:00:00. > :00:17.Now it's time for a look back at the day in parliament.
:00:18. > :00:20.Hello and welcome to Wednesday in Parliament, our look at the best
:00:21. > :00:22.of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
:00:23. > :00:27.Drama in the House of Lords, as the Government suffers its first
:00:28. > :00:29.defeat on the Bill that starts the UK's departure process
:00:30. > :00:47.The Labour leader attacks Theresa May over changes
:00:48. > :00:56.This is a shameful decision that will affect people with dementia.
:00:57. > :01:05.Why will they not let local authorities decide what's best
:01:06. > :01:11.We're back to the situation where every Labour councillor
:01:12. > :01:18.is trying to set up their own bus company.
:01:19. > :01:21.Lots of ideas on how to run our bus services.
:01:22. > :01:24.But first, the Government has suffered a setback in the House
:01:25. > :01:27.of Lords in its plans to start negotiations on leaving the EU
:01:28. > :01:31.Peers decisively backed a Labour-led amendment to guarantee the rights
:01:32. > :01:35.The defeat means the EU Notification of Withdrawal Bill,
:01:36. > :01:38.better known as the Brexit Bill, will now have to return
:01:39. > :01:41.to the Commons, where MPs will either accept or reject
:01:42. > :01:45.The crucial vote in the Lords came after a three-hour debate
:01:46. > :01:49.First, Labour's Lady Hayter spoke about the interests of British
:01:50. > :01:55.citizens living in the 27 countries of the EU outside the UK.
:01:56. > :02:00.We all have heard lots of representations of the serious
:02:01. > :02:03.worries of Britons who have settled abroad.
:02:04. > :02:06.They've got homes, children, jobs or lives there and they now
:02:07. > :02:08.fear for their rights, their access to medical treatment
:02:09. > :02:16.and other services and wonder what the future holds for them.
:02:17. > :02:20.And it's not acceptable to place such people under that pressure.
:02:21. > :02:24.And it is quite clear to everyone in this House that there is no
:02:25. > :02:27.chance that Parliament would approve the expulsion of EU citizens legally
:02:28. > :02:38.And this is understood by the Government.
:02:39. > :02:41.There is no way the Government would propose this so there is no
:02:42. > :02:45.danger what ever to EU citizens resident in the UK so apart
:02:46. > :02:47.from a certain amount, too much I would say,
:02:48. > :02:49.in my personal opinion, of virtue signalling,
:02:50. > :02:51.what is the purpose of this amendment?
:02:52. > :03:00.This amendment has no place in this Bill whatever.
:03:01. > :03:05.In the end, this is a matter of principle.
:03:06. > :03:08.This House can, in fact, make a unilateral decision and give
:03:09. > :03:12.a unilateral guarantee and, my Lords, that is what we should do.
:03:13. > :03:15.Let us all remember how shocked we were when Idi Amin expelled
:03:16. > :03:24.So shocked that we offered them refuge in this country.
:03:25. > :03:31.The question that your Lordships have to decide this afternoon
:03:32. > :03:37.is what action to take in the light of the truth,
:03:38. > :03:44.perhaps unpalatable to many of your Lordships,
:03:45. > :03:49.unpalatable to me because I have made it clear on numerous occasions
:03:50. > :03:53.that I actually favour a unilateral guarantee,
:03:54. > :03:58.that I think that is what the Government should give,
:03:59. > :04:01.but nevertheless, what actions should your Lordships take
:04:02. > :04:07.in the face of the unpalatable truth that the Government is not
:04:08. > :04:11.As we've heard, over 3 million people live in this country
:04:12. > :04:17.It's not just them who are experiencing anguish.
:04:18. > :04:21.It's also their family members, it's also their employers,
:04:22. > :04:27.Indeed, it affects a whole cadre of people well
:04:28. > :04:33.And I suspect that our committee is at the receiving end
:04:34. > :04:37.of the greatest number of communications from those people
:04:38. > :04:40.about their distress, their anxiety, the fears of their children
:04:41. > :04:46.and the fears that they have as to their future.
:04:47. > :04:49.Why is everybody here today so excited about this amendment
:04:50. > :04:54.which looks after the foreigners and not the British?
:04:55. > :05:04.I just would like to point out to the noble Lord that the reason
:05:05. > :05:07.that the amendment is structured as it is because we are conscious
:05:08. > :05:10.of the powers of the British Government and the British
:05:11. > :05:13.Government is able to determine the lives of the EU citizens
:05:14. > :05:16.resident in this country but we are not able to determine
:05:17. > :05:20.the lives of our own citizens abroad but that does not mean to say
:05:21. > :05:24.we think any less of them and we are fighting for them.
:05:25. > :05:26.So, of course, we don't have the power to look
:05:27. > :05:32.Not in these days when we don't have many gunboats.
:05:33. > :05:40.But we have an obligation to look after the rights of those
:05:41. > :05:43.people and to look after those rights first and I think
:05:44. > :05:46.that the best way in which we can in fact preserve the rights
:05:47. > :05:50.of all those concerned, EU citizens here, our citizens
:05:51. > :05:53.on the continent, is to allow the process of section 50 to be
:05:54. > :06:06.proceeded with as expeditiously as possible.
:06:07. > :06:11.Lord Bragg believed the outcome of the referendum was a disaster.
:06:12. > :06:14.One major aspect of the disaster is to turn our backs on those
:06:15. > :06:18.who come here and give their talents and skills to the United Kingdom,
:06:19. > :06:23.settle here, transforming us in so many ways for the better.
:06:24. > :06:29.They're now reduced to pawns in a Government strategy that too
:06:30. > :06:32.many observers here and abroad seems largely clueless and without any
:06:33. > :06:33.response, save bluster, to any critical questions.
:06:34. > :06:37.I think that the Government ought to accept that the weight of opinion
:06:38. > :06:40.is in favour of that unilateral guarantee which will then trigger
:06:41. > :06:48.What has changed is the Prime Minister has said
:06:49. > :06:53.She has said that the fate of those people living in this country
:06:54. > :06:57.from Europe will be determined by primary legislation and that no
:06:58. > :07:00.change will be made other than with the agreement of the other
:07:01. > :07:04.That's good enough for me not to wish to amend a Bill
:07:05. > :07:10.Which allows us to get on with the process
:07:11. > :07:13.These people are not bargaining chips.
:07:14. > :07:17.If we say, quite freely, that they are now free to stay,
:07:18. > :07:20.that actually does give the moral high ground to our Government
:07:21. > :07:23.in its negotiations and I would argue that all noble Lords,
:07:24. > :07:25.including noble Lord Howard, should vote with their consciences
:07:26. > :07:36.If, as I do, we want to see this decision which the Government makes
:07:37. > :07:42.on the half of all of us, that citizenship should be
:07:43. > :07:45.guaranteed to remain, the best way to do it is to call
:07:46. > :07:48.the bluff of Angela Merkel by saying, we have now triggered
:07:49. > :07:51.Article 50 and we will go in unilaterally and talk
:07:52. > :07:55.It will be much quicker than the three months of proposals
:07:56. > :07:59.which have been written for this amendment.
:08:00. > :08:01.My Lords, this is a matter of principle.
:08:02. > :08:05.It is a simple matter of principle of being prepared to do the right
:08:06. > :08:09.thing because it is the right thing and being prepared to say
:08:10. > :08:13.so and that is what I hope these benches and members on all sides
:08:14. > :08:16.of the House, not all members, but members on all sides
:08:17. > :08:19.of the House, including the Bishop's bench, will be prepared to do
:08:20. > :08:30.The reason why I cannot support these amendments is the fundamental
:08:31. > :08:34.flaw that lies at the heart of these amendments is that they will create
:08:35. > :08:39.more uncertainty in particular for the million British
:08:40. > :08:46.The noble Lord said we should trust the British Government.
:08:47. > :08:49.The Home Secretary's written a letter to all of us
:08:50. > :08:51.in which he says, I reassure my colleagues that Parliament
:08:52. > :08:56.This is the same Home Secretary who wanted companies to list
:08:57. > :09:01.This is the same home department that has a minister who wants EU
:09:02. > :09:03.workers, for companies to pay ?1000 per EU worker.
:09:04. > :09:12.The law can only be changed with the agreement of Parliament.
:09:13. > :09:16.That is why these amendments are at the wrong time in the wrong
:09:17. > :09:20.bill on the wrong subject and we should support the rights
:09:21. > :09:25.of British citizens living in Europe.
:09:26. > :09:28.But when the House divided, peers voted for the Labour-led
:09:29. > :09:34.amendment and against the Government.
:09:35. > :09:51.Later, Government sources said Ministers would seek to overturn
:09:52. > :09:56.the Lords defeat on the Brexit Bill in the Commons.
:09:57. > :09:59.At Prime Minister's Questions, Jeremy Corbyn has claimed Ministers
:10:00. > :10:03.have made a "shameful decision" on the entitlement of people
:10:04. > :10:08.The Government intends changing the criteria for the daily living
:10:09. > :10:11.component of Personal Independence Payments,
:10:12. > :10:15.or PIPs, to make the system "fairer."
:10:16. > :10:17.The Labour leader asked why Ministers couldn't find the money
:10:18. > :10:20.to support people with mental health conditions.
:10:21. > :10:40.A year ago, the new Work and Pensions Secretary said you can
:10:41. > :10:43.tell the House, "We're not going ahead with the changes to PIP
:10:44. > :10:48.Her friend, the member for South Cambridgeshire,
:10:49. > :10:51.said "In my view, the courts are there for a reason.
:10:52. > :10:55.If they've come up with this ruling that says that the criteria should
:10:56. > :10:57.be extended, I believe we've got a duty to honour that."
:10:58. > :11:04.He referred to the Social Security advisory committee and they can
:11:05. > :11:10.My right honourable friend the Work and Pensions Secretary called
:11:11. > :11:13.the chairman of the Social Security advisory committee and spoke to him
:11:14. > :11:16.about the regulations on the day they were being introduced.
:11:17. > :11:21.He called the chairman of the Work and Pensions select committee
:11:22. > :11:24.and spoke to him about the regulations that
:11:25. > :11:29.He called both offices of the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary,
:11:30. > :11:32.but they were still outside and they didn't come back to him
:11:33. > :11:42.Mr Speaker... Mr Speaker...
:11:43. > :11:46.Calling the... Mr Speaker, calling the...
:11:47. > :11:53.Mr Speaker, calling the chairs of two committees and making
:11:54. > :11:56.a written statement to the House does not add up to scrutiny and,
:11:57. > :12:00.as I understand it, there was no call made to the office of my friend
:12:01. > :12:08.Mr Speaker, the reality is this is a shameful decision that
:12:09. > :12:11.will affect people with dementia, those suffering cognitive disorders
:12:12. > :12:14.due to a stroke, military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder
:12:15. > :12:27.Can she look at the effects of her decision to override
:12:28. > :12:33.what an independent court has decided and think again?
:12:34. > :12:36.The issues that he raises, the conditions that he raises,
:12:37. > :12:38.these are taken into account when decisions are made
:12:39. > :12:43.about the personal independence payments.
:12:44. > :12:45.What the court said was that the regulations were unclear.
:12:46. > :12:49.That is why we are clarifying the regulations and we are ensuring
:12:50. > :12:51.that they respect that they reflect the original intention
:12:52. > :12:59.Theresa May said the Government wasn't cutting benefits and said
:13:00. > :13:01.no-one would see a reduction from the benefit already
:13:02. > :13:09.This week, her policy chair suggested people with debilitating
:13:10. > :13:11.conditions were those who, and I quote, "who take pills
:13:12. > :13:15.at home, who suffer from anxiety and were not really disabled."
:13:16. > :13:22.Isn't that proof the nasty party's still around?
:13:23. > :13:24.My honourable friend has rightly apologised for the comments
:13:25. > :13:28.that he made and I hope that this whole House will accept his apology.
:13:29. > :13:32.The right honourable gentleman asks me about the parity
:13:33. > :13:34.between mental health and physical...
:13:35. > :13:37.Mental health conditions and physical conditions.
:13:38. > :13:41.It is this Conservative Government that has introduced parity of esteem
:13:42. > :13:44.in relation to dealing with mental health in the National Health
:13:45. > :13:53.There are 6600 fewer mental health nurses and 160,000 people
:13:54. > :13:59.with severe mental health conditions are about to lose out on support.
:14:00. > :14:02.Can she not recognise parity of esteem means funding it properly
:14:03. > :14:06.and not overriding court decisions that would benefit people suffering
:14:07. > :14:16.We should reach out to them, not deny them the support they need.
:14:17. > :14:19.As I say, we are spending more than ever on mental health.
:14:20. > :14:24.More people each week are now receiving treatment in relation
:14:25. > :14:26.to mental health than have done previously.
:14:27. > :14:28.Is there more for us to do on mental health?
:14:29. > :14:34.I've said that in this chamber in answer to questions that
:14:35. > :14:42."Well, do it," shouts the Shadow Foreign Secretary
:14:43. > :14:44.from her normal sedentary position, commenting...
:14:45. > :14:52.We are doing it, that's why we're putting record
:14:53. > :14:58.That's why we're seeing more people actually being provided with mental
:14:59. > :15:09.health treatment every week under this Government.
:15:10. > :15:12.Theresa May has tried to reassure Scottish Nationalists that those
:15:13. > :15:15.negotiating Britain's exit terms from the EU will be taking "full
:15:16. > :15:17.account" of the concerns of the devolved administrations
:15:18. > :15:20.At Prime Minister's Questions, the SNP's Westminster leader said
:15:21. > :15:24.Ministers had failed to come up with any answers
:15:25. > :15:27.as to what the future will be for Scottish agriculture and fishing
:15:28. > :15:31.These are important industries for the rural economy
:15:32. > :15:34.and they are devolved areas to the Scottish Government
:15:35. > :15:39.With Brexit ending the role of Brussels in these areas,
:15:40. > :15:41.we'll all decisions about agriculture and fisheries be
:15:42. > :15:48.Well, the right honourable gentleman knows very well
:15:49. > :15:50.that we are discussing with the devolved administrations
:15:51. > :15:53.the whole question of the UK framework and devolution of issues
:15:54. > :16:01.During the Brexit referendum, people in Scotland, including those
:16:02. > :16:03.working in the agriculture and fisheries sector,
:16:04. > :16:06.were told that farming and fisheries powers would be exercised fully
:16:07. > :16:08.by the Scottish Government and the Scottish parliament,
:16:09. > :16:17.Now, it seems judging by the Prime Minister's answer,
:16:18. > :16:23.Will the Prime Minister confirmed today, she has the opportunity,
:16:24. > :16:26.will she confirmed today that it is her intention to ensure
:16:27. > :16:29.that it is UK ministers that will negotiate and regulate over
:16:30. > :16:31.large areas that impact on Scottish fisheries
:16:32. > :16:41.When he asks about the negotiations were Brexit with the European Union,
:16:42. > :16:44.it will be the UK Government that will be negotiating
:16:45. > :16:47.with the European Union, taking full account of the interests
:16:48. > :16:56.And, indeed, of all the other regions of England.
:16:57. > :16:59.Then came a link between Brexit and supposed leadership manoeuvring
:17:00. > :17:06.The Prime Minister I'm sure cannot fail to have noticed
:17:07. > :17:09.the intervention by two former prime ministers recently in relation
:17:10. > :17:14.And as a result, very helpful they were, I'm sure.
:17:15. > :17:17.I'm sure the Prime Minister will know, of course,
:17:18. > :17:20.what they and everybody else means by hard Brexit,
:17:21. > :17:24.what is meant by soft Brexit, but we're all now wondering
:17:25. > :17:29.what is meant by a soft coup and when, indeed...
:17:30. > :17:39.And when indeed it might be triggered and when we will know it
:17:40. > :17:45.Perhaps the Prime Minister can elucidate on that as well
:17:46. > :17:48.since she's been so helpful in so many other ways.
:17:49. > :17:51.Would she take the opportunity today, however, to make it clear
:17:52. > :17:54.that whatever former prime ministers may say and whatever members
:17:55. > :17:57.of the unelected upper house may say, the reality is that her plan
:17:58. > :18:11.to trigger Article 50 by the end of March is now clearly on track?
:18:12. > :18:13.I thank the right honourable gentleman for the question
:18:14. > :18:18.It is indeed my plan to trigger by the end of March when I refer
:18:19. > :18:22.to that, I refer of course to the triggering of Article 50
:18:23. > :18:24.rather than attempting to trigger any coup,
:18:25. > :18:26.soft or otherwise, that might take place.
:18:27. > :18:28.It is still our intention to do that.
:18:29. > :18:31.You're watching our round-up of the day in the Commons
:18:32. > :18:35.Still to come: Parliament's newest MP gets a warm welcome,
:18:36. > :18:39.from one half of the House of Commons.
:18:40. > :18:42.There's been growing concern in recent months about Russia's
:18:43. > :18:48.Russia is building up its forces there, causing the US
:18:49. > :18:52.to describe its actions as "aggressive".
:18:53. > :18:56.It is also planning a new wave of giant icebreaking ships.
:18:57. > :18:58.The region is believed to contain massive and,
:18:59. > :19:00.as yet untapped, reserves of oil and gas.
:19:01. > :19:02.A Commons defence committee is investigating what is happening
:19:03. > :19:06.in the region and what the UK should be doing about it.
:19:07. > :19:09.In its first session the committee heard from the Ambassadors of three
:19:10. > :19:21.To what degree do you sense any kind of threat in the Arctic?
:19:22. > :19:23.Quite clearly, Poland has expressed a threat coming from Russia.
:19:24. > :19:27.To what degree is there a threat to the peace and security
:19:28. > :19:31.If I can ask you to talk about Greenland.
:19:32. > :19:34.One of the main elements in our defence strategy
:19:35. > :19:37.for the Arctic region is a priority for us in Denmark to maintain
:19:38. > :19:45.the Arctic as a low tension region, which it actually is.
:19:46. > :19:56.We have a significant operation of all the Arctic states,
:19:57. > :19:58.both on a bilateral basis and a multilateral basis.
:19:59. > :20:01.We see the same things as I think everyone else sees.
:20:02. > :20:04.We see a Russia that is upgrading, modernising, building
:20:05. > :20:06.up its military forces in general and that takes place
:20:07. > :20:11.We also see a Russia that, in general, has showed itself ready
:20:12. > :20:14.to use military force to further its objectives
:20:15. > :20:16.in contravention of international law and we see, obviously,
:20:17. > :20:18.the Arctic is an area that is strategically crucial
:20:19. > :20:21.for Russia in several ways, not least being the basing area
:20:22. > :20:48.for their nuclear deterrent in Murmansk.
:20:49. > :20:49.The Russian official line is the re-militarisation,
:20:50. > :20:53.as we would see it, of the Arctic, with an additional 6000 troops
:20:54. > :20:56.which have been deployed recently, and the reopening of Arctic bases
:20:57. > :21:06.as well as a considerable, it would seem, investment in capabilities.
:21:07. > :21:09.It's merely an answer to the bad days of the Soviet Union
:21:10. > :21:12.when the infrastructure has been degraded and it is no more
:21:13. > :21:15.than an assertion of Russian sovereignty and with planet changing
:21:16. > :21:25.A different view, a second scenario, would be that this
:21:26. > :21:28.is a manifestation of Mr Putin's ambitions, that it fits
:21:29. > :21:31.with a greater Russian strategy and that in the shadow of Ukraine,
:21:32. > :21:34.Crimea, Georgia and indeed I would go back as far as the second
:21:35. > :21:42.Chechen war, that this could be preparation,
:21:43. > :22:01.So what role could and should the United Kingdom play in the region?
:22:02. > :22:04.I suppose that the United Kingdom could play a very positive role
:22:05. > :22:07.as a noble broker in the Arctic, because it has no geographical
:22:08. > :22:10.access to the region, but still, it plays a very substantial
:22:11. > :22:12.historical role of this region in exploration,
:22:13. > :22:15.and it could serve as a intermediary between Russia and other neutral
:22:16. > :22:35.countries at least with an understanding of This Place.
:22:36. > :22:38.And so my recommendation is that yes, we should think about some
:22:39. > :22:41.military and security developments in the Arctic and be cautious
:22:42. > :22:57.in formulating these ideas and projects.
:22:58. > :23:07.that was the pledge of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling
:23:08. > :23:09.when MPs debated the bus services bill.
:23:10. > :23:12.Among other things, it gives a new generation of directly elected
:23:13. > :23:14.mayors in the city regions of England responsibility
:23:15. > :23:18.But in the Lords, peers have altered the bill.
:23:19. > :23:20.Their change would allow local councils to set
:23:21. > :23:25.The Transport Secretary disagreed with that.
:23:26. > :23:28.We're not going back to the 1970s world, of local authority plans
:23:29. > :23:39.It was one of indifferent services that cost the taxpayer.
:23:40. > :23:42.We want decommissioning and provision of bus services to be
:23:43. > :23:46.kept separate as far as possible and to ensure that it will retain
:23:47. > :23:51.Although we will seek, Mr Speaker, to return this bill so that it
:23:52. > :23:56.What I was seeking to ask the Secretary of State
:23:57. > :23:58.was to understand his approach to municipal bus operators.
:23:59. > :24:02.When we look at the UK bus awards, and in four of the last five years
:24:03. > :24:05.it has been won by a municipal bus operator.
:24:06. > :24:08.I don't think the municipals are the answer to everything
:24:09. > :24:11.and I certainly wouldn't expect every local authority to want to set
:24:12. > :24:14.one up, but why will he not let local authorities decide what's
:24:15. > :24:19.We do not want to go back to the situation where every Labour
:24:20. > :24:21.council is trying to set up its own bus company.
:24:22. > :24:24.We think it will absorb private sector capital that could be
:24:25. > :24:31.The by-election winner in Copeland in Cumbria was welcomed
:24:32. > :24:34.into the Commons at the end of Prime Minister's Question Time.
:24:35. > :24:37.Huge cheers sounded from the packed benchers of the Conservatives
:24:38. > :24:41.as 40-year-old Trudy Harrison entered to take a seat.
:24:42. > :24:44.It had been, to say the least, a notable election victory
:24:45. > :24:49.for the former parish councillor in West Cumbria,
:24:50. > :24:52.as it was the first time a governing party had made a by-election gain
:24:53. > :24:59.The seat had been made vacant by the departure of the previous
:25:00. > :25:02.Labour MP for a job in the nuclear industry.
:25:03. > :25:08.Trudy Harrison took the oath in the traditional way.
:25:09. > :25:12.I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear
:25:13. > :25:15.true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors,
:25:16. > :25:26.Do join me for our next daily round-up.
:25:27. > :25:53.Until then, from me Keith McDougall, goodbye.
:25:54. > :25:55.Well, a very blustery night out there for some of us,
:25:56. > :25:58.particularly across southern parts of the UK, especially
:25:59. > :26:00.the south-west, around the Bristol Channel.