The Year in Politics Review

in politics, from Theresa May's snap

election that backfired

so spectacularly, to continuing

tussles with the EU over Brexit.

Ellie Price reviews the year

in British politics.

The headlines this morning,

Theresa May's decision to call

the general election...

It was with reluctance I decided

the country needs...

The Prime Minister spelt

out her strategic goals.

History has been made.

Article 50 of been triggered.

Brexit negotiations in a shambles.

2017 was shaped by what happened

when a pretty influential person

went for a nice long walk

in the countryside and has a little

think about things.

That was, of course, Theresa May,

who went on a hike with her husband

in April and came back thinking it

would be a jolly good idea to call

a general election.

The decision made on that little

stroll defined the year.

But plenty happened

in the months running up to it.

The 2017 journey started

as we all expected with Brexit.

Are we going to get a detailed

plan, Prime Minister?

Only a few days shy of the EU

referendum's six-month anniversary,

Theresa May made a speech

at Lancaster House.

It became known as the

Lancaster House speech.

Setting out a blueprint of her main

objectives for Brexit negotiations.

As a priority we will pursue a bold

and ambitious free trade agreement

with the European Union.

The days of Britain making vast

contributions to the European Union

every year will end.

No deal for Britain

is better than a bad deal.

The PM confirmed Britain would come

out of the EU single market

but there would be a transition

period from EU membership

to whatever is agreed after.

She said parliament will be given

a vote on a final deal.

But it was Parliament getting a say

on the start of negotiating that

deal which was the big

news a few days later.

The government got taken to court

for wanting to trigger Article 50.

The mechanism to leave the EU.

Without having to ask MPs first.

By a majority of 8-3,

the Supreme Court rules

that the government cannot trigger

Article 50 without an act

of Parliament

authorising it to do so.

No Prime Minister, no

government, can expect to be

unanswerable or unchallenged.

Parliament alone is sovereign.

Parliament was given that very

vote a few weeks later.

Ayes to the right, 494.

Nos to the left, 122.

An historic vote today.

It got through by a large

majority at every turn.

It has carry out the will

of the British people.

The stage was set, then,

and on the 29th of March Article

50 was triggered.

This is an historic moment

from which there can be

no turning back.

All it took was a short letter

delivered by hand to Brussels,

signed by Theresa May.

Though you might not know it

from that signature.

So here it is.

Six pages.

Thank you and goodbye.

Now it was time for

the difficult bit to start.

Negotiating the terms.

We were all doggedly

talking about Brexit,

but other things happened, too.

The Conservative Party

candidate, 13,748.

In February the Tories won

the Copeland by-election,

a first such win by a government

party over its opposition

in 35 years.

In a place that had

been Labour since 1935.

On the same night Labour held

onto their Stoke-on-Trent seat.

You going to resign?

Seeing off a challenge from Ukip.

It was a message that

Hope triumphs over fear.

Elections, too, for

the Northern Ireland assembly.

Sinn Fein came within one seat

of drawing level with the DUP

after a bitterly divisive campaign.

Just a few weeks later, the death

of Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness,

Northern Ireland's former

Deputy First Minister.

Martin McGuinness

was a freedom fighter.

Even now, still no sign

of a breakthrough so that

power-sharing can be

restored at Stormont.

Saving for a rainy day Chancellor?

In London Philip Hammond if

the first of his budgets this year.

Theresa May was really

looking forward to it.

The Chancellor said it

would prepare Britain for Brexit.

We provide a strong and stable

platform for those negotiations.

Strong and stable, a phrase

we would all get bored of.

On the 22nd of March a terrorist

ploughed through pedestrians

on Westminster Bridge killing

four and injuring 50.

He then stabbed to death

a policeman just outside

the Houses of Parliament.

He was later shot dead.

The first three months of the year

in Westminster and beyond had

already provided plenty to fill

the airwaves and newspapers.

Then a surprise announcement

no one saw coming.

I've just chaired a meeting

of the Cabinet where we agreed

the government should

call a general election.

To be held on the 8th of June.

Every vote for the Conservatives

will make me stronger

when I negotiate for Britain

with the prime ministers,

president and chancellors

the European Union.

Every vote for the Conservatives

will mean we can stick to our plan

for a stronger Britain,

and take the right long-term

decisions for a more secure future.

General election.

You're joking, not another one!

Go on, go on.

The path ahead seemed pretty clear

forgeries in May and the Tories

could almost smell victory.

They thought.

The local elections saw

the Conservatives make big gains

across the country.

At the expense of Ukip,

whose vote collapsed.

And Labour.

We've had very disappointing results

in other parts of the country.

Yes, we have to go out

there in the next four weeks and get

the message out.

There were recriminations, too,

among some Labour MPs.

It's a pretty disastrous picture.

Simply not good enough for a party

that has been in opposition

for seven years, that is heading

towards a general election in five

weeks, to not be picking up seats

and not making forward progress.

So much progress was made

on the Labour election manifesto

that it was finished five days early

and promptly leaked to the press.

When formally lodged it called

for the renationalisation of water

companies and an end

to tuition fees.

This is a programme of hope.

The Tory campaign by contrast

is built on one word.

Fear.

The Tories unveiled a document that

included scrapping free school

lunches for children

in England and a shake-up

of the social care system.

With confidence in ourselves

and a unity of purpose

in our country, let us

all go forward together.

APPLAUSE.

Then Theresa May seemed

to lose her way.

The direction and clear.

In a series of unforced errors.

There was that you on social care.

-- U-turn.

You've just announced a significant

change to what was offered

in your manifesto, saying

there will now be the possibility

of a cap on social care.

That was not in the plans

announced just four days ago.

Our social care system will collapse

unless we address this problem.

Nothing has changed.

Nothing has changed.

That she refused to take part in any

head-to-head televised debate.

The Prime Minister is not

here tonight, she can't be bothered,

so why should you?

In fact, Bake Off

is on BBC Two next.

It wasn't Bake Off, but she did go

on TV to talk about the bins.

It all seemed a bit cringing.

There is give and take in every

marriage isn't there?

I get to decide when I take

the bins out, not if.

There are boy jobs

and girl jobs, you see.

There was that weird time

the Prime Minister was asked

what was the naughtiest thing

she ever done as a child.

She said it was to run

through a field of wheat.

Come on, Ed, come on, Ed.

# The hills are alive

with the Sound of music #.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn

was positively frolicking out

on the campaign trail.

Greeted like a rock star

at his well attended rallies.

I never was into politics

because I never thought politicians

were, like, normal people.

Until now.

You won't say whether you

think having gay sex

is a sin.

Elsewhere the Lib Dem leader

Tim Farron, a devoted Christian,

kept being asked the same question.

I don't believe gay sex is a sin,

I take the view as a political

leader, I job is not to pontificate

on theological matters.

He provided one of the best

catchphrases of the campaign.

Smell my spaniel, maybe.

The SNP seems pretty cool

about the challenge ahead.

Winning 56 it will be a huge

challenge for Nicola Sturgeon's

party, Ruth Davidson has predicted

we've hit peak that,

the only way is down.

This party...

Hello.

Ukip's manifesto was memorable

for its proposed ban on burgers

in public but to lead a Paul Nuttall

had trouble with his own memory.

I think it's absolutely right,

what we need to do...

I'm not Natalie!

He's done it twice now.

Have I?

I'm sorry about that.

Politics was overtaken by tragedy

not once, but twice.

23 people, including the attacker,

were killed after a bomb went off

at a pop concert at

the Manchester Arena.

This was among the worst terrorist

incidents we've ever experienced

in the United Kingdom.

Less than two weeks later and five

days before the election,

a second terror attack,

this time on London Bridge.

Eight people killed and the three

attackers shot dead by police.

On both occasions, the campaign

was suspended for several days.

What we're saying is the

Conservatives are the largest party.

Note, they don't have an overall

majority at this stage.

Overall, the Conservatives lost 12

seats, creating a hung parliament.

They were the biggest party

but didn't have a majority.

Surprising even themselves,

Labour gained an extra 30 seats.

The SNP lost 21, including that

of their former leader Alex Salmond.

Former Lib Dem leader

Nick Clegg also lost his seat.

Theresa May stayed

on as PM, but only just.

I'm sorry for all those candidates

and hard-working party workers

who weren't successful.

With their majority got a vocal

number of Tory MPs thought it stank.

And Theresa May would have

to clean up the mess.

That's what she promised to do.

But still there was pressure

on her to resign, including

from a former close colleague who,

by the way, had got a new job

as editor of the London

Evening Standard.

Theresa May is a dead woman walking,

it's how long she will remain

on death row.

Tim Farron did decide it was time

to go, even though the Lib Dems had

regained an extra eight seats.

To be a political leader

especially of a progressive,

liberal party, in 2017,

and to live as a committed

Christian, to hold faithfully

to the Bible's teaching has felt

impossible for me.

Watching on was the man

who took over, Vince Cable.

Paul Nuttall, who failed to win

a seat, also resigned.

For us, though the tide may

be out at the moment,

at this present moment in time,

I am convinced it will return.

Deal or no Deal Mrs Foster?

To get enough MPs to pass

any laws, Theresa May

the Democratic Unionist Party's ten

MPs from Northern Ireland onside.

This discussion is still going on.

Norman, what can you tell us?

You keep looking over your shoulder

in case she comes out the door,

what can you tell us so far?

Tadhg actually I was looking

at a much more interesting fight

about to erupt between Palmerston

and Larry, who is lying flat

on the street, a serious clash that

could be about to unfold,

I don't know whether

I should intervene.

Don't worry, there is no fight,

they came to an arrangement,

as did the DUP and government,

18 days after the election.

Today we've reached an outcome

that is good for the United Kingdom.

Then remember the guy

being treated like a rock star?

Jeremy Corbyn went to Glastonbury.

Plenty did I just.

It was only June, the issue

of Brexit haven't gone away,

time for the EU and UK

to get stuck in.

A hugely important decision

was taken by the remaining 27

countries in the EU

at the end of April.

To start with negotiators

would only took about three

subjects, the border

between Ireland and the

Republic of Ireland,

the

right of EU citizens living in

Britain and vice versa and how much

Britain owed the EU,

the so-called divorce bill.

Only when sufficient progress

was made in those areas

could talks move on to

the nitty-gritty of trade deals.

We all want a close

and strong future

relationship with the UK.

There's absolutely no

question about it.

Before discussing the future,

we have to sort out our past.

The very next day,

a German newspaper

published details of a meeting

between the EU Commission president

Jean-Claude Juncker and the PM.

It alleged the meeting had been

frosty and Mr Juncker had left ten

times more sceptical.

Theresa May dismissed

the report as gossip.

By June, it was time

to get on with it.

I'm here in Brussels today,

like Michel, to begin

the

next phase of our work to build

a new deep and special partnership

with the European Union.

That obviously wouldn't be easy.

TRANSLATION:

The UK decided

to leave the EU, not

the other way round,

and

the consequences are substantial.

We come bearing gifts.

Enter Jeremy Corbyn to mix

things up a bit.

He met the

EU chief negotiator to discuss

Labour's Brexit position, which may

not have been as obvious

as his football allegiance.

A football shirt..

Barnier!

You now play for Arsenal.

The British government published

a series of papers clarifying

its position on a range of issues.

But by the end of August the EU

seemed to suggest it wasn't enough.

To be honest, I'm concerned.

Time passes quickly.

With the clock ticking,

Theresa May made another speech,

this time in Florence.

She said there should

be a transition period

of about two years after Brexit,

and that Britain was prepared to pay

a financial settlement.

Clearly people, businesses

and public services

should only have to plan for one set

of changes in the relationship

between the UK and EU.

The UK will honour

commitments we've made during

the period of our membership.

Let us be creative

as well as practical in

designing an ambitious economic

partnership that respect the

freedoms and principles of the EU

and the wishes of the British

people.

A month later, another

dinner, another kiss with

Jean-Claude Juncker.

Another German newspaper report.

This time it said the PM

had "begged for help"

when they

met, and she seemed tired

and politically weak.

He denied the account.

She was in good shape,

she was not tired, she was fighting.

As is her duty.

Everything for me was OK.

She didn't plead with you for help?

No, no.

Still, by December, no decision

on whether sufficient

progress had been made.

A deal was so near.

Theresa May was even in Brussels.

But the sticking point was the DUP

who said they weren't happy

with

proposals for Northern Ireland.

We will not accept any form

of regulatory divergence

which

separates Northern Ireland

economically or politically from the

rest of the UK.

A dramatic intervention

and back to stalemate.

After more late-night talks,

finally, a breakthrough.

For now at least.

Sufficient progress has now been

made on the strict terms

of the divorce.

This was a difficult negotiation

for the European Union

as well as for the United Kingdom.

You can say that again, Jean-Claude.

That is what this was all about.

I very much welcome the prospect

of moving ahead to the next phase.

Will you be celebrating, Mr Barnier,

cracking open the champagne?

We're still working.

The chief negotiator wasn't

quite jumping for joy.

Ultimate arbiter, put

about in your pipe and smoke it.

Back home, critics

like him

weren't celebrating

either.

Amazing isn't it, British

PM has to fly through

the

middle of the night

to meet some unelected

bureaucrats who patted

her on ahead and said you've met

all our demands, made

sufficient progress,

we can move onto the next stage, the

whole thing is a humiliation.

There is little doubt

it did come as some

relief to the PM.

Even if less than one week later...

The ayes to the right, 309,

nos to the left 305.

..She was defeated in the Commons

when rebel Tory and opposition MPs

forced

the government to give a legal

guarantee of a vote on the final

Brexit deal.

Overall, a year of Brexit

negotiations ended with

agreement.

At least the first bit.

The real fun starts making a deal on

the future relationship.

Is Theresa May's of a full agreement

by March 2019 realistic?

Still realistic and, of course,

dramatically difficult.

With the election over

and Brexit dominating

the whole of 2017,

it was a long slog.

Keeping control of her own

party has been an uphill

struggle for the PM.

# Oh, Jeremy Corbyn...#

Not least when you compare it

to Jeremy Corbyn's fortunes.

They may have lost

the election but Labour's

party conference felt more

like a victory parade.

It was like this last year.

It wasn't like this last year.

Thank you so much for that

wonderful welcome and this

incredible feeling

and spirit of unity

on love and affection we have here.

The run-up to the Tory conference

was less than harmonious,

Boris Johnson hit the headlines for

an article he wrote outlining his

own red lines in

Brexit negotiations.

They seemed to go further

than that of the Prime

Minister and what was

agreed by the Cabinet.

Once again there were whispers

about his leadership

aspirations.

A little taste of Italy.

As there were about this man,

Jacob Rees-Mogg, though he told me

he wants Theresa May

to stay on as leader.

For ever and ever, eternity,

even eternity is too short to

extol her.

You don't fancy it yourself?

No, of course not,

I want Mrs May to go

on

for ever and ever.

In the end it was Theresa May's

conference speech that

went on and on.

It started with a prankster.

..Prepare for a run on the ground.

Boris, job done, given her the P 45.

Of course it had nothing to do

with the Foreign Secretary.

I was about to talk

about somebody I would

like to give a P45 to, that

is Jeremy Corbyn.

And then came the frog

in the throat.

The deficit is back

to precrisis levels...

..Sounds as if my

voice isn't on track.

COUGH.

As if it couldn't get any worse,

even the scenery started

falling down.

The PM put on a brave face

and was supported by her

husband and, in the coming days,

after some whisperings about her

leadership, her Cabinet.

By the end of October,

scandal once again hit

Westminster, this time

about sexual harassment.

Very quickly it became clear

it was not party political,

with various MPs implicated.

And then a Cabinet Minister.

In recent days allegations have been

made about MPs' conduct.

Including my own.

Many of these allegations

have been false.

But I realise that in the past I may

have fallen below the

high standards that we require

of the Armed Forces

that I have the

honour to represent.

I have reflected now

on my position

in government and I am therefore

resigning as Defence Secretary.

One week later,

jetting back this time

from an official ministerial trip,

Priti Patel, the international

development secretary,

was called into Downing Street

and also resigned.

This time over unauthorised meetings

she'd had with Israeli officials

while on holiday.

In her resignation letter,

Ms Patel said her actions

"fell below the standards

of transparency and openness."

Losing two Cabinet ministers in a

week was unlucky, losing a third the

following month was awkward, but

Damian Green, the PM's effect is

deputy resigned after it was found

that he made misleading statements

over claims of pornography on his

office computer.

It wasn't just troublesome

friends at home.

In January the PM

and Donald Trump had

got on so well when she went

to Washington they even held hands.

Mrs May invited

the President over for

a

state visit at some stage.

That didn't go down well

with some people back home.

So when the President retweeted some

unsubstantiated posts

from a British far right group

called Britain First,

it was, at

best, a bit awkward.

Theresa May said he

was wrong to do it.

He told her, don't focus on me.

The year didn't end

as friendly as it had

started, but is the President

still coming over?

An invitation for a state visit

has been extended and

has been accepted.

We have yet to set a date.

Thank you.

Something to look

forward to next year.

So much going on, little sign

of things slowing down.

Politics aside, there was one

more important moment

in Westminster this year.

The silencing of an old friend.

BONG.

Big Ben stopped bonging.

Apart from events like

Remembrance Sunday and New Year's

Eve, the bell will stay silent

as repair works go on,

for four years.

Even the Prime Minister is a bit

upset about it as our other MPs.

It means something, it really does,

these are the chimes of Freedom

and

they have to be respected.

We've got to keep them bonging.

It really has been all

about timing this year.

An election and all the fallout,

Brexit and the ongoing negotiations,

scandals at Westminster.

It's been quite a year.

Next year couldn't possibly be

so frantic, could it?