08/07/2016 The Week in Parliament


08/07/2016

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Hello there and welcome to The Week In Parliament, where, after a

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seven-year wait, the Chilcot Report into the Iraq war is

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finally published.

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Sir John found that, at crucial points, Mr Blair sent

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personal notes and made important commitments to Mr Bush that had not

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been discussed or agreed with Cabinet colleagues.

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The tragedy is that while the governing class got

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it so horrifically wrong, m`ny people, many of our people `ctually

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got it right.

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When will UK Government of either Tory or

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Labour hue actually start ldarning from the mistakes of the

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past, so we are not condemned to repeat them?

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There are calls for reassur`nces that EU nationals will

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be able to stay in post-Brexit Britain.

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They are welcome, they are necessary,

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they are a vital part of our society.

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And the Health Secretary saxs he will impose a new

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contract on junior doctors after they reject the latest deal.

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The opposition urges a rethhnk.

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Public opinion is not on the Government's side.

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It is evident that the public will have

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faith in its doctors long after they have lost faith hn this

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or any other Government.

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But first, seven years after starting work, the former

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senior civil servant Sir John Chilcot delivered his enquiries

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report into the decision to go into war in Iraq.

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Sir John said that in total, more than 200 British

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citizens died as a result of the conflict and at

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least 150,000 Iraqis had bedn killed by 2009, as a result

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of the invasion and the instability that it caused.

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The report concluded that the UK went to war before the

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peace proces was exhausted.

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The information produced by the intelligence

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agencies was flawed and that the post-war

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planning was inadequate.

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The Prime Minister, David C`meron, set out the findings to MPs.

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The report clearly reflects that the advice given to thd

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Government by the intelligence and policy community was th`t Saddam

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did indeed continue to possdss and seek to develop

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these capabilities.

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However, as we now know, in 200 this long-held belief no longer

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reflected the reality.

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Sir John says that, and I quote, at no stage was

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the proposition that Iraq might no longer have

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chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or programmes

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identified and examined - either by the JIC,

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Joint Intelligence Committed, or the Policy Community.

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And, as the report notes, the late Robin Cook had shown

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it was possible to come to a different conclusion from

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an examination of the same intelligence.

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Sir John finds that, at crucial points, Mr Blair sent

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personal notes and made important commitments to Mr Bush that had not

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been discussed or agreed with Cabinet colleagues.

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However, while Sir John makds many criticisms of the

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process, including the way information was handled and

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presented, at no stage does he explicitly say that therd was a

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deliberate attempt to mislead people.

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As for the planning after the initial operation,

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Sir John had concluded...

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The Government and here I mdan officials in the military as

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well as ministers, remain too fixed on assumptions.

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That the Americans had a pl`n, but the UN would play a

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significant role with international community sharing the burden and

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that the UK role would be over three to four months after the conflict

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had ended.

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Many of the failures in this report were not directly about

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the conduct of Armed Forces as they went into the Iraq, but

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rather the failures of planning before a shot was fired.

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Overall, Sir John finds that the policy of

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Her Majesty's Government fell far short of meeting its strategic

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objectives and helped to crdate a space for Al-Qaeda.

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Jeremy Corbyn said the invasion of Iraq was thd

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most significant decision t`ken by a British Government in modern times.

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The war was not in any way, as Sir John Chilcot

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says, a last resort.

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Frankly, it was an act of mhlitary aggression launched on a false

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pretext - as the enquiry excepts.

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And has long been regarded `s illegal by the overwhelming weight

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of international legal opinhon.

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The decision to invade Iraq in 2003, on

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the basis of what the Chilcot Report calls, and I quote, "flawed

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intelligence," about the we`pons of mass destruction has had a

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far-reaching impact on us all.

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It has led to a fundamental breakdown in

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trust in politics and in our institutions of Government.

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The tragedy is that while the governing

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class got it so horrificallx wrong, many people, many of our people

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actually got it right.

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Many on Februrary 15th 2003, of the 1.5 million

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spanning the entire

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political spectrum and tens of millions of other people across

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the world marched against the impending war.

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The biggest ever demonstrathon in British history.

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We need to reflect very serhously before we take any decisions again

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to take military action without realising the consequences of those

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will live with all of us for many decades to come and have often

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incalculable consequences as a result.

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I hope and I expect that in the months ahead, there will be

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the opportunity to hold to `ccount those who are associated

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and responsible with taking the UK to war in Iraq.

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That has only caused hundreds and thousands of deaths.

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Not just that, it has undermined people's faith in

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Parliament and Government in the UK and left an indelible stain on

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Britain's standing in the world

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The Lib Dem leader returned to the role of his predecessor, Charles

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Kennedy, who led much of the opposition to the invasion.

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Will the Prime Minister now take the opportunity, on behalf

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of his party and this House, to acknowledge

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that Charles Kennedy was right all along

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in leading the opposition across this country against the

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counter-productive war and should not those who accuse Charles Kennedy

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of appeasement, some of whol are still on these benches todax,

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apologise to him, to his falily to our service men and women,

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to our country and to the people of Iraq?

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People who voted for the war, like me, have to take their

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share of responsibility.

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That is important, but I don't think it's

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right to accuse the people who voted against of appeasement.

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Each of us, in Cabinet or in this House, who are

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responsible and should take responsibility for own individual

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decisions, albeit taken in good faith on the basis of evidence

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before us.

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But equally, does he agree that the men of hatred and

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death in Al-Qaeda should take responsibility for their

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actions and for the blood and horror that the inflict on others?

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Saddam Hussein and his murddrous sons had spent 13 years running

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rings around the United Nathons ignoring 17 UN resolutions,

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including resolutions calling for all necessary means to stop him.

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Wasn't that the main issue in that debate and has

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the Prime Minister found

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any evidence whatsoever of `ny lies told to Parliament on that day?

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I can't see in here an accusation of

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deliberately deceiving people, but there is

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certainly information that wasn't properly presented,

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different justifications given the before and subsequently

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for the action that was takdn and a number of other

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criticisms about processes.

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But deliberate deceit, I can't find a reference to it.

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Sir John was careful about avoiding accusing the

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previous Prime Minister of lying to the House,

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but a lot of the evidence here suggests he did.

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Parts of the Ministry of Defence, including the

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Chiefs of staff, were not ddlivering the advice that the Governmdnt

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needed and elements of the Foreign Office

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had succumbed to a form of group-think that leaves le deeply

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concerned as to the structure and advice governments can get.

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Given this undermining of the UN, and the

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disastrous and horrible consequences, is it not

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inconceivable that Mr Blair should not be held to account for his

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actions?

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This is not a day for sound bites.

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But does the Prime Minister not agree that the hand of history

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should be feeling somebody's collar?

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LAUGHTER I don't think it is a grey wash or a whitdwash

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or an anything else wash, I think this, from what

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I have seen so far, is a thorough effort trying

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to understand that the narrative of the events,

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the decisions that were

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taken and the mistakes that were made.

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And I think there is a huge amount to learn.

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And I think everyone who has played a part in it

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has to take the responsibility for it.

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Many of those who were in Tony Blair's Cabinet at the time

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are now in the House of Lords.

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Will he perhaps join me in recognising three

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certainties, that have emerged from his report.

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First, that there was no falsification of the intellhgence.

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Second, that the Cabinet was not deceived.

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And third, that there was no undisclosed plan

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between the Prime Minister and the President of

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the United States to go to war before

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the processes of Government where invoked.

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I welcome the report, I will study it carefully, we will

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learn the lessons, but at the end of the day,

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it is elected ministers who must exercise the judgment

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on some of these questions.

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John Reid on the Chilcot Report

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Well, of course, the other big story of the week was

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the continuing fallout from the UK's voted to leave the EU.

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On Monday, the Chancellor told MPs his plans to

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cut corporation tax, which showed the UK was still open for btsiness.

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George Osborne said that nothing positive would come from looking

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back in anger.

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In my view, the strongest signal we could send the

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world, that Britain after this referendum

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is open to the world and re`dy to do business would be to cut

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corporation tax still furthdr.

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We should aim for a rate of 15% and preferably

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lower, because if you are a pro-business, you are pro,jobs,

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pro-living standards and pro-working people.

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A lack of planning for a Le`ve vote is becoming evident

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across all policy areas.

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Instead of a clear plan of action, so far, we

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have had a series of ad hoc statements and announcements and

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these included, yes, the grateful abandonment

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of the Brexit budget.

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Which was to increase sharply with the level of austerity being

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applied, the fiscal surplus target has been

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abandoned and today the Chancellor has announced planned

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reductions in the headline rate of corporation tax.

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Rather than ad hoc announcelents, we need a framework

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for economic decision-making.

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When it comes to planning, let me say

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this, first of all, there h`ve been extensive contingency plans in place

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to deal with financial markdt disorder as a result of a

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Leave vote.

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The fact that we are not debating that today shows that those

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contingency plans had been dffective and we remain vigilant that they

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were in place.

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Will he today rule out any plans to claw back a

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potential loss in revenue yield from the cut

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of corporation tax in the absence of behavioural change

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through the mechanism of further attacks on the welfare budgdt?

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The overall message and the very clear

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message from the business Council, the Prime Minister's Business

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Council, which met on Thursday, was let

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us send a message out round the world that we are not

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closed for business, we are not turning our back

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on the world, we are open to business and we're

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reaching out to world.

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The Government suffered a ddfeat in the Commons on Wednesday

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over the fate of EU nationals living in the UK.

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It was a debate that saw Boris Johnson speak in the

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Commons for the first time since the referendum.

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A prominent figure in the Ldave campaign, he had been one

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of the favourites to replacd David Cameron as Conservative leader

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and Prime Minister until fellow Brexiteer Michael Gove cast

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doubt on his suitability.

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The motion in front of MPs said that the British

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Government should guarantee that anyone from an EU country should be

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allowed to stay.

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I think it is absolutely right to issue the

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strongest possible reassurance to EU nationals in this country, not just

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for moral or humanitarian rdasons, but for very, very sound economic

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reasons as well.

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They are a welcome, they are necessary, they ard a vital

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part of our society and I whll be passionately supporting this motion

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tonight.

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The Shadow Home Secretary urged other MPs to back Labour's lotion.

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We can send a message out from this Parliament today to Europe

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and the rest of the world.

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Yes, people have expressed frustrations

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about the EU, but our country and its people have not changed

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We are still that same place that has

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been renowned the world over for doing

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the fair and right thing.

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For doing the decent thing.

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We fully expect that the legal status of EU

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nationals living in the UK `nd that of UK nationals in EU member states

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will be properly protected.

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Given that both the UK and EU want to

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maintain a close relationshhp, we are confident that we will work

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together and that both EU and British citizens will be protected

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through reciprocal arrangemdnts

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But, when it came to be votd, MPs backed Labour's motion,

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calling on the Government to give EU nationals

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currently living in the UK the right to remain.

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The result, however, isn't binding on the Governlent

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Meanwhile, up on the committee corridor, the Foreign Affairs

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Committee is hearing from sdnior ministers following the Leave vote.

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First up, the man preparing the ground for the Brexit negothations.

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Oliver Letwin has been appohnted to head a special unit

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at the Cabinet Office dedicated to the task.

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The committee chair suggestdd it had been a dereliction of duty that

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contingency plans for a Leave victory had not been put in place.

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You are the one left holding the baby.

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I can only say that the babx is being firmly held,

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and that my intention is the baby should prosper,

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because I care about the baby in question.

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It is, in fact, our country.

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But what was the point of the work, if it wasn't binding

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on the new Prime Minister?

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We are not making any recommendations.

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There is no question of thel abiding by anything.

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We are providing a basis for them to make decisions.

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This is a very, very important distinction.

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And when you ask the question, "Is it worth doing that?"

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my answer is, absolutely...

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I would have speculated a wdek ago that it was abundantly worthwhile,

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I can now tell you after a week of very intensive effort

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that it is totally necessarx to do,

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and abundantly worthwhile, for sure.

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Oliver Letwin.

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On Thursday, it was the turn of the Foreign Secretary,

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Philip Hammond, to appear in front of the MPs.

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The committee thought the Foreign Office budget would need

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to double or triple to cope with the change.

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I don't think it is remotelx realistic to talk about doubling...

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And as the Foreign Secretarx, with a budget of...

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The budget of the Foreign Office is a minute proportion of overall

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government expenditure, it hs your view that the Foreign Officd should

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continue to suffer that levdl of austerity, despite the f`ct our

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diplomatic position and rold in the world has completely changed,

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and the scale of the challenge facing the United Kingdom

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diplomatically has gone off the scale?

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We may indeed need to bid for additional resource

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to deal with the specific pressures that arise.

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What I am saying to the comlittee is that I don't think,

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in the economic and fiscal circumstances that the country

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is likely to face over the coming few years,

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talk of doubling or trebling departmental budgets

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is remotely realistic.

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Philip Hammond.

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At the end of the week in the House of Lords,

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the former Labour MP Oona, now Lady King, was calling

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for a second referendum once the UK had negotiated terms

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of its withdrawal.

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In the interests of democracy, the British people must be given

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the chance to vote on the ddal to leave the EU, once we finally

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know what that deal is and what that deal costs,

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in terms of our economy, our jobs, our pensions, our future,

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our global influence, our geographical borders,

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and last but certainly not least, our precious identity as a tolerant,

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open facing nation.

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I say, let the people decidd.

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But other peers disagreed.

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The only way that we can have a second bite at this

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cherry is to have a politic`l party with its main aim in its manifesto

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commitment not to break with the EU, and test that at a general dlection.

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I simply say to the House, particularly to this House,

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of which I am very, very fond, this is essentially an advisory House,

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but the public is not an advisory public.

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The public have made their decision.

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And for this House particul`rly I would say it to my friends

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at the other end, amongst whom I certainly see no appdtite

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for another referendum whatsoever, but I do say it to my friends

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in this House, it really isn't our job to thwart

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the will of the British people.

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A former Conservative MP put it more bluntly.

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Dear God, wasn't one enough?!

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Do we really want another one?

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I can't believe that people would want another one!

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The British people were not deluded.

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They knew what they were dohng.

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They voted to leave.

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We are now told, well, let's have negotiations,

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a full negotiated package, and we'll put that package

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before the public.

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My concern, my lords, then is, again, if the publhc said

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they didn't agree with that, there would be an attempt to rerun

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and rerun and rerun.

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There is this core issue we have to be really worried about,

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my lords, as politicians - we must re-engage with the public.

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They have shown that they h`ve got distrust in the political elite

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We can increase that distrust if we keep saying to people,

0:17:590:18:02

keep on voting and do what we want.

0:18:030:18:05

That's not the way we operate, and I know it's not

0:18:050:18:08

what the noble lady wants.

0:18:080:18:10

Now let's take a look at sole other news from around

0:18:100:18:12

Westminster in brief.

0:18:120:18:14

The Health Secretary, Jeremx Hunt, has said the Government will impose

0:18:140:18:17

a new contract on junior doctors in England.

0:18:170:18:20

It follows their decision to reject the latest deal,

0:18:200:18:22

by 58% to 42%, leading to the resignation

0:18:220:18:26

of the chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee.

0:18:260:18:30

Jeremy Hunt told MPs the new deal had won the support of the lajority

0:18:300:18:33

of the Royal Colleges in the health service.

0:18:330:18:37

Unfortunately, because of the vote, we are now left in a no man's land

0:18:370:18:41

that if it continues can only damage the NHS.

0:18:410:18:46

An elected Government whose main aim is to improve the safety and quality

0:18:460:18:49

of care for patients has cole up against a union which has stirred up

0:18:490:18:54

anger amongst its own members it is now unable to pacify.

0:18:540:18:59

Labour urged the Government to reconsider.

0:18:590:19:01

It does not help for the Government to treat junior doctors

0:19:010:19:04

like the enemy within.

0:19:040:19:06

It has not helped their mor`le to imply at one time that the only

0:19:060:19:10

barrier to a seven-day NHS is their reluctance to work

0:19:100:19:12

weekends, when so many of them already work unsocial hours,

0:19:120:19:17

sacrificing family life in the process.

0:19:170:19:22

Public opinion is not on the Government's side.

0:19:220:19:25

It is not too late to changd course.

0:19:250:19:29

The Government called on Labour to condemn a teachers' strike

0:19:290:19:32

which closed schools on Tuesday

0:19:320:19:34

The strike was called by the National Union of Te`chers,

0:19:340:19:38

as part of a dispute over school funding, pay and conditions.

0:19:380:19:41

The industrial action by thd NUT is pointless, but it is

0:19:410:19:45

far from inconsequential.

0:19:450:19:47

It disrupts children's educ`tion, it inconveniences parents and it

0:19:470:19:51

damages the profession's reputation in the eyes of the public.

0:19:510:19:56

Will the Minister now accept that class sizes are increasing,

0:19:560:19:59

pupils are getting less chohce about the subjects they can

0:19:590:20:04

learn today, and jobs are going and children are now

0:20:040:20:06

getting less individual time with staff?

0:20:060:20:10

Southern Railway is temporarily cutting 341 trains a day

0:20:100:20:15

from the service it provides.

0:20:150:20:17

The announcement follows weeks of problems caused by

0:20:170:20:19

industrial action and a shortage of train crews.

0:20:190:20:23

Appearing before MPs, the company's boss faced

0:20:230:20:26

some tough questions.

0:20:260:20:28

You've already admitted that 40% of the delays

0:20:280:20:32

are your direct responsibilhty, and you have been fined.

0:20:320:20:36

And only this morning, there has been an official

0:20:360:20:39

announcement of hundreds of services cut in a very abrupt manner,

0:20:390:20:45

there doesn't seem to have been any consultation

0:20:450:20:48

at all about which those services are and just what is happenhng.

0:20:480:20:51

Are you fit to be running this railway?

0:20:510:20:54

Yes, we are.

0:20:540:20:56

We are fit to be running this railway.

0:20:560:20:59

We are in the middle of an extremely difficult moment

0:20:590:21:02

in the franchise at this st`ge, it is a difficult

0:21:020:21:04

and challenging franchise anyway.

0:21:040:21:08

But the problems over the l`st few weeks, following the industrial

0:21:080:21:11

action taken by the RMT conductors, have added to some challenghng

0:21:110:21:15

circumstances which were inherent in this franchise.

0:21:150:21:19

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has told MPs that he

0:21:190:21:21

"will not tolerate anti-Semhtism" in the Labour Party.

0:21:210:21:25

He was being questioned by the Home Affairs Committde,

0:21:250:21:27

which is investigating whether prejudice against

0:21:270:21:30

the Jewish community has increased.

0:21:300:21:33

The Labour Party has published a report into anti-Semitism -

0:21:330:21:36

sparked by remarks made

0:21:360:21:38

by the former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone.

0:21:380:21:41

Ken Livingstone made remarks that were wholly

0:21:410:21:43

unacceptable and totally wrong, they were drawn to the attention

0:21:430:21:47

of the party compliance unit very rapidly, a decision was made

0:21:470:21:52

within a very few hours to suspend his party membership

0:21:520:21:57

His remarks are now being investigated by the party

0:21:570:22:01

and due process will take place

0:22:010:22:06

Sad, shocked and insecure.

0:22:060:22:09

Those are the three words that the President of the Board

0:22:090:22:12

of Deputies chose when asked in this committee, two weeks ago,

0:22:120:22:17

about how he felt when he hdard of Mr Livingstone's comments -

0:22:170:22:22

your friend, Ken.

0:22:220:22:24

There are 300,000 Jewish people in this country.

0:22:240:22:28

Are you upset that you and xour friend have upset them in this way?

0:22:280:22:34

Ken Livingstone has been suspended from party membership

0:22:340:22:37

following the remarks that he made.

0:22:370:22:39

So, obviously, we have taken action, as a party.

0:22:390:22:44

MPs have been sharing some `ppalling examples of abuse they

0:22:440:22:46

and their constituents have encountered from peopld

0:22:460:22:49

on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

0:22:490:22:53

The Commons was debating how to deal with the bullies who use

0:22:530:22:56

the anonymity available onlhne to hurl abuse and make thre`ts.

0:22:560:23:01

One MP described how she'd been reduced to tears by hurtful insults.

0:23:010:23:06

So, I came here with the full knowledge and expectation

0:23:060:23:08

that my words and actions whll be held up to public scrutiny,

0:23:080:23:11

and that is right.

0:23:110:23:14

What has sometimes taken my breath away, though, Madam Deputy Speaker,

0:23:140:23:17

shocked my family and reducdd me to tears, is the vitriolic,

0:23:170:23:20

hateful and sometimes criminal levels of personal abuse th`t I

0:23:200:23:24

and indeed colleagues across this House, have faced.

0:23:240:23:28

This debate today is about dnabling Parliament to send a clear lessage

0:23:280:23:32

to the industry, to social ledia and to the online world,

0:23:320:23:36

to say, "Enough is enough."

0:23:360:23:39

One occasion, I simply postdd some online comments

0:23:390:23:42

about some boy racers who wdre causing considerable

0:23:420:23:44

anti-social behaviour, and within about an hour,

0:23:440:23:46

I was being abused from all around the globe by boy racers who had

0:23:460:23:50

obviously noticed a deficit in my sex life and were offdring

0:23:500:23:54

a wide range of suggestions to improve this,

0:23:540:23:58

some of which would actuallx end in certain death.

0:23:580:24:02

The final two in the Conservative leadership contest

0:24:020:24:05

have been revealed.

0:24:050:24:06

The Home Secretary, Theresa May

0:24:060:24:08

will face the Energy Ministdr, Andrea Leadsom, in the run-off,

0:24:080:24:11

after the Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, was eliminated

0:24:110:24:13

from the contest.

0:24:130:24:16

On Wednesday, Westminster h`d heard the unguarded opinions of two senior

0:24:160:24:19

Conservatives who were chatting in a Sky News TV studio.

0:24:190:24:24

Talking to Sir Malcolm Rifkhnd, veteran Tory MP Ken Clarke described

0:24:240:24:27

the Home Secretary, Theresa May as "a bloody difficult woman",

0:24:270:24:32

suggested Andrea Leadsom didn't really want to leave the EU,

0:24:320:24:35

and branded Michael Gove "whld"

0:24:350:24:39

His comments were picked up by the Shadow Leader of the Commons,

0:24:390:24:42

who paid tribute to Ken Clarke, the MP for Rushcliffe.

0:24:420:24:45

This week, we were very grateful to him for giving us the vital

0:24:450:24:48

intelligence that the three remaining candidates for

0:24:480:24:52

the leadership of the Tory Party, that one of them was bloody

0:24:520:24:56

difficult, one doesn't expect to deliver on the extremely stupid

0:24:560:24:59

things she's been saying, and one would declare war

0:24:590:25:04

on at least three countries.

0:25:040:25:07

He wanted Ken Clarke, who is 76, to make a late bhd

0:25:070:25:10

for the leadership.

0:25:100:25:12

Could I perhaps suggest to him, if the member

0:25:120:25:15

for Rushcliffe is reluctant, because he is of a certain `ge,

0:25:150:25:17

of returning to the dispatch box, may I remind him, I've discovered

0:25:170:25:22

that the dispatch box is a vital support and a wonderful

0:25:220:25:25

alternative to a Zimmer frale.

0:25:250:25:30

Well, Mr Flynn's government oppo, Chris Grayling, suggested

0:25:300:25:33

all this was just jealousy, as Labour was desperate

0:25:330:25:35

for a leadership contest and couldn't organise one!

0:25:350:25:39

And that's it for now, but do join Kristina Cooper

0:25:390:25:41

on Monday night at 11pm for another round-up of the day

0:25:410:25:44

here at Westminster.

0:25:440:25:46

But until then, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.

0:25:460:25:50

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