Tuesday in parliament. Hello again, and welcome to tuesday in parliament, as a government minister makes a startling admission about Boris Johnsons brexit plan. I would say to my honourable friend that, yes, this does break International Law in a very specific and limited way. Also in this programme, the challenge of finding a covid test near home. But in devon, helpfully, people were told they only need travel 20 miles, but unfortunately that involved crossing the sea to get to swansea. And a legendary impressario wants to know when theatres can reopen. There comes a point now where we really cant go on much more. I mean, were bumping up against our Bank Covenants and all of these things. But first, the Northern Ireland secretary has said a new bill to amend the uks brexit deal with the eu will break International Law. Brandon lewes admitted that legislation to allow ministers to override special arrangements for Northern Ireland in last years divorce deal would go against the Withdrawal Agreement in a specific and limited way. He was speaking as the eighth round of trade talks between the uk and the eu resumed in london, with borisjohnson setting a five week deadline to secure a deal. Ministers say the internal market bill is designed as a safety net in case the negotiations fail. But the former Prime Minister, theresa may, warned the change could damage trust in the uk, and the head of the governments legal department, sirjonathan jones, resigned. In the commons, brandon lewes faced an urgent question from labour. It has been deeply concerning ahead of these talks that the Prime Minister is appearing to undermine our legal obligations and his own deal. The resignation of the governments chief Legal Adviser this morning suggests that concern over the governments approach runs to the very top. She said borisjohnson was responsible for the Northern Ireland part of the Withdrawal Agreement, under which it remains in the uk customs territory, but has to follow some eu rules. The Prime Minister personally renegotiated it, campaigned on it, legislated for it, ratified it in an international treaty. With these latest moves, some fear the Prime Minister is once again using Northern Ireland as a political football to suit his wider political means. But the Northern Ireland secretary said ministers were proposing what he called a safety net through a new law on trade within the uk. We will implement the provision and the protocol that Northern Ireland is fully part of the uk customs territory by assuring that goods moving within the uk will never, even inadvertently, have to pay eu tariffs. We will ensure that businesses based in Northern Ireland will have a true unfettered access to the rest of the United Kingdom without paperwork. Further, that bill will strengthen Northern Irelands place in the uk customs territory and ensure that the uk does take back control of its laws in an organised way after the slst of december, exactly as we promised in the manifesto that won a resounding victory and mandate from the people of this country at last years election. I cannot comment on the details of the treasurers resignation. I have not seen his resignation letter. We do wish him well. The United Kingdom government signed the Withdrawal Agreement with the Northern Ireland protocol. This parliament voted that Withdrawal Agreement into uk legislation. The government is now changing the operation of that agreement. Given that, how can the government reassure future International Partners that the uk can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs . I thank my right honourable friend for the question. We have worked with the eu in a spirit of good faith and i know we continue to do that, both sides working in a spirit of good faith to ensure that we do implement the arrangements which uphold the fundamental principles that lie behind the protocol. And, of course, ourfirst priority continues to be to secure agreement on the protocol for the joint committee and the wider free trade agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement and protocal are not like any other treaty. It was written on the assumption that subsequent agreements could be reached between us and the eu on the detail. That is the entire purpose of the specialised joint committee. And we continue to believe that that is possible, but as a responsible government, we cannot allow businesses to not have certainty for january. The Prime Minister referred to Northern Ireland and said, this is a good deal, when he struck it last year. Now he seems to disagree with himself. There are u turns everywhere, but this is something else. No wonder its reported today that the head of the uk Government Legal Department has just quit because of the rolling back of the agreement on Northern Ireland. The internal market bill is taking a wrecking ball to devolution, they are hell bent on a poor deal brexit. But this using the internal market bill with other Withdrawal Agreement is extraordinary and dangerous. The secretary of state says his committee and the government are committed to the rule of law. Does he recognise that adherence to the rule of law is not negotiable . Against that background, will he assure us that nothing that he is proposing in this legislation does or potentially might breach International Legal obligations or International Arrangements that we have entered into . I would say to my honourable friend that, yes, this does break International Law in a very specific and limited way. We are taking the powers of this eu concept of direct effect required by article iv in a certain, very tightly defined circumstance. There are clear precedents forthe uk, and indeed other countries, needing to consider their International Obligations and circumstances change. And i would say to honourable members here, many of whom would have been in this house when it passed the finance act in 2013. Northern irelands mps were not impressed. There are those in this house who will tell you the protocol is the problem here when in fact the protocol is a symptom of a problem, which is four years of terrible political decision making, and it is now the law, and this government is obliged to implement it in full. This agreement, which runs the whole of the United Kingdom, this union splitting, economy destroying, and also border creating agreement has to be changed and replaced and can be replaced and should be replaced. Any unilateral change to the very necessary protocol risks undermining the good friday agreement, risks a hard border returning to the island of ireland and places Northern Ireland business in a very uncertain legal position. At the moment, as far as Northern Ireland is concerned, there appears to be no certainty either for businesses, for the long term future of the good friday agreement as clearly any transporting of goods between north and south will now need to be checked somewhere and somehow. And in echoing the remarks of my right honourable friend, the member for maidenhead, the continuity of our country as a country that keeps its word and abides by the rule of law and International Obligations. What certainty can my right honourable friend give me that the government understands the seriousness of these issues . Well, we say to my honourable friend that we as a country stand for International Law and the ordered international system, we always will. I think countries around the world are aware of that. I think they are equally aware that we are in these negotiations with the eu, our focus is on concluding those in a satisfactory, suitable way to get a good outcome free trade deal, good outcome specialistjoint Committee Work for Northern Ireland. And i would say to him, actually, weve got to remember that the good friday agreement is notjust about north, south but also about east, west. And ensuring that there are no borders, north, south, east or west. Thats why we made this commitment on unfettered access, and we will deliver that through the uk internal market bill. And that bill is expected to be published on wednesday. Tighter coronavirus restrictions in bolton have been announced by the Health Secretary after a significant increase in cases. In a lengthy statement to mps, matt hancock expressed concern over a in infections across the uk, especially amongst the young. But he faced criticism from opposition parties over problems with the covid i9 testing system. Nearly 3000 cases of coronavirus were reported at the start of this week. These figures serve as a salutory reminder that this virus is still very much with us and remains a threat. So, it is critical that we maintain our collective commitment to controlling this disease. And social distancing is the first line of defence. While young people are less likely to die from this disease, be in no doubt that they are still at risk. The long term effects can be terrible, and, of course, they can infect others. He warned that rising cases in spain and france had led to a big increase in hospitalisations and deaths. He then turned to the situation in bolton, which has the highest case rate in england. We will restrict all hospitality to takeaways only, and well introduce a late night restriction of operating hours, which will mean all venues will be required to close from iopm sam. Well introduce urgently further measures that put the current guidance that people cannot socialise outside their household into law. I want us to learn the lesson from spain and america and france, not have to learn the lesson all over again ourselves through more hospitalisations and more deaths. There can be no question that the rise we have seen in recent days in case numbers is deeply worrying. I agree with the secretary of state this is no time for complacency, that those who suggested this could be over by christmas were foolish and that we should be doing everything we can, taking every reasonable measure possible to utterly suppress this virus. A swipe there at the Prime Minister, who injuly said the plan was a return to normality by christmas. He then turned to testing. Taking a 150 mile round trip for a test simply isnt feasible. And, indeed, at the moment, its not even possible. Last night, it was reported there were no tests in london. People in kent were asked to travel to cardiff. In denton, they were advised to visit somewhere else. In leicester, someone was advised to head north to edinburgh. But in devon, helpfully, people were told they only had to travel 20 miles. But, unfortunately that involves crossing the sea to get to swansea. I know the secretary of state thinks he walks on water, but many of our constituents cant. We have built one of the biggest testing capacities in the world over the past six months, and i will reject all calls for a narrow partisan reasons to dismantle a Testing Capacity that is working. It is dangerous to have possibly infectious people travelling long distances when theyre unwell and may need to use Motor Services facilities on the way. So, would it not make more sense to still allow covid tests to be taken locally and just shift the samples around the uk to the labs with greatest capacity . The approach of the nanny state of ordering people about, particularly in this country, is not going to work. Youve got to appeal to the good sense of young people stay away from grandpa and grandma. Its your responsibility, you know . These lockdowns and things are not going to work, its your responsibility. And for us grandads, stay away from your grandchildren because the problem is that if you order people more and more about, they stop listening. And if they realise the secretary of state cannot enforce it, he will become the emperor without clothes. The challenge is that without widespread social distancing, as opposed to the segregation thats proposed by my right honourable friend, all the evidence is that you end up with more hospitalisations and more deaths. Pupils and parents in my constituency are being sent as far field as aberdeen and newquay for tests. They cant get home tests. Children are back at school. Forget world beating what is he doing to ensure we have a functioning test and trace system in place right now . I have, however, been contacted by many shop owners who, unfortunately, are being verbally abused when reminding customers to wear Face Coverings. Will my right honourable friend join me in calling for all to adhere to the basic rules of washing hands, wearing Face Coverings and social distancing . Yes, and people will be hearing far, far more about this. Hands, face, space. Its really simple. Wash your hands, wear a Face Covering when you need to and keep that social distance. That is the responsibility of everybody to help us control this virus. Matt hancock. Sale would youre watching tuesday in parliament with me, david cornock. The government has been urged to work with the European Union to hold the authorities in belarus to account following the disputed president ial election there. Mass protests followed the re election in august of alexander lu kashenko, amid allegations of vote rigging. At least four people have died and hundreds have been injured, as the authorities tried to crush dissent. In the commons, a conservative was concerned about violations of press freedom. Two bbc journalists have had their accreditation revoked in belarus, and we have also seen entire shutdowns of the internet in that country to stop citizens both reporting on whats happening in their country and finding no information for themselves. Does the minister agree with me that this is completely intolerable and a violation of the rights of citizens in that country, and what representations have we made to the government of belarus that they should stop these internet shutdowns and remove any accreditation from bbc journalists . I thank my honourable friend for raising this question with me today. The belarussian authorities have indeed blocked Internet Access for the entire country on several occasions. And i have made clear through my statements at the osce and the un the Democratic Values and the rights of the belarussian people, including freedom of expression and media freedoms such as access to information must be respected, and those that violate the must be held accountable. Can she assure me that she will continue to work with our International Partners to put pressure on the belarussian regime to stop all violence against journalists, protesters and opposition candidates . And does she also share my concern over the forced deportation of such individuals . I can assure him that we are supporting an independent investigation through the osce into the fraudulent elections and the violation by the belarussian authorities. We have spoken to germany and the us on the 18th of august, france on the 19th of august, and ive also spoken to the baltic states, to finland, sweden and to poland. The eu is currently drawing up a list of belarussian officials to which they will make them subject to asset freezes and travel bans. As the uk looking to do likewise, and if not, why not . The honourable lady makes a very, very important point, and she can rest assure that we will, at the very least, match that list. A bill denying parole to killers who refuse to disclose the location of their victims remains has cleared its final parliamentary hurdle. The prisoners disclosure of information about victims bill is known as helens law after Helen Mccourt whose killer, ian simms, was freed from jail without disclosing where her body was. The bill means parole boards will have to take into account an offender . S non disclosure of information about a victim . S remains or the identity of child victims in indecent images. As the lords passed the bill, there was a tribute to Helen Mccourts mother, marie. She has worked tirelessly and with great dignity, notjust on her own behalf but on behalf of the small number of families who find themselves in this most awful, awful position. A former bishop has warned that our highly Competitive Society is causing some people to feel left behind. His remarks were prompted by office for National Statistic figures, published earlier this month, showing that the suicide rate for men in england and wales is at its highest level for 20 years. Unfortunately, male suicides are the worse they have been in two decades. There is a particular concern amongst men between the ages of 45 49. A death by suicide is the worst form of death, the highest form of death for those under 50 with particular concern in areas of yorkshire and hamburg. Professor michael in his latest book argues that this is part of a wider rate in society. In a highly Competitive Society like ours, there are those who are left behind without any kind of sense of value, dignity or self esteem. Will the minister encourage the suicide Strategy Advisory Group to look at what professor michael has said and its implications for government policy . Suicide is an awful form of death, and each one is worth regret. But the numbers are more complicated than he suggests, as the definition for suicides and the coroners assignment of the suicide definition has changed in the period in which he describes. Whilst we are all concerned about society, im not sure i entirely agree with his sombre analysis of the value to society, and i have a more optimistic outlook then perhaps he does. A former army chief drew attention to suicides among vetera ns. Evidence from the charity, veterans united against suicide, suggests that around 69 veterans died by their own hand in 2018, 59 in 2019 and around 37 so far this year. Would the noble lord, the minister, agree that informal evidence is not a reliable basis for understanding the extent of this problem . And would it not be better to press, once again, the Coroners Service when recording a verdict of death by suicide, to note whether or not the deceased was a military veteran. The noble lord is entirely right to raise the issue of veterans which have an incredible and alarming high rate of suicide, one that i regret enormously. We are working very closely with Veterans Charities to provide the kind of Mental Health support that veterans need, but all too often, that doesnt prove enough. In terms of his request for great data from coroners, that is one idea that i will take back to the department, chase down and write to him about. Last week, the Health Secretary, matt hancock, told the house of commons that new figures from the ons showed a number of suicides in england fell during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Could the noble lord, the minister, please confirm to the house that this was indeed mistaken. Whilst the figures quoted by the Health Secretary are the latest reported by the ons, its also said very clearly that they cannot be used to show the number of suicides with the date of death in 2020 including those that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. It is likely they continue, but it reflects delays in inquest because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. What we do know is true is that the government statistics show that the last time the suicide rate was this high was in 1988. The minister agreed that the statistics were subject to change following coroner investigations. But i would reassure her that the statistics do suggest that there is a difference between stress and anxiety and clinical Mental Health issues. And it seems to be one of the aspects of the coronavirus epidemic that it has not translated into a massive Mental Health tsunami as feared. This is hugely encouraging and a great relief. Nonetheless, we are committed to the Mental Health support that this government provides and continue to support charities like the samaritans and calm including the 9. 2 million given to them recently for Suicide Prevention and support. Lord bethell. Now theres never any shortage of political theatre at westminster but the curtain has come down everywhere else because of the coronavirus pandemic. The composer and theatre impresario, andrew lloyd webber, says the performing arts are now at the point of no return. He wants the government to announce a date when injuly, lord lloyd webber organised a concert at the london palladium to see if it would be possible to re open theatres safely and at full capacity. But he told mps on the Culture Committee that theatre couldnt operate with social distancing. I am absolutely confident that the air, for example, in the london palladium, and indeed in all my theatres, is purer than the air outside. The air handling i think is critical in all of this. And if i may say, it seems to me that the really important thing that needs to be done now is to be sending some of the money that has been spent on the arts to give it to theatres that may not have been able to afford to do what we have been able to do, so that theatres can reopen safely. I mean, the answer is to your question, though, is that it would be impossible. The margins, say, for a big musical are very, very, very tight. I mean, if you were to take, say you were talking a really big musical, like, say disneys frozen that is hopefully coming in late next year. Say they were operating at half a Million Pounds a week, the biggest slice of that, of course, goes to vat. And i would reckon that disney would be very lucky to make their investment back on that show for perhaps 2 3 years. Do at least. And thats really at full capacity. The margins are incredibly, incredibly tight. Just to get back to that. Go on. Just in terms of where we sit in covid, if your question is about whether or not we are living with covid for the long term, the challenge is looking on behalf of the workforce. Its been absolutely devastating and catastrophic to the theatre industry and the live sector. Over 300,000 people are employed by theatre alone, you can more than double that when you actually look at whats going on for the live sector, and that doesnt even count all of the services that support what we do. Thats over1 Million People employed by this sector. That is huge. That, of course, makes us uniquely vulnerable as a country in dealing with a pandemic, because the performing arts, live theatre, not only one of our biggest assets and one of the strongest exports, and things that bring in tourism. Over 34 Million People come to this country every year, largely driven by the opportunity to see theatre. And if we dont actually do something to address that and we dont find the means of actually being able to open theatres and venues again, than 1 Million People will still be without work. Its been a very long time, and many of them have had no support. Its a really bad catastrophic time, and we need to find a way out of it. There comes a point now where we really cant go on much more. I mean, we are bumping up against our bank governments and all of these things. Cos, as i say, theatre is an incredibly, incredibly labour intensive business. In many ways, putting on a show now is almost a labour of love. I mean, very, very few shows really, really hit the jackpot in the way that, say, hamilton or lion king or phantom of the opera do. It is absolutely imperative that people understand that we just cannot throw a theatre show up. Its not like a cinema. You cannotjust open the building. In closing, if you have one single message for the uk government, one plea in the closing moments of your evidence, what would that plea be . Give us a date. Andrew lloyd webber. Now what with the post brexit trade talks, the uks chief negotiator, david frost, has a lot on his plate. But he also found time to take his seat in the house of lords, taking the oath of allegiance in a dressed down socially distanced version of the traditional ceremony. I, david lord frost, do swear by almighty god that i will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her majesty queen elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law, so help me god. Lord frost was one of 36 peers announced by borisjohnson in july. Thats it from tuesday in parliament. Thank you for watching. I do hope you canjoin me at the same time tomorrow for wednesday in parliament, with highlights from Prime Ministers questions. Until then, bye for now. Hello. Itll be a fairly mild start to wednesday across most parts of the British Isles but some of you will have to wait before we get skies like that, particularly in england and wales where you are close by this weather front, wont have an awful lot of rain on it but there will be a fair amount of cloud. That takes the time to pull its way a little bit further towards the south. From the word go, scotland and Northern Ireland and the far north of england drier and brighter perhaps, some showers is coming through on a breeze. Elsewhere, were in for a pretty dry day. Eventually, we break up the cloud in the south and the rain really dies away. While the humid is still across the south eastern quarter, elsewhere, temperatures mid teens to about 20 degrees. Through the evening, we drag the last of that cloud away towards the near continent, and its that time of the year where the nights are a wee bit longer and the skies are clear. Somewhere on the eastern side of both scotland and england itll get down to 3 or 4 degrees. A cool start to thursday, but its shaping up to be a decent day for many parts of the British Isles, certainly to start with a ridge of High Pressure just nosing in from the atlantic. But no disguising the fact that a little bit further to the north and west, and closing on the northwest of the British Isles, eventually there will be enough cloud to rob you of your sunshine in Northern Ireland, maybe a passing shower, and more on the way of wet weather into the northern and North Western parts of scotland. And the temperatures are not just as high after that chilly start as they will have been in the first part of the week. That weather front gradually works its way in across the northern part of the British Isles in the first part of friday, and then staggers its way a wee bit further south, weakening all the while but before it does that, it will deliver a good bit of rain into scotland and Northern Ireland and eventually it gets across the border. So further south, a dry enough day, a top temperature of about 20, 21, things turning a wee bit more showery and breezy across the north west of scotland to finish out the day. That is the way you start the weekend in that neck of the woods. Notice the number of isobars. So really quite windy through the north and western isles, the north of scotland too. High pressure trying to dominate many areas but it doesnt keep the fronts at bay from the north and west of scotland, hence the forecast for oban, but elsewhere, 00 29 27,091 2147483051 51 28,260 a lot of dry and fine 2147483051 51 28,260 4294966103 13 29,430 weather with some sunshine