02/03/2017 Thursday in Parliament

Hello and Welcome to Thursday in Parliament, our look at the best

of the day in the Commons and the Lords.

After the drama of the week's Government defeat in the House

of Lords on the Brexit Bill, peers win praise from some unlikely

The people's aristocrats have spoken and their voice must be listened to.

The Farming Minister rejects claims that food prices are increasing

We have seen a fall in food prices of 0.5% over the last year and a

fall of 6% since 2014. And more tributes are paid

to the Father of the House, Sir Gerald Kaufman,

who died last weekend. He had an ability to sum up his

views with a witty turn of phrase that could be as colourful and a

memorable as his suits. The Leader of the Commons,

David Lidington, has confirmed that the Government

will try to overturn Wednesday night's defeat for the Government

inflicted by peers Peers voted by a majority of 102

to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living and working

in the UK. Ministers don't want that guarantee

to figure in the bill, which simply triggers the process

of Britain leaving the EU. Mr Lidington had accompanied

Theresa May to watch the beginning of the Brexit Bill's first debate

in the Lords, something his Labour The leader of the House is keen on

visiting the other place. I don't know if he has caught the news, but

their Lordships intend to send back an amendment, which they won by 358

votes to 256. Can the leader of the House give us an indication when the

bill is likely to come back to Parliament, week commencing 13th of

March, all week commencing 30th of March. We will return to the EU bill

as rapidly as possible after the House of Lords has finished debating

it and given it its third reading and the government remains of the

view the bill is straightforward, it does no more than con fur authority

on the Prime Minister's required by the courts to initiate negotiations

by triggering Article 50 of the treaty. We will therefore seek to

resist changes that would make that negotiating task more difficult.

The SNP normally says the Lords should be abolished.

But such opposition was absent this time.

What about three cheers for our heroes?

The people's aristocrats have spoken.

Every time, every time I raised the issue in the House of Lords,

with the Leader of the House, he tells me there are absolutely no

plans whatsoever to have that House reformed,

accepting therefore, the absolute legitimacy to raise

Will he now listen to the House of Lords on this issue

and will he said today that he has absolutely no plans whatsoever

to use the Parliament Act, if our unelected friends

continue to show backbone on this particular issue?

I do find, the right honourable gentleman's new-found passionate

affection for the House of Lords makes me suggest that it's not just

Mr Farage who has secret yearnings for the honours list.

On to the issue of the rights of EU citizens living in Britain.

From one form of unilateralism to another and I will ask

the Leader of the House whether we could have a statement

from a Brexit minister, as to what assessment the government

has made for the motives of those people with whom we will be

negotiating in the future in other countries, not to respond

to the initiatives that we have been taking and the indications we have

been giving, that members of their societies who have

chosen to live in Britain, will be able to continue doing so,

so long as our citizens are able to continue living

The other EU 27 governments have been clear they will only engage

in negotiations once Article 50 has been triggered.

But I am optimistic a reciprocal agreement on the status of each

other's citizens can indeed be achieved.

I think that is in the rational interests of the United Kingdom

So I very much hope that can be an early achievement

Meanwhile, the Government's rejected claims that shoppers are paying more

for food since the UK voted for Brexit.

The Food and Farming Minister said there had been a fall of 6% overall

Large numbers of people in my constituency are in work, but still

in poverty. They are feeling the effects of increased food prices

over recent months. We are so dependent on cheap EU food products,

what is the minister going to do to protect them in the longer term?

Minister. The facts don't bear out what he says. We have seen a fall in

food prices of no .5% and a fall of 6% since 2014. We do monitor the

situation closely. We have the annual living costs of food survey

which monitors the poorest households and the amount of money

they spend on food and it has been stable over the last decade. The

paradox is that we starve the poor by refusing to buy their food from

them. Will he bear that in mind when we escape from the common external

tariff? He makes an important point and we do have some preferential

trade agreements in place with developing countries from the

Caribbean, to buy sugar from them. These are arrangements we will want

to maintain and secure, so we can support developing countries. The

Minister has talked about food prices falling but supermarkets are

talking of the potential food prices to rise significantly busier, having

a huge effect on every household. Nearly half of our food is imported

and due to the weak pound and inflation, prices are already

starting to rise for the time in three years. What exactly is the

government doing to help with the price rises in people's weekly food

shop? As I said earlier in answer to this question, we monitor closely

the amount of money people are spending on food. It has remained

stable at 16.5% for the last decade. We continue to keep the issue under

review. I point out, the greatest bike we had in food prices took

place in 2008 and food prices have been falling since 2014.

Earlier in the session, MPs wanted to know what impact

Brexit would have on temporary migrants who come to the UK to pick

Farmers are facing a seasonal shortage of labour. Some are worried

the food will rot in the ground this year. The government has been asked

to reverse its decision to scrap the seasonal agricultural workers

scheme. Can a decision please be made as a matter of urgency? I point

out to him, well we remain members of the European Union, we do have

free movement and fruit farms and farmers are able to sort their

labour from countries such as Romania and Bulgaria. Some have

raised concerns about agricultural labour going forward after we leave

the EU and we are listening carefully to the representations

they are making. Growers in my constituency are worried about fruit

going unpicked, not only when we leave the EU, but this year. Will he

continue to press the Home Office on this issue, not only on seasonal

agricultural workers after we leave the EU, but between now and then? As

my honourable friend may know, I spent ten years working in the soft

fruit industry and I will know many of the strawberry farmers which she

represents. But I can tell her, somebody, myself ran a soft fruit

enterprise and employed several hundred people and I understand the

challenges the industry faces. Many of the farmers in my constituency

have entered into contracts for migrant labour for this coming

season. There is concern from reports last week the government are

introducing work permits when Article 50 is triggered. Can the

Minister confirm if this is happening or give them assurance

this will not happen and they can fulfil the contract they have

already entered into? The minister said until the UK left

the EU, free movement would remain. The online property letting service

Airbnb has faced more claims in Parliament that its property

lettings to tourists Founded nine years ago,

Airbnb now has some 3 million lodging listings in almost

200 different countries. But it's faced criticism

that the service reduces the supply of affordable housing for rent,

as landlords let out their properties for

affluent holiday-makers. The arguments were taken up

during Question Time Many, possibly even most

of the Airbnb lettings are in properties which are not

allowed to let on a short-term basis and they are long-term

residential blocks of flats. And in New York, these short-term

lets are not allowed any more now in any block which is long-term

residential, because of Is he also aware that seven London

boroughs have called My Lords, taking up the very

relevant last point first, the London boroughs of course do

have the power and indeed the responsibility to enforce

that in their areas. It is something that rests

with local authorities if hosts and tenants are breaking the law

in relation to the 90 day limit. Not 90 consecutive days,

90 days in any given year. So they do have the power

is there, My Lords. So they do have the powers

there, My Lords. There are restrictions in New York,

but it is still possible of course to operate,

but within different limits to those Is he aware that it really

is a significant problem For instance, research by central

London amenities Society show that 20% of housing stock has been lost

and indeed in some blocks of flats, My Lords, is the answer to this

is to have a tough licensing regime, which includes data-sharing,

an opportunity to call out Will he discuss all these issues

when he meets Airbnb and report back to the House on the outcome

of those discussions? My Lords, first of all,

as I have indicated, within London and certainly

which is the situation the Noble Lord was citing,

there are restrictions already. So I don't believe it is distorting

the market in the way the Noble Lord suggests because there is that

90 day limit. But certainly, I will be

discussing these matters Surely there is a great growth

element in our economy, its tourism. Families coming from abroad can have

much more opportunity of seeing things in London if they get

reasonably cheap bed and breakfast, or have Airbnb,

or what ever they call it. To bring a family of three children

and parents over to London for a week would cost an enormous

amount, whereas they can at least come, have reasonably priced

accommodation and then spend My Lords, I believe my noble friend

has a material point. I have certainly spoke to people

coming from overseas and have used Airbnb in London and have had

fantastic experiences of it and largely of course,

it operates very effectively Does the Minister realise, it is not

only in the heavily urbanised areas, but also in some of the most

attractive parts of the country, that short-term holiday lets,

referred to in the question, are distorting the longer

term letting market. Is he aware how attractive this

is and that a modest house without a view of a lake or a hill

in high season can be left without a view of a lake or a hill

in high season can be let for over ?3000 a week

in the Lake District National Park. There is no incentive whatsoever

for landlords rent out There is no incentive whatsoever

for landlords to rent out houses to local people,

or people who want to work My Lords, I am aware there are,

outside of London, many possibilities for the sorts of lets

the Noble Lord describes. He has cited the Lake District,

there are other areas, Bath, the Cotswolds,

Oxford, Cambridge and so on and that You're watching our round-up of the

day in the Commons and the Lords. More tributes are paid

to Sir Gerald Kaufman, the veteran Labour MP whose death

was announced last weekend. The week brought gloomy industrial

news from South Wales. Doubts were raised over the future

of 1,100 workers at the Ford Ford revealed changes to its planned

investment in its new Dragon engine. The Unite union said it would use

"all its might" to fight for the future of Bridgend's

nearly 2,000 workers. The town's MP spoke

about the uncertain situation during the annual Commons debate

on Welsh affairs. Tariffs are absolutely

essential for Ford. The vital nature of making sure

there is free tariff access She will know that the impact

of the Ford factory and the prospect of losing 1100 jobs

there would have an impact Would she join with me in urging

the Secretary of State to offer Ford whatever assistance he can,

including the sorts of deals that And would she further urge him

to make sure that we never see World Trade Organisation tariffs

imposed on cars coming out of the UK, which would cripple

the competitiveness I have had assurances that,

in fact, Ford will have I have asked today for a symposium

of automotive manufacturers, which will involve

the manufacturers, the ministers here in Westminster,

the trade unions and local members, And I hope the Secretary

of State will support that. There are productivity issues

in Bridgend as well, And I know that the GMB union

and Unite are working Next Wednesday sees

International Women's Day, and the Commons has held its annual

debate to mark the event. One year ago, the Labour MP

Jess Phillips read out in the chamber the names

of all the women who'd been killed She said she planned to do the same

every year that she remained an MP and recited the names of the 123

women who had died since Let these women be

the ones who drive us. I would ask each and every one of us

to remember these women, We must remember them

when we make our decisions, We have a responsibility

to be the voices of these On this International Women's Day,

let us remember why we are all here Yesterday, Labour Women made a short

film for International Women's Day. One of the things we were asked

to do was to complete the sentence, I said I wanted to live in a world

where violence against women was eradicated and where rape was no

longer used as a weapon of war. But what I wanted to go on to say

was that I wanted the statistic that every week two women are murdered

by their partner or ex-partner Discussion turned to female

representation at Westminster. This year marks the 40th anniversary

of the election of Winnie Ewing She was a lawyer who

became the second ever She was a lawyer who became

the second ever SNP MP in the House. So, growing up growing

up in Hamilton meant knowing strong, passionate

women who believed that they could change things

in politics, and I hope that We're just at 30% of this

chamber with women to men, we are behind Italy,

Germany, Norway, uncluding Rwanda. I want to send out a message today

to any young girl or woman who is listening and wants

to enter politics. I want her to hear loud and clear

that everyone in this House From the Medieval Age to now,

we have the Technical Age. We are among the first generation

of parliamentarians who have had to deal with modern technology

and the access it gives the public Those of us who know social media

know what it is like occasionally to go on to Twitter and Facebook

and see a barrage These are faceless

and nameless cowards. Sometimes, we minimise

the difficulties that women face in getting into Parliament

and in staying here. Sometimes, we prefer

not to talk about it. But that does no favours

to the women who are still to come to this place if we pretend

there is not a problem. The increase in MPs coming

to this House since 2005, when there were only 17 female

Conservative MPs, has created a transformational change

in the make-up of the House of Commons and it has transformed

the things that we talk While Winnie, Nancy Astor

and Barbara Castle were isolated in here, I really genuinely do feel

that if we work together, in our greater numbers,

we can make real, positive change. It is not about fighting

for equality for equality's sake - it never is - but it is making sure

that this Parliament is more Having a female Prime Minister does

not mean that we have a Parliament built on equality, because in 2017,

we only have, as we have heard, 30% of the MPs sitting on these

benches who are women. I want to take advantage of this

occasion to say what a huge achievement it is to give birth,

and how proud we should be, as women, of our

capacity to do that. I also want to acknowledge those

first weeks and months of a baby's life when a woman gives herself over

entirely to looking after her child. We all choose different

ways to do this, but Whether our children

are now fully grown adults or small children still,

they are only here because their mothers kept them alive in those

early weeks and months. Again, the effort and sacrifice this

takes is often dismissed or overlooked, so I want to tell

mothers everywhere today to be proud of what they did

because their children would not be The annual debate to mark the start

of International Women's Day. At the start of the week,

the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, paid tribute to Sir Gerald Kaufman,

the Labour MP for Manchester Gorton and Father of the House of Commons,

whose death was announced on Sunday. MPs have had the chance

to reflect on his life. The Conservative former

Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, A former Labour cabinet minister

recalled how Sir Gerald Kaufman beat One of Gerald's more gleeful tales

was of how he had the forethought, when first elected to this House,

to take the oath before the right honourable member for Rushcliffe

in the belief that both were likely to be here for some considerable

time and so be contenders He took great glee

in telling that story. I would like to say that I think

he probably would not have begrudged the Member

for Rushcliffe his opportunity, but I am not absolutely

certain about that. He had an ability to sum

up his views with a witty turn of phrase that could be as colourful

and memorable as his suits. For so many of us on these benches,

he was simply a style guru. I remember those long

scarves he used to wear. One day, he had to be rescued

at the entrance to the tube station because it had got caught up

in all this, and the great efforts that went into ensuring that

Gerald was separated On a Select Committee trip

to the Isle of Mull, to cheer him up on his birthday -

it was one of the big numbers - he loved marmalade, so he was made

orange marmalade ice cream. On a Committee visit to Rome,

some members had not been to Rome, so before he went

to the ambassador's dinner, he took them to the Trevi

fountain and, of course, There is this sense with the passing

of Gerald Kaufman of another link being broken with a former political

age. His first general election contest was in 1955, where he stood

the Bromley constituency. I think the Bromley constituency. I think

without too much expectation of a shock victory on that occasion. He

represented successive Manchester constituencies for many, many, many

years. This was a man who also served in Number 10 under Harold

Wilson. Some MPs referred to his

love of watching films. I remember very foolishly

going into the Members' Tea Room and being enthusiastic

after seeing new film. Had just seen Superman

for the very first time. Gerald had been to see it,

and he gave this caustic review about everything that was wrong

with American cinema at that time, He said, "But you liked it, Barry,

so it couldn't have been all bad." His last recommendation to me,

by the way, was to see the brilliant movie "Hail,

Caesar!", which I duly But it would sometimes be

embarrassing to go with Gerald, because if the weather was cold,

he would wear a red When I told him about this, he said

it was not half as embarrassing It's not unusual for MPs

to complain about other MPs visiting their constituencies

for political purposes and failing But Labour's Tulip Siddiq had

a different complaint following a visit to her north

London seat by the Conservative, This week, the member for north-east

Somerset was in my constituency. And, to his credit,

he did not inform me And, to his credit, he did inform me

you was going to my constituency I offered to go with him,

but he rejected my advances. But today, I opened

the Camden New Journal, my local paper, to read that he had

described the pygmy Does the Deputy Speaker think

that the term "pygmy" is appropriate while standing in the constituency

of the shortest MP in Parliament? The Deputy Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle,

said he was sure Mr Rees-Mogg hadn't But do join me for the Week

In Parliament, when we not only look back at the last few days

in the Commons and the Lords, but also assess the impact of this

week's fly-on-the-wall BBC TV But for now, from me,

Keith Macdougall, goodbye.