Prime Minister, I'm going to get on to your incredibly consequential speech in a moment, but before I do, you've said there is a strong indication that Iran was involved in the Fairfield plot. That is very serious indeed. Yes. Will you recall Parliament?
There is indeed a strong indication that Iran played a part. This remains though a complex and very serious police investigation. So I can't say anymore at this stage. People will know though it's consumed quite a considerable amount of my time here in Liverpool this week. I did chair Cobra on Monday. We have been waiting to confirm what we could say but we can now confirm our belief that Iran played a part. I will update people more in due course but just at this moment to thank Gloucestershire Police, the counterterrorism police for the outstanding job that they've done.
Will you recall parliament?
Well, at this stage there is not an urgent need to do that. But should that arise, of course, I wouldn't hesitate. I didn't hesitate to call the Cobra meeting this week. I wouldn't hesitate to recall parliament should that be necessary.
Okay. And right, okay, Prime Minister, thank you for that. Now, you said in your speech yesterday that you want to draw a line on a decade of division. Yeah. And then you announced a series of very divisive policies, changing the triple lock, potentially tearing up Britain's voting system, or pursuing reationalization, potentially reopening Brexit wars. Your politics are full of dividing lines, aren't they?
I don't see it that way. You know, if I look at what I said about water, for instance, there's a clear majority of people in Britain who say the privatization of water has been a disaster, they would probably say something similar about energy, or although it's a slightly different case on social care. Can anyone say the status quo is acceptable? Anybody? I don't think so, Beth. They want somebody to grasp the nettle. That's what I was doing yesterday. I wasn't being divisive. I didn't talk about the other party leaders or the other parties. I spoke about what I would do, okay, as prime minister. You have to lead as prime minister and to lead is to choose and I said these are my choices. I think these are the right choices for Britain if I'm to lead Britain out of where it has been to a better place. I will have to make choices. And I laid them out and I did it like that to leave people in no doubt about where I want to leave Britain.
Yes, indeed. And Prime Minister, I'm going to I want to come on to a couple of those policies, but just in terms of your reform agenda for Britain, voting reform, the EU, social care, it all requires a general election, will you call one before 2029?
Well, just on electoral reform, indeed that isn't divisive because most of the political parties have indicated support.
But your big reform, but your big reform program requires a general election, doesn't it?
Not on everything. No. By taking the decision that I've taken around the triple lock, it allows preparation to start now for the in- once it could answer. It's really important. It allows preparation to start now for a national care service to be introduced in the 2030s. So it deals with something that has held us back actually a failure on social care to say in what direction are we going? I am prepared to do that where my predecessors in this role haven't been prepared to do that.
So you you're not going to call a general election till 2029. Just to be clear,
I'm not going to call an early general election. No, I'm not. I'm happy to make that absolutely clear.
PM, even what you want to do, give people some breathing space. You can't deliver on that, can you? One think tank is estimating every household will be nearly 2.5,000 worse off by the end of next year. That's just the reality, isn't it? You can't deliver that.
But you can people are going to be worse off, aren't they? Before they get better.
And I can say to you that tomorrow VAT comes off electricity bills. So that is evidence that I will do what I can. I will put that two pound cap on buses back in 2027. I I'm aware that I can't solve everything because some of the pressures are created out with our control.
Just to be just so but just to be for people out there cuz you've talked a lot about breathing space. Can you just be honest with them? It's going to get worse for them before it gets better, isn't it? I'm not saying it's your fault. A lot of it is beyond your control.
It's going to beough. It's going to get worse. It's going to be a tough winter. There's no doubt about that. And that's why I think all of the time about what can I do? What is under my control to do something to help people? So, it's not just the cost of living, it's the cost of running a business. And we're looking at those issues as we head towards the budget as well as what more can we do.
What are you saying to people issues around bed in there and I will do what I can when I can. Is that what you're saying?
But what is the option that is not to do that? You know, it's about trying, isn't it? Trying you your best to help people in any way I can. But what I can't do is come up with ideas that are not funded. And then we get back to the situation where we were in where unfunded budget proposals caused a run on people's mortgages and that created even bigger problems for the country. I've got to do this working within the fiscal rules and making sure we don't take risks with the British economy. But within that I will give as much breathing space to the British public and British businesses as I can.
But it is going to get worse before it gets better. Just Yes. Isn't it?
