03/05/2016 Daily Politics

Hello and welcome to the Daily Politics.

More Labour members and councillors are suspended over

Can Jeremy Corbyn stem the flow of negative headlines for the party

It's supposed to turn Generation Rent into Generation Own

- but the Government's Housing Bill's been changed 13

times in the Lords - will the radical reforms survive?

Thousands of job losses are threatened at the Port

Talbot steel works - how will the uncertainty affect

Thursday's elections to the Welsh Assembly?

And campaigners say they're just letting their kids be kids.

But are parents helping them skip school tests today

All that in the next hour, and with us someone who's not

In fact, like the Westminster class swot, he's been putting in extra

hours on our TV screens in recent days, Ukip leader Nigel

We'll not be asking Nigel about the pronunciation

of his surname today - but we do want to talk

about whether he's been spending - as the Daily Mail's alleging -

That money's from the ?2.5 million the party receives

You have bodyguards? Yes. Funny enough I'm the only political

leader, or I guess politician of prominence in the UK, who gets zero

help from the taxpayer, zero help from the authorities in this

country. We have asked. Particularly after last April when my family were

attacked on a Sunday lunchtime, which was pretty nasty. But where do

the EU funds come from? Let's just get this straight. I don't get any

help at all. Without it I wouldn't be here. The hard left have been so

vicious and so nasty. What we do... After this show I go down to street

canvas in south Wales, I do a public event tonight, I go to Lincolnshire

this evening to do the same again tomorrow. I have to have people

drive me and look after me, that's reasonable. We fund all of that

through private donations. I've never used a penny of my European

allowances, which I get to employ staff to do security. This

ridiculous story... Why is it ridiculous? Because it's not me,

it's about organising public events and having security around them. But

you have bodyguards everyday? Funded through private subscription because

the authorities in this country or the Government in this country won't

give me any help. So you don't use any of that money from that fund to

the EU group that you are head of? No, this story was about public

events in this country. So not your personal bodyguards? We are the only

party of any group that hold genuine public events and you have to have

security. How much does that cost? It can be expensive, it depends

where the event is. You can see why the charge of hypocrisy can be put

to you? No, hang on! You have spend your whole political career claiming

that the EU is a waste of taxpayers's money and waste it on

spurious things. People might say you spending it on bodyguards even

for public events is the same thing. I've spent many years to...

Hopefully we will vote for Brexit, I will be redundant and there will be

no need. We will come to that later on, whether you will be of -- out of

a job. I'm a turkey who will happily vote for Christmas.

Now, Jeremy Corbyn's insisted that he acted swiftly to suspend

Naz Shah and then Ken Livingstone after his comments on this and other

But the story about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party refuses to go

away, with reports in this morning's papers that as many as 50

Labour Party members have been suspended.

Jeremy Corbyn was trying - but failing - to change the subject

this morning at a poster launch supporting the party's

campaign for the local elections on Thursday.

We're not going to lose seats. We are looking to gain seats where we

can. These elections are being fought on the issues of every

different community around the country and fought on the record of

what this government is about. The anti-Semitic issue is being dealt

with by the head of a commission on this, Shami chakra

-- anyone caught making anti-Semitic remarks is immediately suspended

pending investigation. Let's speak to Tom Newton Dunn

of the Sun, and Kevin Welcome to both of you on this fine

sunny day. Tom, Jeremy Corbyn says Labour will not lose ground in the

elections and the party are looking to make games. You would hope that

would be what an opposition leader would say. All polls point

otherwise. Is he burying his head in the sand? I think he's making a very

dangerous point indeed because he is a hostage to fortune. If Labour

don't make games, that is the clip people will replay to say he's got

it wrong. That is what the rebels are hoping to do come Friday or

Saturday. Their quiet at the moment but believe you me they will be all

over channels and programmes like yours to save Corbyn has failed by

his own targets. By his own estimate he has not made any progress and we

are going quits, if of course the party does not make any games. The

best thing in politics to do is underplay and overdeliver. If you do

if the other way round, you set yourself up for a fall. You're

laughing, Kevin Maguire. Jeremy Corbyn will obviously be asked about

the crisis that some people see at the anti-Semitism crisis in the

party. He says it's been dealt with but the announcement of an inquiry

suggests otherwise? He was laughing at the suggestion of moderates who

seem hell-bent on toppling him within the party. I think there's

nothing moderate about that group, arranged possibly but not moderate.

The figure of 50 people supposedly suspended for anti-Semitism or

racism over the last two months, reporting by the Daily Telegraph,

has been denied by the Labour Party, which says this figure is 16 in the

time since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader. But Jeremy Corbyn has a

problem, certainly perception, there are some changes where you would

worry about the fact that an inquiry has been announced. Is this on top

of a previous inquiry would suggest that he knows that too and he can't

shake off the row at the moment. His opponents don't want him to and it

means that any other argument he has about the economy, the NHS or

whatever, is very difficult for him. Difficult, Kevin Maguire, because he

didn't deal with it quickly enough despite his supporters saying he

did? I think he did deal with it quite quickly. Naz Shah, there was

an argument that he should have suspended her earlier, on the first

day. But the other one, it did not do Labour is any good but it was

kind of compulsive viewing, he was on a trip up north, he was going to

lay a wreath at a memorial and he did it in a couple of hours. When

you consider he and Ken Livingstone go back 30 or 40 years, old comrade

's, Ken Livingstone one of his few real vocal supporters, although I

accept what Cabinet Minister Alan Johnson says, but nevertheless you

have to find out what has happened. Then do you just suspend Ken

Livingstone or do you suspend Mann too? He acted pretty quickly and I

think the criticism on the Ken Livingstone case is not fair. Let's

talk about the moderates. Or the crazed loons as Kevin has just

described them! You can pick your description... Senior Labour MPs

believe they have chosen Margaret Hodge to stand as a stalking horse

against Jeremy Corbyn to spark a leadership contest. You can see them

walking around behind us now. I don't think many of them are in the

Shadow Cabinet although there are one or two in the Shadow Cabinet

certainly happily talking to the plotters. I can't possibly name

them, as you understand, but they are senior people, real people will

stop my bet is that now they almost certainly will. There seems to be a

shift change in the parliamentary party that two or three months ago

was, well, we shouldn't do that because we won't win and that will

just embolden Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, if he wins a second

leadership contest, we're not going to be able to challenge him for

years. They are now thinking we are morally bound to challenge him no

matter what, simply because that is our duty, we have to keep this fight

going and we have to keep on trying to question him. You hang around the

same sort of places as Tom, Kevin, around Westminster, is this clue

about to happen after the local elections? -- is this coup? I don't

know, if it does I think it would be after the local elections, June 23.

But there is no doubt there is a sizeable minority, whether you count

them in dozens or scores, who are hell-bent on toppling Jeremy Corbyn.

Most of the Parliamentary party Labour MPs are, I would say

disgruntled, believing it would be wrong to try to topple him now and

he should be allowed to succeed or fail on his own terms. They also

know that if they tried to keep Jeremy Corbyn or perhaps John

McDonald off the ballot in a Labour should -- Labour leadership

election, the party would be ungovernable, you would be excluding

the members. I noticed Margaret Hodge has been silent and I noticed

other names touted around. There were some cat flaps in John-- in

Tom's story... She would probably like to be put forward, she will do

it. She holed out of the London mayoral race. There is a group of

Labour MPs whose sole political reason for existing now is getting

rid of Corbyn. Tom, you were nodding, just very brave Lee, that

the party would be ungovernable if there was an attempt to keep Jeremy

Corbyn or John McDonald off the ballot paper? That's right because I

as much as they plot, and they really are plotting, they still have

this in transient problem where the membership is still overwhelmingly

in support of Jeremy Corbyn. You've got a rock going up against a hard

place. There are also reports that Alan Johnson, famous former Home

Secretary, the darling of the Labour Party, was also approached to be the

stalking horse and has refused. It is not everybody on the moderate

side, or the arranged lunatic side as Mr Maguire would have them, who

thinks it is the right thing right now. Both of you will be kept busy!

Don't look too gleeful, both of you! Now, amongst at least three

Labour Party councillors who were suspended from the party

yesterday is the Burnley councillor Shah Hussain,

who joins us now from Blackburn. Shah Hussain, what do you mean by

your tweet that you should see what the rest of the world thinks about

your tweet? Right, firstly I'm quite

disappointed that the tweet has come out now in 2016. It was written

juror in 2014, during the Gaza crisis, in response to another

footballer making a comment about killing of children in Gaza --

killing off children in Gaza. It was written then and now it's come out,

I'm assuming it's come out because of political reasons... But do you

still believe that sentiment about comparing Israel and what the

Israeli government is doing in your mind to children in Gaza with what

Hitler did when Hitler murdered 6 million

Jews and political opponents. What I was saying is that what happened in

Gaza can be made compatible to what happened to the Jews. Do you think

it's appropriate in your role as a counsellor to exact comparison? I

was merely stating about events that happened. But do you think it was

appropriate? It was appropriate in 2014 when the conflict between

Israelis and Palestinians were taking place and innocent children

were losing their lives. Yes, at that time... You made that

historical comparison with Hitler and where 6 million Jews were

murdered, you would say that to an Israeli? I was stating at that time

what was happening within Gaza. What did you mean by your tweet about we

will see what the rest of the world thinks. What does the rest of the

world think? In terms of what? In terms of what was happening in Gaza

at that time? There was an outcry within the rest of the world about

what was happening within Gaza. That's what I meant.

What do you think about your suspension from the Labour Party? It

is unfortunate, that in the present climate, the witchhunt that is going

on, I thought it was expected that it would happen. You did expect it?

Will you fight the suspension? Obviously. In your mind, is it

appropriate for any politician when criticising regimes they dislike,

for example politicians have said they dislike Saudi or Pakistan or

Egypt or Syria, is it also fair to say it is the fault of the people

who live in those countries? Like I said, I was merely stating what was

happening in 2014. It is unfortunate that I happen to be a Muslim

Council, therefore my comments have been taken out of context and as

such they have been censored. What context have they been taken out of?

Why am I on this television show today, trying to explain comments

made in 2014? Are you saying you don't agree with those comments now?

Are you saying that if I was not a Muslim councillor I would still be

here? If you insert a different words into some of the tweet, if you

link the actions of a Syrian or Egyptian government with the rights

and lives of Arabs generally, would that be appropriate, even in 2014,

or today? If dictators were killing those people, yes. So how would you

fight your suspension from the Labour Party? That is to discuss

with my colleagues and so on. I was merely here trying to state as to

why that a tweet that has made in 2014 has become relevant in 2016. Is

it because of a political agenda that is happening? Is it because a

Muslim councillor, and, as such, those comments have been taken into

that context? You think you are being unfairly targeted, you do not

think there is anything wrong with those comments? You told the press

Association that you would bite the suspension and added that if Jewish

people found your comparison of what Hitler did to the Jews with what is

happening in Gaza offensive, they had to think about what is happening

in the rest of the world. I said that what was happening in 2014 in

Gaza and Palestine can be comparable to what happened to European Jews in

World War II. Shah Hussain, in the studio we have Keith Vaz, the Labour

MP who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, what do you think

about what he is saying, that it is appropriate to make that comparison?

I personally believe it is totally inappropriate, but I will not

discuss his case, because I sit on the National Executive Committee and

may have to deal with his case, so I will not talk about particular

cases, but I will talk about an attitude. I think Jeremy Corbyn was

absolutely right to set up this inquiry. There needs to be a full

inquiry into this issue. There is a problem within the party which needs

to be addressed. To that that Shami Chakrabarti in charge is right, you

cannot tell her what to do. -- to put Shami Chakrabarti in charge. I

spoke to her, I do nothing to McCrimmon 's will be enough. I think

she will have to do an interim report. Judging by the number of

e-mails that I get on the issue of racism, I think she will want to

examine those as well. Lots of people will want to give evidence.

The Home Affairs Select Committee has its own investigation into

anti-Semitism. You would denounce this tweet, even if made at the

height of the Gaza conflict? Absolutely, there is no room for

anti-Semitism or racism in the Labour Party. I have been a member

for four decades and would not be a member of a party that allowed such

views to be tolerated. On this particular case, he will have to go

through a process and put his views forward. I will not talk about him,

I might be sitting on his case, but I will say that those views

expressed by anyone repugnant and should not be accepted and should be

condemned absolutely. Shah Hussain, what is your reaction? I made a

tweet in 2014, in response to a tweet done by a footballer saying,

stop killing children. I merely stated what was happening in

Palestine. I did not make an anti-Semitic comments. I believe

that if we really wanted a debate about what is happening within

Palestine, you have to get over this issue. Me being a Muslim, I feel

that that tweet has been taken out of context. What do you say to that?

Keith Vaz? We could talk forever about whether it was in or out of

context, we now have an inquiry to look into this particular issue.

Shah Hussain thinks it is a witchhunt, he thinks he is being

attacked because he is a Muslim councillor. I don't think that is

the case. Looking at Jeremy Corbyn peers history, where he comes from,

what he has said about issues of this kind, he is not the sort of

person that would lead a witchhunt. He wants a "Real. We should have a

wider approach, look at structures and processes. Shami Chakrabarti

putts inquiry will last for a long time. I was not in the country last

week, it is not an excuse, but I do not think it was handled in the best

way. Jeremy has pulled us back, he has this inquiry, the NEC will meet

on the 17th of May. Shah Hussain, have you been contacted us to when

you will be meeting with the National executive committee? I have

not, but I have absolute faith in the Labour Party and its processes.

Like he'd said, I welcome a thorough investigation into these issues. --

Lake Keith Vaz said. In my case, I want to make it clear again, this

tweet I made in 2014 was related to the Gaza conflict. You do not think

it was anti-Semitic, you would say you are not anti-Semitic? The girl I

merely commented on a response by a footballer to another footballer.

But are you an anti-Semite? I am not. But I do see the issue of

Palestine and Israel having a great effect on the Muslim community in

Britain. When I go knocking on the doors, constituents tell me that the

way the media and the governments and so on through the world... They

see a different attitude towards conflict in the Middle East and

conflicts elsewhere. Do you think it is fair to blame Jews in general?

You are putting words into my mouth. I am asking a question. We should

have a debate about what is happening, and the debate should be

without being called a Semite. If you're making a statement which may

not happen to be supportive of Israel. Thank you, Shah Hussain, for

coming in. And the Labour MP Keith Vaz,

who chairs the Home Affairs Select His Committee is holding an inquiry

into anti-Semitism and is meeting this afternoon to consider

whether one of the committee members, Naz Shah -

who herself has been suspended from the Labour Party over suspected

anti-Semitic tweets - can remain on the committee for that

inquiry. She will be coming to the committee

2pm and meeting with the committee and discussing it with the

committee. That is what we have to wait for. She will be there, she

will talk to the committee and a decision will be made. What is your

view, should she still serve on the committee? I chair the committee, I

think it is right that the committee as a whole should hear from Naz

Shah, rather than give you my personal views. Chairman of

selecting it is do not have the power to discipline, nor the power

to remove -- chairman of select committees. She could still remain

on the committee, while suspended from the Labour Party? It is an

all-party committee, people are elected. She will come. I spoke to

her last week, she is coming out 2pm to talk to the committee and a

decision will be made today. Could she be called as a witness, given

that it is an anti-Semitism and she has been suspended for anti-Semitic

tweets? Anyone could be called, I hope we will publish today. Will Ken

Livingstone be on that list? This inquiry predates the Labour Party

inquiry. He might be, it depends on the committee. I do not choose all

the witnesses, the committee as they whole decide. I already foresee that

this will be a slightly longer inquiry than I anticipated when the

senior member on the committee suggested that we hold one. I think

anyone can give evidence and writing, but those who give oral

evidence, we will specifically need to call. We have written to the

leaders of all three parties and asked them... What impact will this

have on Labour 's performance on Thursday 's elections? Of course it

will have an impact, people do not like to see a disunited party. So I

think Jeremy was right to try to pull something back from the slight

shambles we had last week and put it on a proper process. At the end of

the day people will decide on, for example, who they would like to see

run London, Scotland, Wales and all the other areas. I think everyone

agrees that it will have an impact. There are other things that will

have an impact as well. I am sure in the city of Leicester, the recent

success of my football team. And we can see you are wearing the scarf,

and very loyal, as one of the city's MPs. One London assembly candidate

has tweeted saying you can almost get away with offending anyone so

long as they are not Jewish. How would you judge that? He is wrong to

say that. I don't accept or agree with that, I hope he will have the

opportunity of correcting what he has said. That cannot be right.

Should he also be suspended? I don't make these decisions. How many more

Mr Husseins are there? We saw him being interviewed, holy

unapologetic, claiming 34-macro times that he is being victimised

because he is a Muslim. When Corbyn went for the leadership, it is well

known that he is very strongly pro-Palestinian, hugely critical of

Israel and friendly with people who want to see Israel obliterate it. Of

all those hundreds of thousands of people joined the Labour Party at

three quid a pop last year, how many of those share that view? Nigel

makes a very important point, but you knows from his party is that

there are examples of individuals holding particular views and you

take action, you have inquiries. The difference between how you and we

handle it, we have handled it out of the party. You are right, when these

views come forward they need to be dealt with, as you have in the past.

This is Jeremy's way of dealing it, it is the right way. Nobody can tell

Shami Chakrabarti what to do, she is completely independent and will say

what she thinks is right. We should not be in a position where we make

this decision, it has to be taken out of our hands. Nigel Farage,

Keith Vaz is right, on this programme we have many times put to

you very things that have been said and tweeted by Ukip members...

Junior. But at the time you said they exist in every party, your

party and every party. Week kick somebody from a fairly senior

voluntary position not three months ago for making what we judge to be

an unpleasant anti-Semitic comment -- we kicked in the Dieppe. All

organisations have with this sort of thing. -- we kicked somebody out. I

wonder how many Mr Husseins thereof. There has been a denial from the

Labour Party that there have been 50s ended, it is about 16. It will

finish higher than that. Once this can of worms is opened, people

social media starts to be looked at all stop it will not go away, it

will take some time. Longer than two months, I am sure. Has the Labour

Party not allied it self too merge in many midlands and northern cities

with sectarian politics? The Muslim vote is very, very big and many in

cities. I suspect... Are you saying the Muslim community has

anti-Semitic...? I saw George Galloway win the by-election in

Bradford West on openly sectarian political lines. But it changed when

Labour won it back. Did it? The way we look at communities is important,

in the past it was the far left that used to manipulate communities in

particular ways. This does not happen now, I'd believe. I think

that is why it is important to look at these issues very carefully and

less communities for themselves. Many people do not share the views

we have heard today coming from this particular councillor, we should

hear from them. Briefly, Leicester, have you been partying all night?

Tottenham was 2-0 plus night, we thought we had lost, there was

nobody outside the King Power Stadium. Two goals later, 2000

people. It is a magnificent, multicultural city, and I think if

anyone was looking for a manager, a leader of a country, then Claudio

Ranieri... He will stand for party leader? He is not the stalking

horse, but we are delighted. Now, the Government's housing bill

is supposed to help get more young people on the housing ladder

and arrest the reduction But the House of Lords has been

taking a wrecking ball to the bill. This week it's back in the Commons,

but in the face of widespread opposition will it look anything

like it was designed to? The wide-ranging Housing

and Planning Bill contains the Government's flagship

Right to Buy scheme. The Government says it will allow

1.3 million housing association tenants to buy their own home,

but opponents argue that it is uncosted and that there is no

guarantee the social housing stock The bill also contains plans

to build new starter homes, worth up to ?450,000 in London,

and ?250,000 in the rest of the country, leading

to criticisms that they still won't But the Lords have watered down

swathes of the bill, defying the Government a massive 13

times on issues ranging from the thresholds for Pay to Stay,

when council tenants can be charged higher rents once their income

reaches a certain level, to environmental regulations

on new developments. I'm joined now from outside

parliament by Eileen Short of the group Defend Council Housing,

they are holding Eileen, welcome to the programme.

What is your issue with the government's policy? It's pouring

petrol fire of what is already a pretty terrible housing situation.

In the name of encouraging people to buy actually what they are doing is

selling off the precious homes we've got that people can afford and

pushing up rents and putting more of us into unregulated private renting.

If they replaced the social housing stock, would you still have a

problem with it? There's 2-macro things.

-- there's two things. One is that they promised in the last few years

that every home sold under Right to Buy would be replaced but it wasn't,

they replaced about one in ten, so why would we believe them? Secondly,

in order to finance selling off housing association homes, they are

going to sell off the most valuable council homes. This is like a double

whammy and those homes are in the places that people and communities

need to live and they can't be replaced, in the heart of East

London or where I live, in Bethnal Green. Thank you and thank you for

battling against that background noise, whatever it is. We heard you,

thank you. Joining me now is the Shadow Housing

Minister John Healey, We've spoken about this before but

there have been many more defeats since we spoke about it last, Chris.

It must be time for the Government to rethink? It's very disappointing

that the unelected House of Lords have tried to tamper with things

that were in the party's manifesto. The Right to Buy was in the

manifesto. The government is right to press on and get those things in

acted. The principle was in the manifesto but not some of the detail

which has now come out and that is what the House of Lords is doing,

doing its job and scrutinising what they would call bad legislation.

Some of these things are wrecking... They are trying to undermine the

whole policy. The point of the policies to help young people in

their 20s and 30s get onto the housing ladder and is some of these

Amendment had been designed to reckon that. Others, something like

two thirds or even three quarters of the Lords amendments have been

accepted, but where those amendments are designed to undermine or

frustrate what was in the manifesto, helping people onto the housing

ladder, we will stand firm and stick to our guns. Do you object to the

principle of housing association tenants being able to own their own

homes? We've opposed the succession of the Right to Buy for council

tenants, because it will go to overseas investments and buy to let

landlords. Do you know that? I thought the forced sale, the funds

would go to actually fund this... What this legislation is doing is

forcing councils to sell the best of their homes when they become vacant

to whoever they can sell them to in order to pay the money to George

Osborne to fund the discount for the Right to Buy for the housing

association tenants. That's why quite obviously this is going to

lead to a huge loss for rental homes right across the country. The other

problem with this is these so-called starter homes are going to leave

many wannabe first-time buyers completely unable to afford the sort

of costs that would be involved. We will come onto starter homes in just

a moment but just answer the claim that the money that will come from

those council homes will not go into replacing council stock, it will go

into the Treasury's pockets? It's not completely true. It's a bit

true? In London there will be a two for one replacement, thanks to Zac

Goldsmith, every house sold in London there will be two replacement

and every house sold outside London there will be a 141 placement. The

legislation allows ministers to do a council levy... It will be cash

going straight to George Osborne, an annual levy on councils to pay for

the discount on housing association, so it is a cash grab making councils

and those who need these homes pay the costs of a policy that the

government itself should be paying for. But it also says that there

must be a two-for-one replacement in London and a one for replacement

outside. Does it matter as long as there is a replacement? It would

matter a lot as long as this were a like-for-like replacement. But the

replacement allows the rented council home or housing association

home in London to be replaced by one of these so-called new, affordable

homes that are for sale for up to ?450,000. You have to be honest in

terms of what is actually being replaced. If a local authority is

selling a four-bedroom council house and the money from that they'll is

going to the Treasury, will there be another house of that size or two if

it is in London, built in the same part of that authority? Not

necessarily in the same part, but within London. I'll explain why.

London is a big place. Take for examples Camden Council, I used to

be a councillor for them many years ago. They have ?1 million loss

Bloomsbury apartments, one of which Frank Dobson lives in, it's

ridiculous that the local authority is providing supposedly social

housing worth 1.5 mini and pounds is a unit to Frank Dobson, it makes

sense to sell that unit and build two in its place. It just makes

sense. On the starter homes scheme, this is about helping young people

get onto the housing ladder, which a lot of them would like to do and

it's becoming more and more difficult, rather than as many

people see it, throwing money down the drain for high rent. It's not

just becoming more difficult, it's becoming almost impossible for young

people. A third of a million fewer people under 35 now own their own

home than when David Cameron became Prime Minister. It is a good idea

these starter homes but the way the government is doing it simply means

it's out of the reach of many young people. In Chris's constituency of

Croydon, even with this huge discount and subsidy, you're still

going to need a deposit of 61,000, an annual salary of 61,000, and the

average salary of someone in Croydon is 30 1000. To buy one of the

starter homes in London you would need a deposit of ?98,000 and an

average salary of ?78,000. If those figures were true they would be eye

watering but they are not. I'm Croydon South MP and the average

flat in Croydon is ?240,000 privately. Knock off the discount

and that is ?190,000. You can get a 95% mortgage with help to buy, so

that is a deposit of ?10,000. I think that is within the reach of

most people, if they buy together as a couple as most do. I think two

people earning ?26,000 with a ?10,000 deposit is a big step

forward, not perfect and doesn't solve everything but it's a huge

step forward and I would hope that my labour opposite numbers this

afternoon support this measure to help young people onto the housing

ladder. John, I'm going to have to ask you about what's going on in the

Labour Party at the moment because you probably heard the reports on

our programme, but reports that some members of the shadow coming at

preparing to stand down after the way the leadership has dealt with

anti-Semitism. Are you one of them? I'm not, and I doubt whether that is

the case. For my money, what all of us need to be doing is fighting the

elections this week, fighting the referendum next month and trying to

win back the hearing and support from the millions of people that

lost us and left us at the last election. Do you think you will make

games? As far as my colleagues around the Shadow Cabinet table,

that's what we're trying to do. We've heard reports that MPs are

rallying around Margaret Hodge as a possible stalking horse in a

leadership challenge to Jeremy Corbyn, have you heard about that?

19 years in opposition and in government, I've lost count of the

number of stalking horses and Kuchar opposition leaders I've come across.

This is part of what turns people off politics, when the whispers in

the Westminster world really make politicians seem like we're more

concerned with our own problems rather than the difficulties that

people face day-to-day. But if Labour perform badly on Thursday,

does Jeremy Corbyn have any choice but to go? Of course he does. He's

elected with a very strong mandate within the delayed a party. These

elections on Thursday are going to be tough. -- within the Labour

Party. It's always ebb and flow within the political cycle. There

hasn't been the leader of an opposition in recent times who's

actually lost seats in the first year at council elections. Any

political analyst will tell you most of these seats were elected four

years ago in 2012, which was a high water mark. This sounds like you're

softening people up for losses in labour. Predictions are a mug's game

but I've been visiting councils right across the country from

Stevenage to live and can come to Plymouth, to Exeter, and we are

fighting for every vote. -- from Stevenage to Plymouth. My concern is

that we still have good Labour councils like those able to show

people what a difference a Labour MP can make. Corbyn has predicted this

morning that he will make games, is he a mug? Corbyn has said this

morning we're fighting for every vote. We're coming to come onto

election prospects in a moment but thank you very much.

Are you ready for Super Thursday, UK style?

Well, there are elections right across the UK this week -

not least in Wales where, as Ellie reports, the parties

are fighting for control of the Welsh Assembly.

Welcome to sunny Cardiff. We all know there are Welsh assembly

elections later this week and I'm here to talk to all the main parties

about what they're promising the voters. The trouble is, they're all

out making those promises on the campaign Trail, so I'm going to have

to go to them. First stop, well, more in between

stops, the current Labour First Minister Carmen Jones and as we

speak we pass the steelworks at Port Talbot, a symbol of crisis that has

overshadowed this campaign. It's an issue that is raised on doorsteps

even in areas where steel is not the main. We've been working with the

government... What people want to see is governments and different

parties working together to save those jobs and that's exactly what

we've done. As the biggest party, Labour faces a war on all fronts.

Plaid Cymru are keen to watch Ray this campaign as a two horse race.

Labour are the establishment party here in Wales. They've been leading

the Welsh government since devolution was born. We've just

bumped along at the bottom of so many different league tables in

terms of the health outcomes, education, the economy. They've had

their chance to put these problems right and they've failed. Many

people now recognise that it's time we had change and I'm arguing that

Plaid Cymru is the change Wales needs. Last time round, the

Conservatives were the second biggest party in the semi but polls

suggest that this time there is a real threat they could be beaten

into third. Their leader jetted into explained why he doesn't agree.

After 17 years of Labour in government, what have we got? The

lowest take-home wages of anywhere in the United Kingdom, a health

service that has seen NHS waiting times double and education standards

that have been slipping. It's not because Welsh people desire any less

than anywhere else in the UK, but it's through poor political

leadership. It's been one party propped up by two others here in

government and we want to change that. If it's starting to feel like

Labour against everyone else, it probably is. In the rest of the UK

as in Wales, the Lib Dem vote collapsed in the last election and

things are hardly looking more positive this time round. Five years

ago people predicted we would be wiped out but we returned as a

strong group and that group over the last five years has created

thousands of apprenticeships. We've been able to put ?260 million extra

into our schools, we've been able to change the law on nurse staffing

levels and if we can do that with just five assembly members over the

last five years, imagine what we could do with more, and that is what

we are campaigning. Like the great unknown here is Ukip. They are

expected to make a breakthrough and take a seat. At their campaign has

been marred by rumblings about candidates being parachuted into

Wales. They say any publicity is good publicity but the reality is,

as a party it's good to have people with different views who feel

passionately about our politics and that's what we've got. We've now

been able to channel that passion into winning seats here and in the

Welsh assembly. There is little time left for much more campaigning. What

this place looks like on the inside will be decided on Thursday.

You predicted correctly. I will now as confetti cut Haas predictions.

The mug's game. Do you still expect them to win nine seats? That is what

Ukip were predicting, nine seats, but you will not put a number on it?

I think we will win five seats, we may do better than that. We have

never won a seat in the Assembly before. There will be a breakthrough

in Wales, and not just Wales. I think people are not quite noticing,

but in the opinion polls, last Thursday one YouGov poll has Ukip at

its highest ever national rating, we not doing badly. But it is about

translating into seat. Anything less than five in Wales will be a

disappointment? I think we will win five, we may do better, let's see.

Looking at what will happen out there in England, will it be a case

of coming second and third, maybe a high second in a lot of cases, but

you will not make the games in England? I think we will win seats

in the London assembly. I think we will win a seat or two in Stormont

in Northern Ireland. No other party will do that, the Tories will not do

it, Labour are not standing. In Scotland, it is 50/ 50. With English

local elections, I think we will make some gains, how many, I do not

know, but we will make some. But isn't how well you could do in

England a benchmark? Of course. If you don't make any seats you can

point to Wales and Stormont... To try to guess how many games we will

make in the English elections is virtually impossible. -- how many

gains. I think we will become the biggest party on Sarah Council, I

think we have a chance of becoming the biggest party on the council in

Rotherham. We already control finer District Council. There are 500

local Ukip councillors, local base is growing. The people we have had

elected have behaved, on the whole, pretty well and been very diligent

and worked hard. Yes, we will improve. But in Thanet, in areas you

won, there have been split in the party and people not agreeing

amongst themselves. That has taken away... We have ferries bringing

cars back to Ramsgate for the first time in ten years, things are going

well. So when you say you are rolling up your sleeves, working

hard on serving local people, have you got a good enough record to show

that? Yes, Thanet is proving it. After six months, it was pretty

awful. What party does not go from that number to that number and have

robins? It always happens. I suppose people say that if you cannot gain

council seats when other populist and anti-EU parties are gaining

ground, quite significant ground across Europe, there must be serious

doubts about the long-term political competitiveness of Ukip? YouGov last

Thursday had as at the highest opinion poll ever, that is for a

party that won the European elections in 2014. We are at the

highest we have ever been as a party, what more can I do? Or those

you did not get the official campaign designation. -- you did not

get the official campaign designation. Is there a danger that

people just think you have served your purpose, this turkey is voting

for Christmas, we could be out? Batted in muscles. Ukip has

established itself as a party that fights. We believe in

self-government but we have also made big calls on things like

immigration, we have been proven right. Whatever happens in this

referendum, if there is a narrow win... How significant is the win

have to be before people start saying it will be a neverendum? If

the Remain campaign wins, which I do not think they will, given the

passion on the Leave side, compared to them, if the Remain side wins, I

suspect that could be large chunks of the Labour Party Conservative

Party who would be irreconcilable to the positions taken by their

leaderships. So there will still be a Ukip after the referendum,

whatever happens? I think it could be bigger than now. If we lost the

referendum it could be very much bigger, if we won the referendum, we

would need to be there to make sure that the will of the people was

carried out. But then the public would ask, what else, they would

need to see more than they have. So much for Ukip -

what about the Lib Dems' prospects Let's speak to one

of their MPs, Tom Brake. Welcome. Wattel success look like

for the Lib Dems? Again, I will not predict how many we might win...

Nigel Farage has actually predicted. We see this as being, I suppose, the

beginning of a recovery. Clearly, we had a bad five years in coalition.

Now we are in a position where in recent by-elections, for example,

supporters, is 7%. If you look at places like Sheffield, Newcastle,

Manchester, Portsmouth, I think we are on track to make some gains. Or

you will say that the Lib Dems will make gains in these elections? I

think that is the case, but I will not put a number on them. This is

the first test of the post coalition Lib Dems, and Tim Farron's

leadership. You might argue that one gain is a recovery from such a low

bar. They might argue that, what is important is that people are

listening to the Lib Dems. There is no real evidence of that?

By-elections are the only real test we have had, we are doing very well

on those. We also have a political landscape in which the Labour Party

is in a very bad state and the Conservative Party that people see

on television on a daily basis, Cabinet ministers attacking each

other over the issue of whether we should Remain or Leave the EU, in

contrast, the Lib Dems are fighting the council elections in a united

way, we are fighting on the core issues that matter to local people.

We are very strong community campaigners, I think that will stand

us in good stead on Thursday. If you hold the balance of power in the

Welsh Assembly, would you be prepared to prop up the Labour

government back? I will not speak on behalf of Kirsty Williams, they can

make those decisions themselves. Are you advising voters in the London

mayoral election where they should put their second preference? We

advise them to support Caroline Pidgeon, who has definitely come out

on top in a televised debate, she has eight years of the London

Assembly Member, she knows her stuff in relation to transport and

policing. Second preferences, which party would be closer to her

objectives? I will leave people to make up their own minds. Who do you

think you're closer to at the moment, the Conservatives or Labour?

I will not play that game. In relation to the London mayoral

elections, I think they want a team of people on the London Assembly who

will punch above their weight, the Liberal Democrats have done that, I

want is to continue to do that in larger numbers than at present. We

will see what happens by Friday, thank you.

Thousands of year two pupils in England are boycotting school

today, possibly with the help of their parents.

The protest is over the SATs test and a national curriculum which,

according to the campaign, has turned schools into

The Government is urging parents not to take part in the boycott.

It is the wrong way to discuss political issues. We shouldn't be

bringing politics into the's education. Even missing a degs

school can be damaging, not just to the child who does not attend but

the other children who have to go through a catch-up lesson to make up

for the child who did not attend. I would ask parents considering this

action, please don't do so, it will damage your child's's education, and

that of others in their class. Well, Ellie is with some

parents and children - who are not at school -

in South East London. Ellie, what's happening

where you are? It is a nice enough day!

They picked a lovely day for it. Here where we are we have painting

going on, colouring, I think we even have some jewellery making. We have

children and parents from three schools in this area who are making

their voices heard today, making their points. Steve Roses one of

them, why are you here? Basically because, like a lot of parents, I

have lost trust in what the Government is doing in education, so

we are here to say that we are on the side of teachers, academics and

children, who do not really like what is going on. The Schools

Minister said you should not bring children into politics, leave them

out of it. They should be at school, it is a Tuesday? I think children

are in politics already, they are being made to Leinster that the

behest of the Government that says we have to do this, so doing nothing

is putting them in politics, speaking out is equally political.

But our children are being made to do test about assessing schools, not

what is good for them. I do not have a problem with my children being

political. The concern is that this puts children through unnecessary

stress, that at this age do they get stressed about this sort of thing? I

think a lot of it does not just come from the parents but the teachers,

they are under pressure to teachers curriculum, a very narrow

curriculum. Because they are assessed on it, as are their

schools. So our children are being made to do this so that the

Government has convenient data with which to assess children, leading

into a more worrying agenda about academisation, forced academisation,

lack of parent representation, lots of things adding up to a sinister

picture of Government plans for education, which seem to be more

about business than what is good for children. Millie, you are enjoying

the day off? Why are you here? Because I do not want to be learning

co-coordinating subordinating multicore sentences. They are quite

dull. It is a good excuse to sit in the sun on a Tuesday? Very good. We

have about 60 people here, I understand there are lots of similar

protests to run the country. What next. Will this make any difference?

I think it makes a difference because we are talking about it on

national television, it is being talked about in a lot of places

around the media, lots of people are questioning what is happening. I

think that is important. Teachers and everyone else have been saying

this, parents are saying this, we need to look at this, it is not

doing our children any good. A narrow curriculum, a testing regime,

forced academisation, none of that is doing any good. We had to leave

it there. Thousands of people doing similar things the country. Back to

you, Jo. I was going to put you through Koke award in 18

subordinating clauses, whatever they are. Do you have sympathy for the

parents? Non-, I have never had a problem with my children being

tested. There is nothing wrong, every few years, with children being

tested. Have you seen the sort of questions they were asking? . This

particular one. I have several kids, I have seen them doing SATs test,

some have done 11 plus, GCSEs, A-levels, deg. I have no problem.

There are a series of tests in real life, in school we should not avoid

them. But what is wrong with teacher assessment at seven? It depends how

you approach the test. Clearly if they are being shouted at for a week

that if you don't do well in this you will be written off as a

failure, but I don't think that is the way children are taught when

they are seven years old, at least I hope they are not. Do you think

these protests will have an effect on Government policy? I don't think

so. I can tell. Ellie was in that part of the sun was shining, is this

happening on a big scale across the country? I am not sure. -- in that

park, and the sun was shining. If that girl is seven, if that

wasn't... I was impressed that she had learned her lines. I think the

Government will stick to its guns. I will have to say stop, that is all

for today. Thank you for all our guests, and particularly due for

being guest of the day. The one o'clock News is