13/02/2013 Daily Politics

Good morning, this is the Daily Politics. Today's top story: It is

not just the Romanians putting horsemeat in our burgers, two

British companies were raided last night. The authorities are

promising a, quote, relentless investigation - as they would! And

politicians are talking about systemic fraud.

We will be going to the House of Commons in half-an-hour for Prime

Minister's Questions. Will Ed show some beef, will Dave get kebabed?

The Bank of England says prices will continue to rise faster than

the 2% inflation target for years to come. What will that do to our

pay packets and our living standards?

And in our weekly soap box, find out why the former BBC newsreader

Alice Arnold says we simply don't have enough women on TV. I want to

see two women on every panel, I want to see equal representation of

women, meaning at least 50%. Speaking on behalf of the minority

here today, all of that is coming up in the next hour-and-a-half of

public service broadcasting at its finest.

Joining us for the duration, the Business and Equality's Minister,

big title, Jo Swinson, from the Lib Dems, and Labour's Shadow Attorney

General, Emily Thornberry, -- Emily Thornberry.

But news has broken from the High Court where Renault alliance of

schools, councils and teaching unions have lost their appeal

against the grading of last year's GCSE English exams. They have

claimed that the raising of the mark required for a grade C between

papers taking in January and June was unlawful. But the court

disagreed. The regulators and the exam boards have been successful in

maintaining that they put up the boundaries to protect standards.

Did the high courts make the right decision? The court has made its

decision. Do you agree? It shows why GCSEs needed to be reformed,

which is what we are doing. Everybody feels for those pupils

who had studied hard and got to the situation where they thought they

would get a particular grade and did not achieve that, we all

understand that and I understand why they went to court. But the

court has made its decision. So you backed the decision to say that

Ofqual and the exam boards could mark papers in a more tough way

than they did in January? They have obviously had the advantage of

looking at all of the issues and evidence put forward. They have

come to that decision. I think the whole case underlines the problems

that were inherent with the GCSE system of too much reliance on

majority, all of which we are now changing to make sure standards are

protected but there for there will be also more certainty for pupils

and teachers preparing for those exams. So tough luck to those

students who missed getting a C grade and will have got a D grade

all our, they have missed their places at college and an

apprenticeship courses. It is tough? I understand it is very

difficult for them, but it is important that we have exams with a

particular standard that employers can rely on, that they know when

they take on somebody with a GCSE in English at a particular grade

that it means a particular standard. That is why we need to sort out the

GCSE system. The Government is doing that. Emily Thornaby -- Thom

Berry, standards have to be maintained, the High Court back

that? If they had a chase between simply taking the GCSE in January

or again in June, they would get kids with two different standards.

Or if they would to employ somebody from England as opposed to Wales,

because in Wales they have let these kids have their GCSE grade C.

I have not read the judgment yet, but from what I have learned, the

court has said, first of all, they were right to take the case to

court because there is a lot of uncertainty, and in the end they

have taken the least worst option in terms of what to do. But it is

extremely unfair on these kids, it is a baseline when it comes to

getting a job or going further into education. What could have been

done instead? The difficulty is about... Jo talks about majority,

meaning you can do assessments during the time going up to a GCSE.

We need to make sure there is a level playing-field for everyone.

What should have been done in this case? If they had, as in Wales,

said they would we grade those exams, that would have meant

standards would have differed from the previous year and perhaps the

following year? The social question is why there was a variation in the

first place. Why was it that pickets take the exams in January...

Why was it seemed more necessary to make it more difficult for the kids

in June? -- why was it seemed to be one necessary? It is not fair to

say it is about assessments. If we want to find out who is good at

English and who is not, assessments are important. You need a mixture

of assessments. I'm good at exams but it is not fair that other kids

who are probably brighter than me who were not good at exams ended up

with a worse grade. Why couldn't we have had a situation where Michael

Gove said we would recreate the results? In Wales the Welsh exam

board was ordered by the Welsh education minister to recreate the

results. As an export, there was no easy and fair way to do this. -- as

we explored. In January, papers were graded differently. To say to

those January kids, you were graded too generously, that would not have

seemed to be fair. But why did we not to regraded those people with C

grades so that they do not lose out? It would effectively be unfair

on people the following year. Because there was the problem in

January, a genuine and dust -- injustice took place, there was no

easy or simple way to deal with that. So the courts have come out

with his judgment and they have been in a better place to look at

the evidence. The more important political point is about

politicising GCSEs. People need to have confidence in GCSEs. Michael

Gove has undermined GCSEs, said he would introduce something else,

then he has not. Mixed economic news this morning,

the Bank of England has predicted that inflation, running at above

its 2% target rate for months and months and months and a few more

months will actually continue to do so for another two years at least.

It might even hit 3% or more by the summer. Because this is much higher

than the rate at which earnings are increasing in the public or private

sectors, it means living standards will continue to be squeezed each

and every year of this Parliament. The outgoing Governor of the Bank

of England Mervyn King was more cheery than usual. He said there

were grounds for cautious optimism that the British economy would

manage a slow and steady recovery despite the disappointing negative

growth figures of the last quarter of 2012. Growth is likely to be

weak in the near term, but further out a continued easing in domestic

credit conditions, supported by a one of the programmes of the Bank

and the funding for lending scheme, together with a strong will global

backdrop, underpinned a slow but steady recovery in output. The hour

to cut -- the outgoing Governor of the Bank of England, he has a few

more months before he is replaced by the Governor of the Central Bank

of Canada. Jo Swinson, it looks like for every year this coalition

is in power, living standards will have fallen every year? It is an

incredibly difficult time for the economy, recovering from a massive

economic recession where we saw more than 6% wiped off the value of

our economy. It is a slow process to get back. But we want to build a

stronger economy and a more fair society, which is where we have

record low interest rates which is helping people struggling with

mortgage repayments, it is important that we retain that. And

also we need to create a fairer tax system. As Liberal Democrats we

have prioritised a tax cut for ordinary working people, more than

25 million of them, and the 2 million lowest paid people have

been taken out of income tax altogether. Can you name any other

major economy where living standards will have fallen for five

years in a row, as they will have by 2015? I don't think it is milk

and honey in other countries. you name another one? We have

thankfully got unemployment coming down, lower unemployment than

France, the eurozone or the United States. We have the same

unemployment rate as the United States, don't get carried away. And

let me bring you back to living standards, could you name and other

major economy where living standards... They started falling

in 2008 in the last two years of the Labour government, can you name

another economy where living standards will have fallen for

seven years in a row? I am not an encyclopaedia of inflation rates in

every other country around the world, but I'm also not suggesting

that this is not a difficult time for British families. That is why

we are trying to help people with the cost of living, for example not

having the planned increases in fuel duty, by cutting income tax on

people on low and middle-income start but living standards are

still learning. If you are on an average or below-average income,

your living standards will have fallen relentlessly since 2007, and

will continue to fall, if the Governor of the Bank of England is

right, for the foreseeable future. The economy had a massive heart

attack in 2008, there is no quick and easy way out of that. Following

Labour plans would mean massive rises in interest rates and

hundreds more pounds of with -- of mortgage repayments for people.

There is no easy way out, whoever was in power would probably be

presiding over a fall in living standards? There is not an easy way

out, of course there is not. But I think there is a limit to what you

can do when it comes to monetary policy. I think the Bank of England

is doing their best, I think there is not much more to be done. I

think the important thing is about fiscal policy, how much the

Government is prepared to spend, what we will do about the

infrastructure, how can we kick- start the economy and how can they

be kick-starting the economy by giving a tax cuts to millionaires?

It is nonsense. I don't understand why the Liberal Democrats after two

years in government still don't understand what tax credits are,

why they work and why it is that ordinary families are being

undermined when they are in work because the taxman is not giving

them as much as they were getting before in tax credits. We are

cutting income tax bills for people on low and middle incomes. Emily is

right on capital investment, investing in structure, that is why

the Government announced at the Autumn Statement another �5.5

billion of investment in things like schools, transport and

science... Only one in five of the project has been started, why

aren't doing it? Things don't begin overnight, Emily. Can you give an

example of where substantial spending on infrastructure has

kick-started growth? After a Second World War. Is that the best you can

do?! It is a very big example. best thing you can do is a post

Warwick Avenue, with no comparison to today! -- a post oil economy. It

was not coming out of war when we were taking 40% of our GDP being

spent on defence in 1945, we had a massive switch back into the

defence economy. And we build homes... Give me a modern example.

If you build homes you are giving someone somewhere to live. We have

so many people in housing waiting lists in London and the south-east.

Give me another example? Give me a modern example. You won't let me

use the best example. We have to go back to 1945? Because it is the

best example. Setting up the NHS, building homes. Have you got

another one? No, take that one, it is then -- it is a good one.

Government said something today, which you are both culpable off,

one of the reasons why inflation is high is because of your policy

which she supported and Labour, as did the Conservatives, to investing

green energy, which the governors said was, quote, a self-inflicted

goal in terms of the damage done to real take-home pay. At a time when

living standards were under difficulty, fuel bills were rising

because of world fuel prices, you make it even worse with you green

We have to govern for today and we have to govern for the future.

though this middle-class obsession with comfortable living is raising

energy costs for ordinary working people at the worst possible time?

This is something that it will affect everyone if we don't deal

with it. The report which was commissioned under the previous

Government, should the costs of reacting climate change away the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

How was horsemeat labelled as beef in Britain?!

Last month, food inspectors and Ireland found traces of DNA in

beefburgers bound for the UK. 10 million suspect burgers were taken

of British and Irish shelves, including Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and

Iceland. Last Thursday it was revealed that some Findus lasagnes

sold as beef were found to contain up to 100% horsemeat. Comigel, the

French supplier of the Findus lasagnes, said it had traced the

source of the horsemeat to Romania. After meeting with food industry

heads on Saturday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson warned of

an international criminal conspiracy. The next twist came

closer to home last night, with the Food Standards Agency suspending

work at the Peter Boddy Slaughterhouse. Both companies deny

any wrongdoing. This is what the FSA said. We have found horsemeat

produced at the plant in West Yorkshire being sent to a location

and wealth Wales. We entered the premises yesterday. We spoke to the

staff and we seized the products and found that horsemeat had been

used as though it was beef in kebabs and burgers at that promises.

We can now speak to the political correspondent Chris Major -- Chris

Mason and Central Lobby. Does the Government have control of

this crisis? This is being asked not least because it is a problem

here rather than a problem over there. Given the raids in West

Yorkshire and west Wales. There are plenty, not least the shadow

environment secretary Mary Creagh, trying to make a winning honours.

She has given me some written parliamentary answers that she

requested. Let's give you some insight into their scale of the

horse meat slaughtering industry in the UK, 14,000 horses slaughtered

at six registered abattoirs around the UK last year, and specifically

on that haul row about the horsemeat and whether it is safe

and whether any of this chemical could have got into the human food

chain, we have found from a written answer from the Department of

Health that it nine samples tested positive last year. It keeps the

focus for the Environment Secretary, who is heading to a Brussels this

year, there are plenty, not just in the Labour benches but some in the

Conservative fold, wondering if he has been as proactive as he could

ever been in handling the crisis. Will now joined by the Conservative

member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. He spent

many years as a farm and he should know about this. Before the weekend,

government ministers were saying that one way to avoid this is to

buy British. Is that still a way to avoid it? I think it is to buy Farm

Assured Products, it is a shame that we still have this in

Yorkshire and Wales. It is fair and proper that we can slaughter horses

in this country. Some doing their slaughtering, provided the horses

are healthy, are not acting illegally. It is the people who are

taking this meat and processing as beef and stamping it as beef. One

of the issues has been we have not been able to trace processed

products properly, we have not known where it has come from and

where and how it has been... You do not do the testing. It is not just

the testing. One of the problems is that for years, 10 and more, it has

only been a paper trail. I agree we need more testing but this is a

wake-up call, not only about the testing but about what is on that

In 2012, under your coalition Government, at least 796 samples

were tested for me to identification. Testing for other

meat species. As part of the local authority sampling programmes. Some

of the samples were unsatisfactory, but none had been tested for the

presence of horsemeat. We have had evidence before the select

committee and what the FSA have argued is, they have been acting on

information and they did not have any information to say that

horsemeat was there. I don't think they have tested for horsemeat,

rightly or wrongly since 2003. Those putting the horse meat into

the beef are not going to tell you! We need to do more testing. We need

to be clear, it is not the people who are slaughtering the horses. It

is the people doing the processing and acting illegally. That is why

we are testing. I accept the opposition is only doing their job

by bringing this to the forefront, but this is not happening overnight.

It has been a disaster waiting to happen for many years. We know that

under Labour, you didn't test for horsemeat since 2003? We also know

that once this blot got in, they split the FSA into three and the

past responsible for testing was put into the Department of

Environment, and they did not do any testing. We raised this a few

weeks ago... Labour and Conservative have a lot to answer

for? Once we are alerted by the Irish, and is it unfortunate we get

alerted by the Irish and not at home. David Cameron has not taken

the issue seriously and has been talking about an international

conspiracy and has not brought in the police. I believe the Secretary

of State has got a grip of it. If you overplay this, you immediately

create a food scare and that is in nobody's interest. Then there is a

food scare. The food scare is the fact people have been eating horses,

when they should have been eating beef. It is wrong. The bigger issue

is making sure any horse meat that has entered was healthy to enter

the chain. If you don't know it is there in the first place, how can

you do that? In hindsight we can all be clever over this, but we

have to put the situation right now. You don't have to be particularly

clever to work out that it you are not testing for horsemeat, you

won't discover horsemeat. You don't need to be the Brain of Britain to

do that. In the last year, you have seen a collapse in the price of

horsemeat and beef prices very high. That is where we were slow in

working out the fact that perhaps people are substituting it. But

they are acting illegally. It comes back to the decline in living

standards. People on below average salaries are having to buy the

cheaper things in the supermarket to put food on the table for the

family. It is the cheaper stuff that has been most hurt by this.

Would you eat processed meat at the moment? I have had some very

recently. So you would? Yes I would. The issue about the labelling is

the important one. People eat horsemeat happily in other

countries. The problem is, people not knowing what is on the label.

Problem is... If it has been snuck into the food chain. In France you

can eat a horse steak in a restaurant, but that is up front.

Because it has been done secretively, we don't know the

province of these horses and what they may have been suffering from.

And criminal acts of not having what is supposed to be in the

product, what is on the label. I have a very serious nut allergy, I

rely on labelling to keep rely. It does Demi there is not that

confident. Winnie to make sure the people responsible are feeling the

full force of the rule. Why did you cut 450 trading standard jobs?

These are the people who do the testing? Local authorities make

their own budgets. We have made sure there is regional and national

co-operation. They can co-operate across authorities. There has been

a 24% fall in enforcement visit since the cuts. We have had the

discussion about the economy. I won't say there is some magic way

where we can cut the deficit without there being any cuts.

this is more dangerous than the result? Potentially? I don't accept

this has to be the case. We are making it easier for national and

regional authorities... There is no reason why we cannot produce a

valued beefburger in this country. We have had people who have been

cutting corners and acting criminally to make money. Let's be

blunt about this. An assured Burger at a reasonable price is safe to

eat and you have beef in it. It is a criminal elements in the

slaughter industry that are to blame for this and we have to have

it put right by the police. beef burgers are on you tonight?

They are. Prime Ministers Questions coming up

in just a few minutes. Which reminds me to tell you about a

Valentine's Day treat tomorrow. Yes, don't bother booking a fancy

restaurant and flowers. You can stay in and watch a five-hour

special themed event night on BBC Parliament instead! For it is the

50th anniversary of Harold becoming leader of the Labour Party. Ah yes,

Jo remembers it well. And it is proving to be quite a controversial

broadcast, with rumours swirling round Westminster that modern-day

political correctness means there won't be any photographs of the

great man wielding his famous pipe, just in case millions of

impressionable teenagers are watching BBC Parliament on

Valentine's Day and feel the need to race out and light up

There will be no pictures of Harold Wilson's smoking cigars, which he

only did behind-closed-doors with brandy.

And talking about cheap, political gimmicks it's time now to tell you

how you can win our weekly Daily Politics mug! Yes, Harold had his

pipe, Winston had his cigar, Maggie had her handbag. And I've got a

cheap bit of porcelain with a sticker on it.

We'll remind you how to enter in a minute, but let's see if you can

I don't think he will ever forgive any of us for leaving the party

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

To be in with a chance of winning a Daily Politics mug, send your

answer to our special quiz e-mail address: And you can see the full

terms and conditions for Guess The It's coming up to midday here, just

take a look at Big Ben. That can mean only one thing! Yes, Prime

Minister's Questions is on its way. And that's not all, Nick Robinson

is here. The Governor of the Bank has opened the door for Mr Miliband

to come in and have a go at the Prime Minister on the economy in

general and living standards in particular? Although the Governor

is saying growth is coming, he is saying inflation will be above

target over the next two years. What does that mean? A squeeze on

living standards. It is and how most people experience the economy.

They experience it in terms of what can we afford to pay for? The

shrinkage in their real earnings caused by no economic growth and no

pay increases. I think that will help Ed Miliband at Prime

Minister's Questions. I think he will want to do it because he has a

big speech on the economy tomorrow. I had meetings with ministerial

colleagues and others and in addition to my duties in his house

I will have further such meetings today.

My constituent, Constable Philippa Reynolds is being buried this

afternoon having been killed on duty with the PSNI in Londonderry.

I am sure the House will join me in expressing sympathy to her family

and acknowledging her dedicated service. A horsemeat scandal has

not only undermined confidence in the safety of the food we eat, but

threatens a very successful meat industry. Can the Prime Minister

assure me this Government will follow every leader until each

individual person or business responsible for any criminal or

fraudulent act, has been called, exposed, prosecuted and then

expelled from ever again having any part in the UK food industry?

I support what he has said. Let me join him in praising Constable

Reynolds. She died going about her job, keeping people safe in the

community she loved. As well as wishing the two others injured

officers a full recovery, I sent my deepest condolences to her

colleagues and loved ones. On the issue of this appalling situation

quickly bulk-buying beef products in supermarkets are finding out it

could be horsemeat, let me say this, on 15th January it was, the Irish

authorities identify problems in a number of beef products. On 16th

January, I said to the house I had asked EFSA to conduct an urgent

investigation. Now there has been more testing and tracing and has

led to the results from Findus and others about not just contamination,

but in some instances horsemeat been passed off as beef. It is

unacceptable and that is why it is right the Secretary of State has

led these meetings. We have agreed a tougher inspection regime and we

have asked Hospital, schools and prisons to test their products with

their suppliers will stop the police and the Ed Husain raided two

premises, one in West Yorkshire, the other in West Wales. If there

has been Criminal Law Act to the tee, there should be the full

intervention of the last Tilstock we also asked for a meaningful

tests from retailers and producers and those will be published in full.

I am delighted to discover that I now represent a Midlands

constituency. Can we celebrate a county which touches both sides of

the Scottish border by celebrating Cumbria day? I am looking forward

to joining my honourable friend at the celebration of Cumbria day in

the House of Commons. He is incredibly fortunate to represent

one of the most beautiful and brilliant constituencies in the

House of Commons. I remember particularly the time we spend at

an outstanding poll been a very beautiful part of our world in his

constituency. -- an outstanding Can the Prime Minister tell us

whether, at the end of this Parliament, living standards will

be higher or lower than at the beginning?

What we are doing is helping working people by taking 24 million

people and giving them a tax cut this year, and living standards

will certainly be higher for those people on the minimum wage working

full-time whose income tax bill has already been halved under this

Government. A Mr Speaker, it was ever such a

simple question and I just want a simple answer. In 2015, people will

be asking, am I better off now than I was five years ago? What is his

answer? The answer is people will be a lot

better off than they were under Labour, with a record deficit, with

an reformed welfare, with a busted banking system. They will have seen

a government that has got the deficit down, cut income taxes,

dealt with the banks. And as the Governor of the Bank of England

said today, is on the road to recovery.

Or he shows is how out-of-touch she is. He is even out of touch with

his own Office of Budget Responsibility -- all he shows his

heart out of touch he is. Those figures show that by 2015 people

will be worse off than in 2010, because prices have been rising

faster than earnings under him. Why is this happening? Because he told

us the economy would be growing. He told us the economy would be

growing, but the truth is it has been flatlining. Will he

acknowledge that it is his failure to get growth which means we are

having falling, not rising, living standards in this country?

He's says prices are rising, I would remind him that inflation is

low under this Government and we inherited from Labour, it has been

cut in half from its peak. But it has question is, have you had to

take difficult decisions to deal with the deficit, to get on top of

the problems faced, to reform welfare and clean up our banks, you

bet we have! But no one in this country is in any doubt about why

we have had to take difficult decisions, because of the mess that

he left. First of all, the deficit is going

up, not down, under him, because of his economic failure. Secondly, we

have a flatlining economy, this will be the question of the next

two years, declining living standards as a result. Amidst

falling living standards, there is one group for whom the good times

will come as April. Mr Speaker, can he just remind us what the thinking

was when he decided to provide an average tax cuts of �100,000 for

everyone earning over �1 million in this country? He should be familiar

with the figures. When he put the top rate of tax up to 50p,

millionaires paid �7 billion less in tax. That is what happened under

his plans. But I will tell him what will happen in April, every single

taxpayer in this country, all 24 million of them, will see a tax

cuts as we raise the personal allowance and get close to the goal

that we have of being able to earn �10,000 without paying any income

tax at all. The biggest tax cuts has been for the hard-working

people on a minimum wage going out to work day after day, who have

seen income tax bills cut in half. That is who we stand for and who we

are helping. No matter how much he blusters,

will be he knows the truth. He has cuts tax credits, raised VAT and

people are worse not better off. Last week he attended the Tory

party wins the ball. He auctioned off a portrait of himself for

�100,000... LAUGHTER. And then, Mr Speaker... JEERING. And then he

declares that the Tories were the party of privilege no longer, with

no hint of irony! You could not make it up! We are turning up --

talking about people earning �20,000 a week. What is it about

them that made him think that, this April, they needed extra help to

keep the wolf from the door? May I remind him that this government has

helped working people by freezing council tax, cutting petrol duty,

cutting tax for 24 million people and legislating so they get below

his tariff on energy bill. That is what we have done was having a top

rate of tax higher than any year he was in the Treasury. He talks about

important political events and speeches, perhaps he can confirm

this. I have an invitation. He is going to make a major speech

tomorrow, and I have the invitation. This is the invitation. Ed Miliband

is going to make a major speech on the economy on Thursday. It won't

have any new policies in it. JEERING.

Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker... Let me tell him, he would be most welcome

to attend and you might learn something. And every week that goes

by, the evidence mounts against him on the economy. There is a living

standards crisis for the many, and all he does is stand up for review

at the top. We have a failing Prime Minister, he is out of touch and he

stands up for the wrong people. Once again, nothing to say about

the deficit, nothing to say about welfare, nothing to say about

growth. And now he will make a speech tomorrow which she kindly

invites me to, but if there aren't any policies, what will be the

point of coming? -- which he kindly invites me to. Let me refer him to

his policy guru, the honourable member for Dagenham, responsible

for the Labour manifesto. He says this, simply opposing the cuts

without an alternative is no good. That is right, the whole friend --

front bench opposite is no good. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The welfare

state and the NHS are there to support our constituents when they

call on difficult times -- fall on difficult times. Will you assure

the House that he will not allow them to be abused by illegal

immigrants and nationals coming here as benefit tourists? I think

he makes a very important point. Britain has always been an open and

welcoming economy, but it is not right to power systems are being

abused, and that is why yesterday I chaired a Whitehall committee

meeting which are the minister for immigration is leading, where we

will look at every single one of our systems - housing, health,

benefits. And to make sure that we are not a soft touch for those who

want to come here. I think it is vital we get this right. There are

many parts of our current arrangement which do not pass a

simple commonsense test in terms of access to housing, access to the

health service, access to justice and other things which should be

the right of all British citizens but are not the right of people who

just come here. If he is really serious about

tackling and the serious problem of misleading labelling and the

contamination of products, what possible future is there for the

future of his coalition with the The coalition must be clearly

labelled at all points. But he references this important point,

retailers, I think, beret real responsibility. At the end of the

day, they are putting products on their shelves and they have to say

that they are really clear about where the meat came from, what it

was, who it was supplied by. It is up to them to test that, it is

vitally important. Will he confirm that with the plans

to cut social care bills at �75,000, we are finally starting to defuse

the ticking timebomb of residential care... MEMBERS SPEAK OVER HER.

I think the honourable lady makes an important point and, frankly, I

would have thought that every member of parliament has heard this

from her own -- their own constituents and in groups with age

-- in meetings with groups like Age Concern etc. It seems unfair that

the fickle finger of fate can pick you out for dementia or Alzheimer's

and you lose the house you have invested your lifetime savings in.

It is not there. This government has come up with the money to put a

cap on what any family has to spend. It is the biggest pro and HET --

pro Inheritance move that any government has made in 25 years.

The intention is not that people should have to spend �75,000, but

because we have put a cap in place there should be a proper insurance

market. I don't want anyone to spend anything, that is what these

reforms will help achieve. The Prime Minister is right for a

shock that many revelations that food products may contain 100%

horse. Does he share my idea that, if tested, many of his answers

contain 100% boar? It is a very good line, but this is

a serious issue. I hope it... People are genuinely worried about

what they are buying at the supermarkets and I think we have to

get a grip rather than making jokes. I will think of another one by the

Does the Prime Minister take a dim view of people who say one thing

and then do another question mark or a. We must hear the honourable

lady. Like campaigning against greenfield developments and then

voting for it as the Liberal pulled Democrat candidate in Eastleigh has.

All reporting to support fan ownership of football clubs while

under minding the community buy-out with Pompey? First of all, can I

wish her well in her campaign to help Portsmouth Football Club. On

the issue of the Eastleigh by- election, and I hope all my

honourable friends will be joining me on the campaign trail. What I

would say, if you want a straight- talking candidate, that does

exactly what it says on the tin, Maria Hutchins is a local mother, a

fantastic campaigner and will make a wonderful member of Parliament.

May I ask the Prime Minister for his help, because I have to say to

the house, I am defeated in my attempts to get a response from

south-west London NHS on behalf of my constituents, who has pulmonary

hypertension, chronic lung disease and heart disease. There won't

respond to my correspondent as to whether they will agree to look at

allowing Professor Madden, in his prescription for his treatment. I

can get no response and my constituents may die should he not

get a decision. I am happy to take up the case she quite rightly

raises. If she gives me the details I will see what I can do to get a

better answer from the health authorities. Each year many dozens

of my constituents have to sell their house in order to pay for

social care. It is random and unfair. Would the Prime Minister

agreed to proposals announced last week will start to mitigate this

issue? He makes an important point. As he says, it is random who can

end up suffering from dementia and then suddenly find because they

could be spending five, 10 or even more years in a care home, it wipes

out all of their savings they have carefully put away through a hard

working life. To cap the cost for the first time is a major

breakthroughs. It is a progressive move and it will help hard-working

families that one to save and pass on their house to their children.

It will be this Government that has made it possible. Since the

coalition came to power, 350 libraries have closed. The

community Secretary has dismissed those campaigning to save local

libraries, those parents hoping to teach their children to read, those

who want to study history and literature, as just a bunch of

luvvies. What happened to the big society? I strongly support the

libraries. In my own constituency, we were very hard to make sure

libraries will be staying open, and they will be staying open. He asks

about the big society, I think part of the answer to keep library is

open is to tap the community to volunteer to keep them open. And I

am sure that he will welcome the report this week that volunteering

is up, charitable giving is up and I think the big society has a big

role to play in keeping libraries are open, sometimes in the teeth of

opposition from Labour councils. Saturday I spoke at an event in my

constituency organised by Clift -- charity gave. Would he agree we can

do much more to combat this problem by encouraging countries to do

their own assessment collection and also companies to be transparency

of profits and taxes made in each country operation? He makes an

important point. There were we have done or what some are less

developed countries has seen their taxpayers sometimes as much as

trouble. We need to do more in all these countries. It is a vital part

of development. The issue he raises regarding tax transparency, I also

agree with and that is why I we're putting it ahead of the G8 agenda

for the G8 meeting in June in Northern Ireland. This agenda

blinkers to go the developing and developed countries. -- brings

together. The Prime Minister gave the house and update on the EU

talks on the budget. The Prime Minister will know that a regional

aid which comes on the EU plays an important role so some of the

regional assemblies, when it comes to attracting inward investment.

Can he give the house and up days on the continuation of regional

aid? What I say to him, the outcome of the Budget leaves the overall

regional aid Britain will be receiving, broadly similar to the

last period at around 11 billion euros. There are changes in the

definitions of regions because of the transition region that has come

in. What we need to do is sit down as the United Kingdom and workout

how best to make sure the money is divided between Wales, Northern

Ireland, Scotland and England. There are transition regions in

England looking to benefit. I'm sure we can have fruitful

discussions and come to a good conclusions will stop his he amused

the leader of the opposition and the Deputy Prime Minister are both

trying to claim credit for his brilliant move to achieve a real

tattoos cut in the EU budget? he hope there will follow his lead

and both call for a referendum to be put to the British people?

hope that first of all they will convince their MEPs to vote for the

budget reductions. I think that it would be helpful. I hope we can

make some progress on his referendum issues. The shadow

chancellor, who is shouting as ever, was asking the question would

Labour support any referendum. MPs said Carmel "it depends on how

stupid we are". He went on to say, "we have not ruled out a

referendum". But the leader said they do not want a referendum.

According to a Freedom of Information and so there were 4,000

fewer uniformed police officers on London's streets after the Prime

Minister's first two years in office. With the percentage of

crimes in London been sold down as up, why has the Prime Minister

broken his promise to protect frontline policing? Crime is down

by 10%, not just generally but specifically in his area in Harrow

Community area. It is a greater reduction than for the whole of the

Metropolitan Police area. The number of neighbourhood police

officers is up to 3418 and there are few officers in back-office

jobs. In 2010 the 1346 of them, and now there is less than 1004 Stock

what we have seen is a reform agenda for the police, there have

been spending reductions but crime is down and visible policing is up.

Up with Japan, of the eurozone and Switzerland all talking down their

currencies despite the statements by the G7 yesterday, does my right

honourable friend a Greek the most important aim of the G20 meeting in

Moscow this coming weekend, should be to establish means to prevent

competitive devaluation. Which, in the 1930s... Aaron was

Which in the 1930s, as I can remember from my father's

experience... Queers widespread unemployment and the protectionism

that goes with it. -- career as the stock and would like to confirm he

was not only alive in the 1930s, he was absolutely thriving.

What he says is important. No one wants to see a string of

competitive devaluations. What happen to sterling as a result of

the deep recession here was a depreciation. I don't think you

depreciate your way to growth, what other country you are. What you

should do is use the benefit when there is a structural change to

make sure you increase your competitiveness, and that is what

Britain needs to do. Can I say to the Prime Minister in relation to

care for the elderly, he cannot have it both ways down to delivery

and quality, and at the same time council cuts. In Coventry, an extra

28 million has to be cut from the budgets. Birmingham, 600 million

plus an early 1000 jobs over a period of two to three years in

Coventry. Can we have a fair deal for the elderly, and can we have a

fair deal for Coventry? What I would say, at the start of this

Government when we made the decision not to cut the NHS, we did

put NHS money into adult social care in local Government. We

recognise the importance of that budget will stop I would also

argued the move this week to caps social care costs, of course it

does not solve the whole problem, but if you can create a cap and

more people will be charged, you can in -- a greater assurance

market of people can protect themselves against a loan to UN

cost of social care and that should see more money coming into this

vital area. Will a Prime Minister John knee in a welcoming figures

from the Council of Mortgage lenders which shows the number of

first-time buyers has hit a five- year high? I'll certainly join Mike

honourable friend of. It has been a problem that has dogged the economy

over the last few years. No one wants us to go back to 110%

mortgages we had during the boom times. But we need to make

available to young people, the chance that both earning a decent

salary, to be able to buy a decent flat or decent house with a

mortgage that does not require a massive deposits. That has not been

possible for people in recent years. The Bank of England moved on the

refund for lending scheme is feeding through to the mortgage

market and making available on mortgages at a decent, long-term

Further to the exchange by the leader of the opposition earlier,

were the Prime Minister tell the house he will personally benefit

from the millionaire's tax cuts to be introduced this April? I will

pay all the taxes that are due in the proper way. The point I made to

him is that all the years he sat on the side of the house, there was a

top rate of tax that it was lower than the one we are putting in

place for star I did not hear any grinning from him then. A typical

council taxpayer in my constituency will pay �124 more than they did in

2010, because the money made available to the was Government has

been used by the Labour Government's in Cardiff to fund

their pet project of the assembly. Does the Prime Minister share the

concern that hard-working families in Wales a funding Labour bought

policies in Cardiff Bay? On he makes an important point. This

Government has made available money for its angst -- council tax freeze.

People in Wales and know who to blame if they council tax is not

for us and. It is the Labour Assembly Government in Wales. They

are to blame and they are charging hard-working people more for their

council tax. Last October we remember the Prime Minister

promising to legislate to falls energy companies to put customers

on the lowest tariff. Can he tell us why his energy bill contains no

such commitment and why he has broken that promise? He is

completely wrong, of the energy bill does exactly what I said in a

house. It is legislating to force companies to give people the lowest

tariff. Up all do it, or duck. is discourteous opera-house to

I have called the good doctor, let's hear from him! Schools in

Cambridge have been underfunded for decades by that government and the

previous one. Pupils in Cambridgeshire get �600 per pupil

per year less than the English average, the worst in the entire

country. Does he agree that this is unfair? Will he plan to end this

discrepancy in this Parliament? will look at what he has said.

Obviously we have protected the school's budget so the per pupil

funding is the same through the parliament, so headteachers come

plan on that basis. By encouraging academy schools and free schools we

are making sure that more of the education money goes directly to

them. The IFS described the Chancellor's

tax changes and benefit cuts as giving with one hand and taking

away with many others. Does the Prime Minister think that this is

fair on hard-working families where, at the same time, he is giving to

millionaires with both hands? I don't agree with the honourable

lady that that is what the IFS says. As I quoted last week, the ifs

point out that the highest increase in terms of tax payments has come

from the better off, and the changes the Government has made a

particularly helping hard-working people on the minimum wage, who

will see their income tax bill cut in half. That is what we are

dealing. We won't forget the abolition of the 10p tax rate which

helped every hard-working family in this country.

I know the Prime Minister is a wet about the Community exchange

happening on Friday, which is a meeting between 50 businesses and

50 charities and community organisations -- I know the Prime

Minister is aware about the Community Exchange. I know he will

congratulate one company who have offered 150 hours of their time to

help local charities. I hope the Prime Minister will really

encourage all colleagues and ministers to initiate these

proceedings in their constituencies, because it is the Big Society in

action. I think my honourable friend was

absolutely right. A very large parts of the Big Society was

businesses coming to help voluntary groups and charities. I think it is

excellent he is doing that good work, I pay tribute to those

joining him. As I said earlier, it is good news that volunteering is

up, charitable giving us up, the Big Society was getting bigger.

he still eating processed beef? am following very carefully what

the Food Standards Agency as saying, and what did Food Standards Agency

say is there is nothing unsafe on our shelves. -- what the Food

Standards Agency say. A review into the procedures at the northern

Lincolnshire and Goole Hospital Trust is being carried out because

of a high mortality rate. This is of considerable concern to my

constituents. Can he assure them that whatever recommendations come

out will be implemented in full? Certainly. It is important we get

to the bottom of any hospital with an unnaturally high mortality rates.

It is important these investigations are properly carried

out and we all learned the investigations of the Mid Staffs

inquiry report. Order.

Prime Minister's Questions comes to an end. Ed Miliband went on exactly

what this programme was talking about in the run-up to PMQs, the

squeeze on living standards looks like continuing and therefore

living standards by election year, 2015, are likely to be lower than

in 2010. Mr Miliband questioned the Prime Minister Ahmad, and he had

difficulty in answering. It turns out Mr Miliband is not the only

person watching the Daily Politics. Apparently David Cameron watches it,

because he quoted John credits from the Daily Politics saying that

Labour can't just go on opposing cuts unless we have some

alternatives, so it is good to see the Prime Minister and leader of

the opposition taking note from us. We would expect no less! It was a

difficult PMQs for the Prime Minister, because the living

standards issue is difficult for the coalition government. There was

much mention of the Eastleigh by- election coming up in February --

later in February. A full list of the candidates appears on the BBC

website. Gary Mitchell said, of course

living standards are falling, it what happens when reality strikes

after a decade of living high on the hard on borrowed money. Any

suggestion that things would be different under Labour is laughable.

But Jacqueline says, my standard of living has declined almost monthly.

Food is ridiculously high, fuel is extortionate, I am cold for most of

the day. Helen said, I could write Ed

Miliband's major speech on the economy tomorrow, never allow

Labour to govern the country again. And this e-mail, the Prime Minister

said that every taxpayer would pay less tax from April, I won't be

paying less tax because I am over 65 and there are no increases in

age-related allowances. And this e-mail, the body language

says it all. Ed Miliband addresses the questions directly to camera

and looks at him. Cameron turns half sideways and does not address

the question asked. He has done this for months, is he frightened

of being stabbed in the back? I think he is frightened of being

wonder by Ed Balls, who is always teasing him? Labour have talked

about how he loses his temper and go as red in the face. This is a

guess, but I suspect this is a technique. People forget that the

House of Commons is very small. When you while the Prime Minister,

the leader of the opposition is about as close as I am to Andrew, a

small number of feet away. When at his side is Ed Balls, who shared

start but what he does, is he does that. That is a flatline symbol. He

does it every week, and it annoys Enough from our independent

observers, let's hear from Nick Robinson! We watch it on a very big

screen. It is noticeable, he is stopping himself looking directly.

Every time he is looking one way or the other because, frankly, I think

it helps him to keep his temper and also to remember that he is not

just talking to people in there, he is talking to people out here. When

you're watching television, you forget that the microphones used

are very direction or in there, meaning they pick up the sound

around the microphone that is put on by the sound engineers, not the

wall of noise. If you are standing at the dispatch box, it can feel

like being at a noisy football ground at times. Sometimes you hear

this because they lauded and you think it is not that noisy, but it

is extraordinary. -- is sometimes you hear the Speaker say or do.

There is a difference between what people think in the chamber and

outside. I was looking at tweets, the view of my colleagues in the

press gallery thought that can run effortlessly rode Ed Miliband's

questions. -- thought that David Cameron effortlessly road. But the

front page to of the Evening Standard tonight talks about the

squeeze in living standards. That is very powerful for Labour to run

with the. It gets away from deficits and growth figures, as it

were, statistical things which people don't feel. I thought the

Prime Minister was on the robes because it is hard to come up with

a convincing reply to that. -- was on the ropes. I can't think of

their time in modern politics including, even, post-modern, going

back Emily's favourite, the Second World War, when a government was in

power for five years and then went to the people with living standards

are low at the end of the five years than at the start when it

came into power. I think the Macmillan government in the 50s and

60s, under Wilson, rising living standards, even the 70s were up and

down but at the end of the decade standards were higher than at the

start. You can argue, as I'm sure you will, that it is unprecedented?

It is not easy, life is very difficult out there. People are

struggling and it is not straightforward. There is no

straightforward answer. It a different coloured government had

been in power, do you really think that living standards would not

have been squeezed? We will never know. It is hard for both of you.

When we look at the PMQs discussion about the economical Thames and

policies put forward by Labour, there is not really... And I can

tell you if you want to hear! Borrowing a lot to put up interest

rates does not help living standards more than the investment

the coalition is making infrastructure and trying to keep

income tax bills low. It is difficult when you have rising food

and energy prices etc. If you look at other countries in the world,

they face similar challenges. You just need to look at the eurozone.

I think we would much rather be in the situation of the UK economy

than in many others in Europe. not sure that German or American

living standards have fallen over a five-year period. It is also not

true in France, although we will see what Mr Miliband's friend

Francois Hollande managers, because the French government is in trouble.

The interesting thing for Labour, Your recent opinion poll was much

stronger, they are where you would expect an opposition to be in mid-

term with an unpopular government, but on the economic issue, your

leader is not great. In some ways you are still behind. It may be

enough in these unprecedented circumstances for the coalition in

2015 to say it is terrible but it is now getting a bit better.

don't think it will be enough, I don't think it will get better

enough. I hope it does, but I genuinely think they are on the

wrong course and I think the longer they are in government and the

longer they do what they're doing, the more long-term damage they will

do. You just need to look around and see what they are doing. They

simply should not be bleeding were patient because the patient is

lying on the ground. The more they do it, the worse it gets? You'll be

improperly a loyal in front of the camera, but you and I know... --

you are being properly or oil in front of the camera, but you and I

know... I think it is an honest answer. There is concern in the

Labour high command about Labour's economic position? There is real

anxiety given that there has been no growth, why is it that the

ratings and economic competence are about even Stevens in most of the

polls? That is a real source of anxiety, one of the reasons the

Labour leader is giving a speech tomorrow. It was not a Labour press

release that said there was no new policies, but it is someone well

connected with the Labour Party who has been a candidate and to pick

that up behind the scenes and said there is an important speech but

there are no new policies, it was linked to the Guido Fawkes block.

But the speech tomorrow tells you something about selling anxiety

which means weak -- about an -- about an anxiety. They have really

struggled about this. The big political event before the summer

is the Budget on March 20th, it went appallingly for the coalition

last time. It was the turning-point in the polls, it became known as

the omnishambles Budget. And the pressure is on the Chancellor not

to look impotent in the face of bad economic situation. What is

intriguing is when you look at what the Government's are saying, and

the Governor of the Bank of England was saying, the figures are not

showing it but the economy is recovering. There must be an

argument in the Treasury, do you do nothing...? I covered and was a

White House correspondents for the 1980 American presidential election,

and what's was asked was this question, do you feel better today

than you did in 1976? That won it for Reagan. Overwhelmingly, the

Americans did not feel they were better off. That might be your

problem and 2015. One of the statistics going in the right

direction is unemployment, which really matters to people, whether

they, their children and friends and family are able to be in work.

But the question is overall, it worked for Reagan and it could work

for Mr Miliband. In terms of the economy that is key to people's

everyday lives. I think the other key question is would you trust

Labour with the economy? And many people just don't. I think we have

had difficulties over the last couple of years, and because we had

a new government with a lot of interest in it being a coalition,

let's see how they are doing, we got very little space to be able to

put forward our alternative. During those two years the coalition did

very well with this line, we are clearing up the mess left by Labour,

which is simply a lie. There was an international crisis. We need the

time to put forward our case. We usually seen Nick Clegg sitting

alongside David Cameron. But he has gone to Mozambique. Judging the

reception he got during yesterday's buyout of Deputy Prime Minister's

Questions, he won't be missing the Commons one bit.

In May 2010, but there were 735 Peers. As of yesterday they were

810 and the Deputy Prime Minister has indicated he wants to maintain

the coalition agreements soon maintained a number of peers to

vote at the next General Election tiles stop we had before was a

proposal to make the House of Lords smaller and more legitimate which

did not make progress. With all due respect to the Deputy Prime

Minister, he is talking absolute rubbish that stop the second

reading of the House of Lords Reform Bill got the biggest

Parliamentary majority of this Parliament. It was because the

Deputy Prime Minister did not want to put scrutiny through this House

that he did not go on. It was his decision to abandon the Bill.

know the big reforms the Deputy Prime Minister had plans have

broadly failed. There are, across the country, numerous public

servants there with the busier in trays and the Deputy Prime Minister,

who had been laid off. With savings to the economy, isn't it time to

mothball his department until he has something significant to bring.

If we're going to rejuvenate the British economy, we have to breathe

life back into local communities by letting go of some of the powers in

Whitehall. We have to embark on political and economic or

decentralisation, the likes of which the Labour Party did not do

in 13 years of Government. Nick Clegg is in charge of

constitutional reform. The Lib Dems came to power in this pop Fenebahce

coalition St, "we are urgently needs fundamental, political

reform?. Labour puts paid to that stop we need changes to lobbying

and transparency. The right to recall MPs when they had been

accused of wrongdoing. We have proposals for electoral

registration. And there has been some progress. What have you

achieved? I would have much preferred to have changed the

voting systems will we got a house of Commons people voted for and we

had a Democratic elected House of Lords. We had one in 10 MPs in

Parliament, so without the other parties, and in the case of the

coalition sticking to the agreements and Labour sticking to

saying what they want to achieve in terms of constitutional reform, we

wouldn't achieve it on our own. What's a mark would you give

yourself? I would give the Liberal Democrats 10 out of 10 were trying

to push reform. There is still so much we want to achieve. In-house

of Lords reform, you could not carry a coalition partners with

that and Labour made it difficult. Creating fewer and more equal size

constituencies. His is on the statute book so we could come in

the next Parliament. Urinate on that. The power of recall for

disgraced MPs. He is still being worked on. You lost the case of the

alternative vote referendum? put it to the country and we live

in a democracy but stock we are cutting income tax for people on

low incomes, investing more money to help the poorest pupils in

schools and kick-starting the Green economy with green investment banks.

Some of the issues on constitutional reform, we have not

been able to do. You could have done the boundary changes on the

merits. You had the votes. You could have out voted Labour. Nick

Clegg was talking about the broken scales of democracy. That is how he

described the current bank redistribution to stop but in the

end, you voted for the broken scales? We have a constitutional

reform package and are conservative partners did not stick to their

side of the deal. You cannot have one side deciding to run off and

pick bits of it's an odd to the other bits without its being of

consequence. It he said in November, there is no prospect of securing in

real terms cut in the EU budget? You were going to tell me. You tell

me, that is how it works. I don't know where the quote comes from.

It's his Nick Clegg, now he is taking the credit Laurie real-terms

cuts. The to be fair, the impact he has with his European counterparts

in building relationships to get to the situation we did at the

European Council, does not happen overnight. He said the Prime

Minister had no friends. He said the Prime Minister had no friends

in Europe. The deputy Prime Minister does have friends in

Europe. So he deserves the credit? He has worked alongside many other

countries. His Westminster, is its selling Nick Clegg or buying Nick

Clegg? Liberal Democrats do not argue this, there has been a

constitutional reform under this Government, but did not involve a

law. It is called a coalition. As observers, we don't stop often

enough and say, none of us predicted a coalition, and none of

us predicted it would be stable. Whether you like it or loathe it,

people who write political history and people who analyse politics

will say, the coalition is probably here to stay as a feature of

British politics. We had fixed-term parliaments, that is one

constitutional reform. The reason nobody remembers it, there wasn't a

debate. It just happens, like changing lightbulbs. Now, you may

have noticed that our two guests of the day are both female. Does that

matter? Is it a good thing? Or something we should be doing more

Just under a quarter of MPs are women. The media and the BBC in

particular, have been criticised for not having enough female voices.

Alice Arnold was until recently, one of those voices heard reading

the news or the shipping forecast on Radio Four. Here's her take on

why there aren't enough women on I play a bit of golf. Occasionally

I'd play in corporate golf days - I know, a woman in a man's world.

Sometimes I am the only women surrounded by 100 men hitting the

ball in different directions. They are not always the best golfers,

but they are up there. Why are they there? Because they had been

invited. Research has been done into the lack of representation of

women in the media. I want to know what changed, if anything.

Last month, the BBC ran the women experts training day. The women

were brilliant. From space scientists to architectural

historians. The argument that women experts don't exist was blown out

of the walk up. With only room for 30 women on the course, there were

2000 applicants. This is a dangerous time. It is a dangerous

time because we have done a little bit. I can seek producers all of

the country congratulating themselves because there is a woman

on the panel. I don't want to see a woman on the panel, I want to see

two on every panel. I want to see equal representation of women, and

that means at least 50%. That is how to get the best people. It is

not that women don't know how to play the game, they just haven't

been invited. I don't like slow late. In golf or in white. I one

change, and I want it not. No more excuses. I am not looking for a

birdie, a solid Park would Booth. - And Alice Arnold has come in from

that very cold golf course and joins us now. You want equal

representation, the 50%, how do you suggest it happens? It would be

small, little steps that are not working. More research has been

done and the results will come out in April. It has not been published

yet, but it looks like there has been very little change over the 18

months since the last shocking research results were revealed. The

only way to do it is to have quotas, but temporary time, but to say we

are going to say we will make sure we have 50% representation and then

see how it catches up in the future. We should have quotas in order to

change? I think we need to make sure we have women on programmes.

How do you do it? We and producers are inviting people on, they know

who on men and who are women. They should invite according Leasowe

what is presented to the public is equal. In terms of ethnicity and

background. We don't have enough of that stock is the assumption that

because you have a woman, the gendered it is done. What about the

Liberal-Democrat MPs? There are hardly any women? I want there to

be more women. What's I am saying, saying it is one thing, but in need

to have quotas to achieve it? the last election, it we had quotas

we would have ended up in the same situation we have got. Even if we

had quotas, we would have been in a similar situation. You still have

to make sure women get elected. It is quicker and easier to change the

guests you have on the media Parliament and getting women into

Parliament. What do you think? Should there be quotas introduced

to try to guarantee representation in the media? It started to work

for us in the Labour Party. I was elected -- you were elected on a

women's shortlists? There were 42 of us going for my seat. There are

lots of women out there. We had 26, 27% of the Parliamentary Labour

Party who are women. There is still a long way to go, but to get up to

50% Rhydian need to continue to have an all-woman shortlist. What

happened to meet, it wasn't just about the party taking you see

Risley, but people were saying to me, have you thought about being an

MP. I started to think back myself more seriously because of that.

said the pool is bigger than people think. Often the argument is put

forward that the reason we don't have more women represented on

panels or women MPs is there isn't the pool to choose from. Is there

an enough evidence to say there are qualified women in business, and

media to pick them? 2000 women applied to go on the women Experts

workshop. It was a shock to everybody pulls up the women I

worked with on the workshop were incredible and highly qualified.

The these ladies Arthur Lee pushy, do we need to have more women who

are prepared to push themselves? am not sure it is a quality you

should encourage. Why should you have to be pushy? Should we not be

encouraging people to ask them? It we don't do that, the next

generation coming up below us, the children now watching are still

seeing the same proportion of women will stop not if they're watching

today it will stop this is pretty unusual. It has taken 100 years to

get 22% of women MPs. We have got OK, that's all for today. Thanks to

our guests. The One o'clock News is starting over on BBC One now. We'll