The house of commons. Topics include creating manufacturing jobs in the ongoing brexit negotiations. This is 40 minutes. Is part of the work we are doing. Order. Questions for the Prime Minister. Doctor philipa whitfield. The leader of the house. [shouting] my right honorable friend, the Prime Minister, the Gulf Corporation summit in bahrain. This morning i have meetings with ministerial colleagues and others and in addition to my duties in this house i have further meetings later today. Senator whitford. The memorandum of understanding, the right Space Institute brings the reality closer. With huge boost that could give to the uk Aerospace Industry will the uk Government Join the Scottish Government to literally get this off the ground. I can show the honorable lady the government is looking keenly at the opportunities to scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom rising from future development of commercial space operations, the projects she has described will be examined very closely by those colleagues of particular concern with this area of policy but we want to see the uk as a pioneer in new commercial opportunities. Trying to get to their jobs, shafted in the work, and the circumstance moving for the return. Will my right honorable in friend involve those telling the are nt that 250 put people with guaranteed employment, the lives and jobs and safety of those at risk. Be change my honorable friends will be speaking on behalf of thousands of rail passengers in his constituency and many others, deeply disappointing some unions threatened to strike over the christmas period. The government is investing record amounts in improving our railways, 40 Million Pounds over the next 5 years and we need everyone in industry, management and unions to Work Together to secure the best deal for passengers. I have to say the are in the action shows coordinated contempt and it seems designed to do nothing but bring the maximum damage to peoples lives. There is a coming from the benches. This party, mister speaker, is on the side of rail passengers. I hope the Party Opposite will join me in saying to the rail Union Leaders sort it out, but the traveling public first, tell your members to get back to work. Thank you, mister speaker. I am sure the house wants to join with me today in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the pearl harbor attack where thousands of American Service personnel and civilians died. Winston churchill summoned parliament to debate the response and when he did he said this. It is indispensable to us, the parliament should play its full part in all important acts of the state. These words are a vital reminder that even in this time of crisis, especially at a time of National Crisis the role of parliament is central and in the same spirit we welcome the government decision to accept our motion today that they will Show Parliament their plan for brexit so can i ask a central question about this plan . Does the government want the uk to remain part of the Customs Union . Mister speaker, can i first of all join the honorable lady opposite in marking the anniversary of pearl harbor in remembering all of those who lost their lives at that time but also marking with a sense of celebration fact that Prime Minister abe is joining president obama, the first japanese Prime Minister so to do, i think that kind of reconciliation put the ancient conflict behind. The latest point about europe the government always made it clear we would seek to give additional clarity, the earliest opportunity. It has been the case the Prime Minister has said many times that one of our core objectives is to seek your maximum freedom for access to and operate in the single european model. I thank the leader of the house but respectfully say to him that on this issue the answer should be straightforward. We know it would be a disaster of British Business if we do not remain part of the Customs Union. As the leader of the house himself said in february, everything we take for granted, trade without customs checks, paperwork at National Frontier would all be up in the air. It is massive what is at risk. On this side we agree with him, we couldnt agree with him more. Can he put it beyond doubt right now today, tell us does the government want the uk to stay in the Customs Union . The honorable lady and i both argued passionately for the course of the referendum. What separates us now is i am part of a conservative government which is working together to respect the democratic purpose. [shouting] the prosperity and security of the United Kingdom from those negotiations whereas the honorable lady even just two months ago was telling us she wanted to go back to the british people in some way, needs to decide whether she exits the democratic verdict or not. Of course we accept the democratic decision. Of course we do. The difference between our side of the house and that side is we want to leave the European Union on behalf of 100 , the whole of this nation. We need to have a straightforward answer to a straightforward question because leaving the Customs Union would mean having to check every container, uk firms proving their origin tests and whenever they did, it would mean chaos and rigor, crossborder supply chain and as leader of the house in may, examining these experts, they go without any extra checks, cannot guarantee any of that. Again on this side we agree with what he said six months ago. The question is does he still agree with himself . The honorable ladies, rather significant referendums in february. That changes the context in which we are now having to operate. We face a deep, challenging, wideranging negotiation and it would be harmful to the National Interest for me or other ministers to engage in the sort of detailed exposition of negotiating which is pressing upon me. None of the other 27 government is doing that nor should we. We are not looking for details. We are asking about a plank of the negotiations. If he cannot give us an answer on the Customs Union as a whole. Order. The questions and answers will be heard. If the juvenile behavior could stop, that would be really helpful to the scrutiny process. We dont get an answer on the whole of the Customs Union can i ask a question about one specific point. Since 1993, there have been no customs checks on the land border between Northern Ireland and the irish republic. In may when visiting Northern Ireland the right honorable gentlemen said if the uk was not part of the Customs Union, there would have to be custom checks at the border and for anyone to pretend otherwise would be, and i quote, flying in the face of reality. Can he confirm this remains the position and if that is right he really must today make it clear that this is something government is determined to avoid. The Prime Minister and the secretary have repeatedly made it clear, as indeed does the irish government, want to see the travel arrangements and free trade arrangements across the irish border continue. We are actively engaged in talking to Northern Ireland executive and the government of the republic of ireland about those matters was there is goodwill on all those sides to Reach Solutions that work for people north and south of the border. The leader of the house made the familiar argument that he cant give and it and it is all to be resolved, brexit means mcinnis brexit. But that is not when asked about the Customs Union in september, he said, quote, we have looked at this matter carefully and that is exactly the sort of decision we will resolve before we trigger article 50. If the government is going to decide the position on these issues can the leader of the house confirm the british people in the British Parliament will be held for answers to my questions before they tell the rest of europe . If it sounds familiar it is because we need constant repetition before the honorable lady will understand and appreciate. The government is at the moment engaged in a consultation with more than 50 sectors of United Kingdom business to ascertain which aspects of european membership work well for them which they see as harmful, where the opportunities beyond eu membership lie. We will come to a decision and go into negotiations on behalf of of the full 100 of the United Kingdom population and all four nations of the United Kingdom. The fact is, he knows this, we all know it, he can consult as much as he likes that the answer will come back, we should be part of the customs team, it is hugely disappointing that on a day when the government is committing to Greater Transparency on his intentions for brexit we are getting the usual stonewalling. We have a government that is promising to tell us the plan while refusing to give us answers to the most basic questions. We have a government promising to give parliament a say when we dont know how much taxpayer money is being spent across the road and the Supreme Court trying to stop parliament having a say. In short we have a government that cannot tell us the plan because they do not have a plan. In february the leader of the house says when he was hearing from the leads campaign, confusing, contradictory nonsense. My final question is this. Are we hearing anything different from this government today . Mister speaker, we will publish before article 50 is triggered a statement about negotiating strategy and objectives. The Prime Minister said yesterday but the honorable lady is in a state of utter denial about the consequences that flow from the referendum. No other eu government is seeking to reverse or question the legitimacy of that vote in the way she and a number of colleagues are trying to do but that indicates how distant the labour party is from any aspiration. We watch them in action, quarreling like mutiny on the bounty as reshot by the karaoke team. Order i want to hear the words flowing no reason the chair should be denied the hearing of these matters. It is very important. They are rudderless, drifting on europe as are so many other assets. It is Little Wonder so many decent working people who for generation looked to labor to be there champion have given up in despair and returning to this party for working families. [shouting] in 1943, a 16yearold girl was supposed to be taken to auschwitz where she witnessed the horrors of the death camps. On liberation she came to this country with her mother where she raised a family and became a nurse, dedicated her life to making sure the people of this country and beyond know the horrors of the holocaust. Last week that lady turned 90 and kitty hawk norton is with us for Prime Ministers question time. My right honorable friend. [applause] will my right honorable friend join with me and the whole house in wishing kitty a very happy belated birthday and thanking her for her lifetime of dedication to raising this important issue and pay tribute to the Holocaust Educational trust who do Everything Possible so that we all remember the horrors of the worst part of the 20th century. Mister speaker, i am grateful to my honorable friend for raising this important issue and i would like to join him in marking the achievements of the Holocaust Educational trust. I can never forget the impact of discovering as a schoolboy the two of the boys in my class had fathers who survived auschwitz. It is only a couple generations ago that europe was plunged into this unspeakable horror and it is important not just the Educational Trust but all of us play our part to ensure the memory of the holocaust lives on and the essence of that dark period in our history is i would be grateful to all members right across the house and all Political Parties for their support in working together to ensure this work continues. The most deprived communities in the country are in glasgow. We learned apparently the government plans to close job centers in those very communities, britain and eastern house, is it true that the government is planning to close these important offices and add misery to tens of thousands of people in glasgow who use these centers . The department of work and pensions, like every government department, does look from time to time at the number of offices it has but the right honorable gentlemen makes a reasonable point on behalf of people in glasgow. I will ask my right honorable friend, the Welfare Pension secretary to contact him with details. Robertson. The department watch this. Being heckled when dealing with communities does not behold 40 members of scotland. The leader of the house is correct, the leader of the house is correct to say the department of work and pension has pledged to cut the estate by 20 . Will the dwp planning to do to glasgow, cut it by 50 . Why is this government planning to disproportionately cut vital job centers in some of the most deprived communities in our country . The key element in such decision is not the rot number of offices but how accessible the offices and services they provide continue to be to the people who need to use them and i am confident that it is that criteria, my right honorable friends thinking in planning for the future in scotland and everywhere else. Thank you, mister speaker. Cutting to the choice facing chaos and meters are he, this year is worse than ever. Canceling overcrowded trains, stranded in stations and being made to work. Will my right honorable friend outline what measurements the government is taking to penalize poor performing train operators . Can i express my sympathy to my honorable friend and her constituents and all passengers who come across these problems. It is important the operator work hard to secure a rapid and sustained improvement. The government has introduced new rules to ensure rail passengers will soon claim compensation if the train is more than 15 minutes late but as the secretary said yesterday, more needs to be done and you need to see closer work across the Railway Industry so this kind of problem can be solved more swiftly than in the past. Does the house agree with the honorable members of northeast somerset that brexit offers an opportunity to remove pesky emissions standards come in the red, white and blue of brexit will his government still commit to protect our environment or will tackling Global Warming just become a load of hot air . The government remains utterly committed to both national and global ambitions when it comes to climate change. My right honorable friend the current home secretary in a previous job played a key role in brokering the paris agreement, First Ever Global agreement on climate change. The honorable lady i hope would welcome the fact that we are now going to be ahead of our target and ambitions in delivering on the proportion of electricity provided by renewables and continuing to work to get it down. Thank you, mister speaker. There has been much talk recently about paying for access to a terror free single market. I think that is a very good idea given that the United Kingdom is the fifth biggest economy in the world and we have a 17 billion pounds trade deficit with the eu with the excellent acting Prime Minister tell the house how much the European Union should pay for access to the United Kingdom . I would like to say thank you to my honorable friend for the upgrade although that is a very limiting complement. He makes a good point that a settlement at the end of our negotiation which maintains maximum access to the operation of the european market, uk companies elsewhere in europe and European Companies here is in our mutual interest and i hope that will inspire negotiators on both sides. Mister speaker, my constituency, one of the most deprived parts of the country helped my constituents find a job. Success of traveling, people in the lowest income and increase of sanctions is why does the government contact the most vulnerable . If the government has been targeting the poorest and most vulnerable it is in getting them back to work in record numbers and in providing a boost to the pay of people through the introduction and increase International Living wage. I wish the honorable gentlemen was prepared to welcome and celebrate those achievements. We are about to commence the most important negotiation for decades, my right honorable friend agree that the government being forced to expose these negotiation strat