Wednesday in parliament, where mps give initial approval to the bill beginning the process of exiting the eu. Ayes to the right, 498. Noes to the left, 114. So the ayes have it, the ayes have it. Also on this programme Jeremy Corbyn demands the Prime Minister retracts the invitation for donald trump to come to the uk and meet the queen. Just what more does the President Trump have to do before the Prime Minister will listen to the 1. 8 Million People who have already called for his State Visit Invitation to be withdrawn . But theresa may rejects that call and says labour has nothing to offer the uk. He can lead a protest. Im leading a country. And the Trade Secretary dismisses accusations that his department has been putting out fake news. Do you regret the title to your Press Release . Because it wasnt really your department that secured that 16 billion. I dont regret it at all. I think the more good news we give to the public, the better. But first after two days of debate and passionate speeches on all sides, the moment finally came for mps to vote on the bill allowing the government to trigger our exit from the eu. The ayes to the right, 498. The noes to the left, 114. Cheering the ayes to the right, 498. The noes to the left, 114. So the ayes have it, the ayes have it. That result was the culmination of a process started when the governments right to trigger brexit without pa rliaments consent was challenged in the courts. There had been nearly 12 hours of debate on tuesday, and a further six hours on wednesday with nearly 200 mps taking part. At the start of day two, a former Labour Leader saw a danger in the uk now looking to forge a closer relationship with the president of the united states. I can go along with the Prime Minister that brexit means brexit. But i cannot go along with the idea that brexit means trump. Nor do i believe that that is inevitable, nor do i believe that is what the british people want. But the danger is this. The Prime Ministerfeels it is an inevitable consequence of leaving the eu that we are driven into the arms of President Trump. If this house says well go ahead with hard tory brexit, or full english brexit, as we call it in scotland now, we will sweep aside the concerns across this house in terms of the political damage. We will not accept the proposals from scotland to follow the votes of people in the nation of scotland abd retain our european connection. Were not interested in preserving scottishjobs. If that is the criteria and attitude of government, if that is what this Prime Minister wants to do with scotland, if shes determined to throw down that gauntlet, then she can be absolutely sure that Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister will pick it up. We will need to have a bridge to the Free Trade Agreement that we seek with the European Union. At the same time, the European Union needs from us financial commitments that it believes we entered into to pay for european projects that were undertaken while we were a member. In practice what that means is that the negotiation will be a trade off, as all divorces are, between access and money. The debate featured a Maiden Speech from the houses newest mp. Im not a lawyer, but i fail to understand how one can ask the electorate a question and then even consider disregarding the result. I believe that the referendum is not advice but an instruction to us. We asked the people, and the people said out, so out we must go. When all is said and done, the decision on whether the deal but Prime Minister negotiates is good enough will be decided by someone. Someone will make that decision. Should it be the Prime Minister . Should it be those privileged to be here . Or should it be the british people who have delivered that decision . I say it should be put to the people in a referendum. That is why the Liberal Democrats are fighting for the british people to have the final vote on the deal this government negotiates. Democracy democracy means accepting the will of the people. At the beginning of the process and at the end of the process. I would caution those thinking of voting against tonight to be careful what they wish for and to be careful for wishing for a second referendums. I think the people, advocates of free speech and free press in a powerful democracy would view their wishes dimly. So much of this has been about how we defend democracy by voting for article 50. It should not be about that, it is how we strengthen democracy over the next two years. This is the moment we begin to take back control of our laws, our borders and our money. Once again, we become a sovereign nation state in command of our own destiny, and im absolutely delighted about that. I campaigned like others for remain but i accept the democratic result and i think we should allow the article 50 notice to be triggered. I do agree with those that said that if we do not do that, the resulting crisis in our democracy helps no one. A labour mp who resigned from herfront Bench Position explained why she couldnt vote for the bill. I feel i would be abandoning my duty to my constituents who have overwhelmingly and unwaveringly made their point that they do not want to leave the European Union. 75 of my constituents voted to remain in the European Union. The dups Westminster Leader rejected warnings of dire consequences for Northern Ireland of brexit. The fact is that when we remained in sterling and the irish republicjoined the euro along with other european partner states, we were told this would be massively detrimental, this would cause all sorts of problems on the island of ireland, this would lead to destruction, economic and political. None of that happened. People adapted. Nigel dodds. Well, that second and final day of debate was wrapped up with the Shadow Minister for exiting the eu confirming labour would back the bill before the house triggering the start of brexit. But she issued a warning to the Prime Minister. This must be a deal worthy of the consent of this house. If she and her negotiators fail to achieve a deal worthy of our country, they will not achieve our consent. The Prime Minister must deliver the deal she claims that she can. This is a straightforward bill. It delivers on the promise made to the people of the United Kingdom to honour the outcome of the referendum. We must trust the people. I commend this bill to the house. Mps voted first on an snp amendment attempting to stop the bill in its tracks, but that was rejected by 336 votes to 100. Then it was onto the main vote, which passed by 498 to 114. Well over 40 labour mps defied their leadership, and voted against the bill. However, the governments comfortable majority means the legislation will now go on to be debated in more detail in the commons next week. Well, ahead of that debate, theresa may had faced the Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, for the regular round of Prime Ministers questions. He pressed the Prime Minister over her recent visit to the us and meeting with President Trump. Theresa may was the first overseas leader to meet mr trump last week. The pair discussed nato and trade before giving a joint news conference. Just hours after mrs may left washington, the president announced a ban on people from seven mainly muslim countries travelling to the us. The Labour Leader took theresa may back to what shed said to the commons just ahead of her visit. The Prime Minister told the house, im not afraid to speak frankly to the president of the united states. What happened . Im happy to say to the right honourable gentleman that when i visited the united states, im pleased to say i was able to build on the relationship we have without most important ally, and get some very significant commitments from President Trump. And crucial among those was a 100 commitment to nato. Nato, which keeps us safe and keeps europe safe as well. Downing street has not denied that the Prime Minister was told by the white house that the Executive Order on travel to the us was imminent. Lets be clear, was the Prime Minister told about the ban during her visit, and did she tried to persuade President Trump otherwise . If the is asking me whether i had advance notice of a ban on refugees, the answer is no. If he is asking me if i had advance notice that the Executive Order could affect british citizens, the answer is no. If he is asking if i advanced notice of the travel restrictions, the answer is that we all did because President Trump said he was going to do this in his election campaign. The question is how you respond. The job of government is not to chase the headlines. The job of government is not to take to the streets in protest. The job of government is to protect the interest of british citizens, and that is what we are doing. President trump has torn up International Agreements on refugees, she has threatened to dump international on refugees, he has threatened to dump International Agreements on climate change, hes praised the use of torture, he has incited hatred against muslims. He has directed attacked womens rights. What more does the President Trump have to do before the Prime Minister will listen to the 1. 8 billion people who have already called for his State Visit Invitation to be withdrawn . The right honourable gentlemans Foreign Policy is to object to and insult the democratically elected Head Of State of our most important ally. Lets just see what he would have achieved in the last week. Would he have been able to protect british citizens from the impact of the Executive Order . No. Would he have been able to lay the foundations of a trade deal . No. Would he have got a 100 commitment to nato . No. That is what labour has to offer this country. Less protection for british citizens, less prosperous, less safe. He can lead a protest, im leading a country. Youre watching wednesday in parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. Up on the committee corridor, the International Trade secretary told mps that the uk is already having talks over potential trade deals with countries including australia, china, and india. Liam fox told the commons International Trade committee that the new Trading Relationships could not be a substitute for the eus single market, but hoped they would be in addition to a Free Trade Deal with the remaining member states. A labour mp questioned him about claims made by the department. You wrote in the telegraph on the 18th of january, embrace the Brave New World of free trade, and you talked about. The headline was, liam fox confirms brexit trade crusade, confirming talks already with 12 countries across the world. Could you list those 12 countries . I wont list them all because some of them we are still in confidential discussions with. But i can say that in terms of australia, we have a Trade Working Group. In terms of china, we have a Trade Working Group and im chairing the committee in beijing in april. With the collection of gulf states, we are working with them to determine what our relationship would be, given that they are keen on our potential future fta. With india, we have a joint working group. We have embarked on a process of trade audit. If you were to add up all of those potential countries, the level of exports that you are talking about, all the lists you have there, it doesnt come anywhere near the level of exports that we have to the eu. Relative to our primary block, that set of relationships comes nowhere close, does it . Im sure the former Chief Secretary is aware that adding a small numbers gets bigger in the end. Of course, it is not an either or. We are not looking at either we trade with the eu or everybody else. But it is not a substitute, is it . Nobody has said it is a substitute. Your Department Released a Press Release at the beginning of the year, securing over 60 billion of foreign investment. The Financial Times went through the lists that you had here. In fact, most of those had already been secured long before the referendum. Fake news . Its the continuity of what ukti is doing. And it was an antidote to the idea that people are not going to be investing in the United Kingdom. We will be chairing the ukqatar Investment Conference in march. Do you regret the title to your Press Release . I dont regret it at all. I think the more good news we give to the public the better, and did counter some of the black propaganda working to undermine the referendum. Liam fox. The former uk ambassador to the eu, sir ivan rogers, has told mps that brussels could issue a brexit bill of up to 60 Billion Euros. Sir ivan made the headlines in december after the bbc reported his private remarks to the Prime Minister about how long brExit Negotiations could take. Sir ivan stepped down last month ten months earlier than expected. In his resignation letter, he told officials to challenge muddled thinking in the brexit process. Now, in his first public appearance since his resignation, he has told the European Scrutiny Committee that brExit Negotiations could be difficult. It is a negotiation on the scale that we havent experienced, probably ever but certainly since the second world war. I think theres always a danger in generalising from specific experience in Budget Negotiations ive had all Tax Negotiations or emissions. They all have a specificity to them. This is going to be on a huge scale, we will have enormous amounts of business running up various different channels. And they involve difficult trade offs for her majestys governments and difficult trade offs for the other 27 on the other side of the table. Sir bill cash asked him about an assertion in the letter last october that Exit Negotiations could take ten years. You said that it was going to take ten years. Can you confirm whether in fact you actually said that . Or was that meant to be, was it a leak . Was it an intention that you thought you would be able to get across a message without anyone really knowing quite. Can you give us some more information about that . Ican indeed. I never said it would take ten years. I think what i put in print, as i say, i have the formula here somewhere but im not shy can lay my hands on it. What i put in print was that mike summary of the beltway wisdom from the people i talked to on a daily basis was that a negotiation on fta and a Ratification Process from all 28 parliaments would probably take until the early or mid 2020s for ratification. I think those were my exact words. Is this reporting by bbc based on Off The Record remarks and observations that you made them . No. It isnt . No. Where do you think it came from . I had no idea. I know the origin of it in terms of which bit of text it comes from and ive just given you the more accurate account of what that bit of text said, and i wrote that before the First Council appearance. The route by which it got to the bbc by december 15 which was the day of the European Council issue, when it exploded, and i was all over the screens on the 15th, why it took two months to get there and by what route it got there i couldnt possibly say. But to be very clear, i never leak, i never have never would, never have under any government. The origin of this has nothing to do. We hear threats and i can o