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- WEBVTT
- Kind: captions
- Language: en-GB
- 00:00:00.740 --> 00:00:11.560
- >>The Prime Minister (Mrs Theresa May): I
- am sure that the whole House will join me
- in offering our condolences to the families
- and friends of those who lost their lives
- and were injured in the gun attack in Quebec
- City on Sunday, and in paying tribute to our
- former colleague Tam Dalyell, who died last
- Friday. He was an outstanding parliamentarian,
- and I am sure that all our thoughts are with
- his friends and family.
- This morning, I had meetings with ministerial
- colleagues and others. In addition to my duties
- in the House, I shall have further such meetings
- later today.
- 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:46.410
- >>Peter Heaton-Jones (North Devon) (Con):
- I associate myself with the remarks made by
- the Prime Minister and the tribute paid to
- the victims in Canada and to the family of
- Tam Dalyell.
- North Devon is quite rightly concerned that
- the current review of health services across
- the county may result in the loss of some
- acute services at our hospital in Barnstaple.
- For some residents, the nearest alternative
- could be three hours away. Will my right hon.
- Friend assure me that she will listen carefully
- to those concerns, because I want to be able
- to say to North Devon that we are the party
- of the NHS?
- 00:01:22.890 --> 00:01:33.869
- >>The Prime Minister: I thank my hon. Friend
- for his question. I can reassure him that
- this Government are absolutely committed to
- ensuring the best possible healthcare for
- patients right across the country. I recognise
- that concerns have been expressed locally
- about the North Devon district hospital. I
- understand that there are no specific proposals
- at the moment, but I know that the input of
- local communities will remain crucial throughout
- the process, and I can assure him that of
- course it is this party in government that
- is putting the extra funding into the NHS
- and showing how we value it.
- 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:09.440
- >>Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab): I
- join the Prime Minister in offering condolences
- to all those who died in the horrific attack,
- fuelled by hate, in Quebec, and we should
- send our solidarity to everyone in Canada
- on this sad occasion.
- May I also associate myself with the Prime
- Minister’s tribute to the former Member
- for West Lothian, and later Linlithgow, Tam
- Dalyell? A Labour MP and former Father of
- the House, he doggedly fought to expose official
- wrongdoing and cover-ups, from the miners
- strike to Iraq. I am sure the Prime Minister
- would agree that Tam’s scrutiny and contributions
- made this House a better place, and may I
- recommend to all Members his autobiography
- “The Importance of Being Awkward”? [Interruption.]
- And I am quite happy to offer my copy to the
- Secretary of State for Brexit to have a good
- read of it. I am sure that he has probably
- already read it.
- At last week’s Prime Minister Question Time,
- the Prime Minister told the House:
- “I am not afraid to speak frankly to a President
- of the United States”. What happened?
- 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:34.150
- >>The Prime Minister: First, let me say that
- I was not aware of Tam Dalyell’s book “The
- Importance of Being Awkward”, but given
- the number of resignations that the right
- hon. Gentleman has had from his Front Bench,
- I suspect that some of his colleagues have
- indeed read it.
- I am pleased to say to the right hon. Gentleman
- that when I visited the United States, I was
- able to build on the relationship that we
- have with our most important ally and get
- some very significant commitments from President
- Trump. Crucial among those was a 100% commitment
- to NATO—NATO which keeps us safe and keeps
- Europe safe too.
- 00:04:17.640 --> 00:04:24.340
- >>Jeremy Corbyn: Downing Street has not denied
- that the Prime Minister was told by the White
- House that the Executive order on travel to
- the US was imminent, so let us be clear: was
- the Prime Minister told about the ban during
- her visit, and did she try to persuade President
- Trump otherwise?
- 00:04:38.219 --> 00:04:45.289
- >>The Prime Minister: On the policy that President
- Trump has introduced, this Government are
- clear that it is wrong. We would not do it.
- In six years as Home Secretary, I never introduced
- such a policy. We believe it is divisive and
- wrong. If the right hon. Gentleman is asking
- me whether I had advance notice of the ban
- on refugees, the answer is no. If he is asking
- me if I had advance notice that the Executive
- order could affect British citizens, the answer
- is no. If he is asking if I had advance notice
- of the travel restrictions, the answer is,
- we all did, because President Trump said in
- his election campaign that he was going to
- do this. The question is how you respond.
- The job of Government is not to chase the
- headlines; the job of Government is not to
- take to the streets in protest; the job of
- Government is to protect the interests of
- British citizens, and that is exactly what
- we did.
- 00:05:56.860 --> 00:06:02.979
- >>Jeremy Corbyn: On the day after the Executive
- order was made to ban refugees and visitors
- from seven predominantly Muslim countries,
- why did the Prime Minister three times refuse
- to condemn the ban?
- 00:06:10.289 --> 00:06:16.400
- >>The Prime Minister: I have made it very
- clear that we believe that this policy is
- divisive and wrong, and that it is not a policy
- that we would introduce. I have also made
- it very clear when asked about this that this
- Government have a very different approach
- to these issues. On refugees, this Government
- have a proud record of the support that we
- have given to them, and long may it continue.
- 00:06:34.820 --> 00:06:40.110
- >>Jeremy Corbyn: The Prime Minister said:
- “The United States is responsible for the
- United States’ policy on refugees.”
- But surely it is the responsibility of all
- of us to defend the 1951 refugee convention,
- which commits this country, the United States
- and 142 other states to accept refugees without
- regard to their
- “race, religion or country of origin.”
- President Trump has breached that convention.
- Why did she not speak out?
- 00:07:06.270 --> 00:07:12.409
- >>The Prime Minister: First, I have made absolutely
- clear what the Government’s view on this
- policy is. Secondly, as I have just said,
- this Government and this country have a proud
- record on how we welcome refugees. In recent
- years, we have introduced a very particular
- scheme to ensure that particularly vulnerable
- refugees in Syria can be brought to this country,
- and something like 10,000 Syrian refugees
- have come to this country since the conflict
- began. We are also the second biggest bilateral
- donor, helping and supporting refugees in
- the region. That is what we are doing. I have
- said that the US policy is wrong. We will
- take a different view, and we will continue
- to welcome refugees to this country.
- 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:58.740
- >>Jeremy Corbyn: I also wrote to the Prime
- Minister on this issue and received her reply
- this morning. I hold in my hand her piece
- of paper. She makes no mention of the refugee
- convention and does not condemn US action
- in that respect.
- Last week, I asked the Prime Minister to assure
- the House that she would not offer up our
- national health service as a “bargaining
- chip” in any US trade deal. She gave no
- answer. She also refused to rule it out when
- asked in the US, so let me ask her a third
- time: will she rule out opening up our national
- health service to private US healthcare companies—yes
- or no?
- 00:08:42.570 --> 00:08:50.420
- >>The Prime Minister: I could give a detailed
- answer to the right hon. Gentleman’s question,
- but a simple and straightforward reply is
- what is required: the NHS is not for sale
- and it never will be.
- 00:09:01.790 --> 00:09:14.160
- >>Jeremy Corbyn: I hope that that includes
- not having US healthcare companies coming
- in to run any part of our national health
- service.
- President Trump has torn up international
- agreements on refugees. He has threatened
- to dump international agreements on climate
- change. He has praised the use of torture.
- He has incited hatred against Muslims. He
- has directly attacked women’s rights. Just
- what more does he have to do before the Prime
- Minister will listen to the 1.8 million people
- who have already called for his state visit
- invitation to be withdrawn?
- 00:09:53.800 --> 00:10:02.380
- >>The Prime Minister: The right hon. Gentleman’s
- foreign policy is to object to and insult
- the democratically elected Head of State of
- our most important ally. Let us see what he
- would have achieved in the last week. Would
- he have been able to protect British citizens
- from the impact of the Executive order? No.
- Would he have been able to lay the foundations
- of a trade deal? No. Would he have got a 100%
- commitment to NATO? No. That is what Labour
- has to offer this country—less protection
- for British citizens, less prosperity, less
- safety. He can lead a protest; I am leading
- a country.
- 00:10:47.080 --> 00:11:07.519
- >>Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con): Today it is
- inconceivable that somebody would be prosecuted
- based on who and what they are. Will my right
- hon. Friend join me in welcoming the posthumous
- pardon of some 49,000 men thanks to the Government’s
- Turing Bill which was enacted yesterday? Will
- she also encourage those who are still alive
- to come forward so that their injustices can
- be overturned?
- 00:11:26.230 --> 00:11:32.889
- >>The Prime Minister: I am very happy to join
- my hon. Friend in welcoming an extremely important
- change in the law. We committed to it in our
- manifesto and have now delivered on it. Passing
- Turing’s law has been a long-standing commitment
- for the Government. It is momentous and takes
- action to right the wrongs of the past. Like
- my hon. Friend, I certainly encourage those
- still alive to apply to the Home Office to
- have their offences disregarded.
- 00:11:52.610 --> 00:11:57.880
- >>Angus Robertson (Moray) (SNP): We on the
- SNP Benches associate ourselves with all the
- comments thus far about the tragic deaths
- in Quebec City and about the passing of Tam
- Dalyell. Respect for him was held across the
- political parties and he served with great
- distinction for more than 40 years.
- The Prime Minister had a successful international
- visit this last week—to Ireland. She spoke
- publicly about her commitment—this is important—not
- to have a hard border on these islands, to
- the continuation of free movement of peoples
- on these islands and to protect and enhance
- trade. Given that people will be watching
- this not just in Britain but in Ireland, will
- she take this opportunity to explain how she
- will deliver those sensible, important outcomes?
- 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:54.399
- >>The Prime Minister: Those are absolutely
- the outcomes that we want to see. I was very
- pleased to meet the Taoiseach and to discuss
- with him the joint intent that both his Government
- and mine have to ensure that we do not see
- a return to the borders of the past in Northern
- Ireland. We focus on the land border that
- is between Northern Ireland and the Republic
- of Ireland. Of course, the issue of movements
- from Ireland affects other places as well;
- it affects ports in Wales and Stranraer. Therefore,
- it is an important issue for us and we have
- agreed the work that we are going to do together
- to deliver what I believe will be as frictionless
- a border as possible. Also, one of the objectives
- that I set out in my plan for our negotiating
- objectives is to retain the common travel
- area.
- 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:41.879
- >>Angus Robertson: We on the SNP Benches very
- much welcome what the Prime Minister has just
- said on all those issues. Of course, we also
- welcome the intensifying of negotiations between
- the UK Government and the devolved Administrations
- ahead of triggering article 50. The Prime
- Minister has very helpfully explained that
- it is perfectly possible for parts of these
- islands to be in the single market, without
- hard borders, with free movement of people,
- while at the same time protecting and enhancing
- trade with one another. That is very, very
- welcome, so will she give a commitment to
- work with the Irish Government and a commitment
- to work with the Scottish Government to deliver
- all those things—or will we just have to
- get on with it ourselves?
- 00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:33.700
- >>The Prime Minister: First, the right hon.
- Gentleman is right that following the meeting
- of the Joint Ministerial Committee plenary
- on Monday morning, we agreed to intensify
- discussion on issues related to the bringing
- back of powers from Brussels and where those
- powers should lie within the UK—to intensify
- that in the run-up to the triggering of article
- 50 and beyond the triggering of article 50.
- On the other question, the right hon. Gentleman
- really should listen to the answers that are
- given, because he is trying to imply something
- that is not there. [Hon. Members: “Oh!”]
- Yes. We are very clear that we want to see
- a frictionless border between Northern Ireland
- and the Republic of Ireland, but I am also
- clear that one of the objectives of our negotiation
- is to see as frictionless a border as possible
- between the UK and the rest of the European
- Union. Of course, if he is so worried about
- having a frictionless border between Scotland
- and countries in the EU, he should not want
- to take Scotland out of the EU by wanting
- to see it independent. [Interruption.]
- 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:40.709
- >>Mr Speaker: Order. We should not have to
- allow for the reaction from the SNP Benches
- to every answer before we proceed to the next
- question.
- 00:15:43.930 --> 00:15:51.499
- >>Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke) (Con): EU
- nationals provide a vital and expert service
- in my local hospital in Basingstoke and, along
- with thousands of others, they face an uncertain
- future. I know that this is something that
- the Prime Minister wants to give priority
- to and to sort out. Will we be hearing more
- about it in the forthcoming White Paper?
- 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:10.810
- >>The Prime Minister: My right hon. Friend
- makes an important point about EU nationals.
- I would like to confirm my intention and expectation
- that we will be able to offer that reassurance
- to EU nationals living in the UK, but I also
- want to see reassurance offered to UK nationals
- living in the EU. I hope and will be working
- to try to ensure that this is an issue we
- can deal with at a very early stage in the
- negotiations. It was one of the objectives
- I set out in the plan. It will be referenced
- in the White Paper and I can inform my right
- hon. Friend and the House that that White
- Paper will be published tomorrow.
- 00:16:40.310 --> 00:16:47.009
- >>Jonathan Reynolds (Stalybridge and Hyde)
- (Lab/Co-op): Prime Minister, your responses
- today have been deeply unsatisfactory. The
- President of the United States has advocated
- torture, misogyny, racial discrimination,
- sexual assault and isolationism. The leaders
- of Canada and Germany were able to respond
- robustly, but your response was to jump on
- a plane as soon as possible to hold his hand.
- Does this country not deserve a leader who
- is willing to stand up for British values?
- 00:17:20.260 --> 00:17:27.740
- >>Mr Speaker: Order. I have issued no response
- and the hon. Gentleman not only should not
- breach parliamentary protocol but should not
- tempt me.
- 00:17:31.050 --> 00:17:38.091
- >>The Prime Minister: I will tell you what
- standing up for British values is. I and this
- Government introduced the first Modern Slavery
- Act in this country. I have ensured that stop
- and search has reduced, because I do not believe
- that anyone on the streets of this country
- should be stopped and searched because of
- the colour of their skin, and I ensured justice
- for the families of Hillsborough.
- 00:17:55.460 --> 00:18:00.679
- >>Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con):
- In light of the fact that most of the countries
- covered by the Trump ban have a total bar
- on the admission of Israeli citizens, should
- the protestors not be calling for that ban
- to be lifted as well?
- 00:18:10.299 --> 00:18:17.570
- >>The Prime Minister: I thank my right hon.
- Friend for pointing that out. It is absolutely
- right that the House should be aware of the
- discrimination around the world and of that
- ban, particularly for those who are Israeli
- citizens. We are consistent: we do not agree
- with that approach and it is not one that
- we will take. I wait for the day when the
- right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy
- Corbyn) stands up and condemns it too.
- 00:18:37.570 --> 00:18:44.090
- >>Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab/Co-op): My constituent
- Dianah Kendall suffered a bleed on the brain
- in 2012 and has struggled to work since, but
- was due to retire in September. Government
- changes to her state pension retirement age
- mean that she will now not retire until 2022.
- This injustice has short-changed 2.6 million
- WASPI women and brings shame on this Government.
- Will the Prime Minister think again and support
- Dianah and the millions of women who deserve
- fairness in retirement?
- 00:19:09.610 --> 00:19:18.370
- >>The Prime Minister: On the issue of those
- who are known as the WASPI campaign, I refer
- the hon. Gentleman to the fact that, as I
- am sure he knows, we committed more than £1
- billion to lessen the impact on those worst
- affected, so no one will see their pension
- age change by more than 18 months. There is
- a wider point: we need to be realistic when
- considering pension ages about the fact that
- people are living longer. If we want to carry
- on having an affordable and sustainable pension
- system, we need to equalise the state pension
- age for men and women faster and to bring
- forward the rise.
- 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:51.750
- >>Will Quince (Colchester) (Con): I welcome
- the £450 million announced in the autumn
- statement to fund a trial of the digital railway.
- Given the new fleet of trains on order and
- the economic growth opportunity for our region,
- does the Prime Minister agree that the great
- eastern main line has the most compelling
- case for that pilot?
- 00:20:08.110 --> 00:20:14.240
- >>The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is absolutely
- right about the importance of transport links
- for economic growth. I understand that digital
- signalling could increase capacity on commuter
- trains by up to 40%, hence the investment
- of £450 million for trials over the coming
- years to which he rightly refers. I know that
- the Department for Transport is considering
- where those trials should take place, but
- we certainly recognise that the great eastern
- main line is one area that could benefit from
- those improvements.
- 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:42.650
- >>John Nicolson (East Dunbartonshire) (SNP):
- A few moments ago, the Prime Minister tried
- to claim credit for passing Stonewall’s
- Turing Bill. She did not; the Turing Bill
- pardons all gay men found guilty of crimes
- no longer on the statute book. When will the
- Prime Minister follow the Scottish Government
- and automatically pardon the living as well
- as the dead?
- 00:21:01.870 --> 00:21:07.220
- >>The Prime Minister: It was during my time
- as Home Secretary that the legislation was
- introduced that gives those who are alive
- the opportunity to apply to the Home Office
- to have those offences that are no longer
- on the statute book expunged from their record—
- 00:21:16.370 --> 00:21:17.514
- >>John Nicolson: They are not doing it.
- 00:21:17.514 --> 00:21:19.550
- >>The Prime Minister: The hon. Gentleman says
- that they are not doing it. In this Chamber
- today my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey
- (Stuart Andrew) and I have both encouraged
- people to come forward and make that application,
- and that is a message that we should all put
- out.
- 00:21:30.820 --> 00:21:34.640
- >>James Duddridge (Rochford and Southend East)
- (Con): At the White House, my right hon. Friend
- gained some assurances from President Trump
- about his commitment to NATO, an achievement
- that was welcomed by the Governments of the
- Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania. Does
- my right hon. Friend agree that the way to
- engage with President Trump and to win such
- agreements is not by insulting our close ally
- but by bringing him close, rather than doing
- as the Leader of the Opposition demands? If
- we reject our closest ally, would that not
- leave Britain and our European partners less
- safe and less secure?
- 00:22:08.800 --> 00:22:15.840
- >>The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is absolutely
- right. We should never forget that America
- is our most important ally. Our relationship
- is long standing and American men and women
- served and died alongside UK men and women
- in two world wars to protect our security
- and the security of Europe. If we were not
- able to have that relationship and to see
- that commitment to NATO, in particular, we
- would leave this country and Europe less safe.
- 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:42.690
- >>Deidre Brock (Edinburgh North and Leith)
- (SNP): Many were surprised that immediately
- after those cosy images with Donald Trump
- were taken the Prime Minister chose to meet
- the Turkish President, who has been running
- an increasingly repressive regime since the
- failed coup last summer. Will she confirm
- whether she raised any human rights concerns
- with President Erdoğan, or, as we turn our
- face from Europe, will it be the policy of
- post-Brexit Britain to put arms deals before
- human rights abuses?
- 00:23:06.490 --> 00:23:12.309
- >>The Prime Minister: First, the hon. Lady
- should recognise that Turkey is an important
- country in relation both to our security and
- the issue of migration into Turkey and potentially
- into Europe. She will also recognise that
- Turkey has, and continues to host, 3 million
- refugees from Syria, and I commended the Turkish
- Government on the welcome they have given
- them. I suggest that she should just have
- looked at the press conference I gave after
- my discussions with President Erdoğan and
- Prime Minister Yildirim, in which I made it
- clear that we had condemned the coup but expected
- the Turkish Government to support their democratic
- institutions, international human rights and
- the rule of law.
- 00:23:57.360 --> 00:24:03.550
- >>Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell) (Con):
- I wholeheartedly congratulate my right hon.
- Friend on securing 100% for NATO from the
- new US Administration. Will she outline what
- she is doing to persuade our other NATO allies
- of the importance of achieving what was agreed
- at the NATO Wales summit on their obligations?
- 00:24:17.320 --> 00:24:22.850
- >>The Prime Minister: First, I thank my hon.
- Friend for the work that he does on the NATO
- Parliamentary Assembly. I know he is fully
- engaged with that. He is right that commitments
- were made at the NATO summit in Wales in 2014,
- when all our NATO allies committed to spending
- 2% of their GDP on defence within a decade.
- We have seen progress, but I agree with President
- Trump that many allies need to go further.
- I can assure my hon. Friend that I and other
- Ministers across Government raise the issue
- regularly with our allies and partners and
- will continue to do so.
- 00:24:50.750 --> 00:24:57.910
- >>Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab):
- Last week, air pollution in London was worse
- than in Beijing. Will the Prime Minister therefore
- assure me and my constituents in Osterley,
- Brentford and Chiswick that the hugely expensive
- proposal to double the capacity of the M4
- as it arrives in London will be shelved forthwith?
- 00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:21.380
- >>The Prime Minister: I can assure the hon.
- Lady that this Government take the issue of
- air quality very seriously. A lot of work
- has been done. Since 2011 more than £2 billion
- has been committed to enable, for example,
- bus operators to upgrade their fleets, and
- to ensure that changes are made to reduce
- pollution from vehicles such as refuse trucks
- and fire engines. We do recognise, however,
- that more needs to be done. We have seen a
- reduction in nitrous oxide from some 17% in
- recent years, but we will bring forward proposals
- to ensure that we can maintain the air quality
- that we all want to see.
- 00:25:53.549 --> 00:26:02.030
- >>Richard Benyon (Newbury) (Con): Will my
- right hon. Friend show her support for “Brighter
- Berkshire”, the campaign as part of the
- 2017 year of mental health? Will she give
- her continued commitment to ensuring that
- we have parity between mental health and physical
- health in this country?
- 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:19.799
- >>The Prime Minister: I am very happy to endorse
- the campaign to which my hon. Friend refers.
- It is important that we continue to raise
- awareness of the issues around mental health.
- The fact the Government have committed to
- the parity of esteem between mental and physical
- health is important. There is more for us
- to do on mental health, and I have already
- set out some steps that we want to take. I
- commend all those, however, who are working
- to raise the issue of mental health and provide
- support to those with mental health problems.
- 00:26:42.840 --> 00:26:51.350
- >>Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow) (Lab): The Association
- of Directors of Adult Social Services has
- said that £4.6 billion has been cut from
- social care budgets since 2010. Does the Prime
- Minister take any responsibility for the pain
- and the distress that the Tories have inflicted
- on poor, vulnerable old people being denied
- their rightful care? Yes or no?
- 00:27:15.620 --> 00:27:20.649
- >>The Prime Minister: The Government have
- taken a number of steps to increase the funding
- available for local authorities to provide
- for social care. It is also important that
- we ensure that best practice is developed
- and put into place across the country. In
- some parts of the country the record on social
- care and the interaction with hospitals is
- better than in others, but the longer-term
- issue is for us to ensure that we have a sustainable
- system for delivering social care for people
- in this country. The Labour party ducked that
- issue for 13 years. We are addressing it.
- 00:27:52.570 --> 00:27:59.769
- >>Andrea Jenkyns (Morley and Outwood) (Con):
- Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating
- Morley Academy on its recently awarded World
- Class Schools quality mark and say how such
- awards drive pupil excellence?
- 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:14.000
- >>The Prime Minister: I am happy to join my
- hon. Friend in congratulating the whole team
- at Morley Academy on receiving the award,
- which I think shows the work that the GORSE
- Academies Trust is doing to drive up excellence
- and improve outcomes for pupils. We are determined
- to drive up standards in schools to ensure
- that more children have good school places—a
- good school place for every child—so that
- they can all reach the sort of level we see
- at Morley Academy.
- 00:28:34.890 --> 00:28:38.409
- >>Mr David Winnick (Walsall North) (Lab):
- How will the thousands of people who lost
- their jobs at British Home Stores feel about
- the fact that it may take years before the
- case of Philip Green, the totally discredited
- and disgraced businessperson, results in his
- knighthood being taken away or otherwise?
- Is it not remarkable? People lose their jobs
- and suffer all the consequences, but this
- man keeps his billions and his knighthood.
- 00:29:05.130 --> 00:29:12.690
- >>The Prime Minister: The hon. Gentleman raises
- an important issue. Many Members of this House
- have expressed concern about what happened
- at BHS and the attitude and approach taken
- by Philip Green. Whether a knighthood should
- be taken away from someone is a matter for
- the relevant committee—I have forgotten
- the name—which will be examining the case;
- I understand that it is waiting for the investigations
- to be completed. This is a matter for an independent
- committee and it is up to the committee how
- it looks into it.
- 00:29:40.750 --> 00:29:46.210
- >>Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): Tonight,
- there will be an historic vote in this place,
- a vote that I thought I would not see in my
- political lifetime: the British Parliament
- voting to withdraw from the European Union
- under the excellent leadership of the Prime
- Minister. Is my right hon. Friend surprised
- that Opposition Members who demand time to
- discuss the matter and debate it—namely,
- the Liberal Democrats—did not even bother
- to turn up last night? The Government Benches
- were packed, the Scottish National party Benches
- were packed, the Democratic Unionist party
- Members were here, and there were some Labour
- Members. Is that not surprising?
- 00:30:28.409 --> 00:30:37.220
- >>The Prime Minister: Throughout my political
- career I have fought Liberal Democrats, and
- nothing that they do ever surprises me, but
- I join my hon. Friend in commending the Bill
- before the House. This House has a very simple
- decision to take. We gave the right of judgment
- on this matter to the British people, and
- they made their choice: they want to leave
- the EU. The question every Member must ask
- themselves as they go through the Lobby tonight
- is: do they trust the people?
- 00:31:03.789 --> 00:31:13.350
- >>Mr Speaker: Well, the right hon. Gentleman
- is here now, so let us hear the fellow—Tim
- Farron.
- 00:31:14.350 --> 00:31:15.769
- >>Hon. Members: Hear, hear!
- 00:31:15.769 --> 00:31:22.159
- >>Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD):
- Who would have guessed it, Mr Speaker? We
- are here now, asking the questions—[Interruption]—asking
- the
- questions about the future of our country
- and Brexit that a strong Leader of the Opposition
- should be asking—
- 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:46.149
- >>Hon. Members: Where were you?
- 00:31:46.149 --> 00:31:51.470
- >>Mr Speaker: Order. [Interruption.] Mr Knight,
- I am very worried about you. You recently
- suffered from a bad leg. With all that shouting,
- you will be suffering from a bad head. Calm
- yourself man!
- 00:31:58.840 --> 00:32:10.470
- >>Tim Farron: The Prime Minister will return
- at some point with a deal with Europe that
- our people will have to live with for decades
- to come, especially our young people, 73%
- of whom voted to remain. Nobody knows what
- that deal will look like, but someone will
- get to agree it. Should it be her Government,
- should it be this Parliament, or should it
- be—as I believe it should—the British
- people?
- 00:32:35.580 --> 00:32:40.659
- >>The Prime Minister: I have already said
- that there will be a vote on the deal in this
- Parliament. [Interruption.]
- 00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:48.360
- >>Mr Speaker: Mr Shelbrooke, calm yourself.
- You are in a state of excessive excitement,
- even by your standards.
- 00:32:50.149 --> 00:32:58.480
- >>Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty) (Con): It
- is quite difficult to follow that, Mr Speaker,
- but back in the real world—[Laughter.]
- In December 2015, my constituency suffered
- terrible flooding, especially in the town
- of Tadcaster. The damage became worse when
- the bridge collapsed, separating the town.
- Thankfully, the bridge will be reopened, hopefully
- this week. Will the Prime Minister join me
- in thanking all those who were involved in
- the restoration of the bridge and, most importantly,
- the residents of Tadcaster, who have had a
- terrible year?
- 00:33:34.630 --> 00:33:41.149
- >>The Prime Minister: I am happy to join my
- hon. Friend in commending and thanking not
- only all those who worked so hard to restore
- the bridge at Tadcaster, but the people of
- Tadcaster, who have had to put up with disruption
- and inconvenience for such a long time. I
- am sure that those people will all welcome
- the return of the bridge, and we commend all
- those who have ensured that that has happened.
- 00:34:01.130 --> 00:34:05.820
- >>John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) (Lab/Co-op):
- The news revealed yesterday that Toshiba is
- reviewing its investment in the Moorside nuclear
- power plant, which puts a huge question mark
- over not only 21,000 jobs in Cumbria but the
- future of our nation’s energy security.
- What will the Prime Minister do personally
- to ensure that the deal stays on track?
- 00:34:25.409 --> 00:34:28.510
- >>The Prime Minister: I assure the hon. Gentleman
- that both the Business Secretary and I have
- involvement in a number of deals and possible
- deals around the nuclear industry. We are
- keen to ensure that those jobs are brought
- to the United Kingdom and that such deals
- are kept on track. I assure him of the Government’s
- commitment.
- 00:34:47.320 --> 00:34:56.629
- >>Jo Churchill (Bury St Edmunds) (Con): This
- week the Danish drug firm Novo Nordisk invested
- £115 million in the UK to further research
- into type 2 diabetes. Will the Prime Minister
- join me in welcoming that investment as well
- as the academics and scientists involved,
- many of whom are from the EU and around the
- world and will appreciate the assurance she
- gave earlier? Will she also work with me to
- ensure that any innovations and new treatments
- get to patients as quickly as possible?
- 00:35:18.980 --> 00:35:23.200
- >>The Prime Minister: As my hon. Friend will
- probably understand, I recognise this issue
- particularly personally, although I am a type
- 1 diabetic rather than type 2. Any investment
- in diabetes research is to be welcomed, and
- when new solutions and support for diabetics
- are found, it is important that they get to
- people as quickly as possible. A significant
- number of people in this country suffer from
- type 2 diabetes, and the figures show that
- there is a great risk that the number will
- increase significantly in the coming years.
- We need to do all that we can not only to
- prevent people from becoming type 2 diabetics
- in the first place, but to support those who
- have that condition so that people suffer
- from fewer complications and are able to manage
- their lives.
- 00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:13.660
- >>Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (Ochil and South
- Perthshire) (SNP): Today is World Hijab Day.
- Will the Prime Minister join me in recognising
- the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab
- if they wish, without fear, and indeed the
- right of all women everywhere to wear what
- they want, when they want? Will she also commit
- to standing up for the right to refuge for
- men, women and children wherever they may
- be, regardless of their religion?
- 00:36:35.190 --> 00:36:41.740
- >>The Prime Minister: On the hon. Lady’s
- second point, it is absolutely the case that
- this country welcomes refuges to the United
- Kingdom, and we do so regardless of their
- religion—there is no question of discriminating
- on religion.
- I am absolutely in line with the hon. Lady
- on her point about wearing the hijab. I believe
- that what a woman wears is a woman’s choice.
- 00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:06.170
- >>Sir Julian Brazier (Canterbury) (Con): Russian
- armed forces regularly carry out large-scale
- exercises, including with nuclear-capable
- equipment, on the borders of eastern Europe.
- Does my right hon. Friend agree that the American
- commitment to NATO is absolutely pivotal to
- protect the countries of eastern Europe from
- going the same way as eastern Ukraine?
- 00:37:27.619 --> 00:37:33.890
- >>The Prime Minister: I absolutely agree with
- my hon. Friend. The 100% commitment to NATO
- that President Trump has given is crucial
- to ensuring that we can provide for the security
- of this country and others in Europe, especially
- those in eastern Europe on the border with
- Russia. I noted that my hon. Friend the Member
- for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge)
- referred to the fact that the Governments
- of the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania
- had welcomed that 100% commitment. I am pleased
- to say that we are playing our part, as about
- 800 troops will be going to Poland and Estonia
- this year as a sign of NATO’s strength and
- our belief in keeping those countries free
- and democratic.
- 00:38:12.040 --> 00:38:19.000
- >>Naz Shah (Bradford West) (Lab): In 2015,
- my constituent Samia Shahid was lured to her
- death in Pakistan, where she was brutally
- raped and murdered. Will the Prime Minister
- join me in reiterating the commitment of this
- House and this country that we will not tolerate
- violence against women, and encourage the
- Pakistani Government to continue in their
- efforts to get justice for our British girl,
- Samia Shahid?
- 00:38:39.329 --> 00:38:48.660
- >>The Prime Minister: The hon. Lady raises
- a very tragic case, and our deepest sympathies
- are with Samia’s husband following her tragic
- death last year. We do not interfere in the
- legal processes of another country, but I
- understand from the Foreign Office that the
- Pakistani police have arrested two people
- and charged them with murder. The Foreign
- Office has provided assistance to Samia’s
- husband and will continue to do so. I am sure
- it will keep the hon. Lady informed, and I
- understand that the Home Secretary will meet
- the hon. Lady soon to discuss this issue.
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