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BBC Sounds, music, radio,

1:17

podcasts. Order!

1:20

Order. Hello, I'm Alicia

1:22

McCarthy, and this is today in

1:24

Parliament from BBC Radio 4 for

1:26

Thursday 25th April, where, after weeks

1:29

of parliamentary tussle, the Rwanda Bill

1:31

is finally signed into law. Labour

1:34

says thousands of migrants will be left in

1:36

limbo, but the government reckons it's the opposition

1:38

that has no solution. Labour

1:40

have voted hundreds of times against that

1:43

legislation and say that they will scrap

1:45

the Rwanda scheme, even if it is

1:47

working. Also on this programme,

1:49

a blunt assessment of the UK's railways.

1:52

Train services, my lords, are

1:54

a national tragedy. And

1:57

a peer complains about racial bias in

1:59

the criminal community. justice system. My liking

2:01

for the gods are the movies. Makes

2:04

me no more or less likely to be a

2:06

member of the Masseyan. But

2:08

first, the government's controversial Safety of

2:10

Rwanda bill has finally passed into

2:13

law. Peers ended their marathon

2:15

standoff with the Commons in the early

2:17

hours of Tuesday morning. The

2:19

legislation states that ministers, officials and judges

2:21

must treat Rwanda as a safe country,

2:24

which means that some asylum seekers who

2:26

come to the UK on small

2:28

boats or by other illegal routes can

2:30

be deported there. The announcement

2:32

that the King had signed the bill into law

2:34

came from the Lord Speaker, Lord Macfowl, at the

2:37

start of the day. I have

2:39

to notify the House in accordance with the Royal Assent

2:41

Act 1967 that His Majesty the

2:45

King has signified his Royal Assent

2:47

to the following acts. PityCabs,

2:51

London Acts, Safety

2:54

of Rwanda Asylum and Immigration

2:56

Act, and

2:59

Vestically Pearls Amendment Act. That

3:02

aside of Dear O'Deer, which you may just

3:04

have heard there as Lord Macfowl read out

3:06

the legislation's title, shows some peers are

3:09

still deeply unhappy with the plan. In

3:12

the Commons, Labour's Lucy Powell reckoned

3:14

the legislation to send some migrants

3:16

on a one-way ticket to Kigali

3:18

wouldn't even work. She cited figures

3:20

from the Refugee Council. Despite

3:23

finally passing their Rwanda legislation,

3:25

it's now emerged that around

3:27

100,000 illegal migrants

3:30

will languish in hotels at

3:32

the taxpayer's expense in

3:35

post-ituity, unable to be

3:37

removed or even processed because of their last

3:39

piece of legislation. How

3:41

is stopping the small vote going? The

3:44

leader of the Commons, Penny Mordant, defended

3:46

the government's approach. The Conservatives

3:48

have been doing the hard yards

3:50

of institutional and legal reform, introducing

3:53

legislation establishing the Rwanda scheme,

3:55

and the Co-Secretary is working

3:57

to modernise the international theme.

4:00

in the same works that govern this.

4:02

In contrast, Labour have voted hundreds of

4:04

times against that legislation and say that

4:07

they will scrape the Rwanda scheme even

4:09

if it is working. And instead

4:11

they are pursuing a quota scheme that

4:13

would see immigration rise. But

4:16

there was an issue on which the

4:18

Conservatives and Labour could agree the collapse

4:20

of power sharing between the SMP and

4:22

the Greens in the Scottish Parliament. The

4:25

First Minister, Hamza Yousif, announced this morning

4:27

he was scrapping the deal after growing

4:29

tension between the two parties, which came

4:32

to a head after a climate target

4:34

was ditched. He is now facing

4:36

a vote of no confidence. Lucy

4:38

Powell wondered if Penny Mordent had any

4:40

advice. As someone well

4:42

experienced in divided, weak

4:44

governments, does she share

4:47

my concern that the SMP has

4:49

broken their power sharing deal, which

4:52

their leader said only last

4:54

night was in the best

4:56

interest of Scotland? And

4:58

now these are people of Scotland even

5:01

worse off. To shouts

5:03

of objection from the SMP benches, Lucy

5:05

Powell reeled off a list. Under

5:08

the SMP government, one in six

5:10

Scots are on the

5:13

NHS waiting list and

5:15

people face higher bills and

5:17

higher taxes. Is

5:19

that why the Scottish Greens, their

5:21

former partners, accuse them

5:23

of selling out future

5:25

generations, does she think? Back

5:28

in the 2015 general election campaign, the

5:30

Tories had used a poster showing Nicola

5:33

Sturgeon with the then Labour leader Ed

5:35

Miliband in her top pocket, implying

5:37

that the two parties would do a

5:40

deal at Westminster if Labour failed to

5:42

win an overall majority, something Penny Mordent

5:44

was keen to suggest again. The

5:47

Greens leaving the coalition

5:49

does, I thought, provide the Labour

5:51

party with an opportunity. I thought

5:53

a memo had gone out for

5:56

the front bench to go easy on

5:58

the SMP with a view to... perhaps forming

6:01

some sort of coalition and alliance

6:03

with them north of the border.

6:06

A Liberal Democrat Christine Jardine also

6:09

teased the FMP over its current

6:11

troubles. Unfortunately this morning many

6:13

of my constituents find themselves in the

6:16

same position as the two now former

6:18

Scottish Green Ministers in that they have

6:20

been cut off from government services. Although

6:23

it turned out she was talking about the

6:25

closure of a post office in her constituency.

6:28

Deirdre Brock speaking for the FMP

6:30

didn't mention the party's difficulties in

6:32

Scotland. Instead she turned

6:34

to Brexit border regulations. Some

6:37

new rules came in at the end

6:39

of January and more introducing physical checks

6:41

at ports for so-called medium-risk animal products

6:44

and plants are due to start at

6:46

the end of this month. Deirdre

6:48

Brock quoted the Financial Times. The

6:51

UK government has told the country's port authorities that it

6:53

will not turn on critical

6:55

health and safety checks for EU

6:57

imports because of the risk of

6:59

significant disruption. The new border system

7:02

will not be fully ready. It's

7:04

been called a phased implementation approach.

7:06

Very yes ministers speak there from

7:08

some hapless civil servants trying to

7:10

excuse the sixth such delay. She

7:13

said it was a case of more confusion for

7:15

business. Scotland's importers, exporters, agriculture on,

7:17

hospitality sectors and businesses large and small

7:20

are all at their wits end because

7:22

the Tories insist on imposing their Brexit

7:24

folly on us. Brexit is estimated to

7:26

be costing salmon producers, the largest food

7:28

export in the UK, up to £100

7:31

million a year. Tourism in the highlands

7:35

and islands has been devastated with state

7:37

shortages affecting 45% of businesses to date.

7:41

But Penny Mordent said the UK was

7:43

now the fourth largest exporter in

7:45

the world. I shan't annoy the

7:47

honourable lady by listing

7:50

off how well the

7:52

nation is doing on

7:54

our trade, on

7:56

fishing, on many of the things that

7:58

we wanted to see improve. and

8:00

give people new opportunities for because they know

8:02

that it would irritate the honorable lady

8:04

and it is no surprise to me

8:06

that the SMP do not want to face

8:09

realities." And she

8:11

said the SMP's failings meant not even the

8:14

Greens wanted anything to do with them. Now

8:17

MPs have criticised the government's decision

8:19

to reject their call to change

8:21

the system of one word of said

8:24

judgments for schools in England. Ministers

8:27

say the grades such as outstanding or

8:29

inadequate give parents an important summary

8:31

of local schools. James

8:33

Llewellyn reports. Osted's inspection regime

8:36

was thrust into the spotlight after a

8:38

head teacher took her own life last

8:40

year while waiting for the verdict of

8:42

a review of her school. Ruth

8:44

Perry had run Cavesham Primary School in

8:47

Reading for 13 years when an Osted

8:49

inspection in 2022 decided

8:52

to downgrade it from the highest

8:54

level outstanding to the lowest level

8:56

inadequate. An inquest concluded

8:59

that the inspection had contributed to her

9:01

death. Since then, Ruth

9:03

Perry's family have been campaigning for major

9:05

changes to the inspection system for schools

9:07

in England. The chair

9:09

of the Education Select Committee, the conservative

9:12

Robin Walker, said that while the report

9:14

hadn't focused on Ruth Perry's case, her

9:16

family had made a significant contribution. I

9:19

do want to pay tribute to the

9:21

family of Ruth Perry for the dignified

9:23

and thoughtful way in which they have

9:26

sought to raise concerns in sure lessons

9:28

are learned and reforms made. The committee

9:30

heard evidence from across the school sector,

9:32

ministers and from Osted itself. Robin Walker

9:34

summarised some of the concerns that had

9:36

been raised. Through the inquiry we heard

9:38

widespread agreement on the importance of an

9:40

accountability system and the role of an

9:42

intended specterate, but also concerns around stress

9:45

and anxiety experienced by school staff due

9:47

to the high state's nature of Osted's

9:49

inspections. The report highlighted criticisms

9:51

both of how inspections are carried out

9:53

and reported the workload they generate and

9:56

the complaint system. The

10:00

for is a scrapping of have

10:02

stayed single word judgments. The education Committee

10:04

agreed, but the government said that while

10:07

it's willing to examine alternatives, the

10:09

current system has significant benefits and it

10:11

wants to keep it. Robin.

10:13

Walker didn't agree with that. I am

10:15

disappointed however that this morning the department

10:18

appears to gone forever and ruled out

10:20

changes to single adjustments presenting the outcome

10:22

of consultation process a missing any consideration

10:24

alternative systems Academic ministers would be better

10:27

advise them. I did not rule out

10:29

any changes and they say and of

10:31

they would be right to ensure feedback

10:34

from the big listen and a wide

10:36

range of comparisons are able to be

10:38

taken into account before finals. Isn't the

10:40

maze? Labor's shadow Schools minister Catherine Mackinnon.

10:43

Wasn't happy with the government's response.

10:45

Labor. Welcomes the findings around

10:47

us dead single would judgments

10:49

but the government's ensues defended

10:51

the indefensible in it's response.

10:53

The current system is high

10:56

stakes the teachers and low

10:58

intimations of parents and like

11:00

this cross party committees we

11:02

believe it must be reformed.

11:04

Robin Walker noted that the government hadn't

11:06

taken any options off the table. The.

11:09

Conservative and a Firth who's also

11:11

a member of the committee called

11:13

for wider reforms, including Inspections of

11:16

Moti Economy Trust or Mats. I'm

11:18

pleased with a change in turn on

11:20

the doesn't actively considering that was his

11:22

name is may we need to go

11:24

further with given that so now this

11:26

as a the thickest part of the

11:28

it's case insistence we need to go

11:30

beyond actively considering we need to set

11:33

these estimates aces and the masses testing

11:35

regime societies of it As a matter

11:37

of. Urgency: Robin Walker agreed with

11:39

her. The. Education minister Damien Heinz

11:41

was one of the few and peace

11:43

in the Commons, but didn't rise to

11:45

speak at any point. Labor's.

11:47

Might Radha who's Ruth Perry's M

11:49

P said change was needed of

11:51

a lot to offer my wholehearted

11:53

support for an end to signal

11:55

adjustments and five of the for

11:57

some aspects of online and will.

12:01

How have he believes the government should

12:03

site now given it's important to understand

12:06

this morning and whether you believe that

12:08

the essay and off as response so

12:10

far has been remotely adequate. Robin Walker

12:12

said it was important to remember the

12:15

government and asked that had already made

12:17

some changes to provide better support at

12:19

to had teachers in the future and

12:21

to change that approach at the schools

12:24

being rate is inadequate on one sec

12:26

said a to get the opportunities be

12:28

made succeed My think it is worth

12:30

putting on the record that subsequent to

12:33

reinspection cover some primary with them racing

12:35

good. The Education committee chair went on

12:37

to explain that they showed his proposed

12:40

changes to the inspection system could work.

12:42

Saints. Eleven that our labor pool

12:44

has complained that young black men

12:46

are being charged with serious offenses,

12:48

partly because they listen to Rap

12:51

and Drill Me is It and

12:53

it claims it's provocative lyrics Insight

12:55

Gang Violence Lady Check For Bothy

12:57

a former director of the Human

12:59

rights group Liberties ridiculed the Link

13:01

My Lights and for to go

13:03

to the movies. Makes me

13:05

no less likely. To be a member of

13:07

the Muslim. See spotted owls

13:09

one that long have been

13:11

charged. Partly on the

13:13

palaces of as a sense that they

13:15

are listening to work under me sick.

13:18

And this this kind of cool

13:20

to high school used in our

13:22

criminal courts. Very serious prosecution is

13:24

not right. It's not a. Practice.

13:26

That the know below, the minister and his

13:28

majesty's government agrees with. Replying.

13:30

Said the government load rape or it. Didn't agree

13:33

with that, but did concede that were problems

13:35

in the system. We have identifies

13:37

says ethnic minorities are overrepresented in

13:39

the promotions to system, and we

13:41

almost. Twice as.

13:44

The roads a subtle suggest that

13:47

they are being charged more practice

13:49

more aggressively than whites minorities sorry

13:51

white majority but we don't understand

13:53

the behind us and refused with

13:55

commissions are places. Liberal

14:00

Democrat Lady Hussein Echi wanted to

14:02

know why black and Asian prisoners

14:04

served longer sentences than other groups. The

14:07

shocking figures really lay bare how

14:09

racism, injustice is hardwired into the

14:11

criminal justice system. And while sentencing

14:13

and remand decisions are made by

14:16

independent judiciary, the government has a

14:18

responsibility to tackle this. So what

14:20

is being done to end this

14:22

disparity? Lord

14:25

Robert disagreed. I

14:27

do not accept the noble baroness'

14:29

comments that individuals are

14:31

necessarily being treated differently. However,

14:35

the research did find an

14:37

issue and the CPS are

14:39

taking several steps to ensure this work is

14:41

both credible and robust. Lord

14:43

Robert, you're listening to

14:46

Today in Parliament with me, Alicia

14:48

McCarthy. Still to come, MPs mark

14:50

Lesbian Visibility Week by highlighting the

14:52

challenges gay women face. I've been

14:54

called a nonce, had

14:56

threats on Twitter or X, and

14:59

I received a constant barrage

15:01

of homophobic abuse. But

15:04

before that, Labour has announced that

15:06

it expects to re-nationalise most passenger

15:08

rail services within five years if

15:10

it wins the general election. The

15:13

party says it will bring services into

15:15

public control as contracts expire, but there

15:17

will still be a role for the

15:19

private sector. The plans got

15:21

a mixed reception in the House of Lords,

15:23

as Rachel Byrne reports. Lord

15:25

Snape, a railway worker turned at

15:28

Labour MP then peer, held a

15:30

debate to highlight what he called the

15:32

many failings of the British railway network.

15:35

He said that since privatisation

15:37

in 1994, ticket prices had

15:39

gone up, but reliability had

15:42

gone right down. He

15:44

contrasted what he said was a

15:46

thousand trains a day being cancelled

15:48

now, with the service

15:51

he remembered under nationalised British

15:53

Rail. The cancellation of a

15:55

passenger train, in my days, an

15:59

operating role. was virtually unheard of.

16:01

Because it was an integrated system

16:04

it could always find locomotives, drivers,

16:06

train crews generally, who

16:09

could be moved from one role to

16:11

another in the events

16:13

of any hiatus within the

16:15

timetabling system. There was also, he

16:18

said, a collapse in staff morale,

16:20

he gave an example. I

16:22

use Birmingham International Station on a regular

16:24

basis to travel to and

16:27

from London. The staff there tell me

16:29

that some days they hide from the

16:31

public, they're so ashamed of the product

16:33

that they have to put in front of

16:35

them. Lord Snape

16:37

didn't refer directly to his party's

16:40

newly announced plans to re-nationalise

16:42

most passenger rail services

16:44

within five years of gaining power. But

16:47

his fellow Labour peer Lord

16:50

Campbell-Savers was enthusiastic. Speaking

16:52

remotely, he said he'd had to

16:54

rewrite his speech for this debate.

16:56

Following the more than excellent news

16:59

that a Labour government will

17:01

grasp the metal and take

17:03

well back into public ownership. Lord

17:05

Whitty, a Labour former minister, also

17:08

welcomed the announcements. He said the

17:10

system of rail passenger franchising was

17:13

broken and successive regulators, all with

17:15

different names, had failed. I think

17:17

it would be more accurate if

17:20

they had all been designated with

17:22

the title of off-track, because

17:26

that's what they are. The

17:28

system has gone downhill ever

17:31

since privatisation and whatever the

17:33

failings beforehand, they have been

17:35

multiplied since. But a

17:37

Conservative former transport secretary,

17:39

Lord McLaughlin, defended the

17:41

Tory record. Before privatisation,

17:43

there were 700 million

17:45

journeys a year on

17:47

our railways. Actually,

17:50

the year before the pandemic, there was 1.8 billion

17:53

journeys on our

17:56

railways. We've seen a revolution

17:59

in the rail industry. of

18:01

doing far, far more and serving

18:03

far, far more people. He

18:05

said that had happened because private

18:07

finance had been brought into the

18:09

rail industry. The Liberal

18:12

Democrats, Lady Randerson, thought both the

18:14

Conservatives and Labour were wrong. She

18:16

said the government had announced a transport bill

18:19

in 2022, but

18:21

the legislation had never been introduced.

18:24

We now have the draft rail

18:26

reform bill, which

18:28

has only just started, supported here

18:31

in the House of Commons, and

18:33

will have no chance of becoming

18:35

law before the general election.

18:39

And we have Labour now

18:41

talking about five years' lead-up

18:43

to nationalisation, which will

18:46

be five years, my lords, of

18:48

uncertainty. She said that was the

18:50

last thing the rail industry needed.

18:53

The Transport Minister, Lord Davis, attacked

18:55

Labour's plans too. Labour

18:58

proposes an ideological nationalisation

19:00

with no detail beyond its own

19:02

bite and no response to how

19:04

nationalised will make a difference to

19:07

the things people really care about,

19:09

reliability and affordability. However, he said

19:11

it was clear. The current

19:13

performance in the railway is unacceptable. An

19:16

industry needs to make significant improvement

19:18

to deliver the punctual reliable services

19:20

with passengers and taxpayers' desire. The

19:22

minister insisted that both Network Rail,

19:24

which owns the railway infrastructure in

19:26

England, Scotland and Wales, and

19:29

the train operators were being held

19:31

to account. Rachel Byrne,

19:33

without report. MPs

19:35

have marked Lesbian Visibility Week in

19:37

the Commons for the first time.

19:39

The debate was secured by Labour's

19:41

Kate Osborne, who said lesbians still

19:43

face challenges. In fact, just this

19:46

week, in celebrating Lesbian

19:48

Visibility Week, I have faced some

19:51

awful homophobic remarks on social

19:53

media, simply for

19:55

being open about my

19:57

sexuality. I've been killed a

19:59

ninch. had threats on Twitter

20:01

or X and I

20:04

received a constant barrage of

20:06

homophobic abuse. Kate

20:08

Osborne also called IVF a

20:10

postcode lottery because the costs of

20:12

each round of fertility treatment can

20:14

vary widely across England. She argued

20:16

the sums could be prohibitive. Before

20:19

qualifying for IVF on the

20:21

NHS, same-sex female

20:23

couples have spawned six cycles

20:26

of artificial insemination. It comes

20:29

as no surprise then that too

20:31

often people are being priced

20:33

out of starting a

20:35

family. My constituents,

20:38

Holly and Lian, have had to

20:40

choose between buying a house or

20:42

having a baby. Labour's

20:44

Dame Nia Griffith said it was

20:46

important to raise lesbian visibility so

20:48

people could be their natural selves.

20:50

I think what for me was

20:52

very telling was the fact that

20:54

I actually came out when my

20:56

relationship broke up. It's almost impossible

20:58

to hide groups. Speaking

21:00

for the SNP, Joanna Cherry complained

21:03

that lesbians were still being marginalised

21:05

but criticised the approach of

21:07

Lesbian Visibility Week. Lesbian Visibility Week

21:10

should be about lesbians but

21:12

the website Putup for this

21:14

week says it's about the

21:16

power or celebrating the power

21:18

of sisterhood by uplifting incredible

21:21

LGBTQIA women and non-binary

21:23

people. And I think it's

21:25

a real shame that in the week

21:27

about our invisibility the lesbian identity is

21:30

being subsumed into a number of other

21:32

identities which have nothing to do

21:34

with being a same-sex attracted woman.

21:37

Labour's Shadow Equality's Minister Ashley

21:39

Dalton disagreed. Lesbian Visibility Week

21:41

is an opportunity for us

21:44

to celebrate not only that we exist but

21:46

that we are a diverse community.

21:50

We don't all look like each

21:52

other. We don't all

21:54

behave like each other. We

21:56

don't all agree with each

21:58

other. But more

22:01

often than not, we can be

22:03

united, but not uniformed.

22:06

The Equality's Minister, Stuart Andrew, told MPs that

22:08

he was extremely proud to be one of

22:10

more than 60 LGBT

22:13

members of Parliament. The

22:15

journey of LGBT rights mirrors,

22:17

in a sense, my lifetime. As

22:20

I've grown older, our

22:22

rights have improved significantly over

22:24

those years. And walking that

22:27

journey means a great deal to

22:29

me personally. He said the

22:31

government was working to remove the requirement

22:33

for lesbian couples to fund six rounds

22:35

of IVF treatment. But Stuart

22:37

Andrew was unhappy with Joanna Cherry's

22:39

suggestion that lesbians were being silenced.

22:42

I simply cannot understand why anybody

22:44

would want to do that. Lesbians

22:46

have as much rights as anyone

22:48

to stand up for recognition and

22:50

for their rights. It

22:52

is important that we

22:54

all answer this challenging

22:56

debate in a calm,

22:59

unmeasured way. A toxic

23:01

debate serves no one. Stuart

23:04

Andrew. The private

23:06

affairs of three former Prime Ministers came

23:08

under the spotlight at question time, with

23:10

Labour MPs saying they weren't following the

23:12

rules on standards in public life. The

23:15

Cabinet Office Minister, John Glenn, said the

23:17

government was looking at ways to encourage

23:20

compliance. Christina Cooper reports. Former

23:23

ministers who want to do paid

23:25

work within two years of leaving

23:27

office must seek and follow advice

23:29

from the Advisory Committee on Business

23:31

Appointments, or ACOBA. That

23:33

committee concluded that Boris Johnson broke the

23:36

rules by visiting Venezuela for talks

23:38

with the country's President, Nicolas

23:40

Maduro. The trip was organised by

23:42

a hedge fund. A Labour MP,

23:44

Christian Wakeford, was curious about the government's

23:47

involvement in the trip. On

23:49

2 April, ACOBA wrote to the Deputy Prime

23:51

Minister to report a breach of the rules

23:53

by the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in

23:56

relation to a visit to Venezuela to meet

23:58

with President Maduro. behalf of

24:00

the hedge fund, Berlin Advisors. Was

24:03

the cabinet office aware of this visit in

24:05

advance and did the Secretary of State or

24:07

officials have a conversation with the Foreign Office

24:09

about any tax funded briefings he may receive?

24:12

Boris Johnson told Okoba that he wasn't

24:14

paid for the visit, which took place

24:16

in February, and he used

24:19

the occasion to push for human rights,

24:21

democracy and support for Ukraine. But

24:24

in a letter to the Deputy Prime

24:26

Minister Oliver Dowden, Okoba said he'd been

24:28

evasive. Oliver Dowden was in

24:30

the Commons for question time, but the

24:32

job of answering questions on Boris Johnson

24:35

fell to his junior colleague John Glenn.

24:37

The cabinet office is currently considering

24:39

a letter on this matter from

24:42

the Advisory Committee on business appointments

24:44

and responding decoys. The

24:46

Labour MP Rupert Huck said what she

24:48

called Boris Johnson's hedge fund lobbying

24:50

in Venezuela wasn't the only issue.

24:53

There's also his daily mail column

24:55

and then the lettuce PM asked

24:57

his contravention of Radcliffe rules for

25:00

betraying royal confidences in her book. A

25:02

reference to Liz Truss's memoirs about her

25:04

time in office. The cabinet

25:07

office has said the book doesn't comply

25:09

with rules requiring ministers to seek

25:11

approval before including private conversations with

25:13

the monarch. The code

25:15

on ministers' behaviour is overseen by the

25:18

Prime Minister, but Rupert Huck didn't think

25:20

that system was working. The Prime

25:22

Minister is judge and jury of

25:24

this code. Isn't it time for

25:26

a more independent system such as

25:28

the proposed ethics and integrity

25:30

commission of the Labour Party? If they won't

25:32

do that, can't they just call a general

25:34

election now? I can't

25:37

even relate it for a question. I

25:39

mean, the seven principles on public life are

25:41

very clear. Those seven principles

25:44

are selflessness, integrity,

25:46

objectivity, accountability, openness,

25:48

honesty and leadership.

25:51

But the minister didn't see any need

25:53

to change the oversight system for ministers.

25:56

So Shadow Minister Nick Thomas Simmons returned

25:58

to Boris Johnson's office. trip to

26:00

Venezuela and the extent of government

26:02

involvement. In a letter to me,

26:05

the Deputy Prime Minister said of Mr Johnson's

26:07

recent trip to Venezuela that he was not

26:09

acting on behalf of the government and the

26:11

trip was not funded by the government. In

26:13

a written parliamentary answer to me,

26:15

we were told Mr Johnson had only made a

26:18

courtesy call to the British residents. Yet

26:20

last week, the Chair of Aqaba made

26:22

clear that Mr Johnson was in breach

26:24

of the government's business appointment rules. And

26:27

we also know from Mr Johnson himself

26:29

that he had, and I quote, been

26:31

extensively briefed by the embassy. When

26:34

is the government actually going to come

26:36

clean for what has actually gone on

26:38

with Boris Johnson's Venezuela visit? John

26:40

Glenn said all ministers and civil servants

26:42

were expected to abide by the rules

26:45

on business appointments. We are continuing

26:47

to consider methods to strengthen the system and

26:50

encourage compliance with those rules. Labour

26:53

MP Sir Chris Bryant raised the

26:55

affairs of a third former Prime

26:57

Minister, David, now Lord Cameron, who's

26:59

the Foreign Secretary. He

27:01

said the government was refusing to publish

27:03

details about his financial interests prior to

27:05

his appointment to the Lords. Why

27:08

is the government still refusing despite

27:10

numerous requests from newspapers and others

27:13

to publish whether or not the Foreign Secretary

27:15

has had to recuse himself from certain elements

27:17

of his job because of his previous involvement

27:19

with the Chinese state? And

27:22

why is the government point blank

27:24

refusing to say which parts of

27:26

his job he has refused from?

27:29

There is a list of ministers' interests.

27:31

John Glenn set out the process. When

27:34

ministers are appointed, they fill out

27:36

an extensive form which their permanent

27:38

secretary then reviews. And

27:42

there is a continuous process of

27:44

updating that as an interest of

27:46

all. A Lib Dem, Wendy

27:48

Chamberlain, harped back to a promise made

27:50

by the government. And legally commit ministers

27:52

to keeping the after-government business appointment rules.

27:55

Now if I were cynical Madam Deputy

27:57

Speaker, I could think of a reason why the government

27:59

has not... brought that commitment forward. But might the

28:01

minister give us an idea of when he intends

28:04

to do so? The minister said

28:06

the deputy prime minister was leading on

28:08

that important work and the government

28:10

had to get it right. Christina

28:12

Cooper there. The youngest member

28:14

of the House of Lords has made her

28:16

first all-maiden speech. Lady Smith of Clamvice is

28:19

a member of Clyde Cymru, and at just

28:21

28 years old is well below the average

28:23

age in the Chamber of 71. She also

28:25

wants to see the unelected

28:28

House of Lords abolished. Lady

28:30

Smith's appointment attracted attention not only because

28:33

of her youth but also because she

28:35

has bright red hair and a distinctive

28:37

taste in boots. Since my

28:39

nomination was announced, much comment has been

28:41

made about my age, the

28:44

colour of my hair and my choice

28:46

of footwear. And I assure

28:48

your lordships that I'll be proud to

28:50

wear my Doc Martens in this place.

28:53

Other boot brands are available. And

28:56

that brings us to our closing headline

28:58

from Westminster. The government's controversial plan to

29:01

send some asylum seekers to Rwanda has

29:03

been signed into law. Labour argued that

29:05

100,000 migrants would

29:07

be stuck in the UK unable to

29:10

be removed, but the government said the

29:12

opposition's plans would see migration rise. I'm

29:15

Alicia McCarthy. The studio manager was

29:17

Fiona Fairmanner. The editor was David

29:19

Cornock, and that was the Today

29:21

in Parliament podcast. Thanks for listening.

29:24

And if you enjoyed this programme, you can

29:26

catch up with earlier editions of Today and

29:28

Yesterday in Parliament on BBC Sounds. Hi,

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