text:
Commons: 9 December 2020
Volume 685: debated on Wednesday 9 December 2020
The Secretary of State was asked—
Green Industrial Jobs
Rachel Hopkins
(Luton South) (Lab)
What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on promoting green industrial jobs in Scotland. (909869)
Tony Lloyd
(Rochdale) (Lab)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
(David Duguid)
The Secretary of State for Scotland meets Cabinet colleagues regularly to discuss all matters of importance to Scotland. This Government are committed to levelling up across the whole United Kingdom, and that is why the Prime Minister has set out his ambitious 10-point plan for our green industrial revolution, which will support up to 250,000 jobs.
The SNP has joined the Tory party in abandoning workers at BiFab, forgoing the green industrial jobs they claim to want to encourage. Within days of the Scottish Government withdrawing their support for BiFab, they launched the Scottish National Investment Bank, stating it would support Scotland's transition to zero carbon emissions. They say one thing and do another. What discussions has the Secretary of State had with Scottish Ministers about protecting jobs at BiFab and developing a green supply chain in Scotland to facilitate the expansion of its offshore wind capacity?
David Duguid
After exploring all options, both the UK and Scottish Governments have concluded that there is currently no legal right to provide further financial support to BiFab in its current form. A joint working group will be formed between the Scottish and UK Governments to consider ways to strengthen the renewables supply chain in Scotland and to secure future possibilities and opportunities. Both of Scotland's Governments have committed to exploring options for the future of the yards and to strengthen measures to support the renewables supply chain.
Tony Lloyd [V]
The Minister's seeming disinterest belies the whole problem. His original words were fine. The reality is that when BiFab, the only manufacturer of the steel cases for these turbines, went into administration, the Edinburgh Government and the London Government walked hand in hand away from that situation. What does that say about the ambition to be the Saudi Arabia of offshore wind production, and what does it say to the workers and the skills base at BiFab when the Government simply abandon them?
The situation at BiFab is a culmination of a number of issues, the main one being the unwillingness of the parent company and majority shareholder, JV Driver, to provide working capital, investment or guarantees for the company. We are determined to secure a new future for the yards in Fife and the Western Isles, and we will explore options for the future of these sites and, through the new working group, work with the Scottish Government to strengthen the renewables and clean energy supply chain.
David Mundell
(Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con)
Does my hon. Friend share my disappointment at the SNP Scottish Government's continued dogmatic opposition to nuclear power, despite the fact that in recent weeks it has been the leading source of zero carbon generation in the UK? Does he agree with me that the refusal to contemplate a replacement of the Chapelcross power station at Annan in my constituency is depriving the area of the high-quality green jobs from which it has benefited from the last 60 years?
It will come as no surprise that I do share my right hon. Friend's disappointment. This Government believe that nuclear has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power stations provide the dependable, low-carbon power that is required to complement renewable energy to ensure a low-cost, reliable, diverse generating mix to meet our net zero ambitions for 2020.
Ian Murray
(Edinburgh South) (Lab) [V]
Mr Speaker, this is the first Scottish questions since the Scottish football team qualified for Euro 2020, so I am sure you will allow me to pass on my congratulations to Stevie Clarke and his team for cheering up our nation, and of course we look forward to being further cheered when we win at Wembley in the championships in June next year.
I am sure the Minister is aware of the Proclaimers song "Letter from America", which includes the line "Methil no more", and that is what the decision of his and the Scottish Governments have delivered in reality for that community in Fife. Just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister announced that he was launching a 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution that would deliver a quarter of a million new green jobs. I did not of course realise he meant jobs that were overseas. Can the Minister inform the House how many current and potential green jobs will be lost following the Scottish and UK Governments' joint decision, in the words of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, to collude to "pull support" from BiFab in Fife?
I share the hon. Gentleman's enthusiasm. As a former card-carrying member of the tartan army myself, I might be enthused about rejoining it, but being a member of the Whips Office, I am not sure I would always get slipped to attend the matches.
We understand from the Scottish Government, who are closest to the company, that there is no commercial way forward that is compatible with state aid. The UK Government are equally bound by the state aid rules, at least for the moment, and therefore there is no legal way for either Government to intervene at this stage.
I am sure that it will not have escaped anyone's attention that the UK and Scottish Governments have just hidden behind EU state aid rules—the irony of that. The Minister did not give a figure, so let me give the figure: 500 highly skilled green jobs in Scotland abandoned. And it is not just the Tories who are to blame; unbelievably, the SNP has repeatedly hidden behind the same EU state aid rule, despite initially agreeing to support BiFab and then pulling it without notice. It has ignored a Scottish parliamentary vote to sort it out, and on the SNP's watch fabrication contracts for offshore wind farms have recently gone almost exclusively—where? —overseas. The post-covid recovery has to be about jobs, yet both Governments are unnecessarily abandoning good clean jobs, and this Government are risking a disastrous no deal Brexit, which will further decimate jobs. So I ask the Minister this: the Prime Minister has broken his promise of an oven-ready Brexit deal, so how many jobs will be lost in Scotland as a result of the Tories delivering a no deal Brexit?
I have already discussed this Government's commitment to the 10-point plan and the up to 250,000 jobs across the whole of the UK. That is still in play, but this is obviously a disappointing situation, and the recent revelation that a private firm bought a majority stake in BiFab for just £4 before it went into administration raises serious questions about how the SNP Scottish Government could pour tens of millions into a company without securing that yard's future. I agree with the hon. Gentleman that this whole matter requires a proper inquiry.
Marco Longhi
(Dudley North) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to support UK armed forces in Scotland. (909870)
The Secretary of State for Scotland
(Mr Alister Jack)
My Department meets regularly with the Ministry of Defence to help raise concerns that are specific to Scotland. British armed forces personnel in Scotland play a crucial role in defending the whole of the United Kingdom, keeping us safe both at home and abroad, and assisting with such dedication at the height of this covid-19 pandemic.
I welcome the landmark £24 billion investment in our UK armed forces, as announced by the Prime Minister just last month, bringing economic and security benefits to all four nations of our great United Kingdom. Does my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State agree, therefore, that this demonstrates the true value of the Union to Scotland, bringing jobs to Scotland, enhancing the security of the nation, and delivering on the Prime Minister's levelling-up agenda across the country?
Mr Jack
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Scotland has always played a crucial role in the UK's defence, and the projects that are supported by this spending, including shipbuilding on the Clyde, will directly benefit the people of Scotland, bringing security and economic benefits. This level of spending and investment is only possible through Scotland's place in the United Kingdom.
John Lamont
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)
I very much welcome the Secretary of State's response, but can he set out what support the British Army is providing to the Scottish Government to ensure the efficient delivery of the coronavirus vaccine in my constituency in the borders, but also across Scotland more widely?
The Scottish Government requested a military planning team to assist with the planning for the roll-out of the vaccine in the borders and across Scotland, and I am very pleased that I was able to approve that request. The scale of the task is very considerable, but the logistics expertise with the British armed forces is making a huge difference.
Douglas Ross
(Moray) (Con)
The Secretary of State will be aware of the work that soldiers from Kinloss barracks in Moray have done throughout this pandemic in our fight against covid-19: they have been in Liverpool since last month, and earlier this week started assisting Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council in its community testing programme. This is in addition to the work they did throughout the highlands in the summer, covering 80,000 miles and conducting well over 3,000 tests. Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating everyone at Kinloss on the effort they have put in during this pandemic, and agree that it underlines yet again the outstanding work they do in Scotland and across the United Kingdom?
I absolutely join my hon. Friend in thanking everyone at Kinloss barracks. At the start of the pandemic our British armed forces distributed essential equipment and personal protective equipment. They helped build hospitals across Scotland and were instrumental in getting vital equipment to the Glasgow lighthouse lab. They operated the mobile testing centres, and, currently, as I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), there are 21 military planners working with Scottish health boards and the Scottish Government on logistical planning for vaccine deployment. Our offer remains open: if the Scottish Government require further assistance from our amazing armed forces, they are standing by and are ready to help.
Tay Cities Deal
Wendy Chamberlain
(North East Fife) (LD)
What progress has been made on the publication of the Tay cities deal. (909871)
(Iain Stewart)
Good progress has been made on the Tay cities regional deal. The Chancellor announced at the spending review on 25 November that the UK Government investment will now be compressed to 10 years. We are working with local partners to get the full deal signed on 17 December.
It has been almost a year since I was elected, and in all that time we have been assured that the Tay cities deal is just around the corner. I am delighted to hear that the deal is over the line. It will be a Christmas present for North East Fife and elsewhere, for which people have been waiting for some time.
Iain Stewart
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for those comments. I know of her hard work especially in helping the Eden Campus project in her constituency to be a leading part of the deal. I had hoped to be up visiting it a few weeks ago, but unfortunately covid restrictions precluded that. I very much look forward to visiting in the new year when circumstances allow.
(Perth and North Perthshire) (SNP) [V]
I too thank the Minister for the reprofiling of the Tay cities deal from 15 years to 10 years. That will really help the projects. We now need to know when it will be signed. He will also know that we have an issue with the internationally renowned James Hutton Institute in my constituency. That is primarily a UK Government-financed project, but its place in the Tay cities deal has been put in jeopardy because of all the delays. To ensure that it can be started in year one, the Hutton needs the Government to draw down its funding early. Will the Government do that? If not, how do they intend to ensure that this crucial project can be guaranteed?
I have had many constructive dialogues with the hon. Gentleman on the Tay cities deal, and I am happy to confirm that we look good to go next Thursday to sign the deal. The delay was for a very good reason: as he alluded to, we were trying to get the UK Government side of the deal down from 15 years to 10 years. I am aware of the specific circumstances at the James Hutton Institute. I had a very constructive meeting with it on Friday last week, and I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we are exploring every option to ensure that it gets its funding but that all the other very worth- while projects in the deal do too.
Hydrogen Projects
Jacob Young
(Redcar) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to support hydrogen projects in Scotland. (909872)
As confirmed in the Prime Minister's 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, the Government are committed to the development of hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier for the UK. We are developing our strategic approach to hydrogen and its potential to deliver against our net zero goals, and we will set out our plans shortly.
SGN has just secured vital funding from Ofgem to progress its landmark trial of green hydrogen in a new domestic gas network. I congratulate everyone at SGN and those working on the project in Fife on achieving that. Does the Minister agree that innovations such as that trial and the H21 project in Teesside, which is led by Northern Gas Networks, prove that the UK is leading the world in the hydrogen economy?
I certainly agree with my hon. Friend, and I congratulate him and the all-party parliamentary group on hydrogen, which he chairs, on their work advancing the hydrogen agenda. I also congratulate SGN on achieving up to £18 million from Ofgem's network innovation competition to support development of a hydrogen demonstration network in Levenmouth, bringing carbon-free energy to around 300 homes from late 2022.
United Kingdom Internal Market Bill
What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill on Scotland. (909873)
I have frequent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, which is vital to protect seamless trade and jobs across all four corners of the United Kingdom following the end of the transition period.
Of course, what the Secretary of State did not say is that the internal market Bill is a blatant attack on devolution. That should not come as a surprise, because just three weeks ago the Prime Minister said that devolution was Tony Blair's biggest mistake—a bigger mistake than even the illegal Iraq war. Does the Secretary of State disagree with the Prime Minister?
What the Prime Minister said was that devolution was a mistake when it was set up to be put in the hands of separatists, and I completely agree with that. I totally agree with it. The Scottish National party is a campaigning organisation for independence—for separation of the United Kingdom—masquerading as a party of Government.
Mhairi Black
(Paisley and Renfrewshire South) (SNP) [V]
The Secretary of State has regularly explained that, as we leave the EU, the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill will serve to strengthen the UK's economy and the Union as a whole. Does he feel that the announcement yesterday from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office that Northern Ireland will have the "best of both worlds", meaning that Northern Ireland will still have access to both EU and UK markets after Brexit, undermines his claims about the Bill?
No, not remotely. What we have delivered on is unfettered access. We promised unfettered access at the time of the withdrawal agreement and we have delivered it.
Mhairi Black [V]
As the Secretary of State knows, Scotland voted to remain in the EU. The Scottish Government subsequently published a framework for how Scotland could still have access to the single market post Brexit. That was rejected outright by the UK Government. Given that Northern Ireland has been promised the very same thing, will he now make the case for Scotland to get the same concessions, and, like his predecessor, will he consider his position if such a request is not granted?
Scotland is in the fortunate position as part of the United Kingdom of not having a land border that it needs to worry about. The Northern Ireland situation is different—it has special circumstances. We have resolved the problem as we promised we would.
Hannah Bardell
(Livingston) (SNP) [V]
The Secretary of State would do well to remember that the SNP is a democratically elected party of Government in Scotland. Although we take nothing for granted, pollsters continue to suggest that the SNP will win a majority of seats in the Holyrood elections this coming May, and 15 consecutive polls show a clear majority mandate for Scottish independence. Does he believe that his Government's disastrous internal market Bill has contributed to that rise in support for the SNP and Scottish independence?
There is nothing disastrous about a United Kingdom Internal Market Bill that has mutual recognition and non-discrimination at its base, and that protects jobs in Scotland and people's livelihoods, when 60% of Scotland's trade is to the rest of the United Kingdom, worth over £50 billion and, as the Fraser of Allander Institute said only last week, providing 554,000 jobs.
As Mark Fletcher is not here, would the Minister like to give the answer to his substantive question? Then I can bring in shadow Minister Elmore.
The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have frequent discussions with colleagues on the opportunities for COP26. That includes through the COP26 devolved Administration ministerial group, which brings the COP president, territorial Secretaries of State and devolved Administration Ministers together to ensure effective engagement and collaboration on COP26 and net zero.
Chris Elmore
(Ogmore) (Lab)
I am exceedingly grateful to you, Mr Speaker, for allowing the Minister to answer the question.
COP26 in Glasgow, as the Minister knows, is no ordinary summit. It is a huge opportunity to set the global agenda we need to tackle the climate emergency, but in my opinion the Government have so far not afforded it the attention and weight it requires. That has to change—urgently, I would argue—to make the summit the success the planet needs it to be. Cutting overseas aid has had a devastating effect on countries on the frontline of the climate emergency. That will undermine our role as hosts of COP26, as well as our international standing and moral authority around the world. What steps is the Scotland Office taking to ensure that, as hosts of COP26, we are leading by example and not turning our back on those who are living on the frontline of the climate emergency?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question. I point out that we will still be one of the world's largest net donors to the most deprived communities around the world. That commitment remains absolute. We will be working over the next months to ensure that COP26 in Glasgow is as big a success as it can be. We will lead the global climate change agenda and I can think of nowhere better than my home city of Glasgow to be the showcase for that. There are lots of partners, from very small local companies right up to big multinationals, who will be playing a part. My colleagues and I will be engaging with them very much over the next few months.
End of the Transition Period: Preparedness
Andrew Bowie
(West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)
What discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on their preparations for the end of the transition period. (909875)
Gavin Newlands
(Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)
What recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on preparedness for the end of the transition period. (909876)
I have regular conversations with the Scottish Government on preparedness for the end of the transition period, including meetings of the EU Exit Operations Cabinet Committee and the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations.
I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. I know he will agree with me that the Scottish Government have failed to prepare for the end of the transition deal and are letting the Scottish people down, in particular by failing to recruit the required number of environmental protection officers to assist our fishing industry as we leave the transition deal at the end of this year. Will he confirm that the British Government stand ready to assist the Scottish Government, should they require it, to get the required number of protection officers in place to support our fishing industry?
As my hon. Friend knows, it is the Scottish Government's responsibility to ensure adequate certifier capacity for exports to the European Union. The UK Government have been engaging closely with the Scottish Government, Food Standards Scotland and Scottish local authorities to clarify the capacity in Scotland for certifying export health certificates, and with them, we have determined the level of additional capacity that is needed. That is the sort of boring answer. I would add that we have provided the Scottish Government with £138 million of Brexit preparedness support for this purpose.
Dearie me, Mr Speaker. Let me try this one. NHS Tayside has stated that a hard Brexit could
"lead to an inability to deliver safe and effective care",
and NHS Lanarkshire says that Brexit poses a "very high" risk to the delivery of healthcare services. We also know that the Ministry of Defence is putting plans in place to fly the Pfizer vaccine into the UK to avoid the Government's entirely self-inflicted border ports chaos. Given that we did not vote for any of this and that 15 polls in a row now show support for independence, does the Secretary of State still believe that the Union is "firing on all cylinders", as he wrote at the weekend?
The Union is absolutely firing on all cylinders, whether it is the support of over 900,000 jobs in Scotland, the UK Government procuring, supplying and paying for all the vaccines for the United Kingdom, or the armed forces helping with the roll-out. As regards the scare story the hon. Gentleman is trying to start over the MOD flying the vaccine into the United Kingdom, all good Governments have robust contingency plans. That is No. 5 on the list of contingency plans, and they are not just for the transition period outcome. Those contingency plans are made for potential strikes, weather events and so on. It is entirely responsible to plan that way.
Stewart Hosie
(Dundee East) (SNP)
The end of the transition period has been described by Scottish businesses as a "catastrophic" situation. Some have argued that if they cannot trade with the EU, they are out of the game—it is an existential threat. Can I ask the Scottish Secretary to actually show some authority in the Cabinet and insist on a minimum six-month grace period, so businesses do not fall foul of regulations which are not yet developed for a deal that is not yet agreed, but which is supposed to be in place in barely three weeks' time? This needs to be done; it needs to be done today. Otherwise, businesses will struggle dreadfully on his watch.
There has been a major public information campaign running for businesses and citizens, telling them exactly what they need to do. We have always been clear that, whether it is deal or no deal, there are steps that have to be taken when the transition period comes to an end. We are not going to delay the end of the transition period, because it is only by sticking to that date that people can prepare responsibly, and it also holds the EU's feet to the fire in getting a deal. We have been clear what measures they need to take. They need to look at the UK Government website, where they can see very clearly what preparations they need to make for the end of this month.
Covid-19: Co-ordination
What recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure co-ordination between Scotland and other nations of the UK on the response to the covid-19 outbreak. (909880)
Andrew Gwynne
(Denton and Reddish) (Lab)
An effective response to covid-19 does indeed need to be a co-ordinated response across the whole United Kingdom, informing every aspect of the UK Government's response. For instance, on 24 November, the UK Government and the three devolved Administrations published a joint statement on UK-wide arrangements for the festive season. We are currently working with the devolved Administrations on the deployment of vaccines and community testing across the UK.
Mr Dhesi
Last month, an opinion poll revealed that 68% of Scots want the Scottish and UK Governments to work more closely together. Minister, why is it that, despite that, the Scottish and UK Governments are not able to work in a co-ordinated manner, and why are we constantly seeing mixed messages and infighting?
It is not for me to say what mixed messages the hon. Gentleman might see in the press or get from political parties. The UK Government and all assemblies across the whole UK work together on a co-ordinated basis to deliver not just what has been delivered up to now; there was the excellent news yesterday of the first vaccines being provided across the whole UK—not in one part of the UK or another but across the UK on the same day. Vaccines are an excellent example of that co-operation between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations, and the UK Government are procuring vaccines on behalf of the UK as a whole. The prioritisation of the vaccines is a devolved matter—
Order. We must go on to the next question.
Andrew Gwynne [V]
The news of the vaccine's approval is incredibly encouraging, but we now face the greatest organisational challenge perhaps since the second world war in distributing it to all who want and need it across the four UK nations. Given the botched roll-out of the flu vaccine in Scotland this year, how is the Minister going to ensure that Scottish Ministers are able to get the delivery of the covid vaccine right?
I am conscious of the time, so I shall give a very brief answer. Local deployment of the vaccines is a devolved matter, but Ministry of Defence Ministers have made military planners available to the Scottish Government to facilitate the complex task of mass deployment.
The Prime Minister was asked—
(Gainsborough) (Con)
If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 9 December. (910009)
(Boris Johnson)
I visited Guy's and St Thomas' hospital yesterday to see the first clinically approved vaccine being given to people in London, as it is now across the country. This is a fantastic moment for all of us in this House, and I know that everybody will want to join me in thanking the NHS, the vaccine taskforce, the scientists and all the volunteers who have made this possible.
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.
When I was a spear carrier in the Brexit referendum campaign, led by my right hon. Friend, we assured the British people that a trade deal was entirely achievable, so may I urge him to make one last effort? Surely that deal is achievable, because we have no intention of lowering our standards, but the EU should know this: if, consistent with national security, he cannot secure that deal for us, this parliamentary party will back him to the hilt, because strength comes with unity.
I thank my right hon. Friend. He is entirely right: a good deal is still there to be done, and I look forward to discussing it with Commissioner von der Leyen tonight, but I must tell the House that our friends in the EU are currently insisting that, if they pass a new law in the future with which we in this country do not comply or do not follow suit, they should have the automatic right to punish us and to retaliate. Secondly, they are saying that the UK should be the only country in the world not to have sovereign control over its fishing waters. I do not believe that those are terms that any Prime Minister of this country should accept. I must tell the House and reassure my right hon. Friend that, whether our new trading arrangements resemble those of Australia's with the EU or whether they are like those of Canada with the EU, I have absolutely no doubt that, from 1 January, this country is going to prosper mightily.
(Holborn and St Pancras) (Lab) [V]
I join the Prime Minister in his comments about the vaccine roll-out. It was fantastic to see the first person, Margaret Keenan, receive the vaccine yesterday. It is a huge national effort, and I want to thank everybody who has been involved with it. Mr Speaker, I also want to thank you and the House authorities for enabling me to participate today, notwithstanding the fact that I am self-isolating.
A year ago, the Prime Minister stood on the steps of Downing Street and promised the country
"a permanent break from talking about Brexit".
Can the Prime Minister tell us: how is that going?
I am delighted to welcome the right hon. and learned Gentleman here, from his vantage point of exile in Islington, his spiritual home, and wish him all the best in his self-isolation. His own silence on this matter has been sphinx-like. I wonder quite what it is that has kept him from asking this question for so long. We delivered Brexit on 31 January, in case he failed to notice.
It is Camden, not Islington. The Prime Minister starts straightaway by deflecting—it is the same old, same old, whether on covid or Brexit. Twelve months ago, he told the British people that he had an "oven-ready deal". He did not say he had half a deal or that the next stage would be very, very difficult. In fact, he faced the British people and told them, before the election, that the chances of no deal were "absolutely zero". The Chancellor, as he is now, obviously took him at his word, because the Chancellor said in the run-up to the election:
"We won't need to plan for no-deal because we…have a deal."
So a year on, why should anyone who trusted the Prime Minister when he said he had a deal, including his Chancellor, apparently, believe a word he says now?
I hesitate to accuse the right hon. and learned Gentleman of deliberately trying to mislead people, but let us be in no doubt that we had an oven-ready deal, which was the withdrawal agreement, which the people voted for, as he rightly points out, and by which this country left the customs union and the single market, and delivered on our promises. I can tell him, although he must know this, that whatever happens from 1 January this country will be able to get on with our points-based immigration system, which we have put into law, in fulfilment of our manifesto commitment. We will be able to get on with instituting low-tax free ports, in places where jobs and growth are most needed around the country. We will be able to honour our promise to the British people and institute higher animal welfare standards; we will be able to do free trade deals; and we will get our money back as well. I do not know what else he wants to see from 1 January, but all those things will be delivered.
Oh, I see. Apparently, "Get Brexit done" just meant the first part of it—the easy bit. I do not remember that being written on the bulldozer at the time. Last September, the Prime Minister actually hit the nail on the head when he said that leaving without a deal would be a "failure of statecraft". It would be—it would be a total failure—and it will be the British people who pay the price. Does the Prime Minister agree with his own spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, that the cost of that failure—of leaving the EU with no deal—would be higher unemployment, higher inflation and a smaller economy?
The more the right hon. and learned Gentleman talks about Brexit, the more I can see why he tried to avoid the subject for the past year. We did leave with a very good deal, and in any circumstances this country will prosper mightily. He talks about the possible adverse consequences for this country of a deal on Australian terms—I think that is what he is talking about—but we have yet to hear from Labour party members what their view is of that matter. Would they vote for it, yes or no? He remained totally Delphic last week about his policy on fighting coronavirus and he is totally Delphic about what to do on Brexit as well.
The Prime Minister talks about indecision; he is absolutely stuck—this is the truth of it—and dithering between the deal that he knows we need and the compromise that he knows his Back Benchers will not let him make. I genuinely hope that this is the usual Prime Minister's bluster and that, like one of his newspaper columns, a deal arrives at the last minute. But for some people, and their jobs, it is already too late.
Yesterday, INEOS, a major employer in this country, announced that it will not now build the new Grenadier car in Bridgend and will move production to France instead. This is a project that just two months ago the Prime Minister said was "a vote of confidence". Hundreds of skilled jobs now will not go to Bridgend. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many more British jobs have to go overseas before he gets on with delivering the Brexit deal that he promised?
I think it is a bit much of the Leader of the Opposition to criticise the Government for failure to come up with a policy on Brexit and to attack the putative consequences of coming out on Australian terms when he cannot even say whether he would vote for that deal—yes or no. If he cannot say whether he would vote for our deal—yes or no—he simply cannot attack the Government's policy. Until he is able to come up with a position of his own, wrap a towel round his head and decide what he actually thinks, I find it very difficult to take his criticisms seriously. What I can say is that this country will be ready for whether we have a Canadian or an Australian solution, and there will be jobs created in this country—throughout the whole of the UK—not just in spite of Brexit but because of Brexit, because this country is going to become a magnet for overseas investment. Indeed, it already is and will remain so.
The Prime Minister asked me how I will vote on a deal that he has not even secured. Secure the deal, Prime Minister; you promised it. I can say this: if there is a deal—and I hope there is a deal—my party will vote in the national interest, not on party political lines, as he is doing. This is about leadership. The Prime Minister has done 15 U-turns, he has had five different plans on covid, and last week 53 of his own MPs voted against him, so if I were him I would not talk about leadership.
The Prime Minister has not always wanted to listen to business—we know what his message to business is —but he should. Let me quote the CBI, which says that the message from business is this: "get a deal…quickly". The National Farmers Union says:
"Time is really running out and…it's very hard to get final preparations in."
These are the people the Prime Minister should be listening to, not his Back Benchers.
On the question of preparation, the Government knew months ago that they needed 50,000 customs agents trained and ready to go from 1 January—deal or no deal—so can the Prime Minister tell the House how many of the 50,000 agents will be in place on 1 January? That is in 23 days' time.
It is wonderful to get to the end of that question. I can tell the right hon. and learned Gentleman that we have already invested £1 billion in getting this country ready for whatever the trading relationship is that we have on 1 January. We have invested £84 million into supporting customs agents across the UK and £200 million into supporting our ports, and they are doing an amazing job. I want to thank business for the incredible job it is doing to get ready. We have all got to get ready, because under any view there is going to be change from 1 January—there will be change in the way we do business and there will be more opportunities for this country around the world. I am delighted by what I take is the increasing signalling from Camden, because the message from Camden seems to be that, given the choice, the right hon. and learned Gentleman would vote for a deal rather than not. Did my Back-Bench colleagues get that impression? I think I did.
Hopefully, the final question will be a little shorter.
I take it that the answer is the Prime Minister has no idea whether the 50,000 customs agents will be in place on 1 January. He either does not know or he does not care. The Prime Minister said he had a deal. He did not. He said he would protect jobs. He did not. He said he would prepare for any outcome. He has not. Whatever may happen in the next few days, there is no doubting that his incompetence has held Britain back. Will he end this charade? In that uncertainty, will he get the deal that he promised and allow the country to move on?
I want to thank the right hon. and learned Gentleman for his final baffling question. Last week, as I have said, he sphinx-like avoided any pronouncement on how this country was going to fight covid. He refused to support the measures that we have put in place. This week, he remains deafeningly silent on what he really thinks about a Brexit deal. While he puts a cold towel round his head, lost in thought, and tries to work out what his position is, we are getting on—[Interruption.]
Order. Mr Bryant! I suggest the Whip has a word with him. We are not having that disgraceful behaviour.
Mr Speaker, you should summon him back—he seems to have vanished.
While the right hon. and learned Gentleman tries to work out what his position is, we are getting on with the work of government. As he says, it is a year since this people's Government were elected and I am very proud that we are delivering on the people's priorities: 6,000 of the 20,000 police officers; 14,800 of the 50,000 nurses already; and we are getting on with building every one of the 40 hospitals—it is about 48 hospitals—that we are going to deliver, along with the biggest programme of infrastructure investment in this country for a century. We are uniting and levelling up across the whole of the UK. Whether the outcome is Canada or Australia, we will be taking back control—we have already taken back control—of our money, our borders and our laws and we will seize all the opportunities that Brexit brings.
Today is the 60th anniversary of "Coronation Street", the world's longest running TV drama series. This is an amazing landmark, so congratulations to it. Sometimes it feels as if we have been discussing infrastructure in the north almost as long. However, we have had the Oakervee report, which recommended that the Government committed to HS2 and its full y-shaped network serving both sides of the Pennines. We have had the positive decision to proceed with it. As the plans for the eastern leg of HS2, phase 2b, are developed, will my right hon. Friend consider starting construction from the north? That would be good for jobs in the north and for connectivity with the east midlands, all of which, of course, drive my right hon. Friend's levelling-up agenda. (910011)
My hon. Friend is a big expert in this field and a great campaigner for transport. He is right about the massive impact that these programmes can have on jobs. [Interruption.]
Mr Bryant, I think we need to have this conversation later.
I was saying, Mr Speaker, that my hon. Friend is completely right about the power of great infrastructure projects to deliver jobs, which is why we are getting on with both the eastern leg of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail. What I have asked the National Infrastructure Commission and Network Rail to look at is how those two projects can best be integrated to boost the economy of the whole of the north of the country.
Ian Blackford
(Ross, Skye and Lochaber) (SNP) [V]
Yesterday, by this Government's own admission, it was confirmed that Northern Ireland is getting the best of both worlds: access to the EU single market and customs union. This is great news for businesses in Northern Ireland, but it leaves Scotland, which also voted to remain, dealing with the hardest of Brexits. What is good for Northern Ireland is surely good enough for Scotland. Why is Scotland being shafted by this double dealing? Can the Prime Minister explain to Scottish businesses why this is fair?
In common with the whole of the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland will benefit. It will benefit from substantial access to devolved powers, it will benefit from the regaining of money, borders and laws, and, as I never tire of telling my friend, the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Ian Blackford), that, in spite of all his jeering, Scotland will take back control of colossal quantities of fish, which is something that the people of Scotland deserve to be able to exploit for the advantage of those communities.
The Prime Minister can spin all he likes, but everybody can now see the total contempt that this UK Government have for Scottish interests. Northern Ireland gets the single market and customs union; we get nothing. Members of his Scottish branch office told him how unfair and damaging it would be to deny Scotland's access to the EU single market and customs union while at the same time delivering it for Northern Ireland. Ruth Davidson even said that such an act would "undermine the integrity" of the United Kingdom. The former Scottish Tory constitution spokesperson said that it would be the end of the Union. They, along with the former Secretary of State for Scotland, said that if this were to happen, they would all resign. Since the Prime Minister is ready to sell out Scotland's interests with his Brexit deal, does he expect to receive these resignation letters from Baroness Davidson and her cohort before or after her travels to Brussels tonight?
The only reasonable answer to that question is that I think it is highly unlikely that those letters will arrive. The right hon. Gentleman does a gross injustice to Scotland and the future of Scotland, which will be assured within the single market of the United Kingdom. In spite of the slight negativity that I detect from him, I believe that Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, will benefit from a very strong trading relationship with our friends and partners across the channel, whatever the circumstances, whatever the terms we reach tonight.
Julie Marson
(Hertford and Stortford) (Con)
I am supporting "Turn on the Subtitles"—a campaign led by my Bishop's Stortford constituent Henry Warren. There is a wealth of evidence that default same-language subtitling can have a dramatic effect on children's literacy, particularly for disadvantaged children. I know that that is a great priority for the Prime Minister, given the potential impact of covid on the attainment gap. Will he support a Government consultation to turn on the subtitles in order to really explore this potentially transformative opportunity? (910012)
I am sure that I speak for many hon. Members when I say that I am a massive supporter of subtitles myself—particularly with some of these crime dramas from America. The campaign that my hon. Friend mentions is excellent. All the Departments that have a stake in this will be working with her to see what we can do to take the matter further.
(Brighton, Pavilion) (Green) [V]
Last week, we learned that UK Export Finance has been approached to back the east African crude oil pipeline. This is a climate catastrophe that will produce emissions equivalent to all the UK's annual flights. Not only that, but a recent response to one of my written parliamentary questions confirmed that UKEF has six more fossil fuel projects under consideration. Ahead of the climate ambition summit this weekend, how can the Prime Minister claim any climate credibility while ploughing public money into dirty fossil fuel projects overseas? Are these the actions of a rogue, out of control Government Department—or, worse, does the Prime Minister actually approve of them?
I hope the hon. Lady knows that we are moving away dramatically and at speed from UK Export Finance supporting fossil fuel exploration around the world, but, of course, hydrocarbons remain a significant industry in Scotland and many other places. In so far as there are legitimate contracts that are at risk of being frustrated, we cannot do that. I really think that her criticism of the Government is absurd. Look at the overall record and ambition of this Government; this is the first country in the developed world to set a target of net zero by 2050. I know that when she is being less polemical, she has had some kind words to say about the Government's programme, and I certainly support her in that.
Kevin Hollinrake
(Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
Will my right hon. Friend confirm that our future immigration policy will welcome law abiding citizens of other countries to our country, and that those who come to this country and are subsequently convicted of serious crimes, including rape and murder, should expect to be removed from this country to keep our citizens safe? (910013)
Indeed; I was astounded to see that 42 Opposition Members wrote to the Home Secretary opposing the deportation of foreign national criminals, while the leader of the Labour party maintained his characteristic delphic silence on the matter.
David Linden
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
Why does the Prime Minister think we have now seen 15 consecutive polls showing majority support for Scottish independence? (910010)
The people of Scotland, as the hon. Gentleman knows very well, voted in 2014, by a substantial majority, to remain in the UK. I believe that was the right decision, and I believe that were they ever to be asked the same question again in the future, it would be the same answer. But has he has said, and as his hon. Friends have said, many times, it was a once-in-a-generation event.
Theo Clarke
(Stafford) (Con) [V]
Staffordshire is currently in tier 3, so unfortunately, due to restrictions, many local businesses are either unable to open or having to operate differently, which is having a significant impact on my constituents' lives and livelihoods. So will the Prime Minister commit to providing sufficient testing in Staffordshire to help us to get out of tier 3 as soon as possible, and will he assure me that he will do all he can to support businesses and protect jobs in Stafford, as well as creating new employment opportunities for young people after 31 December? (910014)
I thank my hon. Friend. No. 1, yes of course we will do everything we can with NHS Test and Trace, plus our armed forces, to roll out community testing in Stafford; and No. 2, of course we want to support Stafford and the people of Stafford with a massive programme of business support, including nearly £1.4 million in bounce back loans, grants, rate relief and VAT deferrals.
Matt Western
(Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)
The Prime Minister will fully appreciate that the use of gross domestic product as a measure is abstract in terms of dealing with and understanding prosperity, but people talk about a 15% drop in GDP as a result of the pandemic. Looking at a simple analysis of car sales as an indicator of economic performance, relative to Germany, we have lost 184,000 car sales in the UK, or versus France, 100,000. Behind those numbers, which are a big hit to UK plc, are jobs and businesses. How does the Prime Minister explain this relative economic performance? (910020)
The Government of this country have done everything we can to support business and support lives and livelihoods throughout this pandemic, with now, I think, more than £260 billion of support, and that remains the case. The hon. Gentleman mentions France and Germany. He should know that unemployment, in spite of all the difficulties this country has faced, remains lower in this country than in France, Italy, Spain and the United States. Yes, it is tough, but we are going to get through it and we are going to get through it together.
Mark Jenkinson
(Workington) (Con)
Can I commend my right hon. Friend's bold 10-point plan for a clean, green industrial revolution and ask for his support to help me deliver a 26-hectare renewable energy manufacturing hub at Oldside in the port of Workington, continuing to deliver on our promises of 12 months ago when I turned Workington blue? (910015)
I thank my hon. Friend and congratulate him on his achievement and on his anniversary. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is looking very seriously at the project that he mentions. I know that the Department is going to be assessing that application very carefully and will keep him informed.
The Prime Minister did not quite answer my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) on why support for independence is so high, so maybe I can tempt him with a couple of reasons. First, there is the leadership of the First Minister, which Scots contrast with him. Then there is his crazy, chaotic Brexit—a Brexit that Scotland did not vote for. But it is also down to him personally. He is probably the biggest single recruiting sergeant that we have, and for that we mightily thank him. So can I ask him, on behalf of all of us who want to see an independent Scotland: could he please take a bow and accept our many thanks? (910022)
I am delighted to accept the thanks of the hon. Gentleman. I have to say that it is really thanks to him and the Scottish National party that we have been able to keep our wonderful United Kingdom together, because it was the sheer incoherence of their position, their refusal to address the tough questions of what breaking up the UK really means—the impact on our budgets and our economy and the impacts on Scotland and on our whole country—and their manifest inability to explain what they actually mean that meant that the people of Scotland voted in 2014 to remain part of the UK. They were right then, and they will be right in the future to stay.
Bob Blackman
(Harrow East) (Con) [V]
It is now three and a half years since the Grenfell fire tragedy that cost the lives of 72 people, yet there are still 3.6 million leaseholders living in potentially dangerous, unsaleable and unmortgageable properties. The Government rightly set aside a billion pounds towards the remediation of non-aluminium composite material cladding, but that expires on 31 December this year. It is clear that it will be insufficient to cover the costs, so will my right hon. Friend set out for the House what the plan is for next year to remediate the cladding? Will he give a cast-iron guarantee that leaseholders will not have to pay a penny piece towards the cost of replacing this unsafe cladding? (910016)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to this injustice and what is happening with leaseholders at the moment. That is why we have put £1.6 billion into removing unsafe cladding. I do not want to see leaseholders being forced to pay for the remediation, and I can assure my hon. Friend that we are looking now urgently—before the expiry of the current arrangements—at what we can do to take them forward and support leaseholders, who are in a very unfair position.
Feryal Clark
(Enfield North) (Lab)
Is the Prime Minister aware that his Government risk failing a generation of children in my constituency of Enfield North and across the country, as analysis shows this week that only one in six pupils on free school meals—those who are most likely to fall behind their peers—will benefit from the programmes to help them catch up on learning lost as a result of covid? Does the Prime Minister agree that is simply not good enough, and can he explain why we are in this dire situation nine months on?
I share the hon. Lady's anxiety about the impact of differential learning on kids in our schools across the country, because there is no doubt that different groups have been affected in different ways by the pandemic. That is why we have put a billion pounds or more into the catch-up funds, but it is also why it is so important to ensure that kids go to school and stay in school. That is why we have put all the emphasis, as we have throughout this pandemic, on maintaining kids in school, even if that has put pressure on the hospitality sector and other parts of our economy.
I wonder whether my right hon. Friend, were he to find a small gap in his very busy diary, would join me on a visit to the Black Country Living Museum, where I would introduce him to a plate of Black Country battered chips and a pint of Holden's Golden Glow, all after he has reviewed the arrangements that the museum has made to become a covid vaccination centre. (910017)
I am thrilled that the Black Country Living Museum is in line to be a covid vaccination centre. I have had many happy meetings with my hon. Friend in the Black Country, and as a proud former resident of Bilston, I look forward to returning before too long.
Derek Twigg
(Halton) (Lab)
Mr Speaker, I know you are a strong supporter of the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands face the prospect of their fisheries exports to the European Union being subject to tariffs of between 6% and 18% from 1 January. Fisheries exports to the European Union account for more than 40% of the islands' gross domestic product, and up to 60% of their Government's revenue. This poses a serious challenge to the Falkland Islands. Will the Prime Minister raise this matter when he meets with the President of the European Commission later?
Indeed. The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of the Falkland Islands and, indeed, other Crown territories and overseas dependencies around the world, whose future and future trading arrangements must be secured. That is indeed something that we have raised and will continue to raise on their behalf to make sure that they get the satisfactory assurances they need.
Sir Oliver Heald
(North East Hertfordshire) (Con) [V]
The Prime Minister is aware of the continuing concern in rural communities, such as those in North East Hertfordshire, about intentional unauthorised development where caravans suddenly appear on land without planning permission. Many of my constituents and I support proposal 24 in the planning White Paper, which proposes new powers for councils to tackle this. Will the Prime Minister put his authority behind it so these changes can be made as soon as possible? (910018)
I will indeed. I think everybody in the House recognises the distress that unauthorised camps and encampments can cause to local communities, and my right hon. and learned Friend is right to draw attention to this. He is also right to call attention to the new powers we are giving both to the police and to councils to tackle the matter, and I am glad to have his support.
Could the Prime Minister kindly explain to the people of tier 3 Birmingham, with a population of over 1 million and where almost 2,000 have lost their life, why he has not considered them a priority for receipt of the vaccine?
I really must respectfully disagree with the hon. Gentleman. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has set out very clear criteria for the groups, starting with those over 80, care home workers, NHS workers and those in care homes, and he knows the criteria very well. Birmingham, of course, will be among them, and of course that is right. I am afraid that I simply cannot accept the premise of his question.
Mark Fletcher
(Bolsover) (Con)
Conservative colleagues across Derbyshire have been working very hard on our bid for community testing to help us tackle covid. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that the bid from Derbyshire County Council receives the resources and attention we need to help us in our fight to get out of tier 3? (910019)
Yes, and just this morning I was discussing Derbyshire's bid for a big community testing programme. We will obviously do everything we can to support them, and I thank my hon. Friend and local leaders for what they are doing to promote community testing.
Richard Burgon
(Leeds East) (Lab) [V]
Real-terms pay cuts for millions of public sector workers, an insulting 37p increase in benefit levels and broken promises on minimum wage increases show that the Prime Minister wants to pay for this crisis on the backs of the working class. Would it not be fairer to impose a windfall tax on the wealth of the super-rich and on those who have made super-profits out of the covid crisis, including those who won contracts because of their links to top Tories?
I must, again, strongly disagree with what the hon. Gentleman says. Everybody on this side of the House is proud not just of the living wage but of record increases in the living wage, of above inflation pay rises across the board and, of course, of what we have done to support nurses and the NHS with record investment. I do not think anybody who looks at the investment this Government have made in the public sector could doubt our commitment. We will continue to do that, but what we want to see is our economy recovering and our strong and dynamic private sector, which the hon. Gentleman disparages, enabling the country to forge forward as it should.
Saqib Bhatti
(Meriden) (Con)
It has been almost 12 months since I and many of my colleagues were elected to this House for the first time, and it was a great privilege to deliver my maiden speech on Second Reading of the Environment Bill and be on the Bill Committee for this landmark piece of legislation. Does my right hon. Friend agree that protecting the environment is not only a moral duty but presents an economic opportunity, including the creation of jobs for my constituents in Meriden? (910021)
It is crucial to understand that the 10-point plan for the green industrial revolution is about jobs, jobs, jobs. This plan, whether it is retrofitting homes or making wind turbines, will generate 250,000 jobs across the country in just the first few years.
Many constituents, especially those emanating from the Punjab and other parts of India, were horrified, as I was, to see footage of water cannon, tear gas and brute force being used against peacefully protesting farmers. However, it was heart-warming to see those very farmers feeding those forces who had been ordered to beat or suppress them. What indomitable spirit—it takes a special kind of people to do that. Will the Prime Minister convey to the Indian Prime Minister our heartfelt anxieties and our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock? Does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest?
Of course. Our view, as the hon. Gentleman knows well, is that we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan, but these are pre-eminently matters for those two Governments to settle. I know that he appreciates that point.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn is at the heart of our local community, but it is in need of urgent modernisation. Most recently, cracks in the concrete roof have led to the closure of the physiotherapy gym. With his enthusiasm for building hospitals, can my right hon. Friend offer the people of west Norfolk hope and back our bid to build our future hospital? (910023)
I thank my hon. Friend for his campaign and for everything he does for his constituents. I can tell him that the bid process for the remaining eight hospitals, on top of the 40, is currently being designed. The Department of Health and Social Care is working with a variety of trusts, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust, as that work continues.
May I gently say to the Prime Minister that next week will be the final Prime Minister's questions before Christmas? Will he update the House on the leak inquiry? It would be helpful.
I will do my best.
Thank you, Prime Minister.
In order to allow the safe exit of hon. Members who participated in this item of business and the safe arrival of those participating in the next, I suspend the House for a few minutes.
Sitting suspended.


Double sprung bolt through tubular mortice door latches, suitable for use with unsprung door knobs or sprung door handles and door levers. Available in 2 ½, 3, 4, 5 & 6 inch sizes, in brass, polished chrome, satin chrome, black or antique brass/bronze plate finish.
2 ½ inch latch has 45mm backset from door to centre spindle.
3 inch latch has 57mm backset from door to centre spindle.
4 inch latch has 82mm backset from door to centre spindle.
5 inch latch has 108mm backset from door to centre spindle.
6 inch latch has 132mm backset from door to centre spindle.


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WestHills Greenhouses
Plant Order
About Westhills
West Hills Greenhouse was started in 1929, and still offers the best selection of plants in the area.
The History of West Hills Greenhouses
In 1929, brothers Richard, Florian (F. J.), and Oscar A. Feist started this business by erecting the first small greenhouse on this location, which was part of their father's farm.
Crops grown in the early years included cut flowers, such as Chrysanthemum, Aster, Sweet Pea, Carnation, and Snapdragon.
Oscar retired from the partnership in 1962. When Richard retired in 1966, Roger Feist bought his share of the business and became a partner with his father F. J. Feist.
Upon Florian's retirement in 1970, Roger bought the remaining share of the business. Carnations and Miniature carnations were the main crops grown, along with some succulent plants grown in the late 1970's.
During the late 1970's, foreign competition made it impossible to grow carnations profitably any longer, so the decision was made in 1978 to completely restructure the company into a propagation and spring annuals business, specializing at first in Geraniums, Ivy Geraniums, Poinsettias, and New Guinea Impatiens
Roger and Linda Feist now grow a wide selection of annuals, succulents, perennials, tropical plants, ornamental grasses, and hundreds of plants for containers, including unusual, and hard to find varieties. We now have an acre of greenhouses, plus outside growing areas. For the Fall Season, we have Pansies, ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Carex Grasses, Peppers, and frost tolerant Fall components for your planters or ground beds.
We sell to landscapers, garden centers, private estates, parks, golf courses, country clubs, municipalities, and individual gardeners. Custom growing and delivering to the needs of your landscape job, or private estate is an important part of what we do. We will work with your landscape designer, or we can help you plan your own special space.
While we do not have a garden center, we are now able to sell direct from our greenhouse (Grower's Market) to retail customers.
Open daily (Spring, Summer, Fall) 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday's 10 am – 2 pm.
Winter hours ( November – March) are 9 am – 4 pm., Monday thru Friday.
Spring Hours resume sometime in March, depending on the weather.
Plants can be picked up at our greenhouse / nursery location, or delivery can be arranged. We are open and growing year round.
What we grow:
Ground-covers
(513) 922-2378 Call Today
West Hills Greenhouses, Inc.
Lorita Wadsworth
A dream come true for plant lovers!! I could get lost in there shopping all day!!!! Has everything and beyond. Linda was most helpful in her expertise. I will go back again. Can't wait til spring. Fabulous and super healthy plants. Thanks Linda and staff. :-)
Jean Mcwilliams
Awesome geeenhouses.
Tina Fox
Amazing ! Best in Cincinnati .
FRANK VONDERMEULEN
Its kind of late in the spring to plant but it looks like they have the best selection around. Very nice plants for indoor and outside.
Nicole Knierim
So many plants and varieties! Such wonderful people! My type of happy place!
Visit the greenhouse today
West Hills Greenhouses
700 Hiddenlake Ln	Cincinnati	OH	45233
© 2022	WestHills Greenhouses
Greenhouse Video

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kim drops tactical nuke gauntlet on Biden
Asia Times:
In a startling disclosure, North Korea's leader has posed a massive new set of security challenges to the Joe Biden administration as it prepares to enter the White House.
The country aims to bolster its deterrence via qualitative upgrades to its army and its command and control capabilities, and is adding tactical nukes to its massive conventional artillery forces, state leader Kim Jong Un said over the weekend.
On the strategic front, it is increasing the range and sophistication of its nuclear delivery systems, and completing a "super-large hydrogen bomb," Kim said.
In the wake of Donald Trump's failed diplomacy with North Korea, expectations for any Pyongyang-Washington breakthrough remain low, but the stakes are now higher than ever before. And Kim – who has successfully tested ballistic missiles and nuclear devices – looks set on providing his military with new assets…


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Hwy 5 at Larson Hill, 36 km south of Merritt, looking north, Nov. 26. (elevation: 1025 metres) (IMAGE CREDIT: DRIVEBC)
Wicked weather, including heavy snow, rainfall, hammers southern B.C.
Environment Canada has posted winter storm warnings for the Coquihalla Highway, Highway 3
Winter storm or snowfall warnings are in effect in many parts of British Columbia's southern Interior, making travel through the region challenging.
Environment Canada has posted winter storm warnings for the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt and for Highway 3 from the Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass.
The weather office says as much as 35 centimetres of snow could blanket higher elevations of Highway 3, while 20 centimetres is expected along the Coquihalla.
READ MORE: Warm weather ahead for Okanagan-Shuswap
Total accumulations on that highway are forecast to reach 40 to 50 centimetres before the storm eases Wednesday.
Elsewhere, snowfall warnings are issued for mountain passes including Allison Pass on Highway 3, as well as Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass on Highway 1, with 25 centimetres expected by the end of the day.
On the south coast, heavy rain continues and rainfall warnings remain in effect for Howe Sound and the Fraser Valley as Environment Canada calls for total amounts of about 50 millimetres in those areas.
'A stronger Alberta:' Ottawa announces $1.6B for Canada's oil and gas sector
Groups preparing new pipeline legal challenge, argue government's mind made up


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Rolex History: The Corporal's Rolex
Note from Jake: Jose just published one of the most AMAZING horological forensics articles on Rolex/Panerai History I have ever read, which is named "Vintage Rolex Panerai 3646 at Sotheby's", and he linked to this SUPERB article Captain Danny originally published on RolexMagazine.com back on December 2, 2017, so I thought I would share it with you, and we also added a significant update:
Introduction by Jake
Over the past decade, I have shared many stories of people who have been deeply inspired by Rolex watches—including myself. The following story, researched and written for us by Danny, is about unbreakable human spirit, moxie, raw determination, perseverance and tenacity.
I believe, in the final analysis, all any man really ever possesses of value is his enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is what gets us through the darkest moments, and allows us to fully immerse and enjoy ourselves in the brightest moments. This story is about how men who were living through some of the darkest moments of their lives reached out to Rolex asking for a time machine, and how Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf personally reached out to every one of them to share a Rolex watch to give them warmth in the cold as well as light, strength, hope, dignity, inspiration, enthusiasm and something to believe in.
By sending each of these men a Rolex watch, Hans Wilsdorf offered them a loyal and dedicated companion that was as much of a great perpetual enthusiasm piece as a timepiece. In doing so, Rolex, through Hans Wilsdorf's admirable and kind actions, created a new bastion of international Rolex goodwill brand ambassadors whose reach would be so far and wide that as you read this story now, it touches your soul 75 years later. Now that is a brilliant and effective long-term business strategy!
Every Rolex isn't just a time machine that tells time, it tells a story, and this story tells history...
The Corporal's Rolex
Perpetual Hope in the Darkness
By DANNY CRIVELLO
Corporal Clive Nutting, far right (two chevrons on his sleeve)
Corporal Clive James Nutting, above, far right, decided to order a stainless-steel Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph from Rolex while being held as a prisoner in Germany, in camp Stalag Luft III, during World War II. The 3525 Chronograph is the one depicted in the 1940s Rolex ad below. "Because of its high accuracy, this chronograph is recommended especially for technical and scientific work," the ad reads in French before warning the user of its lack of "100%" water resistance due to the pushers.
In his letter to Rolex in Geneva, Nutting wrote that he intended to pay for the watch with money he would save working as a shoemaker at the camp. In a surprising twist, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf himself replied to Nutting promising him the watch—and told Nutting to not think of paying during the war. Imagine that, you are stuck in a prison camp and you write Rolex asking for a watch. And the founder of Rolex personally writes back to you!
The Corporal
At that time Nutting had been a prisoner of German forces for three years. Information about his life before prison camps is hard to come by, and pictures impossible to find. We know he started off in 1935 as a British army communications engineers, called the "Royal Corps of Signals," as a part-time soldier in the reservist Territorial Army.
By April 1940, Corporal Nutting is in France with the 44th Territorial Division, part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) guarding the border with Belgium. On March 10, the Germans attack, splitting the French armies, encircling the BEF, and forcing it in a tighter pocket around Dunkirk — the only port of evacuation. Below a scene from the movie "Dunkirk" showing British soldiers waiting to be evacuated from France.
Eighteen days later, the Germans overwhelm Nutting's rearguard position near Cassel, a strategic communications center near Dunkirk. That night, the remnants of his 44th Division manage to slip away. Some are among the 340,000 British and French troops evacuated from Dunkirk. But Nutting is reported missing. Months later, in Sept. 1940, his family learns he is a prisoner of war.
During his five-year captivity, Nutting keeps a war log filled with drawings, cartoons and photographs depicting life in World War II's prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III, the same camp made famous by the 1963 film "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen and James Garner.
Found in Nutting's scrapbook is a colored drawing, which was completed by another inmate, in 1943, while in prison camp. The drawing is interesting because it sums up his time in action on March 28, 1940, south of Dunkirk. That was the day Nutting was captured while cutting communication lines. It shows him clinging desperately to a damaged telegraph pole as bombs and shells rain down on a battle-torn landscape. A "Stuka" dive-bomber hovers menacingly overhead.
We see below a rare picture of Nutting (foremost in the right photo). It was discovered in an American magazine from the 1940s and shows him haggard and exhausted, a prisoner on a cold, hungry march through Belgium and Germany to captivity. German soldiers hold their rifles at the ready. A contemporary handwritten account among his mementos would later speak of potato fields being stripped bare as the prisoner's march over them, and of POWs being machine-gunned as they steal milk from a cow.
It's 1942, and after short internments at other prisoner camps, Nutting finally arrives at Stalag Luft III, which will serve as his home until the end of the war. It is about 100 miles southeast of Berlin. The camp is under the control of the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, as most prisoners there are Allied Air Force personnel. Below, Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape" which takes place in Stalag Luft III.
Air Force POW camps were less harsh than the notorious concentration camps that were under the SS command, where Jews and political prisoners were kept. This explains how Nutting was able to write and receive a watch from Rolex in Geneva.
As a shoemaker by trade, Nutting (above, right) is valuable both to the Germans and to the POWs. He now gains a privileged position in charge of the camp's shoemaking workshop. He receives a wage from the Germans, sends remittances to his family in England, and as an officer's promissory note testifies, has money to lend. He can evidently afford a special watch. Below, the beautiful Rolex chronograph watch that would be sent to Nutting with "papers." I can imagine his excitement when he first opens the package.
When Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf receives Nutting's letter, he is impressed by the young corporal's request. At the time, Wilsdorf has already offered a deferred payment plan to British officers because he believes an officer's word is his bond. This is an incredible offer by Wilsdorf: Buy now and pay only after the war. Nutting won't receive a bill from Rolex until 1948, five years after he receives the watch!
During my research, I found that in one prison camp, Oflag VII B in Bavaria, hundreds of Rolex watches were ordered by British officers. I also found one example of an USAAF airman POW who placed an order for a Rolex watch. The bill for $150 was sent to the airman's wife in the U.S., the first evidence that Wilsdorf's payment leniency could also apply to Americans. Below, a Rolex Oyster Reference 3525 returned from Rolex service in 1984. The Rolex was owned by a RAF stalag prisoner, Flight Lieutenant Gerald Imeson, and is similar to Nutting's watch.
Still, Nutting was a corporal and not an officer. It is unclear why he was afforded this free loan by Wilsdorf. But while most British officers favored the 30-mm, inexpensive Speedking, Nutting had ordered the Chronograph Oyster watch model. I imagine such an order would have likely impressed Wilsdorf to the point of forgoing his policy of only selling watches to officers. Rolex quoted Nutting a price of CHF250 for the chronograph in 1943, the purchasing power of about $2500 today. Below, Rolex's receipt for Nutting showing gratis, meaning "free of charge," in the price column. "We certify that the watch aforementioned is of Swiss manufacture," in French above the signature.
The Watchmaker
What intrigued me is why Hans Wilsdorf would essentially give away watches with a due-date for payment known only to God: the end of war. I believe Wilsdorf, himself having grown up in Bavaria, was actually betting on an Allied victory even though in early 1943, the war's outcome was not that obvious: While the Russians were on the offensive after routing the Germans at Stalingrad, the Third Reich was still powerful, and Americans hadn't landed in France yet. Wilsdorf is pictured below in Geneva in 1942.
Wilsdorf's hope and optimism during the war can also be felt in Rolex's ads. Below, we see an ad from the Christmas season of 1942, a few months before Nutting would have ordered his watch from Rolex. Please note the Rolex "Bubbleback" California dial in the middle of the lineup and also the Speedking at far right (Reference 3121-4).
It is difficult to put into words how profound and optimistically prescient this next 1943 Rolex magazine ad was from the middle of World War II. Wilsdorf and Rolex must have been so distraught about the sad affairs of the world that they published this ad, which was just an observation and a wish for the future. In other words, Rolex spent money to make this bold declarative statement and didn't even show or mention a watch in the ad.
In this next World War II Rolex Christmas ad published in 1944, you can read in its paragraph how optimistic and excited Rolex was about the end of World War II.
Finally, I can picture that, in a German camp, such an expression of trust from the founder of Rolex must have been a wonderful morale-booster for POWs. I'm sure any positive news from the front must have been withheld by German propaganda. Also, being a commercial pilot myself, I can say watches are always an important tool among airmen, and many had lost theirs, confiscated upon capture. I imagine for those contemplating escape — attempting escape is always part of a serviceman's duty — a watch is as essential as a train timetable. In some cases, public transportation is the only way to reach the border.
Nutting's watch — Rolex watch no. 185983 — is delivered to Stalag Luft III on Aug. 4, 1943. The Great Escape plan of building tunnels has been underway for five months. As a shoemaker with well-equipped workshops at his disposal, a specialist in signals and an experienced POW, Nutting is part of the plan from the start. Coincidently, Nutting orders the chronograph from Rolex the same month the tunnel building plans are decided. Below a scene from the film "The Great Escape."
While Nutting waits for the watch, he makes civilian belts, shoes, and briefcases for the escapers out of leather stolen from German officers who come in to have their leather apparels repaired. But a chronograph could potentially be useful for timing "goons" or patrols of prison guards — or timing the 76 escapers through tunnel "Harry" in 1944, though there is no evidence Nutting did that. Below, timing the Great Escape: actor James Coburn in a scene from the film, for which Nutting would serve as consultant.
The watch received by Nutting is a stainless-steel Rolex Oyster Chronograph Antimagnetic Reference 3525, nicknamed "Monoblocco." When this watch first appeared in the early 1940s, it cost CHF350 in the stainless-steel version and CHF935 in 18K gold. Nutting's watch is, of course, brand new, and I can imagine his face as he puts a brand new Rolex on his wrist. And what a piece!
The 35-mm Rolex, which is polished and brushed with a screwed-down case back and concave lugs, is water-resistant and equipped with round button chronograph. It touts a tachometer and telemeter scale and features a stainless-steel Rolex Oyster buckle. (Below, Nutting's watch in 2007; the watch is 64 years old and survived German POW camps!)
The black dial has Arabic numerals with "baton" hands and outer minute/seconds track, subsidiary seconds and 30-minute register dials. The movement is a rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring, index regulator. The watch is a nice 14-mm thick. Some wrist presence for the times, I would say. Imagine how Nutting must have felt every time he looked at his magnificent Rolex. He must have felt a tremendous sense of pride and inspiration!
In a tragic twist, all but three of the 76 who escaped through the tunnel were captured. Fifty would be executed in cold blood. Nutting wasn't able to use the tunnel before it was discovered. And maybe that saved his life. (There wasn't any motorcycle jump either, although Steve McQueen, the King of Cool, did a great job in "The Great Escape.")
Nutting survives Stalag Luft III and finally returns to his home in Acton, nearby London, in 1945. After the war, he works in administration for a building company in London.
There's an interesting record of him writing to Rolex: Although his watch served well in the cold weather during the evacuation of the camps, he writes, it is now gaining an hour a day. Where can he have it fixed? And can he have the final invoice? I thought it was interesting that Nutting was requesting the invoice. Due to some British currency restrictions, Rolex can only send Nutting an invoice of £15 for his watch, in 1948. Nutting has been wearing a Rolex watch for five years free of charge! (Though five years in a German POW camp is a terrible price to pay.)
I reached out to Nutting's son, John, who is a broadcaster and the CEO of Australian Country Radio. He was kind enough to provide me with some information for this article and also the only picture of Nutting I have ever seen post-war. The picture above was taken in the 1990s and Nutting is seen with his wife, Sylvia.
"Dad came to Australia with my mother to settle here. I immigrated to Australia in 1971, and my parents joined me some years later," John told me. "Dad didn't talk much about the war but he'd watch 'The Great Escape' when it popped up on the telly. He laughed at McQueen's antics."
Corporal Nutting's Rolex Chronograph remained his loyal companion until the day he died in Queensland in 2001 at age 90. In May 2007 the watch is sold at an auction for an equivalent of US$87,000.
The last record of Nutting's Rolex is a restorer's bill for AU$2,356 ($1,782) dated March 28, 2003, exactly 63 years after its original owner became a prisoner of war. Below, the restorer's bill paid by his son.
No one knows where the Rolex Chronograph ordered by a young English corporal from a German POW camp is today. But there are rumors from a "reliable source" that the buyer is Russian, John tells me. What we do know is that for a moment in history, a Rolex linked both a corporal and a watchmaker with shared hope and optimism. As for John, he continues his dad's legacy of wearing a Rolex watch — a Sea-Dweller!
Update by Jake
My amazing research team which includes Jose, Nick, Danny and Alan keep making amazing Rolex historical discoveries, and since the story above was written, more fascinating information and images have been pouring in. Let's start with this Montres ROLEX S.A. envelope from World War II that was sent into a British soldier held prisoner in a German stalag whose name was Lieutenant J. Peter Hewlett. Notice the super interesting Rolex Oyster artwork on the envelope.
Next we have an interesting image Jose found that shows what would appears to be the back of an envelope sent in to a British soldier during World War II, along with a post dated envelope made out to the Rolex Watch C., Ltd... which I believe was Rolex U.K. For some reason, this image reminds me of Raiders of The Lost Art.
Alan recently discovered the image below of Hans Wilsdorf (founder of Rolex) with his wife in Egypt. This photo is undated, but Jose believes it had to be taken prior to 1955 as Egypt was unsafe for travel after then. Hans Wilsdorf's wife is pictured on the camel and to my eyes it looks like his first wife, Florence Frances May Wilsdorf-Crotty, who was a British citizen that unfortunately passed away in 1944. The crazy thing I noticed is that in the photo below which was taken on the Giza Plateau located on the West Bank of the Nile and notice it shows the famous Egyptian Sphinx statue on the far left which is a character that features the head of a man with the body of a lion. If you look closely at the Pyramid artwork illustration on the envelope above, it is taken from the exact same perspective.
Jose discovered the vintage Italian Rolex ad below which also features the same Pyramid / Sphinx illustration except this time we see the entire Sphinx head. I don't know what year this ad is from but noticed the date that shows 1939. Nick pointed out that the original Panerai store in Florence is listed in this ad, which is located in the bottom left-hand corner where it says "FIRENZE (Italian for Florence) Orologeria Svizzera, Palazzo Arcivescovile.
Nick Gould discovered the three images below which were taken in December of 1942 at the Rolex factory in Bienne, Switzerland. Jose pointed out he noticed what appear to be Rolex Error-Proof dials, which are commonly referred to as California dial on the top shelf in the center.
In the next image below we see a Rolex watchmaker in Bienne working on a Rolex movement at this table in 1942.
In this last image we see female workers at the Rolex factory in Bienne taken in 1942 working on what appear to be lathes that have Rolex logos on them. It's profound to see these amazing historical images as they reflect how and where the watches that ended up on the wrist of British officers who were imprisoned in German concentration camps during World War II were made.
Alan discovered the image below from Bonhams in London which features a signed letter from Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf. Bonhams description:
Case No.139041, circa 1943 17-jewel manual wind movement with Patented Super Balance, silvered dial with black printed Arabic numerals, blued steel hand, red centre seconds, polished case with chamfered bezel, screw down Oyster crown and screw back numbered 139041, together with Rolex Headed letter dated 18th March 1943, Guarantee card, outer envelope all stamped in red with the Oflag VII B gepruft stamp 30mm.
Posted by Danny Crivello at 12:00 AM
Labels: Clive James Nutting, Stories by Danny, World War II Rolex


text:
How, why and where Trump decided to kill Soleimani
BY AARTI TIKOO SINGH | &nbspNew Delhi/Washington DC
US President Donald Trump gave approval to kill Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Major General Qassem Soleimani at the last minute while he was on a vacation at his resort in Florida.
As per a detailed report published by Washington Post, the US President took the decision for reasons contrary to what the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed. Pompeo on Friday told the US media that Soleimani was killed because he had been "actively plotting in the region to take actions, the big action as he described it, that would have put dozens if not hundreds of American lives at risk. We know it was imminent."
The US newspaper claimed that Soleimani was killed only to "shock Iran's decision calculus" and "deter" Soleimani's future attacks against America. Quoting several defence and administration officials, Washington Post said the President took the call on Soleimani while he was on his second week of vacation at Mar-a-Lago resort at Florida, and that too only a short while before the airstrike in Baghdad.
Trump, Washington Post said, was informed at his resort that Soleimani was visiting Baghdad only to "taunt" the US "implying he could move around with impunity in the Iraqi capital.
"Calls between the national security principals were convened by the Vice President throughout the week after initial discussions on Sunday to kill Soleimani," the post said quoting an official.
Officials reminded Trump that after the Iranians mined ships, downed a US drone and allegedly attacked a Saudi oil facility, he hadn't responded. Acting now, they said, would send a message: "The argument is, if you don't ever respond to them, they think they can get by with anything."
Trump was also motivated to act by what he felt was negative coverage over his decision to call off the airstrike after Iran downed a US surveillance drone last year.
According to officials that Washington Post spoke to, Trump also compared himself to his predecessor Barack Obama who was blamed and seen as a failure following the 2012 Benghazi attack in which the US ambassador, foreign and CIA officials were killed.
The President "felt the response to this week's attack on the embassy and the killing of an American contractor (in Iraq) would make him look stronger compared with his predecessor," the report said. "Killing of the contractor really changed the equation," one of the officials told Washington Post.
Piecing together the sequence of events, the Washington Post said, the US tracked Soleimani's movements for several days, keeping Trump apprised, and decided that their best opportunity to kill him would be in Baghdad.
"He ultimately gave the final approval just before the strike, a senior administration official said, making the call from his golf resort," it wrote. IANS


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text:
Omicron: Fani-Kayode blasts UK over travel ban, says Nigeria should reciprocate the gesture
By Adejayan Gbenga Gsong	 On Dec 6, 2021
Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has lambasted the United Kingdom (UK) for imposing travel restriction on Nigerians as a result of COVID-19 and its associated variants.
Fani-Kayode, in a post on his Instagram page, said to say that the travel ban imposed on Nigerians by the UK is "travel apartheid" is putting it mildly.
According to Fani-Kayode, "It is far worse than that: it is racist, discriminatory, wicked, unacceptable, self-serving, vile, sinister, selective, vicious, provocative and unacceptable."
Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, however said Nigeria should reciprocate the gesture.
"We should reciprocate the gesture," Fani-Kayode said.
Recall that the British High Commission, Abuja, had on Sunday, announced the suspension of visitor visa applications in all UK's red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted.
The British High Commission said the decision was to support the UK Government's aim to protect public health from COVID-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC).
COVID-19: Nigeria records 267 fresh infections in nine states, FCT
Bayern Munich star, Alphonso Davies diagnosed with inflammation of the…
Other countries on the red list were Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia.
Also commenting on the visa restriction, a former senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Ben Murray-Bruce, said the restriction was as a result of COVID-19 vaccination.
Murray-Bruce, in a post on his Facebook page, said: "The reason they are banning Nigeria is that less than five percent are vaccinated and that being the case, the discussion shouldn't be about restrictions, but rather a push for vaccine equity. Therefore, I am asking the British, Americans and vaccine producing nations to make more vaccines available to Nigeria. If we are all vaccinated, they'd be no need for a ban."
JUST IN: Canada extends travel ban to Nigeria
Fani-Kayode reacts to the death of Nigeria Army Chief, Attahiru
It's apartheid to ban travellers over Omicron variant, Nigeria tells UK
BREAKING: Fani-Kayode joins APC
Lagos govt rehabilitated 524 roads in 2021, to fix 600 in 2022
Ganduje visits Kano APC chairman over brother's death
Buhari gets 7 days to release copy of agreement with Twitter
Buhari to armed forces: Respond robustly to insecurity in Niger state


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Brian Austin Green is father of pregnant Megan Fox's third baby
Megan Fox surprised followers this week when she debuted a prominent baby bump at an event in Las Vegas. Having filed for divorce from husband Brian Austin Green in August 2015, fans were keen to find out who the father of her third child is and whether the couple had reconciled. "Of course Brian is the father!" a source confirmed to People. "They never stopped loving each other and they will never stop being devoted parents to their boys."
The pregnancy did come as a surprise to the couple who are "very excited" and are "continuing to work on their marriage and are living together again," a second insider revealed.
TAP TO VIEW GALLERY
Surprise! Megan Fox debuted her baby bump in Las Vegas this week
The down-to-earth star even poked fun at speculation surrounding her baby's paternity by posting a photo on her Instagram account that dismissed some of the actors whose names were tied to the headlines. The actress captioned the photo featuring herself posing with Shia LaBeouf, New Girl's Jake Johnson and her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-star Will Arnett, with, "#Notthefather."
#notthefather
A photo posted by Megan Fox (@the_native_tiger) on Apr 12, 2016 at 12:47pm PDT
Megan, 29, filed for divorce in August after five years of marriage and 11 years together. But despite their split, the couple have been regularly seen together co-parenting their two young sons Noah, three, and two-year-old Bodhi.
Brian, 42, has also been looking after the boys while Megan has been busy working on her new movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows. "They both loving being parents," the source added.
A source confirmed that Brian is "of course" the baby's father
Megan and Brian started dating back in 2004 after meeting on the set of the series Hope and Faith. The actress, who was 18 at the time, said she felt an instant attraction to Brian, who is 13 years older, and the pair soon became an item.
Despite getting engaged in 2006, the pair called off their engagement in 2009 with Brian saying: "Marriage isn't a realistic goal for someone who is 23."
The couple rekindled their relationship, however, and Brian proposed again in June 2010, with the pair getting wed just 24 days later. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Brian said after their wedding. "It was the absolute perfect start to what we hope will be an amazing life together."
Megan Fox surprises fans with third pregnancy
Megan Fox shows of adorable son Bodhi in rare snap
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green split due to 'irreconcilable differences'


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text:
Q: Venda de selos automatizada (Python) Boa tarde, sera conseguiriam me ajudar com um problema de python?
Eu preciso:
(1) Calcule a quantidade de selos de 50 e 20 centavos a serem compradas pelo usuário.
(2) Dica 2: Para descobrir como calcular a quantidade de selos, pense sempre em pegar a maior quantidade possível de selos de 50 (análogo ao problema da tinta, mas agora não é permitido comprar selos a mais, o valor deve ser exato). Portanto faça uma tabela com os preços de 10 em 10 centavos, escreva para cada caso quantos selos são necessários e tente encontrar um padrão.
Por exemplo, a maior quantidade de selos de 50 para um custo de R$ 1,10 é 2, mas ai não conseguimos preencher os 10 centavos que faltam. Mas é possível chegar ao valor exato com um selo de 50 a menos e 3 selos de 20. Seguindo este exemplo, o que acontece com o valor de 1,60? e 2,10? 2,60? Qual a relação entre esses valores e o selo de 50?
O que eu fiz até agora:
custo = round(100*float(input()))
while custo<70 or custo>620 or custo%10!=0:
    print('Preco invalido, refa?a a leitura do pacote.')
    custo = round(100*float(input()))
    selos_50 = custo//50
    selos = custo-(selos_50*50)/20
    if selos==0:
        selos_20 = custo//20
        selos = (custo-selos_50*20)/50
    else:
    print('Compre',selos_20,'selo(s) de R$ 0.50 e',selos_50,'selo(s) de R$ 0.20!')

O while feito foi para validação das entradas. Ai eu preciso nesse print mostrar quantos seles de 20 e 50 tenho que usar.
Sera que tem como dar um help?

A: primeiro divida o valor por 0.5
selo_50 = custo / 0.5
resto_50 = custo % 0.5

Blz, mas agora pode ser que o troco não possa ser divido por 0.2.
exemplo 1.10 divido 0.5 = 2, sobra 0.1
Neste caso diminua um selo de 50 e vai sobrar mais 0.5
no exemplo 0.1 + 0.5 = 0.6 que é divisivel por 0.2
if ( resto_50 % 0.2 != 0 ):
  selo_50 -= 1
  resto_50 += 0.5

selo_20 = resto_50 / 0.2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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