margaret macmillan. >> a day after tending the memorial service of the late nelson mandela, david cameron is back in the house of commons to take questions from members. in this wii's session, he spoke about britain's economy, cost of living standards and unemployment. he addressed the picture he took with a danish prime minister and president obama during the mandela memorial service. >> order, questions to the prime minister. thank you, mr. speaker. this morning, i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. i shall have further such meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. is the prime minister as concern

as we are on the side of the house that there has been a 42% increase in long-term unemployment among young women in this country under his watch? can he confirm that the reason why he doesn't support the it isgn is he believes providing jobs for the girls? >> what we have seen under this government is a quite rapid reduction in unemployment over recent months. one million more people in work than when i became prime minister. there is a lot more work to be done in terms of getting the long-term unemployed back into work. i think the work program is now performing twice as successfully as some of its previous programs. she should get behind those programs. joshua folks in my constituency died due to a knife attack.

the government have toughened up my flaws. what more can be done to rid the streets of this country of the carnage of knife attacks? >> my honorable friend makes a very good point. as he said, what we have done is tough and the law and i think that has made a difference. i think the most important thing now is to get rid of this dreadful culture of people carrying knives and educating young people of the dangers of carrying knives. knivesn those who carry and up being stabbed with them themselves. >> ed miliband. speaker, does the prime minister agree that given the crisis ordinary families are facing in their living standards, mps should not be awarded a pay rise in 2015? >> i do agree with them. it would be wrong for mps to get a pay rise at a time of paper

strength. all party leaders agree on that. we have made this point. i think we should be clear that what they have said is not a final recommendation. let me make three points. the idea of an 11% pay rise in one year at a time of pay restraint is i think unacceptable. do need to think again. unless they do so, no one will want to go back to mps voting on their own pay. we have to have a process and outcome that can build public confidence. third, i think this should all be accompanied with a cut in the cost of politics. >> ed miliband. >> i am glad he agrees. me thatalso agree with we should not let this hang around as an issue until after the general elections? me i urge him to work with

to find a way on a cross-party think againingipsa and stop this package happening. >> my door is always open to the right honorable gentleman. i am happy to discuss this or any other issue. i would stress the point that this is not a final recommendation and i think if the three party leaders and others in this house can unite behind the position of saying it wouldn't be right to make this pay rise, that i think that is the strongest message we can give. >> mr. ed miliband. >> mr. speaker, i agree with the prime minister but i hope he agrees with me that waiting and seeing won't work and we do have to get together to deal with this now. the reason why this is not the right time for this pay rise is because most people are going through the biggest cost-of- living crisis in a generation. i want to turn to that cost-of- living crisis. last thursday, the chancellor claimed living standards were rising. that is just not the case?

point.me just add one the government has shown respect for the fact of difficulties people face by the fact that when we came in, we cut ministers' pay by five percent and froze it for the whole of the parliament. that is not something that the party opposite did. he wants to get on to the economy. after last week's exchange, i can't wait to get on to the economy. new -- i amd a looking forward to discussing these things. i thought the institute of fiscal studies put this for a clearly. they said, we have had a great big recession. we have had the biggest recession we have had in 100 years. it would be astonishing if household incomes hadn't fallen and earnings hadn't fallen but the fact is that is the legacy of what they left us.

his entire approach seems to be this -- we made the most almighty mess, why are you taking so long to clear it up? we are clearing it up. he hasspeaker, in case forgotten, he has been the prime minister for 3.5 years. but i think we are making because last thursday -- i think we are. last thursday, the chancellor said that living standards were rising. his own office of budget responsibility says this, almost whichever way you look at it, average earnings, wages, salaries, the levels have been falling. >> order. you are yelling across the chamber. quiet. calm yourself. take up yoga. mr. ed miliband. >> they went on.

it is inconceivable to suggest otherwise but that is exactly what the chancellor did last thursday. why won't he come out and admit it? there is a cost-of-living crisis in this country. >> you're being heckled from your own site. know how you're going to give us all in order, mr. speaker. i will tell him what has been happening over the three years. we have got the deficit down by a third. we have a million more people in work. 400,000 more businesses operating in britain and one of the fastest rates of growth of any major western economy. the truth about living standards is this, if you don't have a long-term economic plan to get our economy moving, you don't have a plan to deal with living standards. we have a plan. our plan is to keep interest rates low, get the country back to work, cut people's taxes, vista business. it is working.

he doesn't have a plan as we discovered last week apart from more borrowing, more spending, more taxes, all the things that got us into the mess in the first place. >> utterly complacent and out of touch with the country. that is this prime minister all over. let's be fair to him. he does understand that some people are struggling because today we learn that his plan to top rate of tax further from 45 pence to 40 pence. can he explain why is even contemplating a further tax cut for millionaires who have received hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax cuts when ordinary families are so squeezed? rate of tax under this government is higher than any of the times he was in the cabinet or he was working in the treasury trying to wreck the

economy in the first place. if he wants to talk cost-of- living, let us compare our records. they doubled cancel tax. we have frozen it. they put up natural tax 12 times. we have frozen it. we have increased the pension by 15 pounds a week. i am happy to compare our records any time of day. if you want to sort out the cost-of-living, help families, you need more jobs, you need more growth, more long-term economic plans. we have got one. he hasn't. >> i will tell him what happened. --ill tell him what happened >> order. vendors can calm down. i have said it before, some people are slow learners. , we wills it takes just keep going. ed miliband. >> i will tell him what happened. real earnings went up 3600

pounds. living standards up. under him, they are down 1600 pounds. living standards down under this government. we have always known how out of touch he is. he has taken it to whole new levels. they are in denial about the cost-of-living crisis and they are not that is fine with one million our tax cut. i think it is time for another. he stands up for the wrong people. >> oh dear me. at the end of six questions, we are back to denial and the record of the last labor government. i know i have long flight, but i couldn't have written the script better if i had done it myself. the last government give us the biggest budget deficit anywhere in the world. they gave us the biggest banking bust anywhere in the world. they gave us -- they created a giant mass that this government is clearing up. that is the truth. autumn statement, why can't he mention the fact that business optimism is up? manufacturing is up.

the number of job makers is up. >> thank you, mr. speaker. unemployment in my constituency is 21% lower than it was -- we have had a 90% increase in apprenticeship startups, manufacturing output is up and business activity is at a 32- month high in the west midlands. would the prime minister agree with me that due to the hard work of my constituents and people across the country, the government's long-term economic plan is working and delivering benefits to every region of the united kingdom? >> my honorable friend is right. which duringands, the boom years, the number of people employed in the private sector employed went down, but

now we are seeing better news. employment is up 25,000 since the election. private sector employment is up 14,000 this year. the youth claimant count is falling in the west midlands. i know how much time and effort he puts into things like the apprenticeship fair that he held earlier this year. that shows that the long-term plan we have is the right plan and it is beginning to work. >> mr. speaker, what the prime minister have to say to women working full-time across this country who have seen their disposable incomes fall on average by almost 2500 pounds since his government came to office? welcome that there are more women in work than at any time in our history. the second thing to say is that because we are lifting the first 10,000 pounds that people earn out of income tax, they will be better off by 705 pounds next year. that is progress. if he is saying, does it take time to recover from the mess

left by his party? yes it does. we are going to do it. >> mr. speaker, dementia is a disease most feared by the over 50's in this country. the government is doubling investment in dementia research during this parliament and the prime minister hosting the g8 summit on dementia this week, will he now lift the country's and government's sites by committing to doubling this country's investment in dementia research? >> i am grateful to what he said. he is right that this is the real challenge facing not just this country where there are 670,000 people suffering from dementia, but a challenge facing the whole world. that is why we are having this g8 conference in london so we can share intelligence and expertise. we can share scientific research and learn lessons from each other. yes, this government is planning to double research into dementia up to 2015 and we plan to double it again thereafter.

that the implementation of the universal credit has become a shambles, how can the public have confidence in those who are responsible for it? >> first of all, i think it is absolutely right that we introduce this benefit system in a very slow and deliberate way. frankly, i remember as a constituent sitting in my surgery when the tax credit system came in in one big bang, having case after case with people's household finances completely wrecked at the last labor government. i won't let that happen again. as we introduce this vital benefit, let us remember the fact that there are 480,000 fewer people on out of work benefits and it is this government that is making work pay. >> does my right honorable friend agree with me that the best way to raise living standards of my constituents is for the government to stick to its long-term plan to rebuild this economy and not abandon it

in favor of more borrowing them a taxes as proposed by the party opposite? >> my honorable friend is entirely right. the biggest hit would be if we let spending and borrowing get out of control and interest rates went up. that is what we want to avoid. we have got the deficit down. we must continue with our difficult lending decisions. has enabled us to cut taxes on people working and living in belton. by next year, people on minimum wage working full-time will see their income tax bill come down by two thirds. that is real action on the side of people who work hard. awarethe prime minister that ftse 100 directors now get 86,000 pounds a week on average while at the other end of the scale, 5 million workers get and than the living wage three quarters of a million

people who can't get a job get nothing at all and are left to starve? is there no end to the brutality and nastiness of tory britain? >> i would say to the honorable gentleman, who served in labor government after labor government with a 40 pence tax rate when it is now 45 pence, with a bonus financer in the city 85 times higher in the city than it is now? he has got a brass neck. >> thank you, mr. speaker. show that the second largest pub committee in this country, in their pubs overcharged the british consumer -- 4.3 alone by four billion pounds over the next 10 years. there is clear market manipulation. will he commit to dealing with this crony capitalism and listen

to the federation of small businesses? know of his long-standing interest not just in beer, but in pubs and how pub landlords are treated particularly in the pub companies. let me look very carefully at what he said. i am a great believer in a healthy pub industry. they're often the heart of our communities. mr. speaker, during his autumn statement, the chancellor said that people should expect to spend one third of their of the life and retirement. considering that life expectancy in some communities is only 75, what does he think would be a fair retirement age in a welsh context? wax the point the chancellor was making is that this should be set independently, but it is right to set a guide to set and expectations rather than have ministers announce what retirement age should be.

honorablethe gentleman is making that we need to tackle health inequality is better in our country. i would agree with him. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, stan franks recently passed away. for 31 missions, a staggering achievement for such a young man. will my honorable friend congratulate the efforts of the funds toon for raising ensure that his passing is marked appropriately? >> i certainly praise all those who raised money in this way. the story of stan franks is a truly remarkable one. he is believed to be the youngest air man to complete over 30 missions in 1934 -- 1944 to 45 before he was 20 years

old. it is a real reminder just how much previous generations put in to make sure that we could live in freedom. it has been one of the greatest privileges i have had to welcome veterans to number 10 downing street and make that announcement about making sure they have that clasp on their metal -- medal. the fighters are ourselves asian but the bombers alone provide the means of victory. we should never forget those brave crews in bomber command. so many are coming to the end of their lives but did so much for our country. harris.r [laughter] >> a great start. i thank the prime minister for saving my marriage? [laughter] carolyn was just about to sign the divorce papers when she heard the report that if we stayed together we would be in line for a sweet 150 pound a

year takes -- tax break. marriage must be underpinned by the tax system. why is it that since the married persons tax allowance was abolished in 2000, the divorce rate has gone down? [laughter] that happinessed is maintained in the harris household. i could put it another way. it was only when i started talking about the married couples allowance that the leader of the opposition tied the knot. the tax system moves in mysterious ways. [laughter] in light of the call by the leader of the opposition for urgent action in response to it 's proposal, will my right honorable friend read table the report which would pay for an increase and increase the workload of mps?

it would surely be hipper critical for the leader of the opposition or the leader of the liberal democrats to oppose that measure. >> my right honorable friend is tempting me. the point i was trying to make is i think that cutting the cost of politics has a role to play alongside this argument. >> order. numbers must not shout at that prime minister. it is discourteous to keep gesticulating at the man. >> it is no good. they have the opportunity to reform the law and they were the ones that stop it. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the prime minister says that the g8 and his attendants at the advertisedconference his commitment to northern ireland and the economy.

whitehall is busy removing jobs from northern ireland. how does the removal of jobs at contribute tond balancing the economy in northern ireland and balancing that region? >> i quite understand why the gentleman makes the point he does. secretary will be meeting with him to talk about the issues. noted, the department of transport are still considering the results of this consultation. employment in northern ireland has actually risen 32,000 since the election. i think he knows as i know that the long-term answer for northern ireland is a private sector revival. the public sector is very large in northern ireland and we need more small and medium-sized enterprises. we need those jobs to come which is what the g8 and investment

conference were all about. >> my constituent who has recently completed the national citizen service program visited my surgery on saturday with lisa farrell to let me know just how much the program had given him personal confidence and a clear sense of what he wished to do with his future. what plans does my right honorable friend have or enabling as many young people as possible to take part in this transformative program? >> i am grateful for what my honorable friend says. it is a transformative program. 66,000 young people have already been through it since 2010. it now forms part of what prince charles wants to see in terms of a decade where we encourage volunteering and try to get 50% of all those young people who take part in volunteering. i have members on all sides of the house having a similar

experience of people stopping them and talking about ncs and what it is done for young people and their confidence. it is a good program and i am delighted it has got all party support. minister is prime trying to come over all family- friendly, can he confirm if maternity and paternity pay will be included in the benefits cap announced in the autumn statement? announced,hancellor what is out of the benefit cap is the basic state pension. on all other welfare spending, what we have to do is ensure we are distributing properly between the different sorts of welfare. >> 330 new jobs were created in my constituency in the last three months alone. i expect many more new jobs to be created over the next few months. particularly as housing and construction projects accelerate.

would my honorable friend agree that it is important that young people don't get left behind and abolishing the jobs tax on young people aged under 21 shows the government is serious about tackling youth unemployment? >> i am grateful for what my right honorable friend says. as the economy recovers, it is absolutely vital that it is a recovery for all. north and south, young and old. there is always a danger with an economy that young people who aren't in the workforce are locked out of it and that is why i think the change that the chancellor announced about abolishing the jobs tax on those young people to make it cheaper for employers to take them on, can have a real impact in making sure young people can participate in our growing economy. that work andact pensions secretary was left alone on his bench as when he made the statement on universal credit, has the prime minister still got confidence in the universal benefit changes?

think the pension secretary has probably done more than anyone else in british to transform the debate about welfare. that is what is happening because of the dedication he has put into the issue. we see fewer people out of work. lessee the number of work household at its lowest. the system includes the benefit cap that labor voted against. that is making work pay and we should be proud of that work. does the prime minister agree with me that in the long term, the best plan to improve the living standards of my hard- working constituents is to continue to cut their income tax , which can only be achieved by a growing economy, the government cutting spending so our country lives within its

means, and doesn't have to borrow every month to pay its bills? >> my honorable friend makes a very important point. you can talk all you like about how you want to help people with your living standards, keep their tax -- isn't it extraordinary, the shadow chancellor after last week is at it again, heckling again? we learned something last week. he can dish it out, but he can't take it. oh! i tell you what is going down, his career is going down. if youple point of this, want to get people's taxes down, you have got to make difficult decisions about spending. that is what we have done. that is why we are able to cut taxes. >> in towns across the united , there are parents in

deep despair because they cannot afford a decent christmas for their children. why is that? is happening in our country is we are recovering from the longest and most of the recession that we have had in living memory. it takes time. what we see is a million more people in work. that is a positive development. we see 400,000 more businesses in our country operating. rate in ourwth country which is now the second highest of any major western economy. the job isn't done yet. it isn't halfway done yet. we need a long-term economic plan which is absolutely what we are dedicated to delivering. we would get nowhere if the first thing we did was increase spending, increase borrowing, increase taxes, all the things that got this country into it a mess in the first place. aerospace have 1000 221entices at any one time,

in the ribble valley and neighboring lancashire. what can he do to encourage other firms to follow the excellent example of british aerospace and take on more apprentices, particularly in engineering and sciences? that would encourage more youngsters to study those subjects in schools and universities. >> i have seen with my own eyes what they do in terms of apprenticeships including higher-level apprenticeships and it is extremely impressive. we have to take action at every level, make sure young people are studying science and math sub stacks -- subjects. we have to make sure setting of apprenticeships is simpler, less expensive. we need a culture where companies want to get involved in this program. we also need to attract more investment to our shores. that is why it is good news that 200 millionuncing invested in our country. lifeside engineering,

sciences is an area where britain can win in the global race. when the house debated syria in late august, the estimate of bed in the conflict was around 100,000. just over three months later, the estimate is over 120,000. we cannot allow this to become a conflict in a faraway land that we don't know anything about. is it not time for the government to urge greater action by the international community and show that we do care about the suffering of the syrian people. tax i agree with the honorable lady. i believe that britain should be fully engaged to try to bring those involved in this dreadful war to the negotiating table in terms of the geneva process. at the same time, we must continue with the work we are doing on humanitarian aid to help those who are suffering because of this conflict. we should also continue to work

with all those in syria want a free and democratic future. we mustn't allow this argument to develop that the only opposition in area is an extremist opposition. that will only become the case if we stop working with those who care about democracy in the future. employment is up. small business number's are up largely due to the impact of the expanding airport. i know the prime minister is probably a bit sick of airports having just come back from one, but would he consider coming to south bend airport to celebrate the success? all icee to buy them cream on the sea front. >> who could resist the idea of an essex style celebration in the new year? let me find out more about what it involves before i commit. we should not underestimate the

importance of airports and driving regional growth. >> despite this government are savage cuts, next year liverpool will host the international festival of business. why won't the prime minister commit to attending the event? the same level of support that boris would enjoy is afforded to the mayor of liverpool? -- that despite a short sleep over in london, the beatles are and always will be made in liverpool. >> having happily visited the beatles museum, i can actually confirm what he says. in terms of the mayor of liverpool, i have never had any problem working with them and enjoyed appearing on a platform the him to advertise brilliance of that city and i will continue to cooperate with him with all the work that he is doing to attract investment into the city. abolishing roaming charges is one of the big wins

for british consumers we might get for remaining within the european union. as the prime minister discussed international phone usage with any other european heads of government and the last day or so? >> you could say in a roundabout way. defense you should remember that television cameras are always on. i would say that nelson mandela played an extra ordinary role in his life and in his death in planing -- bringing people together. when a member of the family asked me for a photograph, i thought it was only polite to say yes. [laughter] >> order. watching primen minister's questions from the british house of commons. question time airs live on c- span 2 every wednesday. again on sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. you can watch it anytime online at c-span.org.

>> i wish you both a very happy christmas and a prosperous new year. >> it is a pleasure to meet you, mr. santa claus. would you mind autographing some of the christmas seals as a special favor for santa claus? >> i should be delighted. it is one of the things that i do best. [laughter] >> my father santa claus gave it to me. >> it has got some of the dogs hair in it. >> first ladies' influence and image, season two. this week, edith roosevelt to grace coolidge on c-span.

>> coming up next, a discussion about the recent budget deal in congress and what it might mean for other bipartisan efforts. after that, q&a with margaret mcmillan talking about her latest book on the first world war. then, british prime minister david cameron taking questions from the house of commons. >> next, the university of minnesota hosting an event with two former u.s. representatives talking about the budget plan in congress and what it could mean for future deals. this event occurred one day before the house voted in favor of the budget deal. the senate will be voting on the legislation this coming week. >> good afternoon. i would like to welcome you to the university of minnesota.