potbellied, balding, older men. We

need to focus on the right things.

When it is unwanted, harassing,

inappropriate and criminal,

absolutely, you come down like a

tonne of bricks. It is not just

because there are more women in the

Commons, it is because there are

more men married to women like us.

We have to leave it there.

As attention turns in

Westminster to the hundreds

of amendments put down on the EU

Withdrawal Bill, David Davis has

caused a stir this week by saying

it's possible Parliament won't get

a vote on the Brexit deal

until after March 2019 -

when the clock runs out

and we leave the EU.

Let's take a look at how

the controversy played out.

And which point do you envisage

Parliament having a vote?

As soon as possible thereafter.

This Parliament?

As soon as possible

possible thereafter, yeah.

As soon as possible thereafter.

So, the vote in Parliament...

The other thing...

Could be after March 2019?

It could be, yeah, it could be.

The...

It depends when it concludes.

Mr Barnier, remember,

has said he'd like...

Sorry, the vote of our Parliament,

the UK Parliament, could be

after March 2019?

Yes, it could be.

Could be.

The thing to member...

Which would be...

Well, it can't come

before we have the deal.

You said that it is POSSIBLE that

Parliament night not vote

on the deal until AFTER

the end of March 2019.

I'm summarising correctly

what you said...?

Yeah, that's correct.

In the event we don't do

the deal until then, yeah.

Can the Prime Minister please

explain how it's possible

to have a meaningful vote

on something that's

already taken place?

As the honourable gentleman knows,

we're in negotiations

with the European Union, but I am

confident that the timetable under

the Lisbon Treaty does give time

until March 2019

for the negotiations to take place.

But I'm confident, because it is in

the interests of both sides,

it's not just this Parliament that

wants to have a vote on that deal,

but actually there will be

ratification by other parliaments,

that we will be able to achieve that

agreement and that negotiation

in time for this Parliament

to have a vote that we committed to.

We are working to reach

an agreement on the final deal

in good time before we leave

the European Union in March 2019.

Clearly, we cannot say

for certain at this stage

when this will be agreed.

But as Michel Barnier said,

he hopes to get a draft deal

agreed by October 2018,

and that's our aim is well.

agreed by October 2018,

and that's our aim as well.

I'm joined now by the former

Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary

Benn, who is the chair

of the Commons Brexit Committee,

which David Davis was

giving evidence to.

Good morning.

When you think a

parliamentary vote should take place

in order for it to be meaningful?

It

has to be before we leave the

European Union. Michel Barnier said

at the start of the negotiations

that he wants to wrap them up by

October of next year, so we have

only got 12 months left, the clock

is ticking and there is a huge

amount of ground to cover.

You do

not think there is any point in

having the vote the week before we

leave because you could then not go

and re-negotiate?

That would not be

acceptable. We will not be given a

bit of paper and told to take it or

leave it. But the following day

Steve Baker, also a minister in the

department, told our committee that

the government now accepts that in

order to implement transitional

arrangements that it is seeking, it

will need separate legislation. I

put the question to him if you are

going to need separate legislation

to do that, why don't you have a

separate bill to implement the

withdrawal agreement rather than

seeking to use the powers the

government is proposing to take in

the EU withdrawal bill.

If we stick

to the timing, you have said you do

not think it is possible to

negotiate a trade deal in the next

12 months. You say the only people

who think that is possible British

ministers. If you do not believe we

can get a deal negotiated, how can

we get a vote on it in 12 months'

time?

If things go well, and there

is still a risk of no agreement

which would be disastrous for the

economy and the country, if

things go there will be a deal on

the divorce issues, there will be a

deal on the nature of the

transitional arrangement and the

government is to set out how it

thinks that will work, and then an

agreement between the UK and the 27

member states saying, we will now

negotiate a new trade and market

access arrangement, and new

association agreement between the

two parties, and that will be done

in the transition period. Parliament

will be voting in those

circumstances on a deal which leads

to the door being open.

But we would

be outside the EU at that point, so

how meaningful can vote be where you

take it or leave it if we have

already left the EU? Surely this has

to happen before March 2019 for it

to make a difference?

I do not think

it is possible to negotiate all of

the issues that will need to be

covered in the time available.

Then

it is not possible to have a

meaningful vote on it?

Parliament

will have to have a look at the deal

presented to it. It is likely to be

a mix agreement so the approval

process in the rest of Europe,

unlike the Article 50 agreement,

which will be a majority vote in the

European Parliament and in the

British Parliament, every single

Parliament will have a vote on it,

so it will be a more complex process

anyway, but I do not think that is

the time to get all of that sorted

between now and October next year.

Whether it is before or after we

have left the EU, the government

have said it is a take it or leave

it option and it is the Noel Edmonds

option, deal or no Deal, you say yes

or no to it. You cannot send them

back to re-negotiate.

If it is a separate piece of

legislation, when Parliament has a

chance to shape the nature of that

legislation.

But it can't change

what has been negotiated with the

EU?

Well, you could say to the

government, we're happy with this

but was not happy about that chukka

here's some fresh instructions, go

back in and...

It seems to me what

they want is the maximum access to

the single market for the lowest

possible tariffs, whilst able to

control migration. If they've got to

get the best deal that they can on

that, how on earth is the Labour

Party, saying we want a bit more,

owing to persuade the other 27?

We

certainly don't want the lowest

possible tariffs, we want no tariffs

are taught. My personal view is

that, has made a profound mistake in

deciding that it wants to leave the

customs union. If you want to help

deal with the very serious question

of the border between Northern

Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,

the way you do that is to stay in

the customs union and I hope, will

change its mind.

But the Labour

Party is simply saying in the House

of Commons, we want a better deal

than what, has been able to get?

It

depends how the negotiations unfold.

, has ended up on the transitional

arrangements in the place that Keir

Starmer set out on behalf of the

shadow cabinet in August, when he

said, we will need to stay in the

single market and the customs union

for the duration of the transition,

and I think that is the position,

has now reached. It has not been

helped by differences of view within

the Cabinet, and a lot of time has

passed and there's proved time left

and we have not even got on to the

negotiations. -- there's very little

time left.

On phase two, the labour

Party have set out six clear tests,

and two of them are crucial. You say

you want the exact same benefits we

currently have in the customs union

but you also want to be able to

ensure the fair migration to control

immigration, basically, which does

sound a bit like having your cake

and eating it. You say that you will

vote against any deal that doesn't

give you all of that, the exact same

benefits of the single market, and

allowing you to control migration.

But you say no deal would be

catastrophic if so it seems to me

you're unlikely to get the deal that

you could vote for but you don't

want to vote for no deal?

We

absolutely don't want a no deal.

Businesses have sent a letter to the

Prime Minister saying that a

transition is essential because the

possibility of a no deal and no

transitional would be very damaging

for the economy. We fought the

general election on a policy of

seeking to retain the benefits of

the single market and the customs

union. Keir Starmer said on behalf

of the shadow government that as far

as the longer term arrangements are

concerned, that should leave all

options on the table, because it is

the end that you're trying to

achieve and you then find the means

to support it. So we're setting out

very clearly those tests.

If you

were to vote down an agreement

because it did not meet your tests,

and there was time to send, back to

the EU to get a better deal, then

you would have significantly

weakened their negotiating hand

chukka that doesn't help them?

I

don't think, has deployed its

negotiating hand very strongly thus

far. Because we had a general

election which meant that we lost

time that we would have used for

negotiating. We still don't know

what kind of long-term trade and

market access deal, wants. The Prime

Minister says, I don't want a deal

like Canada and I don't want a deal

like the European Economic Area. But

we still don't know what kind of

deal they want. With about 12 months

to go, the other thing, needs to do

is to set out very clearly above all

for the benefit of the other 27

European countries, what kind of

deal it wants. When I travel to

Europe and talk to those involved in

the negotiations, you see other

leaders saying, we don't actually

know what Britain wants. With a year

to go it is about time we made that

clear.

One related question on the

European Union - you spoke in your

famous speech in Syria about the

international brigades in Spain, and

I wonder if your solidarity with

them leads you to think that the UK

Government should be recognising

Catalonia is an independent state?

No, I don't think so. It is a very

difficult and potentially dangerous

situation in Catalonia at the

moment. Direct rule from Madrid is

not a long-term solution. There

needs to be a negotiation, and

elections will give Catalonia the

chance to take that decision, but I

am not clear what the declaration of

independence actually means. Are

they going to be borders, is they're

going to be an army? There will have

to be some agreement. Catalonia has

already had a high degree of

autonomy. It may like some more, and

it seems to me if you look at the

experience here in the United

Kingdom, that is the way to go, not

a constitutional stand-off. And I

really hope nobody is charged with

rebellion, because actually that

would make matters worse.

Now, the Government has this

week reopened the public

consultation on plans for a third

runway at Heathrow.

While ministers are clear

the £18 billion project

is still the preferred option,

new data raises further questions

about the environmental

impact of expansion,

and offers an improved

economic case for a second

runway at Gatwick instead.

So, with opponents on all sides

of the Commons, does the Government

still have the votes to get

the plans off the ground?

Here's Elizabeth Glinka.

The debate over the expansion

of Heathrow has been

going on for decades.

Plans for a third runway

were first introduced

by the Labour government in 2003.

Then, after spending millions

of pounds, finally, in 2015,

the airport commission recommended

that those plans go ahead,

and the government position

appeared to be fixed.

But, of course, since then,

we've had a general election.

The Government have lost

their Commons majority.

And with opposition on both front

benches, the Parliamentary

arithmetic looks a little bit up

in the air.

A lot has changed since the airport

commission produced its report,

and that don't forget

was the bedrock for the Government's

decision, that's why the government

supposedly made the decision

that it made.

But most of the assumptions

made in that report have

been undermined since,

by data on passenger numbers,

on economic benefits, and more

than anything, on pollution.

There's demand from international

carriers to get into Heathrow.

More and more people want to fly.

And after the referendum,

connectivity post-Brexit

is going to be absolutely critical

to the UK economy, so if anything,

I think the case is stronger

for expansion at Heathrow.

A vote on expansion had been due

to take place this summer.

But with Westminster somewhat

distracted, that didn't happen.

Now, fresh data means

the Government has had to reopen

the public consultation.

But it maintains the case

for Heathrow is as strong as ever,

delivering benefits of up

to £74 billion to the wider economy.

And in any case, the Government

says, action must be taken,

as all five of London's airports

will be completely

full by the mid-2030s.

Still, the new research does cast

an alternative expansion at Gatwick

in a more favourable economic light,

while showing Heathrow

is now less likely to meet

its environmental targets.

Campaigners like these in Hounslow

sense the wind is shifting.

We're feeling encouraged,

because we see all kinds

of weaknesses in the argument.

Certainly, quite a few MPs,

I think certainly Labour MPs,

are beginning to think perhaps it's

not such a great idea

to have a third runway.

Their MP is convinced colleagues

can now be persuaded

to see things their way.

The Labour Party quite

rightly set four key tests

for a third runway at Heathrow.

And in my view,

Heathrow is not able...

The Heathrow option is not able

to pass any of those.

So, I see a lot of colleagues

in the Labour Party around

the country beginning

to think twice.

And if you look at the cross-party

MPs supportin this anti-Heathrow

And if you look at the cross-party

MPs supporting this anti-Heathrow

protest this week, you will see

some familiar faces.

You know my position -

as the constituency MP,

I'm totally opposed.

I think this is another indication

of just the difficulties

the Government have got off

of implementing this policy.

I don't think it's going to happen,

I just don't think

it's going to happen.

So, if some on the Labour

front bench are, shall

we say, not supportive,

what about the other side?

In a free vote, we could have had up

to 60 Conservative MPs

voting against expansion,

that's the number that is normally

used and I think it's right.

In the circumstances where it

requires an active rebellion,

the numbers would be fewer.

I can't tell you what that

number is, but I can tell

you that there are people right

the way through the party,

from the backbenches

to the heart of the government,

who will vote against

Heathrow expansion.

And yet the SNP, whose Commons

votes could prove vital,

are behind the Heathrow plan,

which promises more

connecting flights.

And other supporters are convinced

they have the numbers.

There is a majority of members

of Parliament that support Heathrow

expansion, and when that is put

to the test, whenever that will be,

I think that will be

clearly demonstrated.

Any vote on this issue

won't come until next summer.

For both sides, yet more time

to argue about weather

the plans should take off

or be permanently grounded.

Elizabeth Glinka there.

And I'm joined now by the former

Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers,

who oversaw aviation policy

as a transport minister

under David Cameron.

Thanks for coming in. You have made

your opposition to a third runway at

Heathrow consistently clear. , have

reopened this consultation but it is

still clearly their preferred

option?

It is but what I have always

asked is, why try to build a new

runway at Heathrow when you can

build one at Gatwick in half the

time, for half the cost and with a

tiny fraction of the environment

will cost average is that true,

though? Private finance is already

to go at Heathrow, because that's

where people want to do it and

that's where the private backers

want to put it. It would take much

longer to get the private finance

for Gatwick? Part of that private

finance is passengers of the future,

but also, the costs of the surface

transport needed to expand Heathrow

is phenomenal. I mean, TfL estimates

vary between £10 billion and £15

billion. And there's no suggestion

that those private backers are going

to meet those costs. So, this is a

hugely expensive project as well as

one which will create very

significant damage.

Heathrow is

ultimately where passengers and

airlines want to go to, isn't it?

Every slot is practically full.

Every time a new one comes up, it is

up immediately, it's a very popular

airport. Gatwick is not where they

want to go?

There are many airlines

and passengers who do want to fly

from Gatwick, and all the forecasts

indicate that a new runway there

would be full of planes very

rapidly. But I think the key thing

is that successive elements have

said, technology will deliver a way

to resolve the around noise and air

quality. I don't have any confidence

that science has demonstrated that

technology will deliver those

solutions to these very serious

environmental limbs which have

stopped Heathrow expansion for

decades.

Jim Fitzpatrick in the film

was mentioning that people think

there is a need for even more

collectivity in Britain post-Brexit.

We know that business has been

crying out for more routes, they

really think it hurts business

expansion that we don't get on with

this. More consultation is just

going to lead to more delay, isn't

it?

This is a hugely controversial

decision. There is a reason why

people have been talking about

expanding Heathrow for 50 years and

it is never happened, it's because

it's a bad idea. So, inevitably the

legal processes are very complex.

One of my anxieties about, pursuing

this option is that potentially it

means another lost decade for

airport expansion. Because the

problems with Heathrow expansion are

so serious, I believe that's one of

the reasons why I advocated, anyone

who wants a new runway in the

south-east should be backing Gatwick

is a much more deliverable option.

Let me move on to Brexit. We were

talking with Hilary Benn about a

meaningful vote being given to the

House of Commons chukka how

important do you think that is?

Of

course the Commons will vote on

this. The Commons is going to vote

on this many, many times. We have

also had a hugely important vote not

only in the referendum on the 23rd

of June but also on Article 50.

But

will that vote allow any changes to

it? Hilary Benn seemed to think that

the Commons would be able to shape

the deal with the vote. But actually

is it going to be, saying, take it

or leave it at all what we have

negotiated?

Our Prime Minister

negotiates on our behalf

internationally. It's

well-established precedent that

after an agreement is reached

overseas, then it is considered in

the House of Commons.

What if it was

voted down in the House of Commons?

Well, the legal effect of that would

be that we left the European Union

without any kind of deal, because

the key decision was on the voting

of Article 50 as an irreversible

decision.

Is it irreversible,

though? We understand, may have had

legal advice saying that Yukon

stopped the clock on Article 50.

Would it not be possible if the

Commons voted against to ask the

European Union for a little bit more

time to try and renegotiate?

There

is a debate about the reversibility

of Article 50. But the key point is

that we are all working for a good

deal for the United Kingdom and the

I'm concerned that some of the

amendments to the legislation are

not about the nature of the deal at

the end of the process, they're just

about frustrating the process. I

think that would be wrong. I think

we should respect the result of the

referendum.

Will it be by next

summer, so there is time for

Parliament and for other

parliaments?

I certainly hope that

we get that agreement between the

two sides, and the recent European

summit seemed to indicate a

willingness from the European side

to be constructive. But one point

where I think Hilary Benn has a

point, if we do secure agreement on

a transitional deal, that does

potentially give us more time to

work on the details of a trade

agreement. I hope we get as much as

possible in place before exit day.

But filling out some of that detail

is made easier if we can secure that

two-year transitional deal.

That is interesting because a lot of

Brexiteers what the deal to be done

by the inflammation period, it is

not a time for that.

I fully

recognise we need compromise, I am

keen to work with people across my

party in terms of spectrum of

opinion, and with other parties as

well to ensure we get the best

outcome.

Let me ask you briefly

before you go about the possible

culture of sexual harassment in the

House of commons and Theresa May

will write to the Speaker of the

House of Commons to make sure there

is a better way that people can

report sexual harassment in the

House of commons. Is that necessary?

A better procedure is needed. It is

sad it has taken this controversy to

push this forward. But there is a

problem with MPs who are individual

employers. If you work for an MP and

have a complaint against them,

essentially they are overseeing

their own complaints process. I

think a role for the House of

commons authorities in ensuring that

those complaints are properly dealt

with I think would be very helpful,

so I think the Prime Minister's

letter was a sensible move.

So you

think there is a culture of sexual

harassment in the House of commons?

I have not been subjected to it or

seen evidence of it, but obviously

there is anxiety and allegations

have made their way into the papers

and they should be treated

appropriately and properly

investigated.

Thank you for talking

to us.

Thank you for talking to us.

Next week the Lord Speaker's

committee publishes its final report

into reducing the size

of the House of Lords.

With over 800 members the upper

house is the second largest

legislative chamber in the world

after the National People's

Congress of China.

The report is expected to recommend

that new peerages should be

time-limited to 15 years and that

in the future political peerage

appointments will also be tied

to a party's election performance.

The government has been under

pressure to take action to cut

members of the unelected chamber,

where they are entitled

to claim an attendance

allowance of £300 a day.

And once again these expenses

have been in the news.

The Electoral Reform Society

discovered that 16 peers had claimed

around £400,000 without speaking

in any debates or submitting any

questions for an entire year.

One of the Lords to be

criticised was Digby Jones,

the crossbencher and former trade

minister, he hasn't spoken

in the Lords since April 2016

and has voted only seven times

during 2016 and 2017.

Yet he has claimed around

£15,000 in this period.

When asked what he does

in the House he said,

"I go in and I will invite for lunch

or meet with inward

investors into the country.

I fly the flag for Britain."

Well, we can speak now

to Lord Jones who joins us

from Stratford Upon Avon.

Thank you very much for talking to

us. You provide value for money in

the House of Lords do you think?

Definitely. I am, by the way, very

keen on reform. I want to see that

15 year tide. I would like to see a

time limit, an age limit of 75 or

80. I would like attendants

definitely define so the whole

public understood what people are

paying for and why. The £300, as a

crossbencher I get no support, and

nor do I want any, speech writing,

secretarial assistance, none of

that, and the £300 goes towards

that.

Whilst you are in there

because we will talk about the

reform of the Lords in general, but

in terms of you yourself, you say

you invite people in for lunch, is

it not possible for you to take part

in debates and votes and ask

questions at the same time?

Have you

ever listened to a debate in the

laws? Yes, many times.

Yes, many

times. You have to put your name

down in advance and you have to be

there for the whole debate.

You have

to be around when the vote is called

and you do not know when the book is

called, you have no idea when the

boat is going to be called.

This is

part of being a member of the House

of Lords and what it means. If you

are not prepared to wait or take

part in debates, why do you want to

be a member? It is possible to

resign from the House of Lords.

There are many things members of the

Lords do that does not relate to

parrot fashion following somebody

else, which I refuse to do, about

speaking to an empty chamber, or

indeed hanging on sometimes for

hours to vote. There are many other

things that you do. You quote me as

saying I will entertain at lunchtime

or show people around the House,

everything from schoolchildren to

inward investors. I will meet

ministers about big business issues

or educational issues, and at the

same time I will meet other members

of the Lords to get things moving.

None of that relates to going into

the House and getting on your hind

legs, although I do go in and sit

there and learn and listen to

others, which, if more people would

receive and not transmit, we might

get a better informed society. At

the same time many times I will go

after I have listened and I am

leaving and if I have not heard the

debate, I will not vote.

Voting is

an essential part of being part of a

legislative chamber. This is not

just an executive committee, it is a

legislature, surpassing that law is

essential, is it not?

Do you really

believe that an MP or a member of

the Lords who has not heard a moment

of the debate, who is then listening

to the Bell, walks in and does not

know which lobby, the whips tell

him, they have not heard the debate

and they do not know what they are

voting on and they go and do it?

That is your democracy? Voting seems

to be an essential part of this

chamber, and you have your ideas

about reforming the chamber. It

sounds as though you would reform

yourself out of it. You say people

who are not voting and who are not

taking part in debate should no

longer be members of the House.

I

did not say that. I said we ought to

redefine what attendance means and

then if you do not attend on the new

criteria, you do not have to come

ever again, we will give you your

wish. I agree attendance might mean

unless you speak, you are going.

Fair enough, if that is what is

agreed, yes. Sometimes I would speak

and sometimes I would not. If I did

not, then off I go. Similarly after

15 years, off you go. If you reach

75 or 80, off you go. Why do we have

92 members who are only there

because of daddy.

You are talking

about hereditary peers. You would

like to reduce the House to what

kind of number?

I would get it down

to 400.

You would get rid of half

the peers there at the moment? You

think you are active enough to

remain as one of the 400?

No, I said

that might well include me. Let's

get a set of criteria, let's push it

through, because the laws is losing

respect in the whole of the country

because there are too many and all

these things about what people pay

for. I bet most people think the

money you get is paid. It is not, it

is re-funding for all the things you

have to pay for yourself. But I

understand how respect has been lost

in society. Let's change it now.

Let's get it through and then, yes,

if you do not meet the criteria, you

have got to go and that includes me.

Lloyd Jones, thank you for talking

to us.

Lloyd Jones, thank

you for talking to us.

It's coming up to 11.40,

you're watching the Sunday Politics.

Coming up on the programme,

we'll be talking to the former

business minister and Conservative

MP Anna Soubry about the Brexit

negotiations and claims of sexual

harassment in Parliament.

This is the Sunday Politics

in the South East.

Coming up later, can the leader

of East Sussex County Council

justify a 37% pay hike while public

sector workers are struggling to get

by on stagnant wages?

We ask him.

Joining me today in the studio

are Sussex-based Labour peer

Baroness Maggie Jones

and Conservative MP

for Dartford, Gareth Johnson.

A very warm welcome.

Now the South East's

international transport

links are vital to its economy.

The Eurotunnel,

Gatwick Airport and the

Port of Dover play a crucial role

in getting large volumes of goods

and people in and out

of the country.

But they currently depend

on frictionless trade

and a series of agreements

with our European

partners to run smoothly.

So what happens if these break down

as a result of Brexit?

We have been finding out.

Gatwick Airport.

On the site alone, there

are 23,000 people employed.

In 2016, there were

around 43 million

visitors to the UK passing

through the airport,

directly creating £1.2 billion

in tax revenues for the UK

Government.

Keeping the planes in the EU skies

are service agreements,

meaning aircraft can

come and go from the UK.

So coming out of the EU,

the Government would have to

replace the EU framework governing

where airlines can fly.

Airports across the EU

all want to see the

legal framework agreed upon.

I guess where the frustration comes

is actually those talks have not

actually started.

So we are keen that

both sides of these

negotiations put that effort

in and start getting into those

detailed discussions

as soon as possible.

Because that is really

what the sector needs.

Dover.

Over 12 million passengers

and just over £2.5

million road haulage

vehicles travel through

Dover in 2016.

The Dover Strait is the world's

easiest shipping lane

with up to 600 ships a day passing

through the narrow waters between

the UK and France.

-- the busiest shipping lane.

At the moment, goods can

be traded within the

European Union as the UK as part

of the EU Customs Union.

Meaning items are not subject

to any customs duty or

quotas.

But when Britain leaves,

the Government will

need to establish

a

new customs arrangement.

Dover is the cheapest way

in which to take goods across.

It is the shortest crossing.

If each lorry is held for two

minutes more in Dover and it is a

--

moment, it is estimated that this

will result in traffic jams of at

least 17 miles long.

-- than it is at the moment.

And remember that will be

virtually every day of

the year.

So what do we have?

We have a lot more

cost to business, we

have wasted money with lorries being

stationary and it is certainly not

good for Dover.

The Channel Tunnel,

£100 billion worth of trade is

brought in by the Channel

Tunnel each year.

Last year there were about 21

million passengers across

all services and 1.6 million lorries

crossed using the link.

Speed and frequency are vital.

Similar to the shipping

industry, the sector needs

a clear customs framework in place

before the UK leaves the EU.

I think the worst case

scenario is unimaginable.

So we're not even considering

that it could happen,

because the damage to

the economies on both sides

of the Channel would

be considerable.

It is incredibly frustrating

not knowing what the

outcome will be

in a couple of years.

If there were to be some kind

of disruption to the fluidity of

traffic at the Channel Tunnel then

that would have an impact across

industry and across the continent,

not just across the UK.

There is no real default

Brexit deal for each

industry.

Yet despite the unknown

and uncertainty leaving the EU could

create new business avenues.

There are all sorts

of things that could be

opportunities for us,

not least what happens

to duty-free, example.

But actually we won't know all

of those opportunities

and how we can benefit

from them until we get

a

framework sorted.

It is a great opportunity

to use Brexit as a springboard

for being able to attract more ships

into this country.

In reality, we can

almost see Brexit as an

opportunity to bring forward some

of the projects that industry has

been promoting over the past few

years,

using the digital economy

in a more effective way.

Each sector has its own hopes

and fears as to what

Brexit will bring.

But all are agreed that

the sooner trade deals

are set out, the better to keep

the South East economy moving.

Gareth Johnson,

David Davis appeared to

dismiss that figure we heard there

from Dover earlier this week, the 17

miles of queues, saying it sounded

incredibly dramatic.

Are you satisfied he

is taking the risk to

the South East seriously?

Yes, I am.

What we can all be confident about,

I think, is that there is a

desire on

both sides of the Channel to get

a system that works.

France doesn't want queues of

traffic in Calais any more than we

want queues of traffic in Dover.

There is an opportunity here,

and I totally agree with your piece,

through Brexit we can

look at issues like free

ports, where you have

geographically a port in the UK

but free of any customs or tariffs.

There are something

like 3,500 of those

worldwide, but not one the UK.

The reason for that

is because of the

EU.

But of course what we heard

in the piece there

was that things need

to

be got under way.

We need things to be

happening to be able to take

advantage of that

sort of opportunity.

We do.

We need the negotiations.

That is the main aim,

that we have a negotiated agreement

with the European Union whereby

we can use the basis of the systems

that we have at the moment

as a system for the future.

That is important

because obviously

there is the familiarity there.

I'm actually quite confident

that we can do so.

It is in the EU's interests and in

the UK's interests for that to

happen, so I can see it happening.

Maggie Jones, we're talking

about certainty for business.

That is one thing that

Labour's Brexit plans

really don't give, isn't it?

Well, they certainly

do give certainty.

We've made it absolutely clear

that we think we should be having

access to the single market

in the long

term.

And access to a customs union.

And actually that is what British

business want, as well.

If you listen to the CBI,

all of the voices of

British business...

But you have said there

is a possibility you

could stay in the single market,

or it might be a deal outside it

or a two-year transitional...

It is about certainty and we want

something that is akin or better

to what we have now,

which is certainly not anything that

appears to be on the cards

at the current

time.

If we stick with something

that is very close to what we have

now, though, might we miss out

on some of those opportunities?

The Airport Operators Association

is talking about things like halving

passenger duties.

If we try and keep what we have now,

won't we miss out?

Well, if you look at where business

takes place, so much of our exports

to the EU.

So much of imports from the EU.

To replace that with something

different or that has

tariffs attached to it

would have a really

dampening effect on

the

British economy.

So we cannot afford to take

risks on all of that.

If you take my area,

agriculture, 80% of

agricultural exports go to the EU.

And something equivalent

comes back again.

So we may find some other markets

out there, but it will be a

very tough job to replace

that core market of EU.

And talking about protecting

that, we only 18 months

away from Brexit, Gareth Johnson,

if we're really going to be prepared

for any possible no deal scenario,

shouldn't we be seeing diggers out

now, spades in the ground,

technology being rolled

out and piloted.

We're not seeing that.

The Department for Transport has

been working both with

the aviation sector

and with the maritime

trading sector to ensure

that there are contingency plans

in the event of a no deal.

Are they good enough?

Your Kent MP colleague this week has

said things need to be

happening now.

He said you should be setting

aside £1 billion to deal

with the infrastructure.

Is he wrong?

Things are happening now.

That is the point.

There's a lot of work

that is going on in

contingency plans in place

in the event of a no deal on either

aviation or maritime trade.

But that is not the aim.

We're trying to get a deal

and we are optimistic that we

will be able to do so,

because we do not want

to put all of our eggs

in

one basket.

There's a whole world out

there and the wonderful aspects

of Brexit is that it

enables us to be more

global in our outlook

and it

gives us the opportunity

so we do not have to

have the tariffs that the EU

for example is imposing on

goods being imported

now, like clothes.

But on the timing of

the negotiations, David Davis said

this week he expects the EU to make

a deal

at the 11th hour.

That will not be any good

for the airline industry,

is it?

Passengers will be booking

18 months in advance.

It would be an absolute disaster.

Not just for the airline

industry, but for all

businesses, because they plan ahead.

They make investments ahead.

They plan now for goods

they want to market in

a year.

So businesses are putting investment

on hold until we get

clarity.

And they'll carry on doing that.

An 11th hour deal would be an

absolute disaster for our economy.

Do you agree, Gareth Johnson?

Well, we want to move

onto the next phase

of the negotiations,

but not only the EU itself,

but 18 Labour MEPs voted to say no,

we will not move onto

those stages.

We want progress and we are

working hard to achieve

that.

The idea that the EU does not

want to see planes full of British

tourists landing at their

resorts is nonsense.

I don't think anyone

is saying that, are they?

No one is saying

they don't want them.

It is just whether we can

get all the agreements

thrashed out in time.

I think it is fair to say

that there are people

out there that feel

that

there is only doom

and gloom when it comes

to Brexit, simply not

the

case.

There is quite clearly equal

interest in making sure that we have

systems that work for both our ships

and planes and I'm confident that

we'll be up to put in place

with a deal or without a deal.

We do need a transitional

period, because that is

what everyone is saying.

That is the thing that

will make a difference.

The Government has blown

hot and cold on that,

but that is the thing that business

want in terms of

giving them some certainty.

Think we have to leave it there.

I think we could do a whole

show on this but we

have to move on to

our next subject.

The public sector pay cap has

dominated headlines of the last few

months.

East Sussex has sparked

a pay row of its own.

Keith Glazier, the leader

of the County Council has

voted to give himself a 37%

hike in his allowance.

His fellow councillors

will get a 9% rise.

It is on the recommendation of an

independent panel, but not everyone

is happy.

Lib Dem Councillor Sarah

Osborne had this to say.

Contempt for the residents.

I couldn't vote myself

a pay rise, look people

in the eye and know

that

desperately needed services

are going to be cut.

Let's ask the man himself.

How do you justify this?

I've come here today

to explain how we got to

where we are.

We clearly have an independent

panel which comes to the

council every four years to look

at the allowances for councils.

They found some

anomalies, some councils

were getting telephone lines paid,

some were getting broadband paid,

some are getting a printer paid.

All of that has now gone.

There was a general view that we now

have a level playing

field and all councillors

will

get a rise of £1000

which accounts for that.

But yours is much higher than that.

It is a 37%...

I was coming on to that.

The next thing is that in comparison

with all councils across the

country, the independent panel, not

me, have done some work and found

out that actually council leaders

in general get between 2.8 and 3.2

times the basic allowance.

And their words not

mine, in East Sussex

it was woefully low.

So they decided it should go

on the very lowest of

that multiplier,

which is 2.8, which did

the allowance for the leader,

and

this is not just me,

it is a position on

the council, happens

to

be me now, should be paid 2.8 times

the basic allowance.

And that happen to be...

And that happened to be 9 million.

9 million!

That would be an increase!

£9,000.

And the timing of this

is not our choice.

The timing of this was that this

started in March, I said...

Even now, at a time

of austerity, you're

making £20 million worth of cuts

to your council budget, can you see

that you as leader

voting through a pay

rise that is substantial

in

percentage terms, can you see how

that might look to the public?

Absolutely.

And I'm not here to defend it.

I am telling you a process.

The council will then...

But you voted for it.

I personally...

Surely you must agree with it.

I personally voted for it,

because why on earth

would you engage an independent

panel if you then ignore their

recommendations?

Which is what has

happened over the years.

This vote was carried

with one councillor

voting against.

At the end of the day,

you have two choices, you can

ignore independent

advice, and therefore

carry on as you are,

and

it would have been a much easier

life, I had no idea just how

disappointed and upset

some people would be.

I can understand...

What about the staff?

Because staff at your council

have had a 1% pay cap

for seven years.

How can you walk in the same

corridors and say, I'm

sorry there's no money

for you to have a rise.

I have no problem with that.

As you know, we have always

supported our staff and whatever has

been agreed by their

negotiators has been agreed.

I didn't write this report.

We have two choices,

we accepted it or we rejected it.

And the council accepted it.

It was not my choice.

But it was your choice

to vote for it.

Absolutely.

You could have abstained.

I could have abstained...

Why didn't you?

Because actually

I think that that way

continue with an

anomaly that exists.

It doesn't make it right or wrong,

what we have now is a

recommendation that puts East Sussex

in line with most councils in this

country.

And the savings that were made

by not being members of the

Local Government pension scheme any

more and by not paying phone lines

etc way outweigh the cost

of of the whole of this package.

Will you be lobbying

government to lift the

public sector pay cap?

For your staff.

I've been asked by the unions to do

that, I will take it to my group,

because actually I am

only the leader of a

group and the leader

of

a council, I do nothing on my own,

at the end of the day that will be

considered.

And in due course

a response will come back.

OK, Maggie Jones, if you were

in Keith's position,

would you have voted for this rise?

I'm sorry, Keith, but I do

understand that, you know, the case

for having an independent review,

but in the current climate,

when public sector pay has been held

down for

such a long time, I find that very

difficult to justify.

We cannot have two rules,

one for the professionals

and another for the lower paid.

We have to have...

If there will be any sense

of fairness in this country, we have

to have one set of rules

and therefore I just cannot...

I would find it very

very difficult to

justify what you have done

at the current time.

And your councillors voted for it.

I was asked what my

view was and, you

know, I would say this to them.

We have to have one set of

rules.

And, as you say, there is austerity

at the moment and people

are really struggling to pay

their bills, to pay their rent.

It does not feel right

that a particular

group of staff can vote

themselves a pay rise.

Although of course MPs have had

a pay raise recently and

you're getting one in April.

Is this right, Gareth?

Up to £76,000.

We get 1.3%, which is

the average of the

public sector pay

increases, that is why

what the MPs have been

allocated for this year.

And the last year,

it was exactly the same.

I think there is a wider issue here.

Although I understand

why it is hard for many

people to swallow a 37% increase,

I was a councillor myself, and it is

increasingly becoming a full-time

job, particularly as a leader of a

County Council.

The amount of hours that I put

in is quite astronomical.

The remuneration is essential,

because the last thing you want is

to put people off coming

into local Government,

simply because they are unable

to afford to do so.

A question, then.

Keith gets about half

what you do as an MP.

You are both elected,

you both represent a

large number of people

in the South East, is this just

that we don't value local

Government?

I think...

I get a pension,

Keith does not get a

pension, for example.

Therefore there are

lots of anomalies like

that.

I think we have to be

sensitive about this issue,

particularly what is happening

in the public and in the private pay

sector.

What we need to do is ensure

that we have an amount that is not

so high that it makes it attractive

to actually go into the position

or too low to put people off.

But to get that balance

right is incredibly

difficult.

What about somewhere like the House

of Lords where you are not

really trying to attract

people in as such?

Should your allowances stand?

It is, what, £300 a day?

We haven't had a pay

rise for seven years.

But most of you have come from other

careers, many have other

interests.

Is there an argument to say,

perhaps the Lords allowance

should be lowered?

We had a review some long

time ago, as well, which

set it at the rate it is now.

You could in an ideal

world look at all

of these comparators,

MPs, councillors,

peers, that is great

as

long as we do it from top to bottom,

and that is not what is happening at

the moment.

So you have to include all staff,

not just a particular one

that you are focusing on.

For elected members,

wouldn't it be great

to have an independent commission?

So we do not have this anomaly.

Where we then have to ratify

something that has been brought

forward by an independent

commission.

If you don't want to do it that way,

then you are always

going to be in this

really difficult place,

because there will never be

a

good time to vote

yourself a pay rise.

Never a good time.

As I said, and think it was said

earlier, I do not know any

counsellor that comes

into this for the money.

You are talking about increasing

ways to get more people into the

council.

Surely isn't the fact

they are all of your meetings in the

afternoon more difficult?

Do we?

At the end of the day,

County Councils

are day time meetings,

I'm very pleased that we have a

19-year-old joining us

at the election this year.

And we have some mid-20s.

If their employers

don't pay them for the day

they have come off,

and I would urge people

to

read the report.

It clearly says we need

to do something about the