:00:22. > :00:22.Hello and welcome to the Week in Parliament.
:00:23. > :00:25.It wasn't the best of weeks for the Government.
:00:26. > :00:29.First, peers give the Brexit Bill another kicking.
:00:30. > :00:35.We don't trust the government on this matter.
:00:36. > :00:36.This country's future should rest with Parliament.
:00:37. > :00:41.And I find it quite extraordinary that your Lordships' House is
:00:42. > :00:43.spending several hours here on what is basically
:00:44. > :00:47.Next day, part of the Budget unravels within hours,
:00:48. > :00:51.when the Chancellor reveals a shock tax rise for the self-employed.
:00:52. > :01:06.White Van man gets battered by Budget.
:01:07. > :01:13.Should MPs make a discrete exit, to let the builders repair
:01:14. > :01:22.The danger is that if we go for the long option,
:01:23. > :01:26.So we believe that we need to get out.
:01:27. > :01:28.But first, it's showdown time at Westminster.
:01:29. > :01:31.A second Government defeat by peers on the Bill that starts the UK's
:01:32. > :01:34.departure process from the EU has thrown the ball back
:01:35. > :01:41.They'll decide on Monday whether to accept or reject
:01:42. > :01:45.the now-two alterations made to the Bill by their Lordships.
:01:46. > :01:48.Tuesday evening saw the highest number of peers ever to take part
:01:49. > :01:54.It turned out be a big defeat for the Government on the proposal,
:01:55. > :01:58.from an independent peer, for the Brexit Bill to state clearly
:01:59. > :02:01.that Parliament must get a meaningful vote in two years' time
:02:02. > :02:08.My Lords, the essence of this amendment is very clear.
:02:09. > :02:16.It simply seeks to ensure that Parliament, and not ministers,
:02:17. > :02:22.have control over the terms of our
:02:23. > :02:26.withdrawal at the end of the negotiating process.
:02:27. > :02:33.We now face the most momentous peacetime division of our time.
:02:34. > :02:36.And this amendment, as the Noble Lord has so clearly set
:02:37. > :02:40.out, secures in law the government's commitment already made to Another
:02:41. > :02:43.Place to ensure that Parliament is the ultimate custodian of our
:02:44. > :02:50.Nothing should be done to undermine the negotiating
:02:51. > :02:56.But this clause in this amendment, my Lords,
:02:57. > :03:03.By denying the Prime Minister's ability to walk away from
:03:04. > :03:06.the negotiating table, as clause four would do, this would only
:03:07. > :03:10.incentivise the European Union to offer us a bad deal.
:03:11. > :03:13.This was the mistake that David Cameron made.
:03:14. > :03:15.If David Cameron had walked away, he might have been able
:03:16. > :03:28.But the fact is, he didn't walk away and they knew he wasn't
:03:29. > :03:31.That's why he got such a useless deal.
:03:32. > :03:32.And this actually ensures that ministers
:03:33. > :03:36.We want to ensure that our sovereign Parliament, so
:03:37. > :03:39.often championed by the Leave campaigners has a clear and decisive
:03:40. > :03:42.role in scrutiny, scrutinising the final outcome of this process.
:03:43. > :03:46.Then it must assert its rights and legislation.
:03:47. > :03:52.We don't trust the government on this matter.
:03:53. > :03:55.The only assurance we are going to have is by putting this
:03:56. > :03:59.My Lords, the government has not got good form
:04:00. > :04:02.over this. They have not got good form.
:04:03. > :04:05.A former Tory leader said MPs would have their say regardless.
:04:06. > :04:11.It didn't need to be in the Brexit Bill.
:04:12. > :04:13.They don't even need the authority of my Right Honourable Friend
:04:14. > :04:19.And they certainly don't need this new clause for that.
:04:20. > :04:21.They don't need any authority of that.
:04:22. > :04:27.They will have their say. They will have their way.
:04:28. > :04:30.If you concentrate on what might happen in two years' time,
:04:31. > :04:43.we will see, only too sadly, that sovereignty lies with Europe.
:04:44. > :04:48.If this House or the other House were to reject
:04:49. > :04:50.we will end up as puppets in their hands.
:04:51. > :04:52.Can one honestly imagine whether this House
:04:53. > :04:55.goes back to Europe in just under two years' time and says we don't
:04:56. > :04:58.like the deal, that the other 27 will say, oh, dear,
:04:59. > :05:03.I feel that during the referendum we did vote for taking
:05:04. > :05:13.It seems to me taking back control does not mean giving such a
:05:14. > :05:21.momentous decision over the future of the UK to
:05:22. > :05:33.I find it extraordinary that your Lordships' House is spending several
:05:34. > :05:42.hours on a defective amendment. That Lord Pannick is incapable of putting
:05:43. > :05:48.down an amendment which can produce that is not defective. He is a
:05:49. > :05:50.highly capable lawyer. I asked the Lordships on the long contested
:05:51. > :05:56.principle that this country's future should rest with Parliament, and not
:05:57. > :06:00.with ministers, and it is in that spirit that I contained to make this
:06:01. > :06:03.new clause watertight. peers voted decisively
:06:04. > :06:07.FOR the amendment to the Brexit Bill requiring a Parliamentary
:06:08. > :06:21.vote on the Exit deal. My Lords, they have voted, contents
:06:22. > :06:24.366, not contents 260, so the contents have it.
:06:25. > :06:29.And shortly after that vote, Michael Heseltine,
:06:30. > :06:32.who we saw taking part in that debate, was told he'd been
:06:33. > :06:35.sacked from his jobs advising the government.
:06:36. > :06:39.Well, Monday sees the next chapter in the Brexit Bill story.
:06:40. > :06:43.And to find out how this drama might play out,
:06:44. > :06:46.we spoke to the constitutional expert, Professor Meg Russell.
:06:47. > :06:48.She told me much now depends on the attitude
:06:49. > :06:59.And the key question is, do backbenchers want to back down on
:07:00. > :07:03.this or do they privately support what the Lords is asking for? And if
:07:04. > :07:07.it is the latter that puts the government under a lot of pressure
:07:08. > :07:12.and the government may need to either accept the amendments or
:07:13. > :07:15.perhaps more likely, make some very sort of clear promises on the rights
:07:16. > :07:19.of EU citizens and the vote at the end. Maybe go further than you have
:07:20. > :07:24.before to assuage backbench critic so that they can get the bill
:07:25. > :07:29.through, not amended. If the Commons flatly rejects the House of Lords
:07:30. > :07:33.alterations to the bill, will appears begin on both issues? That
:07:34. > :07:38.is a very interesting question. My best guess would be that the peers
:07:39. > :07:43.would back down at that point. But it all depends on the dynamics in
:07:44. > :07:47.the Commons. The Lords listen to the Commons all the time. And in the
:07:48. > :07:51.end, the Commons decides. So the Lords throws things back to the
:07:52. > :07:56.Commons, asks MPs if they are sure they want this thing, and if MPs
:07:57. > :08:00.send a signal back, we're really sure, then generally, the Lords will
:08:01. > :08:05.back down. So it all goes back to what the dynamic looks like between
:08:06. > :08:08.the government and its backbenchers. If there are concerns expressed by
:08:09. > :08:19.backbenchers during the debate or in the media that they don't think the
:08:20. > :08:21.is doing the right thing, peers could give it another go, but if the
:08:22. > :08:24.government and its backbenchers speak with one clear voice, I
:08:25. > :08:26.suspect that will be the end of the matter. Given the size of the
:08:27. > :08:29.majorities in both cases, it would be quite back down by peers, it?
:08:30. > :08:31.Members of the Lords are very appreciative of their role which is
:08:32. > :08:35.to review, to invite second thought and to ask the Commons whether it
:08:36. > :08:39.issue about what it is doing. I think that was voiced very much in
:08:40. > :08:43.the debate. It has been voiced very much around the edges of the debate
:08:44. > :08:49.whilst this has been going on in the TV studios and so on. Peers see it
:08:50. > :08:54.as their rightful role, and this has been reflected by comments by the
:08:55. > :08:57.Conservative Leader of the House of Commons, it is perfectly right for
:08:58. > :09:02.them to ask the Commons to think again. If the Commons says no, a lot
:09:03. > :09:07.of peers at that point will think, we have done our job and the commons
:09:08. > :09:10.must decide. This is a classic confrontation between the Commons
:09:11. > :09:14.and the Lords. There have been plenty of notable stand-offs between
:09:15. > :09:19.the House is in the past. How does this confrontation compare with
:09:20. > :09:22.previous ones? There are two key differences between this and
:09:23. > :09:27.previous confrontations. The first is, this is not unique but it is
:09:28. > :09:32.fairly unusual, in being such a high profile issue. Brexit is honoured in
:09:33. > :09:37.British politics. All eyes are on it. Everyone understands what this
:09:38. > :09:38.question is about whether we triggered Article 52 start to exit
:09:39. > :09:43.the EU. So it is top of the the EU. So it is top of the
:09:44. > :09:45.headlines. And confrontations which happen more routinely between the
:09:46. > :09:50.Lords and Commons do not even reach Lords and Commons do not even reach
:09:51. > :09:54.the headlines. So everybody is watching this. The other key thing
:09:55. > :09:57.is that this is a confrontation between a Conservative government
:09:58. > :10:01.and the House of Lords. Although we are becoming slightly more used
:10:02. > :10:10.that, historically, this is very unusual this is the first majority
:10:11. > :10:19.been able to get its business been able to get its business
:10:20. > :10:19.through. Others have been the great through. Others have been the great
:10:20. > :10:22.reform Act, the Lloyd George budget of 1909. Those were governments of
:10:23. > :10:27.the left facing a Conservative dominated House of Lords. Now the
:10:28. > :10:32.Lords is more party political balance. The Blair and Brown
:10:33. > :10:35.governments faced confrontation with the Lords of anti-terrorism measures
:10:36. > :10:39.and things like that all the time. And the need to respond to defeat
:10:40. > :10:44.and to negotiate and sometimes back down was well understood on the
:10:45. > :10:48.Labour side and fairly familiar. For Conservatives this is quite new. So
:10:49. > :10:51.the coming together of those two things makes it feel very important
:10:52. > :10:56.to the government but in some respects it is actually fairly
:10:57. > :11:00.routine and I think, as I have said, the Lords will probably be back
:11:01. > :11:03.down, so it is not going to be one of those historic confrontations.
:11:04. > :11:09.Philip Hammond presented day on Wednesday.
:11:10. > :11:10.And, curiously, it was also his last Budget,
:11:11. > :11:21.From now on, the annual Budget reverts to the Autumn.
:11:22. > :11:24.The Chancellor hoped new money for social care in England
:11:25. > :11:24.would be the good news story to grab the headlines but things didn't
:11:25. > :11:31.And a measure to increase the national insurance paid
:11:32. > :11:33.by the self employed produced far more reaction,
:11:34. > :11:34.reaction not exactly to Mr Hammond's liking.
:11:35. > :11:35.In the Commons, Spreadsheet Phil found time to
:11:36. > :11:48.I turn now, to the OBR forecast. This is the spreadsheet bit. But
:11:49. > :11:53.bear with me, because I have a reputation to defend. The OBR
:11:54. > :11:55.forecast the level of GDP in 2021 to be broadly the same as at the Autumn
:11:56. > :11:55.Statement. Then came the announcement
:11:56. > :12:04.on caring for the elderly. So, today, Mr Deputy Speaker, I am
:12:05. > :12:12.committing additional grant funding of ?2 billion to social care in
:12:13. > :12:22.England over the next three years. That is ?2 billion over the next
:12:23. > :12:27.three years, with ?1 billion available in two 2017-18. This will
:12:28. > :12:29.allow local authorities to Act now to commission new care packages.
:12:30. > :12:41.Today I can announce funding for a further 110 new three schools on top
:12:42. > :12:46.of the current commitment to 500. This will include new specialist
:12:47. > :12:48.maths skills to build on the success of Exeter mathematics School and
:12:49. > :12:52.King's College London mathematics School which my Right Honourable
:12:53. > :12:57.Friend the Prime Minister visited earlier this week. We commit to this
:12:58. > :12:58.programme we understand that choice is the key to excellence in
:12:59. > :13:05.education. He said... He said he'd listened to concerns
:13:06. > :13:07.about the new levels I will provide local authorities
:13:08. > :13:11.with a ?300 million fund to deliver discretionary relief to target
:13:12. > :13:14.individual hard cases in their local This is how the Chancellor justified
:13:15. > :13:17.increasing National Insurance Employed and self-employed alike
:13:18. > :13:20.use our public services in the same way that they are not paying
:13:21. > :13:23.for them in the same way. The lower national
:13:24. > :13:25.insurance paid by the self-employed is forecast to cost
:13:26. > :13:31.our public finances over ?5 billion This is not fair to the 85%
:13:32. > :13:38.of workers who are And we embark on this next
:13:39. > :13:45.chapter of our history confident in our strengths and clear
:13:46. > :13:50.in our determination to build a This was a Budget of
:13:51. > :14:02.utter complacency about Utter complacency
:14:03. > :14:08.about the crises facing our public services,
:14:09. > :14:13.and complacent about the reality of daily life
:14:14. > :14:15.for Yesterday, Mr Deputy Speaker, over
:14:16. > :14:22.3,000 people in this country will have queued up at food banks to feed
:14:23. > :14:27.themselves and their families. Last night, Mr Deputy
:14:28. > :14:32.Speaker, over 4000 people will have slept rough
:14:33. > :14:36.on the streets of this country. And the Chancellor
:14:37. > :14:39.made his boast about But who is reaping
:14:40. > :14:45.the rewards of this economy? For millions, it is
:14:46. > :14:49.simply not working. We have had the self-effacing jokes
:14:50. > :14:53.about spreadsheets, we had the spun lines about being stronger together,
:14:54. > :14:58.and then it went downhill, and barely a mention of Brexit,
:14:59. > :15:05.the most momentous challenge facing We've seen a scandalous
:15:06. > :15:12.attack on aspiration, Next day, more reaction to how
:15:13. > :15:17.the Budget would impact I do think that we need
:15:18. > :15:22.to look at this very, very carefully, however,
:15:23. > :15:33.because there was a solemn promise in the manifesto not
:15:34. > :15:38.to increase national insurance. And the reality is that I worry
:15:39. > :15:47.that the accusation it is a bit like signing a contract
:15:48. > :15:50.but failing to look at the fine print and the small
:15:51. > :15:52.print that exists. And I think that we
:15:53. > :15:54.need to the extremely side that we don't just satisfy
:15:55. > :15:57.the letter of our manifesto commitments
:15:58. > :15:59.but also the spirit. Immediately, I heard
:16:00. > :16:02.about what they were doing with the self-employed, my
:16:03. > :16:05.thoughts did not come and the City of London and how
:16:06. > :16:07.the Labour thinking about my friend in Skye,
:16:08. > :16:11.and some of my friends in the Highlands, and knowing
:16:12. > :16:13.their reliance on the type of self-employed
:16:14. > :16:16.there who do not have a choice. They cannot choose to work for other
:16:17. > :16:18.corporations that do not exist. They are what might be called
:16:19. > :16:20.necessity entrepreneurs. And they don't work
:16:21. > :16:22.in one sector either. They have to job around and go
:16:23. > :16:24.travelling sometimes. It is fair to say that
:16:25. > :16:27.the headlines today haven't gone perhaps as the Chancellor
:16:28. > :16:30.might have planned. Tories bricked tax row,
:16:31. > :16:37.Phil picks up pocket or two, Rob the builder, white van man
:16:38. > :16:41.gets battered by Budget. And the Budget debate in the Commons
:16:42. > :16:48.is, as they say, to be continued. Now a look at some of
:16:49. > :16:51.the others stories around The Government went down
:16:52. > :16:55.to another defeat in the House of Lords on Wednesday,
:16:56. > :16:58.this time over plans to introduce an Olympic-style ranking
:16:59. > :17:00.in higher education, with UK universities listed
:17:01. > :17:06.as gold, silver and bronze. It is utterly ridiculous
:17:07. > :17:09.to suggest that you can assess arts teaching by this kind
:17:10. > :17:14.of approach of rankings. When we look at the top
:17:15. > :17:18.of the theatre review, we look at whether it has
:17:19. > :17:22.one star, two stars, three star, four stars,
:17:23. > :17:24.five stars, and that is, in most
:17:25. > :17:28.cases, all we look at. We don't then reached down
:17:29. > :17:30.and read the analysis University teachers, university let
:17:31. > :17:38.jurors will want to teach at gold universities.
:17:39. > :17:41.Human nature. They don't want to
:17:42. > :17:43.say, "Well, I'm at a And I want to strongly
:17:44. > :17:47.reassure noble Lords we are working closely
:17:48. > :17:52.with the British Council, Universities UK International
:17:53. > :17:54.and others to ensure that a provider who attains
:17:55. > :17:56.a bronze is recognised Uncertainty for car production
:17:57. > :18:00.in Britain, as Peugeot-Citroen MPs ask if things will
:18:01. > :18:05.really stay the same. Many of my constituents are really
:18:06. > :18:09.concerned about this because they work at Vauxhall
:18:10. > :18:11.in Ellesmere Port. What can he say to
:18:12. > :18:13.reassure my constituents Particularly given that our
:18:14. > :18:18.employment laws make it easier to sack workers in the UK,
:18:19. > :18:23.compared to those who work in France The reason that we have a successful
:18:24. > :18:30.record in this country is that our car plants
:18:31. > :18:34.and their workforces are highly efficient,
:18:35. > :18:37.and we shouldn't forget that. I can't help but feel
:18:38. > :18:39.that the minister is 76% of Ellesmere Port
:18:40. > :18:44.production goes as export, much of that is
:18:45. > :18:46.left-hand drive for Europe. Would it really makes sense
:18:47. > :18:48.for Peugeot to continue left-hand drive production outside
:18:49. > :18:51.the EU and not in Poland or Germany? The sending home of a female
:18:52. > :18:58.receptionist because she wore flat shoes to work prompts
:18:59. > :19:02.an online petition and then Some women will choose
:19:03. > :19:08.to wear high heels and I will not criticise
:19:09. > :19:10.them for that. We should all be free
:19:11. > :19:12.to wear whatever But what I cannot tolerate
:19:13. > :19:16.is employers trying to force women into an ideal what constitutes
:19:17. > :19:19.professionalism. I don't know about anyone in this
:19:20. > :19:22.chamber today but the site of a woman in flat shoes does
:19:23. > :19:26.not normally send me reaching for Personally, I'm five foot ten,
:19:27. > :19:29.so I've never really But whether they wear
:19:30. > :19:34.high heels or not, it should be absolutely up to them,
:19:35. > :19:38.not to some outdated, dodgy 1970s The Government utterly
:19:39. > :19:43.condemns such dress requirements where their effect
:19:44. > :19:45.is discriminatory. A new report from Westminster's
:19:46. > :19:49.spending watchdog warns that unless the programme of renovating
:19:50. > :19:53.Parliament goes ahead as a matter of urgency, the building
:19:54. > :19:56.could suffer catastrophic failure. The extensive programme
:19:57. > :20:00.to restore crumbling masonry, and replace miles of ageing wiring
:20:01. > :20:05.and plumbing will cost an estimated The Public Accounts committee
:20:06. > :20:12.is backing a full decanting of the building for six years
:20:13. > :20:15.to enable the work to be done. The committee chair is the MP
:20:16. > :20:18.Meg Hillier, who's with us now. Meg Hillier, would it be fair
:20:19. > :20:21.to say that a summary of your report is: Let's get
:20:22. > :20:24.out as soon as we can? We need to get on with
:20:25. > :20:30.it to get a full business case worked out
:20:31. > :20:33.so we really know what the real costings are and then get
:20:34. > :20:39.through the refurbishment. The danger is if you go
:20:40. > :20:42.for the long option, costs can To do it cost effectively,
:20:43. > :20:45.we need to get out. Of course, some MPs
:20:46. > :20:47.like Edward Leigh, who, curiously, used to be in your job, he believes
:20:48. > :20:50.the palaces big enough to accommodate MPs sitting somewhere
:20:51. > :20:53.else while the work goes ahead. Well, I mean, anything
:20:54. > :20:56.is possible, but whether it We heard some very
:20:57. > :20:59.startling evidence about what could go wrong if you put
:21:00. > :21:02.everybody in the same building. The truth is that
:21:03. > :21:04.the Victorians built And, let's be clear,
:21:05. > :21:10.even if it were possible to stay, it would be very
:21:11. > :21:12.disruptive, you would still have years outside of the
:21:13. > :21:15.chamber to deal with. We just have to get on with
:21:16. > :21:19.the programme now, because if we don't choose an option to get it
:21:20. > :21:22.openly worked out, we will just be shilly-shallying around
:21:23. > :21:25.and putting off the decision. We have to make the decision,
:21:26. > :21:28.the over it has to do it because it is a World Heritage
:21:29. > :21:31.site and they have the It seems, though, even though
:21:32. > :21:38.on the quickest option, way because it won't be in this
:21:39. > :21:42.Parliament, so it won't happen We've got to make sure that
:21:43. > :21:47.lots of work is done before then. We could make this building
:21:48. > :21:51.far more accessible We could make this building far more
:21:52. > :21:53.accessible to the public, At the moment, there is a real
:21:54. > :21:57.demand for the rooms from people other than MPs, and when
:21:58. > :22:00.they are available, it should be There is a lot of potential win
:22:01. > :22:06.for the public, and we need to make sure that once
:22:07. > :22:09.the project is worked out, there was better communication
:22:10. > :22:10.with everybody involved, that is MPs, of course,
:22:11. > :22:13.but also members of the public, about what the real wins could be
:22:14. > :22:15.sorting this building out. Now, shutting down for six years, it
:22:16. > :22:19.seems a bit drastic, there are some MPs saying this is sending out
:22:20. > :22:21.completely the wrong message, this is the wrong image,
:22:22. > :22:23.particular this time, when we are going through this
:22:24. > :22:26.Brexit negotiations, we've got Well, no, the parliament is more
:22:27. > :22:29.than just a building. It is iconic, it is very
:22:30. > :22:32.important, but the disease upon it is done by members
:22:33. > :22:34.of Parliament, working with the public, and actually, that is
:22:35. > :22:49.what will continue to happen. I'm a Shoreditch MP,
:22:50. > :22:52.I don't have an office in my patch, I have to work
:22:53. > :22:55.in a cafe with a laptop, I'm not saying all MPs will be doing
:22:56. > :22:58.that for the six years, but we can find other
:22:59. > :23:01.ways of working, and work around And that is why we need to get
:23:02. > :23:06.on with it, so we can plan for where MPs go, as well as what
:23:07. > :23:09.the costs will truly be. Now, plenty of speculation
:23:10. > :23:13.about where MPs could go. Give me your thoughts on the way
:23:14. > :23:16.you think would be a good building. Well, we heard clear evidence
:23:17. > :23:19.about the work going on the northern Estate, in Richmond,
:23:20. > :23:21.that is where the Department There is plans to decant
:23:22. > :23:25.MPs to that part of Of course, all these
:23:26. > :23:28.things have to be worked out as part of the plan
:23:29. > :23:31.to take MPs out of the building. So, let's be clear that
:23:32. > :23:34.staying is a really So, let's be clear that staying
:23:35. > :23:37.is a really tricky option because of the asbestos,
:23:38. > :23:39.because of the upheaval. We do have to work up
:23:40. > :23:41.the option of moving out, where MPs will go,
:23:42. > :23:42.where peers will go, and how
:23:43. > :23:45.that will be funded. And a vote's been promised
:23:46. > :23:47.in the next few weeks on whether or not to go for a full
:23:48. > :23:50.decanting of Parliament. Then again, a vote's
:23:51. > :23:52.been promised before, Time now for this week's report
:23:53. > :23:55.from the wider world of politics. Here's Patrick Cowling
:23:56. > :23:59.with our countdown. As MPs consider the renovation
:24:00. > :24:03.of their grand old home, EU leaders met for the first time
:24:04. > :24:07.this week in the swanky new Europa The European Council's
:24:08. > :24:10.new home boasts oak sourced from all
:24:11. > :24:14.over the continent. No politician likes
:24:15. > :24:16.being called a doormat. Apart from Conservative
:24:17. > :24:18.MP Steve Baker, It was revealed this week
:24:19. > :24:22.that the MP for Wycombe boasts a doormat, replete with
:24:23. > :24:24.an image of his face. So, you be careful
:24:25. > :24:26.we put those feet. A touch of star dust
:24:27. > :24:28.fell on Tuesday. Actors Toby Jones and Rhys Ifans
:24:29. > :24:32.failed to persuade MPs to revise the so-called
:24:33. > :24:34.Dubs Amendment on accepting receiving unaccompanied child
:24:35. > :24:37.refugees to the UK. International Women's Day did not go
:24:38. > :24:40.unnoticed in the House of Lords on Wednesday,
:24:41. > :24:47.as Tory peer Baroness that the three clerks on duty
:24:48. > :24:49.were all men. Minister Baroness Williams
:24:50. > :24:51.sought to reassure peers. Theresa May's laughter
:24:52. > :24:55.in PMQs turned a few heads The SNP MP Peter Wishart group
:24:56. > :25:01.comparisons with previous Patrick Cowling with all
:25:02. > :25:12.the chuckles from the Commons. All eyes in the next few days
:25:13. > :25:16.on the progress of the Brexit Bill. Could we be in for a spot
:25:17. > :25:19.of parliamentary ping-pong Do join Alicia McCarthy
:25:20. > :25:24.for the next Week in Parliament. Until then, from me,
:25:25. > :25:29.Keith Macdougall, goodbye.