coverage to all new moms and let's parents afford the cost of high-quality education. i think those programs are critical and they are pro family. we have the power to make america the best place in the world to raise a family. we're not quite there. instead of the freedom to choose how and when to raise a child, i have a different proposal for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. let's invest in the health and potential of every family in america. mr. president, . president, >> today a house hearing on the shortage of baby formula in the us with testimony from the head of the fda and others live at 11:00 a.m. on c-span, c-span now, free mobile video apps or any time online, c-span.org. >> we take you live to london where british prime minister

boris johnson will field questions from members of the house of commons, the prime minister is expected to make a statement in response to senior civil servants, full report on covid 19 lockdown parties. you are watching live coverage on c-span2. >> annual funding matching the average annual funding the world would have received after adjusting for inflation and if it doesn't take that from me or doesn't believe me, the government center, that indicates we are going in the right direction on the shared prosperity fund and wouldn't it be good if the welsh government could support these ambitious opportunities. >> the whole house will want to join me in expressing our outrage and deep sorrow -- our

thoughts and prayers with those affected and all of the families who lost loved ones. before we come to prime minister's questions i want to welcome nick and his family to the gallery, nick has worked in parliament for 30 years, as a sous chef but also associate sergeant at arms. nick has had to leave his role because of ill health lucy's much missed by his colleagues. all members particularly his constituents mp will wish to join me in thanking nick for his long service and sending good wishes to nick and his family. i would also like to point out british sign language interpretation of the proceedings is available to watch on parliament live tv. we have questions -- >> question number one for you. >> i want to begin by echoing

what you just said about reports of the fatal shooting in a texas primary school. our thoughts affected by those with this horrific attack. i welcome the emir of qatar, announced it would invest 10 billion pounds in the uk through our new strategic investment partnership. not only will it boost local economy and support jobs it can support our green economy. mr. speaker, i meeting with minister your colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house i will have further such meetings later today. >> thank you, mister speaker, one of the most extensive places to live in the country. and like many cheaper places, nhs workers get to know the high cost of living. nhs workers in cambridge pay higher rent than workers in other areas. but get paid 15% less. this is difficult, to

>> reporter: and recruit. will my right honorable friend work with me to make sure nhs workers get paid fairly? >> prime minister. >> my honorable friend is a champion of his constituents and we are proud of our nhs and that is why we are putting record investment in and hope the independent nhs pay review body is as happy as my honorable friend is adjusting. >> the leader of the opposition. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my thoughts and the thoughts of the whole house are with the families of the victims of yesterday's school shooting in texas. 90 children have died, some as young as 7 and two adults, it is an unspeakable tragedy and our hearts are with the american people.

last weekend marked the anniversary of the manchester bombing of the murder, we remember them this year as we do every year. today is also the anniversary of the killing of george floyd, a reminder with we must all tackle the racism that is still experienced by so many in our country. the report was published this morning i look forward to discussing that during this statement with the prime minister. now i want to focus on the cost of living affecting the whole country. since we stood here last week and i asked the prime minister about labor plans for windfall tax to reduce energy bills, hundreds of millions of pounds have been added to bills across the country but hundreds of millions of pounds in bank accounts of energy companies. it sounds like he has finally seen sense and the inevitable

u-turn may finally have arrived. when can people across the country expect him to use those oil and gas profits to bring down their bills. >> there's nothing original, they want to do that every day, and they are helping people, we are helping people now. 22 billion pounds in people's pockets, cutting it by 155, cutting compositions by an average by an average of 330, people who pay this and how can we afford that? we have a strong economy, we came out of covid which would

not have been possible if we listened to the party opposite. >> a low type government. >> it has been -- it has been foreign to half months since windfall tax on oil and gas profits. week in and week out, every week no reason for not doing it. the business sector said it is bad. it is disastrous, the health secretary opposed it. he ordered all his mps to vote against it last week and he is backing it. i'm told hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[laughter] >> mr. speaker, households across the country when they didn't need to. >> a man who always catches my eyes. >> households across the country suffered when they didn't need to. what is it about the report that first attracted him into a u-turn this week. >> there is no surprise, no surprise neighbors love to put up taxes. there is nothing original, they

get off on it, to confiscate other people's assets. what we prefer to do is make sure, make sure measures are in place to drive investment in our country and drive jobs and thanks to the steps we took and the fact we came out of covid which would not have been possible, that we now have -- at the lowest level since 1974. put that in your pipe. >> mr. speaker, getting his head out of the sand but obviously not, the reality is every day appears do the ring on his delay 53 million pounds were added to britain's household bill while he is distracted trying to save his own job, the

country has been touting the cost. complacency is nothing new for this government, back in october the chancellor delivered a budget that has to be reread to be believed with inflation already climbing, he said that he understood and the government was ready to act. since then, inflation has risen to a 40 year high, the highest rate of any g-7 country. of the government was ready to act 6 months ago, why hasn't it? >> the government has acted and the chancellor continues to act. this is a government that not only put in a living wage, conservative institution but we raised it by a record amount, raised it by a thousand pounds, a record amount and helped families on universal credit

with 1000 pounds, thanks to measures, one -- cost of heating, abating the cost of fuel for people up and down the country and we will do more, we will put our arms around the people of this country as we did through the covid pandemic but the reason we do that is we took tough decisions to do that in europe which wouldn't be possible and that is why we have another certificate, youth unemployment, they used to care about it, at or near a record low. >> it wasn't just the chancellor in september. the primus to had fears about inflation unfounded, he was the last person to stop the cost of living crisis, the labor plan to help people through it. mister speaker, it wasn't just

inflation that they got wrong, in the same speech the chancellor boasted about how we were going to do better with major competitors. it was obvious he was being complacent, and britain is set to have the lowest growth of any major country except russia. despite our brilliant businesses and all you have to offer, why has is government inflicted in britain, the twin headed hydra of the highest inflation and lowest growth. he loves running this country. how many times did he come to the state. how many times did he say the united kingdom has the highest death rate in covid.

and absolutely, the steps we took, last year we had the smartest growth in the return. and thanks to the decision is government took. they don't care about getting people into jobs. we care about the working people of this country. and he is running the country down. it wasn't just complacency on labor's windfall tax which is backing, it wasn't just complacency which is through the roof. it wasn't complacency on growth, and claims, they make more of their efforts.

does the prime minister want to explain to hard-working people whose wages are running out sooner and sooner each month, with astronomical bills, just how his 15 tax rises since taking office could help them keep more of their rewards in their pocket. >> what we are doing is making sure after a huge pandemic we are funding vital public services which we can. we put more money into people's pockets by the measures i have outlined today whether through cutting national insurance contributions or lifting the living wage or universal credit, mr. speaker but all this is made possible because we took the responsible and sensible steps

to protect our economy throughout covid, he is completely wrong about the country, runs it down, he was proved wrong about covid, he will be proved wrong again. >> just delusional. mister speaker, last week i raised the case of phoenix honeywell, daily dialysis and energy bill has gone through the roof as a result, i'm glad government officials got in touch with phoenix yesterday and i hope that will result in more support for people who are vulnerable but shouldn't be less for labor to turn up week after week to make him aware of the consequences of his delay. so i want to raise another issue, sleepwalking into disaster, there are reports the

home office already has a back log of 500,000 passports to issue, potentially half a million people worrying about whether they will get away this summer. can the prime minister reassure people they won't miss out on their holidays due to failures from home office. >> what we are doing is increasing the speed with which the passport office, to the best of my knowledge everyone is going 4 to 6 weeks, that is because, driving the leadership of this country. we've got brexit done, he voted 48 times to answer to the will

of the people, we gotta vaccine rollout with european nation agencies. we were the first european country to the first european country to help the ukrainians. does anybody seriously believe for a second that they would have done it? >> we are trying to cheer, i can't hear the prime minister. >> anybody seriously think for a second the labour party would have done that with twee 8 of the shadow fronts including the shadow foreign secretary who is not in his place, to get rid of his country's independence, he campaigned, jeremy corbin in

downing street. we do the difficult things. social care. >> you've got to help me as well and -- >> thank you, mr. speaker. when the prime minister gets passionate things get done. brexit is done. the vaccine -- the vaccine rollout is done.

will my right honorable friend personally intervene so the immunocompromised like my constituent scott can get access to british wonder drugs and they, not next winter, not next year but now so that they can enjoy the summer and enjoy their freedom like the rest of us? >> my honorable friend has taken a keen interest for a while to reduce the risk of infection as he says. we've got to look at available evidence before we make a decision whether it is available but i will make sure the department of health and social care updated the progress. >> leader of the s&p, ian blackburn. >> i want to express my deepest

sorrow for the horrific events in texas yesterday. 19 children and two teachers needlessly lost their lives. many remembering the tragic events that took place 26 years ago, the thoughts and prayers of the s&p and the subsidy, lawmakers, schools of gun violence. the report the prime minister downing street, with offices, rooms crowd, and security force, the parties are so rigid. at the center was the prime minister. for the partygoers. every excuse under the sun.

we've seen the damning photo evidence. people stayed at home to protect the nhs. the prime minister was engaging in drinking and debauchery that makes a mockery of sacrifices each and every person made. will the prime minister take the opportunity and resign? >> mister speaker, i can tell the right honorable gentlemen much as i appreciate his advice he will have a further opportunity to take customary length to debate that matter in the course of the statement that will follow. >> ian blackburn. >> is a joke, the prime minister has lost the trust of the public. he has lost what little moral

authority he had left. the prime minister has apologized many times not because he feels any genuine remorse, he refuses to admit there were parties that he presided over them. he apologized for one simple reason, no apology will ever be enough for the families of people who lost loved ones, the families who followed the rules, people who stayed at home, and forced young photographs of the prime minister surrounded by drink, toasting to a party in the middle of a lockdown. of the prime minister will not expect he must redesign than the tory benches must act. the prime minister who has broken them all, cannot be allowed to remain in office. time is up.

resign, resign, resign before the house is forced to remove him. >> i direct him again, it would be to his advantage. >> heritage means a lot to the people. two of the great contents, and and and can my right honorable friend the this imposes a new

unlimited fine -- >> here, mr. speaker. i want to thank him, he is entirely right and why we adopted measures he proposes in the bill, unreasonably could face an unlimited fine. >> i was pleased to meet the prime minister last week and royal hillsborough. we welcome his commitment to introduce legislation to deal with the protocol on the irish border and protect the belfast food friday agreement. that will take some time. in the meantime the rest of the united kingdom hard-pressed households in northern ireland are suffering the cost of living crisis. will apply minister give me an assurance any measures brought forward by the chancellor in

the near future to help will apply to northern ireland and the protocol will not be allowed to prevent northern ireland, citizens receiving the support they need from the government at this time? >> i think the right honorable gentlemen, he knows we have a package to support families across the whole of the uk i detailed already to the house. i also think it would to be an advantage to the people of northern ireland tackling issues we all face across the uk, if it was restored. >> recent report on leveling up the economy highlights many areas, in small, rural, coastal communities to ensure they benefit from the agenda. does the prime minister agree with me, level up reaches, will my right honorable friend meet

with me, excellent candidate -- how we can progress. >> prime minister. >> my honorable friend is a fantastic advocate, make sure both she and helen get the relevant, to discuss her ideas further. >> rising fuel costs are serious problems. as district nurses, often has to travel 29 miles just to reach 1700 miles each month. with the prime minister therefore consider extending the relief scheme, two areas to have my constituent and 20 like her to continue their valuable work? >> i thank you for his excellent question and i can

tell him does that compensate motorists by helping retailers in remote rural areas where prices can be higher. currently operates on a different basis. i'm happy the honorable gentlemen gets meeting with the minister as fast as possible. >> labor and socialism failed this country because they followed policies that interfered in people's lives, overregulates at too much taxpayer money, borrowed too much and raised taxes, can you tell the house the policies that you are going to follow? >> i can. i am grateful to my honorable friend and he is right, putting up tax, that is what they are

breaking about. not only going contributions, cutting, helping businesses to invest in 130% super deductions. that is helping us to have a high wage high skilled economy, the lowest since 1974. >> thank you, mr. speaker. after the election, the big signal in the conservative party. >> sit down. >> sorry. >> be careful how you word the question. >> shocking glee they failed to

act on this report or explain why. some would have a call for independent investigation into the failure warning the conservative party. will the prime minister launch an independent investigation into failure to act so victims can have confidence his party will never turn a blind eye? >> the sensitivity of these issues, that are currently going on. i don't think it would be right to comment any further. >> politics often get all the attention in the real world, millions of parents being held back to childcare is a model over government support.

declared to be of interest. 5 to 6 million quid a year, the highest costs in the world, educated, really stuck with the bureaucracy. i know my right honorable friend ministers to investigate options to reduce the cost of childcare. will he tell us more about what to do urgently and work with me on the think tanks. >> this is a subject i take a direct personal interest and there are things we can do to make childcare more affordable, one of the issues is not enough people take up tax-free childcare. what we could also look at, mister speaker, is ways to reform the system.

>> next month marks five years since the fire that killed 72 people. my constituency has many buildings. in 2019 the prime minister, where the government recommends response ability for fire safety we will legislate but they dropped to the recommendation personal evacuation plans, claiming basic safety would be too expensive and this should cut costs with the value of human life. will the prime minister reverse the deeply inhumane decision at not breaking a promise to this house. >> if there's an issue with fire safety in the building than extra steps should be taken and remediation should be made. when it comes to self

evacuation the home office launched a new consultation to support fire safety of residents unable to self evacuate but with further representation on that point i would be happy she gets the meeting with the minister in duluth. >> i'm not a cynical sort, but i was perplexed this week when the cabinet secretary and director of government propriety and ethics were banned from attending the committee to get evidence for two months. i cannot possibly think -- i wonder which particular subjects my right honorable friend the prime minister was most concerned being raised by the committee, what is the case of undeclared loans and donations, security insights and appointments to the house of lords or the consultation for the minister of

appointments. >> mister speaker, i can assure you, i will make sure all relevant ministers and civil servants appear before the committee. >> the prime minister's leading along you have conservative mps showing how out of touch they are, people are struggling, quarter of people, they don't need to be told how to learn to buy value foods. they already are. when will the prime minister get a grip on this crisis and bring in the windfall tax? >> what we are doing throughout the country is making sure we invest now in protecting them as i said to the house and said repeatedly not just with the

increases in universal credit or living wage what the warm homes discount and 330 pounds cut but the reason we do this is robust economic position in which we have strong employment giving us the revenue to pay a debt cushion in this difficult time. it would not be possible if we listened to that. >> tens of thousands of fans coming down to london. the rugby league challenge, with the championship playoff final in the premier league. will the prime minister as well as wishing the best of luck to the teams agree with me that the best way to honor the

sporting tradition is following through with their pledge to house the new national rugby league museum, and not pull out of the deal as they indicated they want to do so? >> is that the labor? i am not surprised. i congratulate him on his campaign and i urge him to taken up with the counselor other relevant bodies. >> thank you, mister speaker. under the cover of the pandemic we seen a shift in wealth from the poorest to the richest would a lawbreaking chancellor, lined the pockets of -- 175,000 of fellow citizens have died from covid and they are sitting

on their hands laughing in our faces as the cost of living crisis could leave thousands more to drive cold in their own homes. when we saw pictures of rpm partying in the middle of the pandemic was he toasting his assault on the working-class? i ask him how on earth does he sleep at night with so much blood on his filthy, privileged hands? >> mr. speaker, from photo onwards everything we've done since the pandemic began, money into the pockets of the working people of the country. those are the people we prioritized, i don't doubt things are tough. i don't doubt it for a moment but it is our intention to get

the country through it by putting our arms around people as we can because of the firepower we have by making sure we continue with a high wage, high employment economy we have and the best thing is to have a job. >> does the prime minister agree with me when the right honorable member spins the myth of a low tax labor party needs a memory jog because can i just remind you all that in 2019, you all stood on a manifesto that would have inflicted the highest tax burden on the people of this country, why there are so few of you over there.

>> they campaigned to put taxes on business to the highest level the country has seen, that was his ambition and that is what they would do, what they would love to do come you can feel the lust for tax rising off the benches opposite. that's why there is nothing the office with unemployment, lower the limits when they come in. >> thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday, the energy cup is due to increase in the autumn more than double from last year. the prime minister has been busy directing and redirecting his apologies, the work events. what work events, considering, last week, just the same.

>> i couldn't hear the question or the advice that was given. >> i heard a rough idea of the nonsense he was talking, what we are doing not only supporting people now but put our arms around the people of this country as we did during the pandemic and beyond. >> moderate language is what we normally use. it doesn't start the country so please. john baron. >> the prime minister will recall the plight of 170 british council contractors who remain in afghanistan in fear of their lives 85 of whom are at high risk.

i met the refugee minister at the positive meeting but face the bureaucracy presenting the fc video from cutting through the bureaucracy and curtis of -- will he help us cut through the red tape and help these people and time is running out. >> i thank him very much, i remind the house we've not only evacuated 15,000 people, great credit to the country, we supported since then 4600 more have come to this country and we will do what we can. >> my constituency working after we visited the school to hear about the low pay campaign, the tide of people in the community working hard but living in poverty and bills are rising, inflation and the

government seems incapable and disinterested in doing anything to help out. our children see the need for emergency action, why can't we? >> everybody, 30 million workers will get a tax cut in july, that's not the end of what the government will do to look after people. i told the house before this afternoon the we will continue to use fiscal fire power to look after the british people through the covid aftershocks and beyond. >> on monday at 3:25 a school bus crashed into a group of schoolchildren, three children airlifted to hospitals, the bus driver taken by ambulance at a fifth child discharged. everyone in stable condition, this is a tragic accident. will the prime minister join me and the house in sending love

and prayers to those in hospitals and also, the teaching staff for the heroic response and continuing response? >> i think my honorable friend, i am sure the whole house, with those who have been affected and i want to join him in particular in paying tribute to the emergency services, teachers and staff of the school. >> thank you, mr. speaker. prime minister, our constituent robert walker died last year. disclosing confidence that he was a gay man. the confidence was breached by the hr department at the commonwealth office.

recently paperwork showed the breach largely a candidate for his well-being, will the prime minister offer stephen honeyman a posthumous apology to the commonwealth office for a formal response to his treatment while he worked there? >> how grateful i am to the honorable member for raising this case but i am afraid i don't know directly about the events she describes, it is very concerning and i will make sure she gets a meeting with the relevant minister as soon as possible. >> that's illegals prime minister's questions, those who wish to leave. we now -- can i say to the house i expect moderate and temperate language. as we come to the statement,

prime minister. >> thank you, mr. speaker. with permission i will make a statement. i am grateful to sue gray for her report and the work that she has done and i think the metropolitan police for completing their investigation and i want to begin by renewing my apology to the house and the whole country for the short lunch time gathering on june 19, 2020, in the cabinet room in which i stood at the cabinet table and received a penalty notice and i want to say above all i take full response ability for everything that took place on my watch. sue gray's reports emphasized it is up to the. leadership in number 10 to take responsibility and of course i do. but since these investigations have come to a end this is my

first opportunity to set out some of the content and explain both my understanding of what happened and also to explain what i previously said to this house and it is important to set out, over a period of 600 days, gatherings on a total of 8 days found in breach of the regulation, including the flats, it is important, the first time i had the chance to do that. hundreds of staff are entitled to work and in the cabinet office which has thousands of officials, the biggest it has been in any point in its history so the reason the government is looking for change and reform.

those staff working in downing street continued to attend their office for the purpose of work and the exemption of regulations apply to their work because of the nature of their jobs reporting directly to the prime minister, they were working their best to give the ability to fight the pandemic. it is important -- >> please just one second. i expect to be heard and i want everybody to hear it and the same respect to be shown the leader of the opposition "after words" so please this is a very important statement the country wants to hear. prime minister. >> i'm trying to set out the context, not to mitigate myself in any way.

the exemption includes those circumstances where officials were leaving the government and it was appropriate, the work that they have done. let me come to that. i attended gatherings to thank them, one of the essential duties. they feel their contributions have been appreciated and to keep morale as high as possible. it is clear from what sue gray had to say is that some of these gatherings went on far longer than was necessary and they were clearly in breach of the rules. i have to tell the house because the house will need to know this, not to mitigate or

extend your weight, i had no knowledge of subsequent proceedings because i simply wasn't there. i have been as surprised and disappointed as anybody in this house, as the revelations have unfolded and frankly, mr. speaker, i have been appalled by some of the behaviors in the treatment of the security and cleaning staff. i would like to apologize to members of staff and expect anyone who behaved in that way to apologize to them as well. and i am happy to set on the record now, when i said i came to this house and said in all sincerity the rules and guidance be followed at all times, it was what i believed to be true. it was certainly the case when i was present at gatherings to

which staff farewell and the house will note my attendance at these moments, brief as it was was not found to be outside the rules, this was not the case for gatherings after i had left and other gatherings when i was not in the building so i would like to the record to take this opportunity not in any sense to absolve myself of responsibility which i take and have always taken but explain why i spoke as i did in the house but in response to interim report, sue gray acknowledges changes have been enacted. she writes and i quote i am

pleased progress is being made by the issues i raise and changes to the organization in the cabinet office creating lines of leadership and accountability and these need a chance and time to fit in. the a permanent secretary charged with applying high standards of governance, there are easier ways to voice any worries and to welcome steps taken to introduce more easily accessible means to raise concerns electronically, in person, or online the permanent secretary. the senior management has changed. there is a new chief of staff, elected member of the house with the status of a cabinet

minister, a new director of communication and private secretary and key appointments in my office. i am confident with the changes in the structures that are in place, but we are humbled by the experience and we have learned our lesson. i want to conclude by saying that i am humbled and i have learned and i want to conclude by saying whatever the failings, we will come to that. whatever the failings of number 10 in the cabinet office it is difficult too which i take full responsibility and i continue

to believe the civil servants and advisors in question, hundreds of them, thousands of them, some are the very people who received fines, are good hard-working people motivated by the highest calling to do the best for our country and i will always be proud of what they achieved including procuring essential lifesaving ppe, the biggest testing program in europe and helping with develop and and distribution of the vaccine which got this country through the worst pandemic of the century. now we must get our country through the aftershocks of covid with every ounce of ingenuity and compassion and hard work. as well as learning the lessons from sue gray's report which i am glad i commissioned and i am grateful to her.

now that she has reported, we will be able to move on on the priorities of the british people. standing firm against russian aggression, hardship caused by rising costs people are facing, fulfilling pledges to generate a high wage, high employment economy across the whole of the united kingdom. that is the mission of the whole of the government and we will work day and night for delivery and i deliver this statement to the house. >> the leader of the opposition. >> the door of number 10 downing st. is a great symbol of our democracy. those who lived behind it exercise great power but do so

knowing their stay is temporary. long after that door of the democracy it represents will remain firm and unyielding but britain's constitution is fragile. it reminds members of this house and the custodians behaving responsibly, honestly, and in the interests of the british people. this house has 2 doubt. for months, members across the country were asked to wait first for the police investigation which concluded this prime minister is the first in our country's history to have broken the law in office. then they asked to the country to wait for the sue gray report. they need wait no longer. that report, the rot under this prime minister has spread enough and it provides

definitive proof of how those within the building treated the sacrifices of the british people with utter contempt. when the dust settles and anger subsides, a monument to the uber's and arrogance of a government. another role for everyone else. detailed, 5 months ago the prime minister told the house all guidance was completely followed in number 10. yet we now know he attended events on the seventeenth of december. at least one of those attending received a fine for it deeming it illegal, we know on the eighteenth of december an event was held in which excessively which others in the building described as a party, and cleaners were left to mop up the red wine the next day. on 20 may, at a covid press

conference, one of his senior officials was told the mindful, cameras are leaving, don't walk about waving duffels. is it impossible to defend the prime minister's words to this house? this is about trust because during the may 20th press conference, normal life as we know it is a long way off but that wasn't the case in number 10. even now after one hundred 26 fines, they think it is everyone else's fault but there is, they expect others to take the blame while they go on, they pretends the prime minister has been exonerated, as if the fact he only broke the law once is worthy of praise. the truth is they set the bar for his conduct lower than a

snake's belly and now they expect the rest of us to congratulate him, number 10 symbolizes the printable's of public life in this country, selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership but who could read this report and honestly believe the prime minister has upheld those standards? the reason the bridge public has had to endure this farce was his refusal to admit the truth or do the decent thing when he was found to have broken the law. this report was necessary because of what sue gray described as failure of leadership and judgment for which senior political leadership must bear responsibility. it is that failure of leadership left his government

paralyzed in the middle of a cost of living crisis, the government turned the focus of government to saving his own skin. it is utterly shameful. it is precisely because he cannot lead that it falls to others to do so. i have been clear what leadership looks like. i haven't broken any rules. and any attempt -- sorry. can i just calm it down? i expect the same of the leader of the opposition, those who don't wish, please go have a cup of tea or something. >> i have been clear what leadership looks like. i haven't broken any rules, and

any attempt to compare illegal take away while working to this catalog of criminality looks more ridiculous today but mr. speaker, if the police decide otherwise, i will do the decent thing and step down. the public need to know not all politicians are the same. not all politicians put themselves above their country, but honesty, integrity and accountability matter. members on the opposite benches also need to show leadership. this prime minister is steering the country in the wrong direction. they can hide in the back seat praying for a miracle or they can act, stop this out of touch, out of control prime minister from driving britain

towards disaster. we waited for the sue gray report. the country can't wait any longer, the values symbolized binder door number 10 must be restored and the opposite must do their bit, they must tell the current inhabitants their leader, that this has gone on too long, the game is up. you cannot be a lawmaker and a lawbreaker and it is time to -- only then can the government function again. only then can the rot be carved out, only then can we restore the dignity of that great office and the democracy that it represents. >> prime minister, the right honorable gentlemen talks about what went on on number 10 downing st. and the events behind that and

the number of events has what i want to say to him is throughout the pandemic was not leading many thousands in the fight against coronavirus and was sniping from the sidelines, veering from one position to the next. .. he could is shown some common sense, mr. speaker, and recognized so that when people are working very hard together day in, day out that it can be difficult to draw the boundaries, mr. speaker, between work and socializing. and yet after months of his

frankly sanctimonious obsession, mr. speaker, the great -- has been permanently punctured and irretrievably by the revelation that he is himself -- he's at listening -- he himself is under investigation by the police, by the police, mr. speaker. and yet, i'm not going to mince my words. i'm going to say this. currently failing told himself to the same high standards that he demanded of me. it's true. he called for me to resign, mr. speaker, when the investigation began. why is he in his place? [shouting] >> mr. holden, it's the second time, please, help me to help you because i'm sure you want to hear the rest of this.

prime minister. >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, he should at least, you should at least be consistent and told himself to the same standard. he's still there and so is the shadow deputy leader. and mr. speaker, i apologize when the revelations emerged. i continue to apologize. i repeat i am humbled by what has happened and we've instituted changes the route number ten that i think in view of the mess that he found himself in himself it would now be a sensible thing for him, , too, to apologize so that we could all collectively move on, mr. speaker. that i think is what the people of this country want to see above all. they want to see leadership from both parties, mr. speaker, in dealing with their priorities and that is why we are focused on getting through covid. that's what are proud of what we

did to rollout the process of vaccine campaign in europe and that's why i am proud we now have the lowest unemployment anywhere in this country for 50 years, mr. speaker. that is with the people of this country want. i appreciate that he has his points to make but i think overwhelmingly the will of this country is for us now to say thank you to sue gray and for us collectively to move on. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my right honorable friend well knows the rules apply to have as much to all of us, and the rules of this house are clear that anybody who comes to deliberately lies in this lead to this house should leave their position, resign or apologize. my right honorable friend has been asked many times about specific incidents come specific events that sue gray has

outlined. do you have an indication come to his house in response to specific questions about specific events and deliberately lie to us? >> no, mr. speaker, for the reason i have given. at the time i spoke to the south i believed that what i was doing was to attend work in events. and with the exception of the events in the cabinet room, that is a view that is been vindicated by the investigation. >> we now come to leader of the snp ian blackburn. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as i speak the public is pouring over the sordid details of what went on out of the public eyes behind a high gates and the walls of the prime minister's residents. it concludes, many gatherings and many individuals did not adhere to covid guidance. events were attended by leaders in governments and should not have been allowed to happen. junior civil servants believe

that involvement was permitted by the attendance of senior leaders. there was an unacceptable lack of respect and treatment of security including -- the senior leadership of the center both political and official must bear responsibility for this culture. that leadership came from the top, and the prime minister in the words of the report must bear responsibility for the culture. of fish rots from the head. mr. speaker, the prime minister's dispatch box to note of a party taking place in november is now proven to be untrue. he was there on the 30th of november photographed, raising a toast, surrounded by jen, wind, and others.

the charge of misleading parliament is a resignation matter. will the prime minister now finally resign? this prime minister has adopted a systematic conservative and sinister purpose. truthfulness, honesty and transparency did not enter his vocabulary. it is just not part of his way of being, and it speaks for the type of man that he is. credibility, truth, morality all matter. and the prime minister has been found lacking the time of the gentleman has expired again, and he can shake his head, but that's the reality, prime minister. ethics have to be part of our public life, and ethical behavior has to be at the core of the demeanor and the response of any prime minister. the prime minister brings shame on the office and has displayed

content not only to the members of this house, but to every single person who follow the rules. they stayed away from family, those who missed funerals, those who lost someone we love. so when the tory members opposite retired to the 1922 committee this evening, i hope they will bear in mind the now infamous government event with a desperately ill covid patient. it's sad. look into her eyes and tell her, you never bend the rules. if they don't submit a letter, if they don't remove this prime minister, how will they ever, ever look at their constituents in the i ever again? >> mr. speaker, i think that the right honorable gentleman should look closely at sue grays report and a repeat my thanks to her. i stress that the nature and

length of my involvement in the event is very clear from what she says, and i take full responsibility for what happened and that is why we have taken the steps that we have to reform and improve the way number ten works. we are humbled by what has happened and we have changed it. >> peter bone. >> thank you, mr. speaker. since i've been elected to the south i've been running a campaign for listening to what -- as you may recall on one occasion that group asked me to present a letter calling for a previous prime minister to resign. what they're telling me today, mr. speaker, is their concerns are the terrible war in ukraine. the illegal immigrants crossing the channel and the economy. and their message to the prime minister is to get on with the

job. does he agree with the listening to the campaign? >> i agree with him profoundly and passion, mr. speaker, and that is exactly what i am going to do. >> catherine works. >> thank you very muc h, mr. speaker. the prime minister said that on the 13th of november 2020 -- >> yuan yuan c-span2 we belie british house of commons at this time. a reminder you can see this week session again sunday night at nine eastern and pacific on c-span. >> c-span now is a free mobile app featuring your unfiltered view of what's happening in washington live and on-demand. keep up with the today's biggest events with live streams of four proceedings appearing some u.s. congress, white house events, the court, campaigns and more from the world of politics all at your fingertips. you can also stay current with the latest episodes of

"washington journal" and i'm scheduling information for c-span's tv networks and c-span radio app plus a variety of compiling podcasts. c-span now is available at the apple store and google play. downloaded for free today. c-span now, your front was he to washington anytime anywhere -- front row seat. >> now dr. anthony fauci and others testify on the president's 2023 budget request for the national institutes of health. this is about 90 minutes. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]