23/10/2013

:00:37. > :00:42.Morning, folks. The future of Scotland's biggest oil refinery and

:00:43. > :00:47.petrochemical works is in the balance. The company that owns the

:00:48. > :00:51.huge Grangemouth complex is a key part of Britain's industrial

:00:52. > :00:54.infrastructure has announced that the petrochemicals complex is to

:00:55. > :00:58.close with the loss of hundreds of jobs. The decision follows a bitter

:00:59. > :01:05.row between management and unions over cost-cutting. The future of the

:01:06. > :01:08.oil refinery is also in the balance. Remember John Major? He used to be

:01:09. > :01:12.the Prime Minister. Yesterday, he had a whole host of advice for

:01:13. > :01:17.Number Ten's present incumbent, including a windfall tax on the

:01:18. > :01:20.energy companies. Will the former Prime Minister's

:01:21. > :01:25.words come back to haunt David Cameron at PMQs? We will have all

:01:26. > :01:28.the action live at midday. Would you want some of these in your

:01:29. > :01:34.back garden? We will be talking to one Tory MP who does not.

:01:35. > :01:39.We have a responsibility to future generations to protect the

:01:40. > :01:42.countryside. The local community does not want 300 acres of solar

:01:43. > :01:58.panels in our back yard. All that is coming up. Great British

:01:59. > :02:02.Bake Off eat your heart out! We made these.

:02:03. > :02:06.Jo did this with me as her able assistant. The Daily Politics is

:02:07. > :02:11.where it's at! We have cakes, muffins, apple turnovers, something

:02:12. > :02:16.French and fancy on the programme today.

:02:17. > :02:22.Who is that? What about rough puff? Some kind of strange drug, I think.

:02:23. > :02:26.We have two contestants who have promised me they have never suffered

:02:27. > :02:30.a soggy bottom, the Conservative Party Chairman, Grant Shapps, and

:02:31. > :02:34.the brand-new Shadow Transport Secretary, Mary Creagh. Breaking

:02:35. > :02:40.news. It is grim for Grangemouth. The decision by INEOS, a Swiss-based

:02:41. > :02:44.company, to close its petrochemical site at Grangemouth in Scotland has

:02:45. > :02:48.shocked everybody. It follows a pay dispute over pay and conditions and

:02:49. > :02:51.what needs to be done to secure new investment to keep the

:02:52. > :02:59.petrochemicals plant going. Let's get the latest from our Scotland

:03:00. > :03:02.correspondent, Laura Bicker. Laura, I guess the unions can now be in no

:03:03. > :03:09.doubt that the company is not bluffing? Exactly. That is what the

:03:10. > :03:14.main owner of INEOS, the main shareholder in INEOS said at the

:03:15. > :03:18.weekend in a Sunday newspaper. He said he would close down the plant

:03:19. > :03:23.and he warned workers if they voted the wrong way, there would be no

:03:24. > :03:28.happy ending at this plant. Workers filed into a canteen this morning.

:03:29. > :03:33.They were told at 10.00am that the petrochemical element of this plant

:03:34. > :03:37.would close. That's around 750 workers, we are told. They filed out

:03:38. > :03:48.very unhappy, very angry. They are not sure about redundancy payments

:03:49. > :03:51.currently. We have heard from the INEOS company, the chairman of the

:03:52. > :03:56.site here, he said there was only ever going to be one outcome to this

:03:57. > :04:00.story and we continued to lose money. INEOS says it is losing ?10

:04:01. > :04:06.million a month at this site. They say the proposed strike action,

:04:07. > :04:12.which was called off, has cost them ?20 million. The Scottish Government

:04:13. > :04:15.yesterday intervened. He said it was discussing a potential buyer. It

:04:16. > :04:20.says it was looking at other players when it came to this plant. I

:04:21. > :04:23.understand that union officials are talking to both the Scottish

:04:24. > :04:27.Government and the Government at Westminster to try to come to a deal

:04:28. > :04:31.when it comes to this plant. We will hear from the unions within the next

:04:32. > :04:36.hour. But real shock here for the workers as they head home and wonder

:04:37. > :04:42.what their future holds. Let's stick with the petrochemical complex to

:04:43. > :04:47.begin with. The petrochemical complex feeds off the oil refinery.

:04:48. > :04:51.Stick with petrochemicals to begin with. INEOS is out of this now. This

:04:52. > :04:56.isn't going to change. They are gone from the petrochemical complex. They

:04:57. > :05:00.have called in the liquidators? That's exactly what they have said

:05:01. > :05:03.in their statement this morning. Certainly, that is what they have

:05:04. > :05:07.told the workforce. They do not want to keep hold of the petrochemical

:05:08. > :05:13.plant. They said that they have no choice but to call in the

:05:14. > :05:16.liquidators. They say that, "We will struggle to comprehend what has

:05:17. > :05:19.happened here. The employees were offered a chance to secure

:05:20. > :05:24.substantial new investment in the company, preserve their jobs and

:05:25. > :05:28.keep their salaries. . Sadly, this will no longer be the case." They

:05:29. > :05:35.offered workers a deal whereby they would offer workers a cut in pay and

:05:36. > :05:38.in pensions in return, they said, that would help keep the plant

:05:39. > :05:42.running. They said without that, the plant would have to shut by 2017.

:05:43. > :05:46.So, this morning, they say this should come as no surprise to

:05:47. > :05:52.workers after the vote, after that ballot where workers, around half of

:05:53. > :05:57.them, decided not to take that option, the survival plan. They say

:05:58. > :06:01.that this was the only outcome after that ballot. Alright. Final

:06:02. > :06:07.question. The oil refinery has not been closed. It's not operating, the

:06:08. > :06:12.oil refinery has still been shut down. Do I take it from that... The

:06:13. > :06:18.oil refinery... That could also be under threat? Well, the oil refinery

:06:19. > :06:25.has been shut down for a week as part of a health and safety. INEOS

:06:26. > :06:30.need to close down the plant ahead of any planned strike action. It's

:06:31. > :06:33.not been started today. The oil refinery has not been restarted,

:06:34. > :06:38.which is something we expected to hear about. They say it will not be

:06:39. > :06:42.restarted until unions give them a guarantee that there will be no

:06:43. > :06:46.strike action. Unions have already given them that guarantee. They said

:06:47. > :06:50.they gave them that guarantee last week. But they want to discuss these

:06:51. > :06:55.new terms and conditions that they say is being imposed on their staff.

:06:56. > :06:59.We are still at a stalemate when it comes to the oil refinery. Its

:07:00. > :07:04.future again is being discussed. Thank you very much for bringing us

:07:05. > :07:10.up-to-date. We are joined now by the Labour MP for the Grangemouth

:07:11. > :07:15.constituency, Michael Connerty. Have the unions made an existential error

:07:16. > :07:19.here? They have been set up. It is quite clear this company prepared

:07:20. > :07:27.for this conflict quite well. They are bringing in petrol in tankers.

:07:28. > :07:33.The company made it clear if you can't agree to this new deal, which

:07:34. > :07:37.will bring ?300 million in new investment, then it's off? The

:07:38. > :07:41.difficulty was the way they did it. I have never seen a negotiation like

:07:42. > :07:48.this. I have represented this place for 21 years. We have lost thousands

:07:49. > :07:54.of jobs. It's now down to 1,300. That is true of all petrochemical

:07:55. > :08:00.works? Exactly. I remember the $10 when crude was only getting $10. Now

:08:01. > :08:05.it is $113. The feed stock is hugely expensive. The unions said they were

:08:06. > :08:10.willing to negotiate all of this. We will give you a no strike agreement,

:08:11. > :08:14.not just to the end of the negotiations, but as long as it

:08:15. > :08:18.takes. They wouldn't withdraw this ultimatum. If you had seen the

:08:19. > :08:24.letter... I have seen the letter. The company is losing ?150

:08:25. > :08:29.million... They have two problems. They are paying huge amounts for the

:08:30. > :08:33.feed stock and the refinery is losing money hand over fist. They

:08:34. > :08:37.lost ?110 million on the refinery. They are locked into a deal that BP

:08:38. > :08:46.made them sign when they bought the plant to say they will take all the

:08:47. > :08:53.gas that comes off. They have to take all of that to 2017. It's now

:08:54. > :09:00.full of... It's a basket case? It is not a basket case. What they are

:09:01. > :09:07.doing in Norway, and in Grangemouth, was to bring in ethane from the

:09:08. > :09:10.States. Sure. They said to me in 2022 and beyond, there is a lot of

:09:11. > :09:17.money to be made here and they wanted to take ?50 million out of

:09:18. > :09:20.that plant. They are talking not just about the workers, they are

:09:21. > :09:25.talking about shutting the plant... I know. They want to bring in ethane

:09:26. > :09:30.from the States because it is a lot cheaper. Correct. It's a stand-off.

:09:31. > :09:34.To do that was going to cost ?300 million in new investment to build

:09:35. > :09:39.the port facilities to bring in this ethane from the United States, where

:09:40. > :09:43.it is a lot cheaper. And they wanted new conditions in terms to go ahead.

:09:44. > :09:47.The unions said no. It seems like this petrochemical plant is going to

:09:48. > :09:52.close unless someone else comes to buy it. Who is going to buy it? That

:09:53. > :09:59.is still a serious prospect. Who? I think anyone who looks at this - the

:10:00. > :10:04.figures said 2022, we will break even. Who? I think the chemical

:10:05. > :10:10.industry is still viable. Let me finish, Andrew. 30% of the ethane

:10:11. > :10:14.that goes down the pipeline comes from Grangemouth. They are going to

:10:15. > :10:21.turn that tap off. It means there is a demand for... There is a world

:10:22. > :10:25.surplus and it can be made more cheaply elsewhere. If you think

:10:26. > :10:31.someone else can buy this, give me a name? I don't know who is in the

:10:32. > :10:43.frame. Let me give you two names. I will tell you why they are not going

:10:44. > :10:52.to do it. Dow Chemical, reinvesting in the United States. BASF, German,

:10:53. > :10:56.has told the German government unless energy prices come down, we

:10:57. > :11:00.will move to America as well. Who would buy Grangemouth in these world

:11:01. > :11:07.conditions? I think at the moment we have to look at whether the

:11:08. > :11:16.Secretary of Fps of the Scottish Government says he is looking to

:11:17. > :11:21.find new buyers. I know that. Who? The biggest problem for us is do we

:11:22. > :11:25.say that because of the decision of this company not to negotiate - you

:11:26. > :11:30.said it wasn't a question of sharing the future, it was a case of we want

:11:31. > :11:37.all of this for us after 2022. It seems sensible to me to pay back the

:11:38. > :11:40.debt and then make a lot of money, then they should share it with the

:11:41. > :11:44.people in the company. Did they set out to do this because they got

:11:45. > :11:48.beaten in 2008? That is a very dangerous way to run a company. Will

:11:49. > :11:52.there be calls to nationalise it? I don't think there will be a call

:11:53. > :11:58.from this present Government... I wasn't thinking of that, I was

:11:59. > :12:02.thinkingior party? You could lumber the taxpayer with this loss-making

:12:03. > :12:06.business? This is the company - they briefed me for an hour-and-a-half

:12:07. > :12:10.about how they would make all of this money. They seem to want to

:12:11. > :12:15.beat the union down. That is not a good way to go forward. In the 21st

:12:16. > :12:18.Century, are we wanting to have a situation where you have to beat the

:12:19. > :12:24.workers down and make people hate you to get more profit more quickly?

:12:25. > :12:29.I don't think so. What is the Westminster Government doing about

:12:30. > :12:33.it? There will be an urgent statement this afternoon from Ed

:12:34. > :12:36.Davey. He will be outlining the next steps, working with the Scottish

:12:37. > :12:45.Government. For people watching this who are not experts in the industry,

:12:46. > :12:48.all of these detailed discussions real boil down to - there are 750

:12:49. > :12:51.jobs here. If the Government can do anything to help them, we will. In

:12:52. > :12:55.the end, this needs to be a business which stands alone as a profitable

:12:56. > :12:59.business otherwise clearly it can't buck the economics of the market.

:13:00. > :13:04.The Government's already offered some treasury guarantees on raising

:13:05. > :13:07.the money that is needed for this investment. What else can the

:13:08. > :13:11.Government do? I'm concerned about the future of the oil refinery and

:13:12. > :13:18.in terms of the resill generals of the UK's fuel supply. We have seen a

:13:19. > :13:23.plant already shut down. We are still waiting for that report. Of

:13:24. > :13:26.course, it is not just the jobs being lost today. There are many

:13:27. > :13:33.more jobs dependent in the supply chain. I well understand. The

:13:34. > :13:38.company had asked for that guarantee. What do you want the

:13:39. > :13:41.Government to do? We want to see a strategic review of what we are

:13:42. > :13:45.doing about the fuel because what we don't want is to add to the

:13:46. > :13:49.cost-of-living crisis by seeing petrol prices rising. A strategic

:13:50. > :14:10.review? People's jobs are at stake here. Absolutely. How You have

:14:11. > :14:15.called for a strategic review while you did nothing when you were in

:14:16. > :14:20.power? There are a whole series of costs in the industry. And the

:14:21. > :14:24.future is bright, it is the bridge to the future that is the problem.

:14:25. > :14:30.The future is grim. What is happening - well, Michael has

:14:31. > :14:36.described if the port changes can be made, if shale gas... He is a

:14:37. > :14:41.politician. He is not putting a penny up. You haven't got the money.

:14:42. > :14:45.I don't have the money. So it is irrelevant. I have confidence in my

:14:46. > :14:48.constituents. I know... I understand that. I worked in that industry when

:14:49. > :14:51.I was a student. I know the industry. I'm well aware of that.

:14:52. > :15:03.There is money to be made. That bridge can be crossed. Can you... I

:15:04. > :15:07.remember Timex in Dundee, the same union under a different name. They

:15:08. > :15:11.said this is a good factory, there is a future here. But we need a

:15:12. > :15:15.change in working practices. The union didn't agree. Then they left

:15:16. > :15:23.Dundee. Will we see the same in Grangemouth.

:15:24. > :15:36.I hope they are going to get somebody else to run the plant.

:15:37. > :15:42.Thank you. We will wait and see. It's a tough time for your

:15:43. > :15:44.constituents. Very worrying. Keep in touch with us because it is a big

:15:45. > :15:52.story. As part/ Mac a Parliamentary hat,

:15:53. > :15:58.Charles Dickens was a guest. -- as a parliament Rehak.

:15:59. > :16:05.If you could just sit down a moment! Where was I? Margaret

:16:06. > :16:09.Thatcher has been there. I haven't. There's still time. I am talking

:16:10. > :16:16.about the Press Gallery Lunch. It usually an excuse for some House of

:16:17. > :16:20.Commons claret. Yesterday, John Major spoke. They got more than they

:16:21. > :16:24.bargained for. He certainly seems to be on fine

:16:25. > :16:27.form yesterday lunchtime. As the last Conservative leader to win a

:16:28. > :16:33.general election, his views will have been listened to carefully at

:16:34. > :16:36.Conservative HQ. He told the journalists that George Osborne

:16:37. > :16:38.should impose a windfall tax of this winter on the energy companies who

:16:39. > :16:44.are raising prices and making massive profits. He also once more

:16:45. > :16:50.help for the silent have nots who are being overlooked. Too many

:16:51. > :16:54.people, he said, were falling behind through no fault of their own. He

:16:55. > :16:57.also had words of warning for Iain Duncan Smith, saying he should

:16:58. > :17:01.listen to some of his critics on welfare reform rather than just the

:17:02. > :17:05.bean counters who obsess over abuse in the system. On Europe, the former

:17:06. > :17:10.Prime Minister said he was opposed to James Warton's bill for an EU

:17:11. > :17:14.referendum by 2017. He backed the idea of a referendum, although he

:17:15. > :17:18.says Britain will vote to stay in the EU and that will end the debate

:17:19. > :17:27.for a generation. He had to say to the BBC will stop I think there is a

:17:28. > :17:31.real chance -- to the BBC. I think there's a real chance the government

:17:32. > :17:34.will be forced to provide more help to people. It would be entirely

:17:35. > :17:38.reasonable for the Chancellor then to recoup the money back from the

:17:39. > :17:48.energy companies in a one off in past given the scale of their

:17:49. > :17:53.profits. John Major. I'm joined by two men who never turned out a lunch

:17:54. > :17:58.invitation. They are journalists! Tim Shipman from the Daily Mail and

:17:59. > :18:02.Kevin Maguire from the Mirror. Tim Shipman, John Major seems to

:18:03. > :18:07.surprise everybody in the press gallery. Did he surprise number ten

:18:08. > :18:12.with his announcements, particularly on energy? He did a bit. He

:18:13. > :18:19.surprised journalists. I cover anybody ever making so much news as

:18:20. > :18:31.John Major yesterday. -- I can't remember. Does it mean, Kevin

:18:32. > :18:35.Maguire, that he not only made these dramatic announcements but he then

:18:36. > :18:39.went on to the cameras afterwards, which sort of looked planned,

:18:40. > :18:46.choreographed, and surely there must have been some conversation going

:18:47. > :18:51.on? I think the great man of British politics burst into colour and he

:18:52. > :18:56.said, look, I am free, I can say what they like. You thought, he's

:18:57. > :19:02.still a Tory but he sounds like he has a Labour manifesto. He can say

:19:03. > :19:08.what he likes. They windfall tax. Go back to 1987, that was a Labour

:19:09. > :19:13.policy. Margaret Thatcher had a couple of windfall taxes in the

:19:14. > :19:20.1980s. He is free, and as he said, he can say what he likes. He

:19:21. > :19:25.actually believes it on energy. Because he is the last Conservative

:19:26. > :19:32.leader to win an overall majority, is he a man worth listening to? A

:19:33. > :19:41.lot of MPs will think years. Don't forget, John Major got millions of

:19:42. > :19:45.votes in 1992. A local Tories in marginal seats might think he has

:19:46. > :19:50.something to say. When Tony Blair turned up yet -- last year, he said

:19:51. > :19:54.he would only be there to see if he can still do it. John Major seems to

:19:55. > :19:58.want to get involved in the polity is going on. Not only did he talk

:19:59. > :20:04.about energy prices, he gave the Prime Minister a hard time about how

:20:05. > :20:12.Tory MPs don't seem to care about the poor. For me, that was almost

:20:13. > :20:18.more striking. It sounded like a bit of a warning to both parties. Yes,

:20:19. > :20:27.no doubt more for the Conservatives in tone. It was all quite laden with

:20:28. > :20:36.political overtones, Kevin. It was. He says, I know these people, I was

:20:37. > :20:43.brought up with them. No doubt, when you have three bowling boys at the

:20:44. > :20:50.top of the Conservative party, there was a comment in there. You cannot

:20:51. > :20:56.say that Ed Miliband was dragged up in Yorkshire. His father was a

:20:57. > :21:00.famous academic. John Major, he is old school. It is hard now to see

:21:01. > :21:08.somebody like him getting to the top of British politics, possibly. Thank

:21:09. > :21:16.you both very much. Grant Shapps, is John Major worth listening to?

:21:17. > :21:22.Fanelli. He is right in terms of... He is right in terms of themes. You

:21:23. > :21:28.have got a recession that we now discover was the biggest the country

:21:29. > :21:33.ever had. The economy strength by the last election. It has taken a

:21:34. > :21:38.long time to start to rebuild the growth, turn the corner. We're not

:21:39. > :21:43.even back yet. As a result, there are lots of people whose cost of

:21:44. > :21:47.living pressures are enormous. John Major is right to remind not just

:21:48. > :21:52.the government but the country that those are the biggest challenges we

:21:53. > :21:57.face. On the windfall tax on energy companies, why is it a bad idea? We

:21:58. > :22:05.said it was interesting rather than a bad idea. A euphemism. We need to

:22:06. > :22:13.ensure that is more competition in the marketplace. Things like that

:22:14. > :22:19.?19 billion investment announced yesterday on Hinkley Point, that is

:22:20. > :22:23.really important. We have got to have a mix of measures. The idea

:22:24. > :22:28.that we can simply declared that everybody will pay less in energy

:22:29. > :22:36.prices, as Ed Miliband has tried to do, in the knowledge that they were

:22:37. > :22:42.put up the prices in advance... Or that we can somehow punish the

:22:43. > :22:50.industry for not being competitive enough... Hold on. Yesterday was the

:22:51. > :22:57.second biggest investment in the world. It is not going to do

:22:58. > :23:03.anything about energy prices now. Heating or eating. John Major really

:23:04. > :23:08.expressed it in those stark terms. He seemed to be pointing the finger

:23:09. > :23:12.at the Conservatives, saying, you just don't understand the number of

:23:13. > :23:15.people out there who are suffering. Absolutely we understand. He is

:23:16. > :23:20.making a good point, which is that because of the failure to invest in

:23:21. > :23:24.power plants over the years, over a decade, we have ended up in a

:23:25. > :23:29.situation where we have ludicrously expensive power in this country.

:23:30. > :23:32.This is something you can only address by building more, for which

:23:33. > :23:37.you need the investment. One thing not to do is put people off

:23:38. > :23:43.investing power in this country, or you make it more expensive for the

:23:44. > :23:48.consumer in future. Let's go to Mary Creagh. Ed Miliband was tweeting

:23:49. > :23:53.that John Major was making Labour's argument. But he did say that the

:23:54. > :23:59.energy freeze wasn't workable. He is wrong. It is hugely embarrassing for

:24:00. > :24:04.David Cameron to have a former Prime Minister break his self-denying

:24:05. > :24:08.ordinance and speak out in this way and say the Conservative party is

:24:09. > :24:17.out of touch. I am asking why you think his energy freeze cannot work.

:24:18. > :24:22.What we have heard from Grant Shapps is more hot air. We have an energy

:24:23. > :24:33.policy from this government which is basically, put on a jumper. That is

:24:34. > :24:37.not sustainable. Investment in green energy has more than halved since

:24:38. > :24:42.your government came in. It is down to ?3 billion. All of the community

:24:43. > :24:47.schemes that were in the pipeline have been messed about because of

:24:48. > :24:55.the solar tariff messed up. You didn't commission a single nuclear

:24:56. > :25:01.power station in 13 years. Nothing was made or agreed. We put the

:25:02. > :25:04.climate change act into action, which created the playing field

:25:05. > :25:08.which said we want to move towards cleaner, greener energy. That has

:25:09. > :25:13.more than halved under your government. We are having a cost of

:25:14. > :25:17.living crisis where people are having to make, as John Major said,

:25:18. > :25:20.the choice between heating their homes and eating. He knows it

:25:21. > :25:25.because that is where he has come from. There will be a big gathering.

:25:26. > :25:31.Somebody will drop something to somebody else's head. There may be

:25:32. > :25:36.tears and screaming. Not PMQs. I'm talking about Prince George's

:25:37. > :25:40.christening. The third in line to the throne is being welcomed into

:25:41. > :25:47.the Anglican Church today in a short ceremony at St James's Palace.

:25:48. > :25:53.Prince George is nicknamed Tips. You could call him PG Tips. Other brands

:25:54. > :25:56.are available. Sounds like a good excuse to toast the big day in the

:25:57. > :26:04.Daily Politics away. In honour of Little George and we have given our

:26:05. > :26:12.DP mark a bit of a make over. -- our DP mug. Look at that. Very soon to

:26:13. > :26:16.be on sale in every rubbish shot in the country. Surely the knighthood

:26:17. > :26:23.must be in the post-ex-macro we have done this and you can win this piece

:26:24. > :26:29.of royal memorabilia. -- in the post!

:26:30. > :26:31.Here is JoCo to tell you what to do. Let's see if you can remember when

:26:32. > :26:57.this happened. Even as the Israeli Prime Minister

:26:58. > :26:58.talked to Mr Wilson, shells were falling on her country from across

:26:59. > :27:16.the Jordan border. I, Charles, Prince of Wales, to

:27:17. > :27:37.become your lease, of life and limb. -- do become your legion.

:27:38. > :28:01.I Richard Nixon do solemnly swear...

:28:02. > :28:09.Thanks for the musical complement. I will remove that pen from your hand

:28:10. > :28:15.in a moment. Send your answer to our special quiz e-mail address. You can

:28:16. > :28:25.see the full terms and conditions of Guess The Year on our website.

:28:26. > :28:31.Just you try. It is, up to midday. There is Big Ben behind me. -- is

:28:32. > :28:40.coming up to midday. It means Nick Robinson is in the studio. Energy I

:28:41. > :28:47.was sure would come on in PMQs. Even that could be overshadowed by

:28:48. > :28:52.Grangemouth. I think that's right. The number of jobs involved directly

:28:53. > :28:56.and indirectly means that it has to be a question that will come up at

:28:57. > :28:59.question time. It has to be a source of anxiety. I will be amazed if Ed

:29:00. > :29:08.Miliband can resist quoting John Major. David Cameron will cloaked --

:29:09. > :29:13.quote John Major back at Ed Miliband. The language about excess

:29:14. > :29:18.profits, about the need to do something, frankly, is more helpful

:29:19. > :29:22.to Ed Miliband. John Major spoke about people in a way that David

:29:23. > :29:27.Cameron couldn't. He spoke about his kind of people, the nearly poor, the

:29:28. > :29:34.people behind lace curtains who don't shout out. It was quite a

:29:35. > :29:39.devastating implicit indictment of the existing government. It was

:29:40. > :29:42.particularly of Iain Duncan Smith. There is form here. John Major

:29:43. > :29:55.doesn't much like Iain Duncan Smith. He led the destruction of any chance

:29:56. > :30:07.of the Conservatives being elected in 1987. -- 1997. John Major said,

:30:08. > :30:11.when you are targeting strongest -- scroungers, a lot of people are

:30:12. > :30:18.struggling. I have at the transcript. There was an implicit

:30:19. > :30:25.attack on the bedroom tax. Let's go straight to the House of Commons.

:30:26. > :30:31.Thank you Mr Speaker. It is clear from the tributes that he was a

:30:32. > :30:35.highly talented and professional soldier. Our thoughts are with his

:30:36. > :30:39.family, his friends and colleagues at this very difficult time. He has

:30:40. > :30:45.made the ultimate sacrifice and we must never forget him. On a happier

:30:46. > :30:49.note, I'm sure the whole House will join me in celebrating the

:30:50. > :30:58.economiesening of baby Prince George later today. -- the christening of

:30:59. > :31:08.baby Prince George later today. Mr Speaker, could I join my right

:31:09. > :31:12.honourable friend in his tribute to Corporal Brynin. And also in his

:31:13. > :31:16.applause for the christening of Prince George this morning. Could I

:31:17. > :31:21.ask my honourable friend, does he think it's a good time for an

:31:22. > :31:27.apology from those regional branches of the Police Federation who so

:31:28. > :31:33.reduced the Member for Sutton Coldfield and also from the Leader

:31:34. > :31:37.of the Opposition? Let me start by saying on behalf of the whole House

:31:38. > :31:41.and everyone in the House that we should put on record what an

:31:42. > :31:46.incredible job the police do on our behalf every day. I see that at very

:31:47. > :31:54.close hand. And the Leader of the Opposition and I saw that at the

:31:55. > :31:58.Police Bravery Awards last week. The former Chief Whip gave a full

:31:59. > :32:02.explanation what happened. The police said he gave no explanation

:32:03. > :32:07.so it is now clear, reading the IPC C report, that the police do need to

:32:08. > :32:10.make an apology. The officers concerned and the Chief Constables

:32:11. > :32:14.are coming to the House today and I hope they will give a full account

:32:15. > :32:18.and a proper apology to the Home Affairs Select Committee. It is, as

:32:19. > :32:21.I think a moment for us all to consider what we said at the time

:32:22. > :32:26.and I hope the Leader of the Opposition will do the same thing.

:32:27. > :32:33.THE SPEAKER: Mr Ed Miliband. Mr Speaker, can I join the Prime

:32:34. > :32:36.Minister in paying tribute to the Lance Corporal, who died on his

:32:37. > :32:40.second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was a brave professional soldier

:32:41. > :32:44.and I send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. I also

:32:45. > :32:48.join the Prime Minister in celebrating the christening of

:32:49. > :32:51.Prince George later today and send best wishes to the Duke and Duchess

:32:52. > :32:56.of Cambridge. The Prime Minister said that anyone who wanted to

:32:57. > :33:01.intervene directly in energy markets was living in a Marxist universe.

:33:02. > :33:09.Can he tell the House how does he feel now that the red peril has

:33:10. > :33:17.claimed Sir John Major? We are intervening. We are - I'm not

:33:18. > :33:20.surprised he wants to quote the last Conservative Prime Minister and also

:33:21. > :33:29.forget the mess that the people in between made of our country. Let me

:33:30. > :33:36.be clear, though. I do believe in intervening in the energy market.

:33:37. > :33:41.That is why we are legislating to put customers on the lowest tariff.

:33:42. > :33:46.Where John Major is absolutely right is that bills in this country have

:33:47. > :33:51.reached a completely unacceptable level. We need to take action on

:33:52. > :33:56.that. We need to help people to pay their bills and we also need to help

:33:57. > :34:00.to get bills down. This is where we need a very frank conversation about

:34:01. > :34:04.what it is that is putting bills up. We are prepared to have that

:34:05. > :34:10.conversation. He is employed in cynical ploys and gimmicks. Mr

:34:11. > :34:13.Speaker, John Major was a Conservative Prime Minister who won

:34:14. > :34:30.a majority, unlike this Prime Minister. But, Mr Speaker, I think

:34:31. > :34:35.the Prime Minister said something rather interesting. He obviously now

:34:36. > :34:39.does believe, he does agree with Sir John Major that the energy price

:34:40. > :34:43.increases are unacceptable. If we agree that they are unacceptable,

:34:44. > :34:46.what are we going to do about it? The former Prime Minister says,

:34:47. > :34:50.given the scale of their profits, we should recoup that money. That is

:34:51. > :34:54.the quote from him. He wants to do it through a windfall tax. I say we

:34:55. > :35:00.need a price freeze. What does the Prime Minister want to do to recoup

:35:01. > :35:03.that money for the consumer? Let me answer that question directly. We

:35:04. > :35:12.need to roll-back some of the green regulations and charges - yes, yes.

:35:13. > :35:19.We all know who put them in place. We all know who put them in place.

:35:20. > :35:23.THE SPEAKER: Order. The House is very overexcited. I want to hear the

:35:24. > :35:28.answers. Let's hear the Prime Minister.

:35:29. > :35:33.First of all, he talks about John Major winning election. And he is

:35:34. > :35:39.right. He beat a weak and incredible Labour Leader. Isn't this rather

:35:40. > :35:45.familiar? John Major also said - and he is right - the first thing he

:35:46. > :35:48.said was that Labour's policy was unworkable. He is absolutely right.

:35:49. > :35:53.So what we need to do is recognise there are four bits to an energy

:35:54. > :35:57.bill, there are the wholesale prices, which are beyond our

:35:58. > :36:00.control, there are the costs of transmission and the Grid, which are

:36:01. > :36:04.difficult to change, there are the profits of the energy companies and

:36:05. > :36:08.there are the green regulations. It is those last two that we need to

:36:09. > :36:14.get to grips with. I can tell the House today that we will be having a

:36:15. > :36:17.proper competition test, carried out over the next year to get to the

:36:18. > :36:22.bottom of whether this market can be more competitive. I want more

:36:23. > :36:28.companies, I want better regulation, I want better deals for consumers.

:36:29. > :36:35.Yes, we also need to roll-back the green charges that he put in place

:36:36. > :36:40.as Energy Secretary. Mr Speaker, he really is changing his policy every

:36:41. > :36:45.day of the week. It is extraordinary. His Energy Secretary,

:36:46. > :36:48.who is in his place, says it is nothing to do with "green" taxes.

:36:49. > :36:53.60% of the "green" taxes were introduced by him. Who is the man

:36:54. > :37:01.who said vote blue to go green? It was him! I'll tell you what is weak,

:37:02. > :37:07.Mr Speaker, it is not standing up to the energy companies and that is

:37:08. > :37:11.this Prime Minister all over. He talks about the big six energy

:37:12. > :37:16.companies. Who created the big six energy companies? When Labour came

:37:17. > :37:21.to power, there were 17 companies in the market. Now, there are just six.

:37:22. > :37:25.Mr Speaker, I can help members opposite. I have the briefing that

:37:26. > :37:31.backbench Labour MPs have been given about their own energy policy. They

:37:32. > :37:34.might want to listen - yes - they might - in case they haven't read

:37:35. > :37:39.the briefing, they might want to read it. Question seven - what would

:37:40. > :37:48.stop the energy companies just increasing their prices beforehand?

:37:49. > :37:53.Absolutely no answer. Question six - I think - let me share your briefing

:37:54. > :37:57.with you. How will you stop - question six - how will you stop

:37:58. > :38:03.companies just increasing their prices once the freeze ends? Here we

:38:04. > :38:10.have the great Labour answer - the public would take a dim view. A dim

:38:11. > :38:15.view. How incredibly brave(!) Let's have question nine. This says it

:38:16. > :38:19.all. Labour's briefing - this is what it says - Ed Miliband was

:38:20. > :38:24.Energy Secretary in the last Government. Isn't he to blame for

:38:25. > :38:32.rising bills? We all know the answer - yes, he is. I'll tell him what

:38:33. > :38:36.happened. When I was Energy Secretary, energy bills went down by

:38:37. > :38:40.?100. Since he became Prime Minister, they are up by ?300. Let's

:38:41. > :38:45.clarify where we are. The Prime Minister says these price rises are

:38:46. > :38:50.unacceptable. He says he wants to act. Now, he is the Prime Minister.

:38:51. > :38:55.I know - I sometimes forget this. He is the Prime Minister. He can act. I

:38:56. > :39:01.have a suggestion. He should implement Labour's price freeze.

:39:02. > :39:04.There's an Energy Bill going through the other place. We can amend that

:39:05. > :39:09.and we can bring in that price freeze right now. Two parties

:39:10. > :39:28.working together in the national interest. Let's do it. Mr Speaker, I

:39:29. > :39:32.think he's been following too much of his own advice wearing too many

:39:33. > :39:35.woolly jumpers and getting a bit overheated. Let's do it. We can

:39:36. > :39:44.bring in this price freeze right now. He knows perfectly well it is

:39:45. > :39:50.not a price freeze, it is a price con. He admitted it was a price

:39:51. > :39:55.conthe very next day because he cannot control global gas prices.

:39:56. > :39:58.The truth is, prices would go up beforehand, he wouldn't keep his

:39:59. > :40:05.promise and prices would go up afterwards. It ask a -- is a cynical

:40:06. > :40:11.ploy from the Energy Secretary who wrecked the market in the first

:40:12. > :40:16.place. Mr Speaker, I'll tell him what is a con. Telling people last

:40:17. > :40:20.week that the answer was to switch suppliers. Let me ask the Prime

:40:21. > :40:23.Minister, what does he say to someone who took his advice last

:40:24. > :40:28.week to switch from British Gas only to discover that NPower was raising

:40:29. > :40:34.its prices by 10%? It is worth people looking at switching. You can

:40:35. > :40:39.save up to ?250. We want a more competitive energy market. He left

:40:40. > :40:42.us a market with just six players. We have already seen seven new

:40:43. > :40:47.energy companies come into that market. So we need an annual audit

:40:48. > :40:50.of competition to make this market more competitive, something he never

:40:51. > :40:55.did when in office. We need to roll-back the costs that have been

:40:56. > :40:58.imposed on people's energy bills part of which he was responsible

:40:59. > :41:03.for. One of the first acts of this Government was to take the ?179 that

:41:04. > :41:07.he was going to put on to energy bills because of his renewable heat

:41:08. > :41:14.initiative. He put bills up. He's trying to conthe public. We will

:41:15. > :41:18.deliver for hard-working people. Mr Speaker, John Major said what we all

:41:19. > :41:24.know - we have a Prime Minister who stands up for the energy companies,

:41:25. > :41:28.not hard-pressed families. Many people face a choice this winter

:41:29. > :41:32.between heating and eating. These are the ordinary people of this

:41:33. > :41:39.country who this Prime Minister will never meet and whose lives they will

:41:40. > :41:43.never understand. The difference is John Major is a good man, the right

:41:44. > :41:47.honourable gentleman is acting like a conman. That is what we are

:41:48. > :41:50.seeing. He is promising something he knows he can't deliver, he knows he

:41:51. > :41:59.can't deliver because he never delivered it when he was in office.

:42:00. > :42:08.THE SPEAKER: Mr Andrew Stevenson. Thank you, Mr Speaker. In the town

:42:09. > :42:12.where I live, unemployment is down and small businesses are

:42:13. > :42:15.flourishing. However, serious traffic congestion is holding back

:42:16. > :42:21.the economic growth of the area. Will the Prime Minister join with me

:42:22. > :42:25.in welcoming the start of a six-week consultation on a bypass that would

:42:26. > :42:30.address this problem and boost job creation? I welcome what my

:42:31. > :42:35.honourable friend says. He is right. The need for building bypasses and

:42:36. > :42:40.roads in our country. That is why we are spending ?3 billion on major

:42:41. > :42:49.upgrades. I welcome the consultation on this bypass. It comes at the same

:42:50. > :42:55.time of very good news on unemployment. Thank you. On this day

:42:56. > :42:59.20 years ago, the Provisional IRA brutally murdered innocent men,

:43:00. > :43:03.women and children on the Shankill Road in Belfast. Will the Prime

:43:04. > :43:09.Minister join with me and my right honourable and honourable colleagues

:43:10. > :43:14.in ensuring that no-one is in a civilised society will ever equate

:43:15. > :43:18.innocent victims with guilty murderers? I join the honourable

:43:19. > :43:22.gentleman in commemorating that appalling act and the appalling loss

:43:23. > :43:27.of life that took place that day. We all remember that. Of course, no-one

:43:28. > :43:30.should ever glorify in any way terrorism or those who take part in

:43:31. > :43:33.terrorism. What he knows and what I know is that everyone in Northern

:43:34. > :43:40.Ireland has to try to come together to talk about a shared future and to

:43:41. > :43:43.try to leave the past behind. Rural Post Offices are vitally important,

:43:44. > :43:50.but they need more Government work to survive. They have to continue to

:43:51. > :43:57.pay pensions and benefits and are ideally placed to provide banking

:43:58. > :44:01.and identity check facilities. Will the Prime Minister encourage all his

:44:02. > :44:06.Ministers to give more Government work to Post Offices? We all want to

:44:07. > :44:09.see the Post Office network survive and thrive. Unlike the last

:44:10. > :44:13.Government, who saw nearly a third of the rural Post Office network

:44:14. > :44:17.close, we have committed that no Post Office will close in this

:44:18. > :44:20.Parliament. So I absolutely hear what he says. The current

:44:21. > :44:26.arrangements for collecting pensions and benefits will remain in place at

:44:27. > :44:29.least until 2015 and the Department for Work and Pensions and the Post

:44:30. > :44:43.Office are discussing an extension to 2017. Mr Speaker, 1.5 million

:44:44. > :44:48.people in the UK are addicted to drugs. I know of one individual who

:44:49. > :44:53.has been on these products for over 45 years - his total life ruined.

:44:54. > :44:58.They are not drug misusers. They are victims of the system of repeat

:44:59. > :45:02.prescriptions. Will the Prime Minister advise the Department of

:45:03. > :45:05.Health to give some guidance to the clinical commissioning groups to

:45:06. > :45:11.introduce withdrawal programmes in line with the advice from the

:45:12. > :45:12.professor who is the expert in this field to give these people back

:45:13. > :45:25.their lives? I know he has campaigned strongly on

:45:26. > :45:31.this issue over many years. I join him in praising Professor Ashton.

:45:32. > :45:36.This is a terrible affliction. They are not drug addicts but have become

:45:37. > :45:39.hooked on tranquillisers. The Minister for Public health is happy

:45:40. > :45:43.to discuss the issue with him. As he says, the relevant guidance is an

:45:44. > :45:52.issue. I know the Prime Minister is well

:45:53. > :45:57.aware of the concerns that many of our people have on rising energy

:45:58. > :46:01.prices. Will he therefore acts to reduce the effect of Chris

:46:02. > :46:08.Hughton's unfortunate legacy by cutting the carbon reduction policy,

:46:09. > :46:15.elongating circuits that targets and relieving the burner -- burden on

:46:16. > :46:22.business people? We have to have an honest discussion on this. On energy

:46:23. > :46:29.bills is ?112 of green taxes and regulations. We need to work out

:46:30. > :46:36.what is necessary to go on winning overseas investment into the UK. It

:46:37. > :46:40.simply is the politics of the conman to pretend that you can freeze

:46:41. > :46:46.prices when you are not in control of global energy prices, but the

:46:47. > :46:53.proper approach is to see what is driving -- driving a bills. SPEAKER:

:46:54. > :47:01.The word conman is on Parliamentary. Order, order. -- not Parliamentary.

:47:02. > :47:17.The Prime Minister is a man of great versatility in language. It is below

:47:18. > :47:24.the level. We will leave it there. Yesterday, the Independent reported

:47:25. > :47:27.the government's failure to close the Eurobonds tax loophole, which

:47:28. > :47:33.could be losing the Exchequer ?500 million per year. As the Prime

:47:34. > :47:39.Minister ever been lobbied on this loophole? And will he pledged to

:47:40. > :47:43.close it immediately? I have never been lobbied on this issue. I looked

:47:44. > :47:46.at it this morning. The Treasury has listened to the arguments and made

:47:47. > :48:03.the decisions for the reasons she knows. Over 300,000 new businesses

:48:04. > :48:06.have been registered in the UK over the last three years, a record

:48:07. > :48:08.figure. The key priority in supporting these businesses over the

:48:09. > :48:13.difficult first few years of trading is to make sure we bear down on

:48:14. > :48:17.regulation. Much has been done. What more can the government do to

:48:18. > :48:21.support these risk-takers at this difficult time? I'm grateful to my

:48:22. > :48:26.honourable friend for his question. The news out today is that we now

:48:27. > :48:30.have the largest number of companies in our country that has ever

:48:31. > :48:34.existed. Over the last three years, we see 400,000 extra companies

:48:35. > :48:38.become established. We have to help them in every where we can. The most

:48:39. > :48:42.powerful thing we are doing is cutting the national issue runs they

:48:43. > :48:47.will have to pay by ?2000, starting next year. That will be a boost to

:48:48. > :48:51.small businesses. Also, the red tape they are threatened with, we are

:48:52. > :49:04.dealing with at every level, including the European Council this

:49:05. > :49:12.week. It is an agenda right across the board to help small businesses.

:49:13. > :49:23.New research shows that his government is scrapping low learning

:49:24. > :49:28.-- lower earning aspirate benefits -- aspiring parents on benefits.

:49:29. > :49:32.Isn't it time for a rethink? Labour want unlimited benefits for

:49:33. > :49:35.families. There are no longer the Labour Party. They are the welfare

:49:36. > :49:39.party. It is clear from the questions they ask. We think it is

:49:40. > :49:44.right to cap benefits so that no family can earn more out of work

:49:45. > :49:49.than they would earn in work. Evidence issuing this is encouraging

:49:50. > :49:53.people to look for work. For a party that believes in hard-working

:49:54. > :49:58.people, that is good news. For the welfare party, that is bad news. The

:49:59. > :50:04.Prime Minister will be aware of the business model and Welsh water,

:50:05. > :50:08.which is a not-for-profit company responsible to its consumers and not

:50:09. > :50:12.its shareholders. Does the Prime Minister agree that such a company

:50:13. > :50:18.in the energy supply sector would introduce real competition? We want

:50:19. > :50:21.more competition in the sector, whether it come from private

:50:22. > :50:27.businesses, cooperative businesses, or, as he says, charities. We want

:50:28. > :50:31.an open energy market. What we were left was the big six, a six letter

:50:32. > :50:35.asked by the party opposite. We were also left an Ofgem where the Leader

:50:36. > :50:50.of the Opposition had appointed five of the nine people. It will take

:50:51. > :50:55.approximately seven years to rehouse the 1400 tenants who wished to

:50:56. > :50:59.downsize because they can't afford to pay the bedroom tax in my

:51:00. > :51:02.constituency. Will the Prime Minister and advise them to move to

:51:03. > :51:08.private rented accommodation, increasingly welfare bill, or should

:51:09. > :51:12.they save money by turning down the heating and wearing a jumper? What

:51:13. > :51:15.is fair about removing the spare room subsidy is that it makes the

:51:16. > :51:19.situation fare between private sector rented accommodation and

:51:20. > :51:23.council sector rented accommodation. It is that fairness we want to see

:51:24. > :51:28.in our country. The party opposite have opposed every single welfare

:51:29. > :51:31.reduction that we are proposing. ?85 billion they would have to find for

:51:32. > :51:43.opposing every single thing we have done to get this country back on

:51:44. > :51:48.track. The positive outlook for Osborne construction in my

:51:49. > :51:52.constituency this year, with increased turnover and a strongly

:51:53. > :51:57.increased forward order book is in the real economy all over the

:51:58. > :52:02.country, not just my constituency. Will the Prime Minister undertake

:52:03. > :52:08.not to be diverted from the long, hard slog of writing the public

:52:09. > :52:14.finances and using the burdens on business so that plan a can continue

:52:15. > :52:20.to enable businesses in my constituency to put our economy

:52:21. > :52:24.right for the long-term? I'm glad to hear that the company is working his

:52:25. > :52:28.constituency, as it is about the country. That is worthwhile. I take

:52:29. > :52:37.this opportunity to pay tribute to him as a constituency MP standing up

:52:38. > :52:45.for people in businesses in Reigate. More businesses, more jobs, turning

:52:46. > :52:51.our country around. Fixed odds betting machines around -- and allow

:52:52. > :52:55.the user to stake ?100 every 20 seconds for up to 30 hours per day.

:52:56. > :52:59.They have transformed the local bookies from places where you can

:53:00. > :53:03.have a flutter on the horses into high-street diddle casinos. Will the

:53:04. > :53:10.Prime Minister consider banning these addictive machines, as has

:53:11. > :53:15.recently happened in Ireland? This is an issue I have been repeatedly

:53:16. > :53:19.lobbied on. I think it is worth having a proper look at this issue

:53:20. > :53:24.to see what we can do to make sure that, yes, we want to have a

:53:25. > :53:29.bookmakers that are not overregulated, but on the other hand

:53:30. > :53:36.a fair approach and a decent approach that up -- prevents problem

:53:37. > :53:39.gambling. Last year, 130 parents come on teachers and staff in

:53:40. > :53:48.Bedfordshire were disappointed when their free school application file.

:53:49. > :53:51.The Federation is now under investigation. We'll be Prime

:53:52. > :53:55.Minister please use his good offices to ensure that the failed free

:53:56. > :53:59.school application in mid-Bedfordshire is incorporated

:54:00. > :54:05.into this enquiry? I'm grateful to look at my honourable friend's

:54:06. > :54:09.suggestion. We need to have a proper policy of making sure that proposals

:54:10. > :54:15.for free schools are ready to go ahead. When you look at the free

:54:16. > :54:18.schools in our countries, two thirds have been judged good or

:54:19. > :54:22.outstanding, which is a higher proportion than schools within the

:54:23. > :54:35.state sector. I think it is worth not just continuing with this policy

:54:36. > :54:40.but putting rocket boosters on it. I've visited Liverpool earlier this

:54:41. > :54:43.year to launch the International Festival for business 2014. I

:54:44. > :54:46.discussed with the mayor the prospect of obesity in terms of

:54:47. > :54:55.overseas investment and the importance of this international

:54:56. > :55:04.festival. -- the prospect of progress. Support to local govern

:55:05. > :55:09.should be restricted to need - does the government agree? How does he

:55:10. > :55:19.explain that households in our region have lost ?40 over the UKIP

:55:20. > :55:26.years, where's households in his constituency in Game six? -- over

:55:27. > :55:36.the past two years. The spending per dwelling in his area is ?3122, where

:55:37. > :55:42.as in Oxfordshire it is less. I fully accept the need is greater in

:55:43. > :55:50.his area. But I would argue that of a relatively fair balance between

:55:51. > :55:51.the two. Following decades of underinvestment and hollow

:55:52. > :55:59.promises, the Coalition's decision to fully work on the 811 is

:56:00. > :56:16.inspiring confidence. -- the age 11. He is right. The ?100 million we are

:56:17. > :56:21.investing in the road is an important part of that. This is

:56:22. > :56:27.going to be completed in 2014. This will cut congestion on the route

:56:28. > :56:32.between Cambridge and Norwich. The Shadow Chancellor wants to go and

:56:33. > :56:42.watch the Canaries. He will be able to get their -- get there quicker.

:56:43. > :56:47.Two weeks ago, the head of the Security service warned of the

:56:48. > :56:51.extent of Islamist extremism. This week, two individuals have been

:56:52. > :56:57.charged with serious offences. What is the Prime Minister going to do in

:56:58. > :57:07.January, when some of those that the same -- Home Secretary has judged

:57:08. > :57:10.hydrogen security are released? -- when some of those that the Home

:57:11. > :57:18.Secretary has judged pose the biggest security risk are released?

:57:19. > :57:23.We have had repeated meetings, including yesterday, to set out a

:57:24. > :57:28.series of steps to counter the extremist narrative. We will be

:57:29. > :57:31.blocking sites online. Facebook have reversed the decision dated

:57:32. > :57:35.yesterday to show beheading videos online. We will take all the steps

:57:36. > :57:42.and many more to take -- keep the country safe. Following the

:57:43. > :57:46.Guardian's reckless handling of the Edward Snowden leaks, will be Prime

:57:47. > :57:49.Minister join me in paying tribute to the men and women of our

:57:50. > :57:57.intelligence services who have no voice but who do so much to keep the

:57:58. > :58:01.country safe? He is right. It is a great privilege of this job to work

:58:02. > :58:06.with our intelligent and securities services and to meet some of the

:58:07. > :58:09.people who work for them. He is right to say they don't get thanked

:58:10. > :58:14.enough because of the job they do. But I am convinced the work that

:58:15. > :58:18.GCHQ and others do our behalf of the country helps to keep us safe. We

:58:19. > :58:21.have seen that again this week with the arrests that have taken place.

:58:22. > :58:27.Once again, we and police and intelligence work. We cannot praise

:58:28. > :58:31.these people too highly. -- brilliant police and intelligence

:58:32. > :58:37.work. The reality of work formally ends of people, low pay, short time,

:58:38. > :58:49.a dizzy exploitation, were exposed on TV this week. Did the Prime

:58:50. > :58:56.Minister see it -- did the Prime Minister CE? Everybody wants to see

:58:57. > :59:01.living standards increase. That is why we have cut taxes for the

:59:02. > :59:09.typical working person by ?705. Let's make the point about zero

:59:10. > :59:13.hours contracts. The proportion of people in those contracts in 2012

:59:14. > :59:20.was the same in the year 2000. The number of people employed and zero

:59:21. > :59:28.hours increased by 75% between 2004 2009. That is when that lot were

:59:29. > :59:32.government. Businesses in Crawley are creating hundreds of new jobs,

:59:33. > :59:38.leading to unemployed falling to 2.7% last month. Does my honourable

:59:39. > :59:43.friend agree with me that the way to raise living standards is to

:59:44. > :59:51.increase the policies of economic growth rather than the discredited

:59:52. > :59:56.policies of get? He is right. What we have seen is business confidence

:59:57. > :00:00.is rising, consumer confidence rising, exports increasing,

:00:01. > :00:08.manufacturing is up, we see a big road in terms of employment. -- a

:00:09. > :00:14.big growth. We want to do more to help people feel better off by

:00:15. > :00:18.reducing taxes, which is what we are doing. All of this will be put at

:00:19. > :00:23.risk if we give up on reducing the deficit. That is what the party

:00:24. > :00:28.opposite would give us, a 11 E of higher mortgage rates and taxes.

:00:29. > :00:35.Does the Prime Minister think it is fair that a sacked a pregnant woman

:00:36. > :00:43.will not have to pay ?1200 to take a maternity disk image and Katie the

:00:44. > :00:48.planning tribunal? The one thing we have done is to make sure people

:00:49. > :00:57.don't earn those rights until they work for a business for two years.

:00:58. > :01:03.Thanks to the Chancellor's policies, unemployment in Burton fell by 10%

:01:04. > :01:08.last month. It is now at its close level since September, 2008. Many of

:01:09. > :01:19.those jobs were created in small businesses. They now have the

:01:20. > :01:21.confidence to invest. My honourable friend is right. I implement in the

:01:22. > :01:47.West Midlands fell by 14,000. I wrote to you onleth May about --

:01:48. > :01:53.on 8th May about the possible involvement of Lynton Crosby in

:01:54. > :01:58.health matters. I raised it again in the summer adjournment debate. I

:01:59. > :02:03.have served in in House under four previous Prime Ministers who replied

:02:04. > :02:06.to members' letters. THE SPEAKER: This question will be

:02:07. > :02:09.heard with some courtesy as I expect of all questions. It is very simple

:02:10. > :02:13.and very straightforward. I have served under four previous

:02:14. > :02:19.Prime Ministers who replied to members' letters. Why won't you? I

:02:20. > :02:23.will certainly reply to his letter. Let me give him the reply. Public

:02:24. > :02:26.health responsibility is a matter for the Department of Health. Lynton

:02:27. > :02:34.Crosby's job is the destruction of the Labour Party and he is doing a

:02:35. > :02:42.good one. STUDIO: That brings us to the end of

:02:43. > :02:47.Prime Minister's Questions. It is remarkable that Grangemouth wasn't

:02:48. > :02:55.raised at all during PMQs. Sometimes people are reluctant to raise issues

:02:56. > :03:00.coming up with urgent questions. Neither frontbench chose to mention

:03:01. > :03:04.it. That is something I think that the Nationalists won't let go.

:03:05. > :03:08.Remember, energy is a reserve power in many aspects to Westminster, yet

:03:09. > :03:12.it didn't come up at that part of the House of Commons which is

:03:13. > :03:16.broadcast on network television to the nation. That was a dog that

:03:17. > :03:23.didn't bark. We got one that did and that was Mr Cameron making a U-turn

:03:24. > :03:29.on the Tory attitude towards green levies. He was on the back foot, the

:03:30. > :03:33.Prime Minister a lot of the time, he announced that the Government was

:03:34. > :03:39.now going to review the green levies, ?112 in an average dual fuel

:03:40. > :03:48.bill, he said. They will look at ways to cut that.

:03:49. > :03:52.We will speak about this new Conservative policy in a minute.

:03:53. > :03:54.Let's find out what you thought about PMQs.

:03:55. > :04:00.There were a few comments towards the end of PMQs about the dog that

:04:01. > :04:04.didn't bark. This from Mike, "This disaster is not at the top of David

:04:05. > :04:10.Cameron or Ed Miliband's list. Surely a great advert for

:04:11. > :04:14.independence." The e-mails were of course on the energy debate and in

:04:15. > :04:21.response to John Major's comments yesterday. Our viewers gave a win to

:04:22. > :04:27.Ed Miliband. "John Major has given Ed Miliband an easy introduction to

:04:28. > :04:33.PMQs this week." Another one, "I'm no fan of Ed Miliband, but a good

:04:34. > :04:47.performance from him today largely due to David Cameron's inability to

:04:48. > :04:52.deal with the energy bills issue." Lorna says, "I think it was out of

:04:53. > :04:58.order for David Cameron to infer that Ed Miliband is a conman."

:04:59. > :05:01.This from Ray, "Following yesterday's news from NPower about

:05:02. > :05:05.the increase in energy prices, yet again a large number of consumers

:05:06. > :05:08.are going to take a hit on their energy costs. Let's not worry too

:05:09. > :05:15.much. This is the Labour Party's contribution to the cost-of-living

:05:16. > :05:19.crisis. Mr Miliband's premature announcement has to be the worst

:05:20. > :05:23.thought-out policy announcement in modern sosh economic history."

:05:24. > :05:27.Normally, I would go to Nick to ask some questions. But want to come to

:05:28. > :05:31.Grant Shapps this week because of this announcement on green levies

:05:32. > :05:34.that is the Prime Minister is reviewing. What green levies will

:05:35. > :05:39.you look at and take off the electricity bills? That will be part

:05:40. > :05:44.of the review, of course. It is fair to say the levies are starting to be

:05:45. > :05:50.a significant amount of money. For example, Ed Miliband trumpeted the

:05:51. > :05:56.idea of having a cut of ?125, but we know he had also signed up to a new

:05:57. > :05:59.green levy which would mean ?100-something would be added to the

:06:00. > :06:04.energy bills so we need to look at the total now that... You voted for

:06:05. > :06:10.these green levies? We voted in different times. No, you voted for

:06:11. > :06:14.ALL the green levies. You, the Conservatives, voted for ALL the

:06:15. > :06:18.green levies that Ed Miliband introduced in the 2008 Climate

:06:19. > :06:22.Change Bill? But, bear in mind, that energy prices have gone much, much

:06:23. > :06:26.higher than they were at the time of the last Parliament when these were

:06:27. > :06:31.being voted through. The consumer is really hurting. Now, the answer is

:06:32. > :06:37.not to do nothing and nor is it to lock the market and say force the

:06:38. > :06:41.market to give you a discount that can't be sustainable. The answer is

:06:42. > :06:46.to bring online more supply, nuclear power, fracking through shale gas,

:06:47. > :06:49.and look at the extra costs which are adding to the energy bill of

:06:50. > :06:53.which renewable is starting to become a significant amount of

:06:54. > :07:02.money. Energy prices were beginning to rise fast because there became a

:07:03. > :07:08.world shortage of gas. Of the ?112 that we pay on our dual fuel bill

:07:09. > :07:10.towards green-related levies, how much has been added by the

:07:11. > :07:17.coalition? I don't have the number on that. 50%? OK. So you have added

:07:18. > :07:23.50% of the levies we now pay and now you are saying you are going to take

:07:24. > :07:26.them away again? When we came in 2010, wholesale gas prices weren't

:07:27. > :07:31.what they were now. They were rising fast? Circumstances change so it is

:07:32. > :07:38.right to go back and look at whether these things were right. It's not

:07:39. > :07:41.has happened up until now... I thought you were going to be the

:07:42. > :07:45.greenest Government ever? We will be. How can you be the greenest

:07:46. > :07:52.Government ever if you are taking away green levies? We are building

:07:53. > :07:57.homes now at code level four, it means that the amount of Co2 emitted

:07:58. > :08:02.from homes is far less. You don't do that to do with putting additional

:08:03. > :08:08.costs of people's energy bills... Do you now... Hold Hold on, you can

:08:09. > :08:15.still be the most green Government in history. You can build things

:08:16. > :08:19.like homes which emit 20% of the country's Co2... Do you regret at a

:08:20. > :08:24.time of rising energy prices you added to this rise by putting on

:08:25. > :08:30.these levies? I would love to know... You were told at the time.

:08:31. > :08:33.Hold on. We were chatting about the strike prices, that is the price at

:08:34. > :08:38.which you can build a new nuclear power station. This Government

:08:39. > :08:42.ending years of delay has agreed to a contract which is essentially at

:08:43. > :08:47.?95... Twice the wholesale market price? Interestingly, by comparison,

:08:48. > :08:51.to a price that Labour could have got had they made this agreement

:08:52. > :08:55.when they were in power. I told you that during PMQs. Are you reducing

:08:56. > :09:01.your arguments to things I tell you... That was a very good point.

:09:02. > :09:05.You didn't know? In which case, it does bring us back to the big

:09:06. > :09:08.question of why did they not invest all of those years ago. I didn't

:09:09. > :09:12.know that. Fascinating. Why aren't the investments made? This is not a

:09:13. > :09:17.further education class for you! Have you squared the Lib Dems on

:09:18. > :09:20.this? This Government will have to go forward together on these

:09:21. > :09:24.policies. Have you squared the Lib Dems? They will have to be part of

:09:25. > :09:29.this. The Lib Dems are going to agree to reductions in the green

:09:30. > :09:33.levies? The Lib Dems understand that people are hurting and rather than

:09:34. > :09:37.coming up with gimmicks, cons, what you have to do is do the things that

:09:38. > :09:41.will bring down the price of fuel. One of which is to look at the green

:09:42. > :09:50.levies. We will get this in the Autumn Statement? It will be coming

:09:51. > :09:57.out very soon. December 1st, no, 4th, live Daily Politics special.

:09:58. > :10:04.You will be getting a bill from me shortly! This is quite remarkable,

:10:05. > :10:08.is it not? I thought Grant Shapps chose his words quite carefully. He

:10:09. > :10:13.didn't claim they were squared, he said that they would be part of

:10:14. > :10:18.whatever was done. I'm sorry, forgive me. They are not squared?

:10:19. > :10:21.The Tory source I have been talking to online does claim that the

:10:22. > :10:26.Liberal Democrats have been in conversations in the past week about

:10:27. > :10:31.what could be done. Curious, this, I was talking to a senior Cabinet

:10:32. > :10:38.Minister who insisted that the very thing we have just announced was not

:10:39. > :10:42.going to happen. I'm one of these people that refuses to score PMQs.

:10:43. > :10:46.It is not a football match. I will break the habit of a lifetime. That

:10:47. > :10:49.was a nightmare for David Cameron. He has been forced week after week

:10:50. > :10:53.to change his position on the issue of energy prices. He's now made a

:10:54. > :10:58.concession on policy which isn't clear what it will mean for

:10:59. > :11:01.consumers. It is very much work in progress. We are told there will be

:11:02. > :11:09.a statement in the Autumn Statement about the detail on green levies. We

:11:10. > :11:15.are told that various authorities, Ofgem, the office for fair trading

:11:16. > :11:28.and the new competition authority, the CMA, will look at the way the

:11:29. > :11:35.market works. This is policy being made on the hoof. Right. However, if

:11:36. > :11:39.the Prime Minister pulls it off, and it is a big if, he could have shot

:11:40. > :11:43.your fox. You are promising to freeze prices. If they cut green

:11:44. > :11:47.levies, they will be cutting electricity prices? That is

:11:48. > :11:53.unlikely. If they can do it, they will? He's announced something the

:11:54. > :12:03.OFT doesn't know anything about. And the OFT is not... Is it Ofgem...

:12:04. > :12:06.Office of Fair Trading. That's conceding Ed Miliband's point that

:12:07. > :12:10.the energy market is broken. We have heard about the end of green levies.

:12:11. > :12:14.What do they pay for? They pay for people to replace their boilers and

:12:15. > :12:17.home insulation, to keep people warm. We have seen the home

:12:18. > :12:22.insulation industry collapse under this Government. They paid for

:12:23. > :12:29.incentives for people to invest in green energy which is local,

:12:30. > :12:31.community... At the moment, what you are doing, under the policy that

:12:32. > :12:37.they have inherited from you, is you are making people on average on

:12:38. > :12:40.below average incomes in their fuel bills pay for the insulation of the

:12:41. > :12:44.poor. Surely, it would be much fairer if we are going to do that at

:12:45. > :12:50.all to put that on general taxation? What we have got... Wouldn't it? The

:12:51. > :12:54.insulation has collapsed... No, that was your policy. Address the point

:12:55. > :13:00.that I'm making that it was your policy, it was outlined in various

:13:01. > :13:05.Government Acts that you would put on to ordinary people's fuel bills

:13:06. > :13:08.green levies that would be used to insulate the homes of the poor. Why

:13:09. > :13:12.would it not be fairer if you want to do that to put it on to general

:13:13. > :13:16.taxation? We took the decision in the Climate Change Act that that was

:13:17. > :13:20.the way to go. I know that. We couldn't predict the future. But

:13:21. > :13:23.also, what we have got now is a situation where businesses are

:13:24. > :13:28.hurting and people are hurting. What is the Government doing about that?

:13:29. > :13:31.Week after week, David Cameron is coming back and he has nothing to

:13:32. > :13:36.say. The green energy supply of this company is frozen. That is a big

:13:37. > :13:41.problem. But there are billions being spent on offshore wind at the

:13:42. > :13:47.moment? Well, ?3 billion over the last three years is not... There's

:13:48. > :13:53.one further down between Wales and the West Country. Angela Knight said

:13:54. > :13:58.?11 billion had been invested in that. Offshore wind at three times

:13:59. > :14:01.the current wholesale cost of energy. It is higher than the

:14:02. > :14:07.nuclear deal his Government has agreed. Nick? One is that ?112 that

:14:08. > :14:12.the Prime Minister referred to, that is the amount that he says comes

:14:13. > :14:19.from these green levies and other regulations and note the word "other

:14:20. > :14:23.regulations". It's made up of lots of different elements. There's no

:14:24. > :14:28.suggestion that you can abolish the ?112. I looked at the possibility

:14:29. > :14:32.that the Treasury would take it on to their books, in other words what

:14:33. > :14:38.you were saying to Mary Creagh, the taxpayer pays. The estimate is ?2.5

:14:39. > :14:42.billion. That is ?2.5 billion the country hasn't got unless it wants

:14:43. > :14:48.to do what John Major... They always seem to find money when they need

:14:49. > :14:52.it. That is a small amount of money in a budget of ?56 billion? They

:14:53. > :14:57.have to pay for free school meals, they have to pay for marriage tax

:14:58. > :15:02.allowance... They found ?2 billion to do that. Your point is valid, but

:15:03. > :15:14.it's a little bit - and they add up. There is another target for 2013

:15:15. > :15:21.that Ed Miliband has signed up to four more new renewables. What we

:15:22. > :15:33.are saying is, let's look at all of that. Are you, not Mary Creagh's

:15:34. > :15:45.government, are you the government that set the carbon price? You set

:15:46. > :15:51.it higher than the proposal by 2020. Rather than steam-roll ahead, when

:15:52. > :15:59.the wholesale price was lower, circumstances have changed since

:16:00. > :16:03.then. Grangemouth. This is highly relevant to Grangemouth. Both your

:16:04. > :16:14.governments have loaded onto heavy industry enormous energy costs. A

:16:15. > :16:19.factory in Cheshire has been closed because of energy costs. A

:16:20. > :16:24.petrochemical plant in Grangemouth can't compete because of costs. It

:16:25. > :16:30.was to bring in cheaper gas from America. Both of you have created

:16:31. > :16:37.this problem. Today is an admission that it is time to look at some of

:16:38. > :16:46.these costs. It was interesting that Grangemouth wasn't raised. I'm

:16:47. > :16:55.surprised nobody asked a question. I was at pub two fox biscuits. -- at

:16:56. > :17:03.Fox biscuits. They said it adds to the viability issue. Did you buy any

:17:04. > :17:09.biscuits? Otherwise you are not coming back! I'm giving you cake.

:17:10. > :17:15.I'm giving him facts. We have got to get something back. A final word

:17:16. > :17:19.from Nick Robinson. I think you were saying, Grant Shapps, the government

:17:20. > :17:30.will stop subsidising wind power. Were you? I am saying it is time to

:17:31. > :17:35.look at the risk. These are the figures, even if they did, that is

:17:36. > :17:44.?30 of the average bill. Less than 2%. But it is off. It is off. It

:17:45. > :17:50.will be welcome. This argue it is going to continue. Just before we

:17:51. > :17:53.move on, we were hoping to speak to the finance minister of the Scottish

:17:54. > :17:58.government in Edinburgh. We have been told that the Scottish Cabinet

:17:59. > :18:03.has gone into an emergency session because of events in Grangemouth. If

:18:04. > :18:07.we hear more, we will bring it to you. For a change we are going to

:18:08. > :18:13.talk about energy bills. As we have been discussing, the prime and is

:18:14. > :18:17.has opened a debate about Queen levies. -- the Prime Minister has

:18:18. > :18:22.opened a debate about green levies. The government has given the

:18:23. > :18:26.go-ahead for solar production. But there is huge opposition, not least

:18:27. > :18:29.from Conservative MPs, including Brooks Newmark. The campaigns and

:18:30. > :18:45.gains a solar farm in his constituency. -- against. Here is

:18:46. > :18:49.his soapbox. My constituency has some of the most beautiful

:18:50. > :18:52.countryside in the country. We have an area of outstanding natural

:18:53. > :19:02.beauty, an area known as Constable country. It is now under threat.

:19:03. > :19:07.Although it's hard to imagine, a solar panel farm is being considered

:19:08. > :19:14.behind me. It is not just a solar panel farm over a few thousand feet

:19:15. > :19:20.or even one acre. We're talking 300 acres of prime agricultural land

:19:21. > :19:24.being covered with solar panels. This is something you might expect

:19:25. > :19:27.to see at the Tate modern in London. It is certainly not something I

:19:28. > :19:36.would expect to see here in this part of Essex. I am known in the

:19:37. > :19:48.will stop I understand the need for -- I am no NIMBY. I understand there

:19:49. > :19:57.is a need to reduce costs in energy. But this is not the solution. Surely

:19:58. > :20:01.it is better that we use Brownfield sites rather than prime agricultural

:20:02. > :20:09.land? What is happening today is that playing -- planning revelations

:20:10. > :20:15.are being abused. You can build a solar panel farm here and you can

:20:16. > :20:20.graze sheep weaving in and out of the solar panels and say it is not a

:20:21. > :20:25.change of use of the land. Planning regulations today say you don't need

:20:26. > :20:32.environmental impact assessments for solar panel farms. Yet for a house

:20:33. > :20:35.to my left, they wanted to build a garage and were told that given the

:20:36. > :20:40.impact it has on the local environment, they could not build a

:20:41. > :20:45.garage. Yet for some reason, building a 300 acre solar panel farm

:20:46. > :20:52.you don't need an environment for assessment for. I don't blame the

:20:53. > :20:56.local farmers. They stand to make millions. But we have a response

:20:57. > :21:00.ability to future generations to protect the countryside full stop --

:21:01. > :21:05.responsibility to future generations to protect the countryside. We do

:21:06. > :21:14.not want solar panels in our backyard. Looks new mud joins asked

:21:15. > :21:22.now. It was fairly Claire -- Brooks Newmark joins me now. It was fairly

:21:23. > :21:25.clear how you feel. We have a responsibility to protect our

:21:26. > :21:30.countryside. There are a number of Brownfield sites we can use. But

:21:31. > :21:36.they are not appropriate. They are in parts of the country where there

:21:37. > :21:44.is not enough sunlight. That is what the body for responsible --

:21:45. > :21:49.responsible said. There are plenty of places in Essex where there are

:21:50. > :21:52.Brownfield sites. Now disused airfields, commercial properties

:21:53. > :22:02.with rooftops, loads of other places. -- there are disused

:22:03. > :22:12.airfields. I want to see 300 acres of solar panels. -- I do not want to

:22:13. > :22:16.see. Times are changing. There is a difference between a TV aerial on a

:22:17. > :22:23.house and 300 acres of panels covering the countryside. Do you

:22:24. > :22:28.have sympathy with that? These are decisions for local people. His

:22:29. > :22:40.point about the environs impact assessment is not the 70 Val.

:22:41. > :22:45.Actually, what we know from -- his point about the environmental impact

:22:46. > :22:51.assessment is not a valid. It could be a positive benefit to the

:22:52. > :22:56.biodiversity of Essex. It is not necessarily a win-lose situation.

:22:57. > :23:01.The visual impact is clearly something that local planning

:23:02. > :23:12.authorities need to look at. You are focusing too much on statics. You're

:23:13. > :23:20.absolutely right. -- aesthetic. We are covering 300 acres of some of

:23:21. > :23:28.the most beautiful countryside in panels. Are the planning laws up to

:23:29. > :23:39.scratch? No, they are not. There are holes in the laws. The planning

:23:40. > :23:42.officers say yes, but there is the biodiversity argument, and as long

:23:43. > :23:47.as the farmer can come up with a read -- reason such as insect life

:23:48. > :23:53.weaving in and out between the panels, that would be all right. To

:23:54. > :23:58.me, that is ludicrous. The second point I would make is, the chap

:23:59. > :24:03.wanted to build a garage. He had to have an assessment. To build 300

:24:04. > :24:13.acres of SS -- panels, you don't need an assessment. But you need

:24:14. > :24:21.clean energy. I support that. I support energy diversity. Everybody

:24:22. > :24:27.says that! There are certain areas in the country that are designated

:24:28. > :24:31.as areas of outstanding beauty. They are beautiful and we want to

:24:32. > :24:38.preserve them. Name some other parts of the country where they should be.

:24:39. > :24:43.The desolate North? I don't want them in rural areas. We could use

:24:44. > :24:50.disused airfields. There are fired in my area. I'm not saying we

:24:51. > :24:58.shouldn't have them. -- there are five in my area. How confident are

:24:59. > :25:10.you of success? I am lukewarm, to be honest. I hope to get a more robust

:25:11. > :25:14.letter of support. I don't have the same extreme reaction. I think we

:25:15. > :25:22.need a mix of energy. I don't know about that particular location,

:25:23. > :25:27.there are some proposed in my own constituency. I have had letters

:25:28. > :25:35.about it. You're right about needing to cut CO2. Yesterday we had a big

:25:36. > :25:42.investment in nuclear that produces no CO2. There are other ways to do

:25:43. > :25:52.it. It was 16 billion yesterday. Give or take. I will always rely on

:25:53. > :26:00.your research. You can continue the discussion afterwards! At least we

:26:01. > :26:06.are building something. Your reaction to the PMQs announcement?

:26:07. > :26:13.Energy bills will be brought down by green levies? There are huge

:26:14. > :26:16.disincentives for a lot of industries that are feeling the pain

:26:17. > :26:21.of these green levies. When they were brought in, the price of energy

:26:22. > :26:23.was different. We have to be defensible in government. When

:26:24. > :26:33.things change, we must learn to adapt. -- we have to be flexible in

:26:34. > :26:38.government. So, thumbs up from me. Thank you. I to the dispute over the

:26:39. > :26:45.giant Grangemouth complex in Scotland, where the owner has said

:26:46. > :26:56.they will close a petrochemical plant. -- back to the dispute. It

:26:57. > :27:00.has put the future of the oil refinery in doubt as well as the

:27:01. > :27:02.petrochemical complex. The energy secretary has been speaking in the

:27:03. > :27:09.House of Commons in the last few minutes. The government is saddened

:27:10. > :27:13.by this move, particularly because of the uncertainty it will bring for

:27:14. > :27:16.the workforce and all those who indirectly over their livelihood to

:27:17. > :27:22.the Grangemouth petrochemical plants. The government doesn't

:27:23. > :27:27.underestimate the plant's importance both for the local community and the

:27:28. > :27:32.Scottish economy. While respecting the right to make this decision, it

:27:33. > :27:35.is regrettable that both parties have not managed to negotiate a fair

:27:36. > :27:41.and equitable settlement that delivers a viable business model for

:27:42. > :27:45.the plant. Even at this late stage, government urges them to continue

:27:46. > :27:52.dialogue and we will for all possible help with this. Very much a

:27:53. > :27:58.holding statement there. It doesn't take as far. Watch this space. It

:27:59. > :28:04.will be covered all day. Before we go, time to put you out of your

:28:05. > :28:09.misery. The answer to Guess The Year. It was 1969. The giveaway

:28:10. > :28:15.should have been the black and white footage of Mr Nixon being sworn in

:28:16. > :28:18.for the first time in January, 1969, as president of the US. Grant

:28:19. > :28:28.Shapps, I have not told them the winner. You can whack that button

:28:29. > :28:34.and make somebody a happy bunny. Neil Kemp from Reading. Well done.

:28:35. > :28:40.That is it for today. Thanks to both our guests for being such good

:28:41. > :28:50.sports. The BBC News is starting on BBC One. I will be back tomorrow

:28:51. > :28:54.with all the big political stories of the day. Will Hutton will be with

:28:55. > :28:58.us. From all of us here, have a good afternoon. Goodbye.