07/12/2011

:00:24. > :00:27.Morning, folks - welcome to The Daily Politics. David Cameron says

:00:27. > :00:30.no to repatriation of powers - saving the euro and protecting the

:00:30. > :00:34.City of London are his priorities. But has he shown enough steel to

:00:34. > :00:37.convince his eurosceptic MPs? As the dispute continues over public

:00:37. > :00:42.sector pensions, is the Government going to act on the taxpayer-funded

:00:42. > :00:46.union reps that have become known as pilgrims? Hard-playing rugby

:00:46. > :00:56.player Ben Cohen on why the rough stuff should be confined to the

:00:56. > :00:57.

:00:57. > :01:05.rugby pitch. It is cruel and unnecessary, and I'm here to do

:01:05. > :01:15.know some of our hard-working MPs watch Strictly Come Dancing and the

:01:15. > :01:23.

:01:23. > :01:28.X factor if. How do I know? They All that coming up in the next 90

:01:28. > :01:31.minutes. Now, we had promised you Iain Duncan Smith today - but after

:01:31. > :01:34.briefly turning up the volume at the weekend, it appears the self-

:01:34. > :01:41.styled quiet man has been muted - the official excuse is that he had

:01:41. > :01:43.a meeting to go to this afternoon. Never mind, because we have one of

:01:43. > :01:50.IDS's deputies, Pensions Minister Chris Grayling, and Labour's Shadow

:01:50. > :02:00.Treasury Minister, Rachel Reeves. We like to think of them as

:02:00. > :02:05.

:02:05. > :02:11.Westminster's cuddlier answer to pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang. We

:02:11. > :02:14.called the pounds to check on the pronunciation, by the way. Welcome

:02:14. > :02:17.to the programme. First this morning, it looks like a plan of

:02:17. > :02:20.sorts is emerging to deal with the eurozone crisis ahead of a summit

:02:20. > :02:29.of European leaders in Brussels which begins tomorrow - the seventh

:02:29. > :02:31.such summit this year. The plan being put together by the President

:02:31. > :02:35.of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, apparently involves a

:02:35. > :02:37."fiscal compact" in the shape of either a new treaty or merely a

:02:37. > :02:40.change in the protocols of existing treaties which would avoid

:02:40. > :02:50.referendums or votes in the parliaments of member countries -

:02:50. > :03:02.

:03:02. > :03:06.votes which could be problematic, not least in Britain. You wouldn't

:03:06. > :03:08.really want to consult the people, would you? A good general chooses

:03:08. > :03:12.would you? A good general chooses his battles carefully, and David

:03:12. > :03:15.Cameron must now decide where to plant his standard on Europe. The

:03:15. > :03:20.Conservative army of eurosceptics want their leader to fight to

:03:20. > :03:23.repatriate powers over fisheries and employment regulations. But the

:03:23. > :03:28.Prime Minister has said that this is not the time, despite his

:03:28. > :03:32.manifesto commitment. Instead he said his mission is to save the

:03:32. > :03:36.euro. But he warned his EU partners that this didn't mean he lacked

:03:36. > :03:43.steel. He will stand firm against any measures which harm the single

:03:43. > :03:46.market or the money men of the City of London. The Prime Minister's

:03:46. > :03:50.stance will find favour with his allies and lieutenants, such as

:03:50. > :03:53.Nick Clegg and Ken Clarke, who has said today that this was not the

:03:53. > :03:59.time to extract concessions. But will Cameron be able to placate his

:03:59. > :04:02.own mutinous footsoldiers? A full- blown treaty change - of all 27

:04:02. > :04:07.states, rather than a change of protocol - would require a change

:04:07. > :04:09.in the law and a vote in the House of Commons. And that could see a

:04:10. > :04:15.peasants' revolt. Remember the Battle of Maastricht? Let's speak

:04:16. > :04:20.to eurosceptic Conservative MP Chris Heaton Harris. He's in the

:04:20. > :04:24.Chris Heaton Harris. He's in the central lobby of Parliament. What I

:04:24. > :04:28.your demands from the Prime Minister? Actually, I do not hear

:04:28. > :04:38.many Conservative MPs asking for specifics at this moment. We just

:04:38. > :04:42.

:04:42. > :04:46.want assurances. Should there be a change to the treaty of the 27,

:04:46. > :04:50.then there will be two or three months where the treaty is lined up,

:04:51. > :04:55.and we must be allowed to get involved in that negotiation, to

:04:55. > :04:59.work out whether we one some powers coming back to us. So, you would

:04:59. > :05:03.like to see some repatriation of powers? David Cameron has just

:05:03. > :05:07.spoken about safeguards for the City - would that be enough I have

:05:07. > :05:11.got to wait till Friday, because I'm not convinced that it is going

:05:11. > :05:15.to be as bad as lots of the media commentators are making out.

:05:15. > :05:20.think actually there is a very good chance that the French and Germans

:05:20. > :05:23.will be helping us to help them. I do not want to get in the way of

:05:23. > :05:25.them sorting out the eurozone crisis. But equally, I do think

:05:25. > :05:30.there is a general understanding that politics in Britain is

:05:30. > :05:35.demanding that we get much more involved. But you have to be much

:05:35. > :05:40.more so for terrific - what would you like to see in terms of

:05:40. > :05:45.repatriation? Struggling much more specific. It sounds from what

:05:45. > :05:48.you're saying that safeguarding the City would be enough. You and I

:05:48. > :05:54.both do not know what will be decided on Friday. At the moment,

:05:54. > :05:58.it could be a protocol, as Mr Van Rompuy might like. Would you be

:05:58. > :06:06.happy about that? Protocols can have a huge amount of influence. I

:06:06. > :06:10.have been a member of parliament for 10 years. I would be up for

:06:10. > :06:13.that. It could be a treaty of the 17, it could be a treaty of the 27,

:06:13. > :06:18.it could be something just involving two or three states, no-

:06:18. > :06:27.one knows. I'm not hedging, but everybody is speculating until

:06:27. > :06:31.Friday. On the protocol issue, are you saying you do not mind if

:06:31. > :06:35.Parliament does not have a say in terms of approving whatever is

:06:35. > :06:38.agreed? No, I'm saying that protocols have been very useful to

:06:38. > :06:42.Britain in the past. We have had protocols on the currency, for

:06:42. > :06:52.example. That is exactly where I would like to see more business

:06:52. > :06:54.

:06:54. > :06:57.than, protocols can be very helpful Joining us now from Brussels is the

:06:57. > :07:03.Lib Dem chief whip in the European parliament, Chris Davies, and

:07:03. > :07:07.Rachel and Chris are still here. Chris Davies, you're at the heart

:07:07. > :07:11.of things, in Brussels, what do you think is going to happen? Is it

:07:11. > :07:16.going to be treated changes, a new treaty, or simply is everything

:07:16. > :07:19.going to be done by protocols? must remember, most importantly, it

:07:19. > :07:28.is going to be done by consensus. That leaves David Cameron playing a

:07:28. > :07:32.bit of a week and, frankly. Can we come on to this in a minute? I

:07:32. > :07:38.would appreciate it, even if only out of courtesy, if you answered my

:07:38. > :07:42.question. Very simply, I think it is going to be done by protocol. I

:07:42. > :07:45.think Chris Heaton Harris was correct. If you read what Mr Van

:07:45. > :07:49.Rompuy has said in the papers today, it is all about a protocol which

:07:50. > :07:53.will affect basically the 17 countries within the eurozone, and

:07:53. > :07:58.not those outside. So, David Cameron would be on perfectly good

:07:58. > :08:02.ground to say that this would not require a referendum in the UK. If

:08:02. > :08:06.it does require approval, and I assume it will, then it can be done

:08:06. > :08:10.by the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Are you saying that

:08:10. > :08:15.it will only affect the 17 in the eurozone, that the other 10 will

:08:15. > :08:20.not be involved? I have read the paper this morning, and all the

:08:20. > :08:24.talk is of a protocol. I think that steers around the issue of whether

:08:24. > :08:28.there is going to be a transfer of sovereignty from the UK. It is not,

:08:28. > :08:33.the whole point is to strengthen the eurozone, not to try and

:08:34. > :08:37.transfer powers either way. Why are you placing so much emphasis on

:08:37. > :08:44.what Mr Van Rompuy thinks, as opposed to the Germans, who, so far,

:08:44. > :08:47.have not talk about a protocol? First of all, I suppose, because

:08:47. > :08:51.van Rompuy represents all the smaller nations. We hear a lot

:08:51. > :08:55.about Angela Merkel and Sarkozy, but there's 15 other countries,

:08:55. > :08:59.many of them very small, within the eurozone, and the President of the

:08:59. > :09:03.council has to stand up for them. When they all finally get around

:09:03. > :09:07.the table, then I suspect the small countries will want a say. I'm sure

:09:07. > :09:10.they will. Chris Grayling, so, we're going to have major changes

:09:11. > :09:15.in Europe, they are going to be done through the back door, which

:09:15. > :09:20.is basically what the Protocol system is, and once again, no

:09:20. > :09:24.referendum - happy with that? see what happens on Friday. I have

:09:24. > :09:28.been very clear, as was David Cameron this morning, that we have

:09:28. > :09:33.got to defend the British national interest. What is the British

:09:33. > :09:36.national interest in all of this? Well, practical example - it looks

:09:36. > :09:41.as if we're going to see steps towards a fiscal union. What we

:09:41. > :09:46.cannot have as a result of that is a situation where, if you take our

:09:46. > :09:50.financial services industry, for example, that can somehow be

:09:50. > :09:56.squashed at the dictats of other member states. We have got to

:09:56. > :10:01.protect our national interest. is a strong thing which the

:10:01. > :10:04.Conservatives are setting up - there are no plans to do things

:10:04. > :10:09.which will squash the City of London. There are two very

:10:09. > :10:13.practical things. First of all, there is the transactions plan.

:10:13. > :10:22.That's a plan that Europe would like to see introduced, it is not

:10:22. > :10:26.part of saving the eurozone. but if you have a more integrated

:10:26. > :10:30.eurozone, which commands power in the European council, we have to

:10:30. > :10:34.make sure that those states are in a position to turn around and say,

:10:34. > :10:40.that is what we're going to do, it affects you and you do not have a

:10:40. > :10:45.say on it. So, the key task for David Cameron on Friday, is those

:10:45. > :10:48.negotiations, is to make short... We have also got 49 directives

:10:48. > :10:52.which will impact upon the City of London. But that is not part of

:10:52. > :10:57.treaty changes or protocol changes to save the eurozone, it is nothing

:10:57. > :11:01.to do with it, they're separate issues We have had over the past 30

:11:01. > :11:05.years, a number of different protocols giving Britain opt in

:11:05. > :11:10.rights, and opt out rights, giving us protection. What David Cameron

:11:10. > :11:13.was talking about this morning, he said he was going to go in with

:11:13. > :11:23.steel to defend the British interest. I think we need a bit of

:11:23. > :11:25.

:11:25. > :11:28.the spirit of the Thatcher handbag. You would expect any Prime Minister

:11:28. > :11:33.to stand up for Britain's interests, that is what they are supposed to

:11:33. > :11:37.do. What is your position on this? I think what needs to happen in

:11:37. > :11:39.terms of the eurozone crisis is that you need the ECB to stand

:11:39. > :11:45.behind the countries which are in difficulty, but you need Chancellor

:11:45. > :11:47.Merkel to stand behind that. you in favour of fiscal union for

:11:47. > :11:51.the eurozone countries? I don't think that is a solution. It is up

:11:51. > :11:55.to them, it is not Britain's decision. But in terms of what they

:11:56. > :11:59.need to do to get through this crisis, they need a central bank

:11:59. > :12:07.which stands behind these things, in the same way that the Bank of

:12:08. > :12:12.England does in the UK. But that is not going to be one of the changes.

:12:12. > :12:16.But I think there is a chance... want to get this clear - Labour is

:12:16. > :12:20.not in favour, because it does not think it is one of and, of the

:12:20. > :12:24.eurozone becoming a fiscal union? think what Chancellor Merkel is

:12:24. > :12:28.saying is that if you have some kind of "fiscal compact", which is

:12:28. > :12:33.some kind of integration, then the ECB might be allowed to come in and

:12:33. > :12:37.support countries in difficulty. So, if "fiscal compact" is getting the

:12:37. > :12:41.ECB to play a proper role, then, yes, I would support that. If it is

:12:41. > :12:45.going to get a solution to the problem. You just told me you were

:12:45. > :12:49.not in favour of it. I don't think it is fiscal union which will get

:12:49. > :12:54.through this crisis. But if it leads to the ECB becoming the

:12:54. > :12:57.lender of last resort, you're in favour of it. Yes, but on its own,

:12:58. > :13:01.I don't think it will solve the problems. That's the opposite of

:13:01. > :13:06.what you told me two minutes ago. You told me that fiscal union is

:13:06. > :13:10.not the answer. It isn't. But if a "fiscal compact" means that the

:13:10. > :13:15.other countries in the eurozone will allow the ECB to do its job,

:13:15. > :13:20.then that is part of the answer, but not on its own. Chris Davies,

:13:20. > :13:24.do you think it is very democratic that setting up a eurozone which

:13:24. > :13:32.will impinge on the tax-and-spend policies of all the peoples of the

:13:32. > :13:35.eurozone is done through the back door by a protocol change? I assume

:13:36. > :13:41.that protocol change will be put to national parliaments. So where is

:13:41. > :13:49.the democracy element? So, it would be put to national parliaments just

:13:49. > :13:52.like a treaty change? unassuming, and at do not know the

:13:52. > :13:56.answer to this yet, that what will be required is a change to the

:13:56. > :14:01.protocol. That would not mean a transfer of sovereignty from the UK

:14:01. > :14:04.to the European Union. And therefore, it can go to the

:14:04. > :14:08.Parliament at Westminster, and can be voted on without the need for a

:14:08. > :14:14.referendum. But that might not be the case in Ireland, for example. A

:14:14. > :14:17.treaty change, as I understand it, would require a referendum there.

:14:17. > :14:23.Is there are substantive difference between a treaty change and a

:14:23. > :14:29.protocol change? Does it demand the same democratic procedures?

:14:29. > :14:34.protocol change is a treaty change. It seems to me that as far as the

:14:34. > :14:39.UK is concerned, the difference is simply, does it now require, under

:14:40. > :14:44.the new Act of Parliament, us to go to a referendum? I think not.

:14:44. > :14:53.the eurozone becomes a fiscal union, whether it is by a treaty change or

:14:53. > :14:56.protocol change, friendly, and lost now, but let's just say it happens,

:14:56. > :15:02.doesn't that fundamentally change Britain's relationship with Europe,

:15:02. > :15:06.since we are not part of it? Clearly, what that requires is some

:15:06. > :15:13.form of protection in whatever those negotiations deliver for the

:15:13. > :15:16.UK. But it is also a fundamental change, and your boss, IDS, said

:15:16. > :15:24.that the Prime Minister has always said that if there was a major

:15:24. > :15:27.treaty change, we would have a We have got to make sure that what

:15:27. > :15:32.comes out of this is something that properly protects Britain's

:15:32. > :15:36.interests. Chris Davis who was it that said

:15:36. > :15:40."the public are being denied a proper debate on the EU. Nobody

:15:40. > :15:45.under the age of 50 has been able to have their say on this crucial

:15:45. > :15:47.issue." Who said that? I suspect you are going to say that it is

:15:47. > :15:52.Nick Clegg. You got it in one. He is not saying

:15:52. > :15:55.that now, is he? No, he is not saying it now because

:15:55. > :15:59.it is the wrong time to have a referendum. That would be

:15:59. > :16:04.ridiculous. It is like shooting yourself in the foot. No one wants

:16:04. > :16:07.to say we should lose millions of of collapse for the sake of this

:16:07. > :16:10.argument. There is an argument about whether or not the UK should

:16:10. > :16:14.be in the European Union. This is not the time for it.

:16:14. > :16:18.So the simple question he said in or out, that's where I will

:16:18. > :16:23.continue to lead the argument for a referendum on our membership. That

:16:23. > :16:26.ain't party policy anymore? As far as I know it is still party

:16:26. > :16:31.policy. So So why aren't we having it?

:16:31. > :16:35.Because of what we just said. Would you recommend that? Would you

:16:35. > :16:40.honestly recommend at a time when the... I didn't say it Mr Davis,

:16:40. > :16:46.your leader said it, not me. This is very much a question of

:16:46. > :16:49.could have dense. Do -- confidence. Do the financial markets have

:16:50. > :16:55.confidence about the direction which the European leaders are

:16:55. > :17:00.taking us? To have a referendum on the table would destroy the hopes

:17:00. > :17:04.of that confidence. Mr Davis, thank you.

:17:04. > :17:08.Forgive me for being stupid, does it mean the Parliament would still

:17:08. > :17:11.have to vote its approval? As far as I'm aware any change to the

:17:11. > :17:16.arrangements have to come before Parliament.

:17:16. > :17:21.Good. I was confused. I'm still confused.

:17:21. > :17:23.This time last week, many schools were closed and bins left

:17:23. > :17:28.uncollected and NHS operations cancelled. The Prime Minister

:17:28. > :17:38.called it a damp squib, but there could be further strikes in the

:17:38. > :17:40.

:17:40. > :17:50.coming months. Union reps came to prominence

:17:50. > :17:54.earlier in the year. The trade unionist journey is not

:17:54. > :17:58.an impoverished one according to by research by the taxpayers alliance

:17:58. > :18:03.pressure group. Trade unions received �113 million of funding

:18:03. > :18:10.from taxpayers in 2010/11. This includes �80 million in paid staff

:18:10. > :18:14.time. The taxpayers alliance is extrapolate this means 2,840 full-

:18:14. > :18:18.time equivalent public sector staff worked on trade union activities.

:18:18. > :18:23.It found the organisation with the highest number of employees working

:18:23. > :18:26.on trade union activities was the Department for Work and Pensions

:18:26. > :18:30.with 308 equivalent full-time staff. Birmingham City Council had nearly

:18:31. > :18:34.62 full-time equivalent staff and the top police force was the

:18:34. > :18:42.Metropolitan Police force with 16 full-time equivalent staff

:18:42. > :18:47.undertaking union duties. Aidan Burly heads the trade union reform

:18:47. > :18:51.campaign? Over 130 million pounds a year of of taxpayers money not

:18:51. > :18:55.going on front-line services like doctors and nurses, but funding

:18:55. > :18:58.those organising the strikes and the chaos we saw last week. I agree

:18:58. > :19:01.with the Prime Minister, this can't be sustained and that's why I'm

:19:01. > :19:05.campaigning to end this Spanish practise.

:19:05. > :19:10.Rachel Reeves, picking up on that, in the times of austerity, you

:19:10. > :19:14.could be forgiven for thinking the public might say, "Let's not cut

:19:14. > :19:19.police officers, nurses and libraries, why don't we put

:19:19. > :19:24.taxpayer funded union officials.". I worked in the public and private

:19:25. > :19:30.sector before becoming an MP. When I worked in the private secretaryor,

:19:30. > :19:33.I was a manager, we negotiated over pay and the rest of it and that was

:19:33. > :19:38.valuable, it is not just something that happens in the public sector.

:19:38. > :19:41.It happens in the private sector as well where employers... You think

:19:41. > :19:45.we are not getting value for money at the moment looking at the

:19:45. > :19:49.numbers of people that are... way it works an employer and

:19:49. > :19:53.employees come together and decide the number of seconded people. They

:19:53. > :19:57.are not union staff, they are staff that work for the organisation,

:19:57. > :20:00.whether it police or the Health Service who are second to represent

:20:00. > :20:04.the employees in that organisation and that's what happens in the

:20:04. > :20:07.private sector. Why don't the unions pay for the

:20:07. > :20:10.posts? Bearing in mind these people are doing trade union work, why

:20:10. > :20:13.don't they pay for it? They are representing people in the

:20:13. > :20:18.workplace, representing the employees and in the same way you

:20:18. > :20:24.have big HR function ins any large o, the -- organisation, the

:20:24. > :20:26.employees always need someone to to stand up for them and represent

:20:26. > :20:30.their work. You are doing trade union work. We

:20:30. > :20:34.have some of those in the BBC, why don't the unions pay for the posts?

:20:34. > :20:36.Because they are representing people in the workplace and it is

:20:36. > :20:42.not that they are doing trade union work, they are doing work of

:20:42. > :20:46.supporting the people, the nurses, the doctors, the BBC staff or

:20:46. > :20:50.whoever it is and actually it helps those organisations because you

:20:51. > :20:56.have somebody to negotiate with whether it is on pay conditions,

:20:56. > :20:59.change and the rest of it. 2,840 full-time staff working on

:20:59. > :21:01.trade union activities, do you think that's too many? That's

:21:01. > :21:05.across Government, including all local authorities.

:21:05. > :21:09.It is a lot of people, isn't it? Including the quangos and the rest

:21:09. > :21:13.of it. You will find that in the private sector as well, you will

:21:13. > :21:15.have people in all levels of the organisations in different

:21:15. > :21:20.departments representing the people who have worked there.

:21:20. > :21:23.In these times of austerity and you said it is about value for money,

:21:23. > :21:26.who would you rather cut, one of the taxpayer funded officials or a

:21:26. > :21:30.police officer? Labour have said we wouldn't cut at

:21:30. > :21:34.the speeds that the Government... know, but you still admit you were

:21:34. > :21:38.going to cut particularly in the police force. Who would you rather

:21:38. > :21:43.cut if you had to make a choice, who would you rather see cut. Could

:21:43. > :21:47.we lose a number of the taxpayer funded officials? Labour said we

:21:47. > :21:50.would cut by 12% compared to 20% and the police representatives said

:21:50. > :21:54.that wouldn't mean a reduction in front-line support so we think we

:21:54. > :21:59.could do it in a different way. As the size of the public sector, as

:21:59. > :22:02.there are cuts, there has to be proportionate across the whole

:22:02. > :22:04.whole organisation and it is up to the employers and the employees to

:22:04. > :22:08.negotiate that as it is in the private sector as well.

:22:08. > :22:13.Do you think it is difficult because Labour and because yourself,

:22:13. > :22:17.are so closely linked and dependant on the unions? Does that make it

:22:17. > :22:20.difficult for you to criticise it? I am a member of a trade union and

:22:20. > :22:23.I was in a trade union when I worked in the public sector and the

:22:23. > :22:28.private sector and was represented by my union. I am proud thoot

:22:28. > :22:37.Labour Party was -- that the Labour Party was formed... Does it make it

:22:37. > :22:42.difficult for you to criticise that link? The main members of the

:22:42. > :22:47.Labour Party are members. How much do you get from Unite?

:22:47. > :22:52.don't get any money from a trade union, my constituency party have

:22:52. > :22:56.an agreement with Unite and we get, I think, the constituency party

:22:56. > :23:00.gets money towards the campaigning activities for the local elections

:23:00. > :23:03.and for the the general election as well, but I don't get money from a

:23:03. > :23:10.trade union. What about the law on pilgrims? Is

:23:10. > :23:17.it going to change? It is now under review. I would be surprised if it

:23:17. > :23:19.didn't change. Clearly we sitting in the WDP... It has the most

:23:19. > :23:24.That's because we have 100,000 staff.

:23:24. > :23:28.How many would you like to see cut? I don't believe there should be

:23:28. > :23:31.full-time officials. I am happy to see members of staff with union

:23:31. > :23:34.responsibilities being able to take time off from their jobs to do

:23:34. > :23:40.their union jobs. You heard from Rachel Reeves they

:23:40. > :23:43.do a valuable jobs. That smoothed industrial relations with their

:23:44. > :23:48.employees? We are spending �80 million a year that could be spent

:23:48. > :23:52.on extra add viresers in -- advisers in Jobcentre Plus centres

:23:52. > :23:55.and that money is going to the union movement which is, whatever

:23:55. > :23:59.Rachel says, it is the principle funder of the Labour Party and we

:23:59. > :24:02.have situations where there is evidence that Labour politicians

:24:02. > :24:05.are asking questions and tabling amendments in the House of Commons

:24:05. > :24:12.specifically at the request of trade unions.

:24:12. > :24:17.If you talk to manager in the DWP who negotiate on pay and conditions,

:24:17. > :24:22.I'm sure they will tell you that it is helpful to have people there

:24:22. > :24:25.representing the employees in the workplace and it reduces the number

:24:26. > :24:30.of disciplinaries. The full-time activities that Chris

:24:30. > :24:35.Grayling - it is the end of full- time taxpayer funded officials?

:24:35. > :24:41.That's what I would like to see. You are happy to have two part-time

:24:41. > :24:45.rather than one full-time? My view is within the DWP we would like to

:24:45. > :24:48.see us making time available for members of staff to represent union

:24:48. > :24:51.interests, but not for them to be just doing that. We should be

:24:51. > :24:56.talking about people who have got other responsibilities given time

:24:56. > :25:04.to do their representative work. Well, if they are seconded for a

:25:04. > :25:10.year to represent people, a nurse se conned for a -- se seconded for

:25:10. > :25:15.a year, I don't see a problem. It can avoid disciplinaries and for 13

:25:15. > :25:23.years we had less industrial action than we had ever before. So I don't

:25:23. > :25:27.think it is necessarily a bad thing. It is going to be a cut price

:25:27. > :25:31.Christmas for many this year... hope you got my present.

:25:31. > :25:35.I sent it back. We have had a warning from

:25:35. > :25:44.Government today not to be buying cheap counterfeit foods. That's

:25:44. > :25:50.what I got you, I forgot! Fake UGG boots, I like that word,

:25:50. > :25:54.hair straighteners and iPhones and iPads. That's a real iPad.

:25:54. > :26:02.It is difficult to say. It fell off the back of a lorry. Designer

:26:02. > :26:06.clothes and Hello Kitty products, what's that? It is for children.

:26:06. > :26:10.They are among the tens of thousands of counterfeit items

:26:10. > :26:13.seized by Border Agency officials in reen months. I am prized they

:26:13. > :26:17.have had the time. -- surprised they have had the time. This may

:26:17. > :26:23.look like a genuine Daily Politics mug, but if you look carefully, you

:26:23. > :26:28.can see the letters on the mug have been reversed! I'm sure you don't

:26:28. > :26:34.spell politics like that! The differences might not just be

:26:34. > :26:44.cosmetic. A genuine Daily Politics mug contains hazardous substance,

:26:44. > :26:53.scalding hot water! If you're lucky. Fake mugs is a potential deathtrap.

:26:53. > :26:58.Don't risk it. Enter our competition. After that health and

:26:58. > :27:08.safety exercise, we will remind you how you can enter, but let's see if

:27:08. > :27:24.

:27:24. > :27:34.you can remember when this Sir Michael called me a Puppet and

:27:34. > :27:49.

:27:49. > :27:59.kangaroo. The majority of the British people

:27:59. > :28:26.

:28:26. > :28:29.I think they will wear my pockets To be in with a chance of winning a

:28:29. > :28:39.Daily Politics mug, the genuine article that is, send your answer

:28:39. > :28:40.

:28:40. > :28:44.You can see the full terms and conditions for Guess The Year on

:28:44. > :28:49.our website. It is coming up to midday. Let's

:28:49. > :28:53.look at Big Ben. It is a glorious, cold, sunny day in London. It can

:28:53. > :28:58.only mean one thing. Prime Minister's Questions are on their

:28:58. > :29:02.way and Nick Robinson is here. Welcome. I guess you don't have to

:29:02. > :29:07.be a rocket rocket scientist to work that the frontbench exchanges

:29:07. > :29:10.will have have something to do with Europe and the economy? The Labour

:29:10. > :29:13.Party is inclined to say, "Let the Conservatives have their own

:29:13. > :29:16.difficulties on Europe. Let the coalition have their difficulties,

:29:17. > :29:20.we, the Labour Party, don't want to have much of a say. He is not

:29:20. > :29:24.calling for a referendum. Ed Miliband, he is not calling for a

:29:24. > :29:27.renegotiation. So why not let The Daily Mail and The Sun and the

:29:27. > :29:34.Telegraph fall out with the Conservative Prime Minister. What

:29:34. > :29:36.he might be tempted to do, you will remember again and again he

:29:36. > :29:41.criticised previous Labour figures criticised the Conservative Party

:29:41. > :29:44.for for pulling out of this organisation, the E EPP, it won't

:29:44. > :29:49.look so obscure today to the Prime Minister, meeting in Marseille

:29:49. > :29:55.today for the EPP, which is the European People's Party, it it

:29:55. > :29:57.brings together the centre right party, and no fewer are the leader

:29:57. > :30:01.of Germany and France and the president of the European

:30:01. > :30:09.Commission, the current president of the European Parliament and all

:30:09. > :30:13.because... Haven't we got Slovakia? We will not be there!

:30:13. > :30:16.I just think it is possible that Ed Miliband might be tempted to say,

:30:16. > :30:24."How much influence have you really got when these guys are getting

:30:24. > :30:31.together and you are not there?". There is a gulf developing between

:30:31. > :30:37.Mr Cameron and a section of his his backbenchers? The first question

:30:37. > :30:40.being asked by a Euro-sceptic, will he raise it? Who knows, he often

:30:40. > :30:43.raises Gibraltar, but I suspect someone might. They want a moment

:30:43. > :30:47.of decision. They think this is a once in a generation opportunity

:30:47. > :30:51.for Britain to redefine its relationship. Some because they

:30:51. > :30:54.want to get out, others, no, they want to have a new sort of

:30:54. > :31:04.relationship, but David Cameron is determined that this will not be

:31:04. > :31:07.the moment Britain says, "Look, we know the world economy is going to

:31:07. > :31:17.hell." But he thinks that's a mistake.

:31:17. > :31:19.

:31:19. > :31:24.Thank you, Mr Speaker. This morning I had meetings with ministerial

:31:24. > :31:29.colleagues and others. Mr Speaker, the British people want to see two

:31:29. > :31:36.things from this week's European summit - firstly a resolute and

:31:36. > :31:41.uncompromising defence of Britain's national interests, and secondly,

:31:41. > :31:45.it in the end to the disastrous Euro crisis, a currency the party

:31:45. > :31:53.opposite still wants us to join. Will the Prime Minister do us proud

:31:53. > :31:57.on Friday and show some bulldog spirit in Brussels? I can guarantee

:31:57. > :32:00.to my Honourable Friend that that is exactly what I will do. The

:32:00. > :32:10.British national interest absolutely means that we need to

:32:10. > :32:23.

:32:23. > :32:27.At the same time, we must seek safeguards for Britain, that is the

:32:27. > :32:33.right thing to do. It is something the Right Honourable Gentleman

:32:33. > :32:36.opposite takes a different view about. The the six weeks ago, the

:32:36. > :32:39.Prime Minister said, and I quote, the idea of some limited treaty

:32:39. > :32:44.change in the future might give us the opportunity to repatriate

:32:44. > :32:49.powers back to Britain. At the European summit, what powers will

:32:49. > :32:58.he be arguing to repatriate? As I have just explained, at the

:32:58. > :33:03.summit... Let be explained. -- let me explain. Order. We're all

:33:03. > :33:09.interested to hear the answer. will have the key aim of helping to

:33:09. > :33:12.resolve the eurozone crisis, and we believe that means European,

:33:12. > :33:17.eurozone countries coming together and doing more things together. If

:33:17. > :33:22.they choose to do that through a treaty at 27 that we are involved

:33:22. > :33:24.in, we will insist on some safeguards for Britain. And yes,

:33:24. > :33:31.that means making sure we are stronger and better able to do

:33:31. > :33:37.things in the UK to protect our own national interests. Now, let me

:33:37. > :33:42.explain. Obviously, do more the countries in the eurozone ask for,

:33:42. > :33:49.the more we will ask for in return. But we will judge it on the basis

:33:49. > :33:55.of what matters most to Britain. The more he talks, the more

:33:55. > :33:59.confusing his position gets, quite frankly. Let me remind him, on the

:33:59. > :34:05.eve of the biggest post-war rebellion against a Prime Minister

:34:05. > :34:09.on Europe, he was telling his Prime Minister's -- he was telling his

:34:09. > :34:13.backbenchers that the opportunity of treaty change would mean in the

:34:13. > :34:19.future the repatriation of powers. That was his position six weeks ago.

:34:19. > :34:22.Today he writes an article in the Times, 1,000 words, not one mention

:34:22. > :34:25.of the phrase of repatriation of powers. Why does the Prime Minister

:34:25. > :34:29.think it is in the national interest to tell his backbenchers

:34:29. > :34:36.one thing to quell a rebellion on Europe, and tell his European

:34:36. > :34:40.partners another? I do not take back a single word I said in that

:34:40. > :34:44.debate. Yes, what we want to do, specifically and particularly in

:34:44. > :34:50.the area of financial services, where this country has a Mashud

:34:50. > :34:55.national interest... Let me remind him, it is 10% of GDP, it is 3% of

:34:55. > :35:00.our trade surplus, it is 7% of UK employment. I want to make sure we

:35:00. > :35:05.have more power and control here in the UK to determine these things.

:35:05. > :35:14.And that is in complete contrast to the party opposite, which gave away

:35:14. > :35:19.power after power. They gave up our power, and they made us join the

:35:19. > :35:24.bail-out fund. We have had to get out of the bail-out fund! They gave

:35:24. > :35:27.up our rebate and got nothing in return. We have managed to freeze

:35:27. > :35:36.the European budget. We have got one party which defends Britain's

:35:36. > :35:42.interests, and another that always so renders it. -- surrenders. Mr

:35:42. > :35:45.Speaker, I think the short answer is... I say to the usual,

:35:45. > :35:51.predictable, noisy tendency, people must be heard, that's what will

:35:51. > :35:56.happen, however long it takes. Speaker, I think the short answer

:35:56. > :36:01.is that six weeks ago, he was promising his backbenchers a hand

:36:01. > :36:07.begging for Europe, now he's just reduced to hand-wringing. That is

:36:07. > :36:11.the reality of this.. And the problem for Britain is that at the

:36:11. > :36:14.most important European summit for a generation, which matters usually

:36:15. > :36:19.for families and businesses up and down the country, the Prime

:36:19. > :36:23.Minister is simply left on the sidelines. Is it not the truth that

:36:23. > :36:27.we have a Prime Minister caught between his promises in opposition

:36:27. > :36:33.and the reality of government? That is why Britain is losing out in

:36:33. > :36:43.Europe. I'm afraid even the best scripted joke on handbags is not

:36:43. > :36:48.going to save his leadership. He talks about being isolated. Let me

:36:48. > :36:52.just explain to him where we would be if we adopted Labour's policy.

:36:52. > :36:57.If we adopted you're spending and your deficit policies, and if we

:36:57. > :37:00.were in the euro, what we would find is, I would not be going to

:37:00. > :37:10.Brussels to fight for Britain, I would be going to Brussels to get a

:37:10. > :37:14.bail-out. Under the proposals being put forward, Labour would put

:37:14. > :37:16.Britain in such a bad position that the tax changes would not be

:37:17. > :37:26.written by the Shadow Chancellor, they would be written by the German

:37:27. > :37:29.

:37:29. > :37:33.Chancellor! There is a wide spectrum of views on Europe

:37:33. > :37:36.throughout this House, and one can sense it from the responses even to

:37:36. > :37:39.that remark. Will the Prime Minister take the straightforward

:37:39. > :37:44.message with him to the European council that the one thing most

:37:44. > :37:49.likely to unite the House of Commons would be the perception of

:37:49. > :37:53.a calculated assault from Brussels, not even in their interests, on the

:37:54. > :37:59.well-being of the UK financial services industry, and on the 1.3

:37:59. > :38:01.million people, in all of our constituencies, who worked in it?

:38:01. > :38:06.The Honourable Gentleman is entirely right. Of course we want

:38:06. > :38:10.to see a greater rebalancing of our economy, and we want to see more

:38:10. > :38:14.jobs in manufacturing, in aerospace and in technology. But the economy

:38:14. > :38:17.that we inherited is very dependent on financial services, and I do

:38:17. > :38:21.think we should at least celebrate the fact that it is a world-class

:38:21. > :38:26.industry, a world-class industry not just for Britain but for Europe.

:38:26. > :38:29.It is absolutely vital that we safeguard it. We do seek it under

:38:29. > :38:33.continued regulatory attack from Brussels, and I think there is an

:38:33. > :38:37.opportunity, particularly if there was a treaty at 27, to get some

:38:37. > :38:40.safeguards, not just for that industry, but to give us greater

:38:40. > :38:44.power and control in terms of regulation gear in this House of

:38:44. > :38:49.Commons. I think that is in the interests of the entire country,

:38:49. > :38:52.and it is something I will be fighting for on Friday. Does the

:38:52. > :38:57.Prime Minister agreed that the recent escalation of industrial

:38:57. > :39:01.action in the public sector, which incidentally, in my part of the

:39:01. > :39:06.world, was not a damp squib, is a result of genuine anger about the

:39:06. > :39:10.sheer unfairness of government action to deal with pension

:39:11. > :39:16.contributions, unfair action which is making people on low and middle

:39:16. > :39:20.incomes pay for the horrendous mistakes at the top? Sewers and

:39:20. > :39:24.afraid I think the Honourable Lady is just plain wrong. The lowest-

:39:24. > :39:29.paid workers are not being asked to contribute more to their pensions.

:39:29. > :39:33.In terms of Furnace, let me just make his point. Under what we're

:39:33. > :39:38.offering, a primary school teacher earning �32,000 a year could

:39:39. > :39:41.receive a pension worth �20,000 a year. A private sector worker,

:39:41. > :39:46.remember, the people who are putting their money into these

:39:46. > :39:50.pensions, a private sector worker would have to pay 38% of their

:39:50. > :39:54.salary, almost half of their salary, to get an equivalent pension. Of

:39:54. > :39:58.course there is an issue of fairness. We must play fair by

:39:58. > :40:04.public sector workers. But we also must be fair to the private sector,

:40:04. > :40:07.who are putting their money into these pensions. Mr Speaker, does my

:40:07. > :40:16.Right Honourable Friend agree with me that it is time for this country

:40:16. > :40:19.to even Europe, in the hope of a new, post-bureaucratic age? I do

:40:19. > :40:23.think there are opportunities for Britain in Europe. I think we

:40:23. > :40:26.should start from the premise that it is in Britain's interest to be

:40:26. > :40:29.in the single market. We are trading nation, we need those

:40:29. > :40:34.markets open, we need to be able to determine the rules of those

:40:34. > :40:37.markets. But as Europe changes, yes, of course there are opportunities.

:40:38. > :40:41.But the first priority, at the end of this week, must be to make sure

:40:41. > :40:44.that the eurozone crisis, which is having such a bad effect on our

:40:44. > :40:49.economy, is resolved. But at the same time we should be very clear

:40:49. > :40:52.about the British national interest - safeguarding the single market,

:40:52. > :40:57.safeguarding the financial services, looking out for the interests of UK

:40:57. > :41:06.plc. Can the Prime Minister tell us if he will be having his usual

:41:06. > :41:09.Christmas bash with Rebekah Brooks and Jeremy Clarkson? If so, will

:41:09. > :41:17.they be talking about just how out of touch they all are with British

:41:17. > :41:24.public opinion? I seem to remember the annual sleepover was with the

:41:24. > :41:34.former Labour Prime Minister. So, no, I will be having a quiet family

:41:34. > :41:35.

:41:35. > :41:39.Christmas. Can I offer him my full support as he promises to stand up

:41:39. > :41:44.for the British national interest at the EU summit on Friday? But is

:41:44. > :41:49.it not the case that bail out after bail out of the eurozone will not

:41:49. > :41:55.save Europe, but making Europe more competitive, reducing its high unit

:41:55. > :41:59.costs, and cutting regulation and red tape on business will do so?

:41:59. > :42:04.is entirely right. I can quite understand why leading members of

:42:04. > :42:07.the eurozone, like Germany, for instance, want to see tougher

:42:07. > :42:11.fiscal rules about budget deficits for euros a members. But it is

:42:11. > :42:14.right to point out that the heart of the crisis is actually caused by

:42:14. > :42:18.current account deficits in some countries, and large current

:42:18. > :42:21.account surpluses in others. Unless we solve the competitiveness

:42:21. > :42:27.problem at the heart of the euro crisis, this crisis will keep

:42:27. > :42:31.recurring. Our argument has been thrown out, yes, you need tough

:42:31. > :42:35.rules on deficits, yes, you need the institutions of the euro acting

:42:35. > :42:38.in concert and acting strongly, but you have got to resolve the

:42:38. > :42:41.competitiveness problem at the heart of the single currency in

:42:41. > :42:47.order to deal with this crisis. I will continue to make those points

:42:47. > :42:50.on Thursday and Friday. Mr Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirmed

:42:50. > :42:55.that next year, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, as a

:42:55. > :43:00.result of his economic policy, the poorest third of families will lose

:43:00. > :43:04.three times as much as the richest third? No, his figures are wrong.

:43:04. > :43:09.If you take all the things that the Government has done, which is the

:43:09. > :43:13.right way to measure this, what you find is that the top 10% see losses

:43:13. > :43:18.nearly 10 times greater than the bottom 10%. And I believe that is

:43:18. > :43:22.fair. I believe the point which has not been properly understood, but

:43:22. > :43:26.is important, is, if you take the richest 10% in our country, they

:43:26. > :43:31.not only see the biggest reduction in their income in cash terms, they

:43:31. > :43:35.also see the biggest reduction of their income proportionately. So,

:43:35. > :43:39.we are being fair. It is incredibly difficult to deal with the debts

:43:39. > :43:43.and a deficit which the Honourable Gentleman and his party left behind,

:43:43. > :43:48.but we are determined to do it in a way which is fair. He's simply

:43:48. > :43:52.wrong again, the figures are there.. The figures are there. And the

:43:52. > :43:56.poorest third are losing far more than the richest third. Of course,

:43:56. > :44:00.he used to say, I am not going to balance the budget on the backs of

:44:00. > :44:07.the poor. He's not balancing the budget, he's right, he's not

:44:07. > :44:15.balancing the budget, Mr Speaker. �158 billion more borrowing! But he

:44:15. > :44:19.is hitting the poor. But cash and one group to give him credit, that

:44:19. > :44:24.he is easing the pain for, and I don't think this has got the

:44:24. > :44:29.publicity it deserves - he's delaying for a year the tax on

:44:29. > :44:35.private jets, Mr Speaker. This is at the same time as hitting the

:44:35. > :44:40.poorest families in this country. Can he confirm that a working

:44:40. > :44:46.mother earning �300 a week is seeing VAT going up, her tax

:44:46. > :44:51.credits cut, child benefit frozen and her maternity grant cut? He had

:44:51. > :44:58.13 years to tax private jets! And now, former Labour leaders are

:44:58. > :45:01.jetting around in them! We will tax them in two years. He quotes the

:45:01. > :45:06.Institute for Fiscal Studies - that me remind him what they said about

:45:06. > :45:11.Labour's plans specifically. Labour's policies would lead to,

:45:11. > :45:15.and I quote, even higher debt levels over this Parliament... I

:45:15. > :45:25.know, Mr Speaker, they do not like to hear it when their own policies

:45:25. > :45:28.

:45:28. > :45:30.are taken apart. Calm down. They do THE SPEAKER: I want to get down the

:45:30. > :45:34.order paper. If the Prime Minister wants to give a brief answer, let

:45:34. > :45:40.it be brief. Let's hear it. Let me just explain what the IFS

:45:40. > :45:44.said. His plans imply even debt levels over this Parliament than we

:45:44. > :45:47.will see. If you want the stimulus we are giving the economy by low

:45:47. > :45:54.low interest rates, you have to stick to the plans we've set out.

:45:54. > :45:59.There is no a party in Europe, apart from the moll doveian

:45:59. > :46:02.communists that back his plans. He is talking about a stimulus, he

:46:02. > :46:05.doesn't understand he is cutting too far and too fast. And that's

:46:05. > :46:11.why we have got problems in our economy. He doesn't want to tell us

:46:11. > :46:17.what the IFS said about his plans. He is the Prime Minister, the new

:46:17. > :46:20.tax on benefit measures, the new tax on benefit measures are a take

:46:20. > :46:26.away from lower income families with children. The figures speak

:46:26. > :46:31.for themselves. His changes are hitting women twice as hard as men.

:46:31. > :46:38.Isn't truth that he is the first Prime Minister in modern times to

:46:38. > :46:42.say "it is the women and children first.". His soundbites get weaker

:46:42. > :46:45.and weaker as his leadership gets weaker and weaker, that's the truth

:46:45. > :46:50.of it. If you look at what we have done, lifting 1.1 million people

:46:50. > :46:55.out of tax, that is mostly women that benefit. If you look at the

:46:55. > :46:58.increase in the pension, �5.35 starting next next April, that will

:46:58. > :47:02.benefit mostly women. If you take the issue of public sector pensions,

:47:02. > :47:06.well we're helping the lowest paid in the public sector, that will

:47:06. > :47:11.help women. Yes, we are giving the economy a stimulus by keeping our

:47:11. > :47:19.interest rates low. We have interest rates at 2% while they are

:47:19. > :47:22.at 5% in Italy and 5% in Spain and 30% in Greece. If we followed his

:47:22. > :47:26.his advice, we would have interest rates rocket and more people out of

:47:26. > :47:30.work. That's what Labour offer and that's why they will never be

:47:30. > :47:35.trusted with our economy again. Can I tell the Prime Minister that

:47:35. > :47:38.small and medium enterprises in my constituency are still having grave

:47:38. > :47:42.difficulty accessing reasonable finance?

:47:42. > :47:45.A major contributors of that is lack of competition. Will the

:47:45. > :47:49.Government consider breaking up the nationalised banks in order to be

:47:50. > :47:52.able to create more competition on the high street?

:47:52. > :47:56.I think we have opportunities to increase the competition on the

:47:56. > :47:59.high street and obviously as we look to return the State banks back

:47:59. > :48:04.into the private sector, we will have further opportunities. We have

:48:04. > :48:08.managed to take one important step forward which is to get Northern

:48:08. > :48:10.Rock back out there lending to businesses and to households

:48:10. > :48:19.properly established in the north- east of England.

:48:19. > :48:26.THE SPEAKER: Closed question, Jeremy Corbin.

:48:26. > :48:32.Not here. Mr Speaker, our history at repatriating powers back from

:48:32. > :48:37.the EU is not a happy one. May I therefore suggest a fundamental

:48:37. > :48:42.renegotiation of our relationship with the EU based on free trade,

:48:42. > :48:47.growth and competitiveness which other countries enjoy and not

:48:47. > :48:51.political union and dead weight regulation? This EU Summit is a

:48:51. > :48:55.defining moment. A once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. Will the

:48:55. > :48:58.Prime Minister seize the moment? I am a little bit more optimistic

:48:58. > :49:03.than the honourable gentleman. The bail out power that the last

:49:03. > :49:08.Government gave away, we are returning to the United Kingdom via

:49:08. > :49:15.the treaty is we have returned a power Arrecently we have won

:49:15. > :49:18.exception from EU legislation to make sure that from January 2012

:49:18. > :49:21.microenterprises will not face any EU regulation at all. Are we going

:49:21. > :49:26.to go in there and fight for British interests on Thursday and

:49:26. > :49:31.Friday? Yes, we will, but let's be clear. There is the option of a

:49:31. > :49:34.treaty at 27, where we have the ability to say yes or no and as a

:49:34. > :49:38.result get a price for that. But there is always the possibility

:49:38. > :49:43.that the eurozone members at 17 will go ahead and form a treaty of

:49:43. > :49:47.their own. Again, we have some leverage in that situation because

:49:47. > :49:52.they need the use of EU institutions, but we should

:49:52. > :49:58.recognise what our leaverages are and make the most of it.

:49:58. > :50:01.Last year the Prime Minister's manifesto promised to repatriate

:50:01. > :50:05.legal rights, criminal justice and employment and social legislation.

:50:05. > :50:09.His article in the Times this morning is silent on all these

:50:09. > :50:13.issues and the Justice Secretary has said this agenda is not

:50:13. > :50:19.realistic anyway. Does the Prime Minister regret leading his party

:50:19. > :50:27.up the garden path and forcing himself into a choice between

:50:27. > :50:32.ditching his manifesto or potentially vote owing a treaty --

:50:32. > :50:36.vetoing a treaty? What I regret is the party opposite gave away so

:50:36. > :50:39.many powers. It will take a while to get some of them back, but we're

:50:39. > :50:43.making progress. When he was in Government, when he was in

:50:43. > :50:47.Government, there were repeated increase in the EU budget. This

:50:47. > :50:50.year we have achieved an EU EU budget freeze. When he was in

:50:50. > :50:53.Government, he gave away the bail out power and with had to pour

:50:53. > :50:56.billions of pounds into other countries. We got that power back

:50:56. > :51:01.and I believe with strong negotiation, standing up for

:51:01. > :51:06.Britain, we can clear up the mess that Labour left us.

:51:06. > :51:13.Over the last decade-and-a-half there has been an explosion of

:51:13. > :51:19.personal debt levels in our country, yet we let our young people leave

:51:19. > :51:23.school without the power to make informed decisions. Will the Prime

:51:24. > :51:28.Minister read the report and meet with a small Group of MPs to ensure

:51:28. > :51:31.that young people are more financially literate? My honourable

:51:31. > :51:37.friend knows a great deal about this having been a supply teacher

:51:37. > :51:41.for many years in the constituency that he represents. And a permanent

:51:41. > :51:45.teacher as well. Excuse me. I'm happy to meet financial education

:51:45. > :51:50.is important for our young people and I look forward to seeing his

:51:50. > :51:55.all party report. Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister said

:51:55. > :52:02.he wanted to lead the most family- friendly Government ever. Isn't it

:52:02. > :52:06.a disgrace that nearly �19 billion of cuts his Government announced so

:52:06. > :52:11.far, �13 billion have fallen on women?

:52:11. > :52:14.What I say, it was this Government that introduced 15 hours of free

:52:14. > :52:19.nursery care for three-year-olds and four-year-olds, something that

:52:19. > :52:24.the Labour Party never managed to do in Government and in spite of

:52:24. > :52:28.the mess that we were left in this Autumn Statement, we put in an

:52:28. > :52:31.extra �380 million to double the number of disadvantaged two-year-

:52:31. > :52:37.olds whose parents will get free nursery care. That is real progress.

:52:37. > :52:42.Real help for families. Something they never delivered.

:52:42. > :52:47.Thank you, Mr Speaker. What would the Prime Minister say to a council

:52:47. > :52:51.like Redcar in Cleveland who are considering rejecting Government

:52:51. > :52:58.funding for a council tax council tax freeze next year and instead

:52:58. > :53:03.charging my hard-pressed constituents 3.5% more? I very much

:53:03. > :53:07.hope that that all councils will take up the offer of a council tax

:53:07. > :53:10.freeze. In this year when people face economic hardship it is

:53:10. > :53:15.important we help where we can. That's why we have cut the petrol

:53:15. > :53:20.tax and allowed the council tax freeze to go ahead. My advice would

:53:20. > :53:27.be to support parties that back a council tax freeze.

:53:27. > :53:31.Thank you plrks speaker. -- Mr Speaker. Since the Education Act

:53:31. > :53:35.1944 successive governments have supported subsidised travel for

:53:35. > :53:38.students who live three miles or more from the faith school of their

:53:38. > :53:42.choice. Some local authorities are beginning to cut back on that

:53:42. > :53:46.support, that financial support, I don't think any member in this

:53:46. > :53:52.House wants to see that happen. Can the Prime Minister encourage local

:53:52. > :53:56.authorities to embrace the spirit of the 1944 Education Act on this

:53:56. > :53:59.particular issue? I think the honourable gentleman

:53:59. > :54:02.asks an important question. I support school choice, parents

:54:02. > :54:07.having the ability to choose between schools and I also support

:54:07. > :54:10.Faith schools indeed, I have chosen a faith school for my my children,

:54:10. > :54:13.so I will look carefully at what he says and what local authorities are

:54:13. > :54:17.doing and discuss it with the Education Secretary to see what we

:54:17. > :54:22.can do to enhance choice and the faith based education that many of

:54:22. > :54:28.our constituents choose. Does the Prime Minister agree with

:54:28. > :54:32.me that in exchange for us supporting the Euro countries in

:54:32. > :54:38.dealing with their crisis, we should be seeking changes on the

:54:38. > :54:42.law on immigration, employment, and fishing rights in order to support

:54:42. > :54:47.our economy? What I would say to the honourable gentleman is, as

:54:47. > :54:51.I've said, if they choose a treaty at 27, that treaty requires our

:54:51. > :54:55.consent and so we should therefore think of what other things most in

:54:55. > :54:58.our national interests and I've talked about keeping the single

:54:58. > :55:01.market market open, I have talked about the importance of financial

:55:01. > :55:05.services, but the more that eurozone countries want to do in a

:55:05. > :55:10.treaty of 27, the more changes they want to make, the greater ability

:55:10. > :55:14.we have to to ask for sensible things that make sense for Britain.

:55:14. > :55:16.I am keen that we exercise the leverage that we have to do a good

:55:16. > :55:22.deal for Britain and that's what I'll be doing in Brussels this

:55:22. > :55:28.Thursday and Friday. Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister

:55:28. > :55:38.promised, "I will cut the deficit, not the NHS." Why is his Government

:55:38. > :55:39.

:55:39. > :55:45.closing the accident and emergency and maternity services at King

:55:45. > :55:49.George Hospital, shouldn't he have said, "I will cut the NHS, not the

:55:49. > :55:54.deficit?". The deficit is coming down and the NHS spending is going

:55:54. > :55:58.up throughout this Parliament and I note his own health spokesman says

:55:58. > :56:01.that it is irresponsible to increase spending on the NHS. We

:56:01. > :56:05.don't think it is irresponsible. We think it is the right thing to do

:56:05. > :56:08.as he knows, the Health Secretary set out the criteria for all local

:56:08. > :56:11.changes shoulding in his constituency, there has to be

:56:12. > :56:15.proper public and patient engagement, there has to be sound

:56:15. > :56:20.clinical evidence, there has to be support from GP commissioners and

:56:20. > :56:25.proper support for patient choice. The Prime Minister has taken a

:56:25. > :56:29.strong interest in the incredible work of the Oxford Parent Infant

:56:29. > :56:33.Project in helping families who are struggling to form a strong

:56:33. > :56:36.attachment with their babies. Two months ago I started a charity in

:56:36. > :56:39.Northamptonshire and with the Prime Minister's interest in

:56:39. > :56:44.strengthening families, will he commit to looking at the incredible

:56:44. > :56:48.work that can be done in early intervention that saves a fortune

:56:48. > :56:52.in the criminal and care services later on? The honourable lady is

:56:52. > :56:55.right. I know about the project that she speaks about and I'm

:56:55. > :57:00.delighted she is expanding it into her constituency, all the evidence

:57:00. > :57:05.shows that the more we can do to help children and their parents

:57:05. > :57:10.between the age of naught and two, it is the key time when so much

:57:10. > :57:15.disadvantage can set in that could have a bad impact later on in life.

:57:15. > :57:19.Her work and the work of members across this House in prioritising

:57:19. > :57:26.early invention is so important for our country.

:57:26. > :57:32.The Prime Minister was asked by his constituent Philip Hall to cut VAT

:57:32. > :57:35.on home repairs and improvement. Mr Hall runs his own construction

:57:35. > :57:37.company. This has the support of over 50 business organisations

:57:37. > :57:42.including the Federation of Small Businesses. Will he support that

:57:42. > :57:48.cut in VAT which would help jobs, growth and business?

:57:48. > :57:52.Well, look, the problem, the hon honourable gentleman has, they have

:57:52. > :57:56.a long list of extra spending and extra tax cuts they want. As we

:57:56. > :58:00.have heard today at Question Time again, they oppose every spending

:58:00. > :58:05.reduction that we're making. They impose every reform to get better

:58:05. > :58:09.value for money. So you can only conclude that spending would go up,

:58:09. > :58:13.that borrowing would rocket, that interest rates would increase and

:58:13. > :58:18.the economy would be left in very, very dire straights.

:58:18. > :58:25.-- dire straits. Why is my right honourable friend

:58:25. > :58:31.supporting a policy of fiscal unification of the eurozone States,

:58:31. > :58:35.which if it happens, will lead to the creation of a dangerously

:58:35. > :58:39.undemocratic single Government for those countries?

:58:39. > :58:44.Look, the point I make to my honourable friend is this, I don't

:58:44. > :58:48.want Britain to join the euro. Britain is better off outside the

:58:48. > :58:52.euro. Those countries that have chose tonne join the euro, they

:58:52. > :58:56.have got to make that system work and they don't just need stronger

:58:56. > :58:59.fiscal rules, which I think is clear, they need to have greater

:58:59. > :59:03.competitiveness. It is for them to decide how to go ahead and do those

:59:03. > :59:07.things. What we should do is maintain Britain's position outside

:59:07. > :59:12.the euro and make sure we safeguard our interests at the same time.

:59:12. > :59:17.That's what I will be doing in Brussels.

:59:17. > :59:20.10,000 service personnel will have heard of their real terms cut in

:59:21. > :59:28.pay whilst serving on the front- line in Afghanistan. What does the

:59:28. > :59:31.Prime Minister think that morale for those risking their

:59:31. > :59:34.lives for us? What we have done is doubled the

:59:34. > :59:37.operational allowance that people in Afghanistan receive and they are

:59:37. > :59:41.extremely brave people and we should be doing right by them and

:59:41. > :59:44.that's why we doubled that allowance and we have increased the

:59:44. > :59:48.council tax disregard. We have made sure that the pupil premium is not

:59:49. > :59:52.just available to children on free school meals, but is available to

:59:52. > :59:58.all service children and we have put the military covenant into the

:59:58. > :00:03.law of our land and we will go on defending, promoting and protecting

:00:03. > :00:07.our brilliant armed service personnel and their families.

:00:07. > :00:11.The windfarm application spans three local authorities, each of

:00:11. > :00:14.whom assessed it against their local plans and rejected it.

:00:14. > :00:19.Subsequently a distant unelected planning inspector inspector

:00:19. > :00:23.overruled and moved forward his decision so it could be made the

:00:23. > :00:25.day before the localism Bill got Royal Assent. The Prime Minister

:00:25. > :00:35.will understand my constituents anger, can he look into what

:00:35. > :00:36.

:00:36. > :00:39.appears to be a slap in the face He makes an important point. As he

:00:39. > :00:43.knows, as a result of the changes we are making, it will not be

:00:43. > :00:46.possible in future to overrule such decisions, because we have now got

:00:47. > :00:50.rid of those regional targets. We're giving much more authority

:00:50. > :00:53.and many more decision-making powers to those local bodies. Our

:00:54. > :00:57.planning reforms will make sure that local people and their

:00:57. > :01:02.councils decide what it is that people need, and how we meet that

:01:02. > :01:07.need. Mr Speaker, is the Prime Minister worried that the scandal

:01:07. > :01:11.of misselling in this country has just got a lot worse? Even the

:01:11. > :01:16.previous broken guarantees to the public, the Prime Minister is now

:01:16. > :01:20.rejecting a vote on these latest European changes. He has miss sold

:01:20. > :01:22.the issue to the public at large. Will the Prime Minister give a

:01:22. > :01:25.guarantee to this House that there will be the opportunity for the

:01:25. > :01:29.British people to deliver its verdict on the changes which are

:01:29. > :01:33.happening in Europe? What this government has given is something

:01:33. > :01:36.which no previous government has done in this country, which is, we

:01:36. > :01:40.passed a law which means that if ever this government or any future

:01:40. > :01:44.government or any future House of Commons tries to pass powers from

:01:44. > :01:49.Westminster to Brussels, it has to ask the British people in a

:01:49. > :01:53.referendum first. There would have had to have been a referendum on

:01:53. > :01:56.Lisburn or Amsterdam or any of the other treaties. So, the fact that

:01:56. > :02:05.people feel so betrayed by what happened under the last government,

:02:05. > :02:08.that cannot happen again. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the

:02:08. > :02:12.engine of the economy in my constituency and will play an

:02:12. > :02:16.important part in our economic recovery. Will the Prime Minister

:02:16. > :02:20.acknowledge that a key factor in achieving growth is to take action

:02:20. > :02:27.in Britain's interest to tackle and reduce the huge regulatory burdens

:02:27. > :02:32.on small companies, so many of which come from Europe? I think the

:02:32. > :02:36.Honourable Lady makes an important point. We have got to start in our

:02:36. > :02:40.own back yard to stop this over regulation. That is why we have the

:02:40. > :02:45.red tape challenge, with every rule being put on the Internet, so that

:02:45. > :02:49.people can show how little we need to keep. We have got a one in, one

:02:49. > :02:53.out rule for every minister, they cannot introduce a regulation

:02:53. > :02:57.without getting rid of the regulation. But we have got a major

:02:57. > :03:01.breakthrough, that businesses employing less than 10 people will

:03:01. > :03:09.not be subject to a European regulation from 2010 onwards. It

:03:09. > :03:12.shows that if you make the arguments, you can win them.

:03:12. > :03:20.Prime Minister today has refused to accept that women and children will

:03:20. > :03:26.bear the brunt of his failed economic policy. No wonder he

:03:26. > :03:30.continues to turn off women. Will he accept the Treasury's own

:03:30. > :03:37.figures, that 100,000 more children will be living in poverty as a

:03:37. > :03:41.result of his policies? What I would say to the Honourable Lady is,

:03:41. > :03:46.how on earth does it advantage women and children to pile them up

:03:46. > :03:51.with debt after debt after debt, that they then have to pay back? We

:03:51. > :03:55.have been standing here for 33 minutes, all we have heard his

:03:55. > :03:59.proposals for tax reductions, for spending increases, for reforms

:03:59. > :04:02.they would not go ahead with, for scrapping the changes to public

:04:02. > :04:07.sector pensions... They would take those women and children that we

:04:07. > :04:17.are concerned about, pile them high with debt and let them live under

:04:17. > :04:18.

:04:18. > :04:24.that burden for the rest of their days. May I hark back a month, to

:04:24. > :04:30.7th November, when I put forward some suggestions to my Right

:04:30. > :04:37.Honourable Friend for containing the euro crisis, with which he

:04:37. > :04:41.appeared to agree, but none of them, as he will have noticed, have been

:04:41. > :04:49.acted upon by the European Central Bank? May I now expressed to him my

:04:49. > :04:54.belief, therefore, that the alternative policy, of a fiscal

:04:54. > :05:01.union, will, as my Honourable Friend the member for the New

:05:01. > :05:09.Forest has already said, pose a great threat to the whole of the

:05:09. > :05:19.liberty of Europe? It will inevitably make Germany still more

:05:19. > :05:20.

:05:20. > :05:30.dominant. Can the Germans be persuaded to study the reason for

:05:30. > :05:30.

:05:30. > :05:40.the Boston tea Party? Because... Because no taxation, without

:05:40. > :05:45.

:05:45. > :05:50.representation, is the bastion of freedom. As ever... We have heard

:05:50. > :05:53.the question. We now want to hear the Prime Minister's answer.

:05:53. > :05:59.ever, the leader of the House speaks with great knowledge and

:05:59. > :06:02.wisdom and foresight. What I would say to him is, the reason that he

:06:02. > :06:07.and I do not want to join the single currency is that we would

:06:08. > :06:11.not be prepared to put up with being told what our debt and our

:06:11. > :06:15.deficit and everything else should be, that's why we do not want to

:06:15. > :06:19.join. The point I would make is that if the countries of the

:06:19. > :06:22.eurozone want to make their system work, then it is clear that fiscal

:06:22. > :06:27.rules are one thing they may need, but that will not be enough without

:06:27. > :06:30.proper competitiveness, and the full-hearted intervention and

:06:31. > :06:34.support of the institutions of the eurozone, including the European

:06:34. > :06:44.Central Bank. But it is a decision which those eurozone countries have

:06:44. > :06:54.

:06:54. > :06:57.. The frontbench bench exchanges were on Europe and the economy. Mr

:06:57. > :07:02.Miliband split his questions in half. Half on Europe and half on

:07:02. > :07:05.the economy. He didn't get far on the economy, but he did get quite a

:07:05. > :07:11.way on Europe putting the Prime Minister on the back foot by asking

:07:11. > :07:15.a question which was what powers he would repatriate or attempt to get

:07:15. > :07:18.back from the Brussels summit. The Prime Minister never really

:07:18. > :07:23.recovered from that. On the economy, one thing that wasn't mentioned was

:07:23. > :07:33.the figures today, industrial production for the UK out for

:07:33. > :07:37.

:07:37. > :07:41.That's quite a big decline in production. Looks like

:07:41. > :07:44.manufacturing is in recession. viewers picked up on your first

:07:44. > :07:49.point, dissatisfied with David Cameron's answers on Britain's

:07:49. > :07:52.position, as far as the EU is concerned. This one says, very

:07:52. > :07:56.clever questions on the euro from Ed Miliband, and the Prime

:07:56. > :08:00.Minister's answers were weak. He simply did not have any answers,

:08:00. > :08:05.because he cannot defend his own policies. Good luck to Chris

:08:05. > :08:10.Grayling, having to defend him, says this one. This one says,

:08:10. > :08:14.predictable that Ed Miliband would bang his drum about Brussels. I

:08:14. > :08:19.think this will be continued in the coming days, to divide the Liberals

:08:19. > :08:23.and Conservatives. Cameron looked really rattled, this one says. This

:08:23. > :08:27.one says, from Birmingham, David Cameron says there is one party,

:08:27. > :08:32.one government, protecting Britain's interests - I thought it

:08:32. > :08:37.was a coalition. Does Nick Clegg agree? Colin says, once again,

:08:37. > :08:41.David Cameron is not answering the questions, he is at the mercy of

:08:41. > :08:46.the eurozone 17, and he knows he is between a rock and hard place. This

:08:46. > :08:51.one from Highgate says, a fairly even tussle this week, a confident

:08:51. > :08:54.performance from David Cameron, who was not caught out as he was by

:08:54. > :09:00.Miliband's questions on youth unemployment. And this one says,

:09:01. > :09:04.the opposition front bench are duplicitous lot. They have the

:09:05. > :09:08.affront to criticise this government, it says. I get the

:09:08. > :09:11.sense that the Prime Minister is in some trouble over Europe, and

:09:11. > :09:17.that's the reason why he thought he had to wait in the Times this

:09:17. > :09:21.morning, sounding tough, setting up a few straw men to knock down. But

:09:21. > :09:25.as Ed Miliband shows, it does not get him around this major problem,

:09:25. > :09:28.that he used to talk about repatriation, and now he does not

:09:28. > :09:32.even use the word. There is no doubt that there was a gulf between

:09:32. > :09:38.what he thinks is the right think to do at this summit, and what many

:09:38. > :09:41.of his own party think. He believes that trying to help the eurozone

:09:41. > :09:47.countries save the euro is primarily in Britain's interest,

:09:47. > :09:50.and that he might just be able to get the odd safeguard inserted in

:09:50. > :09:54.as the price of being co-operative, and that's about it. Many of his

:09:54. > :09:58.backbenchers, many in his party, think this is a once-in-a-lifetime

:09:58. > :10:02.moment to say, the euro has failed, the project has failed, Britain

:10:02. > :10:06.should pull back from it, not necessarily leave, but renegotiate

:10:07. > :10:11.its entire position. Yes, the reason he was frankly long-winded

:10:11. > :10:16.in his first answer today, the reason, when I did a clip with him

:10:16. > :10:20.yesterday, frankly, I could not make head or tail of it at the end

:10:20. > :10:25.of the first answer, was because the Prime Minister is trying to

:10:25. > :10:29.cover that base at one minute, and another base at a different minute.

:10:29. > :10:33.What is he trying to do? He is trying to not look weak before

:10:33. > :10:37.European countries, trying not to look weak before his own

:10:37. > :10:42.backbenchers, while simultaneously trying not to upset his coalition

:10:42. > :10:46.partners. You can just say, that's life, every Prime Minister has had

:10:46. > :10:53.this. Many Tory backbenchers say, why does he not behave like

:10:53. > :10:57.Margaret Thatcher? To get our money back, to use the phrase, but that

:10:57. > :11:02.would be fertility forgetting that she signed away the British veto in

:11:02. > :11:06.order to create the single market. -- that would be utterly forgetting.

:11:06. > :11:12.The idea that there is some model of a Prime Minister who has never

:11:12. > :11:15.made compromises in Europe is nonsense. Here's a prediction - Mr

:11:15. > :11:18.Cameron will go to the European summit, the French and Germans will

:11:18. > :11:25.get some version of what they want, in which the British will have

:11:25. > :11:29.close to zero input, there will be largely spectators, and Mr Cameron

:11:29. > :11:35.will come back without a single repatriated power. We will find out

:11:35. > :11:39.next week. But my view is that David Cameron is going into a

:11:39. > :11:43.treaty, like a poker player. The last thing you do before poker is

:11:43. > :11:46.lay your cards on the table. Anybody who was expecting him to

:11:47. > :11:51.say in fine detail today, this is precisely what I aim to achieve,

:11:51. > :11:54.would have been wrong. But he gave a very clear message, not just

:11:54. > :11:57.about safeguarding the financial services industry, but about his

:11:57. > :12:00.intent to bring back to the House of Commons powers of regulation

:12:00. > :12:07.over what is one of our crucial industries. That was a clear

:12:08. > :12:12.statement of intent. Mr Cameron is going in to this summit to bring

:12:12. > :12:16.back powers over financial regulation? That is what he said in

:12:16. > :12:20.the House of Commons. Or is it just that he does not want to transfer

:12:20. > :12:24.more powers? The Times article did not talk about repatriation at all.

:12:24. > :12:28.You talk about the poker player, but six weeks ago, when Parliament

:12:28. > :12:33.debated whether we should have a referendum on Europe, David Cameron

:12:33. > :12:39.was very clear that he wanted to repatriate certain powers. So, he

:12:39. > :12:45.has changed position in those six weeks. The words were clear,

:12:45. > :12:49.bringing back powers from Brussels to Westminster, all three remain

:12:49. > :12:52.Conservative Party policy, and all three are in the national interest.

:12:52. > :12:55.Six weeks is a long time in politics. But I will not take

:12:55. > :13:02.lessons from the Labour Party. They promised a referendum, they did not

:13:02. > :13:06.give it to us. And you signed up to Maastricht. But I am not trying to

:13:06. > :13:09.give your lessons. I'm just saying, that six weeks ago, the Prime

:13:09. > :13:12.Minister said one thing, but now, it is a different story. You're

:13:12. > :13:16.saying that the Prime Minister want to repatriate powers about

:13:16. > :13:21.financial services, but he did not say that today. Is this news to

:13:21. > :13:25.you? I heard him talking about a greater role for the House of

:13:25. > :13:30.Commons in regulating financial services. The it is something which

:13:30. > :13:34.none of us know. Chris Grayling is saying something I did not know.

:13:34. > :13:38.The question is, what does he mean by talking about greater regulation

:13:38. > :13:44.of the financial industry? We have heard about the Robin Hood tax and

:13:44. > :13:49.things like that. We know that. This is much more to do with the

:13:49. > :13:53.rules of the European single market being used potentially by the 17

:13:53. > :13:57.members of the euro club, in a way that is either not consciously or

:13:57. > :14:01.deliberately designed to damage the City of London. There is an example

:14:01. > :14:04.recently, I forget the exact financial instrument, but there was

:14:04. > :14:09.a new regulation saying that this particular transaction could only

:14:10. > :14:13.take place within the eurozone, and it so happened that 80% of the

:14:13. > :14:17.existing transactions happened in London. It is that kind of rather

:14:17. > :14:22.detailed thing, but which involves important jobs going from here to

:14:22. > :14:27.abroad. It would seem to me that the Labour Party would agree with

:14:27. > :14:31.the Prime Minister on that kind of thing. The Prime Minister said that

:14:31. > :14:35.in the area of financial services, he said, I want to make sure we

:14:35. > :14:43.have more power and control in the UK to determine these things. Does

:14:44. > :14:48.that mean repatriation of powers? It is exactly what he said.

:14:48. > :14:52.understand that that is is in general government policy, or at

:14:52. > :14:58.least, Conservative Party policy, because they are worried that the

:14:58. > :15:07.French and Germans are out to put regulations on financial services

:15:07. > :15:11.which would, above all, affect the City. I can understand that. But I

:15:11. > :15:16.did not take it that he's going to this summit to do that, that he's

:15:16. > :15:20.going to say, if I do not get this, I will not let you former fiscal

:15:20. > :15:24.union in the eurozone. Do you think that is what he's going to do?

:15:24. > :15:30.don't know how the negotiations will pan out. But I interpreted

:15:30. > :15:35.what he said as a statement of clear intent about control of the

:15:35. > :15:38.financial services industry. this summit... As I said, when you

:15:38. > :15:45.going to a poker game, you do not put all of your cards on the table

:15:45. > :15:48.up front. But the problem, I would suggest, is that in a sense, the

:15:48. > :15:52.British Prime Minister, wants to play a different poker game from

:15:52. > :15:57.all of the other poker games which are being played. The rest of

:15:57. > :16:00.Europe, including those outside the eurozone, do not see this as a

:16:00. > :16:04.summit about changing financial regulation, or repatriating powers,

:16:04. > :16:12.the rest of Europe sees this as probably the last chance to save

:16:12. > :16:16.the eurozone and stop Europe going That's right. But there are some

:16:16. > :16:19.allies for the Prime Minister in wanting to be a desession of all 27

:16:19. > :16:24.countries and not just the 17. Britain is one of ten countries

:16:24. > :16:28.that are not in. Most of the others are what are called irritateingly

:16:28. > :16:34.in Europe pre-ins. Countries that are legally bound, have said they

:16:34. > :16:37.will one day... Like Poland. Like Poland and Sweden, indeed, but who

:16:37. > :16:41.are not yet in. Some of those countries do want to make sure that

:16:41. > :16:47.what doesn't happen today or tomorrow and the next day that the

:16:47. > :16:50.17 go off on their own, can take decisions that affect everybody

:16:50. > :16:54.else which no one else has any say on. What David Cameron will think

:16:54. > :17:01.he can win allies for is ensuring that it stays at the level of the

:17:01. > :17:07.27 and he might be able to say, "My price for putting my signature on

:17:07. > :17:14.that document is some generalised protection for the financial

:17:14. > :17:18.services industry." One mechanism, but there is something call an

:17:18. > :17:23.emergency brake mechanism, the French have used it, the British

:17:23. > :17:26.haven't where any leader can say, "This actually goes to the heart of

:17:26. > :17:31.my strategic national interests, I need to stop this process going

:17:31. > :17:35.on." Now even if something is under qualified majority, in other words,

:17:35. > :17:45.you can get outvoted. This is one of the techniques which might be

:17:45. > :17:48.

:17:48. > :17:52.used to protect the City. FT Dutch Land quotes that the

:17:52. > :17:58.demands of David Cameron are unachievable and the Governmentan

:17:58. > :18:03.Government considers the idea that the City should be exempt from

:18:03. > :18:10.financial regulation is unaccomplishable. So we shall see.

:18:10. > :18:15.We have got to fight, David Cameron has got to fight to keep the

:18:15. > :18:20.national interests m It is making sure that the eurozone

:18:20. > :18:25.crisis doesn't implode. It will keep us busy this weekend.

:18:25. > :18:30.We have to leave it there. I wish you were there instead of me,

:18:30. > :18:33.Andrew. That's heartfelt.

:18:33. > :18:38.I will be in Brussels for the next two days.

:18:38. > :18:41.We can arrange it for you. I'm off to Strasbourg next week.

:18:41. > :18:45.Last night Hillary Clinton told the UN had should never be a crime to

:18:45. > :18:50.be gay and while it is illegal to discriminate against anyone because

:18:50. > :18:56.of of their sexuality, it seems in sport, being gay is something to

:18:56. > :19:04.keep quiet about. Ben Cohen is xalging that. -- challenging that.

:19:04. > :19:08.He set up the world's first organisation to highlight bullying

:19:08. > :19:18.with focus on the gay community. Ben will be with us shortly. Here

:19:18. > :19:25.

:19:25. > :19:29.is why he says people need to stand It is fact that we hear and see

:19:29. > :19:34.bullying in every day of our children's lives, especially at

:19:34. > :19:37.school. We We know and understand the devastating effects it has on

:19:37. > :19:43.young children today. We hear about it every day in the media, and we

:19:43. > :19:46.have to act now and do something to stop it.

:19:46. > :19:50.These day, it is not just about a note around the classroom anymore,

:19:50. > :19:55.like it was when I was at school. We know that cyber bullying is

:19:55. > :20:00.getting more and more widespread. There are thousands of days of

:20:00. > :20:06.education being missed each year as young people are too afraid to go

:20:06. > :20:14.to school. Health suffers and long- term emotional damage is caused. It

:20:14. > :20:19.is cruel and unnecessary and I'm here to do something about it.

:20:19. > :20:23.I created the Stand Up Foundation to combat bullying across-the-board,

:20:23. > :20:28.but I want to ask everyone - children, parents and teachers to

:20:28. > :20:32.stand up against these bullies. I understand how bull young can tear

:20:32. > :20:42.families apart. It happened to my family when my father was killed

:20:42. > :20:43.

:20:43. > :20:47.eleven years ago. We all need to be aware when

:20:47. > :20:51.bullying is taking place, but more importantly, feel that the

:20:51. > :20:55.necessary support is there to make it stop. Try and notice those

:20:55. > :21:00.people around you who are struggling with being perceived to

:21:00. > :21:07.be different every day. Are they suffering at the hands of bullies?

:21:07. > :21:17.You can do something about it. Do something today - stand up and make

:21:17. > :21:18.

:21:18. > :21:28.Well, Ben Cohen is here now. You cut short your rugby career, to

:21:28. > :21:38.start up this foundation? In 2005 my dad got killed when he stood up

:21:38. > :21:42.

:21:42. > :21:47.to protect someone and he got attacked and lost his life. My

:21:47. > :21:51.family are an accepting family and for me it was about being in a

:21:51. > :21:55.privileged position to make a difference, and being a successful

:21:55. > :21:58.sportsman that I could bridge that gap between the gay and the

:21:58. > :22:03.straight community and bring awareness as to what bullying does.

:22:03. > :22:07.Do you think the fear of it actually stops gay sports people

:22:07. > :22:11.coming into top level sport? At an early stage, most definitely. It is

:22:11. > :22:18.the same within school. Bullying in school too, that people don't want

:22:18. > :22:23.to go to school. It is easier not to go to school. And find ways of

:22:23. > :22:27.not going to PE lessons or your junior club rugby or football. It

:22:27. > :22:32.deters them not to do that and it is easier not to do that. There are

:22:32. > :22:36.thousands of days that are missed through people playing truancy

:22:36. > :22:40.because it is easier to get told off than getting bullied.

:22:40. > :22:44.What more can be done to encourage people to come out and feel feeltry

:22:44. > :22:50.and to stop the bullying? I would like to see support and I would

:22:50. > :22:53.like to see youngsters, young people, whether in lower school,

:22:53. > :22:58.upper middle school or university actually understand what bullying

:22:58. > :23:03.does. There is a support mechanism, in schools, do they know the route

:23:03. > :23:10.to go down if someone is getting buddied or if they are -- bullied

:23:11. > :23:13.or if they are getting bullied themselves. Sometimes it leads to

:23:13. > :23:21.them being on the mental health register, the fact they have been

:23:21. > :23:25.bullied so bad that they can't get jobs because they have mental

:23:25. > :23:29.health issues. Schools are supposed to take this

:23:29. > :23:35.seriously, and are making in roads on this. You are working with the

:23:35. > :23:38.Government on this? I am working with the Government and to

:23:38. > :23:41.highlight bullying. There is a lot of sportsmen and women around the

:23:41. > :23:46.world, specifically in the UK and in the US that actually sportsmen

:23:46. > :23:50.and women are role models, whether they like it or don't like it, you

:23:50. > :23:55.know, people follow their actions and it is important, as I know,

:23:55. > :24:00.being a rugby player and having been successful, people look up to

:24:00. > :24:03.me and that's why I started the Stand Up Foundation, people can

:24:03. > :24:07.follow my actions and stand up for the people who are getting picked

:24:07. > :24:13.on at school and I have got twin girls and I want to bring my kids

:24:13. > :24:17.into a safer place and a kinder world especially within education.

:24:17. > :24:22.Chris Grayling, Hillary Clinton said last night it shouldn't be a

:24:22. > :24:27.crime to be gay. Aren't It sad that we are still talking about this in

:24:27. > :24:35.2011? Bullying is about more than that. In sport, it is unacceptable.

:24:35. > :24:39.There is a culture in the sporting world that picks and discriminates

:24:39. > :24:44.the gay. If you look at bullying in the workplace more generally, I

:24:44. > :24:47.have had a number of cases over the years of people saying, "I have

:24:47. > :24:51.been bullied in the workplace." That's a challenge. I praise Ben

:24:51. > :24:57.for what he is doing. The more we can raise awareness of bullying,

:24:57. > :25:03.the better. I have got shock news for you.

:25:03. > :25:08.Politicians may come across as remote, humourless, yes they do.

:25:08. > :25:11.They are fully formed human beings who curl up on the sofa on a

:25:11. > :25:15.Saturday night and watch The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing.

:25:15. > :25:21.How do I know this? Because they don't just watch these

:25:21. > :25:29.programmes, they use Twitter to let the rest of us know they are they

:25:29. > :25:33.are watching, like we care. Why would they do that? Here is Adam.

:25:33. > :25:38.Welcome to Strictly Come Tweeting. MPs cannot get enough of tweeting

:25:38. > :25:44.about their favourite Saturday night reality TV shows. Take these

:25:44. > :25:47.messages from Harriet Harman. My favourite on Strictly Come

:25:47. > :25:53.Dancing, is Harry. Minutes later she switched to the

:25:53. > :25:57.other side to choose her favourites in another programme.

:25:57. > :26:02.But some MPs are less enthusiastic about their tweeting. To To make

:26:02. > :26:12.sure they have the right balance of zaniness and seriousness like

:26:12. > :26:15.Labour's Stella Creasy. 268 pieces of case work, The X

:26:15. > :26:24.Factor and some food. There are those who question why

:26:24. > :26:33.these MPs want to quote themselves in the stardust like Tim Montgomery.

:26:33. > :26:39.Some wondering if Ed Balls is genuine in his X Factor tweets.

:26:39. > :26:41.So MPs, keep tweeting! LAUGHTER

:26:41. > :26:47.You have got your paddles there from Strictly. We're going to ask

:26:47. > :26:53.you to vote. How convinced are you are you these tweeters are genuine

:26:53. > :27:00.fans. Let's play Strictly Come Treating.

:27:01. > :27:06.-- Tweeting. Sorry to see MishaB go out.

:27:06. > :27:14.How convinced were you? I know that he genuinely does like

:27:14. > :27:19.I know that he genuinely does like He loves it. He loves it.

:27:19. > :27:29.David Miliband has been talking about his favourite band on The X

:27:29. > :27:31.

:27:31. > :27:35.Factor. I have no idea whether these people

:27:35. > :27:45.watch it. Here is the third tweet from Louise

:27:45. > :27:50.

:27:50. > :27:58.She used to be in the record business!

:27:58. > :28:00.True. . She was political enough not to

:28:00. > :28:03.say who that band were. Doesn't it always end in tears when

:28:03. > :28:06.politicians try to show they are in politicians try to show they are in

:28:06. > :28:13.touch with popular culture? I do tweet.

:28:13. > :28:19.Your Your tweets are the most boring!

:28:19. > :28:22.I'm going to a meeting of Local Government finance. Why do you

:28:22. > :28:25.think we want to know that you are going to a meeting on Local

:28:25. > :28:30.Government finance? That's what I was doing!

:28:30. > :28:39.We have run out of time. It is time to give you the answer to Guess The

:28:39. > :28:44.Year. Rupert Murdoch buying the News of the World, do you remember

:28:44. > :28:49.the year? It was 1979. That's it for today. Thanks to our guests.