this is bbc news. i'm joanna gosling, live at westminster. the headlines at 11. britain is due to head to the polls for the first december general election in almost a century, after mps vote in favour of a pre—christmas ballot to try to end the brexit deadlock. we want to get brexit done and then move onto a positive domestic agenda. the only way to do that is to vote conservative and, frankly, a vote for any other party is a vote to putjeremy corbyn into downing street. we're going to have a real go at this and i think we'll win. i think we'll have a majority government by christmas, so i can't think of a better christmas present, basically! in the last hour, former cabinet minister amber rudd has announced she will not stand at the forthcoming general election but insists she is not

finished with politics. we'll bring you the very latest from westminster as boris johnson's bill for a december election goes to the house of lords for consideration. i'm annita mcveigh. our other main stories this morning... a report into the grenfell tower fire — which killed 72 people — has criticised the london fire brigade‘s response to the blaze. there are obviously lessons that have been identified. our task is to read that report thoroughly, turn those lessons into lessons learnt and then make sure that we move forward, improving fire and rescue services. an inquiry into the clutha helicopter crash in glasgow finds that if the pilot had followed emergency procedures, the accident — which killed ten people — could have been prevented. and still to come on sport, england are fined for their v formation response to the haka during their semifinal win over the all blacks.

hello and welcome to westminster, where, after months of brexit deadlock, mps have voted overwhelmingly to hold a general election on december the 12th. it's the first election to be held in the run—up to christmas in nearly a century. the prime minister has said the public must be given a choice over the future of brexit and the country. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has promised to launch what he calls the most ambitious and radical campaign for change ever seen in the uk. meanwhile, the former home secretary, amber rudd, has become the latest mp to announce that she will not stand at the general election. ms rudd quit the cabinet in support of colleagues who lost the party whip for opposing a no—deal brexit.

our assistant political editor norman smith is in parliament. one thingi one thing i can promise you is this well not be dull. this will be, i suspect, one of the most closely contested, unpredictable, epic elections we have seen for many yea rs. elections we have seen for many years. unpredictable obviously because of our old friend brexit which has totally changed the electoral maps and traditional party loyalties, with none of the main parties any longer really being able to rely on their tribal residual vote. and closely fought, because we know both borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn pride themselves on being consumer campaigners out on the road. and epic because both parties are pitching big, bold, expensive

ma nifestos. are pitching big, bold, expensive manifestos. this morning, matthew hancock, health secretary, stressing he didn't want this election to be just about brexit. that's why we are putting forward this optimistic, positive agenda on delivering brexit with a deal and then this one—nation, optimistic, positive domestic agenda, so there is a clear choice. the problem with the voting lib dem... ijust saw ed davey on your programme. the problem with voting lib dem is if you vote lib dem you're voting to putjeremy corbyn into downing street. liberal democrats are telling us they are hoping for a couple of hundred mps. there is no chance of them getting a majority. you are voting... a vote for the lib dems is a vote for corbyn in downing street and for more deadlock in this building here. jeremy corbyn has promised the most radical, transformative jeremy corbyn has promised the most radical, tra nsformative manifesto jeremy corbyn has promised the most radical, transformative manifesto of modern times with a whole suite of

ambitious policies involving renationalisation of key utilities, reversing many austerity measures introduced by the coalition. free personal care for the over 65s, and free prescriptions. will any of that get a hearing over the noise of brexit? i am joined get a hearing over the noise of brexit? iamjoined by get a hearing over the noise of brexit? i am joined by labour mp clive lewis. you were pressing for another referendum is a labourer priority. how fearful are you that brexit will hamper you in this election? it depends on how the party, the media and the public want this election to turn out. i think it is one of the most important in the post—war period. so much more is at stake than brexit. we are clear, let's get brexit sorted and give the final say to the british people. also our manifesto is one of the most radical we have put forward, about changing the way this country works, rebuilding our country,

everything from rebuilding the nhs, the education system. it is about tackling the climate crisis. we have ten years, according to the science, and my children cannot afford a tory government that will mess around for five years with their corporate sponsors. five years with their corporate sponsors. there is a lot to talk about and i think the public are up for it. one of the lessons of the last few years has been that brexit obliterated all other politics and there is a risk this becomes the brexit election. there will be some people for whom it will dominate everything. the lib dems are a one trick pony, it is their issue. we are trick pony, it is their issue. we a re clear trick pony, it is their issue. we are clear on this, get brexit sorted and give the final say to the british people but we also want to talk about our manifesto. many people talk to me when i knock on doors about education, health care,

elderly relatives. people want to see the country rebuilt and i think it isa see the country rebuilt and i think it is a theme we will push very hard. my constituents aren'tjust concerned about brexit. they are also concerned about their future and that of their children and their communities. that is something people will want to hear from the political parties. john mcdonnell this morning said you are campaigning fora this morning said you are campaigning for a majority labour government. one of the difficulties you face is that you have to pick up scores of seats in scotland. there has never been a labour government where you don't have large numbers of seats in scotland. it is really difficult. i don't think anyone would stand here and say it isn't going to be difficult. i know the party will give all the support it can to mps in that part of the country. boris johnson can to mps in that part of the country. borisjohnson has to win

this election and that will be an uphill struggle for him. when you look at the numbers, this is for him about getting brexit, getting a majority and being able to get a ha rd tory majority and being able to get a hard tory brexit. i think that will bea hard tory brexit. i think that will be a much bigger uphill struggle for the conservatives. actually let's see what happens when the numbers come back. if he can't get a majority then there aren't many friends for them to do a deal with. they have sold out the dup and so i think there are more opportunities for other parties to give the final say to the british people. whether a hung parliament again, your sense is that labour would be in a better position to form alliances with other parties to establish a government? it is all speculation but with a fresh mandate from the british people, with those mps in parliament then, yes, clearly it would be difficult for other parties, jo swinson and others, to say they are not going to deal with

the largest or second—largest political in parliament, to be able to get that public vote across the line, the legislation in place. i think it is an option that could be likely. listening to people like john curtis and others, saying there will be a large number of other political parties in parliament. we are notaiming political parties in parliament. we are not aiming for a hung parliament, we are aiming to win and thatis parliament, we are aiming to win and that is what we want to do. it will bea that is what we want to do. it will be a hugely uncertain election. i would caution you against listening to anyone who suggests they have a goodidea to anyone who suggests they have a good idea of what is going to happen. good point but it is not going to stop us asking everyone what they think will happen. so with a majority of mps now supporting an election, what happens next? today, the house of lords will debate the election bill put forward by mps. it could become law by the end of the week. on november sixth, parliament will be dissolved and there will be a five—week

campaign up to polling day on december the 12th. as is stands, brexit is due to happen by 31st of january 2020. it depends on the outcome of the election. borisjohnson says if he has a majority he would like to push the withdrawal agreement through and see brexit happening potentially even before the end of the year. let's cross back to our assistant political editor, norman smith. iamjoined by i am joined by the liberal democrat foreign affairs spokesman. you have made stopping brexit your core message. how great a risk is that? it is not going to appeal to leave voters. at this general election, we wa nt to voters. at this general election, we want to stop brexit. neither labour nor the conservatives are committed to that. it is a general election so it will cover other issues as well.

the big issue for so many people in this country is do they want to hark back to a vision of the past for our country? both the main party leaders jeremy corbyn and borisjohnson, they are the past. sajid javid when he was running for a leader against borisjohnson he was running for a leader against boris johnson called him he was running for a leader against borisjohnson called him yesterday's man. do people want to look to the future with a leader injo swinson who leads a united party and has multiple plans on how to transform our country? brexit in many ways is symptomatic, two main party is bitterly divided and haven't provided leadership the country needs. because they have been so preoccupied with their internal party problems, they can't deal with your problems. you might have heard clive lewis saying is that the liberal democrats are now one trick pony. the only policy people will know about is stopping brexit.

pony. the only policy people will know about is stopping brexitlj don't agree. ultimately if you don't stop brexit then you can't move on and deal with other issues. if you look at public services, if we stop brexit we can invest and publish server “— brexit we can invest and publish server —— public services. we are committed to a penny on the pound on income tax to give the nhs the funding it needs. climate action is... we are committed to 80% of our energy coming from renewables by 2030. we have a rich and full policy agenda. plans for every policy area. jo swinson is the woman with the plan. the reason she will be able to deliver as opposed to the other parties is because if you stop brexit then you can do that. the other two parties, they will be dealing with more years of negotiation and brexit chaos. you have presented jo swinson as an

alternative prime minister, potential prime minister. doesn't that carry slight echoes of david steele telling the liberal democrats... it says the westminster bubble and the establishment would have you believe you have to vote for the same parties with their tired leaders from the past. there is another option and it is up to you to decide. let's not forget we have had a national election this year already and for the first time in100 year already and for the first time in 100 years the liberal democrats beat labour and the conservatives. we got 20% of the vote, they combined got 23.2% in the last elections we had. don't let their westminster establishment tell you what your options are. 2—party politics is done. we need something different. we have a superior alternative you can go for. we will

hear many more comments from other politicians but now we will say goodbye to viewers on bbc two and we will have more on the news channel on the election coverage. i will be speaking to one of the authors of a report looking into the potential economic impact of boris johnson's withdrawal agreement predicting gdp would be 3.5% lower under his deal. also i will speak to alistair campbell, tony blair's former spin doctor. but right now let's go back to the studio. a first offical report intro the grenfell tower fire has called for new guidelines for evacuating residents from high—rise buildings, after concluding that the policy of telling them to stay put, led to the deaths of the 72 victims. the chairman of the public inquiry,

sir martin moore—bick, criticised the london fire brigade for sticking to the strategy for too long. the brigade commissioner, da ny cotton, apologised to the families, but said she would not resign. the first thing i want to say is that we will never forget the tragedy of that night. the 72 lives lost were the worst thing ever and the london fire brigade are truly sorry we could not have saved everyone's life that night. robertjenrick is the cabinet minister responsible for housing and local government. he hasjust given his response to the report. the grenfell tower fire was an unimaginable tragedy. the bereaved, the survivors and the residents of grenfell have conducted themselves with incredible dignity, certainly the many i have managed to spend time with in my time as housing secretary. but, understandably, they now want action and they want something positive to come of this tragedy. the government will be accepting all

of the recommendations of the judge, sir martin moore—bick, in this first phase in the inquiry, and we want lessons to be learnt urgently by government and by fire and rescue services across the country so that we can try to assure as much as we can that a tragedy like this never happens again. our correspondent daniela relph is near grenfell tower in west london for us. the publication of the report has been long awaited by those deeply affected by the grenfell tower fire. green felt united as the organisation representing survivors and bereaved families. the chairwoman is with me, both survivor and bereaved family member. are you satisfied with the report? we think

the report is strong and fair and it highlights the failings of the night, which we expected it to. that is evident over the last 28 months, listening to their evidence on folding in the inquiry. that expectation has been met. the fact that the gentleman from flat 16 has been exonerated, that is huge. u nfortu nately for been exonerated, that is huge. unfortunately for him, he was vilified very early on in the media and for him to be deemed innocent is amazing. the biggest thing for us out of the report is that the building was highlighted as being noncompliant. that is what fees to —— phase two is going to be about, how the building became noncompliant. all we are talking about is the fire service and their

failings and who has been blamed but i stand failings and who has been blamed but istand in failings and who has been blamed but i stand in front of you and tell you it is -- it i stand in front of you and tell you it is —— it has never been about those firefighters. but the senior managers and leadership of the fire brigade have questions to answer and lessons to learn. the criticism of the london fire brigade has really pointed and clear, failings across the board. do you feel torn in any way? the effectively saved the lives of you and your family that night but so many things went wrong in terms of how it was managed. that is my point, you have to look at the leadership. they are the one directing, who should have made sure... the firefighters on the ground risked their lives. it is all right for the leadership to come out and say that firefighters are being scapegoated, they are not. danny

carlton —— da ny scapegoated, they are not. danny carlton —— dany cotton said there was nothing she would change that night but everyone can see what was wrong that night. her position is untenable. in terms of the families and survivors, will they be happy with this report? there was scepticism that perhaps it would not deliver. i am not sure that everyone has had an opportunity to actually read or digest of the report. i certainly have not had the time because of all the stuff that has gone on over the last 48 hours. i will stand here and see to you that i believe the people i represent, given the time, will see the

fairness and strength of the report and will hopefully be satisfied. what we are definitely optimistic about is that the judge has taken quite a hard line in phase one and, you know, the fact he has condemned that the building was noncompliant definitely sets the tone for phase two. organisations highlighted in phase two needs to be worried. if he ta kes phase two needs to be worried. if he takes the same stance with them as with the london fire brigade, those people responsible for covering the building and flammable material will be heavily looked into. the phase two of this inquiry which will look at the cladding and building regulations begins next year. an inquiry into a fatal police helicopter crash in glasgow has found that the pilot had ignored

low fuel warnings. ten people including the crew died when the aircraft crashed into the clutha pub in november 2013. today's report found that if the pilot had followed emergency procedures, the accident could have been prevented. our scotland correspondent james shaw has been following the story and joins us now from glasgow. remind us what happened that day and why it has taken so long to get these findings? we could not believe it was possible a police helicopter could crash onto a pub full of people watching live music on a friday night in glasgow. when we arrived at the scene it was total devastation, a picture of her that we couldn't believe as we —— a picture of horror. it became clear it was a devastating disaster in which seven people in the pub had died and all the crew of their

helicopter had also died. why did it ta ke helicopter had also died. why did it take so long? this is one of the things addressed in the fatal accident inquiry report. as far as sheriff principal can see, there was a lack of resources and money at the crown office which organised the inquiry which meant there was this delay which he says was too long and has led to anguish for the families of those who died who wanted answers and wanted to know why they are loved ones had died in this horrific way. tells more about the reaction of those bereaved families. way. tells more about the reaction of those bereaved familieslj way. tells more about the reaction of those bereaved families. i think they will be relieved that there are some answers. there was also a technical report from the department for transport, the air accident investigation branch, indicating some of the reasons why the crash happened, but this is really a definitive report from the sheriff

principal craig turnbull which lays out the reasons and essentially what he says is the pilot turned off fuel pumps which should have supplied fuel to the engine of the helicopter, and it seems he didn't realise he turned them both off, so essentially the engines would run out of fuel. the engine is cut out and the helicopter crashed onto the clutha on that terrible friday night. the pilot seems to have ignored five low fuel warning is in the minutes before the crash perhaps in the belief they were erroneous, false warnings. the sheriff said he took a risk in assuming they were false warnings and of course he was wrong. he was running out of fuel and the aircraft was about to crash. thank you for bringing us up to date. as the house of lords

considers borisjohnson's date. as the house of lords considers boris johnson's bill for the 12th of december, let's go back to westminster for the latest. in political terms, it still has to have the full process gone through before it is absolutely confirmed that the election will be on the 12th of december but it is not expected there will be any more spanners in the works from the lords. the election is due for the 12th of december in the run—up to christmas. a key subject is going to be brexit. it is currently polling quite far above other subjects in terms of what the electorate are concerned about, unsurprising because we have been talking about it as the focus for the last three yea rs. let's it as the focus for the last three years. let's talk about the potential impact in terms of the economy might be.

the national institute of economic and social research suggests that borisjohnson's new brexit deal could make the uk worse off by 70 billion pounds over the next decade, than if it remained in the eu. that amounts to a loss of £1,100 per person. let's get more on this now. dr arno hantzsche is principle economist at the national institute of economic and social research. the economy would continue to grow but you are saying not as much as it would do without brexit? we estimate that in the long run while and while economic growth will continue, the economy would be 3—4% smaller compared to continue eu membership. in today's money that corresponds to £70 billion per year, or a £1000 per person. the government says that

what you have looked at is not actually what they are planning to do. they are planning a more ambitious agreement with the eu, aiming to negotiate a conference of free trade agreement with the eu, more ambitious with the standard free trade deal you based your findings on. we looked at free trade agreements that the eu has negotiated in the past, and the economic effects of these kind of trade agreements, and some of the more ambitious free trade agreements the eu has negotiated, and then applied similar assumptions to our modelling exercise of the johnson government's deal. is there much of a discrepancy between what has been negotiated in the past and what the government says it wants to achieve? not a lot of clarity. there is an ambition stated in the so—called political declaration that aims to negotiate a free—trade agreement in

the future and we have applied to estimates from free—trade agreements that currently exist around the globe and that got us to our estimate. the governor of the bank of england, mark carney, says boris johnson's deal is a net positive. we don't think that should the deal be ratified that there would be a boost to economic activity in the near term. that is because of the following reasons. approval of the deal at ratification would take away some of the uncertainty. the future becomes clearer. it would also eliminate the risk or reduce the risk of a no—deal brexit significantly. at the same time, it would take away the possibility of a closer trading relationship with the eu. by taking the uk out of both the

eu. by taking the uk out of both the eu customs union and single market. so there would be less uncertainty but investors and exporters would have to adjust to new realities of higher trade barriers and it would mean in the near term not much would change, trade would continue as it does now but once a free—trade agreement comes into force then differences... you are looking at the relationship with the eu but what about other markets? that is the point of what the government wa nts to the point of what the government wants to achieve. we estimate that the impact of a less close eu — uk trade would leave the uk economy 3-4% trade would leave the uk economy 3—4% smaller. the potential benefits of striking free—trade agreements with other major trading blocs around the globe is estimated to be

around the globe is estimated to be around 0.2% of gdp. a loss of 3—4% of gdp relative to continued eu membership on one hand and a potential benefit of 0.2% on the other hand does not offset that loss. more analysis coming up but first let's get the weather. we have had some lovely photos from our weather watchers. this 1's sums up our weather watchers. this 1's sums upa autumn our weather watchers. this 1's sums up a autumn nicely. the trees turning orange and brown. plenty of blue skies in england, wales, scotla nd blue skies in england, wales, scotland and northern ireland. the exception is the south—west of england where there is more cloud and patchy rain. some of that rain could move into the south of wales later. still feeling a little chilly out there. tonight, the cloud and

rain continues in the south—west but elsewhere there will be clear skies and in northern parts of england and scotla nd and in northern parts of england and scotland there is the risk of a frost. much milderfurther south. temperatures in plymouth not falling below 11. that is because of cloud and outbreaks of rain. tomorrow, halloween, it will be dry, some sunshine in central and eastern areas. in western parts, later the cloud increases, light rain into northern ireland, western scotland, west wales on the far south—west of england.

hello, this is bbc newsroom live with annita mcveigh. the headlines... britain is due to head to the polls for the first december general election in almost a century after mps vote in favour of a pre—christmas ballot

to try to end the brexit deadlock. the former cabinet minister amber rudd has announced she will not stand at the forthcoming general election but insists she is not finished with politics. a report into the grenfell tower fire — which killed 72 people — has criticised the london fire brigade's response to the blaze. we will never ever forget the tragedy of that night. the 72 lives lost were just the worst thing ever and london fire brigade are truly sorry we couldn't have saved everyone's life that night. an inquiry into the clutha helicopter crash in glasgow finds that if the pilot had followed emergency procedures, the accident — which killed ten people — could have been prevented. sport now...and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh ferris. england have been fined £2,000 for crossing the halfway line during the haka before their rugby world cup semi final

win over new zealand. the england team created that the shaped formation with some players entering the all blacks half. the rules say they must remain in their own half during the challenge. steve hansen said that he liked the response. i thought the response was brilliant. if you understand the hacker, it requires a response. it isa hacker, it requires a response. it is a challenge to you personally. it requires you to have a response. i thought it was brilliant. the match will be warren gatland's last as coach after 12 years.

it has been some experience. for 12 years i was lucky enough to have a couple of sabbaticals with the lions andl couple of sabbaticals with the lions and i was really good for me mentally. obviously we are disappointed not to be in the final but playing the all blacks, you have got to be pretty excited about that. so it really is a second home for me. i so it really is a second home for me. lam so it really is a second home for me. i am going to miss being the. but you have got to look forward and be excited about the opportunities looking forward. one more game and then start thinking about the next challenge. sam burgess has been forced to retire because of a shoulder injury. because of a shoulder problem he has been forced to end his career with the australia arl side. he was

captain there. he has three more yea rs left captain there. he has three more years left on his contract. he is pretty gutted. i spoke to him and he told me his shoulder a bad way. he mentioned about retiring and stuff but i didn't think it would really come to that point. he is a player that i always looked up to and wanted to emulate. he is probably the one i always followed and looked at what he did and to follow his footsteps. to see him retire is pretty disappointing for him. i am gutted. former australia international lisa keightley will be the first female head coach of the england women's side. she will replace world cup winning coach mark robinson who left following the heavy defeat in the ashes this summer. she had been previously announced as a coach of the london spirit team at the 100 next summer but will now be stepping down from that role. scotla nd stepping down from that role. scotland are batting first in dubai.

the winner of today's match will qualify for the tournament in australia next year and after winning the toss, scotland are 165—4 after 17 of their 20 overs. i'll be back with more on those stories later. there is still a bit of political business to go on before it is com pletely business to go on before it is completely confirmed. the lords have just got to put that through later. it is not expected to have spanners in the works. the first december poll is looming in nearly 100 years. here is everything you need to know about making sure you are registered to vote. um... sorry, could you repeat the question? no idea. i don't know how the actual process works. not another one!

i'm joined now by the former labour spin doctor, alistair campbell... you were thrown out of the labour party for voting lib dems in the european elections. have you decided how you will vote this time?|j european elections. have you decided how you will vote this time? i think a lot of people will take their time and genuinely see what the parties say, particularly about brexit and the manifesto. i think every constituency, there will be all sorts of tactical voting. keir starmer is my mp. i don't think there is any doubt that keir steiner is going to win that seat. but i

think right around the country there will be all sorts of calculations being made. ithink will be all sorts of calculations being made. i think what boris johnson... it is a big risk for him. he has wanted an election for a long time. i'm disappointed because i think it should be resolved by a referendum not an election. i think he underestimates how many people will actually be, their prime motivation will be to stop him getting the mandate he thinks he can get. when we look at the messages, the tories have got a clear one. get brexit done. the lib dems —— the lib dems are onion bag you see the party of remain. labour is is not clear. dems are onion bag you see the party of remain. labour is is not clearlj have just done an interview. boris johnson's position is not clear because he is saying to the brexit party, stick with me and we will probably end up with no deal. you sing to the labour people are batting last week, it will be a level playing field. his deal, he is

about using the scrutiny in parliament. he is saying different things to different audiences. when someone from the tory party knocked on the door, we want to brexit, you will get it done. the lib dems say that we are the party of remain. labour same they will negotiate under the agreement and then put it to you in a referendum.” under the agreement and then put it to you in a referendum. i hope their policy becomes a lot more clear than it has been. the country is polarised, that is clear. parliament has been polarised. when somebody is asked on the doorstep for a boat and there is a third way which it sounds like prolong the pain of it, why would someone vote for labour? just on the conservative point... i think it is important that people understand that when the conservatives say, vote for us and we will get brexit done, they don't. they might get this deal done, then we're on to the next stage. that

will go on for years. there is not a clear enough message. people will vote for all sorts of reasons. i think during the campaign, i hope that labour's position becomes that of saying, you are guaranteed to get a referendum and that labour will support remain. that is a clearer position than the one they have now. thank you. let's cross back to our assistant political editor, norman smith... lam iamjoined by i am joined by the conservative mp. let's talk about amber rudd's position. she is going to stand down as an mp. i am very sorry to see her go. it isn'tjust her, there is actually a long list of talent that we are losing because of what have limit has been a very bruising period in british politics. an inability to get brexit across a line under our normal business of government. ken clarke, nicholas

soames, alistair burke, this place will look very different on the flip side of a general election. and the conservative party will look very different. do you buy the argument that the party has been taken over and is suffering entry is by the vote leave brexiteers?” and is suffering entry is by the vote leave brexiteers? i think we have to be very conscious that in this period the abnormal has become the normal, unprecedented decisions have been made. the complexion of our party has very much been challenged and i really call upon the prime minister, who i think it is within his gift to do so, to make sure that we align ourselves with the british public as at centre right, responsible, progressive party, not one that is lurching to the right. the core message from tea m the right. the core message from teamjohnson the right. the core message from team johnson is let's get brexit done. is there a danger in trying to make this election just about brexit because we know it is divisive and

presumably there will be mps who are not going to respond, voters who will not respond to that message at all? i completely agree. the difference between this is that we have something we can point to which gives a direction of travel when it comes to brexit. there is a deal, approved by the eu, tacitly approved by this place. we can pick that up on the other side of a general election and then work out what the future trading relationship will be. it has got to be or than that. make sure that we have got the best employment we can, put money into our nhs, health service and increase our nhs, health service and increase our defence posture in a world that is becoming more threatening and dangerous. boris johnson said it would be tough. it will be harder for him because being the larger party, he actually has to win a majority to have a mandate. so in a

way the stakes are higher for him thenjeremy way the stakes are higher for him then jeremy corbyn. i don't doubt this will be one of them are tougher elections to predict. we will all be tuning in at ten o'clock to hear what david dimbleby has to say and which way it will go. i think we can actually do this. i think we have to make the case to the nation. that is what the next few weeks are about. notjust what the next few weeks are about. not just about brexit, what the next few weeks are about. notjust about brexit, but what the next few weeks are about. not just about brexit, but who what the next few weeks are about. notjust about brexit, but who do you want to actually take britain forward in these very changing times? how seriously do you take the risk of overconfidence? we saw theresa may try to play the same trick, she had a double—digit lead, so trick, she had a double—digit lead, so she had a big ugly pen boris johnson, yet she staggered into downing street? we should not be complacent. let's not forget that this is a nation frustrated with british politics, government, parliament and to some extent the conservative party for not actually promising what we did in the past

and secure brexit. for different reasons that did not happen. we need to make sure that our message is clear. we need to earn the respect of the nation. this prime minister will be able to do that. it will be a different campaign. we will see eight more american style event taking place. the big set pieces in the evening. more debates. there is a hesitant prompt theresa may to get involved in that. we won't see that from the prime minister. he won't be shy in coming forward and articulating our manifesto commitments. thank you for your time. one of the striking things about this election compared to the la st about this election compared to the last one, you now have a conservative party led by a consumer campaign are up against a labour party also led by a consumer campaigner. two men who positively revel being out on the road and campaigning. a match for each other in that sense. there will be a battle between them shortly because it is going to be prime ministers it is going to questions at midday.

they have concluded that the policy of telling them to stay put us led to the deaths of some of the 72 victims. to the deaths of some of the 72 victims. shah aghlani lost his mother and his aunt to the fire. he criticised london fire brigade commissioner dany cotton's comments to the inquiry that she would not have changed the fire service's response to the fire. we need the change needed to be able to address the problems. if we don't address these problems, this will happen again and again and again. for a fire chief to say, looking back they wouldn't change anything, thatis back they wouldn't change anything, that is like saying we would do it again. they shouldn't be anywhere near commanding again. they shouldn't be anywhere nearcommanding a fire again. they shouldn't be anywhere near commanding a fire service. i think they should look hard today

and look at their position. the g re nfell tower and look at their position. the grenfell tower enquiry‘s first report has also recommended that the government develop new guidelines for evacuating those high—rise residential buildings. it is also included that the tower‘s cladding did not comply with building regulations and was, in the report words, the principal reason for the fire's rapid spread. in a moment we will have all the business news. first, the headlines. britain will head to the polls for its first december general election in almost a century — after mps approved borisjohnson's fourth bid to break the brexit deadlock. a report into the grenfell tower fire — which killed 72 people — has criticised the london fire brigade's response to the blaze. an inquiry into the clutha helicopter crash in glasgow finds that if the pilot had followed

emergency procedures, the accident — which killed ten people — could have been prevented. i'm alice baxter with the business news. facebook has agreed to pay a £500,000 fine imposed by the uk's data protection watchdog for its role in the cambridge analytica scandal. it had originally appealed the penalty. but as part of the agreement, facebook has made no admission of liability. us lawmakers have accused boeing of building "flying coffins" and engaging in a "pattern of deliberate concealment". the plane makers' boss dennis muilenburg was quizzed by the senate commerce committee where it has been accused of putting profits before safety in seeking approval for its 737 max 8 plane to fly, following the two deadly crashes that killed a total of 346 people. high street retailer next has blamed the hot weather for poor sales in august and september.

a bellwether for the high street, next said sales had improved in october as the temperature fell. a boost in online sales, lead to an overall rise in the three months to october. but first, record low business confidence in the uk economy is denting employers' confidence to hire new staff and invest. according to the recruitment and employment confederation — businesses feel as unconfident in the sate of the country's economic health as they did in mid—2016. why? kate shoesmith is the director of the recruitment and employment confederation which today published this new data. kate, why are businesses feeling so unconfident in the uk economy? we have had three years when we have not had a clear outcome in what is happening with brexit. that is obviously going to have an impact on hiring decisions. particularly over

the last year, and this survey data talks about july to the last year, and this survey data talks aboutjuly to september, a real sense of what is going to happen next. when you have that uncertainty, employers are going to be making hiring positions, even though they say they are at a point where they don't have... so it is holding things up. it is political uncertainty largely to blame. do you think that the fact that we now have a definite date for a general election will help to rectify the decision? a little bit more confidence in the state of what is happening? given that employers i definitely think they need to hire, they need to bring in permanent staff and temporary staff to fulfil their business orders right now, i think the election date will help with that. it is important that the election is not just with that. it is important that the election is notjust all about brexit. we need to think about the long—term impact on the jobs market and what a flexible job? it really needs in this country. there is also new data from the insolvency service today showing that company going bust has climbed to its highest

level in five years. it feeds into your argument. how do you think that that lack of confidence has ma nifested that lack of confidence has manifested itself? what are businesses are doing —— what our businesses are doing —— what our businesses doing? they have been saying that a permanent headcount hasn't been appointed at the same rate. there is a demand there. particularly in sectors like it and hospitality, there is a demand for staff, but in other sectors like retail there hasn't been attained same demand. there has been a time lag in making those hiring decisions, particularly for permanent people. whether it is brexit of the spill over from trump's trade laws, a lot of focus will be shifted to the general election, what is it that you think politicians need to do to help uk business? they need to give us total certainty on what an x. it is really important that we understand what will happen in the context of a

brexit deal. but we need to understand what is happening in terms of the regulatory environment. it is really important that we have regulations and legislation that is fit for a fixable workforce. not everybody is choosing to working a full—time, permanent way. we need to keep pace with change. in other business stories we're following, psa group, the french owner of peugeot has confirmed that it's exploring a merger with its us—italian rival fiat chrysler. a deal between the two car—makers would create a business with a combined market value of nearly £39.9 billion. this is fiat chrysler's second attempt at a merger this year after it pulled out of an agreement with renault in june but the potential merger would still face significant political and financial hurdles. australia's ‘backpacker tax‘ has been ruled illegal.

in 2017, the government imposed a 15% tax rate on two visa categories for working holiday—makers from eight countries, includiding the uk. but on wednesday the levy was deemed illegal. tens of thousands of foreign nationals may be owed money but the australian tax office says it is considering whether to appeal against the ruling. the passport and banknote maker de la rue has issued a second profit warning in five months. it said profits will be "significantly lower than market expectations". this comes after losing out on the government's contract to make the new blue uk passports post—brexit. the lucrative contract ws instead awarded to franco—dutch company gemalto. let's have a look at the markets. n ext s ha res were the biggest fallers in the ftse100 index today — even as analysts said the figures were "solid". interestingly, their shares hit their highest levels in a year earlier this month.

next shares helped to pull the uk blue—chip lower this morning. and looking at the pound — sterling has been pulled 1.2% lower in the past week against the dollar. today it traded modestly firmer around $1.29 and versus the euro it edged up slightly. that's all the business news. let's return to politics. that pending election. nicola sturgeon has been speaking to reporters today and she says the election is a great opportunity for scotland. this is the most important election for scotla nd the most important election for scotland in decades. it will decide the future direction of our country. a boat for the snp is a vote for two things. firstly, to stop brexit. however you voted on brexit, it is a mess and the only way out is to stop brexit. secondly, a vote for the snp isa brexit. secondly, a vote for the snp is a vote for the right for scotland to chose our own future. not to have

borisjohnson to choose our future but to put scotland's future into scotland's hands. this will be the first general election to be held in december since 1923. so what do voters think about spending the festive period at the ballot box? jon kay has been to bridgwater in somerset to find out. the first signs of christmas in bridgwater. so we thought we would hand out some cards. this is for you for christmas. thank you. delivering news of what will be a very unusual festive season. happy christmas. you can open it now. i hope you are happy with what i am giving you for christmas. there you go, it is just for you. i have got three children so i am going to be busy shopping and paying for christmas. you have got a couple of minutes though to put an x on a ballot paper at a voting station, haven't you? no. no? no. i hope you like it. no.

no? no, not a fan of that. why not? i don't think that we need to have one in all honesty i think right now brexit needs to be dealt with before a general election. it is supposed to be a time ofjoy and happiness and goodwill to all men and women and ijust don't think that is going to apply. you've given it back to me? i am giving it back to you. it is for you now. you're welcome! thank you so much! does it ruin christmas? not to me, no. to me it means taking our affairs into our hands, which is what we should be doing anyway. at the end of the day, this is our country. we need to look after it. if we don't look after it, who is going to look after it? nobody. ian is less than thrilled. wow! 0k. is just what you always wanted? not particularly, no. he wanted brexit on halloween, not a festive ding dong from the prime minister. he said we would be out by thursday. what a false promise. from the bbc.

i have got a present for you. pamela reckons this is the gift that we all need right now. to sort things out. but she does worry about voting in the snow. if it is icy it will be a bit risky for me, won't it really? to go to the polling station? yes. but, like i said, if i can make it, i will be there. hopefully, we are not going to get any snow for christmas. are you dreaming of a white general election? oh, i don't know about the white general election. i am dreaming of a white christmas, i know that! great to see those reactions. now it's time for a look at the weather... tell us about what is in front of us immediately. i am not sure there will be a bright general election but we have got some sunshine out there at the moment in many parts of there at the moment in many parts of the uk. down towards the south—west of england you have had some cloud over the last few days. outbreaks of

rain. weather fronts over the last few days. outbreaks of rain. weatherfronts here. you still have that situation in the south—west. elsewhere, it is dry, sunny but chilly day. through the rest of today, little change. what you have out of the window at the moment is probably what you will have for the rest of the afternoon. perhaps more rain coming into the south of wales. otherwise, dry and sunny. temperatures of nine to 13 degrees. tonight, not a great deal of change. cloud across the southern part, edging its way a bit further north and eastward towards part of hampshire. in the south it will be mild. temperatures eight to 11 degrees. frost possible across scotla nd degrees. frost possible across scotland and the far north of england. throughout thursday, largely dry start. some tight across most areas. cloud will generally increase across the west and that could be with some patchy rain

arriving later on thursday into the evening. the daylight hours, most of us evening. the daylight hours, most of us will get a dry day with the best of the sunshine towards central and eastern parts. the cloud in the west is linked with milder air which you can see on thursday and friday will start to take hold across many parts of the uk. a frost free start on friday but with it comes these weather systems. these fronts moving their way from west to east and that will bring rain. the rain could be heavy, maybe even thundery in central and southern areas on friday. further north, rain is patchy at but still quite a cloudy day. rain, drizzle, some thunderfor southern areas throughout the day. a different sort of day then we have been having over the last few days. milder air, temperatures around 16 degrees. the weekend, uncertainty in the forecast but low pressure is expected to move its way in. the exact position of that low pressure is still uncertain but it means it

will stay very unsettled over the weekend, a lot of cloud, breezy, outbreaks of rain. generally speaking, keep the umbrella handy. take note if you are going to any fireworks displays and events over the weekend. stay tuned to the forecast. goodbye.

this is bbc news. i'm joanna gosling, live at westminster. the headlines at midday... britain is due to head to the polls for the first december general election in almost a century after mps vote in favour of a pre—christmas ballot to try to end the brexit deadlock. this is the scene inside the house of commons, where the last prime minister's questions before the expected general election is about to get underway. and i'm annita mcveigh. our other main stories this morning... a report into the grenfell tower fire — which killed 72 people — has criticised the london fire brigade's response to the blaze. we will never, ever forget the tragedy of the night, the 72 lives lost were just the worst thing ever, and london fire brigade are truly sorry we couldn't have saved everyone's life that night.

an inquiry into the clutha helicopter crash in glasgow finds that if the pilot had followed emergency procedures, the accident — which killed ten people — could have been prevented. hello and welcome to westminster, where after months of brexit deadlock, mps have voted overwhelmingly to hold a general election on december the 12th. it's the first election to be held in the run—up to christmas in nearly a century. the prime minister has said the public must be given a choice over the future of brexit and the country. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has promised to launch what he calls the most ambitious and radical campaign for change ever seen in the uk.

meanwhile, the former home secretary, amber rudd, has become the latest mp to announce that she will not stand at the general election. ms rudd quit the cabinet in support of colleagues who lost the party whip for opposing a no—deal brexit. i think ithinka i think a total of 45 mps from both sides of the house have said they will not be standing. we are expecting prime minister's questions to start any moment and it could be the last one before the general election. let's talk to norman smith who is standing by. the truth is they are saying they want the election but it will be so unpredictable and nobody can be feeling very comfortable. hugely uncertain. for many mps in the chamber now this could be their last time at prime minister's questions. afair number of

time at prime minister's questions. a fair number of them will lose their seats. who knows whether boris johnson orjeremy corbyn will be back at the dispatch box if either of then comes a cropper in the general election campaign. but you are right, it is a massively uncertain contest because as we know politics is so volatile at the moment largely because brexit has changed the rules of the game, and normal party loyalty is no longer hold. there is the winter factor as well, will it have an impact on turnout, will it perhaps deter older voters from coming out, will it harm pro brexit candidates more? we don't know. i think there is an emerging strength of the smaller parties. let's go to the chamber now to see things. thank you, mr speaker. immediately after questions, today, iwill thank you, mr speaker. immediately after questions, today, i will be opening the debate on the grenfell tower enquiry report. mr speaker,

the whole house will want to join me in recording that after ten tumultuous years, this is your last prime minister's questions. as befits a distinguished former wimbledon competitor, you have sat up wimbledon competitor, you have sat up there in your highchair notjust as an umpire, ruthlessly adjudicating on the finer points of parliamentary procedure with your trademark tony montana scowl, mr speaker. notjust trademark tony montana scowl, mr speaker. not just as trademark tony montana scowl, mr speaker. notjust as a commentator, offering your own opinions on the values you are watching, sometimes acerbic and sometimes kindly. but above all as a player in your own right. peppering every part of the chamber with your own thoughts and opinions. like some tennis ball machine, some uncontrollable tennis ball machine, mr speaker, delivering a series of, literally, un—returnable, formally un—returnable, formally u n— retu rna ble volleys un—returnable, formally

un—returnable volleys and smashes. although we may disagree about some legislative innovations that you have favoured, there is no doubt in my mind that you have been a great servant of this parliament and of this house of commons. you have modernised, you have widened access, you have cared for the needs of those with disabilities, and you have cared so deeply for the rights of backbenchers, that you've done more than anyone since stephen hawking to stretch time in this particular session. as we come to the end of what must be the longest retirement since frank sinatra, mr speaker, i'm sure the whole house will want tojoin speaker, i'm sure the whole house will want to join me speaker, i'm sure the whole house will want tojoin me in speaker, i'm sure the whole house will want to join me in thanking speaker, i'm sure the whole house will want tojoin me in thanking you and hoping you enjoy your retirement, the soothing medicament that you have so often described to the rest of us. and i know members from across the house will want to join me in wishing the england rugby tea m join me in wishing the england rugby team the very best for the final in the world cup on saturday. mr speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministers and colleagues and others, in addition to my duties in

the house, and i shall have further such meetings later today. doctor alan whitehead. thank you, mr speaker, i would like to fully associate myself with the comments from the prime minister about your outstanding service as speaker, mr speaker, add to wish you a long and successful life after your speakership has come to an end. labour will be producing a strong offer on the climate emergency and net zero at the forthcoming election, including a full ban on the extraction of fossil fuel by fracking. what chance does the prime minister think he has of matching this offer? particularly in light of the news that the conservative manifesto is going to be written by a lobbyist for the fracking industry. oh! mr speaker, we will shortly be making an announcement about fracking in this country, in

view of the very considerable anxiety is being raised about the earthquakes that have followed various fracking attempts in the uk. we will certainly be following up on those findings. because they are very important. they will be of concern to members about the house. this government to yield to nobody in our enthusiasm for reducing co2 —— government yields to nobody. carbon emissions have been reduced massively in the uk and we are the first european country to commit to a net zero by 2050. that is what we are going to do. we believe in a strong dynamic, robust market economy delivering solutions in clea n economy delivering solutions in clean technology that are deplored by the party opposite. simon hoare. thank you, mr speaker, the harm of these benches i want to wish my right honourable friend the best of good fortune for the 12th of december. whilst we live in a time

of some uncertainty, there are 426 people who have thalidomide who very much rely on the health grant to give them dignity, care and support. that grant comes to an end in a few years time, mr speaker. as chairman of the appg four thalidomide and on behalf of those 426 recipients, can iurge my behalf of those 426 recipients, can i urge my right honourable friend to end theiruncertainty as i urge my right honourable friend to end their uncertainty as soon as possible by signalling a renewal of that grant, to give them the peace of mind which i hope the whole house would agree they most certainly deserve. well, i congratulate my honourable friend on everything he does for his constituents and indeed for the thalidomide victims. i can reassure him that the current health grant, which is indeed, as he rightly says, subject to in 2023, will be reviewed. i am getting the confirmation from that from

apologies for the sound problems. i hope we have sorted them out. victims as fast as he can. jeremy corbyn. thank you, mr speaker. thank you, mr speaker. corbyn. thank you, mr speaker. thank you, mrspeaker. i corbyn. thank you, mr speaker. thank you, mr speaker. i hope you indulge me one moment while i say a word about you. i'm sure you will! laughter i want to thank you, mr speaker, for the way you used your speakership in the way you used your speakership in the decade—long tenure you've had. you've done so much to reform this house of commons and our democracy is the stronger for the way that you've done it. you have served for ten years and given real power to backbenchers, vastly expanded the use of urgent questions, which has been overwhelmingly popular with all government ministers! and opened up the numberof government ministers! and opened up the number of emergency debates, which is even more popular with even more government ministers. and in the traditions of the great speaker

benson and others, you've stood up for parliament when it has to be stood up for. and i think we thank you for that. you have also carried that message internationally as well and develop parliamentary democracy and develop parliamentary democracy and development's holding governments to account. as we hope to form a government in the future, we hope to be held to account by parliament as well. but i also think, and i'm sure the whole house, would agree with me on this, you've done excellent work in opening up parliament to visitors, exhibitions and children. and you have reduced some of the strange customs and strange garments that people wear in this building. it's all right! it's all right! i know you are all jealous of my tie, but it's ok! and the way in which you've used your office, mr speaker, to increase diversity amongst the staff in the house and make this a much more lgbt friendly place. you've taken it away from being a gentleman's club that

happens to be in a royal palace towards a genuinely democratic institution. i want you to accept our thanks and pass on our best wishes to sally, freddie, oliver and jemima, your wonderful family, for the support they've given you and a great celebration today. i am sure the whole house willjoin us in this is when you and i, mr speaker, arsenal beating liverpool tonight! controversial! the labour party loves a debate and loves a bit of banter! mr speaker, the prime minister's... mr speaker, the prime minister's... mr speaker, the prime minister's... mr speaker, the prime minister's plan a sell—out deal with donald trump means... yes! it means yet more national health service money being siphoned off to private

profit. channel 4 dispatches reported that the cost of drugs and medicines has repeatedly been discussed between us and uk trade representatives. why did the prime minister previously say the health service wasn't on the table in any post brexit trade deal? prime minister. mr speaker, the answer to thatis minister. mr speaker, the answer to that is very simple, because it is not on the table! and i pay tribute... by the way, i pay tribute to the officials of the nhs, who had just done a brilliantjob in reducing the cost of or can be —— orkambi so that cystic fibrosis sufferers in this country get the treatment they need that is reasonable to the taxpayers of this country. if he wants to know how we

can country. if he wants to know how we ca n afford country. if he wants to know how we can afford the stupendous investments we a re can afford the stupendous investments we are making in the nhs, £34 billion, the biggest ever investment in the nhs, 40 new hospitals that we are building as a result of the decisions that we are taking, it is because this is the party that supports wealth creation and the reason we are able to invest in the nhs, mr speaker, is because the last nine years, this economy has been growing. it has been growing by 19% since the conservatives first came into office. he would ruin this economy and ruin ourability office. he would ruin this economy and ruin our ability to fund the nhs. that is the reality. mr speaker... mrspeaker... mr mr speaker... mr speaker, we will welcome the fact that orkambi will now be able to be provided in this country under the nhs. and we thank those that campaigned for it. the shame is that we are not told what the deal is with the company

concerned. as for these fabled 40 hospitals, that figure dropped to 20 and then finally dropped to six. six! we learned this week that government officials have met us pharmaceutical companies five times as part of the prime minister's planned trade detail. the us has called for full market access to our nhs, which would mean prices and some of our most important medicines increasing by up to seven fold. mr speaker, whilst the government is having secret meetings with us corporations, patients in this country continue to suffer. can the prime minister explain why the numberof prime minister explain why the number of people waiting longer for urgent cancer treatment has tripled over the last nine years? by

minister. mr speaker, as he knows very well, this government is investing £34 billion into the nhs. we are seeing improvements in cancer survival rates across the country. we are seeing improvements in cancer survival rates thanks to the investments this government is making. it is absolutely satirical, mr speaker, that he should claim credit for getting orkambi and other drugs delivered at a reasonable price. that is the work of... that is the work of the uk government. that is the work of the nhs supporting nice to make sure people in this country get affordable treatments. he may not be aware of it, mr speaker, but vertex, the company that makes orkambi comes from america! is he seriously suggesting... is he seriously suggesting... is he seriously suggesting that the nhs should not engage in negotiations to ensure that british patients get the drugs they deserve?! is he so phobic... is

he so phobic of american companies that he would forbid them from having those discussions? mr speaker, not for the first time, the prime minister is talking nonsense! of course we need to import medicines from various places! i just want it to be done... ijust wanted to be done in an open and transparent way! —— want it. i don't wa nt transparent way! —— want it. i don't want secret talks between government officials on behalf of ministers with big pharma corporations in the usa. last year, mr speaker, 34,000 cancer patients waited more than two months for treatment. the worst ever! whilst early detection is obviously very important, the longer people wait, the less chance there is of survival from cancer. the prime minister knows that, i know that, the whole world knows that, why can't he get it and put the

necessary resources into the nhs to cut the waiting times? if he could just be patient for 30 seconds, he says, he claims the nhs is safe in his hands. why then, has nhs privatisation doubled under this government with nearly £10 billion being spent on private companies within our nhs? mr speaker, the nhs is receiving unrivalled and unprecedented sums of taxpayers money. but if he is seriously saying he would not like a dentist and optician and macmillan care nurses to work with the nhs then i think frankly he must be out of his mind.

and let me tell him that cancer survival rates have actually increased year on year since 2010. cancer survival rates have increased and more and more people are seen within the right waiting time, thanks to the investment that we are making and! thanks to the investment that we are making and i think he should pay tribute to the hard work of nhs staff. and he should recognise and stop talking down their incredible achievements. and he should recognise that we intend if we are and if we come back as the next government, we will invest massively in that nhs and take it forward with the funds that we will make available form a strong and growing economy. and the reality is he would wreck that economy! mr speaker, but we don't want is private companies like virgin health care suing our

nhs for contracts they didn't get. our nhs should be focused on making people better, not the wealthy few richer. the national health service a departments, mr speaker, havejust had the worst september on record. —— accident and emergency. this morning the royal college of emergency medicine says this winter the national health service needs thousand extra beds, could the prime minister explain why under his government, the number of people in england waiting for an operation has now reached a record high of 4.4 million? mr speaker, there is a reason why more people are receiving nhs care and that's because the nhs is working harder and achieving more than ever before and if he wants to look at what, if the house wants to look at what, if the house wants to look at what labour would be like an office, look at their performance, by the way, the snp government that

negotiated a much higher price for orkambi, it occurs to me. in scotland. they did, they did! they got the prize totally wrong, you should have a word with them! but if the people of this country want a horrific foretaste of what life would be like under a labour run nhs, look at the nhs in wales, for all health targets are routinely missed, the accident and emergency wedding target hasn't been met since 2008, inpatient and outpatient hasn't been met since august 2010, urgent cancer treatment, he talks about cancer treatment, it hasn't been met since june about cancer treatment, it hasn't been met sincejune 2008. that is how labour runs the nhs. jeremy corbyn. i'm surprised he can keep a straight face saying that while his government has cut such a large man

from the welsh government budget. and from a government that's cut 15,000 beds of the nhs, 7 billion from social care, i don't know how he's got the brass neck to say what he's got the brass neck to say what he just said! the reality is his words are hollow. anyone who's tried to get a gp appointment, who sees how overworked our nhs staff are when they visit a hospital, and the stress nhs staff go through when they cannot deal with all the patients that are coming in. he needs to think about this. i'll give you an example. a lady called gillian wrote to me this week. yes, it's a real case of a real person! and i will quote her letter, if! may, mr speaker. gillian says, my mother died in february as a direct result of the gp shortage in the uk. her last years were marred by long waits for treatment and for intervention. whenever she got care, it was given by overstretched and

very dedicated people. but it always came after a painful and debilitating delays. why should that happen to gillian 's mum or anybody else 's mum, the problem is the shortage of gps, shortage of nurses and the excessive waiting time for people with very difficult conditions and deep pain, they should be sympathised with and supported. mr speaker, i can certainly say we will deal with his constituent gillian ‘s concerns but ican, i constituent gillian ‘s concerns but i can, i can tell him, i can tell him, there are 17,000 —— 17,300 i can, i can tell him, i can tell him, there are 17,000 ——17,300 more doctors, over 17,000 more nurses on our boards since 2010. and i think frankly, mr speaker, it's time to differentiate between the politics of protest in the politics of leadership. he should apologise mr

speaker, for continually striking attitudes that i do not think in the interests, it's all very easy to be an islington protester and side with russia over what happened in salisbury or to say you have £196 billion programme of renationalisation or continually flip—flopping one way or the other, leave, remain, refusing to respect the verdict of the people in the referendum on the eu. leadership means standing up for the people of this country. standing up for our police, our nhs, making sure it gets the funding it deserves. and standing upfor the funding it deserves. and standing up for the economy and our wealth creators and above all, it means getting brexit done and ending a dither and the delay! the time for protest is over mr speaker. it's time for leadership and that is what this government provides! jeremy corbyn. mr speaker, coming from a

prime minister who withdrew his own bill, seems a bit odd. my question mr speaker, my question mr speaker was about somebody whose mother had died and she believes that's because of the shortage of staff within the nhs. i would of the shortage of staff within the nhs. iwould have hoped the prime minister would have tried to show some empathy and answer that question. because gp numbers are falling, there's 43,000 nurses shortage in the nhs and its suffered the longest spending squeeze ever in its history. mr speaker, the choice at this election couldn't be clearer. people have a chance to vote for real change after years of conservative and liberal democrats. privatisation and tax hand—outs for the richest, this government that's put our nhs into crisis, this election is a once in a generation

chance to end privatisation in our nhs, give it the funding it needs and give it the doctors, nurses, gps and give it the doctors, nurses, gps and all the other staff that it needs. despite the prime minister 's denials, our nhs is up for grabs by us corporations. trump style trade deal. isn't the truth, mr speaker, the right honourable gentleman will not be shouted down under any circumstances, he will complete his inquiry to the satisfaction of the chairand inquiry to the satisfaction of the chair and people who think otherwise will quickly learn that they are as usual, wrong. jeremy corbyn! thank you. despite his denials, the nhs is up you. despite his denials, the nhs is up forgrabs by you. despite his denials, the nhs is up for grabs by us corporations. in a trump trade deal. isn't the truth and the government may not like it, isn't the truth that this government isn't the truth that this government is preparing to sell out our nhs? our health service is in more danger

than at any other time in its glorious history because of his government, his attitude and the trade deals he wants to strike? mr speaker, i do indeed there is a stark choice facing this country at this election and it is between economic catastrophe under the labour party, under the labour party £196 billion programme taking away money from companies and putting it on a pointless renationalisation programme, putting up renationalisation programme, putting up taxes on corporations, people, pensions, businesses and at the highest level in the whole of europe, that is the catastrophe, the economic catastrophe he offers but it's worse than that. he also offers a political disaster. consigning next year, which should be a wonderful year for our country, to two more referendums, another referendum on the eu, because he can't make up his mind what he thinks. flip—flopping this way and that and another referendum on

scottish independence. why on earth should the people of this country spent the next year which should be a glorious year going through the toxic, tedious torpor of two more referendums. we want next year to be a great yearfor our referendums. we want next year to be a great year for our country. referendums. we want next year to be a great yearfor our country. we wa nted a great yearfor our country. we wanted to be a great year because we are going to invest more in front line nhs services. we are going to reduce violent crime with more police on the streets, 20,000. that's what i pledged on the steps of downing street and we've done it, we are going to invest in every one of our schools, primary and secondary across the country. that's what i pledged on the steps of downing street and we are delivering it. we are going to invest in a fantastic infrastructure programme for our country. getting broadband across the whole nation, that's what i pledged on the steps of downing street, that is what we are going to do. and we are going to deliver a fantastic deal by which this country

will come out of the european union, a deal that he has tried to block and that we will delivery, that is the future for this country, drift and dinner, under the labour party or taking britain forward to a brighter future under the conservatives! that is the choice this country faces! more! more! mr speaker, for more than 30 years, the royal national orthopaedic hospital in stanmore was promised a rebuild. undera conservative government we have the first phase of those medical facilities. to match the world—class treatment provided by the medical tea m treatment provided by the medical team there. however, we have two problems, one is that the next phase is caught up in nhs bureaucracy and

sadly, two eminent nonexecutive directors have been dismissed from the board. could my right honourable friend sweep away this nhs bureaucracy so we can provide the medicalfacilities bureaucracy so we can provide the medical facilities that are required? and also, orderan investigation as to why the nonexecutive directors had been removed by the board mr speaker, i congratulate my honourable friend for campaigning for his constituents in the hospital andi for his constituents in the hospital and i can assure him that we will be making sure that hospital, along with many others, will be in line for the funding he requires but may i tell for the funding he requires but may itell him, for the funding he requires but may i tell him, but on his specific point about the administration of that hospital, i will indeed ask my honourable friend, the health secretary, to deal with his concerns very speedily. ian blackford? thank you, mr speaker, very speedily. ian blackford? thank you, mrspeaker, can very speedily. ian blackford? thank you, mr speaker, can i on behalf of those of us on these benches wish you all the best for your impending

retirement and salute you, sir, for the way that you have stood up for the way that you have stood up for the democracy of this house in order that this time of crisis that we hold the government to account? i trust that we enjoy your many passions in retirement, you will always be welcome up in scotland and if you need to visit a football team as an antidote to arsenal, you will always be welcome at easter road! to see the mighty hibernian. let me, mr speaker, let me wish you all the best for the rugby, let me wish england all the best! this prime minister's extreme brexit will take a wrecking ball to the economy and cost scotland and the united kingdom up to £70 billion a year. you know, mr speaker, we can talk about the and they howl and complain because they know the

reality that it's going to damage us. isn't the truth that the prime minister is willing to throw scotland under his big red bus to deliver his brexit? no matter what the cost. prime minister. mr speaker, is the right honourable gentleman knows very well, the greatest damage that can be done to the scottish economy would be their reckless plan to break up the union with the uk. 60% of scotland's business... scotland's export is with the rest of the uk. —— exports. they would be throwing away notjust the biggest block grant in history that scott and received this year but the benefits of membership of the most successful political partnership in history from shipbuilding in govan to the glasgow climate change summit next year. which will be a glory of our whole united kingdom. which is coming to scotla nd united kingdom. which is coming to

scotland precisely because scotland is part of the united kingdom. they would throw all that away, mr speaker, with their crackpot plan for boarders at berwick and creating a new scottish currency, mr speaker. for joining a new scottish currency, mr speaker. forjoining the euro, or worse still, going to the european union, handing back control of scotland's fisheries, scotland's spectacular marine wealth, just at the moment that they had been won back by this country handing control of their specialties to brussels. that's their policy, mr speaker. i look forward to contesting it at the barricades! ian blackford. you know, mr speaker, barricades! ian blackford. you know, mrspeaker, i barricades! ian blackford. you know, mr speaker, i thought it was prime minister's questions, not a rant from the prime minister. i have to say... i have to say... order! mr kerr, i'm seriously worried about your condition, calm yourself, man! i'm very concerned for you. calm

down. ian blackford. icertainly wish mrgrant of down. ian blackford. icertainly wish mr grant of the best for his future, because he not coming back, like so many of the scottish conservatives! —— he's not coming back. we hear the prime minister is going to be coming up to scotland in the election campaign. can i tell the election campaign. can i tell the prime minister he is welcome because each time he comes to scotland, he drives smp support up! mr speaker, scotland didn't vote for brexit! —— snp. we won't have it forced upon us. isn't it clear that the scottish national party is the only party standing up for scotland's interests. and respecting our democratic condition to remain in the european union. mr speaker, this coming election will be one of the most important in scotland's history. only a vote for the snp can

secure the escape route for scotland away from this brexit mess. from the chaos of westminster. the austerity of the tories had to protect scotland's rights to choose our own future, as an independent country in europe. prime minister. well, mr speaker, i'm sorry if i seemed to ra nt speaker, i'm sorry if i seemed to rant at the right honourable gentleman. if i may say, mr speaker, he does a rant quite a lot about independence for scotland. —— he does rant. he bangs on about it endlessly. why does he go on about it so much? because he wants to can see what the snp government is actually doing in scotland —— he wa nts to actually doing in scotland —— he wants to conceal. they are diabolicalfor wants to conceal. they are diabolical for the scottish economy, they had the highest taxes in the uk, they are not running either health or education well, that is why they are so monomaniacal about independence and smashing the union, mr speaker. when i look at the good

things that are happening in scotland, and they are some wonderful things happening, it is very often thanks to scottish conservatives. they are delivering £200 million... £200 million, mr speaker, for scottish farmers, all thanks to the intercessions of scottish conservatives. the biggest ever block grant from london to scotland, mr speaker. and it is scottish conservatives who can be relied upon, unlike any other party in scotland, unlike labour, unlike the snp, to keep the union together. the most successful political partnership in history! order! the house must calm itself. the truth is that one person's rant is another person's stream of passionate and uninterrupted eloquence. mr nigel eva ns. uninterrupted eloquence. mr nigel evans. thank you, mr speaker. as your former deputy speaker, can i say that nobody has sat in that

chair who has done more to defend and promote the rights of lgbt people in this country and throughout the world and when so many people live in fear of being born the way they are, i salute you. thank you. prime minister, the guardian newspaper last week reported that the largest number of happiest people live in the ribble valley. i believe you have the capacity to make them happier. will you make sure that of the 100 and extra police that comes to the valley, we get our fair share of the rural funding for health services like the sleigh bear health centre and we get equal funding per pupil in our schools. and finally, will he ensure that for the 57% who voted brexit and for the almost 100% who believe in democracy, that after the general election, when he is prime minister, he will deliver the brexit people voted for? mr speaker, i can

certainly give him an assurance on the second point and the only way to deliver a great brexit is to vote for this party and this government. ican make for this party and this government. i can make an even happier still, by pointing out that the 153 is just the first wave, mr speaker, for ribble valley and part of the 20,000 more police we will be putting on the streets of this country. jess phillips. thank you, mr speaker. i have never known this place without you here. ithink have never known this place without you here. i think it will be... well, it's going to be different. it's a delight to see your children here watching today. because i know that while you have a responsibility to parliament, you take your responsibilities as a parent incredibly seriously, also. and now to the prime minister. laughter today... today is my son, danny's 11th birthday. thanks to the years of cuts voted for by the prime

minister, danny, my son, and hundreds of children in birmingham yardley are in super—sized classes and are only being educated four and and are only being educated four and a half days a week. i don't want to hear his fancy stock answers about brexit or russia that he's been giving from his little folder. i wa nt giving from his little folder. i want to hear about how you're going to give more... both representatives at the dispatch box spoke with force and fully. the honourable lady is not going to be cut off by people ranting at her. she will be heard. if there are people who don't want to hear it, they are welcome to leave. i don't think she will care and neither will i. the honourable lady's question will be heard and that's the end of it. jess phillips. i don't want to hear his campaign ad answer because my son won't be able to go to school on friday so his

campaign answer does nothing for me asa campaign answer does nothing for me as a parent. i don't... please... i'm so glad you think it's really funny that people can't go to school five days a week! the prime minister is responsible for the children in this country and while he might struggle with that personally... i would like to know, will hear today commit that there will be a minimum numberof commit that there will be a minimum number of children commit that there will be a minimum numberof children in commit that there will be a minimum number of children in every class post the election and every single child will be able to go to school for five days a week? well, mr speaker, cannot you festival wish a very happy birthday to danny! —— can i. very happy birthday to danny! —— can i, first of all, wish. can i reassure her that i believe under this government, this conservative government, he will have the best possible chance, not only of having the funding for his school that he

needs, because we are investing in every primary and every secondary school in the country... and, mr speaker, he will also come as i say, £14 billion to level up funding both in primary and secondary school stuff he will also, as i say. i believe danny will have a better chance of a betterjob and that this government. look at what we have achieved already, record employment under this government and a better chance of being able to find, eventually, his own home. danny has a great future under this government, mr speaker, and i hope she will reassure him on that point. john lamont. thank you, very much, mr speaker. john lamont. thank you, very much, mrspeaker. in john lamont. thank you, very much, mr speaker. in scotland, nicola sturgeon and the snp are letting down our wonderful nhs staff... waiting time targets have been missed. capital investment has been slashed. there is a £1 billion maintenance backlog. does the prime

minister agree with me that rather than obsessing with independent referendums, they should end their neglect of scotland's nhs? mr speaker, i congratulate my honourable friend on everything that he does for his constituency in berwickshire and he is absolutely right. that is why, as i said, that is why they rant, to use his own word, so incessantly about independence. because they wish to distract, they wish to dead cat, as the saying goes, from the lamentable failures of the snp government in scotland. he is entirely right. if this goes on, i think the snp will forfeit all right to manage the nhs in scotland. ronnie cowan. thank you, very much, mr speaker. fireworks can be entertaining. unfortunately, fireworks of explosive types can cause great distress to people, pets and livestock. the snp scottish government ran a 14 week

consultation and received over 16,000 responses. 94% of respondents said they would welcome increased controls on the sale of fireworks. development legislation covers consumer protection on explosives, environmental and animal welfare law. as the prime minister ever considered banning the sale of fireworks to the general public in the short time left to him? will he? mr speaker, it is important to strike a balance that people should be allowed to celebrate guy forks knight and other occasions with fireworks. but he is plainly right that they are very disturbing for animals —— guy fawkes night. the business secretary is looking at this. on animal welfare, business secretary is looking at this. on animalwelfare, to business secretary is looking at this. on animal welfare, to make interesting to know that there are measures we can increment as a result of brexit, such as banning sour farrowing crates, result of brexit, such as banning sourfarrowing crates, which is a way to consigned to interest, banning the live export of animals that we would not otherwise be able to do. that is one of the reasons we need to get brexit done and take this country forward. mr speaker,

thousands of british people in wycombe have family and friends on one or both sides of the line of control in kashmir. with so many serious allegations of human rights abuses being made, does the government accept that this is not merely some foreign policy issue to be dealt with by others, but that it is an issue of the most immediate and profound concern in wycombe and in towns across the uk?” and profound concern in wycombe and in towns across the uk? i thank my honourable friend and he is absolutely right, that this matter is very much —— this matters very much notjust of him and his constituents but the welfare of communities in kashmir is of a profound concern to the uk government. he also knows, of course, that it is the long—standing position of the uk government that the crisis in kashmir is fundamentally a matter for india and pakistan to resolve. and it is not, alas, since we were there at the very beginning of this crisis, he

will understand, for long—standing reasons, it is not for us, as the uk, to prescribe a solution in that dispute. mr speaker, in my constituency, the squeeze on government spending has meant we have a third fewer police than we had in 2010. we have lost half of our children centres and the state of disrepairat st our children centres and the state of disrepair at st mary's hospital in paddington is so acute that last week, the outpatients department was closed because of leaking sewage? how can the prime ministerjustify squandering £2 billion of public money on no—deal brexit preparations, following his feeble pledge to exit the eu tomorrow, do ordie? mr speaker, i might ask how she can justify spending another billion pounds a month by this country by delaying our exit from the european union? we is what she voted for and imight remind union? we is what she voted for and i might remind her that under this

government, we are spending £225 million more per year on policing in london, that was the case when i was mayor of london, mr speaker and she might ask her friend the mayor of london what he's doing with that money and why he can't do better because frankly, his record on policing in london is utterly shameful and she should be holding him to account. thank you, mr speaker. i welcome the significant additional investment in stockport schools bangs to the prime minister 's work, will my right honourable friend the prime minister congratulate the excellent schools in my constituency and pledge further resources so that they can continue to deliver an excellent education for young people? mr speaker, i'd be very happy to congratulate the schools, norbury hall, i believe that is the alma mater of my honourable friend. and i

confirmed what i think he knows, and the whole house, those schools and every other school in the country is getting £14 billion more to level of funding for every pupil in this country, that is possible because of the policies pursued by our conservative, are one nation conservative, are one nation conservative government and it will be ruined by the labour opposition. thank you, mr speaker. due to health and inequalities, men in my stockton north constituency live an average of 16 years less than in his. so would the prime minister agree it's time my area got the new hospital promised ten years ago but axed by the tory lib dems coalition? mr speaker, i will certainly look at what we can do to ensure he gets a new hospital in his constituency but ican new hospital in his constituency but i can tell him, because we have a huge programme now under way, but i can tell him, the only way to deliver that investment, £34 billion

investment in the nhs, the biggest in modern history, is to ensure that you have a dynamic, one nation market economy of the kind that we have. i'm afraid all that his party would do is whack up taxes on business, and companies, in such a way as to destroy the viability of the uk economy and that's the programme that he supports. mr kenneth clerk. here, here! mr speaker, may i take the occasion of your last prime minister's questions tojoin the tributes your last prime minister's questions to join the tributes to your own role in the chair? during your decade there have been unprecedented attempts really to a times increase the power of the executive at this parliament and you have been formidable in maintaining the duty of government to be accountable to this house and i trust your successor will try to live up to

your very considerable achievement. to show that a veteran mp can still look to the future, even one who is retiring from the house, can i ask my right honourable friend, to give me some clarity on what he will seek to achieve if by chance, he wins this unpredictable general election, by way of the permanent relationship that he will have to negotiate between the eu and the united kingdom as an ex member? in the years of negotiation that he will have to undertake, will he seek to ensure that we maintain trade and flows of investment between the whole of the united kingdom and the european union, that are free of tariffs, free of custom controls, largely free of regulatory distinction indeed, as near as possible to the single market and the customs union that we are in? because, just talking about a free

trade agreement is an extremely vague aspiration. it covers a wide range of possibilities, so can he demonstrate that he really is a liberal, free trader at heart? indeed, mr speaker and as he knows, the advantage of the partnership that we will build is not only will we have zero tariffs, if the talks go well, we will have zero tariff, zero quota arrangements with our european friends and partners but we will also under the current deal which is a fantastic deal, we will be able to do free trade deals around the world! and there will be many ways in which of course we will stay very close with our european friends and partners, many ways in which we will stay close but there will also be important ways in which we may seek to do things differently and better. i've already mentioned animal welfare, tax breaks for new technology, cutting vat on sanitary products, i've mentioned free ports,

mr speaker, all sorts of ways and i mentioned different regulation on biotechnology, many of the areas in which this country now leads the world. that is the opportunity for our country to do a great free—trade deal with our european friends and partners of a kind of which i'm sure my right honourable friend would thoroughly approve but also, to be a champion for free trade around the world. that is what we are going to do. as the father of the house leaves this place after 49 years without interruption, i for one, wa nt without interruption, i for one, want to salute him! my right honourable and learn a gentleman is one of the most popular and respected politicians in our country. applause for his service to this place, for his service to his constituents and for his service to our country. he deserves the warmest appreciation. for my part, i thank

him for his support and friendship over decades, the right honourable and learner gentleman, as i think most sensible people know, whether they agree with him or not, is a great man! mrspeaker, they agree with him or not, is a great man! mr speaker, thank you, i know everyone on the side of the house would like to associate themselves with those comments. mr speaker, one of the most consistent things i've seen in all my parliamentary casework is too many children with special educational needs not getting the support they need, something i know mr speaker you personally support a great deal. this year councils in england alone will overspend on their sem budgets by over £400 million and even then there is simply not enough resource in the system so prime minister, how could any government like yours justify going ahead with cutting corporation tax to 18% on children with the greatest needs in this country are simply not getting what they should? well, i'm afraid that shows a fundamental division between

us, alas, because i think that what you need is a strong and dynamic economy and the evidence is if you reduce corporation tax you deliver more in yield, you deliver more in growth and that is how we've been able to commit now to spending another £780 million on special educational needs schools and allowing communities to set up new sen the schools when and where they desire them and we will back them with funding made available by that strong economy and that is the fundamental difference between him and me. is my right honourable friend aware that during your time in office, mr speaker, and the 326 prime minister's questions over which you have presided, thanks to decisions made by the government and by this house, the british taxpayer has paid for life—saving

vaccinations for more than 140 million children living in the poorest countries of the world. mr speaker, at a time of considerable division in our country, is not that an achievement in which the whole of britain can take real pride? mr speaker, it certainly is an achievement in which i think the whole house should be proud and i know that the right honourable gentleman, my right honourable friend, has done a huge amount to champion the cause of overseas development and he can be absolutely certain that this government will continue, not just to certain that this government will continue, notjust to provide support for vaccination around the world, but of course, to ensure that we continue to lead the world and our overseas development budgets because our commitment, i may say, is followed and respected by countries around the world. yesterday, it was reported that a former staff member of the secretary

of state for wales, ross england, had in the words of a trialjudge, single—handedly and deliberately sabotaged a rate trial by referring to the victims of sexual history against the judges instructions. the trial had to be stopped and started again from scratch and the defendant was convicted. unbelievably, the party opposite then selected mr england as a welsh assembly candidate with the secretary of state 's endorsement. is the prime minister going to sack mr england? mr speaker, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. thank you, mr speaker. it is also my last prime minister is comments, made about your strong leadership from the chair, and your kind comments about my good friend, the right honourable member for ruislip and others, i would also like if i made ta ke

others, i would also like if i made take the opportunity to thank the staff of this place, especially those in the library, catering department and all those who do so much to keep us hale and hearty. i would like to thank my very number of friends and colleagues around this place and my right honourable friend the member for maidenhead who have been so personally kind to be over the last few months and so supportive of our policy is particularly the introduction of a net zero legislation. i would like to thank the people of devizes who have given me the trust for the last nine years, it's been a privilege of my life to serve you. i would like to ask the prime minister a question. does he believe like me, that there is no planet b? and that we should take the opportunity of this brexit blockage breaking election to move on, move the country on and focus on the incredible things that we can do as the host of the un global climate change talks which may be in glasgow but are a four nation co—op next year so that we can help the world

to get on with dealing with the problem of the next 30 years, how we repairthe problem of the next 30 years, how we repair the climate? mr speaker, may i pay repair the climate? mr speaker, may i pay tribute to my right honourable friend for everything she's done in her parliamentary and her ministerial career and to agree with her and to associate myself mr speaker with my comments on my right honourable friend. but i know she is actually leaving this place to do something perhaps even more important, which is to run our co—op 26 summit next year in glasgow and i know that she will do an absolutely outstanding job and i think she's com pletely outstanding job and i think she's completely right, it would be far more wonderfulfor this completely right, it would be far more wonderful for this country to focus on what we can do to lead the world in tackling the problems of the environment, tackling climate change, than frittering away yet more political time and capital into macro more pointless referendums. so i thoroughly agree with her proposal. mr speaker, can i say to

you from the highlands prime minister, my constituent rachel has been separated from her two young children and her husband mark and forced to return to malaysia because her £2000 spousal visa application was refused because her husband payslips were not included. the problem prime minister is that payslips are not a requirement on the uk vi check list and she called and e—mailed the organisation and was told no further information was required. does he consider this to be fairand will required. does he consider this to be fair and will he personally look into the new £2000 application to ensure this highland family are reunited by christmas? mr speaker, i thank him for raising his constituent was my problems with uk vi and! constituent was my problems with uk vi and i will make sure my right honourable friend the home secretary addresses it immediately. we all

rememberthe addresses it immediately. we all remember the opposition parties never wanted to give the people an eu referendum, even opposing our amendment to the 2013 queen's speech, selected by you, mr speaker, an early brexiteer, to regretting the absence of a referendum bill. given that they've done everything they can to delay our departure, may iurge they can to delay our departure, may i urge the prime minister as we head into christmas, whatever the antics, that leaves a positive, decent, one nation campaign, stronger economy to help those less fortunate, which addresses the divisions in our country and we wish him well! mr speaker, i thank my right honourable friend for putting it so succinctly and so well, that's exactly what we want, i think it's what the people of this country want, they want to get brexit done and they want to move forward with a one nation

agenda to unite this country, level up agenda to unite this country, level up across the country with better education, better infrastructure and fantastic new technology. that is our agenda, their agenda is four yea rs more our agenda, their agenda is four years more political dither, delay and division. mr speaker, with scotland because my changing status in europe since 2014, white will the prime minister not agree to a section 30, why has he so far refused a section 30 as a route to enable an independence referendum for scotland? enable an independence referendum for scotland ? scotland needs enable an independence referendum for scotland? scotland needs tojoin the dozens of normal, independent european nations and become independent. mr speaker, ithink european nations and become independent. mr speaker, i think the honourable gentleman knows my answer to that which is that there was a referendum in 2014. the result was very clear. people were promised that it would be a once in a generation referendum and i don't think that we should break that

promise. thank you, mr speaker, it's a pleasure to see you in your arsenal tie, i want mine as well two reasons, i'm sorry the leader of the opposition is not worn his own. mr speaker, before i go and ask the prime minister a question, could i think it notjust for giving me a voice in this place, but for giving representation to my family and those i grew up with in buckingham, g has served so well as the local mp, they've asked me to pass on that you will be missed dearly by them. returning back to the football politics metaphor, would the prime minister agree with me that when it comes to both football and politics, the owner of the number ten berth is key to success? and so would he rather see a centre—right dominant leader, sweeping all before him in domestically and in europe or should we look to the left wing, where we might see a misfiring striker more

at home in