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CNN International: May Addresses Parliament For The Last Time As Prime Minister; May Heads to Downing Street for Last Time As PM. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired July 24, 2019 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00] THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I also say to her that I will -- there are many issues that I want to take an interest in when I'm on the back bench. She's -- this is one along with the wider issues, mental health, that I want -- we'll want to continue to look at. And I have committed to take in the autism training that the old party group has made available for members of parliament.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally, I call the mother of the House, Harriet Harman.

HARRIET HARMAN, MOTHER OF THE HOUSE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's always an historic moment when a prime minister leaves office especially when the country faces such difficult times as we do ahead.

But her departure marks another milestone because though we're on to our 77th prime minister now, she's only the second woman ever to have held that office. And she put tackling human trafficking and the horrors of domestic violence as a priority at the heart of her government.

And can I say that in that respect, her legacy is secure because everyone in this House backs that and we will all be committed to taking that forward. Even her hashish critics must recognized her integrity, her commitment to public service, her dedication to this country, and those are qualities that none of us should ever take for granted.

But can I just offer her a word of sisterly advice. Sometimes you just have to be a bit more careful when a man want wants to hold your hand. I thank her for her service as our prime minister and I sincerely wish her all the very best for the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The prime minister.

MAY: Well, can I thank the right honorable lady for her question. Of course, the right honorable lady joined this House in 1982 when there was a female prime minister, but very few women in this House. And she has played a very important role. And she can be proud of the role that she played in ensuring that more women came into the House as labour members of Parliament.

And she started something, which has started to change the face of this House, which has been very important. I, of course, came here in 1997 as one of only 13 conservative women. And indeed one labour member of Parliament approached me to encourage me to sign the private members' bill list because he assumed if I was a woman, I must have been a labour member of Parliament.

But I'm also proud. I'm also proud to have played my part in getting more women MP's in this House. And I'm sure that amongst the women in this House today, there is a future prime minister, maybe more than one.

As I said earlier, I will return to the back benches. And it will be my first time in 21 years. So it's going to be quite a change from standing here at the dispatch box.

I'm told that over the last three years, I've answered over 4,500 questions over 140 hours in this House. More than I might have expected Mr. Speaker.

In the future, I look forward to asking the questions. But we are, as the right honorable lady has said, living through extraordinary political times.

This House of Commons is rightly at the center of those events. And that's because of the vital link between every single member of this House and the communities, the commons that we represent. That's the bedrock of our parliamentary democracy and of our liberty.

And each one of us, wherever we sit, whatever we stand for, can take pride in that. And that duty to serve my constituents will remain my greatest motivation.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (in unison): Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you again. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the government benches are standing. Some of the opposition, the unionists are standing. There's no one on the Lib Dems, no one from the Scots, no one from Labour standing or applauding.

And it's a bit bad grace, frankly. On the last Prime Minister's Questions that they can't put their political differences aside. But it was -- you can rely on Harriet Harman.

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: She really got the tone right.

QUEST: She really did.

SOARES: She was gracious.

QUEST: I've been in the House since the early 1980s, a historic. Carole Walker is with us. And her, she got it exactly right did she?

SOARES: And with Yuma too.

CAROLE WALKER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. And you mentioned the applause there. I remember when Tony Blair left off his last Prime Minister's Question.

[08:05:05] David Cameron who was at the time the opposition conservative leader encouraged his own side to all standoff and applaud.

And I think it shows you something about the intense feelings that there have been. And the really deep divisions there are across the House that not everyone there in the commons was prepared to stand up and applaud the outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May.

Harriet Harman, one of a number of women who stood up to pay tribute to Theresa May for her dedication, for her service, to commitment to public service, for being a role model for many women, and for encouraging many, many more women to go into Parliament.

Harriet Harman included that wonderful line about perhaps she should be a little bit more careful when the man wants to take your hand, the reference of course to when Donald Trump took her hand when she visited the White House.

There were some warm moments there, some moments of tribute but plenty of barbs too from both sides including from the outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May who are, Yvette Cooper, a Senior Labour MP had paid tribute to her work and to her dedication. Turn around and pointed out that Yvette Cooper along with so many of her side had failed to support her in voting for her withdrawal deal to deliver Brexit.

So I think a real mixture of emotions in that hour-long Prime Minister's Questions, a historic moment, an emotional one, but full of all the barbs and a reminder of their very difficult environment which her successor is going to walk into.

SOARES: How do you think she will feel, Carole, I mean, this is a weight off her shoulder. I know she's going to continue being an MP for maidenhead. She will sit at the back benches. Is this the moment when she can breathe, she can be at peace, she can relax?

WALKER: It will be an emotional moment. And we know that she does feel disappointed to have failure to deliver on that key task on getting the country out of the European Union.

But she wouldn't be human if she didn't feel a bit of sense of relief. That that absolutely relentless unceasing demands that faces prime minister that that is over, that she will be able to go for a walking holiday with her husband and to enjoy it without always having to be in contact, without knowing the whole time that you have to be available in case of some national emergency, and without facing the relentless never ending battles, not just with her political opponents but with many on her own side.

SOARES: Absolutely.

QUEST: Let's take a moment. Well, just at the top of the hour. You're watching our breaking news coverage. I'm Richard Quest. And I'm Issa Suarez. In the UK, the end is nay. Outgoing prime minister you just heard there just took her final questions as leader and really as you heard retaking digs at the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Here's a little taste of what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAY: And I worked tirelessly to get a good deal for the UK, and I also worked hard to get that deal through this Parliament. I voted for the deal. What did the right honorable gentleman do?

He voted against a deal. He voted to make no deal more likely. And when there was a prospect of reaching consensus across this House, the right honorable gentleman walked away from the talks. At every stage, he's only interest has been playing party politics. And frankly, he should be ashamed of himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Within the next two hours, she will return to Downing Street to make her farewell speech on the steps of Number 10 and then she goes to the Queen where she will resign.

And hand -- in doing so, advise the Queen that Boris Johnson commands a majority of support in the House and that he should be invited to be Queen Elizabeth's II 14th prime minister.

SOARES: And while we are focusing on this historic moment, we're also keeping an eye on Washington. Moments ago, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller arrived on Capitol Hill. In last than half an hour from now in fact, he will testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee and then the House Intelligence Committee.

Mueller spent two years, if you remember, investigating Russian election meddling and the US President for Democrats. He want to impeach President Trump and let's say today's testimony may either help or hurt their case.

The Judiciary Committee wants to know about five episodes in particular in which Donald Trump may have allegedly obstructed justice including urging witnesses not to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Of course, we'll continue to follow these hearing. We'll bring you the very latest.

QUEST: So we're going to be bouncing backwards with some forwards for the next few hours. Bianca has joined us. I always think it's good in this part just to sort of to keep you informed of what we expect to happen, where we're going, and how it's likely to pan out.

[08:10:09] Here in the United Kingdom, we have three big events, Theresa May leaving, Boris Johnson becoming prime minister, Boris Johnson talking about the speech on the steps of Number 10. That will happen over the next two or three hours.

Now, in Washington -- SOARES: In Washington, we've got Mueller who is testifying. And we're going to keep a close eye on Mueller when he starts speaking in less than 20 minutes or so from now everyone would listen to what he has to say. Any nuggets will have it.

QUEST: Now, I can't pretend to you it's going to be pretty as we go backwards --

SOARES: Or smooth.

QUEST: Or smooth or elegant. And then of course, and let's not forget, we are also watching closely the events in Puerto Rico where the governor --

SOARES: Rossello. Rossello is expected, we've heard, expected to resign later on today.

QUEST: Right.

SOARES: So plenty for us to get on.

QUEST: Thank you. We're glad to begin.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I prefer to begin with London question.

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: Let's start on this. I wanted to make PMQs.

NOBILO: I think that that was the kind of reception we were expecting. I agree with you. I think that other members of Parliament may have given her slightly better sendoff. It was nice that her husband was in the gallery. We know that Philip May has been a key figure really in terms of making her political decisions. He's often found in the press gallery when she's doing something momentous.

It's like when she was facing down Parliament trying to get her withdrawal agreement through over the part of the year, obviously unsuccessfully. Then, we'll see what she says on the sets of Downing Street later. It's going to be very interesting juxtaposition as well because we'll have Theresa May's last remarks as prime minister. And then in little time at all, we'll hear from Boris Johnson.

Now stylistically, you really can't get further apart. You have Theresa May who is detail orientated. She is not charismatic. She's pragmatic. And she's never been comfortable in front of the media.

In fact the bigger the audience, the less comfortable she is. I know this because of when I worked with her briefly in Parliament and also anecdotally from constituents and so on, when she's one-on-one.

Apparently, she is a lot more compelling. And she's a lot more (inaudible).

SOARES: Exactly. NOBILO: The larger the audience, the less comfortable she is. Boris Johnson invert that completely. The bigger the audience, the more vulnerabilities he shows. Even if we saw how he performed during the London Olympics. He loved those huge crowds. But get him one-on-one, he's a little bit shiftier.

SOARES: We saw what we heard from him yesterday. He was full of hyperbole optimism. Is that the Boris Johnson we're going to see later on today, Bianca?

NOBILO: I would say so. I think that set the tone for the fact that he is going to be himself in all his --

SOARES: But hopefully more detail.

NOBILO: Hopefully more detail. It's a key speech. If we think back to when Theresa May made her speech when she was becoming prime minister back in 2016, she laid out what she wanted to achieve as prime minister. Now, we know event steed her right of course. But she spoke about the burning in justices, in society she wanted to tackle.

QUEST: Right.

NOBILO: So this will be his attempt to set the tone not just with Brexit but how he does plan to unite the country.

QUEST: So stay with us. I'm jumping. Nic Robertson is in Downing Street. Nic, are you seeing any sign of the P.M. having got back to Downing Street yet?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: If she has, it's not been by the front door. The helicopter hovering overhead is clearly an indication that people are expecting her. Cameras here, no one seems to be pointing their cameras. They ready at the front door. I don't think -- I think we may be a few minutes away. And then she's gone in by the back door. And I'm not sure that that's going to happen.

This time, the podium is being ready. The speakers right next to me here. So everything be may ready for her speech at the moment.

And I think, you know, when you look back at her speech when she first came arrived in Downing Street 13th of July 2016 as prime minister, you know, one of the things, one of the first paragraphs, sentences that she uttered was about the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and how the union between these countries was most important.

She was after all, she said, a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party. And we heard from Nigel Jones today. But I think when you reflect back over her three years, that union looks a little more frayed and weaker than it certainly did when she stepped into office, the back stop has been part of it.

On what we heard at Prime Minister's Question time today particularly for the S&P is them sharpening their sorts to make the case to break free because Boris Johnson for them will be the epitome of everything that is wrong with Westminster and wrong with the relationship within that union.

So, I think when we hear her speech today that will be something to reflect upon and see how she, if she, addresses that issue at the precious, precious bomb that she did put very high in her speech three years ago.

[08:15:09] SOARES: Nic, from a logistical question just for my own interests, now I'm sure our viewers around the world want to know this too. How long did she stay at 10 Downing Street? Has she already packed and moved out her things? How quickly is that transition happened?

ROBERTSON: We understand that her -- that much has been packed and much has gone out the back door, the removal vans have been seen. That's what we understand. It's not something you ever see at the front doors here. We won't be expecting to see her come out and sling a suitcase in the trunk, the boot of her armored limousine as she heads off to the palace.

It is expected that after she needs with Queen and hands in her resignation that she will go to her constituency. That's quite often the usual move of departing prime ministers.

But as for the baggage, are the photographs on her desk, already being transported. Those really personal effects that have made her, given her some sense of Downing Street is more than a workplace, it is a real home, her day have been packed.

We suspect so, because the transition is all about somebody moving in so quickly. A very few other in their normal lives have to pack up out of one residence, a home and vacate it for somebody to move in so quickly.

QUEST: Nic, thank you. Nic Robertson is there. Bianca is also with us. Bianca we are watching along the screen. We can see the helicopter, a picture, so the helicopter is showing us what will be of course the prime minister's car leaving Westminster, going back to Downing Street say way around Parliament Square and (inaudible). And really then the process begins.

NOBILO: Then the process does begin. And so this is the beginning of the very end for Theresa May. She's going to make some remarks. It will be interesting to see in what terms she wants to frame her legacy because it will be a matter of deep regret. We've heard her say that many times that she wasn't able to break the Brexit in part to make some progress.

Lately she's been speaking about wanting to divert funds into climate change and other schools, and other issues that dear to her heart something which she'll also want to underscore is trying to champion more women into parliament. She is co-chair of Women to Win.

SOARES: We heard that, yes. NOBILO: She mentioned that several times. But as I said before, comparing that to what Boris Johnson is going to say, we're going to get such a stark contrast. Because stylistically obviously very different but also in substance. Theresa May is a pragmatic politician. She isn't a visionary, which Boris is.

SOARES: And we're looking just live images there.

QUEST: Right.

SOARES: We'll of course, when she starts making a way, we shall bring it to you. Of course you are watching CNN's special coverage as Britain makes their transition to a new prime minister. We'll bring you all the latest developments throughout the hour. Do stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that it's really sad (inaudible) reflects our divided country that we have a leader that is (inaudible) background and he doesn't represent the views of the majority, and that he made a mess of being foreign secretary of elective leader.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a liar, a racist, what more can you say. He doesn't represent any of the people of this country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's got to be better than whatever Theresa May has done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:20:17] SOARES: Really shows you just how divided this country is. And the task that Boris Johnson will have when he becomes prime minister in a few hours from now.

QUEST: Surely someone is feeling happy. He is of course the Conservative MP Crispin Blunt who was backing Boris Johnson to become the party leader is with us now. And from your understanding, what's the tone going to be when he goes into Number 10?

CRISPIN BLUNT, BRITISH CONVERSATIVE MP: The speech he gave yesterday is the 1922 Committee was terrific. And you could see the mood our colleagues left for the optimism and hope, and the prospect of the opportunity that is presented by Brexit.

Until now we've been focusing entirely on the weaknesses in the British position, these threats of the British position, and it's all been very negative. And finally we got a leader.

QUEST: Just let me pause you there if I may. There, we're looking at pictures of Theresa May getting into her car.

BLUNT: Very exciting.

QUEST: Yes.

SOARES: Yes.

BLUNT: Is she off the palace?

QUEST: No. Not yet? No, no. She's leaving Westminster.

BLUNT: Right.

QUEST: She's leaving Westminster where she will head into Downing Street.

SOARES: But to applause as you can see there, you can see some people boarding that --

QUEST: Well, that's the, you know, parliamentary staff. Out of the palace of Westminster and where you, obviously, you could probably hear that helicopters overhead as she now goes back to Number 10.

And what did you make at Prime Minister's Questions?

BLUNT: I thought she landed a pretty painful blow on Corbyn at the end. And which is then re-enforced by Ian Austin from behind Corbyn. But it's time for him to go too. The Conservatives need like (inaudible) in the head.

SOARES: I want to go back, if I can, Crispin, to what you said what he said to Boris Johnson's tonight --

BLUNT: For the 1922.

SOARES: Give me a sense because we have heard a lot of hyperbole and lot of positive and lot of --

BLUNT: Yes.

SOARES: -- mission. We've got a lot of the key words everyone wants to hear the optimism facts. Did he give the 1922 Committee any facts any details about what this vision is?

BLUNT: Well, everyone knows about the difficulty of getting Brexit home with this parliament by the 31st of October. Where he was able to get into the details in fact was that what's going to make up his domestic program. And there, the twin pillars of Conservative standing for enterprise and opportunity for people to run their own businesses, and take responsibility of their own lives.

Alongside, that successful economy generated by the policies, then the infrastructure, then put this together in both socially and in hard infrastructure, and those two things one pace to the other but both, you know, for each other. So he gave a really good positive vision of what Johnson --

SOARES: And nothing on Brexit.

QUEST: Yes, but he needs to do more on the street-- on Downing Street. He needs to -- it's one thing to rara (ph) your own troops but frankly facing electoral oblivion if they don't get this thing sorted out. It's another thing to talk to the people who -- your -- the 70 million that you're now the leader of and tell them you can trust me. I am competent. I have the gravidas. I have the wherewithal to be your leader probably.

BLUNT: And he addressed those issues there amazing way yesterday. But --

QUEST: Yes, but the NASDAQ the time from you --

BLUNT: Well hang on. Well, except Boris Johnson is Boris Johnson. And he -- one of the reasons, he is such a brilliant communicator is that -- and he can use humor into getting ideas across that dude see. No one understands what dude means. Now, what other leader, what have (inaudible)?

SOARES: But, Crispin, that have worked perfectly winning with mayor of London. Now he really needs it appeal to the whole of the country who are divided. Before we came to you, we've played some sound from people up and down the country who are very much against Boris Johnson, who felt that Boris Johnson did not represent them. Is he going to appeal to the country? Is he going to call for you that he is going to speak to everyone here today?

BLUNT: Well, you got to remember, of course, I would acknowledge and he acknowledges. As enormous skepticism about that he's a very controversial character.

He's been seen as completely association we're getting Brexit overlying in the referendum.

[08:25:00] And there is a strong metropolitan remain, if you like, frustration with how successful he has been in getting the message across. He's being -- he's very much become the lightning rod for that.

But remember as mayor of London he got reelected in London when the Conservative was 17 points behind him.

QUEST: Yes, but nobody is -- the Prime Minister is just about to get back on to Downing Street.

BLUNT: Yes.

QUEST: We will watch that closely as well. Yes, the difference with all of this though, t I hear what you're saying. But the difference is that when he was mayor of London, he was elected. Prime minister of the United Kingdom, he has been elected by 0.16 or something of the population, which is legitimate in our system of government. I mean, I'm not --

BLUNT: I'm glad you know those.

QUEST: No, I'm not questioning that, you know, well leave it to me.

BLUNT: I think that's small point.

SOARES: There we go. I think is she just arriving?

BLUNT: -- that is the leader of the largest party.

QUEST: Yes, leaders to leader is the way we do, we don't in this country. We don't have an election.

BLUNT: Yes.

QUEST: But it means he does not have a popular mandate.

SOARES: Yes.

BLUNT: And I wish actually that Boris having pulled off the race in 2016, because I think we would be three years further down the track, under Boris partnership. And we would have got Brexit down.

But we are where we are. And all the skill sets that made him a very successful mayor of London and enable a Conservative to win successive elections in London are still in place. And we've seen a greater sense of discipline and focus over the campaign.

QUEST: Stay with me if you would be as kind. We want to get to Nic Robertson on Downing Street.

Nic, I'm not sure the route this car is taking. It's suppose for being --

SOARES: Since rather long.

QUEST: It is rather long consuming. It's spinning (ph) further only to Downing Street. But there it is it's gone the long way and I suspect the Prime Minister is going to be back with you shortly.

ROBERTSON: Yes, Richard. And I think you have the advantage of looking at the picture whereas I'm just going by where I can hear what I believe is the helicopter that's taking that picture. And I know that it's not directly above me because that's a pretty loud rocket.

I mean it sounds as if it's sort of a well in the distance this way. I get the impression because we're not being asked to sort of get behind our barrier here's or sit down, which is what the word was when Theresa May left to go for PMQs.

I'm getting the impression at the moment it's an impression it's not a fact, it's a not a certainty that she may be going in through the back door. You'll be looking at the route and you'll have a better idea with that than me. But if I had to guess right now given the distance from Westminster to Downing Street is relatively short. If they come the direct route, she could have been here.

So perhaps she is coming in around the back, would it be a prime minister asking for a little drive around the block as her last time as prime minister, driving around the streets of London enjoy the moment, I think not. That's not in Theresa May's makeup, is it? But it does seem perhaps she'll arrive by the back-door.

QUEST: You're right. She's going down up to Victoria round the back and then will approach up through Horse Guards. So now, she could-- you know, well she could have of course gone at the (inaudible) that way. But that's the way they've decided it would appear that they're doing.

What you make up it, Nic? What you make of the -- that the moods --

(INAUDIBLE)

SOARES: No, I'm so sorry. Is this normal, Nic, that they go by the back-door for her last day in office?

ROBERTSON: You know, I think logistics are a part of this too. I mean there are just so many journalists here. The setup is being prepared for her to make her speech. It all takes up space on Downing Street. You're talking about bringing those big cars and the need to turn them around.

So perhaps it's a technical level like that. You know, there were certainly times, you know, in some of the darker moments for Theresa May where she's had those staggering defeats in Parliament. She's come back here and not really wanted to be seen on camera. And she has gone in round the back and it is awfully difficult to get an image of her between the car and the back-door.

So could we be in that sort of a moment here. I think logistically perhaps it's just hard to do it at the front at the moment, there are so many people.

And when she's going to step outside to give that speech we can be sure there'll be a warning. Well it can be sure that we'll be told to all to bob down so that all the ranks of cameras here can get a clear picture of her.

QUEST: Now, Nic, this is interesting. No, no. What was interesting is the car went up from Victoria headed up towards Birdcage Walk, I mean, they went around that way. And then went round to the palace which led --

SOARES: Slow down.

QUEST: -- past around -- slow down around the Victoria Monument which gave a moment's pause. My god, she's going straight to the palace. But-- I mean, it's really quite weird because what they've now done is they've turned up them all and she will turn right into Horse Guards, Bird Cage Walk and then into the back of Downing Street.

SOARES: A rather routes don't know like you were saying Nic whether this is her last adjure as prime minister of course. But it does look like she may be going the back entrance --

[08:30:00] ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: You were saying Nic whether this is her last adieu as prime minister of course. But it does look like she may be going the back if I'm not mistaken, the back entrance. Then Nic, do we know how long she'll be at 10 Downing Street? That's (INAUDIBLE) should we say (INAUDIBLE) her staff there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think it's going to be pretty swift. You know, I think we're anticipating something in the order of less than a couple of hours for sure. There are helicopters as you can see with the pictures has come back overhead. People are clustering in the background, the back gate here to look down at the rear entrance for Downing Street.

This -- you have the picture, it seems to be that's what's happening. Again, we don't know why she took that long detour around Buckingham Palace (INAUDIBLE). This day has been so carefully choreographed. Of course, that set-piece where she goes in as prime minister to Buckingham Palace to hand her resignation to the queen.

As she leaves has left Boris Johnson arrives to be asked by the queen to form a government, formally becoming prime minister and never the train shall meet within that building. So the careful choreography. This must have been planned for security reasons, maybe. This is a big day, we don't know what the Met Police know, we know they always take great concern and care and caution when it comes to transporting the prime minister around. A day where anyone with a negative view of the prime minister, an extremely negative view chose to express it. They know they will get maximum publicity.

So perhaps maximum security cautions taken.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: I think it's to do with logistics. And I think now the prime minister and Philip have just walked -- they've arrived on horse guards. They've gone through the back door, they're now in number 10 Downing Street. And my guess is that -- this is aesthetics, Crispin, this is aesthetics as much as anything. They don't want her to be seen going in the front door only to come out of it, it's much better.

She's in number 10. The next time we see her really publicly at the podium. She's ready to leave.

CRISPIN BLUNT, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: Possibly. I might also say this security, there's amount of changes (INAUDIBLE).

SOARES: A rather long scenic route.

BLUNT: Say who knows, but that was (INAUDIBLE) bizarre. May just been taking the (INAUDIBLE) out of the press.

SOARES: Well, yes. Before -- you know, we won't see -- we won't hear from her in the next few minutes, we expect probably about an hour or so. I mean, that's when we'll hear her goodbye speech. And then, of course, she'll be traveling to see the queen and then we'll have Boris Johnson as prime minister.

Talk to us a bit about his cabinet. Because there's been so many rumblings in the last few hours about the cabinet, those in the higher ranks of position there. Who do you think?

BLUNT: Well, we know that Mark Spencer has been made the chief whip.

SOARES: Yes.

BLUNT: And that's a really good appointment, he's very well respected by his colleagues. He was a remainer and, of course, the challenge now is going to be managing to remain a part of the party. But he's a -- everyone has huge respect for him. And so that's a really sensible sound appointment to kick off with. And, of course, that's going to be vital into the construction of all the cabinet and all the junior positions underneath.

And then running alongside that, you have obviously this psychodrama with Jeremy Hunt. Will (INAUDIBLE), what is he going to face-off except for a demotion. What's going to happen? And of course like every reshuffle as soon as one piece comes out (INAUDIBLE).

QUEST: Crispin, thank you. I need to take us to Washington now.

And the other big story, Robert Mueller, there you are, he's now seated at the table. The man who spent two years investigating the Russian election meddling is now testifying publicly for the first time. We need to listen in.

[09:00:00]