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Tonight, President-elect Donald Trump is speaking at a gala organized by the America First Policy Institute.
It's taking place at his Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
We'll have live coverage starting at about 8:30 Eastern on C-SPAN.
You can also watch on the free C-SPAN Now video app and online at c-span.org.
President-elect Trump continues to announce more selections to his incoming cabinet and administration.
He'll nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department.
Mr. Kennedy, who will require Senate confirmation, has been outspoken in the past about his scepticism of vaccines and fluoride usage in public water sources.
The former independent presidential candidate withdrew from the race this summer to endorse Mr. Trump.
During question time in the British House of Commons, Prime Minister Keir Starmer mentioned that he congratulated President-elect Trump on his upcoming presidency.
This is just under 40 minutes.
Let us move to Prime Minister's questions.
Christine Jobby.
Question number one, please, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I was honoured to join President Macron to mark Armistice Day in Paris.
And together, we pay tribute to the fallen of the First World War and all subsequent conflicts who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom that we enjoy today.
Mr. Speaker, I also attended the COP summit.
My focus, as ever, was on British energy security and the jobs of the future that should be with these shores, central issues of concern to people in this country.
It is also Islamophobia Awareness Month, and I reaffirm our commitment to standing against discrimination and racism in all its forms.
Mr. Speaker, this morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this House.
I shall have further such meetings later today.
Christian Jobby.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
In the two weeks since the budget, I've been contacted by several GP practices in my constituency of Edinburgh West, including my own, I should say, with their genuine fears that the impacts of the changes to national insurance employers' contribution will threaten their ability to continue to offer the public the health service at the standard they do at the moment.
And they are far from the only ones struggling, particularly in the health and social care sectors.
So, can the Prime Minister tell me, or perhaps he and his Chancellor would like to come to my constituency and explain to those GPs, to charities and others how they are meant to cope without extra support from the government?
Mr. Speaker, what I would say is this because of the tough decisions that we took, we have put forward a budget with an extra, Mr. Speaker, an extra £25.6 billion for the NHS and for social care.
That includes an increase to carers' allowance and £600 million available to deal with the pressures of adult social care.
We will ensure that GP practices have the resources that we need and the funding arrangements between the NHS and contractors will be set out in the usual way.
Mr. Speaker, members have raised their concerns with a range of damaging policies pursued by the Leader of the Opposition.
This includes voting against critical investment for our NHS, stating that maternity pay is excessive and the minimum wage a burden, and even backing harmful fracking when last in government.
So is the Prime Minister aware of any attempt by the Leader of the Opposition to justify these dangerous positions which would cause untold damage to communities like mine in South Dawson?
This government has given millions of people a pay rise of £1,400 by boosting the minimum wage.
We've strengthened parental leave with better rights to parents, but huge investment into our schools and NHS, and all of that whilst ensuring that pay slips of working people have not been affected.
It's clear whose side we're on, the working people of this country.
Now, I haven't heard the Leader of the Opposition clarify why she opposes all these things, but now is her chance.
Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Bernal.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister can plant as many questions as his lifetime's backpunches, but at the end of the day, I'm the one he has to face at the dispatch box.
And I welcome him, Mr. Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I welcome the Prime Minister back from his trip to Azerbaijan where he has unilaterally made commitments that will make life more experienced for everyone back home.
Speaking of making life...
Somebody's suggesting reading.
I think if you noticed the Prime Minister also read.
So please get your leader in the opposite.
Mr Speaker, I can pre-prepare my questions, but he needs to answer from his mind.
Speaking and making life responsible for the answers.
So he has made life more expensive with his unilateral commitments.
But speaking of making life more expensive, will the Prime Minister confirm that he will keep the cap on council tax?
Mr. Speaker, she talks of the trip to COP.
I'm very proud of the fact that we're restoring leadership on climate to this country of the UK, because that will be measured in lower bills on energy independence and the jobs of the future.
She may have missed, but on Monday I was very pleased to announce a huge order into jobs in Hull for blades for offshore wind.
If she's opposed to that sort of action, she should go to Hull and say so.
On the question of Council, she knows what the arrangements are.
I think the House would have heard that the Prime Minister could neither confirm nor deny whether there was a cap and council tax being raised.
So I will ask him this question.
How much extra does he expect local authorities will have to raise to cover the social care funding gap created by the Chancellor's budget and increases in employers' NI?
He told the member for Edinburgh West just now that he was covering social care.
How much extra does he expect local authorities to raise?
It's all very well, this knockabout, but not actually listening to what I said three minutes ago is a bit of a fundamental failure of the Leader of the Opposition.
I just said £600 million.
I repeat it, £600 million.
Has repeated that number because he has probably not listened to the Labour-run LGA, who said that with no separate funding for the Chancellor's budget announcements, care providers will likely see increased costs, which will cost councils more.
All of the £600 in grant increase he is giving will not cover what is required for adult social care.
It is clear that they had not thought through the impact of the budget, and this is the problem with having a copy and paste Chancellor.
Did they not realise that care homes care homes, GP surgeries, children's nurseries, hospices, and even charities have to pay employers' NI?
We have put more money into local authorities than they did in 14 years.
Absolutely catastrophic state.
We produced a budget which does not include tax on working people, nothing in the past.
Investing in our NHS, investing in our schools so every child can go as far as their talent will take them, investing in the houses of the future.
If she's against those things, she should say so.
Mr. Speaker, I'm not against any of those things.
Of course not.
None of us are against any of those things.
But he has confirmed that he does not know what is going on.
The Prime Minister probably does not realise that on Monday the Ministry for Communities, Local Government and Housing revealed that councils will need to find an additional £2.4 billion in council tax next year.
That's a lot more than £600 million.
I know that he's been away, but did the Deputy Prime Minister who runs that department make him aware of their £2.4 billion black hole?
So let me get this straight, Mr. Speaker.
She doesn't want any of the measures in the budget, but she wants all the benefits.
So the budget manager is back after two weeks in office.
Two weeks in office.
They've learned absolutely nothing.
We've put forward a budget which takes the difficult decisions, fixing the £22 billion black hole that they have, investing in the future of our country.
They say they want all of that, but they don't know how they're going to pay for it.
Same old Tories.
Mr. Speaker, even he has to admit that they fiddled the fiscal rules.
The OBR has actually said that they don't recognise where the additional growth is going to come from.
The fact is, Mr. Speaker, the fact is the rise in employers' national insurance is going to be a disaster for small businesses around the world.
Mr. Speaker, let me tell you about Kelly.
For over 20 years, Kelly has run an after-school club business supporting 500 children and families in her borough.
In 2024, her national insurance cost was about £10,000.
In April, this will rise to £26,000.
That is a 150% increase in costs from the budget alone.
What is the Prime Minister's message to Kelly and the 500 families her small business supports if it goes under?
I would say this to Kelly.
We inherited a very badly damaged economy.
We inherited the £22 billion black hole and we were not prepared to continue with the fiction.
Mr. Lawbetter, I'm sure I couldn't expect better from you as a BBS as well.
I would say to Kelly, we are fixing the mess that we were left.
We're investing in the future of our country.
I would also say to her that the Leader of the Opposition, Week 2, wants all the benefits from the budget but has no way of saying how she's going to pay for it.
Same old mistake over and over again.
Mr. Speaker, he has nothing to offer except platitudes.
And the fact is that they do not know what they're doing.
Their ideological budget was designed to milk the private sector and hope nobody would notice.
Now his cabinet ministers are all queuing up for public sector bailouts to his tax mess.
If he is going to bail out the public sector, then can he tell us this?
Does he think it is appropriate, as the Ministry for Housing has done, to approve a four-day week for councils that is not flexible working but is actually part-time work for full-time pay?
Questions based on what we're actually doing are usually better than fantasy questions made up.
Mr. Speaker, what did they deliver in 14 years?
Low growth, low growth, stagnant economy, a disastrous mini-budget, a £22 billion pack off.
And now she wants to give me advice on running the economy.
I don't want to be rude, but no, thank you very much.
Patrick Hurley!
Patrick!
Patrick, yes, you, right at the end, Patrick.
So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Towns like mine in Southport need investment and support after 14 years of decline from the party opposition.
So can the Prime Minister confirm that his budget will provide that much-needed investment for towns like mine and further confirm that, unlike the previous government, my local authority and the public services that my town relies on will be finally properly supported?
Can I begin by paying tribute to my honourable friend and to his constituents in Southport?
They've shown extraordinary courage and resilience as they try to rebuild from the devastating tragedy and loss earlier this year.
We will ensure that the people of Southport are supported now and in the years to come.
The budget is designed to fix the crucial services that his constituents rely on, including £1.3 billion of new funding for local government, an investment in, say, for streets in our NHS for the future, and that's the direction in which we're taking the country.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed David.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
When it comes to fixing the crisis in the NHS that he's inherited, the Prime Minister has rightly recognised the need to improve access to GPs.
But like my honourable friend, the member for Edinburgh West, GPs in my constituency are writing to me to tell me how worried they are about the impact of the national insurance hike on patient care.
So listen very carefully to what he said to my honourable friend, but I have to say I hope he can think again.
Will he at least exempt GPs, community pharmacists, and other health and care providers from this tax rise?
I hear the point he makes and I understand the concern.
We have made a huge investment in our NHS, the biggest ever investment in our NHS for many, many years.
And certainly almost all the people working in NHS are very, very pleased to see that investment in them and in their service.
On the question of GPs, we will ensure they've got the resources that we need and the funding arrangements will be set out in the usual way later this year.
Sir Ed David.
I have to say I think patients and GPs and others listening to answer will want more reassurance and much more quickly.
But if I may turn to the war in Ukraine, Mr. Speaker, a senior adviser to President-elect Trump, Donald Trump Jr., has shared a post on Instagram that declares that President Zelensky will soon, within the next few weeks, lose his allowance.
If the Trump administration does withdraw support from our brave Ukrainian allies, will the UK and Europe step up to fill the gap?
Will he seize frozen Russian assets, not just the interest, but the assets underlying that, so we can fund a huge boost to the Ukrainian forces in their fight against Putin's war machine?
Mr. Speaker, as he knows, we've been resolute and strong in our support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
I have been speaking, as he will know in recent weeks with other leaders about how we put Ukraine in the best and strongest possible position at this time.
I'll continue those discussions.
Thank you.
David Bate.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Child poverty is a national scandal.
In St Helens North, it increased by over 50% under the previous government.
Does the Prime Minister agree with me that we need to address this ideally cross-party?
And if so, does he show my concern that the Conservatives have opposed actions we're taking with the budget, employment rates, housing, and more, not to mention the leaders' comments on maternity pay, which suggests they just don't get what working families and their children need?
My honourable friend is absolutely right.
Under the party opposite, we saw child poverty increase by 700,000.
This was a budget that not only invests in our NHS and our schools, but also ensures that working people won't face a penny extra in their pay slips or at the petrol pump.
Because it came to tough decisions on tax, we haven't touched national insurance, income tax, or VAT, just as we promised on working people.
We also gave 3 million of the lowest paid a pay rise, something which the party opposite seems to be opposing.
Thank you.
Prime Minister, Lebanon is in crisis, and my constituent, Catherine Flanagan, is in despair.
Her three-year-old son, David Nally, has been out of her care for the last two years.
The Belfast High Court has indicated that he should be returned to his mother and they have issued a bench warrant for the arrest of his father.
But when she fled domestic violence in Beirut, she got no help or assistance from the UK embassy.
And when she has sought assistance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to be returned with her son, to see her son again and this British citizen come back to the UK, she has not received the assistance that she or I in our community expect she should.
Can I ask the Prime Minister to engage in this issue and at the very least ask the Foreign Secretary to assist my constituent in her earnest desire to see her three-year-old son again?
Can I thank the Right Honourable Member for raising this case and for all that he's doing on behalf of Catherine and David?
I hope they get some comfort from knowing they've got an MP working so hard on their behalf.
It is, I know, a complex and difficult situation, but of course I will make sure that the relevant meetings are set up with the relevant ministers to ensure that he gets the answers that he needs on behalf of his constituents.
Income Collin.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
constituency of Burton and Eutoxeter is the home of UK Brewing and has the best pubs in the country.
The Prime Minister is welcome to join me for a pint in sampling the very best beer in the world.
As this government looks to reform business rates and consult on the changes, will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that pubs and hospitality have a seat at the table?
Mr. Speaker, last time I went to my honourable friend's constituency, I got to see the fantastic South Derbyshire College.
I look forward now to testing his proposition that he has the best pubs in his constituency on some future occasion.
But pubs and breweries are such an important part of our culture and of our communities, and that's why the budget delivered an £85 million per year tax cuts for pubs, reducing the duty on a pint.
We also delivered a 40% relief on business rates for next year and permanently lowering them for the year after.
We're protecting small businesses by more than doubling the employer allowance to £10,500.
Thank you, Mills just rehearsed.
In the past week, there have been reports of more schools who are slated foreclosure as a direct consequence of the Prime Minister's ideologically driven policy to introduce VAT on school fees and increase national insurance contributions.
This will be a pattern seen up and down the country and will lead to staff being unemployed and pupils and parents being cast adrift.
Will the Prime Minister do the decent thing and abandon this policy and apologise to those affected?
I do understand the concerns of those that save to send their children to private school because they believe in aspiration and opportunity.
What I would say is that every single parent shares that aspiration and opportunity, whichever school they send them to.
Under the last government, we didn't have enough teachers in basic subjects in our state secondary schools.
They were prepared to tolerate that.
I'm not.
Mr. Speaker, three million people across the country, including an estimated 70,000 in Wales, will benefit from Labor's budget measures on the minimum wage and the national living wage.
Contrast that with the Leader of the Opposition who said minimum wage was hurting businesses or the shadow Chancellor who called minimum wage a burden.
Does the Prime Minister agree with me that those comments underline that the Tories have no interest in protecting working people or boosting the income of the lowest paid?
Mr. Speaker, it was the last Labor government that introduced the national minimum wage in the teeth of opposition from the party opposite.
I'm proud that this government has now increased it by over 16%.
That means an increase of over £2,500 a year for a full-time worker aged 18 to 20.
Whether it's our employment rights bills or decisions at the budget, this is a government that is proudly on the side of Britain's working people.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Now that Sue Gray has remarkably turned down the opportunity to be the Prime Minister's special envoy to the nations, will the Prime Minister now finally admit that it was an invented job on taxpayers' money from one of his cronies?
And if it wasn't, is he going to hire a new one?
I represent loads of hard-working mums and dads in Tipton, Wensbury and Coesley.
Last week, the Leader of the Opposition's Campaign Chair, Rachel McLean, said it was not the right decision for the Tories to expand childcare provision.
Will the Prime Minister confirm that this Labor government believes in supporting working families and will work to get them the childcare they need?
Let me be absolutely clear.
This government is committed to making childcare more affordable and accessible.
The party opposite voted against making life easier for working families.
They've learned absolutely nothing.
We're committed to £1.8 billion to expand access across childcare, creating 3,000 new school-based nurseries and family hubs.
I'm proud that we're taking the country in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, Article 2 of the United Nations Genocide Convention makes it explicitly clear that genocide is not about numbers, it's about intent.
And the intent of the Israeli government and the IDF has been explicitly clear in words and in actions over the past 400 days.
More than 45,000 innocent men, women, and children killed.
On the 28th of October, the Foreign Secretary denied that a genocide was even taking place and suggested that the Israeli army had not yet killed enough Palestinians to constitute a genocide.
Last week, the PMQs, the Prime Minister, started that he has never referred to the atrocities happening in Gaza as a genocide.
Will the Prime Minister share his definition of genocide with this House and will he state what further action he is prepared to take to save lives of desperate and starving men, women and children, given that we now hold the presidency of the United Nations Security Council?
It would be wise to start a question like that by reference to what happened in October of last year.
I'm well aware of the definition of genocide, and that is why I've never described this and referred to it as genocide.
Katie White.
Mr. Speaker, my constituent's daughter, Bethany Ray Fields, was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2019, despite raising multiple alarms of this abuse of the police.
Bethany's mother, Pauline, travelled down to Parliament this week to bring her case to the Minister.
Does the Prime Minister agree with Pauline that more needs to be done to shift the culture towards believing and reacting fast to victims when they sound the alarm of concern as one way to reduce violence against women and girls?
What happened to Bethan is appalling.
My thoughts, as I'm sure the whole House is with her families.
We do need a culture shift here and we have committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.
No government has ever made that commitment before.
I hope that can be something which is shared across the House because this is so important.
And it starts with that central question of belief and confidence for every woman or young woman who comes forward.
There are probably about nine who never have the confidence to come forward.
That starts with belief and the culture that we put in place.
We're committed to that.
I invite the whole House to join us on that mission to halve violence against women and girls.
Nigel Froge.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm sure the Prime Minister and the whole House would wish to congratulate Donald Trump on his landslide victory last week.
I will hear the question.
I do.
Thank you.
But within a couple of days, we learned of a third assassination attempt.
Charges have been laid, and behind it are Iran's revolutionary guards.
Has the time not come, Prime Minister, to prescribe what is so obviously a terrorist organisation?
And in doing so, not just do the right thing, but maybe mend some fences between this government and the incoming presidency of Donald Trump's, given that the whole of his cabinet have been so rude about him over the last few years.
Well, I'm glad to see the honourable member making a rare appearance back here in Britain.
We've spent so much time in America recently.
I was half expecting to save it on the immigration statistics when we see the match of that.
But it may have business.
I did congratulate the incoming president last week.
The point he makes about Iran is a very serious point.
We will work across the House and with our allies on it.
Obviously, on question of prescription, we keep them under review.
Thank you.
Absolute.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I welcome the Prime Minister's recognition of Islamophobia Awareness Month and his commitment to supporting Muslim communities.
The APPG on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia is one of the most widely accepted definitions on this issue.
I have been discussing the adoption of it with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Faith, and the Leader of the House.
Given recent riots and doubling of Islamophobic hate crimes over the last decade, can the Prime Minister outline the steps this government will take to tackle this issue and commit to ensuring a clear and effective definition of Islamophobia?
Well, I thank him for raising this important issue.
Whatever the hatred, there has been a rise in the last 12 months or so, and I think the whole House will join in saying we must meet any rise in hatred in whatever form it is, including Islamophobia.
We are working with others to take this forward, and I'm happy to meet with him further on that.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was in South Loch Arbour at the weekend speaking to pensioners who still cannot understand why the Prime Minister chose to take away their winter fuel payment.
And one of them remembered from just two years ago the then Leader of the Opposition saying, looking ahead to winter is frightening.
I've met pensioners who have no idea how they'll heat their home.
And she asked me to ask you, Prime Minister, whatever happened to that guy?
Mr. Speaker, as he knows from previous answers, we've taken tough decisions in this budget to deal with the situation that we've faced.
Because of that, we've stabilised the economy, which means we can commit to the triple lot.
Because of the triple lot, pensioners will be better off.
But I'll take no lectures from his party about running the economy.
Their record in Scotland is terrible.
Julian Kendall.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I welcome the establishment of a flood resilience task force because in my constituency of Broxton, there has been unprecedented flooding that has affected many of my constituents.
There's rising concern and significant financial insecurity for many who face distress, trauma and fear in their own homes.
May I ask the Prime Minister what other measures he's taking to improve flood resilience and support that will be available to my residents and my constituents in Broxton?
I do know the dreadful impact that flooding has had on her constituency, including with Storm Henk earlier this year.
The last government left flood defences in the worst condition on record.
We are investing £2.4 billion in flood resilience over the next two years, and we've launched a flood resilience task force to coordinate national and local flood preparation to better protect communities and our economy.
Rather than heckling, they might take a reflection on the record that they made.
Mr. Speaker, the residents of my constituency in South Basel and East Thorrock are facing a triple whammy of increased council tax of 50%, reduced public services, and a borrowing on a billion pounds worth of emergency funding, which is 1% above base.
That 1% is £10 million approximately per year that's going to the Treasury that could be spent on frontline services in Thurrock.
Will the Prime Minister commit to reducing that rate so the money can go where it belongs?
Well, I thank him for his question.
The last government made life even more difficult for councils needing exceptional financial support by charging a premium on borrowing.
That was the wrong decision, which had a huge impact on vital services.
We will be taking a different approach.
We're delivering in real terms an increase on core public on government spending power, and that will benefit his constituents.
The Leader of the Opposition took time at her party's conference to say that a little bit of adversity in life is good for people's mental health.
That approach clearly did not work for the two million people who were stuck on mental health waiting lists because of the last Tory government.
Can the Prime Minister commit to tackling mental health weights in the NHS?
I think we obviously recognise the devastating impact that mental health problems have on people's livelihoods.
Lord Darcy's report showed that waiting lists are far too long and there's a shocking decline in mental health in children under the last government.
Giving mental health the attention it needs, we're doing by recruiting 8,500 mental health workers much needed, and of course reforming a Mental Health Act, which in my view is long overdue.
Chalkstream rivers are rare with a unique ecology.
Most of them are in the UK and two are in my constituency of North East Hampshire.
Last year, chalkstream rivers were hit with 14,000 hours of sewage discharges and the previous government did nothing despite calls from my honourable friend the MP for Cheshire and Amersham.
Will the Prime Minister introduce a special protection for our chalk stream rivers?
Well I thank her for raising this and we are committed to protection and restoration of unique chalk streams.
She's right the destruction of our waterways should never have been allowed and we've announced immediate action to end this disgraceful behaviour.
New powers with tougher penalties including fines, banning bonuses and bringing criminal charges against those who persistently break the law.
We've also launched a water commission.
Thank you.
I welcome the Prime Minister's leadership on an international scale to smash the criminal gangs that smuggle people across the border.
This Labor government has returned over 9,000 people with no right to be in the UK, which is 20% more than the party opposite.
Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will continue this trade and smash the gangs that profit from people's misery?
Yes, the last government lost control of our borders.
And in the first six months of this year, small bike arrivals were up 18% on the same period last year.
They spent £700 million on returning, what, four volunteers to Rwanda.
Since coming into office, we've returned 9,400 people with no right to be here.
They talked about getting the flights off.
We've got the flights off.
It's the single biggest deportation flight.
And so that's why we're investing another £75 million in smashing the gangs.
We're absolutely determined to have a serious response to a serious question, not a gimmick that achieved absolutely nothing.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Ensuring every child has access to a great education, I'm sure, is a priority for all across this House.
And I welcome the announcements for extra funding for children with SEND at the budget.
The Chancellor in her speech announced a $2.3 billion increase in course spending and $1 billion for SEN.
However, the budget document states that they are in fact both from the same pot announced twice, which is correct.
The Chancellor made this absolutely clear in the budget.
Putting that huge investment into special educational needs, it's an issue that is of concern across this House because I think all members are recognising the appalling record of the last government.
It's been raised from its own benches, the appalling state of SEN.
So I'm very proud of the money that this government is putting in where the last government failed.
There's not a week that goes by where my office isn't contacted by young people and their families who are being let down by the shocking state of sending provision locally.
Across my constituency, I'm trying to work across party lines to push both Central Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Council to do more.
I welcome the fantastic extra news in the budget about additional funding and subsequent announcements about increased support for mainstream settings.
But we know we're going to do more, need to do more.
So can the Prime Minister assure my constituents that we won't shy away from the whole system of reform needed to finally ensure every young person has the support they need to thrive in school?
No, we won't shy away from that challenge because it's far too important for the children and the families and the communities involved.
And therefore we will not only put the necessary money in but we will look at the reform that is needed alongside the investment and we will finally fix the problem, another of the problems that we've inherited from the lot opposite.
Final question is for Alex Shelbrook.
Thank you Mr Speaker.
On the 29th of November this House will be asked to consider Second reading, one of the most consequential pieces of legislation to this country's make-up.
But I am generally approaching this with an open mind, but have many concerns.
And what concerns me, Prime Minister, is the short space of time on that day.
So, could I ask you, Prime Minister, that before we get to the 29th of November, the government will make a commitment that we can have two days, 16 hours of protected time on the floor of the House in government time, that we can examine and debate in this House the report stage so that many of the arguments we are concerned about may be able to be brought out then, because otherwise, Prime Minister, people like myself may decline a second reading over fear that we may not get to be able to debate these issues in full.
Well, I'm grateful to him for raising this issue.
It is obviously an important issue, an important vote.
And I know that there are strongly held views on both sides of the debate across this House, and that's why it will be a free vote.
I think every member needs to decide for themselves how they will vote on it.