:00:00. > :00:00.the Express has the story that the Queen has been told to take it easy
:00:00. > :00:10.after Prince Charles stood in for her at the last minute during an
:00:11. > :00:24.official ceremony. Now it's time for the Week In Parliament.
:00:25. > :00:27.Hello and welcome to The Week in Parliament. The British recession is
:00:28. > :00:30.finally at an end. But the big business decisions are far from
:00:31. > :00:33.over. The politicians worked out where they stood on Pfizer's bid to
:00:34. > :00:38.take over AstraZeneca. Is he ruling out a ruling in using the public
:00:39. > :00:41.interest test? The most important intervention we can make is to back
:00:42. > :00:46.British jobs, British science, British R, British medicines and
:00:47. > :00:50.British technology. But for the troubled Co`op group it was another
:00:51. > :00:56.week of gloom. A former Treasury Minister speaks of deplorable
:00:57. > :01:00.governance failure. You cannot lose money on that scale and have the
:01:01. > :01:07.level of debt they have without bad things being enforced on you. And
:01:08. > :01:13.later, we will recall a fateful political day 20 years ago. But
:01:14. > :01:20.first, is it about science? Is it about the national interest? Or is
:01:21. > :01:23.it about trust? Commons have to tread carefully when asked to
:01:24. > :01:26.intervene in big business dealings. The proposed takeover of AstraZeneca
:01:27. > :01:34.by Pfizer this week led to concerns over British jobs and innovation.
:01:35. > :01:37.Pfizer, based in New York, is the world's largest pharmaceutical
:01:38. > :01:44.company. If the takeover happened, it would be the biggest ever foreign
:01:45. > :01:47.acquisition of a British company. A former boss of the UK firm described
:01:48. > :01:52.Pfizer as a Praying Mantis that sucks the lifeblood out of
:01:53. > :02:00.companies. On Tuesday, the Lib Dems updated MPs. I engaged early with
:02:01. > :02:03.both companies to ensure the outcome is positive for the UK, precisely to
:02:04. > :02:10.avoid previous failures in this situation. One of our options as the
:02:11. > :02:14.Government would be to consider using our public interest test. This
:02:15. > :02:19.would be a serious step and not one would be a serious step and not one
:02:20. > :02:22.that should be taken lightly. I am open`minded about it. While
:02:23. > :02:29.stressing that we are operating within serious European legal
:02:30. > :02:33.constraints. The bottom line is this. The assurances the governments
:02:34. > :02:38.has extracted from Pfizer are not worth the paper they are written on.
:02:39. > :02:41.If I am wrong, why, less than three days after giving them, did the
:02:42. > :02:43.Pfizer CEO say yesterday that following completion of the
:02:44. > :02:46.AstraZeneca takeover, it would be split into three parts, all of which
:02:47. > :02:57.could subsequently be flogged off afterward? Would my honourable
:02:58. > :03:01.friend agree that Britain benefits enormously from the free movement of
:03:02. > :03:05.investment and ideas? Will he, therefore rule out any the economic
:03:06. > :03:20.measures been called for by some in this house? `` that have been. And
:03:21. > :03:35.rule out any attempts to frustrate this deal on protectionist grounds?
:03:36. > :03:38.While the Secretary of State emphasised that the Government can
:03:39. > :03:41.and should intervene under the 2002 Enterprise Act, to protect the
:03:42. > :03:43.public interest, when AstraZeneca is a key national champion in the key
:03:44. > :03:47.pharmaceutical sector where Britain is a world leader? My constituents
:03:48. > :03:50.experience of Pfizer is of a model corporate citizen. I think what is
:03:51. > :03:53.enervating some people in the house is the fact this is a fantastic vote
:03:54. > :03:56.of confidence in the United Kingdom and gives us the possibility of
:03:57. > :03:58.hosting the world's leading research`based pharmaceutical
:03:59. > :04:02.company in the United Kingdom as a consequence. Yes, I am sure it is a
:04:03. > :04:04.vote of confidence, but equally I am sure the companies are motivated by
:04:05. > :04:11.hard`headed commercial considerations, and we should be
:04:12. > :04:15.motivated by the national interest. Vince Cable. But his words failed to
:04:16. > :04:21.calm the political mood at Westminster. The business battle
:04:22. > :04:24.dragged on. And the political heat continued to rise. At Prime
:04:25. > :04:28.Minister's Questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the Pfizer takeover
:04:29. > :04:36.bid was causing deep concern in the business and scientific communities.
:04:37. > :04:39.The Business Secretary said yesterday that he was not ruling out
:04:40. > :04:46.intervention. What type of intervention is under consideration
:04:47. > :04:52.by government? I have to agree with what the Business Secretary said
:04:53. > :04:55.yesterday. But the most important intervention we can make is to back
:04:56. > :05:00.British jobs, British science, British medicines and British
:05:01. > :05:02.technology. There needs to be a proper assessment of this bid. And
:05:03. > :05:06.yesterday, the Business Secretary said he was open to doing this. This
:05:07. > :05:11.could be done straightaway through this House and we would support
:05:12. > :05:19.making that happen. Will he agree to do it? Let me make this point. I
:05:20. > :05:23.worry it may be lost in this debate. And I know, of course, he thinks he
:05:24. > :05:27.is extremely clever, and we all know that...! But we may have missed this
:05:28. > :05:33.point. Britain benefits massively from being open to investment.
:05:34. > :05:38.Nissan is now producing more cars than the whole of Italy. Jaguar Land
:05:39. > :05:41.Rover, under Indian ownership has created 9000 jobs in the West
:05:42. > :05:46.Midlands since I became Prime Minister. Vodafone and AstraZeneca
:05:47. > :05:50.have benefited from the backing of an open country to go out and build
:05:51. > :05:54.and buy businesses around the world. There is more inward investment into
:05:55. > :06:02.Britain today than the rest of the EU combined. Don't put that at risk.
:06:03. > :06:07.Is he ruling out or ruling in using the public interest test on this
:06:08. > :06:14.takeover? We could make it happen. His Business Secretary could make it
:06:15. > :06:17.happen and we would support it. If he does not take action now, and the
:06:18. > :06:20.bid goes through without a proper assessment, everyone will know that
:06:21. > :06:34.he was cheerleading for this bid, not championing British science and
:06:35. > :06:37.British industry. I think it is deeply sad that the Leader of the
:06:38. > :06:39.Opposition makes accusations about cheerleading when what the
:06:40. > :06:42.Government was doing was getting stuck in to help British science,
:06:43. > :06:45.British investment and British jobs. And doesn't it tell you everything
:06:46. > :06:48.that, given the choice of doing the right thing for the national
:06:49. > :06:50.interest, working with the Government or making short`term
:06:51. > :06:57.political points, that is what he chooses to do? The Secretary of
:06:58. > :07:00.State for Business, Innovation and Skills said that he was working with
:07:01. > :07:03.civil servants to ensure that any assurances given by Pfizer during
:07:04. > :07:11.the proposed takeover of AstraZeneca could be made legally binding. Does
:07:12. > :07:14.the Prime Minister back this? The more we can do to strengthen the
:07:15. > :07:18.assurances we are given, the better. The only way you get assurances is
:07:19. > :07:21.by engaging and getting stuck in with these companies, which is what
:07:22. > :07:27.we have been doing. I find it extraordinary that the Labour Party
:07:28. > :07:39.criticises us for that. The Pfizer bid is driven by tax advantages. Has
:07:40. > :07:45.the Government talks to the US about proposed changes to their tax laws?
:07:46. > :07:48.Pfizer mention in the letter to me, the patented box as a positive
:07:49. > :07:50.reason for wanting to invest in Britain and to examine whether they
:07:51. > :07:54.can increase manufacturing in Britain. The way the patent box
:07:55. > :07:57.works is that you only get the lowest tax benefit if you make your
:07:58. > :08:02.investments and research in the UK, and then exploit the research by
:08:03. > :08:06.manufacturing in the UK. I agree, we should be incredibly hard`headed
:08:07. > :08:10.about this. It is an advantage that Britain is a low tax country. We
:08:11. > :08:13.used to stand in the House of Commons and bemoan the fact that
:08:14. > :08:19.companies were leaving because of high taxes. They now want to come
:08:20. > :08:22.here. That is not enough. We want investment, jobs and research that
:08:23. > :08:30.comes with that competitive tax system. David Cameron. By contrast
:08:31. > :08:32.to the soaring profits of the pharmaceutical industry, the
:08:33. > :08:35.financial fortunes of the Co`op group have been less than
:08:36. > :08:39.impressive. Reports this week found the group's current board to be
:08:40. > :08:42.manifestly dysfunctional. The Co`op Bank faced near collapse last year
:08:43. > :08:50.following the discovery of a billion hole in its balance sheet. The Co`op
:08:51. > :09:00.Group has reported losses of ?2.5 billion. It is the worst result in
:09:01. > :09:03.their history. On Wednesday, the author of the report was at the
:09:04. > :09:07.Commons Treasury Committee. I had not been on the long march. I had
:09:08. > :09:10.not been a corporate for 30 years. I was somebody from the outside and I
:09:11. > :09:14.was confronting them with some uncomfortable truths. My language
:09:15. > :09:22.has been forthright because I believe I needed to speak in upper
:09:23. > :09:29.case. I needed to be very explicit about the extent of the failure,
:09:30. > :09:37.because otherwise... Nothing will be done. My fear about that report is
:09:38. > :09:47.that it will be dearly noticed at an AGM, and then as happened in 1956,
:09:48. > :09:50.dither, dither, dither. Do you accept any criticism that you have
:09:51. > :09:52.leaned far too heavily on governments and professional
:09:53. > :09:54.management, and not recognised nearly as important a unique selling
:09:55. > :10:06.point of the co`operative movement as democratic structures? And for
:10:07. > :10:09.that reason and that reason alone, the very many good proposals you are
:10:10. > :10:26.putting forward are placed in jeopardy? I think the cooperative
:10:27. > :10:29.model is a genuinely good model. But there is nothing about being a
:10:30. > :10:32.cooperative that guarantees success. Co`op 's have to be well lead. They
:10:33. > :10:35.need good management and they need empowered boards of directors. That
:10:36. > :10:39.goes for the Co`op just as any other form of business. If drastic action
:10:40. > :10:43.was not taken, the Co`op would not survive into the next decade, I was
:10:44. > :10:50.warned. The first question I was asked was about the policy on
:10:51. > :10:53.plastic bags. Was I being overly dramatic in suggesting there is a
:10:54. > :11:05.danger that the Co`op may not exist into the next decade, if fundamental
:11:06. > :11:08.changes are not made? You have a reputation for never knowingly
:11:09. > :11:12.overstating your views. I think you are right to caution them about the
:11:13. > :11:18.need to take this situation very seriously. You cannot lose money on
:11:19. > :11:23.the scale they have been losing money on. And have the level of debt
:11:24. > :11:29.they had, without bad things being forced on you. I'm afraid that your
:11:30. > :11:43.story about plastic bags is true of the way the national board operates.
:11:44. > :11:46.We move from the macro of how we deal with billions of pounds of
:11:47. > :11:51.debt, down to the size of pens in which chickens lay eggs. These are
:11:52. > :11:57.all important. But there does need to be a sense of priority and
:11:58. > :12:02.proportionality. And now a look at some of the other stories around
:12:03. > :12:05.Parliament over the last week. The Government has scaled back plans to
:12:06. > :12:08.strip suspected terrorists of their citizenship and leave them
:12:09. > :12:10.stateless. Now the Home Secretary can only revoke somebody's
:12:11. > :12:18.citizenship so long as she believes the individual can still belong to a
:12:19. > :12:21.state somewhere. We are now seeking to address the concerns that have
:12:22. > :12:23.been expressed about leaving individuals stateless permanently in
:12:24. > :12:32.circumstances where they have no recourse to another nationality. I
:12:33. > :12:35.cannot support the very notion that so much power should be concentrated
:12:36. > :12:38.in one individual, a Home Secretary, whether good or bad, that they may
:12:39. > :12:44.make decisions of this nature without us being able to challenge.
:12:45. > :12:47.The worst civil liberties erosions have occurred when this House has
:12:48. > :12:57.been bounced into urgent decisions. That is what is happening today. I
:12:58. > :13:14.resent it. Why was this place off limits to be a UN representative?
:13:15. > :13:19.This detention centre as adults awaiting clearance. There was anger
:13:20. > :13:24.in the House of Lords that the UN reckoned to was not allowed to
:13:25. > :13:27.visit. It can do our national reputation no good at all if it
:13:28. > :13:33.should ever be felt that the United Kingdom is refusing access to a UN
:13:34. > :13:36.special rapporteur. It has caused a lot of concern, not only in this
:13:37. > :13:39.country, but internationally. And that a failure to allow the UN
:13:40. > :13:47.special rapporteur to enter causes even more alarm. What he has
:13:48. > :13:49.absolutely failed to do is to explain to the house why this
:13:50. > :13:59.special rapporteur was the night access. `` was denied access. It is
:14:00. > :14:04.a very simple question. Not the meetings she did have. But why
:14:05. > :14:11.specifically she could not go there? The Home Office determines whether
:14:12. > :14:14.it is suitable for people to attend. Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons
:14:15. > :14:17.has a statutory rule for addressing that issue. It is not a question of
:14:18. > :14:20.denying this person an opportunity of doing her job. Four months until
:14:21. > :14:25.Scotland votes, and the Sunday Herald firmly supports a yes to
:14:26. > :14:31.Scott independence. The SNP accuses the no campaign of scare tactics.
:14:32. > :14:34.The people of the Borders and the rest of Scotland are being subjected
:14:35. > :14:36.by the self`styled project fear campaign, described by its own
:14:37. > :14:55.supporters as negative, nasty, threatening, and that the Prime
:14:56. > :14:58.Minister is toxic in Scotland. I have to say, it is a bit rich to
:14:59. > :15:01.hear the honourable gentleman talking about Project fear and we
:15:02. > :15:04.have the First Minister on St George's did go to Carlisle and
:15:05. > :15:19.deliver a lecture that I can only describe as Project ridiculous. ``
:15:20. > :15:21.St George's Day. This is a massive opportunity for this country. Unless
:15:22. > :15:24.the Government streamlines the regulatory system, and unless it
:15:25. > :15:35.gets its act together, this massive opportunity will not be realised. I
:15:36. > :15:42.have no idea the history of her illness. It is a question which will
:15:43. > :15:47.cross many people 's minds. What is the availability for liver
:15:48. > :15:51.transplants. It would seem to me that that may have been something
:15:52. > :16:03.which could have been looked at. I too learnt with great sadness of the
:16:04. > :16:06.death of Ms Baltacha, and I was unaware of the history of her
:16:07. > :16:13.condition. But transplant services are very active in this country.
:16:14. > :16:18.There are more taking place compared with a few years ago. And there are
:16:19. > :16:27.better techniques to ensure colour at and patients. And events marking
:16:28. > :16:36.the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. His words live and breathe in
:16:37. > :16:48.the language of everyday speech. If you wear your heart on your sleeve,
:16:49. > :16:52.then vanished into thin air in one fell swoop, you are quoting
:16:53. > :16:59.Shakespeare. He may have died so long ago, but as long as men can
:17:00. > :17:07.breathe and eyes can see, this shall live and give life to be. Exactly 20
:17:08. > :17:14.years ago, the political world was stunned by the news of John Smith
:17:15. > :17:20.suffering a fatal heart attack aged 55. He had been Labour leader for
:17:21. > :17:25.two years, and was widely expected to become the next Labour occupant
:17:26. > :17:30.of number ten. He was the first political leader to die in office
:17:31. > :17:37.since the death of another labour leader some decades earlier. We now
:17:38. > :17:41.recall that fateful day in 1994. We heard a few moments ago that the
:17:42. > :17:46.Labour leader John Smith has died. He suffered a heart attack early
:17:47. > :17:51.this morning. The news of John Smith's sudden death shocked
:17:52. > :17:58.politicians and the public alike, with the clearly raw in Westminster.
:17:59. > :18:03.There was a quiet sense of grief in his constituency. Only the previous
:18:04. > :18:08.evening, and upbeat John Smith had attended a fundraising dinner with
:18:09. > :18:13.his wife Elisabeth. The Labour Party, from the grassroots to the
:18:14. > :18:16.Shadow Cabinet, were stunned at the loss of a leader widely tipped to
:18:17. > :18:22.win the next general election. Tributes to the formidable Commons
:18:23. > :18:28.former came from all sides. In many ways, irreplaceable loss to the
:18:29. > :18:36.country. They say nobody is irreplaceable, but there are a few
:18:37. > :18:39.characters who are. And here's one. The sadness today is that someone
:18:40. > :18:45.with so much to give has been denied the chance of being Prime Minister
:18:46. > :18:52.of the country. His dignity, his mind, his bearing, his solemnity,
:18:53. > :18:58.and his sense of humour, made him, I thought, ideal for the task. As a
:18:59. > :19:01.mark of respect, the Scottish Conservatives have suspended their
:19:02. > :19:07.conference. Town representatives cancelled their meetings. And when
:19:08. > :19:14.the Commons sat, they put aside normal business to pay their own
:19:15. > :19:19.tributes. We regret having to report to the house the death of the Right
:19:20. > :19:29.Honourable John Smith QC. The house will wish to note that this setting
:19:30. > :19:33.will now be suspended until 330. When MPs did reassemble that
:19:34. > :19:37.afternoon, the tributes to John Smith were naturally sombre and
:19:38. > :19:44.heartfelt. They were led by the Prime Minister. When I think of John
:19:45. > :19:49.Smith, I think of an opponent and not an enemy. I shall remember him
:19:50. > :19:55.with respect and affection. And when I think of his premature death, I
:19:56. > :20:01.shall think of the waste it has brought to our public life. The
:20:02. > :20:07.waste of a remarkable political talent. A waste of a higher and
:20:08. > :20:15.honourable ambition to lead our country. Not long ago, I observed a
:20:16. > :20:21.colleague `` observed to a colleague that I had never known a man like
:20:22. > :20:25.John. He had such calm certainty, such next rule strength and
:20:26. > :20:31.self`confidence. While he had supreme confidence, he lacked any
:20:32. > :20:36.trace of cockiness or conceit. `` natural strength. He just knew what
:20:37. > :20:43.he could do. Last night, Madam Speaker, he spoke at a gala dinner
:20:44. > :20:52.in London. He was in high vessel and high spirits. He spoke not from a
:20:53. > :20:58.text from notes. `` hi fettle. When he sat down, I congratulated him
:20:59. > :21:10.especially on his final sentence. Spoken as it was off the cuff and
:21:11. > :21:18.from the heart. They were almost the last words I heard him speak. He
:21:19. > :21:28.looked at the assembled gathering and said, and I quote: the
:21:29. > :21:44.opportunity to serve our country. That is all we ask. Let it stand as
:21:45. > :21:50.his appetite. `` epitaph. We have lost a powerful advocate for the
:21:51. > :21:55.politics of progress in Britain and a thoroughly decent and deeply
:21:56. > :22:00.gifted man. Whatever our loss, it is nothing to that of his wife
:22:01. > :22:06.Elisabeth and of their children. I have to confess that my grief is
:22:07. > :22:13.mixed with anger. Anger that he is gone, when his vitality and his
:22:14. > :22:19.value was so clear. Anger that he has been denied the chance to show
:22:20. > :22:28.the full scope of his great talents in highest office. Anger that he has
:22:29. > :22:34.been taken from his family, that he cherished so very much at such a
:22:35. > :22:40.young age. He used to come to me on occasions and asked if I had any
:22:41. > :22:46.good jokes. That kind of on Billy called cord that stretch out from
:22:47. > :22:52.him to others is important in our movement `` umbilical. I laid bets
:22:53. > :22:56.on him opening that door at number ten, and I believe he would have
:22:57. > :23:03.done that without any question whatsoever. He was a dedicated
:23:04. > :23:06.politician. He played a hard game when it was necessary. As the Prime
:23:07. > :23:14.Minister said, there was never any malice in his attacks. The House of
:23:15. > :23:19.Commons as the political world reacted to his death. They went on
:23:20. > :23:24.to pick Tony Blair as their leader two months later. The rest, as they
:23:25. > :23:30.say, was history. You are watching the week in Parliament, after a week
:23:31. > :23:37.when the controversial takeover plan dominated the mines at Westminster.
:23:38. > :23:39.Hello there. The weather promises us some prospects of some slightly
:23:40. > :23:41.warmer weather as we head through next week. And before we get there,
:23:42. > :23:44.an unsettled weekend on the cards. warmer weather as we head through
:23:45. > :23:47.next week. And before we Blustery showers, windy at times, and that
:23:48. > :23:50.wind will feel quite cold. There will be some sunshine as well
:23:51. > :23:51.through the course of the weekend. We