0:00:17 > 0:00:19Hello and welcome to the programme.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Coming up:
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Questions continue about the release of serial sexual
0:00:22 > 0:00:30offender John Worboys.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Final decisions as to whether somebody is a danger or not should
0:00:34 > 0:00:38rest with those who may be held to account, not with unaccountable
0:00:38 > 0:00:39bureaucrats.
0:00:39 > 0:00:45The Equality Commission comes under fire in the BBC pay row.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51The HRC failed to intervene on the BBC and has been placated by our BBC
0:00:51 > 0:00:54internally funded review that has clearly not tackle the problem.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56And what is the American president intending to do
0:00:56 > 0:01:02when he visits the UK?
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Trumpalise the queen.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I have literally no idea what that means.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12We hope to find out, but first...
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Westminster awoke on Tuesday still ruminating on how Theresa May
0:01:14 > 0:01:15had reshuffled her Cabinet pack.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17The changes may have been rather limited,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20but that didn't mean there weren't several ministers getting to grips
0:01:20 > 0:01:21with new departments and new briefs.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And there was no gentle warm-up either.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Two new ministers were straight up at the despatch box.
0:01:25 > 0:01:34Less than 24 hours into the job, the Justice Secretary,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36David Gauke was answering questions about the decision to
0:01:36 > 0:01:38release the serial sexual offender, John Worboys.
0:01:38 > 0:01:46Worboys was convicted of 19 offences and is suspected of attacking
0:01:46 > 0:01:47more than 100 women.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50But the decision by the Parole Board to free him, nine years
0:01:50 > 0:01:52after he was jailed, has raised concern
0:01:52 > 0:01:53among his victims.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55David Gauke explained that he'd decided to look
0:01:55 > 0:01:59into the transparency surrounding decisions of the parole board.
0:01:59 > 0:02:05I should be absolutely clear that I think the parole board should remain
0:02:05 > 0:02:09an independent body, responsible for making decisions about the ongoing
0:02:09 > 0:02:15risk that individuals pose after serving their tariffs. But I agree
0:02:15 > 0:02:18with my predecessor 's assessment that there is a strong case to
0:02:18 > 0:02:24review the case for transparency in the process, for parole decisions
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and how victims are appropriately engaged in that process, and
0:02:27 > 0:02:33consider the case for changes in policy, practice, or the parole
0:02:33 > 0:02:38board -- parole board rules or other guidance and procedures including
0:02:38 > 0:02:43the victims code.It is all too clear that the victims of the vile
0:02:43 > 0:02:48crimes committed by John Worboys feel that the process has failed to
0:02:48 > 0:02:52do so and such failings undermine public trust in our wider justice
0:02:52 > 0:02:58system. Many women, both the victims and many others more widely, will be
0:02:58 > 0:03:02very anxious indeed about Mr Worboys being freed and the current legal
0:03:02 > 0:03:06restrictions on the parole board mean that we do not know why this
0:03:06 > 0:03:11decision has been taken.Some of the victims still have heard nothing
0:03:11 > 0:03:15from victims liaison officers and still don't know what the parole
0:03:15 > 0:03:28board terms are and whether this man may end up living near them. Given
0:03:28 > 0:03:31that he had their addresses, will he urgently ensure that all of the
0:03:31 > 0:03:33victims are contracted -- contacted by liaison officers before this man
0:03:33 > 0:03:36is released and given that some of them also had no opportunity to put
0:03:36 > 0:03:38statements to the parole board, is he confident that due process has
0:03:38 > 0:03:42been followed in this decision. There will be cases where people do
0:03:42 > 0:03:48not want to be informed, there will be places -- cases where people want
0:03:48 > 0:03:53to receive a great deal of detail. We need to have a system that is
0:03:53 > 0:03:58sensitive to what victims want. Given that the tariff is a minimum,
0:03:58 > 0:04:03why does the sum test applied by the parole board appeared to be simply
0:04:03 > 0:04:08whether the criminal still poses a risk to others. What has happened to
0:04:08 > 0:04:12the concept that the punishment should fit the crime?Is he going to
0:04:12 > 0:04:16look explicitly not at the transparency about how decisions
0:04:16 > 0:04:20were being made by how victims are being heard as part of that process,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and if he is not satisfied, as it seems many of these victims were not
0:04:23 > 0:04:29told how they could have their say on this situation, Willie uses power
0:04:29 > 0:04:34for a judicial review of this decision.In order that victims
0:04:34 > 0:04:38voices are heard I think it is important that we look at the whole
0:04:38 > 0:04:41process to ensure that this is working for victims in the way that
0:04:41 > 0:04:46we want it to.The public want to be confident that the parole board is
0:04:46 > 0:04:50making a balanced assessment of risk. Will the Lord Chancellor
0:04:50 > 0:04:55review how the parole board assesses the risks presented by offenders and
0:04:55 > 0:04:58consider the role of independent psychologists on advising on
0:04:58 > 0:05:03offender risk, especially when such advice conflicts with that probation
0:05:03 > 0:05:07professionals.It seems to me that it would be better if final
0:05:07 > 0:05:11decisions on whether somebody is a danger or not should rest with those
0:05:11 > 0:05:15who would be held to account, not with unaccountable bureaucrats. It
0:05:15 > 0:05:20is not a scientific decision, it is a matter of opinion, and I would
0:05:20 > 0:05:26trust my right honourable friend 's opinion more than that of an
0:05:26 > 0:05:30unaccountable bureaucracy.Since the privatisation of probation in the
0:05:30 > 0:05:34West Midlands there was one victims officer for an area with 3 million
0:05:34 > 0:05:41people in it. In this review, can I ask the very welcome new Justice
0:05:41 > 0:05:47Secretary to look at what was taken away and potentially why, and e-mail
0:05:47 > 0:05:52to evict him is not enough when a relationship is what we used to
0:05:52 > 0:05:56have.Worboys was a prolific sex attacker for upto ten years and
0:05:56 > 0:06:00there are likely to be hundreds of victims and yet in court he showed
0:06:00 > 0:06:04no remorse and dismissed his actions as banter and two years ago he was
0:06:04 > 0:06:08claiming he had done absolutely nothing wrong, so it is impossible
0:06:08 > 0:06:12for people, impossible for people to understand how the board could
0:06:12 > 0:06:16possibly have deemed this man to be safe. Would my right honourable
0:06:16 > 0:06:27friend agree with me that unless and until the board publicly explains
0:06:27 > 0:06:29the rationale behind the decision it took, people cannot possibly have
0:06:29 > 0:06:31confidence in our criminal justice system.I completely understand the
0:06:31 > 0:06:35point that my honourable friend is making, as presently stands the
0:06:35 > 0:06:42parole board is not able to provide in public the reasons for their
0:06:42 > 0:06:45decision. The chair of the parole board has made it clear that he
0:06:45 > 0:06:46wishes that they could.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48The new Justice Secretary, David Gauke.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50And another newly-appointed minister was also called into action early.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54The new Culture Secretary, Matt Hancock, told the Commons
0:06:54 > 0:06:56the BBC must act on the issue of pay equality between male
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and female staff.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04His comments come in the wake of the resignation of the BBC's
0:07:04 > 0:07:07China Editor Carrie Gracie, who accused the corporation
0:07:07 > 0:07:11of "unlawful pay discrimination".
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Responding to an urgent question on the issue,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Matt Hancock told MPs that the BBC had a duty to ensure the highest
0:07:16 > 0:07:21standards of fairness were applied.
0:07:21 > 0:07:28This is not just a matter of levelling women's pay up, it is a
0:07:28 > 0:07:32matter of pay equality. Working for the BBC is public service and a
0:07:32 > 0:07:38great privilege and yet some men at the BBC are paid far more than other
0:07:38 > 0:07:41equivalent public servants. The BBC have begun to act and I welcome
0:07:41 > 0:07:46that, but more action, much more action is needed, especially when
0:07:46 > 0:07:50BBC foreign editors can earn more than Her Majesty 's ambassadors in
0:07:50 > 0:07:56the same jurisdiction.The BBC is accountable to the public and we
0:07:56 > 0:08:00know more about the pay gap there than we do at other organisations.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04If the secretary of state confident that female staff at other
0:08:04 > 0:08:08broadcasters and media companies are paid as highly as their male
0:08:08 > 0:08:13colleagues, and will be called men to encourage them to be as
0:08:13 > 0:08:16transparent as the BBC? What will he do to ensure that this story is not
0:08:16 > 0:08:21just used as a way to criticise our national broadcaster, as other media
0:08:21 > 0:08:26organisations might wish, but as a way to highlight pay inequality
0:08:26 > 0:08:31across-the-board?The select committee has decided this morning
0:08:31 > 0:08:34to invite the director-general of the BBC to account for the actions
0:08:34 > 0:08:38of the BBC on gender pay since the publication of salaries last summer.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It is important to see what progress they have made a lot of progress
0:08:42 > 0:08:45needs to be made. Does he agree with me that this whole thing underlines
0:08:45 > 0:08:50why we were right to insist on full disclosure of top pay not just for
0:08:50 > 0:08:54executives but for on-screen talent as well.I strongly agree with the
0:08:54 > 0:09:01chair the select committee and I welcome his scrutiny of this. I
0:09:01 > 0:09:05would say this, the BBC resisted these transparency measures and now
0:09:05 > 0:09:10we are starting to see why.The laws need the equality and human rights
0:09:10 > 0:09:15commission to act and to act quickly. Why is it that despite
0:09:15 > 0:09:19overwhelming evidence that has been in the public domain for more than
0:09:19 > 0:09:26six months has the EH RC failed to intervene on the BBC and has been
0:09:26 > 0:09:29placated by a BBC funded internal review, which has clearly not
0:09:29 > 0:09:35tackled the problem.As a publicly funded institution the BBC has to be
0:09:35 > 0:09:39both transparent and accountable and that the existence of this secret
0:09:39 > 0:09:43gender pay gap within the corporation shows that it has been
0:09:43 > 0:09:47anything but. Perhaps that would explain why the BBC management were
0:09:47 > 0:09:53so vehemently opposed to having to publish how much it pays its top
0:09:53 > 0:09:57earning presenters.It is not good enough for the BBC to say that their
0:09:57 > 0:10:00performance in this area is better than in many other sectors. Does he
0:10:00 > 0:10:05share my view that it is because the BBC is funded by public money that
0:10:05 > 0:10:08we are entitled to expect them not just to adhere to the requirements
0:10:08 > 0:10:12of the law but to set a higher standard which others can then
0:10:12 > 0:10:18follow?Carrie Gracie says in her letter that she refers to the BBC
0:10:18 > 0:10:23often settling cases out of court and demanding nondisclosure
0:10:23 > 0:10:26agreement, habit unworthy of an organisation committed to truth.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30This issue doesn't just apply to the BBC but to other broadcasters and
0:10:30 > 0:10:33other companies right across the country. If there were serious
0:10:33 > 0:10:38problem if we are trying to get transparency over equal pay if so
0:10:38 > 0:10:41many employers pursue nondisclosure agreements when it comes to pay
0:10:41 > 0:10:47claims?We should use what ever tools are at our disposal to ensure
0:10:47 > 0:10:51we get the right level of transparency and, of course, we want
0:10:51 > 0:10:56to make sure that this works across the board at the BBC and other
0:10:56 > 0:11:02places and making sure that every case is looked at rather than just
0:11:02 > 0:11:08individual cases is important. There may be individual circumstances
0:11:08 > 0:11:13where an an DA is appropriate but you have to be very careful in there
0:11:13 > 0:11:16used to ensure that a systemic problem is not hidden by their
0:11:16 > 0:11:20overuse.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Matt Hancock, the new Culture Secretary.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24You're watching Tuesday In Parliament, with me, Mandy Baker.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26If you want to catch up with all the news
0:11:26 > 0:11:28from Westminster on the go, don't forget our sister programme,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Today In Parliament, is available as a download
0:11:30 > 0:11:34via the BBC Radio 4 Website.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Now, if you're concerned that I haven't yet said the word
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Brexit in this programme, fear not - here it comes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41The Government's been accused of using Brexit
0:11:41 > 0:11:44legislation as a power grab.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47That charge from opposition parties came as MPs held their first debate
0:11:47 > 0:11:49on the Government's Trade Bill, which will allow ministers
0:11:49 > 0:11:54to install a new system for the day after Brexit next year.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00The International Trade Secretary defended the powers in the Bill.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06We want to protect the access to global markets that are so vital to
0:12:06 > 0:12:10thousands of British businesses. We want to abide by our obligations to
0:12:10 > 0:12:15those economies that have already negotiated free trade agreements and
0:12:15 > 0:12:18other trade agreements with the European Union. This bill grants
0:12:18 > 0:12:20pass the powers necessary to achieve these aims.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22But Labour accused the minister of taking power from Brussels
0:12:22 > 0:12:24bureaucrats and giving it to the Government
0:12:24 > 0:12:28rather than Parliament.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33No need for a debate, no need for a vote, that is simply not good enough
0:12:33 > 0:12:39in a modern democracy. Honourable members hold this House's dignity
0:12:39 > 0:12:44very cheap indeed if they vote tonight to govern ourselves in a
0:12:44 > 0:12:45dictatorship.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Barry Gardiner.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Universal Credit is discouraging private landlords from letting
0:12:48 > 0:12:52their properties to benefit claimants, according
0:12:52 > 0:12:53to one Lib Dem MP.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56And many landlords are reporting that tenants on Universal Credit
0:12:56 > 0:12:57are in rent arrears.
0:12:57 > 0:13:05MPs were debating the issue in Westminster Hall.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I checked the records again and again and again and I said this was
0:13:08 > 0:13:13going to be a car crash on this article issue and it was ignored so
0:13:13 > 0:13:20we move on to 2015, bit of context, we had numerous examples as my
0:13:20 > 0:13:23colleague has indicated and others have experienced in this room over
0:13:23 > 0:13:29the last two years without that default, fewer and fewer private
0:13:29 > 0:13:35landlords are actually letting the people on Universal Credit and those
0:13:35 > 0:13:42he worked were falling into arrears. Just utter madness.I had a landlord
0:13:42 > 0:13:49come to my surgery with 20 tenants on Universal Credit of whom 18 were
0:13:49 > 0:13:53in arrears and nine had to be evicted, that is at this very early
0:13:53 > 0:13:57stage of the roll-out when the full service hasn't yet come to my area.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Does he agree with me that those are the sort of facts that don't fit
0:14:01 > 0:14:07into the theory of Universal Credit? In Northern Ireland we have
0:14:07 > 0:14:12glaciated that but it has not led to an increase in terms of rent
0:14:12 > 0:14:16arrears, there are other problems but rent arrears is not a big one
0:14:16 > 0:14:20and we have negotiated twice per month payments which also helps with
0:14:20 > 0:14:23the landlords and tenants to know that their rent is being paid to the
0:14:23 > 0:14:28landlord and that he or she not going into arrears.At the time I am
0:14:28 > 0:14:32reliably informed by a colleague in Northern Ireland that the DWP and I
0:14:32 > 0:14:38think it was then the secretary of state didn't want to budge and was
0:14:38 > 0:14:43insistent that this would collapse the entire thing but as the
0:14:43 > 0:14:47colleagues opposite have discovered and my friends at the DUP, when they
0:14:47 > 0:14:51did their heels in, they did their heels in so I pay tribute on this
0:14:51 > 0:14:59one because the DUP and I think the SDLP said no, we are not nudging. It
0:14:59 > 0:15:05must be a default payment and do you know what, it worked, it's the same
0:15:05 > 0:15:12computer system.The main Rob is the way that the delays in the paying of
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Universal Credit led to rent arrears building up. This triggered a
0:15:15 > 0:15:21downward spiral of events, with landlords serving eviction notices
0:15:21 > 0:15:26albeit reluctantly, which led to an increase in homelessness, added
0:15:26 > 0:15:28pressure on local authorities and housing associations to House those
0:15:28 > 0:15:34who were evicted and then subsequently the reduction in
0:15:34 > 0:15:37housing as private landlords decided not to let the Universal Credit
0:15:37 > 0:15:43claimants.While bad and greedy landlords have given the sector a
0:15:43 > 0:15:48bad press, it'd start of landlords in the private sector are and often
0:15:48 > 0:15:51they only have one property let out as a contribution to their pension
0:15:51 > 0:15:56or way to save for the future. Two thirds of landlords are basic rate
0:15:56 > 0:16:00tax payers and not on high incomes but why they are sympathetic to
0:16:00 > 0:16:03tenants, they know that they would fall into debt of the rent is not
0:16:03 > 0:16:08paid.The need for a roof over your head, home way you can bring up a
0:16:08 > 0:16:13family is a basic human need. By 2021, it is estimated there will be
0:16:13 > 0:16:16around 7 million people claiming Universal Credit, over half of whom
0:16:16 > 0:16:20will be in work. Where will they live if wages don't cover their rent
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and housing support does not make up the shortfall? It is time the
0:16:23 > 0:16:26government to heed the warnings from landlords, the voluntary sector and
0:16:26 > 0:16:30this side of the House and fixed Universal Credit.The safeguards we
0:16:30 > 0:16:37have in place with the improvement in Universal Credit and the personal
0:16:37 > 0:16:42budgeting in place, these concerns should be groundless, they should
0:16:42 > 0:16:47pay more attention to the evidence and the and helpful scaremongering
0:16:47 > 0:16:56from the opposition benches, I can only evidence the fact that in Prime
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Minister's Questions, the Leader of the Opposition claimed that
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Gloucester city homes had evicted one in eight, 12% of tenants due to
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Universal Credit, that would have been 650 tenants, in actual fact it
0:17:07 > 0:17:09was eight.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11And that was Caroline Dinenage's last appearance in that role -
0:17:11 > 0:17:13she's been reshuffled to the Department of
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Health and Social Care.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Now, if you were watching this programme on Monday you'll have seen
0:17:17 > 0:17:20that some MPs were up in arms with the then universities minister
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Jo Johnson about the appointment of the journalist Toby Young
0:17:22 > 0:17:24to the board of a new higher education watchdog.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Well, now Mr Young's resigned.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31The man may have gone but the story rumbles on.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Toby Young was appointed to the Office for Students board -
0:17:34 > 0:17:37but he has been criticised because of his past comments
0:17:37 > 0:17:40about women, gay people and the disabled in newspaper
0:17:40 > 0:17:43articles and on Twitter.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49The issue came up at question time in the Lords.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53I'm sure the minister would agree with me that there is no place for
0:17:53 > 0:18:00cronyism in public appointments. Given that public appointments are
0:18:00 > 0:18:04based on principles and given the fact that somebody was appointed to
0:18:04 > 0:18:08this position who had posted on social media the most appalling
0:18:08 > 0:18:15comments, do those principles need to be strengthened?Can I say at the
0:18:15 > 0:18:18outset that this is very much a time of reflection following the
0:18:18 > 0:18:24resignation this morning.LAUGHTER And we want to learn from this and
0:18:24 > 0:18:27it is regrettable that the offensive tweets were not picked up on before
0:18:27 > 0:18:32the appointment.The job specification required candidates to
0:18:32 > 0:18:37have good judgment, high levels of integrity, inspire confidence with a
0:18:37 > 0:18:43wide range of stakeholders and, my lords, demonstrate high standards of
0:18:43 > 0:18:50personal conduct. Is the noble Viscount saying that these
0:18:50 > 0:18:56objectionable tweets were not known to his department and indeed the Mr
0:18:56 > 0:19:02Jo Johnson bestial Mark isn't it the case that Jo Johnson imposed this
0:19:02 > 0:19:09wretched man on the board of the O P S and can heat now tell me as Jo
0:19:09 > 0:19:15Johnson has been removed that the independence of the OAS, which the
0:19:15 > 0:19:19government guaranteed during the passage of a higher education
0:19:19 > 0:19:23research bill fairly recently will now be established?First of all,
0:19:23 > 0:19:28there is no imposition of candidate into this particular position and
0:19:28 > 0:19:33can I say that the current make-up of the office for students is a
0:19:33 > 0:19:37broad church, broad range of people, which is what we set out to do in
0:19:37 > 0:19:41the first place and can I say that in terms of the noble Lord's
0:19:41 > 0:19:46question, no, we did not know about the obnoxious tweaks that came out
0:19:46 > 0:19:51and this is the reason why I said at the outset we need to do better with
0:19:51 > 0:19:5350,000 tweets, some of which were completely obnoxiously this is
0:19:53 > 0:19:58something which we should have known about and we need to learn the
0:19:58 > 0:20:03lesson from this.Since the Minister has recognised there was a process
0:20:03 > 0:20:09in these appointments, it follows there must be a record of those who
0:20:09 > 0:20:16were involved in the process. Can he tell the House, other than the
0:20:16 > 0:20:20minister directly responsible, which other ministers were involved in the
0:20:20 > 0:20:26process, either formally on the record or informally?The due
0:20:26 > 0:20:31process was gone through. The launch was made in July and the closure
0:20:31 > 0:20:37after the advertising is was made closed in August and the Secretary
0:20:37 > 0:20:39of State is responsible for the appointment so the process went
0:20:39 > 0:20:43through. Can I also say, which I would like to say to the noble Lord
0:20:43 > 0:20:48as well, that Mr Young was appointed on merit in terms of what he had
0:20:48 > 0:20:52actually done and this is very separate from the obnoxious tweaks
0:20:52 > 0:20:54that we know about.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Last week the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, defended
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Toby Young's appointment.
0:20:56 > 0:21:02Labour's Lord Campbell-Saviours wasn't beating around the bush.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Was there a conversation that took place between Boris Johnson and his
0:21:07 > 0:21:14brother Jo Johnson?I certainly can't answer that and I will be
0:21:14 > 0:21:19drawn into that particular one. -- I won't be drawn into that one.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Lord Younger giving short shrift.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22A new book about Donald Trump has caused shock waves
0:21:22 > 0:21:25in the United States and beyond - with explosive claims
0:21:25 > 0:21:27about his mental health and fitness for public office.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30The US president has dismissed the book as a work of fiction,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33insisting that he is in fact a "very stable genius".
0:21:33 > 0:21:34The author, journalist Michael Wolff,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37has defended his work, predicting that it will bring down
0:21:37 > 0:21:38the Trump presidency.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41At question time, a Labour MP raised revelations in the book
0:21:41 > 0:21:47about Mr Trump's approach to foreign affairs.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53President Trump's biographer has said that the President's only
0:21:53 > 0:21:57interest in a state visit is the opportunity to, and I quote,"
0:21:57 > 0:22:04Trumpalise the Queen. " Trumpalise the Queen. I have no idea what that
0:22:04 > 0:22:10means but can I ask the Minister to please save Her Majesty from that
0:22:10 > 0:22:19unpleasant sounding audio and cancel this wretched visit.Well, I think
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Her Majesty the Queen is well capable of taking this American
0:22:23 > 0:22:27president or any American president in her stride, as she has done over
0:22:27 > 0:22:36six remarkable decades. She has seen them, and she has seen them go. If
0:22:36 > 0:22:43she seeks advice on whether or not to invite the president of the
0:22:43 > 0:22:48United States to visit this country and we are very close allies, might
0:22:48 > 0:22:53high invite her to ask the person next door to her who said last year
0:22:53 > 0:22:58I think we have two welcome the American president to Britain, we
0:22:58 > 0:23:01have to work with him. Those were the words of the Right honourable
0:23:01 > 0:23:06lady.Can he confirmed that United States remains our closest ally and
0:23:06 > 0:23:12the special relationship rest is on more than just personalities, on
0:23:12 > 0:23:15trade, close military alliances and a share viewed of the world.I could
0:23:15 > 0:23:24not have put it better myself and I commend again to the House the wise
0:23:24 > 0:23:27words of the Shadow Foreign Secretary when she said that it was
0:23:27 > 0:23:30the bright thing to invite the president of the United States to
0:23:30 > 0:23:39visit this country.I never said that!In response to the North
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Korean leader, who is apparently really smart and a stable genius
0:23:44 > 0:23:48tweeted I have a nuclear button that is bigger and more powerful than his
0:23:48 > 0:23:52and my button works. What does President Trump have to say for any
0:23:52 > 0:24:03wedding or any visit to be withdrawn?I think that, if I
0:24:03 > 0:24:05understood the honourable gentleman's question correctly, he
0:24:05 > 0:24:09wishes to receive and the invitation to the president of the United
0:24:09 > 0:24:13States. I don't believe that is sensible. The United States is our
0:24:13 > 0:24:17closest, most important security and economic partner and will continue
0:24:17 > 0:24:18to be so.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19After question time, Emily Thornberry took
0:24:19 > 0:24:22issue with Boris Johnson.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27Rather than erupting, it is in order to correct the record to say I never
0:24:27 > 0:24:31thought it was a good idea to him by the president of the United States
0:24:31 > 0:24:34to the UK, in fact I thought the invitation was issued with undue
0:24:34 > 0:24:38haste at once it had been issued on behalf of Her Majesty is very
0:24:38 > 0:24:46difficult to withdraw it.He is beetling into the box, if he wishes
0:24:46 > 0:24:51to stand up at the box and offer a product of his work, we are happy to
0:24:51 > 0:24:56hear them.I'm not sure what is in order, guide me on this point but I
0:24:56 > 0:25:02must redirect the honourable lady and the House to her words on the
0:25:02 > 0:25:0814th of May 2017 on the Andrew Marr programme when she said, "I think we
0:25:08 > 0:25:11have two welcome the American president to Britain, we have to
0:25:11 > 0:25:21work with him, I rest my case.I think the honour is served. The
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Shadow Foreign Secretary has offered House her thoughts and the Foreign
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Secretary with some alacrity has Beatles back to the box in order to
0:25:28 > 0:25:32respond and I think we should at least for today leave it there.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33And that's it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36I'm off to learn the names of all the new junior ministers,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39but do join me at the same time tomorrow for another round up
0:25:39 > 0:25:42of the day here at Westminster, But for now from me,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Mandy Baker, goodbye.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Mandy Baker, goodbye.