Hello again, and welcome to the week in parliament. A week when the scale of the covid crisis was laid bare. Our Health Emergency is not yet over, and our economic emergency has onlyjust begun. Englands lockdown will be lifted within days, labour warn it could end in tears. The Prime Minister proposes a return to the 3 tier system. Thats risky. And are Music Streaming Services killing music . The earnings from my streaming, theyre not significant enough to keep the wolf away from the door. But first. Downing street had warned us that the figures behind the chancellors Spending Review would make sobering reading. And that was one Economic Forecast that came true. The economy will shrink by 11 this year. More than two and a half Million People could be out of work next year. Many Public Sector workers wont get a pay rise, although there are exceptions for nhs staff and the lower paid. A minister resigned after rishi sunak ditched a manifesto commitment and cut spending on foreign aid. But there will be some extra money for some Public Services across the uk and a shared Prosperity Fund to level up the economy in england. Mr speaker, todays Spending Review delivers on the priorities of the british people. Our Health Emergency is not yet over, and our economic emergency has onlyjust begun. So our immediate priority is to protect peoples lives and livelihoods. The figures from the office for budget responsibility were grim. The obr forecast the economy will contract this year by 11. 3 . The largest fall in output for more than 300 years. On pay, he said private sector wages had fallen while Public Sector wages rose. In such a difficult context for the private sector, especially for those people working in sectors like retail, hospitality and leisure, i cannotjustify a significant across the boa rd pay increase for all Public Sector workers. The cut in aid spending from 0. 7 of National Income had also been widely trailed. But during a domestic fiscal emergency, when we need to prioritise our limited resources on jobs and Public Services, sticking rigidly to spending 0. 7 of our National Income on overseas aid is difficult to justify to the british people. His labour shadow criticised the pay freeze. Earlier this year, the chancellor stood on his doorstep and clapped for key workers. Today, his government institutes a pay freeze for many of them. This takes a sledgehammer to consumer confidence. And she noticed something was missing from the statement, brexit. Mr speaker, in less than 40 days, we are due to leave the transition period, yet the chancellor didnt even mention that in his speech. Theres still no trade deal. So does the chancellor truly believe that his government is prepared and that hes done enough to help those businesses that will be heavily affected . Other parties were equally critical. This Spending Review is an important opportunity and an important test, and instead of posing for photographs in his favourite hoodie, the chancellor shouldve been listening to those who are struggling. £29 million for a festival of brexit while they let people go hungry at home and abroad just about sums this government up. Reneging in the 0. 7 aid commitment while the world struggles in a covid pandemic is just cruel. I listened intently to the chancellor, but what i didnt hear was enough. Enough to protectjobs by extending furlough to the summer, enough for those in the Public Sector who have endured so much during this crisis and now will have a pay freeze. Rishi sunak will have expected those attacks. The strength of opinion on his own side over that cut in aid spending may have been more surprising. A Foreign Office development minister, lady sugg, resigned in protest and tory mps suggested he might have a fight on his hands to get this through. This proposed breaking of the 0. 7 promise and the 30 further reduction in cash will be the cause of 100,000 preventable deaths, mainly among children. This is a choice i for one am not prepared to make. None of us in this house will be able to look our children in the eye and claim, we did not know what we were voting for. No longer will girls have 12 years of quality education, resulting in more child marriages, more instances of early childbirth, more fgm, more domestic violence. I personally feel ashamed that the only manifesto pledge we are breaking today is our promise to the worlds poorest. Rishi sunak said it had been a very difficult decision, and there was some conservative support. I dont see why it should be controversial to say that we should only spend what we can afford on overseas aid, and i suspect that the vast majority of the British Public wont be asking, why has he cut so much . They will be asking, why are we still spending so much . Philip davies. So, the biggest economic slump in 300 years, a pay freeze for many and a manifesto promise broken after less than a year. But amid the gloom and doom, the Prime Minister found reasons to be cheerful, especially with encouraging news about vaccines. Boris johnson told mps via videolink that Englands National lockdown will end next thursday. For the First Time Since this wretched virus took hold, we can see a route out of the pandemic. The breakthroughs in treatment, in testing and vaccines, mean that the scientific calvary is now in sight. And we know in our hearts that next year, we will succeed. By the spring, these advances should reduce the need for restrictions weve endured in 2020 and make the whole concept of a covid lockdown redundant. Non essential shops will re open, gyms too. Collective worship will return spectators will be allowed to return to sporting events in some areas. And, theres christmas to look forward to. Mr speaker, i cant say that christmas will be normal this year. But in a period of adversity, time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none. The uks four nations which have often done things their own way during the pandemic agreed a Christmas Truce to allow households to mix for a few days over the festive period. This virus, obviously, is not going to grant a Christmas Truce. It doesnt know its christmas, mr speaker. And families will need to make a carefuljudgement about the risk of visiting elderly relatives. The lockdowns being replaced in england by a return to a tougher version of the tiers system the restrictions depend on where you live. The labour leader questioned whether the plan would work. The vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. The question today is how do we get there and protect lives and livelihoods along the way . The Prime Minister proposes a return to the 3 tier system. Thats risky because the previous 3 tier system didnt work. Tieri areas drifted to tier 2, almost all tier 2 areas ended up in tier 3, and those in tier 3 couldnt see a way out, and we ended up in National Lockdown. That was the sad reality of the tiered system before, and nobody wants a repeat of that. And some conservatives remained unconvinced by the governments strategy. The last ruler that told us how we may or may not celebrate christmas was 0liver cromwell. It didnt end well, did it . I love christmas. I love, you know, a big get together. I think the trouble is that the people of this country can see that there is a real risk that if we blow it at christmas with a big blowout christmas, then well pay for it in the new year. On thursday, matt hancock revealed details of the new approach and which areas would be put in which tiers. We must keep suppressing the virus while supporting education, the economy and, of course, the nhs until a vaccine can make us safe. That is our plan. We will do this by returning to a tiered approach, applying the toughest measures to the parts of the country where cases and pressure on the nhs are highest and allowing greater freedom in areas where prevalence is lower. But he faced dissent from conservative mps in areas facing the highest restrictions. Its incredibly disappointing news that buckinghamshire, having entered the National Lockdown in tieri will emerge from the National Lockdown into the more punitive restrictions of tier 2. So my main interest today is finding out how we get out of tier 2 into tier 1. If we are going to have regular reviews ie weekly thats great and thats fine, but if we are not, if we are stuck in that tier for two or three weeks i wonder whether the secretary of state would consider some kind of appeals process. Matt hancock said the decisions will be reviewed fortnightly at first and then weekly. Mps will vote on those new restrictions in the coming days. Borisjohnson has said christmas is now the season to be jolly careful, and that cautious message was echoed by the labour first minister of wales which emerged from its 17 day circuitbreaker lockdown on november the ninth. Mark dra keford found cross Party Support at the senedd in cardiff. A compassionate but responsible approach to a limited relaxation of restrictions over the holiday period seems sensible. However, its also crucial that we dont lose the hard gotten gains over the last few months for the sake of 4 5 days, and people must therefore know that any relaxation also comes with risk. Whatever additional freedom were able to offer over the Christmas Period will have to be used responsibly by people. The fact that a relaxation is possible is not an instruction to go and spend the whole of that period doing risky things. In scotland, the first minister said people shouldnt feel under pressure to meet up over christmas. Nicola sturgeon suggested people should find other ways to celebrate, perhaps by meeting family members outside and going for a walk. At first ministers questions, though, covid was not the big Pressure Point for the conservative opposition. Nicola sturgeon faced more questions over the inquiry into the handling of harassment complaints against her predecessor, alex salmond, who was cleared of all charges earlier this year. Msps have defeated the government to call for legal advice to be handed over to the inquiry. The conservative leader at holyrood suggested the first minister had something to hide. The advice received by the Scottish Governments senior counsel warned that the Scottish Governments handling of the Sexual Harassment allegations were deeply flawed and that the judicial review would find in favour of alex salmond as it duly went on to do. This advice was pro offered to the Scottish Government long before they finally collapsed their own case, running up hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of bills in the process and utterly failing the women who came forward. So tell the public which part of that have i got wrong . First minister. As Ruth Davidson knows, if i was to go into the detail, i would stand here right now and i would breach the ministerial code. Perhaps Ruth Davidson wants that to be the case, but im not going to do that. The ministerial code and ive just narrated the ministerial code and quoted directly from it sets out a process that ministers have to go through should legal advice be divulged. And just to remind the chamber and others watching, the starting point in the ministerial code is that ministers must not divulge the contents of legal advice unless certain tests are fulfilled. And we are going through a process right now of consideration of those tests. Nicola sturgeon. Back at westminster, at Prime Ministers questions, the labour leader challenged Boris Johnson over a report into bullying allegations against the home secretary, priti patel. The Prime Ministers adviser on ministerial standards, sir alex allan, resigned after the findings of his inquiry were rejected by the Prime Minister. The now former independent adviser on ministerial standards concluded that the home secretarys behaviour was in his words, in breach of the ministerial code. And, he said, can be described as bullying, which mr speaker means intimidating or insulting behaviour that makes an individualfeel uncomfortable, frightened, less respected, or put down. What message does the Prime Minister think it sends that the independent adviser on standards has resigned but the home secretary is still in post . Prime minister. Mr speaker, the home secretary. Sir alexs decisions are entirely a matter for him but the home secretary has apologised for any way in which her conduct fell short. And frankly, mr speaker, i make no apology for sticking up, for standing bya home secretary who as i said just now is getting on with delivering on the peoples priorities putting already 6,000 of the 20,000 more police out on the street to fight crime, instituting in the teeth a very considerable resistance, a new australian style points based immigration system. Shes getting on with delivering what i think the people of this country want. Shes showing a steely determination, and i think thats probably why his side continue to bash her. Keir starmer. Mr speaker, the reality is that any other Prime Minister would have fired the home secretary and any other home secretary wouldve resigned. The snps westminster leader focused on the cut in international aid. Mr speaker, we need to recognise that covid i9 is a global pandemic, and whilst we are all in the same storm, some nations have better life rafts. In the worlds poorest countries, hunger and cases of malaria are rising. And the un projects that as many as 11 Million Girls may never return to education after school closes. The uk government cannot eradicate the threat of covid i9 if there is still a threat around the world. So, does the Prime Minister agree with me that keeping the commitment at 0. 7 is not only the right thing to do morally but it is the sensible thing to do in helping with the eradication of covid i9 . Prime minister. Of course i agree that the uk should be playing a leading role in eradicating covid 19 around the world and thats why one of the wonderful features of the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine, if it is approved, is that its going to be sold at cost to partners around the world. Borisjohnson. Lets look at some other news in brief now. And the housing minister has come under pressure to speed up the removal of flammable cladding from buildings and prevent leaseholders having to foot the bill. After the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, the government pledged safe alternatives would be provided on all buildings in england taller than 18 metres by last june. But mps say delays to the process and uncertainty over who will pay are causing unimaginable anxiety. Many people are going to have a very miserable christmas. Trapped in properties they cant sell, properties they often cant insure, trapped in properties where theyre having to pay for waking watches, and wondering how on earth theyre going to pay the bills that could arrive on their doormat at any time. We cannot write an open cheque on behalf of the taxpayer. That would send the wrong signal to developers and those who are responsible for these buildings that they do not have to pay because the taxpayer will. Theres been some heavy criticism of the windrush Compensation Scheme in the house of lords. The schemes supposed to compensate people who arrived in the uk from the caribbean between 1948 and 1971 but were wrongly told they had no right to live or work here. A senior black Civil Servant resigned from the unit which is processing the payouts. Alexandra ankrah told the guardian the scheme was racist and unfit for purpose. Many people have died awaiting their claims. While the home secretarys mind is on other matters, may i ask the minister to set out a date when all the outstanding claims are resolved . Failing this, my lords, this experience has proved that the anger of the community will spill on our streets. Hes absolutely right to raise the issue of deceased people because, a, its tragic that someone is deceased before their claim is heard. B, it says to us that we need to be quicker at responding but, c, i would say to the noble lord where someone is deceased, then that claim can be dealt with in the appropriate manner in terms of their next of kin. Mps have called on the government to re think its plans to push ahead with gcse and a level exams in england next summer. The Welsh Government has already cancelled exams in favour of grades based on classroom assessments. In the commons, a liberal democrat cited the case of an a level student called sophie who, she said, was extremely anxious about the prospect of exams. So, why wont the minister please listen to sophie and also follow the lead of the liberal democrat Education Minister in wales by providing clarity and certainty now by cancelling exams and moving to a robust teacher led assessment . As sophie said to me, we are not lazy. We need your help. Will the minister listen to her and help her . We do know that all students due to sit exams next year have experienced or a disruption to their education due to the pandemic and thats why we are working closely with the School Sector to ensure that we have clear contingency plans are in a place for students who are ill or have to self isolate, and we are engaging widely on contingency plans and other measures to ensure that exams are fair this year. Is the advent of mass testing for coronavirus the start of a new Workplace Culture . The Health Secretary hopes so. Matt hancock was questioned by mps about what ministers had learned from the pandemic. He looked to the future. If you have in future, i hope, flu like symptoms, you should get a test for it and find out whats wrong with you. And if you need to stay at home to protect others, then you should stay at home. We are peculiarly unusual and outliers in soldiering on and still going to work and it kind of being the culture that you just, you know, as long as you can get out of bed you should still get into work. That should change. Matt hancock. Now, it was a line up more typical of glastonbury than westminster. The mercury nominated singer and musician nadine shah, joined members of elbow and radiohead to tell mps on the Culture Committee about the impact of streaming Services Like spotify and apple music on their income. Thereve been complaints that streaming royalties are inadequate with artists seeing little of the money that was being made. I mean, streaming in itself, actually, streaming is a bit of a miracle. I was listening to betty smith this morning because i was awake at 5am because ive been really nervous about appearing here. And i realised that i was listening to a recording that she made for me 100 years ago. Now, the fact that you have access to every recording ever made, every piece of music ever recorded in your back pocket for £10 a month is a miracle. Almost. Its almost a miracle. If musicians are equitably paid, then its a miracle because then its sustainable, and then its something for everyone to be proud of. The year that i was signed with radiohead, we were signed in 91, and i call that the analogue era. And weve got this analogue model that had huge, huge imbalances, unfairness, and youre all being, you know. Its interesting to see your reaction to the testimony this morning. Youre becoming aware of the unfairness, the opaqueness within the business and then youre bolting on this digital model. And its not working. Nadine shah had been looking forward to playing at glastonbury this summer until the coronavirus pandemic struck. The earnings from my streaming, theyre not significant enough to keep the wolf away from the door. Thats. Im in a position that is like as an artist with a substantial profile, a substantial fan base and critically acclaimed but i dont make enough money from streaming, im in the position now where im struggling to pay my rent and im embarrassed to talk about these issues publicly. Im embarrassed to talk about them for many reasons because money, to an extent, is an indication of success. But here thats not really the case of me because i am a successful musician but im just not being paid fairly for the work that i make. The bottom line for me is that what is transparent is that im not being paid. And its the same for my fellow musicians. And so many other musicians all over the world are in the same position as me where they are struggling. They are struggling. We cant afford to be musicians, and thats a wild concept, eh . To not be able to afford to be a musician. So then, were in this really stark, bitter, awful reality where there is. The reality is that we could lose lots of musicians, lots of great music. Nadine shah. Like many of us, the Prime Minister has been discovering the pros and cons of working from home. Borisjohnson described his self isolation in number 10 as house arrest. To make matters worse, it was house arrest with unreliable broadband. It was all going so well on monday, as he unveiled plans to lift englands lockdown. A few non essential retail, gyms, personal. N0 audio have you pressed the button, Prime Minister . Prime minister . Right, i think were just going to have to stop for a moment so we can have it checked. Were just checking the sound, Prime Minister. We lost your answer. Have you pressed the button by mistake . Muted . Its not our end, Prime Minister. It could well be yours. I wonder if mr hancock would like to take over with the answer . Laughter is one of you going to do it or not . Its no use looking at each other sorry . Were going to suspend for three minutes then. Eventually, matt hancock was persuaded to step in to answer questions before, a0 minutes later, the Deputy Speaker had an update. I believe that we have the Prime Minister virtually. So, first, we will go to Alex Davies Jones. I dont think we have Alex Davies Jones. Do we have. . We can come back. 0h Alex Davies Jones cheering yes good day, madame Deputy Speaker. Im grateful that both the Prime Minister and i are now back virtual. By wednesday, the pms connection had rather improved before he was cut off in his prime this time not by technology. Weve got two new very, very important scientific developments. Before you answer the question, Prime Minister, im very pleased that the house of commons has been able to help deliver an improvement to the sound and vision from number 10 today, but wed like our kit back this afternoon, Prime Minister sir lindsay hoyle. And fortunately, the Prime Minister is no longer under house arrest. That was the week in parliament. Thank you for soldiering on. Ill be back on Bbc Parliament at 11. 00 on monday evening with the latest from the commons and the lords. Until then, from me, david cornock, bye for now. Hello there. If you need to head out on the roads on friday morning, fog could cause one or two problems, certainly some Poor Visibility in places particularly across parts of england and wales. The fog slow to clear through the day and it will feel cold out there. Two weather fronts, one to the northwest, one to the south bringing some cloud and patchy rain. But in between, very light winds, temperatures have been dropping, its going to be a very cold start to friday morning. Widely around freezing, some spots below and we will also see some fog. Indeed, some freezing fog across parts of england into east wales as well. These are the areas most likely to be affected. Slightly different across the far southeast, here its more likely cloud bringing the odd spot of rain. Some early sunshine through wales, parts of northern england, and then for Northern Ireland and scotland, its a slightly different story again. This band of cloud and weather front bringing some outbreaks of very patchy rain, and that band of cloud with those bits and pieces of rain not moving far at all through the day. The fog struggling to shift as well across those parts of england and wales starting off so murky. I think in many places, it willjust linger as low cloud all day long. A bit of rain creeping in towards the English Channel coasts. Temperatures, if you stick with fog all day long, maybe just 3 4 degrees. Even in some brightness, 8 9 the best we can expect. And then through friday night, the fog will once again reform with a lot of low cloud and some spots of rain and drizzle working northwards across england and wales. Lowest temperatures likely to be across the far north of england, also southeast scotland some spots here will see a frost because of clear skies overhead. And there will be a slice of sunshine for some on saturday. Particularly across scotland, perhaps Northern Ireland as well. But for england and wales a lot of cloud, some misty, murky conditions. Temperatures just a little bit higher, though, down towards the south, 11 12, possibly 13 degrees. The milder airjust trying to sneak its way in. Now for the second half of the weekend, High Pressure remains in charge this frontal system up to the far north west might just bring a little bit of rain in northern and northwestern scotland. Otherwise a lot of drier weather, but again a lot of cloudy weather and any fog for the morning will struggle to clear during the day, and those temperatures for most of us in single digits, at best around ten degrees. Welcome to bbc news. Im Lewis Vaughan jones. 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