:00:19. > :00:20.Hello and welcome to Wednesday in Parliament,
:00:21. > :00:26.to the bill beginning the process of exiting the EU.
:00:27. > :00:36.So the ayes have it, the ayes have it.
:00:37. > :00:40.Jeremy Corbyn demands the Prime Minister retracts the invitation
:00:41. > :00:44.for Donald Trump to come to the UK and meet the Queen.
:00:45. > :00:47.Just what more does the President Trump have to do
:00:48. > :00:51.before the Prime Minister will listen to the 1.8 million people who
:00:52. > :00:58.have already called for his state visit invitation to be withdrawn?
:00:59. > :01:03.and says Labour has nothing to offer the UK.
:01:04. > :01:11.And the Trade Secretary dismisses accusations that his department
:01:12. > :01:17.Do you regret the title to your press release?
:01:18. > :01:18.Because it wasn't really your Department that
:01:19. > :01:23.I think the more good news we give to the public,
:01:24. > :01:28.After two days of debate and passionate speeches on all sides,
:01:29. > :01:31.the moment finally came for MPs to vote on the bill
:01:32. > :01:37.allowing the Government to trigger our exit from the EU.
:01:38. > :01:45.The ayes to the right, 498. The noes to the left, 114.
:01:46. > :02:00.CHEERING The ayes to the right, 498. The noes
:02:01. > :02:04.to the left, 114. So the ayes have it, the ayes have it.
:02:05. > :02:06.That result was the culmination of a process started
:02:07. > :02:08.when the Government's right to trigger Brexit
:02:09. > :02:10.without Parliament's consent was challenged in the courts.
:02:11. > :02:12.There had been nearly 12 hours of debate on Tuesday,
:02:13. > :02:14.and a further six hours on Wednesday -
:02:15. > :02:23.At the start of day two, a former Labour leader saw a danger
:02:24. > :02:25.in the UK now looking to forge a closer relationship
:02:26. > :02:31.with the President of the United States.
:02:32. > :02:38.I can go along with the Prime Minister that Brexit means Brexit.
:02:39. > :02:46.But I cannot: with the idea that Brexit means Trump. Nor do I believe
:02:47. > :02:52.that that is inevitable, nor do I believe that is what the British
:02:53. > :02:56.people want. But the danger is this. The Prime Minister feels it is an
:02:57. > :03:10.inevitable consequence of leaving the EU that we are driven into the
:03:11. > :03:16.arms of resident Trump. We will see sweep aside the political damage. We
:03:17. > :03:19.will not accept the proposals from Scotland to follow the votes of
:03:20. > :03:24.people and a nation of Scotland that retain our European connection.
:03:25. > :03:29.We're not interested in preserving Scottish jobs. That is the criteria
:03:30. > :03:33.and attitude of government. If that is what this Prime Minister wants to
:03:34. > :03:39.do with Scotland, if she's determined to throw down the
:03:40. > :03:45.gauntlet, then she can be absolutely sure that Nicola Sturgeon as First
:03:46. > :03:50.Minister will pick it up. We will need to have a bridge that we seek
:03:51. > :03:52.with the European Union. At the same time, the European Union needs from
:03:53. > :03:57.us financial commitments that it believes we entered into to pay for
:03:58. > :04:01.European projects that were undertaken while we were a member.
:04:02. > :04:07.In practice what that means is that the negotiation will be a trade-off,
:04:08. > :04:08.as all divorces are, between access and money.
:04:09. > :04:11.The debate featured a maiden speech from the House's newest MP.
:04:12. > :04:19.I'm not a lawyer, but I fail to understand how one can ask the
:04:20. > :04:25.electorate a question and then even consider disregarding the result. I
:04:26. > :04:31.believe that the referendum is not advice but an instruction to us. We
:04:32. > :04:39.asked the people, and the people said out, so out we must go. When
:04:40. > :04:44.all is said and done, the decision on whether the deal but Prime
:04:45. > :04:48.Minister negotiates is good enough will be decided by someone. Someone
:04:49. > :04:51.will make that decision. Should it be the Prime Minister? Should it be
:04:52. > :04:55.those privileged to be here? Or should it be the British people who
:04:56. > :04:59.have delivered that decision? I say it should be put to the people in a
:05:00. > :05:02.referendum. That is why the Liberal Democrats are fighting for the
:05:03. > :05:08.British people to have the final vote on the deal this government
:05:09. > :05:14.negotiates. Democracy! Democracy means accepting the will of the
:05:15. > :05:18.people. At the beginning of the process and at the end of the
:05:19. > :05:23.process. I would caution those thinking of voting against the night
:05:24. > :05:28.to be careful what they wish for and to be careful for wishing for a
:05:29. > :05:31.second referendums. I think the people, advocates of free speech and
:05:32. > :05:36.free press in a powerful democracy would view their wishes dimly. So
:05:37. > :05:39.much of this has been about how we defend democracy by voting for
:05:40. > :05:44.Article 50. It should not be about that, it is how we strengthen
:05:45. > :05:47.democracy over the next two years. This is the moment we begin to take
:05:48. > :05:52.back control of outlaws, how borders and our money. Once again, we become
:05:53. > :05:59.a sovereign nation state in command of our own destiny, and I'm
:06:00. > :06:02.absolutely delighted about that. I campaigned like others fall remain
:06:03. > :06:05.but I accept the Democratic revolt and I think we should allow the
:06:06. > :06:09.article 50 notice to be triggered. I do agree with those that said that
:06:10. > :06:16.if we do not do that, a crisis in our democracy helps no one. A Labour
:06:17. > :06:18.A Labour MP who resigned from her front bench position
:06:19. > :06:20.explained why she couldn't vote for the Bill.
:06:21. > :06:27.I feel I would be abandoning my duty to my constituents who have over one
:06:28. > :06:31.in the and unwaveringly made their point that they do not want to leave
:06:32. > :06:34.the European Union. 75% of my constituents voted to remain in the
:06:35. > :06:35.European Union. The DUP's Westminster
:06:36. > :06:36.leader rejected warnings of dire consequences
:06:37. > :06:48.for Northern Ireland of Brexit. The fact is that when we remained in
:06:49. > :06:58.sterling and the Irish Republic join the euro along with other European
:06:59. > :07:02.partners states, this would cause all sorts of problems on the island
:07:03. > :07:05.of Ireland, this would lead to destruction, economic and political.
:07:06. > :07:06.None of that happened. People adapted.
:07:07. > :07:09.Well, that second and final day of debate was wrapped up
:07:10. > :07:12.with the Shadow Minister for Exiting the EU confirming Labour would back
:07:13. > :07:15.the bill before the house triggering the start of Brexit.
:07:16. > :07:21.But she issued a warning to the Prime Minister.
:07:22. > :07:30.This must be a deal worth the of the consent of this House. If she and
:07:31. > :07:36.her negotiators failed to achieve a deal worthy of our country, they
:07:37. > :07:41.will not achieve our consent. The Prime Minister must deliver the deal
:07:42. > :07:48.she claims that she can. This is a straightforward Bill. It delivers on
:07:49. > :07:51.the promise made do the people of the United Kingdom to honour the
:07:52. > :07:52.outcome of the referendum. We must trust the people. I commend this
:07:53. > :07:55.Bill to the House. attempting to stop
:07:56. > :07:58.the bill in its tracks, but that was rejected
:07:59. > :08:22.by 336 votes to 100. Then it was onto the main vote,
:08:23. > :08:25.which won by 498 to 114. The cover for majority means the legislation
:08:26. > :08:27.will now go on to be debated in more detail in the Commons next week.
:08:28. > :08:31.Theresa May had faced the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn,
:08:32. > :08:33.for the regular round of Prime Minister's Questions.
:08:34. > :08:36.He pressed the Prime Minister over her recent visit to the US
:08:37. > :08:42.Theresa May was the first overseas leader to meet Mr Trump last week.
:08:43. > :08:47.before giving a joint news conference.
:08:48. > :08:50.Just hours after Mrs May left Washington,
:08:51. > :08:54.the President announced a ban on people from seven mainly Muslim
:08:55. > :08:59.The Labour leader took Theresa May back to what she'd said
:09:00. > :09:03.to the Commons just ahead of her visit.
:09:04. > :09:12.The Prime Minister told the House, I'm not afraid to speak frankly to
:09:13. > :09:15.the President of the United States. What happened? I'm happy to say to
:09:16. > :09:19.the right honourable gentleman that when I visited the United States,
:09:20. > :09:27.I'm pleased to say I was able to build on the relationship we have
:09:28. > :09:28.without most important ally, and do get some very significant
:09:29. > :09:37.commitments from President Trump. And crucial among those was a 100%
:09:38. > :09:45.commitment to Nato. Nato, which gives us safe and keep Europe safe
:09:46. > :09:48.as well. Downing Street has not denied that the prime Esther was
:09:49. > :09:52.told by the White House that the executive order on travel to the US
:09:53. > :09:58.was imminent. Let's be clear, was the Prime Minister told about the
:09:59. > :10:04.ban during her visit, and did she tried to persuade President Trump
:10:05. > :10:08.otherwise? If the is asking me whether I had advance notice of a
:10:09. > :10:12.ban on refugees, the answer is no. If he is asking me if I had advance
:10:13. > :10:16.notice that the executive order could affect British citizens, the
:10:17. > :10:22.answer is no. If he is asking if I advanced notice of the travel
:10:23. > :10:25.restrictions, the answer is that we all did because President Trump said
:10:26. > :10:38.he was going to do this in his election campaign. The question is
:10:39. > :10:47.how you respond. The job of government is not to chase the
:10:48. > :10:54.headlines. The job of government is not to take to the streets in
:10:55. > :10:56.protest. The job of government is to protect the interest of British
:10:57. > :11:00.citizens, and that is what we are doing. President Trump has torn up
:11:01. > :11:04.international agreements on refugees, she has threatened to dump
:11:05. > :11:11.international agreements on climate change, he's praised the use of
:11:12. > :11:15.torture, he has incited hatred against Muslims. He has directed
:11:16. > :11:19.attacked women's rights. What more does the President Trump have to do
:11:20. > :11:25.before the Prime Minister will listen to the 1.8 billion people who
:11:26. > :11:32.have already called for his state visit invitation to be withdrawn?
:11:33. > :11:37.The right honourable gentleman's foreign policy is to object to add
:11:38. > :11:44.insult the democratically elected head of state of our most important
:11:45. > :11:49.ally. Let's just see what he would have achieved in the last week.
:11:50. > :11:51.Would he have been able to protect British citizens from the impact of
:11:52. > :11:57.the executive order? No. Would he have been able to lay the
:11:58. > :12:02.foundations of a trade deal? No. Would he have got a 100% commitment
:12:03. > :12:06.to Nato? No. That is what Labour has to offer this country. Less
:12:07. > :12:16.protection for British citizens, less prosperous molest safe. -- less
:12:17. > :12:20.prosperous, less safe. He can lead a protest, I'm leading a country.
:12:21. > :12:26.You're watching Wednesday in Parliament with me, Alicia McCarthy.
:12:27. > :12:28.Up on the committee corridor, the International TradeSsecretary
:12:29. > :12:31.told MPs that the UK is already having talks over potential trade
:12:32. > :12:32.deals with countries including Australia,
:12:33. > :12:39.Liam Fox told the Commons International Trade Committee
:12:40. > :12:43.that the new trading relationships could not be a "substitute"
:12:44. > :12:46.for the EU's single market, but hoped they would be in addition
:12:47. > :12:49.to a free trade deal with the remaining member states.
:12:50. > :12:59.A Labour MP questioned him about claims made by the department.
:13:00. > :13:06.You wrote in the Telegraph on the 18th of January, embraced the Brave
:13:07. > :13:19.new world of free trade, and you talked about... The headline was,
:13:20. > :13:24.Liam Fox confirms Brexit talks with 12 countries across the world. Could
:13:25. > :13:28.you list those 12 countries? I won't list them all because some of them
:13:29. > :13:33.we are still in confidential discussions with. But I can say that
:13:34. > :13:39.in terms of Australia, we have a trade working group. In terms of
:13:40. > :13:46.China, we have a trade working group and I'm chairing the committee in
:13:47. > :13:53.Beijing in April. With the collection of Gulf states, we are
:13:54. > :13:56.working with them to determine what our relationship would be, given
:13:57. > :14:05.that they are keen on our potential future FTA with India, we have a
:14:06. > :14:08.working group. We have embarked on a process of trade on it. If you were
:14:09. > :14:10.to add up all of those potential countries, the level at their
:14:11. > :14:14.exports that you are talking about, all the lists you have that, it
:14:15. > :14:24.doesn't come anywhere near the level of exports that we have today you.
:14:25. > :14:30.Relative to our primary block, that set of relationship comes nowhere
:14:31. > :14:33.close, does it? I'm sure the former chief secretary is aware that adding
:14:34. > :14:41.a small mummers gets bigger in the end. Of course, it is not an either/
:14:42. > :14:47.or. We are looking at either we trade with the EU IP body else. But
:14:48. > :14:50.it is not a substitute, is it? Nobody has said it is a substitute.
:14:51. > :14:56.Your Department released a press release at the beginning of the
:14:57. > :14:58.dear, securing over 60 billion of foreign investment. The financial
:14:59. > :15:04.Times went through the lists that you had here. In fact, most of those
:15:05. > :15:10.had already been secured long before the referendum. Fake news?
:15:11. > :15:21.It's the continuity of what UKTI is doing. And it was an antidote to the
:15:22. > :15:30.idea that people are not going to be investing in the United Kingdom. We
:15:31. > :15:36.will be chairing the UK Qatar investment conference in March. Do
:15:37. > :15:45.you regret the title to your press release? I don't regret it at all.
:15:46. > :15:50.Liam Fox. The former UK ambassador to the EU,
:15:51. > :15:57.Sir Ivan Rogers, has told MPs that Brussels could issue a Brexit bill
:15:58. > :15:59.of up to 60 billion euros. Sir Ivan made the headlines
:16:00. > :16:02.in December after the BBC reported his private remarks
:16:03. > :16:04.to the Prime Minister about how long
:16:05. > :16:06.Brexit negotiations could take. Sir Ivan stepped down last month -
:16:07. > :16:11.ten months earlier than expected. In his resignation letter,
:16:12. > :16:13.he told officials to challenge "muddled
:16:14. > :16:15.thinking" in the Brexit process. Now, in his first public appearance
:16:16. > :16:21.since his resignation, he has told
:16:22. > :16:22.the European Scrutiny Committee that Brexit negotiations
:16:23. > :16:34.could be difficult. It is a negotiation on the scale
:16:35. > :16:38.that we haven't experienced, probably ever but certainly since
:16:39. > :16:45.the Second World War. I think there's always a danger in
:16:46. > :16:48.generalising from specific experience in budget negotiations
:16:49. > :16:53.I've had all tax negotiations or emissions. They all have a
:16:54. > :16:58.specificity to them. This is going to be on a huge scale, we will have
:16:59. > :17:02.enormous amounts of business running up various different channels. And
:17:03. > :17:06.they involve difficult trade-offs for Her Majesty's governments and
:17:07. > :17:10.difficult trade-offs for the other 27 on the other side of the table.
:17:11. > :17:12.Sir Bill Cash asked him about an assertion in the letter
:17:13. > :17:15.last October that exit negotiations could take ten years.
:17:16. > :17:21.You said that it was going to take ten years. Can you confirm whether
:17:22. > :17:28.in fact you actually said that? Or was that meant to be, was it a leak?
:17:29. > :17:35.Was it an intention that you thought you would be able to get across a
:17:36. > :17:42.message without anyone really knowing quite... Can you give us
:17:43. > :17:46.some more information about that? I can indeed. I never said it would
:17:47. > :17:50.take ten years. I think what I put in print, as I say, I have the
:17:51. > :17:55.formula here somewhere but I'm not shy can lay my hands on it. What I
:17:56. > :18:02.put in print was that Mike summary of the Beltway wisdom from the
:18:03. > :18:12.people I talked to on a daily basis was that a negotiation on FTA and a
:18:13. > :18:19.ratification process from all 28 parliaments would probably take
:18:20. > :18:24.until the early born mid-2020s for ratification. I think those were my
:18:25. > :18:30.exact words. Is this reporting by BBC based on off the record remarks
:18:31. > :18:40.and observations that you made them? No. It isn't? No. Where do you think
:18:41. > :18:44.it came from? I had no idea. I know the origin of it in terms of which
:18:45. > :18:47.bit of text it comes from and I've just given you the more accurate
:18:48. > :18:56.account of what that bit of text said and wrote that before the first
:18:57. > :19:00.Council appearance. The route by which it got to the BBC by December
:19:01. > :19:05.15 which was the day of the European Council issue when it exploded and I
:19:06. > :19:09.was all over the screens on the 15th, why it took two months to get
:19:10. > :19:16.there and buy what route it got where I couldn't possibly say. But
:19:17. > :19:22.to be very clear, I never leak, I never have never would, never have
:19:23. > :19:28.under any Government. The origin of this has nothing to do... We hear
:19:29. > :19:35.threats and I can only issue they are threats that we will have to pay
:19:36. > :19:43.billions of pounds to leave this club. You don't pay to leave a club.
:19:44. > :19:48.You say thank you very much indeed and leave. So do you think this is a
:19:49. > :19:56.genuine threat to us to have to pay billions of euros to a club that we
:19:57. > :19:59.are leaving? Do you think that is a reasonable thing? I think it can be
:20:00. > :20:08.both genuine and reasonable, if I may say so. I think it is genuine
:20:09. > :20:13.and you have seen the coverage in various Bahrain newspapers so it is
:20:14. > :20:18.being said by others in the commission that the total financial
:20:19. > :20:25.liability as they see it might be in the order of 40- 60 billion euros on
:20:26. > :20:33.exit. I think they do believe that. I don't know the origin of that
:20:34. > :20:36.figure but I think I can guess it. I think they will mount up that
:20:37. > :20:37.figure. He called it a predictably very hard
:20:38. > :20:40.line coming from the EU commission A Foreign Office Minister has told
:20:41. > :20:45.peers that President Assad cannot be trusted and is incapable of bringing
:20:46. > :20:50.an end to Syria's bloody conflict. Last week the Foreign Secretary,
:20:51. > :20:54.Boris Johnson, appeared to suggest to a Lords committee that the UK
:20:55. > :20:57.might have to reconsider Answering questions in the Lords,
:20:58. > :21:11.Lady Anelay was adamant Could we not have a new realistic
:21:12. > :21:20.approach recognising that we cannot remove Assad? In the words of the
:21:21. > :21:25.patriarch of the Orthodox Church here a few months ago, he should be
:21:26. > :21:29.a candidate in any election, far be it from me to suggest that if he
:21:30. > :21:36.wins he be invited on a second state visit... But my Lords, should we not
:21:37. > :21:43.establish diplomatic representation in Damascus and be at the centre so
:21:44. > :21:48.that when peace is eventually restored, we have played a
:21:49. > :21:53.constructive part in restoring it? This is, my Lords, a country where
:21:54. > :21:57.Assad has shown he is incapable of protecting his own people. But my
:21:58. > :22:01.Lords, where I agree with my honourable friend is that we should
:22:02. > :22:05.not dictate an outcome. What we are saying is that Assad has not proved
:22:06. > :22:11.that he can bring peace to the country. Can the noble minister tell
:22:12. > :22:15.us whether the Foreign Office are considering any increase or any
:22:16. > :22:22.installation of diplomatic presence in Damascus? My Lords, certainly
:22:23. > :22:25.not. What we found in the past is that Assad is an unreliable person
:22:26. > :22:29.come in dealings we had with him. It would not be appropriate to show
:22:30. > :22:31.that we trust him in anyway, because he isn't to be trusted.
:22:32. > :22:39.the SNP's Westminster leader offered his congratulations.
:22:40. > :22:46.The Prime Minister had a very successful international visit in
:22:47. > :22:51.this last week. To Ireland! And there she spoke publicly about her
:22:52. > :22:56.commitment. And it's very important, I think, this. Commitment not to
:22:57. > :22:59.have a hard border on these islands, that there should continue to be
:23:00. > :23:04.free movement of peoples on these islands and that trade should be
:23:05. > :23:08.protected and enhanced. So given that people will be watching this
:23:09. > :23:12.not just in Britain but in Ireland, would she take the opportunity now
:23:13. > :23:18.to explain how she will deliver these sensible and important
:23:19. > :23:26.outcomes? These are absolutely the outcomes that we want to see. I was
:23:27. > :23:29.very pleased to meet and discuss the joint intent that both his
:23:30. > :23:31.Government and mine have to ensure that we don't see a return to the
:23:32. > :23:38.borders of the past in Northern Ireland. Just do say that of course
:23:39. > :23:41.we focus on the land border that is between Northern Ireland and the
:23:42. > :23:44.Republic of Ireland. Of course the issue of movements from Ireland
:23:45. > :23:48.affects other places as well, it affects sports in Wales and of
:23:49. > :23:51.course Stranraer. The Prime Minister has very helpfully explained that it
:23:52. > :23:56.is perfectly possible for parts of these islands to be in the single
:23:57. > :24:01.market, without hard borders, with free movement of people, and at the
:24:02. > :24:09.same time protecting and trading with one another. This is very, very
:24:10. > :24:13.welcome, Mr Speaker. So a commitment to work with the Irish Government
:24:14. > :24:16.and to work with the Scottish Government to deliver all of these
:24:17. > :24:19.things... He really should listen to the answers that are given because
:24:20. > :24:26.he is trying to imply something that isn't there. Yes. We're very clear
:24:27. > :24:30.that we want to see the frictionless border between Northern Ireland and
:24:31. > :24:35.the Republic of Ireland. But I'm also clear that one of our
:24:36. > :24:37.negotiation objectives is to see as frictionless a border as possible
:24:38. > :24:43.between the United Kingdom and the rest of the European Union. And of
:24:44. > :24:46.course, if he is so worried about having a frictionless border between
:24:47. > :24:50.Scotland and the European Union, he shouldn't want to take Scotland out
:24:51. > :24:52.of the European Union with independence!
:24:53. > :24:54.A Conservative stood up next and asked when MPs would see
:24:55. > :24:56.the Government's policy document, or white paper, on Brexit.
:24:57. > :25:02.EU nationals provide a vital and experts that this in my local
:25:03. > :25:07.hospital in Basingstoke. And along with thousands of others, they face
:25:08. > :25:11.an uncertain future. I know this is something the Prime Minister wants
:25:12. > :25:16.to give priority to in sorting out. Will we be hearing more about it in
:25:17. > :25:20.the forthcoming White Paper? I hope we will be working to ensure that
:25:21. > :25:25.this is an issue we can deal with in the early stage. It was one of the
:25:26. > :25:28.objectives I set out in the plan and it will be referenced in the White
:25:29. > :25:30.Paper which will be published and I can inform my right honourable
:25:31. > :25:32.friend and the house that that paper will be published tomorrow.
:25:33. > :25:34.Theresa May announcing the publication
:25:35. > :25:35.of the Government's Brexit policy paper.
:25:36. > :25:39.but do join me at the same time tomorrow,
:25:40. > :25:44.MPs will debate the harm caused by alcohol.
:25:45. > :25:49.But for now from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.