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Version 6 Version 7
PMQs: May faces Corbyn after agreeing to Brexit talks – live news PMQs: May faces Corbyn after agreeing to Brexit talks – live news
(32 minutes later)
And that’s it. PMQs has finally ended, after 56 minutes - almost double the amount of time for which it is scheduled. I’m not keeping count, but that could be a record.
Nick Boles, who resigned the Tory whip, says sitting next to the Lib Dems and the SNP is unusual for him. But he remains a progressive conservative, he says. He asks for an assurance that May will enter the talks with Corbyn without the red lines that have bedevilled the talks so far.
May says she wants to find a resolution to this issue.
Nigel Evans, a Tory Brexiter, asks May if she will say “no, no, no” if the EU insist that the UK has to fight European elections to get another article 50 extension.
May says she wants a deal that enables the UK to leave on 22 May, so it does not have to fight the European elections. But that will only happen if MPs vote for a deal, she ways.
May refuses to rule out the UK holding European elections if the EU insists on a long article 50 extension.
The SNP’s Kirsty Blackman says freedom of movement is good socially and economically, and it is good for young people. Will May be honest about those benefits, and retain them?
May says she wants an immigration system that means people are admitted on the basis of their skills, not on the basis of coming from the EU.
Labour’s Karin Smyth says some government suggestions for schools, like cutting the size of lunches, are unacceptable. They belong in the days of the workhouse.
May says funding for schools is going up.
Labour’s Naz Shah says Sadiq Khan has never had an apology for the Islamophobic campaign the Tories ran against him in 2016. Will May apologise now?
May sidesteps the question, but says the government takes Islamphobia very seriously. It recently held a summit on how to tackle it.
Sir Chrisopher Chope, a Tory Brexiter, says he agrees with the 14 members of the cabinet who said the UK should leave the EU next week with no-deal. What benefits does May expect to see from no-deal?
May says Chope should not believe everything he reads in the papers. (See 10.59am.)
She says the cabinet took a decision collectively yesterday to back her approach.
The DUP’s Jim Shannon asks which of the Labour policies on Brexit May supports.
May says she and Corbyn both want to deliver on Brexit.
Caroline Johnson, a Tory, asks about the risk of a no-deal Brexit compared to the risk to the country from a “Marxist, antisemite-led government”.
May says she wants a Brexit deal.
Labour’s Martin Whitfield asks about toilet facilities for people with disabilities.
May says this is a very important issue. The government wants to help people with invisible disabilities who suffer abuse if they use toilets for the disabled (the issue specifically raised by Whitfield).
Julian Lewis, a Tory Brexiter, asks why a PM who repeatedly said no deal was better than a bad deal is now asking Labour MPs to block a WTO Brexit.Julian Lewis, a Tory Brexiter, asks why a PM who repeatedly said no deal was better than a bad deal is now asking Labour MPs to block a WTO Brexit.
May says no deal is better than a bad deal, but she has a good deal.May says no deal is better than a bad deal, but she has a good deal.
Last Friday MPs had a chance to vote for that.Last Friday MPs had a chance to vote for that.
She says she wants the UK to leave the EU in an orderly way. That is why she has been sitting down with MPs from across the house.She says she wants the UK to leave the EU in an orderly way. That is why she has been sitting down with MPs from across the house.
The SNP’s Stewart Hosie says, after two years of deadlock and a seven hour cabinet meeting, the best she can do is invite Corbyn to become co-owner of her failure. If she were leader of the opposition, would she fall into a trap like this.The SNP’s Stewart Hosie says, after two years of deadlock and a seven hour cabinet meeting, the best she can do is invite Corbyn to become co-owner of her failure. If she were leader of the opposition, would she fall into a trap like this.
May says all MPs should be working on a Brexit solution.May says all MPs should be working on a Brexit solution.
Lee Rowley, a Tory Brexiter, says May said last week Corbyn was the biggest threat to the UK. What qualifies him to be involved in Brexit?Lee Rowley, a Tory Brexiter, says May said last week Corbyn was the biggest threat to the UK. What qualifies him to be involved in Brexit?
May says every member of the house is involved in Brexit. She wants it to happen in an orderly way, as soon as possible, and without the need for the UK to fight European elections.May says every member of the house is involved in Brexit. She wants it to happen in an orderly way, as soon as possible, and without the need for the UK to fight European elections.
Labour’s Preet Kaur Gill asks May if she will speed up the diagnosis time for children with autism.Labour’s Preet Kaur Gill asks May if she will speed up the diagnosis time for children with autism.
May says some parents find it very difficult to get help for their children if they have autism. She says the government is reviewing its autism strategy.May says some parents find it very difficult to get help for their children if they have autism. She says the government is reviewing its autism strategy.
Philip Lee, a Conservative pro-European, says over 58% of the public want a final say on Brexit. Are they right?Philip Lee, a Conservative pro-European, says over 58% of the public want a final say on Brexit. Are they right?
May says the government should be delivering on the result of the first referendum.May says the government should be delivering on the result of the first referendum.
David Jones, a Conservative, asks if May still thinks Corbyn is “not fit to govern”.
May says she said earlier what Labour would do to the economy. She does not think Labour should be in government. After the Salisbury novichok attack, she stood up to Russia. But Corbyn said he would prefer to believe the Russian government than the intelligence services.
Labour’s Afzal Khan says there is a reception in the Commons today to commemorate teh 51 Muslims killed in Christchurch. There is a problem in the Tory party with Islamophobia. But the party won’t acknowledge that. When will May deal with it and accept the MCB definition of Islamophobia?
May says her party takes these incidents very seriously. On attacks against mosques, she says the home secretary has announced extra funding to protect them.
Labour’s Owen Smith says, when May sits down with Corbyn, she will hear that Labour’s policy is for a people’s vote on her deal. If she agrees, it will pass. Will she?
(It is not obvious that she will hear that from Corbyn.)
May sidesteps the question, and she and Corbyn both want to deliver on the result of the referendum.
Nigel Adams, who resigned as a minister earlier over Brexit (see 9.46am), urges May to back a campaign for step-free access for Selby railway station. This is important for his constituents, he says. The people of Selby demand action, he says.
May thanks Adams for his work as a minister and says she is sorry he has resigned.
She says Adams’ “considerable weight” has been behind this campaign for a long time. His weight “as a campaigner”, she clarifies. She says there will be an announcement about new funding for stations tomorrow.
Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says although the SNP wants a people’s vote, it has sought compromise. Why has it been ignored? Why is May just inviting Corbyn in? Why are the voices of Scotland being ignored?
May says she is meeting Nicola Sturgeon later today.
She says she and Corbyn want to leave the EU with a deal. But the SNP wants to revoke article 50, she says.
Blackford say he knew Sturgeon was meeting May. But he was talking about the SNP being excluded from formal talks. Scotland will not accept a Tory or Labour Brexit, he says. It voted to remain in the EU and it will not be dragged out against its will.
May says she is always happy to meet party leaders. She wants to find a way forward that delivers Brexit as soon as possible.
Dame Cheryl Gillan, a Conservative, asks May to encourage more government departments to introduce autism awareness measures. And she urges more MPs to undertake autism training.
May praises the achievement of the Autism Act, introduced by Gillan 10 years ago. The government will continue to look at this, she says.
Corbyn says Waspi women (Women Against State Pension Inequality) will be alarmed by what May said. He asks if the government will guarantee free TV licences for the over-75s.
May says the BBC is in a position to do that with the money it gets.
Corbyn says the last Labour government promised this. May is now outsourcing this to the BBC. It should be government policy, he says. He contrasts the record of the last Labour government with the record of this government. This government has made a political choice. There is nothing inevitable about rising poverty. Unless this government tackles rising poverty and low pay, her government will be a failure.
May says she did not realise Corbyn was such a fan of the last Labour government. He spent his time voting against it. This government has introduced the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights for 20 years. Councils are free to build more homes. There are world-class public services. The Tories are delivering on things that matter.
Corbyn says May should think about what she says. The last Labour government halved child poverty, and brought in Sure Start centres. The Trussell Trust says food bank use has increased by more than 50% where universal credit has been introduced. Why is the government pushing ahead with cuts to pension credit for couples where one person is below pension age.
May says under Labour we saw a 75p pension rise.
Corbyn says the last Labour government lifted 2 million pensioners out of poverty. He says the Tories promised to scrap the triple-lock at the last election. Will May rules this out as government policy, and rule it out for the next manifesto?
May says the government has made its commitments to pensioners. Pensions have gone up, he says.
Jeremy Corbyn welcomes May’s offer of talks and her “willingness to compromise”, and says he looks forward to seeing her later.
Why has poverty risen under May’s administration?
May says no one wants to see poverty rise. But the only way to stop this is with strong employment, with welfare, and by making sure work pays. In 2010 someone on the minimum wage working full time would have taken home £9,200. Now it is £13,700.
Corbyn says the Tories strongly opposed the introduction of the minimum wage. But people on these wages are on poverty wages. Universal credit is failing. Will May halt its roll-out and agree to a thorough review of it.
May says the government has changed it. The taper rate has changed, and the seven-day waiting list has been abolished.
She says the only sustainable way to deal with poverty is to have a strong economy delivering better jobs for people. She says a Labour government would spend £1,000bn more than the Tories. It would put up taxes. Labour has opposed tax cuts. Tax cuts keep people in work.
Sir David Amess, a Tory Brexiter, says party loyalty is being stretched. He says Brexit should mean Brexit. And then, with a reference to Southend-on-Sea wanting city status, he calls for a meaningful vote (on Brexit, presumably, not the status of Southend).
May says when Brexit gets delivered, places like Southend will have a better future.
Southend will be a leading part of that better future, she says.