Transcripts For BBCNEWS The Week In Parliament 20240713

Now on bbc news, time for a look back at the week in parliament. Hello and welcome to the week in parliament. Its on. The uk will vote on december the 12th as borisjohnson argues a general election is the only way to push brexit forward. This endless, wilful, fingers crossed, not me, guv refusal to deliver on the mandate of the people, and that is, mr speaker, to refresh this parliament and give the people a choice. Labour backs a general election because we want this country to be rid of this reckless and destructive conservative government. The parties begin to set out their stalls. And the lib dem leader says she should be included in any tv debates. Will the Prime Minister commit today to take part in those three way debates, or is he going to run scared of debating . And tributes tojohn bercow as he retires as speaker. The longest serving woman mp praises him for throwing open the commons to youngsters. There were those who resisted change and said we cannot have all these children here in the house of commons, weve got work to be done. Borisjohnson finally got what he wanted. After three failed attempts, the date for the general election has been set for thursday december the 12th. On monday hed had one last go at getting the election through under the fixed term parliaments act. But although he won the vote, he didnt get the two thirds majority 434 mps that he needed. So on tuesday it was time for a different approach, this time putting through a short bill calliing for an election. I think this delay is becoming seriously damaging to the National Interest because families cant plan, businesses cant plan, and a climate of uncertainty is not only corroding trust in politics but is beginning to hold everybody back from making vital, everyday decisions. He did get a majority of 30 for his deal in principle last week, and if the subsequent time of this house had been devoted to the committee and report stage of the house, following the ordinary principles of government, we would be well on our way to leaving in the middle of november. So, can i with respect say to my right honourable friend, can he find a slightly better basis for fighting this election, when we get to the campaign in due course . There is only one way now to move this country forward and to have that debate and that is to get brexit done and there is only one way to get brexit done, in the face of this unrelenting parliamentary obstructionism. This endless wilful, fingers crossed, not me, guv refusal to deliver on the mandate of the people, and that is, mr speaker, to refresh this parliament and give the people a choice. Labour backs a general election because we want this country to be rid of this reckless and destructive conservative government. A government that has caused more of our children to be living in poverty, more pensioners to be in poverty, and more people to be in in work poverty. I shall be voting against an early election today and encourage as many of my colleagues as possible to defy the threats and blandishments to do so, because the reality is that the uncertainty of the outcome of a general election most certainly does not take no deal of the table. The honourable member says the snp has tried to obstruct brexit. Well, mr speaker, guilty as charged. Mps had managed to change the rules for the day so that they could amend the general election bill and propose allowing eu nationals and 16 and 17 year olds to vote a move backed by the lib dem leader who pointed to the example in scotland. Where you see on polling day at four oclock in the afternoon, young people from fifth year and 6th year leaving school, walking down the road, and going en masse to the polling station. And it is a sight to behold, it is a positive step. I have to say, there were many conservative members who were sceptical of this who in scotland have come roundto the idea after seeing it is a successful change. In the end the amendments to give eu nationals and 16 and 17 year olds the vote were not selected, and mps voted against a proposal from the snp and the lib dems to have the election a few days earlier on december 9th. The bill then went off to the lords, where two peers challenged the idea that voters would be put off by the winter weather. Its not the weather or the time of year thats important, it is whether people feel that their votes are going to be important and valued and matter. And the great reforming liberal whig government of lord gray was indeed elected on the 10th of december 1832. So theres a good president. I would remind this house that i was first elected for the caernarfon constituency for plaid cymru in the last midwinter election we had in february 1974. Yes, it was dark, yes, it was wet, and, yes, it was very, very cold. But when the good people of caernarfon saw dozens of young people committed to a cause, knocking three or even four times on the doors, they realised how much it meant those young people and they swung our cause. Lord wigley. If you wanted to know what arguments the parties were planning to put to voters, there wasnt long to wait. The last Prime Ministers questions before the election set the scene. The Prime Ministers planned sell out deal with donald trump means. Means yet more National Health Service Money being siphoned off into private profit. Isnt the truth that this government is preparing to sell out our nhs . Our Health Service is in more danger than at any other time in its glorious history because of his government, his attitude, and the trade deals he wants to strike. Mr speaker, i do indeed agree there is a stark choice facing this country at this election and it is between economic catastrophe under the labour party, £196 billion programme taking away money from companies and putting it on a pointless renationalisation programme, putting up taxes or corporations, on pensions, on businesses, and at the highest level in the whole of europe, that is the economic catastrophe he offers. But he also offers a political disaster. This Prime Ministers extreme brexit will take a wrecking ball to the economy and cost scotland and the United Kingdom up to £70 billion a year. You know, mr speaker, we can talk about the impact of brexit and they howl and complain because they know the reality is going to damage people lives. Isnt the truth is that the Prime Minister is willing to throw scotland under his big red bus to deliver his brexit . No matter what the cost. We are coming to the close of nine years of tory misrule, misinformation, and broken promises. In wales, we have a simple choice, we can back our country by backing plaid cymru or be let down once again by one of these deeply divided westminster parties who offer nothing but more brexit chaos. The most important point that she might bear in mind is that her constituents, the people of wales, voted to leave the European Union. The lib dem leader challenged him over any televised election debates, arguing she should be included. People deserve to hear from a leader who wants to stop brexit and build a betterfuture. So, will the Prime Minister commit today to take part in those three way debates, or is he going to run scared of debating . I think the people of this country won their promises kept. Im not disposed to believe in the promises of the liberal democrats when the leaflet in london say they want to revoke the result of the referendum, and their leaflets in the south west of the country dont mention brexit at all. That is the liberal. What they stand for, that is a bunch of hypocrites, lot of them. They stand for nothing but a policy of and delay. Borisjohnson. The election is set for december the 12th, but what happens when mps return to wesminter . Theyre expected to come back on december the 16th. But what then . A question i put to alice lilly from the institute for government. There are three things that really has to happen before mps can get down to business. The first of those is that they need to elect a speaker. Slightly unusually, we are going to see the election of a speaker before the general election so we would assume that when parliament returns after the election, we willjust see them vote to re elect the incumbent speaker. So, that takes place very quickly. So that could be a quick process . Yes, absolutely. A motion would be moved, simply saying, asking mps to agree to the election of the incumbent. That could happen quickly. If not, the process could take up to a day of talent in that time. That is the first thing. After that, mps and peers have to be sworn in, usually that takes around two to three days to accomplish because they are so many. Again, that is something that potentially could happen much quicker if possible but everyone in the house would have to agree. And the third thing is we need the state opening of parliament, and again they would be all sorts of questions there about whether a full queens speech would happen and if so, how and when that might happen. And that would partly depend, of course, on the queens availability. We are used to seeing the queens speech with a full coach and horses and the queen arriving in all the pomp and ceremony but it is not to be like that, does it . No, it doesnt. It can be much more stripped back. Back in 2017, after the election, we saw quite a pared down queens speech with much less ceremony and pageantry. But it is also possible for parliament to be open without the queen attending in person. People called the commissioners are able to do that. So that perhaps could be an option the government might choose. Of course, this depends on who the government is. If we continue with the same Prime Minister and the same government as we currently have, they might feel that they had a queens speech fairly recently, perhaps they dont have a huge new agenda to set out, everywhere to see somebody else in government, and somebody else holding the keys to downing street, they may well want to set out what theyre big, domestic agenda is. It is entirely possible we could have a queens speech before christmas . It tends to take place around seven to ten days within a general election, these things can be expedited but only if there is the political will to do so, and of course at the moment that cannot necessarily be guaranteed. So wed have a christmas break and mps would come back. They have a lengthy debate on a queens speech but is there a set number of days for that debate when it has to happen . This certainly rules for when the queen speech will be held and those votes take place over at least two days, but if the government and mps were willing to try to change that then it might be that they could to make some kind of change to the commons rules temporarily in order to condense things. If you are a government that wanted the uk to leave the European Union on the 31st of january that would still leave you with a very tight timetable to get that through parliament. Yes and of course there would have to start again with the Withdrawal Agreement bill. So if the government that we currently have is returned following the election they have to begin with First Reading and second reading again and even if they were to condense the ceremonies that happen at the beginning of a new session of parliament and get agreement on that they are still leaving themselves relatively little time and particularly during around christmas we might start to see late sittings and begin settings thats not necessarily going to be popular with mps. Obviously this all depends on the government getting in that wants to leave the eu on the 31st of january. If labour gets in the power its a different scenario because they have said it will go back to the eu and renegotiate, but what if we have a Hung Parliament or coalition. Everything then becomes much less clear and what that means is things will take more time, and then it will really be a waiting game for everybody to see government can be formed whether that government can commands that confidence of the house. We will wait to see what happens. For now alice lily from the institute government, thank you very much for coming in the programme. Now lets take a look at some other news from around westminster. Mps and peers had their first chance to debate the initial report on the Grenfell Tower fire. 72 people died as a result of the fire on the 14th ofjune, 2017. The report concluded that the tower did not comply with building regulations and criticised the handling of the blaze by the london fire brigade. In the commons, mps stood for a minutes silence to reflect on the tragedy and the loss of life. Many who live together died together. Husbands and wives, parents and children were found in each others arms. It is still the case that there are men, women and children up and down the country sleeping tonight in buildings with that cladding. Gre nfell tower would not have happened, mr speicher, two wealthy londoners. It happens to poor and mainly migrant londoners. I think one of the most shocking features that has come out from consideration of what happened to Grenfell Tower is this issue of the way in which those people had been genuinely raising matters about safety and felt that those matters and in some cases they were just completely ignored. One of the worst of many disappointments was naming of some of the firefighters weve been talking about already who risked their lives in a bonfire made by corporate greed and the distain and complacency of politicians over many years. What do we know about the science of ageing . The lords science and Technology Committee has begun an inquiry and heard first about the impact of the multiple medications many older people are taking. Most of the patients i see now are on ten, 15, 23 drugs. Thats a huge number of drugs to be able to take it let alone to be able to remember to take them. And those drugs are used in conventional doses and contested in younger populations who have exclusion criteria for trials and tests and people who dont have the multiple diseases. The use the drug and the dose that is licensed at the moment we are often poisoning the elderly because of the dosage we are using. Mps demanded legislation to increase prison sentences for animal cruelty be brought in before the election. The legislation has passed its first parliamentary hurdle, but looks set to run out of time before the end of the session on tuesday. This cross Party Agreement for this bill, its a short bill which she knows i have the permission of the secretary of state here to say this, we support this bill, we can crack on. It could be done and on the statute before dissolution. Why wont she do this even at this late stage . Put it on the order paper for monday or tuesday. I can reassure her that a conservative government will put this bill on the order paper very soon after we are reelected to serve this country. Mps have approved a bill allowing Civil Servants in Northern Ireland to continue spending money in the absence of devolved government. Power sharing between the parties in the Stormont Assembly broke down in january 2017. Because theres no executive in belfast to make decisions, westminster has to step in. There was a fond farewell to the speakers chaplin, rose hudson wilkin, whos been appointed bishop of dover. The shadow leader of the commons made a tearful tribute. We know you will go on to greater things. And are proud to have crossed paths with you. A true pilgrims progress. From jamaica to canterbury, as Aretha Franklin would say respect. Mps approved the suspension of labour mp, keith vaz from parliament for six months. It follows newspaper revelations in 2016. A report by the Commons Standards Committee said hed disregarded the law by expressing a willingness to help buy cocaine for male prostitutes and there was compelling evidence he had paid for sex. It recommended keith vazs suspension after he was evasive and unhelpful during the investigation. Keith vaz himself hasnt commented on the accusations, saying hes receiving treatment for a Serious Mental Health condition. But the debate on the report quickly turned into an angry exchange between the conservative whod made the original complaint to the committee and the speaker, john bercow. I do, in all sincerity, and cried this stage the honourable gentlemen, show so antenna, man, for the will of the house and show some sensitivity. Youve made your point in making a complaint, which the honourable gentlemen had every right to do, and the committee has determined the matter. It would be, i think, seemly of the honourable gentlemen would speedily brought his speech to a conclusion. Mr andrew bridgeman. Thank you once again for more help and advice, mr speaker. The honourable gentlemen to resume his seat. It is not help and advice. Im telling the honourable gentlemen with the position is. Dont mix it with the chair. If youve got a couple more sentences to utter, you will do so. If you want to dilate at length, you will not. Mr speaker, i will bring my remarks to a conclusion, but it is clear to me, and it will be clear to the public, that to the fag end of your tenure in your chair, you are defending the indefensible and your very close relationship with the honourable member in question. The house can come to its own conclusions. The Standards Committee has come to its own conclusions. Mr speaker, the public will come to theirs. Andrew bridgen and john bercow. Not all mps have such a testy relationship with the speaker many had warm words as he prepared to retire after a decade in the chair. Borisjohnson led tributes on wednesday. Borisjohnson led the tributes on wednesday. Youve done more than anyone since Stephen Hawking to stretch time in this particular session. Laughter as we come to what must be the longest retirement since frank sinatra, mr speaker, im sure the whole house willjoin me in saying you hope you enjoy your retirement the same thing you have prescribed to the rest of us. The labour leader listed some ofjohn bercows achievements. Vastly expanded the use of urgent questions, which has been overwhelmingly popular with all government ministers, and opened up the number of emergency debates, which is even more popular with even more ministers. And in the great traditions of the great speaker lengths all and others. You have stood up for parliament when it has to be stood up for, that i think we think you for that. And those tributes continued for several hours the next day the longest serving woman mp said john bercow had opened up the house to young people. Everybody recognises that they thoroughly good thing, but you had to fight for that. Because there were those that resisted change and said we cannot have all of these children here in the house of commons, weve got work to be done. And you relentlessly and in a principled way pushed for it, and i thank you for that. A veteran tory had an anecdote. I was at a primary school, you always get the difficult questions there, and i was asked, what is the rudest thing anyone has ever set you in politics . I thought for a bit and said, you know, its when someone came up to me in the street and said good morning, mr becow. Alan duncan. The new speaker will be chosen on monday, heres gary connor with a look at the candidates. There were nine mps talking the first concert of sir henry with a true saying he left cross party support. Chris bryant, labour is a former church of england vicar who wants to be an umpire, not a player in the parliamentary game. Harriet harman is the mother of the house of commons, and twice labours acting leader. She plans a great reform agenda if she wins. Labours Meghan Hillier chairs this committee since 2017, and wants to repair what she calls reputational damage to parliament. So Lindsay Hoyle is the most experienced. He has been the Senior Deputy speaker since 2010. Damn Eleanor Lange is another Deputy Speaker after a promotion. If she gets the top job, she will work to restore trust in our democracy. Sir edward lees been a conservative backbencher since 1983 and would be a traditional speaker who does not speak too much. This was a Northern Ireland minister until last year and says the speaker he will not make up parliamentary procedure. And finally dame rosie, a Deputy Speaker since june, 2017 and a former labour chief weapon. She will adjudicate other than dictate. Gary conor. Well, who better to ask about the challenges facing the new speaker than dr ruth fox from the Hansard Society . I think the next speaker is certainly, in terms of how they are running what they are saying in the hustings events that have been taking place in the run up to the election, i think they are likely to promote themselves more as umpires rather than players, and certainly a lot of criticism of the speaker and his creativity and innovation. A number of the runners in this race are saying that they will stick more to the rules and not be loading the dice in favour of one side or the other. However, the candidates, if they get the job are going to have to deal with the political context in which this speaker has found himself. So they may have to deal with a Hung Parliament. They will still have to deal with parties that are quite fragmented. It may have to deal with these in peace they have to take account of in these decisions that they make and so they could still face some of the same challenges. Dr ruth fox from the hansa rd society. And if youre gripped by the speakers election why not join us on Bbc Parliament on monday afternoon from 2 15. In a special programme you can follow all the news and views as the election unfolds through successive ballots until we end up with the name of the next occupant of the big chair. Daniel brittain will be here with special guests and ill be bringing you updates from pa rliaments central lobby as the voting gets under way. So dojoin us from a quarter past two on monday. But for now from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. Hello. 0ur weather well turn colder this week but what wont change is there will be further rain at times, and this is how your monday is shaping up and the wettest weather will be across eastern scotland. The rain keeps on coming here and strong easterly winds gusting up to 50 mph along the coasts, a soaking day here. Average speeds elsewhere, the winds wont be as strong, heavy showers affecting southern england into south wales and could be thundery in places with temperatures around 10 13, and there will be some sunny spells here and there. Through monday evening and night, we will continue to a feed of rain coming into at least south east scotland but that will ease in intensity with a few showers to be found elsewhere, some mist and fog patches, especially in southern parts, into Tuesday Morning and on tuesday its the eastern side of the uk seeing most of the showers. West is best for drier, brighter weather and it begins to turn chillier from the north later on tuesday. Welcome to bbc news im james reynolds. Our top stories indias capital, delhi, imposes new traffic restrictions as millions are told to stay indoors to avoid the toxic smog. Lewis hamilton wins his sixth formula 1 world title. Hes nowjust one short of michael shumachers record. 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