:00:18. > :00:20.Hello and welcome to the Week In Parliament.
:00:21. > :00:26.What should be done with the limit on pay rises
:00:27. > :00:32.The low pay epidemic is a threat to our economic stability.
:00:33. > :00:36.It is not fair to bankrupt our economy because
:00:37. > :00:40.that leads to people losing their jobs and losing their homes.
:00:41. > :00:42.The Government's new chums are the Democratic Unionist Party
:00:43. > :00:48.But one observer warns them, watch out.
:00:49. > :00:51.This is a great moment for them and nobody can take it away
:00:52. > :00:55.but there are many snares and many responsibilities, particularly
:00:56. > :00:58.they do have to make some concessions to bring back
:00:59. > :01:00.power-sharing devolution, which is overwhelmingly in their interest.
:01:01. > :01:03.And it's a hung Parliament with close votes expected.
:01:04. > :01:09.But it's the other sort of ties that are most concerning
:01:10. > :01:15.I won't be taking interventions from anyone who's not wearing a tie.
:01:16. > :01:18.Do you think that there is a risk of a
:01:19. > :01:24.slippery slope which might lead that member to refuse to take
:01:25. > :01:26.interventions from members who are sartorially
:01:27. > :01:29.But first, have we reached last orders?
:01:30. > :01:32.Is the Government about to call time on austerity?
:01:33. > :01:35.The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his Cabinet colleague
:01:36. > :01:43.Michael Gove let it be known they think the cap limiting public
:01:44. > :01:45.sector pay rises to 1% should now be lifted.
:01:46. > :01:47.But the Chancellor Philip Hammond said government policy had not
:01:48. > :01:50.changed and it was vital to keep financial discipline in place.
:01:51. > :01:53.At Prime Minister's Question Time, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said
:01:54. > :01:59.the public sector pay cap was causing real hardship.
:02:00. > :02:03.6 million workers already earn less than the living wage.
:02:04. > :02:06.What does the Prime Minister think that tells
:02:07. > :02:09.us about seven years of Conservative Government
:02:10. > :02:15.and what it has done to the living
:02:16. > :02:17.standards of those people on whom we all rely
:02:18. > :02:19.to get our public services, our health services delivered to us?
:02:20. > :02:22.Let me remind the right honourable gentleman of
:02:23. > :02:26.what happens when you don't deal with the deficit.
:02:27. > :02:30.Let's look at those countries that failed to deal
:02:31. > :02:36.In Greece, where they haven't dealt with the deficit...
:02:37. > :02:45.What did we see with failure to deal with the deficit?
:02:46. > :02:49.Spending on the health service cut by 36%.
:02:50. > :02:53.That doesn't help nurses or patients.
:02:54. > :03:00.Can she take some tough choices and instead of offering platitudes,
:03:01. > :03:04.offer some real help and real support for those in work, young
:03:05. > :03:07.people who deserve better and deserve to be given more optimism,
:03:08. > :03:17.We actually now see the proportion of people in absolute
:03:18. > :03:22.I know that the right honourable gentleman
:03:23. > :03:25.has taken to calling himself a government in waiting.
:03:26. > :03:34.Waiting to put up taxes, waiting to destroy jobs,
:03:35. > :03:44.waiting to bankrupt our country, we will never let it happen.
:03:45. > :03:54.In a later debate, a former Tory Chancellor weighed in.
:03:55. > :03:57.If she were to give way to this week's
:03:58. > :03:59.lobbying on this subject, it would be a political disaster
:04:00. > :04:01.because the Government would be accused of a
:04:02. > :04:03.U-turn and a surrender and it would set off
:04:04. > :04:04.a wave of pay claims across
:04:05. > :04:06.the entire public sector, which the opposition obviously
:04:07. > :04:09.looking forward to taking part in, if they can
:04:10. > :04:12.It would also possibly be an economic disaster.
:04:13. > :04:16.In the exceedingly fine city of Norwich, we
:04:17. > :04:18.have three NHS Trust, two local authorities
:04:19. > :04:20.and a teaching hospital, thousands of public sector workers,
:04:21. > :04:23.who contribute to our economy and who, at present, are struggling to
:04:24. > :04:27.Surely this Government must understand that
:04:28. > :04:30.austerity is dying on its feet, invest in these people,
:04:31. > :04:34.and you will invest in Norwich's local economy.
:04:35. > :04:39.In many services, workers have received
:04:40. > :04:43.additional pay to the 1% national increase.
:04:44. > :04:50.Teachers had an average pay rise of 3.3% in 2015-2016.
:04:51. > :04:53.More than half of nurses and other NHS
:04:54. > :04:58.staff had an average increase of over 3% in 2016.
:04:59. > :05:03.And incidentally, PMQs is now available as a podcast,
:05:04. > :05:05.when you can listen to the whole of the session.
:05:06. > :05:08.Just search for "BBC Prime Minister's Questions"
:05:09. > :05:16.Talks have broken down over the future of Northern Ireland,
:05:17. > :05:19.it's a sentence with a very familiar ring, but it's happened
:05:20. > :05:27.The DUP leader Arlene Foster, here seen on one of her many recent
:05:28. > :05:29.visits to Downing Street, declared that she was
:05:30. > :05:31."disappointed" that talks to get the Northern Ireland Assembly
:05:32. > :05:37.Stormont was suspended in January following a row over the costs
:05:38. > :05:41.of a heating scheme in Northern Ireland.
:05:42. > :05:44.A new factor in the protracted talks to get devolution re-started has
:05:45. > :05:46.been the deal struck at Westminster between the minority
:05:47. > :05:50.Conservative Government and the group of ten DUP MPs.
:05:51. > :05:55.The Democratic Unionist Party is also the biggest party at Stormont.
:05:56. > :05:58.The Northern Ireland Secretary spoke to MPs
:05:59. > :06:09.But I am clear that the return of inclusive
:06:10. > :06:10.devolved government by a
:06:11. > :06:13.power-sharing executive is what would be profoundly in the best
:06:14. > :06:22.Does he think there is a role for a new independent, impartial
:06:23. > :06:24.international perhaps, chairman of the talks, with
:06:25. > :06:28.In the past that too has played an important
:06:29. > :06:42.At some point, there has got to be a realisation that the pact could
:06:43. > :06:46.possibly be dead. That it is deceased of life, it is no more.
:06:47. > :06:49.Well, the "confidence" and "supply" agreement that allows the DUP
:06:50. > :06:51.to prop up Theresa May's government continues to cause moments
:06:52. > :06:53.of resentment in the Commons, chiefly from Labour MPs.
:06:54. > :06:55.In particular there's anger at the ?1 billion cash
:06:56. > :06:58.sum that's been given to Northern Ireland as part
:06:59. > :07:04.Mr Speaker, I want to talk about the spending plans of 2017
:07:05. > :07:06.where he can find a billion for Northern Ireland
:07:07. > :07:14.The Prime Minister found ?1 billion to keep her own job, why
:07:15. > :07:18.can't she find the same amount of money to keep the nurses and
:07:19. > :07:23.teachers in their job, who, after all, serve all of us?
:07:24. > :07:26.Then came this attack on the DUP at equality questions on Thursday.
:07:27. > :07:30.DUP representatives have described homosexuality as repulsive, wrong,
:07:31. > :07:36.vile, immoral, offensive and obnoxious.
:07:37. > :07:43.Does the Minister agree that it is these hateful remarks
:07:44. > :07:45.themselves that are repulsive, wrong, vile, immoral, offensive and
:07:46. > :07:48.obnoxious and they should have no place in politics, let alone in
:07:49. > :07:51.The DUP once ran a campaign called Save Ulster From Sodomy.
:07:52. > :07:57.Isn't it time to save Ulster from bigotry?
:07:58. > :08:05.The views that she has set out are absolutely not ones that
:08:06. > :08:08.I agree with or indeed I think are shared by this House.
:08:09. > :08:10.So, some moments there from Commons questions on Thursday.
:08:11. > :08:13.Well, with me in the studio now is Lord Bew, who
:08:14. > :08:15.is professor of Irish politics at Queens University Belfast and an
:08:16. > :08:18.author of many books and articles on the political history of Ireland
:08:19. > :08:26.Firstly, talking about the DUP, bit of an unknown
:08:27. > :08:29.Yes. Of the Irish Sea.
:08:30. > :08:33.Why is it that the DUP have now largely superseded
:08:34. > :08:35.the Ulster Unionists as the main party of unionism
:08:36. > :08:41.Well, the DUP began in the Bible Belt to some
:08:42. > :08:43.degree, fundamentalist religious areas of Northern Ireland and
:08:44. > :08:47.Dr Paisley was the leading figure in the late 60s, 70s, 80s.
:08:48. > :08:49.He'd struck many blows against the Ulster Unionist Party,
:08:50. > :08:54.but you're quite right, it's only in recent years
:08:55. > :08:57.that they have become the hegemonic force and got the Ulster Unionist
:08:58. > :09:01.And is that because sort of soft unionism, shall
:09:02. > :09:03.we say, maytriach unionism is largely just evaporated?
:09:04. > :09:05.It's more complicated than that because
:09:06. > :09:08.the DUP has adopted many of the policies,
:09:09. > :09:10.effectively the policy of power-sharing with Sinn Fein,
:09:11. > :09:18.originally pioneered by David Trimble.
:09:19. > :09:21.And also the new DUP person, in the old days, the Free
:09:22. > :09:23.Presbyterians of Dr Paisley's own church were the caders, who
:09:24. > :09:25.organised elections and things like that.
:09:26. > :09:27.Since the Good Friday Agreement, the
:09:28. > :09:29.new Oxford University Press study of the DUP
:09:30. > :09:32.shows only one in seven new members are actually Free Presbyterians.
:09:33. > :09:42.So there is now a breakaway now from a
:09:43. > :09:50.The DUP sort of proud of the fact that they are non-Liberal party on
:09:51. > :10:00.social issues? They could defend themselves.
:10:01. > :10:03.different from the German Chancellor, because they sit
:10:04. > :10:06.in a parliament which has legislated for gay marriage
:10:07. > :10:08.while they themselves are not in that place.
:10:09. > :10:11.But it is true that the DUP has opinions in this area
:10:12. > :10:14.which are different than that of the mainstream British parties.
:10:15. > :10:18.It is also true that, to go back to the younger members,
:10:19. > :10:20.Jeff Dudgeon, who is the great figure of gay rights
:10:21. > :10:22.for Northern Ireland, the one who really
:10:23. > :10:24.fought when there was really intense discrimination against gay people,
:10:25. > :10:28.Jeff Dudgeon says we talk to the younger DUP people,
:10:29. > :10:29.they're actually quite relaxed about gay marriage.
:10:30. > :10:32.So even there, there is actually a transition going on.
:10:33. > :10:34.Now, the DUP agreement with the Conservative Government,
:10:35. > :10:35.I suppose, cuts both ways within Northern Ireland.
:10:36. > :10:37.Irish nationalists, no doubt pleased that
:10:38. > :10:40.a large sum of money is coming Northern Ireland's way, but not
:10:41. > :10:43.happy that a British Government is siding so firmly with one side of
:10:44. > :10:51.Yes, the point about that is, of course, even in the
:10:52. > :10:54.last few days we've seen the Irish Government weighing
:10:55. > :10:56.in on Sinn Fein's side on the Irish language issue
:10:57. > :11:03.and the truth of the matter is that both governments, since the
:11:04. > :11:05.agreement, indeed in winning the agreement, Tony Blair felt it
:11:06. > :11:08.necessary to be very strongly pro-unionist, have had to take up
:11:09. > :11:14.these different languages and that's part of the game.
:11:15. > :11:16.So it's a difficult, fluid situation and on
:11:17. > :11:18.both sides, really neither government, if you take the whole
:11:19. > :11:20.matter in the round, actually could be,
:11:21. > :11:22.in all honesty, could be in any circumstance
:11:23. > :11:24.neutral in some grand sense, of course so.
:11:25. > :11:26.Both have a responsibility to behave with a certain
:11:27. > :11:29.basic fairness and both of them have tried to do that
:11:30. > :11:32.Now, there's no doubt at all about it.
:11:33. > :11:35.The DUP must've enjoyed their time in the sun in the
:11:36. > :11:37.past two weeks in London and Belfast.
:11:38. > :11:40.Yes, they have and I think this is a danger.
:11:41. > :11:42.It is understandable, they have been through...
:11:43. > :11:44.Politics these days, everything changes so quickly.
:11:45. > :11:48.In the latter half of last year, they
:11:49. > :11:53.are probably, in most people's eyes, to blame for the Irish language
:11:54. > :11:56.question becoming so difficult in Northern Ireland because of the
:11:57. > :11:59.Again, the whole question of the heating scandal,
:12:00. > :12:01.these things were not well handled.
:12:02. > :12:05.They had a very bad Assembly election, partly as a result.
:12:06. > :12:09.Suddenly, a few months later, they have an astonishingly
:12:10. > :12:11.successful general election and in which it's not
:12:12. > :12:20.it's the fact that their vote went up so much and Sinn
:12:21. > :12:22.election was only 1000 votes behind them.
:12:23. > :12:24.It's 53,000 behind them in the general election,
:12:25. > :12:29.So they suddenly find themselves having beeen down,
:12:30. > :12:37.and the danger is when you are up, you think I'm
:12:38. > :12:39.wonderful and you don't take a self-critical attitude
:12:40. > :12:41.towards the way you operate politically.
:12:42. > :12:43.And you don't realise the need for great care because
:12:44. > :12:45.there are many snares now that face them.
:12:46. > :12:48.This is a great moment for them and nobody can take it away but
:12:49. > :12:51.there are many snares and many responsibilities, particularly they
:12:52. > :12:53.do have to make some concessions to bring back
:12:54. > :12:55.which is overwhelmingly in their interest.
:12:56. > :13:02.There didn't seem to be a lot of progress made in the talks
:13:03. > :13:05.to get the Stormont Assembly restarted, despite all the parties
:13:06. > :13:07.claiming that they want to see the Stormont Assembly restarted.
:13:08. > :13:09.Are we heading for direct rule from Westminster?
:13:10. > :13:12.In the very short-term, we have a form of indirect
:13:13. > :13:14.direct rule and we've already had it with certain key
:13:15. > :13:16.pieces of housekeeping carried out by Westminster.
:13:17. > :13:19.But you're not really going to know until the autumn
:13:20. > :13:22.and there are so many imponderables there.
:13:23. > :13:24.For example, the whole question of what is going
:13:25. > :13:27.on in Irish politics and Sinn Fein's role there,
:13:28. > :13:30.and how it perceives what it does in Northern Ireland and it is
:13:31. > :13:33.very hard to calculate, but how they perceive, how their actions
:13:34. > :13:35.in Northern Ireland will play on their fortunes
:13:36. > :13:40.Both parties don't...are in a place they didn't expect to be.
:13:41. > :13:43.Sinn Fein did not expect the DUP huge vote,
:13:44. > :13:51.which just characterised the general election, which means
:13:52. > :13:53.calling for a border poll, a big Sinn Fein policy,
:13:54. > :13:56.So they're in a place where some of their
:13:57. > :14:00.And the DUP also in a place where they didn't
:14:01. > :14:02.expect to be because of the outcome of the Westminster
:14:03. > :14:05.They need to think it through, both of them.
:14:06. > :14:08.Do you think Sinn Fein genuinely wants to see the
:14:09. > :14:14.But I would say that on most days, you would assume that for the public
:14:15. > :14:17.opinion, the Irish public opinion have
:14:18. > :14:25.It's better for them to be operating Stormont.
:14:26. > :14:28.The caveat to that is that Brexit, because it so threatens
:14:29. > :14:30.the Irish economy and tens and tens of thousands
:14:31. > :14:33.of jobs are at risk as a function of Brexit and also,
:14:34. > :14:35.by the way, the position of the European Union
:14:36. > :14:40.The combination of these positions is such that there
:14:41. > :14:43.is more hostility towards Britain in general, not just the DUP
:14:44. > :14:45.and therefore Sinn Fein can get away with a more
:14:46. > :14:49.anti-British stance than they could have before Brexit.
:14:50. > :14:51.That's a simple fact of the matter, that
:14:52. > :14:54.it has definitely increased the anti-British sentiment.
:14:55. > :14:57.It has not at all reduced pro-British sentiment
:14:58. > :14:59.in the unionist community, but it has definitely increased
:15:00. > :15:02.anti-British sentiment among even the softest type of Catholic
:15:03. > :15:10.Some thoughts on the politics of Northern Ireland.
:15:11. > :15:13.Now, a look at one or two of the other stories around
:15:14. > :15:18.A Minister has faced shouts of "Shame on you!"
:15:19. > :15:20.in Westminster Hall from campaigners for the Waspi movement,
:15:21. > :15:22.that is, Women Against State Pension Inequality -
:15:23. > :15:26.those who say that women coming up to age 60 were given too little
:15:27. > :15:28.notice of the change in their official pension age.
:15:29. > :15:31.The 2011 Pensions Act meant that no woman affected by the 2011 Act
:15:32. > :15:35.would have to wait more than 18 months, from the date
:15:36. > :15:38.that they might have been expecting their pension,
:15:39. > :15:40.and for some, the changes are much less.
:15:41. > :15:43.The Government must do all we can to assist everyone affected
:15:44. > :15:46.in retraining and employment, and provide support...
:15:47. > :15:55.That commitment to provide support is clear, unequivocal and ongoing.
:15:56. > :16:04.The emotional aftermath of the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower.
:16:05. > :16:07.In the Commons, a Housing Minister is close to tears as he talks
:16:08. > :16:11.about his meetings with residents in North Kensington.
:16:12. > :16:14.Hearing the harrowing accounts of survivors has been the most
:16:15. > :16:21.humbling and moving experience of my life.
:16:22. > :16:32.This is a tragedy that should never have happened.
:16:33. > :16:38.The Government says it is pulling out of
:16:39. > :16:41.the London Fisheries Convention, a first step towards UK withdrawal
:16:42. > :16:51.Clearly, we need to negotiate now with our partners and friends
:16:52. > :16:53.in Europe so that we have, as I say, a sustainable fishing
:16:54. > :16:58.industry, and also for the first time, we will have the ability
:16:59. > :17:01.to decide who can fish in our waters.
:17:02. > :17:04.And fish shoals can sometimes move for hundreds of miles, and indeed,
:17:05. > :17:07.our own fishermen sometimes fish up towards the north of Russia,
:17:08. > :17:12.There is no point in making just a unilateral declaration on this,
:17:13. > :17:16.there has to be really thoughtful, detailed discussions on the future.
:17:17. > :17:19.The bottom line is, we have very, very few vessels involved in this.
:17:20. > :17:24.They are not properly centrally coordinated.
:17:25. > :17:26.We have seen a number of countries involved saying, well,
:17:27. > :17:29.the hell with what you're saying, we're coming anyway.
:17:30. > :17:31.We will be made a laughing stock if we apply some rules
:17:32. > :17:38.First, the wigs worn by the Commons clerks were abolished.
:17:39. > :17:41.Now, could another long-standing custom be ditched?
:17:42. > :17:44.Deep controversy has been stirred by the announcement
:17:45. > :17:47.of the Speaker, John Bercow, that he has no problem with a male
:17:48. > :17:51.Member of Parliament not wearing a tie in the chamber.
:17:52. > :17:57.The stakes were raised considerably when a Minister made these remarks
:17:58. > :18:04.Let me just, before I go any further, say something I should
:18:05. > :18:07.have said at the outset, Madam Deputy Speaker.
:18:08. > :18:10.There has been some debate over recent days in this chamber
:18:11. > :18:13.about sartorial standards, as you will know,
:18:14. > :18:18.I ought to say, as a matter of courtesy, I will not be taking
:18:19. > :18:21.interventions from anyone who is not wearing a tie...
:18:22. > :18:27.Um, on whatever side of the House they sit.
:18:28. > :18:31.But as well as courtesy, I believe in generosity,
:18:32. > :18:36.and anyone that is sartorially challenged, or inadequate,
:18:37. > :18:42.I do have a tie here, which I'm prepared to...
:18:43. > :18:46.And of course, I exclude from that lady members of the House,
:18:47. > :18:51.who I would hardly expect to dress in either my tie, one of
:18:52. > :19:00.You were not in the chair on Monday, and may not have heard the Minister
:19:01. > :19:03.of State for Transport, the member for South Holland
:19:04. > :19:06.and the Deepings, who said that he was not going to take
:19:07. > :19:11.interventions from anybody who is not wearing a tie.
:19:12. > :19:21.Given your pronouncements on this matter, Mr Speaker,
:19:22. > :19:25.do you think that there is a risk of a slippery slope which might
:19:26. > :19:30.to refuse to take interventions from members who are sartorially
:19:31. > :19:35.challenged in other ways, such as wearing a gaudy tie
:19:36. > :19:40.If you ask me, I think that ties have it,
:19:41. > :19:46.Celebrations were held on the Isle of Man this week
:19:47. > :19:50.It is the annual open-air meeting of the Manx Parliament,
:19:51. > :19:55.and this year, lawmakers were marking a 600th anniversary,
:19:56. > :19:57.as Steve Rodan, President of the Tynwald,
:19:58. > :20:02.explained to me on a rather bad line from the island's capital, Douglas.
:20:03. > :20:07.It was in 1417 that the customary law was written down,
:20:08. > :20:11.and that's the earliest Manx statute, and it sets out in great
:20:12. > :20:16.detail how the Tynwald Day ceremony should be conducted.
:20:17. > :20:20.And what is fascinating is that even in 1417,
:20:21. > :20:23.it was being described as the Constitution of Old Time.
:20:24. > :20:27.So, it was referring to the Viking establishment of Tynwald.
:20:28. > :20:31.And it said where the Lord of Man should sit on the hill,
:20:32. > :20:35.in open array with the squires round about, the barons
:20:36. > :20:41.and the clergy, and the people round about to hear the laws
:20:42. > :20:49.And constitutionally, we do exactly the same today.
:20:50. > :20:53.The laws of the Isle of Man from the previous 12 months
:20:54. > :20:59.are read out in summary, in English and in the Manx language.
:21:00. > :21:02.If that isn't done, they cease to take effect.
:21:03. > :21:05.Is there are a lot of interest from the population
:21:06. > :21:08.of the Isle of Man in the Manx Parliament?
:21:09. > :21:14.I mean, we have the same problem of apathy amongst younger people,
:21:15. > :21:20.But we were one of the very first places to give
:21:21. > :21:28.And we have got quite an interest in schools
:21:29. > :21:31.in our Parliamentary system, as well as, I may say,
:21:32. > :21:36.we were the very first Parliament to give women the vote back in 1881,
:21:37. > :21:41.So, there is one of the key differences.
:21:42. > :21:44.So, we are a blend, a happy blend, we think, of ancient
:21:45. > :21:51.I mean, the Isle of Wight is part of England, quite happily,
:21:52. > :21:53.what have you got to lose by becoming part of England?
:21:54. > :21:55.Yes, we don't send a member to Westminster.
:21:56. > :21:58.Instead, we have our own Tynwald, our own Parliament, 1000 years old,
:21:59. > :22:05.Working very closely, of course, with the authorities in London,
:22:06. > :22:09.with whom we have a very good, constant dialogue.
:22:10. > :22:13.But we are left to do our own thing, every penny that is spent
:22:14. > :22:17.in the Isle of Man is raised in the Isle of Man, we don't get any
:22:18. > :22:20.grant assistance from London in any shape or form,
:22:21. > :22:27.We go our own way and do our own thing, and we are very proud of it.
:22:28. > :22:31.We've done it for 1000 years and I hope we will continue to
:22:32. > :22:34.do so, whatever happens to the UK in respect of Europe.
:22:35. > :22:36.Steve Rodan, thanks very much indeed for joining us
:22:37. > :22:43.Election news now, because campaigning is well
:22:44. > :22:47.under way in the latest by-election in the House of Lords.
:22:48. > :22:53.It's by-election time in the House, following the retirement
:22:54. > :22:56.of the crossbench hereditary peer Lord Walpole.
:22:57. > :23:03.Although most of the hereditaries lost their seats in the Blair
:23:04. > :23:05.reforms of 1999, some were permitted to stay.
:23:06. > :23:09.Vacancies are filled by by-elections.
:23:10. > :23:13.Ten candidates are standing in this contest.
:23:14. > :23:18.According to Ladbrokes, this week, the early front runners are, at 2-1,
:23:19. > :23:22.the businessman and charity worker Lord Darling, followed
:23:23. > :23:25.at 3-1 by Lord Mostyn, who says he can bring some youth
:23:26. > :23:30.to the House, being only 32 years old!
:23:31. > :23:35.Rank outsider at this stage is Lord Cadman, at 100-1 -
:23:36. > :23:39.the only candidate not to submit a supporting statement.
:23:40. > :23:45.Here is a full list of those standing.
:23:46. > :23:48.Only crossbench hereditaries can vote in this election.
:23:49. > :23:54.There are about 30 of them eligible this time.
:23:55. > :23:57.Voting takes place on July the 18th, with the result
:23:58. > :24:05.Now, with a look at what's been happening in the wider world
:24:06. > :24:16.of politics this week, here's Alex Partridge with our countdown.
:24:17. > :24:19.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Edinburgh this week
:24:20. > :24:22.to receive an honorary doctorate, and even tried a Scottish accent.
:24:23. > :24:30.Where we can be free and no man owns the fish.
:24:31. > :24:33.It's football's transfer season, which allowed Labour's Angela Rayner
:24:34. > :24:36.to have some fun at the expense of the Government
:24:37. > :24:40.When Arlene Foster got the ?1 billion, she must be
:24:41. > :24:46.the most expensive right-winger since Cristiano Ronaldo.
:24:47. > :24:48.European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was a bit upset
:24:49. > :24:51.at the low number of MEPs who turned out to hear
:24:52. > :24:59.In a week dominated at Westminster by talk of ties, the best
:25:00. > :25:01.of the week was surely the DUP's Jim Shannon and his stars
:25:02. > :25:06.and stripes number, worn to mark the 4th of July.
:25:07. > :25:08.And finally, congratulations to Conservative backbencher
:25:09. > :25:11.Jacob Rees-Mogg, who welcomed his sixth child this week.
:25:12. > :25:23.The baby boy is named Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher Rees-Mogg.
:25:24. > :25:30.Over the next seven days, we should get to know who will be
:25:31. > :25:31.chairing Westminster's all-important committees,
:25:32. > :25:35.after some hard-fought internal election battles.
:25:36. > :25:39.So, do join Alicia McCarthy for the next Week In Parliament.
:25:40. > :25:45.it's now time to say a very final farewell.