at 9:00 eastern on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. >> explore the wonderful array of mother's day gifts waiting for you at c-spanshop.org. discover books, apparel, home decor and accessories. there's something for ever c-span mom. plus every purchase you make goes towards supporting our nonprofit operations. start shopping now by scanning the code on the right or visiting us online at c-spanshop.org. >> do you solemnly swear that in the testimony you're about to give, will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> saturdays, watch american history tv'congress investigates as we explore major investigations in our country's history by the u.s. house and

senate. each week authors and historians will tell these stories, we'll see historic footage from those periods and examine the impact and legacy of key cononal hearings. this week the 1987 hearings on the iran contra affair. wel hear about the clandestine sale of missiles to iran in exchange for the release of hostages in lebanon, with proceeds going to contra rebels in nicaragua. watch congress investigates saturdays at 7:00 p.m. on c-span2. >> british prime minister sunak fielded questions from members of the house of commons on a range of issues during his weekly question time. including illegal immigration, water and sewage treatment, childhood poverty and the israel-hamas war. from london, this is about 35 minutes.

>> mr. speaker, i know the whole house will join me in congratulating john sweeney on becoming s.m.p. leader. i look forward to working constructively with him to deliver for the people of scotland. 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. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last week's prime minister's questions, i highlighted the shocking rise in the number of teenagers trying vaping and i asked the prime minister if he would take decisive action to stop the advertising on football stadiums. he declined to do that. since then i have had an exchange with the scottish chief medical officer, professor sir greger smith, during a session of the tobacco and vapes bill committee and he said, where i become very uncomfortable and i'm not supportive is where the massive attraction of sports companies is used in a way that promotes behaviors that are known to be unsafe or unhealthy.

can i ask the prime minister again, does he still think that it is right that vape companies should sponsor football kits? >> mr. speaker, i'm glad the honorable lady agrees with me and the government that we should do more to tackle youth vaping and that's why we are bringing forward measures in the new bill to restrict the availability and appeal of vapes to children specifically, whether that's flavors or indeed marketing. as she knows, advertising of vapes is already heavily restricted by u.k. regulations, including a ban on advertising, on television and radio and most online. we've seen football take positive voluntary action in the past on issues such as this. but i will say, the government will respond to the honorable lady's specific amendment in the usual way. >> thank you, mr. speaker. a serving officer in the armed forces in recent weeks, mr. speaker, my right honorable friend has announced plans to control welfare and get people

back to work. to increase defense spending to 2.5% of g.d.p., and pass legislation to get flights off to rwanda. does he agree with me that these are all issues that real people like my constituents in southeast cornwall care about and that the leader of the opposition should do the right thing and back them? >> mr. speaker, my right honorable friend is a fantastic champion for her local area. can i also thank her daughter for her service in the armed forces. and she's right. i'm not surprised that the labor party don't back our plans to stop the votes. i'm not surprised they don't back our plans to get people into work and reform welfare. but i do think they should do the right thing when it comes to the security of our nation. and that's back our plans to increase defense spending and give our brave armed forces personnel the sources they need to keep us safe. >> mr. speaker, can i warmly

welcome the new member for black falls south. after the representation that fine town has recently, it's good to know they have a proper champion back at last. can i also warmly welcome the new labor m.p. for dover. mr. speaker, if one week a tori m.p. who is also a doctor says the prime minister can't be trusted with the n.h.s. and joins labor, and the next week the tori m.p. for dover on the front line of the small votes crisis says the prime minister cannot be trusted with our borders and joins labor, what is the point of this failed government staggering on? >> mr. speaker, can i join him in welcoming his newest m.p. he looks a lot happier than the member who was sitting there last week. [laughter]

but let me also join with him and let me join with him in congratulating new and paying tribute to former counselors, p.p.c.'s and mayors across the country. i hope his new ones do him as proud as i am of all of mine, mr. speaker. great leaders, great leaders like andy, great leaders like andy who leave behind a strong legacy of more homes, more jobs and more investment in sharp contrast to the legacy left by the last labor government which was a letter joking that there was no money left. >> mr. speaker, in addition to losing two tory m.p.'s in two weeks, the prime minister's been on the receiving end of some of the biggest election swings in history. he's also lost 1500 tory counselors, half of his party's mayors, and a leadership election to a lettuce. how many more times do his own

m.p.'s need to reject him before he takes the hint? >> well, mr. speaker, this time last year i reminded him of some advice actually from his own mentor, tony blair, who had said at the time that he can be as cocky as he likes about local elections, but come a general election, it's policy that counts, mr. speaker. now, one year on, one year on from that advice, one year on from that advice, what has he manageed? tax rises, 17 new business regulations, 30u-turns and a deputy leader under a police investigation. >> i'm surprised he brought up a police investigation. his record is played one -- no, actually, two, the seatbelt as well. played two, lost two in relation to police investigations. but it's the -- the public keep telling him, the votes telling

him it's not good enough. instead of listening he keeps telling, everything's fine. if only they'll realize his greatness. he just doesn't get it. but at least after thursday night, mr. speaker, he can go to the many places that he calls home and enjoy the fruits of his success. in southampton or downing street, he's got great labor councils. his mansion in richmond, he can enjoy a brand new labor mayor of north yorkshire. his pet pad in kensington, he can celebrate a historic third term for the mayor of london. now that he too can enjoy the benefits of this changed labor party, is he really still in such a hurry to get back to california? [laughter] >> mr. speaker, i must say, i was of course surprised to see the honorable gentleman in north yorkshire but probably -- although probably not as surprised as he was when he

realized he couldn't take the tube there, mr. speaker. [laughter] i can tell him that the people of north yorkshire, the people of north yorkshire believe in hard work, secure borders, lower taxes and straight talking common sense, mr. speaker. they're not going to get any of that from a virtue signaling lawyer from north london. >> it was great to be where they just revoted to reject the prime minister's proposition. mr. speaker, he's finally found something in common with the british public. no matter where he calls home, all his neighbors are backing this changed labor party and they keep rejecting him because they have sussed him out. they know there's nothing behind the boasts, the gimmicks, the smug smile. he's a dodgy salesman desperate to sell them a dud. now, mr. speaker, 16 days ago when he held a press conference claiming victory on rwanda, he said the next few weeks will be

about action. people want deeds, not words. so let's test that. how many small boat crossings have there been since he said that 16 days ago? >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, actually, just before we go into that, he talked about a change -- he talked about a changed labor party. it's important. because he talked about a changed labor party. he talks about it a lot. but just this morning, and he also talked about his new mayor in london, so just this morning we've learned that the labor mayor in london believes, and i quote, that there is an equivalence between the brutal terrorist attack of hamas and israel defending it self. let me be crystal clear. there is absolutely no equivalence between a terrorist group and a democratic state. so can i ask him now, will he take this opportunity to demonstrate, to demonstrate that that labor party has changed? and will he condemn those comments from the labor mayor?

>> i know that was a last run out before the general election but he's getting ahead of himself in asking me questions. [laughter] mr. speaker, i notice he didn't even attempt to answer the question. he knows the answer. since he claimed victory 16 days ago, there have been a staggering 2400 small boat crossings. 2400. that's a gimmick, not a deterrence. and those 2400 will be added to the tory's asylum perma backlog which is forecast to terrorize 100,000 by the end of -- to rise to 100,000 by the end of this year. the prime minister pretends he'll remove them all to rwanda but rwanda can only take a few hundred a year. at that rate, the prime minister's grand plan would take over 300 years to remove them all.

[laughter] mr. speaker, that's tens of thousands of people with their claims going unprocessed, who are going to be here for their entire lifetime, living in hotels at the taxpayers' ex tens. it is be a -- expense. it is absurd to call that anything other than an amnesty handed to them by the tory party, isn't it? >> mr. speaker, he had the opportunity to condemn the comments of his mayor, a mayor who said there's an equivalence between hamas and israel. he did not do that. and everyone will see what that is. that is the changed labor party, mr. speaker. right there. but since i became prime minister, small boat crossings are down by 1/3. that's because we've doubled n.c.a. funding, increased enforcement rate, closed bank accounts, deported 24,000 people, processed more claims and, mr. speaker, when it comes to border control, there is a crucial difference between us. we want secure borders, he's happy with open borders.

>> mr. speaker, the whole country knows that removing less than 1% of asylum seekers isn't stopping the boats, it's granting an amnesty, a tory amnesty. but if he thinks the voters are wrong, if he thinks his own m.p.'s joining the labor party are wrong, if he thinks anyone believes any of the nonsense that he spouts, why doesn't he put it to the test and call a general election? >> mr. speaker, he talks about removing people. this is a person who campaigned to stop the deportation of foreign national offenders, mr. speaker. it shows how out of touch his values are with the british people. but, mr. speaker, yet another week where we hear nothing about his plan to do anything on the issues that matter to the country. meanwhile, we're getting on, reforming welfare and getting people into work. he opposes it. we're controlling migration, legal and illegal. he opposes it. and as we heard, mr. speaker, we are boosting defense spending to

strengthen our country, he opposes it. and that's the difference. he snipes from the sidelines, the conservatives are building a brighter future. >> when it comes to small boat crossings, there's a lot of talk of human rights. but surely the only human right and life that matters is the life of children who are being taken across the channel. in this respect, will the government now do the only thing that will actually be a real deterrence and that is to arrest and detain all those who land illegally on our shores and then offshore them promptly, so that once and for all, we can save lives and end this cruel and callous trade? >> mr. speaker, my right honorable friend is right. these crossings are incredibly dangerous and they risk people's lives. just weeks ago a 7-year-old girl

died attempting the crossing and that's why as a matter of basic compassion, we must do everything we can to break the cycle of the criminal gangs. and that's why, mr. speaker, you need a deterrent. that's what the national crime agencies say. that's how we dealt with illegal migrants frommal bain kwrafplt because it's only by re-- from albania. because it's only by removing people who shouldn't be here is we remove them coming first place. it's clear it's only this party that not only has a plan to stop the boats but has a plan to stop the tragic loss of life in the channel too. >> thank you, mr. speaker. may i begin by also congratulating the fantastic john swinney on becoming scotland's first minister. i report he should be careful, very careful what they wish for. mr. speaker, as we await the eminent israeli incursion into

rafah where 1.2 million people are sheltering, including 600,000 children, it's been reported that the united states has paused an arms shipment to israel. the u.k. will now follow suit. won't it? >> the u.k. government doesn't directly provide arms or ship arms to israel. and when it comes to the situation in rafah, i've been very clear that we are deeply concerned about a full military incursion of rafah, given the devastating humanitarian impact. i've made that position and point specifically to prime minister netanyahu whenever we've spoken and will continue to urge all sides to focus on the negotiations at hand, to bring about a pause in the conflict, to release hostages and get more aid in. >> mr. speaker, let's be clear. the confidence that israel has shown in its military ambitions in rafah stems from the silence which has been shown from its allies on the front benches in

this place and indeed elsewhere across the world. now, we know, we all know that u.k. arms and tech is supporting israel's activities in gaza and will be used in any attack on rafah. knowing that and the devastation which is going to occur, surely the time has come to end our complicity and to halt our own sales to israel. >> mr. speaker, of course we take our defense export responsibilities extremely seriously and that's why we operate one of the most robust licensing control regimes anywhere in the world. we periodically review advice on israel's commitment to international humanitarian law, and ministers always act in accordance with that advice. and that is crystal clear for the house to understand. our position with regard to export licenses following the most recent assessment is unchanged and i know that he will join me in urging all

parties to engage in the negotiations that are happening so we can see, of course, -- see an end to fighting and bring about a sustainable ceasefire to this conflict. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my constituents in rural villages and on the fringes of the area are very concerned about overdevelopment. they recognize that the highway infrastructure and public services are already overloaded. could my right honorable friend consider amending planning guidance so that local plans and decisions taken by local planning authorities are not overridden by planning inspectors? and would be greatly encouraged if he would agree to meet with me and my colleagues from the neighboring constituencies to discuss this further. >> my right honorable friend is right that sustainable development must be at the heart of the planning system and that's why we're committed to meeting the needs for housing, by building the right homes in

the right places and protecting the environment assets that matter most. the national planning policy framework is clear that we should be responsive to local circumstances. i know that the relevant local plan in my friend's area is due for further consultation later this year and that he'll engage with that process but i'll happily meet with him and colleagues to discuss his situation further. >> mr. speaker, the abuse suffered by 88-year-old anne king at the hands of staff in her care home was captured on a hidden camera. the footage is stomach-churning. anne died in 2022 and it took nearly a career before there was a criminal investigation. now anne's children are working to protect other care home residents from being subjected to such appalling abuse. her son came to see me as his m.p. to ask for my help in their campaign. so will the prime minister join me in backing anne's law, a

proposal that will include a national register to professionalize the care workforce, and hold those staff who are abusive to account. and will he meet with anne's family and myself to discuss this idea? >> mr. speaker, can i first of all extend my sympathies to anne's family for what she went through. obviously that's not appropriate and i'll make sure that the department engages with him and anne's family on the proposed law and he's right to say we should have high standards across the care industry and we're working toward more investment to support our care home staff, making sure that they have training qualifications, development, and we have a regime in place that can hold everyone to account for delivering the high standards that we would all expect. >> thank you, mr. speaker. does my right honorable friend agree with me that one of the greatest things that these back benches bring to westminster is plain, old-fashioned common sense?

common sense that means people reject the -- [indiscernible] -- and even the 20 miles per hour welsh. will he join with me and perhaps ask his neighbor if he will pay for the -- [indiscernible] -- >> mr. speaker, i know my honorable friend has been dedicated -- a dedicated campaigner for the bypass. and the government is kphreuted to investing more in the midlands, particularly investing every penny of the $9.6 billion from hs-2 back into the local area and she's right. that we will focus on drivers and their priorities, not continued war on motorists which is waged by the labor mayor in london, but also the labor party in wales. it's this party that's unashamedly on the side of the motorists. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker.

our child of the north cross party group found that expect ant mothers were terminating wanted pregnancy as they could not afford another mouth to feed. recent figures show infant and child death rates have increased in the most deprivinged areas. and 50 children have died alone in unregulated accommodation. is this his plan for a brighter britain in action? >> mr. speaker, obviously what the honorable lady has described is tragedy. nobody wants to see children grow up in those circumstances. and that's why i'm proud of the government has overseen a significant fall in poverty, but particularly child poverty since 2010, through a range of measures and i'll make sure that she is aware for her constituents of all the support that is in place, both through the department of health and through the department of work and pensions and local authorities to provide support to the most vulnerable families in our communities. >> mr. speaker, local health

services are rightly growing too. the hospital is treat morgue patients for a wider variety of problems than before. surgeries are offering thousand morse appointments this year than last and our new diagnostic center means faster tests and treatments. but there's a fly in our n.h.s.-prescribed oeupbt the. dentisttry isn't fixed yet and recovery plans are very welcome but when will it mean appointments that people can book? >> mr. speaker, our dentistry recovery plan will make dentist service -- dental services, faster, simpler and fairer for patient, funding around 2.5 billion more points and access is improving in my friend's area with almost 10% more children seeing a dentist in june last year than the previous year. but we are going further. the new patient premium that was announced last year is ensuring that more n.h.s. dentistry will be provided and since then at the end of january, 500 more practices have said that they

are now open to new patients. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it's now been over a month since the parliamentary ombudsman delivered the long-awaited report on pension and justices. yet women born in the 1950's in my constituency and every constituency in this house are still waiting to hear if the u.k. government will listen to these recommendations and deliver compensation. mr. speaker, i was proud to see the scottish parliament support a motion last week calling for compensation to be delivered without delay. but utterly dismayed to see members of the conservative party and the labor party abstain. so account prime minister final -- can the prime minister finally set out when women will receive the compensation they rightly deserve? >> mr. speaker, i understand the strong feelings across the chamber on this topic and the desire for urgency in addressing them. however, the following the ombudsman's five-year investigation, it is imperative

that we take the time to thoroughly review the kpre hence be findings -- comprehensive findings that have been published. an update to the house will be provided once the report's findings have been considered. more broadly, we are committed to ensuring pensioners have the dignity and security in retirement that they deserve and most recently increasing the state pension by 900 pounds thanks to the triple lot. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. is the prime minister as appalled as i am at reports of militant civil servant trade union political activists seeking to find ways not to implement the rwanda deportations? does he agree with me that if they are not prepared to implement the will of the government, an act of parliament that was passed by both houses of parliament, that they should conclude that being in the civil service is perhaps not for them? and maybe they could look for alternative employment at other

left-wing organizations that massacre aid as being -- masquerade as being impartial. maybe they could try the bbc or channel 4 news. >> mr. speaker, my expectation is that civil servants will continue to be committed to supporting our priority, stopping the boats, and deliver in accordance with the civil service code. he'll know we made specific changes to ensure compliance with that code as we push through with our plans. but i agree with him more broadly that we are the only party that has a plan to stop the votes and we will face down all the obstacles in our way to deliver on this crucial priority for the british people and whoever stands in our way, whether it's the labor party or others, we will deliver for this country on this vital issue. >> mr. speaker, china has now hacked the data of defense personnel, the electoral commission, various other public institutions, and it's targeted many members of this house.

and yet plans by china's largest wind turbine manufacturer to build its largest european facility right here in the u.k. advance at pace with the facility set to be built in scotland. given widely shared concerns about the involvement of hostile states such as china in the u.k.'s critical national energy infrastructure, does he not agree that now is the time for this project to be paused, to be reviewed by the government on national security grounds, and if not, what phaepbg does he think that sends? >> as i've said repeatedly, china is a country with different values to ours. and is acting in a way that is increase little authoritarian at home and assertive abroad. it's right that we take firm steps to protect ourselves against that. particularly in the area of economic security, which is why this government passed the national security and investment act, precisely so that we can screen transactions without commenting on individualing ones

-- individual ones, of course, to protect this country. and we've used those powers to block chinese investments, but also to ensure that the chinese state nuclear company had no part in the future of our nuclear plans. so he can rest assured that we're alive to the challenges and have passed laws that give us the powers to protect against them. >> thank you, mr. speaker. 5-year-old benedict blythe was a lovely little boy who attended a primary school in my constituency. sadly, however, he died of a severe allergic reaction. the coroner's inquest is not yet reported but speaking generally, on average two children in every class have a food allergy and allergic reactions take place more in school than in any other setting outside the home. severe allergic reactions are on

the rise and can be fatal. yet there is no explicit legal requirement for schools to have allergy medication and allergy policy or other recommended safeguards being made available. there is only guidance. will the prime minister meet with me and benedict's parents, helen and pete, so that we can discuss a way forward to ensure the children who suffer from allergies in schools can be more safe, including schools having an allergy policy, adrenaline pens and staff who know how to use them? >> firstly, can i extend my sympathy to benedict's family. it's tragic always to hear about the loss of a child and we fully understand the seriousness of severe allergies and believe that children with medical conditions should be properly supported to enjoy a full education and be safe at school. now, there is a legal duty on the governing body of schools to

make arrangements for supporting pupils, including setting out what needs to be done, symptoms, treatment, but i will ensure that my friend gets a meeting with the health secretary to discuss how we can further support pupils with serious allergies. >> yesterday his chancellor confirmed that his government policy to abolish national insurance, $46 billion pounds annual cost, and no indication of when the money's coming from. so can the prime minister rule out further freezes on tax allowances or an increase in income tax to pay for mr. speaker, pencil nonsense. there is no unfunded policy. what we have said is that we have a long-term ambition to keep to end taxation on work and make progress towards that goal

in the next parliament just as we already have in this and cutting a third. and delivering 900 pound tax cut at the same time, it is increasing investment and increasing the state pension. and the labour party opposes tax cuts for working people. >> a key part of this government plan. in gillford we lost two pharmacies. by working diligently with pharmacists, concerned residents i have helped to secure a new pharmacy. will my right honorable friends enjoy the new pharmacy and residents should have a good, efficient and above all local pharmacy? >> i care deeply of our future

community pharmacy and i'm hear to here about the new pharmacy. and she is now right about the important role that our important pharmacy and backing them with 406 million pounds so you can go straight to your pharmacists and saving you time and ensure patients get the care they need quicker and closer to home. >> last friday, "the guardian" reported deficiencies. the radiology department and the units have been condemned. in march, i and lack of investment is the route cause of problems at my local hospital. does the prime minister believe that our hospitals are crumbling

for the price of 14 years of successes? >> we fully recognize the needs to invest in infrastructure. and we are currently spending four billion pounds a year on top of the 20 billion pounds the hospital program and the additional funding that were put aside. but he talks about a legacy of the n.h.s. look at his party's record in what else where people -- wales are experiencing the longest wait time anywhere in great britain. >> mr. speaker, and 6,000 new homes. on top of its end housing and

green spaces and public services, and reassure me and my constituents that the changes that we have made to the system will mean this time we will be protecting from major failure in notingham. >> you make an important point. on this side of the house, the conservative bill believes in building the right homes in the right places with local people having a say or labor has top-down and you can see the difference, mr. speaker between a well run conservative compared to noting ham county council forries dents to pick up the bill. >> thank you, very much, mr. speaker. and more than 3.6 million hours

and into the sea three times in the last 24 hours alone since privatization they have racked up debt 64 billion pounds and shareholders pocketed dividends. the majority of the public including 5% of conservatives and 80% of labour supporters want to cut out the profit tearing. they want it to go back. when is he going to listen to them and end the scam? h.r. >> we monitor 100% of overflow up from 100% and breaking a record of billion pounds and we have strict targets and introduced unlimited fines for water companies to account.

so it is crystal clear and only one party and the conservative party. >> final question. >> thank you, mr. speaker, everyone knows and great people and a great football team. my honorablable team to see the incredible work that they do in the local community and heard about their battle. >> my right honorable friend is a champion for his local community and join him in congratulating everyone on their well deserved promotion and i hope some of their good luck rubs off on south hampton. >> that completes.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org. >> earlier today acting labor secretary testified about worker overtime protections and return to plants and before a senate appropriations subcommittee. she has been serving as acting secretary since march of last year while her confirmation is held up. watch the full hearing 9:00 on c-span. c-span our free mobile video app or online at c-span. org. >> explore the wonderful array of mothers' dayifts at c-span, discover books. there is something for every c-span mom and every purchase

you make goes towards supporting our nonprofit operations. scan the code on the rig or visit us online. >> american history tv, saturday, on c-span 2, exploring the people and events that tell the american story at 2:00 p.m., professor lauren thompson with her book "friendly enemies" union and confederate soldiers shared coffee, tobacco and newspapers. at 3:00 p.m., remembering the korean war and lieutenant colonel puckett, a korean war veteran lay in honor at the u.s. capitol in washington, d.c.. a symposium on the korean war from texas christian university in fort worth and then "congress

investigates" and look at vegs that led to changes in policy and law. this week, 1987 hearings on the iran-contraaffair of selling missiles to iran in exchange for the release of hostages in lebanon with proceeds going to rebels in nicaragua. watch american history tv saturday on c-span 2. and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online any time at c-span. org/history. >> saturday, former president trump speaks to voters in new jersey. live coverage starts on saturday on c-span and online at c-span. org. k-12 public school officials from california, maryland and new york condemned antisemitism and