0:00:20 > 0:00:22Hello there, and welcome to the programme.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Coming up in the next half-hour:
0:00:26 > 0:00:28There's a different look to PMQs, but some familiar
0:00:28 > 0:00:30questions for the Government about the Brexit negotiations.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35As a country, we have got 20 months to go until Brexit.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38We absolutely have got to get a grip.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42It is conceivable that we would be offered a kind of punishment deal,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44that would be worse than no deal.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47It's not our intention, we want to have a deal,
0:00:47 > 0:00:48we want to have a good deal.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51The Government announces more money to help the Iraqi city of Mosul,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56following the defeat of so-called Islamic State there.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00And MPs speak up about the abuse they received from the public.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I accept that male politicians get abuse too.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06But I hope the one thing we can agree on in this chamber
0:01:07 > 0:01:09is that it is much worse for women.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13But first, Theresa May was otherwise engaged on Wednesday lunchtime,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16on parade for the formal visit for the King of Spain.
0:01:16 > 0:01:23So it was down to her Cabinet colleague, Damian Green,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25who's the First Secretary of State, to fill in for her.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27As is the convention, when the PM is away,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29the opposition also field a deputy.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32So he was facing the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornbury,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34across the dispatch box.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37She turned her attention to the Brexit negotiations,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41saying ministers had to get a grip on Brexit and reveal the impact
0:01:41 > 0:01:45of a no-deal scenario.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48This isn't some sinister nightmare, dreamt up by Remainers -
0:01:48 > 0:01:52it was the Prime Minister who first floated the idea of no deal.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56The Foreign Secretary said it would be privately OK.
0:01:56 > 0:02:05The Brexit Secretary who said we'd be prepared to walk away.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08But, since the election, the Chancellor has said that would be
0:02:08 > 0:02:09a very, very bad outcome.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12And a former minister has told Sky News that no deal is dead.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14So will the First Secretary clear this up?
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Are ministers just making it up as they're going along...?
0:02:17 > 0:02:23GENERAL CLAMOUR
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Or is it still the Government's clear policy that
0:02:27 > 0:02:31no deal is an option?
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I recommend the right honourable lady read
0:02:33 > 0:02:35the Prime Minister's Lancaster House speech, that is the basis
0:02:35 > 0:02:38on which we're negotiating.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41But we're also saying that it is conceivable
0:02:41 > 0:02:44that we would be offered a kind of punishment deal that
0:02:44 > 0:02:47would be worse than no deal.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49It's not our intention, we want to have a deal,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51we want to have a good deal.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Can I also point out to her, that it is her leader
0:02:54 > 0:02:56and her party's position that, whatever is on offer,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58they will accept it.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02That is a terrible way...
0:03:02 > 0:03:06That is a terrible way to go into a negotiation.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Emily Thornbury asked again what no deal would mean.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13And she made reference to the suspension of Anne Marie Morris
0:03:13 > 0:03:21from the Conservative Party producing a racially offensive term.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Well, the First Secretary apparently didn't get
0:03:23 > 0:03:25the Prime Minister's memo - you're supposed to be
0:03:25 > 0:03:26building consensus, man.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29CHEERING
0:03:29 > 0:03:32And if we ignore the political bluster...
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And if we ignore the political bluster, I think what
0:03:35 > 0:03:38we heard was that no deal is still indeed an option.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41And if that's the case, can we turn to what we I might call
0:03:41 > 0:03:44the East India Club question?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Because before of the member for Newton Abbot suddenly turned
0:03:47 > 0:03:49herself into Nick Griffin, this was the question
0:03:49 > 0:03:54that she was trying to ask - what does no deal actually mean
0:03:54 > 0:03:58for our businesses, for our people and for issues such
0:03:58 > 0:04:00as the Irish land border?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Damian Green said he was all for consensus, so...
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I very much look forward to sharing the Labour Party's views this
0:04:07 > 0:04:09morning on the unemployment figures.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14CHEERING
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Unemployment is now down to its lowest levels
0:04:19 > 0:04:21since the early 70s.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26There are many members of this House who weren't born when unemployment
0:04:26 > 0:04:29was as low as this Government has made it.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32As to the substance of the question, he said the Government was seeking
0:04:32 > 0:04:36a good deal for Britain that enabled us to trade as freely as possible
0:04:36 > 0:04:40with the EU while securing trade deals with other countries.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Emily Thornbury said the point of the session was for her to ask
0:04:43 > 0:04:46the questions and Mr Green to answer them.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50We've got a Chancellor demanding transitional arrangements,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52which a no-deal option makes impossible.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56We've got a Foreign Secretary making it up as he's going along.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01We've got a Brexit Secretary so used to overruling his colleagues that
0:05:01 > 0:05:03he's started overruling himself.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08And we've got a Prime Minister so bereft of ideas and she's started
0:05:08 > 0:05:11putting suggestion boxes around Parliament.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16But as a country, as a country, we have got 20 months
0:05:16 > 0:05:18to go until Brexit.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21We absolutely have got to get a grip.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25And if the party opposite hasn't got the strength for the task,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29when we've absolutely got to get rid of them.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32What we would have, as we have seen from the Labour Party,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35they have so far, I counted, had nine different plans on Europe.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39They want to be both in and out of the single market,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41in and out of the customs union.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45They've said they wanted to remain, they voted for Article 50,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47they split their party on that.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And she made one point about whether she would prefer to be
0:05:51 > 0:05:54at this dispatch box rather than at that dispatch box.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58I would also remind her of the other event that happened recently,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02when the Conservative Party got more votes and more seats
0:06:02 > 0:06:06then the Labour Party and won the election.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Can the First Secretary of State confirm the devolved administrations
0:06:10 > 0:06:15will not face a diminution of powers as a result of the Repeal Bill?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17I'm happy to reconfirm what my right honourable friend
0:06:17 > 0:06:20the Prime Minister and others have said that, yes, under
0:06:20 > 0:06:23the terms of the Brexit deal that we will negotiate,
0:06:23 > 0:06:28there will be no diminution of the devolved administrations'
0:06:28 > 0:06:32powers, and that we look to devolve more powers as a result
0:06:32 > 0:06:35of this process.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Damian Green.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Now, the Prime Minister has asked the Committee on Standards
0:06:39 > 0:06:43in Public Life to conduct a review into the intimidation experienced
0:06:43 > 0:06:45by parliamentary candidates.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It follows reports of abuse experienced by many of those who
0:06:49 > 0:06:52stood in June's general election.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54The scale of the problem was set out in Westminster Hall
0:06:54 > 0:06:58by a Conservative MP, who called a debate on the issue.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I don't know how many colleagues have read the report
0:07:00 > 0:07:06from BCS, who published a survey recently.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11In a three-month period, MPs received 188,000 abusive tweets.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12That's in a three-month period.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17That's one in 20 tweets received by colleagues.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Meanwhile, he said older volunteers were scared to put up posters
0:07:21 > 0:07:22and candidates were abused because of their
0:07:22 > 0:07:25religion or sexuality.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Simon Hart gave an example of the type of harassment being suffered.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31He cited the experience of the former Bristol
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Conservative MP, Charlotte Leslie.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Whose parents became victims of this particular abuse.
0:07:38 > 0:07:46The entire oil heating supply was drained into their garden
0:07:46 > 0:07:48by somebody who had an objection to Charlotte's particular
0:07:48 > 0:07:50position on fracking, which was a slightly
0:07:50 > 0:07:53ironic way of dealing with an environmental consideration.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55But, nonetheless, it caused enormous distress,
0:07:55 > 0:08:02as did the scratching of "Tory scum" in her elderly parents' car.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Labour's Diane Abbott said abuse had been turbo-charged
0:08:05 > 0:08:07by the use of the internet.
0:08:07 > 0:08:1130 years ago, when I first became an MP, if you wanted to attack
0:08:11 > 0:08:16an MP, you had to write a letter - usually in green ink -
0:08:16 > 0:08:20you had to put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and you had
0:08:20 > 0:08:21to walk to the post box.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27Now they press a button and you read file abuse which, 30 years ago,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30people would have been frightened to even write down.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35So I accept that male politicians get abuse too,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38but I hope the one thing we can agree on in this chamber is that
0:08:38 > 0:08:42that's much worse for women.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45We are not talking here about a bit of political banter.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47We're not talking about the rough-and-tumble of political
0:08:47 > 0:08:50debate or even satirising or caricaturing another
0:08:50 > 0:08:51person's point of view.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56We are talking about vile abuse, dehumanising people,
0:08:56 > 0:08:57offering and inciting, sometimes, violence against people.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00And this is the sort of activity which should not
0:09:00 > 0:09:06be deemed acceptable in any democratic society.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10My concern is it stops women especially entering politics.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I can very briefly give the example of a candidate
0:09:13 > 0:09:15who unfortunately wasn't elected, who stood in Ealing.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17And because Members of Parliament have to declare their addresses
0:09:17 > 0:09:21when they stand for parliament, she said she started becoming nervous.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25When she noticed activity during the election campaign
0:09:25 > 0:09:27by the opponents when they started standing outside my door
0:09:27 > 0:09:30at my home, spitting in my face and following me.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I've been an MP for just over two years, and I can't remember
0:09:33 > 0:09:36a single day that has gone by without receiving
0:09:36 > 0:09:37some sort of abuse.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Whether that be death threats or a picture of me being mocked up
0:09:40 > 0:09:42as a used sanitary towel and various other things.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46This last election was the most brutal I can certainly imagine.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51This is an assault on our democratic values and on our process.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And it has to stop, Mr Hanson.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56This is the worst I've ever encountered in any election,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and it is not acceptable, and it is, primarily,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00in this particular regard, coming from one particular faction.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And we should be honest about it, we should be honest about it.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Andrew Percy.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08And we'll be speaking to Simon Hart about this
0:10:08 > 0:10:12in The Week In Parliament, this Friday night, at 11pm.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Now, the Government has said it will only pay for fire safety
0:10:16 > 0:10:19alterations to tower blocks ifs councils can show
0:10:19 > 0:10:24they can't afford to do them.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27In a debate in the Commons, four weeks after the Grenfell Tower fire,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Labour said the response of ministers and Kensington
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and Chelsea Council has been too slow and inadequate.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37The Minister promised the inquiry into the fire would be wide-ranging.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40That necessarily means looking at circumstances
0:10:40 > 0:10:42well beyond the design, construction, and modification
0:10:42 > 0:10:44of the building itself.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49It will mean looking at the role of relevant public authorities
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and the contractors and the broader implications of the fire
0:10:51 > 0:10:55for the adequacy and enforcement of relevant regulations.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Birmingham has 231 tower blocks.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02The City Council has rightly decided that it will retrofit sprinklers
0:11:02 > 0:11:04in all those blocks.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09That will cost ?31 million, in a council that's suffered
0:11:09 > 0:11:12?700 million of cuts to their budget.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Will the Government unequivocally commit to funding
0:11:15 > 0:11:19all necessary safety measures, pending the outcome
0:11:19 > 0:11:20of the inquiry?
0:11:20 > 0:11:23If the Fire Service recommends something needs to be
0:11:23 > 0:11:27done for safety reasons, obviously, they will go to the local authority
0:11:27 > 0:11:30and the local authority will be first port of call
0:11:30 > 0:11:35to pay for that.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I'm sure all local authorities will want to follow the Fire Service's
0:11:38 > 0:11:39recommendations on this.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42If the local authority can show that it can't afford it, then,
0:11:42 > 0:11:43obviously, central Government will step in.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45The inquiry, he said, will establish the facts and make
0:11:45 > 0:11:50recommendations to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52The Government will provide the inquiry with all the resources
0:11:52 > 0:11:55it needs to complete its work thoroughly and rapidly.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57This was a terrible tragedy.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03We must learn the lessons to ensure nothing like it can
0:12:03 > 0:12:06We must learn the lessons to ensure nothing like it can happen again.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08This is the measure of the Government's response
0:12:08 > 0:12:10to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Too slow to react, too slow to grasp the gravity
0:12:12 > 0:12:16and complexity of the problems.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18One step off the pace at every stage.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20And he made this pledge...
0:12:20 > 0:12:28We will not rest until all those who need help and a new home had it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31We will not rest until all those culpable have been
0:12:31 > 0:12:32brought fully to account.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35And we will not rest until all measures needed to make
0:12:35 > 0:12:39sure this can never ever happen again are fully in place.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45When a country as decent and well-off as ours fails to provide
0:12:45 > 0:12:51to provide something as basic as a safe home for all its citizens,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53then things must change.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56When I was a junior Business Minister, I was asked
0:12:56 > 0:12:59by people from Number 10, the Cabinet Office,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03whether we should get rid of fire regulations in respect
0:13:03 > 0:13:05to girls and ladies' nightdresses.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Whether we should get rid of the fire regulations for furniture.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I said no, we didn't get rid of them and or should we.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And he's absolutely right, we must change the culture.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Others turned to the criticism by some of the judge
0:13:17 > 0:13:21heading the enquiry.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22I don't know how many colleagues have read the report
0:13:49 > 0:13:52He's having a series of meetings to listen to the victim's families,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53survivors and take their views.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I think it's welcome that the chair has been so open to ideas,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and that he said he wants to establish the terms of reference
0:13:59 > 0:14:01as soon as possible, so that the inquiry can begin
0:14:01 > 0:14:04the process of making sure that we know what happened and how
0:14:04 > 0:14:05to stop it ever happening again.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10This horrific event must be a game changer.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12We need a thorough review of approaches to estate
0:14:12 > 0:14:15development, the funding of social housing, and we need to listen
0:14:15 > 0:14:16to the people affected and their warnings,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18act upon their concerns and their priorities
0:14:18 > 0:14:21with the transparency and honesty that have so clearly been missing.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24You're watching Wednesday in Parliament with me, Alicia McCarthy.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32The International Development Secretary, Priti Patel,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34has announced that the Government is to spend another ?40 million
0:14:34 > 0:14:36in humanitarian assistance for the people of the
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Iraqi city of Mosul.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Iraq's Prime Minister formally declared victory over so-called
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Islamic State earlier this week.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The battle for Mosul has taken almost nine months,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and
0:14:51 > 0:14:55displaced more than 920,000 others.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The urban combat has been described as the most
0:14:58 > 0:15:04intense since World War II.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Making a statement to MPs, Priti Patel said the aid
0:15:06 > 0:15:09would help to provide clean drinking water, food, tents, cooking
0:15:09 > 0:15:13equipment and soap, and vaccination against the deadly diseases.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Britain will also provide extra funding to a UN-led stabilisation
0:15:17 > 0:15:23programme that has helped 200,000 Iraqis return to Mosul.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28Victory comes after three years of unimaginable oppression by Daesh.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Three years of fear, executions, abductions,
0:15:31 > 0:15:41forced marriages, destruction of Iraqi's ancient heritage.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It comes after nine months of heavy fighting by the Iraqi security
0:15:44 > 0:15:47forces who faced brutal Daesh tactics, including the use of human
0:15:47 > 0:15:48shields and suicide bombers.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50We must, though, be realistic about the challenges ahead.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Almost 50,000 homes have been destroyed.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Although 200,000 people have returned to their homes in east
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Mosul, over 700,000 people are still displaced and in need
0:15:59 > 0:16:09of continued to assistance.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Explosive remnants of this war will be a problem for many,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15many months to come.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I would like to pay tribute to the Iraqi security
0:16:18 > 0:16:19forces and the people
0:16:19 > 0:16:21of Mosul who have shown remarkable courage in the face
0:16:21 > 0:16:24of Daesh's continued oppression.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I would like to also pay particular tribute to the role of the UK
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Government in its important work to provide critical aid
0:16:29 > 0:16:34and emergency support.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36The UK's continued role here in the coming days and weeks,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and the significant funding commitments announced
0:16:39 > 0:16:44by the Secretary of State will save lives and help rebuild Mosul.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The UK Government must finally learn the lessons from Iraq,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Libya and Afghanistan.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It cannot be allowed to happen in Mosul, as it has happened
0:16:52 > 0:16:57in so many places before, that the cost and impact of UK military
0:16:57 > 0:17:03action dwarves the relief and reconstruction efforts that follow.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05She will know that if the experience of Fallujah and elsewhere
0:17:05 > 0:17:07is to be followed in Mosul,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10the vicious tactics of Daesh will be that every single house,
0:17:10 > 0:17:16street and public place being booby-trapped and mined
0:17:16 > 0:17:20and will take many, many years to clear that.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Will she, first of all, commit the Government to doing
0:17:23 > 0:17:25all it can to help the technical matter of removing explosives?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Secondly, it is not the scorching heat of today we are worried about,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31it is the cold of the Mosul winter we're worried
0:17:31 > 0:17:33about coming along in three or four months' time,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36by which time we have to find decent accommodation for the people.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Can I press her on what specific funding will be offered
0:17:38 > 0:17:41for the women and girls who have been subject to the most
0:17:41 > 0:17:43unimaginable sexual violence at the hands of Daesh?
0:17:43 > 0:17:48We must do more to support them.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Through the announcement we've made today, we will naturally
0:17:50 > 0:17:52provide the humanitarian support that is required but also
0:17:52 > 0:17:5546,000 vulnerable and displaced people, many of whom are women
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and girls who have been subject to such
0:17:58 > 0:18:00atrocities and violence, will see support from the money
0:18:00 > 0:18:02we are announcing here today.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Priti Patel.
0:18:04 > 0:18:14MPs of all parties have been urging the Government to remain part
0:18:16 > 0:18:19of the European Atomic Energy Community - or Euratom.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Euratom was set up in a treaty of 1957 to establish
0:18:21 > 0:18:23a nuclear Common Market, giving nuclear workers and
0:18:23 > 0:18:24material freedom of movement.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26The UK joined in 1973.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Nowadays, Euratom regulates nuclear energy and funds research.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30During a debate in Westminster Hall, several MPs raised concerns
0:18:30 > 0:18:33about the impact of leaving Euratom on the nuclear industry
0:18:33 > 0:18:41and the supply of medical isotopes.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The debate was initiated by the Labour MP Albert Owen.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49This debate is about getting it right and keeping
0:18:49 > 0:18:52the UK as a world leader, in civil nuclear, in
0:18:52 > 0:18:53research and development.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58We have achieved the status of world leader by cooperation with working
0:18:58 > 0:19:03with others across the world, but under the umbrella of Euratom.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05I put it to the Government that there are ways forward
0:19:05 > 0:19:08without having to have a cliff edge when Article 50
0:19:08 > 0:19:09negotiations are complete.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14My concern is the impact of this on medicine.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Is he aware of the concerns of the Royal College of Radiologists
0:19:17 > 0:19:20that a lack of being able to bring
0:19:20 > 0:19:22isotopes easily into this country could affect 500,000 scans
0:19:22 > 0:19:27and 10,000 cancer treatments?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30These things cannot be stored because they have a short half-life
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and we need Euratom.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I absolutely agree with the honourable lady and I have had
0:19:36 > 0:19:38a lot of correspondence from experts across the field
0:19:38 > 0:19:44including the Royal Marsden where cancer research is vital.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46The issues she raised is aboslutely essentially to get right.
0:19:46 > 0:19:54I think the burden of the case for staying in Euratom
0:19:54 > 0:19:56that he would need to make
0:19:56 > 0:19:59is why the same would not apply to every other agency that we're
0:19:59 > 0:20:01leaving when we leave the European Union and why it
0:20:01 > 0:20:04so impossible, as we leave these other agencies and regulatory
0:20:04 > 0:20:07bodies and set up our own agencies and regulatory bodies,
0:20:07 > 0:20:08under international standards, why that cannot also
0:20:08 > 0:20:09be done with Euratom.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Who would be wanting to frustrate that?
0:20:13 > 0:20:17I'm worried about a cliff edge of having to leave an organisation
0:20:17 > 0:20:20that has been served as well for many years and has served
0:20:20 > 0:20:22the whole global community, and doing so just
0:20:22 > 0:20:25because we're leaving the European Union.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29I disagree with him that we'd have to deal with every other one.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30This is pretty unique in a sense.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Industry experts are worried about it.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34It's not politicians worried about it, it is people
0:20:34 > 0:20:39that understand and know our very industry.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Several Conservatives spoke up for the UK's membership of Euratom.
0:20:41 > 0:20:48We shall do all of these possible legally to maintain those benefits
0:20:48 > 0:20:51by whatever means it takes and we shall not allow any thoughts
0:20:51 > 0:20:54of ideological purity to get in the way of achieving that.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56My judgment is that if we can legally remain
0:20:56 > 0:20:59within Euratom, we shall do so.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The energy minister Richard Harrington criticised
0:21:03 > 0:21:06alarmist stories in press the saying the UK's ability to access
0:21:06 > 0:21:08isotopes would not be a hit.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Remarks echoed Prime Minister's Questions by Damian Green who said
0:21:11 > 0:21:14scaremongering was unnecessary.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19The Government will set out its position on Euratom on Thursday.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Down the corridor in the House of Lords, peers were urging
0:21:22 > 0:21:24the Government to do more to encourage the use
0:21:24 > 0:21:26of electric cars.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Last week, the Swedish car-maker Volvo announced that, by 2019,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32it will be producing only cars that are either purely electric or
0:21:32 > 0:21:38hybrids combining electric and conventional engines.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40The minister set out what was already being done
0:21:40 > 0:21:42in the UK to boost use.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47We have a number of initiatives in place to encourage ownership
0:21:47 > 0:21:49and are investing more than ?600 million up to 2020
0:21:49 > 0:21:52to make the UK a leader in the development, manufacture
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and use of electric vehicles.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59We are cutting the upfront cost of purchase with our plug-in car,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02van and motorcycle grants, and helping meet the costs
0:22:02 > 0:22:04of installation of charge points at homes on residential streets
0:22:04 > 0:22:14and in workplaces right across the UK.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18The peer who put down the question when asked the question,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21said she was the proud owner of a new lighter car.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Is the future to be more electric
0:22:23 > 0:22:26in order to reduce pollution and reliance on the Middle Eastern oil?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28In which case, we need more infrastructure, more
0:22:28 > 0:22:30points including right here in the House of Lords' car park.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Or is the future not so good because there are downsides
0:22:33 > 0:22:35to driving all electric?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38For example, the cost of extra electricity.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44We need to have an answer.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46We don't want to find ourselves in another diesel debacle.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Good yesterday but not so good tomorrow.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Lord Callinan accepted electric cars were no use
0:22:52 > 0:22:55if there was nowhere to charge.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58We already have over 11,000 public charge points the UK,
0:22:58 > 0:23:04we have Europe's largest network of rapid chargers.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06At the Autumn Statement last year, the Chancellor announced additional
0:23:06 > 0:23:08funding of ?80 million for charging infrastructure
0:23:08 > 0:23:12for the period to 2020.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Alongside this, Highways England has ?15 million to expand the existing
0:23:15 > 0:23:17rapid charge point network.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Electricity does not come from nowhere.
0:23:19 > 0:23:28Is it not a fact that, until recently, in this country,
0:23:28 > 0:23:35electricity was roughly 20% nuclear, 20% coal, 35-40% gas and 10% -
0:23:35 > 0:23:36rising towards 10% renewable.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37That is where electricity comes from.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40It's very interesting to have electric cars for what happens
0:23:40 > 0:23:42on the streets of London but it is nothing to do
0:23:42 > 0:23:48with the generation of electricity.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Of course the noble lord is quite correct, the life-cycle CO2
0:23:50 > 0:23:53value of electric cars depends on where the electricity
0:23:53 > 0:23:54is generated from.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59That is a statement of fact.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02What is the Government's estimate of the impact of the increase
0:24:02 > 0:24:09in electric car ownership over the next five years and the next ten
0:24:09 > 0:24:13years on the tax take from the sale of petrol and diesel fuel, and how
0:24:13 > 0:24:15will the Government compensate for or make up any reduction
0:24:15 > 0:24:17in such tax revenues resulting from increasing
0:24:17 > 0:24:21electric car ownership?
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I think the noble Lords will realise it is very dangerous for me
0:24:25 > 0:24:27to speculate on what the Chancellor might do in future budgets
0:24:27 > 0:24:29with regard to tax levels.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Lord Callinan.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Finally, as we mentioned at the top of the programme,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Theresa May wasn't at this week's PMQs as she was welcoming
0:24:38 > 0:24:43the King of Spain, King Felipe, to the UK.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45After a full ceremonial welcome, the king and queen
0:24:45 > 0:24:46came to Westminster.
0:24:46 > 0:24:52It is an honour...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55..where after a brief speech from the Commons Speaker John Bercow,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57King Felipe addressed both Houses of Parliament in the Royal Gallery
0:24:57 > 0:24:59of the House of Lords.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01He said that Brexit saddened Spain but that it fully respects
0:25:01 > 0:25:04the will of the British people and that Britons who live
0:25:04 > 0:25:07in Spain and Spaniards who live in the UK must be remembered.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09These citizens have a legitimate expectation of decent and stable
0:25:09 > 0:25:11living conditions for themselves and for their families.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I therefore urge our two governments to continue working to ensure
0:25:14 > 0:25:16that the agreement on the UK withdrawing from the EU provides
0:25:16 > 0:25:26sufficient assurance and certainty.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32The King of Spain.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35And that's it from me for now but do join me
0:25:35 > 0:25:38at the same time tomorrow when, among other things, it is transport
0:25:38 > 0:25:41questions at the start of the day in the Commons and MPs commemorate
0:25:41 > 0:25:44the Passchendaele campaign in the First World War.
0:25:44 > 0:25:50But for now, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.