legal consultants. >> this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. i shall have further such meetings later today. >> jonathan edwards. edwards. >> the prime minister will be a -- [inaudible] the impression that significant political negotiations can

help -- [inaudible] large party donors from being nominated for a period of five years. >> mr. speaker, i will study his proposal with care. when the parties opposite commit to stop taking funds from the union -- knox. [inaudible conversations] >> mr. speaker, during the recent visit to barden hospital, i was told the a&e there is routinely seeing twice the number of people for which it was designed. the nhs is seeing more patients and delivering more treatments and operations than at any time in its history. what is the government doing to tackle --

[inaudible] health care and a tough winter ahead in. >> i thank my right honorable friend, and i thank them, nhs doctors and the amazing work that they're doing. but supporting them by recruiting, as you know, 60,000 more nurses, putting another 4.5 billion pounds into the nhs for the rest of the financial year, and the best thing we can do is everybody come forward and get their booster vaccination. >> we now come to the leader of the opposition, kier starmer. >> thank you, mr. speaker. trust matters, and the prime minister's got a lot of work to do. a central plank in this government's poms to the north of england -- promise to the north of england is a cross-rail of the north with at least an entirely new high-speed rail line between manchester and

leeds. an entirely new line. that is the promise. it's already been made, so i don't want the prime minister waiting until tomorrow. he can say today, will he stick by that promise, yes or no? >> prime minister? >> he should wait and see what -- [inaudible conversations] we will introduce a fantastic, integrated rail -- [inaudible] >> order. if you don't want to listen, let me know. i do, and i cannot hear when you all shout together. we want better politics, i expect better politics from both sides. let's show a bit more decorum than we're seeing at the moment.

mr. speaker. >> when we introduce our plan tomorrow, people across the country will see what we are doing to make life easier and better for people in the northeast, in the northwest, in the midlands, across the whole of the country, and with the biggest investment in rail for a century, mr. speaker. for a century. and what we are doing, mr. speaker, is we are giving people in those communities the same access to commuter-type services that people in the southeast of this country have had for more than a century, and that is going to be leveling up across the whole of the country. >> mr. speaker, that was a lot of words -- [laughter] but it wasn't a yes. so that's why they call it a promise that he won't stand by. let's look at another. in february of this year, the prime minister told this house i can certainly confirm that we are going to develop the eastern

leg as well as the whole of hs2, the whole of hs2, a new high-speed line running continuously, no gaps, between birmingham and leeds. so will the prime minister stand by that promise in. >> i'm afraid of my right honorable gentleman getting points on his cards. wait and see, mr. speaker, what we announce tomorrow, because i think he will fine the people of the northeast, the people of northwest, the people of leeds, the people of sheffield, the people of the northwest and the whole of this country will benefit massively from what we are going to announce. >> again, mr. speaker, a lot of words but not a yes. that's two important promises to the north that he won't stand by. no wonder trust in the prime minister is at an all-time low. across the country and belatedly across this house there is now

agreement that owen patterson broke the rules and that the government should not have tried to let him off the hook. many members opposite have apologized. the business secretary has a apologized for his part. the leader of the house has apologized for his part. but they were following the prime minister's lead. so will he do the decency of just saying sorry for trying to green light to corruption. >> mr. speaker, as i said before, it certainly was a mistake -- [inaudible] no matter how sad the principle at stake, and we do need, we do need a cross-party approach on the appeals process. we also need, mr. speaker, a cross-party approach on the way forward, and that's why we've tabled the proposals that we have to take forward the reports of the independent committees of

2018 with those two key principles that everybody in this house should focus on their job here in this house. and secondly, no one should exploit their position in order to advance the commercial interest of anybody else. that's our position, mr. speaker. we will take -- [inaudible] in the meantime, perhaps he could clear up from his proposal whether he would continue to be able to take money as he did from -- [inaudible] [inaudible conversations] >> order, order. prime minister, prime minister, as you know, and i do remind you, it's prime minister's questions, not leader of the opposition's questions. keir is starmer. >> that's not an apology. everybody else has apologized for him, but he won't apologize for himself. a coward, not a leader. weak.

weak. weak. weak defensing corruption. yesterday a screeching, last minute u-turn to i avoid defeat on labour's plan to ban -- [inaudible] from contracts. but waving one white flag won't be enough to restore the trust, and there are plenty of opposition days to come. and we will not let the prime minister water down proposals or pretend that it's job done. we still haven't shut the door on the reinvolving door where ministers are regular rating a company one minute and working for them the next. there are plenty of cases that still stain this house. there are two simple steps to sorting it out. proper independence and power for the business appointments and banning these job swaps. will the prime minister take those steps? >> prime minister. >> mr. speaker, as you know, i've called for a cross-party

approach. and what i think we need, what i think we need to do is to work together on the basis of the independent report by the -- [inaudible] to take things forward. and we need to address the appeals process. but i want everybody to see, mr. speaker, in a loyal way, the right honorable gentleman is now trying to prosecute others for exactly the course of action that he took himself. and what i think the nation wants, who paid the 25,000? [inaudible conversations] >> prime minister, i made it very clear, it is the prime minister's questions, it's not the opposition to answer your questions. whether we like it or not, those are the rules we are all into,

and we play by the rules -- [inaudible conversations] >> mr. speaker, that newfound commitment for holding standards didn't last long. mr. speaker, here's the difference. when somebody in my party misbehaves, i kick them out. [cheers and applause] when somebody, when -- >> order. this is not good. we lost a dear friend. i want to show that this house has learned from it. i don't want each other, i don't want each other to be shouted down. i want questions to be respected, i expect the public to actually be able to hear the questions and the answers because i'm struggling. i need no more. keir starmer. >> when somebody in my party misbehaves, i kick them out.

when somebody in his party misbehaves, he covers up. let's try another issue. we know that owen patterson was a paid -- [inaudible] we know that he sat in on a call between randolph's and the minister responsible for handling health contracts. we know that randolph's has been awarded government contracts worth almost 600 million pounds without opposition or tender. against that backdrop, the public are concerned that taxpayers' money may have been influenced by paid lobbyists. there's only one way to get to the bottom of this, a full, transparent investigation. if he votes on labour's motion this afternoon, that investigation can start. will he vote for it or will he vote for another cover-up? >> prime minister. >> i'm very happy to publish all the details to have the randolph

contract which -- [inaudible] since we're talking of cover-ups, i'm sorry, mr. speaker, but we still have not herald why the honorable gentleman -- heard -- >> prime minister, prime minister, i'm not going to be challenged. i'm in charge. [cheers and applause] >> mr. speaker, i think the prime minister just said he'd be happy to publish all the randolph pawners and contract -- papers and contracts, and we'll take that. when i was -- [inaudible] he was being investigated by every organization he's ever been elected to. that's the difference. [laughter] millions of pounce of taxpayers' -- pounds of taxpayers' money, one lobbyist

not even bothering to turn up. and the prime minister somehow expects us to believe that he's the man to clean up westminster? he led his troops through the sewers to cover up for corruption, and he can't even -- [inaudible] the truth is the bluster, he still thinks it's one rule for him and another -- [inaudible conversations] at the same time, they're rolling back on the promises they made to the north. and it's working people who are paying a price. is it any wonder the people are beginning to think that the joke isn't funny anymore? [cheers and applause] >> prime minister. >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, in his claim, the right honorable gentleman seeks to criticize this government while refusing to explain his own position. you ruled on that, mr. speaker.

i hear you, i hear you. but his conduct, mr. speaker, is absolutely -- [inaudible conversations] his own misconduct is absolutely clear, and we've tried, mr. speaker, we will get on on a cross-party basis with taking forward the business that i've outlined, and we will get on with the business of this government which is leading the -- >> order, order. prime minister. if he's correct, it was about the leader of the opposition. we cannot -- [inaudible] just before the lead every of the house, i cannot hear. if it was said, i want it withdrawn. if it wasn't -- [inaudible conversations] >> prime minister. >> mr. speaker, i referred to the right honorable gentleman's

misconduct. >> order. i don't think this is doing this house any good today. i'll be quite honest, i think it's been, i think it's been ill-tempered. i think it shows the public that this house has not learned from the other week. i need this house to gain respect, but it starts by individuals showing respect to each other. right, let's go to james grundy. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the people of l are -- leeds have never accepted our false merrier with the false rivals -- [inaudible] could the prime minister tell me how we could escape the big

government by getting out and canceling that? >> prime minister. >> i thank my honorable friend. i thank hill for his campaign against local labour government over taxing and delivering inadequate services. the local boundary commission will look at the boundaries, but in the meantime the, i will support him in any way that i can. >> we now go to the leader of -- [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. it used to always be said that the -- behind the prime minister but, my goodness, look at the gaps -- [inaudible conversations] mr. speaker, the -- has clearly started. mr. speaker, this torrey scandal has now been heading the headlines for the 14 days, and yet it's pretty obvious that the prime minister spent less than 10 minutes coming upped

yesterday's half-hearted, half-baked proposals. these so-called reforms don't even scratch the surface. this sleaze scandal runs far, far deeper. month after month the public has witnessed scandal after scandal. getting covid contracts, dodging the -- [inaudible] for luxury holidays. the prime minister and his government have been up to their necks in sleaze. can the prime minister tell us exactly which one, which one of these scandals and proposals would have stopped in. >> mr. speaker, i thank the humble -- [inaudible] for his question. and i'll just say, i will just say what i think he can do is pursue a cross-party approach

based on the report of the independent committee on standards in public life which is much of -- and it shows amongst other things that it's important -- should be augmented with outside experience of the world. it's important for members of this house -- [inaudible] with the private sector as he does. and i think on a cross-party basis, we should proceed with the reports that i've anticipated. >> ian blackwell. >> thank you, mr. speaker. of course, this is about torrey corruption. and the prime minister has basically admitted that not one of this government's sleaze scandal would have been stopped by his so-called plan. and perhaps we shouldn't be surprised considering the prime minister has been at the rotten core of all the scandals. it all leads back to the funding of concern. [inaudible] 2010. 2010, mr. speaker, the torrey

party has made nine, nine of its former treasuries members of the house of lords. every single one of them has something in common. they have handed over 3 million pounds to the prime minister's party. that is the very definition of corruption. it is the public deaf decision of corruption -- definition of corruption. will this government finally say that it's corruption, or is the prime minister the only person in the country who can argue that it's all one big coincidence? >> prime minister. >> mr. speaker, i have to say that i won't comment on the missing 600,000 pounds -- [inaudible conversations] but i do say, mr. speaker, in all sincerity and heeding what you said earlier on, i think these constant attacks on the u.k.'s level of corruption do a

massive disservice, do a massive disservice to billions of people around the world who genuinely suffer from governments who are corrupt, who general -- this is one of the cleanest democracies in the world, and people should be proud of it. >> [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. would the prime minister join me in celebrating the 50th anniversary this year of the formation of the 177-mile -- [inaudible] which runs through lewistown? given the -- [inaudible] to repair and preserve monument and nature reserve for future generationsesome. >> prime minister. >> mr. speaker, i had the good fortune to walk on this site very recently, and i'm delighted that establish and welsh organizations are working together to protect man tsaic -- fantastic national monument,

almost 300,000 pounds more. >> [inaudible] >> mr. speaker, average response times are now the worst ever. people are waiting for ambulances longer than ever. and with a&e in crisis, patients are stuck in ambulances outside hospitals longer than ever. wait times aren't statistics, they are people, people often in great pain and in danger. so why is this government closing ambulance stations in parts of our country? why is the -- ambulance service closing up to ten community ambulance stations with a health i crisis and in our a&es? injured, sick and elderly people are being hit. when will the prime minister deal with this health crisis? prime minister. >> mr. speaker, i appreciate -- the. [inaudible] doing an amazing job,

particularly at this time of year, and i thank them for what they're doing. we are supporting them with more cash, another 450million was a awarded to upgrade facilities, and as he knows, we're looking at another 36 billion to deal with the backlog that is affecting the nhs so badly at the moment. which i don't think he supported. >> [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. domestic heating is now 30% of u.k. carbon initiatives, and -- [inaudible] to replace with environmentally-friendly alternatives, but now we're building more homes than we have for many, many years. can we build upon the success of cop26 and what is the progress that's being made on the standards for new built homes to make sure that our new homes are fit for the futuresome. >> prime minister. >> i thank my honorable friend. he's totally right to focus on

the issue of future-proofing homes and making them low carbon, and by 2025 our future homes standard will insure that new homes produce at least 75% fewer co2 emissions. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we're horrified to hear about the massive abuse -- [inaudible] have been experiencing. there were those -- and this is not helped by the prime minister announcing an appointment whilst he has still failed to recruit 6,000 -- [inaudible] so will the prime minister apologize to the gps and their staff who are on the front line working under ever-increasing pressure and -- [inaudible] >> well, first of all, i want to thank gps for everything they're doing particularly during the booster rollout.

what we're also doing is recruiting as many gps as we can, we have 10,000 more nurses this year than last year, 25,000 more health care professionals. there are more people, mr. speaker, working at the nhs than anytime in its history and because of the extra 36 billion we're putting in, there will be even more. and i'm afraid -- [inaudible] >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. following on from cop26, maximizing carbon capture and storage capacity across the whole -- [inaudible] is a priority for this government and, i mean, despite the doom and gloom and the projection -- [inaudible conversations] the party opposite -- my constituency have a key role to play in this country's future carbon capture storage --

[inaudible] >> i thank my right honorable friend. he's quite right to champion carbon capture and storage which has a great future. in spite of all the -- [inaudible] as the party opposition, the scottish cluster remains on the reserve, and we will continue the studies, and we hope to bring it forward in due time. >> [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. the river thames with its world-renowned offshore -- have been repeatedly sidelined by government despite -- [inaudible] for investment that would massively increase employment opportunities and help u.k. transition connect zero. however, mr. speaker, i'm very excited to say our voice is now being magnified by a new -- [inaudible] headed by the local authority, the port, businesses and the combined authority. so the prime prime minister herd now commit his government to

work with us to realize the potential of our great river in. >> prime minister. >> i thank the honorable lady for her question, and she's absolutely right that the river is a massive economic asset for the whole of the northeast. it has suffered from historic contamination, but we're going to work with the northeast local enterprise partnership to invest another 6 million pounds to help clear plans for sustainable economic growth along the whole of the estuary. >> [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. my constituency was one of the most negatively affected by the covid-19 pandemic, but thanks to significant support from this government, we have seen recovery. unemployment's now beginning to come down, and we look to a confident future. in that vein, will my right honorable friend please look favorably on crawley's platinum jubilee -- [inaudible] >> prime minister.

>> well, i'm very grateful to my honorable friend. i'm totally unaware that crawley was going to become a city, but i will look at it very carefully, mr. speaker -- [laughter] and i'm sure there's an excellent case, mr. speaker. >> [inaudible] >> thank you. [inaudible] in the u.k. that's -- [inaudible] cross-party in the house so rather than wait -- [inaudible] will the prime minister -- [inaudible] won't have to choose between -- [inaudible] >> i thank the honorable gentleman. i know he's a passionate campaigner in this area, and one way or another i'll get back to

him on the exact way, mr. speaker, we will legislate for our parents and children in neo-natal care to take extended lead during the most stressful days of their lives. >> thank you, mr. speaker. further education colleges -- will play a central part in building back better. our courses have divert for business management as well as new sea level courses, so i can i invite my right honorable friend -- [inaudible] come and see the very fam buoyant a flamingo? >> i thank hill for his kind -- him for his kind invitation, we'll keep it in mind. and the government is committed to sea levels, and that that's why we've put forward 65 million to develop teacher retention and

support the recruitment for teachers. i will -- are they wild in i will -- [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. my constituents have told me that -- [inaudible] it hurts because there have been no -- service and the thousands of men involved in nuclear weapons tests between 1952 and 1991. it hurts because studies of such veterans have shown increased miscarriages, increased birth defects and the same rate of genetic damage as chernobyl. and it hurts because the u.k. is the only nuclear power on everett -- earth who has denied restitution. i ask the prime minister, will he recognize nuclear testing veterans today and agree to meet with them?

>> prime minister. >> i thank the honorable lady for bringing it to my attention, and i will make sure we get a proper meeting with the relatives of the nuclear veterans that he raises. >> [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. when i was in greece with save the children, i learned that change at any border was quickly communicated town the line. down the line. if migrants and asylum seekers knew that they would be directly returned to france or taken to a third country pending application, if they knew this, would they risk a dangerous and illegal crossing and make their way in the first place in can i ask my right honorable friend what further measures are being considered? because this is an issue of great concern along the coastal country, and i'm anxious to be able to reahire my

constituents -- reassure my constituents that there are plans ahead. >> mr. prime minister. >> i thank -- [inaudible] our new plan for immigration, and that will be made possible with our new nationality and borders bill which will make it possible to distinguish between those who come here legally and those who come here illegally, mr. speaker. and i hope very much that it command the support of the whole house. >> [inaudible] >> thank you, mr. speaker. part of the station in my constituency collapsed in may. build back better to allow access to people with disabilities. he decline my kind offer. i'll ask the prime minister to intervene. build back better are fairer, norwood station, it's in the north of england.

>> prime minister. >> well, i ask the honorable gentleman to look and see what we do tomorrow for funding, i will certainly look at what he has to say about the station can with keen interest. >> [inaudible] >> over 4,200 servicewomen and veterans contribute -- [inaudible] women in the armed forces. a formal response is still awaded. -- awaited. whilst the majority of women enjoy a career in the military, shocking -- [inaudible] i know that the prime minister will agree that our -- [inaudible] the best in the world. we need to make hire the british army is the best place the serve as a woman. >> prime minister. >> i thank my honorable friend, and she's campaigning on a very, very important issue. i think too often we find that our armed forces fail to provide

the wonderful women in our armed forces with the support that they deserve, and that's why i'm pleased that my defense secretary has secured a parliamentary inquiry into this for the fest time. and it's vital that we support and seven courage women in our -- serve our women in our armed forces. >> thank you, mr. speaker. businesses across northern ireland -- [inaudible] 50 million pounds -- [inaudible] lord frost -- [inaudible] when will the prime minister fix article 16. >> prime minister. >> i thank the honorable gentleman, and i think the word in his question is legitimately. there is no question that the use of article 16 which, after all, has been done by the e.u. commission to stop vaccines being --

[inaudible] in this country is something that is illegal within the bounds of the protocol. >> jen thomas. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. i recently visited -- [inaudible] what is the government doing to engage children and students from all backgrounds toen encourage them to inspire them to become an mp and even the prime minister in. >> prime minister. >> my honorable friend -- nothing that is said or that takes place in this house, i know none of the rep party, the the occasional abuse to which we subject each other should seek to dissuade anybody. it is a privilege, and we are all very lucky to be here. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in my constituency of

edinborough, numerous people coming to us with delayed dwps in pension if benefits -- and benefits and the delays others are facing over passports and -- [inaudible] can the prime minister tell us amongst the many jobs being done at the moment, who is making sure the department of government are running smoothly and quickly? >> prime minister. >> i think, actually, that the department welcomed pensions under my right honorable friend, the secretary of state -- [inaudible] has performed miracles. amongst what it has achieved, mr. speaker, is to help to get millions of people effectively back into employment in spite of all the difficulties we have faced. we now have unemployment running at virtual record lows despite all the difficulties we faced in this pandemic, and that is largely due to the work of dwp.

of course, there's more that canning be done, and people can always up their game, mr. speaker, but think the dwp, the officials working in the dwp across the country, huge numbers of men and women, have done an outstanding job. >> final question. >> mr. speaker, july 2019 i was in manchester when the prime minister committed the build a

today the commerce committee will consider very important nominees. and i want