:00:20. > :00:21.Hello there and welcome to The Week in Parliament -
:00:22. > :00:25.as MPs take the first Parliamentary step on the road to Brexit.
:00:26. > :00:36.So the ayes have it, the ayes have it.
:00:37. > :00:38.At Prime Minister's Questions, Jeremy Corbyn demands Theresa May
:00:39. > :00:40.retracts her invitation to Donald Trump to come
:00:41. > :00:46.Just what more does President Trump have to do,
:00:47. > :00:48.before the Prime Minister will listen to the 1.8
:00:49. > :00:51.million people who've already called for his state visit invitation to be
:00:52. > :00:59.But Theresa May rejects that call, and says Labour has
:01:00. > :01:07.He can lead a protest - I'M leading a country.
:01:08. > :01:10.And, in a debate on the damage done by drinking, a former minister talks
:01:11. > :01:14.about growing up as the son of an alcoholic.
:01:15. > :01:17.I know what it's like to feel that cold nausea, when you find
:01:18. > :01:22.the empty bottles hidden around the house.
:01:23. > :01:24.But first: The result was never in doubt,
:01:25. > :01:29.but there was still a sense of drama in the Commons when,
:01:30. > :01:32.after two days of debate, the moment finally came for MPs
:01:33. > :01:34.to vote on the bill allowing the government to trigger
:01:35. > :02:01.So the ayes have it, the ayes have it.
:02:02. > :02:03.That result was the culmination of a process started
:02:04. > :02:05.when the government's plan to trigger Brexit WITHOUT
:02:06. > :02:09.Parliament's consent was challenged in the courts.
:02:10. > :02:12.Judges ruled that MPs and peers should have a vote before ministers
:02:13. > :02:17.began the formal divorce proceedings.
:02:18. > :02:20.And so, two days were set aside for debate on a bill
:02:21. > :02:22.to trigger Article 50 - and in total nearly 200 MPs
:02:23. > :02:26.had their say over 18 hours of debate in the Commons chamber.
:02:27. > :02:31.It's not a bill about whether or not the UK should leave the EU,
:02:32. > :02:35.It is simply about Parliament empowering
:02:36. > :02:42.a decision already made, a point of no return already passed.
:02:43. > :02:45.We asked the people of the UK if they wanted to leave
:02:46. > :02:48.the European Union; they decided they did.
:02:49. > :02:50.So at the core of this bill lies a very simple
:02:51. > :02:59.question: Do we trust the people, or not?
:03:00. > :03:06.I hope the respectful approach that I've tried to adopt to colleagues,
:03:07. > :03:09.and to the anxiety among the 48%, is reflected across the House,
:03:10. > :03:17.and that we will see a good deal less of the gloating,
:03:18. > :03:20.from those who campaigned to leave, than we've seen in the past.
:03:21. > :03:24.It is our duty to accept and respect the outcome of the referendum -
:03:25. > :03:32.but we remain a European country, with a shared history.
:03:33. > :03:35.Above all, it is our duty to ensure an outcome
:03:36. > :03:38.that is not just for the 52%, or the 48%, but for the 100%.
:03:39. > :03:43.Apparently, you follow the rabbit down the hole,
:03:44. > :03:48.and you emerge in a wonderland - where suddenly, countries throughout
:03:49. > :03:51.the world are queuing up, to give us trading advantages
:03:52. > :03:53.and access to their markets, that previously we've never been
:03:54. > :04:01.able to achieve as part of the European Union.
:04:02. > :04:04.Don't let me be too cynical - I hope that's right.
:04:05. > :04:06.I do want the best outcome for the United Kingdom
:04:07. > :04:16.No doubt somewhere there's a Hatter holding a tea party,
:04:17. > :04:21.You're not just divvying up the Nana Mouskouri records
:04:22. > :04:25.here or divvying up the Borgen box set - this has an impact on each
:04:26. > :04:33.Europe is where our future lies - it's one where we tackle inequality,
:04:34. > :04:35.climate change, refugess get help, areas that don't
:04:36. > :04:42.get much of a hearing in Whitehall these days...
:04:43. > :04:46.Pooling our sovereignty and working together is a good thing.
:04:47. > :04:50.Passing this bill, and turning your back on our amendment,
:04:51. > :04:52.would turn its back on the progress made, and disrespect
:04:53. > :05:00.The British people gave the government the mandate to pulll
:05:01. > :05:03.The British people gave the government the mandate to pull
:05:04. > :05:05.the United Kingdom out of the European Union.
:05:06. > :05:09.The British people did NOT give this government the mandate to threaten
:05:10. > :05:11.to turn our country into some tawdry, low-regulation,
:05:12. > :05:14.low-tax cowboy economy - and the British people most
:05:15. > :05:21.certainly did NOT give the mandate to the government
:05:22. > :05:23.to indulge in this ludicrous, sycophantic farce we've
:05:24. > :05:25.seen in recent days, in which this government,
:05:26. > :05:29.having burnt every bridge left with our friends in Europe,
:05:30. > :05:41.rushes across the Atlantic to sidle next to a US President
:05:42. > :05:44.who they don't seem to be aware, whose nativism, whose isolationism,
:05:45. > :05:46.whose protectionism is diametrically opposed to the long-term strategic
:05:47. > :05:50.A Labour MP was one of those who defied her party's leadership,
:05:51. > :05:52.and said she'd vote against triggering Article 50.
:05:53. > :05:59.Some have been victims of racism and hate crimes,
:06:00. > :06:03.like my friend Susanne who came to Cardiff from Germany,
:06:04. > :06:06.and has a young daughter, Lilith, who is in primary school,
:06:07. > :06:08.who have been spat at, and told to go "home".
:06:09. > :06:10.And had bricks and stones thrown at them
:06:11. > :06:14.And this is the climate that they and we are living
:06:15. > :06:18.But other MPs welcomed the bill - and the decision to leave.
:06:19. > :06:22.Those who wanted to vote to remain tried to scare the devil out
:06:23. > :06:33.They told them all kinds of horrors were going to beset them...
:06:34. > :06:44.Within a couple of days, they were going to be eating
:06:45. > :06:47.bread and having to drink water, and lose our jobs...
:06:48. > :06:57.I think the people, advocates of free speech and free press and a
:06:58. > :07:02.powerful democracy, would view their wishes dimly. This is the moment we
:07:03. > :07:07.begin to take back control of our laws, our borders and our money.
:07:08. > :07:08.Once again we become a sovereign nation in command of our own
:07:09. > :07:10.destiny. At the end of that epic debate,
:07:11. > :07:13.MPs rejected an SNP amendment attempting to block the bill -
:07:14. > :07:18.and passed it by a majority of 384. 47 Labour rebels, the SNP,
:07:19. > :07:21.the Lib Dems and the former Conservative Chancellor,
:07:22. > :07:25.Ken Clarke, all voted against. The bill will now reappear
:07:26. > :07:27.in the Commons on Monday, Well, the next day, the government
:07:28. > :07:35.published its 75-page Brexit policy document,
:07:36. > :07:37.laying out what its objectives are in the forthcoming negotiations
:07:38. > :07:40.on extracting the UK There were few surprises,
:07:41. > :07:48.as the principles were contained in the Prime Minister's keynote
:07:49. > :07:50.speech last month. The Secretary of State said it
:07:51. > :07:53.confirmed the Prime Minister's vision of an independent,
:07:54. > :08:01.truly global UK. I have said at this Despatch Box
:08:02. > :08:04.that there will be any number of To that end, the White Paper makes
:08:05. > :08:08.clear that we expect to bring forward separate legislation
:08:09. > :08:10.in areas such as customs Delivering a smooth,
:08:11. > :08:13.mutually beneficial exit, avoiding a disruptive cliff edge,
:08:14. > :08:17.will be the key. Whatever the outcome
:08:18. > :08:19.of our negotiations, we seek a more open,
:08:20. > :08:21.outward-looking, confident and The White Paper is available
:08:22. > :08:27.on the Government website, and I've arranged for copies to be
:08:28. > :08:31.put in the library of both Houses. Mr Speaker, normally I would thank
:08:32. > :08:37.the Secretary of State for early sight of his statement,
:08:38. > :09:00.but this statement says nothing. Otherwise, all honourable members
:09:01. > :09:03.will have to watch on their screens, as the European Parliament
:09:04. > :09:05.debates our deal, before we get to express any views on it -
:09:06. > :09:08.that is completely unacceptable, Now, before the big vote
:09:09. > :09:13.on Wednesday night, Theresa May had faced Jeremy Corbyn for the regular
:09:14. > :09:15.round of Prime Minister's Questions. The Labour leader pressed
:09:16. > :09:18.the Prime Minister over her recent visit to the US, and meeting
:09:19. > :09:20.with President Trump. Theresa May was the first overseas
:09:21. > :09:23.leader to meet Mr Trump. The pair discussed Nato
:09:24. > :09:25.and trade, before giving Just hours after Mrs May left
:09:26. > :09:28.Washington, the President announced a ban on people from seven mainly
:09:29. > :09:30.Muslim countries Mr Speaker, Downing Street has not
:09:31. > :09:38.denied that the Prime Minister was told by the White House
:09:39. > :09:41.that the Executive order on travel So let's be clear: was
:09:42. > :09:50.the Prime Minister told about the ban during her visit,
:09:51. > :10:01.and did she try to persuade If he's asking me whether I had
:10:02. > :10:07.advance notice of a ban on refugees, the answer is no. If he's asking me
:10:08. > :10:12.if I had advance notice that the Executive order could affect British
:10:13. > :10:17.citizens, the answer is no. If he's asking if I had advance notice of
:10:18. > :10:20.the travel restrictions, the answer is, we all did. Because President
:10:21. > :10:27.Trump said he was going to do this in his election campaign. President
:10:28. > :10:31.Trump has drawn at international agreements on refugees. He has
:10:32. > :10:36.threatened to dump international agreements on climate change. He has
:10:37. > :10:40.praised the use of torture. He has incited hatred against Muslims, he
:10:41. > :10:45.has directly attacked women's rights. Just what more does the
:10:46. > :10:49.President have to do before the Prime Minister will listen to the
:10:50. > :10:58.1.8 million people who have already called for his state visit
:10:59. > :11:03.invitation to be withdrawn? The right honourable gentleman's
:11:04. > :11:08.foreign policy is to object to and insult the democratically elected
:11:09. > :11:12.head of state of our most important ally. Let's just see what he would
:11:13. > :11:18.have achieved in the last week. Would he have been able to protect
:11:19. > :11:22.British citizens from the impact of the Executive order? No. Would he
:11:23. > :11:27.have been able to lay the foundations of a trade deal? Would
:11:28. > :11:33.he have got a 100% commitment to Nato? No. That's what Labour has to
:11:34. > :11:40.offer this country. Less protection for British citizens, less
:11:41. > :11:42.prosperous, less safer. -- less safe. He can lead a protest, I'm
:11:43. > :11:45.leading a country. Well, staying with the fallout
:11:46. > :11:51.from Donald Trump's travel ban, the Home Secretary Amber Rudd told
:11:52. > :11:54.MPs on the Home Affairs Committee it could create a potential "propaganda
:11:55. > :12:06.opportunity" for so-called Islamic I saw and Ayyash will use every
:12:07. > :12:09.opportunity they can to make difficulties to create the
:12:10. > :12:15.environment they want, to radicalise people, to bring them over to their
:12:16. > :12:19.side. So it is a propaganda opportunity for them potentially. We
:12:20. > :12:23.will continue to monitor what is said, continue to take down the sort
:12:24. > :12:27.of literature and postings we see on the Internet, that try to encourage
:12:28. > :12:32.that sort of extremism semicolon they may use this as an example, and
:12:33. > :12:33.we will continue to take down the sites where we can.
:12:34. > :12:36.The next stage in the plan to expand Heathrow Airport is under way.
:12:37. > :12:39.In the Commons on Thursday, the Transport Secretary launched
:12:40. > :12:41.a four-month consultation, and set out planning and
:12:42. > :12:45.A Liberal Democrat was just one of the MPs to raise
:12:46. > :12:57.Will he explain what he will do if the airport cannot be delivered
:12:58. > :13:01.within legal obligation limits, proceed anyway, change the air
:13:02. > :13:08.quality objectives, or pull the plug on the runway? The airport will not
:13:09. > :13:11.be able to secure its development consent order if it cannot
:13:12. > :13:14.demonstrate its ability to meet those targets. But some of the
:13:15. > :13:19.things we are consulting on today, for example smart use of airspace,
:13:20. > :13:22.one of the things we will be able to achieve through a space reform and
:13:23. > :13:28.through the technology now available to us, is to avoid to anything like
:13:29. > :13:32.the degree we experience at the moment, claimed stacking over the
:13:33. > :13:36.south-east of England, using up more fuel, that is one of the benefits
:13:37. > :13:43.that comes from smarter use of airspace.
:13:44. > :13:46.It will help contribute, as will cleaner, newer generation more
:13:47. > :13:48.fuel-efficient aircraft that we will see, I think,
:13:49. > :13:50.extensively in this country in the coming years.
:13:51. > :13:52.The Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and
:13:53. > :13:53.Wales, Peter Clarke, says many of his reports
:13:54. > :13:57.He told the Justice Committee that jails that did not
:13:58. > :14:00.into practice, often failed to improve or even decline.
:14:01. > :14:02.In 60 seconds, tell me what is wrong with
:14:03. > :14:06.Basically, they are unsafe, they are full of drugs, we
:14:07. > :14:08.have an ageing population, physically the environment is
:14:09. > :14:10.appalling, and there are far too many people in our prisons suffering
:14:11. > :14:13.In my judgment, those five issues will
:14:14. > :14:16.create a major obstruction to the reform programme.
:14:17. > :14:19.Mr Clarke, so who is holding up this reform?
:14:20. > :14:22.You've identified the problems, you have
:14:23. > :14:25.talked about what needs to be improved, where is the block in the
:14:26. > :14:28.system that prevents the changes that need to be made?
:14:29. > :14:34.Well, in terms of those issues which I have
:14:35. > :14:36.mentioned, they are issues which we frequently
:14:37. > :14:39.refer to in our report, and if I have a
:14:40. > :14:42.frustration, it's that far too often, not always,
:14:43. > :14:51.And not in all prisons, but in some, the
:14:52. > :14:56.prisons which do not respond to the recommendations in our reports,
:14:57. > :14:59.where there is a hugely low uptake of implementation of our
:15:00. > :15:02.recommendations are those prisons which do not improve or which
:15:03. > :15:07.actually decline in the way in which they treat prisoners and the
:15:08. > :15:11.outcomes that prisoners encounter in those prisons.
:15:12. > :15:14.The government is seen to need to do more to the
:15:15. > :15:17.release of the British Iranian woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
:15:18. > :15:19.being held in Iran with her baby daughter.
:15:20. > :15:23.The charity worker has been accused of security
:15:24. > :15:26.offences and was detained while trying to leave the country after
:15:27. > :15:30.Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, who is
:15:31. > :15:33.from London, said his wife's detention was a stain on Iran, and
:15:34. > :15:36.her family denies she has broken any laws.
:15:37. > :15:40.Here, we have a young mother, a British Iranian citizen imprisoned
:15:41. > :15:42.after visiting her family with her daughter.
:15:43. > :15:46.Her daughter is solely a British citizen.
:15:47. > :15:49.Surely the time has come for the UK to call for
:15:50. > :15:52.Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release before she,
:15:53. > :15:54.her little daughter, and her
:15:55. > :15:58.husband, here today with his own mother, suffer further.
:15:59. > :16:05.My lords, the suffering of the family can only
:16:06. > :16:10.And we should throughout all of this, regardless of some of
:16:11. > :16:12.the extraordinary claims made on the internet,
:16:13. > :16:16.we should remember that this is a loving father who simply
:16:17. > :16:21.wants his family to be reunited, and I fully respect that.
:16:22. > :16:23.That is why, my lords, we are urgently seeking
:16:24. > :16:26.information on what further legal avenues are available
:16:27. > :16:30.to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and undertake, the FCO
:16:31. > :16:35.support the family, both here in London and in Tehran.
:16:36. > :16:39.The former UK ambassador to the EU, Mr Ivan
:16:40. > :16:41.Rogers, make the headlines in December after the BBC reported his
:16:42. > :16:44.private remarks to the Prime Minister about how long Brexit
:16:45. > :16:52.Sir Ivan stepped down last month and in his
:16:53. > :16:54.resignation letter, he told officials to challenge muddled
:16:55. > :16:59.Now, in his first public appearance since
:17:00. > :17:02.his resignation, he has told the European Scrutiny Committee that
:17:03. > :17:05.Brexit negotiations could be difficult.
:17:06. > :17:09.This is going to be difficult on a humongous scale,
:17:10. > :17:13.going to have enormous amounts of business running up
:17:14. > :17:18.they involve difficult trade-offs for Her Majesty's Government, and
:17:19. > :17:22.difficult trade-offs for the other 27 on the other side of the table.
:17:23. > :17:24.Sir Bill Cash asked about an assertion
:17:25. > :17:28.in the letter last October that exit negotiations could take ten years.
:17:29. > :17:32.You said that it was going to take ten years.
:17:33. > :17:34.Can you confirm whether in fact you actually said that?
:17:35. > :17:43.Was it an intention that you thought you
:17:44. > :17:50.would be able to get across the message without anyone really
:17:51. > :17:56.I mean, can you give us a bit more information on that?
:17:57. > :17:59.I can indeed. I never said it would take ten
:18:00. > :18:06.Is this reporting by the BBC based on off-the-record remarks and
:18:07. > :18:13.No. It isn't?
:18:14. > :18:15.No. Where do you think it came from?
:18:16. > :18:21.We hear threats, and I assume they are
:18:22. > :18:24.threats, that is how I interpret them, of having to pay billions of
:18:25. > :18:29.So far as joining a club, you pay every year to be a member, and when
:18:30. > :18:31.you leave, you don't pay to leave the club.
:18:32. > :18:34.You say, thank you very much, and you head off.
:18:35. > :18:36.So, do you think this is a genuine, a real
:18:37. > :18:39.threat to us to pay billions of euros to a club
:18:40. > :18:44.Or do you think that is an unreasonable request to make at this
:18:45. > :18:48.I think it can be both genuine and unreasonable, if I may
:18:49. > :18:53.I hear it considerably, and it has been
:18:54. > :18:58.He called it a predictably very hard line coming
:18:59. > :19:00.from the EU commission and from some member states.
:19:01. > :19:04.And Dane with Brexiter related committees, the
:19:05. > :19:07.international trade secretary told MPs that the UK is already having
:19:08. > :19:10.talks over potential trade deals with countries,
:19:11. > :19:14.including Australia, China, and India.
:19:15. > :19:17.Liam Fox told the Commons international trade
:19:18. > :19:20.committee that the new trading relationships would not be something
:19:21. > :19:26.But he hoped they would be an addition to a three
:19:27. > :19:28.trade deal with the remaining member states.
:19:29. > :19:31.In terms of Australia, we have an Australia UK trade working
:19:32. > :19:37.In terms of China, we have a trade working group, and I'm
:19:38. > :19:40.chairing the joint economic and trade committee in Beijing.
:19:41. > :19:45.With a collection of Gulf states, we are working with them to
:19:46. > :19:50.determine what relationship would be, and looking at our potential
:19:51. > :19:57.FTA with India, we've got a joint working group, I chaired
:19:58. > :20:03.And we have embarked on a process of trade
:20:04. > :20:07.If you were to add up all those potential countries, the level
:20:08. > :20:10.of exports that you have been talking about, on the list that you
:20:11. > :20:13.had there, it doesn't come anywhere near the level of exports that we
:20:14. > :20:16.Well, I'm sure our former chief Secretary all know that
:20:17. > :20:20.adding up lots of small numbers gets lots of numbers in the end.
:20:21. > :20:22.And, of course, it is not an either or.
:20:23. > :20:25.We're not looking here at either trading with the EU or trading with
:20:26. > :20:38.Your department issued a press release at the
:20:39. > :20:42.beginning of the year, the item secures over 16 billion
:20:43. > :20:47.The Financial Times went through the list that you had here.
:20:48. > :20:51.In fact, most of those have been already
:20:52. > :21:12.It is the continuity of what UKTI, now the IT
:21:13. > :21:16.And it was an antidote to the idea that people are
:21:17. > :21:17.not going to be investing in the United Kingdom.
:21:18. > :21:20.I have just been in Qatar, and we will be cheering the
:21:21. > :21:22.UK Qatar UK investment conference in March.
:21:23. > :21:26.Do you regret the title of your press release?
:21:27. > :21:27.It was really your department that's secured
:21:28. > :21:32.I think the more good news we give to
:21:33. > :21:35.the public, the better, and it counters some of the black
:21:36. > :21:36.propaganda that still wants to undermine the referendum.
:21:37. > :21:39.The government has been told to rethink
:21:40. > :21:41.its alcohol strategy and bring in a minimum unit price
:21:42. > :21:47.The call came from across the chamber, as MPs debated ways to
:21:48. > :21:54.One MP focused on the damage done when pregnant women drank, revealing
:21:55. > :21:57.his own adopted children were both affected by a condition called fetal
:21:58. > :22:03.The debate was opened by the chair of the all-party
:22:04. > :22:08.There are currently over 10 million people
:22:09. > :22:11.drinking at levels which increased their risk of health harm.
:22:12. > :22:16.those aged 15 to 49 in England, alcohol is now the leading risk
:22:17. > :22:20.factor of ill health, early mortality, and disability.
:22:21. > :22:26.MPs turned to the impact of drinking during pregnancy top fetal alcohol
:22:27. > :22:31.As an adoptive parent, I discovered just
:22:32. > :22:35.how common this is amongst children who are adopted, including amongst
:22:36. > :22:51.I didn't know if he can recall when we were receiving
:22:52. > :22:54.evidence in our all-party group about the impact of fetal alcohol
:22:55. > :22:58.syndrome on adopt it and fostered children,
:22:59. > :23:04.that one survey indicated that of the cohort of adoptive
:23:05. > :23:17.fostered children who were assessed, up to 70% of them have been affected
:23:18. > :23:19.A Labour MP and former minister had spoken previously about growing up
:23:20. > :23:23.I know what it is like to feel that cold nausea when you've find
:23:24. > :23:27.the empty bottles around the house, I know what it is like to feel sick
:23:28. > :23:30.when you hear your parent being sick first thing in the morning
:23:31. > :23:34.He said the children of alcoholics often fell
:23:35. > :23:39.The shadow health minister said his alcoholic father have moved
:23:40. > :23:43.to Thailand and not come back to the UK for his wedding,
:23:44. > :23:47.Friends that he had made over there told me he was drinking
:23:48. > :23:54.They told me he couldn't come to the wedding because he didn't
:23:55. > :24:03.So, look, I'm the Shadow Health Secretary, I'm going to do
:24:04. > :24:06.lots of criticising the Tories because it is my job.
:24:07. > :24:09.But can I say this, minister, I will work with government to put
:24:10. > :24:12.in place a proper strategy for supporting the children
:24:13. > :24:17.of alcoholic on a cross-party basis because, quite simply,
:24:18. > :24:22.2 million children are suffering, let's send them a message
:24:23. > :24:26.that they should no longer suffer in silence.
:24:27. > :24:30.The minister said there were grounds for optimism.
:24:31. > :24:33.People under 18 are drinking less, attitudes are beginning to change,
:24:34. > :24:35.and there has been a steady reduction in alcohol-related
:24:36. > :24:41.There was more to do, she said, but she took courage
:24:42. > :24:45.Great social change requires three things, I think.
:24:46. > :24:48.It requires long-term political will, it requires
:24:49. > :24:53.nonpartisan partnership, and it requires bravery.
:24:54. > :25:07.And I have heard all three of those today.
:25:08. > :25:12.And I hope that each member who has spoken here today will continue
:25:13. > :25:15.to work with me as we fight together to tackle this social injustice.
:25:16. > :25:21.The health Minister Nicola Blackwood.
:25:22. > :25:26.But do join Joanna on Monday night at 11pm for another round-up
:25:27. > :25:29.of the best of the day's events at Westminster, as MPs
:25:30. > :25:33.begin their detailed debate on the bill triggering the start
:25:34. > :25:37.But for now, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.