tv The Week in Parliament BBC News January 20, 2019 2:30pm-3:00pm GMT
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two people have been arrested following a car bomb attack in londonderry last night. police speak to the duke of edinburgh after he was seen driving without a seat belt — 48 hours after being involved in a crash near sandringham. president trump's latest offer to end the longest government shutdown in us history is rejected by democrats. next on bbc news — the week in parliament. hello and welcome to the week in parliament, and what a week. the ayes to the right 202, the noes to the left 432. a humiliating defeat for the prime minister
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despite this appeal. what are you doing? you are not children in the playground, you are legislators. could things get any worse for theresa may? the country feels genuinely sorry for the prime minister. i feel sorry for the prime minister. this was a week in parliament like no other. historic, momentous, unprecedented. the parliamentary thesaurus has been well—thumbed since mps delivered their verdict on theresa may's brexit plan. she lost by 230 votes. 118 conservatives — brexiteers and remainers — voted against their own government. it was the biggest government defeat in modern times. that meaningful vote was on the outcome of years of negotiations in brussels —
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a withdrawal agreement that would be legally binding and a political declaration that wouldn't. the deal included a £39 billion divorce bill, a guarantee for citizens‘ rights and a 21—month transition period. most controversially, the so—called backstop would keep the irish border open if there's no trade deal but would see the uk follow some eu rules. that's unacceptable to the dup, whose ten mps keep theresa may in power. mps spent a total of eight days debating the deal, three of them before christmas when theresa may pulled the vote in the hope of winning over support. but once the debate resumed, it was clear the tactic hadn't worked — despite the prime minister deploying herfavourite warm—up man to sell a deal he acknowledged was a compromise. it is the necessary means to secure our orderly departure and unlock our future outside the european union. the alternative, he said,
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was to plunge britain into legal uncertainty. if you were a litigant in court, if you were dependent upon having concluded a contract on the basis of eu law, and you found yourself suddenly with the rug pulled from under you, not knowing what your legal obligations would be, you would say to this house... in a moment, in a moment, i will take interventions. you would say to this house, what are you playing at? what are you doing? you are not children in the playground, you are legislators. but it would take more than rhetoric to convince the conservatives‘ dup allies.
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the prime minister said five weeks ago today in fact about legally binding assurances, and what he hasjust said, confirms the fact that legally binding assurances haven't been achieved, and that is the tragedy of where we find ourselves now after five weeks. and, in fact, from our point of view, the thing that would have been essential to get this matter through the house with our support wasn't even asked for, which were the changes that would eliminate the trap of the backstop. geoffrey cox also struggled to convince many on his own side. i would urge condition alerted, that we don't agree to write out a cheque for £39 billion of hard earned taxpayers‘ money unless or until a future relationship or agreement is agreed that is legally binding. that would give us greater leverage in a negotiation and enable us to deliver serious value for the british taxpayer. you cannot say to somebody to whom you owe money,
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i'm not going to pay you might get and less you give me something else. it is not attractive, it is not consistent with the honour of this country, and it is not consistent with the rule of law. instead of trying to unite his party, as the honourable gentleman has urged him to do, will he not by now to unite the treat homes do the right thing by this country and rule out leaving the european union on the 29th of march without a deal? i say to the right honourable lady she can eliminate no deal today. all she has to do is vote for this one. and the reality is it is the height of irresponsibility for the party opposite claiming to be a party of government to plunge millions of our citizens into legal uncertainty of the type because of a factitious trumped—up
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basis of opposition, whereas the real strategy is to drive this government and house onto the rocks, create the maximum chaos, and create the conditions for a general election. we know the game, i say. it is as clear as day. the prime minister has had two years to reach out across this house for consensus and has failed to do so. instead of speaking to others, she has stayed in her bunker. now, mr speaker, she only speaks to the concrete walls, unable to deliver the changes needed. the country deserves so much wetter than this totally, inadequate an m kfisiggé’féiééiig fiégfifzi?if . proved to becnfl'rplete’ty
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and i stand here today, mr speaker, nearly four years after being first elected, knowing that we can better at this key moment in our history, and for that reason, the prime minister‘s deal should be voted down by this house. i hope tonight that this house votes down the government's deal. i hope this house has the confidence to extend article 50, to give the responsibility back to the people. but if this house is determined to push ahead with brexit, the day when the people of scotland will have to determine their own future, do we wish to be chained to an united kingdom that is going to damage our economic interest? or will we accept our responsibility as a historic independent european nation? mr speaker, that day coming, it is coming soon. 381 mps spoke during the 55 hours of debate. the last to speak were theresa may and jeremy corbyn,
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who scented his chance of power. that is why labour believes that a general election would be the best outcome for the country if this deal... ..if this deal is rejected tonight. the people need to be able to take back control and a general election would give them the opportunity to decide who their mps were, who the government was and who was negotiating on their behalf. and it would give that new government mandate and a mandate that is needed to break the deadlock that has been brought to this house by this government. mr speaker, this is the most significant vote that any of us will ever be part of in our political careers. after...
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after all the debate, all the disagreement, all the division, the time has now come for all of us in this house to make a decision. a decision that will define our country for decades to come. a decision she said should be made in the national interest. we each have a solemn responsibility to deliver brexit and take this country forward, and with my whole heart, i call upon this house to discharge that responsibility together and i commend this motion to the house. there were two votes. after mps had rejected an attempt to water down the irish backstop, it was time for the long—awaited meaningful vote. the question is the main motion. in the name of the prime minister, as many as are of that opinion say aye. aye!
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of the contrary, no. no! division! as mps filed through the division lobbies, some risked the wrath of the speaker by taking photographs. the result of the vote wasn‘t unexpected but the scale of the defeat surprised some mps. the ayes to the right, 202, the noes to the left, 432. mr speaker, the house has spoken and the government will listen. it is clear that the house does not support this deal but tonight‘s vote tells us nothing about what it does support. nothing about how... nothing about how or even if it intends to honour the decision of the british people took in the referendum parliament decided to hold. the prime minister offered cross—party talks
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and parliamentary time for a vote of no confidence in her government. every day that passes without this issue being resolved means more uncertainty, more bitterness, and more rancour. the government have heard what the house has said tonight but i ask members on all sides members on all sides of the house to listen to the british people who wanted this issue settled and to work with the government to do just that. the most important issue facing us is that the government has lost the confidence of this house and this country. i therefore, mr speaker, inform you i have now tabled a motion of no confidence in this government... and i'm pleased that motion will be debated tomorrow so this house can give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government and pass that motion of no confidence in the government.
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and so — less than 2a hours later — they were back. order. we now come to the vote of no—confidence in her majesty‘s government. a motion that could lead to the fall of the government or a general election. this government cannot govern and cannot command the support of parliament on the most important issue facing our country. every single previous prime minister in this situation would have resigned and called an election. it is the duty of this house to show the lead whether government has failed and passed a motion of no confidence so that the people of this country can decide who the mp5 are and who they government is and who will deal with the crucial issues facing the people of this country. mr speaker, last night the house rejected the deal the government has negotiated with the european union.
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today it has asked a simpler question. should the next step be a general election? i believe that is the worst thing we could do. it would deepen... it would... it would deepen division when we need unity. it would bring chaos when we need certainty. and it would bring delay when we need to move forward. so i believe this house should reject this motion. the problem is the prime minister seems to be talking as if she had lost by 30 votes yesterday and not 230. her refusal to even consider changing any of her red lines when the eu and irish government and others have made clear that the deal that she got was dependent on those red lines is making this impossible. i would like her to clarify, is she saying she would rule out in any circumstances a customs union?
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i‘m saying that what i want to see is what the british people voted for. they want to see... no, this is very important. they voted for an end to free movement. they voted for an independent trade policy. they voted to end the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice. and it is incumbent on this parliament to ensure that we deliver on that. as the debate neared its conclusion, it became increasingly personal, focusing on the fitness for office of both theresa may and jeremy corbyn. no—one doubts her determination, which is generally an admirable quality, but misapplied, it can be toxic. and the cruellest truth of all is that she doesn‘t possess the necessary skills, the political skills, the empathy, the ability, and most crucially, the policy to lead
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this country any longer. she lacks the authority on the world stage to negotiate this deal. ultimately, she has failed. it‘s not through lack of effort, it‘s not through lack of dedication, and i think the country recognises that effort. in fact, the country feels genuinely sorry for the prime minister. i feel sorry for the prime minister. but she cannot confuse pity for political legitimacy, sympathy for sustainable support. and if the leader of the opposition won't stand up against putin when he attacks people in this country, if he won't stand up against fascists when they are running riot in syria, if he will not stand up for this country when critical national security questions are being asked, how can we possibly expect
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him to stand up for us in european negotiations? will he stand up for us against spain over gibraltar? will he stand up against the commission in order to ensure... ..in orderto ensure that we get a good deal? of course he won't. because he won't even stand up for his own members of parliament. why is it that a labour member of parliament needs armed protection at her own party conference? why is it that nearly half of female labour mps wrote to the leader of the opposition to say that he was not standing up against the vilification and the abuse that they received online, which had been carried out in his name? if he cannot protect his own members of parliament, if he cannot protect the proud traditions of the labour party, how can he possibly protect this country? we cannot have confidence in him to lead. we have confidence in this government, which is why i commend this motion... order! there is going to be order in this house! shouting
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and with the dup back on side, this was one vote theresa may could win. the ayes to the right, 306. the noes to the left, 325. in victory, she offered to speed up the cross—party talks. and i‘d like to invite the leaders of parliamentary parties to meet with me individually, and i would like to start these meetings tonight. mr speaker, the government approaches these meetings in a constructive spirit and i urge others to do the same. but we must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this house. before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the government... the government must remove, clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no—deal brexit from the eu,
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and all the chaos that would come as a result of that. and jeremy corbyn told his mps not to engage with the prime minister unless she ruled out a no—deal brexit, although some senior labour figures were among those from opposition parties who spent thursday in number ten and whitehall, meeting theresa may and her cabinet colleagues. the defeat of the prime minister‘s brexit deal means she has to come back to the commons with a plan b within days. the leader of the commons offered mps a couple of dates for their diaries. i can confirm to the house that a statement and a motion on the government‘s next steps under section 13 of the eu withdrawal act will be tabled on monday. a full day‘s debate on the motion will take place on tuesday the 29th of january, subject to the agreement of the house. labour suggested brexit might have to be delayed. yes, the people have voted.
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but it is ourjob as elected representatives to look at the evidence of the impact on the country, and not rely on the campaign rhetoric which we now know to be based on falsehoods. we must rely on the evidence and the facts. so, can the leader of the house confirm whether she will move the business motion to extend article 50 in time? i know friends of the leader have said she might resign if she had to do that. she says that the people have spoken, and she is absolutely right, the people did speak. she then suggests somehow that it is up to members of parliament to decide then what we do in response. i would slightly disagree with her there. i think the people have spoken and it is ourjob to fulfil, in line with the requirements of the people, this house is a servant of the people of this country, the entire united kingdom. amazingly, this is a government that treats the biggest defeat in parliamentary history
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as a mere flesh wound. like monty python‘s black knight, armless and legless, it fights on, prepared to bite the nation into submission. and similarly delusionally, it fights on as if nothing has happened. the red lines remain in place. there is no sense that other options are being seriously considered. and the government still believes that a little bit of tinkering around the edges of the deal will be enough to make everything all right. pete wishart. mps weren‘t the only parliamentarians voting on brexit this week. the house of lords also rejected the prime minister‘s deal, although theirs was a motion to take note, rather than a so—called meaningful vote. a former commons speaker was among those calling for a second referendum on brexit. i‘ve no children, i‘ve no grandchildren. my quality of life won‘t be affected. i‘m all right, jack. but what about the jack and jills out there? are they to be stripped
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of their rights on the whim of those who peddled rubbish in a referendum, afraid to be challenged in another? i was a government whip when harold wilson was prime minister. he said that anyone who claimed that membership of the european community was a black and white issue was either a charlatan or a simpleton. i leave your lordships to adjudicate on that one. the referendum result was a rebellion against a cast of unaccountable eu officials, who powers corrupted and who visited pain, misery and financial hardship on the most vulnerable throughout the eu. what is there to like about this construct over which they already hangs a sense of decay and morbidity? with or without a deal, this ghastly saga must end now, so that we can begin once again to build bridges, revive old friendships and look once more to the world outside, where real growth resides. i suspect that we would be much more divided if actually, a second referendum was held.
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and what would happen is actually, the decision would be reversed, and then a very large number of the people who voted actually to leave the eu would then feel that parliament had betrayed them, and they would be given no option but to take to the streets, because they couldn‘t look to parliament to look after their interests any more. a former cabinet minister said the fear of leaving without a deal and trading on world trade organisation rules was overstated. problems one prepares for rarely happen. as we discovered with the millennium bug. the government is now being rather coy about how advanced its own preparations are for leaving on wto terms, because it wants to frighten mps into voting for its deal. but i am confident that if we leave on the 29th of march on wto terms, events will be far closer to
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a damp squib than the apocalypse. that may disappoint some fanatical remainers in this house, but they‘ll get over it. but when it came to the vote, peers rejected the prime minister‘s deal. there have voted, content, 321. not content, 152. so, the contents have it. a government defeat by 169 votes. big, but not the biggest of the week. time now for a look at what‘s been happening in the wider world of politics. simon vaughan has our countdown. at five, donald trump serves takeaways as the us government shutdown hits white house catering. other fast foods are available. at four, the speaker urges calm on the day of the big brexit vote. if he deploys zen, he will find
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that it is ultimately to everybody's advantage. order, order! zen, zen! restraint, patience. omm! at three, a driver caught speeding on tuesday night blamed it on the brexit vote. devon and cornwall police were not impressed. at two, lib dem jamie stone‘s gesture on how dup backing won theresa may her confidence vote is rebuked by the speaker. calm yourself, man! geta grip! and at one, a brexit catch up with ex—pm david cameron, who says... i don‘t think it‘s going to be helped by me giving a running commentary. ..and then runs off. simon vaughan counting down a political week
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dominated by brexit. theresa may‘s deal is dead, but her government survived a vote of no—confidence and she‘s still prime minister. although if you‘re watching this on the iplayer, you might want to double check that. so in a sense, nothing has changed, but she will return to the commons on monday to update mps, and there will be more significant votes on january the 29th. as we‘ve seen, the speaker‘s appeal for zen got a mixed response from mps. but could another approach bring calm to the commons? and finally, can i leave the house with an uplifting and rather wise thought from winnie the pooh — if the person you are talking to doesn‘t appear to be listening, be patient. it may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear. the tiggerish andrea leadsom. think it over, think it under, and dojoin keith macdougall on bbc parliament on monday at 11 o‘clock
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with the latest on the prime minister‘s brexit plan. thank you for watching. bye for now. good afternoon. we have still got quite a bit of cloud across the country, it feels quite cold out and about as well. we have seen some kill and snow showers across scotland. this was one of the pictures sent in earlier, the snow on the ground in scotland. there is a satellite picture showing the cloudy today. some breaks in the cloud, and we have clear skies in south—east england, but for both of
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these areas, it will get cold with a sharp frost developing quickly. a wea k sharp frost developing quickly. a weak weather front pushes southwards, that could still have some drizzle or a light rain, and we will see some mist and fog forming along at front overnight. away from that, a cold night, one of the cold est that, a cold night, one of the coldest nights of the winter so far in northern scotland, certainly a chilly start to monday. should be some sunshine initially before high—powered spills in, spawning the sunshine somewhat. across the north—west of the uk, the wind will pick up and we will see thicker cloud work in and a weather front bringing some heavy rain to scotland and northern ireland. also, some snow in high ground. a cold day, temperatures 4—6 degrees. on monday night, the rain and macro on the snow will push southwards and eastwards. it will turn to snow, but we think that will happen in the near continent. it is worth keeping an eye on that in case the front
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slows down. on tuesday looks like being another cold start, some ice first thing in the morning, plenty of wintry showers on a north—westerly wind. the showers will bring some snow to higher parts of wales. a look at the weather picture into the middle of the week, we still have a cold north—westerly wind coming southwards from the iceland and greenland error. these winds will bring some showers, the majority will be across western areas of the uk. another sharp frost: plenty of sunshine, we may see some wintry showers into east anglia and south—east england. some more uncertainty on weather we have low pressure more uncertainty on weather we have low pressure across more uncertainty on weather we have low pressure across the north, that could also bring some rain. over the next couple of days, it will stay pretty cold, there will be some showers around and some pretty intense frost overnight. it will turn less cold as we go towards the end of the week and friday, as we see a warm front bring in atlantic air across the uk. goodbye for now.
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this is bbc news. i‘m rebecca jones. the headlines at three. theresa may is to brief ministers on cross—party talks — as downing street warns mps not to try and block brexit. parliament has not got the right to hijack brexit process because parliament said to the people of this country we make a contract with you, you will make the decision and we will honour it. labour‘s brexit secretary says the prime minister needs to row back on her red lines to break the deadlock. all at this stage she really needs to do this to say i am not going to go on any more with this mantra that you back to my deal or no deal. i will have an open discussion and i am absolutely not going to take us out without a deal.
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