Are.

Still pressing ahead with the boat people being sent to Rwanda?

Very much so. The Prime Minister is determined to drive down illegal migration, and he will do whatever it takes to stop the boats.

Okay, but we've not seen any flights taking off yet. We heard what the Supreme Court said last week, rather.

Yes, and the Prime Minister has been planning for that. That's why we've had plans in place to introduce a new treaty with Rwanda, which will come to fruition very soon. The Prime Minister and government is also preparing to introduce emergency legislation to make sure that the will of the British people, which is to stop the boats, is not frustrated by any.

Foreign court. Okay, so even though the Supreme Court is saying that it's not safe, you're just going to pass laws to say this?

We're going to pass laws to address the concerns of the Supreme Court, which I think is very important. They are concerned that people who... Refoundment, which is a new phrase I think we're all coming to be familiar with, which means that they're concerned about people being sent to Rwanda and then being sent back to their country of origin. We are introducing a treaty with Rwanda to make sure that that.

Does not happen. You probably don't know, but I'm going to ask you anyway. Do you know how much it's costing us for that hostile every day? No, I don't, I'm afraid. Talk to me about the COVID inquiry. You'll know about that. Should Sir Patrick Vallance's diary notes be issued in full?

Well, look, this is an ongoing inquiry. I think it's very important that we learn the lessons of the inquiry. That's why the government set up the inquiry in the first place. There are some very big things that we need to look at as part of what happened during COVID and what we should do next time. As part of that, I think there's been 55,000 pieces of evidence in terms of what is or isn't made public. That is for the inquiry, and it's right that.

They're independent. But surely you want to know what the main man, what else he was writing during his brain dump at the end of the day.

As a government minister, it would be wrong for me to tell the inquiry that they should or shouldn't make something public. I think that would be inappropriate. They are independent and rightly so.

Yeah. What do you make of the suggestions by Sir Patrick that Dominic Cummings, we've only got it from him, Mr. Pottymouth, suggesting that our now Prime Minister thought that people should just be left to die.

I think I was a back venture at the time, but what I saw during COVID was a government trying to save both lives and livelihoods, and that I think were both very, very important. In terms of the detail of it, I think it's important that we see all the evidence and I know that the Prime Minister is giving evidence soon.

Does that, I mean, that quote, though, does that something that you would recognize, where she thinks, Just let people die and that's okay?

Like I said, I can only speak from my experience in the back benches, which is that the government was working to save lives and livelihoods, and that was a vital part of what they were trying to do. Of course, they wouldn't have got everything right, but I think that is what the COVID inquiry is looking at.

Is the government now accepting that eat out to help out was a bad idea?

As I said, this is something that's got to be looked at as part of the inquiry. It's not for me to say whether something was right or wrong during COVID. That's exactly what we've got the independent inquiry to look at.

He did also go on, I'm going to keep pushing, see what you think about this one, complete lack of leadership, says the main man at the time. Why should we think that the PM is now capable of leading NIE when he couldn't do it during a massive pandemic?

I don't think it's the case that he couldn't do it during the pandemic. Most people at home will be familiar with the Prime Minister, with Vishu, for the first time during the pandemic when he was announcing huge schemes to help them stay at home and keep their jobs and keep their incomes. Fairly, skips. Yeah, exactly. That was absolutely vital for so many people. I know my constituents, everyone was so worried. We were all worried during the pandemic. This was something which really helped people to an enormous degree. I think that he provided a great amount of leadership during that. In terms of the individual decisions, though, that is absolutely for the inquiry to determine. It's not for me to sit here and say.

What was wrong with that. Something you might have a view on is the front page of the Times this morning. People with mental health and mobility problems will be expected to work from home. If they can't go to work, they're expected to work from home. We'll hear more about that tomorrow. Some of my viewers this morning might think that sounds a bit uncaring.

I think that if you can work as a principal, you should work. That is what the government believes. That's been the thrust of all of our policies. Of course, there should be support for people to help them into work or to help them with issues that they're facing. But ultimately, there is a duty on citizens that if they are able to go out to work, that's what they.

Should do. Who will decide?

I think this is a decision which is taken in the way that all benefits decisions are taken with the Department of Work and Pensions. It's a very serious job. I've just moved from the Department of Work and Pensions. I was a Pensions Minister there before. You've got some brilliant civil servants there who are working very hard to make sure our welfare system is supporting those who need support. But those who can work, can contribute, should contribute. That is the principle that we must keep throughout all of this.

I'm not going to ask you about anything else about tomorrow because you won't tell me. Thank you very much. But I will ask you about the state visit. How important are state visits when it comes to trade?

Very important. I think as a country, we've got a new foreign secretary now who is very experienced.

How surprised were you?

Very. I loved your reaction, by the way. It was fantastic. The internet memes have been everywhere after that. But no, I was very surprised, but also very pleased because David Cameron comes with an enormous amount of experience. One of the things, he spoke to the 1922, which is the back bench group of MPs yesterday. He was talking about the importance of the Foreign Secretary in terms of promoting trade and working with a brilliant chemie who's the Business Secretary, to make sure that we are going out, getting these trade deals, making sure that as a foreign office, we're talking not only about international relations, but also about boosting trade, because that is vital in a post-Brexit environment.

Okay, so talk to me in a bit more detail then about the state visit that we've got coming up today, actually. We've got the first state visit since the King was crowned. There's a lot of pump. But what happens behind the scenes then? When you say there's trade, how does that actually work? Is it just a bit of glad-handing for now, or will we hear some deals have been done?

Well, that would be for the Foreign Office later on. But the glad-handing, the relations are actually a really important part of diplomatic relations. The monarchy is a huge asset to this country, and it is amazing that we can do these kinds of things and that Britain can host these things. It is a huge source, I think, of national pride and I look forward to seeing it.

Okay, talk to me about hostage negotiations. I know that we're not front and center when it comes to that, but we do have a good relationship as a country, as a government, with Qatar. How involved are we?

As a Treasury Minister, this is very, very delicate and it's ongoing, and so I don't want to put a toe out of line. I think that all I can say is that we have been very clear that the hostages must come back. That has been a focus of UK government policy, and that is something that we will continue to do. But in terms of ongoing, it's not something that I.

Can comment on. A word for the families of.

British hostages. I can't even imagine. It's so awful. All of us are seized every single day with the horror of what happened on October the seventh and immense, enormous sympathy for everybody who's got family involved in this and an understanding of why Israel has had to act in the way that it has in order to get those hostages back and to bring those people home and to bring those children home.

We saw you walking up Downing Street. How big of a surprise was it for you to have a promotion?

Very. You don't get told before. -so it's the thing.

-so you get a call.

How does it work? You get a call? You get a call, but literally, please be at Downing Street in five minutes, which is one of the most extraordinary.

I wish I'd put something else on this morning.

Yes, you do. Yes, you do. And then you suddenly chop up your lipstick and then you're just walking down the road, just about time to ring your mom and dad.