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tv   BBC News  BBC News  September 3, 2019 6:50pm-7:01pm BST

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go down i might as well go down fighting. so i think tonight as everyone is saying we're definitely going to see a defeat for the government but whether or not number ten will be devastated by that i'm so sure. an interesting point because there is a school of thought saying that downing street all along have wanted a general election very soon.” think it is incredibly volatile atmosphere at the moment. and with a general election to worry about labour, a resurgent liberal democrat party, the snp in scotland. ms davidson standing down put think john curtice said that the tories could lose 56 seats so a big roll of the dice for the borisjohnson would go to the pills and it could be the shortest serving prime minister in history. daisy, do you think that this would be a gamble that boris johnson would win if he went for an election on october the 14th?”
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think he probably thinks that he has to go foran think he probably thinks that he has to go for an election and i certainly believe they have been planning for that for some months on the assumption that he won the conservative leadership contest. i think they will definitely lose seats in scotland especially now with davison has stood down and we can see that the lib dems are on the app can see that the lib dems are on the app and will take some seats from the conservatives. of course it will be fascinating to see how the labour party, the labour mps who represent leaf constituencies behave and we understand that the parliamentary labour party has had a meeting at which the chief whip has said that they will not be voting for that election. i have to interact as we can go back to the commons now. to move the motion i call sir oliver letwin. thank you mr speaker and i rise to move the motion under standing order 2a that is in my name and the name of many honourable and
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right honourable members across the house. this motion arises because of poor facts. the first fact is that over the last six weeks the government has not produced a single indication of any viable proposal to replace the backstop by any alternative likely to prove a cce pta ble alternative likely to prove acceptable to the eu. the likelihood of the government reaching a deal at the council meeting on the 17th and 18th of october on the terms that the government itself has set is accordingly slight. the second fact is that this is the last week in which parliament will have the ability to block no deal exit on the sist ability to block no deal exit on the 31st of october. because the government is proroguing us until the 14th of october and the government has made clear that it will fight in the courts any legislation proposed and passed to mandate an extension of the article
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50 process. they will not be time after the 14th of october for parliament to legislate and for that legislation to be enforced on a relu cta nt legislation to be enforced on a reluctant government through the courts. the third fact is that in the absence of a deal with the eu on the absence of a deal with the eu on the terms that the government itself has set and in the absence of an orderfrom the has set and in the absence of an order from the supreme court that the government should apply to extend the article 50 period, the government will lead our country into a no deal exit. on the 31st of october. this has been made clear by the prime minister on repeated occasions. in the fourth and final fa ct occasions. in the fourth and final fact is that so far from constituting a threat to the eu that will force them to capitulate and remove the backstop, the government intention of winning this to lead the country into a no deal exit is a threat to our country. the prime
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minister is much in the position of someone minister is much in the position of someone standing on one side of a ca nyon someone standing on one side of a canyon shouting to people on the other side of the canyon that if they do not do as he wishes he will throw himself into the abyss. that is not a credible negotiating strategy. and it is also not a responsible strategy given that the rest of us are to be dragged over the edge with the prime minister. most of us in this place would prefer a good deal, trade deal, too i'io prefer a good deal, trade deal, too no deal but does he not understand that in any negotiation the chances ofa that in any negotiation the chances of a bad deal materially increase if you signal to the other side that you signal to the other side that you are not prepared to walk away. does he not see that? these are difficult matters of judgment does he not see that? these are difficult matters ofjudgment and i respect thejudgment difficult matters ofjudgment and i respect the judgment of my
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honourable friend but it is different from mine. when we were negotiating the correlation between the conservative party and the liberal democrats which gave rise to another good government, we were sitting around wondering how to conduct those negotiations. and we came to the conclusion that we should disobey the rules of negotiation that he is describing and offer a bold and imaginative offer to the other side which was then accepted and we formed a coalition on the terms we wish to form it on mitchell accord. that is the way in which i believe these negotiations can proceed. to offer a threat which harms us many times more than those against whom the threat to supposedly levels is not asi threat to supposedly levels is not as i saya threat to supposedly levels is not as i say a credible negotiating strategy in my view. i accept a judgment differs in that but that's myjudgment judgment differs in that but that's my judgment and it judgment differs in that but that's myjudgment and it is a matter for the has to decide which is correct. this is the last intervention i will ta ke this is the last intervention i will take before moving on. if he recalls
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the foreign affairs committee report oi'i the foreign affairs committee report on no the foreign affairs committee report on no deal two weeks before we gave notice on article 50, it concluded that the damage that would be done bya that the damage that would be done by a failure to get an agreement would in material terms be greater for the european union but in proportion terms waiting for the united kingdom. but the absolute damage being represented on the other side is at stake and so his negotiation point... very selfish but if this intervention is so long assist up other people. to oliver letwin. i agree with my honourable friend that the proportions are different from the absolutes. but i fear that my honourable friend's committee report was deficient in one respect that there is a counterbalancing point from the eu
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perspective. and that is that demonstrating that it causes great pain proportionately to the country thatis pain proportionately to the country that is doing it is regarded as a significant political and ideological and geopolitical advantage. with no similar advantage in this so the threat to our prosperity and welfare of our people is the only issue which arises whereas for them there is a positive advantage in a no deal exit to be balanced against the absolute and proportionately much smaller effect on their economies. again my honourable friend and i may differ in thisjudgment, honourable friend and i may differ in this judgment, that is the judgment we ask the house to make andi judgment we ask the house to make and i take the view that i have a spouse. in light of these full facts the slender chance of a deal being struck on the government terms, the fa ct struck on the government terms, the fact that this is the last chance for parliament to block no deal exit on the 31st of october, the fact that without a parliamentary bloc the government is willing to take us into a no deal, and the fact that the prospect of such a disorderly
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and undemocratic no deal exit is a threat to our prosperity and our union rather than an effective negotiating strategy in my view with the eu, in the light of these facts we are the eu, in the light of these facts we are putting forward to the house today and motion. sole purpose of which is to the house tomorrow to debate and vote on a bill in the names of the right honourable member for leeds central and mike might tumble friend the member at north—east bedfordshire. —— might right honourable friend. if the houseboats for this motion tonight it will give itself the ability to vote for that bill tomorrow. and that bill will mandate the prime minister to seek an extension to the sist minister to seek an extension to the 31st of january unless he has either got a deal in place at the end of the european council meeting in october and has got a decree by parliament or has got parliament to agree to a no deal exit. by the 19th of october. he said in his speech
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just now he thinks there is only a slender chance of a deal. i disagree with him on that. but also he wishes to block no deal. if he sees no chance of a deal what is the point ofan chance of a deal what is the point of an extension to the 31st of january if not just to do this again and again and cannot see the damage it would do to businesses to have this process is repeated every three months and for an item. -- and infa nt months and for an item. -- and infant item for the no deal exit would create a great deal more difficulty for business in my judgment. the purpose of the extension would no doubt will be debated extensively tomorrow if this motion is passed and there is a debate about the bill tomorrow is clear. it is to provide the government with the time to seek to solve this problem and unable parliament to help... to help
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resolve an issue which has proved very difficult. i do not say it is easy to do by the 31st ofjanuary but i'm sure it will not be done by the 31st of october. hello, you're watching a bbc news special. i'm christian fraser live in westminster as mp5 try to take control to prevent a no deal brexit. the idea is to stop borisjohnson taking the uk out of the european union without a deal, and opening for those sponsoring the bill is oliver letwin for the conservatives. let's listen n. i rise to support the motion in the name of the honourable member for west dorset. during my time in this house every prime minister has accepted that
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there can

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