:00:22. > :00:23.Hello there and welcome to Tuesday in Parliament.
:00:24. > :00:27.The Prime Minister calls the passing of the Brexit
:00:28. > :00:40.We will be a strong, self-governing, global Britain with control once
:00:41. > :00:43.again over our borders and laws. Labour says britain needs
:00:44. > :00:51.an inclusive government. decisions are made that we will pay
:00:52. > :00:54.the price for decades to come. Also
:00:55. > :00:55.on this programme... A Scotland minister tells
:00:56. > :00:57.Nicola Sturgeon to take a second independence referendum
:00:58. > :00:58."off the table". A leading economist backs
:00:59. > :01:00.Philip Hammond's decision to raise national insurance
:01:01. > :01:02.for the self employed. And an MP calls for English
:01:03. > :01:14.sparkling wine to be served What could be a more appropriate
:01:15. > :01:18.setting to promote English wine than the famed Ambassador's reception?
:01:19. > :01:22.Theresa May came to the Commons to make a statement following last
:01:23. > :01:25.week's European Council meeting and told Mps the UK faces
:01:26. > :01:27.a "defining moment" as it leaves the European Union.
:01:28. > :01:30.Updating MPs on the Brussels meeting, Mrs May said European
:01:31. > :01:32.leaders had discussed security in the western Balkans
:01:33. > :01:34.and migration, and she announced the UK would be hosting a Somalia
:01:35. > :01:46.Theresa May then turned to the UK's future relationship with the EU.
:01:47. > :01:49.She was in the Chamber for the first time since legislation
:01:50. > :01:51.allowing her to trigger the Brexit process cleared Parliament
:01:52. > :01:58.Last night, the Bill on Article 50 successfully completed its passage
:01:59. > :02:05.It will now proceed to royal assent in the coming days so we remain
:02:06. > :02:09.on track with a timetable I set out six months ago and I will return
:02:10. > :02:12.to this House before the end of this month to notify when I have formally
:02:13. > :02:15.triggered Article 50 and begun the process
:02:16. > :02:19.through which the United Kingdom will leave the EU.
:02:20. > :02:23.This will be a defining moment for our whole country as we begin
:02:24. > :02:25.to forge a new relationship with Europe and a new role
:02:26. > :02:35.We will be a strong, self-governing global Britain,
:02:36. > :02:39.with control once again over our borders and our laws.
:02:40. > :02:42.The new relationship with the EU that we negotiate will work
:02:43. > :02:46.That is why we have been working closely
:02:47. > :03:00...including the Scottish Government, listening to their proposals
:03:01. > :03:09.and recognising the many areas of common ground that we have come
:03:10. > :03:11.to such as protecting workers' rights and our security
:03:12. > :03:15.So, Mr Speaker, this is not a moment to play politics or create
:03:16. > :03:26.There is no doubt that if the wrong decisions are made,
:03:27. > :03:28.we will pay the price for decades to come.
:03:29. > :03:31.So now more than ever Britain needs an inclusive government that listens
:03:32. > :03:41.However, all the signs are that we have a complacent
:03:42. > :03:47.government, complacent with our economy, complacent
:03:48. > :03:50.with people's rights and complacent about the future of this country.
:03:51. > :03:53.When the Foreign Secretary says no deal with the EU
:03:54. > :03:59.would be perfectly OK, it simply isn't good enough.
:04:00. > :04:09.Far from taking back control, leaving into World Trade
:04:10. > :04:11.Organisation rules would mean losing control, jobs and,
:04:12. > :04:15.So when the Prime Minister says a bad deal is better than no
:04:16. > :04:19.deal, let me be clear - no deal is a bad deal.
:04:20. > :04:21.It was also Theresa May's first Commons appearance
:04:22. > :04:23.since Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to push
:04:24. > :04:29.for a second independence referendum in Scotland.
:04:30. > :04:31.The SNP's Westminster leader turned to what the Prime Minster
:04:32. > :04:36.Last July we were told by the Prime Minister herself,
:04:37. > :04:39.saying these very words, that she would not trigger
:04:40. > :04:42.Article 50 until she had, and I quote her own words,
:04:43. > :04:51.Now she knows that she has no agreement with the devolved
:04:52. > :04:53.administration despite months of compromise suggestions
:04:54. > :04:59.So will the UK Government, even at this very late
:05:00. > :05:06.days to secure a compromised UK wide approach or does she still plan
:05:07. > :05:09.to plough on regardless even though she knows what the consequences
:05:10. > :05:19.He talks about a single market, he talks about the importance
:05:20. > :05:21.of access to the single market of the EU.
:05:22. > :05:25.I would simply remind him and his colleagues once again
:05:26. > :05:28.that the most important single market for Scotland is the single
:05:29. > :05:41.The Prime Minister has said that no deal is better than a bad deal,
:05:42. > :05:44.and whilst we all wish her well in getting the best possible deal
:05:45. > :05:47.for the UK, will she now publish what the effects would be
:05:48. > :05:54.of crashing out of the EU on WTO rules so that we can have a debate
:05:55. > :05:56.in the country about her assertion that no deal is better
:05:57. > :06:08.I say to the right honourable lady, I'm grateful for the comment she has
:06:09. > :06:11.made, being in support of the Government in looking ahead
:06:12. > :06:18.and trying to negotiate the best possible deal for the United Kingdom
:06:19. > :06:21.and that is precisely what we will be doing.
:06:22. > :06:24.As my right honourable friend launches into the negotiations,
:06:25. > :06:27.I wonder if she has had time to consider the excellent House
:06:28. > :06:30.of Lords report that says we have no legal obligation to pay any money
:06:31. > :06:35.And does she share my view that this is an excellent basis
:06:36. > :06:43.I can assure my honourable friend that I have noted the House of Lords
:06:44. > :06:51.on the 23rd of June last year, I think they were very clear
:06:52. > :06:54.they did not want to continue year after year to be paying huge sums
:06:55. > :07:05.On the committee corridor, the Mayor of London called
:07:06. > :07:07.on the Prime Minister to strike an early "interim deal"
:07:08. > :07:09.on transitional trade arrangements with Brussels.
:07:10. > :07:11.Labour's Sadiq Khan warned that banks "can't wait" for the full
:07:12. > :07:14.two-year negotiation to be concluded and would start making plans to move
:07:15. > :07:17.operations out of the UK as soon as Theresa May triggers
:07:18. > :07:21.Facing the Exiting the EU Committee, Mr Khan said without assurances
:07:22. > :07:33.on a trade deal London could face a catastrophe.
:07:34. > :07:36.The Prime Minister talked about no deal being better than a bad deal.
:07:37. > :07:38.Of course there are circumstances where that is the case.
:07:39. > :07:41.If, for example, a bad deal with us paying a massive cheque
:07:42. > :07:44.and all the rest of it, without the right benefits to us.
:07:45. > :07:46.That's a bad deal, no deal may be better.
:07:47. > :07:48.But in most circumstances, no deal means WTO terms,
:07:49. > :07:51.which means tariffs for goods, nontariff barriers in relation
:07:52. > :07:53.to regulation legal frameworks for services, and bearing in mind
:07:54. > :07:56.we have a service surplus and when you speak to the service
:07:57. > :07:58.sector in particular, no deal equates to WTO terms,
:07:59. > :08:07.a catastrophe as far as they're concerned.
:08:08. > :08:09.What is your perception of the impact of the referendum
:08:10. > :08:15.result on what financial services companies are doing now?
:08:16. > :08:20.The bad news is already in the public domain are some
:08:21. > :08:22.of the decisions taken by financial institutions.
:08:23. > :08:24.Whether it is UBS talking about 1000 of their 5000
:08:25. > :08:35.Whether it is JP Morgan, they employ 16,000 staff in the UK.
:08:36. > :08:40.They have talked about moving 4000 out of the country.
:08:41. > :08:47.HSBC, of course, massive employer in the country.
:08:48. > :08:49.Their biggest presence is in the UK and Hong Kong.
:08:50. > :08:52.They have said publicly that they worry about 20%
:08:53. > :08:59.of revenue being affected and could move to Paris.
:09:00. > :09:01.You have already made very clear that, in your view,
:09:02. > :09:03.transitional arrangements in the absence of a deal
:09:04. > :09:06.being signed up in 18 months, are essential for London.
:09:07. > :09:08.I don't see a downside to having an interim deal there.
:09:09. > :09:13.It could well be we reach a deal within two years,
:09:14. > :09:16.which is fantastic, but an interim deal gives the certainty and clarity
:09:17. > :09:25.You say that if we don't conclude a deal and revert back to WTO
:09:26. > :09:28.that this will be a disaster and our economy will suffer.
:09:29. > :09:31.Surely your job as the Mayor of London actually is to talk up
:09:32. > :09:35.London and tell people that London is going to be an even greater city
:09:36. > :09:38.once we leave the European Union, not that it is at risk and it's
:09:39. > :09:41.going to suffer all these dire consequences.
:09:42. > :09:45.I appreciate the advice how to be a great Mayor but actually one
:09:46. > :09:48.of my jobs is to articulate what businesses tell me.
:09:49. > :09:50.It is my job and I can be naively optimistic
:09:51. > :09:55.I am optimistic with reason because our underlying strengths
:09:56. > :09:58.are not going to change but it will be, I think, unwise
:09:59. > :10:01.for me not to articulate to you what is being told to me
:10:02. > :10:03.about businesses by business leaders, from finance,
:10:04. > :10:10.creative and culture, public services, to construction.
:10:11. > :10:13.The transitional arrangement, as you envisage, is to make
:10:14. > :10:18.There is no circumstance in which they will want to punish
:10:19. > :10:25.us but wants to make that punishment painless.
:10:26. > :10:30.That is a point of view you've got but my point of view is different.
:10:31. > :10:33.I am quite clear in relation to what businesses are telling me,
:10:34. > :10:35.as demonstrated by the CBI in the evidence they have given
:10:36. > :10:38.which is that an interim deal would provide certainty,
:10:39. > :10:40.not least that financial services need in relation
:10:41. > :10:52.Over in the Lords, a minister was called to the Chamber to deal
:10:53. > :10:54.with the other big development of the week.
:10:55. > :10:57.Nicola Sturgeon's announcement on Monday that she wants another
:10:58. > :10:58.independence referendum for Scotland, to be
:10:59. > :11:00.held between the autumn of 2018 and the spring
:11:01. > :11:03.Lord Dunlop told peers why the Westminster government
:11:04. > :11:07.The UK Government remains of the view that there should not be
:11:08. > :11:10.a further referendum on independence and, even at this late hour,
:11:11. > :11:12.we call on the Scottish Government to take it off the table.
:11:13. > :11:15.Another referendum would be divisive and cause huge economic uncertainty
:11:16. > :11:22.If a referendum is allowed, it is essential that it is held
:11:23. > :11:25.after the Brexit negotiations are completed, not in the midst
:11:26. > :11:27.of complex negotiations, with no ability whatsoever
:11:28. > :11:29.to understand the implications of the detailed agreements
:11:30. > :11:36.Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that she wanted
:11:37. > :11:42.I have to say, my Lords, I can think of nothing more
:11:43. > :11:44.calculated to undermine the achievement of a good deal
:11:45. > :11:46.than holding a divisive and disruptive independence
:11:47. > :11:48.referendum during the last six months of one of the most important
:11:49. > :11:56.peacetime negotiations this country has ever faced.
:11:57. > :12:00.We certainly call on tough negotiations, tougher than the last
:12:01. > :12:04.time, over the timing and the question, because it is
:12:05. > :12:08.quite clear that Mr Alex Salmond ran rings round the Prime Minister
:12:09. > :12:12.of the day at that time, and if they want any
:12:13. > :12:19.advice on negotiations, I'm available.
:12:20. > :12:22.It is not what people in Scotland want, not now nor after Brexit.
:12:23. > :12:24.The SNP should stand by the Edinburgh agreement and stick
:12:25. > :12:27.to their word that this was once in a generation, not
:12:28. > :12:35.a never-endum to be repeated and repeated and repeated.
:12:36. > :12:37.In the past half-hour, I have received an e-mail
:12:38. > :12:39.from a leading player in the Scottish commercial property
:12:40. > :12:44.market to say that overnight ?50 million worth of deals have been
:12:45. > :12:46.withdrawn as a consequence of the possibility of
:12:47. > :12:55.Would the noble Lord, the minister, agree with me that when the Scottish
:12:56. > :12:58.economy is already weakened, while we are seriously
:12:59. > :13:00.troubled about our education and our health sectors,
:13:01. > :13:07.that the First Minister's action is one of unpardonable folly?
:13:08. > :13:11.Well, yes, I would very much agree with the noble lady.
:13:12. > :13:14.I meet many Scottish businesses and I have yet to find one
:13:15. > :13:17.who thinks it is a good idea to engender this uncertainty
:13:18. > :13:24.by calling for another independence referendum.
:13:25. > :13:34.You're watching Tuesday in Parliament with me, Alicia McCarthy.
:13:35. > :13:38.Last week's surprise announcement in the Budget of a rise
:13:39. > :13:40.in National Insurance paid by self-employed workers has been
:13:41. > :13:42.supported in Parliament by Paul Johnson, of the Institute
:13:43. > :13:48.The day after the Budget, Theresa May said decisions
:13:49. > :13:51.on changing NI would be made in the Autumn.
:13:52. > :13:54.At the Treasury Committee, Paul Johnson was asked about the gap
:13:55. > :13:56.between the NI amounts paid by employed people and
:13:57. > :14:08.Historically there has been a justification
:14:09. > :14:11.which is that the self-employed have been entitled to significantly
:14:12. > :14:15.smaller state benefits than employees.
:14:16. > :14:19.That gap is almost completely closed now, particularly
:14:20. > :14:24.with the introduction of a single tier pension, so the only difference
:14:25. > :14:26.is in terms of maternity benefits and contributing
:14:27. > :14:30.That might imply a difference in national insurance rates of up
:14:31. > :14:34.to one percentage point, certainly no more than that.
:14:35. > :14:36.Other differences are first of all very different according
:14:37. > :14:40.to the type of self-employment people are in.
:14:41. > :14:43.Let's talk about the genuinely self-employed.
:14:44. > :14:46.The self-employed self-employed, not people who might easily have
:14:47. > :14:52.Let's just concentrate at that end of the sector.
:14:53. > :14:55.Then you need to think about what exactly it is you want
:14:56. > :15:00.Is it that you want to compensate or subsidise for,
:15:01. > :15:05.as you were saying, risk people are taking?
:15:06. > :15:08.And you need to ask is the best way of doing...?
:15:09. > :15:10.First of all, why do we want to subsidise risk?
:15:11. > :15:13.We don't subsidise all risk and we don't think all
:15:14. > :15:18.Secondly, if you do want to do it, why do it through the tax system
:15:19. > :15:21.in a blanket way which subsidises or helps an awful lot of people
:15:22. > :15:29.Do you want to find some better way of achieving that.
:15:30. > :15:34.Mr Johnson was challenged on his use of the word "subsidy".
:15:35. > :15:37.On the whole, when one is talking about one group paying less
:15:38. > :15:39.than another doing very similar things, one can think
:15:40. > :15:45.Well, I think only if you assume that it is
:15:46. > :15:49.If you think there is a case of horizontal equity.
:15:50. > :15:55.And the Government isn't giving a subsidy by not taking your money.
:15:56. > :16:00.I think linguistically that is very important because it slightly shows
:16:01. > :16:04.To put it another way, you are charging other people more
:16:05. > :16:06.tax in order to reduce the tax on another group.
:16:07. > :16:09.You are charging people more tax not necessarily in order
:16:10. > :16:11.to do anything else, you are just charging
:16:12. > :16:17.But I think language is important because it gives an indication
:16:18. > :16:23.You always seem to be in favour of higher taxes, which worries me.
:16:24. > :16:27.What we are saying here is there is a case of horizontal
:16:28. > :16:30.equity between people and if you want to have a lower rate
:16:31. > :16:32.of tax across the board, that is absolutely reasonable.
:16:33. > :16:36.I think there is a case, but it is much harder to make a case
:16:37. > :16:38.for treating this group very differently from this
:16:39. > :16:40.group when they are doing very similar things,
:16:41. > :16:43.and that creates complexity at cost to the economy and to those
:16:44. > :16:45.who are not benefiting from the reduced tax.
:16:46. > :16:48.You didn't make a case for reduced tax for the others,
:16:49. > :16:50.you made a case for higher tax per self-employed.
:16:51. > :16:52.We are making a case for bringing the two together.
:16:53. > :16:55.The House of Lords is too big, leading peers have admitted
:16:56. > :17:00.The problem is no-one can agree on the best way to reduce it.
:17:01. > :17:02.Lady Smith, the Labour leader in the Lords,
:17:03. > :17:05.gave evidence along with the Lib Dem leader, Lord Newby,
:17:06. > :17:07.and the convenor of the crossbench or independent peers,
:17:08. > :17:11.Given how difficult it has been to attempt radical reform
:17:12. > :17:15.of parliament's second chamber, they were asked what smaller
:17:16. > :17:17.reforms they would make if it were up to them.
:17:18. > :17:20.Labour's Paul Flynn began with a reference to the recent
:17:21. > :17:25.BBC Two documentary Meet The Lords.
:17:26. > :17:28.My admiration for your house as a body for scrutinising
:17:29. > :17:37.legislation far superior to what happens here.
:17:38. > :17:44.But the position of the Lords, which is nothing to do with you, is
:17:45. > :17:46.one that is indefensible in so many ways, in
:17:47. > :17:51.that it is possible to buy a place in the Lords if you
:17:52. > :17:56.contribute enough to any of the three main parties.
:17:57. > :17:58.The fact it overrepresents London and underrepresents Scotland,
:17:59. > :18:02.All the problems that arise, all the illogical
:18:03. > :18:07.Could you list some practical ways to
:18:08. > :18:14.reforming the excesses in the near future?
:18:15. > :18:17.I think there are a number of things that can be achieved quite easily.
:18:18. > :18:19.Ending the hereditary by-elections, which are complete and
:18:20. > :18:22.utter nonsense and an embarrassment to the house would be
:18:23. > :18:23.a first, that could be done tomorrow.
:18:24. > :18:27.There is a private members bill which the
:18:28. > :18:30.The Government takes the view there should be consensus.
:18:31. > :18:34.To get complete consensus on anything is very difficult.
:18:35. > :18:41.There is a broad consensus that the House of Lords
:18:42. > :18:44.should be reduced in number, but there is no consensus
:18:45. > :18:47.Not least because each of the parties are differentially
:18:48. > :18:54.affected by virtually any reform that you might care to make.
:18:55. > :18:57.The convenor of the crossbench peers wanted to see the brakes put
:18:58. > :19:04.I would like an absolute cap but that depends
:19:05. > :19:07.Prime Minister, frankly, whose prerogative is affected by the
:19:08. > :19:09.appointments process said that she operates.
:19:10. > :19:11.Interesting statistic to bear in mind, we had a vote
:19:12. > :19:16.last week on the Brexit Bill, the largest
:19:17. > :19:18.vote since the 19th century, and
:19:19. > :19:23.Now, you test that against the nominal number of our membership,
:19:24. > :19:25.which is over 800, and you can see that
:19:26. > :19:26.actually, in practice, even
:19:27. > :19:28.with all the efforts to get people in,
:19:29. > :19:30.we don't get anything like the
:19:31. > :19:34.800 people coming in and so there is a question as to the actual
:19:35. > :19:36.working number, as opposed to the nominal number that is
:19:37. > :19:43.I would go for a cap, frankly, at around 600.
:19:44. > :19:50.And should there be a set retirement age?
:19:51. > :19:52.There are members in their 80s making a
:19:53. > :19:54.phenomenally great contribution, Alf Dubs, for example, on my side.
:19:55. > :19:56.Then you've got others in their 30s who you
:19:57. > :20:00.never see, so I think the committee will have to look at things like
:20:01. > :20:01.attendance, activity, whilst not the same time
:20:02. > :20:03.ignoring those people who
:20:04. > :20:06.bring expertise when they do come in, but there should
:20:07. > :20:12.Some of those things have been partially dealt with.
:20:13. > :20:14.If you don't attend in a session now,
:20:15. > :20:16.you're automatically retired and that's the end of your
:20:17. > :20:22.Lady Smith was referring there to a committee set up
:20:23. > :20:25.by Lord Fowler to aim to reduce the size of the House of Lords.
:20:26. > :20:30.The SNP's Ronnie Cowan had another idea.
:20:31. > :20:33.I've got a solution to this, which I'm sure you're not
:20:34. > :20:41.Have a second chamber, which is elected by all the
:20:42. > :20:44.people the United Kingdom and therefore will represent all the
:20:45. > :20:47.regions of the United Kingdom, and that seems to solve a lot
:20:48. > :20:49.Lord Newby agreed, although Lady Smith warned
:20:50. > :20:52.an elected second chamber might be a challenge to the primacy
:20:53. > :20:57.It's a dilemma presented to many a dog walker.
:20:58. > :21:03.Everyone knows that owners are supposed to clean up
:21:04. > :21:06.after their furry friend makes a doggy deposit, but increasingly it
:21:07. > :21:09.seems many then don't know what to do with the plastic poop bag.
:21:10. > :21:14.A Conservative MP set out the problem.
:21:15. > :21:17.There is no doubt that dog fouling is an anti-social, environmentally
:21:18. > :21:22.It blights parks, forests and farmland apart from
:21:23. > :21:25.being left on fields and verges and, to compound the problem,
:21:26. > :21:29.we've now seen the rise of the phenomenon of
:21:30. > :21:32.Fellow walkers, cyclists and families out
:21:33. > :21:34.with small children are met with lumps of dog faeces
:21:35. > :21:37.wrapped in pink, blue, black, even
:21:38. > :21:40.apricot coloured plastic, dangling from trees,
:21:41. > :21:44.bushes or decoratively tied to people's fences.
:21:45. > :21:47.Deers ingest the bags, children may handle
:21:48. > :21:49.the packages, cyclists have
:21:50. > :21:52.even ridden head on into them as they dangle from overhanging
:21:53. > :22:01.She called for better signage so owners knew where bins were.
:22:02. > :22:10.But there was an alternative in very rural areas.
:22:11. > :22:12.If the walker is further on in their walk
:22:13. > :22:14.out in a no-bin area, an area of natural habitats,
:22:15. > :22:19.that walk should show dog walkers that, in that area, they ought to
:22:20. > :22:23.This is an approach on the Forestry Commissions website.
:22:24. > :22:25.Having been on the Jeremy Vine show trying to flick a pseudo-poo
:22:26. > :22:35.eclair and didn't flick at all well, I can say it is actually quite
:22:36. > :22:37.an effective, in reality, way of doing things but actually
:22:38. > :22:40.stick and flick will cover the poo with leaves and vegetation,
:22:41. > :22:42.so we need clear, easy to recognise graphics for these
:22:43. > :22:49.The minister, Marcus Jones, said irresponsible dog owners
:22:50. > :22:51.spoiled the environment and that local councils were looking
:22:52. > :22:55.at improved signage and other "innovative solutions".
:22:56. > :22:59.The new MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central has made his maiden
:23:00. > :23:04.Gareth Snell was speaking on the last day of the Budget debate.
:23:05. > :23:07.He held the seat for Labour after Tristram Hunt stood down
:23:08. > :23:09.from the Commons to become the director of London's Victoria
:23:10. > :23:20.Gareth Snell turned to the potteries' most famous export.
:23:21. > :23:26.We were the beating heart of a ceramic
:23:27. > :23:27.empire that stretched to the
:23:28. > :23:30.Today, proud members of the turnover club
:23:31. > :23:32.can be seen inspecting their tableware for that
:23:33. > :23:46.hoping to find neatly inscribed on the back of their plate the five
:23:47. > :23:47.greatest words in the English language,
:23:48. > :23:51.It is a ceremony, Mr Speaker, which may own
:23:52. > :23:52.daughter Hannah has taken up with vigour.
:23:53. > :23:54.In doing so enthusiastically, she wished to
:23:55. > :23:57.discover the origins of the dinner plate that she has on occasion
:23:58. > :23:59.forgotten to finish its contents before turning it over
:24:00. > :24:08.there and depositing her lunch on her lap.
:24:09. > :24:10.The new MP for Stoke on Trent, Gareth Snell.
:24:11. > :24:13.Finally, feeling the need for a bit of sparkle in your life?
:24:14. > :24:15.How about a nice, cool glass of fizz?
:24:16. > :24:16.Not champagne, or prosecco, but English sparkling wine.
:24:17. > :24:19.According to a Conservative MP, the industry is on the up,
:24:20. > :24:21.with sales topping ?100 million in 2015.
:24:22. > :24:24.And Nusrat Ghani wanted to give the trade a bit more of a boost.
:24:25. > :24:27.She brought in a bill to have English wines served
:24:28. > :24:34.In a post-Brexit world, we must do all we can to get behind
:24:35. > :24:37.industries that show the sort of potential of our wine
:24:38. > :24:41.industry and what better way to do that than to give the world a taste
:24:42. > :24:46.by serving UK produced wine and sparkling wine
:24:47. > :24:48.in our 268 embassies, high commissions and consulates around
:24:49. > :24:52.What could be a more appropriate setting to promote
:24:53. > :25:02.English wine than the famed Ambassador's reception?
:25:03. > :25:04.However, the lack of consistency in embassy policies
:25:05. > :25:07.for hosting and serving British product mean we are missing
:25:08. > :25:09.opportunities to show it off in new markets that should be
:25:10. > :25:11.fertile territory for export, such as China,
:25:12. > :25:13.Japan, Singapore and even India where wine consumption among the
:25:14. > :25:17.professional classes is growing exponentially.
:25:18. > :25:20.So she argued the UK should make the most of the chance to promote
:25:21. > :25:26.Ms Ghani won the right to take her bill forward,
:25:27. > :25:32.though unless the Government backs it it may well fall flat.
:25:33. > :25:36.And that's it from us for now, but do join me at the same time
:25:37. > :25:38.tomorrow for another round-up of the day at Westminster,
:25:39. > :25:42.including the highlights from Prime Minister's Questions.