Transcripts For BBCNEWS Wednesday In Parliament 20240714

Wednesday in parliament. Hello again and welcome to wednesday in parliament. Colleagues. Welcome back to our place of work. 2a hours after the Supreme Court ruled that permanent parliament s suspension was unlawful mps were back at work and giving their own verdict. It is no disrespect to the judiciary to say i think the court was wrong. The Prime Minister should have done the honourable thing. Passion ran high throughout another dramatic day. This parliament is a dead parliament. It should no longer sit. For this Prime Minister to talk about morals and morality is a disgrace all that to come and more as mps returned to westminster after tuesdays Supreme Court ruling that the government had acted unlawfully in proroguing or suspending parliament for five weeks. The order paper setting out the commons agenda was almost blank, but there was plenty for mps to talk about. The speaker explained why. Order, order. Colleagues, welcome back to our place of work. The uk Supreme Court ruled yesterday that parliament has not been prorogued. So they got down to work. The Prime Minister had flown back early from new york to update mps and deliver his verdict. And mps who blocked his attempt to call a general election. Instead of facing the voters, the opposition turned tail and fled. The Supreme Court was asked to intervene and it is no disrespect to the judiciary to say i think the court was wrong to pronounce on what is essentially a political question. Despite the fact i called the same process as my predecessors in calling for a queens speech the Supreme Court was asked to intervene and it is no disrespect to the judiciary to say i think the court was wrong to pronounce on what is essentially a political question. Order, order whatever the strength and intensity of feeling in the passions to which these matters give rise, we must hear what is being said in the chamber and i wish to hear the Prime Minister. The court was wrong to answer a political question at a time of Great National controversy. So we have Opposition Mps that block and delay everything, running to the courts to block and delay even more. He offered Opposition Mps a chance to force him out in a vote of no confidence. They have until the house rises to a motion of no confidence in the government. Come on, then and we can have that vote tomorrow. Or if any of the other parties, the smaller parties fancy a go, they can table the motion and we will give you the time for a vote. I think the people of this country have had enough of it. This Parliament Must either stand aside and let this government get brexit done, or bring a vote of confidence and finally face the day of reckoning with the voters and i commend this statement to the house. The labour leader declined to take the bait, but renewed his call for the Prime Minister to quit. This, mr speaker, was ten minutes of bluster from a dangerous Prime Minister who thinks he is above the law. But in truth, he is not fit for the office which he holds. Thejudges concluded there was no reason, let alone a good reason, for the Prime Minister to have shut down parliament. After yesterdays ruling, mr speaker, the Prime Minister should have done the honourable thing and resigned. We must un stick this mess and we must trust the people to make their choice. We cannot trust this Prime Minister. His time must be up. His days of lying, of cheating and of undermining the rule of law must be numbered. The Prime Minister is not serious. He needs to understand that actions have consequences. Even my five year old knows that if you do something wrong, you have to say sorry. If my son can apologise for kicking a football indoors, surely the Prime Minister can have the humility to say sorry for misleading the queen, misleading the country and illegally shutting down our democracy. I came here today notjust to represent my constituents, but hoping that this Prime Minister would show humility in the face of this condemnation and this judgment. Will he now apologise if not to this place, to the country, and has he apologised to her majesty the queen . As she can imagine, i will not comment on my conversations with her majesty. Earlier the attorney general geoffrey cox, whose legal advice on prorogation was rejected by the Supreme Court, pronounced that this parliament is dead. In a fiery question and answer session, he said Opposition Mps were scared of a general election. They in turn accused him of lacking any sense of shame after the governments actions on prorogation were judged to be unlawful. The government accepts the judgment and accept that it lost the case. And at all times, the government acted in good faith and in the belief that its approach was both lawful and constitutional. Mr cox is under pressure to publish the legal advice he gave to the Prime Minister. I am bound by the long standing convention that the views of the law officers are not disclosed outside the government without their consent. However, i will consider over the coming days whether the Public Interest might require a greater disclosure of the advice given to the government on this subject. I am unable to give an undertaking to the honourable lady at this point, but the matter is under consideration. He was answering an urgent question from joanna cherry, a leading figure in the legal battle. Let me assure the attorney general that im not going to call for his resignation yet. Yesterday was a special day for scots law and the scottish legal tradition going back to the declaration of arbroath that the government is not above the law. Documents showing geoffrey coxs and vice to the government stating that prorogation was legal have been leaked to the media. Many of us believe that the attorney general is being offered up as a fall guy for the Prime Ministers botched plans. So does he not agree with me that to release the advice in its entirety will help him avoid being the scapegoat for a plan that was dreamed up by the Prime Minister and his advisors, and will he give the undertaking that he has hinted that he is thinking of giving today . Labour is also calling for the advice to be published. This government stands in shame. Tendering illegal advice to our monarch and not even able to uphold the most basic but important of principles, abiding by the rule of law. On this attorney generals watch, the government has been found in contempt of parliament. Now it has been found in contempt of the law. Doesnt he just accept he hasnt got a shred of credibility left . I dont know whether his practice when he was at the bar, he felt thatjust because he had given advice that might not have been upheld by a court, he had no credibility. That is an absurd proposition. Another labour mp said the judgment should put the government to shame. What is his view of a leader of the house who persists in believing and makes it known that he feels the Supreme Court have instituted a constitutional coup . Surely he cannot remain in his post if he has that view. There is nothing wrong with expressing robust, critical views about a judgment. Insofar as it imputes inappropriate motive, then it is wrong. Rather than being some newfangled innovative decision, this was a profoundly conservative decision by the Supreme Court, asserting the ancient sovereignty of parliament. Fundamentally, the principle at stake here is that of course, neither that court nor any other court should determine whether brexit takes place. That decision has been made by the people. But it is for this house, the only directly elected representatives of the people, to determine the form in which that brexit happens. Geoffrey cox replied that parliament had rejected both a brexit deal and no deal. This parliament is a dead parliament. It should no longer sit. It has no moral right to sit on these green benches and whatever. Mps shouted and cheered as the attorney general said there should be an election. They could agree to a motion to allow this house to dissolve, but they are too cowardly this parliament should have the courage to face the electorate. But it wont. It wont, because so many of them are really all about preventing us leaving the european union. But the time is coming. The time is coming, mr speaker, when even these turkeys wont be able to prevent christmas. No shame today. No shame at all. The fact that this government cynically manipulated the prorogation to shut down this house so that we couldnt work as a democratic assembly. He knows that that is the truth. After coming here with his barristers bluster, to obfuscate the truth, and fora man like him, a party like this and a leader like this, a Prime Minister like this, to talk about morals and morality is a disgrace. An angry Barry Sheerman there. Youre watching wednesday in parliament with me, david cornock. Dont forget, you can find this on the bbc iplayer. Now, it wasnt just the constitutional crisis on the agenda. The collapse of the travel Company Thomas Cook was also occupying, and the government had said that it will require 1,000 flights to bring home the 150,000 holiday makers stranded in 50 countries. The transport secretary describe the situation as ridiculous. Weve never had the collapse of an airline or a Holiday Company on the scale before. We responded swiftly and decisively. Right now, our efforts are rightly focused on getting those passengers home and looking after those employees whove lost theirjobs. But we also need to understand when and individuals have failed in their duties of stewardship within the company. Our efforts will turn to working through the reforms necessary to ensure the passengers do not find themselves in this ridiculous situation again. I have two constituents stuck in mexico. They turned up for a flight. They told they were not. No accommodations, no flight. They are tired, they are anxious, they are running out of money. What is the government doing in this operation matterhorn to help people . Every effort is being made. I hope he understands, hiring 45 aircraft while the market is restricted, has meant this is an enormous project which has meant that sometimes we have the wrong air craft size. His constituents, if they are stuck, will be given every assistance. What assistance is provided to be for people who have bought flights or holidays that have not yet started . If they were Package Holidays, they are atol protected and they will simply get that money back. When it is flights only, they do not automatically get that money back, and they will want to refer to their credit cards, debit cards, holiday insurance and sometimes an alternate travel agent from whom they have booked it. What has been done over the last four to five months, when the warning signs were all there and people could still buy Package Holidays just 24, 36 hours before the collapse . Shouldnt we be doing more when the warning signs are so clear . My constituents have worries about theirjobs and worries about their pensions. Should we not be seizing the assets of directors who plundered this company and took it to ruin . In may, the secretary of states predecessors had the government work swiftly to introduce the reforms to airline insolvencies that are needed to ensure a strong level of Consumer Protection and value for money for the taxpayer. This was misleading. The government has done nothing to protect consumer or taxpayer interests. The government has sat back and let the company fold. Can we please make sure that we absolutely reform this sector . So we dont lose jobs, holidays, and taxpayer money . It is all about actions, not words. In simple terms, yes, as i mentioned before, the review was reported on the 9th of may. I have been on this role since the 23rd ofjuly, but the answer is quite simply, yes, well get on with it. The transport secretary grant shapps. A minister has told mps borisjohnson had no role whatsoever in awarding a grant to a firm led by us businesswomen jennifer arcuri. A review has been launched in figure this year into mrs arcuris trading company, hacker house. He insisted it had been open, transparent and a competitive process. It follows newspaper revelations about the Prime Ministers friendship with mrs arcuri when the pm was london mayor. Asking an urgent question, a liberal democrat wanted to know if there was a conflict of interest. Mr speaker, the fact we are in the commons today is the Prime Minister has been shown to ride roughshod over the laws of this land. It would indeed be disappointing if we were to find the Prime Minister has form in bending the rules for personal or political gain. Minister thank you, mr speaker. I want to start by saying that the Prime Minister and his staff have absolutely no role in the award of this grant, and i suspect i will be saying that a number of times, but it will remain the case. He dismissed suggestions of the company not being eligible for the grant. This is a company that is based in britain, as far as companies, house is concerned, a company with a british phone number. We will review, but we have no reason to think, we have no reason to think that there is anything untoward in this particular matter. But labour said there were questions about the Prime Ministers character. Does he understand that the trappings and privileges of power come with restrictions and restraints . Is he capable of restraining himself . The truth is that our Prime Minister does reckless things. He is a man whose character renders him unsuitable and unfit for the office he holds. I want answers to these questions, but we all know the broader essential truth. We can all see who borisjohnson is. May i remind the house that as mayor of london, the Prime Minister oversaw the gordon bridge project which had allegations of corruption and was riddled with conflicts of interest . Will the minister reassure the house that there will be no other examples of friends with benefits funding from dcms or any other department . Of course, i speak for dcms, but as ive said, this is a process that is scrupulously transparent. It is a process that is rigorous and is applied equally to all. This is notjust about money but its also about influence. Its been alleged the Prime Minister, and former mayor of london, received trade missions forjennifer arcuri despite her not meeting the criteria. Can you tell me, on how many other occasions has the Prime Minister secured junkets for his pals . As ive said, there is no input from the Prime Minister. Opposition members can say it as often as they like, they wont make it true. The government has concluded iran was responsible for drone and missile attacks on two Saudi Arabian Oil Facilities earlier this month. The foreign secretary condemmed irans dire human rights record. We took our time to assess the facts carefully and independently. We are confident that iran was responsible. The evidence is clear and there is no possible alternative explanation. This conduct in these attacks on saudi arabia in violation of the basic principles of International Law under the United Nations charter. The attacks cause serious damage in saudi arabia and affected 5 of the worlds oil supply. Labour joined the condemnation and joined a call for a de escalation of tensions by getting the Iran Nuclear Deal back on track. We have a Prime Minister openly talking about sending troops to saudi arabia in an apparent bid to please donald trump. As the leader of the opposition said yesterday, have we learned nothing . And on a day when we are all so rightly focus on the powers of parliament and the abuse of power by the government, let me close by asking the foreign secretary one simple but vital question. Will he guarantee, before any decision tojoin donald trump in military action against iran and put British Service people in harms way, that this house will be asked to approve that action and give the chance to save our country from the disaster that would be warwith iran . The right honourable lady also talked about, i think, and correct me if i wrong, if the uk would be sending troops to saudi arabia. There has been no suggestion at all. It is simply wrong for her to say it. What has been said is that the us is sending troops to saudi arabia, to make sure that saudi can protect itself from further attacks or repeats of the attacks at aramco. We have said we would support with air defences. That is something we would consider. It is absolutely clear that our overarching strategic objective is de escalation, reducing tensions, and we want to see iran come from out of the international cold, but we need to be absolutely unwavering and clear in our resolve that the only way that will happen is if iran steps up and starts to meet its responsibilities, whether it is on dual nationals, whether its on nuclear compliance, or the basic rules of International Law, not attacking your neighbours. Does he agree that western policy towards iran is unfortunately, basically failing . Failing to stop the activities we saw, failing to stop with aramco, to stop renuclearization, failing to stop to stop hostagetaking. A ladder for iran to climb down so we can get out of this entirely dangerous situation. I agree with the basic ingredients my right honourable friend has set out. We need the widest possible international support, notjust the eu, notjust the us, but the broadest international support, and very clear, very clear, consequences for iran if its unlawful behaviour in all the different areas we talked about, nuclear, dual nationals, the attacks in aramco. Dominic raab. A few minutes later, the archbishop had some advice for ministers amid reports that the Prime Minister was looking for a loophole in the law passed just a fortnight ago, requiring him to ask for a delay in the uks departure from the eu if he cannot agree a deal. By by october 19. Parliament has just seen its reputation sink very low over the last few months, and one of the ways of dealing with that is transparency. Would he therefore regardless of how many would he therefore regardless of how ma ny letters would he therefore regardless of how many letters there may or may not be, will he undertake the government will be completely transparent and honest in the spirit and not merely in the letter of the law about the actions they take over the next few weeks in connection with an extension . We always endeavour to be as transparent as possible with regard to these matters, while of course still preserving the confidentiality of the negotiations. The minister was asked several times about reports that the Prime Minister would send two letters to the eu, one asking for a delay and another one asking the eu to turn down the request. The lord did not address the speculation, but he did say the government would abide by the law. And that was wednesday in parliament. I do hope you canjoin me at the same time tomorrow for the latest from westminster. Thank you for watching. Bye for now. Hello there. Were in the middle of a run of really unsettled weather with no end in sight, really. Rain at times coming our way over the next few days, with some fairly strong wind around at times as well. Now, looking at the satellite picture, weve got some shower clouds heading our way for today. This area of cloud, just to the north, is going to be bringing some rain across parts of the uk on friday, and then as i spin right the way across towards the other side of the atlantic, well, weve got this juicy looking cloud, quite a deep area of low pressure thats going be bringing some wet and windy weather for some of us as we head into this weekend. So rain will continue to be blown our way. Now at the moment weve got some rain crossing the country. It will tend ease across the west with showers following. The winds continue to pick up as well. So its becoming increasingly blustery, particularly around the coast and hills. Its a mild start of the day, with temperatures around 11 15 degrees. Once the sun is up, the rain still with us initially, will clear away from england and scotland, in the showers really do start to pack in. Now, for Northern Ireland and scotland, the showers will probably tend to merge together to give some lengthier spells of rain at times. And things will begin to get a little bit cooler across the north as well. Therell be some bigger gaps between the showers in southern and eastern parts of england, but no one is immune from seeing an odd heavy downpour. And through thursday night those showers will continue to rattle in as well with those brisk south westerly Winds Continuing to push the showers in, particular into western coast and hills. Temperatures then through thursday night, between around nine and 13 degrees, and then for friday, well, weve got further showers swinging our way. The showers will tend to most together to give some longer spells of rain. And this time its properly most likely across england and wales. But there will be plenty of showers for scotland and Northern Ireland. It will continue to be quite gusty as well, gusts of wind running in at around 30 a0 mph across the south of the uk. And the temperatures continue to slowly slump. So highs of around 11 or 15 degrees for scotland and Northern Ireland. Even turning a bit cool across the south east. Now this weekend we do have some heavy rain and some strong winds on the way, thanks to that area of low pressure i showed you a moment ago. But the northward extent of where that lows going could change a little bit before we actually get to the weekend. But here it comes, through the weekend, the heaviest rain and strongest winds will be heading across england and wales. But it could cause localised disruption. The unsettled weather then continues, would you believe it, well into the first part of next week as well. Thats your latest weather. Welcome to bbc news, im mike embley. Our top stories as the impeachment inquiry against donald trump gathers pace he again denies pressuring ukraines president to help him smear a rival. Critics say they have damning evidence, accusing him of a classic mob shakedown. Like any mafia boss, the president didnt need to say thats a nice country you have, it would be a shame if something happened to it, because that was clear from the conversation. This Prime Minister, to talk about morals and morality is a disgrace after the Supreme Courts historic ruling, Britains Parliament is back and angrier than ever. But borisjohnson rejects calls to resign. A dark world of child slavery and prostitution. We report from bangladesh and one of the worlds