:00:00. > :00:00.looks back at all the big political stories of this year. And a warning,
:00:00. > :00:20.there is some flash photography in this film.
:00:21. > :00:29.The Christmas holidays among the dreaming spires in Oxford.
:00:30. > :00:32.And of course there is a pantomime on at the Playhouse.
:00:33. > :00:40.But we are hijacking it to review the events which have made up
:00:41. > :00:55.Taking a risk, having a punt, having a go, that pumps me up!
:00:56. > :01:05.And even lower lows for a few more...
:01:06. > :01:08.If this exit poll is right, Andrew, I will publicly eat my hat
:01:09. > :01:16.Please welcome to the stage, erm, me!
:01:17. > :01:18.Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome
:01:19. > :01:22.I hope you're ready for some spills and thrills, some drama and some
:01:23. > :01:29.disaster, because act one is all about the general election.
:01:30. > :01:39.As the politicians hit the road after five years of coalition
:01:40. > :01:47.So it felt like there was everything to play for.
:01:48. > :01:51.The Conservatives' pitch was based on one word - security.
:01:52. > :01:55.It shows that we are a government that is on the side of working
:01:56. > :01:58.people who want to get on and build a better future for themselves
:01:59. > :02:07.Our manifesto will be about securing people's future.
:02:08. > :02:13.That manifesto included things like more free childcare
:02:14. > :02:16.and extending the right to buy to tenants of housing associations,
:02:17. > :02:18.along with the odd dig at their opponents.
:02:19. > :02:21.We have already seen with Mr Miliband that he will do
:02:22. > :02:25.We saw that when he fought his own brother for the leadership.
:02:26. > :02:33.The danger now for Britain is that he will cobble together some
:02:34. > :02:35.backstairs deal with the SNP which will result in higher taxes,
:02:36. > :02:39.The problem was, it seemed a bit dull.
:02:40. > :02:42.So halfway through the campaign, David Cameron rolled up his shirt
:02:43. > :02:47.When I get the people who got start-up loans coming
:02:48. > :02:49.into Downing Street and telling me what they have done,
:02:50. > :02:52.often giving up a well-paid career, taking a risk, having a punt,
:02:53. > :02:59.And it is what is changing our country.
:03:00. > :03:03.In a quieter moment, James Landale got the Prime Minister
:03:04. > :03:10.There comes a time when a fresh pair of eyes and fresh leadership
:03:11. > :03:15.And the Conservative Party has got some great people coming
:03:16. > :03:17.up, the Theresa Mays and the George Osbornes
:03:18. > :03:20.There is plenty of talent there, I am surrounded by it.
:03:21. > :03:23.The third term is not something I am contemplating.
:03:24. > :03:31.The Labour leader Ed Miliband's kitchen featured as well.
:03:32. > :03:40.What did matter was whether he was up to the job of being Prime
:03:41. > :03:45.What I am not going to do is repeat the mistakes of the 2003 Iraq war,
:03:46. > :03:48.which happened when Labour was in power, which is a rush to war
:03:49. > :03:51.without knowing what your strategy is and without being clear
:03:52. > :03:57.I am not a pacifist so I did support action in Libya.
:03:58. > :04:00.David Cameron talked about how I supported action against Isis.
:04:01. > :04:07.Labour promised to be tough on the deficit
:04:08. > :04:10.as they unveiled their manifesto on the old Corrie set,
:04:11. > :04:13.promising a mansion tax and a cut intuition fees.
:04:14. > :04:22.But it did not seem that business was always on their side.
:04:23. > :04:27.I have been at a dinner tonight with a number of
:04:28. > :04:31.Who? Bill...
:04:32. > :04:33.The former chief executive of EDS, who I was just speaking
:04:34. > :04:38.Former chief executive of EDS - what was his name?
:04:39. > :04:42.To be honest it has just gone from my head, which is a bit
:04:43. > :04:46.People took the Mickey even more when Labour unveiled what became
:04:47. > :04:56.Crazy photo ops were a speciality of Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg.
:04:57. > :04:59.When he wasn't hiding hedgehogs, he pitched himself as an honest
:05:00. > :05:02.broker, in case there was a whole Parliament.
:05:03. > :05:06.broker, in case there was a hung Parliament.
:05:07. > :05:10.I believe more rather than less in the Liberal Democrat mission
:05:11. > :05:12.of spreading opportunity across the country, of getting
:05:13. > :05:14.the balance right, of creating a stronger economy
:05:15. > :05:19.And I passionately believe that no other party is able to put that
:05:20. > :05:29.I learned that the name is Liberal Democrats,
:05:30. > :05:38.I learned that he is quite an honest person, Nick Clegg,
:05:39. > :05:41.I must admit, because he did actually say to me that he does not
:05:42. > :05:43.reckon he is going to win this election.
:05:44. > :05:45.The Ukip reality TV show sometimes seemed a bit chaotic.
:05:46. > :05:48.Their leader focused on getting elected in a seat in Kent,
:05:49. > :05:53.There was a little old lady on a stick and she waited very
:05:54. > :05:57.patiently for ten minutes to talk to me.
:05:58. > :06:03.I went over to her, and dhe said, it is my birthday today.
:06:04. > :06:07.And she said 95. I said, happy birthday!
:06:08. > :06:10.And she kissed me on the lips and said, are we going out tonight?
:06:11. > :06:15.I will never forget that as long as I live!
:06:16. > :06:18.The leader of the Greens made waves with a terrible radio interview
:06:19. > :06:20.which led to an infamous new phrase - brain fade.
:06:21. > :06:24.We are looking at a total spend of 2.7...
:06:25. > :06:28.But what is the total cost of 500,000 homes?
:06:29. > :06:34.I did not do a great job this morning.
:06:35. > :06:40.I am aiming to face up to that and move on.
:06:41. > :06:45.But it did not seem to bother the thousands of new members
:06:46. > :06:56.And now, the action moves to the not-so-far away magical
:06:57. > :07:01.It is ruled by Nicola, the selfie Queen, who even
:07:02. > :07:04.It isn't working. Here it is.
:07:05. > :07:14.The SNP lost the independence referendum in 2014, but Sturgeon has
:07:15. > :07:19.And she made it clear she wanted her party to hold
:07:20. > :07:31.the House of Commons than Tory MPs, then if we work together we can lock
:07:32. > :07:35.In terms of the influence that the SNP on Scotland's behalf
:07:36. > :07:38.could have, it does not all come down to a Queen's Speech,
:07:39. > :07:41.it is about the influence you exert across the lifetime of a parliament.
:07:42. > :07:44.With a Fixed Term Parliaments Act now in place, it is possible
:07:45. > :07:47.to change the direction of a government on individual issues
:07:48. > :07:50.without bringing that government down.
:07:51. > :07:58.That puts a party like the SNP into a very, very powerful position.
:07:59. > :08:04.Music to the years of the Conservatives,
:08:05. > :08:08.who said that a Prime Minister Ed Miliband would be held ransom
:08:09. > :08:14.by Scottish nationalists and Alex Salmond.
:08:15. > :08:17.They rammed the message home again and again and again.
:08:18. > :08:20.The election is coming down to a very clear choice -
:08:21. > :08:22.you either stick with the Conservatives, who have got
:08:23. > :08:25.a competent, long-term plan to get the country back to work and cut
:08:26. > :08:28.people's taxes - or you risk a weak Ed Miliband being pushed around
:08:29. > :08:33.It was a nightmare for the Labour leader, who had to rule out a deal
:08:34. > :08:35.with the SNP in pretty much every single interview.
:08:36. > :08:38.People who are thinking of which way to vote needs to know exactly...
:08:39. > :08:41.And I will tell them, a Labour government led by me
:08:42. > :08:43.what happens will be decided by me, not by the SNP.
:08:44. > :08:46.We are not going to have a coalition with the Scottish National Party.
:08:47. > :08:48.I will let other people talking about coalitions,
:08:49. > :08:50.I am not getting into that.
:08:51. > :08:56.All of our protagonists met for a debate on ITV.
:08:57. > :08:59.But it was two supporting characters who stole the show,
:09:00. > :09:02.Nigel Farage, with comments like this...
:09:03. > :09:05.You can come into Britain from anywhere in the world and get
:09:06. > :09:06.diagnosed with HIV and get the retroviral
:09:07. > :09:09.drugs which cost up to ?25,000 per year per patient.
:09:10. > :09:19.smackdowns like this. of Plaid Cymru, with
:09:20. > :09:22.This kind of scaremongering rhetoric is dangerous.
:09:23. > :09:28.It divides communities and it creates stigma to people who are ill
:09:29. > :09:30.and I think you should be ashamed of yourself.
:09:31. > :09:37.I am sorry, we have got to put our own people first.
:09:38. > :09:40.Then, on the 7th of May, the nation went out to vote.
:09:41. > :09:44.And we all held our breath until 10pm.
:09:45. > :09:48.Here it is, ten o'clock, and we are saying the Conservatives
:09:49. > :09:59.And here are the figures which we have - quite
:10:00. > :10:13.That's up nine since the last election in 2010.
:10:14. > :10:16.Ed Miliband for Labour, 77 behind him, at 239,
:10:17. > :10:24.I was in that studio when the exit poll was broadcast and it came
:10:25. > :10:36.Labour suffered its worst general election result for a generation.
:10:37. > :10:39.Let's put down seat number 248, that is a Labour hold in Feltham
:10:40. > :10:47.But the real story of the night is here in Scotland -
:10:48. > :10:53.The SNP went on to win all but three seats north of the border.
:10:54. > :10:57.If this exit poll is anywhere near right, this is beyond
:10:58. > :11:06.If this exit poll is right, Andrew, I will publicly eat my hat
:11:07. > :11:12.No, but I can get one specially for the occasion.
:11:13. > :11:15.Paddy would have to get munching, because the Lib Dems did even worse,
:11:16. > :11:19.ending up with just eight members of Parliament.
:11:20. > :11:22.Nigel Farage failed to become an MP and Ukip ended up with just one,
:11:23. > :11:26.despite getting 4 million votes nationwide.
:11:27. > :11:34.And the Tories held on to key seats like Nuneaton,
:11:35. > :11:40.David Cameron swept into Downing Street the next day.
:11:41. > :11:44.To usher in the first Conservative majority government for 18 years.
:11:45. > :11:47.Everything I have seen over the last five years and indeed
:11:48. > :11:49.during this election campaign has proved once
:11:50. > :11:53.with unrivalled skills and creativeness, a country
:11:54. > :11:58.with such good humour and such great compassion.
:11:59. > :12:06.And I am convinced that if we draw on all of this,
:12:07. > :12:09.then we can take these islands with our pride history and build
:12:10. > :12:15.Together, we can make Great Britain greater still.
:12:16. > :12:19.What would David Cameron do in his second term as Prime
:12:20. > :12:24.And what would it mean for everyone else?
:12:25. > :12:30.Well, that cliffhanger is where we are going to leave act one.
:12:31. > :12:33.I don't know about you, but I am heading to the bar
:12:34. > :12:37.Oh, and we are going to say goodbye to some pretty major characters.
:12:38. > :12:42.The morning after the election, Ed Miliband told party workers
:12:43. > :12:44.that he was off, triggering a leadership contest.
:12:45. > :12:51.I have done my best for nearly five years.
:12:52. > :12:54.Now, you need to show your responsibility.
:12:55. > :13:04.Your responsibility, not simply to mourn our defeat
:13:05. > :13:08.The Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, was among the Labour big beasts
:13:09. > :13:18.Their Scottish leader, Jim Murphy, quit to spend more time
:13:19. > :13:26.And Harriet Harman stood down after eight years as
:13:27. > :13:33.28 years on the front bench - are you going to miss it?
:13:34. > :13:35.No, I just feel a massive relief, really.
:13:36. > :13:38.Because it is such a responsibility and now somebody else can do it
:13:39. > :13:42.There were tears among Lib Dems, as Nick Clegg announced his
:13:43. > :13:48.Clearly the results have been immeasurably more crushing
:13:49. > :13:51.and unkind than I could ever have feared.
:13:52. > :13:53.For that of course I must take responsibility and therefore
:13:54. > :13:57.I announce that I will be resigning as leader of the Liberal Democrats.
:13:58. > :14:00.Tim Farron was elected as his replacement.
:14:01. > :14:02.Tributes were paid to another former Lib Dem leader,
:14:03. > :14:07.Charles Kennedy, who lost his battle with alcoholism.
:14:08. > :14:10.The former Home Secretary Leon Brittan died before the police
:14:11. > :14:17.decided not to pursue claims of sexual abuse.
:14:18. > :14:25.Labour veteran Denis Healey died at the age of 98.
:14:26. > :14:30.And we said goodbye to Geoffrey Howe, the loyal deputy
:14:31. > :14:37.It is rather like sending your opening batsman to the crease only
:14:38. > :14:39.for them to find the moment the first ball is bowled
:14:40. > :14:45.that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain.
:14:46. > :14:47.At the seaside, Nigel Farage announced his resignation
:14:48. > :14:50.as Ukip leader. I am a man of my word.
:14:51. > :14:53.So I shall be writing to the Ukip national executive in a few minutes
:14:54. > :14:59.And in Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson said he was resigning
:15:00. > :15:11.Remember, the Conservatives have surprised everybody by winning
:15:12. > :15:13.the election and forming a majority government,
:15:14. > :15:15.while quite a few characters have left the stage.
:15:16. > :15:26.Pardon? He is behind you!
:15:27. > :15:28.Oh, no, he isn't. Oh, yes, he is!
:15:29. > :15:36.Although Nigel's return sparked a mini meltdown among his team.
:15:37. > :15:40.I think he has had people around him who have not only got an American
:15:41. > :15:44.tea party type political agenda themselves but are also in talks did
:15:45. > :15:47.with the tactics perhaps of the right-wing of
:15:48. > :15:52.the American Republican party, which is very much
:15:53. > :15:55.And I don't think that works in British politics.
:15:56. > :15:57.I don't think British voters are attracted to it.
:15:58. > :16:01.And I don't think it allows Nigel to show the best of himself
:16:02. > :16:10.Labour had a real leadership contest - which you might
:16:11. > :16:18.And that she got her mojo too late in the campaign.
:16:19. > :16:21.And none of them could compete with...Jeremy Corbyn.
:16:22. > :16:29.An MP since 1983, very left-wing, and fond of home-made jumpers...
:16:30. > :16:31.Is that the jumper that your mum made?
:16:32. > :16:37.Thousands of new activists paid ?3 to sign up to the polity
:16:38. > :16:40.Thousands of new activists paid ?3 to sign up to the party
:16:41. > :16:44.During this amazing three months, our party has changed.
:16:45. > :16:48.We have grown enormously because of the hopes of so many
:16:49. > :16:50.ordinary people for a different Britain, a better Britain,
:16:51. > :16:55.a more decent Britain, they are fed up with
:16:56. > :17:03.the injustice, the inequality, the unnecessary poverty.
:17:04. > :17:06.All of those issues have brought people in, in a spirit
:17:07. > :17:08.of hope and optimism. But where to start?
:17:09. > :17:20.To assist Comrade Osborne in his dealings with his new-found
:17:21. > :17:23.comrades, I have brought him along Mao's Little Red Book.
:17:24. > :17:27.His opposition to the police shooting terrorists...
:17:28. > :17:44.Because I, along with millions of Labour voters in the country,
:17:45. > :17:49.were very concerned by the interview that Jeremy gave.
:17:50. > :17:52.Or how about the fact that in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet,
:17:53. > :17:54.it is OK to disagree, even on very big things
:17:55. > :17:59.Would you ever push the nuclear button if you were Prime Minister?
:18:00. > :18:02.I am opposed to nuclear weapons, I am opposed to the holding
:18:03. > :18:07.They are an ultimate weapon of mass destruction.
:18:08. > :18:15.They can only kill millions of civilians if ever used.
:18:16. > :18:18.I don't think that a potential Prime Minister answering a question
:18:19. > :18:22.like that in the way in which he did is helpful.
:18:23. > :18:26.If you have got a nuclear deterrent, you have got to be willing to use it
:18:27. > :18:28.in extreme circumstances, or it isn't a deterrent.
:18:29. > :18:34.You should never say never in politics, because you need
:18:35. > :18:36.to look at the circumstances which arise, the evidence before you.
:18:37. > :18:40.In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, when MPs debated weather
:18:41. > :18:43.In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, when MPs debated
:18:44. > :18:45.whether to attack so-called Islamic State in Syria,
:18:46. > :18:47.the splits in Labour got serious.
:18:48. > :18:50.Jeremy Corbyn was on the side of the anti-war protesters.
:18:51. > :18:56.The Shadow Foreign Secretary was in favour of military action.
:18:57. > :19:01.Sort of "potential new leader in waiting" in favour...
:19:02. > :19:07.And we are here faced by fascists, not just their calculated brutality
:19:08. > :19:11.but their belief that they are superior to every single one of us
:19:12. > :19:13.in this chamber tonight and all of the people
:19:14. > :19:17.They hold us in contempt. They hold our values in contempt.
:19:18. > :19:20.They hold our belief in tolerance and decency in contempt.
:19:21. > :19:23.They hold our democracy, the means by which we will make our decision
:19:24. > :19:28.The air strikes went ahead, with British forces hitting
:19:29. > :19:37.oilfields held by IS in Syria, alongside targets in Iraq.
:19:38. > :19:40.When it comes to other weapons, like the ones used at the government
:19:41. > :19:42.eavesdropping post, GCHQ, there was new legislation to help
:19:43. > :19:48.If it is Tuesday, it must be Bulgaria.
:19:49. > :19:51.David Cameron continued his never-ending tour of European
:19:52. > :19:54.leaders as he tried to convince them that Britain needs a new deal
:19:55. > :20:00.It was all happening against the backdrop
:20:01. > :20:07.David Cameron promised to take 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps
:20:08. > :20:19.Back at home, his Chancellor carried on trying to build
:20:20. > :20:22.A plan to electrify the railway between London and Sheffield
:20:23. > :20:27.Also shunted into a siding, George Osborne's plan
:20:28. > :20:29.to cut tax credits - postponed after a baroness
:20:30. > :20:36.Basically what this does is undermine the fair contract
:20:37. > :20:39.we had with people when we said, with tax credits, we will
:20:40. > :20:47.And what is going to happen, if there is no delay tonight,
:20:48. > :20:53.And at Christmas, families will get letters saying that they will lose
:20:54. > :21:03.Although, at the Conservative government's first budget
:21:04. > :21:05.of the summer, Osborne won plaudits with this surprise announcement...
:21:06. > :21:12.I am today introducing a new national living wage.
:21:13. > :21:15.We will set it to reach ?9 an hour by 2020.
:21:16. > :21:17.The new national living wage will be compulsory.
:21:18. > :21:22.Working people aged 25 and over will receive it.
:21:23. > :21:24.It will start next April at the rate of ?7.20.
:21:25. > :21:30.The Low Pay Commission will recommend future rises
:21:31. > :21:32.and achieve the government's objectives...
:21:33. > :21:35.Elsewhere at Westminster, I had to learn the faces of a lot
:21:36. > :21:47.Anne McLoughlin. Nice to meet you.
:21:48. > :21:49.How does it feel settling in? It is great.
:21:50. > :21:57.All the parliament staff have been fantastic.
:21:58. > :22:00.Didn't realise when I got here that you can't use cash on London buses.
:22:01. > :22:07.The SNP newbies got into trouble for breaking rules in the chamber.
:22:08. > :22:12.Can I say at the start of the parliament that
:22:13. > :22:16.the convention that we don't clap in this chamber is very,
:22:17. > :22:23.very, very long established and widely respect, and it would be
:22:24. > :22:25.and it would be appreciated if members would show some respect
:22:26. > :22:34.The youngest MP for years, Mhairi Black - 20 years
:22:35. > :22:36.old when she took up her seat in May.
:22:37. > :22:40.Now, the government quite rightly pays for me through taxpayers' money
:22:41. > :22:43.to be able to live in London whilst I serve my constituents.
:22:44. > :22:47.My housing is subsidised by the taxpayer.
:22:48. > :22:51.Now, the Chancellor in his budget said, it is not fair that families
:22:52. > :22:53.earning over ?40,000 in London should have their rents paid
:22:54. > :22:58.But it is OK so long as you are an MP.
:22:59. > :23:01.In this budget, the Chancellor also abolished any housing benefit
:23:02. > :23:13.So we are now in the ridiculous situation whereby because I am
:23:14. > :23:17.an MP, not only am I the youngest, but I am now also the only
:23:18. > :23:19.20-year-old in the whole of the UK that the Chancellor is prepared
:23:20. > :23:28.And finally, who is the secret Santa in this footage which has
:23:29. > :23:31.Would you like to reveal yourself? Jeremy Corbyn.
:23:32. > :23:34.Well done, I thought it was the real Santa!
:23:35. > :23:46.The man who really has stolen the show this year.
:23:47. > :23:56.There is going to be plenty more in 2016,
:23:57. > :23:57.like elections to the Scottish Parliament.
:23:58. > :24:06.Will Labour or the Conservatives be the second party north
:24:07. > :24:17.Sir John Chilcot is going to publish his report into the Iraq war,
:24:18. > :24:19.six years after his inquiry first started.
:24:20. > :24:22.And there is a good chance that we will all be voting
:24:23. > :24:25.in a referendum on whether Britain should remain a member
:24:26. > :24:27.of the European Union - possibly one of the biggest
:24:28. > :24:29.political moments, certainly in my lifetime.