:00:16. > :00:18.Hello and Welcome to Thursday in Parliament, our look at the best
:00:19. > :00:21.of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
:00:22. > :00:27.After the drama of the week's Government defeat in the House
:00:28. > :00:30.of Lords on the Brexit Bill, peers win praise from some unlikely
:00:31. > :00:41.The people's aristocrats have spoken and their voice must be listened to.
:00:42. > :00:44.The Farming Minister rejects claims that food prices are increasing
:00:45. > :00:53.We have seen a fall in food prices of 0.5% over the last year and a
:00:54. > :00:55.fall of 6% since 2014. And more tributes are paid
:00:56. > :00:58.to the Father of the House, Sir Gerald Kaufman,
:00:59. > :01:06.who died last weekend. He had an ability to sum up his
:01:07. > :01:08.views with a witty turn of phrase that could be as colourful and a
:01:09. > :01:11.memorable as his suits. The Leader of the Commons,
:01:12. > :01:15.David Lidington, has confirmed that the Government
:01:16. > :01:18.will try to overturn Wednesday night's defeat for the Government
:01:19. > :01:20.inflicted by peers Peers voted by a majority of 102
:01:21. > :01:24.to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living and working
:01:25. > :01:26.in the UK. Ministers don't want that guarantee
:01:27. > :01:28.to figure in the bill, which simply triggers the process
:01:29. > :01:31.of Britain leaving the EU. Mr Lidington had accompanied
:01:32. > :01:34.Theresa May to watch the beginning of the Brexit Bill's first debate
:01:35. > :01:50.in the Lords, something his Labour The leader of the House is keen on
:01:51. > :01:55.visiting the other place. I don't know if he has caught the news, but
:01:56. > :02:03.their Lordships intend to send back an amendment, which they won by 358
:02:04. > :02:07.votes to 256. Can the leader of the House give us an indication when the
:02:08. > :02:13.bill is likely to come back to Parliament, week commencing 13th of
:02:14. > :02:17.March, all week commencing 30th of March. We will return to the EU bill
:02:18. > :02:24.as rapidly as possible after the House of Lords has finished debating
:02:25. > :02:27.it and given it its third reading and the government remains of the
:02:28. > :02:32.view the bill is straightforward, it does no more than con fur authority
:02:33. > :02:38.on the Prime Minister's required by the courts to initiate negotiations
:02:39. > :02:43.by triggering Article 50 of the treaty. We will therefore seek to
:02:44. > :02:44.resist changes that would make that negotiating task more difficult.
:02:45. > :02:46.The SNP normally says the Lords should be abolished.
:02:47. > :02:52.But such opposition was absent this time.
:02:53. > :02:54.What about three cheers for our heroes?
:02:55. > :02:58.The people's aristocrats have spoken.
:02:59. > :03:07.Every time, every time I raised the issue in the House of Lords,
:03:08. > :03:10.with the Leader of the House, he tells me there are absolutely no
:03:11. > :03:13.plans whatsoever to have that House reformed,
:03:14. > :03:16.accepting therefore, the absolute legitimacy to raise
:03:17. > :03:23.Will he now listen to the House of Lords on this issue
:03:24. > :03:26.and will he said today that he has absolutely no plans whatsoever
:03:27. > :03:29.to use the Parliament Act, if our unelected friends
:03:30. > :03:36.continue to show backbone on this particular issue?
:03:37. > :03:41.I do find, the right honourable gentleman's new-found passionate
:03:42. > :03:47.affection for the House of Lords makes me suggest that it's not just
:03:48. > :04:05.Mr Farage who has secret yearnings for the honours list.
:04:06. > :04:10.On to the issue of the rights of EU citizens living in Britain.
:04:11. > :04:13.From one form of unilateralism to another and I will ask
:04:14. > :04:15.the Leader of the House whether we could have a statement
:04:16. > :04:18.from a Brexit minister, as to what assessment the government
:04:19. > :04:21.has made for the motives of those people with whom we will be
:04:22. > :04:23.negotiating in the future in other countries, not to respond
:04:24. > :04:26.to the initiatives that we have been taking and the indications we have
:04:27. > :04:29.been giving, that members of their societies who have
:04:30. > :04:32.chosen to live in Britain, will be able to continue doing so,
:04:33. > :04:34.so long as our citizens are able to continue living
:04:35. > :04:38.The other EU 27 governments have been clear they will only engage
:04:39. > :04:43.in negotiations once Article 50 has been triggered.
:04:44. > :04:46.But I am optimistic a reciprocal agreement on the status of each
:04:47. > :04:48.other's citizens can indeed be achieved.
:04:49. > :04:51.I think that is in the rational interests of the United Kingdom
:04:52. > :05:00.So I very much hope that can be an early achievement
:05:01. > :05:11.Meanwhile, the Government's rejected claims that shoppers are paying more
:05:12. > :05:14.for food since the UK voted for Brexit.
:05:15. > :05:18.The Food and Farming Minister said there had been a fall of 6% overall
:05:19. > :05:34.Large numbers of people in my constituency are in work, but still
:05:35. > :05:38.in poverty. They are feeling the effects of increased food prices
:05:39. > :05:42.over recent months. We are so dependent on cheap EU food products,
:05:43. > :05:49.what is the minister going to do to protect them in the longer term?
:05:50. > :05:54.Minister. The facts don't bear out what he says. We have seen a fall in
:05:55. > :06:00.food prices of no .5% and a fall of 6% since 2014. We do monitor the
:06:01. > :06:04.situation closely. We have the annual living costs of food survey
:06:05. > :06:08.which monitors the poorest households and the amount of money
:06:09. > :06:13.they spend on food and it has been stable over the last decade. The
:06:14. > :06:18.paradox is that we starve the poor by refusing to buy their food from
:06:19. > :06:25.them. Will he bear that in mind when we escape from the common external
:06:26. > :06:29.tariff? He makes an important point and we do have some preferential
:06:30. > :06:34.trade agreements in place with developing countries from the
:06:35. > :06:38.Caribbean, to buy sugar from them. These are arrangements we will want
:06:39. > :06:43.to maintain and secure, so we can support developing countries. The
:06:44. > :06:47.Minister has talked about food prices falling but supermarkets are
:06:48. > :06:50.talking of the potential food prices to rise significantly busier, having
:06:51. > :06:56.a huge effect on every household. Nearly half of our food is imported
:06:57. > :06:58.and due to the weak pound and inflation, prices are already
:06:59. > :07:03.starting to rise for the time in three years. What exactly is the
:07:04. > :07:09.government doing to help with the price rises in people's weekly food
:07:10. > :07:13.shop? As I said earlier in answer to this question, we monitor closely
:07:14. > :07:18.the amount of money people are spending on food. It has remained
:07:19. > :07:23.stable at 16.5% for the last decade. We continue to keep the issue under
:07:24. > :07:29.review. I point out, the greatest bike we had in food prices took
:07:30. > :07:30.place in 2008 and food prices have been falling since 2014.
:07:31. > :07:33.Earlier in the session, MPs wanted to know what impact
:07:34. > :07:36.Brexit would have on temporary migrants who come to the UK to pick
:07:37. > :07:49.Farmers are facing a seasonal shortage of labour. Some are worried
:07:50. > :07:56.the food will rot in the ground this year. The government has been asked
:07:57. > :07:59.to reverse its decision to scrap the seasonal agricultural workers
:08:00. > :08:05.scheme. Can a decision please be made as a matter of urgency? I point
:08:06. > :08:09.out to him, well we remain members of the European Union, we do have
:08:10. > :08:14.free movement and fruit farms and farmers are able to sort their
:08:15. > :08:18.labour from countries such as Romania and Bulgaria. Some have
:08:19. > :08:20.raised concerns about agricultural labour going forward after we leave
:08:21. > :08:25.the EU and we are listening carefully to the representations
:08:26. > :08:29.they are making. Growers in my constituency are worried about fruit
:08:30. > :08:35.going unpicked, not only when we leave the EU, but this year. Will he
:08:36. > :08:38.continue to press the Home Office on this issue, not only on seasonal
:08:39. > :08:46.agricultural workers after we leave the EU, but between now and then? As
:08:47. > :08:50.my honourable friend may know, I spent ten years working in the soft
:08:51. > :08:54.fruit industry and I will know many of the strawberry farmers which she
:08:55. > :09:01.represents. But I can tell her, somebody, myself ran a soft fruit
:09:02. > :09:06.enterprise and employed several hundred people and I understand the
:09:07. > :09:11.challenges the industry faces. Many of the farmers in my constituency
:09:12. > :09:18.have entered into contracts for migrant labour for this coming
:09:19. > :09:23.season. There is concern from reports last week the government are
:09:24. > :09:26.introducing work permits when Article 50 is triggered. Can the
:09:27. > :09:30.Minister confirm if this is happening or give them assurance
:09:31. > :09:31.this will not happen and they can fulfil the contract they have
:09:32. > :09:32.already entered into? The minister said until the UK left
:09:33. > :09:36.the EU, free movement would remain. The online property letting service
:09:37. > :09:39.Airbnb has faced more claims in Parliament that its property
:09:40. > :09:42.lettings to tourists Founded nine years ago,
:09:43. > :09:47.Airbnb now has some 3 million lodging listings in almost
:09:48. > :09:52.200 different countries. But it's faced criticism
:09:53. > :09:55.that the service reduces the supply of affordable housing for rent,
:09:56. > :09:58.as landlords let out their properties for
:09:59. > :10:02.affluent holiday-makers. The arguments were taken up
:10:03. > :10:04.during Question Time Many, possibly even most
:10:05. > :10:12.of the Airbnb lettings are in properties which are not
:10:13. > :10:15.allowed to let on a short-term basis and they are long-term
:10:16. > :10:19.residential blocks of flats. And in New York, these short-term
:10:20. > :10:24.lets are not allowed any more now in any block which is long-term
:10:25. > :10:30.residential, because of Is he also aware that seven London
:10:31. > :10:37.boroughs have called My Lords, taking up the very
:10:38. > :10:45.relevant last point first, the London boroughs of course do
:10:46. > :10:48.have the power and indeed the responsibility to enforce
:10:49. > :10:51.that in their areas. It is something that rests
:10:52. > :10:55.with local authorities if hosts and tenants are breaking the law
:10:56. > :11:00.in relation to the 90 day limit. Not 90 consecutive days,
:11:01. > :11:03.90 days in any given year. So they do have the power
:11:04. > :11:10.is there, My Lords. So they do have the powers
:11:11. > :11:12.there, My Lords. There are restrictions in New York,
:11:13. > :11:15.but it is still possible of course to operate,
:11:16. > :11:17.but within different limits to those Is he aware that it really
:11:18. > :11:20.is a significant problem For instance, research by central
:11:21. > :11:24.London amenities Society show that 20% of housing stock has been lost
:11:25. > :11:27.and indeed in some blocks of flats, My Lords, is the answer to this
:11:28. > :11:34.is to have a tough licensing regime, which includes data-sharing,
:11:35. > :11:38.an opportunity to call out Will he discuss all these issues
:11:39. > :11:43.when he meets Airbnb and report back to the House on the outcome
:11:44. > :11:47.of those discussions? My Lords, first of all,
:11:48. > :11:52.as I have indicated, within London and certainly
:11:53. > :11:54.which is the situation the Noble Lord was citing,
:11:55. > :11:57.there are restrictions already. So I don't believe it is distorting
:11:58. > :12:00.the market in the way the Noble Lord suggests because there is that
:12:01. > :12:02.90 day limit. But certainly, I will be
:12:03. > :12:04.discussing these matters Surely there is a great growth
:12:05. > :12:10.element in our economy, its tourism. Families coming from abroad can have
:12:11. > :12:17.much more opportunity of seeing things in London if they get
:12:18. > :12:22.reasonably cheap bed and breakfast, or have Airbnb,
:12:23. > :12:27.or what ever they call it. To bring a family of three children
:12:28. > :12:31.and parents over to London for a week would cost an enormous
:12:32. > :12:35.amount, whereas they can at least come, have reasonably priced
:12:36. > :12:38.accommodation and then spend My Lords, I believe my noble friend
:12:39. > :12:46.has a material point. I have certainly spoke to people
:12:47. > :12:50.coming from overseas and have used Airbnb in London and have had
:12:51. > :12:52.fantastic experiences of it and largely of course,
:12:53. > :12:54.it operates very effectively Does the Minister realise, it is not
:12:55. > :13:01.only in the heavily urbanised areas, but also in some of the most
:13:02. > :13:06.attractive parts of the country, that short-term holiday lets,
:13:07. > :13:08.referred to in the question, are distorting the longer
:13:09. > :13:18.term letting market. Is he aware how attractive this
:13:19. > :13:21.is and that a modest house without a view of a lake or a hill
:13:22. > :13:25.in high season can be left without a view of a lake or a hill
:13:26. > :13:28.in high season can be let for over ?3000 a week
:13:29. > :13:31.in the Lake District National Park. There is no incentive whatsoever
:13:32. > :13:34.for landlords rent out There is no incentive whatsoever
:13:35. > :13:36.for landlords to rent out houses to local people,
:13:37. > :13:39.or people who want to work My Lords, I am aware there are,
:13:40. > :13:46.outside of London, many possibilities for the sorts of lets
:13:47. > :13:49.the Noble Lord describes. He has cited the Lake District,
:13:50. > :13:52.there are other areas, Bath, the Cotswolds,
:13:53. > :13:55.Oxford, Cambridge and so on and that You're watching our round-up of the
:13:56. > :14:01.day in the Commons and the Lords. More tributes are paid
:14:02. > :14:05.to Sir Gerald Kaufman, the veteran Labour MP whose death
:14:06. > :14:13.was announced last weekend. The week brought gloomy industrial
:14:14. > :14:19.news from South Wales. Doubts were raised over the future
:14:20. > :14:22.of 1,100 workers at the Ford Ford revealed changes to its planned
:14:23. > :14:28.investment in its new Dragon engine. The Unite union said it would use
:14:29. > :14:31."all its might" to fight for the future of Bridgend's
:14:32. > :14:35.nearly 2,000 workers. The town's MP spoke
:14:36. > :14:38.about the uncertain situation during the annual Commons debate
:14:39. > :14:42.on Welsh affairs. Tariffs are absolutely
:14:43. > :14:49.essential for Ford. The vital nature of making sure
:14:50. > :14:52.there is free tariff access She will know that the impact
:14:53. > :15:00.of the Ford factory and the prospect of losing 1100 jobs
:15:01. > :15:03.there would have an impact Would she join with me in urging
:15:04. > :15:09.the Secretary of State to offer Ford whatever assistance he can,
:15:10. > :15:12.including the sorts of deals that And would she further urge him
:15:13. > :15:16.to make sure that we never see World Trade Organisation tariffs
:15:17. > :15:18.imposed on cars coming out of the UK, which would cripple
:15:19. > :15:20.the competitiveness I have had assurances that,
:15:21. > :15:26.in fact, Ford will have I have asked today for a symposium
:15:27. > :15:35.of automotive manufacturers, which will involve
:15:36. > :15:39.the manufacturers, the ministers here in Westminster,
:15:40. > :15:45.the trade unions and local members, And I hope the Secretary
:15:46. > :15:50.of State will support that. There are productivity issues
:15:51. > :15:52.in Bridgend as well, And I know that the GMB union
:15:53. > :15:55.and Unite are working Next Wednesday sees
:15:56. > :15:58.International Women's Day, and the Commons has held its annual
:15:59. > :16:02.debate to mark the event. One year ago, the Labour MP
:16:03. > :16:06.Jess Phillips read out in the chamber the names
:16:07. > :16:09.of all the women who'd been killed She said she planned to do the same
:16:10. > :16:15.every year that she remained an MP and recited the names of the 123
:16:16. > :16:18.women who had died since Let these women be
:16:19. > :16:28.the ones who drive us. I would ask each and every one of us
:16:29. > :16:32.to remember these women, We must remember them
:16:33. > :16:39.when we make our decisions, We have a responsibility
:16:40. > :16:48.to be the voices of these On this International Women's Day,
:16:49. > :16:55.let us remember why we are all here Yesterday, Labour Women made a short
:16:56. > :17:03.film for International Women's Day. One of the things we were asked
:17:04. > :17:06.to do was to complete the sentence, I said I wanted to live in a world
:17:07. > :17:11.where violence against women was eradicated and where rape was no
:17:12. > :17:18.longer used as a weapon of war. But what I wanted to go on to say
:17:19. > :17:23.was that I wanted the statistic that every week two women are murdered
:17:24. > :17:25.by their partner or ex-partner Discussion turned to female
:17:26. > :17:33.representation at Westminster. This year marks the 40th anniversary
:17:34. > :17:37.of the election of Winnie Ewing She was a lawyer who
:17:38. > :17:43.became the second ever She was a lawyer who became
:17:44. > :17:46.the second ever SNP MP in the House. So, growing up growing
:17:47. > :17:53.up in Hamilton meant knowing strong, passionate
:17:54. > :17:54.women who believed that they could change things
:17:55. > :17:57.in politics, and I hope that We're just at 30% of this
:17:58. > :18:08.chamber with women to men, we are behind Italy,
:18:09. > :18:10.Germany, Norway, uncluding Rwanda. I want to send out a message today
:18:11. > :18:14.to any young girl or woman who is listening and wants
:18:15. > :18:15.to enter politics. I want her to hear loud and clear
:18:16. > :18:18.that everyone in this House From the Medieval Age to now,
:18:19. > :18:22.we have the Technical Age. We are among the first generation
:18:23. > :18:25.of parliamentarians who have had to deal with modern technology
:18:26. > :18:27.and the access it gives the public Those of us who know social media
:18:28. > :18:34.know what it is like occasionally to go on to Twitter and Facebook
:18:35. > :18:37.and see a barrage These are faceless
:18:38. > :18:40.and nameless cowards. Sometimes, we minimise
:18:41. > :18:42.the difficulties that women face in getting into Parliament
:18:43. > :18:46.and in staying here. Sometimes, we prefer
:18:47. > :18:50.not to talk about it. But that does no favours
:18:51. > :18:53.to the women who are still to come to this place if we pretend
:18:54. > :18:58.there is not a problem. The increase in MPs coming
:18:59. > :19:03.to this House since 2005, when there were only 17 female
:19:04. > :19:06.Conservative MPs, has created a transformational change
:19:07. > :19:10.in the make-up of the House of Commons and it has transformed
:19:11. > :19:16.the things that we talk While Winnie, Nancy Astor
:19:17. > :19:31.and Barbara Castle were isolated in here, I really genuinely do feel
:19:32. > :19:34.that if we work together, in our greater numbers,
:19:35. > :19:36.we can make real, positive change. It is not about fighting
:19:37. > :19:39.for equality for equality's sake - it never is - but it is making sure
:19:40. > :19:42.that this Parliament is more Having a female Prime Minister does
:19:43. > :19:46.not mean that we have a Parliament built on equality, because in 2017,
:19:47. > :19:49.we only have, as we have heard, 30% of the MPs sitting on these
:19:50. > :19:52.benches who are women. I want to take advantage of this
:19:53. > :19:55.occasion to say what a huge achievement it is to give birth,
:19:56. > :19:58.and how proud we should be, as women, of our
:19:59. > :20:00.capacity to do that. I also want to acknowledge those
:20:01. > :20:03.first weeks and months of a baby's life when a woman gives herself over
:20:04. > :20:06.entirely to looking after her child. We all choose different
:20:07. > :20:08.ways to do this, but Whether our children
:20:09. > :20:11.are now fully grown adults or small children still,
:20:12. > :20:14.they are only here because their mothers kept them alive in those
:20:15. > :20:16.early weeks and months. Again, the effort and sacrifice this
:20:17. > :20:19.takes is often dismissed or overlooked, so I want to tell
:20:20. > :20:24.mothers everywhere today to be proud of what they did
:20:25. > :20:28.because their children would not be The annual debate to mark the start
:20:29. > :20:36.of International Women's Day. At the start of the week,
:20:37. > :20:39.the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, paid tribute to Sir Gerald Kaufman,
:20:40. > :20:42.the Labour MP for Manchester Gorton and Father of the House of Commons,
:20:43. > :20:45.whose death was announced on Sunday. MPs have had the chance
:20:46. > :20:47.to reflect on his life. The Conservative former
:20:48. > :20:49.Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, A former Labour cabinet minister
:20:50. > :20:53.recalled how Sir Gerald Kaufman beat One of Gerald's more gleeful tales
:20:54. > :21:02.was of how he had the forethought, when first elected to this House,
:21:03. > :21:06.to take the oath before the right honourable member for Rushcliffe
:21:07. > :21:13.in the belief that both were likely to be here for some considerable
:21:14. > :21:15.time and so be contenders He took great glee
:21:16. > :21:22.in telling that story. I would like to say that I think
:21:23. > :21:26.he probably would not have begrudged the Member
:21:27. > :21:28.for Rushcliffe his opportunity, but I am not absolutely
:21:29. > :21:36.certain about that. He had an ability to sum
:21:37. > :21:39.up his views with a witty turn of phrase that could be as colourful
:21:40. > :21:44.and memorable as his suits. For so many of us on these benches,
:21:45. > :21:47.he was simply a style guru. I remember those long
:21:48. > :21:52.scarves he used to wear. One day, he had to be rescued
:21:53. > :21:55.at the entrance to the tube station because it had got caught up
:21:56. > :21:59.in all this, and the great efforts that went into ensuring that
:22:00. > :22:01.Gerald was separated On a Select Committee trip
:22:02. > :22:05.to the Isle of Mull, to cheer him up on his birthday -
:22:06. > :22:09.it was one of the big numbers - he loved marmalade, so he was made
:22:10. > :22:11.orange marmalade ice cream. On a Committee visit to Rome,
:22:12. > :22:14.some members had not been to Rome, so before he went
:22:15. > :22:16.to the ambassador's dinner, he took them to the Trevi
:22:17. > :22:29.fountain and, of course, There is this sense with the passing
:22:30. > :22:34.of Gerald Kaufman of another link being broken with a former political
:22:35. > :22:39.age. His first general election contest was in 1955, where he stood
:22:40. > :22:43.the Bromley constituency. I think the Bromley constituency. I think
:22:44. > :22:50.without too much expectation of a shock victory on that occasion. He
:22:51. > :22:53.represented successive Manchester constituencies for many, many, many
:22:54. > :22:56.years. This was a man who also served in Number 10 under Harold
:22:57. > :22:58.Wilson. Some MPs referred to his
:22:59. > :23:05.love of watching films. I remember very foolishly
:23:06. > :23:09.going into the Members' Tea Room and being enthusiastic
:23:10. > :23:12.after seeing new film. Had just seen Superman
:23:13. > :23:18.for the very first time. Gerald had been to see it,
:23:19. > :23:21.and he gave this caustic review about everything that was wrong
:23:22. > :23:26.with American cinema at that time, He said, "But you liked it, Barry,
:23:27. > :23:33.so it couldn't have been all bad." His last recommendation to me,
:23:34. > :23:36.by the way, was to see the brilliant movie "Hail,
:23:37. > :23:38.Caesar!", which I duly But it would sometimes be
:23:39. > :23:44.embarrassing to go with Gerald, because if the weather was cold,
:23:45. > :23:47.he would wear a red When I told him about this, he said
:23:48. > :23:53.it was not half as embarrassing It's not unusual for MPs
:23:54. > :24:04.to complain about other MPs visiting their constituencies
:24:05. > :24:06.for political purposes and failing But Labour's Tulip Siddiq had
:24:07. > :24:14.a different complaint following a visit to her north
:24:15. > :24:17.London seat by the Conservative, This week, the member for north-east
:24:18. > :24:25.Somerset was in my constituency. And, to his credit,
:24:26. > :24:30.he did not inform me And, to his credit, he did inform me
:24:31. > :24:33.you was going to my constituency I offered to go with him,
:24:34. > :24:38.but he rejected my advances. But today, I opened
:24:39. > :24:40.the Camden New Journal, my local paper, to read that he had
:24:41. > :24:43.described the pygmy Does the Deputy Speaker think
:24:44. > :24:47.that the term "pygmy" is appropriate while standing in the constituency
:24:48. > :24:50.of the shortest MP in Parliament? The Deputy Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle,
:24:51. > :24:59.said he was sure Mr Rees-Mogg hadn't But do join me for the Week
:25:00. > :25:08.In Parliament, when we not only look back at the last few days
:25:09. > :25:11.in the Commons and the Lords, but also assess the impact of this
:25:12. > :25:15.week's fly-on-the-wall BBC TV But for now, from me,
:25:16. > :25:21.Keith Macdougall, goodbye.