0:00:25 > 0:00:27Hello and welcome to the Week In Parliament, when
0:00:27 > 0:00:29the Chancellor unveiled the contents of his budget box.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I will assess if Philip Hammond has done enough to win over the
0:00:32 > 0:00:33doubters in his party.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36For the first time Jeremy Corbyn uses PMQS to challenge
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Theresa May over Brexit.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The Brexit secretary said he would guarantee
0:00:40 > 0:00:43free movement for bankers post-Brexit.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Are there any other groups to whom the Prime Minister
0:00:45 > 0:00:49believes freedom of movement should apply?
0:00:49 > 0:00:54We have been absolutely clear.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56We will be introducing new immigration rules and we will take
0:00:56 > 0:01:03account of the needs of the British economy doing so.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05And calls on the government to do more to cut air pollution.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08We are affecting people who are disadvantaged with diseases and
0:01:08 > 0:01:10putting them to increased risk.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12And we're affecting people who are living in disadvantaged
0:01:12 > 0:01:19communities to a greater extent.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20But first.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22The Chancellor Philip Hammond took the traditional photo call outside
0:01:22 > 0:01:25number 11 on Wednesday morning as he prepared to deliver
0:01:25 > 0:01:26his autumn budget.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27As is tradition the Chancellor was flanked
0:01:27 > 0:01:30by his junior ministers as he stepped into Downing Street
0:01:30 > 0:01:32and held aloft the budget box containing that all important
0:01:32 > 0:01:34speech.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37After smiles and photos it was into the official car
0:01:37 > 0:01:41for the short journey to the Commons to unveil his plans.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44So, what did he have to say - and how did it go down?
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Political commentator James Millar was watching for us...
0:01:48 > 0:01:51I now call the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right
0:01:51 > 0:01:59honourable Philip Hammond.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Mr Deputy Speaker, I report today on an economy that continues
0:02:03 > 0:02:05to grow, continues to create more jobs than ever before
0:02:05 > 0:02:15and continues to confound those who seek to talk it down.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18It sometimes felt that the topsy-turvy politics of 2017
0:02:18 > 0:02:21were all just a set up for Philip Hammond to joke
0:02:21 > 0:02:23about in his second budget of the year.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25There was a reference to the Prime Minister's
0:02:25 > 0:02:26disastrous conference speech...
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I did take the precaution of asking my right honourable friend
0:02:29 > 0:02:31to bring a packet of cough sweets just in case.
0:02:31 > 0:02:39APPLAUSE AND LAUGHTER.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41In announcing more money for Maths, he made fun
0:02:41 > 0:02:43of his own dour reputation.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49More maths for everyone.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Mr Speaker, don't let anyone say I don't know how
0:02:51 > 0:02:53to show our nation a good time.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56And he took on the Westminster rumour that Michael Gove has been
0:02:56 > 0:02:58auditioning for his job.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Mr Deputy Speaker, I shall first report to the House on the economic
0:03:01 > 0:03:02forecast of the independent OBR.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05This is the bit with a long economicy words in it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10LAUGHTER.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Unfortunately, the content of the Budget was no joke.
0:03:13 > 0:03:20Growth forecast significantly downgraded.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22The economy is still ailing and productivity, the latest key
0:03:22 > 0:03:24measures to kick-start the economy is still lagging.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27That did not mean that there was not money to hand out.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Among a number of funding announcements for the NHS,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32there was a £350 million boost to the service but not
0:03:32 > 0:03:33that £350 million.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36£350 million immediately to allow trust to plan for this winter.
0:03:36 > 0:03:43£1.6 billion in 2018-19 and the balance in 19-20.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Taking the extra resource into the NHS next year
0:03:46 > 0:03:52to £3.75 billion in total.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55There were goodies for those bits of the country that voted Tory
0:03:55 > 0:03:57in the mayoral elections in May and the general
0:03:57 > 0:03:59elections in June.
0:03:59 > 0:04:09So the West Midlands, Teesside and and particularly bits of Scotland.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Progress is being made on city deals in Tay and Stirling
0:04:13 > 0:04:14and for the borderlands.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I am getting used to the experience of having my ear bent by 13
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Scottish Conservative colleagues.
0:04:20 > 0:04:26The election result loomed large over the whole budget as Hammond
0:04:26 > 0:04:28desperately tried to woo younger voters.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Jeremy Corbyn promised to bin tuition fees back in June
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and Hammond offered under 30s money off their rail fares.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39It all felt a bit gimmicky in its timidity.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45The big plan was to stop stamp duty for first-time buyers.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47This was quickly trashed by the OBR.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Without an ambitious house-building scheme it would only
0:04:49 > 0:04:50push up prices further.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Jeremy Corbyn was unimpressed by all of it.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Economic growth has been revised down.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Productivity has been revised down.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Business investment revised down.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Peoples wages and living standards revised down.
0:05:05 > 0:05:12What sort of strong economy is that?
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Hammond is unlikely to make many new enemies with this budget
0:05:16 > 0:05:19but then he has plenty of these in the Tory party, among those
0:05:19 > 0:05:28who suspect he is not sufficiently Brexity.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30He may still be subject to a New Year flip from number
0:05:30 > 0:05:3111 in the reshuffle.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33I commend this place.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38The good gags papered over the modest content in the budget.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41The question is, has Philip Hammond done enough for an encore
0:05:41 > 0:05:43or will he be booed off the political stage in 2018?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48James Millar.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50In recent weeks and months Jeremy Corbyn has used his six
0:05:50 > 0:05:52questions at PMQs to challenge Theresa May on everything
0:05:52 > 0:05:54from Universal Credit to the NHS.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59The one subject he's never raised is Brexit -
0:05:59 > 0:06:02but all that changed on Wednesday when he brought up one
0:06:02 > 0:06:07of the main sticking points in the current talks.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Mr Speaker, the Irish Prime Minister who has discussed Brexit
0:06:09 > 0:06:12with the British Government says sometimes it does not
0:06:12 > 0:06:18seem like they have thought all this through.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22So can the Prime Minister reassure him by clearly outlining
0:06:22 > 0:06:26the government policy on the Irish border?
0:06:26 > 0:06:34We are very clear that in relation to the movement of people,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36the Common travel area will continue to operate as has done
0:06:36 > 0:06:40since 1923 and on trade and movement of goods and services
0:06:40 > 0:06:42across the border, we will not see a hard border being introduced.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46We have been very clear.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Last week the British secretary said he would guarantee free movement
0:06:51 > 0:06:57for bankers post-Brexit.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Are there any other groups for whom the Prime Minister believes
0:06:59 > 0:07:01freedom of movement should apply?
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Nurses, doctors, teachers, scientists, agricultural
0:07:02 > 0:07:10workers, care workers, who?
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I'm very interested that the right honourable gentleman has found
0:07:14 > 0:07:17that his appearances at PMQs have been going so well he had
0:07:17 > 0:07:23to borrow a question from the Liberal Democrats,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25which he asked me last week.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Perhaps he should pay more attention to what happens
0:07:27 > 0:07:31in Prime Minister's Questions.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33We have been absolutely clear that we will be introducing
0:07:33 > 0:07:37new immigration laws and as we introduce those
0:07:37 > 0:07:40immigration rules, we would take account of the British economy
0:07:40 > 0:07:47in doing so.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50We want to get on and deal with the question of the future
0:07:50 > 0:07:53trading relationship we have at the European Union and I also
0:07:53 > 0:07:55optimistic about the opportunities that will be available to this
0:07:55 > 0:07:58country and about the deal we can get from the
0:07:58 > 0:07:59negotiations we are having.
0:07:59 > 0:08:06The right honourable gentleman cannot even decide whether he wants
0:08:06 > 0:08:09to be in the customs union or out of it, in or out, in or out.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11He needs to get his act together.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Theresa May, well, just the day before, MPs had held their third day
0:08:14 > 0:08:16of detailed debate on the EU withdrawal bill -
0:08:16 > 0:08:19the crucial bit of legislation that moves EU law into UK law
0:08:19 > 0:08:20in time for Brexit.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Although it transfers over a mass of legislation,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26as it stands it doesn't bring over the EU Charter of
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Fundamental Rights.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29The Charter guarantees rights under the headings
0:08:29 > 0:08:33of dignity, equality, justice, solidarity and freedom.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36In the Commons, there were arguments both for keeping the Charter
0:08:36 > 0:08:39and for dropping it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42The charter is the most effective key to unlocking vital rights and
0:08:42 > 0:08:46the failure to transpose it and make it operable in UK law is to lock
0:08:46 > 0:08:56those rights are weak and deny UK citizens the key to accessing them.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59My point is our rights will be guaranteed once we have left by
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Supreme Court and common law or the application of statute.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I cannot think of a right that he and I would
0:09:05 > 0:09:07value which will be destroyed if we have not
0:09:07 > 0:09:10incorporated the charter.
0:09:10 > 0:09:19They will be guaranteed by these ancient methods.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23One MP put forward an amendment, calling for ministers to put forward
0:09:23 > 0:09:32a report on the effect of not having the charter.We need to have a far
0:09:32 > 0:09:37more detailed report from ministers about the consequences of deleting
0:09:37 > 0:09:45this Charter. They are potentially far ranging.My worry is the charter
0:09:45 > 0:09:49is sufficient -- is too complicated. Everyone is in favour of the rights
0:09:49 > 0:09:54we have in the convention that have been incorporated in English law, we
0:09:54 > 0:09:59want to protect human rights but we do not feel the Charter adds
0:09:59 > 0:10:09sufficiently.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19The honourable lady has suggested the charter contains
0:10:19 > 0:10:21rights too complicated to be incorporated in English law.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Will the honourable member reassure those
0:10:23 > 0:10:26rights will be incorporated into Scots law which is a separate legal
0:10:26 > 0:10:28system and the other legal systems of members of the European union?
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Former Attorney General Dominc Grieve put forward
0:10:30 > 0:10:33a proposal that would lead to the Fundamental Charter of Rights
0:10:33 > 0:10:36continuing to apply to those EU laws that are 'retained' in UK law.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40He called it 'a very big issue'.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42It worries me that we're going to come
0:10:42 > 0:10:46into a period when we leave in March 2019 where we will have a hiatus
0:10:46 > 0:10:49there will be a gap where areas of law which matter to people are not
0:10:49 > 0:10:51protected in any way at all.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53He said he'd put his proposal to a vote
0:10:53 > 0:10:55unless the Government could give him assurances on the issue.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58The minister said the Government was prepared to look again
0:10:58 > 0:11:00at the protection of rights.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03There should be appropriate mechanisms for challenging the
0:11:03 > 0:11:05actions of the executive.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06I am happy to discuss
0:11:06 > 0:11:08with my right honourable friend what might be needed.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12I am also willing to discuss if there needs to be some formal
0:11:12 > 0:11:21challenge on secondary legislation.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23This satisfied Dominic Grieve for now at least.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25I am most grateful to my right honourable
0:11:25 > 0:11:27friend and he has made at the
0:11:27 > 0:11:29dispatch box an important concession which I might appreciate
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and clearly reflects the disquiet which is
0:11:33 > 0:11:34access the House.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37In the light of that, I will not be pressing my amendment to a
0:11:37 > 0:11:40vote.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41vote.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Dominic Grieve.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Well, MPs have five more days of detailed debate on the EU
0:11:45 > 0:11:53Withdrawal bill still to go - they will return to it
0:11:53 > 0:11:55on December the 4th - when they've finished
0:11:55 > 0:11:56debating the budget.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Now let's take a look at some other news in brief.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Emmerson Mnangagwa has been sworn-in
0:11:59 > 0:12:01as the new president of Zimbabwe.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03He formally took up office in a ceremony in the national
0:12:03 > 0:12:06sports stadium in Harare, in front of tens of
0:12:06 > 0:12:07thousands of people.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10People in the country took to the streets in the capital Harare
0:12:10 > 0:12:12following the news that 93 year old President Mugabe -
0:12:12 > 0:12:14who'd run the country since 1980 -
0:12:14 > 0:12:15was finally standing down.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19So Peers asked what would the UK do to support the country?
0:12:19 > 0:12:23As Zimbabwe's oldest friend, we will do all we can to support a
0:12:23 > 0:12:25legitimate government to rebuild the country working
0:12:25 > 0:12:35with international and regional partners and pressing
0:12:36 > 0:12:37--addressing, economic and human rights and
0:12:37 > 0:12:38constitutional issues, including
0:12:39 > 0:12:50free and fair elections.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52The UK's amphibious forces capable of landing troops from the sea
0:12:52 > 0:12:55are an elite fighting force vital for an island nation.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57That was the message from MPs as they urged the Chancellor,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Philip Hammond, not to cut the defence Budget.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Media reports suggested plans were being considered to reduce
0:13:02 > 0:13:04the number of Royal Marines by 1,000 or take two specialist
0:13:04 > 0:13:06landing ships, HMS Albion and Bulwark, out of action.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08We cannot do national security on the cheap.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13We must ensure that our Armed Forces have the resources that they need
0:13:13 > 0:13:15to deal with the threats that we face, and any
0:13:15 > 0:13:17reduction in our amphibious capabilities or in the number
0:13:17 > 0:13:20of our Royal Marines are the wrong cuts at the wrong time.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23The chancellor hinted in the Budget he'd look at taxes
0:13:23 > 0:13:24to cut plastic waste.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27It follows the introduction of a 5p charge on single use carrier bags,
0:13:27 > 0:13:28which cut use by 85%.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Now there are calls to bring in a levy on plastic drinks bottles
0:13:32 > 0:13:36and disposable coffee cups.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39In the Lords, Peers reckoned that couldn't come too soon.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Could the ministers say something about the millions and millions
0:13:42 > 0:13:45of plastic bottles that can't be recycled and are simply
0:13:45 > 0:13:46being put into waste.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Can't we have a positive action to cut down the number
0:13:48 > 0:13:50of plastic bottles?
0:13:50 > 0:13:52They are a disgrace. Hear, hear.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54My Lords, the noble Lord will probably be aware that
0:13:54 > 0:13:56in the budget speech, the Chancellor has announced
0:13:56 > 0:14:00that we are going to be looking at how we can tackle that particular
0:14:00 > 0:14:02problem, perhaps through taxation in relation to single use plastics.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08But in relation to bottles, he's right, there is a challenge there.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11However, we shouldn't beat ourselves up to much, my lords.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13In 2000, 13,000 tonnes of plastic bottles were recycled.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14By 2016, that was 343,000 tonnes.
0:14:14 > 0:14:24There is much to do but we are on track, my lords.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27The BBC TV licence came up for discussion in Westminster Hall
0:14:27 > 0:14:28after thousand of people signed an e-petition.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32The fee, just over £12 a month, has to be paid by all households
0:14:32 > 0:14:35that use BBC services, but over 75s are exempt.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37One Conservative spoke up in favour of the Corporation's
0:14:37 > 0:14:41freeview channels.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45The free view channels include BBC One, BBC Two,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies, the BBC News
0:14:47 > 0:14:51channel, and the BBC Parliament channel, worth of course the entire
0:14:51 > 0:14:56licence fee on its own!
0:14:56 > 0:14:57Peter Heaton-Jones.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Staying in Westminster Hall an MP used a debate on Wednesday to warn
0:15:01 > 0:15:03that the UK could be facing an epidemic of opiod abuse.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It follows thousands of deaths in the United States linked
0:15:06 > 0:15:09to the synthetic opiod, fentanyl - a painkiller many times
0:15:09 > 0:15:12stronger then heroin.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Between 2009 and 2015, it is estimated that fentanyl
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and its derivatives have killed approximately 300,000 people
0:15:20 > 0:15:22in the US during that time.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Now, these numbers are of virtual biblical proportions.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29He feared we were on the brink of an epidemic and called for better
0:15:29 > 0:15:33education and increased sentences for drug dealers.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39And I feel that we should be giving some thought now,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42as we cope or potentially have to cope with fentanyl
0:15:42 > 0:15:48and similar lethal derivatives.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Perhaps by creating a new class, double A class of these
0:15:52 > 0:15:57really truly lethal drugs.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00A former justice minister said the so-called war on drugs had been
0:16:00 > 0:16:03an unmitigated disaster.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06We should be learning from decriminalisation and public
0:16:06 > 0:16:09health approach in other countries.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11In Portugal, for example, where the possession of small
0:16:11 > 0:16:17amounts of drugs has been decriminalised a step well short
0:16:17 > 0:16:22of licensing and regulation, usage rates are amongst
0:16:22 > 0:16:24the lowest in Europe.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Let's treat it as a health issue, not a criminal justice issue.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33Let's accept across our country the principle of safer
0:16:33 > 0:16:34drug consumption rooms.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37There are already saving lives in eight European countries.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40In Canada, in Australia, it is endorsed by the BMA,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44no one dies of an overdose in our drug consumption room.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The minister cannot come before us today and say that he honestly
0:16:48 > 0:16:51believes his government are improving services and seriously
0:16:51 > 0:16:58addressing this issue when we are all seeing such
0:16:58 > 0:17:00significant cuts that are rolling back provision
0:17:00 > 0:17:01of addiction services?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03The minister said an ambitious drugs strategy had been
0:17:03 > 0:17:04unveiled earlier this year.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Deaths linked to fentanyl and contaminated heroin have been
0:17:07 > 0:17:10seen in parts of the UK.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15He gave us a graphic illustration of the impact
0:17:15 > 0:17:19in the States which, I agree with him,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23is extremely worrying.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27These underlined the importance of vigilance and strong enforcement
0:17:27 > 0:17:30action by the police and the National Crime Agency,
0:17:30 > 0:17:31as well as accessible treatment and the availability
0:17:31 > 0:17:32of life-saving interventions.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Philip Dunne.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36A leading clinical professor specialising in air pollution has
0:17:36 > 0:17:38condemned the Chancellor for not targeting white van
0:17:38 > 0:17:39man in the Budget.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Medical experts say air pollution can be a contributory
0:17:41 > 0:17:42factor in heart attacks, lung cancer, asthma,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44pneumonia, and stroke.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46There's also concern that pollution may affect the developing organs
0:17:46 > 0:17:48of babies in the womb and contribute towards conditions such
0:17:48 > 0:17:51as diabetes and dementia.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Four committees joined forces to take evidence on the issue.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01Professor Stephen Holgate set out the scale of the problem.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04We are affecting people who are at the extremes of life,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08we are affecting people who are disadvantaged with diseases
0:18:08 > 0:18:13that put them at increased risk, and we are affecting people who live
0:18:13 > 0:18:17in disadvantaged communities to a great extent.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19So there is an equality issue in all of this.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22And of course it is preventable because we now have such strong
0:18:22 > 0:18:27evidence that we can demonstrate that if you do start reducing
0:18:27 > 0:18:32pollution, you do improve the health of the nation.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35One MP asked about Wednesday's Budget.
0:18:35 > 0:18:43The Chancellor specifically heralded the fact that he is not
0:18:43 > 0:18:47going to target white van man or white van woman,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50as if that were good thing in the long-term going forward.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51Lost opportunity, I'm afraid, there.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Mr White Van, I'm afraid if you look in our graph here, it is the one
0:18:55 > 0:18:57area that is going on increasing as people start doing
0:18:57 > 0:18:59more of their shopping through the internet.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00This is a big issue.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Environmental lawyers, Client Earth, took the Government to Court
0:19:04 > 0:19:07over pollution levels.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11If Brexit happens, how are we going to enforce any of this?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Yeah.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16You've hit on a very important point and one that
0:19:16 > 0:19:20keeps me awake at night.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23At the moment, the understanding is that the current standards under
0:19:23 > 0:19:26the Ambient Air Quality Directive and the EU Transfers
0:19:26 > 0:19:31in Regulations will transfer across through the Withdrawal Bill.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37But, and it is a big but, we are very concerned
0:19:37 > 0:19:43that the enforceability of these standards will decline post Brexit.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Later, MPs heard from the Mayor of London, who called
0:19:46 > 0:19:48for a new Clean Air Act.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53We talked about the rising nitrogen dioxide.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Half of that in London comes from transport,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01and we are taking bold action in London to try
0:20:01 > 0:20:03and ameliorate that.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07The other half comes from construction,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09comes from the river, comes from buildings.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I have no powers in relation to...
0:20:11 > 0:20:15If there were new legislation of the type described,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17what are you asking for it to be...
0:20:17 > 0:20:23So, what we hoped the new Clean Air Act would do is to give mayors
0:20:23 > 0:20:26in regions the powers and resources to tackle the other half in relation
0:20:26 > 0:20:28to emission standards.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33In relation to regulation, in relation to who is in charge of it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And I don't see how without a new clean act,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39we can move forward and get the clean air that
0:20:39 > 0:20:40we desperately need.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Time for a look at what's been happening in the wider
0:20:46 > 0:20:47world of politics.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Claire Gould has our countdown.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Two new introductions into the Lords this week.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00And a familiar face from the bishops' bench,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04the former Bishop of London returns as Lord Charters.
0:21:04 > 0:21:11But with peers are retiring as well as joining,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14the ermine-o-meter stays at 801.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Proving there is life after you retire from the Lords,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Baroness Trumpington, famous for that hand gesture,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22was announced as one of the Radio 4 Today programme's guest editors over
0:21:22 > 0:21:24the Christmas period.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27New Scottish Labour leader Richard Lennon had his first chance
0:21:27 > 0:21:31to grill Nicola Sturgeon at FMQs this week, making the case
0:21:31 > 0:21:35for greater spending on the Fire Service in Scotland.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Former Scottish leader Kezia Dugdale will be hoping to avoid
0:21:39 > 0:21:43the political wilderness by heading for the jungle instead
0:21:43 > 0:21:47as the latest contestant to appear on reality TV show
0:21:47 > 0:21:50I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Catching the Speaker's eye is an essential talent for any
0:21:53 > 0:21:57backbench MP so you wouldn't think they would need reminding
0:21:57 > 0:22:00but Mr Bercow felt there some were lacking enthusiasm by the end
0:22:00 > 0:22:03of the busy week in the Commons.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06He bobs once, he thinks that is sufficient of his
0:22:06 > 0:22:08desire to participate.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Repeated bobbing has always been required.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17Clare Gould.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22A minority Tory government faced with steering nation-changing
0:22:22 > 0:22:25legislation through Parliament.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Sounds familiar?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30We're talking about 150 years ago when the Tories were 70 seats short
0:22:30 > 0:22:33of the combined Opposition.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Two previous administrations had fallen over the issue
0:22:36 > 0:22:38of voting reform.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41But the Tories brought in the 1867 Reform Act, which gave the vote
0:22:41 > 0:22:43to many working-class men.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Simon Vaughan reports.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Parliament itself needed to resolve this issue because it kept
0:22:48 > 0:22:55on upsetting the normal process of government.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Rather like today, this issue has become so important
0:22:57 > 0:23:02that normal routine, domestic legislation, other issues
0:23:02 > 0:23:04that needed to be addressed, were now being held up.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07A challenge for the Leader of the House, Benjamin Disraeli.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08The way they managed this whole situation,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10the briefing, behind-the-scenes, going to the clubs, talking
0:23:10 > 0:23:13to the backbenchers in particular, he managed to create a situation
0:23:13 > 0:23:18in which he was able to isolate the key party leaders,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Gladstone, and Bright, for example, and he was able
0:23:20 > 0:23:23to appeal to the backbenchers, particularly radical Tory
0:23:23 > 0:23:32backbenchers, to help get this bill through.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36You end up with a situation where he puts the bill
0:23:36 > 0:23:39in but the final act has 61 clauses, only four of those were
0:23:39 > 0:23:40in the original bill.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42So the whole thing comes completely modified by the Commons.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46In other words, what Disraeli does is to put power back to the MPs.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48The act went further than many Tories wanted,
0:23:48 > 0:23:49boosting the electorate by 82%.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55But Disraeli held his party together.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It was an extraordinary achievement, a piece of political manoeuvring
0:23:57 > 0:23:59by a master political operator.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05The vote also saw the first debate in Parliament of extending
0:24:05 > 0:24:10the franchise to women.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Though the amendment was voted down.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16John Stuart Mill introduced an amendment to clause four
0:24:16 > 0:24:20of the act to replace the word man with person so that the act
0:24:20 > 0:24:22would have applied to women who met the qualifications
0:24:22 > 0:24:30as well as to men.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32And that was the basis, to keep it as simple
0:24:33 > 0:24:34as possible, really.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I think the fact that it was debated as a parliamentary question,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39even if only briefly, is a really landmark moment
0:24:39 > 0:24:40in the women's suffrage campaign.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42And 150 years ago this weekend, that campaign was boosted
0:24:42 > 0:24:43by one Lily Maxwell.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45She managed to vote in a parliamentary by-election.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47She was a shopkeeper in Manchester, and she was
0:24:47 > 0:24:49on the register by accident.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50It was a clerical error.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Somebody had written down Lily Maxwell, and not
0:24:52 > 0:24:53realised this was a woman.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56So, if you are on the register, you are entitled to vote.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58So, she went to the polling booth, accompanied by Lydia Becker,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01who was one of the leaders of the women's suffrage
0:25:01 > 0:25:04movement in Manchester, and she cast her vote.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09The story got into the newspapers that there was this female voter.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Her vote stood, but attempts by other women to join
0:25:12 > 0:25:15the register failed, and women wouldn't gain the right
0:25:15 > 0:25:19to elect their MPs until 1918.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Simon Vaughan bringing us to the end of this edition of the programme,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26but do join Keith Macdougall on Monday night at 11 for a full
0:25:26 > 0:25:28roundup of the day at Westminster, including the continuing debate
0:25:28 > 0:25:31on the Chancellor's budget.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34But for now, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.