Now on Bbc News, Wednesday In Parliament. Hello and welcome to Wednesday In Parliament, as borisjohnson gives the go ahead for a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic. This inquiry must be able to look at the events over the last year issues that will make a difference for the future. Labours new Shadow Chancellor draws her own conclusions. The government have taken the public for fools. Taxpayers deserve that their money is used to best effect, not squandered on contracts that dont deliver. And 80 years on, mps mark the night a german bomb hit the house of commons. This Renewed Chamber will always remain a symbol, a resilience of democracy in the face of adversity. But first, there will be an independent public inquiry into the handling of the Coronavirus Pandemic but it wont begin until spring next year. Borisjohnson told mps that the government was fully committed to learning the lessons at every stage of this crisis. But the scope of the Inquiry Wont be decided until after consultation with the devolved governments in scotland, wales and northern ireland. The Prime Minister said the state had an obligation to learn every lesson for the future. Mr speaker, this process will place the states� actions under the microscope and we should be mindful of the scale of the undertaking and the resources required to do it properly. The exercise of identifying and disclosing all relevant information, the months of preparation and retrospective analysis and the time that people have to spend testifying in public, in some cases for days, will place a significant burden on our nhs, the whole of government, our scientific advisers, and on many others. One reason why he thought the Inquiry Shouldnt begin until spring 2022 after next winter when there was a high likelihood of a surge in cases. This inquiry must be able to look at the events over the last year in the cold light of day and identify the key issues that will make a difference for the future. Free to scrutinise every document, to hear from all the key players, and analyse and learn from the depth from our response. That is directly a thing to get the answers that the people of this country deserve. Borisjohnson also announced a commission to look at ways of commemorating what weve all been through. An idea welcomed by the labour leader, sir keir starmer, who recalled his meetings with families bereaved by covid. The hardest bit was the details they told me about not being able to say goodbye in the way they wanted, whether that is at a hospital or elsewhere. And not being able to have a funeral in the way that they wanted. It is very hard to hear some of the stories, lots of those families have searing questions about what happened, the decisions, what went wrong, why what happened happened to them and their families. He thought the inquiry should begin before next year. The principle is that the inquiry should be as soon as possible. As soon as possible. Now, i understand an inquiry will take time to setup. Of course it will. But why can it not be later this year . Why can it not start earlier . The snp looked to the future. The vaccines have generated the hope | people are feeling now and that hope | is within touching distance, but mr speaker, just as the hope is fragile, so is the economic recovery. The Prime Ministerjust spoken of lessons and answers and timing. This Mornings Ons figures demonstrate the depth of the recovery that has been experienced by the economyl and equally show the scale of the recovery needed. I that is why the Glaring Omission of the Employment Bill from yesterday from the Queens Speech was so shocking. A clear signal of a Uk Government with no recovery plan. Some conservatives looked ahead to The End of covid restrictions. Given the very sensible Road Map that he has outlined, will he emphasise the increasing role of personaljudgment and Common Sense rather than Government Fiat as Greater Normality Returns and with that of course our hugely valued at and Civil Liberties . We hope will be able to open up fully from the june 21. People will still clearly need to exercise caution and Common Sense and the way they go about their lives because the virus im afraid is still going to be present in our lives for a long time to come. Some mps shared their own experiences. My father in law died at the beginning of the pandemic. Our children were not able to go to their grandfathers funeral, our grief remains raw. Let me welcome the commitment to those families and the memorial. But can i draw his attention to the scope of the inquiry . Because we do know that the fracturing of Social Care, running the nhs at 90 capacity, the lessons warned in the Flu Pandemic Strategy in 2014, and the lessons from Operation Signess all forewarned much of what has happened. I am so sorry to hear about her loss. And i want to assure her that of course i cannot imagine there would be any chair of the inquiry or any terms of reference that we could devise that wouldnt include looking back at the state of preparedness before covid actually struck this country. Others raised issues that they felt couldnt wait for the inquiry. At the moment, if you want to reside in a Care Home, you have to spend14 days isolated in your room. Can the prime Minister Look again at that Isolation Period because it is so impactfull on the physical and Mental Health of residents. She is also right to raise the very painful questions of visiting and the ability of Care Home residents to leave their Care Home safely and now we have to balance the risk to them as well. We tried to increase the number of visitors they can have and we hope very soon greater freedoms will be possible. Madam deputy speaker, on the 22nd of february, the Prime Minister told the house that the ppe contracts are there on the record for everybody to see and all the details are on the record. But what the Prime Minister told parliament was not true. A large number of contracts that were not there for everybody to see or on the record. Will the Prime Minister finally apologise to the house and the country for this misleading statement and ensure that the Governments Procurement practices during the pandemic are in the scope of the covid inquiry . Im sure the honourable lady means inadvertently misleading. Prime minister. I am sure she does. The Prime Minister. A short time later, opening the second day of debate on the Queens Speech, the chancellor warned that it would take a long time to recoverfrom the pandemic, but insisted the governments plans to protectjobs and boost growth were already working. Our Plan Forjobs is provided over £400 billion of support for british people and businesses, a historic package unmatched in peace time. And the evidence shows that our plan is working. Gdp statistics published just this Morning Show that the economic impact of the lockdown at the start of the year was less severe than had been expected and there are clear signs that we are now to recovery. Given that News A Conservative wondered if the chancellor would commit to reversing a cut in international aid. Can he confirm to the House Today that he will restore the. 7 at The End of the year when the economy has so recovered . As he will know, whilst our economy i am grateful to my friend for his intervention and i appreciate another tory pointed to the scale of the challenge ahead to meet the governments much repeated ambition of levelling up. The economic gap between London Southeast and the northeast and relative terms is as greatgrade as it was between East And West germany prior to reunification. It took 30 years to narrow that gap. Does he agree it will take more than one parliament and more than a significant investment hes already committed to get to truly level up this country . I thank my honorable friend for his warm words and i agree with them. This is the task that this government will meet Head On. Labours new Shadow Chancellor, turned to the governments handling of the pandemic. The government, theyre taking in the public for fools. Taxpayers deserve that their money is used best. Not squandered on contracts that dont deliver. 0r Line pockets of friends and donors of the conservative party. The government says it wants value for money. But it has failed to claw back the millions wasted on contracts that didnt deliver for the nhs. And didnt deliver for taxpayers either. And they talk in this Queens Speech about leveling up. But it is this conservative government who is cut 60p from every pound of funding from local councils, forcing them to close sure start and childrens centres, to cut back on Social Care, libraries and leisure centres, degrading the very fabric of our local communities. Madam deputy speaker, they want the public to think theyve only been in power for a year. They havent. Theyve been in power for 11 years and they need to take responsibility for their own records. The snp said one of the bills in the speech would suppress peoples right to vote. By making them take a Photo Id to the ballot box, they are seeking to fix a problem which nobody knew existed. And they are doing it for their own nefarious means. The Lib Dems said the speech had been a missed opportunity to bring in an Employment Bill. Perhaps something for unpaid carers, something to make flexible working the Default Position in british society. It has become, i believe, clear with the proposals we have heard this week that the government has no long Term Strategy forjobs. Most conservatives welcomed the measures in the speech, though some expressed concern about planning policy, and proposals to limit the right to protest. One tory turned to Social Care in england, arguing there needed to be a cross party solution. It is also likely to require both more of the taxpayer and more of individuals to save for their own care when they can afford to do so. I am grateful to him for giving way and i agree entirely with what he is saying about the complexity of the care issue. And also about the need to work together on it but it is the case that the Prime Minister stood on the steps of Downing Street and told us he had a plan that he would be bringing in front of us if he was elected and now surely if we are going to start a debate, the Starting Point should be that plan. Why dont we all see this plan if indeed it exists and then we can discuss the bits that we all agree on. I am tempted to agree entirely with the honourable gentleman. And i think he is right that all of us, including the government, have to be braver then we have been. The green Party Mp thought the government could have been much we need a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation billl to break our deadly addiction and give backing to a global treaty which would end all Exploration Land Production of fossil fuels, i phase out existing stockpiles and work with local communities to deliver a just transition. But she said there was currently an environment shaped hole in the governments plans. Youre watching Wednesday In Parliament with me, david cornock. The developer of a Tower Block which caught Fire Last Friday has been told to Stump Up more cash for remedial work. Around a0 people needed medical attention after the fire at new Providence Wharf in poplar, east london. Youre watching Wednesday In Parliament with me, david cornock. The developer of a Tower Block which caught Fire Last Friday has been told to Stump Up more cash for remedial work. Around a0 people needed medical attention after the fire at new Providence Wharf in poplar, east london. The block has cladding similar to the type used on Grenfell Tower, where 72 people died in a fire almost four years ago. The fire prompted labour to demand an urgent statement from ministers on why some high rise buildings are still covered in dangerous cladding. The fire at the Tower Block in poplar is another devastating reminder of the dangerous, stressful, worrying and wholly unacceptable Situation Thousands of people find themselves in today. Leaseholders and tenants, the innocent victims in a scandal that the Prime Minister promised they would not be picking up the bill for. So, can the noble lord tell the house, why is it that the Prime Ministers words, the Prime Ministers promises to the victims are so far removed from the reality and actions of the government . 95 of buildings that were identified at the start of last year with the same cladding as on Grenfell Tower have either had their cladding removed or work has started to remove them. And we have made a great deal of progress in the last year with some 159 starts on site, and the Building Safety Fund is open and continues to improve the number of works that will ensure other forms of Safe Cladding are removed. He said his department had been engaging with ballymore for more than two years. We also are paying for Expert Construction Advice at this particular site thats been available since july 2020, and prior to the fire, this year, i had two ministerial led meetings with the leadership of ballymore, of London Government to try and get the work started. Sadly, they only started this monday. Its now nearly four years since 72 people died on the altar of private profit. And since then, there have been i three further instances in barking, in bolton and this one in poplar. And its notjust a matter. Of cladding over 60 metres, its much more than that. When will the government fully fund all of the measures that are necessary to make these buildings safe before more lives are lost . Well, my lords, i note the point thats been made, but having said that, it is interesting to note that there are two authorities that are now still, four years after grenfell, discovering the existence, potentially, of additional buildings with aluminium composite material. And that is the audit thats been conducted by two authorities. Sheffield are looking at nine buildings and Tower Hamlets are looking at a further six buildings. This discovery of acm cladded high rises four years after grenfell is also a matter that is frankly beyond the governments control. Given that the original developer still owns and manages the building, what steps are being taken to ensure that the leaseholders are not being saddled with historic Building Safety Remediation costs that are no fault of their own . The government has set up a fund of £5 billion to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding in england. We want to protect leaseholders and we are funding £8 million. Our understanding is that the total Remediation Bill is some £12 million, and weve been pressing ballymore to Stump Up the rest of the cash. When i initially met with them, they pledged half a million. They increased that this weekend to {1. 5 million. Frankly, they shouldnt be passing on any costs to leaseholders. Could the government explain why the principle of responsibility that| would apply to cars and domestic advancers and so on, which may be dangerous and even kill people, where theyre requiredl to recall and remediate whatever the equipment is, does not seem to apply to the construction industry. My lords, i have to say on taking over this particular ministerial brief, i was shocked at the weakness of redress thats available to people who put all of their Life Savings into a building, and Thats Something that we want to improve through the building safety bill. We need to improve the ability to get redress for people that buy these properties and discover these defects. Im sure the minister takes the urgency of the problem to heart. Ive talked to people who are absolutely desperate, people who have told me that in their blocks, people are basically suicidal because they cant afford to pay costs of remediation and they cant afford to sell because their propertys unsellable. We have a major crisis on our hands. Surely we need much more urgent action than the minister is saying the government has taken. The minister reassured him that the government understood the need for urgency. The United Nations has warned that escalating tensions between israel and palestinian militant groups could spiral into a full Scale Wa R. Thereve been israeli Air Strikes on the Gaza Strip following a night of rockets fired from Gaza Deep Into israel. Nearly 50 people have been killed since the conflict erupted on monday. Whos of palestinian descent, read out the names and ages of some of the dead. Ibrahim almasry,11. Maron almasry, six. Rahaf almasry, ten. And yasin almasry, aged just two. These are some of the names of the children killed this week, and last night, an israeli child was added to their numbers. My Heart Breaks for them. Mr speaker, My Heart Bleeds for palestine, forjerusalem, the city of my family, for their worship was attacked by extremists at the Al Aqsa Mosque on the holiest night of ramadan. And for all innocent civilians, israeli and palestinian. If this isnt the time to recognise the state of palestine, then when is . Mr speaker, the united kingdom has a historic responsibility to the people of palestine and a fundamental obligation to uphold international law. That two State Solution, as promised to the likes of my family, is as elusive as ever. I recognise the passion with which the honourable lady speaks, in her personal connection to both jerusalem and palestine. I can assure her that the united kingdom will work with international partners, both bilaterally and through multilateral institutions, to encourage an end to the violence, the conflict, which does nobody any good. Labour condemns the Firing Of over 1,000 rockets by hamas. We also strongly condemn israeli actions that have killed palestinian civilians. Israel and the palestinians generally must be doing. Everything possible to do to de escalate the situation. All violence, whoever perpetrates it, whoever it is against, we send our deepest condolences to those who have been caught up in this dreadful conflict. We are a friend of palestine and israel, but above all else, we stand behind international law. It is the case that have hamas has been able to build a terrorist City State . Does he agree with me that its wrong to draw some kind of Phoney Equivalence between the actions and the aggression of terrorists and the sovereign rights of legitimate democratic government to defend their citizens . The minister said the military wing of hamas was indeed a proscribed terrorist organisation. He said israel had a right to defend itself, but had to abide by International Humanitarian Law and minimise civilian casualties. A Labour Mp said tensions in the region were the highest theyd ever been. And Violence And Loss of life . Mr speaker, yet the silence of the international community is deafening. Even as the palestinians scream out to call for help, so i have to ask the minister, | how many times will we come back to this house to debate the persecution of the palestinians, and when will the international community finally wake up . I mr speaker, i dont recognise at all the scenario that the honourable gentleman paints. This is an issue i have spoken about from this dispatch box. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have made statements on this issue. This is a terrible situation, no doubt. We are working to bring it to a conclusion, and we will continue to work to bring about a peaceful two State Solution so the israelis and palestinians can live and work Side By side in peace, which should be, i am sure, the goal of everyone in this house. James cleverly. The city watchdog, the financial conduct authority, revealed this week that its investigating what it called the potentially criminal collapse of the finance firm, greensill capital. The former Prime Minister, David Cameron, worked for the firm, and lobbied ministers and officials to give greensill government business. When the regulator appeared before mps, he was asked if Mr Cameron had provided the firm with respectability. Do you think that, to some extent, lex greensill� S And Use of people like David Cameron covered up some of these more nefarious activities . And sort of meant that people, actually, they would become anything but . I am not on a position to comment on anything. Following direct contact with the firm, not with any adviser. Its useful, but the day before you give us evidence, you announced to you were actually looking into the reasons. Of the collapse. Why werent you looking into it earlier . I wrote to the committee on the 4th of may. In reliance to the chair letter, investigations have been going on since significantly before then. Nikhil rathi and the committees due to take evidence from David Cameron on thursday. Members of the House Of Lords were promised some financial advice from one of their newest members. Lord lebedev, who owns the Evening Standard and the independent newspapers, offered this. I will also be able to teach the house that a small fortune. Sta rt start with a large fortune, and then buy a newspaper. Lord thompson is quoted as describing television as a licence to print money. Newspaper publishing also seems to be like printing money. Lord Lebedev Of Hampton and siberia. Finally, its 80 years since the Commons Chamber was destroyed by german bombs during the biggest second World War Air raid on london. The chamber and the roof of westminster hall, the oldest part of the palace of westminster, were set ablaze. Fire services decided they couldnt save both and focused their efforts on westminster hall, leaving the commons to be destroyed. Three members of parliamentary staff died that night. The speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his newly appointed House Of Lords counterpart, lord mcfall, laid wreaths to remember them. On the way into the chamber today, my procession paused at the Entrance Arch to commemorate the raid. Colleagues will know that Winston Churchill ordered that the arch be retained in its damaged state as a reminder of the Ordeal Westminster suffered during the war. We remember those who gave their lives to defend this place and all it represents. We thank friends and allies from across the commonwealth who helped rebuild what was lost. This Renewed Chamber will always remain a symbol of resilience of democracy in the face of adversity. The speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. Thats it for Wednesday In Parliament. Thank you for watching. I do hope you canjoin me at the same time tomorrow for the week in parliament, the programme that does what it says on the tin. Until then, from me, david cornock, bye for now. Hello there. The weather is in a very unsettled mood, notjust for the next few days, even as we Head On into the weekend and into next week. Thats because weve got low pressure nearby. For the next few days, it looks like it will stay showery, some heavy downpour in places with some Hail And Thunder, but also some warm sunshine around, too. Now, low pressure sitting on top of the country on thursday. This Weather Front bringing some wet weather to start the day for wales, up to the midlands, into the South And South west of england. But it will tend to clear away through the day. Away from the North And East of scotland, which will be rather grey through the day today, northern ireland, Southern Scotland and the rest of northern and Eastern England will see some sunshine. But then the showers will get going again into the afternoon. And like the last few days, some will be heavy with a mix of Hail And Thunder in places. Temperatures reaching 111 15 celsius for most, but rather cool again across the far northeast of scotland. Now, as we head through thursday night, it looks like the showers will tend to fade away from most areas, and that Weather Front will clear away completely. So, many places will be turning dry, but we will start to see some Cloud Rolling into northern and eastern areas, so that should stop temperatures from falling much below 6 7 celsius, so another frost free night for most. As we Head On into friday, we are in between weather systems, low pressure to the east, a new area of low pressure slowly encroaching in off the atlantic. And you will also notice the blue colours across the north of the uk. This colder air tries to get into the North East of the country but doesnt get too far, but it will bring enough chill to the North And East of scotland, and in northeast england it will be quite noticeable there. But a rather grey, cloudy day for most, away from northern ireland, wales, the West Midlands and the South West where we will see some sunny spells. And that will set off a few showers again here, again, some of them will be on the heavy side. Temperatures in the sunny spells 111 15 celsius, but noticeably cooler, like i mentioned, across the North East. Then as we move into the weekend, we see this Weather Front sweep across the country to bring a band of rain, and then our new area of low pressure starts to push across the uk for the rest of saturday and into sunday. So its back to square one with sunshine and showers once again. Now, some of the showers again over the weekend will be heavy, there will be the risk of Hail And Thunder, and there will be some sunshine in between these showers. And the sun, of course, this time of year is strong, so it will feel fairly warm. Low pressure, though, wants to hold on into next week too, so unfortunately, its looking pretty unsettled for much of the country, further showers at times. Those temperatures below the seasonal average. Welcome to Bbc News im maryam moshiri. Our top stories heavy israeli airstrikes and palestinian Rocket Fire continues through the night Joe Biden says he hopes the violence will end soon. From the other side palestinian Militants Fire rockets into israel hitting an Apartment Building and seriously wounding a young child. Colombia is rocked by weeks of deadly protests we report from the city thats seen the worst of the violence. Can New Zealand make tourism more environmentally reponsible as it reopens its Travel Bubble with australia . And the power of the mind the paralysed man using Brain Implants to convert thoughts into words