09/10/2013

:00:44. > :00:50.The parties have reshuffled their teams, and the battle lines are

:00:50. > :00:54.beginning to take shape. The government says it plans to limit

:00:54. > :00:57.the increase in rail fares for hard-pressed commuters. It's the

:00:57. > :01:02.latest salvo in this hard-fought battle over who can do most to

:01:02. > :01:07.improve living standards. It is likely to be the divided line

:01:07. > :01:10.between David and Ed Miliband when they go toe to toe for the first

:01:10. > :01:17.bout of prime ministers questions since conference. Has the government

:01:17. > :01:21.border scheme been an expensive farce? The Chief Inspector of

:01:21. > :01:24.Borders seems to think so. We get reaction from the Home Office

:01:24. > :01:29.minister. Happy birthday, David Cameron. The Prime Minister is 47

:01:29. > :01:33.today but it doesn't mean he gets special favours when it comes to

:01:33. > :01:39.getting his hands on a Daily Politics mug. Stay tuned to see if

:01:40. > :01:46.you can. All that in the next 90 minutes of pure television gold. It

:01:46. > :01:50.is worth the licence fee in its own right as the director-general told

:01:51. > :01:55.me last week. Join us for this televisual extravaganza, including

:01:55. > :02:00.two of Westminster 's hottest screen stars. Damian Green, from the Home

:02:00. > :02:04.Office, and Shadow Justice Secretary Siddique Khan. They both kept their

:02:04. > :02:10.jobs in the recent reshuffle probably because the leaders

:02:10. > :02:14.couldn't find their telephone numbers! First we will talk about

:02:14. > :02:19.the British borders, and more specifically, the lack of electronic

:02:19. > :02:23.borders. A report today says the multi-million pound E borders system

:02:23. > :02:27.designed to prevent suspected criminals and terrorists travelling

:02:27. > :02:32.into the UK has a serious failings. The independent chief us of Borders

:02:33. > :02:41.found that fewer than two thirds of passenger journeys were actually

:02:41. > :02:44.monsters -- monitored. We found only 65% of advanced passenger

:02:44. > :02:48.information was on the system. We found that the alerts had been

:02:48. > :02:50.duplicating effort at the border and they have not been applied

:02:50. > :02:55.consistency between Heathrow and they have not been applied

:02:55. > :02:58.other ports. So the interception of people who has been -- have been

:02:58. > :03:06.wanted, these people have been intercepted at the gates of Heathrow

:03:06. > :03:09.but not at other ports. We found up to 650,000 alerts for individuals

:03:09. > :03:12.who might be smuggling drugs or tobacco into the country but they

:03:12. > :03:18.have not been acted upon or deleted without action. We also found that

:03:18. > :03:22.people who were deported or excluded from Britain have not been prevented

:03:22. > :03:30.from boarding flights to come back to Britain, which was one of the

:03:30. > :03:35.main benefit of the original plan. So it has generally been a failure?

:03:35. > :03:39.Not for the police, because they have benefited enormously. But in

:03:39. > :03:43.terms of the original business benefits, I have identified that

:03:43. > :03:47.only one out of eight has been delivered. The Immigration Minister,

:03:47. > :03:53.Mark Harper, says the figure that you have used in terms of the system

:03:53. > :03:59.is up to 78% rather than the 65% you have found. What do you say to that?

:03:59. > :04:02.Well, this inspection finished in the spring and summer of this year

:04:02. > :04:05.and it was that figure at the time of the inspection, and that is the

:04:05. > :04:11.data we got from the Home Office at that time. The bottom line is, for

:04:11. > :04:16.this to be an effective system, we need a very high percentage of data

:04:16. > :04:24.to be on the system. It was intended that this would be achieved by now,

:04:24. > :04:28.but what was not, or underestimated, is the fact that EU

:04:28. > :04:32.law prevents a lot of information about passengers on EU flights being

:04:32. > :04:37.put on the database. That is still a legal barrier to the completion of

:04:37. > :04:42.the date on the system. John Vine, thank you. That is what the

:04:43. > :04:48.inspector has to say. Damian Green, an expensive farce? It was chaos

:04:48. > :04:52.when we took over in 2010 and we reset the contract so the snapshot

:04:52. > :04:56.shows that we are probably five or six years further back than we ought

:04:56. > :05:01.to be, and I think the interesting figures there were about six months

:05:01. > :05:07.ago it was only 65% of journeys being counted, and now we have got

:05:07. > :05:14.it up to 78%, and that is 90% of flights. When we came in in May 2010

:05:14. > :05:18.it was meant to be 90% by 2010, and we discovered that it just wasn't

:05:18. > :05:26.working at all. You are getting the blame. This is month 40 as a

:05:26. > :05:31.coalition government, and you sacked the contractors in 2010, your first

:05:31. > :05:37.act, so in the fourth year 600,000 records have been deleted and in

:05:37. > :05:42.2012 they were deleted, you were running the show them. Did you leave

:05:42. > :05:49.a Horlicks behind? That is what Damian says. I am asking you. You

:05:49. > :05:55.are saying now he's been in charge this time it should be up and

:05:55. > :06:01.running. But do you accept that? Do you accept you left a mess behind?

:06:01. > :06:02.The idea was to export the borders to have good information of

:06:02. > :06:07.passengers coming in and going out. to have good information of

:06:07. > :06:09.That only came about in 2003 and towards the end of the time in

:06:09. > :06:11.That only came about in 2003 and government we had it up and running

:06:11. > :06:17.and had invested in it. Remember that John Reid said the Home Office

:06:17. > :06:21.was not fit for purpose in 2005. We set up the UK BAe and we are doing

:06:21. > :06:24.really good work on the borders. These guys come and get rid of the

:06:24. > :06:27.contractors that sued the government for half £1 billion. In the fourth

:06:27. > :06:29.contractors that sued the government year, there is a failure, and to

:06:29. > :06:36.contractors that sued the government blame us. It is a joke. What it is,

:06:36. > :06:41.it is a system that was getting better and it was a shambles and is

:06:41. > :06:45.now up to 90% of flights. John Vine is right that there are legal

:06:45. > :06:53.problems which were not recognised back ten years ago when it was set

:06:53. > :06:56.up, that there are theologians in the European Commission means that

:06:56. > :07:03.free movement of Borders means you cannot even check people, that and

:07:03. > :07:12.-- and we disagree with it. What we have done is we have got 78%

:07:12. > :07:16.coverage. He says 65%. Yes, that he says that the six months ago, and in

:07:16. > :07:25.that six months we have improved, and that is what we have done over

:07:25. > :07:28.three and a half years. It is interesting, almost the worst kind

:07:28. > :07:33.of party politics, that you leave behind a shambles, you blame it all

:07:33. > :07:36.on the shambles, then you say it has been put right, and then you say you

:07:36. > :07:41.haven't done it fast enough after you took seven years to create a

:07:41. > :07:44.shambles for both of you. Not one person who had previously been

:07:44. > :07:47.excluded or deported from the UK, and therefore you might think would

:07:48. > :07:53.be on a watchlist they've previously been excluded, has been prevented

:07:54. > :07:59.from getting on a plane. Not through this, but there are the watch lists

:07:59. > :08:02.available in the indexing system. What is the point of this if it

:08:02. > :08:06.can't do it? If you've been excluded or deported from the UK you would

:08:06. > :08:12.think on any system you would show up? The purpose of this has been

:08:12. > :08:16.extremely useful, particularly for policing. We have arrested 10,000

:08:16. > :08:21.people at the border in the past three years. The border is a

:08:21. > :08:24.significant tripwire that stops dangerous criminal people coming

:08:24. > :08:32.into this country, and that, I think, is generally attributable to

:08:32. > :08:36.the system. The purpose is advanced information. You have to make sure

:08:36. > :08:42.in advance of stopping them getting on a plane, and you fail. Lipstick

:08:42. > :08:46.with the Home Office. A Home Office campaign emerging illegal immigrants

:08:46. > :08:50.to go home has been banned for using misleading arrest statistics. --

:08:50. > :08:54.let's stick with the Home Office. It involved poster vans driving through

:08:54. > :08:58.six London boroughs in July and drew over 200 complaints to the

:08:58. > :09:04.advertising standards authority, but the agency cleared the campaign of

:09:04. > :09:08.being offensive or irresponsible. Was it a mistake, Damian? We are

:09:09. > :09:14.evaluating the full effect, but it wasn't a mistake. It lets people

:09:14. > :09:18.know that the traditional view is if you have been here illegally nothing

:09:18. > :09:22.will happen to you, and that is now not the case. We are now actually

:09:22. > :09:27.tracking people down who have no right to be here and removing them.

:09:27. > :09:31.So you are comfortable with the idea of vans coming round with inaccurate

:09:31. > :09:36.information, saying there was 106 arrests in your area, which is not

:09:37. > :09:40.true in every area. I take the point from the ASA, but I'm glad they said

:09:40. > :09:45.it was not irresponsible or offensive. It is hard-hitting. But

:09:45. > :09:48.this is the kind of thing that helps restore com -- public confidence

:09:48. > :09:52.that things are happening on the immigration system that did not

:09:52. > :09:57.happen in the past. Does it restore confidence, or do you think they are

:09:57. > :10:01.offensive? We had a report saying the board is not working, a big

:10:01. > :10:06.failure, and this kind of gimmick to restore confidence. It was cleared

:10:06. > :10:13.of being offensive though. Has been banned. But not being offensive, for

:10:13. > :10:24.inaccuracy. The reality is it been banned. I am pleased the ASA banned

:10:24. > :10:27.it. Good. Should be banned? We are all bold enough to remember when the

:10:27. > :10:32.words go home were used in certain parts of our city -- old enough. I

:10:32. > :10:36.had a conversation with my mum and my brother and we still remember

:10:36. > :10:40.what that phrase meant in the 1970s and 80s. It might not be unlawful,

:10:40. > :10:44.but a government in touch with ordinary people, especially in those

:10:44. > :10:47.six boroughs, we all understand we want illegal immigration to come

:10:47. > :10:51.down and we think that those who are here unlawfully should go back to

:10:51. > :10:54.the country of origin, but saying go home in the six most ethnically

:10:54. > :10:59.diverse boroughs in London shows you do not understand what people feel

:10:59. > :11:06.in the city. The fact you have that figure, 106 arrests, which means

:11:06. > :11:10.those of us who you think should have confidence in you won't because

:11:10. > :11:13.you have a misleading figure. Many people think immigration is out of

:11:13. > :11:20.control and the people are here illegally in the UK should be going.

:11:20. > :11:23.But picking up on the point that it does evoke a time that many people

:11:23. > :11:29.in those borrowers thought had gone. I don't think it does. In the top

:11:30. > :11:34.left-hand corner is, in the UK illegally. People can quite make the

:11:34. > :11:43.difference between people who are here illegally or legally. One of

:11:43. > :11:46.the things about coalition government is we are two parties and

:11:46. > :11:51.we don't agree on everything. Those things we don't agree on, we can put

:11:51. > :11:57.to the electorate. So you are proud of that? Are you proud of that

:11:57. > :11:59.poster? I think it is a useful contribution to letting people know

:11:59. > :12:06.that unlike under your gum, things are happening. Diane Abbott, who

:12:06. > :12:09.just left the Labour front bench, she said Labour was not tough

:12:09. > :12:13.enough, no loud voices of protest from Labour, it was the Liberal

:12:13. > :12:23.Democrats. I was on the Andrew Marr show that Sunday protesting loudly.

:12:23. > :12:30.I didn't see it. I will not be lectured by you in your party about

:12:30. > :12:37.racism, Damian. Are you saying the party is racist? I'm not saying the

:12:37. > :12:40.party 's races. Diameter -- Diane Abbott said you are too strong on

:12:40. > :12:46.immigration and you are moving to the right. Is she the Labour Party

:12:47. > :12:52.or are you the Labour Party? We will find out what she said when we get

:12:52. > :12:54.her on the TV at some time. Now, the government has fired the latest

:12:54. > :12:57.salvo in the cost of living debate that looks set to be a least one of

:12:57. > :13:01.the major battle grounds in the next election. The Transport Secretary

:13:01. > :13:05.has announced this morning a plan to cap increases in rail fares next

:13:05. > :13:08.year as part of a series of announcements that the government

:13:08. > :13:12.will make in the run-up to the Autumn statement, coming, we think,

:13:12. > :13:18.in early December of this year but we don't know yet. It is all

:13:18. > :13:22.designed to show us humble voters that politicians really get it when

:13:22. > :13:26.it comes to paying the bills. David Cameron even acknowledge this week

:13:26. > :13:31.that Ed Miliband had struck a chord with his pledge to freeze energy

:13:31. > :13:35.prices. So, who has the more appealing message? I couldn't

:13:35. > :13:38.possibly comment, but I'll try. All of the main parties have been trying

:13:38. > :13:43.to persuade voters that they are going to do the most to tackle the

:13:43. > :13:47.cost of living crisis and reduce household bills. Today it is the

:13:47. > :13:50.conservatives turn and the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLaughlin,

:13:50. > :13:56.announces a cap on rail fare increases. Some rail fares could

:13:56. > :14:01.have increased by 9.1% in 2014, but the government will limit the

:14:01. > :14:04.maximum increase to 6.1%. This is what the Transport Secretary had to

:14:04. > :14:09.say this morning. What we are announcing is a reduction on the

:14:09. > :14:14.amount which the train operators can put up the cost of rail tickets, so

:14:14. > :14:19.for all commuters it will mean that they will be much more assured as to

:14:19. > :14:22.what the cost will be and there will not be the variance in rail fare

:14:22. > :14:27.increases. Quite often there has been a lot of criticism that we said

:14:27. > :14:32.that the increase would be plus 1% and then they have seen the rise of

:14:32. > :14:38.10%. We have reduced the Flex to make it a lot clearer over what

:14:38. > :14:41.people will pay. The government hopes to build on announcements like

:14:41. > :14:46.George Osborne's conference pledge to try to find the cash to freeze

:14:46. > :14:49.fuel duty until 2015. They argue that the best way to tackle the cost

:14:49. > :14:55.of living is through growth and have been buoyed by new figures out from

:14:55. > :14:59.the IMF which suggest that the UK economic recovery is gaining pace.

:14:59. > :15:03.But wage increases are still failing to keep pace with inflation, and

:15:03. > :15:07.Labour are trying to capture the public mood with their populist

:15:07. > :15:09.promise to freeze energy prices until 2017. Let's speak to achieve

:15:09. > :15:16.political correspondence Norman Smith. This is going to be the

:15:16. > :15:19.battle ground between the government Smith. This is going to be the

:15:19. > :15:23.and the opposition, isn't it? It will show how far Labour has

:15:23. > :15:30.succeeded in dragging the debate away from economic confidence, onto

:15:31. > :15:35.who benefits from the recovery. We are told to expect that week by week

:15:35. > :15:39.there will be a series of announcements to ease keep pressure

:15:39. > :15:44.points on family budgets. We are told to expect something on energy

:15:44. > :15:51.prices, on water bills, on bank charges, on landlord fees. We got

:15:51. > :15:57.trains today. The caveat is, do not assume that financial woes will be

:15:57. > :16:03.taken away. There are two reasons. One is money. There was the offer of

:16:03. > :16:07.the petrol duty frees, which may or may not be possible. Perhaps more

:16:07. > :16:12.problematic is the politics. It is very hard to criticise labour for

:16:12. > :16:20.sticking plaster politics if you do exactly the same. -- decides Labour.

:16:20. > :16:25.The other difficulty is, what do you do? It is not clear how you ease the

:16:25. > :16:28.pressure in these key areas. We know that because we have seen repeated

:16:29. > :16:33.efforts by the government to do something about energy bills. We

:16:33. > :16:37.have had re-writing energy bills, energy summits, we have been up and

:16:37. > :16:47.down 100 times and I suspect most people feel we are getting huge

:16:47. > :16:49.energy bills. This train fair announcement, all it

:16:49. > :16:54.energy bills. means is instead of going up by

:16:54. > :16:58.three times the rate of inflation, they will go up by two times the

:16:58. > :17:15.rate of inflation. Why is that progress? It will save the people

:17:15. > :17:19.using these fares 30 or 40 pounds, and every little helps. So, it will

:17:19. > :17:24.be a lower increase than they originally thought that they will be

:17:24. > :17:31.paying up to twice the rate of inflation. There are races -- their

:17:31. > :17:45.wages are going up by one or 2%, train fares are going up by 6%. This

:17:45. > :17:50.is an announcement about those prices the train companies were

:17:50. > :17:54.allowed to put up outside inflation. The increase will be

:17:54. > :17:58.less. But their living standards will go down because the increase is

:17:58. > :18:10.going up more than their pay. By definition, they will be worse off.

:18:10. > :18:13.You are taking averages. On average, rail fares in this particular

:18:13. > :18:19.category are going to go up by at least twice as much as people's pay

:18:19. > :18:21.packets. I disagree with Norman's analysis where he says the debate

:18:21. > :18:25.has been wrenched away from growth analysis where he says the debate

:18:25. > :18:31.and economic confidence to the cost of living. The biggest help to cost

:18:31. > :18:35.of living is having a job. Because of the growth coming into the

:18:35. > :18:38.economy we have created 1.4 million private sector jobs over the last

:18:38. > :18:45.couple of years and those people, clearly that helps them deal with

:18:45. > :18:51.daily life. Under the last government, the ability to increase

:18:51. > :18:58.outside inflation was far bigger than currently proposing. No it

:18:58. > :19:10.wasn't. I was in the department. Up until 2003, it was minus fares. From

:19:11. > :19:18.2009 onwards, we reduced it. What these guys did was they abolished or

:19:18. > :19:28.stop on the Flex, brought it in up to 5%. It is possible for the guv

:19:28. > :19:38.regulate prices -- the government to regulate prices. Today I am pleased

:19:38. > :19:44.to see the government recognised you can readily. But prices go up of

:19:44. > :19:49.wages. The difference is that the British Government can control

:19:49. > :19:55.British Rail fares. What it cannot do is control the world or the price

:19:55. > :20:10.-- world oil price. To say there is a 20 month freeze... But it is not

:20:10. > :20:15.generated by oil. Historic experience tells us if you have a

:20:15. > :20:19.time limited freeze, you get a massive spike beforehand and

:20:19. > :20:28.afterwards. In any case, as Ed has had to admit honestly, it is not

:20:28. > :20:32.scaremongering to say that the price bounces up and down and if it goes

:20:32. > :20:36.up you will have to suspend it. Why do you think the British economy is

:20:36. > :20:51.growing more quickly than any other major economy in the G7? Are we

:20:51. > :20:58.growing quickly? The forecast has changed today. The IMF have changed

:20:58. > :21:04.their forecast for this year and the year after. They have not said that

:21:04. > :21:08.things are hunky-dory. They change their forecast for this year and

:21:08. > :21:15.next year. They are still suggesting we should bring forward

:21:15. > :21:19.infrastructure spend. But when they said the British economy needed a

:21:19. > :21:23.boost, they had not realised that the economy had already turned. They

:21:23. > :21:28.did not see the turn last April and have had to double their forecast.

:21:28. > :21:35.Many people in the city think that even that is not enough. The answer

:21:36. > :21:40.is, why do you think we are the fastest-growing economy in the G7?

:21:40. > :21:50.If you do not know the answer I am not sure that I do! I will tell you

:21:50. > :22:00.this... What about George Osborne? George Osborne broadcast in 2010. He

:22:00. > :22:08.was wrong! The OBR and the IMF got it wrong. What I do say, let me

:22:08. > :22:12.finish, when George Osborne became Chancellor and we were coming out of

:22:12. > :22:20.recession, we were on the path of recovery and that stopped. Nobody

:22:21. > :22:23.knows if that was a dead cat bounce. Nobody knows what would have

:22:23. > :22:29.happened had we invested earlier than we did. Why are we growing

:22:29. > :22:36.faster than the German economy? I am not sure of the answer to that. Tell

:22:36. > :22:42.me what you think it is. What is interesting about the IMF report is

:22:42. > :22:49.that they were saying we needed to spend in the way that Ed Balls has

:22:49. > :22:52.been advocating. They have had to say, it appears the British economy

:22:52. > :23:01.is outperforming most other economies. The British economy is

:23:01. > :23:04.getting better at the same time as they are downgrading their forecasts

:23:04. > :23:06.for the world economy. Relatively we are doing even better than that. Why

:23:06. > :23:14.do either of you give the IMF the are doing even better than that. Why

:23:14. > :23:20.time of day? Because they are an independent body... Where did they

:23:20. > :23:26.last get something right? When did any economist? Humour Letty forbids

:23:26. > :23:31.me from saying anything! -- humility. The IMF did not see the

:23:31. > :23:35.financial crisis, did not see the British economy turning in April of

:23:35. > :23:40.this year. Its growth forecasts have had to double in the space of months

:23:40. > :23:45.and change not just reddish, but others. -- change not just British

:23:45. > :23:56.ones. Why would you give them the time of day? They can trust us.

:23:56. > :24:00.History tells us that they get it wrong more often than they get it

:24:00. > :24:07.right. I hope we are coming out of it, I hope they are right. I think

:24:07. > :24:13.there is a consensus that the economy is doing better than it was

:24:13. > :24:18.a year ago. I am going to move into economic forecasting. Could this be

:24:18. > :24:24.the day when David Cameron's birthday dreams come true, as he

:24:24. > :24:30.turns 47? I bet there is just one thing on his mind. He does not want

:24:30. > :24:35.a Mickey Mouse towel or a six-pack of real ale. He is after only one

:24:35. > :24:39.thing - you tried to get ahead of the game following the Daily

:24:39. > :24:51.Politics on Twitter. Hello, I minister! -- hello, Prime Minister!

:24:51. > :24:55.He wants a Daily Politics mug. You might think following us on Twitter

:24:55. > :24:59.is the way to get your hands on one. Even if it is your birthday, do not

:24:59. > :25:03.expect special favours. There is only one way to get your hands on

:25:03. > :25:16.expect special favours. There is one and we will tell you how.

:25:16. > :25:21.Can you remember when this happened? I have got a little list of benefit

:25:21. > :25:23.offenders who I will soon be rooting out and who never would be missed.

:25:23. > :27:00.They never would be missed! To be in with a chance of winning a

:27:00. > :27:04.Daily Politics mug, I minister, send your answer to the e-mail address

:27:04. > :27:15.and you can see the full terms and conditions and guess the year on our

:27:15. > :27:21.website. Or ask Andrew, he knows! Let's take a look at Big Ben, there

:27:21. > :27:27.it is. Prime Minister's Questions is on its way. We have not had one

:27:27. > :27:34.since the second week in September. It means James Landale is here,

:27:34. > :27:41.welcome. A third book on you copy a -- a great assortment of things

:27:41. > :27:45.today to choose from. Ed Miliband is criticised for making speeches and

:27:45. > :27:49.not following it up. Earlier it was the cost of living and energy

:27:49. > :27:54.prices. This is his first big moment to reinforce the message. If you

:27:54. > :27:59.look at the alternatives, they are not attractive. He does not want to

:27:59. > :28:04.make the Leveson Report re-apolitical foot all, literacy and

:28:04. > :28:11.numerous is also part of Labour's record, there is not much ground

:28:11. > :28:17.that he might want to get on. I would expect him to stay in his

:28:17. > :28:21.rift. He wants to occupy his own political territory. David Cameron

:28:21. > :28:31.will obviously talk about train fares. I think that is right when

:28:31. > :28:33.you look at the others. In the Home Office, if you see somebody looking

:28:33. > :28:38.through your wastebasket, it is not Office, if you see somebody looking

:28:38. > :28:44.a Russian spy, it is your new ministerial colleague! We have had

:28:44. > :28:47.our first meeting with Norman, we had the crime commissioners in, and

:28:47. > :28:53.Norman listened to the Home Secretary speak and that is always a

:28:53. > :29:08.good way to go through meetings, I find. Very sensible! HD Cam down?

:29:08. > :29:11.She is always calm. I bumped into a senior Liberal Democrat this morning

:29:11. > :29:13.who predicted there will be a resignation in the Home Office

:29:13. > :29:18.who predicted there will be a within six months over a row. They

:29:18. > :29:30.think he is going to be dangerous as a minister. I spoke to some

:29:30. > :29:48.Conservatives who want to put Nick Clegg in his box.

:29:48. > :29:54.Sure the people worn to join me in offering condolences about the

:29:54. > :29:58.people who lost their lives in Nairobi, and it shows how we must do

:29:58. > :30:02.all we can to defeat international terrorism. I am sure the house will

:30:03. > :30:07.want to join me in paying tribute to PC Andrew Duncan who died on the

:30:07. > :30:10.21st of September while on duty, a reminder of the sacrifices that

:30:10. > :30:15.police officers make on our behalf, every day of every year. On a

:30:15. > :30:20.happier note, the house will wish to congratulate Professor Peter Higgs

:30:20. > :30:24.who is sharing this year 's Nobel Prize for physics, a richly deserved

:30:24. > :30:27.recognition of his lifetime of research and a tribute to the UK's

:30:27. > :30:31.world leading universities where the research was carried out. Mr

:30:31. > :30:35.Speaker, this morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and in

:30:35. > :30:43.addition to my duties with the house I will have further meetings later

:30:43. > :30:46.today. Can I associate myself and constituency entirely with the

:30:46. > :30:52.victims of terrorism in Nairobi and to PC Andrew Junction -- Andrew

:30:52. > :30:55.Duncan, and to offer my congratulations to Professor Higgs.

:30:55. > :31:00.Can the Prime Minister confirm that less than one third of families in

:31:00. > :31:04.Britain will benefit from his marriage tax break? What I can

:31:04. > :31:08.confirm is that all married couples paying basic rate tax will benefit

:31:08. > :31:12.from this move, and I tell you why I think it's important, it's not about

:31:12. > :31:16.the money, it is about the message. I think marriage is a great

:31:16. > :31:22.institution and I think we should be supporting marriage, including

:31:23. > :31:26.through the income tax system. Prime Minister, with the disappearance of

:31:26. > :31:32.the minimum practice income guarantee many doctors surgeries

:31:32. > :31:36.serving remote, rural areas like the one in my constituency faced death

:31:36. > :31:41.not by a thousand cuts, but maybe death by one cut. They self -- serve

:31:41. > :31:44.a lot of elderly residents and a number of children who do not have

:31:44. > :31:49.a lot of elderly residents and a access to public transport to go

:31:49. > :31:54.into neighbouring Clitheroe. Will he investigate this issue and ensure

:31:54. > :31:57.that my constituents will not be isolated and they will continue to

:31:57. > :32:01.receive the excellent service that they do from their doctor 's

:32:01. > :32:04.surgery? I will look carefully at the Casey makes. I also read present

:32:04. > :32:07.a large rural constituency where the Casey makes. I also read present

:32:07. > :32:15.there are small practices -- the case he makes. But many more

:32:15. > :32:18.surgeries are offering many more options given to patients, and we

:32:18. > :32:22.want to see a growth of that, not least to make sure that people can

:32:22. > :32:25.go to GP surgeries rather than accident and emergency services if

:32:25. > :32:31.it is a GP that they may, but I will look at the specific point he makes.

:32:31. > :32:35.Mr Speaker, I join the Prime Minister in sending my condolences

:32:35. > :32:38.to the friends and families of the British nationals murdered in

:32:38. > :32:43.Nairobi and all of those killed in that cowardly act. It was a heinous

:32:43. > :32:45.act of terrorism and reminds us of the importance of combating

:32:45. > :32:51.terrorism at home and around the world. I also join him in paying

:32:51. > :32:56.tribute to PC Andrew Duncan. His death is a terrible tragedy and is a

:32:56. > :33:11.reminder of the bravery shown by our brave policemen and women, day in,

:33:11. > :33:13.day out, on our behalf. I send my condolences to his family and

:33:13. > :33:15.friends. On a completely different note, Mr Speaker, I join him in

:33:15. > :33:17.celebrating the tremendous achievement of Peter Higgs in

:33:17. > :33:20.winning the Nobel Prize for physics. He is a great British scientist.

:33:20. > :33:26.While we're on about it, happy birthday to the minister. -- to the

:33:26. > :33:31.Prime Minister. Mr Speaker, on Monday, the Prime Minister said, and

:33:31. > :33:35.I quote, there is a certain amount you can do freezing energy prices,

:33:35. > :33:39.while the Chancellor said in his conference speech that it was

:33:39. > :33:48.something out of, and I quote, -- L. Can he tell us if freezing energy

:33:48. > :33:56.prices are good idea, or a communist plot -- Das Kapital. I will leave

:33:56. > :34:00.the communist plots to him. First of all, can I thank him for his kind

:34:00. > :34:04.remarks. There is nothing I would rather be doing on my birthday than

:34:04. > :34:08.this. What this government is doing is legislating to put people on to

:34:08. > :34:13.the lowest energy tariffs. I think that's a real step forward. I have

:34:13. > :34:18.to say on this issue, just promising a freeze, it is a classic case of

:34:18. > :34:21.him saying one thing and doing another. Month after month, he has

:34:21. > :34:25.stood at this dispatch box as energy another. Month after month, he has

:34:25. > :34:29.secretary and pollution -- produced policy of the policy, regulation of

:34:29. > :34:35.that regulation, target after target, all of which has seen energy

:34:35. > :34:40.prices go up. What is clear from the answer is that he has no answer on

:34:40. > :34:44.the Labour energy price freeze. What is clear is that it will not happen

:34:44. > :34:51.under him, but it would happen under a Labour government. He mentions his

:34:51. > :34:56.policy on tariffs, and he says his policy will put everybody on the

:34:56. > :35:01.cheapest energy tariff. Can he explain why at least 90% of the

:35:01. > :35:05.country will get no benefit from his policy? First of all, let's deal

:35:05. > :35:10.with the new Labour energy policy. Let's spend some time on it. First

:35:10. > :35:16.of all, let's examine the fact that he has committed to a new

:35:16. > :35:20.decarbonisation target that would add £125 to everybody's bill in the

:35:20. > :35:24.country. Perhaps he would like to mention that when he gets to his

:35:24. > :35:29.feet. He also didn't mention that just 12 hours after making his

:35:29. > :35:32.pledge, he said he might not be able to fulfil it because of

:35:32. > :35:35.international wholesale gas prices. And isn't that the case, that what

:35:35. > :35:39.international wholesale gas prices. he is promising is a price increase

:35:39. > :35:45.before a promise, a broken promise, and then a price increase after the

:35:45. > :35:48.promise. One price increase, one price -- broken promise, another

:35:48. > :35:54.price increase, that sounds like every Labour government since the

:35:54. > :36:00.war. What is clear is that he is floundering around and has no answer

:36:00. > :36:04.to Labour's energy price freeze. He did not even defend his own policy,

:36:04. > :36:09.which won't benefit to 90% of the country. He has no idea. He says he

:36:09. > :36:14.wants to bring energy prices down. Can he confirm that energy prices

:36:15. > :36:19.have gone up by £300 since he became prime minister? I can tell you that

:36:19. > :36:24.energy prices doubled under Labour and electricity prices went up by

:36:24. > :36:28.50%. Let me make this point to him. There is one thing governments

:36:28. > :36:38.cannot control, and that is the international wholesale price of

:36:38. > :36:40.gas. I know he would like to live in some sort of Marxist universe where

:36:40. > :36:43.you can control all of these things, but he needs a basic lesson in

:36:43. > :36:46.economics. Perhaps he should remember what the Labour industry

:36:46. > :36:50.minister said, he sat in the government with him in the last

:36:50. > :36:54.government, and in an effort to appeal to tribal socialism and the

:36:54. > :36:57.minority in the country he has put at risk millions of jobs, putting up

:36:57. > :37:07.a sign over the country, don't invest here. That is the new

:37:07. > :37:13.left-wing Labour Party. Mr Speaker, I do suggest that he goes away after

:37:13. > :37:17.Prime Minister 's questions and tries to work out his position on

:37:17. > :37:19.the energy price freeze, because initially he said the policy was in

:37:19. > :37:26.knots, then he said on Monday that initially he said the policy was in

:37:26. > :37:31.it struck a chord and that it could make a difference, so he has no idea

:37:31. > :37:35.about the policy. Why are energy prices so high? Once again he did

:37:35. > :37:38.not answer the question. I want to remind him of the words of the

:37:38. > :37:42.previous leader of the opposition, who said this, when the gas prices

:37:42. > :37:47.go up they rush to pass on costs onto us, but when they are coming

:37:47. > :37:51.down, we wait a very long time before we see anything coming

:37:51. > :37:58.through on our bills. Mr Speaker, that was him that said that. Why has

:37:58. > :38:03.he changed his mind? What we need is a more competitive energy market so

:38:03. > :38:08.the consumer benefits. What he seems to be suffering from is complete

:38:08. > :38:12.amnesia that he was the energy secretary. Let me remind him of one

:38:12. > :38:19.of the first acts this government took. We inherited an energy policy

:38:19. > :38:24.from him that would have put £179 on every single bill because of his

:38:24. > :38:28.renewable heat initiative. And we cancel it. That was his policy.

:38:28. > :38:33.While we are dealing with quotes, let's have a guess who said this. To

:38:33. > :38:38.deal with the problems of climate change, energy bills are likely to

:38:38. > :38:44.rise. Who said that? Anyone? The last energy secretary who is still

:38:44. > :38:47.here and he pushed up prices again and again. Everybody wants low

:38:47. > :38:50.prices, but we will get them by dealing with the cause of the low

:38:50. > :38:57.price instead of a gimmick that collapsed after 12 hours. Mr

:38:57. > :39:01.Speaker, he says he wants low prices, but prices are going up on

:39:01. > :39:07.his watch. That is the reality. Can he confirm that while his energy

:39:07. > :39:14.policy, the so-called cheapest tariff policy, benefits almost

:39:14. > :39:18.nobody, a fact he didn't deny, and a 20 month freezing bills would save

:39:18. > :39:23.money for 27 million households and 2.4 million businesses across the

:39:23. > :39:27.country. The problem is that 12 hours later he said he might not be

:39:27. > :39:31.able to keep his promise. It's not a policy, it's a gimmick. And the

:39:31. > :39:36.reason it is a gimmick is it occurs he is in favour of a decarbonisation

:39:36. > :39:38.target that would add £125 of everybody's bail. It is obvious why

:39:38. > :39:41.he wants to talk about the cost of everybody's bail. It is obvious why

:39:41. > :39:47.living, because he hasn't got an economic policy any more. He told us

:39:47. > :39:51.over and over again that if you cut spending, you damage public

:39:51. > :39:56.services. Now even the BBC disagree with that. He told us over and over

:39:56. > :40:00.again that if you cut spending, the economy will not grow. The shadow

:40:00. > :40:04.chancellor says keep going. Let me tell you the best birthday present I

:40:04. > :40:16.could have, the shadow chancellor staying in the shadow cabinet.

:40:16. > :40:23.Mr Speaker, he said something very interesting. He said he did not want

:40:23. > :40:27.to talk about an economic policy, he wants to talk about the cost of

:40:27. > :40:32.living. Now doesn't that say it all? He doesn't realise that an

:40:32. > :40:35.economic policy is about the cost of living and what hundreds of

:40:35. > :40:39.thousands and millions of families are facing in this country. Whatever

:40:39. > :40:43.you say about him, he is true to form. We have a cost of living

:40:44. > :40:47.crisis in this country, energy bills Arkwright -- rising, and he supports

:40:47. > :40:51.the energy companies, not the consumer. We have a Prime Minister

:40:51. > :40:56.who always stands up for the wrong people. Well, we know what is cost

:40:56. > :41:01.of living policy is, more spending, more borrowing, and more debt. That

:41:01. > :41:04.would lead to higher taxes and higher mortgage rates. That is the

:41:04. > :41:08.double whammy that would hit every family in the country. But not only

:41:08. > :41:12.have I got the birthday present of the shadow chancellor staying in

:41:12. > :41:16.post, and incidentally, the birthday present of the Shadow Health

:41:16. > :41:20.Secretary staying in post, I also have this special birthday treat

:41:20. > :41:32.which is the shadow chancellor yesterday revealing their election

:41:32. > :41:35.campaign. He said it all depended on the two of them together because,

:41:35. > :41:36.and I quote, I'm not making this up, they would win because of their

:41:37. > :41:39.and I quote, I'm not making this up, experience and track record and

:41:39. > :41:43.their credibility. I have to say, Mr Speaker, that is like the captain of

:41:43. > :41:52.the Titanic running on his safety record. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

:41:53. > :41:56.Millions of people have chosen to collect their benefits and pension

:41:56. > :41:58.at the post office using a post office current account. This

:41:58. > :42:02.contract is due to expire in 18 months time. It is vital that these

:42:02. > :42:09.people and the future of rural post offices at either the post office

:42:09. > :42:13.continues after 2015, or a similar product. I hope the government --

:42:13. > :42:17.government insures it does. The Post Office card account has been a great

:42:17. > :42:19.benefit for many people and has not only helped the post offices but

:42:19. > :42:24.particularly older people having access to those accounts and I will

:42:24. > :42:29.look very carefully at what he says. Why is market intervention by the

:42:29. > :42:35.state in mortgage is OK, but market intervention in the energy market is

:42:35. > :42:38.not? We are intervening in the mortgage market because banks are

:42:39. > :42:48.failing to provide mortgages so that young people can get on the housing

:42:48. > :42:52.ladder. We are also intervening by putting everybody on the lowest

:42:52. > :42:56.energy tariff. Not the leader of the opposition cannot control, although

:42:56. > :42:58.he would like to, is international gas prices. He needs a basic lesson

:42:58. > :43:04.in economics and it sounds like the gas prices. He needs a basic lesson

:43:04. > :43:09.honourable gentleman does as well. Industrial chemicals, herbicides and

:43:09. > :43:13.plant food are used in a variety of diet pills which are banned for

:43:13. > :43:15.human use but widely advertised on the Internet for consumption. Does

:43:16. > :43:20.my right honourable friend agree with me that action needs to be

:43:20. > :43:23.urgently taken to prevent the importation of the substances in

:43:23. > :43:29.Capshaw form, where they can only be planned for human consumption --

:43:29. > :43:31.capsule form. There have been some extremely serious cases of young

:43:31. > :43:34.people in particular suffering from extremely serious cases of young

:43:34. > :43:37.these sorts of medication that you are able to order on the Internet. I

:43:37. > :43:41.will look carefully at what she says about whether there is further

:43:41. > :43:44.legislative or regulatory action that can be taken in order to

:43:44. > :43:47.protect people from substances that might be safe in other circumstances

:43:47. > :43:54.but should not be marketed in this way. Why is the Prime Minister

:43:54. > :44:03.taking away £7 billion a year of support to children until 2015? We

:44:03. > :44:08.are putting in more support for children. We are providing the

:44:08. > :44:11.childcare offer not just for four-year-olds and three-year-olds,

:44:11. > :44:15.but also for two-year-olds. We have introduced for the first time a

:44:15. > :44:19.pupil premium so children from the poorest homes are actually going to

:44:19. > :44:24.get more money following them into school. He shakes his head, but

:44:24. > :44:28.frankly he should sit in shame at the OECD report that came out

:44:28. > :44:31.yesterday that showed that after a lifetime in education under Labour

:44:31. > :44:37.ally young people are bottom of the league in terms of results. That is

:44:37. > :44:48.what he should focus on. It is time the house heard from John Randall.

:44:48. > :44:53.Can I draw my honourable friend 's attention to the recent report by

:44:53. > :44:55.Imperial College about the detrimental health effects of

:44:55. > :45:00.aircraft noise, and could he make detrimental health effects of

:45:00. > :45:04.sure that when the government decide and look at the Davis commission

:45:04. > :45:15.report that health and environmental and look at the Davis commission

:45:15. > :45:18.considerations are paramount? He has not had the chance to speak from the

:45:18. > :45:22.backbenches in the way he just has and I look forward to hearing other

:45:22. > :45:30.contributions from him. He brings a huge amount to the House and

:45:30. > :45:35.environmental law will be included in the report and there will be a

:45:36. > :45:40.speech about the issue soon. Does the Prime Minister think it is

:45:40. > :45:44.acceptable that since he came to office the number of people claiming

:45:44. > :45:51.jobseeker's allowance from more than two years has increased by 390%?

:45:51. > :45:53.What has happened is that the number of workless households has gone down

:45:53. > :45:57.to its lowest level. The number of of workless households has gone down

:45:57. > :46:01.households claiming benefit has gone down. And why we are at it, if she

:46:01. > :46:09.looks at what is happening in the north-west, since the election,

:46:09. > :46:15.18,000 people more in employment, more people employed in the private

:46:15. > :46:20.sector, unemployment has fallen by 7000 since the election in the

:46:20. > :46:26.north-west and workless households down by 26,000. She should be

:46:26. > :46:32.talking up her region. I wonder if the Prime Minister has seen today's

:46:32. > :46:38.BBCi CM report showing that despite reductions in spending, people think

:46:38. > :46:44.that services provided by local government are better. Does this

:46:44. > :46:49.show you can get more for less? When I woke up this morning and heard the

:46:49. > :46:52.BBC was reporting that you can cut public spending and make public

:46:52. > :46:59.services that I thought I had died and gone to happen for a moment. --

:46:59. > :47:04.want to heaven. It is one of the many pillars of Labour's policy that

:47:04. > :47:07.has collapsed today. The IMF have shown them they were wrong. They pop

:47:07. > :47:12.has collapsed today. The IMF have the public spending cuts would lead

:47:12. > :47:20.to worse services and the BBC have told them that is wrong. That is

:47:20. > :47:24.what has happened today. Labour's childcare guarantee will be great

:47:24. > :47:30.for working parents, so says Boris Johnson. Does the Prime Minister

:47:30. > :47:34.agree? We are helping working parents with childcare and that is

:47:34. > :47:40.what the tax relief on childcare that this government will be

:47:40. > :47:51.introducing the be about. -- will be about. In 2nd January of my

:47:51. > :47:53.constituents -- in January, two of my constituents were killed by a

:47:53. > :48:02.driver who received just over ten years for his crime. People in the

:48:02. > :48:08.area has signed a petition calling for those who drive while

:48:08. > :48:12.disqualified to receive tougher sentences. Does he believe the law

:48:12. > :48:19.should be looked at in this area? On a Mac ever look at the petition and

:48:19. > :48:24.I will like to offer -- I will look at the petition and I offer my

:48:24. > :48:27.condolences to the men's families. Someone with ten previous

:48:27. > :48:32.convictions, disqualified at the time, killing two people, the

:48:32. > :48:38.sentence was ten years and as I understand the maximum available is

:48:38. > :48:44.14 years. The government has introduced legislation, so we are

:48:44. > :48:48.looking at this area. The Justice Secretary has asked the sentencing

:48:48. > :48:54.council to review the sentencing guidelines. We should look at this

:48:54. > :49:05.specific case in the light of that. A family in my constituency owning

:49:05. > :49:16.£18,000 per year are paying 3200 and £76 -- £3276 in energy bills. Why is

:49:16. > :49:20.he siding with energy bosses? I want to see people's Energy Bill is

:49:20. > :49:25.coming down. That is why we are legislating to see people on the

:49:25. > :49:33.lowest tariffs and we are looking at the rules put in place by the Leader

:49:33. > :49:45.of the Opposition when he was energy secretary, and we are looking at the

:49:45. > :49:48.promises that cannot be met. Does the Prime Minister agree with the

:49:48. > :49:52.director-general of the CBI that whether you are a small, medium or

:49:52. > :49:58.large business you have to grow and invest as a business and higher

:49:58. > :50:02.taxes just do not do that? My honourable friend is entirely right.

:50:02. > :50:06.What we heard at Labour's conference was that they were going to put up

:50:06. > :50:12.taxes on some of Britain's biggest and most successful businesses.

:50:12. > :50:18.Labour's message to business is, go somewhere else. They want to fight a

:50:18. > :50:24.petty Socialist campaign against successful business. That is wrong

:50:24. > :50:36.for the economy. Question eight, closed question. My original letter

:50:36. > :50:41.was about economic development. Local growth is a priority and we

:50:41. > :50:45.are helping to create 66,000 jobs with investment specifically in the

:50:45. > :50:49.north-east of £330 million. We do not want to go back to the previous

:50:49. > :50:55.Administration's system, but the local growth Cabinet committee

:50:55. > :50:59.brings together the secretaries of state from the key departments. Is

:50:59. > :51:02.he aware that the Department of Health are consulting on changing

:51:02. > :51:08.the funding formula for health care in the north-east and Cumbria

:51:08. > :51:16.because the effect of taking £230 million out of the health care

:51:16. > :51:19.budget for the region, who stands up for the North of England? The whole

:51:19. > :51:27.government stands up for the north-east of England. If you want

:51:27. > :51:34.news, you have got Hitachi building a trade that, Nissan expanding in

:51:34. > :51:42.sunny land, -- Sunderland, there is plenty of expansion. Demi answer his

:51:42. > :51:51.question. This year's funding is going up for £170 million, a 2.3%

:51:51. > :51:55.increase. Under the Labour plans, health spending would be cut. The

:51:55. > :52:00.Shadow Health Secretary, the man they have decided to keep in the

:52:00. > :52:05.Shadow Cabinet, has said that increasing health spending is

:52:05. > :52:16.irresponsible. We do not agree with that and that is why we are spending

:52:16. > :52:20.more money. Can I congratulate the government on ending the unfairness

:52:20. > :52:25.in free school meals? By the Prime Minister look to ending similar

:52:25. > :52:33.unfairness or six form -- were sixth form colleges have to pay VAT but

:52:33. > :52:35.schools or academies with six forms do not. I think it is good we will

:52:35. > :52:42.schools or academies with six forms have the same system. I think it is

:52:42. > :52:46.good that children in infants school will not be having to pay for school

:52:47. > :52:57.meals as well. I will look carefully at his VAT point. The Prime Minister

:52:57. > :53:01.will know from his script that I am an extremely proud member of a trade

:53:01. > :53:05.union movement which seeks to stand up for workers, who is living

:53:05. > :53:11.standards have been reduced under his watch. What personal sacrifice

:53:11. > :53:17.him and his family -- have he and his family had to make in these

:53:17. > :53:22.times? I am glad that he stands up as a trade unionist. Just as I

:53:22. > :53:30.welcome the reshuffle I am sure he is delighted with it. Probably they

:53:30. > :53:34.would not call it a reshuffle, but rather a purge. He asked for the

:53:34. > :53:41.Blairites to be purged and they have gone. It has been difficult because

:53:41. > :53:50.of the appalling deficit and that his party left in government. In my

:53:50. > :53:54.constituency there is a school that his party left in government. In my

:53:54. > :54:00.is at threat of being closed down by the county council. I have spoken to

:54:00. > :54:04.the Education Secretary and it has been generic over four years. With

:54:04. > :54:09.the Prime Minister assure me that his office will look into fair play

:54:09. > :54:11.in this subject, given that the county council education portfolio

:54:12. > :54:16.holder has said that in his opinion the school should close, but the

:54:16. > :54:22.first part of the consultation has only just been completed a few

:54:22. > :54:26.months ago. I will look at the case but under our education reforms

:54:26. > :54:29.there is greater opportunities for schools to gain their independence

:54:29. > :54:32.and for new schools to establish themselves. I hope he will look at

:54:32. > :54:35.and for new schools to establish the structural changes we made to

:54:35. > :54:41.education, because they may help in this case. Under this government,

:54:42. > :54:46.the cost of childcare is rocketing while wages have stagnated. Families

:54:46. > :54:54.are facing nursery costs rising fast than wages -- faster than wages.

:54:54. > :54:59.When is he going to extend free nursery provision to 25 hours? We

:54:59. > :55:05.have extended the hours that people get when they have four-year-olds,

:55:05. > :55:09.when they have three roads, and for the first time introduced childcare

:55:09. > :55:14.assistance when they have two-year-olds. We are also

:55:14. > :55:18.introducing proper tax relief on childcare so that people who work

:55:18. > :55:24.hard and do the right thing can get help. I hope when it comes to vote,

:55:24. > :55:28.the party opposite will support us. One month ago I installed call

:55:28. > :55:34.blocking technology in a partially deaf constituent's home. In the last

:55:34. > :55:42.month, 65% of the calls Mrs Moffat received have been using -- nuisance

:55:43. > :55:47.calls. Can my right honourable friend commits the government to

:55:47. > :55:55.doing all it can to remove this menace, including making telephone

:55:55. > :56:00.companies responsible for treating these calls? I am sure he advised

:56:00. > :56:06.his constituent about the Telephone preference service? It is a bane in

:56:06. > :56:12.some people's lives. I am sure we can look further at what else can be

:56:12. > :56:16.done. On reflection, does the Prime Minister agree that allowing greater

:56:16. > :56:23.time for greater diplomatic discussions to take place over Syria

:56:23. > :56:26.was preferable to rushing in and bombing a country? The fact that

:56:26. > :56:31.America was so clear that it would take action was what brought about a

:56:31. > :56:38.change of heart on behalf of the Syrian government and that is the

:56:38. > :56:42.lesson we should learn. One of the biggest factors for many young

:56:42. > :56:46.people's budgets is the cost of their mortgage. Can the Prime

:56:46. > :56:48.Minister tell us what will be the effect on mortgage rates if the

:56:48. > :56:55.government were to increase borrowing by 27.9 billion as the

:56:55. > :57:02.opposition have called for since promising iron discipline? One of

:57:02. > :57:05.the most important aspects of people's bills is the mortgage

:57:05. > :57:09.payments they have to make and the Shadow Chancellor is shouting it is

:57:10. > :57:13.not true, but he is committed to increasing borrowing and if you

:57:13. > :57:16.borrow more you risk interest rates and mortgage rates going up.

:57:16. > :57:22.Families across the country understand that and understand you

:57:22. > :57:26.only get to grips with the cost of living and living standards if you

:57:26. > :57:30.have a proper economic plan for getting the deficit down, getting

:57:30. > :57:38.growth and cutting taxes. That is what this committee is doing. My

:57:38. > :57:43.constituent was brutally murdered and his girlfriend gang raped whilst

:57:43. > :57:47.on holiday in Sri Lanka two years ago. Justice continues to be denied

:57:47. > :57:52.on holiday in Sri Lanka two years and the key suspect is a close ally

:57:52. > :57:57.of the Sri Lankan president. Is the Prime Minister, double meeting the

:57:57. > :58:02.President at the Commonwealth heads of government summit next month, and

:58:02. > :58:05.what will he say to him? I think it is right for the British Prime

:58:05. > :58:10.Minister to go to the Commonwealth conference, because we are big

:58:10. > :58:14.believers in the Commonwealth at making that organisation work for

:58:15. > :58:18.us. It is right in going to the Commonwealth conference, we should

:58:18. > :58:21.not hold back in being clear about those aspects of human rights record

:58:21. > :58:29.in July, we are not happy with. If gives me the retail, I will make

:58:29. > :58:35.sure those points are properly made. You cannot make those points if you

:58:35. > :58:41.do not go. Will the Prime Minister welcome the scrap metal dealers act

:58:41. > :58:45.which came into force last week? It has got the support of the Church,

:58:45. > :58:51.extra taxes will boost Treasury revenues and it will make the trains

:58:51. > :58:58.run on time. Can he say that about any other piece of legislation? Can

:58:58. > :59:03.I say to the honourable gentleman what pleasure it gives me today to

:59:03. > :59:09.refer to him as my right honourable friend. I welcome the effect of the

:59:09. > :59:15.Scrap Metal Bill, which brings revenue to the Treasury. It also

:59:15. > :59:22.helps deal with this crime, particularly because of the price of

:59:22. > :59:30.metals. I know this will help make sure that lead is not stolen from

:59:30. > :59:34.churches again. 83% of the beneficiaries of the government's

:59:34. > :59:39.proposed marriage tax break will be men. Just 17% will be women. Why

:59:39. > :59:45.does the Prime Minister have such a blind spot when it comes to women? I

:59:45. > :59:49.think it is worth supporting marriage through the income tax

:59:49. > :59:54.system. Let me make this challenge to the party opposite - in

:59:54. > :59:59.government, they gave a marriage tax break through the inheritance tax

:59:59. > :00:10.system. They get a married tax break to the rich. I want to give it to

:00:10. > :00:14.everybody. Does the Prime Minister believes that when the European

:00:14. > :00:18.Union forces my constituents to buy 20 cigarettes at a time rather than

:00:18. > :00:25.their current ten it will reduce the number they smoke? It does not, on

:00:25. > :00:33.the face of it, sounds sensible. I was not aware of this issue. Let me

:00:33. > :00:37.get back to him. Why has he told members of his party behind closed

:00:37. > :00:44.doors that forcing through same-sex marriage legislation was a turbo

:00:44. > :00:47.mistake? I have not and I am proud that we passed same-sex marriage in

:00:47. > :00:51.this parliament and proud of the road I played in bringing it

:00:51. > :00:56.forward. I think marriage is a wonderful thing and that goes

:00:56. > :00:59.whether you are a man and a woman or a man and a man or a woman and a

:01:00. > :01:11.woman. It makes the country fairer and I hope that is clear. With even

:01:11. > :01:15.Boris Johnson admitting that his Thames Estuary airport plan has no

:01:15. > :01:19.support, does the Prime Minister welcome Sir Howard Davies's

:01:19. > :01:22.statement that some plans will not even past first base

:01:22. > :01:28.environmentally? I do not want in any way to interfere with what

:01:28. > :01:33.Howard Davies is doing. He is the right person to carry out this

:01:33. > :01:36.report. It is important we try and build cross-party consensus on the

:01:36. > :01:38.basis that it is a therapy process and so that all parties will be able

:01:38. > :01:40.to endorse it when the conclusions and so that all parties will be able

:01:40. > :01:55.come out. Order. The first prime ministers questions

:01:55. > :01:59.and is the end of the conference season. The freezing energy prices

:01:59. > :02:03.dominated the conference and it dominated questions again today.

:02:03. > :02:07.That is what the argument was about, back and forth between the front

:02:07. > :02:11.benches. We will argue the toss over the substance of the policy and also

:02:11. > :02:18.the politics in a minute. First let's hear what you thought of the

:02:18. > :02:24.questions. Lots of e-mails, almost all about cost of living and the

:02:24. > :02:28.debate on energy. Diane says it was a commanding return for Ed Miliband

:02:28. > :02:33.who won hands down on a specific issue, the energy price freeze.

:02:33. > :02:36.Popular and very welcome for millions of households. Ray Newton

:02:36. > :02:45.says we will pay more for the energy as between now and the next election

:02:45. > :02:48.as they increase prices to prevent a possible future retail price

:02:48. > :02:53.freeze. Jacqueline says it sounds like neither the Labour Party or the

:02:53. > :02:56.Tories have a clue on how to rein in the vast profit making machines

:02:56. > :03:01.known as energy companies. Both are rich and not to care about the bills

:03:01. > :03:04.like the rest of this. John in Leeds says David Cameron wants to talk

:03:04. > :03:08.about everybody's policies but their own, and Ed Miliband wants to talk

:03:08. > :03:13.about anything but Labour's past polities. The energy companies would

:03:13. > :03:19.do well to generate the hot air in the palaces of Westminster 's every

:03:19. > :03:27.Wednesday. It's interesting that in the debate they are moving away from

:03:27. > :03:31.the macroeconomic matters, growth figures, inflation, employment, to a

:03:31. > :03:34.language where they are trying to get ordinary households to engage,

:03:34. > :03:38.talking about things that matter, energy prices, rail prices. This

:03:38. > :03:42.will be the nature of the debate between now and Christmas, I would

:03:42. > :03:45.suggest. It's the nature of the debate Ed Miliband wants to have. I

:03:45. > :03:49.don't think it's the nature of the debate David Cameron wants to have.

:03:49. > :03:53.We saw some of the uncertainty in the response from David Cameron.

:03:53. > :03:58.Sometimes the energy price freeze was a Marxist plot, sometimes it was

:03:58. > :04:01.a gimmick, sometimes it was something he wanted to match. We are

:04:01. > :04:05.sure that the Conservatives will have their own offer, but that is

:04:05. > :04:09.because the Conservative position is uncertain. They have do have some

:04:09. > :04:13.retail offers to match this kind of thing, and it is a concern to the

:04:13. > :04:17.electorate and they want those votes may have to do something. But

:04:17. > :04:20.equally, David Cameron does not want this to be the debate at the

:04:20. > :04:24.election. He does not want it to be about which is the best party to

:04:24. > :04:29.help people now the cost of living. He wanted to be about the economy

:04:29. > :04:33.and the future, almost a question of timing about who has the best for

:04:33. > :04:36.the future. You saw some attempt by the Prime Minister to say the real

:04:36. > :04:40.debate was about the economy not the cost of living, but quite an

:04:40. > :04:44.undeveloped argument. We saw some of the flaws in Ed Miliband's position,

:04:44. > :04:49.that David Cameron pointed out with his own record in government as

:04:49. > :04:52.energy secretary, but also the inconsistency with the

:04:52. > :04:57.decarbonisation plans. A mixed message I think is what we got.

:04:57. > :05:03.Damian Green, the Prime Minister said he was intervening in the

:05:03. > :05:08.mortgage market because the mortgage market was functioning properly.

:05:08. > :05:12.Does that mean the energy market is functioning properly? He said he was

:05:12. > :05:15.intervening in the mortgage market because it wasn't functioning

:05:15. > :05:19.properly particularly for young, first-time buyers. We understand

:05:19. > :05:22.that. So does he think the energy market is functioning? He also said

:05:22. > :05:29.he had intervened in the energy market with the move to put people

:05:29. > :05:35.on lower tariffs. Which won't affect 90% of those who pay bills. It

:05:36. > :05:40.depends on what you are paying now. If everybody is on the lowest

:05:40. > :05:44.tariff, it's not the lowest tariff, it's the only tariff. And how will

:05:44. > :05:51.you therefore know if it is the lowest? Markets will operate. We

:05:51. > :05:55.know that the energy market is at least as dysfunctional as the

:05:55. > :06:01.mortgage market. So why is it wrong to say that we can take a price

:06:01. > :06:04.freeze, and interregnum price freeze, not forever, while we get

:06:04. > :06:08.the market to function properly? What's wrong with that? You have to

:06:08. > :06:14.distinguish between the issue and the Labour policy. The Prime

:06:14. > :06:18.Minister said there was resident in the issue, but not the particular

:06:18. > :06:21.policy. As already discussed, the idea at a time specific price

:06:21. > :06:26.freeze, we know from way back in the 1970s when the government used to

:06:26. > :06:30.try it, it doesn't work. You get spikes either side. It is peculiarly

:06:30. > :06:34.inappropriate in this instance because the British government does

:06:34. > :06:37.not control the world price of oil. In the 1970s Roy Hattersley was

:06:37. > :06:42.sitting in the office down the right in thinking he could control the

:06:42. > :06:47.price of sugar and bread. That is not what the Labour Party are

:06:47. > :06:51.proposing. Labour is proposing an energy market that is widely

:06:51. > :06:57.regarded as dysfunctional, and we need to sort it out, and while we

:06:57. > :07:00.sort it out, over 20 months, we will freeze the price. Your version of

:07:00. > :07:04.the Labour policy would be more coherent than anything Ed Miliband

:07:04. > :07:11.said. He did not say he would sort the energy market out. He has. He

:07:11. > :07:16.has got form. As energy secretary, he did lots of things to put prices

:07:16. > :07:19.up, so it will be interesting to know which of his previous act as

:07:19. > :07:26.energy secretary he is prepared to disavow. Did I describe your party

:07:26. > :07:32.policy wrongly? You must have read the same script is me this morning.

:07:32. > :07:36.We don't believe that about the BBC, I'll say that out loud. Tony Blair

:07:36. > :07:39.and Gordon Brown said they would have a windfall on utilities, and

:07:39. > :07:41.these guys said they would hike up the prices, go overseas, there will

:07:41. > :07:45.these guys said they would hike up be chaos, and it didn't happen. We

:07:45. > :07:49.used the windfall tax to have the new Deal which had young people

:07:49. > :07:54.getting jobs. In the 20 months it takes to have a new regulator with

:07:54. > :07:59.teeth to have the six energy companies who control 97% of the

:07:59. > :08:02.energy for households and businesses, while we have a

:08:02. > :08:04.situation where they can group their energy into one common pool which

:08:04. > :08:09.situation where they can group their can be given out to households and

:08:09. > :08:14.businesses, then we can separate it out and for 20 months we would have

:08:14. > :08:20.a freeze on energy prices. Your government wanted to regulate the

:08:20. > :08:25.price of alcohol, because of abuse, they announced today that they want

:08:25. > :08:29.to regulate the price on the train operating companies who are charging

:08:29. > :08:32.obscene amounts. And they want to regulate matters with mortgage

:08:32. > :08:37.companies. So it is possible when there is a market system that is not

:08:37. > :08:42.functioning, that is not working properly, for us to step in and sort

:08:42. > :08:46.it out. Damian Green? I think the training sample is interesting.

:08:46. > :08:51.Clearly train companies have monopoly franchises, and because of

:08:51. > :08:57.their particular power than the government can and does regulate

:08:57. > :09:01.that. The simple practical point, not even an economic point, is that

:09:01. > :09:05.the British government does not control the price of oil and gas.

:09:05. > :09:12.They are internationally set. So what do you do? Why have energy

:09:13. > :09:16.companies after Ed Miliband's Beach, a couple of them, volunteered to

:09:16. > :09:24.freeze their prices. They were already in place. They had this low

:09:24. > :09:33.tariff coming. It's only the new customers. It goes to Damian's point

:09:33. > :09:39.that you can freeze prices. Energy prices have been rising everywhere

:09:39. > :09:42.because of the increased demand for natural gas as our own natural gas

:09:42. > :09:45.has been running out, and there has been a huge demand across the

:09:45. > :09:50.world, and that has pushed up energy prices. But at the same time, you,

:09:50. > :09:58.both of you, have done more to push up prices by pricing the climate

:09:58. > :10:01.change act in 2008 under David -- Ed Miliband, supported by the

:10:01. > :10:05.Conservatives, so I don't understand why the premise that -- by Minister

:10:05. > :10:10.is ganging up on him because he voted for it as well. That was at a

:10:10. > :10:14.time of rising energy prices and it has added another £112 to the

:10:14. > :10:20.average household bill. So you are both guilty, I would suggest. We

:10:20. > :10:24.have a decarbonising strategy that will reduce the carbon from fuel by

:10:24. > :10:29.2013. These guys don't want to do it. The jewel adding to the bill in

:10:29. > :10:33.the process. We are talking about the current cost of living crisis.

:10:33. > :10:37.It is a separate issue about reducing the carbon in the fuel.

:10:37. > :10:40.Will here is what you can do. At the moment, on your green taxes, you are

:10:40. > :10:44.making the average household pay, moment, on your green taxes, you are

:10:44. > :10:50.and it did happen under you, because moment, on your green taxes, you are

:10:50. > :10:56.there was Westminster consensus, you are making people on average incomes

:10:56. > :11:03.pay for the electricity subsidies to poorer people because there is part

:11:03. > :11:06.of the green tax is a subsidy to poorer people, so if you really want

:11:06. > :11:10.to do it, pay it out of general taxation which would be more

:11:10. > :11:14.progressive and poorer people's bills would not be so high? It is a

:11:14. > :11:16.combination of taxation and bills would not be so high? It is a

:11:16. > :11:24.individuals having a slight price increase. That is why we said we

:11:24. > :11:27.would sort it out with a bill from 2015 until the beginning of 2017 to

:11:27. > :11:32.sort out the prices people are paying. Hold on a minute. First of

:11:32. > :11:38.all you want to introduce a tougher carbon target than this government,

:11:38. > :11:40.and at the same time you will cut the green taxes? We want to

:11:40. > :11:46.and at the same time you will cut decarbonise by 2013. In the short

:11:46. > :11:55.term, we will bring the bills down by 2017 and we will have a regulator

:11:55. > :11:58.that will be brought in with teeth between 2015 and 2017. At the same

:11:58. > :12:06.time we will sort out the market. But you cannot have a tougher green

:12:06. > :12:11.target and say you are going to cut the green subsidies in the

:12:11. > :12:16.electricity bills. We are though. Since 2009, to give you an example,

:12:16. > :12:23.the amount of money the energy company -- companies have invested

:12:23. > :12:27.in clean energy to 2.9 billion. They are not investing. If they invested

:12:27. > :12:30.in clean energy that is one way the bill can come down. That is an

:12:30. > :12:38.example of holding the energy companies to runs -- ransom. But

:12:38. > :12:42.it's not the same as a price freeze. The company making the biggest

:12:42. > :12:48.profit has invested the lease. The idea that profit leads to investment

:12:48. > :12:52.is not true. -- invested the least. James, you looked puzzled. At some

:12:52. > :12:56.point in the next few months it is clear that the government will

:12:56. > :13:00.promise to reduce energy taxes. At some point that is going to happen.

:13:00. > :13:06.There will be a coalition row over it, but they will achieve it at some

:13:06. > :13:13.point. Would Labour match that? We would have to wait and see. You just

:13:13. > :13:16.said you would. The point is this, you have a situation in the last

:13:16. > :13:20.four years while you guys have been in power, the average household bill

:13:20. > :13:26.has gone up by £300 per year for families and for businesses £1800

:13:26. > :13:30.per year. We would say we would freeze it from 2015 to 2017 and in

:13:30. > :13:34.that period we would have a regulator with teeth and pass a bill

:13:34. > :13:38.to sort out the energy companies. But if you were to reduce green

:13:38. > :13:41.taxes you can do it in a way that distorts the market less because you

:13:41. > :13:47.would not be imposing prices on individual companies. We are

:13:47. > :13:52.committed to having clean energy. We are going to take out the carbon

:13:52. > :13:59.from the energy. You are committed to the green taxes. We are committed

:13:59. > :14:02.to the realistic target. Why would companies invest during a price

:14:02. > :14:07.freeze when they are by your own standard not investing in the way

:14:07. > :14:14.you suggest for clean energy? We were told that companies would leave

:14:14. > :14:19.because of the windfall tax. We were told before 1997 that having the

:14:19. > :14:25.minimum wage would lead to companies going down. None of these

:14:25. > :14:32.scaremongers stories bore fruit. But there have been huge under

:14:32. > :14:41.investment in energy for over 20 years in this country. It has been

:14:42. > :14:45.bad in the both of you. We have not invested in new gas plans. There is

:14:45. > :14:50.no investment going on. That is why we need a fundamental change. You

:14:50. > :14:56.guys are in consensus and do nothing but sit on your hands. Is the

:14:56. > :15:00.Chancellor, because we know James is right, we know what he wants to do,

:15:00. > :15:04.he wants to shoot their fox by saying they will take the green cap

:15:04. > :15:09.taxes away and the bill will fall. It won't just be frozen, it will

:15:09. > :15:13.fall. Can he get them to agree to that? I am sure the Chancellor is

:15:13. > :15:15.persuasive but I should not make his announcement is persuasive but I

:15:15. > :15:25.should not make his announcements for him.

:15:25. > :15:27.Tony Blair called himself a naive, foolish nincompoop for introducing

:15:28. > :15:35.the Freedom of Information Act 13 years ago. He thought the act, which

:15:35. > :15:39.provides access to information held by public authorities, could stop

:15:39. > :15:42.discussion of sensitive issues. Some say it is time Freedom of

:15:42. > :15:48.Information went further and applied to private companies who provide

:15:48. > :16:04.public services. We hear why in this week's Soapbox.

:16:04. > :16:10.I am the Cabinet member for finance in the London Borough of Camden and

:16:10. > :16:17.like all public services across the country we are having to make cuts

:16:17. > :16:22.because of storage. Here in Camden we spend over £400 million buying

:16:22. > :16:28.goods and services from outside the public sector. My fear is that this

:16:28. > :16:32.complex web of private contracts will reduce accountability because

:16:32. > :16:36.it will be less transparent to the taxpayer how this money is spent.

:16:36. > :16:43.This could increase waste and the chances that the taxpayer gets

:16:43. > :16:45.ripped off. Despite delivering millions of pounds worth of public

:16:46. > :16:51.service contracts, and sourcing companies get to dock the public

:16:51. > :16:57.scrutiny we expect, all because private companies are not covered by

:16:57. > :17:01.Freedom of Information. The Freedom of Information Act allows citizens

:17:01. > :17:08.to ask public bodies like the council about any information they

:17:08. > :17:10.hold on any subject. But the Freedom of Information Act only applies to

:17:10. > :17:14.government and not the new generation of private companies

:17:14. > :17:34.delivering public services and that is a big problem. So, it is vital

:17:34. > :17:37.that the Freedom of Information Act is a big problem. So, it is vital

:17:37. > :17:43.is updated to include any funded by the taxpayer, whether it is a

:17:43. > :17:48.private firm, public sector body or a voluntary organisation. Openness

:17:48. > :17:52.is a fundamental safeguard for the taxpayer, especially when every

:17:52. > :17:55.pound has to work as hard as it can. That is why it is time for the

:17:55. > :18:00.private sector to work by public sector rules if they want our

:18:00. > :18:04.contracts. Theo Blackwell joins us now.

:18:04. > :18:08.Is the biggest problem when it comes to scrutinising outsourced companies

:18:08. > :18:12.providing services, particularly if you are a council? There is not a

:18:12. > :18:15.level playing field at the moment between the council, the NHS and

:18:15. > :18:19.level playing field at the moment private providers. What we are

:18:19. > :18:24.asking for is some safeguards. In 2015, there are going to be a large

:18:24. > :18:28.number of cuts to public sector organisations. Camden are visiting

:18:28. > :18:32.between 60 and £70 million. There are changes to the NHS which involve

:18:32. > :18:40.private sector companies. All of these will ask private sector --

:18:40. > :18:50.questions about the relationship and information on citizens can access.

:18:51. > :18:57.The government say they have not done that because information pics

:18:57. > :19:01.closure -- this clover should -- disclosure should be part of their

:19:01. > :19:04.contracts, and it is not. public bodies will be working with each

:19:04. > :19:09.other and we do not want a piecemeal way of dealing with it. We want a

:19:09. > :19:14.standard across the country. In the United States there are clear rules

:19:14. > :19:22.across Freedom of Information and safeguards encouraging

:19:22. > :19:29.whistle-blowing by the public. They get a return in the United States.

:19:29. > :19:39.Why shouldn't private companies, under the same scrutiny? The just a

:19:39. > :19:45.select committee and the Gulf might have looked at it. Everyone agrees

:19:45. > :19:54.that when you look at it, that bit up to be under scrutiny. We have

:19:54. > :20:00.just taken through legislation with the Independent Police Complaints

:20:00. > :20:05.Commission that when companies like G4S are providing police services,

:20:05. > :20:09.they can be investigated by the IPCC. This is different because the

:20:09. > :20:15.contracts signed by the public sector should ensure that the

:20:15. > :20:17.provider provides the information so that the public sector body can be

:20:17. > :20:25.problem held to account. But they that the public sector body can be

:20:26. > :20:29.are not. They should be. The Ministry of Justice said it was

:20:29. > :20:33.overcharged by G4S and circle. The case has been looked at by the

:20:33. > :20:48.Serious Fraud Office but clearly they cannot scrutinise in the way

:20:48. > :20:53.that you say they should. I think the Freedom of Information Act

:20:53. > :21:01.should be extended. I can get information about restraint

:21:01. > :21:06.policies. The private companies will give us manuals, but the public

:21:06. > :21:11.companies will not even know they are doing a public job. Why should

:21:11. > :21:16.some rules apply to them but not these guys. Some of the health

:21:16. > :21:26.service, education, councils, justice, the Home Office is being

:21:26. > :21:34.privatised. As normal citizens need access to no higher taxes are being

:21:34. > :21:39.spent. There needs to be distinction between private work and work for

:21:39. > :21:45.the public sector. We need to know that the public sector work can be

:21:45. > :21:52.brought under question with Freedom of Information. I tried that and it

:21:52. > :21:58.did not work. You could not get the information? That is what needs to

:21:58. > :22:05.be thought about. There is a question about the use of that.

:22:05. > :22:14.Private sector companies will be creating profits from this

:22:14. > :22:23.information. You cannot request information on a private prison but

:22:23. > :22:27.you can on a public one. What has that got to do with legislation? The

:22:27. > :22:34.next Labour Justice Secretary will bring in this act. Please be patient

:22:34. > :22:53.X Mac -- please be patient -- please be patient. Could this be

:22:53. > :22:59.terror the private sector -- geek are the private sector from bidding

:22:59. > :23:04.for public contracts? The private sector seems to have a culture that

:23:04. > :23:08.reflects public service. There is no point in doing something on the

:23:08. > :23:14.cheap if we find out that fraud or waste or ripping off customers

:23:14. > :23:23.happens five years down the line. Hold the front page! Politicians and

:23:24. > :23:30.journalists disagree. Oh, yes, big news. This time, the matter of

:23:30. > :23:34.Britain's free press and how it should be neglected. The Culture

:23:34. > :23:38.Secretary confirmed the government had rejected the present history's

:23:38. > :23:42.plans for regulation designed to toughen up what they do at the

:23:42. > :23:46.moment. The Privy Council meets today to discuss which Royal Charter

:23:46. > :23:53.will win out in this battle. It is very, graded. The scent has already

:23:54. > :23:59.begun, with the newspapers promising they will go to judicial review,

:23:59. > :24:04.even Europe, if the government proceeds in the way it plans.

:24:04. > :24:09.You cannot have a voluntary system where volunteers do not want to

:24:09. > :24:13.volunteer. So, you won't? I think there is the possibility of a

:24:13. > :24:19.judicial review. We could go and see there is the possibility of a

:24:19. > :24:22.what Europe has to say. The idea that papers will roll over and do

:24:22. > :24:26.something that they really passionately do not believe in is

:24:26. > :24:31.unlikely. I would hope that we do not.

:24:32. > :24:40.What do you do if you go ahead with this statutory regulation and no one

:24:40. > :24:46.turns up? It is a Royal Charter, that is different. If it is the law

:24:46. > :24:52.of the land, Royal Charter, in the end one assumes respectable people

:24:52. > :24:58.obey the law. That is not what Roger Alton is saying and he is from The

:24:58. > :25:05.Times. It feels like we are in a negotiation phase. What the editors

:25:05. > :25:14.want to do is use the Human Rights Act to judicially review this and

:25:14. > :25:16.then possibly go to the court of human rights, but others want to

:25:17. > :25:26.abolish the Human Rights Act. But on human rights, but others want to

:25:26. > :25:34.the issue itself, has the judiciary had legal advice on whether its

:25:34. > :25:38.policy, which is to broadly support the statutory Royal Charter, is

:25:38. > :25:47.their legal advice that it would pass muster? It is independent

:25:47. > :25:53.regulation. Have you had legal advice? I am not privy to the advice

:25:53. > :26:00.any party might have had but we are trying to reach a cross-party

:26:00. > :26:07.consensus by this Friday. There is a Westminster consensus. What Maria

:26:07. > :26:11.Miller and Harriet Harman said yesterday was that they have got to

:26:11. > :26:20.try and reach consensus on Friday. I cannot give a running commentary.

:26:20. > :26:24.Let me come to you, has the government taken legal advice that

:26:24. > :26:32.what it proposes would stand judicial review and the European

:26:32. > :26:38.Court in Strasbourg? Is there the right to a free press in the

:26:38. > :26:42.European articles? We have not got to the stage of proposals. Table are

:26:42. > :26:47.wondering why it is taking so long. Maria Miller was saying that there

:26:47. > :26:54.are still negotiations between parties. Article ten of the Human

:26:54. > :27:01.Rights Act, freedom of expression, the mischief the police are worried

:27:01. > :27:06.about is paying exam through damage. It would not be in breach of Article

:27:06. > :27:13.ten because a balancing exercise says freedom of expression trumps

:27:13. > :27:20.privacy. That is not the legal advice that the papers have. One of

:27:20. > :27:24.the leading QCs in the country says, by supporting Parliament's

:27:24. > :27:33.Royal Charter for press regulation to be agreed by the Privy Council,

:27:33. > :27:38.my party is turning its back on a genuinely free press. What is the

:27:38. > :27:43.biggest complaint? That we cannot agree on anything. There is a

:27:43. > :27:50.situation where the three leaders have agreed on the Royal Charter.

:27:50. > :27:55.You journalists are not happy. I know you agree on that. We are

:27:55. > :28:00.trying to find out, what do you do if the press say they will not play

:28:00. > :28:06.with it and they will fight it all the way to Strasbourg? In my view,

:28:06. > :28:10.they are not one homogenous group. There are differences of opinion and

:28:10. > :28:15.I hope by this Friday we will have an agreement. You seldom get the

:28:15. > :28:21.most enlightening part of a public debate in the last few days before

:28:21. > :28:29.agreement is reached. Of course, you all agreed we should invade Iraq as

:28:29. > :28:36.well! Let's give you the answer. The year was 1992. Press your red

:28:36. > :28:45.button. The winner is...

:28:45. > :28:53.Thank you for being with us today. I hope you enjoyed it. The one o'clock

:28:53. > :28:57.News is starting on BBC One. We are back tomorrow at noon with the Daily

:28:57. > :29:01.Politics. The clue is in the name.