then in march 2021. _ mordaunt's letters. then in march 2021, it _ mordaunt's letters.ut a study looking at options for a _ carry out a study looking at options for a framework on compensation fora framework on compensation ready— for a framework on compensation ready to — for a framework on compensation ready to implement upon the conclusion of the inquiry. was that what _ conclusion of the inquiry. was that what you _ conclusion of the inquiry. was that what you have in mind when you refer to penny— what you have in mind when you refer to penny mordaunt's subsequent statements? yes to penny mordaunt's subsequent statements?— to penny mordaunt's subsequent statements? , , ., , ., statements? yes i believe it was at that time. statements? yes i believe it was at that time- in _ statements? yes i believe it was at that time. in may _ statements? yes i believe it was at that time. in may 2021, _ statements? yes i believe it was at that time. in may 2021, a _ statements? yes i believe it was at that time. in may 2021, a couple i statements? yes i believe it was at that tim

what penny mordaunt said i believe — good enough?i believe at the _ good enough? what penny mordaunt said i believe at the time _ good enough? what penny mordaunt said i believe at the time of- good enough? what penny mordaunt said i believe at the time of the - said i believe at the time of the statement was government would wait to receive the inquiry final recommendations before making decisions on compensation. i believe thatis decisions on compensation. i believe that is what she said at the time she announced the sir robert francis study, i believe she said that in the house of commons from the dispatch box, i think that was her stated position and again, because i was not responsible for this policy orfor was not responsible for this policy or for the government nor the penny mordaunt report, to me i am not privy to what decisions were made to that time as to what people's thinking and government was to this particular area, thinking and government was to this particulararea, but thinking and government was to this particular

penny mordaunt _ letter? that is right. penny mordaunt was _ letter? that is right.is right. penny mordaunt was very much . letter? that is right. penny mordaunt was very much a | letter? that is right. penny _ mordaunt was very much a proponent of getting a move on to set up compensation, a framework for compensation, a framework for compensation, as soon as possible and the reason was that she was worried about the number of people dying while delays existed. whereas on the other hand, rishi sunak was very much in favour of waiting and the reason that the inquiry wants to know about the letters that penny mordaunt wrote to him was because there were no replies so this was when he was at the treasury in 2020 and penny mordaunt wrote twice, once injuly and once in september, but rishi sunak did not reply. he pointed out this was dealt with at official level but he never saw those letters.— official level but he never saw those letters. . ,, , ., . those letters. thank you. we will come back _ those letters. thank you. we will come back to _ those letters. thank you.

well earlier we heard from penny mordaunt _ this?t who wrote to i this? well earlier we heard from | penny mordaunt who wrote to the this? well earlier we heard from i penny mordaunt who wrote to the then chancellor rishi sunak anne said thatjustice denied it, justice delayed isjustice denied. this thatjustice denied it, justice delayed is justice denied. this was backin delayed is justice denied. this was back in 2020. she said that preparations should start immediately and again in september that year she wrote again and rishi sunak did not formally reply to either letter. he has already provided a written statement saying it is not clear that he saw either of those letters. joining me now is tony farrugia, who lost his dad and two uncles to contaminated blood, and is a member of the fatherless generation group, made up of children who lost their fathers to hiv after being treated with contaminated blood. we asked the government for an interview on this, but they declined. and tony isjoining usjust and tony is joining us just now.

and then ms mordaunt said this. this work remains urgent for many victims .ut from this tragedy continues to claim lives not just pausing there, ms mordaunt told us, as the letter indicates, that she was aware that people were continuing to die. and it's obviously the case that it follows from this letter that it follows from this letter that your officials would also have been so aware . do you know have been so aware. do you know whether that's something you were aware of at the time that this wasn't just a matter of an historical injustice , but that historical injustice, but that people were continuing to die and to suffer as indeed they do to the current day ? to the current day? >> well, just before i address that specifically , if i might that specifically, if i might start by saying that i believe what has happened has been an appalling scandal. >> i think thousands of people obviously many in the room today and others that the chair referred to who are watching have suffered for decades and they've suffered layer of injustices. >> in fact, at and it

at westminster abbey. it’s mordaunt at westminster abbey. it�*s interesting, if you look at the symbolsthe past, there is going to be a meeting of the past and the present in this high kirk of edinburgh. the figures who represent scotland's present, first minister humza yousaf, is already inside with alison johnstone humza yousaf, is already inside with alisonjohnstone presiding officer alison johnstone presiding officer of alisonjohnstone presiding officer of the scottish parliament, oliver dowden deputy prime minister of the uk government is here, and of course alisterjack the secretary of state for scotland. they are already in st giles' awaiting the beginning and the arrival of the honours of scotland when they emerge in a few minutes from the signet library where they've just been taken. here where they've “ust been taken. here come the where they've just been taken. here come the household _ where they've just been taken. here come the household cavalry, a magnificent site as they come up the royal mile to st giles' cathedral, preparing the way for the king's procession. preparing

also, i notice as a rhetorical device, sadly, it didn't work, though, because penny mordaunt didn't really she didn't bite. i mean, you know, penny is a great opponent. i really enjoy sort of sparring with her. she's fantastic to sort of go up against on a thursday morning. she's been really interesting to work with, obviously, the shadow leader of the house and the leader of the house. it's one of those weird roles in politics that almost nobody understands. and you guys do it. obviously, you guys do because you listen to business questions, which i was about to give a shameless plug for thursday mornings, 10:30am. and but we also have to work quite a lot offstage, which is unlike other roles because we're both house of commons commissioners. so we're responsible for 18,000 pass—holders and a unesco world heritage site, which is no small task which we share as commissioners. so we get to work together quite a lot in a completely different way. now, talking of double acts, you've got you and penny, you've got me and chris. the latest podcasting double act is george osborne and ed balls. th

paula says penny mordaunt for defence we mordaunt for defence seek.trying to prove themselves . themselves. >> and eileen says ben wallace should been the nato should have been given the nato job. general instead job. secretary general instead of potentially and it looks like it could well be the case. your friend of mine, ursula von der leyen, who of course was one of the many presidents of the eu , the many presidents of the eu, still is. i can't remember which president she is now because they have so many of them. but she i mean, she's been a thorn in our side during the whole brexit negotiations. and now she could be secretary—general of nato . so she doesn't fill me nato. so she doesn't fill me with lot of confidence. with a lot of confidence. >> that's really interesting >> but that's really interesting what the fact what eileen says about the fact that wallace actually served what eileen says about the fact th.wars. wallace actually served in wars. >> well, has, yes. >> well, he has, yes. >> well, he has, yes. >> do you think that's something

that's an from penny mordaunt, leader of the house of commons. she hasjust reported that.a new video has emerged which appears to show wagner mystery boss renewing his criticism of russia but will conduct in the war in ukraine the dip nick beake reports. back in business in belarus, the former hot dog seller apparently reunited with his private army. the face hard to make out but the voice certainly sounds like yevgeny prigozhin. the man who defied president putin and lived to tell the tale. for now. this was the last we had seen of prigozhin, nearly a month ago, just after calling off his rebellions dip hours earlier, his wagnerforces had been on the road to moscow, fuelled by their boss's discussed at the top russian generals running the war in ukraine. vladimir putin had vowed to crush the traitors, advancing on the capital. before a deal was brokered and the rebellion fizzled out. today, the head of m16 said it had been a humiliation for the russian president. tt’s been a humiliation for the russian resident. �* , ., ., ., , ., president. it's extraordinary for ti if o

the original 15 071 is too fragile to use, by dame catherine granger, mirroring carrying by penny mordauntwere dressed to much higherformal standards king and the queen were dressed to much higher formal standards than when the queen received the, the late queen received the honours in 1953. this was very much more close to a national... yeah. bud 1953. this was very much more close to a national. .. yeah.— to a national... yeah. and is accompanied _ to a national... yeah. and is accompanied relationship i to a national... yeah. and is - accompanied relationship between the monarchy and the scottish people. how do you assess where we are? the crown has how do you assess where we are? iie: crown has always how do you assess where we are? tie: crown has always made it scotland very central since the time of queen victoria. i think there's a question of that with the younger royals, but this is a difficult transition. this is a transition between the late queen, who was very popular in scotland, and king charles, who is less so, and indeed popularity for the monarchy intel phelan is falling v

mordaunt was carrying that ceremonial sword.rd will be carried by the olympic rower dame catherine granger . yeah and dame catherine granger. yeah and five foot long as well. >> i think we'll have to see who carries the sword better. will it be penny mordaunt or will it be dame catherine granger? we'll have to wait and see. once in a former olympic gold medallist . former olympic gold medallist. one is a royal naval reservist as well as lord president of the privy council in the of the united kingdom. as well. so we'll have to wait and see exactly how they're carried. but i think it's interesting to how females have been chosen for this role in 1953. that simply wouldn't have happened. so i think it shows the progression of modern society here in the united kingdom and also how how important the monarchy and particularly the king feels that is , that everybody gets their is, that everybody gets their fair, fair share of time and their fair share of responsibility . and of course, responsibility. and of course, we had a queen for

sword- know, no one could rival penny mordaunt a sword just mordaunt wielding a sword just as mordaunthile daily telegraph— called for an end to the unrest. while daily telegraph columnist and sketch writer madeline grant is still in the studio with us, madeline , we were talking to madeline, we were talking to mark white earlier about the kind of echoes of the tottenham riots in 2011. yes, riots that we had in 2011. yes, over here london. and looking over here in london. and looking at france, you know, obviously terrible situation . but, you terrible situation. but, you know, there but for the grace of god could be us. you you god really could be us. you you know, through all of this. know, going through all of this. yeah.i know, going through all of this. yeah. i obviously, france yeah. i mean, obviously, france hoes— yeah. i mean, obviously, france hoes-o— yeah. i mean, obviously, france does-a propensity- yeah. i mean, obviously, france does a propensity for does have a propensity for hohheh— does have a propensity for hohholhhe— does have a propensity for taking the streets, but

did dunng to what penny mordaunt did during the coronation service in may day.the regalia is all being taken from edinburgh castle, which you can see behind me in a people's process. castle, which you can see behind me in a people's process . asian me in a people's process. asian representatives from different groups across scotland , 100 in groups across scotland, 100 in total will be taking part in that people's procession, including nhs scotland, of course, celebrating 75th anniversary today. and the prince's trust as well . the prince's trust as well. the charity which the king found when he was prince of wales following the service thanksgiving. there's going to be a 21 gun salute at at from edinburgh castle and the weather permitting, is looking promising so far, but the red arrows are going to be flying over edinburgh castle down the royal mile and over the palace of holyroodhouse as well. so lots to look to. not everyone to look forward to. not everyone is though. is very happy, though. the scottish leaders , as we scottish green leaders, as we were disc

so perhaps and so some people were saying were comparing her to penny mordaunt, who of course carried inside westminster abbey with the during the coronation service last month. so who held the sword better? well guess we'll have to wait for the viewers to make up their minds on that one. >> yes, we will indeed. i think penny morton certainly held the sword longer, didn't sword for longer, though, didn't she? with holding she? she was tasked with holding it up for an incredibly long penod it up for an incredibly long period time the coronation period of time at the coronation that here. suppose that we had here. so suppose ridley any now we ridley anyway, any second now we are about to see some red arrows flying down the royal mile. there near where you are. and of course it will be i think it is worth noting, isn't it, that from what you were saying anyway, there were more people in support of the king and queen than there were , you know, out than there were, you know, out chanting, not my king. and i think that quite important think that is quite important to know, it ? know, isn't

you could see even penny on the see even penny mordaunt on the bench to him almost just bench next to it didn't feel like there was much energy. angela rayner used a quite at the quite a clever tactic at the beginning pointing out that beginning of pointing out that the first it's the first time since 1996 when a prime minister has missed more than two pmqs on the trot. so she was comparing herself to john prescott, who was the last deputy prime minister, to be asking questions in that situation. now, of course, 1996 was a year before the labour landslide of 1997. so it felt like her her sort of ulterior motive. there perhaps was to suggest to the commons that now the momentum is all with labour just as it was then, and it did work pretty well actually, because john prescott's line of questioning back in 1996 was all about inflation and home ownership problems, potential of people becoming homeless, homeless because of massive mortgages. and used the phrase tory and she used the phrase tory mortgage bombshell, which sounds very much though it had been very much as though it had been f

commons leader and former paymaster general penny mordaunt has given evidence to the infected blood inquirylows complaints the government is dragging its heels over compensation payments. bereaved relatives of victims of the nhs infected blood scandal will deliver a letter to number 10 later calling for full compensation . the inquiry was compensation. the inquiry was established in 2017 to examine how almost 2400 people in the uk died after being infected with hiv and hepatitis c through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 80s. ms morton says she failed to get a substantive written response from then chancellor rishi sunak about compensation. >> i very much felt that eight people had been waiting a very long time. >> they'd been waiting a long time for this inquiry. >> they had been waiting a long time to get their issues addressed. and there was a moral responsibility . we responsibility. we >> britain's first million pound footballer, trevor francis, has died at the age of 69. he joined nottingham forest in 1979, helping them win back to back european cups. that hasn't been repe

and the next three go secretary, and the next three go to james cleverly kemi badenoch and penny mordaunt— rather than the red wall. i the interest rates,— rather than the red wall. i the interest rates, the _ rather than the red wall. i the interest rates, the cost of iiwing— interest rates, the cost of iiwing eni— interest rates, the cost of living and those areas that they eerie— living and those areas that they eerie rew— living and those areas that they eerie reiw en— living and those areas that they could rely on previously, gernege— could rely on previously,- perhaps-anymore . perhaps they can't anymore. aneeierew— perhaps they can't anymore. aneeierew .— perhaps they can't anymore. absolutely . rishi _ perhaps they can't anymore. absolutely . rishi sunak- perhaps they can't anymore. absolutely . rishi sunak was in absolutely. rishi sunak was in many ways installed as as conservative party leader in terms of trying to shore up that blue wall, a shift perhaps from the red wall to the blue wall strategy , trying to hold on to strategy, trying to hold on to seats that have always been