0:00:18 > 0:00:20Hello and welcome to the programme.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Coming up:
0:00:22 > 0:00:24The Government launches its Repeal Bill converting
0:00:24 > 0:00:27EU law into UK legislation.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31We'll be looking at the Parliamentary battles to come.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34As the Prime Minister announces an inquiry into the abuse faced
0:00:34 > 0:00:36by candidates at the general election, one MP worries
0:00:36 > 0:00:38where the harassment will end.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I think there is a serious risk that actually something
0:00:41 > 0:00:42much worse will happen.
0:00:42 > 0:00:42Also on this programme:
0:00:42 > 0:00:45We talk to Nicky Morgan, the new chair of the powerful
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Commons Treasury committee.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49And:
0:00:49 > 0:00:51I'll be reporting on the clash of the deputies at Prime
0:00:51 > 0:00:52Minister's Questions.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And MPs mark the centenary of one of the bloodiest battles
0:00:55 > 0:00:57of the First World War.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59The men couldn't even get into the shell holes
0:00:59 > 0:01:01because they were full of water.
0:01:01 > 0:01:08So they are absolute sitting ducks.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13But first, it started life as the Great Repeal Bill -
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and while the word "great" may have been dropped make no mistake that
0:01:16 > 0:01:18the European Union Withdrawal Bill, to give it its proper title,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21is going to be one of the big battle grounds of this Parliament.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24It repeals the European Communities Act of 1972 and it transfers EU
0:01:24 > 0:01:28law into British law.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31This mega bit of legislation took just three seconds
0:01:31 > 0:01:33to make its debut in Parliament.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38The European Union Withdrawal Bill.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40The Leader of the Commons, Andrea Leadsom, stressed
0:01:40 > 0:01:42the bill's importance.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45As the Brexit Secretary has said, this is one of the most significant
0:01:45 > 0:01:50pieces of legislation that has ever passed through Parliament.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55And it is a major milestone in the process of our withdrawal.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57It means we will be able to exit the European Union
0:01:57 > 0:02:01with maximum certainty, continuity and control.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05But opposition parties didn't see it quite like that.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Hooray!
0:02:06 > 0:02:09The Great Repeal Bill is out today.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12A bill to unite the country and an invitation to climb aboard
0:02:12 > 0:02:16the battered jalopy as it trundles over the cliff edge.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Pete Wishart.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22MPs will hold their first big debate on that bill in the Autumn.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24And it's not going to be straightforward.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26The Government faces opposition on all sides at Westminster,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29including from some of its own MPs - meanwhile the First Ministers
0:02:29 > 0:02:36of Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones
0:02:36 > 0:02:38of Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones,
0:02:38 > 0:02:39are threatening to make life very difficult.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Well, to discuss all this I'm joined by our political
0:02:42 > 0:02:43correspondent Chris Mason.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44Welcome to the programme.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46On the face of it, this all sounds very technical.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48You're turning EU law into UK law.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49So why is it so controversial?
0:02:49 > 0:02:53The fact that it's so technical is what makes it controversial
0:02:53 > 0:02:56because the Government is very aware that it's got a tight timetable
0:02:56 > 0:03:03for doing what it's doing.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08One element of this cut and paste job, of laws coming from Brussels
0:03:08 > 0:03:10back to the UK, involves the Government examining
0:03:10 > 0:03:20the detail of those laws and where they need to tweak,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24for instance if a particular sector is being governed by a European
0:03:24 > 0:03:26regulator and will in future be governed by a UK regulator,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29there has to be that change in legislation to make sure
0:03:29 > 0:03:31there is no black holes and the law.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33But in doing that via secondary legislation, what I call
0:03:33 > 0:03:34statutory instruments...
0:03:34 > 0:03:35These are ministerial powers.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Yeah, ministerial powers that then critics on the opposition
0:03:38 > 0:03:39benches are saying, well, hang on a minute,
0:03:39 > 0:03:40that's the problem.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43These are ministerial powers, the so-called Henry VIII law,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45which means that in their view they can't be scrutinised
0:03:45 > 0:03:46sufficiently.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47And that's where complexity becomes controversy.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48So that's Westminster.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51But as we've been hearing, the first ministers of Scotland
0:03:51 > 0:03:52and Wales are already not happy.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54How much power have they got?
0:03:54 > 0:03:55They can't stop Brexit.
0:03:55 > 0:03:55They can stop it.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00They can't stop it.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03They can't veto it but they can certainly blow a raspberry
0:04:03 > 0:04:05in the direction of Westminster, and we've seen that this week
0:04:05 > 0:04:08in what Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10and Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, have
0:04:10 > 0:04:13been doing, because where they do have some power is, again it's
0:04:13 > 0:04:15complex, they have power via what are known as legislative
0:04:15 > 0:04:20consent motions to be able to say, we want a say on this because some
0:04:20 > 0:04:23of the powers which are coming back from Brussels to the UK
0:04:23 > 0:04:26are ones that have been handed over to the devolved administrations
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and they say, get a move on, we want that power in Edinburgh and Cardiff,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31not just in Westminster.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34So you can be certain, and we've seen it already,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37that they will seek to be involved as much as they can.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It doesn't amount to a veto but it could amount to a headache
0:04:40 > 0:04:41for the Prime Minister.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Plenty for Theresa May to think about over the summer.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44Thank you for joining us.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Now, Westminster is a rough and tumble place, with its fair
0:04:47 > 0:04:50share of brutal battles.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53But when MPs gathered in Westminster Hall on Wednesday
0:04:53 > 0:04:56afternoon, they laid out the scale of the abuse they, their staff
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and supporters regularly receive from the public.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01The Government has announced an inquiry into the intimidation
0:05:01 > 0:05:03of candidates during June's General election.
0:05:03 > 0:05:10The Conservative leading the debate gave some examples of the problem.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15In a three-month period, MPs received 188,000 abusive tweets.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16That's in a three-month period.
0:05:16 > 0:05:22That's one in 20 tweets received by colleagues.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24He cited the experience of the former Conservative
0:05:24 > 0:05:27MP Charlotte Leslie.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Charlotte Leslie, whose parents became victims of this
0:05:29 > 0:05:32particular abuse.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Their entire oil heating supply was drained into the garden
0:05:34 > 0:05:37by somebody who had an objection to Charlotte's particular
0:05:37 > 0:05:41position on fracking, which was a slightly ironic way
0:05:41 > 0:05:45of dealing with an environmental consideration.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Nonetheless, it caused enormous distress, as did
0:05:48 > 0:05:54the scratching of "Tory scum" in her elderly parents' car.
0:05:54 > 0:05:5730 years ago when I first became an MP, if you wanted to attack MP,
0:05:57 > 0:06:03you had to write a letter, usually in green ink,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07you had to put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and you had
0:06:07 > 0:06:09to walk to the post box.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Now they press a button and you read vile abuse which 30 years ago people
0:06:12 > 0:06:18would have been frightened to even write down.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I've been an MP for just over two years and I can't remember a single
0:06:21 > 0:06:24day that has gone by without having received some sort of abuse,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27whether that be death threats or a picture of me being mocked up
0:06:27 > 0:06:29as a used sanitary towel and lots of other things.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32This last election was the most brutal I can certainly imagine.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35We are not talking here about a bit of political banter,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38we are not talking about the rough and tumble of political debate
0:06:38 > 0:06:43or even satirising or caricaturing another person's point of view,
0:06:43 > 0:06:52we are talking about vile abuse, dehumanising people,
0:06:52 > 0:06:53offering and inciting sometimes violence against people.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56This is the sort of activity that should not be deemed acceptable
0:06:56 > 0:07:00in any democratic society.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02My concern is it stops women especially entering politics
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and I can very briefly give an example of a candidate
0:07:05 > 0:07:11who unfortunately wasn't elected, who stood in Ealing,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13and because members of Parliament have to declare their addresses
0:07:13 > 0:07:18when they stand for Parliament, she says she started becoming
0:07:18 > 0:07:22nervous when she noticed activity during the election campaign
0:07:22 > 0:07:25by the opponents when they started, standing outside my door
0:07:25 > 0:07:27at my home spitting in my face and following me.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Well, after that debate I caught up with Simon Hart and asked if he'd
0:07:31 > 0:07:32been surprised by what he'd heard.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I've definitely been surprised from what I've heard from members
0:07:35 > 0:07:42of all parties and certainly the increased amount of abuse
0:07:42 > 0:07:44people have been suffering from between the years 2015-17.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46To me, it's about the abuse which is being received
0:07:46 > 0:07:49by members of the public, by volunteers, by donors,
0:07:49 > 0:07:50people who are associating with us.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54We have a degree of protection and we are sort of semi-used to it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57But it's actually all the other people around election time
0:07:57 > 0:08:00who are getting an equal amount of hassle and I'm as interested
0:08:00 > 0:08:03in the impact on them as the impact on colleagues here.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Theresa May has announced that there is now going to be
0:08:06 > 0:08:07an investigation into all of this.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11But where does it start and what do you particularly want it to look at?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13To my mind, it's got to quantify the extent of the problem.
0:08:13 > 0:08:23Take evidence from colleagues, volunteers, the public, election.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28-- election officers.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Get a real feel for the extent of this problem, talk
0:08:30 > 0:08:31to the social media platforms.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Then it's got to identify where we have existing law to deal
0:08:34 > 0:08:36with that kind of thing.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Do enough people know about it?
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Are the police enforcing it?
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Do people have access to the legal system of the sort
0:08:41 > 0:08:42that they should have?
0:08:42 > 0:08:44And then identify gaps in the law.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46For example, some election legislation is 150 years old.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It's not equipped to deal with social media campaigns.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Do we need to update the law and if so how?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53And then there's the question of shining a light
0:08:53 > 0:08:57on the social media platforms.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59I hope the enquiry will fully investigate their
0:08:59 > 0:09:00role in this and how
0:09:00 > 0:09:03they could be better regulated and how they can play their part
0:09:03 > 0:09:04in resolving this problem.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Obviously, this kind of abuse and harassment is nasty,
0:09:07 > 0:09:07unpleasant, it's off-putting.
0:09:07 > 0:09:14But do you fear that it's actually going to spill over into violence?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Well, I think there's a real line which we have to draw
0:09:17 > 0:09:19between legitimate cut and thrust and the sort of rumbustious nature
0:09:19 > 0:09:22of campaign politics, which we should all be thick-skinned
0:09:22 > 0:09:24enough to deal with.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26The other side of that line is abuse, intimidation,
0:09:26 > 0:09:33threat, real or otherwise, and just general use
0:09:33 > 0:09:38of campaigning to spread complete untruths about candidates.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40That's a very different matter and has that spilled
0:09:40 > 0:09:41over into violence?
0:09:41 > 0:09:47Yes, I think it has.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49It's certainly spilled over into criminal damage.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Plenty of examples of that in this election and in
0:09:52 > 0:09:54local elections, too.
0:09:54 > 0:10:02Yeah, by my estimation, if the next election is two or three
0:10:02 > 0:10:06years away and the rate of decline is the same as it was between 15
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and 17, then, yeah, I think there is a serious risk that
0:10:09 > 0:10:10actually something much worse will happen.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12You know, we are having this conversation 30 months
0:10:12 > 0:10:15after Jo Cox was murdered.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18-- 13 months.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22And all the work that has been done in that 13 months by her family
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and supporters to try and cleanse politics of this particular disease
0:10:25 > 0:10:27could be wasted unless we take the opportunity now to do
0:10:27 > 0:10:30something about it.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33It was the turn of the understudies to step into the limelight for this
0:10:33 > 0:10:35week's session of Prime Minister's Questions.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Watching for us was Henry Mance, political correspondent
0:10:37 > 0:10:40of the Financial Times.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are sometimes criticised for not
0:10:42 > 0:10:45putting on a very good show at Prime Minister's Questions.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47So could their stand-ins provide any more theatre?
0:10:47 > 0:10:52This week, the Prime Minister was meeting the King and Queen
0:10:52 > 0:10:55of Spain on their state visit to the UK, so the first Secretary of
0:10:55 > 0:10:56State Damian Green took her place.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Meanwhile for Labour, Emily Thornberry,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02the Shadow Foreign Secretary, filled in for Mr Corbyn.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04It was Ms Thornberry who arrived with enough swagger
0:11:05 > 0:11:08for the both of them.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11By my reckoning, in the 20 years since he first joined this house,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14he is the 16th member of the party opposite to be represented
0:11:14 > 0:11:15at Prime Minister's Questions.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19So how about I give him to the end of this session to be able
0:11:19 > 0:11:20to name all the others?
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I'm grateful to the right honourable lady for her kind remarks.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25I might take up her offer to try and name all 16
0:11:25 > 0:11:26in the tearoom later.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Rather than delay the house now.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32There are many, many distinguished people of both sexes who have
0:11:32 > 0:11:35done it in this party, because we of course elect women
0:11:35 > 0:11:36leaders occasionally.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40CHEERING.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Mr Corbyn sometimes avoids the topic of Brexit at PMQs.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Not Ms Thornberry.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48She wanted to know what would happen if Britain didn't reach
0:11:48 > 0:11:49a deal with the EU.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51This isn't some sinister nightmare dreamt up by Remainers,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55it was the Prime Minister who first floated the idea of no deal,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58the Foreign Secretary who said it would be perfectly OK,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02the Brexit Secretary who said that we'd be prepared to walk away,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06but since the election, the Chancellor has said that
0:12:06 > 0:12:11that would be a very, very bad outcome and a former
0:12:11 > 0:12:15minister has told Sky News that no deal is dead.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17So will the First Secretary clear this up?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Are ministers just making it up as they go along?
0:12:19 > 0:12:26SHOUTING.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Or is it still the Government's clear policy that no
0:12:28 > 0:12:34deal is an option?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I recommend the right honourable lady read the Prime Minister's
0:12:37 > 0:12:38Lancaster House speech.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41That is the basis on which we are negotiating.
0:12:41 > 0:12:51We are also certain that it is conceivable
0:12:52 > 0:12:55that we would be offered a kind of punishment deal that
0:12:55 > 0:12:56would be worse than no deal.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59The only problem with swaggering is that sometimes you trip up.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03I know that the honourable member is new to this
0:13:03 > 0:13:05but the way that it works is that he asks...
0:13:05 > 0:13:06LAUGHTER.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08That I ask the questions and he answers them.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Mr Green saw his chance.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12I've counted, had nine different plans on Europe,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14they want to be both in and out of the single market,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18in and out of the customs union, they said they wanted to remain,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20they voted for Article 50, they split their party on that,
0:13:20 > 0:13:25and she made one point about whether she would prefer to be
0:13:25 > 0:13:28out of this despatch box rather than at that despatch box.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32I would also remind her of the other event that happened recently
0:13:32 > 0:13:35where the Conservative Party got more votes and more seats
0:13:35 > 0:13:38than the Labour Party and won the election.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Mr Green was actually promoted to his current role
0:13:44 > 0:13:46after the election but Toby Perkins, the Labour MP for Chesterfield
0:13:46 > 0:13:49noticed that Mrs May have suffered something of a demotion,
0:13:49 > 0:13:50at least online.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52For the first time since she has become Prime Minister,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54her image has now been removed from the front page
0:13:55 > 0:13:56of the Conservative Party website.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Can the First Secretary tell us why she has gone from being the next
0:13:59 > 0:14:06Iron Lady to the Lady Vanishes?
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Recently as June last year, the honourable gentleman said
0:14:10 > 0:14:13that the leader of the Labour Party is not destined to become
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Prime Minister and he called on him to resign.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21I suggest he might want to make peace with his own front
0:14:21 > 0:14:24bench before he starts being rude about ours.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Even when the party leaders are away, they clearly
0:14:26 > 0:14:28cast a very long shadow.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30The Conservative Andrew Rosindell had a suggestion for the subject
0:14:30 > 0:14:33of small talk for Mrs May in her conversations
0:14:33 > 0:14:34with King Felipe of Spain.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Would he asked the Prime Minister to remind the king of Spain that
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Gibraltar is British and their sovereignty
0:14:43 > 0:14:45will remain paramount.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I'm happy to assure my honourable friend the government's position
0:14:48 > 0:14:53on Gibraltar and the primacy of the wishes of its inhabitants
0:14:53 > 0:14:58which are overwhelmingly to stay British will be respected
0:14:58 > 0:14:59by the government.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02By this stage many MPs had left their seats.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Ms Thornberry and Mr Green had put on some decent theatre but as anyone
0:15:05 > 0:15:08in the West End knows, it is hard to replace
0:15:08 > 0:15:09the headline acts.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Henry Mance.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Now, let's take a look at some other news from around
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Westminster in brief.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Theresa May reported back on the latest G20
0:15:18 > 0:15:19meeting in Hamburg.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22There'd been plenty for the leaders of the world's top
0:15:22 > 0:15:25economies to talk about - terrorism, internet security,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28trade, and climate change.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Mrs May delivered an upbeat assessment
0:15:30 > 0:15:32of the meeting and of Brexit.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34At this summit, I held a number of meetings
0:15:34 > 0:15:37with other world leaders, all of whom made clear their strong
0:15:37 > 0:15:40desire to forge ambitious new bilateral trading relationships
0:15:41 > 0:15:43with the UK after Brexit.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Talk of the UK/US trade deal was dealt a blow by the Prime
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Minister's Justice Secretary who just hours after the summit
0:15:50 > 0:15:53ended said, it wouldn't be enough on its own.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57This government is the architect of the failed austerity policies.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And it now threatens to use Brexit to turn Britain into a low wage,
0:16:00 > 0:16:05deregulated tax haven on the shores of Europe.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Staying with Brexit The Foreign Secretary told MPs
0:16:08 > 0:16:11the European Union can "go whistle" for any "extortionate"
0:16:11 > 0:16:14final payment.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16A Conservative had totted up what the UK had paid so far.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20We will have given the EU and its predecessors in today's
0:16:20 > 0:16:27money in real terms a total of ?209 billion.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Will the Foreign Secretary make it clear to the EU that
0:16:30 > 0:16:34if they want a penny piece more that they can go whistle.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37I'm sure that my honourable friend's words will have broken
0:16:37 > 0:16:39like a thunderclap over Brussels and they will pay attention
0:16:39 > 0:16:44to what he has said and he makes a very valid point.
0:16:44 > 0:16:50I think that the sums that I have seen that they propose to demand
0:16:50 > 0:16:54from this country seem to me to be extortionate and I think that go
0:16:54 > 0:16:58whistle is an entirely appropriate expression.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01A suggestion laughed off by the Brexit Secretary
0:17:01 > 0:17:04when he appeared in front of a Lords committee.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06You'll have to get the Foreign Secretary here to explain his views,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I'm not going to comment on other ministers.
0:17:09 > 0:17:15But you will seek to levels of knowledge when you go
0:17:15 > 0:17:22to our continental partners.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26You will see a level of knowledge in Brussels in which frankly,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I think they take a lot, they read a lot of British
0:17:30 > 0:17:32newspapers, you are quite right, and they take them,
0:17:32 > 0:17:33if anything, too seriously.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It was a humorous exchange between Jean-Claude Juncker
0:17:37 > 0:17:40and myself when I saw him.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But more importantly in the context of 27,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46actually very little of what happens here percolates across.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Theresa May has ordered a UK wide inquiry into the use of contaminated
0:17:50 > 0:17:54blood products in the NHS starting in the 1970s.
0:17:54 > 0:17:592,400 people have died, many of them were haemophiliacs
0:17:59 > 0:18:03who contracted hepatitis C and AIDS-related illnesses.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06The Labour MP who's campaigned for an inquiry said
0:18:06 > 0:18:09the victims needed answers.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12They deserve to be told what went wrong, why it went wrong,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15and who is responsible for what happened.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18The story needs to be set out and told to the wider public.
0:18:19 > 0:18:28Their voices need to be heard.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Apologies, compensations, and other forms of support
0:18:37 > 0:18:40are essential but if their right to answers are not also satisfied,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43I feel that they will be denied true and meaningful justice.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45The government's given its response to a report it commissioned
0:18:45 > 0:18:46on modern working practices.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The author, Matthew Taylor, recommended sick and holiday pay
0:18:49 > 0:18:51for workers in the so-called gig economy and a new employment status
0:18:51 > 0:18:53of "dependent contractor".
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Theresa May said flexible working should not be an excuse
0:18:56 > 0:18:58to exploit employees.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00But she also called flexibility "the British way".
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Labour thought it was a missed opportunity.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06In the words of the General Secretary of Unite,
0:19:06 > 0:19:13the biggest union in the UK, instead of the serious programme
0:19:13 > 0:19:18the country urgently needs to ensure that
0:19:18 > 0:19:21pays in this country, we got a depressing
0:19:21 > 0:19:24sense that insecurityis the inevitable new norm.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29The wage increases we have seen in the last year have been
0:19:29 > 0:19:31at their highest amongst the lowest paid, thanks to the
0:19:31 > 0:19:32national living wage.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Today's response to the Taylor Review from the government tells us
0:19:35 > 0:19:37everything we need to know about their frailty and their
0:19:37 > 0:19:38approach to workers' rights.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41A weak set of proposals that will probably not be implemented,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43a set of talking points that leaves the balance of power
0:19:43 > 0:19:45with employers and big business.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47The King of Spain came to Westminster as part
0:19:47 > 0:19:49of his state visit to the UK.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51As we heard earlier, Theresa May missed Prime Minister's Questions
0:19:51 > 0:19:54to take part in the day's events.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57She and Jeremy Corbyn were part of the audience when the King
0:19:57 > 0:20:01addressed both Houses of Parliament in the Lords Royal Gallery.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04MPs held a debate to remember the half a million men
0:20:04 > 0:20:07who lost their lives here at Passchendaele 100 years ago.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11The battle in 1917 is generally regarded as the bloodiest conflict
0:20:11 > 0:20:16of the First World War, with these Belgian fields seeing
0:20:16 > 0:20:20weeks of heavy military bombardment and fierce fighting,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23much of it in atrocious weather.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26By October 1917, British and Commonwealth forces had advanced
0:20:26 > 0:20:31just a few kilometres with the loss of more than 300,000 men.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Casualties on the German side numbered 200,000.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38The men couldn't even get into the shell holes
0:20:38 > 0:20:41because they were full of water.
0:20:41 > 0:20:48So they are absolute sitting ducks, covered in filth, trying to go
0:20:48 > 0:20:51forward, absolutely exhausted.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Bob Stewart.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56A new Parliament means a new set of elections to chair
0:20:56 > 0:20:59the Commons select committees.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02These groups shine a light on the work of departments,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05launch inquiries into policies or - as with the last Parliament's
0:21:05 > 0:21:08investigation into BHS - take a look at wider controversies.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12This time round, with a minority government and Brexit looming,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15elections for these key posts were hotly contested.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19One of the most hard-fought was for the top spot
0:21:19 > 0:21:22on the influential Treasury Committee after Andrew Tyrie stood
0:21:22 > 0:21:25down as an MP at the election.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The winner was the former Treasury Minister and one time
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33I asked her why she wanted the job.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Having been a Treasury Minister, having served in the Cabinet,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I thought it was a great opportunity to take that role on from that
0:21:40 > 0:21:43tireless Andrew Tyrie, and also it is fantastic to be
0:21:43 > 0:21:47the first ever female chair of the committee.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I was going to ask you about that.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55There was a lot of talk about how it would be a good thing to have
0:21:55 > 0:21:57another woman chairing a heavyweight committee because we have
0:21:57 > 0:21:58had relatively few.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59How important was that to you?
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Well, I'm the former Minister for Women so I am very conscious
0:22:02 > 0:22:05of how important it is to have women out there taking on
0:22:05 > 0:22:07roles in public life.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I don't think it affects the way that I would do the job,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and nor do I think that anybody should have voted
0:22:13 > 0:22:14for me because of that.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18But I am very pleased to add another female voice to the ranks
0:22:18 > 0:22:20of the select committee chairmen.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Now, you mention you were elected by other MPs, it is no secret that
0:22:25 > 0:22:27in the past you have had your disagreements
0:22:27 > 0:22:28with Theresa May.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Did you think that some MPs would have thought that perhaps
0:22:30 > 0:22:33you might had stuck it to the government a bit more
0:22:33 > 0:22:35than some of your Conservative colleagues who were standing
0:22:35 > 0:22:36for the post?
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I have spoken out about things that I care about, things that
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I feel strongly about, and I think that is what members
0:22:42 > 0:22:45of Parliament are collected to do, and as the select committee
0:22:45 > 0:22:53chairperson, you are accountable to Parliament, you work
0:22:53 > 0:22:57on a cross-party basis, which I think I have shown I can
0:22:57 > 0:22:59do on a whole variety of different issues.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01I suspect like any electorate, there is going to be at different
0:23:01 > 0:23:03number of reasons why people supported me.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Now, Brexit.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06It is the big ticket item of this Parliament.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Obviously a big issue for your committee.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Where are you going to start with that and what do
0:23:11 > 0:23:12you see your committee's role being?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Things like the impact of Brexit on our economy,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17on the decisions taken around not being members, or continuing
0:23:17 > 0:23:20membership of the single market, for example, the customs union,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24what the voices of businesses, and the financial
0:23:24 > 0:23:25institutions are saying.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28All of those are relevant areas for the select committee to be
0:23:28 > 0:23:30asking the Treasury, ministers, and others
0:23:30 > 0:23:32about the decisions they have taken in that context.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38And aside from Brexit, are there other issues that
0:23:38 > 0:23:40you have a particular passion for that you want your
0:23:40 > 0:23:41committee to look at?
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Well, I'm keen to broaden the work of the committee to reflect
0:23:44 > 0:23:49the whole remit of the Treasury.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Having been a minister, I know that Treasury policy
0:23:51 > 0:23:53impacts obviously tax, public spending, infrastructure
0:23:53 > 0:23:56investments, skills funding, childcare funding, there is a whole
0:23:56 > 0:23:57range of things.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I think probably the difficulty will be trying to cut
0:24:00 > 0:24:02down what we do before we are completely swamped.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05You are elected to this job, it is seen as one of the Commons
0:24:05 > 0:24:08more powerful committees but we all know that
0:24:08 > 0:24:10ultimately the government can take your reports,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12pop them on a shelf, and carry on and ignore them.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15How are you going to stop that happening?
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Well, obviously, in terms of the issues, we want to work
0:24:20 > 0:24:23with the government, and actually you are pointing
0:24:23 > 0:24:25things out to ministers, and I know from my time
0:24:25 > 0:24:28as a minister that actually it is helpful sometimes
0:24:28 > 0:24:31when a committee points out that something hasn't happened
0:24:31 > 0:24:32or they make a recommendation.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34But if it is not helpful...
0:24:34 > 0:24:38If it's not helpful, then I think, often what you will find is that
0:24:38 > 0:24:40coverage of reports under pressure from outside, the pressure
0:24:40 > 0:24:44from Parliament, and of course from what we have seen in this
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Parliament, because of the election result, that I think the government
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and ministers will have to listen to what Parliament is debating
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and what Parliament is saying much more, and that is why I think
0:24:56 > 0:24:57the select committees assume an ever greater importance,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59and that is a good thing.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Should ministers be quaking in their boots at your arrival?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Not quaking in their boots but I hope they will know that
0:25:05 > 0:25:09I will ask tough questions and I will want to get to the bottom
0:25:09 > 0:25:12of decisions they are making, but I also understand from the other
0:25:12 > 0:25:15point of view, having been a minister, what it is like,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18the pressures that are there, so I hope people will find me to be
0:25:18 > 0:25:23impartial, independent, fair-minded, but forensic.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24We shall see.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Nicky Morgan, thank you very much for coming on the programme.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Nicky Morgan, the newly installed chair of the Treasury Committee.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35And that's it from us for now, do join Kristiina Cooper on Monday
0:25:35 > 0:25:38night at 11 for a full roundup of the day here at Westminster.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43But for now, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.