14/03/2012

:00:43. > :00:47.Could morning, folks. This is the Daily Politics. David Cameron

:00:47. > :00:51.continues his trip to the United States. Last night to watch a

:00:51. > :00:54.basketball game with Barack Obama. Today it is down to business with

:00:54. > :00:57.the official talks at the White House.

:00:57. > :01:01.Top of the agenda is the military operation in Afghanistan and the

:01:01. > :01:05.timetable for withdrawing troops. We will be looking at so called

:01:05. > :01:10.endgame in a campaign that has been going on for over a decade.

:01:10. > :01:13.Back home, the latest job figures show that unemployment has risen

:01:13. > :01:17.again to 2.67 million. The number of people in work has also

:01:17. > :01:25.increased. And with just one week to go before

:01:25. > :01:29.the Chancellor delivers his spring Budget, and -- an influential

:01:29. > :01:33.Conservative thinker delivers his advice. My biggest brokers would

:01:33. > :01:41.not be the eurozone or the deficit. It would be the rise of China and

:01:41. > :01:43.other new economies. All of that to come before 1

:01:43. > :01:48.o'clock today along with Prime Minister's Questions. The novelty

:01:48. > :01:53.value, it is Nick Clegg and Harriet Harman because the Prime Minister

:01:53. > :01:58.is in Washington DC. With us for the duration, Cabinet Office

:01:58. > :02:04.minister Mark Harper and shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan.

:02:04. > :02:09.Welcome to you both. So David Cameron's American road trip is

:02:09. > :02:14.under way. He touched down in Washington yesterday afternoon and

:02:14. > :02:18.after checking into Blair House just opposite the White House,

:02:18. > :02:26.where dignitaries stay if they are in favour, he was whisked off by

:02:26. > :02:29.Air Force One with Barack Obama. There he is watching a college

:02:29. > :02:33.basketball game in Ohio. The leaders chatted about the game,

:02:33. > :02:38.there's a surprise. Apparently it was not particularly good but not

:02:38. > :02:45.that we are bothered about that. Andy wolfed down a hot dog and a

:02:45. > :02:49.can of Coke, which is mandatory. -- he wolfed down. Otherwise you get

:02:49. > :02:57.stuck in the slammer! We assume he had a refreshing

:02:57. > :03:01.night's sleep back in DC but his body clock must have been all over

:03:01. > :03:05.the place! David Cameron is due to arrive in the White House this

:03:05. > :03:08.afternoon for formal face-to-face talks with the President. We are

:03:08. > :03:15.told they will discuss a range of issues including the timetable for

:03:15. > :03:21.withdrawing from Afghanistan. Let's go live to Washington, the White

:03:21. > :03:25.House, and our political editor Nick Robinson. Tell me, Afghanistan,

:03:25. > :03:29.is that top of the agenda and what shape of the discussions likely to

:03:29. > :03:34.take? It is. Even though these talks were scheduled long before,

:03:34. > :03:37.the recent problems that have beset the Afghan operation, the slaughter

:03:37. > :03:41.of six British soldiers and then of course here in the United States

:03:41. > :03:46.the real focus on one rogue American soldier massacring a

:03:46. > :03:50.series of Afghan civilians, even though the trip was arranged long

:03:50. > :03:56.before, these guys needed to talk. They are preparing for a NATO

:03:56. > :03:59.summit to be held in Chicago in May. What does it need to do? Fill out

:03:59. > :04:04.the detail beneath the headline. The headline says that our boys

:04:04. > :04:06.will be home by the end of 2014. That is the message that the Prime

:04:07. > :04:11.Minister and the President want to give to their electorate. They have

:04:11. > :04:14.not said exactly when and exactly how fast and under what conditions.

:04:14. > :04:19.What is interesting is that in recent weeks, the Americans have

:04:19. > :04:28.begun to shift forward, to speed up, if you like, a possible withdrawal

:04:28. > :04:32.plans. Leon Panetta taught about the -- talked about the Afghans

:04:32. > :04:36.taking control towards the end or the middle of next year. That is a

:04:36. > :04:39.few months earlier. That would speed up the moment that British

:04:39. > :04:44.and American combat troops can come home. The Prime Minister tends to

:04:44. > :04:47.do this when you ask him a question. He uses his arm. He says he wants

:04:47. > :04:52.to see a gradual reduction in the number of British troops, not to

:04:52. > :04:56.see the numbers high and then for of some sort of cliff edge. What

:04:56. > :05:01.this means is that by the beginning of 2013, I think they will agree

:05:01. > :05:07.today that quite significant numbers will come back. It looks

:05:07. > :05:12.like this, tell us if we are right, that they will keep the 2014

:05:12. > :05:14.endgame, the final withdrawal, but they would both like to see a

:05:15. > :05:19.substantial reduction in British and American troops involved in

:05:19. > :05:22.combat operations taking place in 2013. That is what will get

:05:23. > :05:27.confirmed at the news conference in a few hours' time. I think you

:05:27. > :05:31.should not prepare for detailed answers from them. They will want

:05:31. > :05:34.to put that back to the NATO summit in May. There is no doubt that

:05:34. > :05:38.there is huge electoral pressure on the President here to have

:05:38. > :05:42.something to say about when the boys come home. He wants to go to

:05:42. > :05:46.the electorate in November with a positive message, that the

:05:46. > :05:50.withdrawal, the ball down, is beginning to start. The British

:05:50. > :05:54.cannot afford to be out of step. It is a phrase that the Prime Minister

:05:54. > :05:59.likes to use, being in lockstep with the President. What that means

:05:59. > :06:06.is, frankly, that Britain's contribution is so tiny compared to

:06:06. > :06:09.America. There are roughly 10,000 for the UK and over 100,000 for the

:06:09. > :06:14.US. If the Americans start to move on a certain date, we are going to

:06:14. > :06:21.start to move on a certain date. That is why when the US Defence

:06:21. > :06:24.Secretary made that speech about mid-to-late 2013, the British were

:06:24. > :06:29.unsettled, unnerved, and then within a few days the British said

:06:29. > :06:38.OK, that is our timetable, too. miss you but it is good to see you

:06:38. > :06:45.there. I will try to get you a White House baseball cap. Now you

:06:45. > :06:49.are talking! And I will hold on to the Daily Politics mug for you!

:06:49. > :06:52.also want some Air Force One chocolates. We are ready to be

:06:52. > :06:56.bribed at every opportunity. Thank you for joining us in the early

:06:56. > :07:00.hours of Washington as the US capital is waking up.

:07:00. > :07:02.On his way out to the United States the Prime Minister had time to

:07:02. > :07:08.brief journalists travelling with him on a plan being considered by

:07:08. > :07:13.George Osborne to issue 100 year Government bonds. They would mature

:07:13. > :07:17.in 100 years' time. Some of us may not be alive by then. They would

:07:17. > :07:23.take advantage of record low interest rates that British debt is

:07:23. > :07:27.enjoying at the moment. Let's talk to Louise Cooper. I notice that the

:07:28. > :07:31.Office of debt management has said they will put this idea out to the

:07:31. > :07:41.market. They are not just offering it, they are seeing if there is an

:07:41. > :07:45.

:07:45. > :07:49.appetite for it. Will there be if - - and appetite? I don't know. 100

:07:49. > :07:55.years is very unusual. In Austria and France, the term is 50 years

:07:55. > :08:00.and in Japan it is 40 years. This would be a very bold and brave step

:08:00. > :08:04.for the UK Government. We do have some perpetuities, these are bonds

:08:04. > :08:09.that pay for ever and you never get your money back. They were issued

:08:09. > :08:14.in the period after the First World War and before the Second World War,

:08:14. > :08:20.between 1921 and 1946. Really, the only long-dated issue for the UK is

:08:20. > :08:25.a 50 year issue which came into the market two years ago. It sold very

:08:25. > :08:35.well but 100 years is a different kettle of fish entirely. I can see

:08:35. > :08:45.those looking at the long-term horizon would like the certainty of

:08:45. > :08:45.

:08:45. > :08:50.the longer term. But his and 50 years long enough for anybody? --

:08:50. > :08:54.isn't 50 years long enough? regulator is forcing us a liability

:08:54. > :08:58.matching. That means that if you have a 50 year pension liability

:08:58. > :09:03.that companies have to pay out, then they have to own assets of the

:09:03. > :09:07.same timescale. So absolutely. But I am not convinced that many

:09:07. > :09:12.pension companies have 100 year timescales. 50 year debt has gone

:09:12. > :09:17.very well. I am not sure that 100 your debt would go equally well.

:09:17. > :09:21.Pricing it will be very difficult because there is nothing comparable

:09:21. > :09:27.out there on the international markets. Finally, is there any idea

:09:27. > :09:37.where you are in the City about what the yield would be about the

:09:37. > :09:39.

:09:39. > :09:45.100 yr bonds? The 50 year bond is yielding 3.3% so potentially it

:09:45. > :09:51.could be up to 5%. But 100 years, that is a huge risk on the UK

:09:51. > :09:55.Government and economy. Who will be in charge in 100 years? One would

:09:55. > :09:59.hope that investors would demand a premium for that risk. In the crazy

:09:59. > :10:03.world of low interest rates, who knows? Maybe they should issue them

:10:03. > :10:10.in Chinese because we might all be speaking Chinese by then. And can I

:10:10. > :10:15.say that I have not got a mug! Leave that to me. You get me a 100

:10:15. > :10:21.yr Bond and I will get you a mug! Thank you for joining us.

:10:21. > :10:25.One do you make of it? I heard Robert Peston this morning querying

:10:25. > :10:29.it being a publicity stunt but I have no problem with George Osborne

:10:29. > :10:33.exploring this. We have low interest rates and it is worth

:10:34. > :10:42.exploring whether we can get lower yields in relation to 100 years

:10:42. > :10:46.bonds. We can get a lot of debt a way for 2% at the moment that this

:10:46. > :10:51.would be more expensive debt. is exactly why what we are talking

:10:51. > :10:57.about is consulting with the market on whether this is a good idea. She

:10:57. > :11:02.said there were lots of uncertainties about it. That is why

:11:02. > :11:06.there are consultations going on. Also whether Perpetual's would make

:11:06. > :11:13.sense. We have to use the strength of our debt market to see if we can

:11:13. > :11:20.unlock the existing low interest rates. I understand that, but it is

:11:20. > :11:27.not a lower rate if you have to pay higher rates on a 100 yr Bond. In

:11:27. > :11:30.the early years you will be paying out higher debt. One of the huge

:11:30. > :11:34.costs on the Government purse at the moment is servicing debt. Why

:11:35. > :11:39.would you take out debt where you are paying more than you would if

:11:39. > :11:42.you took out a shorter term debt? And we have no idea what the

:11:42. > :11:51.economy will be like in 50 years. We don't know about next year,

:11:51. > :11:57.never mind 100 years. We certainly won't be there! You will be, Andrew.

:11:57. > :12:01.That is the bad news for our viewers! What do you think about

:12:01. > :12:06.the bonds? That does not seem like a safe bet to me. When it matures,

:12:06. > :12:10.you will be beyond caring, I think. The David Cameron's flight to the

:12:10. > :12:14.United States turned out to be busy for the journalists. Speaking to

:12:14. > :12:21.the press on the plane, David Cameron talk about his plans for

:12:21. > :12:27.reform and human rights law. He suggested it was not in the

:12:27. > :12:30.coalition Government but if it was he would be going faster towards

:12:30. > :12:35.changing human rights laws. The European Court of Human Rights has

:12:35. > :12:38.ruled that prisoners should get the right to vote. Plans to reform the

:12:38. > :12:43.court would be very difficult to carry out and would risk friction

:12:43. > :12:49.and divisiveness in the 47 states signed up to the European

:12:49. > :12:52.Convention on Human Rights. Much of the criticism of the court may be

:12:52. > :12:58.manufactured by the British popular press. There is a mischievous

:12:58. > :13:04.report that since 1966, dealing with the United Kingdom alone, we

:13:04. > :13:08.have found violations against the United Kingdom. That was in three

:13:08. > :13:14.out of four of all cases brought against the country. This is a

:13:14. > :13:18.gross distortion, to my mind, and one that was clearly designed to

:13:18. > :13:21.undermine the reputation of our court. Sir Nicholas Bratza giving

:13:21. > :13:25.evidence to the Human Rights Committee in Parliament yesterday.

:13:25. > :13:30.Mark Harper, he says it is a gross distortion, the way the court is

:13:30. > :13:35.being presented. Do you see him as a block to reform? What we have

:13:35. > :13:40.said we are going to do, which is agreed on by both parties in the

:13:40. > :13:43.Government, is reform. Despite what he says, the 47 countries in the

:13:43. > :13:46.Council of Europe have a lot of agreement about speeding up the

:13:46. > :13:51.decisions, looking at the recruitment of judges, and dealing

:13:51. > :13:55.with the fact the courts have got a backlog of 150,000 cases, which is

:13:55. > :13:58.not working. But not reducing the scope, which is what David Cameron

:13:59. > :14:03.would like to see. That is the big stumbling block. We have talked

:14:03. > :14:09.about the level at which decisions are taken. We have agreed that the

:14:10. > :14:13.national court system is why you should predominantly -- where you

:14:13. > :14:17.should predominantly deal with human rights. That balance has not

:14:17. > :14:20.been right. In a number of cases recently, that has not happened,

:14:20. > :14:24.and we are discussing that with the other 46 members of the Council of

:14:24. > :14:27.Europe. The hint from David Cameron and the Conservatives is that the

:14:27. > :14:33.Liberal Democrats are holding back the Government on this area. Do you

:14:33. > :14:36.agree? It is clear that the two coalition parties, and this from a

:14:36. > :14:45.different perspective. There are things that we agree on, and we are

:14:46. > :14:49.doing this. Reforming the court, the bill of Human Rights. But that

:14:49. > :14:55.is in disarray, if you listen to the commission. There are some

:14:56. > :15:00.things that the commission do agree on. There will be some things that

:15:00. > :15:02.they do not agree on and we will debate those things during the next

:15:02. > :15:05.general election campaign and the public will have the opportunity to

:15:05. > :15:10.decide what direction the Government should take. And if you

:15:10. > :15:13.do not get anywhere with reform, which lots of people are saying,

:15:13. > :15:18.should Britain consider pulling out if only for a temporary period of

:15:18. > :15:21.time? That is not something we want to do. We are one of the architects

:15:21. > :15:25.of the Convention. Britain stands up for human rights around the

:15:25. > :15:28.world. The test is getting it right. We want the court and the

:15:28. > :15:38.convention to work. That is why we want to work with other countries

:15:38. > :15:40.

:15:40. > :15:44.Would Labour like to see this to, but they wouldn't have the power to

:15:44. > :15:48.supersede Parliament? There are issues with the European Court

:15:48. > :15:58.needs reform. The backlog is important and the quality of the

:15:58. > :15:58.

:15:58. > :16:07.judges,... How do change that? There are few instances where we

:16:07. > :16:10.would be the church. The last time was 1992. -- chair. You speak to

:16:10. > :16:15.your 47 partners, work with them are so when it comes to you being

:16:15. > :16:21.the chairperson, you have a plan in place. The third issue is the

:16:21. > :16:28.margin of appreciation, individual countries getting within the family

:16:28. > :16:32.of 47 nations. And saying to the Turkish Supreme Court, and the

:16:32. > :16:37.Russian Supreme Court, if a Russian citizen goes to a court, they can't

:16:37. > :16:41.now go to the Supreme Court. We think that's a step too far. I just

:16:41. > :16:47.want to let you know about a fantastic programme on BBC Two

:16:47. > :16:51.tonight presented by someone called Andrew Neil. I have been

:16:51. > :16:55.investigating human rights for a programme called Rights Gone Wrong

:16:55. > :16:59.which is broadcast on BBC Two tonight at 9pm. Viewers might

:16:59. > :17:05.recall my interview with a man called John Hirst, convicted of

:17:05. > :17:10.manslaughter and, while in prison, fought the right for prisoners to

:17:10. > :17:20.have the boat. That's how the Strasbourg court ruled. -- though

:17:20. > :17:24.

:17:24. > :17:29.two. Then parliament voted 10-1 To do you understand, when you see

:17:29. > :17:34.human rights rulings have allowed you to claim that it's now time for

:17:34. > :17:40.murder is, rapists and paedophiles to celebrate, it risks undermining

:17:40. > :17:44.the concept of human rights in a lot of ordinary people's eyes.

:17:44. > :17:50.refer you to the answer I gave a few moments ago. If you can't

:17:50. > :17:56.accept the truth of the answer, I'm sorry. The highest court in Europe

:17:56. > :18:01.has have voted mayor Droz, rapist, manslaughter, -- murderers, it's

:18:01. > :18:08.not undermining it at all. brought some vegetables afterwards,

:18:08. > :18:11.though. Rights Gone Wrong, tonight on BBC Two.

:18:11. > :18:14.When David Cameron and Barack Obama sit down in the Oval Office for

:18:14. > :18:20.their official bilateral meeting later today, top of their agenda

:18:20. > :18:24.we're told will be the so-called end game in Afghanistan. It is

:18:24. > :18:26.still a little bit away, though. Both leaders are keen to see a

:18:26. > :18:32.speedy withdrawal of troops. But the question is how quickly can

:18:32. > :18:37.that be done while handing over to the Afghans in an orderly manner.

:18:37. > :18:40.That's probably more difficult than most people realise. Yesterday, the

:18:40. > :18:44.Prime Minister said Afghanistan will not be a perfect democracy by

:18:44. > :18:49.the time British troops return home. I think we had worked that out. Jo,

:18:49. > :18:52.give us the background to this. in the wake of the killing of 16

:18:52. > :18:54.civilians by a US soldier and the deaths of six British servicemen

:18:54. > :18:58.last week, tensions are running high. The UK currently has just

:18:58. > :19:01.over 9,000 troops in Afghanistan. Last year, David Cameron promised

:19:01. > :19:06.to reduce the number from the original peak of 9,500 by the end

:19:06. > :19:10.of 2012. America is a far bigger player with over 100,000 people

:19:10. > :19:15.stationed there. And President Obama has also already started

:19:15. > :19:21.withdrawing troops. He's said he's aiming to pull out a total of

:19:21. > :19:24.33,000 by this summer. Both are signed up to a ISAF and Nato plan

:19:24. > :19:30.which sees combat forces aiming to leave the country by the end of

:19:30. > :19:33.2014. Subject to conditions on the ground and the rate at which Afghan

:19:33. > :19:42.forces can be trained. But Leon Panetta, Obama's defence chief said

:19:42. > :19:46.David Cameron has talked of not wanting to "See a cliff edge in

:19:46. > :19:50.2014 when all of the remaining troops come out at once." So,

:19:50. > :19:53.Andrew, it looks like the two men will have a lot to talk about today.

:19:53. > :20:01.Thanks, Jo. We've been joined by the Conservative MP John Baron, who

:20:01. > :20:05.sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. What is the mood in your

:20:05. > :20:09.view of the Government backbenchers about Afghanistan at the moment?

:20:09. > :20:12.Great concern, a lot of things going wrong in the short term and

:20:13. > :20:18.is a feeling if we don't have the orderly withdrawal, in certain

:20:18. > :20:24.sections, we could have another Vietnam on our hands if we don't

:20:24. > :20:29.open meaningful, nor unconditional talks with the Taliban. Part of the

:20:29. > :20:33.withdrawal must involve the Taliban? Yes, it's essential. The

:20:33. > :20:37.problem with the mission so far is the under-resourced the task,

:20:37. > :20:43.underestimated and have been playing catch-up ever since. We

:20:43. > :20:47.have confused the mission. Building human rights and democracy. We have

:20:47. > :20:53.confused the enemy because there are fundamental differences between

:20:53. > :20:56.Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It is not automatic but if we allow the

:20:56. > :21:01.Taliban to remain in control in certain areas, they will allow Al-

:21:01. > :21:06.Qaeda back into the country. have no evidence Al-Qaeda is still

:21:06. > :21:12.there. Good point. The evidence suggests Al-Qaeda left many years

:21:13. > :21:18.ago and we have more for this battle into the Taliban. As we

:21:18. > :21:21.showed in Northern Ireland, you can fight and talk at the same time.

:21:21. > :21:27.Soldiers only by times the politicians must now negotiate

:21:27. > :21:32.otherwise we risk a disorderly end it. What do we talk to the Taliban

:21:32. > :21:37.about? A common ground. There's no love lost between Al-Qaeda and the

:21:37. > :21:43.Taliban. Let's remember why we initially went into Afghanistan, to

:21:43. > :21:50.deny Afghanistan two Al-Qaeda. could say it's job done. But since,

:21:50. > :21:55.the mission has moved into building democracy and human rights. It's

:21:55. > :21:58.confused. We should explore common ground with a Taliban because

:21:58. > :22:05.there's no love lost between them up, although there is different

:22:05. > :22:11.shades of Taliban. In doing so, we would have to accept for example

:22:12. > :22:16.that all this stuff we used to say about the number of girls in school

:22:16. > :22:24.and women in Parliament, that's all going to go, isn't it? To a certain

:22:24. > :22:27.extent, yes. It depends which part of the country they are in control

:22:27. > :22:33.of for so it's important why it's important to focus on the original

:22:33. > :22:39.mission. My understanding is that we are there to protect the streets

:22:39. > :22:44.of the UK and the west from Al- Qaeda. They left many moons ago and

:22:44. > :22:52.we have got to remain clear on what our mission is. Isn't that broadly

:22:52. > :22:58.the Opposition's attitude, as well? There needs to be game-plan. For

:22:58. > :23:07.example, the regional players are crucial. Pakistan, China, very

:23:07. > :23:16.important. What is their stance? Secondly, they in need to be talked

:23:16. > :23:19.to. The Taliban had opened at negotiations in Qatar. They had

:23:19. > :23:22.shown a willingness but the American position so far have been

:23:22. > :23:27.at they will not talk to the Taliban unless they accept the

:23:27. > :23:34.constitution. This may or may not be the right thing to do, it's not

:23:34. > :23:37.for me to say. If we do talk to the Taliban and tried to come to a

:23:37. > :23:46.political settlement, we are handing over at least part of the

:23:46. > :23:51.country to the Taliban. Correct? Yes, by definition. Pakistan is a

:23:51. > :23:59.pluralist society. I don't accept they would revert to what would

:23:59. > :24:03.happen Al-Qaeda was in charge of. The Taliban were in charge. They

:24:03. > :24:07.did a pretty good job of putting women back to medieval status and

:24:07. > :24:11.blowing up Buddhist temples and stoning people they didn't like and

:24:11. > :24:16.be heading others. Your political strategy may be right or wrong, but

:24:16. > :24:22.let's not denied that an element of that would happen again. We have

:24:22. > :24:26.got to talk to them. That would be the consequence. I'm not sure.

:24:26. > :24:32.There needs to be game-plan. You can't have a game plan to withdraw

:24:32. > :24:38.the military by 2014. They need to do with politics. That is the

:24:38. > :24:43.consequence of it. It includes talking to Pakistan. And China and

:24:43. > :24:48.India and the regional players. course we should talk to Pakistan

:24:49. > :24:51.but you don't need to talk too much to Pakistan to know what they want.

:24:51. > :25:01.They prefer the Taliban in there because it's a bulwark against

:25:01. > :25:03.

:25:03. > :25:07.India. Their nightmare is India taking over Pakistan. This is the

:25:07. > :25:12.reason why we need to have a clear plan to withdraw but also we can't

:25:12. > :25:20.make the main -- same mistakes are made in the 1980s when the Russian

:25:20. > :25:28.troops withdrew. It's the cliff- edge nightmare scenario. Are we

:25:28. > :25:33.talking to the Taliban already? Answer my question, please. We know

:25:33. > :25:37.from the political discussions the Taliban have made some moves in

:25:37. > :25:42.talking. There will clearly be political discussions going on.

:25:42. > :25:48.we talking to the Taliban? I don't know is the honest answer. That's a

:25:49. > :25:51.good answer. I don't think we are. I think we are looking to the

:25:52. > :25:55.Americans on this and the American position so far is we will not talk

:25:55. > :26:01.to the Taliban unless they accept the constitution and that will not

:26:01. > :26:06.happen. We need to open on conditional talks with the Taliban

:26:06. > :26:11.and that's where the at Americans are failing. I'm going to give you

:26:11. > :26:15.the final word. Our troops are working with the Afghan security

:26:15. > :26:20.forces to make sure they are growing in strength, sufficiently

:26:20. > :26:28.well-trained so when we leave in an orderly manner, they can provide

:26:28. > :26:32.security for their country. According to a noticeable, they

:26:32. > :26:36.have been infiltrated by the Taliban. I'm not sure that is true.

:26:36. > :26:42.The Afghan national army, there is a difference between them and the

:26:42. > :26:48.police force. The Afghan national army has done well. It is right and,

:26:48. > :26:52.unfortunately, Afghan security forces when they are in control of

:26:52. > :26:57.a district have proved themselves almost worthless put up I have a

:26:57. > :27:05.feeling we will be returning to this. Then there will be continue

:27:05. > :27:09.discussions on this in the States. Now it's time for our Guess The

:27:09. > :27:19.Year. We will remind you how to enter in a minute, but let's see if

:27:19. > :27:25.

:27:25. > :27:34.you can't remember when this President Gorbachev, tear down this

:27:34. > :27:44.There has not been a storm like this for as long as anyone can

:27:44. > :28:22.

:28:22. > :28:32.David Owen at heard the result at his room in that house of Commons.

:28:32. > :29:02.

:29:02. > :29:11.-- don't they all look young in Let's take a look at a big banner,

:29:11. > :29:15.time for the week of a For the the price minister is in

:29:15. > :29:24.the USA for his talks with Barack Obama and it means this week we

:29:24. > :29:32.have the battle of the deputies. Last week at Prime Minister's

:29:32. > :29:38.Are you up for it? People don't believe it. It's not that

:29:38. > :29:47.complicated to resolve. This afternoon, it is the battle of the

:29:47. > :29:57.deputies. Nick Clegg and the coalition. Harriet Harman and the

:29:57. > :29:59.

:29:59. > :30:04.Labour Party. Who will win the I don at my black silk pyjamas

:30:04. > :30:14.every night and dream of these things. It is time to face the

:30:14. > :30:20.

:30:20. > :30:27.Oh, the drama. I'm exhausted just watching that. James Landale joins

:30:27. > :30:30.us. Are the Tory backbenchers going to chair on Nick Clegg today?

:30:30. > :30:35.Tory MP has already been tweeting this will be a target rich

:30:35. > :30:39.environment, what should I ask? Nick Clegg will have to look over

:30:39. > :30:43.his shoulder as much as in front. Presumably Labour will ask as many

:30:43. > :30:49.embarrassing questions as possible to Mr Clegg? Yes, health,

:30:49. > :30:56.unemployment figures, the secret courts, the Justice white paper.

:30:56. > :31:01.European Human Rights. He's not done one of these before for over

:31:01. > :31:05.one year. This is because the Foreign Secretary is in Washington

:31:05. > :31:12.with the Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister does stand-in when

:31:12. > :31:16.he's away normally but when he's away on trips,. He has been up

:31:16. > :31:23.against Harriet Harman once before. He's only done this once or twice

:31:23. > :31:28.before. And against Jack Straw. Harriet Harman was interim leader.

:31:28. > :31:33.This was before Ed Miliband was leader of the Labour Party. The be

:31:33. > :31:43.unemployment figures are out this morning, too. We don't want to miss

:31:43. > :31:47.

:31:47. > :31:49.anything. Let's go straight over I have been asked to reply. My

:31:49. > :31:54.right honourable friend the Prime Minister is visiting the United

:31:54. > :31:57.States. I am sure the whole House would like to join me in sending

:31:57. > :32:02.our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the

:32:02. > :32:07.servicemen who died in Afghanistan last Tuesday. Sergeant Nigel Coupe

:32:07. > :32:12.from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. Corporal Jake Hartley.

:32:12. > :32:15.Private Anthony Frampton. Private Christopher Kershaw. Private Daniel

:32:16. > :32:19.Wade and private Daniel Wilford, all from 3rd Battalion the

:32:19. > :32:22.Yorkshire Regiment. These men had outstanding courage and

:32:22. > :32:27.selflessness. This tragic incident will long be remembered by our

:32:27. > :32:31.nation because it reminds us all of the immense danger that our armed

:32:31. > :32:35.forces regularly endure to guarantee the safety and security

:32:35. > :32:39.of our country. Mr Speaker, we are also deeply shocked at the

:32:39. > :32:46.appalling news that a number of Afghan civilians were wounded and

:32:46. > :32:50.killed in Afghanistan on Sunday morning. We send our sympathy to

:32:50. > :32:55.the families affected by this terrible incident. I had meetings

:32:55. > :32:59.this morning with my colleagues and others in addition to my duties in

:32:59. > :33:03.his house and I will have further such meetings today. I would like

:33:03. > :33:07.to associate myself with the Deputy Prime Minister's comments about the

:33:07. > :33:12.tragic events in Afghanistan. I am sure that members on both sides of

:33:12. > :33:17.the House will express their deepest sympathies to families that

:33:18. > :33:22.have lost loved ones at this deeply distressing time. Today the Prime

:33:22. > :33:27.Minister is in America where unemployment is coming down... When

:33:27. > :33:31.an implement is coming down and the economy is growing. -- where

:33:31. > :33:35.unemployment is coming down. In Britain, unemployment is at its

:33:35. > :33:41.highest for 17 years and the economy is flats lining. Can the

:33:41. > :33:48.Deputy Prime Minister explain what has gone wrong? What went wrong was

:33:48. > :33:53.the Labour Government for 13 years! Creating the most unholy mess in

:33:53. > :34:00.2008 which we are now having to clear up. The only way... The only

:34:00. > :34:06.way to get the economy moving is to fix the deficit, get banks lending

:34:06. > :34:11.again and have a tax and benefit system that pays people to work.

:34:11. > :34:17.Will he introduce a Freedom Bill to get rid of a lot of bossy and

:34:17. > :34:22.unloved regulations? As my honourable friend knows, we have

:34:22. > :34:25.already introduced a large set of measures, which has removed a lot

:34:25. > :34:32.of unnecessary clutter from the statute book. Any further

:34:32. > :34:37.opportunity to do so, we would grab that with open arms. Harriet Harman.

:34:37. > :34:40.So Mr Speaker, can I joined the Deputy Prime Minister in paying

:34:40. > :34:44.tribute to Sergeant Nigel Coupe of 1st Battalion the Duke of

:34:44. > :34:53.Lancaster's Regiment and from 3rd Battalion the your to regiment,

:34:53. > :35:00.Corporal Jake Hartley, Private Christopher Kershaw, Private

:35:00. > :35:05.Anthony Frampton, Private Daniel Wade, Private Daniel Wilford? They

:35:05. > :35:10.served our country determination. Their deaths remind us of the great

:35:10. > :35:16.sacrifice our servicemen make on our behalf. I joined with the Prime

:35:16. > :35:20.Minister in expressing our horror at the murders in Afghanistan on

:35:20. > :35:27.Sunday of 16 civilians including nine children. We deplore the crime

:35:27. > :35:30.and express our deepest condolences. Today's figures show unemployment

:35:30. > :35:35.up and the hardest hit are young people looking for work and women

:35:35. > :35:37.being thrown out of work. The Deputy Prime Minister says that the

:35:37. > :35:45.Liberal Democrats are making a difference in this Government.

:35:45. > :35:50.With more than 1 million women looking for work, what difference

:35:50. > :35:55.does he believe he has made to those women? Mr Speaker, of course

:35:55. > :35:58.these figures are disappointing, any increase in unemployment is

:35:59. > :36:04.disappointing. It is a personal tragedy for anyone that loses their

:36:04. > :36:08.job and for their families. She should be careful not to pretend

:36:08. > :36:14.that his problem was invented by this Government. The unemployment

:36:14. > :36:22.of women went up by 24% under Labour. Youth unemployment went up

:36:22. > :36:27.by its 40% under Labour. It was remorseless since 2004. We all need

:36:27. > :36:32.to work together to bring unemployment down. Is the Speaker,

:36:32. > :36:36.when we left Government, unemployment was coming down. -- Mr

:36:36. > :36:40.Speaker. Their policy is not only driving up and implement but they

:36:40. > :36:46.will have to borrow more. It is hurting but it is certainly not

:36:46. > :36:50.working. For all his bluster, the truth is that having five Liberal

:36:50. > :36:57.Democrats seated around the Cabinet table has made no difference

:36:57. > :37:04.whatsoever. Listen to what the Business Secretary said on economic

:37:04. > :37:13.policy. This Government has no compelling vision. These days,

:37:13. > :37:18.nobody agrees with Nick. Does he agree with Vince Cable? It is worth

:37:18. > :37:21.looking at the details published on the unemployment statistics. Behind

:37:21. > :37:28.the headline figures, long-term Annapurna actually came down in the

:37:28. > :37:31.quarterly figures. -- long-term unemployment. And importantly, the

:37:31. > :37:36.number of jobs created in the private sector outstripped the jobs

:37:36. > :37:41.left in the public sector. Under her Government, the Labour Party

:37:41. > :37:44.sucked up to the City of London and relied too much on jobs in the

:37:44. > :37:49.public sector. We are having to remedy those mistakes and we are

:37:49. > :37:54.creating new jobs in the private sector. Mr Speaker, he is

:37:55. > :37:59.complacent about unemployment under his Government. The Lib Dems are

:37:59. > :38:05.making no difference on unemployment, just as they are

:38:05. > :38:11.making no difference on the NHS. When it comes to the NHS, the

:38:11. > :38:16.Deputy Prime Minister obviously thinks he is doing a stunning job.

:38:16. > :38:25.Can he explain why he has failed to persuade the doctors, nurses,

:38:25. > :38:29.midwives, paediatricians, fizzy -- physiotherapists and patients?

:38:29. > :38:37.Speaker, the Labour Party used to believe in reform. Now they believe

:38:37. > :38:42.in stopping the NHS of cash and failing to provide reform. Her own

:38:42. > :38:49.manifesto... Order, order. We must hear the response from the Deputy

:38:49. > :38:54.Prime Minister. Indeed. Her own manifesto said, to safeguard the

:38:54. > :39:01.NHS in tougher fiscal Times, we need sustained reform. The Labour

:39:01. > :39:09.Party was right then and from now. What happened? -- and at the wrong

:39:09. > :39:13.now. We are prouder what Labour did when we work Government -- we are

:39:14. > :39:17.proud about what Labour did when we were in Government. And nobody

:39:17. > :39:24.believed him. No wonder he cannot convince those that work in the

:39:24. > :39:32.health service. They cannot even convince his own Government. People

:39:32. > :39:37.are still against this bill because it has not changed one bit. It is

:39:37. > :39:40.still a top down reorganisation. Order, order. I said a moment ago

:39:40. > :39:43.that the Deputy Prime Minister's response must be heard. The

:39:43. > :39:48.question from the deputy leader of the Labour Party must be heard.

:39:49. > :39:53.That is the be-all and end-all of it. Harriet Harman. This bill is

:39:53. > :39:59.still the top down reorganisation and it will cost the NHS of fortune.

:39:59. > :40:02.It will still lead to fragmentation and privatisation. It is clear that

:40:02. > :40:05.the Deputy Prime Minister will not stand up for the NHS. The only

:40:05. > :40:15.thing that to stand up for his when the Prime Minister walks in the

:40:15. > :40:16.

:40:16. > :40:20.room. -- he stands up for his when the Prime Minister walks in.

:40:20. > :40:23.Speaker, Mr Speaker... Some of her colleagues must think the Liberal

:40:23. > :40:28.Democrats make a difference because they were handing out leaflets at

:40:28. > :40:34.our conference in Gateshead while their leader was throwing SAK and

:40:34. > :40:39.going to watch Hull play football. -- throwing the sick day. Is she

:40:39. > :40:42.proud of the fact that the Government spent �250,000 of

:40:42. > :40:47.taxpayers' money on sweetheart deals for the private sector that

:40:47. > :40:52.did not help anybody in the NHS? Is she proud of the fact that under

:40:52. > :40:59.the 2006 Act, which a friend worked on, it was a privatise its charter

:40:59. > :41:07.in which a Government offered an 11% premium on the private sector

:41:07. > :41:17.to undercut the NHS? Is she proud of that? We will... A order, order.

:41:17. > :41:17.

:41:17. > :41:20.Some members are perhaps not initiated in the ways of PMQs. The

:41:20. > :41:25.Deputy Prime Minister does the answering and that is the situation.

:41:25. > :41:29.Harriet Harman. We will compare what our Government did on the NHS

:41:29. > :41:33.with what his Government is doing any day. He says that the problem

:41:33. > :41:38.with this bill is that doctors and nurses just don't understand it.

:41:38. > :41:44.But the problem is that they do. However, even at this late stage,

:41:44. > :41:49.it is within his power to stop this bill. Next Monday, the bill reaches

:41:49. > :41:54.its final stage in the House of Lords. There are nine to Lib Dem

:41:55. > :41:59.peers, and their votes will decide whether or not this bill becomes

:41:59. > :42:06.law. Will he instruct Shirley Williams and his peers to vote to

:42:06. > :42:12.stop the bill? Mr Speaker, the right honourable lady has invited

:42:12. > :42:16.me to make a comparison. Let me make three comparisons. Order. I

:42:16. > :42:20.say it again. The response must be heard. That is all there is to it.

:42:20. > :42:24.The Deputy Prime Minister. right honourable lady has invited

:42:24. > :42:29.me to make comparisons. The shadow health secretary has said that it

:42:29. > :42:34.is irresponsible to increase NHS spending. They do not believe in

:42:35. > :42:37.more money for the NHS. We do. Comparison number one. They indulge

:42:37. > :42:41.of the private sector with sweetheart deals which we are

:42:41. > :42:46.making a legal in this bill. They one sweetheart deals for the

:42:46. > :42:51.private sector and we do not. They presided over inequality in the NHS,

:42:51. > :42:56.which began we are making a statutory obligation in is built to

:42:56. > :43:06.deliver a more equal at come on the NHS which they failed to deliver in

:43:06. > :43:07.

:43:07. > :43:11.13 years. -- in this Bill to deliver a more equal outcome.

:43:11. > :43:15.Absolute rubbish. And in undermining the NHS and making

:43:15. > :43:22.Shirley Williams vote for he has trashed not one but two national

:43:22. > :43:27.treasures. He did not mean to sign the bill, but he did. He could stop

:43:27. > :43:34.the bill, but he went. He says the Lib Dems make a difference, but

:43:34. > :43:39.they don't. What has happened to that fire liberal tradition? They

:43:39. > :43:44.must be turning in their graves. The party of William Gladstone. The

:43:44. > :43:52.party of David Lloyd George. Now the party of Nick Clegg. I know she

:43:52. > :43:56.has a pre-prepared script that she sticks to religiously, but it is

:43:56. > :44:00.worth having a question and answer thing, that is what this is about.

:44:00. > :44:04.What we are doing on this side of the house, the two parties that

:44:04. > :44:08.have come together in the coalition, is to sort out the banking system

:44:08. > :44:13.that she left in a mess. Sorting out the public finances that she

:44:13. > :44:16.left in a mess. Sorting out the economy that she left in a mess.

:44:16. > :44:23.Stopping the offered through privatisation of the NHS, which she

:44:23. > :44:27.left in a mess. -- stopping the arbitrary privatisation of the NHS.

:44:27. > :44:33.In opposition they are running out of ideas. In Government they ran

:44:33. > :44:39.out of money. My right honourable friend may be aware of figures

:44:39. > :44:45.released this week which showed that there has at least been some

:44:45. > :44:52.progress towards the target of 15% of women on boards by 2015. What

:44:52. > :44:56.can our coalition Government do to ensure that they meet this target

:44:56. > :45:01.and enrich our boards with a diversity of talent to achieve the

:45:01. > :45:04.growth that we need as a country? think it is excellent news that

:45:04. > :45:09.there has been real progress in a few short months that we have been

:45:09. > :45:12.in Government. Far more progress than in 13 years under Labour. I

:45:12. > :45:17.think everybody now agrees that there is a real consensus that

:45:17. > :45:21.having women on boards is good for all of the companies involved.

:45:21. > :45:31.There was a woefully a representative mixed on our boards

:45:31. > :45:40.and I hope that we can continue to improve that. -- unrepresentative

:45:40. > :45:46.I hope you enjoyed the support of the police at his conference in

:45:46. > :45:53.Gateshead. When there will be 3,000 extra police you promised at the

:45:53. > :46:01.general-election will be imposed? Mr Speaker, as her own party

:46:01. > :46:08.acknowledges, the police need to make savings. The key thing is, not

:46:08. > :46:12.exactly what the total number is, but where are the police? Or does.

:46:12. > :46:19.I don't know what members are having for breakfast. His answers

:46:19. > :46:24.must be heard. Where police officers are properly deployed. In

:46:24. > :46:27.the last decade, far too many police officers were filling out of

:46:27. > :46:33.paperwork in the back of this rather than on the streets where

:46:33. > :46:36.they belong. Does my right honourable friend share the

:46:36. > :46:40.priorities of my constituents who believe that this Parliament should

:46:40. > :46:46.focus its attention on cutting the deficit, promoting growth and

:46:46. > :46:50.getting people off welfare into work? And would be bemused at they

:46:50. > :46:58.learned we were going to spend much of our time discussing the reform

:46:58. > :47:01.of the House of Lords. How shall I explain that priority to them?

:47:01. > :47:07.suspect in the same way he will no doubt explain to them that there

:47:07. > :47:12.are other priorities like changing the boundaries, of constituents,

:47:12. > :47:19.but I know was close to his heart and his party. Government can do

:47:19. > :47:23.more than one thing at once. I also believe there's a simple democratic

:47:23. > :47:33.principle that people are make the laws of the land should be elected

:47:33. > :47:33.

:47:33. > :47:43.by people who have to obey the laws of the land. Mr Speaker... Mr

:47:43. > :47:43.

:47:43. > :47:50.Deputy Speaker... Mr Speaker, my apologies. Study after study,

:47:50. > :47:56.services with social care is crucial for older people. That's

:47:56. > :47:58.what's happening in my constituency, so can I ask the Deputy Prime

:47:58. > :48:02.Minister why he is still cheerleading for a Bill which

:48:02. > :48:10.scraps trusts and Corporation and puts the future health of older

:48:10. > :48:14.people, including my constituents, at risk? I am a backing a bill

:48:14. > :48:21.which includes a new statutory obligations to integrate social and

:48:21. > :48:27.health care of. He is quite right. It's one of the abiding failings in

:48:27. > :48:30.the health service, these two services not properly integrated.

:48:30. > :48:35.They haven't been integrated and the last 10 years and that's what

:48:35. > :48:42.we are trying to do now. The Health and well-being board will bring

:48:42. > :48:46.representatives together. Can I begin by congratulating the

:48:46. > :48:53.Government on its efforts to tackle the irresponsible pricing of

:48:53. > :48:59.alcohol by supermarkets. I commend the Government for that but does he

:48:59. > :49:05.agree with me that the safest place to drink is in the community pub,

:49:05. > :49:09.beer is a lower strength a drink, and it would create 5,000 jobs,

:49:09. > :49:15.scrapping the duty escalator, so will he take his colleagues out for

:49:15. > :49:18.a beer and tell them not to put up the duty on the great British pint?

:49:18. > :49:23.All those questions are for the Chancellor to announce at the time

:49:23. > :49:27.of the Budget but I'm sure everyone agrees with his a sentiment that we

:49:27. > :49:37.should support committee pubs with just such an important part of the

:49:37. > :49:39.

:49:39. > :49:49.fabric of our communities up and down the country. Mr Dennis Skinner.

:49:49. > :49:49.

:49:49. > :49:56.Is he aware that now the gang of four Tories are gallivanting around

:49:56. > :50:03.America, he has got the chance to shine? Now, what does he really,

:50:03. > :50:09.really think about this Murdoch sleaze and the latest developments,

:50:09. > :50:15.the Prime Minister riding borrowed police forces, and playing Andy

:50:15. > :50:20.Coulson in the heart of government, man to man, what does he really

:50:20. > :50:30.think that? I'm giving Emma chance to separate from the ranks of the

:50:30. > :50:39.

:50:39. > :50:44.Tories behind him. Come on, be a Order, order! Let's hear the answer.

:50:44. > :50:49.Mr Speaker, we had to wait a while for him to get going, but he was

:50:49. > :50:53.great. I think we are soon going to celebrate, it that the right word,

:50:53. > :51:03.boarded two years of the honourable members presence in this House, and

:51:03. > :51:04.

:51:04. > :51:09.then delighted to see, in all that time, he has not mellowed one bit.

:51:09. > :51:14.Will the Deputy Prime Minister join me and my right honourable friend

:51:14. > :51:17.in congratulating the citizens of Chelmsford on their newly acquired

:51:17. > :51:23.status following her Majesty's announcement that Charles would is

:51:23. > :51:28.to be a city? Does he agree that it's entirely appropriate in an

:51:28. > :51:32.Olympic year that Essex's first City should be chosen but it's also

:51:32. > :51:42.looking forward to hosting the mountain biking competition during

:51:42. > :51:44.

:51:44. > :51:48.We are aware of the Colchester and Chelmsford rivalry but I can

:51:48. > :51:53.confirm the results of a civic honours competition in honour of

:51:53. > :52:03.the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Chelmsford, Perth and St Basayev

:52:03. > :52:04.

:52:04. > :52:07.have been at awarded to be rights to call themselves a city. I know

:52:07. > :52:11.there will be disappointment in other communities who ended the

:52:11. > :52:20.contest, but I think it's another announcement which lifts the spirit

:52:20. > :52:26.of the nation in the year of the Diamond Jubilee. Before the general

:52:26. > :52:31.election, the Deputy Prime Minister said he was profoundly hostile to

:52:31. > :52:36.the closure of Remploy factories. Now 1,700 disabled people are

:52:36. > :52:46.losing their jobs because of the closure of 36. What difference has

:52:46. > :52:51.he made? As she will know, this is a consequence of review conducted

:52:51. > :52:55.by the head of the UK Disability Forum. Her conclusions are

:52:55. > :52:59.supported by a organisations like mind and Mencap and I don't want to

:52:59. > :53:04.disagree with them, because this is their conclusion and what they

:53:04. > :53:08.think we should be doing. They believe a segregated employment

:53:08. > :53:13.which was started in the aftermath of the Second World War, is not the

:53:13. > :53:19.best way to promote the interests of disabled people in this country

:53:19. > :53:25.in the 21st century. Last weekend, adapted Prime Minister spoke about

:53:25. > :53:31.the need for a tycoon tax. Does the and 10 that to include individuals

:53:32. > :53:38.who claim they want tax on the rich but said of companies that they

:53:38. > :53:41.only pay 20% are not 50% of their income, such as Ken Livingstone?

:53:41. > :53:47.is worth dwelling on the explanation provided by Ken

:53:47. > :53:51.Livingstone for his exotic tax arrangements. I quote from

:53:51. > :53:56.interview he made this weekend. "I get lots of money from different

:53:56. > :54:06.sources and I give it to an accountant and they manage it. That

:54:06. > :54:09.

:54:09. > :54:12.Thank you, Mr Speaker. In September 2010, I raised with the Prime

:54:12. > :54:17.Minister the case of a college in my constituency which lost �4

:54:17. > :54:21.million following the closure of the regional development agencies.

:54:21. > :54:26.I ask him for a hand up, not a handout, for young people in my

:54:26. > :54:32.constituency. Lastly, but college was officially opened yet, 18

:54:32. > :54:36.months on, there's no progress in addressing the short ball. There

:54:37. > :54:41.should be no barriers to people's talent and aspiration -- short 4th.

:54:41. > :54:50.Will he give the UN people of West Lancashire a handout? -- a

:54:50. > :54:53.shortfall. Of course we will look into the case of a college. They

:54:53. > :54:56.are unbelievably important providing skills and support to

:54:56. > :55:03.young people seeking to get the right qualifications to get into

:55:03. > :55:07.work. We have been working with a government to provide a hugely

:55:07. > :55:16.expanded apprenticeship programme, the largest ever in our country,

:55:16. > :55:19.and I am prepared to make sure ministers look SHE raises. After a

:55:19. > :55:29.2004 copper because disaster, began Masters licensing authority was

:55:29. > :55:31.

:55:31. > :55:37.created. -- cockle pickers. Can you assure me that any cuts in red tape

:55:37. > :55:43.will not lead workers unprotected, in particular the shell fisheries

:55:43. > :55:47.industry? I hear what he says. It an important issue to get the

:55:47. > :55:52.balance right and I know DEFRA is working to make sure the gang

:55:52. > :55:57.masters Licensing Authority works in a manner which has affected and

:55:57. > :56:04.there is down on the abuse. But does so in a business friendly

:56:04. > :56:06.manner, to minimise the amount of unnecessary red tape. I'm sure

:56:06. > :56:15.would up the Prime Minister would like to heartily congratulate the

:56:15. > :56:19.city of Perth for its restoration of city status. He will know that

:56:19. > :56:25.fantastic cross-community support which has led to the restoration of

:56:25. > :56:32.this honour. Can I thank him and his department for organising this

:56:32. > :56:36.competition. Those are the kinds of questions I like. I think it's a

:56:36. > :56:40.good thing, of course, on behalf of everybody in the House, and I would

:56:40. > :56:47.like to convey my congratulations to the people of Perth who have

:56:47. > :56:50.worked on a cross-party basis to get his accolade today.

:56:50. > :56:55.treasured piece of green space near Cheltenham is attracting a lot of

:56:55. > :57:00.sporting attention this week. But other green spaces will be at risk

:57:00. > :57:04.it the national planning policy for framework doesn't follow Germany's

:57:04. > :57:10.example of combining economic success with tough controls to

:57:10. > :57:17.protect the countryside balls can he reassure us a truly green of

:57:17. > :57:24.planning framework is still a safe bet? The Government will be

:57:24. > :57:28.publishing it shortly. I think it's important we do everything to

:57:28. > :57:32.promote growth because we need jobs and new homes for young families

:57:32. > :57:37.who are not able to have a home that they can call their own, but

:57:37. > :57:41.that should be tempered by social environmental considerations and

:57:41. > :57:48.that the balance will be properly reflected in the planning framework

:57:48. > :57:51.when it is published shortly. Monday, the housing minister told

:57:51. > :57:57.me the Government had no plans to introduce rent controls in the

:57:57. > :58:01.private sector. Is he aware that the rising of the private sector

:58:01. > :58:06.rents in central London, capping housing benefit, means many

:58:06. > :58:10.families on benefit are being forced out, a process of social

:58:10. > :58:16.cleansing. Will he give a commitment to the Government will

:58:16. > :58:20.examine the case for private sector rent control? As he knows, are at

:58:20. > :58:25.the same time as announcing the restraint on the housing benefit

:58:25. > :58:31.budget, which was a commitment in his own party's manifesto to bring

:58:31. > :58:36.that part of the benefits system under control, with a major fund to

:58:36. > :58:40.deal with hard cases. We have unveiled a number of measures which

:58:40. > :58:43.should lead to a sick of a good increase in affordable homes bought

:58:43. > :58:49.up it's the lack of supply or affordable homes which is the

:58:49. > :58:55.problem in London -- are significant. Changes to child

:58:55. > :58:58.benefit will mean a single income family earning �43,000 a year and

:58:58. > :59:06.one parent stays at home to care for children will subsidise a

:59:06. > :59:12.couple earning over �80,000. Does he think this is fair? I think it

:59:12. > :59:16.is there that someone who is earning far beyond the average

:59:16. > :59:20.should not be subsidised with child benefit from people are much lower

:59:20. > :59:27.income support of he raised a perfectly valid point which is the

:59:27. > :59:32.cut-off point can create these anomalies which you can have one

:59:32. > :59:37.earner on a 40 Preet �1,000 having child benefit removed while a two

:59:37. > :59:43.earners earning �80,000 will not. We were looked at implementing this

:59:43. > :59:47.in a sensitive manner. The DUP the Prime Minister will be aware of the

:59:47. > :59:53.Series incidents been my constituencies including explosives

:59:54. > :59:59.planted on Friday, adjacent to schools. Will he condemn those

:59:59. > :00:03.things which bring misery to the committee and can be sure of a

:00:03. > :00:07.house in the absence of the international monitoring commission,

:00:07. > :00:14.they will monitor any linkage between such activity and

:00:14. > :00:18.proscribed organisations? The Of course I utterly condemn the

:00:18. > :00:24.cowardly attacks in East Belfast which endanger the lives of all

:00:24. > :00:29.those areas, including young children attending school. A

:00:29. > :00:39.totally reprehensible bring. I understand these attacks are being

:00:39. > :00:41.

:00:41. > :00:47.investigated and has no remit that these are terrorist attacks. The EU

:00:47. > :00:53.is presently consulting on changes to the rules governing the state

:00:53. > :00:55.aid in assisted areas. The Government has shown commitment to

:00:55. > :01:02.Northern Lincolnshire by establishing an enterprise zone in

:01:02. > :01:10.order to attract a larger business. The changes will restrict aid. Can

:01:10. > :01:13.he assure me the Government will fight these proposals?

:01:13. > :01:20.delighted that the enterprise zone in north Lincolnshire is now taking

:01:20. > :01:24.shape and it will be a huge boost for investment from major investors

:01:24. > :01:28.in renewable energy, in that part of the world love. I hear what he

:01:28. > :01:34.says about the reviews about the rules being applied for regional

:01:34. > :01:40.aid of. We are extremely mindful we don't want those rules to undermine

:01:40. > :01:45.the excellent work taking place in North Lincolnshire. The Ministry of

:01:45. > :01:50.Justice announced today that it had given two new contracts worth �30

:01:50. > :01:53.million of public money. This company has been under

:01:53. > :01:57.investigation by the police, the Department of work and pensions,

:01:57. > :02:02.the Public Accounts Committee, and since I had been raising concerns

:02:03. > :02:07.about it, I have received 15 the e- mails, public alleging a bad

:02:07. > :02:12.practice and fraud. Will it the public continued to give them

:02:12. > :02:17.public money? She raises a serious issue. The police investigation

:02:17. > :02:24.into the allegations of fraud where contracts entered into by the

:02:24. > :02:29.previous government. We have now launched hour alone audit of the

:02:29. > :02:34.existing contracts which they have received from government and if

:02:34. > :02:42.there is any evidence of systematic abuse, we will end contact with

:02:42. > :02:46.them. The six British servicemen killed in Afghanistan last week

:02:46. > :02:55.will be repatriated next Tuesday. And would include three of my

:02:55. > :02:57.constituents. At this difficult time for the families, or will the

:02:57. > :03:03.Deputy Prime Minister assure me and my constituents everything is being

:03:03. > :03:07.done by the Government to support the families? I know how strongly

:03:07. > :03:11.he must feel about this terrible accident it. Three of his

:03:11. > :03:18.constituents have sadly lost their lives. The MoD would wish to

:03:18. > :03:25.confirm with him that they would do everything they can to make sure

:03:25. > :03:28.the bodies are returned to the families as soon as possible.

:03:28. > :03:34.the Deputy Prime Minister consider the implications of the Treasury's

:03:34. > :03:38.planned changes in the controlled foreign companies are rules? They

:03:38. > :03:45.will in cent advise multinationals having recourse to tax havens.

:03:45. > :03:49.Opening this new tax rule is estimated to cost developing

:03:49. > :03:54.countries �4 billion in much needed revenue and the Exchequer here, �1

:03:55. > :04:01.billion. World this invidious change be corrected in forthcoming

:04:01. > :04:05.Budget measures? He raises an important issue. I have spoken to

:04:05. > :04:09.campaigners on this myself and I know action Aid has been speaking

:04:09. > :04:14.to Treasury ministries as well. It's incredibly complicated ones

:04:14. > :04:19.you get into the detail but it's something which was not dealt with

:04:19. > :04:23.in the last 13 years which we are now prepared to look into. Will my

:04:23. > :04:27.right honourable friend join me in welcoming the launch today of the

:04:27. > :04:31.Government's adoption action plan which sets out how we can achieve

:04:31. > :04:37.more adoptions, more quickly? Does he agree that making adoption work

:04:37. > :04:41.well everywhere should be the priority of everywhere who have the

:04:41. > :04:45.interests of of vulnerable people at heart? It is so frustrating for

:04:45. > :04:49.couples and parents who want to adopt children and not good for the

:04:49. > :04:56.children concerned when they are in order that delays and that is why

:04:56. > :04:59.it's a very good thing this seems to be a general consensus recently,

:04:59. > :05:07.Prime Minister to accelerate the adoption process and it will now

:05:07. > :05:11.indeed happen. Is it right that when your constituent it took a

:05:11. > :05:16.young daughter to the Indy and later received a letter from the GP

:05:16. > :05:23.saying the but it was inappropriate and also reminded of the costs of

:05:23. > :05:26.up to visit, is this the future of the NHS under this government where

:05:26. > :05:32.elderly and bomber will people are going to be scared to ask for

:05:32. > :05:40.treatment? Of course not, and that letter was issued under the current

:05:40. > :05:45.system. He does touch on a very serious issue which not only we

:05:45. > :05:50.face in this country but every single developed society around,

:05:50. > :05:53.faces bore for we have health care systems are not designed for a mass

:05:53. > :05:57.of the ageing population where a large number of older people have

:05:57. > :06:02.chronic conditions and spent much longer in hospital than before and

:06:02. > :06:05.that's why we need to make sure they are kept strong in their homes

:06:05. > :06:11.and in their communities support for that is what this NHS bill is

:06:11. > :06:15.all about. Students at comprehensive schools are just as

:06:15. > :06:22.likely to study A-level history as their private school counterparts.

:06:22. > :06:25.However, only half as likely to study maths and physics. What is

:06:26. > :06:35.the Government going to do about the social mobility issue that we

:06:35. > :06:36.had in the sciences? Does he support the proposed as Sir Isaac

:06:36. > :06:41.Newton at Maths School in north book to address this issue? It's an

:06:41. > :06:45.important point. It's all the reasons why the new English back

:06:45. > :06:50.Laura places emphasis on those scientific disciplines and why we

:06:50. > :06:56.have protected the science budget in order to send out a clear system

:06:56. > :06:59.that we value sciences for the that's why we place an emphasis on

:07:00. > :07:09.a young youngsters take not maths and science for our collective of

:07:10. > :07:11.

:07:11. > :07:14.He says the health bill would be going through unamended without the

:07:14. > :07:17.Liberal Democrats, but will he listen to people up and down the

:07:17. > :07:25.country that know the real truth? The Tories would not be getting

:07:25. > :07:35.their shambolic bill at all without him and his MPs propping them up.

:07:35. > :07:36.

:07:36. > :07:39.would have thought he would welcome legislation that gets rid of the

:07:39. > :07:49.practice of sweetheart deals for the private sector which his party

:07:49. > :07:51.

:07:51. > :07:56.Harriet Harman went to begin with on the unemployment figures which

:07:57. > :08:01.were out this morning. They showed another rise. But then moved on to

:08:01. > :08:06.the NHS where we had a number of exchanges. I'm not sure it added

:08:06. > :08:10.too much of to the some of your knowledge on this issue. But Labour

:08:10. > :08:14.continuing to oppose the NHS reforms and urging the Government

:08:14. > :08:24.to drop the whole Bill entirely. I think they both survived to fight

:08:24. > :08:29.another day. First we are going to There was a bit of ping-pong about

:08:29. > :08:34.the style of both deputies today. This on Twitter, Nick Clegg giving

:08:34. > :08:38.Harriet Harman a rough time. Nick Clegg every week, police. This

:08:38. > :08:45.email. I was pleasantly surprised with Nick Clegg's performance at

:08:46. > :08:51.PMQs. He made Harriet Harman look like an amateur. And this on

:08:51. > :08:55.Twitter, stop whining about the mess and start governing. And this

:08:55. > :09:00.on Twitter, Cameron is eating hot dogs while the back bed and Tory

:09:00. > :09:07.MPs give Nick Clegg a kicking. Not as many as expected of those,

:09:07. > :09:17.perhaps. And on the Mile, Harriet Harman has shown Ed Miliband how to

:09:17. > :09:17.

:09:17. > :09:22.handle PMQs. -- on email. There were relatively few questions for

:09:22. > :09:27.Nick Clegg. Yes, this was very benign. He normally get hostile

:09:27. > :09:31.flat from all over the house. Remarkably steady this time. Only

:09:31. > :09:35.two a really difficult questions, one from Peter Lilley about why the

:09:35. > :09:38.Government should bother with Lords reform when there are more

:09:38. > :09:44.important issues and also the question of child benefit and

:09:44. > :09:48.dealing with it. The rest of it was remarkably benign. The two issues

:09:49. > :09:52.that Harriet Harman chose to go on, the health service and the economic

:09:52. > :09:56.policy, they are two issued that the Liberal Democrats and the

:09:56. > :10:00.Conservatives are broadly in alignment on. Therefore I think it

:10:00. > :10:04.was difficult to drive a wedge through the Conservatives and the

:10:04. > :10:07.Liberal Democrats on that issue. looked reasonably confident and his

:10:07. > :10:12.performance was reasonably assured, I think most fair-minded people

:10:12. > :10:17.would say. I agree with that. It is the first time he has done one of

:10:17. > :10:20.these, standing in for the Prime Minister, for well over a year.

:10:21. > :10:25.Clearly that time in Government of absorbing the material, going to

:10:25. > :10:28.the meetings, doing more Deputy Prime Minister's Questions every

:10:28. > :10:32.month, that means you get better at these things and you get more used

:10:32. > :10:36.to it and you are better able to deal with whatever is thrown at you.

:10:36. > :10:39.The criticism thrown against him in the early days was that he would

:10:39. > :10:46.get too tetchy and his own irritation would show. He has

:10:46. > :10:52.clearly worked on that. He had the few good lines in terms of

:10:52. > :10:58.attacking Ed Miliband for his sick day over the weekend. I think he

:10:58. > :11:02.will be quite satisfied with that. Are you going to throw a big party

:11:02. > :11:07.when health bill becomes law? It has been a nightmare for you.

:11:07. > :11:11.has been difficult in Parliament. When we had the debate about it

:11:11. > :11:14.yesterday and Andrew Burnham was challenged to save what it was that

:11:14. > :11:19.he was opposed to in the bill, and he could not tell us. The health

:11:19. > :11:28.bill is full of things that Labour was in favour of in opposition,

:11:28. > :11:31.social care working with health care. Taking bureaucracy out of the

:11:31. > :11:36.doctors' hands and into the public's hands. Labour cannot tell

:11:36. > :11:42.us what they don't like about it. Rebels are always more attractive

:11:42. > :11:45.to the press than the opposition. But Labour has made the running. It

:11:45. > :11:49.seemed to be with the grain of public opinion, which does not

:11:49. > :11:54.really like the reforms. Public opinion does not usually like

:11:54. > :11:58.public service reforms to begin with. You have not just said that

:11:58. > :12:01.this would make the NHS was, you have not just said that we do not

:12:01. > :12:05.like it and it would be more bureaucratic and more difficult,

:12:05. > :12:10.you have said it will destroy the NHS. You have said it will

:12:10. > :12:13.privatise the NHS and it is the end of the NHS as we know it. If by

:12:13. > :12:18.2015 it is still functioning roughly the way that it does now,

:12:19. > :12:23.that is a problem. We hope that the NHS does function. Nobody wants to

:12:23. > :12:27.see patients suffering for political advantage. The shore. But

:12:28. > :12:35.the NHS will be very different. If there is a postcode lottery,

:12:35. > :12:38.millions of pounds spent on reorganisation, if hospitals get

:12:38. > :12:42.private patients which means waiting lists grow longer, if GPs

:12:42. > :12:46.are compromised into choosing profit over patients. All of these

:12:46. > :12:54.things will mean that the NHS that we know and what we were raised on

:12:54. > :12:58.will be very different. Some of these changes are already taking

:12:58. > :13:06.place and that is why we have seen these exchanges in PMQs. What do

:13:06. > :13:10.you say to that? The things that people value about the NHS, being

:13:10. > :13:15.treated based on need and not ability to pay, that is absolutely

:13:15. > :13:20.staying in place. What about waiting list times? She cannot

:13:20. > :13:25.afford waiting-lists to go up, can you? They are not, they are going

:13:25. > :13:29.down. We do not have to look at what Labour would do for comparison.

:13:29. > :13:32.My constituency is on the border with Wales. In Wales, where Labour

:13:32. > :13:39.is in Government, they are cutting spending on health, waiting lists

:13:39. > :13:45.are twice as long. Welsh Labour was against the reforms of Tony Blair

:13:45. > :13:48.Labour as well. In it is a very good example. If you want the

:13:48. > :13:53.health service to be successful, you have to put the money in, which

:13:53. > :13:57.we are, and you have to reform it, which we are. Labour have put the

:13:57. > :14:00.money in Government and throw it away in opposition. You work with

:14:00. > :14:04.Nick Clegg in the Cabinet Office. Let me ask you about the

:14:04. > :14:08.constitutional side since we have got you here. You saw that question

:14:08. > :14:14.from Peter Lilley about the House of Lords reform. How much

:14:14. > :14:18.resistance is there to House of Lords reform on the Tory

:14:18. > :14:21.backbenches? Some people are not keen on it but lots of people agree

:14:21. > :14:25.with the central proposition that people that make laws should be

:14:25. > :14:30.elected. Lots of people on that programme have discussed the House

:14:30. > :14:37.of Lords and welfare and the health bill. When you challenge appears on

:14:38. > :14:42.that central proposition, they do not defend it. -- challenged peers.

:14:42. > :14:46.They pretend that they do not make the law and they just offer advice.

:14:47. > :14:51.That is rubbish. We can deal with the deficit, we can reform welfare,

:14:51. > :15:00.and we can make our Parliament more democratic. You can do more than

:15:00. > :15:06.one thing at to time. I understand that. I was more interested in the

:15:06. > :15:14.process. The impression that I get one I talked to Tory MPs is that

:15:14. > :15:18.there is no real enthusiasm for this. -- when I talk to Tory MPs.

:15:18. > :15:25.They just wish it would go away. You will have to whip them through

:15:25. > :15:27.big time. It was in our manifesto in 2001 and in 2005 and 2010. It is

:15:28. > :15:31.clearly true that the Liberal Democrats are more enthusiastic

:15:31. > :15:34.than we are but lots of Conservatives think the House of

:15:34. > :15:38.Lords should be more democratic, and when you point out there are

:15:39. > :15:43.800 of them, they get paid, they are former MPs, actually having

:15:43. > :15:48.fewer is something that the public would agree with. It is not at the

:15:48. > :15:51.top of their list of priorities. Has Labour made up its mind? We do

:15:51. > :15:57.not know the nature of the reforms exactly but it is a working

:15:57. > :16:03.assumption that it will be staged towards an 80% a elected Lords. Has

:16:03. > :16:07.Labour made up its fight if it wants to go along with that? --

:16:07. > :16:11.made up its mind. It must be tempting to oppose it. Our policy

:16:11. > :16:15.is clear. We believe the second chamber should be fully elected. We

:16:15. > :16:25.need to resolve the issue of what powers they had. And what should be

:16:25. > :16:32.

:16:32. > :16:39.The draft Bill publish last year had huge problems with it. We will

:16:39. > :16:45.see at the committee can improve it. The problem with doing that, if

:16:45. > :16:55.you're going to make a huge changes, the way to do it is by doing it

:16:55. > :16:55.

:16:55. > :16:59.with consensus rather than papering over the tracks. They know they

:16:59. > :17:04.might do little but was at the general election. A balance of

:17:04. > :17:10.power? Many people say, this is an opportunity to mess up the

:17:10. > :17:14.Government's programme. Let's do what we can. I think from a twinkle

:17:14. > :17:21.in his eye, that's the way he's going for so there are many in the

:17:21. > :17:25.Labour Party... I just like watching the House of Commons

:17:25. > :17:32.reform. What do sent to Conservative backbenchers who say,

:17:32. > :17:36.I'm not going to work for this? If we have a second elected chamber,

:17:37. > :17:42.there will be able permanent balance of power in a high and as

:17:42. > :17:46.of the Lib Dems? Firstly, in the last Parliament before the

:17:46. > :17:53.coalition government, the Lib Dems had a balance of power under the

:17:53. > :17:56.existing system. I set out the case for why actually, having a House of

:17:56. > :18:00.Lords elected, where you want a wide spread of opinion, actually

:18:00. > :18:09.works very well the House of Commons were used to draw the

:18:09. > :18:16.Government based on first-past-the- post. 15 year terms of a lot longer

:18:16. > :18:20.than... Less than life. It would be up to the public and the way they

:18:20. > :18:30.voted in the general election. It depends how many people vote for

:18:30. > :18:31.

:18:31. > :18:36.them. That's totally logical. Now we will move on. James, banks of

:18:36. > :18:39.being with us. George Osborne has had plenty of advice ahead of his

:18:39. > :18:41.Budget next week. Should he drop the 50p tax rate? Introduce a

:18:42. > :18:44.Mansion Tax? Hit high earners with pension changes? Whatever he

:18:44. > :18:54.decides on tax, Tim Montgomerie, the editor of the Conservative Home

:18:54. > :19:09.

:19:09. > :19:14.website, wants the Chancellor to If I were the Chancellor, my

:19:14. > :19:20.biggest focus would not be the eurozone, and the deficit. It would

:19:20. > :19:26.be the rise of China and other new economies. Up until recently, China

:19:26. > :19:30.had no high-speed rail. Now they have as much as Europe, and soon as

:19:30. > :19:35.much as the whole world of. Half of all degrees are awarded in China,

:19:36. > :19:40.Singapore and Japan are for Science and Engineering. In Britain, it is

:19:40. > :19:46.under one third. The number of elevations in China is up by 1,000%

:19:46. > :19:56.but it is falling here. In order to compete, I know what we have to do.

:19:56. > :20:00.

:20:00. > :20:04.Unpopular things but necessary We need a new airport in the south-

:20:04. > :20:08.east of England. Replace employment laws would stop firms from taking

:20:08. > :20:13.on extra workers. Pace science teachers more than geography

:20:13. > :20:19.teachers, we need profit-making schools, privatise roads. And we

:20:19. > :20:23.need to link the retirement age to life expectancy. I'm told by spin

:20:23. > :20:27.doctors that these are impossible unpopular things to do. But

:20:27. > :20:31.sometimes, the things which are not right for a politician are right

:20:31. > :20:36.for the country. There's no point doing these things at half measures,

:20:36. > :20:39.just like there is no point dieting one day and pinching the next. If

:20:39. > :20:44.we are going to make a difference, we might as well do all of these

:20:44. > :20:50.things and that's what I would do. I would end axe every single one of

:20:50. > :20:55.his unpopular measures. My great Britain plan will be a climb to

:20:55. > :21:00.more jobs, higher incomes, and prosperity for everyone. And Tim

:21:00. > :21:04.Montgomerie joins us in the studio. As we were just saying, you're not

:21:04. > :21:10.the Chancellor. Perhaps you would not be an acting of these unpopular

:21:10. > :21:15.ideas. Why do you think that list you read out, profit-making,

:21:15. > :21:19.privatising roads etc, would transform the long-term prospects

:21:19. > :21:26.of this country? Like with any reform, and this is the main thing

:21:26. > :21:31.I wanted to communicate with that a video, NHS reforms, unless the

:21:31. > :21:35.public first double think there is a problem, it's hard to end at any

:21:35. > :21:40.reform which is why I talked about the innovation in China, they

:21:40. > :21:44.invest so much in infrastructure. Once we understand the nature of

:21:44. > :21:51.the competitiveness we face as the country and the risk to jobs and

:21:51. > :21:55.income, then there will be a hunger for the radical reforms I suggest.

:21:56. > :22:00.I'm happy to go through each one of them. George Osborne has often

:22:00. > :22:03.talked about the rise of emerging countries, and China, so he

:22:03. > :22:07.obviously has identified the problem but has not come to the

:22:07. > :22:13.same conclusions as you. What makes you think he would look up these

:22:13. > :22:16.ideas, when the main aim of the Government is reducing the deficit?

:22:16. > :22:19.Vince Cable wrote a letter last week where he said he thought the

:22:19. > :22:24.Government lacks a compelling message. I think there is a danger

:22:24. > :22:31.of that, yes, because if you ask the average person what they think

:22:31. > :22:38.the Government is about, they will say it's about the big society, and

:22:38. > :22:44.deficit cuts. I think a big message that it's about competitiveness and

:22:44. > :22:48.growth is a better method of the Government should focus on. The do

:22:48. > :22:52.you like any of those proposals which have been listed? The I'm not

:22:52. > :22:59.going to go through them. It's a matter for the Chancellor to

:22:59. > :23:02.respond to. Do you like a new airport? What Tim is right about

:23:02. > :23:07.his it is about competitiveness. We have talked about being more

:23:07. > :23:11.competitive abroad. That's why we talk more about the Commonwealth

:23:11. > :23:15.now and some fast-growing countries and a lot of what the Chancellor

:23:15. > :23:21.will be talking about is making us more competitive ness, which is why

:23:21. > :23:28.we encourage companies to... Don't you need to take a more radical

:23:28. > :23:31.look at? There is certainly an appetite to take difficult

:23:31. > :23:38.decisions. We have spent the last two years making difficult

:23:38. > :23:42.decisions, not always popular, but necessary. If ideas come forward we

:23:42. > :23:46.conclude will have those effects which are unpopular, we have to

:23:46. > :23:51.make the case to people. The are what about dropping the 50 p tax

:23:51. > :23:55.rate? The Chancellor will set out our views on that next week and has

:23:55. > :24:02.commissioned research allowed how much money it raises. The priority

:24:02. > :24:07.is to help low income families have more money in their pocket. In my

:24:07. > :24:12.constituency, I doubt anybody pays the 50 pence tax. I'm concentrating

:24:12. > :24:21.on the thousands of people for the you have to earn over one and in

:24:21. > :24:27.the �2,000. -- �150,000 a year. I want to focus on modest families. I

:24:27. > :24:33.want to cut taxes for them to make their lives easier. It won in by

:24:33. > :24:37.people aged between 16 and 24 are not in work, training, education,

:24:37. > :24:43.our ability to compete is diminished, not enhanced. America,

:24:43. > :24:47.India, Brazil, you have an active industrial policy creating jobs and

:24:47. > :24:54.growth. You don't talk about the importance of what the Government

:24:54. > :24:58.can do to stimulate growth when it is flat lining. We are going to

:24:58. > :25:01.come to America. While David Cameron is rubbing shoulders with

:25:01. > :25:04.Barack Obama in America, Ed Miliband tried to show that he is

:25:04. > :25:10.the true ally of the President on Monday when he talked about the US

:25:10. > :25:14.economy. Here's what he said in his pre-budget press conference. Labour

:25:14. > :25:19.warned 18 months ago that cutting too far and too fast would not work.

:25:19. > :25:23.And we, and other economists, have been proved correct unfortunate

:25:23. > :25:29.leak in what we said would happen. If you look at what is happening

:25:29. > :25:35.with Barack Obama, in the USA, growth is stronger, and, indeed,

:25:35. > :25:37.jobs are being created much more quickly in that economy. The result

:25:37. > :25:42.of him taking a different approach. The first thing George Osborne

:25:42. > :25:46.should do is change course. A Ed Miliband calling for a change of

:25:46. > :25:53.course. He points to America saying growth is on its way, unemployment

:25:53. > :25:58.is on its way down, but its debt is unbelievably high, borrowing costs

:25:58. > :26:01.are up because they lost their triple-A rating, so it's not

:26:01. > :26:09.exactly clear to say if we follow the path of the USA, Britain would

:26:09. > :26:14.do better. EU countries also have no groat or you can try to

:26:14. > :26:18.stimulate growth by getting policies. -- growth. You're more

:26:19. > :26:23.likely to do that if people are paying taxes and national insurance

:26:23. > :26:28.rather than out of work. It's difficult when you see a better

:26:28. > :26:33.picture Look Now the unemployment statistics than here. What you

:26:33. > :26:40.don't do is sold a borrowing problem by spending more money and

:26:40. > :26:42.giving up fiscal control -- solve the. Sir Nicol forebears is across

:26:42. > :26:50.the country they need to keep borrowing costs low so they can

:26:50. > :26:55.continue to invest and create jobs. We are still creating more jobs

:26:55. > :27:00.than are being lost the public sector. Part-time jobs. But not

:27:00. > :27:04.able to keep up with the losses. There are more jobs in the private

:27:04. > :27:10.sector than being lost in the public sector. There are more

:27:10. > :27:19.people in employment today than in May 2010. Can David Cameron learn

:27:19. > :27:23.anything from Barack Obama? I agree with him on the debt is at issue.

:27:23. > :27:31.That Continent is bogged down by the eurozone problems but America

:27:31. > :27:38.is not anywhere near so connected. We cannot solve a debt crisis by

:27:38. > :27:41.increasing our debt. In terms of looking further afield, if the

:27:42. > :27:45.Chancellor thought he wouldn't be able to do anything, because his

:27:45. > :27:51.inner coalition... One of the great things about the coalition in the

:27:51. > :27:56.beginning is they had the rose garden moment where we had welfare

:27:56. > :28:00.and education reforms, the vote on the Alternative Vote and raising

:28:00. > :28:07.the tax threshold and I think we need another moment like that where

:28:07. > :28:13.the Lib Dems stop fighting over small issues and go bold again.

:28:13. > :28:19.It's not worth the paper they are written on. Attacking the Lib Dems

:28:19. > :28:26.will not do you any good. If you read what Nick Clegg said, to get

:28:26. > :28:32.his Senate, David Cameron could have said it exactly. Don't confuse

:28:32. > :28:35.good Lib Dem activists with Billie Dove. Thank you. No time to pick

:28:35. > :28:43.the winner of the guests the air competition. We will try to do that

:28:43. > :28:52.tomorrow. The answer was 1987. Mrs Thatcher's second landslide of.

:28:52. > :28:56.Tune in tomorrow. We thank all of our guests. The One O'Clock News is