:00:37. > :00:47.Good morning. 365 days to go until the general election. You cannot
:00:48. > :00:50.wait, but you will have to be patient! Labour and the Tories are
:00:51. > :00:57.increasingly neck and neck. It is all to play for. What of the Lib
:00:58. > :01:03.Dems? Then, the UKIP factor, which could put noses out of joint.
:01:04. > :01:07.Ed Miliband claims he is much more intellectual is self-confident than
:01:08. > :01:11.David Cameron. Downing Street says Ed Miliband is more self-satisfied.
:01:12. > :01:15.Who will win the war of words at PMQs?
:01:16. > :01:20.Has this man got too big for his boots?
:01:21. > :01:23.In response to that question, the Prime Minister has finished, and he
:01:24. > :01:28.can take it from me that he is finished!
:01:29. > :01:32.And, tinkering with the syllabus, students look set to study Russell
:01:33. > :01:40.Brand for English A-level, or are enough facts taught in school?
:01:41. > :01:50.All of that and more coming up. With us, Nigel Evans and Sadiq Khan.
:01:51. > :01:57.Welcome to both of you. First, let's talk about Nigel Evans,
:01:58. > :01:59.last year he resigned as the Deputy Speaker and subsequently the
:02:00. > :02:03.Conservative whip after he was charged with two indecent assaults,
:02:04. > :02:09.five sexual assault and one rape. He was cleared on all counts, but last
:02:10. > :02:15.week had the whip restored. The case highlights the Westminster drinking
:02:16. > :02:19.culture. Nigel admitted that he had been an old fool and had behaved
:02:20. > :02:31.drunkenly around young man. All had few admitted that the? No, but it
:02:32. > :02:37.was easy gesture that I had, -- but it was said that I had. There is no
:02:38. > :02:42.culture of being drunk, it does happen now and again, but that is
:02:43. > :02:46.not the culture of Parliament. Once you were acquitted on all the
:02:47. > :02:52.charges, there was still some commentary, he has been found not
:02:53. > :02:57.guilty, but he has behaved stupidly. At times, no doubt I have, but when
:02:58. > :03:02.you go through the torture of a public trial, the job of the
:03:03. > :03:06.prosecution is to throw everything at you, including the kitchen sink,
:03:07. > :03:11.so do not be surprised if some of the cutlery and dirty water sticks
:03:12. > :03:17.on you. Personally, looking at everything, I wish it had never
:03:18. > :03:19.happened. But the fact is I suspect I am the only politician that
:03:20. > :03:30.Westminster who is happy at only getting 12 votes. Unless you are the
:03:31. > :03:35.Lib Dems! The prosecution made a number of accusations on the
:03:36. > :03:41.specifics of the cases against you, but you say they threw more at you
:03:42. > :03:47.wider than that that was not true? It is the character assassination
:03:48. > :03:53.that takes place during a trial, not just the prosecution. It is the job
:03:54. > :03:58.to make it look as bleak as it possibly is. I had a treasury QC
:03:59. > :04:03.against me, he was very good, I had to make sure I had equality of arms
:04:04. > :04:13.and had a very good barrister as well. But when anybody dissects your
:04:14. > :04:16.private life, you are standing there in a dock and people throw
:04:17. > :04:22.everything that they possibly can, exaggerate and twist and light, and
:04:23. > :04:26.you walk away an innocent man, but you are bruised and chastened, and
:04:27. > :04:33.some of it does hurt. What has it done to you? What has changed?
:04:34. > :04:39.Everything. I am far more caring than I ever was. My perception of
:04:40. > :04:46.the police is not what it was, even before the Andrew Mitchell case, so
:04:47. > :04:51.I am a bit more aware and weary. How were you treated on returning to the
:04:52. > :04:57.Commons? They were superb. Throughout the 12 months, everybody
:04:58. > :05:03.was brilliant on all sides. I told Ed Miliband that his guys had been
:05:04. > :05:08.brilliant. Everybody has. I have had hugs from Glenda Jackson through to
:05:09. > :05:15.George Galloway am a three to my own constituency. And David Cameron has
:05:16. > :05:22.been superb. Just to face those allegations, normally a politician
:05:23. > :05:26.does not want to be accused of six items in your basket when it says
:05:27. > :05:34.five items only, so to get these things thrown at you, normally it is
:05:35. > :05:38.career over. When the charges were pending, and during the trial, I
:05:39. > :05:44.wonder whether some attitudes were more distant? No, I can say that
:05:45. > :05:52.now. A lot of people were thinking come a dead man walking, or, there
:05:53. > :05:56.are so many charges, one of them must stick, and even myself, winking
:05:57. > :06:01.how credible it sounded and whether the jury will decide, we will acquit
:06:02. > :06:07.him on most of it but he must have done something. But in the end, 12
:06:08. > :06:11.good Northerners sat there, this to everything, looked at the evidence
:06:12. > :06:16.and decided, no, this man is innocent, and I can only say how
:06:17. > :06:20.grateful I am. When your life is in the balance like that, I watched the
:06:21. > :06:26.foreman of the jury come in, he did not have any notes, and I thought,
:06:27. > :06:30.he either knows which ones are guilty and innocent, or they will
:06:31. > :06:35.all be the same. My heart was beating without me touching my
:06:36. > :06:40.chest. When he started to go through them, there was almost a rhythm
:06:41. > :06:45.there. The amusing thing is, between charges five and six, a phone went
:06:46. > :06:48.off, and the judge stopped everything and said, could everybody
:06:49. > :06:54.please make sure that their telephones are off? I thought, who
:06:55. > :06:59.cares about mobile phones? The election is a year away, will you
:07:00. > :07:04.stand again? That is plan A, there was never a plan B. Plan B would
:07:05. > :07:09.only have come into place if I had been convicted of anything, and I
:07:10. > :07:14.would have walked. What is the attitude of your party? The vast
:07:15. > :07:18.majority are supportive, I walked around Clitheroe on the Monday
:07:19. > :07:22.following the acquittal. People were lining up to shake my hand and pack
:07:23. > :07:30.my bag. Do you think you will be reselected? Yes, I do. There will
:07:31. > :07:33.not be a challenge? It depends how they operate. I have always left it
:07:34. > :07:42.late, I have never thought they will be a problem. There is always
:07:43. > :07:46.another duty to deselect, but I have left it to 12 people to decide my
:07:47. > :07:49.fate once, I will now leave it to the members of my association who
:07:50. > :07:56.will decide who their candidate will be at the next election. But I am
:07:57. > :07:59.there if they wish. What is your attitude to your fellow Conservative
:08:00. > :08:04.backbencher who played a key role in this whole matter, beginning the
:08:05. > :08:09.process of law and ending up in court? I had a cup of tea with her
:08:10. > :08:15.last week, we chatted through the issues, and all I can say is that we
:08:16. > :08:20.had a very constructive and convivial chat, and we now look
:08:21. > :08:24.forward to working together over the next months and years to come,
:08:25. > :08:31.hopefully. Have you made up? Absolutely, we both see one
:08:32. > :08:35.another's reasons, why she did what she did, given the evidence she was
:08:36. > :08:39.given. But when she gave her evidence, she supported my case.
:08:40. > :08:46.Should there be anonymity for those accused in this kind of case? It is
:08:47. > :08:51.difficult. We know the arguments in favour of not having anonymity,
:08:52. > :08:58.people can come forward. We have seen that with Stuart Hall and other
:08:59. > :09:01.cases. It needs to be looked at. Perhaps by the Justice committee or
:09:02. > :09:05.the Home Affairs Select Committee. I have got lots of questions, I do not
:09:06. > :09:10.have all the answers, because I know how delicate the balance is. You are
:09:11. > :09:16.not so keen on anonymity, your party? That's right. All of the
:09:17. > :09:22.reasons why Nigel was treated the way he was is because in English law
:09:23. > :09:25.there is a presumption of innocence, and he was presumed innocent and
:09:26. > :09:31.treated that way by those people who know him, it is an important
:09:32. > :09:34.principle. The reason why Nigel could persuade the jury he was not
:09:35. > :09:42.guilty was because he had equality of arms, he had the means to afford
:09:43. > :09:45.a good QC to defend him. One of my concerns is that the changes that
:09:46. > :09:49.have been made mean other people who are not as fortunate as my job have
:09:50. > :09:53.to go for a less experienced barrister, somebody who cannot do
:09:54. > :09:58.the fantastic job that his QC did. But you are right about anonymity,
:09:59. > :10:02.we think it is important there should be open justice, others could
:10:03. > :10:07.come forward, but Nigel 's right to say that his case demonstrates some
:10:08. > :10:17.of the difficulties that there are. You are numbered -- lumbered with a
:10:18. > :10:21.big... ? Yes, I have spent the savings that I had, it is six
:10:22. > :10:27.figures. You had to use an expensive QC? Yes, I had what I believed was
:10:28. > :10:34.the best, and he was incredibly good. You need equality of arms. If
:10:35. > :10:41.you do not have that, you could end up with a miscarriage of justice,
:10:42. > :10:45.and that would be appalling. We are in election period, the Green
:10:46. > :10:48.party are launching their local election campaign in Solihull. Their
:10:49. > :10:54.leader Natalie Bennett joins me from there now. Welcome back to the
:10:55. > :10:58.programme, this week you said the satisfaction with the three largest
:10:59. > :11:01.parties is widespread # this satisfaction. But this illusion
:11:02. > :11:10.voters are not coming to more of them are going to UKIP.
:11:11. > :11:15.Why? What we are seeing is, like in Solihull, where we are now looking
:11:16. > :11:20.to become the official opposition to the Tories on the council, people
:11:21. > :11:24.are turning to us. We are expecting to win new councillors up and down
:11:25. > :11:29.the country in London, Liverpool, Bristol, Oxford and many other towns
:11:30. > :11:38.and cities. We are growing councillors, we are seeing steady
:11:39. > :11:41.and cities. We are growing ideas. The argument that we need
:11:42. > :11:46.real change in a society that works for the common good. We have got
:11:47. > :11:52.plans and policies, and people can see that. But last May, UKIP gained
:11:53. > :11:59.139 councillors and received 23% of the vote, you gain five. Yes, and
:12:00. > :12:03.among those, our first councillors in Cornwall, Essex, Surrey, Kent,
:12:04. > :12:10.and in several places here in the West Midlands. From a solid base, we
:12:11. > :12:14.are electing good people who are long-term campaigners, who are in it
:12:15. > :12:17.for the long haul. I have not seen the figures for how many of those
:12:18. > :12:22.UKIP councillors are no longer there, but there are quite a few. Do
:12:23. > :12:27.you think people are put off because they have looked at Ryton, the UK's
:12:28. > :12:30.only green council, which will not go down as an example of great
:12:31. > :12:36.governance, and they have thought, if that is what you get, we will not
:12:37. > :12:40.vote for them? If people look at the record of Brighton and Hove green
:12:41. > :12:43.council as a minority administration, it has a long list
:12:44. > :12:49.of achievements, from making it a living wage council to keeping all
:12:50. > :12:54.of the branch libraries open. Too greatly improving the GCSE results.
:12:55. > :12:58.We have got a proud record of achievement. If you look at the
:12:59. > :13:02.issues that affect people's lives, we have proved that they are making
:13:03. > :13:05.a difference there. In January, a vote of no-confidence in the
:13:06. > :13:10.illustration was passed, after plans were put forward to raise the
:13:11. > :13:17.council tax by 4.75%. Last May, many people remained -- remembered the
:13:18. > :13:22.bin strikes, and have had to bring in mediators to calm infighting in
:13:23. > :13:28.your group. Are you proud of that? We are a minority administration, a
:13:29. > :13:32.vote of no-confidence is hardly surprising when you never had a
:13:33. > :13:37.majority. What we have tried to do is put forward a proposal to have a
:13:38. > :13:40.referendum for a 4.9% increase in council tax because we said the
:13:41. > :13:44.money we are getting from central government is not enough to maintain
:13:45. > :13:47.the quality of social care that we think the vulnerable and poor
:13:48. > :13:51.deserve. Sadly, we could not give the people the chance to choose
:13:52. > :13:56.that, but it is a sign of how we want to campaign and fight for real
:13:57. > :14:02.change, in a society that looks after the most for rubble as well as
:14:03. > :14:06.-- the most vulnerable in some of working for the top 1%. All of the
:14:07. > :14:13.parties are talking about housing supply, how would you pay for it?
:14:14. > :14:16.But we need to do is look at the nature of the housing programme, it
:14:17. > :14:22.is to be affordable, council housing, on Brownfield sites. This
:14:23. > :14:26.site has been sitting vacant for many years. What we need to do is,
:14:27. > :14:32.if we build council housing, we could have borrowing, we cannot rely
:14:33. > :14:39.on private developers any more, they are not building the homes we need.
:14:40. > :14:48.One more year until the election, 365 sleepless nights! The
:14:49. > :14:53.strategists will be tinkering with their campaign books over the next
:14:54. > :14:58.12 months, and it is all to play for, with the pulse pretty close.
:14:59. > :15:02.Although a tension is on the European and local elections that
:15:03. > :15:07.are just around the corner, today, it is exactly a year until the
:15:08. > :15:13.really big maypole. The general election on this month of May 2015.
:15:14. > :15:16.The official campaigning period is around five weeks, but the reality
:15:17. > :15:20.of a fixed term parliament means that the jostling for position has
:15:21. > :15:25.already started. But there are plenty of trip ups ahead. Today, the
:15:26. > :15:29.Institute of government warned that the Conservatives and Liberal
:15:30. > :15:31.Democrats need to agree new rules for policy-making. Otherwise,
:15:32. > :15:35.caution will prevail and insufficient work will be undertaken
:15:36. > :15:41.in areas where the coalition partners disagree. It could be the
:15:42. > :15:44.last time the UK dances to the same tune. Depending on the result of
:15:45. > :15:49.Scotland's independence vote in September. It does not look like any
:15:50. > :15:55.of the parties have found a winning rhythm. Labour only slightly ahead
:15:56. > :15:59.of the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats well out of step
:16:00. > :16:02.with the public. All three will be looking nervously over their
:16:03. > :16:08.shoulder at the newest political move on the scene, UKIP. Now third
:16:09. > :16:11.in the polls, with almost 60% of people voting for them in the
:16:12. > :16:15.European elections planning to do the same in the general election, it
:16:16. > :16:27.could be UKIP that decides who gets to dance into Downing Street.
:16:28. > :16:31.Already 40% of those intending to vote for you in the European
:16:32. > :16:37.election have no intention of doing so in the general election, so you
:16:38. > :16:44.have already lost them. That were unnaturally happen in any election,
:16:45. > :16:49.but I believe is our campaign grows, we will be able to bring more of
:16:50. > :16:53.those people back. There is a key point about the polls and we are
:16:54. > :16:57.seeing when we knock on the doors and are canvassing is there are a
:16:58. > :17:03.lot of people who have not voted for a long time and they are drawn to
:17:04. > :17:09.UKIP and our message and we will get them in the 2015 election. Critics
:17:10. > :17:13.will say voters have always used the local elections and the Euro
:17:14. > :17:19.elections as a chance to vote for a protest party. The argument we are a
:17:20. > :17:26.protest vote has been thrown at as many times, but you have seen the
:17:27. > :17:30.progression and shown it on your show on many occasions. People
:17:31. > :17:35.believe they want their democracy and independence in Europe. They are
:17:36. > :17:41.concerned about immigration as a whole and we have the most ethical
:17:42. > :17:45.immigration policy. But there is no evidence beyond that, however well
:17:46. > :17:51.you do in the European elections, to indicate they will go on and vote in
:17:52. > :17:56.the general election? That is a contradiction. You have indicated
:17:57. > :17:59.today that we have got 60% of those who are voting for us and the
:18:00. > :18:05.European election and they will stay with us. In the last European
:18:06. > :18:09.election polls suggested we would be doing very badly. But what you have
:18:10. > :18:13.now is a much more significant numbers staying with us from a much
:18:14. > :18:18.larger base and that is something you have to consider and the other
:18:19. > :18:25.political parties know that. You have got a big event tonight. We
:18:26. > :18:29.have Nigel's last speech on the tour where he has been going around the
:18:30. > :18:33.country speaking to huge crowds. Tonight you will see a large
:18:34. > :18:38.proportion of members from London and across the country coming to
:18:39. > :18:42.stand behind Nigel along with myself and those who signed the letter that
:18:43. > :18:45.was published in the Independent newspaper today to deal with the
:18:46. > :18:50.question that we are a racist party. Tonight we will show you we
:18:51. > :18:54.are not a racist party, we are an inclusive party from
:18:55. > :18:59.are not a racist party, we are an backgrounds, religions, creeds and
:19:00. > :19:08.colours. I like the Morris men. I would like to see more of that. It
:19:09. > :19:16.especially for you. Welcome to Tom Brake, MP. Labour was on average in
:19:17. > :19:25.the poll of polls 8% ahead of the Conservatives. You are now neck and
:19:26. > :19:31.neck. What has gone wrong? I think this will be a very close general
:19:32. > :19:36.election. I don't remember, I was in nappies, but the last time a
:19:37. > :19:43.political party lost a general election and bounced back. Were they
:19:44. > :19:49.disposable nappies? 1974 was the last time a party bounced back.
:19:50. > :19:53.disposable nappies? 1974 was the if the polls tighten any more, the
:19:54. > :20:06.Tories will be ahead? My prediction is they will be neck and neck. Those
:20:07. > :20:09.who stay at home in 2010, we will persuade them why they should vote
:20:10. > :20:19.Labour. The fact we are neck and neck is a tribute. You used to be
:20:20. > :20:26.ten points ahead at one stage. We are about five or six points ahead
:20:27. > :20:33.still. The most recent was you were one point ahead. Then neck and
:20:34. > :20:36.neck, given the margins of error. There must be something about your
:20:37. > :20:45.core message, this cost of living crisis, that is not resonating. We
:20:46. > :20:49.got 29% of the vote in 2010. We have made huge progress on that. We have
:20:50. > :20:56.got new members, activists, councillors, who are interesting and
:20:57. > :21:01.exciting. We are making progress. If four years ago you would have said
:21:02. > :21:05.after the second worst defeat in our history we would be competitive and
:21:06. > :21:14.neck and neck, I would have bitten your hand off. Mr Cameron did not
:21:15. > :21:23.even win the election. The last time a party bounced back was in 1974. In
:21:24. > :21:26.1979 we were out for 18 years. In 1997, the Tories were out for 13
:21:27. > :21:34.years and they only managed to get back in with the help of these guys.
:21:35. > :21:42.I am trying to explain how much we have managed to achieve. Is that any
:21:43. > :21:47.good news for the Lib Dems? There has been good news in relation to
:21:48. > :21:53.past elections. For instance in areas where there is already strong
:21:54. > :21:58.Liberal Democrat representation. The Parliamentary seats we hold in the
:21:59. > :22:01.council elections we have done well. There is a certain resilience of the
:22:02. > :22:10.Liberal Democrat vote which I think national polls do not pick up. But
:22:11. > :22:16.do you think your own party briefing paper thinks it is possible that you
:22:17. > :22:21.could lose all of your MEPs in the European elections? I do not think
:22:22. > :22:27.that is going to happen. Clearly the economy is showing strong signs of
:22:28. > :22:29.recovery. There is a time lag between the figures looking positive
:22:30. > :22:37.and people starting to feel the difference in their pay packets, so
:22:38. > :22:41.to speak, and their pockets. We will see over the next 12 months that
:22:42. > :22:47.will start to change around. We are already seeing wages increasing
:22:48. > :22:54.greater than the rate of inflation. The recovery has been going on for
:22:55. > :23:01.more than a year, it started in April, 2013. It is now made 2014 and
:23:02. > :23:09.your poll ratings continue to slide. You are down to 9%. Interestingly in
:23:10. > :23:15.the Nick versus Nigel debates, the polling satisfaction for neck out of
:23:16. > :23:21.those debates was 30% for one and 20% for the other. The evidence in
:23:22. > :23:26.the areas where we are strong and campaign hard is those national
:23:27. > :23:36.polls which looked at the country as a whole. The way things are looking
:23:37. > :23:42.it is going to be a very tough day for us, but interestingly the UKIP
:23:43. > :23:46.element and the fact they take vote more substantially from the
:23:47. > :23:50.Conservatives in a lot of councils were Lib Dems are fighting
:23:51. > :23:55.Conservatives, that makes those results much less predictable. And
:23:56. > :24:01.if the Conservatives lose seats in the local elections, which they will
:24:02. > :24:06.do, and they come up with third in the European elections, which the
:24:07. > :24:11.polls suggest you will, how many hours is it before your party goes
:24:12. > :24:16.into headless chicken mode? I do not think that will happen. It will be a
:24:17. > :24:20.difficult European election. The big question is what that turnout is
:24:21. > :24:27.going to be like. We have heard what UKIP have said. It is going to be
:24:28. > :24:33.low. When you say those who vote UKIP will be retained, the fact is
:24:34. > :24:36.when it comes to a general election it is going to be who are we going
:24:37. > :24:43.to vote for who will form the next Government? You are now a
:24:44. > :24:47.backbencher and the backbenchers have the discipline not to go mad
:24:48. > :24:54.when you come a poor third in the European elections. We will look at
:24:55. > :24:58.the European elections is mostly an opportunity for people to protest
:24:59. > :25:04.and that is what it is. We are not going to see a change of Government
:25:05. > :25:08.the day following the Sunday results of the European elections. People
:25:09. > :25:11.will dust themselves down after the European election results and start
:25:12. > :25:17.to focus on the next 12 months ahead. You may remember I fought the
:25:18. > :25:23.Ribble Valley by-election and I lost and it was the 30th safest seat in
:25:24. > :25:31.the country. 12 month later I1. 12 months is a long time in politics.
:25:32. > :25:38.It will be difficult for all the major parties. If you go from very
:25:39. > :25:46.low expectations... You are happy coming third in Europe, you are
:25:47. > :25:54.happy losing in Europe... What really alarms me is that all the
:25:55. > :25:59.parties here agree there is a need to reform what happens at a European
:26:00. > :26:04.level, but with the prospect of a large number of UKIP MEPs getting
:26:05. > :26:10.elected who do not engage at all in Europe, the ability for the UK to
:26:11. > :26:16.put across an agenda reform disappears and the country cannot
:26:17. > :26:19.afford it. The public do not care. They do not mind voting for people
:26:20. > :26:25.who are not going to turn up and that is a big question for all of
:26:26. > :26:31.us. If you think UKIP is going to be a problem, wait until you see who
:26:32. > :26:40.the Dutch, the Greeks, etc are about to send. The takeover of AstraZeneca
:26:41. > :26:44.is likely to come up at PMQs and when it comes to drug deals it is
:26:45. > :26:48.likely some MPs will be urging the Government to just say no. Before we
:26:49. > :26:52.carry on, I need to inform you that this programme has also received a
:26:53. > :26:55.hostile bid for one of its most coveted products. I don't mean Jo! I
:26:56. > :26:59.imagine there will also be questions in the House on this shortly and MPs
:27:00. > :27:02.will be itching to call for an enquiry. Yes, the rumours are true,
:27:03. > :27:06.another programme has made a bid for the treasured Daily Politics mug. Is
:27:07. > :27:14.there nothing these people wouldn't do to try to improve their ratings?
:27:15. > :27:18.But fear not because there is one way, and only one way, that anyone
:27:19. > :27:22.can get their hands on one of these beauties and that is to enter our
:27:23. > :27:27.guess the year competition. Employees of Sky News are allowed to
:27:28. > :27:35.enter. Maybe they could give it to Adam as a leaving present. He is not
:27:36. > :27:39.actually leaving. We will remind you how to enter in a minute. Let's see
:27:40. > :27:46.if you can remember when this happened.
:27:47. > :27:55.# knock three Times on the ceiling if you want me.
:27:56. > :28:03.Twice on the pipe if the answer is no.
:28:04. > :28:16.# Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good...
:28:17. > :28:28.# Sweet Caroline, I believe they never will.
:28:29. > :28:45.# I wish that I could be a banner man.
:28:46. > :28:51.# tap turns on the water, the waters flow, come and write the river, come
:28:52. > :29:10.and write the sun. Send your answer to our special quiz
:29:11. > :29:18.e-mail address. You can see the full terms and conditions on our website.
:29:19. > :29:25.It is coming up to midday, let's take a look at Big Ben. It can only
:29:26. > :29:29.mean one thing, PMQs on its way. If you would like to comment on
:29:30. > :29:35.proceedings, please be polite because we are most of the time! You
:29:36. > :29:41.can e-mail us or you can tweet your thoughts using the hash tag. As
:29:42. > :29:47.always, Nick Robinson joins us as well. Pretty hard for the front to
:29:48. > :29:55.avoid the AstraZeneca, Pfizer business. Vince cable said his legal
:29:56. > :29:59.options were very limited yesterday but he said repeatedly he was not
:30:00. > :30:05.closing down the options. I sat in the gallery and nobody seemed to
:30:06. > :30:11.pull at that thread and say, what do you mean? What are your options?
:30:12. > :30:17.Given the Labour leader has decided to say that he would not block the
:30:18. > :30:22.bid, but there should be other tests applied to it, it seems to me Ed
:30:23. > :30:29.Miliband has to tease out what David Cameron is up to. But if in the end
:30:30. > :30:34.you cannot block the bed, and the test would be an interesting
:30:35. > :30:39.exercise, but if the test has failed and you cannot block the bid, you
:30:40. > :30:44.will look stupid. The question is whether you can link Government
:30:45. > :30:50.contract, in terms of the tax breaks, the patented box, or via the
:30:51. > :30:55.NHS, whether you can link all that sort of business that a new company
:30:56. > :31:01.combined would do via the Government with them keeping their promises. It
:31:02. > :31:05.could never apply to Cadbury because the Government doesn't buy
:31:06. > :31:09.chocolate. But the pharmaceutical business depends incredibly heavily
:31:10. > :31:13.on Government regulation, tax policy and in this country on a Government
:31:14. > :31:16.owned and run National Health Service. It will be interesting to
:31:17. > :31:26.see whether Cameron is considering that. If this was to be blocked, it
:31:27. > :31:30.would be largely a European matter. It would get referred to the
:31:31. > :31:37.European Commission. Although this does not meet the test of plurality
:31:38. > :31:47.on competition, the French managed to block a yoghurt
:31:48. > :32:00.I shall have further meetings today. As the father of three daughters, I
:32:01. > :32:05.am sure that the entire house will share my deep concern for the more
:32:06. > :32:11.than 270 Nigerian schoolgirls held captive in that country. The only
:32:12. > :32:17.so-called crime which they face is that they aspired to receive an
:32:18. > :32:21.education. Would he set out for the house the step that this government
:32:22. > :32:25.is taking to ensure that we help to ensure their release as soon as
:32:26. > :32:31.possible? My honourable friend speaks for the whole House and
:32:32. > :32:36.country, I am the father of two young daughters, and my reaction is
:32:37. > :32:41.the same as his and any parent in this land or in the world, it is an
:32:42. > :32:45.act of pure evil, it has united people to stand with Nigeria, to
:32:46. > :32:49.help find these children and return them to their parents. We have made
:32:50. > :32:54.repeated offers of help to the Nigerian government, I will speak to
:32:55. > :32:59.the Nigerian president this afternoon, and will again say that
:33:00. > :33:03.we stand ready to provide any assistance, working very closely
:33:04. > :33:08.with the US. We already have a military training team in Nigeria,
:33:09. > :33:14.we have counterterrorism experts, and we should be proud of the role
:33:15. > :33:20.we play, where British aid is helping to educate 800,000 Nigerian
:33:21. > :33:25.children, including 600,000 girls. It is a global issue, there are
:33:26. > :33:29.extreme Islamists around who are against education, against progress,
:33:30. > :33:41.against equality, and we must fight them and take them on. Let me begin
:33:42. > :33:46.by associating myself with the Prime Minister's remarks on the situation
:33:47. > :33:50.in Nigeria. On our proposal for three-year tenancies in the private
:33:51. > :33:53.sector, can he tell us when he expects to make the inevitable
:33:54. > :33:57.journey from saying they represent dangerous Venezuelan style thinking
:33:58. > :34:06.to saying they are quite a good idea? I have not had the time to
:34:07. > :34:11.study the rent-controlled proposals, but I am sure he can lay them out
:34:12. > :34:16.for us. Let me be clear. If there is an opportunity to find longer term
:34:17. > :34:25.tenancy agreements to give greater stability, a proposal made at last
:34:26. > :34:31.year's Conservative conference, then I am sure we can work together. But
:34:32. > :34:36.if the proposal is for rent controls that have been tried all over the
:34:37. > :34:41.world, including in Britain, and have shown to fail, that is a very
:34:42. > :34:56.bad idea. Even by his standards, this is a quick U-turn. Last week,
:34:57. > :35:02.the chairman of the Conservative party was saying this was all back
:35:03. > :35:05.to Venezuela, completely wrong, but the community secretary has
:35:06. > :35:11.supported these proposals. How will we make it happen? I have got some
:35:12. > :35:18.good briefing on these proposals from Labour MPs. Here they are!
:35:19. > :35:22.Let's begin with the housing minister, you think she would
:35:23. > :35:32.support the policy, she says, I do not think it will work in practice.
:35:33. > :35:35.Then, moving over to the Department for local government, where the
:35:36. > :35:38.shadow Secretary of State says this, we do not want to return to rent
:35:39. > :35:46.controls, because the rental sector is meeting a demand for housing. The
:35:47. > :35:50.authentic voice of Venezuela! Then, the head of the select committee, a
:35:51. > :35:57.Labour MP, the member for Sheffield, he said, rent-controlled is not
:35:58. > :36:01.feasible. There we have a Labour policy completely unclear about what
:36:02. > :36:09.it is, but the one thing that is clear, Labour MPs do not back it.
:36:10. > :36:16.All he shows is that he has nothing... Order. It has to be said
:36:17. > :36:23.every week. However long it takes, a simple exercise in democracy, the
:36:24. > :36:28.question will be heard, and the answer will be heard. It is
:36:29. > :36:33.incredibly simple. All he shows is he has no idea about this incredibly
:36:34. > :36:39.able that issue facing the country. There are 9 million people renting
:36:40. > :36:44.in this country. Our proposal is to say there should be fixed three-year
:36:45. > :36:50.tenancies, is the norm, for those people with predictable rent
:36:51. > :36:54.changes. That is the proposal. Many people across the country think this
:36:55. > :37:03.is for the first time a party addressing the issue they face. Can
:37:04. > :37:07.he explain what is wrong with going from one year tenancies with
:37:08. > :37:09.unpredictable rent rises, to three-year tenancies with
:37:10. > :37:13.predictable rent a? Why has the Conservative Party even up on
:37:14. > :37:16.millions of people who are generation rent? We want to build
:37:17. > :37:21.more houses so we have a better rental sector with more affordable
:37:22. > :37:28.rent. As I said to him in my first answer, if there -- if this is about
:37:29. > :37:33.new tenancies that give longer-term security, yes, if it is about
:37:34. > :37:37.mandating from the centre and destroying the housing market, no.
:37:38. > :37:42.The problem I have with his policies is they all come from the same
:37:43. > :37:51.place. They come from the Unite union. They said the nationalised
:37:52. > :37:57.railways, he wants to. They said, let's have old-style rent controls,
:37:58. > :37:59.he wants them. The problem with rent controls is
:38:00. > :38:01.he wants them. The problem with rent for rent, their candidates are, and
:38:02. > :38:17.their leader is. Thank you. The Prime Minister will
:38:18. > :38:19.be as encouraged as I am that unemployment in my constituency is
:38:20. > :38:31.down by almost a third since the last election. However, the future
:38:32. > :38:34.for almost 1000 workers related to the power station in my constituency
:38:35. > :38:41.is less certain. Will he meet with me to make sure we have a future for
:38:42. > :38:45.this asset in my constituency? I am happy to meet with him and discuss
:38:46. > :38:48.this, it is welcomed what he says about the fall in unemployment,
:38:49. > :38:52.which we can see right across the country. Employment is growing
:38:53. > :38:58.fastest not in the south-east, but in Wales, it shows the recovery is
:38:59. > :39:01.increasingly more broadly based. I know about the problems at the power
:39:02. > :39:11.station and the demand for further action, as has been agreed at Drax.
:39:12. > :39:15.I have two world-class hospitals in my constituency. The Secretary of
:39:16. > :39:21.State for health has decided that Hammersmith will lose its accident
:39:22. > :39:25.and emergency, charring Cross will be demolished, losing all consultant
:39:26. > :39:30.emergency services, including accident and emergency and the
:39:31. > :39:34.country's best stroke unit. Will he stopped his Health Secretary putting
:39:35. > :39:39.my constituents' lives at risk? What we are doing is making sure the NHS
:39:40. > :39:45.is getting more money, it will get 2.4 billion this year, 74 million
:39:46. > :39:51.than a year before. If you remember, his own party was Mike policy was to
:39:52. > :39:55.cut the NHS, like they are doing in Wales. The changes being made there
:39:56. > :39:59.are backed by clinicians and local people, and we want to see the NHS
:40:00. > :40:06.improved, as it does under this government. Does he agree that you
:40:07. > :40:14.keep's policies are based on fear, fear of the world, feel of
:40:15. > :40:18.foreigners, and is a great trading nation, we should embrace the
:40:19. > :40:23.world, and if anybody comes to my constituency and goes to hospital or
:40:24. > :40:27.to the nursing homes or to the farms or to the building sites, they will
:40:28. > :40:32.see the great contribution being made to our communities and to the
:40:33. > :40:40.growth of our economy by fellow EU citizens. He is absolutely right,
:40:41. > :40:44.Britain has benefited from being an economy that is open to investment
:40:45. > :40:48.and open to people coming who want to contribute and work hard here. I
:40:49. > :40:53.agree with what he says about UKIP, so much of their view is we do not
:40:54. > :40:57.have a bright future, I believe that we do if we get our deficit down,
:40:58. > :41:01.our economy growing, invest in apprenticeships, we can be one of
:41:02. > :41:05.the success stories of the 21st-century. We are making
:41:06. > :41:13.progress, that is how we challenge their worldview. There is deep
:41:14. > :41:18.concern in the British business and scientific community about the
:41:19. > :41:24.proposed takeover of AstraZeneca by two, it would have an impact on
:41:25. > :41:32.British jobs, investment, export and science. The Business Secretary said
:41:33. > :41:37.he is not ruling out intervention. What type of intervention is under
:41:38. > :41:42.consideration by government? I agree with what he said yesterday, but let
:41:43. > :41:48.me be clear, the most important intervention we can make is to back
:41:49. > :41:51.British jobs, science, research and development, medicines and
:41:52. > :41:55.technology, and that is why I asked the Cabinet Secretary and my
:41:56. > :41:59.ministers to engage with both companies, right from the start of
:42:00. > :42:02.this process, and I make no apology for that, because we know what
:42:03. > :42:08.happens when you do not engage, when you stand back, say you are opposed
:42:09. > :42:12.to everything, what you get is abject surrender and no guarantees
:42:13. > :42:21.for Britain. We are fighting for British science, it is a pity he is
:42:22. > :42:25.trying to play politics. Let me say first of all, it is good to hear he
:42:26. > :42:29.agrees with the Business Secretary. He said this, one of the government
:42:30. > :42:40.was Mike options will be to consider using our public interest test
:42:41. > :42:44.powers. There needs to be a proper assessment of this bid. The Business
:42:45. > :42:48.Secretary said he was open to doing this. This could be done through
:42:49. > :42:53.this House, and we would support making that happen. Will he agreed
:42:54. > :42:58.to do it? The assessment that I want is from the business Department on
:42:59. > :43:02.this deal or, as there is not an offer on the table, any subsequent
:43:03. > :43:07.offer. I will judge all of these things about whether it expands
:43:08. > :43:13.British jobs, investment and science. I worry the point may be
:43:14. > :43:19.lost in the debate. He thinks he is clever, we all know that, but he may
:43:20. > :43:24.have missed this point. Britain benefits massively from being open
:43:25. > :43:31.to investment. Nissan is producing more cars than the whole of Italy.
:43:32. > :43:33.Jaguar Land Rover under Indian ownership has created 9000 jobs in
:43:34. > :43:39.the West Midlands since I became Prime Minister. Vodafone and
:43:40. > :43:43.AstraZeneca have benefited from the backing of an open country to go out
:43:44. > :43:46.and build and purchase businesses around the world. There is more
:43:47. > :43:53.inward investment into Britain today than the rest of the EU combined.
:43:54. > :43:58.Don't let's put that at risk. He does not understand, this is simply
:43:59. > :44:02.about something very straightforward, having an
:44:03. > :44:06.independent assessment of this bid and whether it is in the national
:44:07. > :44:11.interest. I want to ask him the question again, because it matters
:44:12. > :44:15.to people across the country, is he ruling out all ruling in using the
:44:16. > :44:20.public interest test on this takeover's we could make it happen.
:44:21. > :44:24.His Business Secretary could make it happen, and we would support it. If
:44:25. > :44:27.he does not take action now, and the bid goes through without a proper
:44:28. > :44:32.assessment, everybody will know that he was cheerleading for this bid,
:44:33. > :44:41.not championing British science and industry. I think it is deeply sad
:44:42. > :44:43.that the leader of the opposition makes accusations about cheerleading
:44:44. > :44:49.when what the government was doing was getting stuck in to help British
:44:50. > :44:53.science, investment and jobs. Doesn't it tell you everything
:44:54. > :44:57.that, given the choice of doing the right thing for the national
:44:58. > :45:00.interest, working with the government, or making short-term
:45:01. > :45:05.political points, that is what he chooses to do? We might ask why the
:45:06. > :45:09.public interest test was changed in the first place. It was when they
:45:10. > :45:13.were sitting in the Treasury. They wrote the rules, they sold the gold,
:45:14. > :45:17.they saw manufacturing client by a half, and we will never take
:45:18. > :45:33.lectures from the people who wrecked our economy. Will the Prime Minister
:45:34. > :45:42.confirmed that under his leadership this country will never spend less
:45:43. > :45:45.than the NATO recommended minimum of 2% of GDP on defence? We are
:45:46. > :45:52.spending in excess of 2%, 2% of GDP on defence? We are
:45:53. > :45:59.only countries in Europe to do that. The Greeks are spending ahead of 2%
:46:00. > :46:04.not on the things that are useful for NATO. We should continue to make
:46:05. > :46:10.sure we fulfil all our commitment in terms of defence spending. Will the
:46:11. > :46:14.Prime Minister urgently meet again with me and fellow MPs to find a way
:46:15. > :46:23.forward on consultant led, maternity services to be run by the University
:46:24. > :46:27.Hospital in Stoke on Trent? The Right Honourable Lady has asked me
:46:28. > :46:32.about this in the past. Despite all the difficulties I wanted to make
:46:33. > :46:39.sure there was an opportunity to have a way for having consultant
:46:40. > :46:44.led, maternity services. People who live in our major towns want to be
:46:45. > :46:48.able to have their babies locally and it is important we do that. I am
:46:49. > :46:55.regularly updated and I would be happy to meet with a delegation of
:46:56. > :47:02.Staffordshire MPs if it is necessary to drop further at this point. Last
:47:03. > :47:07.week, Boston consulting group published research that found in
:47:08. > :47:13.Britain to the number one competitive manufacturing country --
:47:14. > :47:18.whole of Western Europe. It is number four globally behind China,
:47:19. > :47:23.the United States and South Korea. Does my right honourable friend
:47:24. > :47:28.agree this is the sort of company we should be keeping an further
:47:29. > :47:32.evidence that our strategy to rebalance the UK economy towards
:47:33. > :47:38.manufacturing and the West Midlands and other regions is working? I am
:47:39. > :47:41.grateful for what might honourable friend says because for the first
:47:42. > :47:46.time in a decade all three main sectors of the economy,
:47:47. > :47:51.manufacturing, services and construction, have grown by 3% in
:47:52. > :47:56.the last year. Manufacturing is important in itself, but also
:47:57. > :48:03.because so much of it can be traded and we want to see Britain invest
:48:04. > :48:07.more. The moves made by my right honourable friend in the budget are
:48:08. > :48:12.very much dedicated towards that angle. We must remain the open
:48:13. > :48:20.economy that will encourage people to invest in our manufacturing base.
:48:21. > :48:23.Later this meet -- week the opening stages of the Giro d'Italia will
:48:24. > :48:29.take place in Northern Ireland and along with the Tour de France coming
:48:30. > :48:34.to Yorkshire, these sporting events allow us to showcase our region and
:48:35. > :48:40.wrote the local economy. But as we seek to build a more prosperous and
:48:41. > :48:45.better future for all of our people in Northern Ireland, it is important
:48:46. > :48:50.that the suffering and hurt of victims is never forgotten? Whether
:48:51. > :48:54.it is one years ago or ten years ago or 42 years ago, justice must be
:48:55. > :48:59.pursued and the police must be allowed to follow the evidence
:49:00. > :49:04.wherever it leads. First of all, can I agree with the right honourable
:49:05. > :49:08.gentleman about the importance of these sporting events. The one in
:49:09. > :49:12.Northern Ireland and the Tour de France in Leeds which will be great
:49:13. > :49:21.for Yorkshire and the United Kingdom. We should do as much as we
:49:22. > :49:26.can to promote these. He raises an important issue about terrorist
:49:27. > :49:32.victims. We discussed over trying to secure greater assistance from Libya
:49:33. > :49:38.over Semtex. We should be proud of the fact that a free country has an
:49:39. > :49:42.independent judiciary and legal system and police service. They
:49:43. > :49:49.decide who to arrest, who took Western and two to charge and that
:49:50. > :49:55.is how it must remain. Dementia is one of the biggest challenges facing
:49:56. > :50:00.our country. Will he join with me in congratulation the Alzheimer's
:50:01. > :50:06.Society to raise awareness and challenge the stigma? Will he ensure
:50:07. > :50:09.that there is a new dementia strategy at the end of the year
:50:10. > :50:17.because the current one ends this year, so we can ensure people with
:50:18. > :50:21.dementia get the support they need? We have turned the zero on Number
:50:22. > :50:26.Ten into the dementia flower today to help boost the importance of
:50:27. > :50:32.raising awareness about this issue and to encourage more people to
:50:33. > :50:36.train as dementia and friends. It is about investing in research and
:50:37. > :50:41.science, dementia friendly communities, and also making sure
:50:42. > :50:45.our hostels and care homes better treat people with dementia. I will
:50:46. > :50:53.perhaps write to him about the update to the strategy. 100,000
:50:54. > :51:00.people are already dead in Syria. Others are dying as we are here
:51:01. > :51:04.today. They need help desperately. We have talked about humanitarian
:51:05. > :51:13.help. What on earth are we doing about it? The right honourable lady
:51:14. > :51:17.is right. Britain is the second largest, bilateral aid donor in
:51:18. > :51:24.terms of humanitarian aid going into Syria. We are helping to feed,
:51:25. > :51:29.clothe and house people in Turkey, Lebanon and elsewhere. She raises
:51:30. > :51:33.the important point about getting aid into Syria. More is being done
:51:34. > :51:39.on that, but it is extremely difficult because of the security
:51:40. > :51:44.situation. We will continue to do what we can. As we mug the Centenary
:51:45. > :51:52.of the First World War it is a national disgrace that the graves of
:51:53. > :51:59.Victoria Cross winners are derelict. As the patron of the Victoria Cross
:52:00. > :52:02.trust, we pledge ?100,000 to help restore the graves and the Sun
:52:03. > :52:08.newspaper have highlighted this campaign. As the Government have
:52:09. > :52:14.managed to match fund every penny raised, will the PM join me in
:52:15. > :52:18.urging people to go online and donate and ensure we have fitting
:52:19. > :52:27.memorials for the bravest of the brave. I think the Sun newspaper did
:52:28. > :52:33.a good job of highlighting the importance of this issue. The
:52:34. > :52:38.Communities Secretary has announced ?100,000 funding for the Victoria
:52:39. > :52:44.Cross which will go to restoring the grave of Victoria Cross recipients.
:52:45. > :52:49.Local authorities will put up paving stones for people who have won the
:52:50. > :52:54.Victoria crosses in their area. The most important thing we are doing is
:52:55. > :52:59.the huge, multi-million pound investment going into the Imperial
:53:00. > :53:03.War Museum which will open this summer and it brings the First World
:53:04. > :53:11.War to live in an extraordinary way and that is at the heart of our
:53:12. > :53:14.commemorations. My constituent's disability means he needs a
:53:15. > :53:20.specially adapted bed, so it cannot share a room with his wife, but they
:53:21. > :53:25.are hit by the bedroom tax. Can the Prime Minister explain why the
:53:26. > :53:29.Government is punishing him for his disability? We have the
:53:30. > :53:34.discretionary housing payments for exactly this sort of case and the
:53:35. > :53:42.money has been topped up, so there is no reason for people to be
:53:43. > :53:46.disadvantage. AstraZeneca is Macclesfield's greatest employer, so
:53:47. > :53:53.I shared constituents' concerned about the Pfizer bid. I welcome
:53:54. > :53:58.steps from the Government. But what further steps are being taken to
:53:59. > :54:02.strengthen those commitments and to safeguard highly skilled
:54:03. > :54:08.manufacturing jobs in Macclesfield? I am grateful for my honourable
:54:09. > :54:14.friend's remarks. There are 2000 people employed in his constituency.
:54:15. > :54:18.Our approach is based upon trying to secure the best possible deal in
:54:19. > :54:23.terms of jobs, investment and science. That is why it was right to
:54:24. > :54:31.ask the cabinet secretary to engage with Pfizer. I find it extraordinary
:54:32. > :54:37.we are being criticised for this. There is no offer on the table, but
:54:38. > :54:42.the commitments made so far are encouraging in terms of completing
:54:43. > :54:49.the Cambridge campus, making sure 20% of the combined companies' total
:54:50. > :54:53.is in the UK's workforce going forward and it mentions substantial
:54:54. > :54:58.manufacturing facilities in Macclesfield. Because of the
:54:59. > :55:03.patented box we have introduced, the company would look at manufacturing
:55:04. > :55:09.more in the UK. But I am not satisfied, I want more. But the way
:55:10. > :55:15.to get more is to engage and not to stand up and play politics. I know
:55:16. > :55:21.the Prime Minister has raised the important issue around the awareness
:55:22. > :55:29.of mental health. Can he explain why since 2011 there is a 30% drop in
:55:30. > :55:36.mental health beds in the NHS? Is it right mental health patients are
:55:37. > :55:40.having to travel up to 200 miles? What matters is the quality of
:55:41. > :55:45.provision and parity of esteem between physical health and mental
:55:46. > :55:51.health. We have not solved every problem, but we have put into the
:55:52. > :55:57.NHS mandate proper parity of esteem and proper targets for some of the
:55:58. > :56:01.talking therapies that are vital in terms of mental health. Measuring
:56:02. > :56:08.the output of our NHS purely by the number of beds is not a sensible
:56:09. > :56:12.approach. The Government is making a substantial investment in renewing
:56:13. > :56:17.and expanding the nation's infrastructure. There is a real need
:56:18. > :56:22.to get more people into engineering so they will have long-term skills.
:56:23. > :56:26.Will my right honourable friend assure me this Government will do
:56:27. > :56:32.all it can to inspire the next generation of engineers? I know he
:56:33. > :56:38.has been campaigning very hard to get the HS2 Academy to go to Milton
:56:39. > :56:42.Keynes because there is a vital bit of skilled work that needs to be
:56:43. > :56:47.done. The key thing about these investments, whether it is
:56:48. > :56:54.Crossrail, the Olympics, HS2, is to plan in advance about the skills we
:56:55. > :56:59.need so we can help people wanting to take on those skills. Today the
:57:00. > :57:03.Chancellor and the Minister for schools have launched a campaign
:57:04. > :57:07.which is all about encouraging young people to get into Stem subjects and
:57:08. > :57:15.to stay in them because there is a falloff from GCSE up to a level,
:57:16. > :57:19.particularly in physics. I am delighted to see the Prime Minister
:57:20. > :57:25.is wearing his dementia friends badged today and I congratulate the
:57:26. > :57:31.Alzheimer's Society on their commitment to get ?1 million over
:57:32. > :57:36.the next year. Will he commit today to commit personally to put a
:57:37. > :57:41.scandal to low wages and zero hours contracts for dedicated home carers
:57:42. > :57:45.who look after people with dementia in our country? Let me praise the
:57:46. > :57:50.right honourable lady for her work on dementia and the work she has
:57:51. > :57:55.done to spread awareness about this. On the issue of 15 minute working
:57:56. > :58:00.times, this is an issue for local councils. My own local council has
:58:01. > :58:04.decided to stop these 15 minute visits because they believed you
:58:05. > :58:10.cannot get any meaningful work done. On zero hours contracts we are
:58:11. > :58:14.the first Government to have a proper review into this and we are
:58:15. > :58:19.very unhappy about exclusivity clauses that do not allow you to
:58:20. > :58:25.work elsewhere. But it is important to make sure our care system has got
:58:26. > :58:29.people inside it who are caring and understanding about the problems of
:58:30. > :58:39.dementia. We have both been through the very short dementia training
:58:40. > :58:43.course. I need a refresher. With 1.3% growth in manufacturing in the
:58:44. > :58:49.last quarter and strong performances from local firms in my constituency,
:58:50. > :58:55.does the Prime Minister agree that one key element of the long-term,
:58:56. > :59:00.economic plan is the need to improve... The need to further
:59:01. > :59:06.strengthen our skills base so these firms can continue to grow and work
:59:07. > :59:13.hard for Britain and generate exports? The key part of the
:59:14. > :59:19.long-term plan is to rebalance our economy away from purely the South
:59:20. > :59:25.East and toward manufacturing, exports and investment. He has
:59:26. > :59:29.played his part by organising a festival for manufacturing and
:59:30. > :59:33.engineering in Stroud. We have to inspire a new generation to think of
:59:34. > :59:41.these careers and the subjects they should be studying in school and
:59:42. > :59:46.university. Last Thursday the EU ban on the import of Indian mangoes took
:59:47. > :59:51.effect. As a result hundreds of businesses in the UK will suffer
:59:52. > :59:55.millions of pounds of losses. There was no consultation with this house
:59:56. > :00:00.and no vote by British ministers. Next week he will be having his
:00:01. > :00:04.first conversation with the new Indian Prime Minister. Will he do
:00:05. > :00:10.his best to reverse this ban so we can keep the special relationship
:00:11. > :00:16.with India and so we can have our delicious mangoes once again? I know
:00:17. > :00:23.how much the honourable gentleman cares about this, so much that he
:00:24. > :00:27.delivered a tray of mangoes to ten Downing St missing the deadline so
:00:28. > :00:31.they could safely be consumed by people inside. This is a serious
:00:32. > :00:38.issue. The European Commission has to look on the basis of the science
:00:39. > :00:43.and the evidence. There are concerns about cross contamination in terms
:00:44. > :00:48.of British crops and British interests. I understand how strongly
:00:49. > :00:52.he feels and how strongly the Indian community feels and I look forward
:00:53. > :00:57.to discussing it with the new Indian Prime Minister. With the Prime
:00:58. > :01:09.Minister join me in congratulating the world-class furniture
:01:10. > :01:14.manufacture to locate in Leamington. It was based on our rich industrial
:01:15. > :01:20.heritage. Well he also paid tribute to local businesses that have
:01:21. > :01:28.created jobs and reduced the number of DSE claimants in Warrington by a
:01:29. > :01:32.remarkable 54% since May, 2010. I congratulate my honourable friend
:01:33. > :01:37.for the decline in unemployment in his constituency. It is notable what
:01:38. > :01:43.he says about furniture factories because these are the sort of
:01:44. > :01:47.businesses that were going offshore. We are seeing a slow trend of
:01:48. > :01:52.getting businesses coming back to Britain, investing and expanding in
:01:53. > :01:58.Britain. We must do everything we can to encourage this, whether it is
:01:59. > :02:09.keeping taxes down, cutting national insurance, training more apprentices
:02:10. > :02:12.and investing in infrastructure. My constituent's son has recently
:02:13. > :02:17.returned from serving in Afghanistan. Does the Prime Minister
:02:18. > :02:33.think it is right she has to pay the bedroom tax to keep a room available
:02:34. > :02:34.for him to stay in at home? If the spare room subsidy extension does
:02:35. > :02:39.not apply, there spare room subsidy extension does
:02:40. > :02:42.discretionary housing payment which is another way of dealing with this
:02:43. > :03:15.and I would hope that Scunthorpe Borough Council would take up the
:03:16. > :03:20.offer the service sector grew at its fastest level. Does this demonstrate
:03:21. > :03:41.we must stick with the long-term economic plan? It is right, we have
:03:42. > :03:44.to stick to the long-term economic plan and for him to be called on
:03:45. > :04:01.Wednesday shows that plan and for him to be called on
:04:02. > :04:08.that anything you can wear. The Prime Minister will know that over
:04:09. > :04:12.365 people in Northern Ireland were given the royal prerogative of mercy
:04:13. > :04:19.despite ten years of violence. Could he give a commitment that these
:04:20. > :04:24.names will be made public? If the Queen takes the time to sign 365
:04:25. > :04:31.names, surely the public and the victims have the right to know? What
:04:32. > :04:36.I would say to the honourable lady is there were difficult decisions
:04:37. > :04:41.that were taken principally by the last Government at the time of the
:04:42. > :04:46.various agreements that involved very difficult choices, hard choices
:04:47. > :04:50.that had to be made in order to try and build a platform for peace and
:04:51. > :04:56.reconciliation. I am happy to look at the specific point she says and
:04:57. > :05:02.to reassure her in a letter. I do not want to unpick decisions taken
:05:03. > :05:08.at a difficult time to give us the peace we enjoy today. The Chief
:05:09. > :05:12.Medical Officer warned we are misusing antibiotics that we risk to
:05:13. > :05:17.turning to the 19th century environment where routine operations
:05:18. > :05:22.carry a grave risk of death. The World Health Organisation issued a
:05:23. > :05:27.similar warning. On that basis, it surely is madness we continue to
:05:28. > :05:35.allow so many antibiotics to be used in our factory farms. We know it is
:05:36. > :05:39.contributing to resistance. My honourable friend raises an
:05:40. > :05:43.extremely serious problem that is global in its nature and could have
:05:44. > :05:49.unbelievably bad consequences in terms of antimicrobial resistance
:05:50. > :05:54.leading to a minor ailment is not being properly treated. One of the
:05:55. > :05:58.problems is the current way research is done by pharmaceutical companies
:05:59. > :06:03.is not necessarily bringing forward you antibiotics in the way we need.
:06:04. > :06:08.I have met with the Chief Medical Officer to discuss this. There are a
:06:09. > :06:16.number of steps we can take here in the UK and I hope to say something
:06:17. > :06:20.about it soon. Yesterday the Secretary of State for business,
:06:21. > :06:26.innovation and skills said he was working with civil servants to
:06:27. > :06:31.ensure that any securities during the proposed takeover of AstraZeneca
:06:32. > :06:36.could be made legally binding. Does the Prime Minister back this? The
:06:37. > :06:42.more we can do to strengthen the assurances we are given, the better.
:06:43. > :06:45.But the only way you will get assurances is by engaging and
:06:46. > :06:49.getting stuck in with those companies and I find it
:06:50. > :06:58.extraordinary the Labour Party chooses to criticise us for that.
:06:59. > :06:59.The Pfizer bid for AstraZeneca is driven by tax advantages. Has the
:07:00. > :07:03.Prime Minister spoken driven by tax advantages. Has the
:07:04. > :07:14.Government over changes to their tax law? Pfizer mentioned in a letter to
:07:15. > :07:18.me that the patent box is a positive reason for wanting to invest in
:07:19. > :07:23.Britain and to examine whether they could increase manufacturing. The
:07:24. > :07:27.way it works is you only get the low tax benefit if you make your
:07:28. > :07:33.investment and research in the UK and then exploit that research by
:07:34. > :07:38.manufacturing in the UK. We should be incredibly hard-headed about
:07:39. > :07:42.this. It is an advantage that Britain is a low tax country. We
:07:43. > :07:54.used to bemoan the fact companies were leaving because of our high
:07:55. > :07:56.taxes. Now they want to come here. But that is not enough, we want the
:07:57. > :08:04.investment, the jobs and the research that comes
:08:05. > :08:15.Ed Miliband split his questions into two, the first were on Labour's
:08:16. > :08:20.plans for rent, not rent controls, they say, but plans to extend the
:08:21. > :08:25.leases and make the increase in rent more predictable. That was the first
:08:26. > :08:31.part. When he came back, it was about what the government position
:08:32. > :08:39.is, and what the Labour Party's position is, on Pfizer's bid to take
:08:40. > :08:46.over AstraZeneca. The Prime Minister made a remarkable claim, edge did
:08:47. > :08:53.not seem right, that Nissan in Sunderland alone produces more cars
:08:54. > :09:02.now than the whole of Italy. We got into checking that, and amazingly,
:09:03. > :09:05.the Prime Minister is right. Italy produced 388,000 cars in 2013,
:09:06. > :09:21.Nissan in Sunderland reduced half a million. Who would have thought? It
:09:22. > :09:25.is a great fiat! Oh, dear! You try to act in the best traditions of
:09:26. > :09:30.public service broadcasting, trying to see if it was true, and admitting
:09:31. > :09:37.that he was right, and this is what you have to say! Lots of reaction to
:09:38. > :09:42.those subjects, one person said, the rent in this country is diabolical,
:09:43. > :09:45.even in Housing Association properties. The building quality
:09:46. > :09:51.does not warrant such a large sum of money. One person says, Ed
:09:52. > :09:55.Miliband's Internet seems to have failed him, rent control is a bad
:09:56. > :10:01.idea, not supported by most of the public. One person says, Ed Miliband
:10:02. > :10:06.is going on the right issues but using the wrong words and tone. He
:10:07. > :10:12.must start being human. One person says, there should be emergency
:10:13. > :10:16.legislation to introduce full public interest powers in the case of major
:10:17. > :10:23.mergers. One person said, with regard to AstraZeneca, it is a
:10:24. > :10:28.British company but it is not owned by Britain, shareholders must be
:10:29. > :10:32.given the ultimate decision will stop --. One person said, I am in
:10:33. > :10:39.despair of David Cameron's ducking and diving, not answering questions
:10:40. > :10:47.apart from those from his backbench flunkies. That is a good word! I can
:10:48. > :10:53.see the light in your eyes shine! Over to queue, Nigel Evans! I would
:10:54. > :11:02.have been won last week, but the speaker just missed me. It is quite
:11:03. > :11:14.interesting, the sound and fury from both front benches that AstraZeneca.
:11:15. > :11:19.I am not clear what other side things should be done. Labour Party
:11:20. > :11:24.think they can use the public interest test. All of the law around
:11:25. > :11:32.takeovers was changed by the last Labour government to more narrowly
:11:33. > :11:37.defined when you can intervene about banking, media takeovers and
:11:38. > :11:41.national security. The Labour Party believe there is still some
:11:42. > :11:47.possibility that you could intervene using the public interest test. I
:11:48. > :11:56.was just reading up on this, Vince Cable, many years ago, said, when
:11:57. > :12:00.the law was passed in 2002, it will now become almost a matter of course
:12:01. > :12:06.for large mergers to be referred for examination. Very different from
:12:07. > :12:10.what he is saying now. He said yesterday in the House of Commons,
:12:11. > :12:15.the law is narrow, but we would need clearance by the European
:12:16. > :12:18.commission. So it looks as though both government does not rule out
:12:19. > :12:25.the possibility of intervening, David Cameron ignored the
:12:26. > :12:29.questions, I suspect because they still discussing behind the scenes
:12:30. > :12:31.what they can and can't do, and the Labour Party say it will possible
:12:32. > :12:40.without spelling out how and why their legal view is that this is
:12:41. > :12:47.possible. There would be a danger as a result of the narrower public
:12:48. > :12:50.interest test that resulted from the changes the last Labour government
:12:51. > :12:56.made, that if any British government tried to enforce it, by and large,
:12:57. > :13:01.if it is not a competition basis, there is little ground, unless it is
:13:02. > :13:06.a national security issue, but if the British government tried to use
:13:07. > :13:13.that test, such as it is, it would almost certainly be litigated by
:13:14. > :13:19.Brussels. As regards the 2002 at, it is sufficient to deal with the
:13:20. > :13:25.concerns that Ed Miliband talks about. Vince Cable talked about
:13:26. > :13:30.changing legislation, there is a vehicle going through to do that.
:13:31. > :13:38.AstraZeneca are important to our country, it is an important science
:13:39. > :13:42.base, it is not an -- not a normal company. Is it in our interest for
:13:43. > :13:46.this company to be taken over and for jobs to be lost, or for research
:13:47. > :13:53.and develop and to close down? Pfizer have form, not just in Kent,
:13:54. > :13:59.but in Sweden as well. Vince Cable seemed to accept this. The point Ed
:14:00. > :14:03.Miliband was asking, do you agree with your Business Secretary, and if
:14:04. > :14:08.so, what are you going to do about it? We are willing to work with you.
:14:09. > :14:15.If you have the public interest power, you would stop the takeover?
:14:16. > :14:19.It is a test. You say to Pfizer, these are our concerns and
:14:20. > :14:25.indicators, can you assure us you are satisfied? This is the
:14:26. > :14:28.difference between a gentleman's agreement and getting reassurance
:14:29. > :14:31.that is binding and will hold firm about jobs being kept and research
:14:32. > :14:41.and develop and taking place. Is this a good thing or a bad thing in
:14:42. > :14:45.general? I suspect this is all quite sensitive, it is not just working
:14:46. > :14:54.out what you can and can't do. We are talking about share prices. It
:14:55. > :14:59.is perfectly open, there may be sensitivity for the shareholders,
:15:00. > :15:03.but we can say what we like. Absolutely, but I can understand why
:15:04. > :15:09.do you have to be sensitive about the share price. It goes back to the
:15:10. > :15:15.car industry, I remember when I is rolled when Jaguar Land Rover were
:15:16. > :15:18.taken over, if they're going to be any British owned, never to be any
:15:19. > :15:22.British owned, new factory at the end of the day? The fact is, we are
:15:23. > :15:29.producing and selling more cars than before. It is not a worry as to who
:15:30. > :15:40.owns it, it is a worry as to whether the jobs will be preserved and the
:15:41. > :15:47.research and of element maintained. AstraZeneca, Macclesfield,
:15:48. > :15:52.producers, I am told, 2% of the UK's exported goods. For people who
:15:53. > :15:57.do not know why pharmaceutical matters, that is why. What should
:15:58. > :16:00.children be taught in school and how? Hardly a new question, but one
:16:01. > :16:03.that continues to preoccupy politicians, teachers and parents.
:16:04. > :16:06.For our soapbox this week, we hear from one ex-London teacher, Daisy
:16:07. > :16:08.Christodoulou, who believes that the education system is failing children
:16:09. > :16:38.by prioritising experience over learning hard facts.
:16:39. > :16:50.Silence! The lesson has started. Sit up. Pay attention. Repeat after me.
:16:51. > :16:55.Education has come along way since the days of classrooms like these.
:16:56. > :17:01.However, that is not to say everything about modern education is
:17:02. > :17:04.perfect. Pupils leave school still facing serious difficulties with
:17:05. > :17:10.literacy and numeracy. When I started working as a teacher, I saw
:17:11. > :17:14.the impact of this. One of the main reasons it is happening is because
:17:15. > :17:19.modern methods assume you can teach skills and you do not have to bother
:17:20. > :17:24.about facts. But there are some facts you simply have to learn
:17:25. > :17:33.before you can progress. Here we have a map of the British
:17:34. > :17:38.Isles. And right here is London. Over the last 50 years we have
:17:39. > :17:43.discovered evermore about how our minds work. Everybody has a limited
:17:44. > :17:48.working memory, a maximum of seven new items. Any more and we get
:17:49. > :17:53.overwhelmed. That is why we cannot just rely on the Internet and that
:17:54. > :17:59.is why it is important to memorise things. You commit it to long-term
:18:00. > :18:03.memory, leaving valuable space in working memory, and that is why it
:18:04. > :18:11.is easier to solve a maths problem when you know your times tables. But
:18:12. > :18:15.many prominent educationalists and Government agencies were giving
:18:16. > :18:18.advice that ran counter to this evidence. They dismissed that
:18:19. > :18:25.learning as being outdated, but that is not true. Learning facts does not
:18:26. > :18:33.have to look like this. There are plenty of modern and engaging ways.
:18:34. > :18:39.Memory is vital for learning. It is time for modern education to learn
:18:40. > :18:42.that lesson. And Daisy Christodoulou who is currently Director of
:18:43. > :18:46.Research and Development at the ARK Academy chain of schools joins us
:18:47. > :18:54.now. You say you saw the human impact,
:18:55. > :18:59.what was that human impact? There is an assumption you can achieve
:19:00. > :19:05.expertise and get top grade, but you do not have to worry about mastering
:19:06. > :19:12.facts and learning them very well. That is not the case. Modern
:19:13. > :19:18.education is not fact free. My kids have to learn spelling is by road
:19:19. > :19:23.and there are times tables. They do have to learn them. There are lots
:19:24. > :19:30.of teachers doing great things and teaching facts. The problem for me
:19:31. > :19:35.is, unfortunately there is an awful lot of advice and in some cases man
:19:36. > :19:40.patient of practices which are not about learning the facts and getting
:19:41. > :19:47.the fluency. I think that is what I am worried about. Unfortunately, the
:19:48. > :19:53.advice teachers get does not back it up. Where is that voice coming
:19:54. > :20:00.from? Where is that direction coming from because of technology we can
:20:01. > :20:05.Google everything we need to know? That is widespread and not just in
:20:06. > :20:11.education, almost across the board in society. With smartphones we do
:20:12. > :20:16.not have to learn anything. There is a general tendency across society,
:20:17. > :20:24.but there are some education departments and some Government
:20:25. > :20:28.agencies, think and make some teachers more frightened to teach
:20:29. > :20:33.facts because they are worried about what Ofsted inspectors say. Do you
:20:34. > :20:39.think Michael Gove is trying to rectify that problem? It is more
:20:40. > :20:43.than a party political issue. There is a clear scientific consensus
:20:44. > :20:49.about facts. It would be good for that concerns us to be better
:20:50. > :20:54.known. What is the best way to learn facts? A lot of research shows
:20:55. > :21:00.having teacher led lessons helps. There was a big study done in
:21:01. > :21:04.America in the 60s and 70s which showed a method of direct
:21:05. > :21:11.instruction was successful. As well as recognising we need to learn
:21:12. > :21:16.facts, we have to accept teacher led ways of doing it is not bad. They
:21:17. > :21:22.can be inspiring. Do you think it was helpful for Michael Gove to
:21:23. > :21:27.describe the educational establishment as a blog? All of us
:21:28. > :21:35.as MPs value greatly what they do in our own schools. Independent grammar
:21:36. > :21:42.schools, academies and other schools all do a brilliant job from what I
:21:43. > :21:53.can see in my patch. So you did not really agree with him. It is an
:21:54. > :22:02.amorphous blob. I am not as good. It is rare for us to have a guess of
:22:03. > :22:05.the rare calibre as baby, take a look at her in action in University
:22:06. > :22:11.Challenge. Which two European stains I had the
:22:12. > :22:18.smallest landmass in the world divided by two nations? France and
:22:19. > :22:29.the Netherlands. What is the surname of the cricketing family...? Hadley.
:22:30. > :22:39.What two firms followed reduce in the environmentalist area? Which
:22:40. > :22:50.newly formed party led by Edward Olmert...? Academia. It you enjoy
:22:51. > :22:58.that? I hope you are feeling nervous. We have only got a few
:22:59. > :23:04.seconds. We have got some questions and you can all join in. Do not
:23:05. > :23:18.delay. What year was William Shakespeare born? 1564? Sorry, am I
:23:19. > :23:32.allowed to join in? What is the capital of Azerbaijan? Backward?
:23:33. > :23:40.What is 12 times 13. Wii 166. Know, 56. What is the most abundant
:23:41. > :23:49.element in the human body? Water? No, what are. Who is the longest
:23:50. > :23:58.serving British Prime Minister? Robert Walpole. How long did he
:23:59. > :24:06.serve? 14 years? You are not getting points for imaginative answers? Did
:24:07. > :24:14.you know that, Daisy? Note. You have got to learn and memorise these
:24:15. > :24:25.facts. For how many years? 20 years and 314 days. Did and answer these
:24:26. > :24:30.questions? Daisy, thank you very much. Now, since we have a former
:24:31. > :24:33.Deputy Speaker on the programme we thought we'd ask if the current
:24:34. > :24:36.speaker, John Bercow, was getting rather too big for his boots. Last
:24:37. > :24:40.week he made the headlines after cutting short the Prime Minister at
:24:41. > :24:50.PMQs. In fact, Mr Bercow makes the headlines rather a lot. Here he is
:24:51. > :24:54.in action. Order! Order! You really are a very over excitable
:24:55. > :25:02.individual. You need to write out 1000 times, I will behave myself at
:25:03. > :25:10.PMQs. His role is to nod his head in the appropriate places and to fetch
:25:11. > :25:14.and carry notes, no noise required. The Government Chief Whip has
:25:15. > :25:20.absolutely no business whatsoever shouting from a sedentary position.
:25:21. > :25:25.Try to calm down and behave like an adult and if you cannot, if it is
:25:26. > :25:31.beyond you, leave the chamber and get out, we will manage without you.
:25:32. > :25:39.He tends to behave as though every exchange is a conversation with her.
:25:40. > :25:50.With the honourable lady answer, it could have done, it didn't. Order! I
:25:51. > :25:53.have not finished. Order! In response to that question, the Prime
:25:54. > :26:03.Minister has finished and he can take it from me he has finished. It
:26:04. > :26:10.is interesting when you bring it all together. We are treading on
:26:11. > :26:16.eggshells because we would all try to catch the eye of the speaker. But
:26:17. > :26:23.it is a difficult job. The house gets a bit noisy at times and I know
:26:24. > :26:28.the only time I sort of lost it a bit was against Ian Austin when I
:26:29. > :26:34.shouted order, order and Glenda Jackson came up to me and said even
:26:35. > :26:39.I stopped talking and I was in my office! It is a huge problem. I
:26:40. > :26:45.cannot think of any speaker in modern times who has behaved like
:26:46. > :26:52.that. No, and he is getting a lot of publicity. The barbed bit at the end
:26:53. > :26:56.of Simon Burns' question where he said, I hope he will get an
:26:57. > :27:01.opportunity to answer it in full, was directly in relation to John
:27:02. > :27:08.Bercow stopping David Cameron last week in giving a full response. No
:27:09. > :27:12.love lost. Is there not a sense that because this is broadcast on network
:27:13. > :27:18.television and other channels, that there is a bit of grandstanding
:27:19. > :27:23.going on? A bit of theatre and almost everybody in the house can be
:27:24. > :27:26.accused of some form of grandstanding at some time. John
:27:27. > :27:33.gets the focus of attention because he is in the referee's chair. Does
:27:34. > :27:38.he not get the focus of attention because it is serial behaviour? It
:27:39. > :27:44.is a rowdy house and you have to keep it in control. John does it in
:27:45. > :27:48.his style. We have gone through the entire order paper. Under Michael
:27:49. > :27:53.Martin if you were below question seven, the chances of you getting
:27:54. > :27:57.selected were very thin. John makes sure more backbenchers get to ask
:27:58. > :28:06.questions. Why is he not more popular? I'm not sure how unpopular
:28:07. > :28:11.he is. What he has done as a speaker is give the legislature more powers
:28:12. > :28:17.to give and hold the executive to account. He is a tough task master.
:28:18. > :28:23.He is always looking to his right, the Conservatives. Look at Fiona
:28:24. > :28:29.McTaggart last week, you can edit in all sorts of ways. We all feel
:28:30. > :28:34.slighted when we are not chosen. We are going to put you out of your
:28:35. > :28:40.misery and give you the answer to guess the year. It is 1971. Press
:28:41. > :28:48.the red button, Nigel. This is the winner. That is it for today. Jo
:28:49. > :28:52.will be on her own tomorrow. I am out filming. BBC One news is
:28:53. > :29:04.starting now. Goodbye. Sorry, what?
:29:05. > :29:14.I gotta get off the show. ..galling things you have done in the
:29:15. > :29:18.short time that we have known you...!