A shutdown avoided at least for now, but what is the future for House SpeakerKevin Mccarthy . And what of the spending for ukraine . Money promised by the white house was stripped from the bill this weekend, just hours before a pro russia candidate in slovakia, regained power. Good evening, jeremy hunt is the seventh chancellor in 13 years to addess a conservative Party Conference. Today he stood on stage next to a slogan promising long term decisions for the future. Not the easiest sell when your partys trailing 16 points in the polls, and the government is about to cancel a key part of a flagship infrastructure project, in which you have already invested billions of pounds of taxpayers� money. A decision the current Prime Minister signed off as chancellorjust three years ago. We are also going to build better railways, madam deputy speaker. With spades going into the ground on hs2, our commitment to fund Manchester Leeds leg of Northern Powerhouse rail, we are going to build broadband, railways, roads. If the country needs it, we will build it. So, today, mr speaker, the cabinet has given high speed rail the green signal. We are going to get this done. The reports suggest a decision not to go ahead with the northern leg of the High Speed Railway has already been taken and will be announced in the Prime Ministers speech on wednesday. Given that the Party Conference is in manchester, where the line was supposed to end, the timing and location of such an announcement would be strange, to say the least. Number ten says no final decision has been made. But if it has, then how does the current chancellor explain it . As chancellor, i do have to answer the question as to why it cost ten times more to build high speed rail in this country and across the channel in france, because it is taxpayers� money. And i will also say that when that decision is made, at that time you see that we remain very to making sure we have the right economic infrastructure in this country. But more than that, im afraid, i cant say. Despite the inevitable backlash and Cabinet Resignations that may result, the chancellor insists the tories are the party to be trusted with taxpayers� money. He announced plans today to slash the headcount in the civil service, there are new penalties for Benefit Claimants who are not actively seeking work. And despite a clamour from the right for tax cuts ahead of the election, the chancellor says his First Priority is to get inflation under control. We are getting there. It was ii , it is now down by a0 . The plan is working. And now we must see it through, just as Margaret Thatcher did many years ago. Sonia is the only one in manchester who is not already in the pub said thank you for staying on for us. I think another man in the pub as henry morrison, the chair of the Northern Powerhouse project, he was on the programme in the last hour and he is serious about it being cancelled but fear is that no one will engage in conversation with him. ,. , 4 him. Yes, absolutely, ithink the thing about him. Yes, absolutely, ithink the thing about this him. Yes, absolutely, ithink the thing about this dyad him. Yes, absolutely, ithink the thing about this dyad conference j him. Yes, absolutely, i think the thing about this dyad conference was it was all supposed to be a bad jeremy hunt, the Chancellors Speech and enactment he was making a speech but the day has been completely overwhelmed with speculation about what will happen with hs2. I think the thing about this story is that it has not been confirmed or denied by number ten yet but the lack of strong denialfrom number ten that the birmingham to Manchester Leg is being scrapped does suggest that it may very well be on the cards, and there isn� t an official line coming out. So you� ve got a day where it was all supposed to be that the chancellor� s announcements but all that anyone is talking about in manchester is what is going to happen to hs2. We have got this quite extraordinary situation with the country has invested billions and billions, british taxpayers have,in and billions, british taxpayers have, in building this section of track that goes from birmingham to west london and the future of the part of the track that will go from birmingham to manchester and front west london into the centre of london is very much in question which begs the question that all those billions are spent on the part of the track that has already been committed to, what is that for because you only really get the benefit of this very expensive project if you extend north the birmingham to leeds branch has already been scrapped, now looks like birmingham to manchester might be scratched and even if you get on the train in birmingham, if you have to get off in west london and jump on the elizabeth line or tube line into central london, it ends up taking longer than the normal euston to birmingham journey anyway, sellers are people scratching their head and thinking if the rumours are true, what is the point of hs2 . Capital spending is a hot potato, wherever you are in the west. But particularly there in the 19 states as well, it was infrastructure week every week when donald trump was in power, why do western governments find it so difficult to put in place the infrastructure that will drive the infrastructure that will drive the economy . The economy . Yes, that is the multibilliondollar the economy . Yes, that is the multibilliondollar question i the economy . Yes, that is the l multibilliondollar question and the economy . Yes, that is the multibilliondollar question and we multibillion dollar question and we have certainly had our own problems with the have certainly had our own problems with the overrun of projects, in california, with the overrun of projects, in california, in washington, dc with amtrak california, in washington, dc with amtrak at california, in washington, dc with amtrak at the new york corridor, so once amtrak at the new york corridor, so once it amtrak at the new york corridor, so once it is amtrak at the new york corridor, so once it is built, you also have a massive once it is built, you also have a massive upkeep. And covid has changed massive upkeep. And covid has changed things. In washington, dc, the metro changed things. In washington, dc, the metro use has significantly plummeted things covid and how would you break plummeted things covid and how would you break that into the cake when you break that into the cake when you are you break that into the cake when you are making the cake. That is the point. You are making the cake. That is the point, sarnia, you are making the cake. That is the point, sarnia, the you are making the cake. That is the point, sarnia, the point you are making the cake. That is the point, sarnia, the point that l the point, sarnia, the point that the point, sarnia, the point that the government makes, that the Business Case for hs2 has changed post covid, people don� t travel as much, is that fair, because a lot of companies i speak to the north west when i go home, they are desperate for this line to link with the West Midlands . ,. ~ midlands . Yes, i mean, i think there is something midlands . Yes, i mean, i think there is something about midlands . Yes, i mean, i think there is something about commuting midlands . Yes, i mean, i think there is something about commuting on i midlands . Yes, i mean, i think there| is something about commuting on the pandemic and where we stand with Commuting Post Pandemic and what implications of that are for, you know, that the railways, so for example if you look at Commuter Lines going into london, there is no doubt that services have been cut because people are still commuting into london but they are commuting into london but they are commuting in less than they were before the pandemic. There are lots of people who have to work every day in an office or in service sectorjobs for example but there are lots of people doing hybrid working, but i think when it comes to looking at journeys, for example, from the north west into london and vice versa, if you� re looking at those sorts ofjourneys, i am unsure that that same logic stands up because you aren� t talking about daily commuterjourneys, you are talking about people coming to london for meetings, for example, to make Business Contacts to mull the kinds of things that would help business productivity. On the other thing that the hs2 link was supposed to help with is notjust from the sort of feeder cities, from birmingham and manchester, but they were supposed to be improved connectivity from across the north, and there is no question that businesses still place a premium on that connection, you know, into london. So i think you know, into london. So i think you are talking about something very different from the daily commute and commuter working, so not quite sure that it stacks up, really. If commuter working, so not quite sure that it stacks up, really. That it stacks up, really. If you were to look that it stacks up, really. If you were to look at that it stacks up, really. If you were to look at a that it stacks up, really. If you were to look at a theme that it stacks up, really. If you were to look at a theme that l were to look at a theme that underpins all this, it is clearly that the chancellor and number ten want to get a handle on spending, on inflation, and that on the sidelines of the Conference Today has been very much the debate, do you do that through pumping more money into the economy or do you do it by being more prudent and watching where every penny spent . Yes. More prudent and watching where every penny spent . More prudent and watching where every penny spent . Yes, i think that is a very good every penny spent . Yes, i think that is a very good way every penny spent . Yes, i think that is a very good way of every penny spent . Yes, i think that is a very good way of setting every penny spent . Yes, i think that is a very good way of setting out is a very good way of setting out that tension. The issue for the chancellor and for the Prime Minister is the whole theme of this conference was supposed to be about investing for the long term, you know, rishi sunak is a Prime Minister who is able to make long term decisions. Hs2 is kind of the quintessential long term decision, in the sense that we have already invested a huge amount of money in it. Now the chancellor and the Prime Minister are looking, reportedly, to shave off what would be a small percentage of the project to make these short term Catch Savings cash savings, yet that seems like a very, very short term decision that pulls in exactly the opposite direction of what the theme of this conference is, so i think there is a real tension here and some very confused signals being sent to voters. In some very confused signals being sent to voters. Sent to voters. In the us, the debate is sent to voters. In the us, the debate is spending sent to voters. In the us, the debate is spending is sent to voters. In the us, the debate is spending isjust sent to voters. In the us, the debate is spending isjust as l debate is spending is just as divisive, at the 11th hour on saturday, the government took the only way to avoid the. In the United States, the debate over spending and taxation is just as lively, just as devisive. At the 11th hour on satuday, the speaker Kevin Mccarthy took the only option available to avoid a Government Shutdown he turned to the democrats. The stop bill they agreed will keep the government funded at least until mid november. The us debt ceiling is 31. 4 trillion. It becomes more expensive to service that debt if the markets think you are too politically dysfunctional to get bills paid on time. How dysfunctional, that remains the bigger question. Republican matt gaetz who was blocking the resolution, says he will bring a motion to vacate the speaker� s chair later this week. It is becoming increasingly clear who the speaker of the house already works for, and it� s not the republican conference. Mr speaker, i would ask that these questions be answered soon, because there may be other votes coming today or later this week that could be implicated by the answers to these questions. Members of the Republican Party might vote differently on a motion to vacate if they heard what the speaker had to share with us about his secret side deal Withjoe Biden on ukraine. Mccarthy says he is confident he can hang on. Gaetz would likely need the vast majority of democrats to vote with him to get rid of mccarthy. But it� s likely the democrats in Swing Districts will side with mccarthy, for a price. If you win on a motion to vacate, do you think that silences this block of people who held up the floor, frustrated your conference . Do you kinda want to win that to prove this point . Look, i want to win the vote so i can finish the job for the american people. There are certain people who have done this from the day we came in. I want to be a conservative that shows how to govern. I think that is important to the country, i think that is important to the party, and most important to get this job done. Carry, i think i� ve explained why this is so important. If Interest Rates go up in the United States, that has a knock on effect on world markets, Belittle The Function in washington does count, so what happens next . Political dysfunction in washington. Just seeinu dysfunction in washington. Just seeing the dysfunction in washington. Just seeing the snp. You are right that if the dysfunction continues, there could very well be a downgrade which would into a Stash Increase our Interest Payments even more, so in terms of the ethos of what matt gaetz is trying to do, i respect that he was to hold the line on spending, approaching 33 trillion in debt is completely unsustainable, our Interest Payments are going to be crowding out our discretionary payments very soon, but at the same time i believe that he� s taken around action here and i think he� s only going to help the democrats politically and in the end he is only going to wound the Republican Party, he is going to wound Speaker Mccarthy comedy believe Speaker Mccarthy comedy believe Speaker Mccarthy will come on top sol mccarthy comedy believe Speaker Mccarthy will come on top so i think this whole action is fairly meaningless because matt gaetz is not living in the real world, the Republican Party only controls the house, they do not control the senate and i do not control the white house so if matt gaetz wants things to change, he needs to not alienate voters and he needs to get more republicans in the senate and in the white house. In the white house. Obviously, the United States in the white house. Obviously, the United States is in the white house. Obviously, the United States is a in the white house. Obviously, the United States is a lot in the white house. Obviously, the United States is a lot further in the white house. Obviously, the United States is a lot further in United States is a lot further in the project to tackle inflation than we are here in the uk but there are some similarities that we are starting to see, there are a lot of unions looking for better pay at the moment, there is a wage spiral under way, there is a huge debate, as we have just been discussing, about the infrastructure, the Inflation Reduction and in the Infrastructure Thatjoe Biden wants to pump into the economy, dc similar themes in the economy, dc similar themes in the political divisions in our two countries . Sorry, let me bring in cary again. Countries . Sorry, let me bring in cary again cary again. Yes, i certainly think absolutely. Cary again. Yes, i certainly think absolutely, and cary again. Yes, i certainly think absolutely, and even cary again. Yes, i certainly think absolutely, and even to cary again. Yes, i certainly think absolutely, and even to the absolutely, and even to the infrastructure conversation, the fastest infrastructure conversation, the fastest way to become a millionaire is to be fastest way to become a millionaire is to be a fastest way to become a millionaire is to be a billionaire and invest in a railway~ is to be a billionaire and invest in a railway~ i is to be a billionaire and invest in a railway. Ithink is to be a billionaire and invest in a railway. I think so often, public money a railway. I think so often, Public Money In a railway. I think so often, Public Money In the public purse is used for wasteful projects, we call it here for wasteful projects, we call it here in for wasteful projects, we call it here in the us, in alaska it was