Afternoon summary
- Jeremy Corbyn has mocked Theresa May’s appeal for cross-party cooperation on government policy making, telling her that if she is running out of ideas, she should read the Labour manifesto. (See 4.09pm.)
- May has signalled that her call for more cross-party cooperation does not extend to working with Corbyn on security matters. In the Commons, where May was making a statement on the G20, the Conservative MP Sir Desmond Swayne expressed doubts about May’s initiative, asking her:
About this new love-fest with the benches opposite - given the record of [Corbyn] on the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, do you possess a very long spoon?
May replied:
Yes, I can say to you that I have in the past, as home secretary, welcomed the co-operation which I have had from the Labour benches - not from [Corbyn], but from others on his benches who have seen the need to ensure our agencies have appropriate powers to deal with the terrorist threat we face.
I look forward to Labour MPs, and indeed others on the benches opposite in this House, coming forward and supporting those counter-terrorism measures when we bring them forward.
- Anne Marie Morris, a Conservative MP, has apologised after using the N-word at an event about Brexit. Opposition MPs have condemned her strongly, and May has been urged to withdraw the Conservative party whip from the backbencher.
- May has insisted that after Brexit the UK will maintain a close relationship with Euratom, the European civil nuclear regulator. Several Tory MPs have expressed concerns about the government’s plans to leave Euratom (see 12.09pm) and, when May was giving her Commons statement, several MPs asked her why the UK was withdrawing from it. In response to Hilary Benn May said:
Membership of Euratom is inextricably linked with membership of the European Union.
But what we are doing, as was signalled in the Queen’s Speech with reference to a future bill on this issue, is wanting to ensure that we can maintain those relationships, that cooperation with Euratom, which enables the exchange of scientists, the exchange of material.
There are countries around the world that have that relationship with Euratom which are not members of the European Union but we need to put that bill in place and I look forward to your support for that bill.
- The government has rejected claims that leaving Euratom could reduce the supply of radioactive isotopes in the UK, which are used for cancer scans and treatment. The Evening Standard highlighted these concerns in its front-page splash. In response, a government spokeswoman said:
This simply isn’t true. The availability of medical radioisotopes will not be impacted by the UK’s exit from Euratom. The UK supports Euratom and will want to see continuity of co-operation and standards. We remain absolutely committed to the highest standards of nuclear safety, safeguards and support for the industry.
That’s all from me for today.
Thanks for the comments.
Updated
Labour’s Rachel Reeves asks why May is saying membership of Euratom is inextricably linked to EU membership when the UK was a member of Euratom before it joined the EEC.
May says the treaty makes it clear the two are inextricably linked.
Labour’s Diana Johnson asks for an assurance that the NHS will be excluded from a trade deal with the US.
May says she understands the concerns about TTIP and the NHS. But TTIP would not have affected the NHS anyway, she says.
Labour’s Kelvin Hopkins asks May for an assurance that any trade deal with the UK will not allow private companies to sue the government.
May says she understands the concerns about TTIP (the proposed EU-US trade deal). She will get the best possible deal for the UK, she says.
Labour’s Louise Ellman asks if the UK will retain membership of Europol and Eurojust after Brexit.
May says she has defended membership of Europol in the past. She says she wants the UK to retain its cooperation with EU countries on criminal justice matters.
Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem former business secretary, asks if the UK will accept lower food standards and investor state dispute settlement mechanisms in its trade deal with the US.
May says Cable is asking about a deal that has not yet been negotiated.
Labour’s Ben Bradshaw says there is a majority in the Commons to stay in Euratom and in the European Medicines Agency. So why won’t she stay in?
May repeats the point about Euratom being inextricably linked to the EU. But the government wants to retain the benefits of Euratom membership, she says. That is why there was a bill for this in the Queen’s speech.
The SNP’s Kirsty Blackman asks how much she expects immigration to increase as a result of trade deals with countries like India.
May says the government can discuss trade deals now. She dodges the immigration question.
The Labour MP Mary Creagh asks May if she will rule out intelligence sharing with the US, in the light of President Trump’s announcement of plans for a pact with Russia on cyber security.
May says the government is serious about protecting its intelligence, and is aware of the threat from Russia.
Sir Desmond Swayne, a Conservative, asks, in the light of the proposed “love-fest” with the opposition, and Jeremy Corbyn’s record on security, whether May has “a long spoon”.
May says she has worked in the past on counter-terrorism legislation, not with Corbyn, but with other MPs from his party.
Updated
Corbyn tells May she should read Labour manifesto if her government running out of ideas
Here is the key quote from Jeremy Corbyn, in his response to Theresa May. (See 3.47am.)
I’m really surprised she had so much to contribute to the G20 given there was barely a mention of international policy in her party’s election manifesto. Or indeed any policy - so much so that the government is now asking other parties for their policy ideas. So, if the prime minister would like it, I would be very happy to furnish her with a copy of our election manifesto - or better still an early election, in order that the people of this country can better decide.
Updated
Labour’s Hilary Benn says MPs are concerned about her plan to withdraw from the Euratom treaty. What does the UK gain from this?
May says membership of Euratom is inextricably linked to EU membership. But the UK wants to retain the benefits of membership, she says. She says there are countries not in the EU that benefit from Euratom. That is what the government’s bill will do, she says.
Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, accuses May of “hypocrisy”. He says she talked about tackling terrorist funding, but the government is refusing to publish the Home Office report into the role Saudi Arabia is playing in funding extremism in the UK.
John Bercow, the Speaker, says he must withdraw the charge. An MP cannot accuse another MP of hypocrisy in the chamber.
Blackford does withdraw.
May says the G20 focused not just on large scale terrorist funding, but small scale funding. That is clear in the communique, she says.
She does not address the point about the Saudi Arabia report.
Here is the latest on Anne Marie Morris, the Conservative MP who has used a racist figure of speech. (See 3.16pm.)
CCHQ on Morris "We are aware of these reports, this kind of language is completely unacceptable, and we are urgently investigating."
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) July 10, 2017
Anne Marie Morris - 'The comment was totally unintentional. I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused'
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) July 10, 2017
May is now replying to Corbyn.
She says Britain has a proud record on climate change.
She says she welcomes the high court decision on the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.
The government has an ambitious agenda for the country, she says. She says there are many issues on which she hopes they can reach consensus, like giving the police the powers they need, protecting workers’ rights and protecting female candidates from bullying and harassment at elections. She says Jeremy Corbyn should condemn abuse of this kind.
(He has. See 2.09pm.)
Corbyn is still speaking.
He says the high court may have ruled that the government is acting legally with arms sales to Saudi Arabia. But it is not acting ethically, he says.
He criticises May for not raising climate change with President Trump in her bilateral with him. But apparently she raised it in an informal meeting later, he says. He says May should clarify what that means.
He criticises May for ignoring her obligations to the planet.
He asks if May will offer EU nationals in the UK the same right they had now.
He asks if she discussed Euratom.
On terrorism, he asks why the government has released the report on Saudi funding for extremism.
He says May is threatening to turn the UK into a low-wage, deregulated tax haven.
He asks when a trade deal with the US will happen. And what will it say about workers’ rights and environmental protections?
Corbyn says May should read the Labour manifesto if her government is short of ideas
Jeremy Corbyn is responding now.
He says he is surprised that May had so much to contribute, given that there was so little on international policy in the Conservative manifesto.
And the government does not have many ideas on anything, he says, since it is now asking other parties for ideas.
He says he would be happy to give May a copy of Labour’s manifesto. Better still, May should call an election, he says.
- Corbyn says May should read the Labour manifesto if her government is short of ideas.
Theresa May is making her statement now.
She says at the G20 she showed how the UK is making a contribution and setting the agenda on a range of international issues.
She says she pushed in particular for measures to tackle extremism online.
She says she pushed for reform in international trade rules, particularly so that that can deal with digital trade.
In some areas trade rules are not operation properly, she says. She says the dumping of steel is an example.
She says she discussed free trade deal with other G20 leaders, including leaders from America, Japan, China and India.
She says she and her G20 counterparts were “dismayed” by President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement. She says she hopes America will rejoin.
She says the G20 cannot and must not ignore the problem of modern slavery. She put it on the agenda for her first G20 summit a year ago, and she says at this summit she urged the G20 to follow the lead set by the UK in the Modern Slavery Act.
Theresa May's Commons statement on G20 summit
Theresa May is about to make a Commons statement on the G20 summit.
George Osborne, the Evening Standard editor and former Conservative chancellor, has published an editorial accusing Theresa May of over-ruling David Davis, the Brexit secretary, and other cabinet ministers over the rights of EU nationals and Euratom. Here’s the key extract.
To get the negotiations off to a good start, [Davis] wanted to make a unilateral offer to European citizens living here that they could remain. Mrs May repeatedly overruled him. Mr Davis was open to Britain remaining party to the Euratom Treaty — the arrangements between European nations, including those outside the EU, that govern the transit and security of radioactive materials across the continent. As this paper reports exclusively today, the Royal College of Radiologists fears withdrawing from Euratom would endanger the import of the radioisotopes from Europe used in cancer scans and the treatment of 10,000 patients here. It was Mrs May who overruled Mr Davis and others in the Cabinet, such as Greg Clarke, to insist that we sacrifice those sensible international arrangements on the altar of the dogmatic purity of Brexit. That rigid approach now faces humiliating defeat in Parliament, as a growing number of Conservative MPs make clear they will rebel.
The editorial says, if there was a leadership election now, Davis would be a “shoo-in” to replace May. It says he must decide now whether or not to challenge her. The editorial implies he should ...
UPDATE: Here is the Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman on the editorial.
George Osborne's Standard on DD's dilemma about whether to bring down May. Every paragraph a dripping taunt to do so https://t.co/7ZM2TZvRmX
— Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) July 10, 2017
Updated
The Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris has been criticised for using racist figure of speech, HuffPost reports.
May/Turnbull press conference - Summary and analysis
Here are the main points from the Theresa May press conference with Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister.
- May claimed that her record as home secretary showed that she believed in working with other parties to develop policy. Asked about her call for more cross-party cooperation (see 9.21am), she replied:
The government has got an ambitious agenda. It’s an ambitious agenda which is there to address the big challenges that the country faces. Of course one of those is getting the Brexit negotiations right. But there are other challenges that we face as a country too.
And I think the country will rightly want us to get the broadest possible consensus in looking at those issues.
And this is something I’ve done before. I did it as home secretary on counter-terrorism measures, like the Investigatory Powers Act, working with other political parties to ensure that we got that legislation right. I did it on the Modern Slavery Act, working with other parties to ensure that that went on to the statute book.
This is certainly not the way many people remember her time as home secretary. The Investigatory Powers Act started life as the draft communications data bill (aka, the “snoopers’ charter”), but it was effectively shelved for three years because May could not reach agreement on it with the Lib Dems. And May was the only cabinet minister in the coalition who had a minister resign because she was too non-consensual. When the Liberal Democrat Norman Baker quit as a Home Office minister, he said he was going because he could no longer tolerate May’s non-consensual approach. He said:
They have looked upon it as a Conservative department in a Conservative government, whereas in my view it’s a coalition department in a coalition government. That mindset has framed things, which means I have had to work very much harder to get things done even where they are what the home secretary agrees with and where it has been helpful for the government and the department. There comes a point when you don’t want to carry on walking through mud and you want to release yourself from that.
- She claimed the government had “an ambitious agenda”. (See quote above.) This, too, is highly contestable. Much of the commentary on the Queen’s speech (this, for example) focused on how thin it was. Last week the business in the House of Commons was so light that MPs got through the whole week without a single division. Two bills got a second reading - the air travel organisers’ licensing bill and the European Union (approvals) bill, which relates to EU agreements regarding Albania, Serbia and Canada - but they were so uncontentious that no MP voted against. Tonight the main business is the telecommunications infrastructure (relief from non-domestic rates) bill.
- May said she wanted to achieve “the broadest possible consensus” on Brexit.
- She cited legislating to protect candidates from harassment and abuse as an example of an issue on which the parties could work together. Praising Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP, for her stance on this, May said:
I think we should be working together to find a way to ensure that that sort of behaviour, which was of course targeted not just at candidates but at others during the election - make sure that the message goes out very clearly that that has no role in our democracy.
- She sidestepped a question about whether she favoured lifting the public sector pay cap.
- Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister, said Australia wanted to conclude a free trade deal with the UK “as soon as possible” after Brexit. Asked how quickly it might be agreed, Turnbull replied:
As soon as possible. We move quickly. Australians are fleet of foot. We don’t muck around. We’re very simple. So we will move as quickly as the UK will move and we will move as soon as Britain is lawfully able to enter into a free trade agreement.
But Turnbull also stressed that Australia wanted a free trade deal with the EU too.
Updated
Q: Have you any thoughts on the risk of the Ashes series not happening this year because of the Australian players’ strike?
May says England always welcomes the chance to play Australia at cricket and “show them a thing or two”.
Turnbull says Australians want to see their players on the field beating the Poms.
And that’s it. The press conference is over.
The Mirror’s Jason Beattie says the Mail question (see 2.05pm) is based on a false premise.
I'm surprised Theresa May hasn't seen this (and several other examples) pic.twitter.com/yujvwRLl4g
— Jason Beattie (@JBeattieMirror) July 10, 2017
Q: [From the Daily Mail] The great repeal bill is being introduced this week. Would you compromise with Labour over Brexit? And are you worried that Jeremy Corbyn has failed to condemn the actions of some of his supporters?
May says she wants the broadest possible consensus for Brexit.
She says she would like all party leaders to condemn the bullying and harassment of MPs. She would be surprised if any leaders does not do so.
Q: The UK and Australia worked together to deal with the threat of weapons of mass destruction from Iraq. But Iraq did not have WMD. Now North Korea does pose a WMD threat. Are you willing to tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea?
No, both Turnbull and May say.
May says the UK does not want North Korea to have nuclear weapons. But the Chinese are the ones with most leverage over North Korea.
Q: [From Laura Kuenssberg] You want to work with other parties. But what do you to those who say you need to change. And will you raise pay for workers like teachers?
May says the government has got an ambitious agenda. It wants to address the challenges facing the country.
The public wants the government to get consensus, she says.
She says she did this as home secretary, on issues like counter-terrorism and modern slavery.
And commissioning Matthew Taylor to review the gig economy is another good example, she says.
Another issue is the abuse directed at candidates during the election. That is an example where the parties can work together.
Q: How soon do you think you could conclude a trade deal with the UK?
As quickly as possible, says Turnbull. He says Australians are very fleet of foot. They want to do it as soon as legally possible.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister, says the last time he debated Theresa May was at the Oxford Union, when they were both students at the university. May was Theresa Brazier then, he says. He says Philip May, May’s husband, was then president of the union.
He says the Australian people saw the recent terror attacks on Britain as an attack on their values too.
He says he and May visited the scene where the police confronted the Borough Market attackers. He praises them for the speed with which they dealt with the terrorists.
He says the relationship between the UK and Australia is built on trust. No two countries are closer, he says. They trust each other because they are family, he says.
He says he agrees with Theresa May about ensuring the rule of law prevails online as well as offline. They cannot allow the internet to provide safe spaces for terrorists, he says.
He says they talked about North Korea. He and May want North Korea to stop its reckless conduct. And they want China to do more to bring North Korea “to its senses”.
He says Australia looks forward to “speedily” concluding a free trade deal with the UK once Brexit is over. It is looking forward to a concluding a free trade deal with the EU too.
He says he believes in open markets. They are one reason why Australia has had 26 years of uninterrupted growth.
He thanks May for inviting the Australian chef, Skye Gyngell, to cook lunch. He says Gyngell’s father, Bruce, was a friend and mentor to him.
Theresa May is speaking at the press conference now.
She starts by talking about her visit to Borough Market with Malcolm Turnbull this morning, and thanks Australians for the solidarity they showed after the attack.
She says Australia and the UK want to deepen cooperation on defence and security.
She says Brexit negotiations have started well. And a comprehensive free trade deal with Australia is a priority, she says.
Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, plans to visit Australia in the coming months for further talks on this issue, she says.
Here is video of Theresa May and Malcolm Turnbull visiting Borough Market earlier. They were there because two Australians were killed in the recent terror attack.
PM and @TurnbullMalcolm visited the site of the London Bridge attack to pay tribute to the victims, two of whom were Australian. pic.twitter.com/baLyBKudGX
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) July 10, 2017
Theresa May's press conference with Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull
Theresa May is about to hold a press conference with Malcolm Turnbull, her Australian counterpart.
There is a live feed here.
The application for an urgent question on Euratom has been turned down, Labour whips reveal.
NO UQs today. However, Mr Speaker will hear an SO24 application from @DianaJohnsonMP on #Contaminatedblood after the Statements, circa 6pm
— Labour Whips (@labourwhips) July 10, 2017
The EU is expected to give its first official response to Britain’s proposals for EU citizens this week, following a “cabinet meeting” of all departments in the European Commission executive branch of the EU.
Elmar Brok, the German MEP, told Adam Boulton on Sky News on Monday that he believed that the EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier would support Guy Verhofstadt’s analysis that the proposal is “a damp squib”.
He said he had heard that “Mr Barnier is also quite unhappy with the proposal from Britain as it stands at the moment”.
Brok was one of the signatories on the open letter written by Verhofstadt and published in several papers around Europe.
He said he expected that the outcome of negotiations would be the UK reciprocating the EU proposal to guarantee all the rights of EU citizens in the UK and Britons in Europe. He said:
We believe we should keep reciprocity. We are working for the rights of citizens, this is quite important; we are ready to give British citizens the full rights as they have at the moment, that is the EU proposal at the moment and we wait British to give EU citizens the same treatment.
One of the major issues was enforcement, he said, echoing fears that unless there was oversight from the European court of justice or some other supra-national body, the UK would be free to undo whatever offer it made once it exited the EU.
Number 10 lobby briefing - Summary
Here are the main points from the Number 10 lobby briefing.
- Downing Street confirmed that the UK could continue to pay money into the EU budget during a transitional period after Brexit. The prime minister’s spokesman said this after confirming that Damian Green was setting out government policy when he said the UK could remain subject to the European court of justice during a transitional period. (See 9.01am.) The spokesman said that the prospect of paying money into the EU budget during a transitional period was something that would be “subject to negotiation”. But he added: “Once we leave [the EU], the days of paying large sums [to the EU] are over.”
- Green will stand in for May at PMQs on Wednesday, the spokesman said. (See 11.39am.)
- May will make a statement to the Commons at 3.30pm about the G20 summit.
- May and Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister, have been visiting Borough Market in London this morning. Two Australians were killed in the attack. Later May and Turnbull are having talks in Downing Street, and they will hold a press conference at 1.30pm.
Theresa May at Southark Cathedral with Austalian PM Malcolm Turnball outside Borough Market where 2 Australians did in London Bridge attack pic.twitter.com/m7e0o8aBRY
— Natasha Clark (@NatashaC) July 10, 2017
The PM takes a walkabout through Borough Market and speaks to staff who work here pic.twitter.com/V7xwglkejw
— Natasha Clark (@NatashaC) July 10, 2017
- The prime minister’s spokesman cited counter-terrorism, workers’ rights and industrial strategy as three policy areas where the government would be open to working in cooperation with the opposition. Asked for more details as to what May has in mind when she calls for more cross-party cooperation (see 9.21am), the spokesman said journalists should wait until she delivers her speech on this tomorrow.
- The department for education will publish the latest recommendations from the pay review body for teachers, and the government’s response, this afternoon in a written ministerial statement.
- Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, will make a statement to the Commons at about 5pm about the high court judgment defending the government’s policy on arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Vote Leave campaign director says only 'morons' would want to leave Euratom
Dominic Cummings, the Vote Leave campaign director (who tweets as odysseanproject), has said that those in government who favour leaving Euratom are “morons”.
1/ Govt MORONS say they're withdrawing from EURATOM. Near-retarded on every dimension: policy/politics/science/bureaucratic
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 10, 2017
2/ Tory Party keeps making huge misjudgements re what the REF was about. EURATOM was different treaties, ECJ role no signif problem
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 10, 2017
3/ Boris, Gove, Clarke, anybody sentient, tell May/DD TODAY this is UNACCEPTABLE BULLSHIT & must be ditched or she will be
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 10, 2017
4/ Use first fortnight of AUG to ditch truck loads of crap ideas foisted on us by shambolic 1st 9 months of the May govt, reboot
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 10, 2017
5/ Ignore whining from a small core of MPs who wd have destroyed Leave cmpgn if they'd controlled it, they have <15% support in country
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 10, 2017
6/ Every day more ppl say ‘let’s start new party’. Incr tempting, theres an agenda that cd win >50% support & the 3 cd not adapt to it
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 10, 2017
Labour 'seeking urgent question on Euratom'
Labour are trying to get an urgent question on Euratom, the Financial Times’ Jim Pickard reports.
Labour seeking urgent question on Euratom today in Commons https://t.co/ZVw1Ox6UHP
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) July 10, 2017
At the weekend the Conservative MP Ed Vaizey and the Labour MP Rachel Reeves published a joint article in the Telegraph (paywall) criticising the government’s plans to leave Euratom, the European atomic energy community, at the same time as Brexit. Here is an extract.
The scientific community is rightly concerned, fearing a ‘brain drain’ of talented scientists from the UK to the EU after our exit.
Those working in cancer medicine who understand what this might mean for the treatment of the most vulnerable patients are seeking urgent assurances from the Government. And the exit from Euratom is casting uncertainty over the UK’s plans for nuclear power, not least at Hinkley Point.
We believe there is an opportunity for a rethink.
Both our parties are absolutely committed to implementing the result of the referendum on EU membership, even though we both campaigned to remain.
But this is not about EU membership. Our cooperation on nuclear issues predates the EU.
Whatever people were voting for last June, it certainly wasn’t to junk 60 years of cooperation in this area with our friends and allies.
Significantly, as Sky’s Faisal Islam reports, at least eight Tory MPs now seem to back this argument. If they were to vote with all opposition parties in favour of staying in Euratom, that would be enough to defeat the government. (If the DUP vote with the Conservatives, the government has a working majority of 13.)
Lost Commons majority to leave Euratom:
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) July 9, 2017
8 Conservative MPs have now praised/ RT'd/ liked this Vaizey/ Reeves piece:
https://t.co/drAL6pg8BJ
The Evening Standard, which is edited by the Conservative former chancellor George Osborne, is splashing on a new take on the issue.
.@EveningStandard:exclusive warning by Royal College fuels Tory revolt over Euratom plan + Patrick Cockburn on Mosul &latest @ChelseaFC news pic.twitter.com/nxMsas1FWG
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) July 10, 2017
I’m back from the Number 10 lobby briefing. It was relatively short and unilluminating, and the main news was that Damian Green, the first secretary of state, will be standing in for Theresa May at PMQs on Wednesday because she will be attending the ceremonial arrival of the King of Spain for his state visit. The prime minister’s spokesman said there was a precedent for a prime minister missing PMQs while attending a ceremonial occasion in London; Gordon Brown did the same in March 2010, he said.
I will post a fuller summary in a moment.
End-to-end encryption 'a good thing', say former spy chief
After the Westminster Bridge terror attack Theresa May said she wanted to stop terrorists being able to keep their communications secret. May and Amber Rudd, the home secretary, suggested they wanted internet firms to create means of allowing the security services to access messages sent using end-to-end encryption in certain circumstances.
This morning the Today programme interviewed Robert Hannigan, who was head of GCHQ until earlier this year. Hannigan said the government should not be trying to undermine end-to-end encryption.
I can’t see, particularly as many of these companies are US-based, that legislation is the answer on this. I don’t think there is a magic solution where you can just legislate it away ...
Everyone would like a simple answer on encryption and unfortunately it is very difficult.
Encryption is an overwhelmingly good thing - it keeps us all safe and secure. Throughout the Cold War, until about 15 years ago, it was something which only governments could do at scale.
What’s happened is that you can now get the same grade of encryption on a number of apps on your smartphone. It’s available to everybody. That is a good thing.
The challenge for governments is how do you stop the abuse of that encryption by a tiny minority of people who want to do bad things, like terrorists or criminals.
I’m off to the lobby briefing now. I’ll post again after 11.30am.
Parliament hasn’t burned down. They’ve let us back in ...
A fire alarm has just gone off, and we’re being told to leave the press gallery. Hopefully I’ll be back soon, but you never know ....
Damian Green's interviews - Summary
Here is a full summary of the key points from Damian Green’s interviews this morning.
- Green, the first secretary of state, said Britain could remain subject to European court of justice rulings during a transitional period after Brexit. (See 9.01am.)
- He said appealing to other parties to work with the government on policy was just “a grown-up way of doing politics”.
We’re saying that politicians of all parties, it’s not just addressed to Jeremy Corbyn, but that there are big issues facing this country, obviously Brexit is the overwhelming one, but there’s counter-terrorism, there’s workers’ rights - the thing that’s very much in the news today with the Matthew Taylor report - issues like the industrial strategy.
And politicians of all parties are invited to contribute their ideas and that’s a grown-up way of doing politics.
I think a lot of your listeners would think actually if politicians just said why don’t we do this about a particular national issue rather than just sit in the trenches and shell each other, then we might actually have better government and that’s what the prime minister is talking about tomorrow.
But in his Today interview Green said little to suggest that that Theresa May’s appeal for cross-party cooperation (see 9.21am) will make much difference. It was put to him that there was a majority in the Commons for increasing public sector pay, or reducing tuition fees, or adopting a more jobs-first approach to Brexit, but on all three issues he played down the prospect of working with the opposition to develop new policy.
- Green said the government would not reintroduce plans to increase national insurance contributions for the self-employed. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, proposed this in his spring budget. The plan would have raised £2bn over four years, but he dropped it after complaints that it broke the Tory 2015 manifesto promise not to increase NICs. Asked if the government would try to introduce the NICs increase again, he said:
We won’t be revisiting that... the House of Commons has already spoken on that so we won’t be revisiting that.
- He said there was “no credible plot” against Theresa May in existence. Asked about stories in the Sunday papers about Tory MPs plotting to oust her, he replied:
I’m saying that there is no credible plot going on. There is nothing like that going on. The prime minister is determined to carry on to lead the party and the country for many years to come and the overwhelming majority of Conservative MPs are behind her in that.
- He dismissed complaints from MEPs that EU nationals living in the UK would have their rights reduced under the government’s plans for them post Brexit. In a joint article, the leaders of groups representing three quarters of MEPs have strongly criticised the government’s post-Brexit offer to EU nationals living in the UK. Asked what he would say to them, Green replied:
I would say ... ‘Read our proposal’. Our proposal is precisely that - that somebody who is here now will keep the rights that they already have and we hope and expect that British citizens living in other EU countries will keep the rights that they already have now.
- He dismissed the prospect of May deciding to quit of her own accord over the summer. She would carry on, he insisted.
She thinks not just that it’s her duty but that she has a programme for Britain that encompasses not just a good Brexit deal but also a domestic agenda that will spread prosperity around this country, make this a fairer society, tackle some of the injustices that we still have in our society, and that fire burns within her as strongly as ever.
May's appeal for cross-party cooperation - Speech extract
Theresa May will deliver the speech saying that she would like to work with opposition parties on proposals to improve Britain at an event tomorrow to launch the Matthew Taylor report on the gig economy. But the key extract featuring the appeal for cross-party cooperation was released last night. Here it is in full.
When I commissioned this report I led a majority government in the House of Commons. The reality I now face as prime minister is rather different.
In this new context, it will be even more important to make the case for our policies and our values, and to win the battle of ideas both in parliament as well as in the country.
So I say to the other parties in the House of Commons … come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country.
We may not agree on everything, but through debate and discussion – the hallmarks of our Parliamentary democracy – ideas can be clarified and improved and a better way forward found.
It is in that spirit that we will take this agenda forward in the months ahead.
And this new context presents us as a government with a wider choice.
At this critical time in our history, we can either be timid or we can be bold.
We can play it safe or we can strike out with renewed courage and vigour, making the case for our ideas and values and challenging our opponents to contribute, not just criticise.
I think this country needs a government that is prepared to take the bold action necessary to secure a better future for Britain and we are determined to be that government.
In everything we do, we will act with an unshakeable sense of purpose to build the better, fairer Britain which we all want to see.
UK could remain subject to ECJ during transitional period after Brexit, says Damian Green -
Damian Green, the first secretary of state (effectively the deputy prime minister), has been touring the studios this morning giving interviews about Theresa May’s unusual invitation to the opposition parties to help cobble together some government policies. I will post a full summary of what he has been saying soon.
But there was an interesting concession on Brexit. Green, who is one of the most pro-European figures in the cabinet, was asked about the European court of justice continuing to have a say over British affairs after the UK leaves the EU. He defended Theresa May’s decision to make freeing the UK from the grip of the ECJ in the long term a red line. He told the Today programme.
It’s not an ideological determination. It is what people voted for in the referendum ... If we said now ‘Well, we’re going to stay inside the single market, which will mean that the European court will decide some basic questions that happen inside this country’, I think people would feel that we hadn’t left the European Union.
But, when he was asked if the government would be willing to remain subject to ECJ rulings during the transitional period - the period between Britain leaving at the end of March 2019 and rules creating a new relationship with the EU coming fully into effect - he effectively said yes. He said:
If there needs to be some kind of implementation period, or transition period, in certain areas after March 2019, which I think everyone agrees is quite likely, then the rules that operate during that transition period will by definition not be the rules that we have afterwards.
When Nick Robinson asked him to confirm that this meant being subject to ECJ rulings during this period, Green went on:
But that is a transition period. That will last for a limited amount of time, for practical reasons, to make sure that business can have the certainty to carry on as we want it to.
It has always been probable that a transitional period would involve Britain continuing to be subject to ECJ judgments. But in the past ministers have tried to avoid being explicit about this because it is not clear whether hardline leave supporters would find this acceptable.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Greg Clark, the business secretary, gives a speech on industrial strategy to the Resolution Foundation.
9.30am: The Office for National Statistics publishes a report on migration between Britain and the Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004.
11am: Number 10 lobby briefing.
1.30pm: Theresa May holds a press conference with the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.
2.30pm: Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to publish a summary at lunchtime and another in the afternoon.
You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.
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