:00:23. > :00:24.Hello and welcome to Thursday in Parliament.
:00:25. > :00:29.The Brexit Bill has been published, but some MPs say the Government
:00:30. > :00:32.hasn't allowed enough time to debate it.
:00:33. > :00:36.I am astonished at the amount of time that the Leader of the House
:00:37. > :00:42.A new direction for US foreign policy?
:00:43. > :00:45.The Foreign Secretary chooses his words carefully.
:00:46. > :00:50.I don't think we've seen any policy changes, official policy changes
:00:51. > :00:56.And Gordon Brown warns that there's not enough money to educate
:00:57. > :01:02.The children of the world will be without the qualifications they
:01:03. > :01:07.need, and that is indeed a crisis that's got to be dealt with.
:01:08. > :01:09.The day kicked off with questions to David Davis, the Secretary
:01:10. > :01:13.The Prime Minister has announced that there
:01:14. > :01:17.will be a White Paper, setting out the Government's Brexit strategy.
:01:18. > :01:25.Many MPs wanted to know when the document would appear.
:01:26. > :01:29.Can I thank the Secretary of State very much for the part he played,
:01:30. > :01:33.That has been welcomed across the House, and is good news.
:01:34. > :01:36.Can he now tell us, does he know when it might be published,
:01:37. > :01:39.and how much time this place will have to debate it?
:01:40. > :01:42.Of course, this is a decision solely for the Prime Minister,
:01:43. > :01:45.to publish the White Paper, but it's nice to be able to agree
:01:46. > :01:52.In terms of timing, we are going to be...
:01:53. > :01:55.Sorry, my voice and the microphone together.
:01:56. > :01:59.In terms of timing, the Prime Minister said
:02:00. > :02:04.It will be as expeditiously as we can.
:02:05. > :02:06.It takes time, she knows, she's been in Government,
:02:07. > :02:08.these things have a procedure, it takes time to do,
:02:09. > :02:11.but we won't waste time in producing it for the House.
:02:12. > :02:17.I hope the Secretary of State gets his voice back,
:02:18. > :02:20.he'll be needing it over the next couple of weeks.
:02:21. > :02:23.Does he think that we should be able to see the White Paper before
:02:24. > :02:27.Well, with respect to the honourable gentleman,
:02:28. > :02:33.There'll be lots of legislation, I assume - I'm looking
:02:34. > :02:35.to see if he nods - I assume he's referring
:02:36. > :02:40.The Article 50 legislation is about carrying out
:02:41. > :02:43.the will of the British people, the decision
:02:44. > :02:47.There will be much more legislation after that
:02:48. > :02:53.which will relate to policy, the maintenance of European law -
:02:54. > :02:58.that's the Great Repeal Bill, but also the new legislation
:02:59. > :03:03.So it's certainly going to be before all that, and I'll be
:03:04. > :03:08.I'm concerned by some of the responses from the Secretary
:03:09. > :03:11.of State, who seemed to be bursting with entusiasm
:03:12. > :03:16.about this White Paper, now it seems we may not get it
:03:17. > :03:20.Given the level of interest in the legislation and the amendments
:03:21. > :03:23.that are going to be tabled, we need this White Paper before
:03:24. > :03:35.How do you deal with an opposition that won't take yes for an answer?
:03:36. > :03:40.I've said we'll deal with it and I will produce it
:03:41. > :03:43.as expeditiously as possible, as quickly as possible.
:03:44. > :03:51.He can work as fast as he can, I suppose, but we do need it
:03:52. > :03:58.When we get it, will it be a cut and paste of
:03:59. > :04:08.Or instead, will we have assessments of the financial impact on this
:04:09. > :04:15.Let me start, as I said at the beginning,
:04:16. > :04:19.the Prime Minister's speech - one of the clearest expositions
:04:20. > :04:24.of national policy I've heard in many, many years -
:04:25. > :04:28.answered all of the questions that the opposition and
:04:29. > :04:31.Brexit Committee raised, other than those that would actively
:04:32. > :04:40.Labour will be putting down amendments to the Brexit Bill.
:04:41. > :04:43.Now that we have a commitment to a White Paper, the role
:04:44. > :04:45.of Parliament in the Article 50 process needs to be determined.
:04:46. > :04:48.That's why Labour will seek to table an amendment to the proposed
:04:49. > :04:51.Article 50 bill to require the Secretary of State to lay periodic
:04:52. > :04:54.reports at intervals of no less than two months on progress
:04:55. > :04:56.of the negotiations under Article 50.
:04:57. > :05:00.Will the Secretary of State commit now to the principle
:05:01. > :05:12.Well, from behind me, I hear, "Like he's not going to do that".
:05:13. > :05:19.Since the start of this, since September, nearly five months,
:05:20. > :05:22.I've done five statements in front of this House, ten debates,
:05:23. > :05:26.appeared in front of a number of select committees and that
:05:27. > :05:34.I suspect two months will be a rather unambitious aim.
:05:35. > :05:37.A little later, a Bill paving the way for the UK's exit
:05:38. > :05:39.from the European Union was presented to Parliament.
:05:40. > :05:41.It's called the European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill.
:05:42. > :05:53.European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill.
:05:54. > :06:03.And the Commons leader, David Lidington announced
:06:04. > :06:06.the timetable for debating the Bill in the Commons.
:06:07. > :06:09.Tuesday the 31st of January, second reading of the
:06:10. > :06:15.European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill, day one.
:06:16. > :06:19.Wednesday the first of February, conclusion of second reading
:06:20. > :06:22.of the European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill.
:06:23. > :06:26.Monday the 6th of February, consideration in committee
:06:27. > :06:30.of the European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill, day one.
:06:31. > :06:34.Tuesday the 7th of February, continuation of consideration
:06:35. > :06:38.in committee of the European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill.
:06:39. > :06:42.Wednesday the 8th of February, conclusion of consideration
:06:43. > :06:45.in committee for the European Union - Notification of Withdrawal Bill,
:06:46. > :06:48.followed by remaining stages of the European Union -
:06:49. > :06:54.So that's five days for debating the Brexit Bill.
:06:55. > :06:57.As you can hear from the jeers, some MPs did not think the Government
:06:58. > :07:03.First there was to be no vote, now there's a vote.
:07:04. > :07:06.Then there was to be no bill, now there's a bill.
:07:07. > :07:09.Then there was to be no White Paper, now there's to be a White Paper.
:07:10. > :07:12.We should have chanced our arm and said we should definitely be
:07:13. > :07:18.The second reading will be next Tuesday, but we of course know
:07:19. > :07:21.there will be the committee of the whole House the following
:07:22. > :07:23.week with everything rushed through and concluded
:07:24. > :07:31.As the Leader of the House, as the guardian of this House's
:07:32. > :07:34.procedure and its business, will he now guarantee today
:07:35. > :07:37.and right now there will be a White Paper published in time
:07:38. > :07:39.for the committee of the whole House, so this House can consider
:07:40. > :07:42.that White Paper and a bill of such importance and magnitude.
:07:43. > :07:45.I was astonished at the amount of time that the Leader of the House
:07:46. > :07:48.has given this Parliament to debate it.
:07:49. > :07:50.And he's being very coy about whether the White Paper
:07:51. > :07:53.will be published before the committee stage of the Bill.
:07:54. > :07:57.Can he give us more time and tell us if he's going to publish
:07:58. > :08:08.I think, if you consider that this is a two-clause bill,
:08:09. > :08:11.that the second clause is dealing only with the extent of the Bill
:08:12. > :08:13.to the United Kingdom, there is plenty of time,
:08:14. > :08:17.including two full days at second reading, for all opinions
:08:18. > :08:23.Just three days to debate the detail of the most important issue facing
:08:24. > :08:27.this country in a generation, the repercussions of which will face
:08:28. > :08:31.generations to come, is totally unacceptable.
:08:32. > :08:34.And I would hope that every opposition party in this House
:08:35. > :08:38.and every member who cares about parliamentary democracy
:08:39. > :08:41.will vote against this contempt of Parliament when it comes
:08:42. > :08:47.Well, I simply say to the honourable gentleman that his party supported
:08:48. > :08:51.the Referendum Bill, and putting the question
:08:52. > :08:56.to the people, and his party supported the timetable
:08:57. > :09:00.of triggering Article 50 by the end of March.
:09:01. > :09:05.And the Bill is designed to secure that those objectives are met.
:09:06. > :09:08.The UK is in a position to show "international leadership" to end
:09:09. > :09:11.the fighting in Yemen and prevent a famine -
:09:12. > :09:15.that's the view of the SNP's Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh,
:09:16. > :09:18.who called for an urgent statement about the conflict
:09:19. > :09:20.between the forces loyal to the Yemen's President Hadi
:09:21. > :09:25.The Foreign Office Minister set out the UK's position.
:09:26. > :09:28.The UK supports the Saudi Arabian-led coalition
:09:29. > :09:30.military intervention, which came at the request
:09:31. > :09:34.of the legitimate President Hadi, and we are clear through that
:09:35. > :09:37.coalition and the Government of Yemen military gains must be
:09:38. > :09:40.used to drive forward the political process.
:09:41. > :09:53.I last spoke to President Hadi on the 15th of January to discuss
:09:54. > :09:55.the importance of taking measures to prevent economic collapse.
:09:56. > :09:57.We continue to strongly support the tireless efforts
:09:58. > :09:59.of the UN special envoy, in trying to achieve
:10:00. > :10:03.We're providing over ?1 million to the UN special envoy's office
:10:04. > :10:08.to bolster the UN's capacity to facilitate the peace process,
:10:09. > :10:14.and the UN special envoy is due to brief the UN Security Council
:10:15. > :10:19.today in New York on the latest developments on the UN's plans.
:10:20. > :10:22.When the UN Security Council meets this afternoon,
:10:23. > :10:27.it will do so against a backdrop of heavy fighting in the Red Sea,
:10:28. > :10:29.and an increasingly dire humanitarian situation
:10:30. > :10:35.There are already 7 million people starving in Yemen.
:10:36. > :10:38.If these ports are destroyed or besieged, then delivery of vital
:10:39. > :10:41.aid which is required to avert famine in Yemen will become
:10:42. > :10:46.The only way to prevent this unfolding humanitarian disaster
:10:47. > :10:51.deteriorating even further is to agree an immediate ceasefire.
:10:52. > :10:53.Today's meeting of the UN Security Council provides a key
:10:54. > :10:59.The SNP believes that the UK is in a unique position to show
:11:00. > :11:03.positive international readership in order to bring about
:11:04. > :11:11.I understand her desire to want to call for a ceasefire,
:11:12. > :11:13.a cessation of hostilities immediately.
:11:14. > :11:16.We will see what comes out of the meeting today and comes out
:11:17. > :11:21.But I'm absolutely in agreement with her, this is actually
:11:22. > :11:25.Calling for it needs to work in conjunction
:11:26. > :11:29.with the art of the possible, otherwise it simply is just words.
:11:30. > :11:33.In order for us to be able to ensure it will hold,
:11:34. > :11:36.we need to be able to say what happens if one of the sides,
:11:37. > :11:38.either of the sides, actually breaches the
:11:39. > :11:52.He talks about the need for a political solution,
:11:53. > :11:55.when is he going to present our resolution to the United Nations?
:11:56. > :11:56.When we going to get proper investigations
:11:57. > :11:58.into alleged violations of international humanitarian law?
:11:59. > :12:00.Why we continuing to sell Saudi Arabia the arms
:12:01. > :12:04.And, ultimately, when we going to bring the suffering of the people
:12:05. > :12:07.of Yemen to an end and then get the humanitarian aid
:12:08. > :12:10.Every debate, every month, now every year, we ask
:12:11. > :12:13.the same basic questions, and every time the Minister -
:12:14. > :12:15.whose name now is, I'm afraid, synonymous with the Yemen conflict -
:12:16. > :12:24.stands there and gives us the same non-answers.
:12:25. > :12:30.The Minister said that arms were subject to strict controls, and aid
:12:31. > :12:32.was getting to people caught up in this awful conflict.
:12:33. > :12:33.You're watching Thursday in Parliament
:12:34. > :12:40.Now, as the Prime Minister was preparing to meet Donald Trump,
:12:41. > :12:44.the Foreign Secretary was facing a group of peers.
:12:45. > :12:46.Theresa May wants to enhance the UK's special
:12:47. > :12:51.And President Trump has said he wants a quick
:12:52. > :12:56.Boris Johnson, however, had to admit to significant policy
:12:57. > :12:58.differences between Downing Street and the White House.
:12:59. > :13:06.We've had statements from the new president to ABC
:13:07. > :13:10.which showed pretty fundamental disregard for a whole number
:13:11. > :13:14.of the United States international obligations,
:13:15. > :13:18.most specifically under the torture Convention.
:13:19. > :13:23.We have to be very careful with this.
:13:24. > :13:27.I certainly don't think we seen any policy changes,
:13:28. > :13:30.official policy changes, or policy pronouncements and,
:13:31. > :13:37.on the matter of torture, which you rightly draw attention to,
:13:38. > :13:39.I think the Prime Minister made the position of the government
:13:40. > :13:56.very clear yesterday in the House of Commons and that is unchanged.
:13:57. > :14:02.Mrs May says the UK does not sanction torture. What about
:14:03. > :14:09.refugees from certain countries? Do you think it's acceptable under
:14:10. > :14:11.international obligations shared by the UK and the US,
:14:12. > :14:14.to have a ban on refugees I don't want to disappoint
:14:15. > :14:17.the committee by, you know, retreating too much into this
:14:18. > :14:20.formula but we haven't yet seen Rather than get into some sort
:14:21. > :14:24.of hypothetical dispute, let's see And what about the nuclear deal
:14:25. > :14:28.with Iran, resident Trump says it's I assume that is not the view
:14:29. > :14:36.of the government since the government is a party
:14:37. > :14:39.to the deal and doesn't presumably go around making the
:14:40. > :14:41.worst deals ever made. I think we've already
:14:42. > :14:44.made our views very clear to the Trump Administration
:14:45. > :14:46.that we think trying to improve relations
:14:47. > :14:48.with Iran through this deal, you know, it's a pretty cautious
:14:49. > :14:51.thing, is, on the whole, a good thing and we regard that
:14:52. > :14:54.as one of the achievements And then to what may
:14:55. > :15:00.prove one of the most President Trump has been very clear
:15:01. > :15:05.already that he wants to eradicate Islamic militancy from the face
:15:06. > :15:08.of the Earth and he's also been clear that he's prepared
:15:09. > :15:13.to have a new approach to prioritise the defeat of Isis, possibly
:15:14. > :15:17.in collaboration with Russia. Would you support a change in US -
:15:18. > :15:21.UK direction to support those goals, possibly even joining forces,
:15:22. > :15:24.figuratively and militarily, We are already with
:15:25. > :15:33.the United States engaged very The committee will know that
:15:34. > :15:42.more than 1000 sorties have been flown, I think,
:15:43. > :15:46.almost 1200, we are there. Are you prepared to see
:15:47. > :15:50.an alliance of forces, To switch sides, to come
:15:51. > :15:59.in on the side of Assad and the Russians, would be seen,
:16:00. > :16:05.I think, as a great betrayal of the people of Syria
:16:06. > :16:10.who have opposed Assad. It would be seen as a betrayal
:16:11. > :16:15.of the moderate armed opposition that we have supported
:16:16. > :16:23.and it would be... It would have grave
:16:24. > :16:27.repercussions in the area. We might find ourselves
:16:28. > :16:32.in days and weeks to come where the United States
:16:33. > :16:34.is on a different side That would put us on a direct
:16:35. > :16:42.collision, or not on a collision but on two different sides
:16:43. > :16:46.of this argument. With the closest allies
:16:47. > :16:48.that we are trying to forge relationship that it has been
:16:49. > :16:53.over the last decades, If there is a possibility
:16:54. > :17:01.of an arrangement with the Russians that simultaneously allows Assad
:17:02. > :17:08.to move towards the exit and diminishes Iranian influence
:17:09. > :17:19.in the region by getting rid of Assad and allows us to join
:17:20. > :17:26.with the Russians in... attacking Daesh and wiping them off
:17:27. > :17:32.the face of the earth, or whatever the president has said,
:17:33. > :17:35.then that might be a way forward. But there were, he said,
:17:36. > :17:38.no good options. But even if we did achieve the end,
:17:39. > :17:43.this is the real hit, nor is it clear that even if we did
:17:44. > :17:47.achieve the end of the Assad regime, that Syria would
:17:48. > :17:49.be in a better place. The Brexit secretary David Davis
:17:50. > :17:52.also faced questions on President Trump's remarks
:17:53. > :17:54.over the use of torture. The Prime Minister will today meet
:17:55. > :17:57.an American president who champions torture and who is proud
:17:58. > :18:01.to discriminate against Muslims. Would the Secretary of State,
:18:02. > :18:04.therefore, agree with me that it is even more important
:18:05. > :18:12.that his government send a strong moral message,
:18:13. > :18:14.goods and chattels are bargaining Will he confirm the residency
:18:15. > :18:20.rights of EU nationals? The Honourable Lady knows my stance
:18:21. > :18:23.on torture down the years, And the British government's stance
:18:24. > :18:30.on torture is very plain. We don't condone it,
:18:31. > :18:32.we don't agree with it under any The Labour former
:18:33. > :18:36.Prime Minister Gordon Brown has returned to Parliament,
:18:37. > :18:39.for a few hours, at least, to talk to a committee of MPs
:18:40. > :18:44.about the challenges he faces in his new job as the UN
:18:45. > :18:48.special envoy for education. He talked about what he'd seen
:18:49. > :18:51.first hand when he visited You go to a place like South Sudan,
:18:52. > :18:55.where I was a few months ago, I don't know if the committee
:18:56. > :18:58.has been there recently. You have been there some years ago,
:18:59. > :19:01.I know that, and you meet mothers who have come across the border
:19:02. > :19:04.from Saddam into South Sudan, The one thing they want
:19:05. > :19:11.for their children is education. We forget that shelter is sometimes
:19:12. > :19:14.secretary to the importance that their child has the best
:19:15. > :19:21.chance in life. I was in a village just outside
:19:22. > :19:25.Djuba and there was this project, the Bangladesh group who do
:19:26. > :19:28.these small huts, as schools, so there were places in the school
:19:29. > :19:31.for only about 20 kids. I remember being in that heart
:19:32. > :19:34.and there was a small portable and looking in on that portal
:19:35. > :19:37.were about a hundred kids who were unable to get the education
:19:38. > :19:40.they wanted and there was another who told me she had to choose
:19:41. > :19:43.between her twins, at eight years A Labour MP quoted
:19:44. > :19:49.the Chief Executive of the global As part of this enquiry
:19:50. > :19:56.in November Alice Albright, I would have liked her to be
:19:57. > :20:01.the Democratic candidate but the chair won't allow me to go
:20:02. > :20:04.there, I don't think, told this committee
:20:05. > :20:06.that there is a funding crisis And it has gone into humanitarian
:20:07. > :20:11.shelter and survival, as infrastructure, agriculture got
:20:12. > :20:15.money, as health has got more money, Unless we now realise that by 2030
:20:16. > :20:24.there will be 800 million children, half the children of the world,
:20:25. > :20:28.800 million children, who will not finish education
:20:29. > :20:32.with any qualification of any value whatsoever, and in 2030 on current
:20:33. > :20:37.trends, 200 million will still be out of school and never
:20:38. > :20:42.finish their primary education, 400 million will only get primary
:20:43. > :20:44.level qualifications, and, as I said, half the children
:20:45. > :20:47.of the world will be without And that is, indeed,
:20:48. > :20:52.a crisis that has to be dealt with. So it's a crisis in terms of we've
:20:53. > :20:56.got a duty to step in when we know that countries will not
:20:57. > :20:59.meet their targets and we know that we've got a duty we've agreed
:21:00. > :21:02.to meet that every child be in education, so we need
:21:03. > :21:04.to do something about I say that 15% of aid, at least,
:21:05. > :21:09.should go to education. He moved on to talk
:21:10. > :21:11.about an initiative In a unique project which is called
:21:12. > :21:21.the double shift school system, we are using the same school
:21:22. > :21:24.in the morning for Lebanese children and in the afternoon
:21:25. > :21:27.for Syrian refugees. They've managed to get almost
:21:28. > :21:29.a quarter of a million children Would you agree that it is vital
:21:30. > :21:43.that we commit money to humanitarian aid and the vital issue of health,
:21:44. > :21:47.given the fact that we are at 0.7% and there is no room for increase,
:21:48. > :21:54.where would you see additional funds I do regret the fact that DFed has
:21:55. > :22:01.reduced the share for education in saved budget from something
:22:02. > :22:04.like 12 to 15%, I think, I do understand that some
:22:05. > :22:11.of that is for humanitarian aid but I think that there is money
:22:12. > :22:14.to be found for education in other parts of the budget
:22:15. > :22:18.without affecting health, for example, which I know you
:22:19. > :22:22.and I think is important, as well. Making a brief appearance
:22:23. > :22:28.back in Parliament. Now, the Supreme Court ruled
:22:29. > :22:34.against the government on Tuesday, saying that Parliament
:22:35. > :22:35.should authorise the That followed a lengthy
:22:36. > :22:43.and complex court case. Some Peers want to know
:22:44. > :22:46.how much it all cost. My Lords, the figures for the total
:22:47. > :22:48.costs associated with the case I had hoped that the welcome
:22:49. > :22:59.announcement yesterday of a White Paper might have tempted
:23:00. > :23:06.the noble Lord into answering my question in another
:23:07. > :23:08.welcome U-turn today. But can I put a serious
:23:09. > :23:10.issue to him. The Prime Minister has been clear
:23:11. > :23:13.that she would invoke Article 50 Given that is her deadline
:23:14. > :23:19.of her choosing, does he accept that it would be more open
:23:20. > :23:22.and democratic if the past two months were used for Parliamentary
:23:23. > :23:26.debate rather than the rushed process we have now
:23:27. > :23:29.during a delay to be considered Well, I dispute, I'm sorry
:23:30. > :23:36.the premise on which that question is founded,
:23:37. > :23:38.I'm sorry to say. The government believed,
:23:39. > :23:42.as did a number of others, including the Leader
:23:43. > :23:44.of the Opposition straight after the referendum,
:23:45. > :23:46.that the triggering of Article 50 was a matter for the Royal
:23:47. > :23:48.prerogative, that was disputed, as I said yesterday,
:23:49. > :23:51.people have a right to be able That battle was taken for court
:23:52. > :23:55.and a judgment has been passed. My Lords, I would also dispute
:23:56. > :23:59.that the last few months have not I have very much enjoyed coming
:24:00. > :24:03.to this house and answering questions and giving statements
:24:04. > :24:06.and doing other things and I'm sure Does my right honourable friend not
:24:07. > :24:14.think it extraordinary to have had that question when the Leader
:24:15. > :24:16.of the Opposition wanted to move Article 50 the week
:24:17. > :24:19.after the referendum result? My Lords, it was the day
:24:20. > :24:23.after the referendum result he said this
:24:24. > :24:26.and that is absolutely the case. We were not alone, therefore,
:24:27. > :24:29.in assuming that we would be able to use the Royal prerogative
:24:30. > :24:32.on the triggering of Article 50. My Lords, the courts have required
:24:33. > :24:35.the government to come to Parliament to trigger the negotiating process,
:24:36. > :24:39.the government have said that Parliament will have a vote
:24:40. > :24:43.at the end of it but what plans does the government have two involve
:24:44. > :24:45.Parliament and consult parliament during the course
:24:46. > :24:49.of the negotiations, or is it the case that
:24:50. > :24:53.for the entire negotiating process, Parliament will actually have no
:24:54. > :24:57.significant role in influencing I'm very sorry to say,
:24:58. > :25:04.the noble Lord, I don't know whether I have been somewhere else
:25:05. > :25:07.or he has been somewhere else but I've been answering questions
:25:08. > :25:10.here, giving statements and taking part in debates and this
:25:11. > :25:12.will continue, my Lords, We are absolutely committed
:25:13. > :25:20.to ensuring that this house and the other place will have ample
:25:21. > :25:22.opportunity to scrutinise Furthermore, as I have set out
:25:23. > :25:28.on a number of occasions, there will also be the great repeal
:25:29. > :25:31.bill and the legislation that will flow from that
:25:32. > :25:34.which will give your Lordships, I can assure you, a great amount
:25:35. > :25:36.of legislative fodder But do join me on Friday night at 11
:25:37. > :25:47.for a round-up of a fast-moving week But, until then, from me,
:25:48. > :25:55.Kristiina Cooper, goodbye.