05/05/2017 Westminster in Review

Hello and welcome to our look back at the UK's 56th Parliament.

It was the shortest parliament for more than 40 years,

But although it was short, the parliament witnessed

extraordinary upheavals in British politics.

Two years ago, we had different party leaders,

the UK was a solid member of the European Union and the Brexit

In the 24 months, there have been departures.

As I once said, I was the future once.

In accordance with the wishes of the British people,

the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union.

They hold our values in contempt, they hold our belief in tolerance

..a new approach to Prime Minister's Questions...

Maureen wrote to me today and she writes with a heavy heart.

..and robust exchanges at Westminster's committees.

You said you don't want to be here all day, true.

Few could have predicted what events lay in store,

as the ancient ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament

went ahead on the 27th of May 2015, the 52nd time that Her Majesty

Against most expectations and the predictions of the pollsters,

David Cameron won an outright general election victory

No coalition with the Liberal Democrats would be needed this time.

Following Ed Miliband's resignation, Labour was led by its acting

No words were exchanged between the party leaders as MPs

filed through Parliament to hear the Queen's Speech and

the legislative plans for a government expected

My government will renegotiate the United Kingdom's relationship

And pursue reform of the European Union for the benefit

As she congratulated the Prime Minister, the acting

Labour leader made a remark that would turn out to be

Although he and I have many differences, people have pointed out

One of the things that we have in common is that we are both by our

So we will support the government's bill for a referendum

We believe it will be better for Britain if we stay

We have a strategy, a very clear strategy of negotiation,

The bill in this Queen's Speech makes it clear that the referendum

must take place at the latest by the end of 2017.

The new third party with 56 MPs was the Scottish Nationalists.

May I congratulate the Prime Minister for his election success.

It is an honour to reply to the Queen's speech on behalf

of the third party in the Houses of Commons, the Scottish

Can I say at the start of the Parliament that the convention

that we don't clap in this chamber is very, very, very long established

and widely respected and it would be appreciated if members would show

The Queen returned to politicians' minds in September 2015

when she became the longest reigning monarch in the country's history,

surpassing the record of Queen Victoria.

Her Majesty had reigned for 63 years, seven months and two days.

On the day she was opening a new train line to the Scottish borders.

The Prime Minister talked about her many duties.

Whether it is something we suspect she enjoys,

like the Highland games, or something we suspect she might be

slightly less keen on, such as spending New Year's Eve

in the Millennium Dome, she never ever falters.

We on these benches had hoped that she would now be on her 13th.

She reigns over 140 million people, that is a huge number,

nearly as many as the number of the Labour Party's

That remark about the size of Labour's membership was a none

too subtle reference to the long, drawn-out labour leadership election

To enliven a potentially dull contest, Labour MPs had let

into the race the backbencher Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran with a long

And to the consternation and amazement of most Labour

MPs, Mr Corbyn quickly became the favourite.

He won by a landslide and soon he was doing his first

I have taken part in many events around the country and had

conversations with many people about what they thought about this

place, our Parliament, our democracy and our conduct

And many told me that they thought Prime Minister's Question Time

was too theatrical, that Parliament was out of touch and too theatrical,

and that they wanted things done differently.

But above all, they wanted their voice heard in Parliament.

If we are able to change Prime Minister's Questions to make

it a more genuine exercise in asking questions and answering

questions, no one would be more delighted than me.

So a new approach to Prime Minister's Questions

and a fresh look to the House of Commons generally.

177 new MPs had been elected in May and they all had

By convention, these are noncontroversial.

But a new Conservative MP decided to dispense with that tradition.

Heidi Allen use her maiden to launch a withering attack government smack

announced cuts to tax credits for working families.

The Prime Minister has asked us that everything we do must

Cutting tax credits before wages rise does not achieve that.

Showing children that their parents would be better off not working

Sending a message to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society

that we do not care does not achieve that either.

In previous parliaments, Conservative governments assuming

they could always count on the support of peers.

Not these days, they are no longer at Tory majority in the Lords.

The leader pleaded for compromise on the tax credits issue.

I had been to see the Chancellor this morning at number

11. And I can confirm that he would listen very carefully,

were the House to express its concern in the way

that it is precedented for us to do so.

A Labour peer said that the Lords could support the government.

Or we can be supportive instead of those 3 million families facing

letters at Christmas telling them on average they will lose

A letter which will take away 10% of their income.

Peers voted down the tax credit changes.

So what would the Chancellor do in the face of that Lords rejection?

I've listened to the concerns, I hear and understand them and because

I've been able to announce today an improvement in the public finances,

the simplest thing to do is not to faze these changes in but to avoid

them altogether. Tax credits are being phased out anyway as we

introduce universal credit. That reversal was just the first in a

series of U-turns at the Treasury. Four months later, another change

of heart, this time over large cuts George Osborne had made

to disability benefits. Iain Duncan Smith resigned

from the Cabinet in protest. A few days later,

the Chancellor dropped his While the reforms proposed

to personal independence payments two weeks ago drew on the work

of an independent review, We have listened and

they will not go ahead. Even if they had, this government

is spending more on disabled people than the last Labour

government ever did. He has made a welcome

U-turn but shouldn't he acknowledge that was a mistake

and that he should say sorry for it? I have just said it,

that's where we have made a mistake, where we have got things wrong,

we listen and learn. But where is the apology

from the Labour Party Earlier, George Osborne had shown

some nifty common skills. When Labour's John McDonald read

from Chairman Mao's little red book. So the Shadow Chancellor literally

stood at the dispatch box and read out from chairman

Mao's little red book. And look, it is

personal signed copy. The problem is half

the Shadow Cabinet have been sent This was the 56th Parliament

of the United Kingdom but how The Scottish Nationalist group

of MPs were now the third largest Naturally they campaigned for more

powers for Scotland, but they also campaigned

against something, namely changes the government wanted to make

to the way that this place is run. Specifically, they were objecting

to something that rather ominously became known as evil -

English votes for English laws. For the first time, Scottish MPs

could be excluded from voting It gave a new task to

the Speaker and his deputies. There will now be a joint debate

on the consent motion for England and Wales and the consent

motion for England. I remind honourable members that

although all members may speak in the debate,

if there are divisions, only members representing

constituencies in England and Wales may vote on the consent motion

for England and Wales. And only members representing

constituencies in England may vote For the first time in the history

of this House, this Parliament, members of Parliament will be banned

from participating in divisions of this House based

on nationality and geographic One of the defeated Scottish

politicians in the huge advance of the SNP at the 2015 election had

been the former Liberal Democrat A short time into the Parliament,

came the sad news that Mr Kennedy If I may, I'd like to direct

these words at Donald. He led a party of the centre-left

with dignity and compassion. And when you are older,

you will know your mum and dad believed in a cause

greater than themselves. The reality is that it is not

what you have done, it is who you are and Charles Kennedy

was a very, very special man. Donald, you should be really

I love him to bits, I am proud to call him my friend,

Away from these shores, the gruesome long, drawn-out

The terror group Islamic State, also known as Isis or Isil had taken

control of parts of neighbouring Iraq in 2014.

The Commons at that time voted in favour of British air strikes

on areas controlled by Isis in Iraq but not on territory

So should British air strikes be extended to Syria.

In autumn of 2015, ministers were advised strongly against.

A night of terrorist carnage on the doorstep

of Britain dramatically changed political opinion.

Three teams of terrorists had carried out a planned

and coordinated operation at the heart of Paris.

The mood at Westminster was now different.

A motion was put before MPs to extend British air strikes

to cover Islamic State targets in Syria as well as.

A marathon 10-hour debate in December 2015 turned

into the ultimate decision for MPs, to MPs, to go to war or not.

I hope that at the end of it all the House will come together

in large numbers for Britain to play its part in defeating these

evil extremists and taking the action that is needed now

The issue now is whether extending British bombing from Iraq to Syria

is likely to reduce or increase that threat to Britain.

And whether it will counter or spread the terror campaign Isil

The answers do not make the case for the government motion.

On the contrary, they are a warning stepped back.

A vote against yet another ill-fated twist in this

I share the horror and revulsion of the recent atrocities in Paris,

Beirut, Syria and elsewhere yet I have still to hear convincing

evidence to suggest that the UK bombing Isis targets in Syria

is likely to increase security here in Britain or help bring

This is the toughest call I think I have ever had to make,

maybe ever and certainly in this House.

And what pushes me in the direction of voting for action is above all

things of the United Nations resolution 249, which calls for us

to eradicate the safe haven that Isis have,

The closing words of liberated and Hilary Benn in favour of military

action in open defiance of his party leader Jeremy Corbyn came to be seen

as a vintage Commons performance. Revolves been defined by our

internationalism. We are here faced by fascists. Not

just their calculated brutality but their belief that they are superior

to every single one of us in this chamber tonight and all of the

people that we represent. They hold us in contempt. They hold our values

in contempt, they hold our belief in tolerance and decency in contempt,

they hold our democracy, the means by which we will make our decision

tonight in content. But what we know about fascists is that they need to

be defeated. It is now time for us to do our bit in Syria. And that is

why I ask my colleagues to vote for this motion tonight. Afterwards, MPs

voted by a clear majority military action. UK air strikes on biased

targets in Syria started soon after that debate. 17 months on, the RAF

has conducted more than 1200 air strikes across Iraq and Syria as

part of a coalition of countries committed to defeating his neck.

Their operations to remove items might have been more effective in

Iraq and Syria, for the six-year long brutal civil war continues. A

slice of regional history came to an end in 2016 with the financial

collapse of British home stores. A familiar sight for eight decades in

many a high street. A Parliamentary enquiry was soon underway into quiet

BHS had collapsed with debts totalling ?1.3 billion. Its former

owner, one of putting it in wealthiest businessmen, Sir Philip

Green, was facing MPs. Nothing is more sad than how this has ended. We

have a pretty good track record as a company, our existing business, the

average day in our head office is 11 or 12 years. The mine not looking at

me like that all the time, is truly disturbing. Why is that we did

Saville itself BHS to a racing driver who had me they made bankrupt

twice. Unfortunately, sadly, it was the wrong order. We can keep going

over. You said you don't want you here all day, you'd be here for the

rest of your life, would I do that you'll again, no. I'm sorry we did

it. Three and half hours, you seem a very dominant personality. Ten of

you and one of me. Believe me, you hold your own, but you seem

extraordinarily thin-skinned to quite courteous questions in respect

of the selling of BHS, did anybody, particularly nonexecutive directors

say, I'm not certain this is correct, can we challenge on this.

That doesn't seem to be the culture of the organisation. That's your

opinion. The slow passage of the EU referendum bill in the final months

of 2015 made certain the people of Britain would be taking part in a

vote on putting it continued EU membership. But would it be 2016 or

2017? With David Cameron go early goal late? And just who would be

campaigning for Britain to stay in and who would be wanting get out? In

the Commons, Labour was indulging in plenty of teasing of Cabinet

ministers. He can't tell us in or out. Is an out, isn't it? Come out.

The Labour Party has a leader who has changed his mind twice in the

last few months. They claim to support reform European Union but

won't say what they want to reform. Soon the pretence of unity was

ended. Cabinet ministers were set free to campaign on both sides of

the debate. And a clutch of high-profile levers were quickly in

front of the cameras. Their campaign for a British exit from the EU was

soon known as Brexit. The remain is never found a similar slogan. On the

20th of February, Mr Cameron announced the date of the

referendum, Thursday the 23rd of June. David Cameron had expected. On

fourth cap might remain from his close friend of the Justice

Secretary Michael Gove. Michael Gove had other ideas, announcing he'd be

backing Leave, a beautiful friendship was never the same again.

Even worse for David Cameron was the loss of support from the outgoing

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. And so the referendum arguments began.

The claims and counterclaims were made. One pledge on the side of the

league campaign bus stating how the weekly cost of Brit in's EU

membership could be spent instead became especially well-known. The

public crude suspicious of the forecasts. The committee sessions

were looking at the issues both big and small. One of the rules that you

say, one of the ludicrous rules and I quote, and EU rule that says you

can't recycle a tea bag and children under eight can't blow up balloons.

The European Commission in on websites as adult supervision is

required in the case the use of an inflated balloons by children under

eight. I have to say in my household, only children under eight

blow up balloons. I do think that it is absolutely ludicrous to have this

kind of prescription. At a European level. At a European level. Do you

not see that leaving Europe puts at risk inward investment from

companies? I've heard all the same stuff on the euro, I don't buy it.

But one week until polling day, the increasingly bitter campaign came to

a sudden shuddering halt. Report of a stabbing and shooting involving

the MP Jo Cox. Various information at this stage. The country was

horrified that an ordinary member of Parliament can be brutally killed

while going about her normal work in her west Yorkshire constituency. A

far right extremist, Thomas Maier was later jailed for life for the

murder of Jo Cox. The public soon showed its huge respect for the MP.

Parliament was recalled briefly from its short referendum break. On Jo

Cox's empty seat on the Commons where two roses. Jo Cox believed in

a better world and she fought for it every day of her life. With an

energy and the zest for life that would exhaust most people. And she

was brave. Her energy and effectiveness where Ana Inspiration.

Last, let me say this, Batley will elect a new MP but now want... I

can't ever recall seeing a sad, negative and without hope. She once

told me on a one-to-one meeting at Oxfam as my manager, she didn't do

touchy-feely and I was being too emotional, we needed to get on with

it and we needed to sort out the campaign we were working on. The

public wondered if the shock of the MP's murder might produce a quieter

more considered form of politics as the referendum campaign entered its

final few days. People flocked to London's Wembley Arena for a two our

debate, leading figures in the leaves and Dodt Remain camp 's slug

it out. The button I love works with its friends and neighbours, it

doesn't walk away from them. And if we vote Leave and take back control,

In both are to be on course to our country's Independence Day.

In both are to be on course to victory. The polls closed at ten and

counting started. First indications suggested that Leave had polled

strongly. It became clear that the story was going only one way. In the

small hours, Nigel Farage of Ukip, the man who had devoted years of his

life to fighting the EU, was triumphant. As dawn broke, it was

all over for rain. The British people have spoken and the answer is

that we are out. For many, it was a bit amusing moment. Britain had

But the sense of the world was only But the sense of the world was only

added to shortly after 8:00am outside Downing Street. I will do a

thing I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming

weeks and months, but I do not think it would be right for me to try to

be the captain that steers our country to its next destination. So

now we have a Prime Minister heading for the exit. The politicians spent

the weekend after the referendum recovering from a whirlwind of

events. It was not the result I wanted nor the believe is best for

the country I love but there can be no doubt about the result. It is

quite shameful that politicians make claims that they knew to be false

and promises that they knew could not be delivered. Leaving aside the

constitutional turmoil, the damage to the economy and the uncertainty

that hangs over Britain's place in the world, the leaders of the Brexit

campaign have engendered an atmosphere where some people believe

it is open season for racism and xenophobia. Does he agree with me

that there should be an early general election? Can I ask to

condemn clearly those people who are almost implying that decent people

all over this country who voted to leave the European Union are somehow

closet racists? At lunchtime, sterling fell to a 31 year low

against the dollar. If you break it, you own it, so who owns this

particular adjustment? Is a Prime Minister who called the referendum

or the right honourable member for Oxbridge who exploited it? I met

dilemma reference to Boris Johnson who people assumed was on course to

fill the vacancy caused by Cameron's recognition. -- a reference to Boris

Johnson. For many, the country looks to be in limbo. The Remain side

looked for reasons for defeat. The Labour leader was accused of not

doing enough campaigning. There was an orchestrated series of

resignations from his Shadow Cabinet. Many Labour MPs urged him

to resign. David Cameron joined in. I have to say to the honourable

gentleman, he talks about job insecurity. It might be in my

party's interests for him to sit there but it is not in the national

interest. I would say, for her sake -- for heaven's sake, go. But Jeremy

Corbyn stayed on. The Labour MPs eventually found one candidate, this

man, Owen Smith, to fight Mr Corbyn in a second leadership battle. But

the Conservatives could not afford to gloat too much. They had their

own leadership turmoil. Would it be Boris Johnson in Number Ten who

could stop him? I am Theresa May and I believe I am the best person to be

the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson looked to be ahead of the field

until the moment where Michael Gove withdrew his support for him,

triggering a shock exit from the contest. What is your message for

Michael Gove? Mr Gold came third in the vote, meaning that two

contenders were left, Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May. Then an article in

The Times forced Andrea Leadsom to quit. So after an extraordinary

series of unplanned events, Britain finally had a new Prime Minister.

Theresa May. Into 2007 Tony Blair left his job and Number Ten having

enjoyed the sound of enthusiastic applause ringing out from all sides

of the House of Commons, the end of a Prime Minister's Questions that

was much more relaxed than normal. The idea appeals to David Cameron,

as he considered how to bring to an end his six-year tenure at the top

job. Questions to the Prime Minister. This morning I had

meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. Other than one meeting

this afternoon with Her Majesty the Queen, the diary for the rest of my

day is remarkably light. 33 years in this House watching five prime

ministers and several former prime ministers, I have seen him achieving

mastery of that dispatch box unparalleled in my time. We thank

the Prime Minister for his hard work and leadership. It is only right

that after six years of Prime as Prime Minister -- as Prime Minister

that we thank the honourable member that we thank the honourable member

for his service. I remember in New York everyone knew Michael Bloomberg

and no one had a clue who I was. Eventually someone said, Cameron,

Prime Minister's Questions, we love your show! I would like to pass on

my thanks to his mother for her advice about ties and suits and

songs. She is extremely kind and I would be grateful if he would pass

that on to her. And I am reflecting on the lesson that she offered. I

will certainly send his good wishes back to my mother. He seems to have

taken our advice and is looking spider today. -- looking splendid

today. As now to my people know what breaded means at the moment, we need

his advice and statesmanship as much as we ever had. -- knows what Brexit

means. The Tory Party has never got as far as asking Ken clerk to use a

mobile phone. He briefly had one body said the problem was people

kept running on it. In opposition, we had to move our morning meeting

to accommodate his o'clock cigar. But I will watch these exchange from

the backbenches. -- his nine o'clock cigar. I will miss the roar of the

crowd, I will miss the barbs from the opposition but I will be

willingly one. And when I say willing anyone I do not simply mean

willing on the Prime Minister at the dispatch box or the front bench

defending the manifesto I put together, but willing you are one.

People come here with great love and passion for the constituencies they

represent. And I will be willing on this place because yes, we can be

tough and testy and challenge our leaders, perhaps more than other

countries, but that is something we should be proud of and we should

keep at it. And I hope you will all keep at it and I will will you on as

you do. The last thing I would say is that you can achieve a lot of

things in politics, you can get a lot of things done and in the end,

the public service, the national interest, that is what it is all

about. Nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it. After

all, as I once said, I was the future once.

And without ovation ringing in his ears, David Cameron returned for the

final time to Downing Street, later posing with his wife and children

for those final photographs before making a car journey to Buckingham

Palace to tender his formal resignation to Her Majesty the

Queen. Moments later, his successor, Theresa May, made her way to

Buckingham Palace where she was invited to form an administration.

The Queen appointed her Prime Minister. Returning from the palace,

she spoke for the first time as Prime Minister. If you are just

managing, I want to address you directly. I know you are working

around the clock. I know you were doing your best and I know that

sometimes life can be a struggle. The government I lead will be driven

not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours. We will

do everything that we can to give you more control over your lives. So

one Prime Minister out and one Prime Minister in. As she took over the

reins of power, Theresa May made a series of bold appointments.

Establishing that she was a very different sort of Conservative to

David Cameron. There was a new Chancellor, a new Home Secretary, a

new Justice Secretary. And of course a new Foreign Secretary in the shape

of Boris Johnson. And so to Theresa May's first PMQs as Prime Minister.

Speech on the steps of Downing Street she undressed insecure

workers, saying you have a job but you do not always have job security.

Does that mean that she is proposing to scrap the employment tribunal

fees, repeal the Trade Union Act, or ban the zero hours contracts as more

than a dozen European nations have already done? Again I say to the

right honourable gentleman, I did say that on the streets of Downing

Street and I think it is important that here in this House we consider

not only what I might call the more obvious injustices but also consider

the life for those people for whom they are in work but struggling to

make ends meet. I am interested that he refers to the situation of some

workers who might have job insecurity. Potentially unscrupulous

bosses. I suspect that many members on the opposition benches might be

familiar with an unscrupulous box. A familiar with an unscrupulous box. A

boss who does not listen to his workers, a boss who requires some of

his workers to double their workload. Maybe even a boss who

exploits the rules to further his own career. Remind him of anybody?

When the Commons reassembled after the summer break in 2016, there was

a bright new Minister for the a bright new Minister for the

Speaker to call. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European

Union. During the autumn months ministers were accused of secrecy

over Brexit. Was anything happening at all, one the Labour leader. This

government drew up no plans for Brexit, has no strategy for

negotiating Brexit and offers no clarity.

Thank you everyone and welcome to Harold this morning. It is a delight

to be there along with our fantastic candidates from across London and

the south-east. We have some excellent representation already in

this area but we will be determined to build on that representation in

just 31 days. Just pause on that front moment. 31 days until what is

undoubtedly the most important general election that any of us have

faced. At this election, our country's future will really be on

the ballot paper. The next five years are going to be crucial for

our country and our prosperity and our society, our children and our

grandchildren. What is going to be so important over that period is

leadership. Leadership is vitally important as we enter those Brexit

negotiations. Will it be the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and the

coalition of chaos, propped up by the Liberal Democrats and the

Scottish Nationalists, or will it be Theresa May, with her proven and

stable leadership, fighting on for Britain?

There is no doubt how crucial the selection is. So much depends on

getting it right. And I know that in Theresa May Britain has a strong

leader who we can trust to deliver. But we also need, and she also needs

a strong team behind her to deliver the best deal for Britain and the

United Kingdom. And we have the team to do their job. I'm not going to

spend any time looking at the alternative teams, you see it all

the -- every day. A vote for Theresa May and candidates here in London

and the south-east and across the country, will undoubtedly strengthen

her hand in the EU negotiations to come. Each and every one of us who

are elected will get a stronger mandate for the Prime Minister when

she is fighting for Britain and the United Kingdom. And each and every

one of us will be helping the Prime Minister and her team build a better

future for our country in the years ahead. That is what we are fighting

for in this election, a team that will deliver for Britain. And it

gives me great pleasure to ask the Prime Minister to address us this

morning, and give her a very ball well -- a very warm welcome. I

minister. -- Prime Minister. Is great to be with you today in

Harrow and this morning. We move into the next phase of the general

election campaign. The local election campaigns are behind us and

we must now focus on the critical general election and we cannot take

a single thing for granted. We certainly not taking anything for

granted as regards our team because we got together a fantastic team of

local candidates for London and the south-east and my message to people

in London on the south-east is that I need this team behind me to be in

a strong position to ensure we get the best deal for Britain from

Europe. This is the team that will go out on the streets and taking out

our positive message, which is a message of strong and stable

leadership in the national interest, of strengthening the UK's hand in

the Brexit negotiations. Of building a better future. Yesterday, a new

French president was elected, he was elected with a strong mandate, which

you can take into a strong position in the negotiations. The UK, we need

to ensure we have got an equally strong mandate and an equally strong

negotiating position. Every vote for me and my team will

strengthen my hand in those Brexit negotiations. The alternative is to

risk making Jeremy Corbyn Prime Minister and just imagine, try and

picture him sitting at the negotiating table with the

collective mind of the European Commission and 27 other European

countries against him. We now that is Patrick said, other parties are

lining up to prop him up in a coalition of chaos, the Liberal

Democrats, the Scottish Nationalists and others. A vote for any other

party is a vote to be a step closer to Jeremy Corbyn sitting at that

Brexit negotiating table. We must not let that happen and we must not

letting him do that we can win support in London on the south-east

and we must also make sure that we point out the non-sensible policies

that Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are putting forward. They

simply don't add up. They would wreck the economy and render all

their promises totally undeliverable. By contrast, we are

putting together credible undeliverable policies. Policies

that are in the national interest, policies like protecting workers

pensions against irresponsible bosses, capping energy prices to

support working families of bringing in new mental health laws to end

injustice. Those are the positive messages that you will be taken out

on the streets over the next few weeks. When I see taking out on the

streets, I mean taking them out on the streets. We must take absolutely

nothing for granted. And it is only by working flat-out tween now and

the 8th of June that we can gain the trust of the British people and gain

the support of the British people. We must go out there, we must leave

no stone unturned, no street not mocked down, no door not knocked on

course every vote counts, every vote counts because every person counts

and every community counts. I've been a member of Parliament for 20

years, I had the privilege to be a member for 20 years, and I've

learned how important it is to get out there, to speak directly to

voters and to listen to their concerns. That's my instruction to

candidates at this election. It's to go out there and to earn the support

of the British people. I've also learned over the years that you

can't predict election results. The polls got it wrong in 2015, they got

it wrong in the EU referendum and Jeremy Corbyn was a 200-1 outside

chance to win the Labour leadership. Take nothing for granted. As I say,

go out there, take our positive message to people, earned the

support of the British people, show that they can trust you, that they

can trust me and my team in taking those Brexit negotiations forward

and getting the best deal for them. That's the positive message that we

must take out on the streets in the coming weeks. And if we do that, and

if we win their support, if we show that every vote for me and my team

is able strong and stable leadership in the national interest, that every

vote for me and my team is a vote for strengthening our hand in those

Brexit negotiations, for getting the Brexit negotiations, for getting the

best possible deal for Britain from Europe, that every vote for me and

my team is a vote to lock in economic security for a better

future across the whole of the United Kingdom. If we do that and if

we win the support of the British public, then together we can strive

for Britain, together we can fight for Britain and together we will

deliver for Britain. Thank you. APPLAUSE

You've said the Tory party is working up credible policies but

what is the point of sticking to an immigration target that many of your

colleagues think is unworkable, some people think it's even pointless and

when you were in charge as Home Secretary, it's a target that has

been missed for six years. He might ask, would you commit an Billy King

to ending freedom of movement as soon as we leave the European Union?

First of all, what we've seen happening to the immigration figures

over the last six years, we saw them coming down, we then saw them going

back up and then recently some of those figures coming back down

again. I think it's important you talk about the net migration target,

let's look at why we have a net migration target, why we have said

it's important to reduce immigration to bring control into the

immigration figures that it's because of the impact that it has on

people. The impact it has particularly on people at the lower

end of the income scale and in terms of the pressure on public services.

I think it is important that we continue and we will continue to say

that we do want to bring down net migration to sustainable levels. We

believe that is the tens of thousands and of course, once we

leave the European Union we will have the opportunity to ensure that

we have control of our borders here in the UK because we will be able to

establish our rules for people coming from the European Union into

the UK. That's a part of the picture we haven't been able to control

before and we will be able to control it and leaving the EU means

that we won't have free movement as it has been in the past and when it

comes to voting on the 8th of June, people have a very clear choice, is

between a Conservative Party, me and my team who are committed to

ensuring we bring back control of our borders and Jeremy Corbyn who

just wants to carry on with the movement as it always has been.

Emily Morgan from ITV News. NHS service provider say that staff are

leaving to go and stack shelves in supermarkets because of poor pay and

that is leading to risks in safety. Will you commit to ending the 1% pay

cap and if so when? It is right that the public sector as a whole has had

to play its part in dealing overall with what we were left by the last

Labour government which was the worst deficit position that we've

seen in peacetime and we've had success in doing that in bringing

the deficit down by two thirds but there is more to be done. In

relation to NHS pay, actually if you look at not just the basic pay

increase but progression pay, about half of NHS staff get an annual

increase of de-4% in their pay. But of course, we want to see more stuff

and good stuff in the NHS and that's the record we have as a Conservative

government, more doctors, nurses, midwives because we put the extra

funding into the NHS we've been able to do that for that you can put

extra funding into the NHS if you have a strong economy. Jeremy Jeremy

Corbyn would wreck the economy and that would be a worse position to be

in. Lucy Fisher from the Times. Emmanuel Macron, the new France

President-elect says he wants review the agreement between Britain and

France throwing our border arrangements into doubt and says he

wants to lure UK bankers and talented professionals to France.

This election is bad news for Britain and Brexit, isn't it? He's

been elected with a very strong mandate and we must make sure in the

UK we also have a strong mandate to take a strong position into our

negotiating table. As for the tuque agreement, it works

to the benefit of both the UK and France -- two K. And the government

elected after the 8th of June we will talk to Emmanuel Macron about

how that system has worked to the benefit of France as well as to the

benefit of the UK. Can take the Herald first. Could you

explain to us why you think, and are heavily polarised Scotland, the

Brexit process will strengthen the union and not strengthened the hand

of Nicola Sturgeon in a drive towards a second Scottish

independence referendum and what would you say to the First Minister,

who asserts that from your words last week, when you set certain

shady people in Brussels were intent on influencing the election, that

you have poisoned the Brexit process? Possible, on the second

point, I don't think I used that descriptor that you slipped in there

in the question. Not sure if it was you or Nicola Sturgeon that slipped

that end but I didn't use them. We have heard things being said in

Brussels, what that has shown us that these negotiations are going to

be tough, that means we need a strong negotiating position and the

right leadership here in the UK to go into those negotiations and

dastardly impact of the Brexit process on the whole question of the

future of the union, now was the time that we should be working

together across the United Kingdom for the best result for every part

of the United Kingdom, including Scotland, not trying to pull apart

and it's the tunnel vision of the Scottish Nationalists in focusing

only on independence that actually means they're not focusing on the

work we need to do to ensure we get the best deal for the people of

Scotland and the people of the United Kingdom as a whole. Just one

immigration from Sky News. Can we just be clear that you are going to

stick with the target of tens of thousands in terms of use

immigration target despite that being non-deliverable in the last

Parliament? And if you do committed at because of Brexit and control of

immigration, do you think you can hit that target by 2022? I'm tempted

to say that I think if you listen to the answer I gave earlier and if you

listen to things I've said previously in the campaign, it will

be clear that we do believe that net migration should be unsustainable

levels and sustainable levels does mean the tens of thousands. We have

a local paper, the Harrow Times. The last question. I was going to ask,

if you could say to you local voters why you wouldn't be taking part in

televised debates, why would that be? Because I'm taking part in

debates are found down the country taking questions from people are

meeting people, getting and about and ensuring that I'm talking

directly with photos and listening directly to voters. That's the sort

of thing... APPLAUSE That's a thought of thing that Bob

Blackman has done and has shown that he's done is a great member of

Parliament and what Hannah David will do as a candidate. We'll take

that message for the people of Harold that they have a clear

choice, one of two people who can the Prime Minister on the 9th of

June, me Jeremy Corbyn and the need to think he was going to ensure that

we've got a strong and stable leadership, taking a strong position

into the negotiations on Brexit to get the best possible deal for the

people of Harrow, London, the Southeast and indeed the rest of

United Kingdom. I would like to start the meeting.

We are already late, so could we please stop the meeting.

As thank you very much indeed. There we start our usual meeting dedicated

to the discussion of the Brexit process and we today have to parts

for this discussion. First of all we