Transcripts For BBCNEWS Monday In Parliament 20170627

In parliament, our look at the day at westminster. The headlines reassurance about the governments intentions towards eu citizens living in the uk after brexit. No eu citizen currently in the uk lawfully will be asked to leave at the point the uk leaves the eu. We want you to stay. But labour says this should have been settled long ago. This is not a generous offer. This is confirmation the government is prepared to use people as bargaining chips. And hostility from many scottish and welsh mps in the commons to a £1 billion Government Deal with the Democratic Unionist Party. My first thought in seeing it was that the government had scraped the bottom of the pork barrel in reaching it. But i have to tell him, i suspect, as he will learn in the months to come, there is probably no bottom to that particular barrel. We want you to stay, theresa may has told eu citizens in the uk from the House Of Commons. Shes making an offer as part of the eu negotiations which would allow families to remain together as long as they have settled in the uk for five years. Those with less than that amount of residency would be allowed to stay to build it up. Labour argue these moves should have been made a year ago, and that people are being used as bargaining chips. I know there has been some anxiety about what would happen to eu citizens at the point we leave the European Union. Today, i want to put that anxiety to rest. I want to completely reassure people that under these plans, no eu citizen currently in the uk lawfully will be asked to leave at the point the uk will leave the eu. We want you to stay. Second, any eu citizen in the uk, with five years of continuous residence at a specified cut off date, will be granted settled status. They will be treated as if they were uk citizens, for health care, education, benefits and pensions. This is a fair and serious offer. Our obligations. Our obligations in the Withdrawal Treaty with the eu will be binding on the uk as a matter of international law. And we will incorporate commitments into uk Law Guaranteeing that we will stand firmly by our part of the deal. So, our offer will give those 3 million eu citizens in the uk certainty about the future of their lives, and a reciprocal agreement will provide the same certainty for the more Thani Million Uk citizens who are living in the European Union. She wanted a landslide and she lost her majority. Now, her mandate is in tatters. But the Prime Minister still insists she is the best person to get a good deal for britain. And incredibly. And incredibly, incredibly believes she is the best person to strike a deal with the very people she has spent the last six months threatening and hectoring. The truth is, it is too little, too late. That could have been done and should have been done a year ago, when labour put that very proposal to the House Of Commons. But by making an offer only after negotiations have begun, the Prime Minister has dragged the issue of citizens and families deep into the complex and delicate negotiations of our Future Trade Relations with the European Union. Which she herself has been willing to say may result in failure. This is not a generous offer. This is confirmation the government is prepared to use people as bargaining chips. When will she honour the pledge of a United United Kingdom approach to brexit and give Scotland A Place At The Table of negotiations . Has the Prime Minister costed her plans for eu nationals, which she presented to the eu 27 last week, and when will the costings be laid before the house . Will she confirm that eu citizens in scotland will not have to fill out the 85 page paper form for residency . I congratulate the Prime Minister on her policy, which will bring many benefits to the uk and the rest of the eu. Can she tell the house a little more about how far we can go in negotiating Free Trade Agreements with non eu countries before we leave, and when we will learn how we can spend all the money that we will save . Well, as. As my right honourable friend will know, one of the issues that we proposed during the Election Campaign was that some of the money that is returned is actually spent in a shared Prosperity Fund here in the United Kingdom, which will be looking to deal with and remove the disparities that occur within regions and within nations and between the parts of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister will be aware that eu citizens living and working here are particularly concerned about the status of their children. Can she confirm that a young person who has lived in britain for four years, of eu parents, she is currently studying at a university elsewhere in the eu and will be over the age of 18 when she returns, will be able automatically to return to her parents, and will her parents be required to meet an Income Threshold . Yes, the. Yes, that individual would be allowed to return to the United Kingdom. Is she going to take the opportunity to make sure that eu nationals who sadly have come to this country and abused our hospitality by committing crimes, she will use the full opportunity of this to make sure they can be removed from our country . Well, my right honourable friend with one of his previous roles knows very well about the issue of those who have come to this country and abused the rights that they have been given by their criminality, and i certainly will ensure that those who are serious and persistent criminals, that we can take action to remove them from the uk. The Prime Minister replying to the conservative mp, mark harper. More than two weeks after the election, the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed a deal to support a minority conservative government. The agreement will see Northern Ireland receive an extra £1 billion over two years for public services. In the commons, the two parties said it was a good dealfor the uk and for Northern Ireland. But opponents have described it as shabby. This agreement delivers the certainty we need in the United Kingdoms National Interest at this crucial time. This agreement means the dup will support the government in votes on the queens speech, the budget and on legislation relating to our exit from the European Union and National Security. It will ensure that we can govern in the National Interest, strengthening and enhancing the union, keeping our country safe, delivering prosperity for all and securing a departure from the European Union which benefits all parts of the United Kingdom. Then came a harder sell for the first secretary explaining to a commons filled with mps from all parts of the United Kingdom that Northern Ireland would be getting large amounts of investment. To address immediate priorities in Northern Ireland, the uk government will also allocate an additional £50 million a year for two years, to enable the executive to address pressures in health and education. And recognising the priority given by the executive to securing a modern, Sustainable Health service in Northern Ireland, the uk government will allocate £100 million per yearfor two years to support the Northern Ireland executives priority in Health Service transformation. This is a shabby and reckless deal which has taken the government at least £1 billion to buy. And whose true cost for the future of peace in Northern Ireland could be infinitely higher. The Good Friday Agreement is rightly seen across the world as a model for other countries who are seeking to end conflict. But it is also fragile, and relies above all on trust, good faith and the impartiality of the british government. This agreement is all about the money. So let me first ask the first secretary for some clarity on the funding. First, can he explain how much extra funding will be going to support infrastructure, broadband, health, education and tackling deprivation in the rest of the United Kingdom . No one would begrudge the £1 billion of extra support for these areas in Northern Ireland, but in scotland, in wales and other english regions of the uk, the needs are just as great. So when will the rest of the country be getting its share . I thank the first secretary for advance sight of his statement. My first thought in seeing it was that the government had scraped the bottom of the pork barrel in reaching it. I have to tell him though, i suspect, as he will learn in months to come, there probably is no bottom to that particular barrel. The government cannot be blind to the fact that this agreement does place in jeopardy their role under the Good Friday Agreement. And that agreement can only be secured if the government will commit to transparency. Not just today, but every step of the way for as long as this agreement lasts. It is a good agreement for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and its a good agreement for all of the people of Northern Ireland. And in particular, their money for Mental Health and in terms of hard to reach areas, all of the money thats been outlined is for every section of the community in Northern Ireland. This is a deal that delivers for all of the people of Northern Ireland. We commit to transparency. We are very open to that, and some day, id like to think we might publish all the correspondence and conversations we had in 2010 with the labour front bench. Laughter. And in 2015 with the labour front bench, and indeed with the snp as well. While the Prime Minister is busy bribing the dup to stitch up the seams of this threadbare administration, she continues to neglect the people of wales and treats us like third class citizens in this so called family of equals. Mr speaker, my party has always been at pains to prove that the Barnett Formula is not fit for purpose. The governments disregard for it today seems to indicate that they now agree. This is quite simply a pathetic, grubby little deal, demonstrating all the worst excesses of pork barrel politics. Designed to prop up a government without a majority, and increasingly without any credibility whatsoever. We now know that {1. 5 billion is the price that this country will have to pay to keep this shambolic government in power. I welcome my right honourable friends statement, and his personal commitment to ensuring that the imbalances and inequalities that exist in all parts of the United Kingdom are effectively tackled by this government. So can he say a bit more about how the uk Prosperity Fund will be used to raise economic output in the poorest parts of United Kingdom, and could i encourage him to keep an open mind on some of the ideas that maybe welsh colleagues of his might have for further investment . The first Secretary Of State, damien green, replied there would be many recipients of the new Prosperity Fund, to be set up after the uks exit from the eu. Cladding from 75 high rise buildings across england have failed a fire safety test, the Communities Secretary, sajid javid, has said. He was briefing mps on how the government is supporting the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the steps being taken to prevent further disasters. He announced that the government was giving £1 million to charities. Almost a fortnight has passed, but the shock has not subsided. I have visited kensington and witnessed the terrible anguish of those who have lost so much. And in some cases, people that have lost literally everything. Im sure that like me, many honourable members have returned from their constituencies today with the anger and the fears of residents still ringing in their ears. An estimated 600 high rise buildings could have similar cladding to Grenfell Tower. Councils and social landlords have been asked to get samples tested. I can inform the house that as of midday today, the cladding from 75 high rise buildings in 26 local Authority Areas has failed the Combustibility Test. The Combustibility Test has three categories, rated one to three. And it is judged that Cladding Material in category two or three does not meet the requirements for limited combustibility in Building Regulations. I can also confirm to the house that so far, on that basis, all samples of cladding tested have failed. The fact that all samples so far have failed underlines the value of the Testing Programme and the vital importance of submitting samples urgently. The Testing Facility can analyse 100 samples a day and runs around the clock. I am concerned about the speed at which samples are being submitted. I would urge all landlords to submit their samples immediately. The Prime Minister said in a Statement Last week that the governments response, both national and local, in the early days, was not good enough. Nationally, it is still not good enough. Hundreds of residents of Grenfell Tower and their relatives are still struggling to keep their lives going in the face of this gravest loss. And hundreds of thousands of residents in 4000 other tower blocks around the country are still wondering if their homes are safe, worried about sleeping at night and wanting to know what the government is doing to ensure theyre safe. The minister has made a promise to rehouse all Gre Nfell Tower Residents in the local area within three weeks. It is now nearly a fortnight since the fire. How many people are covered by this pledge . And two weeks on, is it correct that 370 households are still in emergency accommodation . With some of the families, they actually, they doubt it when we say that the first accommodation, initial accommodation, is temporary. I met one family on friday in the westway centre, where, perfectly understandably, they said to me, how do i know temporary is temporary . How do i know youre notjust going to leave me there and not find me better quality, more suitable, permanent accommodation . And when i probed that a bit further, the family told me that they had been told when they first moved into Grenfell Tower that that would be temporary accommodation. 17 years later, they were still there. Mr speaker, the most worrying thing in the Secretary Of States statement from my point of view was where he said that all the examples of cladding so far had not met the requirements in the Building Regulations, but had clearly been fitted to buildings. Can i urge him to make that the first thing that he asks his independent Expert Advisory Panel to look at . Because it seems to me that if we have got widespread noncompliance with existing Building Regulations, that seems to me the most urgent thing that we need to deal with, to prevent a Re Occurrence of this tragedy elsewhere in the country. Ive heard this morning, shockingly, that people who have concerns about their Immigration Status or lack of documentation are still not coming forward, and sleeping rough, and some have been told that they may not be eligible for housing and medical services and may be reported to the home office. We have already made it clear that anyone coming forward, any information that they provide to either the government will local government, will not be used for any kind of immigration check. It has been put in a letter that has been given to every family that has been affected. Several mps questioned the Communities Secretary on financial help for councils. The treasury Contingency Fund exists exactly to provide funding in these sorts of disasters. So can i ask the Secretary Of State what conversations has he had with the chancellor about releasing money to ensure that all remedial work and accommodation on an Emergency Basis is funded directly by central government, for local authorities and Housing Associations . Mr speaker, the conversations ive had with the chancellor reflect what i have said at this dispatch box today. For any necessary works, for any local authority or housing association, if they need funding help, we will support them. The Communities Secretary, sajid javid. Youre watching monday in parliament. Our top story the Prime Minister has laid out plans which she says will provide security for eu citizens living in the uk. Back to the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, which was also addressed in the house of lords. A south london councillor and Vice President of the local Government Association said there should be a change in attitude towards safety legislation. Lessons have to be learned, and things have to change. I hope we never again hear the nonsense weve heard in the past about red tape and Health And Safety regulations. It is clear that rather than being too much regulation, there has, in this case, been a catastrophic failure. Regulations are either not good enough or not applied thoroughly and properly. Another Vice President of the lga asked who would be footing the bill for making these buildings safe. If there are 600 tower blocks, numerous schools, some hospitals and so on who have fulfilled the building requirements of the Building Regulations, but latterly have discovered that the material is combustible, who is going to pay . Who is going to fund the enormous costs of re cladding those buildings . There is utter confusion at the moment, notjust in terms of residents and tenants, but those in the Construction Industry about what will now be deemed safe because of the seeming contradiction between the Building Regulations and the combustible test that the government are carrying out. Could i ask, where does the industry now go for a definitive list of what is safe . The liberal democrat, lord scriven. The Prime Ministers statement on her trip to brussels was not the only opportunity for brexit based discussion in the commons. The subject for day three of the queens speech debate was foreign affairs. 0ne mp asked the brexit secretary about suggestions that eu nationals living here would have to carry id cards. Its not an id card. Of course, what were talking about here is documentation to prove that youve got the right to a job, right of residency, all the rest of it. You dont have to carry that around all the time, thats not an id card. Thats rather like your birth certificate, not an id card, good heavens. Every part of the United Kingdom needs to prepare its statute book and ensure it functions after we leave the European Union. The repeal bill will give the devolved administrations the power to do just that and ensure a smooth and orderly exit for all. As weve also said repeatedly, we expect there will be significant increase in the Decision Making power of each devolved administration once we exit the eu. Thats why. He probably wants to wait two seconds before he intervenes. Thats why, given that this bill affects the powers of devolved institutions and legislates in devolved areas, we will seek the consent of the devolved legislatures for the bill. We would like everyone to come together in support of this legislation, which is crucial in delivering the outcome of the referendum. We want a shared future. Not membership of the eu, that was decided last year. But a full and Meaningful Partnership with the eu, based On Principles of cooperation. Laughter i think the Foreign Secretary doesnt understand, im on about tone and approach. This is particularly pertinent, i feel, for the Foreign Secretary. Tone and approach. Anyone whos been backwards and forwards to brussels knows very well how badly some of the Foreign Secretarys comments have gone down with our eu partners. This is about building the environment in which we can get the best deal for our country, which is in the interests of all of us. I will give way. I would request him to change his tone and approach to something a bit more positive. Brexit is an opportunity for our country to grasp, not a crisis to manage. And to look behind what the british people voted for last year is hypocritical and arrogant of him. One of the biggest risks, mr deputy speaker, to these negotiations is utter complacency. Utter complacency. The failure to realise the risks and complexity of the negotiations were going through. And its quite right, quite right for the opposition, to challenge the government at every twist and turn to ensure that these negotiations go as well as they possibly can. Of course, it is realistic to imagine we will not get a comprehensive Trade Agreement with the eu at the time that we leave, and that interim arrangements will persist under wto rules, which may well be zero tariff rules. But you have to believe that the eu is seriously insane if they want to ground all flights between the uk and the eu, if they refuse to do the products and standards arrangements that they have with 100 or more other countries, whether or not they have a free trade deal. That theyre going to check every mini being exported to the eu to check and see if its a car and fits the definition of the eus definition of a car. Does he really think that the eu is so insane that it would want to do that . Mr speaker, this mischaracterisation of the point im making really doesnt help. This is not the eu demanding. If we dont have a lawful basis for these these activities in the uk, then we dont have the authority to do it. It is no good talking up a no deal as if its a viable, tenable option. There is an acceptance of the result, and almost a resignation its not an agreement, its no welcome, especially from those members in my constituency, people who run their own businesses, they didnt welcome the result, they dont welcome the fact that were leaving the European Union, but they have accepted the Referendum Result and their message and their plea now is for us to come together and get the best deal that we can in the National Interest. And that is why im so pleased that already were seeing changes in the approach, and many other honourable and right honourable members have expressed that. And i do repeat much of what was said, actually, from the front bench about the need to change the tone. My own front bench has to wake up and understand that things have now changed. No tariffs, Frictionless Trade and the best possible access to but not membership of the Single Market isnt it the truth that there is vanishingly little difference to win the Strategic Priorities between both frontbenches . And does he agree with me that it would help our constituents, and indeed our negotiators, if all parties were to make that clear . Plans to change the boundaries for mps are dead in the water, a labour peer has claimed, and no further money should be spent on it. A review of boundaries, which would reduce the number of mps from 650 to 600, was first laid out during the coalition government. Asked in the lords, a Government Front Bench spokesman said the final proposals for new boundaries would be submitted in autumn 2018 and there were no plans to change that. Following laws already passed by parliament, the independent Boundary Commissions are consulting on their proposals to deliver boundary changes. And they will submit their final proposals to parliament in autumn 2018, ensuring a fair and equal representation for the Voting Public across the uk. We have no plans to change this process. My lords, millions of peoples have been registered to vote, but not taken into account for the present parliamentary Boundary Review. Will the noble lord commit the government to include these people . Would he like to comment on the general opinion that the present Boundary Review is, in fact, dead in the water, because the dup do not want it . And that any review approved by parliament will be on the basis of 650 seats in the House Of Commons . And if that is the real intention of the government, they should say so quickly and stop wasting any more public money on a review that will not be approved . My lords, the country has already fought two general elections on out of date boundaries, for reasons that are familiar to the noble lord. If we follow the suggestion of the noble lord and started again with a new register, there is a risk of a third general election. Jeering. Based on boundaries that were set in place in the year 2000. That would be an affront to democracy. And thats all from me for now. Were back at the same time tomorrow. Until then, from me, joanna shinn, goodbye. Hello there, good morning. We have probably just hello there, good morning. We have probablyjust had hello there, good morning. We have probably just had the hello there, good morning. We have probablyjust had the best day of the week. I hope you have made the most of it. This week looks very u nsettled. Most of it. This week looks very unsettled. Some rain heavy on us to give us some localised flooding and turning quite a bit cooler than monday when we had a high of 25 degrees in the south east. The south east somewhat drier, actually, on tuesday. The wettest weather still across scotland, Northern England and perhaps north wales, tending to ease off a little bit. Slow moving Thundery Showers for Northern Ireland and the threat of some hungry downpours towards the South East Of England as rain begins to arrive, especially during the afternoon and evening. Quite muggy in the south of a cool date with a breeze off the sea. Really went through the evening and overnight across england and wales. All this Rain Moving Northwards to grind to a halt in southern scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England, parts of wales. Something a bit brighter, still quite warm and muggy towards the south east but the chance of some showers. Again on the cool side for much of scotland and also for north east england. Hello, im tom donkin. Welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in North America and around the globe. Our top stories President Trump declares a victory for National Security after the Supreme Court revives part of his travel ban. Theresa may gives assurances to eu nationals living in the uk that they will have the right to remain after brexit. No eu citizen currently in the uk lawfully will be asked to leave at the point the uk leaves the eu. We want you to stay. The American Company that supplied cladding to a huge tower block that caught fire in london says its stopped all global sales of the product. And that age old question are you getting enough sleep . We meet the scientists trying to find out what happens