Transcripts For BBCNEWS The Week In Parliament 20240713

This is bbc news. The headlines some of hong kongs metro system remains shut after a day which saw stations and businesses attacked in violent Anti Government protests. Demonstrators defied a ban on face masks during the unrest. Chief executive carrie lam has defended her decision to invoke emergency powers. The us secretary of state mike pompeo has dismissed questions about Donald Trumps attempts to push ukraine and china to investigate democratic rival joe biden as a silly gotcha game. Leading democrats have issued a legal order, demanding the white house hand over more documents on its dealings with ukraine. The British Foreign secretary has urged america to reconsider its decision to let a diplomats wife who was involved in a fatal car crash claim diplomatic immunity to leave britain. 19 year old harry dunn died in the collision in august. That is all from me. Coming up at 6 oclock, breakfast with rogerjohnson and rachel burden. But first on bbc news, the week in parliament. Hello, and welcome to the week in parliament, as borisjohnson tries to win friends and influence people. We have made a genuine attempt to bridge the chasm, to reconcile the apparently irreconcilable and to go the extra mile as time runs short. Jeremy corbyn isnt persuaded and has a message for his own side. No labour mp could support such a reckless deal that will be used asa springboard. Used as a springboard to attack rights and standards in this country also in this programme, mps are moved to tears by a colleagues account of Domestic Abuse. If anyones watching and needs a friend, please reach out if its safe to do so, and please talk to any of us, cos well be there and well hold your hand. All hear, hear applause. But first, this was the week we finally got to see borisjohnsons brexit plan the one he hopes will win over the eu and parliament and enable the uk to leave with a deal at the end of the month. The Prime Minister told mps the government had moved and he hoped they would now come together in the National Interest to back his plan. Under that plan, Northern Ireland would continue to follow some eu Single Market rules if the Stormont Assembly agrees but would also leave the customs union. So there would be customs checks on the island of ireland, but not, says mrjohnson, at the border. Ahead of its unveiling, downing street said this was his final offer. But when he came to the commons on thursday, he struck a noticeably less combative tone. He admitted his plan was a compromise, although he did say that if the eu rejected it, the uk was ready to leave at the end of this month. This governments objective has always been to leave with a deal and these constructive and reasonable proposals show our seriousness of purpose. They do not deliver everything we wouldve wished. They do represent a compromise. But to remain a prisoner of existing positions is to become a cause of deadlock, rather than breakthrough. And so, we have made a genuine attempt to bridge the chasm, to reconcile the apparently irreconcilable and to go the extra mile as time runs short. I do not, for one moment, resile from the fact that we have shown great flexibility in the interests of reaching an accommodation with our european friends in achieving the resolution for which we all yearn. If our european neighbours choose not to show a corresponding willingness to reach a deal, then we shall have to leave on october the 31st without an agreement. And. And we are ready to do so. But that outcome would be a failure of statecraft, for which all parties would be held responsible. For labour, Jeremy Corbyn said the plan was unworkable. He accused the government of wanting to rip away protection for workers rights and the environment. And with some on his own side minded to vote for a deal, he had this warning. No labour mp could support such a reckless deal that will be used asa springboard. Used as a springboard to attack rights and standards in this country the truth is that after three years, this government still hasnt found an answer to solving the issue of the irish border and the good friday agreement. Where once the government was committed to having no border in ireland, theyre now proposing two borders in ireland. He is doing nothing but seeking to divide and risking this countrys future for his own political gain. An America First deal with president trump, the proposal is unrealistic and damaging and will, as i think the Prime Ministerfull well knows, be rejected in brussels, rejected in this house and rejected across this country the uk governments document talks about the consent of the people of Northern Ireland as being required. Where is the requirement for the consent of the scottish people who voted to remain, whose voices are ignored by this conservative government . The snp will do Everything Possible to secure an extension and to stop a no deal brexit. So i say to the Prime Minister, be warned secure an extension, or resign. If not, the snp stand ready to bring this government down. If he wants to remove me from office, then the best thing he can do is to work on the right honourable gentleman opposite and persuade him to call a general election and try his luck that way. If the Prime Minister had bothered to go to the Northern Ireland border, he would know the genuine fear that people there feel about his proposals, which they see will result in physical infrastructure for the border whether that is actually on the border or, as he euphemistically puts it, at some other point in the supply chain. His plans there have been denounced as the worst of both worlds. A former conservative said borisjohnson had won the support of tory brexiteers in the European Research group and of the democratic unionists, but doubted that would be enough. I congratulate him on getting a deal with the erg and the dup, but i remind him that the dup do not represent the people of Northern Ireland. And i observe they cant even be bothered to turn up today. Could the Prime Minister confirm that not one single other Political Party or any organisation in Northern Ireland support his con of a so called deal . The majority of people in Northern Ireland will be extremely concerned by the process that he has tabled yesterday extremely concerned by the proposals that he has tabled yesterday and spoken to today, which introduce two borders in Northern Ireland. And may i remind the Prime Minister that the people in Northern Ireland certainly do not want the uk to leave the eu without a deal . What people in Northern Ireland really want, all of them, is to continue to enjoy the peace and stability delivered by the belfast good friday agreement. Those two borders, being a customs one with the eu and a regulatory one with the rest of the uk. Now, Theresa Mays Brexit deal failed because she couldnt win over tory brexiteers, so can Boris Johnson succeed where his predecessor failed . A leading member of the erg signalled support. The one option that has ever passed this house other than the Withdrawal Agreement as originally presented was the so called brady amendment, the essence of which was to expunge the backstop in favour of alternative arrangements, which passed the house of commons on the 29th of january by 16 votes. Does that give him hope that this could get through . Yes, it does, mr speaker. And im also. It does indeed, mr speaker, and i thank my right honourable friend for his point, and hes right also in his ambition for what we can do with this deal. Speaking of the brady amendment. Can i urge the Prime Minister to go to his eu colleagues with some confidence to tell them there is every likelihood, if not certainty, that this proposition will command the support of the house of commons and can take us forward and break the deadlock that has been dogging us so long . So what could possibly go wrong . The parliamentary numbers may look more promising for the Prime Minister, but if the eu doesnt agree, then theres no deal and the clock ticks on. Prime ministers questions took place without the Prime Minister. Dominic raab stood in for Boris Johnson wearing his first secretary of state hat, and explained why. Thank you, mr speaker. Ive been asked to reply. My right honourable friend, the Prime Minister, is in manchester for the conservative party conference. He is making, as we speak, the keynote speech setting out that well leave the eu on the 31st of october so that we can get on with our dynamic domestic agenda. And diane abbott stood in forJeremy Corbyn, making history as the first black mp to speak from the despatch box during pmqs. She focused on the impact of Government Policies on women. Whether its women members in this house, women claiming benefits, womens reproductive rights in Northern Ireland and the failure to support women workers at thomas cook, isnt this a government letting women down . Id say to the right honourable lady, on this side of the house, were proud to be on our second female Prime Minister. Labour mps pointed out that the conservatives had now moved on from theresa may. The labour front bench are pointing to my right honourable friend. Well, id like to that opportunity to pay tribute to the right honourable member for maidenhead. For her accomplishments in tackling human trafficking, for her accomplishments and drive to tackle violence against women and for the Domestic Violence bill that well be introducing in this house today for further debate. It seems to me that tory members of Parliament May on occasion make women their leaders, but they need to learn. They need to learn how. They need to learn how to treat them less cruelly. The snp leader returned to brexit and appealed to other Opposition Mps to help topple borisjohnson. Other parties need to step up at this moment of national crisis. Prepare a vote of no confidence, ensure a brexit extension, prevent a no deal and call a general election. Doing nothing is not an option. We must act. So i ask the foreign secretary will he give the Prime Minister a message from the Scottish National party . Its not a case of if, but when we will bring this dangerous government down i have to say to the honourable gentleman, hes at risk of sounding like hes all mouth and no trousers. Because he had the chance to vote for a general election, and he turned it down. He had the chance to avoid no deal, and the best chance now is to back this government in securing a good deal, good for the United Kingdom and good for all quarters of the United Kingdom, including the people of scotland. Dominic raab, ian blackford, and diane abbott. Now, some of the most powerful speeches by politicians are those that share traumatic personal experiences. The labour mp Rosie Duffield spoke out during a debate on the Domestic Abuse bill, which provides the first Legal Definition of Domestic Abuse. She said it had many faces and sometimes, there were no bruises. And at the start of the relationship, she said, abusers didnt present their rage. They dont threaten, criticise, control, yell or exert their physical strength in increasingly frightening ways not yet. Not at the start. Not when they think youre sweet, funny and gorgeous. Not when they want to impress you. Not when they turn up to only your third date with chocolate, then jewellery. Not when they meet your friends, your parents or the leader of your Political Party. They dont do any of that then. Its only later when the door to your home is locked. Only then do you really start to learn what power and control looks and feels like. Its when the ring is on your finger that the mask can start to slip and the promises sound increasingly like threats. Its then that you can spend all day after 12 or more hours at work longing to see the person you love, only to find that on the walk or tubejourney home, they refuse to speak a single solitary word to you. Eventually at home, theyll find a way to let you know which particular sin you have apparently committed. Your dress was too short. The top you wore in the chamber was too low cut. Or you didnt respond to a message immediately. She talked about the slow disappearance of any kindness, respect or loving behaviour. Every day is emotionally exhausting. Working in a job that you love but putting on a brave face pretending all is good, fine, wonderful in fact. Then the pretence and the public face start to drop completely. Being yelled at in the car with the windows down. No attempt to hide behaviour during constituency engagements. Humiliation and embarrassment now added to permanent trepidation and constant hurt and pain. Impossible to comprehend that this is the person who tells his family how much he loves you and longs to make you his wife. Eventually, she took his keys and changed the locks. The next few days and weeks are a total hell. Texts and calls yelling that youve locked me out like a dog. Nobody treats me that way. This is the last thing you will ever do. You cry, you grieve for your destroyed dreams, you try to heal, you ignore the e mails from wedding companies, but its like withdrawal and it takes six months. But one day, you noticed that youre smiling, that its ok to laugh and its a week or two since the daily sobbing stopped. So if anyones watching and needs a friend, please reach out if its safe to do so and please talk to any of us, because well be there and well hold your hand. All hear, hear applause. Rosie duffield. The Domestic Abuse bill introduces Domestic Abuse protection orders, which would allow the police and courts to intervene earlier where abuse is suspected. The bill will also stop abusers cross examining their victim in court. The legislation was initiated by theresa may, who, in her first commons speech since leaving downing street, said it would change lives. I remember as home secretary initiating a campaign of advertisements about what a Good Relationship was. And that the saddest thing was reading some of the comments that the young people, particularly young women, made when they had seen those adverts in cinemas and elsewhere. Comments like, i didnt know it was wrong for him to hit me. This is the sadness in our society of so many people who dont know what a Good Relationship is and who suffer from their bad relationship. And who suffer in silence, for too many, as weve heard for many years, suffer in silence before any action is taken. Theresa may. There were more powerful, personal speeches during thursdays debate on womens mental health, with calls for more to be done to help mothers to be and new mums. A labour mp, who is eight months pregnant with her second child, shared her own experience of struggling with pre natal depression while expecting herfirst child. Society tells us that being pregnant and having a baby should be a wonderful, joyous time. But the reality for many can feel quite different. So all too often, women dont discuss their problems because they feel embarrassed, ashamed or worried that the Health Professionals will think that theyre not capable of looking after their baby. I think its important to say now that i was one of those women. With my first son, i suffered from prenatal depression, which led to an exacerbation of anxiety and ocd. At that time, i didnt have enough knowledge of the condition to do anything about it. It isnt something that gets talked about, and so i didnt know how to ask for help. This time round, ive been able to spot the triggers and therefore deal with any problems before they have escalated. I also had the confidence to tell my gp of my past history, who was then able to give me some options. At times, preventing the onset of prenatal depression this time round has felt like a daily battle, which is one that im pleased to say i have won. It is absolutely wonderful to hear the truth spoken in this place however difficult it might be. And that in an atmosphere which for decades until very recently considered childbirth. Considered childbirth to be some form of weakness rather than the process through which every human being arrives in this world is wonderful. Dame eleanor laing. Time now for a brief look at what else mps and peers have been up to. Deaths among Homeless People in england and wales increased by more than a fifth last year, according to official figures. A total of 726 people died, nearly half of them as a result of drug poisoning. These statistics have reminded us of starkly of the fateful impact of substance and alcohol abuse. We know that the use of new psychoactive substances is rising. Mr speaker, these are dangerous drugs with unpredictable effects. And thats why its so important people that get the support that they need. One labour mp pointed out that rough sleeping was becoming more visible all the time, even around the palace of westminster. Every evening as we leave this opulent building, we see a growing number of Homeless People. In the tube station, outside the buildings, in shop doorways and anywhere where they can seek shelter. And its clear that the government are not doing enough. In hong kong, the police shot a pro democracy protester in the chest during violent clashes. Thousands of people defied a ban on demonstrations on the 70th anniversary of communist rule in china. It prompted an urgent question in the house of lords. The government remains seriously concerned about the situation in hong kong. Todays shooting of a protester in hong kong is a deeply worrying development. The government is clear that there is no excuse for violence, and we will continue to condemn it. This incident also underlines why a constructive dialogue which addresses the legitimate concerns of the hong kong people is so important. What is required now is calm from both protesters and the hong kong authorities. After four months of protest, todays use of live rounds against protesters in hong kong marks a worrying escalation. Im sure all noble lords will share my concern over the spiralling levels of violence on all sides, which appear to be increasing on a near daily basis. Many Community Pharmacies are facing unbearable financial pressure because of cuts to government funding and medicine shortages. That was the view of a labour mp who worked in a pharmacy as a teenager. Like many of my colleagues, im incredibly concerned about the impact of medicine shortages on both the nhs and patients themselves. But it is contributing to the mix of factors which are piling an unbearable financial pressure onto our local chemist shops, and i hope this government has a plan to respond and keep our trusted, effective Community Pharmacies open. The past three years have been challenging, but there is a new pharmacy sector agreement. And i am continually inspired, as everybody has been from the right honourable members experience of work experience, by the compassion, by the dedication and by the commitment from those who work in the nhs family. The former conservative leadership challenger rory stewart has announced hes resigned from the party and will stand down as an mp at the general election. In what he called a slightly dodgy selfie, he revealed his plans to stand as an independent candidate for london mayor. Im leaving that gossip shouting chamber of westminster. Im getting away from politics which makes me sometimes feel as though trump has never left london, and i want to walk through every borough of this great city. Rory stewart, mp, but not for much longer. Scotland has become the first country in the uk to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children. The move will give children in scotland the same protection from assault as adults when it comes into force. The smacking ban bill was introduced by the scottish green msp john finnie, a former police officer. Critics of this simple reform have often accused the bill of criminalising parents. There is no evidence that a change to the law results in increased prosecutions in any of the more than 50 countries where similar reforms have taken place. In fact, this change in the law in ireland prompted more parents to Contact Services to ask for help and support with alternative disciplining techniques. To return to decision time, theres one question today. The question is that motion 18623 in the name ofjohn finnie on the children equal protection from assault scotland bill at stage three be agreed, and members should cast their votes now. The result was overwhelming. The result of the vote on motion 18623 in the name ofjohn finnie is yes 84, no 29. There were no abstentions. The motion is agreed, and the children equal protection from assault scotland bill is passed. Applause. Time now for a look at the wider world of politics. Maia bondici has our countdown. Music. At five, its only been a little over a week since parliament reopened its doors. Butjohn bercows voice seems to be giving in already. It wont last long, dont worry. Sir vince cable. Dont you worry, mr bercow, there will be plenty of time to rest after parliament prorogues on tuesday. At four, our next story is rather different. We call it when zelensky met tom. Youre good looking. Laughter. It pays the rent. We wish our good looks would pay the rent, but for now, i guess well stick to politics. At three, diane abbott, the first black woman mp became the first black mp at the despatch box for pmqs. Yesterday marked the start of black history month. At two, during his speech of the conservative conference, mrjavid remembered to thank his mum. Once again, were living above the shop. But im so happy to make her proud. And what a shop that is. And at one, coffee. Whats this . Well, none for you, Prime Minister. No disposable cups. Thank god no one saw that. Maia bondici reporting. As borisjohnson now knows, plastic has become political, something confirmed during exchanges in the house of lords, where there were calls for better education on the issue of single use plastics. A conservative peer wanted to know whether. We can educate the public more, so that particularly young people dont go around with a single use plastic bottle in their hand the whole time, but use renewable ones. My lords, i think a lot of us are now very much using renewable bottles, and im pleased to say in the year of green action, i have one in my office which is very useful. The on message environment minister, lord gardiner. Thank you. Whats this . 0h. Oh, oh. No disposable cups. Well, thats our final offer to you for this week in parliament. Thank you for watching. I do hope you canjoin me on Bbc Parliament on monday evening at 11pm for the latest from the commons and the lords. Bye for now. Hello. Said to be a lot of surface water on the roads this morning as we start sunday. Heavy persistent rain with a risk of minor flooding through sunday and the travel disruption. You can see the rain in the charts to begin with. Eases a little through the day but never far away full of still some outbreaks coming under rumble of thunder towards east anglia in the south east. Otherwise, dry and bright, showers differ drifting down and blowing towards the south west corner with winds touching gale force at times. Into sunday evening and overnight the rain eases off and eastern areas but then more wet and windy weather arrives in the west to take us into monday morning rush hour. Eastern areas are a little cool but it should be drier than it would be this morning. Rain will push in here and infact this morning. Rain will push in here and in fact through the coming week there will be more rain at times and it will always remain a little on the windy side. Good morning. Welcome to breakfast, with rogerjohnson and rachel burden. Our headlines today a controversial debate on allowing married men to become catholic priests will be held in the vatican. The Prime Minister urges the eu to compromise on a brexit deal and insists his plan is winning support among mps. More success for Great Britain at the world athletics championships. The mens and womens sprint relay teams both won silver. It was Dina Asher Smiths third medal of the competition. Good medal of the competition. Morning. Its been a ver night, good morning. Its been a very wet night, and surface water flooding across parts of northern scotland, and parts of england. The