Transcripts For BBCNEWS The Week In Parliament 20200619

The week in parliament. Hello again and welcome to the week in parliament. A week when a 22 year old footballer changed government policy. Marcus rashford 1 0 Prime Ministerjohnson. The home secretary condemned far right thugs who attacked the police on the streets of westminster. They were violent, they were abusive, and aggressive towards the police. They were racist, and there are no excuses for this behaviour. Also in this programme, the challenges of the Digital Parliament for working parents. And about opportunities to improve. Child fussing. The long term sustainability apologies, i have a small visitor. All that and reports from the uks four parliaments to come. But first, westminsters match of the day was a battle between two number 10s Marcus Rashford of Manchester United and england, and borisjohnson of downing street over free meals in the school holidays. There was a clear winner and it wasnt the Prime Minister. The star striker sent an open letter to mps drawing on his own experience of relying on Free School Meals as a boy. He called for a scheme to deliver food vouchers to disadvantaged youngsters in england to run during the summer. The Prime Minister backed down hours before a scheduled vote amid signs of rebellion from conservative mps. The scheme will cost £120 million and provide vouchers worth £15 a week for 1. 3 million children in england. Wales and scotland have similar schemes. Mps united to praise the footballers role. Im not only proud to be a man united fan, that one of our own in Greater Manchester never forgot where he came from and used his profile to help those without a voice, but i am proud that he and those who havejoined him have shown the very best that our country can be. And i have to say, i am delighted to say that the government seems to have heard these cries. We should never be ashamed to listen, and im pleased to announce that we will provide additional funding for a Covid Summer Food Fund to enable children who are eligible for Free School Meals to claim a six week voucher. As we prepare for schools to fully reopen in september, we will ensure that no child goes hungry. And why i despair, mr deputy speaker, is because today it has taken the experience of a 22 year old black man to actually use his social media to get this government to do the right thing. I thank the ministers for what they have said today. It really helped me avoid my Worst Nightmare of having to vote with the labour party which i spent the day fearing i might have to do. So, im very grateful to that if nothing else. We must turbo charge our efforts to look at the underlying causes of why some children are being neglected by their parents rather thanjust let the government step in, doing the easiest thing, throwing money at the problem rather than sorting out the root cause, which is something we must do. Together, with campaigners in parliament and beyond, hes led change. A changemaker. Striking his political goal of feeding 1. 3 million children this summer. Marcus rashford, one. Prime ministerjohnson, nil. The u turn was welcomed by the Prime Ministers opponents and it sparked a wider debate about Child Poverty that continued during Prime Ministers questions on wednesday. The labour leader said the social Mobility Commission had warned that the pandemic could push more families into hardship. Im sure the Prime Minister would agree that an even higher Child Poverty rate would be an intolerable outcome from this pandemic. So, whats he going to do to prevent it . Borisjohnson said his government was protecting jobs. And we intend to make sure that we minimise the impact of coronavirus on the poorest kids in this country and one of the best ways in which we could do that by the way mr speaker would be to encourage all kids who can go back to school to go back to school now. Because their schools are safe. Last week, i asked him whether he would say publicly that schools were safe to go back to. He hummed and he hawed. Now is his time to say clearly schools are safe to go back to. Mr speaker, your witness. Keir starmer. Mr speaker, the Prime Minister doesnt have the first idea of what the social mobility report actually said last week, a government body. And he talks to me about consistency and u turns. The governments had three u turns in the last month. First we had Immigration Health charges. Then, we had mps voting. Now, weve had Free School Meals. Keir starmer said ministers had promised to do whatever was necessary to help councils respond to coronavirus. Does the Prime Minister believe that the government has kept that promise . Mr speaker, we put {3. 2 billion extra into local government tackling coronavirus but i must say, we didnt hear an answer did we, mrspeaker . How can we talk. How can he talk about tackling the effect of coronavirus on the most disadvantaged . Its the most disadvantaged kids, mr speaker, who need to go back to school and it is those groups which are unfortunately at the moment are not going back to school. Lets hear it from him for one more time. Will he say that schools are safe to go back to . Come on keir starmer. Mr speaker, this is turning into opposition questions. If the Prime Minister wants to swap places, im very happy. Cheering we could do it now and so they continued keir starmer warning of the impact of the pandemic on living standards. Borisjohnson trying to embarrass the labour leader over schools. The snps westminster leader returned the conversation to poverty. Marcus rashford has shown more moral leadership in tackling poverty in a matter of days than this tory government has in the past decade of cuts. But as he says people were struggling all year round and more needs to be done. His solution more money for famil1ies on benefits. An extra £20 a week in Social Security support would prevent millions of families from having to make the choice of paying their bills or feeding their children. This is a government that has done everything that we possibly can so far to help families in need to make sure that nobody is penalised for doing the right thing during the crisis because i know how difficult it has been. Thats why we uprated the universal credit by £1,044 benefiting i think four million families in this country. But i say in all sincerity to the right honourable gentlemen that we are fully aware that there will be tough times ahead and we do stand by to do more where we can. The Prime Minister. Time for some news in brief now. And the debate over statues of historical figures continues at westminster and beyond. The hoardings around the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square were removed on wednesday ahead of president macrons visit to london. The statue had been boarded up after being targeted by protesters prompting protests of a different kind in the house of lords earlier in the week. Every day that the statue of Winston Churchill remains boxed up is a day when the banner of anarchy is raised over Parliament Square. The boxed up churchill is such a sorry sight to see, and i understand it was boxed up for its protection against some of the protests that were going on at the weekend. The sooner churchill is freed and commemorated once again as one of the greatest people who ever lived, the better. The row continues over a controversial proposed Housing Development in east london. The housing secretary, robertjenrick, told mps he was confident all the rules had been followed when he overruled a planning inspector to approve the Westferry Printworks scheme by a conservative donor. Hes admitted the decision was unlawful due to apparent or perceived bias. Given the gravity of the allegations surrounding his unlawful decision on the westferry development, will he agree to make a full statement to the house, publish all correspondence, and disclose all conversations with other government ministers and officials relating to this case to reassure the public that the integrity of the planning process cannot be auctioned off at conservative Party Fundraising dinners . I took that decision in good faith with an open mind and im confident, confident, that all the rules were followed in doing so. It isnt unusual for a secretary of state to come to a different conclusion to a local authority. It isnt unusual for a secretary of state to come to a different conclusion than a planning inspector. The Health Secretary, matt hancock has apologised after breaking social distancing rules to slap a colleague on the back on his arrival in the commons chamberjust before Prime Ministers questions. The Health Secretary also said sorry for calling the england footballer daniel rashford. Last night mr speaker, i was reading my son harry potter and it was clearly still stuck in my mind at 7am this morning when i started out on the tv. But we all make errors sometimes. I apologise to marcus for getting his name wrong. Marcus rashford accepted his apology and said hed been called worse names. Maiden speech, alexander stafford. One of the mps first elected at decembers general election made his maiden speech in the commons. Alexander stafford won the seat of rother valley from labour. In his speech which focused on his constituency, he promised to be a listening mp. But as i look upon this house whose very walls were crafted from the fine stone of anston in rother valley, im mindful of the words of the great barbarian king gelimer as he was paraded in chains through constantinople byjustinians general belisarius following the great liberation of carthage. Vanities of vanities. All is vanity. For what matters in this house is notjust the pomp and splendour, although these traditions are incredibly important. But its the people we represent, the beating heart of our nation who put us here, and whose very presence we honour by being here. Alexander stafford. Borisjohnson told mps that for too long uk overseas aid has been treated as a giant cashpoint in the sky. He said his plan to merge the Foreign Office with the department for International Development would mean aid spending better reflected the uks priorities. But the plan was criticised by three of his predecessors, including David Cameron and the Prime Minister was accused of trying to deflect attention from the governments troubles. We must now strengthen our position in an intensely competitive world by making sensible changes and so i have decided to merge dle with the foreign and Commonwealth Office to create a new department, the foreign commonwealth and development office, and this will unite our aid with our diplomacy and bring them together in our international effort. A few hours ago, the ons figures showed a fall of 600,000 people on the payroll. The economy contracted by 20 in april. And we could be on the verge of the return of mass unemployment, something weve not seen for a generation. Weve also one of the highest death tolls from covid 19 in the world, at least 41,700 deaths, and likely to be far greater than that. Mr speaker, this statement is intended to deflect attention from all of that. Can i assure the Prime Minister it will not work . Several conservative mps backed the change. Can he confirm that this is a merger, not a takeover, and that actually, this has the potential of enhancing the role of International Development in our Foreign Policy . And will he also confirm that this governments commitment to investing in support in the poorest areas of our world remains as strong as ever . Yes, it certainly does. And im grateful to my honourable friend. What is actually happening, of course is that dle and the fco are nowjoining together to become a new whitehall Super Department for international affairs, which will be of huge benefit to our ability to project britains sense of mission about overseas aid. And its for too long, frankly, uk overseas aid has been treated as some giant cash point in the sky that arrives without any reference to uk interests or the values that the uk wishes to express, or the priorities diplomatic, political or commercial of the government of the uk. When the worlds poorest are exposed to the worst pandemic for a century, why has the Prime Minister chosen this moment to step back from britains leadership in the fight against global poverty . Isnt the leader of the opposition right this is an appalling version of distraction politics . Absolutely not, mr speaker, because now is exactly the moment when we need to intensify and to magnify britains voice abroad and to make sure that, when we make our points and other countries about tackling poverty, that her majestys ambassador in that country is listened to with the attention that is due to the person who commands the whole panoply of our Foreign Policy. That is absolutely vital for our success and thats what were going to achieve. The Prime Ministers answers today have been massively concerning. Will the priority of the new department be to help the most Vulnerable People in the world or will it be to increase the uks voice abroad . Of course, it will do both. And let me just explain to the honourable lady that it is no use a british diplomat one day going in to see the leader ofa country and urging him not to cut the head off his opponent and to do something for democracy in his country if the next day, another emanation of the British Government is going to arrive with a check for £250 million. We have to speak with one voice. We must project the uk overseas in a consistent and powerful way, and that is what were going to do. Borisjohnson. The home secretary, priti patel, said far right protesters who demonstrated in westminster were patently racist and had shamed themselves. She described their behaviour as hooliganism that was utterly indefensible and said there was no place for their sickening conduct and hate in our society. There were 137 arrests for offences including assault on Police Officers and violent disorder. A man who urinated near a memorial to pc keith palmer, who was killed in an attack on westminster three years ago, has been jailed for 14 days. The incident was condemned by mps on all sides. Priti patel said that the government is considering all options to stop people attacking statues and memorials, including a new law, as she condemned the weekends ugly scenes. It is clear that the far right thugs that descended on london at the weekend with the intent to cause harm shamed themselves with some abusive and violent conduct. They were violent, they were abusive and aggressive towards the police, they were racist and there are no excuses for this behaviour. She also confirmed that the government will set up a new commission to look at racial inequality. Her labour shadow said action was needed now to help those facing discrimination. There should be no attempt to draw comparisons between those intent on violence this weekend and the legitimate cause of the black lives matter campaigners, who have brought attention to the impact that racism and inequality continue to have both here in the uk and across the world. Now is the time for action. To borrow a phrase from another movement for equality and justice, whats required now are deeds, not words. The Prime Ministers decision to announce yet another review falls woefully short of what is required. Its really important that we dont let this reprehensible public disorder and the debate about statues distract us from the most important issue, which is the inequalities suffered by black and minority ethnic people in modern britain. Last week, priti patel clashed with labour mps who claimed in a letter she had undermined their own experiences of racism. The home secretary and i, along with other conservative colleagues, have been subject to torrents of hateful prejudice and, frankly, racist abuse from the lefts legions outside, as well as, in the case of my right honourable friend, sadly, from sources from the benches opposite as we refuse to conform to their prejudices. Does the home secretary agree with me that the leader of the opposition should condemn all these attacks and support the full weight of the law being applied equally to everyone, no matter how righteous they believe their views are . I thank my honourable friend for his comments. He is absolutely right. We should be calling out collectively racist and intolerant behaviour, and im saddened, mr deputy speaker, that the leader of the opposition has effectively failed to depart from the divisive, hateful, racist politics of its former leader. And as for that letter, i will not be dignifying that letter with a response at all. Priti patel. To holyrood now, where Nicola Sturgeon has revealed her governments next steps in easing the lockdown. The first minister told msps that anyone who lives on their own or only with children can form an extended group with one other household. Face coverings will be made compulsory for everyone using public transport and most shops will open from june 29, but she said people still had to exercise care and caution. 0ur progress so far is because of lockdown. The virus has not gone away and we must all remember that. So, as we gradually remove the restrictions that have kept it under control, there is a very real risk that transmission could rise again. That is why, if we dont want to go backwards, as none of us do, we must progress forwards very carefully. Presiding officer, its no exaggeration to say lives and livelihoods are on the line over the coming months. We are facing potentially the biggest economic downturn of our lives. We need government to respond in kind with urgency and ambition, and i simply do not think this government is showing that ambition. Labour focused on schools. Will you produce a road map with a clear timetable on which will explain how you will get pupils back into classrooms five days a week and how you will provide the resources needed to make sure that this can happen as quickly and as safely as possible . Yes, but i hate to point out the basics to Richard Leonard you have to do the work in order to produce that. That is what is happening right now. Nicola sturgeon. To stormont now, where Northern Irelands first minister, arlene foster, has told mlas shes upset about hold ups to the new government Payment Scheme for people who were injured during the troubles through no fault of their own. The schemes been delayed by a dispute over whos eligible for payments and who should fund it. I know the first minister will share in my disgust and anger at the continued blockade by some members of a victims pension here in Northern Ireland. And while i accept that the executive and the assembly is the best route to deliver such a victims pension, in light of delay, would the minister and the first minister be opposed to looking at westminster as potentially the best route to deliver this scheme to ensure that innocent victims and survivors receive the pension that they rightly deserve . I thank the member for his question. And indeed, the office and myself in particular are particularly upset that the scheme has not proceeded as it was meant to do. It is wrong that innocent victims are not receiving what theyre legally entitled to receive, and i think we should recognise the hurt that has been caused by this not coming into operation on the date that it was to come into operation and work to try and make sure that we have agreement on the designated department as soon as possible. But if that is not possible, then given this came from westminster, through the executive formation act originally and then through the regulations ofjanuary of this year, then i think the westminster government have an obligation to look to other ways to deal with this issue. Does the minister agree that 22 years on from the good friday agreement, it is obscene that our citizens who have been virtually maimed either fellow countrymen are still in a state of limbo regarding their pension payments . Lam ashamed. Are you . I think i have already said to the member that we very much should recognise the hurt and the pain that has been caused by the fact that this pension is not in place. I think we all have a duty to acknowledge that, i certainly acknowledge that. But theres no point in acknowledgement unless we try and make sure that it happens quickly, and im certainly committed to trying to do that. It is legally in place now, and therefore there is an obligation on us to make sure that this pension payment comes forward as quickly as possible, so that we can help those people who were dreadfully injured during that period of time euphemistically called the troubles. Wednesdays scheduled virtual sitting of the Welsh Parliament was cancelled after the sudden death of one of its members. Mohammed asghar was the first member elected from an ethnic minority and also the first to cross the floor defecting from plaid cymru to the conservatives. Members of the senedd held a minutes silence before sharing tributes. Oscar saw his colleagues as an extension of his own family. And because he was so warm and bighearted, we will all carry memories of him that will make us smile. He had a warmth and generosity that was never hidden. I know that members in other parties saw it too. Oscar was generous and genial to his core, a political free spirit in many ways, a larger than life character who could never be contained in the confines of any one party. Adam price. Now, lots of us have learned to cope with the challenges of working from home during the pandemic and mps are no exception. Heres what happened during a meeting of westminsters Northern Ireland committee on wednesday. I wanted to talk. You spoke about the independent Fiscal Council and about opportunities to improve the long term sustainability. Apologies, i have a small visitor. Sorry. Good morning, young hannah would you propose that the uk government would be responsible for appointing members to that . I think this is something that, fundamentally, its. Minister, minister, minister, could you just pause a moment . Letsjust let. Were all in difficulty. Letsjust let claire deal with her daughter, i think . Looked like her daughter . Yeah, yeah, sorry. I keep some sweets in this room for bribery. Apologies. She has her mothers hair was all i could see from her. No worries. Its one of the challenges of working from home. Ive had my daughter try tojoin a couple of calls. Yes, i had my terrierjoin in something yesterday, which was something quite interesting. And thats not a euphemism for anything else. Now, what do they say about Never Working with children and animals . That was the week in parliament. Thank you for watching. Ill be back on Bbc Parliament at 11pm on monday evening for the latest from the commons and the lords. Until then, from me, david cornock, bye for now. Hello there. Well, thursday turned out to be a particularly soggy day across england and wales, with an area of persistent rain. The radar picture on thursday shows just how wet it was across england and wales. The heaviest rain really working into southern wales, where we picked up 50 millimetres of rain through the day in st athan, and down on the south coast. Take a look at this weather watcher picture. This is in fact a waterspout. You can see a little bit of sprayjust being whipped up off the sea there. So we had all kinds of weather around on thursday, and that same area of low pressure remains with us over the next few hours. So, we have got more rain to come wales, south west england. The rain moving back into central, southern england, the south west midlands. Wet weather moves across Northern Ireland, and there will be some rain for a time in Northern England and southern scotland as well. So, rain at times probably best sums up things. As we head into friday, though, our low pressure is going to be tending to ease away quite quickly north westwards, with the rain then getting shoved northwards. So most of us have a cloudy star to the day. Rain across wales, the midlands, moving into Northern England, where it will turn heavy and thundery through the afternoon. And some of those storms will make their way into southern scotland. A few showers further north in Northern Ireland as well, it will feel a little bit breezier, a little bit fresher across the far south of england, as brighter skies work in late in the day. Then, overnight the last of that rain clears northwards. Across the far north of scotland will get some rain for a time. Working across shetland, for example, friday night. Another mild night, temperatures staying into double figures. Now, the weekend we do have another weather system to push through, so we will get more rain at times, but actually, its not a bad start to the weekend. You will notice, though, the weather turning a little bit windier at times. And through the weekend, its certainly going to turn a good dealfresher as well. Now, saturday starts off on a bright note. Most of us having a dry start to the day, with some sunshine. However, the cloud and rain will fairly quickly spread into Northern Ireland through the afternoon. Ahead of that rain, bands temperatures into the low 20s, with sunny spells widely across scotland, england and wales. Late in the day, we will start to see rain arriving across wales, and western england, western scotland, too. That rain then moves eastwards overnight. Still loitering across scotland as we head into sunday morning, but clearing through. Then followed by sunshine and heavy showers. These showers could be thundery for scotland and for Northern Ireland. But a fresher feel the weather. Sundays top temperature around 22. Thats your forecast. Welcome to bbc news, im Lewis Vaughan jones. Our top stories president trumps attempt to make it easier to deport young immigrants fails in the supreme court. Chanting the news is welcomed by the so called dreamers, those who came to the us as children. I have cried, i think, many more times in the past four years than in my whole life. Australias Prime Minister says his country is being targeted in a major cyber attack. Frontline medical staff across the world take to the streets, angry at the lack of protection in the battle against covid 19