29/07/2016 Newsnight

The Chinese President riding high over

the new business relationship with Britain.

But are the wheels coming off the carriage?

Tonight, the Government says it's reviewing

the whole plan for Hinkley Point C, but have concerns about China's true

This former government adviser says it could be

I am confident that Jeremy Corbyn will come out as a leader of Labour

as well as our next Prime Minister at Number 10.

And is the battle for the soul of the Labour Party all

Is the good life really all that good for you?

Celebrity gardener Monty Don pours a pile of manure on the the idea

of self sufficiency from a great height.

If one of you so much as sniggers, I'm going straight back indoors.

And on Artsnight tonight, Lynn Barber meets King

I look at it as a really, really, seriously good achievement.

I wouldn't have given myself the chance at 21.

When the Chinese Premier came to Britain on the first state visit

in a decade last year, it was heralded as a Golden era

Hinkley Point C was to be the first nuclear power station built in the

UK for a generation. Costs rising, and doubts

about whether it was the right technology, when the Chinese came

in to plug the EDF funding gap The Government says it would be

irresponsible if the new Prime Minister, Theresa May,

did not review the deal, but is it China's long

game that's sending alarm bells I'm joined by our Business

Editor, Helen Thomas. There was definitely an element of

surprise. Some senior management at EDS, some board members, they did

not know this statement was coming. There is some dismay on the French

side. They have already spent ?2.5 billion preparing this site. That is

money they do not get back if the deal does not go ahead? Is this

about a general review all the Chinese? The official government

line is this is a new Prime Minister wanting to do her homework. She

wants to be on top of the details but this will take into

consideration all elements of the project, value for money, etc. What

Newsnight has been told is the issue of China and National 's does loom

particularly large in Theresa May's thinking. What we have been told is

that when she was Home Secretary she voiced concerns about the idea of

China investing in nuclear power in this country. She said these

concerns with some of her Cabinet colleagues and these worries were

discussed at the National Security Council, as well as proposals to

give the UK Government more of a hand in vetting foreign investment

in our critical infrastructure. That is not to say the deal will not go

ahead. Greg Clark, the business and Energy Secretary met the companies

today with a reassuring message. But it does feel like this is more than

dotting the eyes and dotting the Tees. Is it Theresa May driving

mess? That is what we are told. If it were the case of mixing the

Chinese money, would anyone else step up to the mark? Hinkley is not

necessarily be concerned. The Chinese are putting money into

Hinkley and not the technology. The concern is what happens further down

the line, the idea of the Chinese reactor in Bradwell. Hinkley needs

?6 billion of Chinese money. EDF has jumped through hoops to try to get

financing in place. They have sold assets and raised funds. They do not

have another 6 billion line spare. If Chinese money is unavailable for

the project, where do you go? One idea, could the new government but

with its new attitude in investing in infrastructure helped to plug

some of that gap? I am joined now by an energy expert

from EDL. Is it a broad, general review or is this about concerns

over Chinese involvement down the line? It looks like a broader view

of what is going on, including questions of French financing and

clarification about the deal which may not be such a good thing for the

UK. Certainly, there are concerns and issues with the idea of letting

China into our critical nuclear infrastructure. And this would be a

case of not letting them into the critical nuclear structure as Helen

said. Now, beyond Hinkley and Sizewell, it would be about building

and controlling a power station in Branwell, would that be right? Yes,

it is. The Chinese are acting as deep pockets to help the French with

Hinkley. We understand later on potentially, if Hinkley comes off,

which it may not, with Sizewell, on the understanding they will be

allowed to build that own home-grown nuclear reactor, build and operate

their own nuclear reactor in Bradwell further down the line. They

see this as a loss leader. Not many people would have that much faith in

Hinkley as a technology. The EPR, the reactor brand that is being

mooted for Hinkley, the two EPR 's which are being built in China.

Unfortunately, there are some significant problems with that

build. On the question of Branwell, what are the dangers question what

is the worst scenario? Our relationships with China can ebb and

flow in the 40 years in nuclear plant runs and powers. China is well

known for seeding data and taking data and for seeding certain kinds

of data in critical structures. This, we are talking about, is

critical nuclear infrastructure. We're not talking about military, we

are talking about civil. Security is actually concerned about this key

issue. Let's be quite clear on this. Is it possible the Chinese could

actually reduce the power coming out of Branwell is they made it? Could

it affect our energy supply? It is theoretically possible. It is

theoretically possible. There are other issues around what kinds of

data they could get from other forms of nuclear plant and what kinds of

data they can push around. It is not simply about shutting down Bradwell,

if Bradwell were ever to be constructed. It is a slightly

broader issue. Remember, there is a slight distinction between people in

the Treasury and people at the MOD. Tell me about that. I understand you

were in a meeting with military chiefs where there was a concern

about this. Absolutely. It is a long discussion and a well rehearsed

discussion. It is a discussion that needs to be ongoing. The Treasury,

you could argue, is more concerned about the money. Tell me, what was

the concern of the military? China is not necessarily militarily a

friendly nation to us. It is all well and good to do trade with them

and critically important, nuclear is different. It is a different form of

technology with different risks, different problems, issues and

concerns that it is a critical nuclear infrastructure. America

would not let China within 100 miles of their critical nuclear

infrastructure. Is it your view that this is a Chinese Trojan horse?

Certainly, it is a loss leader for China. It has no great expectations

for Hinkley. It wants to get into the UK market in order to

potentially then expand its nuclear export elsewhere. Thank you very

much indeed for joining us. Hillary Clinton will be desperately

hoping for a post Convention poll bounce that she can capitalise

on after she formally accepted the Democratic presidential

nomination last night, so today she headed straight out

on a bus tour of two "Rust Belt" swing states -

Pennsylvania, where she's narrowly ahead of Donald Trump and Ohio

where they are tied. Trump is in another swing

state, Colorado, today. Will either of these hugely

divisive candidates, who are groundbreakingly unpopular

in their own party, actually be able to get the vote out

after a rancorous Primary season? And might the disillusionment

be such that the Green candidate, Jill Stein,

and the Independent, Gary Johnson, Emily charts how the next three

months might play out. My hero and our next

president, Hillary Clinton. In Philadelphia, the birthplace

of American democracy, introduced by the only

person who can call her mum, Hillary Clinton cemented her

own place in history. When any barrier falls in America,

it clears the way for everyone. After all, when there are no

ceilings, the sky is the limit. She reached across the aisle not

just to Republicans, but to her own party,

telling Sanders supporters, Clinton's speech marks the end

of the convention and the beginning of the general

election campaign. But once the dust has settled

and the air has gone out of hundreds of balloons,

then the real work begins. How to mobilise the vote

and talk to a people who feel I catch up with

Nancy Pelosi, to date America's highest-ranking

female politician. I know about power,

I know about Hillary. She just happens to be a woman

and that makes it very exciting. Do you think the Democrats have

captured that message of optimism? I think so.

I think so. It's a question of

turning out the vote. Messaging is one thing.

Voter turnout is another one. You can't have turnout

without the message. Having a strong message of economic

security for all Americans, And to communicate that to people

so they understand what is in I'm worried about those people

who have become cynical and say, "It's not going to make any

difference what my vote is." Or the ones who say that

Donald Trump will win Those are people that we really

have to be careful about. We also need to be

concerned about people that have just become so disgusted

with government, that they just kind There are parts of

Philadelphia that look They call this the Valley,

gangland in the 1970s. Rough and poor.

But it's nice. Bernard was a former

gang member here. We was on lots of drugs

and things like that. We had to do this

stuff at a young age. We didn't know nothing.

Actually, we didn't know no better. So we wised up, not only living

in poverty and growing up in it, we became young juvenile

delinquents, drug abuse delinquents. There are still no-go

areas, but electorally The black American vote

galvanised behind Clinton. It's very important.

Trump is a racist. I think she will probably

make a difference. We've had the men,

it's time for a woman now. In recent times turnout in this

city has been abysmal. Last year, its citizens

were offered the chance to win Now though, it is not the apathetics

you meet, but the angry. Those once hungry for

politics who know haven't I just really oppose both

of the main candidates. They put me to work at Gino's,

the cheese steak institution that has become a rite

of passage for politicians. Bill Clinton campaigned

at that point. One of their - or should I say

my - customers, feels let down by the whole lot.

Will you be voting in November? No.

Nobody's vote counts. That's why 70% of eligible

voters don't vote. I mean, it doesn't make any

difference who you get. The people pulling the puppet

strings are the same group. So it's crazy to think that -

if they say they're going to do something,

they won't, if they say they're not going to do

something, they will. It doesn't matter if

it's a Republican or Joseph, who formerly backed

Bernie, now favours the Libertarian candidate,

Gary Johnson, an independent. He wants to be president

because he wants to live in a country where an interracial,

newly married gay couple can fly the Confederate flag out front

and grow marijuana in the back without the government stepping

in to tell them what to do. But to do that this time

round, he says, would be viewed as treachery.

And that's is the big unknown. Will the popularity of each main

candidate make people stay at home? There are people who have been

totally put off because of the last 18 months and the

discourse we have seen. While no, we've had actually

a very good turnout. And I think it bodes well for a good

turnout at the election because people know

the stake is high. In other words, perhaps fear

of the other outweighs frustration. can be as powerful a force

as voting for. Bitter political fights aren't

confined to the other But here the vicious

battle is between two men on the same side,

and here, the gap in support for Corbyn and Smith appears to be

widening not narrowing. This week Owen Smith promised a cold

eyed practical socialist revolution, words that could have come out

of the mouth of Jeremy Corybn, and by the tally of CLPs it looks

like if anyone is going to deliver Lewis Goodall has been in York this

evening to watch a Corbyn rally, and to look at the increasing

divide between Labour parties in the north -

and those in the capital. Up and down the country Jeremy

Corbyn's foot soldiers are busy fighting their second leadership

battle in under a year. For them, their leader has lost none of its

lustre. He feels -- makes me feel quite proud. I feel like he cares

about everyone. He has policies I agree with, including an end to

Trident, an end to austerity and increasing investment in our

infrastructure. A lot of people are suffering and Jeremy knows what is

best for people like me. I am confident that Jeremy Corbyn Time

now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. Out as leader

of Labour as well as the next Prime Minister. Support for Jeremy Corbyn

in York appears undiminished. They are expecting about a thousand

people here tonight. It's hard to imagine another politician of that

could be set. For example, Owen Smith managed to attract 200 to one

of his rallies last night. Many local Labour Party 's remains solid

behind their leader. This area near Leeds nominated Jeremy Corbyn last

year. They are not tempted by Owen Smith. Why should I be? Jeremy's

conviction has not changed in 12 months. I voted for Jeremy 12 months

ago and I will do so again. There are a lot of members who may not

have supported him at the last meeting but on the principle of

democracy within the party will be supporting him now. Entirely because

there is this feeling that democracy has been undermined. Very few people

attacking Jeremy now because of his politics are finding inventive ways

to attack him because of his personality, his demeanour, his

character. My view simply is that he is an honest, authentic politician,

who has always held his views, expressed them honestly and

continues to do so. Joining the European referendum there was a

disconnect between the party based in London and the party in places

like Yorkshire. I've got many friends down there who are quite

anti-corporate. -- against Corbyn. They can't understand why people

like me are still backing him. Similarly I have got friends across

Yorkshire and can't understand why comrades in London are against him.

That sense of geographic divide between North and South is reflected

by the numbers. We have now had nominations for a leader from 63

local constituency parties. The clear majority, 51, have plumped for

Jeremy Corbyn, including Pudsey and Chesterfield. Yet of those which

have opted for Owen Smith, two thirds are in London, which is not

surprising when you consider that polling shows that among Labour

Party members support for Jeremy Corbyn is weaker in London than

anywhere else. That is potentially hugely significant because around

half of all Labour members are in London and the South of England. If

Owen Smith can take advantage of that, and many of those 185,000 new

Labour members in the last couple of weeks are also in London, there am

-- then maybe, just maybe he has a chance in this contest. Richmond

Park Labour Party in south-west London nominated Jeremy Corbyn in

2015. This time they are backing Smith. I think a lot of it was down

to Jeremy's position on the European Referendum Bill stop I think a lot

of people in Richmond, a lot of them are in professional services, they

could see the benefits of staying in the European Union. If you think

about a lot of the reasons people voted to leave comment terms of

immigration, a lot of people in London have had a better experience

of immigration and have not been adversely affected. There was a

strong Remain camp in Richmond and many people felt that Jeremy had not

been as positive in the campaign as he could have been, particularly at

the start. And at some of the campaign launches. People are

frustrated about how quiet he had been in the beginning and eventually

when he came out in support of it, he sounded apathetic. He was not

making ace Gronk, loud coherent case. People said that while they

voted a lot of his views, they didn't feel that he was a person

could lead the party to victory in the general election. He is excited.

It's an irony that a politician synonymous with metropolitan London

should be weakest in his own city and strongest in the industrial

north. When the votes are counted, the chances are even a London

rebellion will not be enough to stop a second Jeremy Corbyn tight. --

tide. I'm joined now by two

seasoned Labour-watchers - Ellie Mae O'Hagan, a columnist

with the Guardian, and Conor Pope Ellie Mae, you want a left leader.

What Owen Smith is offering is practical, cold-blooded socialism.

He can command more of the Westminster MPs and form an

effective opposition. Why do you not back him? I think the problem with

Owen Smith is that he has run on a platform of competence. He said that

he is going to run on a platform as competence on the same principles as

Jeremy Corbyn. That is very difficult for Corbyn supporters to

believe in. They feel is campaign has been lacklustre. I don't feel he

understands the constituency of people he is trying to appeal to.

Also, the circumstances in which is leadership is taking place. It is

perceived as hostile and anti-democratic, and driven by a

wing of the party that has been hostile to Jeremy Corbyn from the

outset. In those circumstances it is very hard for anybody who belongs to

the Labour left, who wants a left-wing leader, to back anybody

like Owen Smith, despite the fact is policy platform is quite impressive.

I would have voted for it a few years ago. Isn't it interesting that

the CLP membership coalescing around Jeremy Corbyn, and yet the opinion

polls say only 13% believe that Jeremy Corbyn is effective at

tackling the government. So Owen Smith has failed to build on that?

The Labour Party is not in a hugely different place to where it was a

year ago. What a lot of Labour Party members did then was they voted for

Jeremy Corbyn because they felt he was offering something different.

All of the other candidates said, we are more likely to win an election.

They looked at them and thought, none of you will win an election.

When you look at the polls now, Labour is so far behind. Is about

redefining labour though? A huge priority of the Corbyn platform is

redefining the Labour Party. Who they stand for and who they

represent. It is about the heart of the Labour Party now. It is not

about winning an election. It is about redefining who you are. It is

about all these people who have joined the party. That is what they

want. Is that what the voters want? It is very good to sit on national

TV and to say I have spoken to hundreds of Corbyn supporters and

actually, this idea that Corbyn supporters are not pragmatic, that

they are away with the fairies and just want to embrace these pure

left-wing ideals, is not true. They look at the lay of the land. They

think, we probably won't win with Owen Smith, we didn't win with Ed

Miliband. The other three candidates in the leadership election didn't

look like they could win an election. We have been failed by the

Labour Party. We have been pushed out of the Labour Party for 30

years. This is our chance to actually have a debate about how we

reform Society within the party that we are a part of. That is what is

driving them. I definitely have not met any Labour supporters who are

not worried about a split and not worried about the election. They

are. But they are being driven by Ola Mulders at the moment. It is not

about a lack of pragmatism. -- other motives. The split between Labour in

London, where this new phalanx of 185,000 members are coming in, this

would seem to be the natural heartland, and yet he is not taking

that? This stuff about the EU referendum is absolutely right. If

you look where Remain were strong, it was in London. A lot of Labour

Party members might feel aggrieved that the party did not do more in

terms of trying to win that referendum. There is a bigger

problem. If you look at the traditional working class heartlands

that have been his party's base for 100 years, and they voted out, 95%

of MPs were voting Remain. Not only is there a disconnect between the

MPs and the CLPs, there is a disconnect between the MPs and the

voters? Absolutely. There is no appetite for a split within the

Labour Party. You could have a centre-left party, which are being

wiped out across Europe, and a hard left party led by Jeremy Corbyn,

neither of which address the problems. In the daily Telegraph

tomorrow morning, Senior Labour revels, so convinced Jeremy Corbyn

will win, they are going to launch a legal bid for the name of the Labour

Party. I think it is a possibility. Rumours fly around Westminster all

the time. We will take it with a pinch of salt. If the Labour rebels

decided to do that, that would be an absurdity. It would confine the

Labour Party to electoral oblivion for a very long time. What is

interesting to me is, when Labour rebels talk about why they are

launching an attack that Jeremy Corbyn, they say it is because we

want to win an election. If that is true, they will do something that

will destroy the party for decades. I don't think there will be a split.

There has been talk about having an alternative leader in parliament for

a while. There is no written constitution. This is unprecedented.

It looks like John Bercow is good -- not going to look particularly

kindly upon it and say, sort out your own party. Thank you.

The kale was put among the courgettes today

when the gardener, Monty Don, wrote in that most august of journals,

BBC Gardeners World Magazine, that self sufficiency

consigns you to a life of dreary repetition,

terrible food and, at worst your teeth fall out,

your breath stinks and you erupt in boils.

And to make matters worse, he poured manure all over the '70sTV

sitcom, The Good Life, opening that he found Tom

Maybe everything in the garden isn't lovely, after all.

Talking of which, here's Stephen Smith.

You can use nettles for hundreds of things.

The Good Life was one of the most popular and best

Let's just pause there a minute and imagine what that

It was the story of suburbanites, who went

I would find yourself some dock leaves.

Today, TV's Mister Gardening, and a great

personal friend of this programme, dropped a metaphorical Agent Orange

overrode the hard won crops of Tom and Barbara Good.

If the sound of Monty Don's voice has woken you up, I'm

sorry, it's not Gardner's World, it's Newsnight.

But we are talking about the great Don and his

explosive remarks today about self-sufficiency.

I might have referred to halitosis, boils and

There have actually been serious attempts at this.

What they found was they desperately missed all kinds of things like

If they went for 80% self-sufficiency, that was enough.

# We stopped beside a little flower storm.#

Just here we've got Portuguese cabbage.

Behind, we've got onion, carrots, beans.

On that side will have tomatoes, squashes, pumpkin,

lovely asparagus, that look like a forest right now.

We took a trug and a kneeler to these allotment gardens

We had cows, we had pigs, we had chickens.

When I think of it, we bought very, very little.

Maybe self-sufficiency would work in France,

where you're from because people would do a ten, 15 hour week,

Mind you, we are much happier than you, so...

You can grow a lot but probably not enough.

The good news is that nowadays you don't need to be

Gardening has moved from survival gardening to

pleasure gardening, learning gardening and a community gardening.

In the past, when people did live in this way,

It would depend on where they lived and what they were

farming themselves and what they could grow themselves

Don't forget to ask Margo to talk to the

chickens while she is feeding them because they do like it.

I can't vouch for the actual content of the conversation.

Well, the truth was, I didn't enjoy watching it.

I don't understand why people make such a thing about it.

I found the lead characters, attempting self-sufficiency,

So, that's the thumbs down from Monty to all

Sorry you had to crank up the generator and

burn a load of pig slurry to hear it from us.

Fresh from a European tour and with a new album,

John Lydon discusses his life and legacy with Lynn Barber.

Has 40 years of life on the road changed him?

Unsurprisngly you can expect strong language from the start.

MUSIC: Pretty Vacant by The Sex Pistols

and I must have interviewed hundreds of people by now.