:00:12. > :00:15.Hello there and welcome to Thursday in Parliament.
:00:16. > :00:18.Coming up in the next half-hour - MPs warm up their arguments over
:00:19. > :00:21.the UK's membership of the European Union.
:00:22. > :00:29.The government has asked if it is applying for EU funding
:00:30. > :00:32.to help those affected by the winter floods and after Wednesday's advice
:00:33. > :00:35.from the Prime Minister's mum, a Labour MPs unveils the wit
:00:36. > :00:41.Never take home a man who is wearing a hat until you have seen him
:00:42. > :00:44.Find out what else Chris Bryant's mother warned him about a little
:00:45. > :00:48.But first, it was perhaps an unusual approach
:00:49. > :00:51.but when the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond opened the debate
:00:52. > :00:53.on European affairs, he declared himself to be something
:00:54. > :01:01.But he told MPs that in the forthcoming EU referendum,
:01:02. > :01:04.he would be voting for the UK to stay in the EU.
:01:05. > :01:06.I have always considered myself a sceptic and I consider myself
:01:07. > :01:11.Like most people in Britain, I don't feel any warmth or affection
:01:12. > :01:19.I'm irritated by the tone of much of what I hear coming from Brussels
:01:20. > :01:21.and instinctively suspicious of anything that sounds
:01:22. > :01:30.But we do not live in some ideal world, we live in the real world
:01:31. > :01:33.and the EU is part of that real world.
:01:34. > :01:36.And the question that we have to answer is not, do we like it?
:01:37. > :01:39.The question we have to answer is whether we are stronger,
:01:40. > :01:42.safer and better off in the EU rather than out of it.
:01:43. > :01:45.Clearly, the Foreign Secretary, quite rightly, is doing a sort
:01:46. > :01:48.of cost benefit analysis of this issue.
:01:49. > :01:52.Why doesn't the government institute an independent study
:01:53. > :01:56.with a genuinely independent body, actually going into some detail
:01:57. > :02:00.about what would be the effects on our GNP,
:02:01. > :02:04.plus or minus of a Brexit? This would surely be very useful.
:02:05. > :02:07.I think the problem with the challenge my honourable
:02:08. > :02:13.And it is going to be a recurrent theme in this debate,
:02:14. > :02:17.I suspect, that we simply don't know what the counterfactual is.
:02:18. > :02:20.We don't know what Britain's situation outside the European Union
:02:21. > :02:24.We don't know whether a deal could be negotiated
:02:25. > :02:30.We don't know what free-trade agreements we could negotiate
:02:31. > :02:32.with other parties and we don't know on what timescale those
:02:33. > :02:38.We don't know what damage would be done to our economy in the meantime.
:02:39. > :02:41.The Foreign Secretary moved on to some of the specifics
:02:42. > :02:46.It ends the unfairness of child benefits at British rates being sent
:02:47. > :02:50.to children living in countries with much lower living costs.
:02:51. > :02:54.And it gives us a new seven-year emergency rate to ensure that EU
:02:55. > :02:58.migrants will not have full access to in-work benefits until they have
:02:59. > :03:06.Answering the perfectly reasonable question, why should people take out
:03:07. > :03:10.when they have not paid in? Under this arrangement, they cannot.
:03:11. > :03:14.No more something for nothing and taken together, this
:03:15. > :03:17.is a package that will address the concerns of the British people
:03:18. > :03:20.about abuse of our benefit system and erosion of our
:03:21. > :03:28.On child benefit, will the Foreign Secretary confirm
:03:29. > :03:31.that it does not meet the promise set out in the Conservative party
:03:32. > :03:35.manifesto which says, as follows, if an EU migrant child is living
:03:36. > :03:39.abroad, then they should receive no child benefit or child tax credit,
:03:40. > :03:43.no matter how long they have worked in the UK and no matter how much tax
:03:44. > :03:51.That has not been achieved, it is a failure.
:03:52. > :03:54.As I have said before in this house, I think what any reasonable person
:03:55. > :03:57.will do is look at the package that has been delivered.
:03:58. > :04:00.From the outset, we have been clear that tackling abuse of our welfare
:04:01. > :04:04.system is about reducing the pull factor that makes Britain a target
:04:05. > :04:08.for inward migrants coming to the UK, because they can
:04:09. > :04:13.get their wages topped up with a variety of benefits.
:04:14. > :04:15.And another Conservative Eurosceptic challenged the Foreign Secretary
:04:16. > :04:19.over the impact Brexit would have over UK trade
:04:20. > :04:24.Is he really saying that Germany would be so vindictive and spiteful
:04:25. > :04:28.that they would cut their own noses off to spite their face when House
:04:29. > :04:32.of Commons library paper says that we export ?43 billion worth
:04:33. > :04:38.of goods and services to them and yet they export ?70.6 billion
:04:39. > :04:48.Is he really saying that they are so vindictive
:04:49. > :04:51.and spiteful that they would close their door on that?
:04:52. > :04:54.I want to make two points in response to my honourable friend.
:04:55. > :04:57.He is of course absolutely right - Britain has a substantial deficit
:04:58. > :05:01.in trade in goods with the European Union and if all
:05:02. > :05:03.he would be seeking is a free-trade agreement for trade in goods,
:05:04. > :05:18.That will be relatively simple to negotiate but Britain will need
:05:19. > :05:21.much more than that if we are to get a fair deal for Britain's businesses
:05:22. > :05:35.I grew up in the Scottish Highlands where bridges and roads simply
:05:36. > :05:38.wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the blue stars that we saw...
:05:39. > :05:40.Sorry, the gold stars on the blue flag that we saw pinned
:05:41. > :05:44.against them, so there is a lot more sympathy and a lot more appreciation
:05:45. > :05:46.for the positive things that the European Union has
:05:47. > :05:48.achieved, especially among the people of Scotland.
:05:49. > :05:51.I hope that when the debate plays out, he's got a bit of a stronger
:05:52. > :05:54.argument than, they bunged us a few quid to build a road, because,
:05:55. > :05:57.frankly, that is not a sustainable argument across the
:05:58. > :06:02.In order to build an In majority which is the objective,
:06:03. > :06:05.there will have to be a great deal more reflection and emphasis
:06:06. > :06:09.on the arguments which are likely to inspire support from a range
:06:10. > :06:12.of political opinion as opposed to arguments that will fend off
:06:13. > :06:18.the remaining Eurosceptics who have decided to vote no.
:06:19. > :06:22.And secondly, in particular, to have a great deal more
:06:23. > :06:25.sensitivity to that range of arguments that has been
:06:26. > :06:32.We live in a different world now to the one that gave birth
:06:33. > :06:34.to the European coal and steel community after the end
:06:35. > :06:40.We have witnessed the end of empire, the creation of the United Nations,
:06:41. > :06:45.The formation of Nato, the end of the Cold War,
:06:46. > :06:50.We have lived through an era that has seen the rise of new world
:06:51. > :06:54.powers, alliances, conflicts, threats, and the blistering pace
:06:55. > :06:57.of technological change that is revolutionising our
:06:58. > :07:02.economies and is shrinking the way in which we perceive our world.
:07:03. > :07:07.We cannot turn the clock back and to argue that we can
:07:08. > :07:16.And on this side of the House, Madam Deputy Speaker, we are clear,
:07:17. > :07:20.we support Britain remaining a member of the European Union.
:07:21. > :07:29.We held that view before the renegotiation, we hold that view
:07:30. > :07:32.today, because it has brought us jobs and growth and investment
:07:33. > :07:35.and security and I will argue, it gives us influence
:07:36. > :07:38.in the world. Hilary Benn.
:07:39. > :07:41.And Europe was a key theme earlier in the day when it was learned that
:07:42. > :07:45.parts of the UK hit by severe flooding might be in line
:07:46. > :07:49.for substantial help from a grant known as the EU Solidarity Fund.
:07:50. > :07:52.Thousands of householders in Cumbria, Yorkshire
:07:53. > :07:55.and the Scottish Borders were left homeless when floodwaters washed
:07:56. > :08:03.In Carlisle and York, flood barriers failed to cope
:08:04. > :08:06.firstly when Storm Desmond and then Storm Eva struck in December.
:08:07. > :08:10.The collapse of a bridge at Tadcaster in Yorkshire showed
:08:11. > :08:16.In the Commons, the Minister said the Government had paid out a total
:08:17. > :08:19.of ?47 million under its own recovery scheme.
:08:20. > :08:22.Having set out what the Government has already done, I now want to turn
:08:23. > :08:28.I am today announcing that the UK Government will make an application
:08:29. > :08:31.to the European Union Solidarity Fund.
:08:32. > :08:36.The EUSF was set up respond to major natural disasters.
:08:37. > :08:40.The fund was created as a reaction to the severe floods in central
:08:41. > :08:46.I thank the Minister and my fellow Stockton MP for his response,
:08:47. > :08:52.It has taken an urgent question to get the information
:08:53. > :08:55.from the Government so I am delighted that you granted it,
:08:56. > :09:00.You will know, Mr Speaker, that we have been extremely anxious
:09:01. > :09:03.that this opportunity could in fact be lost.
:09:04. > :09:06.To be clear, the first floods for which an application could be
:09:07. > :09:08.made in Cumbria, some 11 and a half weeks ago,
:09:09. > :09:11.yet it has taken the Government within a single working day
:09:12. > :09:14.of the deadline to confirm an application is being made.
:09:15. > :09:17.The Government has been working on this application for some time.
:09:18. > :09:20.You have to draw together a range of information across Government
:09:21. > :09:23.departments, talking with local areas, assessing the cost and impact
:09:24. > :09:29.The European Union Solidarity Fund is not designed to be a rapid
:09:30. > :09:36.It is a longer-term fund to provide compensation to communities
:09:37. > :09:39.and even though an application is now being made, it will take
:09:40. > :09:45.But we will continue in our commitment to support those
:09:46. > :09:50.communities, to provide the funding and the backing that they need.
:09:51. > :09:57.Three weeks ago, I asked the Prime Minister why were we not
:09:58. > :10:00.applying for these funds, I am delighted that we are now doing so.
:10:01. > :10:03.I had over 300 of my households were hit by the floods.
:10:04. > :10:07.A third of them were not covered by insurance because of the high
:10:08. > :10:13.Perhaps some of this extra money now can help them.
:10:14. > :10:16.The Minister has indicated that all that is required at this stage
:10:17. > :10:19.is a notification of intent to apply so surely if that is the case,
:10:20. > :10:25.it could have been done weeks ago, to get the process underway?
:10:26. > :10:28.When did he actually apply, was it today, was it yesterday?
:10:29. > :10:33.Actually, where was the rapid decision-making process
:10:34. > :10:39.I welcome it, I honestly welcome it today but it was not
:10:40. > :10:43.If you have an insurance policy, yes, of course,
:10:44. > :10:46.we are going to cash it in. Why would we not cash it in?
:10:47. > :10:51.And isn't the reason that we have been reluctant to claim is that
:10:52. > :10:54.because of our rebate, we get very little out of it so it
:10:55. > :10:56.will be effectively repaying an insurance scheme
:10:57. > :11:00.Businesses in my constituency of Heywood and Middleton
:11:01. > :11:03.and in the borough of Rochdale are absolutely baffled as to why
:11:04. > :11:06.the Government has left it until the 11th hour to apply
:11:07. > :11:10.Can the Minister assure me, please, that he will get the application
:11:11. > :11:14.in by Sunday and does he not agree with me that this is a great
:11:15. > :11:19.Can he put it in context, because every day, we pay,
:11:20. > :11:23.as British taxpayers, ?50 million to the European Union.
:11:24. > :11:27.How much does he think we will get back?
:11:28. > :11:36.Mr Speaker, my honourable friend makes his point better
:11:37. > :11:39.than I would choose to endeavour to do from the dispatch box today.
:11:40. > :11:41.You are watching Thursday in Parliament here on BBC Parliament
:11:42. > :11:50.Local councils have been told in no uncertain terms that they cannot
:11:51. > :11:55.boycott foreign goods for political reasons.
:11:56. > :11:59.The Business Minister Matthew Hancock issued regulations last week
:12:00. > :12:02.during a trip to Israel, saying the boycott by public bodies
:12:03. > :12:06.were illegal under international trading laws.
:12:07. > :12:10.But some members of the House of Lords challenged
:12:11. > :12:17.Has the Minister had a chance to check on what the Prime Minister
:12:18. > :12:21.said yesterday in answer to a question about settlements?
:12:22. > :12:25.He said, the first time I visited Jerusalem and saw what has happened
:12:26. > :12:27.with the effective encirclement of East Jerusalem, occupied
:12:28. > :12:32.East Jerusalem, I found it generally shocking.
:12:33. > :12:36.Didn't the Prime Minister speak for many members of both houses
:12:37. > :12:40.and indeed of all parties when he said this and isn't it time
:12:41. > :12:44.that we moved beyond general expressions of dissatisfaction
:12:45. > :12:47.with Israeli settlement activity and took more
:12:48. > :12:54.The noble Lord makes a perfectly valid point,
:12:55. > :12:56.but this is about the role of local authorities.
:12:57. > :12:59.I would just gently say to him with due respect that local
:13:00. > :13:02.authorities, local authorities should not pursue their own
:13:03. > :13:05.municipal foreign policy which contravenes international
:13:06. > :13:08.trade agreements and instead, they should focus on local issues.
:13:09. > :13:11.The clue is the name as regards to local authorities.
:13:12. > :13:14.I was in Israel last week as the guest of
:13:15. > :13:18.the Israeli Government and my right honourable friend Matt Hancock
:13:19. > :13:21.announced this guidance that he was giving to local
:13:22. > :13:24.authorities, but surely, it is actually illegal,
:13:25. > :13:26.as both Israel and the United Kingdom are members
:13:27. > :13:30.of the WTO, to actually impose these boycotts and they would actually be
:13:31. > :13:44.Such boycotts would be open to judicial review.
:13:45. > :13:48.Hearing what the Minister has to say about boycotts,
:13:49. > :13:52.can he reassure the House on behalf of his foreign and Commonwealth
:13:53. > :13:56.colleagues, that we and our European partners lose no opportunity to draw
:13:57. > :13:59.attention of the Israel Government to the illegality of their
:14:00. > :14:04.settlement policy and the damage which it is doing for the prospect
:14:05. > :14:07.of a two-state solution, which is surely in the interest
:14:08. > :14:16.The Government remains completely committed to a two-state resolution
:14:17. > :14:20.to secure lasting peace in the Middle East and the best way
:14:21. > :14:27.to achieve that is by diplomacy and negotiation.
:14:28. > :14:33.My Lords, given that the noble lady, Baroness Anelay of St John's,
:14:34. > :14:38.has repeatedly, at that dispatch box, said that the settlements
:14:39. > :14:43.are a contravention of international law and that we deplore them
:14:44. > :14:47.and they should not be there, how does it follow that it is illegal
:14:48. > :14:53.or impossible for a local authority to take action in response to those
:14:54. > :14:57.repeated statements, by refusing to trade
:14:58. > :15:06.Just to repeat what I said at the start, the guidance merely
:15:07. > :15:09.clarifies and reminds contractual authorities of their obligations
:15:10. > :15:13.under the WTO Government procured agreement, which the EU
:15:14. > :15:16.is a signatory, has been in place since 1996 and the Labour Government
:15:17. > :15:23.and the Coalition Government both upheld.
:15:24. > :15:25.It is a hideous blight on our landscape.
:15:26. > :15:28.The scourge of fly-tipping can be both a health hazard and an ugly
:15:29. > :15:31.scar on the environment. And it is not just on disused land.
:15:32. > :15:34.Urban litter can also be a huge problem, with empty bags,
:15:35. > :15:37.bottles and cans, cigarettes and chewing gum blowing
:15:38. > :15:42.In Westminster Hall, MPs suggested ensuring
:15:43. > :15:44.that fast-food outlets reduce their rubbish and educating
:15:45. > :15:50.children to pick up their litter could be just part of the solution.
:15:51. > :15:52.What we do need to do is educate young people,
:15:53. > :15:56.in particular, about the importance of not littering on the streets.
:15:57. > :16:01.I thought I might get an intervention at that point!
:16:02. > :16:07.Would the honourable gentleman agree that a child encouraged to pick up
:16:08. > :16:12.litter, in a scheme such as Clean For The Queen,
:16:13. > :16:14.grows up into an adult that does not throw
:16:15. > :16:18.litter and that that is very much part of the impetus behind our push
:16:19. > :16:24.I thank my honourable friend for that.
:16:25. > :16:26.Clearly, encouraging good habits at a young age is definitely
:16:27. > :16:33.One of the problems I see in my local area is that you can see
:16:34. > :16:37.where the fast-food restaurant is and where the school
:16:38. > :16:43.is and you can see the litter and how long it takes a young person
:16:44. > :16:47.takes to eat the food as they are walking back
:16:48. > :16:50.They just deposit it where they choose and
:16:51. > :16:53.the consequence is, of course, that we end up with littered streets
:16:54. > :16:57.Even worse, what some young people do is throw it
:16:58. > :17:01.I am sure he agrees that not all the fast-food outlets operate
:17:02. > :17:05.In my constituency, as mentioned by my honourable friend,
:17:06. > :17:09.the chair of the Select Committee, McDonald's are very good.
:17:10. > :17:12.They employ people to clean up around their restaurant.
:17:13. > :17:14.They also organise volunteer days, where their staff come
:17:15. > :17:20.So, some of the fast-food chains treat this matter very responsibly.
:17:21. > :17:23.I thank the right honourable gentleman for that intervention.
:17:24. > :17:26.I think McDonald's are clearly a shining example of
:17:27. > :17:31.what should be done. Their food is all right.
:17:32. > :17:34.I would not say it is great, but lots of people love it.
:17:35. > :17:37.If it is on the quality of products on offer
:17:38. > :17:47.He talks about McDonald's being a shining example,
:17:48. > :17:50.but they do, in their products, have a huge amount of packaging.
:17:51. > :17:52.If they were forced, somehow, or encouraged,
:17:53. > :17:57.to reduce that packaging, that may also help to provide
:17:58. > :18:04.Clearly, the supply of McDonalds and other fast-food restaurants
:18:05. > :18:07.and the packaging they employ is a matter for them, clearly.
:18:08. > :18:18.But one of the consequences, as my honourable friend pointed out,
:18:19. > :18:24.is to have fast food and other types of packaging,
:18:25. > :18:27.it is not just fast food, there is a whole range of packaging
:18:28. > :18:31.What I was going to come on to, however, is the point here that,
:18:32. > :18:34.should we be looking at duties on fast-food restaurants to act
:18:35. > :18:36.in the same way as McDonald's take a responsible way?
:18:37. > :18:38.We have a perennial problem in my constituency
:18:39. > :18:40.with a Kentucky Fried Chicken drive-through restaurant,
:18:41. > :18:42.where people routinely drive in, park up the road,
:18:43. > :18:45.eat their Kentucky Fried Chicken and throw the bones on the floor,
:18:46. > :18:47.literally, dropping them out their car windows,
:18:48. > :18:52.for the pleasure of local residents to have to suffer.
:18:53. > :18:55.Now, surely, we could get to a point whereby there are duties
:18:56. > :18:59.on the fast-food restaurants to keep their areas clear?
:19:00. > :19:02.At the end of the debate, one minister, Marcus Jones,
:19:03. > :19:04.said the government would produce a strong and robust litter strategy
:19:05. > :19:12.for England, cracking down on this anti-social activity.
:19:13. > :19:14.Are the UK's top universities doing enough to encourage applications
:19:15. > :19:16.from students from black and ethnic minority backgrounds?
:19:17. > :19:18.The subject was raised at Equalities Questions,
:19:19. > :19:22.with MPs wanting to know what more could be done.
:19:23. > :19:26.Research shows that, while BME students are over-represented
:19:27. > :19:29.in university entrance figures, they tend to be in the post '92
:19:30. > :19:35.The Women Equalities Committee heard this week
:19:36. > :19:39.that the Russell Group universities are poor
:19:40. > :19:42.at doing outreach, to encourage students from disadvantaged and BME
:19:43. > :19:44.backgrounds to apply for their universities,
:19:45. > :19:52.compared with the Ivy League universities in the United States,
:19:53. > :19:54.which have a far better record in this.
:19:55. > :19:57.The minister said that was a good point and she had praise for those
:19:58. > :20:01.I have to say that my nearest university, the University
:20:02. > :20:06.of Nottingham, like many universities, makes a real positive
:20:07. > :20:10.effort to get into all our schools, to make sure that all our pupils
:20:11. > :20:14.have every opportunity. If I can put it this way - aim high.
:20:15. > :20:17.Many young people in my constituency and across
:20:18. > :20:19.the country, who have lived here all their lives,
:20:20. > :20:23.who are lawfully and legally resident in the United Kingdom
:20:24. > :20:24.and have made their way through the UK
:20:25. > :20:27.education system, are effectively prohibited from accessing student
:20:28. > :20:30.finance support, which would allow them access to higher education
:20:31. > :20:34.because they do not have Settled Immigration status.
:20:35. > :20:47.I am grateful for the honourable members question
:20:48. > :20:53.In a new policy to make sure all these students make the most of
:20:54. > :20:55.their academic ability? I am grateful for the
:20:56. > :20:57.honourable members question and I think he is making
:20:58. > :21:00.a very important point, which I am happy to discuss
:21:01. > :21:02.with the Home Office. I see that one of the
:21:03. > :21:05.relevant ministers is already here. The government talks the talk
:21:06. > :21:08.of encouraging more black and ethnic minority students into university,
:21:09. > :21:11.yet their recent decision to scrap maintenance grants will
:21:12. > :21:13.disproportionately affect these very This is according to the
:21:14. > :21:16.government's own impact assessment. Does the minister believe
:21:17. > :21:17.that this disproportionate I have to say, I am not familiar
:21:18. > :21:26.with the impact assessment. I reiterate the point,
:21:27. > :21:28.it is absolutely imperative that we make it very clear that
:21:29. > :21:31.everybody should aim high. That is what we want to do
:21:32. > :21:41.and that is what we seek to do. Now, it is a well-worn political
:21:42. > :21:44.adage that persistence pays and one Conservative MP is keeping up
:21:45. > :21:46.a relentless campaign Oliver Colvile has previously called
:21:47. > :21:52.for the hedgehog to become He says the number of the prickly
:21:53. > :22:03.creatures have fallen by one-third in the last decade and declaring
:22:04. > :22:05.the hedgehog to be Britain's national symbol might enthuse
:22:06. > :22:07.people to protect it. Updating MPs at Business Questions,
:22:08. > :22:10.he told MPs his campaign Mr Speaker, you may be interested
:22:11. > :22:16.to know that my petition to save the hedgehog has now reached
:22:17. > :22:19.over 19,000 signatures, Now, I am fully aware this is just
:22:20. > :22:26.80,000 short of us having a debate, but would my right honourable friend
:22:27. > :22:32.just like to confirm that, because it has got over 10,000,
:22:33. > :22:35.the government now has to write to me, to say
:22:36. > :22:40.what it is they might actually do? Well, Mr Speaker, I congratulate
:22:41. > :22:42.my honourable friend, as always, for his
:22:43. > :22:45.assiduousness on this. I can confirm that he will
:22:46. > :22:47.receive a proper response I also have a sneaking suspicion
:22:48. > :22:51.that he may make his way towards that 100,000 point,
:22:52. > :22:54.in order to have a But, of course, Mr Speaker,
:22:55. > :22:57.we have had this week a cautionary tale, linking some of the themes
:22:58. > :23:00.that often somehow appear We talk about superfoods,
:23:01. > :23:04.we talk about black puddings What we have learned this week
:23:05. > :23:08.is that, if you feed meat to hedgehogs, it can have a rather
:23:09. > :23:11.adverse affect on them, as we saw in the tragic case
:23:12. > :23:14.of the hedgehog which has become so fat eating meat that it can no
:23:15. > :23:18.longer roll itself up. Finally, for this programme,
:23:19. > :23:21.let us go back to the sticky At Business Questions,
:23:22. > :23:24.the SNP's Peter Wishart seized on the chance to pounce
:23:25. > :23:26.on the divisions within the Conservative Party on Brexit,
:23:27. > :23:28.with the announcement this week that the Cabinet minister
:23:29. > :23:30.Michael Gove is to campaign This week marked the end
:23:31. > :23:39.of collective Cabinet responsibility, particularly
:23:40. > :23:41.for the next few months. The nasty civil war in the Tories
:23:42. > :23:49.is now stareting to get serious and it looks like the poor
:23:50. > :23:52.old Justice Secretary is going to be I don't know if the right honourable
:23:53. > :23:56.gentlemsn is going to rush to his defence and man
:23:57. > :23:58.the barricades, in order to try and save him,
:23:59. > :24:01.but even friendships which go right back to the playing fields
:24:02. > :24:04.of Eton now look like the remnants And for us, on these benches,
:24:05. > :24:08.Mr Speaker, it is popcorn time, as we observe, not just a civil
:24:09. > :24:11.war in the Tory Party, but also the ongoing civil war
:24:12. > :24:14.within the Labour Party. I hate to disappoint him
:24:15. > :24:16.on the European Union referendum, Mr Speaker,
:24:17. > :24:19.but he is not going to Actually, we are all friends,
:24:20. > :24:22.we get on with each other. Well, they laugh, but
:24:23. > :24:39.the difference, Mr Speaker, Split down the middle,
:24:40. > :24:43.fighting like ferrets in a sack. That, today, Mr Speaker,
:24:44. > :24:45.is the Labour Party. We are going to have
:24:46. > :24:47.a grown-up, sensible debate. The country will decide
:24:48. > :24:49.and then we will work together to implement
:24:50. > :24:51.what the country decides. In the meantime, they
:24:52. > :24:53.are going to run around like headless chickens,
:24:54. > :24:55.trying to work out what on Earth they do about the mess
:24:56. > :24:58.they are in at the moment. The Shadow Leader of the House
:24:59. > :25:01.returned to a theme raised in Prime Minister's Questions
:25:02. > :25:03.on Wednesday - advice Second, never take a man home
:25:04. > :25:11.who is wearing a hat, until you have seen
:25:12. > :25:13.him without the hat. I think the Leader of the House
:25:14. > :25:20.agrees with that one. Third, never, Mr Speaker, never
:25:21. > :25:23.trust a man wearing slip-on shoes. I merely point out, Mr Speaker,
:25:24. > :25:35.that the Prime Minister was wearing Top advice there from
:25:36. > :25:40.Chris Bryant's mum. And that is it for now,
:25:41. > :25:43.but do join me at 11pm on Friday night for The Week In Parliament -
:25:44. > :25:47.a round-up of the last seven days here at Westminster -
:25:48. > :25:49.including the row over how much public money should go to political
:25:50. > :25:58.parties at Westminster. But for now, from me,
:25:59. > :26:03.Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.