23/06/2017 The Week in Parliament

Hello and welcome to the programme in the week the Queen

came to Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament,

and set out the Government's plans for the next two years -

My Government will seek to maintain a deep and special

partnership with European allies, and to forge new trading

Theresa May sets out what action the Government's taking

But reveals other high rise blocks could be at risk.

Mr Speaker, shortly before I came to the Chamber,

I was informed that a number of these tests have come

And all MPs start their life in Parliament by taking an oath

of allegiance to the monarch, but is it time for a change?

I think the Queen is a wonderful woman and does great work, but I'm

here to represent the people and that wasn't an option.

It's been a dramatic couple of weeks since we were last here,

with an election result that few predicted and Theresa May

returned to power - just - with her party now the largest

Cue recriminations among the Conservatives and jubilation

in Labour's ranks, after a better than expected

With a deal between Theresa May and the Democratic Unionists

still up in the air, and with the clock ticking

on Brexit, it was time for the State Opening of Parliament.

Because no-one was expecting a general election at the start

of June, there was no time to prepare for the traditional pomp

and ceremony with coaches, horses and mass ranks of guardsmen.

So, it was a very scaled back procession that set off

with the Queen travelling by car to Westminster accompanied

There was no Duke of Einburgh either -

When the Queen, without her ceremonial robes,

and Prince Charles arrived, they processed through the Lords

gallery walking behind the imperial state crown and took their seats

on the thrones in the House of Lords.

And then it was time to despatch Black Rod to the House of Commons

And with that MPs left the Commons, processing out of their Chamber,

through central lobby and on into the House of Lords.

Normally, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition

exchange pleasantries, but there was little chit

chat between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.

And when MPs had arrived at the bar at the back of the Lords,

the Queen read out the contents of the speech -

the 64th time she'd performed the role.

Beginning with the Government's plans for Brexit.

My Government's priority is to secure the best possible deal

as the country leaves the European Union.

Establishing new national policies on immigration, international

sanctions, nuclear safeguards, agriculture, and fisheries.

There was no word on grammar schools, but instead...

My Government will continue to work to

ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a good

school, and that all schools are fairly funded.

And as to the Conservatives controversial manifesto

My ministers will work to improve the social care and will

bring forward proposals for consultation.

There'd be a public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower block fire.

There will be a full public enquiry into the tragic

events at the Grenfell Tower, to ascertain

the causes and ensure that

To support victims, my Government will take forward measures to

introduce an independent public advocate, who will Act for believed

In the light of the terrorist attacks

in Manchester and London, my Government's counterterrorism

strategy will be reviewed, to insure that the police and security

services have all the powers they need.

And that the length of custodial sentences for terrorism

related offences are sufficient to keep the population safe.

So, a nine minute speech, stripped of many of the controversial ideas

With the day's ceremony over, it was the turn of MPs to discuss

After a minute's silence to remember those who had been killed

and injured in the recent terror attacks and in the Grenfell Tower

to give Labour's response to the speech.

He began by reflecting on the Grenfell disaster.

The fire at Grenfell Tower in west London has killed at least 79

people. What makes it both a tragedy and an outrage is that every single

one of those deaths could have been avoided.

Turning to the speech itself, he argued

A threadbare legislative programme from a Government that has lost its

majority and apparently run out of ideas altogether. This would be a

sin legislative programme, even if it was for one year, but for two

years? Two years? There is not enough in it to fill year.

He turned to what was not in the speech,

including means testing the Winter Fuel Payment.

And older people and their families might also be keen for some clarity

around the Government's policy on social care. Whether it is still

what was originally set out in the Conservative manifesto or whether it

is what was later amended to, or whether it is no something else

entirely. We need full access to the single

market and the customs arrangements that provide Britain has the Brexit

secretary has pledged, and I quote, with the exact same benefits as now,

neither must our victory targets for immigration be prioritised over the

jobs and living standards of the people of this country.

Theresa May also began her speech by talking about

One Lady I had met ran from the fire wearing no more than a T-shirt and a

pair of knickers. She had lost absolutely everything. Let me be

absolutely clear, the support on the ground for families in the initial

hours was not enough. People were left without belongings, without

roots over their heads, without even basic information about what had

happened, what they should do, and where they could seek help. That was

a failure of the state, local and national, to help people when they

needed it most. As Prime Minister, I apologise for that failure.

Our country is divided, red versus blue, young versus old, leave versus

remain. As I said here last week, the test for all of us is whether we

choose to reflect divisions or help the country overcome them. With

humility and resolve, this Government will seek to do the

latter. She concluded that recent weeks,

and the terror attacks, The Queen 's speech on its own but

not solve every challenge our contributors.

THEY SPEAK OVER EACH OTHER Not every problem can be solved by

an Act of Parliament. But it is... But it is a step forward. It is a

step forward to building a more compassionate, you more united and

more confident nation. That is what this Government will aim to achieve,

it is what this Queen 's speech will deliver and I commend the Queen's

speech to the house. CHEERING

After that, it was over to other party leaders and backbenchers

to have their say on the contents of the speech, with many

The Prime Minister's gamble backfired, and she has desperately

clung to power, at least for now, and stumbled into the Brexit

Regardless with an almost all-male team, equipped with no credible

plan, no mandate, and seemingly no functional Government.

Well, I can see the Prime Minister floundering,

but where is the stable Government that the Prime Minister promised us?

We don't really know quite what the basis is upon which

we are negotiating this Brexit at the moment.

I think it's going to have to be carried by what I think

is an extremely sensible cross-party majority that this House could

easily command if we were able to put in place some processes with

The Prime Minister has proceeded and continued

to pursue, it's very clear from recent

statements and from the gracious speech,

that she seeks to precede an

extreme version of Brexit, having failed to gain

There is no plan to keep Britain in the single market, has the Right

Honourable Member for Rushcliffe mentioned

earlier, or indeed for the

We will therefore seeks to amend the Queen's Speech

to add in membership of the single market and of the customs union.

Both the Remain and Leave campaigns agreed we did not stay in the single

market and Customs union for a variety of good reasons.

One, we want to do free trade agreements

with other countries around the world.

And you can't do it if you're in the single market and

Two, they made it very clear you'd have to pay budget

contributions and accept freedom of movement,

So, it's one of the few things the two campaigns agreed

We all told the British public we would be leaving the

We again will work with Government in the course of the next period in

this Parliament to ensure that we do deliver prosperity, we do deliver

greater spending on health, and education, and that we do see an end

to the tunnel, the dark tunnel, of austerity.

This Queen's Speech does not herald any hope for my constituents.

This Government and the preceding Government have

knocked out those rungs of the ladder of opportunity for so many of

That reach for the first rung is now very high.

A new MP used the first day of the debate

Many of my constituents work in financial services.

Other key 21st-century sectors, like medical

innovation, the tech centre and advanced manufacturing also

prioritise access to the single market, and such access must be

underpinned by the principles of mutual recognition, based on trust

Vicky Ford, making her maiden speech.

And I'm delighted to save Vicky Ford and Chris Williamson,

who was an MP until 2015 and has just been re-elected, join me now.

You've already been keen, you're first out of the blocks,

Your background is as a member of the European Parliament.

Do you think that gave you an advantage?

Well, I see, as a former member of the European Parliament,

that we've got a huge amount of work to do over the next two years.

Actually, the negotiations were Brexit, we don't

control the timescale, we've got 27 other countries we need

to get agreement with and we've got to get on with that process,

so I was quite keen to, um, get started myself.

It's a bit like standing on top of a diving board

and looking down and thinking, at some point I've got

to make my first speech, so why not try and do it straightaway?

Chris Williamson, a very different experience for you,

because you were in Parliament before, until 2015.

What do you think that two years away from Westminster taught you?

What did you learn from being away and what did you learn

It was a very bitter pill to swallow, I have to say.

I'm a local lad and it was a great privilege to represent my home city.

I suppose it taught me that, you know, you can never take

anything for granted, even though you are a sort of

local individual in that sense, and you always

are subject to the vagaries of the democratic process.

But I think having gone through that experience,

They say what doesn't kill you does make you stronger.

So hopefully I will be a better representative this time.

Vicky, you have already mentioned Brexit, obviously it was the big

It seems that the position on Brexit is being played out very publicly

What do you think your former colleagues in Europe make

Well, if you look back at the White Paper which came out

before the election, we were very clear about wanting

to have a long-term strategic partnership...

But do they look at Britain at the moment and think,

Actually, no, because I had meetings with a lot of them

before the election, and have continued to talk since.

They want to find an orderly process.

But they know it is in the interests of their economy as well as our

It is incredibly important that we get together,

we get focused, if the Labour Party is serious about wanting to keep

the access to the market as well, then we need to work together.

All right, Chris Williamson, let's bring you in here, then.

Are you going to disrupt or try to defeat the Government

at every single turn in the next few years?

Well, we have said that we want to make sure that the Brexit process

We don't want to see Britain turn into a deregulated

No good having a situation where we end up with a Brexit which is going

to enrich millionaires still further. We need to make sure we are

collaborating to create decent jobs. That is Kanpur the unreasonable. The

Conservative Party and the Government want to make sure this

process works for ordinary people, for everybody and that is why we

need to get working together and stop this rhetoric that somehow you

are saying we are not focused on making it work. Why can't you sign

up to that, just say, we've got to get this done, let's work together

and get this done and not just vote down everything that comes our way?

If only life were that simple. I hope Vicky's view prevails in the

Conservative Party because they are clearly written on the issue of

Europe. But one just has to look at the Conservative record where they

have sought to deregulate the labour market, they have brought in the

Trade Union Act, we have seen rights of workers being diminished, living

standards deteriorating for lots of ordinary people.

But how does holding up the Parliamentary process achieve that?

Surely just achieves nothing, everything stops. But all is very

firmly in the Government's court. We want to make sure this Brexit

process works for ordinary people and of the government signs up to

that, there will not be a problem. Stop scaremongering. The

Conservative Party have published a plan for Brexit, but does work for

all the issues that you have mentioned, but does keep workers'

rights, keeps consumers' rights, that will keep parts of our fire

safety that are governed by European law. That has been published and set

out by the Conservative Party and in the meantime, I have seen no detail

from Labour. Just reply to that. It is unfair to say we are

scaremongering. We have seen the Tories' record, we know where they

are coming from in terms of workers' rights, they have sought to support

corporations and wealthy and powerful individuals at the expense

of ordinary people. That has been their record. People only have to

look at the wrecker to see that. If they have had a Damascene

conversion, and delighted by that, we are more than happy to cooperate

to ensure the Brexit process works for ordinary people in this country.

Chris Williamson, Vicky Ford, thank you both very much indeed

As we saw earlier in the programme, both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn

used the opportunity of the Queen's Speech to reflect

At least 79 people are believed to have died,

with hundreds more made homeless, having lost everything in the blaze.

Attention has focused on the cladding on the outside of

On Thursday, Theresa May returned to the Commons to update MPs.

The House should of course be careful on speculating

But as a precaution, the Government has arranged to test cladding

Mr Speaker, shortly before I came to the chamber,

I was informed that a number of these tests have come

The relevant local authorities and local Fire Services have been

informed and as I speak, they are taking all possible steps

to ensure buildings are safe and to inform affected residents.

Mrs May repeated that the Government response to the disaster

Now, though, help was available, from health care to

replacement driving licences and emergency funds.

It is absolutely essential, Mr Speaker, that people

understand they can keep the money they receive.

These grants are not loans and they will not be expected

I would like to reassure people that we will not use this tragic incident

as a reason to carry out immigration checks on those involved or on those

providing vital information to identify victims or those assisting

with the criminal investigation. It is both a tragedy and an outrage,

because every single one of those deaths could and should

have been avoided. The Grenfell Tower residents

themselves have raised concerns about the lack of fire safety

in the block. The Grenfell Action Group have

warned, and I quote, it is a truly terrifying thought,

but the Grenfell Action Group firmly believes that only a catastrophic

event will expose the ineptitude the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant

Management Organisation. The local MP said she spoke

on behalf of a traumatised and frightened community

with little trust in authority. She called for cuts in fire

services to be reversed. "These people have quite

literally our lives in their hands." when brand-new properties

are empty for many years, does the Prime Minister think

it is right to discuss with her honourable friend

the Chancellor of the Exchequer changing the taxation regime so that

as in New York City, My wife, principally, and I,

mentored, employed and encouraged a young woman called Khadija Saye,

who lost her life with her mother She has talked about the public

enquiry. But she understands that most people see this as a crime, and

they know that rich and powerful organisations get away with crime.

The response to the string of recent terror attacks is to be examined

of terrorism legislation, David Anderson.

The recent attacks in London and Manchester have claimed

There was outrage after an attack on an Ariana Grande concert

in Manchester at the end of May, which happened as thousands

of youngsters were streaming out of the venue.

The suicide bomber blew himself up by detonating a device in the foyer

The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, told MPs Mr Anderson would be

reviewing the Government's counterterrorism strategy,

to make sure the police and the security services had

We must do more to defeat ideologies of hatred,

by turning people's minds away from violence and towards

We must make sure that these ideologies are not able

It also means asking difficult questions about what has gone wrong.

In light of the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester,

Britain's counterterrorism strategy will be reviewed, to make sure

that the police and the security services have what they need

In addition to this, there will be a review

of the handling of recent terror attacks, to look at whether lessons

I'm pleased to announce that David Anderson,

former independent reviewer of counterterrorism legislation,

I noted the actions the Government has taken in the Home Secretary's

statement, and largely on this side of the House, we support them.

But we would warn against an emphasis on more legislation,

rather than looking at the issue of resources.

We will look at all the legislative proposals that the Government brings

forward on their merits, but we believe that resources

is at the heart of this, not just new legislation.

Will the Home Secretary confirm that there is absolutely nothing

in the Human Rights Act, or the European Convention

on Human Rights, that would prevent us taking a robust approach

to terrorism, and therefore will she confirm that there are

no plans to tear up human rights, and that we can tackle terrorism

and uphold the standards of this society without

A point Ms Rudd did not answer directly, saying simply

that the Government would provide the resources necessary

Now, back to the Queen's Speech, which was also being

The first speaker was a seasoned Conservative

It looked like a good election for Labour.

Indeed, they are behaving as if they had won it,

despite being 56 seats behind the Tories.

And the new rapturous enthusiasm on the benches opposite

for Jeremy Corbyn is only matched by their relief that he is not

I suspect there are a number of issues on which a

Conservative-DUP Government might not find all the MPs

of their respective parties in total agreement.

So, my lords, and I want to be very clear on this, should the House

of Commons send this House legislation that has been amended

from the Government's original intentions,

then ministers should not seek to use your lordships' House

to thwart the mandate of a democratically elected House.

What makes this such an exceptional time is that for perhaps only

the second or third time in a couple of centuries, we find ourselves

needing, as we come to Brexit, to redefine our whole approach

to foreign policy, and what our place should be in the world.

Trade deals, customs unions, people markets,

financial passports, all are without use

unless they are seen as a means to serve individuals,

Finally, is it time to rewrite the traditional oaths

and affirmations made by MPs at the start of a new Parliament?

Every member has to pledge their allegiance to the Queen,

but this year, some have proved keen to customise their contributions.

As a republican by conviction, and under protest, I swear

by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance

to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors,

I, Richard Burgon, was elected by the people of Leeds East

to represent the interests of the people of Leeds East,

and therefore I make the following affirmation in order

I, Laura Pidcock, was elected by the people of North West Durham

I therefore take this affirmation in order to do that.

Layla Moran is the new Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon.

I was surprised that I didn't have the option of pledging

loyalty to the people, given that I've spent the last

eight years, you know, campaigning to try and be an MP,

to help raise the concerns of the people, then when you get

to the point when you are swearing allegiance, you have the choice

Now, I don't have an issue with either, in fact I'm

a Greek Orthodox in my background, I think the Queen is a wonderful

woman and does great work, but I'm here to represent

the people, and that wasn't an option.

I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm...

As a new MP, it's quite hard to know which rules you can bend

So, I think perhaps in future years, I will be able

You're quite concerned about getting it right or wrong at this point,

And nonetheless, I mean, while it is broadly ceremonial,

what you're doing, the proof of the pudding is in the eating,

it's what I do while I'm here that matters, not who I've pledged

The new MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran,

bringing us to the end of this edition of the programme.

Do join Joanna Shin on Monday night at 11 for another full round-up

But for now, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.