0:00:21 > 0:00:25Hello there and welcome to the programme. Coming up in the next
0:00:25 > 0:00:28half-hour. The Transport Secretary insists that the collapse of
0:00:28 > 0:00:37Correlli and will not been the end of eight flagship rail scheme.It
0:00:37 > 0:00:42will not affect the HS2 project.A Labour MP says that the Royal Bank
0:00:42 > 0:00:45of Scotland's treatment of small businesses may be the largest theft
0:00:45 > 0:00:51anywhere ever. And MPs debate the plight of the range of people, who
0:00:51 > 0:00:54fled from wormer for Bangladesh
0:00:54 > 0:01:00plight of the range of people, who fled from wormer for Bangladesh.The
0:01:00 > 0:01:14refugee camp is now equivalent to the size of Bristol.Carillion was
0:01:14 > 0:01:20awarded work on the HS2 project a week after a project warning. The
0:01:20 > 0:01:24contractor collapsed this week with debts of more than £1 billion. In
0:01:24 > 0:01:31the Commons, a conservative critic of the rail line called for a full
0:01:31 > 0:01:37review of the project. With the sad demise of Carillion,
0:01:37 > 0:01:42could be Secretary of State confirm that he is performing a full review
0:01:42 > 0:01:48of the business case to make sure that the remaining public sector, or
0:01:48 > 0:01:53private sector companies are able to deliver these rejects without
0:01:53 > 0:01:58serious cost to the taxpayer?I know my right honourable friend will be
0:01:58 > 0:02:02read to note that the demise of Carillion, a tragic event for this
0:02:02 > 0:02:06country and for corporate Britain will nonetheless not affect the HS2
0:02:06 > 0:02:15project. The contract that exist is part of a free public consortium.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19The other two companies are taking over responsibility for the project.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21The apprenticeships are being transferred, the staff are being
0:02:21 > 0:02:27transferred, the project will continue uninterrupted.The
0:02:27 > 0:02:31electrification project had their contract suspended this week. Can
0:02:31 > 0:02:35the Minister clarify if all these workers should only expect the job
0:02:35 > 0:02:41centre phone numbers the Prime Minister said yesterday, or can she
0:02:41 > 0:02:43guarantee that these works and all similar in structure undertakings
0:02:43 > 0:02:48will continue to completion with the current workforce, apprentices,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53supply chain and project plan?She will be aware that the Government
0:02:53 > 0:02:57has made clear anyone turning up the work on those schemes through
0:02:57 > 0:03:02subcontractors will continue to be paid in the normal way. It is
0:03:02 > 0:03:04important to get that message out there and monkeys bred this
0:03:04 > 0:03:11information. -- and not to spread misinformation.The vultures are
0:03:11 > 0:03:22already circling over the Carillion contract corpses. Other companies
0:03:22 > 0:03:28have had profit warnings served in the last six months. So what's due
0:03:28 > 0:03:35diligence has he informed officials to take over other contractors?
0:03:35 > 0:03:41There is almost no exposure to the rail sector through the companies
0:03:41 > 0:03:47that she mentions. The fact of the matter is that these contracts have
0:03:47 > 0:03:59been in many cases reinforced and improved on the roadside. You have
0:03:59 > 0:04:04joint-venture partners who are jointly obliged to pick up these
0:04:04 > 0:04:07operations and will do so.On Monday, the Times newspaper said
0:04:07 > 0:04:13that the secretary's decision to award lucrative contracts to
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Carillion is only the latest worrying misjudgement to come to
0:04:15 > 0:04:24light. It highlighted his trip to Qatar on the day of the biggest rail
0:04:24 > 0:04:27price hike in years, and his this bunch in all dealings with trade
0:04:27 > 0:04:30unions and the private sector. The Prime Minister needs to consider
0:04:30 > 0:04:34whether it is time that this Transport Secretary left the
0:04:34 > 0:04:43station. Hasn't The Times got it absolutely right?Mr Speaker, the
0:04:43 > 0:04:47only station I'm going to be leaving is used in station this morning on a
0:04:47 > 0:04:55visit to the Midlands. What I would say to him is there has been no
0:04:55 > 0:05:00bailout of the Virgin Trains East Coast, that the contracting with
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Carillion was not with an two but with a consortium of companies were
0:05:04 > 0:05:10equally responsible for delivering the contract. I'm happy to stand
0:05:10 > 0:05:15here and defend the record of a government that has done more for
0:05:15 > 0:05:22the transport of this country than the benches opposite did in
0:05:22 > 0:05:25government, which was very devil. The treatment of small businesses by
0:05:25 > 0:05:30the Royal Bank of Scotland has been described by an MP has the largest
0:05:30 > 0:05:33theft anywhere, ever. That charge came as the Commons debated the
0:05:33 > 0:05:37bank's global restructuring group, which has been accused of
0:05:37 > 0:05:41mistreating its customers by the city watchdog, the financial conduct
0:05:41 > 0:05:47authority. The Royal Bank of Scotland has apologised for Howard
0:05:47 > 0:05:51treated customers who ended up in that group. But MPs demanded an
0:05:51 > 0:05:56enquiry and tougher action against the banks. The MP who led the debate
0:05:56 > 0:06:01described the experience of one constituent.He lost his business,
0:06:01 > 0:06:06his home, his marriage and I think it fair to say almost his sanity.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10His crime? Nothing more than being an entrepreneur who banked with RBS.
0:06:10 > 0:06:17I will give way.Could I thank my honourable friend were giving way?
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Does my honourable friend agree with me that the RBS global restructuring
0:06:21 > 0:06:25group had real cultural problems. When their top tips include the
0:06:25 > 0:06:33phrase, sometimes you have do let customers hang themselves. There is
0:06:33 > 0:06:46something clearly very wrong.I agree. Since 2008, we know that
0:06:46 > 0:06:4916,000 small businesses were put into geology and the vast majority
0:06:49 > 0:06:58of them were liquidated. -- put into the group. They were trying to get
0:06:58 > 0:07:03back into a position as a viable business will top it was more like
0:07:03 > 0:07:06an abattoir than an intensive care unit.Customers had been carved up
0:07:06 > 0:07:13like a Sunday roast, he said.We know that many of the business is
0:07:13 > 0:07:16never made it back to mainstream tanking. This is a very high
0:07:16 > 0:07:21proportion. The cost of this is immeasurable, but we believe it to
0:07:21 > 0:07:27be in the tens of billions. Let's be clear, this is the potential size of
0:07:27 > 0:07:30the injustice that has taken place in our country. If it is this big,
0:07:30 > 0:07:37it may be the largest theft anywhere, ever.Many of our
0:07:37 > 0:07:39constituents who suffered in their business interests and personal
0:07:39 > 0:07:47lives will need this enquiry and we need justice for our constituents.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49The Treasury committee is investigating the claims against
0:07:49 > 0:07:56RBS.When I hear constituents say that they will never trust a bank
0:07:56 > 0:07:59again, they will never ask a bag again Paul Money, this should be a
0:07:59 > 0:08:07chilling moment for all banks involved in working with SMEs.They
0:08:07 > 0:08:12forced one company into receivership. They engineered the
0:08:12 > 0:08:16form of the company by demanding aggressive repayment plans, allowing
0:08:16 > 0:08:24insufficient time for value is to be assigned to assess the company's
0:08:24 > 0:08:33assets. What does my constituent have to do to get the money that was
0:08:33 > 0:08:39stolen from him?A builder and property developer who was courted
0:08:39 > 0:08:43for his business by Lloyds Bank into thousands three, his accounts were
0:08:43 > 0:08:48managed locally and regionally. The fateful decision was made to
0:08:48 > 0:08:54transfer his accounts to the Bristol business support unit, and that's
0:08:54 > 0:08:56when his troubles began. Review periods were shortened, repayments
0:08:56 > 0:09:05were doubled and at every single stage, charges were added. He was
0:09:05 > 0:09:11told to sell some properties and to use a value is who undervalued his
0:09:11 > 0:09:14properties systematically. When he complained, his loans were called
0:09:14 > 0:09:19in.If they did know what they were doing, it amounts to theft of assets
0:09:19 > 0:09:25of people who were running, in many cases, entirely viable businesses.
0:09:25 > 0:09:37Asset stripping is one of The Times used to describe it. People have had
0:09:37 > 0:09:41their businesses destroyed by this outrageous behaviour.The front
0:09:41 > 0:09:47bench of the Government should have heard loud and clear the strength of
0:09:47 > 0:09:50the link from all parts of this chamber and beyond, because people
0:09:50 > 0:09:55will be shocked and will be disappointed that this has been
0:09:55 > 0:09:59allowed to happen. It is unacceptable that banks have
0:09:59 > 0:10:02devastated firms, spreading misery by making people bankrupt and
0:10:02 > 0:10:08homeless will stop what happened at RBS was nothing short of a scandal
0:10:08 > 0:10:11and was a disaster for the victims. Businesses were ruined, family
0:10:11 > 0:10:16stormed a part and people took their own lives and stop it is right to
0:10:16 > 0:10:20say that we will wait for the conclusion of the SCA's
0:10:20 > 0:10:26investigation of the matter is arriving before determining what
0:10:26 > 0:10:35further action needs to be taken.On the broader issue of dispute
0:10:35 > 0:10:40resolution, I remind the House of the existing avenues open, but the
0:10:40 > 0:10:46FCA's continuing work to look at that, and it is right that we wait
0:10:46 > 0:11:00for the next steps.But MPs backed for to call for an enquiry and there
0:11:00 > 0:11:04will be won at the end of the month. You are watching Thursday In
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Parliament. The anniversary of the inauguration
0:11:07 > 0:11:11of Donald Trump as the US president has been marked in the Lords with a
0:11:11 > 0:11:15debate about how American foreign policy has affected international
0:11:15 > 0:11:20affairs. A former Liberal Democrat leader seemed far from impressed by
0:11:20 > 0:11:24the leadership of the latest occupant of the White House.Now if
0:11:24 > 0:11:30painfully to say, under resident Trump, the most powerful of our
0:11:30 > 0:11:36number thinks that standing together is less important than going it
0:11:36 > 0:11:42alone. That the application of leadership and responsibility is
0:11:42 > 0:11:48preferable to getting engaged in the international space. That collective
0:11:48 > 0:11:56action takes second place to America first.These to radically changed
0:11:56 > 0:11:59circumstances, how relationship with the United States in entirely new
0:11:59 > 0:12:06ways. It is still special, in that we share many core values, but it is
0:12:06 > 0:12:10quite different to the relationships of the past. America is a partner in
0:12:10 > 0:12:15the new wage, but it is not our boss. We do not need to be and must
0:12:15 > 0:12:20not become its obedient poodle, let alone its guard dog.One Labour peer
0:12:20 > 0:12:33felt Donald Trump had actually done something valuable.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38When he attacks diplomacy and slashes the budget of the American
0:12:38 > 0:12:44foreign service and the UN we can see that this complex and dangerous
0:12:44 > 0:12:50world needs diplomacy. He may not realise it, and he may never have
0:12:50 > 0:12:54intended it, but Donald Trump may yet have revived and reinforced
0:12:54 > 0:13:00among thinking people globally that there is a better alternative to the
0:13:00 > 0:13:05incoherent ravings of a very temporary American President.We
0:13:05 > 0:13:12will tolerate the foolishness. We will tolerate the and predictability
0:13:12 > 0:13:16sight of necessity, not least when seeking a trade deal with the United
0:13:16 > 0:13:22States. Who believes that the offer of the presidents will be anything
0:13:22 > 0:13:27other than an attempt to secure the interests of his core support across
0:13:27 > 0:13:32the United States? We will inevitably lose influence with the
0:13:32 > 0:13:41United States. I believe in our efforts, which may be successful to
0:13:41 > 0:13:46leave the European Union, we will be losing influence with Europe, this
0:13:46 > 0:13:50is an unhappy coincidence.We do look to the United States of America
0:13:50 > 0:13:55to lead that that United Kingdom should also look, look in the murder
0:13:55 > 0:14:00at our own ability to discharge a supporting role. For a better
0:14:00 > 0:14:03definition of this rule forms the context for our own national
0:14:03 > 0:14:09ambition, our own place in the world, and a clearer understanding
0:14:09 > 0:14:13of the sort of Armed Forces we actually need.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Whatever feelings we perceive in the administrations of another country
0:14:16 > 0:14:22it does not absolve us from our responsibility to put forward ideas
0:14:22 > 0:14:29and initiatives of our own in foreign policy, as the United States
0:14:29 > 0:14:34administration is undoubtedly doing, whether or not we agree. We should
0:14:34 > 0:14:38be less preoccupied with the tweets and habits of the President of the
0:14:38 > 0:14:42United States and more focused on our own policies and strategies that
0:14:42 > 0:14:49we wish to pursue with the US.The UK has done historically and will
0:14:49 > 0:14:55continue to day to engage with the US administration, issue by issue,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59policy by policy. It is a strong and productive and important
0:14:59 > 0:15:05relationship and we will continue to work as we have always done. We will
0:15:05 > 0:15:11use every tool of friendly cooperation to persuade the US
0:15:11 > 0:15:15administration of the working of our common interests and that allows us
0:15:15 > 0:15:20to have those candid conversations when we disagree.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25In a report published earlier this week MPs said it was clear that the
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Behrami 's military are continuing to use rape and sexual violence as
0:15:29 > 0:15:40weapons of war against the Rohingya people. -- it was clear that the
0:15:40 > 0:15:51military of Burma are continuing to use.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The cheer of the International development committee gave the
0:15:54 > 0:16:03Commons a graphic description of what has been happening.Girls as
0:16:03 > 0:16:09young as five years of age have been reported to have been raped by
0:16:09 > 0:16:15multiple uniformed actors, often in front of their relatives. There are
0:16:15 > 0:16:21reports of rape being widespread, violent, and accompanied by
0:16:21 > 0:16:28mutilation.He was sceptical of the idea that the Rohingya should be
0:16:28 > 0:16:33returned to Myanmar.The idea that the Rohingya could be returned to
0:16:33 > 0:16:39live in internment camps controlled by the military of Burma is not
0:16:39 > 0:16:42acceptable. We welcome the commitment of the UK Government and
0:16:42 > 0:16:47the swiftness with which that was pledged. The Government of
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Bangladesh has told us however that they expect the cost of effective
0:16:52 > 0:16:56provision of basic services for the displaced Rohingya to total
0:16:56 > 0:17:02eventually more than £1 billion. Particular attention must be made
0:17:02 > 0:17:07for a clear and decisive plan with regards to any repatriation, not
0:17:07 > 0:17:13just on Security and safety, but also the legal status of every
0:17:13 > 0:17:19Rohingya who is taking a voluntary option to go back to Burma, and the
0:17:19 > 0:17:21international development agencies need to have oversight at each
0:17:21 > 0:17:27stage.He is right to say that effort is to be any process of
0:17:27 > 0:17:32repatriation we need students about the legal status that will be made
0:17:32 > 0:17:38available to any refugees. There is a particular issue with babies that
0:17:38 > 0:17:42are born in refugee camps and the status they might have if they are
0:17:42 > 0:17:46returned, and as well as the governments of these two mackerel
0:17:46 > 0:17:56countries we need to listen to the Rohingya themselves and we need --
0:17:56 > 0:18:02we -- as well as the governments of both countries we need to listen to
0:18:02 > 0:18:12the Rohingya.The largest camp, which I visited with other MPs in
0:18:12 > 0:18:16November, as now equivalent in size to a city the size of Bristol. It
0:18:16 > 0:18:21does not have a hospital, it does not have adequate schools or roads,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25it is one of the most densely populated refugee camps in the
0:18:25 > 0:18:33world. Whether the Rohingya are in Burma or in Bangladesh the
0:18:33 > 0:18:38fundamental problem is that they are stateless and until that issue is
0:18:38 > 0:18:42resolved their rights will never be properly protected.The committee
0:18:42 > 0:18:48has put a spotlight on an issue and I want to assure the House that it
0:18:48 > 0:18:55is an issue of every single day focus, not just the plight of the
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Rohingya that is happening at the moment, and I was in Geneva last
0:19:00 > 0:19:02week to speak to international organisations about that, but the
0:19:02 > 0:19:09need for a solution for them, and that remains a priority for the
0:19:09 > 0:19:16Government.In these have helped the annual debate to mark Holocaust
0:19:16 > 0:19:23memorial day. The debate was opened by a Conservative MP.This year the
0:19:23 > 0:19:28theme is the power of words and it is a reminder that the Holocaust did
0:19:28 > 0:19:34not start with gas chambers, it started with hateful words, and that
0:19:34 > 0:19:39is perhaps of great resonance today, as we consider the continuing blight
0:19:39 > 0:19:47of anti-Semitism and intolerance in our society and sadly in our
0:19:47 > 0:19:51politics. I am proud as a Government with strong cross-party support that
0:19:51 > 0:19:57we adopted the international recognition of anti-Semitism which
0:19:57 > 0:20:03UK police forces are sadly having to put to use more than they should
0:20:03 > 0:20:08have two.In my view the Holocaust was the single greatest act of evil
0:20:08 > 0:20:13in human history. I know historians debate that, bit numbers dying at
0:20:13 > 0:20:20the hands of the Stalin were as great, and the atrocities in Ukraine
0:20:20 > 0:20:23work of the unspeakable cruelty, but the attempts by the natty regime to
0:20:23 > 0:20:32wipe out an entire ethnic group and harness 20th-century technology to
0:20:32 > 0:20:41deliver murder on an industrial steel seems without parallel. -- the
0:20:41 > 0:20:51attempts by the Nazi regime to wipe out an entire ethnic group.
0:20:51 > 0:20:59Edgar was born in Budapest and in 1941 he lost his citizenship and was
0:20:59 > 0:21:13classified as an alien Jew. He was sent to the Budapest ghetto. He was
0:21:13 > 0:21:17March halfway toward the real waystation before he was told to
0:21:17 > 0:21:36return to the ghetto. There he was forced to sleep in... His story is
0:21:36 > 0:21:42one small remembrance of the barbarity of the Nazi regime. Edgar
0:21:42 > 0:21:50lives in Britain today and is still shaving his story at the age of 87.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55I would like to pay tribute to his courage and strength. It is
0:21:55 > 0:22:00something to behold the impact that he has on school students and we
0:22:00 > 0:22:05must think about how we carry the message forward when we no longer
0:22:05 > 0:22:14have survivors with us to give that powerful testimony.In October, we
0:22:14 > 0:22:35got this dossier. Lists of historic crimes. Where have we heard that
0:22:35 > 0:22:38before? The language of extermination has power because the
0:22:38 > 0:22:48ground has been prepared. The propaganda of heat build suspicion
0:22:48 > 0:22:56and prejudice until ordinarily people believe a complete and utter
0:22:56 > 0:23:01lie. The history of the Holocaust teaches us that this kind of
0:23:01 > 0:23:07propaganda is allowed to breed in communities and States, but lie that
0:23:07 > 0:23:16they create can be turned into murder on an industrial scale. 6
0:23:16 > 0:23:20million innocent men, women and children, brutally, horrifically
0:23:20 > 0:23:29murdered. MPs have been told they must decide
0:23:29 > 0:23:37whether they can afford to justify repairers to Parliament. The
0:23:37 > 0:23:44building is in a bad state of repair. Several options have been
0:23:44 > 0:23:49suggested by a committee which included either partially or totally
0:23:49 > 0:23:54moving out of the building while the work is done. It is estimated that
0:23:54 > 0:24:01restoration could cost between 3.5 and £7 billion.The Government
0:24:01 > 0:24:10approach to restoration has moved from circus to farce. 18 months ago
0:24:10 > 0:24:13there was clear recommendations. If this is to be taken seriously will
0:24:13 > 0:24:24she allocate a day? Make sure it is substantial and amend the bowl?It
0:24:24 > 0:24:32is astonishing that the honourable gentleman is not taking this
0:24:32 > 0:24:36seriously. This is a matter for the House. The House needs to decide
0:24:36 > 0:24:43whether the balance of taxpayer's fiscal issues can be outweighed by
0:24:43 > 0:24:47the need to restore the Palace of Westminster. It is properly a debate
0:24:47 > 0:24:51for the House and there is governments time being given to
0:24:51 > 0:24:54that. Honourable members will recognise that the Government has
0:24:54 > 0:24:58moved the date to a wet and stay for the convenience of members who were
0:24:58 > 0:25:03very clear that they did not want this debate to take place on
0:25:03 > 0:25:08Thursday, the Government is facilitating a discussion and a
0:25:08 > 0:25:12decision by members of this House. Other speakers said it was important
0:25:12 > 0:25:15MPs thought about the costs involved.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18While people and organisations ( this country are having to make
0:25:18 > 0:25:24tough decisions will the Leader of the House make sure that we exercise
0:25:24 > 0:25:28financial prudence in whatever decision we make in relation to the
0:25:28 > 0:25:31future of this House?That debate on the restoration of Westminster will
0:25:31 > 0:25:38be held at the end of this month. That is all for now. Join me on
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Friday night at 11 for a round-up of the week here at Westminster.
0:25:42 > 0:25:51Goodbye.