:00:36. > :00:38.Afternoon folks, welcome to the Daily Politics.
:00:39. > :00:42.David Cameron pushes for tougher sanctions against Russia
:00:43. > :00:45.over the passenger jet crash in Ukraine and calls on other EU
:00:46. > :00:50.countries to restrict the export of defence equipment to Moscow.
:00:51. > :00:53.Labour party bigwigs agree the basis for their next election
:00:54. > :00:58.manifesto, insisting the plans are for big reforms not big spending.
:00:59. > :01:00.The former environment secretary Owen Paterson takes to Twitter after
:01:01. > :01:09.Could fallen Tories cause a few headaches for the Prime Minister?
:01:10. > :01:23.And we'll hear from the man who really runs the House of Commons .
:01:24. > :01:28.I am the corporate officer, which means I own all the property and it
:01:29. > :01:31.also means I am the person liable if anything goes wrong.
:01:32. > :01:34.All that in the next hour and with us
:01:35. > :01:37.for the whole programme today is the lord mayor of London, Fiona Woolf.
:01:38. > :01:57.Thank you. David Cameron appears to have made peace with Jean Claude
:01:58. > :02:00.Juncker. They were pictured at the EU summit greeting each other with a
:02:01. > :02:05.high five. Jean Claude Juncker was all smiles to Pike -- despite David
:02:06. > :02:10.Cameron's attempt to prevent him getting the job, but never to have
:02:11. > :02:14.to get down to business, and in a concession to the UK, Jean Claude
:02:15. > :02:18.Juncker says he is not opposed to repatriation of powers from
:02:19. > :02:20.Brussels, a key demand of David Cameron. Yesterday the new Foreign
:02:21. > :02:23.Secretary Philip Hammond said he would still vote to leave the
:02:24. > :02:29.European Union and Leicester were significant reform in Brussels. Here
:02:30. > :02:33.he is, speaking to Andrew Marr -- unless there were significant
:02:34. > :02:35.reform. I am preparing for the renegotiation over the next nine or
:02:36. > :02:40.ten months, and then we will carry out the renegotiation, and when we
:02:41. > :02:43.get to the end of the process and we see what is on offer, what is on the
:02:44. > :02:48.table, we will make our recommendations. Let's be clear. Two
:02:49. > :02:53.years ago you thought if you did not get the renegotiation, you should
:02:54. > :02:57.leave. Have you changed your mind? I have not changed my mind. If there
:02:58. > :03:03.is no change at all in the way Europe is governed, and no change in
:03:04. > :03:05.the balance of competencies between the nation states and the European
:03:06. > :03:12.Union, and no resolution of the challenge of how the Eurozone can
:03:13. > :03:15.succeed and coexist with countries outside the Eurozone, that is not a
:03:16. > :03:19.Europe that can work for Britain in the future, so there must be change.
:03:20. > :03:24.The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, sticking to his guns. We
:03:25. > :03:29.have been joined by the UKIP financial affairs spokesman, Stephen
:03:30. > :03:31.Moore. Fiona, first to you. How helpful as it do here in
:03:32. > :03:36.intervention for the Foreign Secretary that he would vote to
:03:37. > :03:43.leave as it stands now -- is it to here? The city is pro-Europe, but it
:03:44. > :03:47.is also pro-reform and it would like to see more focus on the growth in
:03:48. > :03:51.jobs agenda, completion of the single market, less red tape. I
:03:52. > :03:56.think it is helpful to be focused on reform, but of course, you have to
:03:57. > :03:59.understand the city has a lot of headquarters of foreign companies
:04:00. > :04:08.that are here because we are in Europe. And for them, access to the
:04:09. > :04:13.single market is important. Is it helpful to the debate to almost
:04:14. > :04:17.threaten that the UK will leave the EU if those powers are not
:04:18. > :04:21.repatriated to Brussels -- from Brussels to the UK? It increases the
:04:22. > :04:28.uncertainty in people's minds, obviously. And that might have some
:04:29. > :04:32.sort of chilling effect on investment and doing business with
:04:33. > :04:38.the city. You have heard Fiona saying that the Cities pro-EU, and
:04:39. > :04:43.they should know that they are a centre of finance globally, so they
:04:44. > :04:48.will know what is best for finance for jobs and business. I think they
:04:49. > :04:52.are certainly the one that knows what is best for finance and for
:04:53. > :05:00.jobs in the City but I don't agree that the city is pro-the EU. I think
:05:01. > :05:04.it is pro-European in terms of trading with European partners but
:05:05. > :05:08.if you look at recent polls you will see that the majority of business
:05:09. > :05:11.leaders are saying that they do not want to be part of the European
:05:12. > :05:16.Union and they want a referendum, and that is a widespread view. And
:05:17. > :05:19.there are many individuals in the city who have said if we jump out of
:05:20. > :05:26.the European Union we would have an economy that grows faster than Hong
:05:27. > :05:32.Kong or Singapore. Are you wrong to say that the city is pro-EU? We can
:05:33. > :05:38.argue over the stats and facts. Our surveys have come in at 84%, and the
:05:39. > :05:49.CBI have come in at roughly the same sort of level. And again more recent
:05:50. > :05:52.surveys say that 90% see it as an advantage to be part of the single
:05:53. > :05:59.market. We are not here to debate the stats and facts, but I am sure
:06:00. > :06:05.there are grounds for agreement about the reforms. What reforms
:06:06. > :06:08.would you like to see primarily? Which powers would you like to see
:06:09. > :06:15.brought back from Brussels to the UK? What we have put into the
:06:16. > :06:22.balance of competencies review has focused on the powers, and the
:06:23. > :06:30.conclusion has been more about overregulation, red tape, about the
:06:31. > :06:36.nature of the decision-making being slow and cumbersome. About the
:06:37. > :06:43.ability of the European commission to make up agendas that are not on
:06:44. > :06:49.the growth in jobs. Perhaps looking for short-term is. So if those were
:06:50. > :06:53.achieved, to some extent, business leaders would be happy and they can
:06:54. > :06:59.do that without leaving the EU. We all want growth and greater in
:07:00. > :07:03.Europe -- greater employment, but being in the European Parliament for
:07:04. > :07:06.a short time, it has confirmed my view that they are opposed to the
:07:07. > :07:10.Anglo-Saxon method of trading on the way we look at the City. And the way
:07:11. > :07:20.we consider the influences really concerning. You see a socialist in
:07:21. > :07:25.charge as the president, a socialist vice presidency, and the majority of
:07:26. > :07:28.the committee I work to the financial services sector which is
:07:29. > :07:31.essential for the country near to succeed because of the millions of
:07:32. > :07:35.jobs we have in the amount of money in there. What you don't see, the
:07:36. > :07:39.important part, is the lack of influence we have in the Council of
:07:40. > :07:45.ministers where the major decisions have been made since 1973, we have
:07:46. > :07:50.gone from over 20% to below 8%. We have no influence. Stephen claims we
:07:51. > :07:54.have no influence but you would disagree with that. How important
:07:55. > :08:02.would a free-trade deal with America be? It would be extremely important
:08:03. > :08:08.and useful if especially financial services were part of it. That is
:08:09. > :08:11.really all about achieving much more regulatory coherence on either side
:08:12. > :08:15.of the pond. And you would agree with that but that would never
:08:16. > :08:20.happen if Britain was not part of the EU? We would not be part of the
:08:21. > :08:24.deal. Here is where I fundamentally agree with Fiona, that we need to
:08:25. > :08:28.have a free-trade arrangements with the US but we also need one with
:08:29. > :08:36.other countries. Could we get that with the US if we were not part of
:08:37. > :08:38.the EU? Absolutely. Really? Iceland has a free-trade arrangement with
:08:39. > :08:45.China, so why the six largest trading nation -- six largest
:08:46. > :08:50.trading nation on the globe could not have one with the US is beyond
:08:51. > :08:53.me? I'm not sure that the US would bother to get on to a serious
:08:54. > :08:57.conversation about regulatory coherence with us, and financial
:08:58. > :09:02.services, if they were only dealing with us and not the rest of the EU.
:09:03. > :09:10.But they have negotiations with the grams 20, and we work with them at a
:09:11. > :09:14.national level. You are using anecdotal evidence that there could
:09:15. > :09:16.be some corporate -- sort of agreements made at that you're
:09:17. > :09:28.convinced it would not happen, Fiona? You can never be convinced of
:09:29. > :09:33.anything in life. But there is a bigger prize on both sides for an EU
:09:34. > :09:38.and US trade agreement. What about a referendum? Would you like to see an
:09:39. > :09:45.in and out referendum? What I would really like to see is substantial
:09:46. > :09:50.progress on the sorts of reforms that we are all agreed on. It's not
:09:51. > :09:54.just that we agree amongst ourselves on reform, but we talk to the
:09:55. > :10:00.industry bilaterally, and all the other countries, wherever we go. We
:10:01. > :10:05.have had conversations with all of them in the last year or so. And
:10:06. > :10:09.they agree that we need a growth in jobs agenda. It's a fairly
:10:10. > :10:24.straightforward agenda we can agree on. And the amount of representation
:10:25. > :10:28.we have in the EU has halved over the last ten years, so we are not
:10:29. > :10:32.punching the right way. We only have 4% of influence in the commission,
:10:33. > :10:36.which says it all. You can see the way they are treating Lord Hill and
:10:37. > :10:39.there is a suggestion he would be the only Commissioner, and that
:10:40. > :10:46.shows a lack of influence the UK has in the European Union.
:10:47. > :11:06.We'll give you the correct answer at the end of the show .
:11:07. > :11:08.David Cameron is pushing for tougher sanctions against Russia
:11:09. > :11:11.over its response to the crash of the Malaysia Airlines jet
:11:12. > :11:14.EU foreign ministers meet tomorrow to try to agree new sanctions.S
:11:15. > :11:17.So far the EU has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on
:11:18. > :11:23.Only last week President Obama approved a new round of sanctions to
:11:24. > :11:28.target Russian defence companies, banks, and energy companies.
:11:29. > :11:30.David Cameron, who will make a statement to MPs
:11:31. > :11:33.later today, is calling on other EU leaders "to consider further
:11:34. > :11:39.The Government thinks EU sanctions ought to include companies
:11:40. > :11:43.and banks that are seen to facilitate the conflict in Ukraine.
:11:44. > :11:45.But there is more reticence in other parts
:11:46. > :11:50.Energy imports from Russia to Germany, for example,
:11:51. > :11:59.The Chancellor, George Osborne, warned that fresh sanctions could
:12:00. > :12:01.have an impact on the UK's economy but "
:12:02. > :12:10.We are getting together with other European countries to discuss
:12:11. > :12:15.further sanctions. Of course, sanctions could have an economic
:12:16. > :12:17.impact, but the economic impact of not having respected international
:12:18. > :12:22.borders and economic impact of what you see with the terrible tragedy
:12:23. > :12:26.with the airline, these are greater things. We are doing this to protect
:12:27. > :12:33.our economic security as well as our physical and national security.
:12:34. > :12:37.We can talk now to our political correspondent Ben Wright.
:12:38. > :12:43.Lots of tough sounding talk, but will David Cameron persuade his EU
:12:44. > :12:47.colleagues and counterparts? There has been a lot of talk about
:12:48. > :12:51.sanctions for months and the prospect of toughening them up.
:12:52. > :12:55.Britain has actually been one of the most vociferous in arguing that
:12:56. > :12:58.sanctions should be tougher on Russia over several weeks, but it
:12:59. > :13:04.now feels that this is a different moment. Even before this disaster,
:13:05. > :13:09.last Wednesday, the European Council agreed to widen the legal framework
:13:10. > :13:14.underpinning possible sanctions and agreed, in principle, that they
:13:15. > :13:17.could start to attack companies and individuals close to Vladimir Putin
:13:18. > :13:20.and the Kremlin, not just those directly involved in what is
:13:21. > :13:24.happening in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. In principle, it took a
:13:25. > :13:27.step last week and that the meeting in Brussels what we will see is
:13:28. > :13:33.Britain urging other countries to nail down the names of companies and
:13:34. > :13:36.individuals, cronies close to Vladimir Putin. The question is
:13:37. > :13:41.whether they can sign that off as soon as tomorrow. We talked about a
:13:42. > :13:47.frank exchange, frank conversation with Vladimir Putin, that is a
:13:48. > :13:52.euphemism in diplomatic speak for David Cameron being angry. How angry
:13:53. > :13:55.is he? Britain is not alone in being angry and exasperated with the way
:13:56. > :14:00.Moscow has approached this over the last three or four days. There was a
:14:01. > :14:05.similar tone to the reading out of discussions between the French, the
:14:06. > :14:11.German, the Australian governments. People are infuriated at the
:14:12. > :14:15.reluctance by Moscow to put pressure on the rebel separatists where the
:14:16. > :14:20.plane went down, to allow the site to be secured, to allow proper
:14:21. > :14:23.investigations to begin, and, of course, to allow access to the
:14:24. > :14:27.bodies and the repatriation process to begin. There is fury and
:14:28. > :14:31.discussed the way Moscow have gone about it and it's interesting that
:14:32. > :14:35.this morning there was the statement issued by Vladimir Putin, a video
:14:36. > :14:40.statement, where he seemed to soften his stance quite a lot and said that
:14:41. > :14:44.he wanted to seek a UN led investigation up and running as soon
:14:45. > :14:47.as possible and for the site to be secured. He got quite a rollicking
:14:48. > :14:49.from other leaders over the weekend and it feels like he may have
:14:50. > :14:55.responded to some of that pressure. With us now is the former
:14:56. > :14:57.Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne, and joining us from our
:14:58. > :15:01.Bristol studios is David Clark, who chairs the Russia Foundation and was
:15:02. > :15:12.formerly a special advisor to Robin We have seen militia picking over
:15:13. > :15:17.the crash site and independent investigators still don't have
:15:18. > :15:21.access, just more evidence that Russia is acting with impunity? I
:15:22. > :15:25.think so, clearly they want to cover their tracks. They know they are in
:15:26. > :15:30.a bad position. It is imperative that the international immunity is
:15:31. > :15:35.clear and united in its resolve to ensure access to the site and that
:15:36. > :15:40.there is a proper investigation, and responsibility is appropriately
:15:41. > :15:44.allocated. But it needs to continue, the international community has to
:15:45. > :15:49.be very firm in making it clear to Vladimir Putin that they have to
:15:50. > :15:54.enter the activities they have been sponsoring inside western Ukraine,
:15:55. > :15:59.co-operate in bringing stability to the country and to stop meddling.
:16:00. > :16:04.It's absolutely essential that everyone understands this is not a
:16:05. > :16:09.domestic Ukrainian insurgency, not a civil war, it is a funded and armed
:16:10. > :16:12.intervention by Russia and they bear direct responsibility for what
:16:13. > :16:16.happened on Thursday even if they didn't mean to shoot down this
:16:17. > :16:20.particular aircraft. They certainly met to shoot something down and they
:16:21. > :16:24.knew lives would be lost. They are the instigators, they are the people
:16:25. > :16:29.who need to stop and there has to be a step change in the western and
:16:30. > :16:34.European response. The inference that the West just has not been
:16:35. > :16:39.tough enough with Vladimir Putin and here we are. I agree with everything
:16:40. > :16:43.David said and I agree with the position the government has taken.
:16:44. > :16:47.We in Britain have been leading the push for a robust response to what
:16:48. > :16:50.the Russians are doing in Ukraine. A lot of other European leaders have
:16:51. > :16:55.shown inadequate leadership. We hear a lot that the European union is a
:16:56. > :16:58.great forced magnifier around the world and it gives us greater clout
:16:59. > :17:03.in global affairs. That is potentially true but it doesn't mean
:17:04. > :17:06.anything if when we have incidents like this European leaders are not
:17:07. > :17:10.willing to put their name to something forceful and I am hoping
:17:11. > :17:14.that is what they will do. Do you blame the British public for being
:17:15. > :17:18.cynical? They may have thought this is the sort of tough talk that
:17:19. > :17:22.should have been in play months ago. I think it should have been in play
:17:23. > :17:28.months ago. It is a source of regret that a lot of European leaders...
:17:29. > :17:33.No, I think we have been at the forefront of pushing for something
:17:34. > :17:37.robust, but others have been looking for stimulation because they are
:17:38. > :17:41.reliant for Russia on energy supplies, and we have put ourselves
:17:42. > :17:45.in a good position of being less reliant on the Russians than some
:17:46. > :17:51.other countries. Let's talk about specific sanctions. How much tougher
:17:52. > :17:54.would they be? David Cameron has talked the talk, but how much
:17:55. > :18:01.tougher would they be in reality if they are agreed by the EU? The
:18:02. > :18:03.current proposals, the previous proposals for restrictions on a
:18:04. > :18:09.handful of people travelling were inadequate so they could be
:18:10. > :18:12.extended. It is important that we don't just think of it on an EU
:18:13. > :18:19.level. The Japanese, South Koreans and others would give it greater
:18:20. > :18:24.bite if they were to participate in a wider co-ordinated set of
:18:25. > :18:27.sanctions. Do you think that will have an effect? If tougher sanctions
:18:28. > :18:32.are agreed, and there is no guarantee that they will be when
:18:33. > :18:38.they meet, in Brussels, but do you think that would have a meaningful
:18:39. > :18:41.impact on Vladimir Putin? I think it would, provided the European Union
:18:42. > :18:46.will move beyond symbolic wrist slapping, asset freezes and travel
:18:47. > :18:50.bans against a handful of individuals... That is not going to
:18:51. > :18:54.work, we need to move beyond that and have sanctions against
:18:55. > :18:57.particular companies, banks and entire sectors of the Russian
:18:58. > :19:02.economy is necessary to get the message across. Russia is very
:19:03. > :19:06.dependent on its place in the world, its international linkages, it is
:19:07. > :19:11.very embedded in the process of globalisation. It is not an economy
:19:12. > :19:16.that can shut itself off. They need investment very badly, capital
:19:17. > :19:20.flows, they need trade access. The West is in a position to deny them
:19:21. > :19:24.that I shutting them out of the international financial system, for
:19:25. > :19:28.example, that would be damaging. Russia is already teetering on the
:19:29. > :19:31.brink of recession. If Latimer Putin thought there would be a serious
:19:32. > :19:38.economic downturn as a result of this, and it would affect his mystic
:19:39. > :19:50.popularity, which it would, he would think twice. -- mystic policies. Do
:19:51. > :19:55.you think they should be sidelined from the international financial
:19:56. > :20:03.centre? It's through that Russia has become something of a hub for trade
:20:04. > :20:08.investment. Do you regret that? In a sense, we are what we are. We don't
:20:09. > :20:12.regret the trade and investment that comes from wherever it comes from.
:20:13. > :20:18.We are not in a position to stop it because we are in a market,
:20:19. > :20:23.international market. We never thought of asking for special
:20:24. > :20:30.treatment to protect the city's interests. Would you be prepared...
:20:31. > :20:34.? It is a matter for our government, European governments to get together
:20:35. > :20:39.and devised a scheme that we have been talking about. Bearing in mind
:20:40. > :20:44.what has happened, Fiona Woolf, have you or any of your colleague ever
:20:45. > :20:49.lobbied ministers or civil servants against the imposition of financial
:20:50. > :20:53.sanctions against Russia? Absolutely not. Don't forget, the market has
:20:54. > :20:58.voted with its feet. The reports we are getting from our Moscow
:20:59. > :21:02.offices, this situation has had a chilling effect on trade and
:21:03. > :21:10.investment already. And many plans for investment have simply gone on
:21:11. > :21:14.hold. Do you think the City of London is too close the Russian
:21:15. > :21:22.financial interests? Do you think they have allowed too much Russian
:21:23. > :21:28.money to come into London? Not necessarily. It depends what you
:21:29. > :21:33.mean by too much Russian money. Is the relationship to close? People
:21:34. > :21:39.are accusing Russia of being a rogue state. City of London is arguably
:21:40. > :21:42.the pre-eminent global hub, we are going to trade with people right
:21:43. > :21:49.around the world. We are not going to just trade with the nine liberal
:21:50. > :21:53.governments. But it is important that the Russians understand there
:21:54. > :21:57.has to be some sort of order. -- benign liberal governments. They are
:21:58. > :22:03.actively intervening in Ukrainian affairs in a way that is not just
:22:04. > :22:07.damaging to the Ukraine, but as we see with this plane shot down,
:22:08. > :22:10.damaging the people across Europe and the world who have had friends
:22:11. > :22:15.and relatives killed in this deliberate attempt to shoot down a
:22:16. > :22:19.plane. We do have to be mindful of that, and as the Chancellor said
:22:20. > :22:23.yesterday on television, there may be some economic consequences to us
:22:24. > :22:28.of having serious sanctions but there are economic consequences of
:22:29. > :22:32.having a country as large and powerful as Russia acting with
:22:33. > :22:36.impunity in world affairs. Do you think the City of London has
:22:37. > :22:38.embraced Russian money and Russian financial interest in a way they
:22:39. > :22:46.shouldn't have done in recent months? I do. The way that we
:22:47. > :22:51.allowed oil assets to be floated on the stock exchange, the way in which
:22:52. > :22:55.flows of personal wealth come into this country to buy up property and
:22:56. > :22:59.inflate the London housing market in a way that is very harmful to
:23:00. > :23:04.Londoners, apart from anything else... We haven't been
:23:05. > :23:06.discriminating enough. The lesson that Vladimir Putin and others have
:23:07. > :23:11.drawn from this is that when it comes to dealing with his corrupt
:23:12. > :23:14.and authoritarian model of governance, the West puts its own
:23:15. > :23:19.financial interests before its values. They see us as bribe a
:23:20. > :23:25.ball. When Russia gets into a tight spot, they will always be able to
:23:26. > :23:39.buy their way out of it. The message has to be that that is no longer the
:23:40. > :23:42.case. -- they see us as bribeable. The financial interests and the
:23:43. > :23:48.values are a huge hot topic in the City of London anyway. Whether it is
:23:49. > :23:56.possible in a fast transaction, global market to look behind every
:23:57. > :24:03.transaction and stop it... Isn't that your responsibility? It's
:24:04. > :24:08.dealing with it as a whole. You can argue this anyway that you like, but
:24:09. > :24:14.the fact is, as you said yourself, there are no particular measures
:24:15. > :24:20.that you can apply when you actually stop something. It's really
:24:21. > :24:27.important that London is the global financial centre... Not at any
:24:28. > :24:31.price. We are seen to run a discriminate ship as regards to some
:24:32. > :24:37.of our values, and if we lose sight of that with our dealings with
:24:38. > :24:41.Russia, China or others, and we don't have self-confidence in our
:24:42. > :24:46.own values as a country, we become diminished not just ourselves but in
:24:47. > :24:47.the eyes of the world as well. Jeremy and David, thank you very
:24:48. > :24:50.much. Powerful, wealthy and representing
:24:51. > :24:53.the interests of the powerful and wealthy, the Corporation of London -
:24:54. > :24:56.the body that runs the City - But what is its role,
:24:57. > :25:01.what does it do, and can it help rebuild the reputation of
:25:02. > :25:03.its financial giants in the face of Giles has donned
:25:04. > :25:09.his pinstripe to find out. Explaining the oddities of the City
:25:10. > :25:12.of London to a stranger to the city that IS London might send
:25:13. > :25:17.them a bit blurry. It's run by a corporation, but not
:25:18. > :25:20.in the sense of the word that In the modern sense.
:25:21. > :25:25.It's a City inside a city. It's not a local authority
:25:26. > :25:29.but it has many of their powers. The Lord Mayor of London ISN'T
:25:30. > :25:32.the Mayor of London. It's only a square mile of land
:25:33. > :25:35.but it runs Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath and the animal
:25:36. > :25:38.reception centre at Heathrow. So to shed some light on this,
:25:39. > :25:45.from the ancient seat of the Corporation's power, the man
:25:46. > :25:59.who helps run things explains. The corporation is a very odd body,
:26:00. > :26:03.you would not invent it today, it goes back 800 years but it is not
:26:04. > :26:08.bound by tradition. It wouldn't still be around a bit stuck with the
:26:09. > :26:09.past. The work we do to promote London as an international business
:26:10. > :26:12.centre benefits the whole economy. That might sound peculiar
:26:13. > :26:15.when it celebrates for example the Car registration
:26:16. > :26:20.for the times before cars. But driving the interests
:26:21. > :26:23.of 8,000 residents and 300,000 workers who daily come
:26:24. > :26:36.into the Square Mile's financial There is still a impression that
:26:37. > :26:42.financial services is about people who work in shiny towns in Canary
:26:43. > :26:45.Wharf or the City of London. Most financial services are around the
:26:46. > :26:51.whole UK, or bury people in every town and high street looking after
:26:52. > :26:54.the needs of customers, individuals or small businesses. -- ordinary
:26:55. > :26:58.people in every town. The message we have to get across is that the city
:26:59. > :27:03.brings wealth into the country but it does not stay in the city, it
:27:04. > :27:04.moves across the whole UK, powering the economy and helping businesses
:27:05. > :27:07.to grow. Well, that may well be so, but over
:27:08. > :27:10.the last five years the reputational damage to this sector, over banking
:27:11. > :27:12.scandals, executive pay, bonuses, mis-selling and market manipulation,
:27:13. > :27:15.has tarnished the industry which in the UK is, by any standards,
:27:16. > :27:32.a global leader. We have got a lot of scandals still
:27:33. > :27:36.coming. We need to draw a line under the past. The important thing is to
:27:37. > :27:39.recognise the importance that financial services have, we have to
:27:40. > :27:44.make sure the banking system works for us, not just for the great
:27:45. > :27:47.invisible imports that come to the City of London and other parts of
:27:48. > :27:50.the UK because of global finance, but of course we also need an
:27:51. > :27:53.opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises to benefit
:27:54. > :27:55.from what banks should be doing, which is lending money. We need to
:27:56. > :27:57.get that right. The Corporation has deep pockets,
:27:58. > :27:59.it sponsors the Barbican, runs schools and housing, covered a chunk
:28:00. > :28:02.of Cross Rail and other ventures. But its corporate focus draws
:28:03. > :28:16.criticism that it's a closed shop, We have no wish to be secretive. I
:28:17. > :28:20.am told we have secret bank accounts but they are so secretive no-one has
:28:21. > :28:22.told me about them. We have no wish be secretive.
:28:23. > :28:24.Nonetheless, it might be some time before
:28:25. > :28:27.the public see the City as anything more than greedy grey-suited hims,
:28:28. > :28:50.Markfield, Conservative MP, saying there are still scandals the
:28:51. > :28:55.service. -- surface. Are there? There are still investigations going
:28:56. > :29:05.on. This is something that is taking a while to get to the bottom of. We
:29:06. > :29:09.can't condone activity... Certainly that pushes into the criminal
:29:10. > :29:17.field. We can't begin to condone that. This stuff is not helpful for
:29:18. > :29:23.me in my role, which is promoting financial and business services, and
:29:24. > :29:27.London as a place in which to do business. How difficult has it been
:29:28. > :29:30.since the financial crash? As you know, public anger was at its site
:29:31. > :29:36.and has been over the last few years, and the city's reputation was
:29:37. > :29:41.trashed to a certain extent. Has the culture in the City of London, in
:29:42. > :29:45.the banking world, changed in your mind? They are working on it. They
:29:46. > :29:49.are very sensitive about it. There are a lot of initiatives going on
:29:50. > :29:57.from the professional bodies bringing in ethical training and
:29:58. > :29:59.standards, Sir Richard Lambert's banking standards review commission
:30:00. > :30:13.is now being established at high speed. So they are wanting to make
:30:14. > :30:15.the world a better place. How would you describe the role of the City of
:30:16. > :30:22.London in modern Britain? It is there to be a good force, using
:30:23. > :30:29.heritage and a dowry, and making people pay to cross their bridges
:30:30. > :30:32.for centuries. But my role as Lord Mayor of London is not one about
:30:33. > :30:38.presiding at council meetings, although I do do that, it is
:30:39. > :30:43.actually getting out and about to attract trade and investment and
:30:44. > :30:48.jobs to Britain, and to promote exports and taking people with me.
:30:49. > :30:53.In fact, I think I am here because in the 1990s I travelled with the
:30:54. > :30:58.Lord Mayors overseas visits for their door opening powers, and
:30:59. > :31:02.disabled -- enabled me to export my firm all over the world. So more
:31:03. > :31:05.than just a pressure group are high finance, which is what critics would
:31:06. > :31:10.say, that you use the lobbying power and money to promote your interest
:31:11. > :31:16.to that end? Well, I'm not really in a hugely lobbying role. Maybe a
:31:17. > :31:23.little bit of soft power around the edges, but it's really more about
:31:24. > :31:30.making it easy for people to do business, and particularly I receive
:31:31. > :31:35.as many inward visits which takes up as much time as my overseas travel,
:31:36. > :31:39.and I will be away for 100 days per year. Fiona, thank you very much.
:31:40. > :31:43.There's an end of term feel to things as MPs get ready to head back
:31:44. > :31:45.to their constituencies for the summer recess.
:31:46. > :31:47.Here's what's coming up in the week ahead.
:31:48. > :31:49.The Commons rises tomorrow for the summer recess.
:31:50. > :31:53.MPs will not be expected back until the 1st of September.
:31:54. > :31:55.It's also the final cabinet before the summer break.
:31:56. > :31:58.On Wednesday the Commonwealth Games will begin and David Cameron is
:31:59. > :32:02.expected to attend the opening ceremony at Glasgow's Celtic Park.
:32:03. > :32:06.And on Friday the latest GDP figures will be released.
:32:07. > :32:10.Will this leave the Chancellor in a good mood for his holidays?
:32:11. > :32:13.So, to give their end of term assessments I'm joined now
:32:14. > :32:20.by Laura Pitel of The Times and by Tamara Cohen of the Daily Mail.
:32:21. > :32:27.Tamara, where do you think the parties are placed as we stand here
:32:28. > :32:31.almost at the end of term? It's interesting. It's been a very
:32:32. > :32:34.eventful year but we are in a similar position to last summer. The
:32:35. > :32:38.Tories are full of confidence since the budget and they have a top team
:32:39. > :32:42.in place and the economy has recovered better than they could
:32:43. > :32:45.have expected, yet they are still three or four points behind Labour
:32:46. > :32:49.in the polls, so they will hope over the summer that they can hammer home
:32:50. > :32:52.their messages about the economy, about welfare, about Europe and by
:32:53. > :32:56.the time of the party conference they can hopefully take the lead.
:32:57. > :33:00.Labour will be on the attack over the summer. They are ahead in the
:33:01. > :33:04.polls but people are not sure that Ed Miliband is in the right place to
:33:05. > :33:10.be Prime Minister. So they will spend the summer having pushed the
:33:11. > :33:15.Shadow Cabinet out and about to improve their standing. Laura,
:33:16. > :33:21.looking at it now, will anything changed dramatically between now and
:33:22. > :33:26.the election in terms of the polling, or will it go on as it is?
:33:27. > :33:30.That is the big question. The Tories will be hoping to overtake Labour in
:33:31. > :33:37.the polls sometime between now and the autumn and if that does not
:33:38. > :33:40.happen you wonder that they might get more jittery. We will be in a
:33:41. > :33:55.holding position over the summer and then they will make some new
:33:56. > :33:59.announcement. There's only two months to go, so it's a huge focus
:34:00. > :34:02.of attention by both parties and it's obviously a difficult one for
:34:03. > :34:11.the Conservatives. They only have one MP in Scotland and it will be
:34:12. > :34:14.making his annual trip to Balmoral as well as attending the
:34:15. > :34:19.Commonwealth Games. He will try to make the emotional argument about
:34:20. > :34:24.Scottish independence. We have heard a lot from the Better Together
:34:25. > :34:28.campaign about the economic arguments, about jobs and oil
:34:29. > :34:32.revenues, but I think both parties will be keen to go up there and make
:34:33. > :34:38.the emotional argument, and I'm sure Alex Salmond will be using every
:34:39. > :34:41.opportunity he can to make capital from that. What about the Liberal
:34:42. > :34:46.Democrats? We expect the reshuffle from them when we come back in
:34:47. > :34:52.September. Yes, there has been some speculation that Joe Swinson, one of
:34:53. > :35:02.the up-and-coming female stars might swap places with the Scotland
:35:03. > :35:06.Secretary after the Scottish referendum -- Jo Swinson. They will
:35:07. > :35:10.want to bed down, and it was described as every man for himself
:35:11. > :35:16.by one MP, and they will wonder if there will be any Liberal Democrat
:35:17. > :35:19.MPs left to form a coalition. Do you think that the lines on the economy
:35:20. > :35:24.will stay very much the same, that you will hear from the coalition
:35:25. > :35:28.that unemployment continues to come down, that they are battling against
:35:29. > :35:32.the deficit and growth has returned, and these are promising
:35:33. > :35:35.economic foundations, and the Labour Party will still, against that, talk
:35:36. > :35:44.about the cost of living and the fact that not everyone is feeling
:35:45. > :35:48.the recovery. I think so. Labour has had some criticism for the cost of
:35:49. > :35:51.living argument is that as the economy grows, people will feel
:35:52. > :35:54.better off and by the time of the election it could be a lot less
:35:55. > :35:59.persuasive, but they will have to stick with it. They are hoping that
:36:00. > :36:04.the Tory party will continue to talk about the long-term economic plan
:36:05. > :36:11.and jobs, and having the fastest growing economy in the G-7. Labour
:36:12. > :36:16.can make a good argument around things like rail fares and energy
:36:17. > :36:19.prices and they talked at the National policy Forum about some of
:36:20. > :36:26.the offerings they would make the party conference. But the key
:36:27. > :36:29.challenge for them is to turn it into something. Jon Cruddas said
:36:30. > :36:33.that the policy perhaps don't add up to a narrative about the country and
:36:34. > :36:37.that is what Labour need to develop in the coming months. Just finally,
:36:38. > :36:41.Laura, how the Tory MPs feeling at the end of term after the
:36:42. > :36:47.reshuffle? Well, the ones who have been sacked feeling OK. One of the
:36:48. > :36:51.themes of the last few months has been the almost unsettling quiet
:36:52. > :36:53.amongst Tory MPs after quite a rocky period in the run-up to the European
:36:54. > :36:59.elections. Things have actually been quite quiet. They will go away
:37:00. > :37:03.feeling not quietly confident, but OK and they will want to bed down
:37:04. > :37:14.and hang on in there and see if they can make it happen in May 2015.
:37:15. > :37:18.David Cameron's big reshuffle last week promoted some new faces to the
:37:19. > :37:22.Cabinet but he also sacked some people who are now on the
:37:23. > :37:23.backbenches with more time on their hands and the potential to cause Mr
:37:24. > :37:29.Cameron one or two headaches. Take for example the former
:37:30. > :37:31.Environment Secretary Owen Paterson. looking for someone to run my new
:37:32. > :37:35.office, but I seem to have lost That's a reference to the former
:37:36. > :37:40.special advisor to Michael Gove, who since leaving the department for
:37:41. > :37:42.education has very publicly attacked Then there's the former attorney
:37:43. > :37:47.general, Dominic Grieve. He was asked by Sky yesterday
:37:48. > :37:50.whether Mr Cameron had sacked him because of his view that Britain
:37:51. > :37:53.should remain a signatory to the Mr Grieve said,
:37:54. > :37:57."It's certainly possible. There's certainly been a lot of
:37:58. > :38:02.background to this over some time". And Ken Clarke has also
:38:03. > :38:05.been giving interviews. Talking to The Observer about the
:38:06. > :38:08.chances of a Conservative majority in the next election, Mr Clarke
:38:09. > :38:11.said, "I belong to a Conservative Party that used to be able to win
:38:12. > :38:14.elections", and that winning a majority in May next year is
:38:15. > :38:31.a "mountain to climb" I have been joined by Diane Abbott
:38:32. > :38:36.and Margot James and Laura Liebert for the Liberal Democrats. And here
:38:37. > :38:39.is Diane, who can join us. We were just talking about the big beasts
:38:40. > :38:43.who have escaped from the confines of ministerial offices, so who are
:38:44. > :38:49.you most worried about? We have to look positively and see that there
:38:50. > :38:52.is a new government in terms of people being brought on. I was
:38:53. > :38:57.pleased to see the number of women brought into the Cabinet and into
:38:58. > :39:01.government for the first time. Why won't you brought in? There are
:39:02. > :39:04.always more people than jobs and I have to take it on the chin. I was
:39:05. > :39:10.disappointed but I've got over it and I'm looking forward to the new
:39:11. > :39:12.term and helping to see a Conservative majority government
:39:13. > :39:16.elected next May. What job would you have liked? I have a business
:39:17. > :39:20.background and I've been working on the trade and investment brief for
:39:21. > :39:25.three years, so I was hoping to be able to make more of a contribution
:39:26. > :39:31.on the business side. Or on the foreign affairs and International
:39:32. > :39:34.development side. But in the meantime I am now free to speak in
:39:35. > :39:43.those areas where I was before because I was I am now able to make
:39:44. > :39:49.more of a contribution on the other areas. One of your former
:39:50. > :39:52.colleagues, Louise Mensch, tweeted over the weekend and said it was
:39:53. > :40:01.insane not to promote shoot and it must be galling when so many were
:40:02. > :40:04.promoted -- promote you. I think Mr Cameron missed a trick by not
:40:05. > :40:08.promoting Margot as she is an excellent Conservative MP. I have
:40:09. > :40:14.already answered that question. He made a mistake then? I said I was
:40:15. > :40:17.disappointed and I got over it. You will not be causing trouble on the
:40:18. > :40:22.backbenches as other colleagues perhaps might. Well, we don't know
:40:23. > :40:26.what the future holds, but the economy is going very well indeed.
:40:27. > :40:29.There is a lot of other good news. If we get the right result in the
:40:30. > :40:32.Scottish referendum, we will be well placed for the next election. Diane,
:40:33. > :40:36.welcome to the programme, better late than never. Well done for
:40:37. > :40:40.making it. From the backbenches, you know something about shouting from
:40:41. > :40:49.the sidelines, so who do you think is the biggest threat from the
:40:50. > :40:54.departed ministers? He is a very, very nice and gently spoken man, but
:40:55. > :40:58.I think Dominic Grieve, he is trying to tell them that they cannot
:40:59. > :41:01.legally and constitutionally do what they want to do, which is step away
:41:02. > :41:06.from the European Court of Human Rights. He's tried to tell them the
:41:07. > :41:10.truth is a law officer and they thanked him by sacking him. Although
:41:11. > :41:13.there might be some short-term political advantage and what they
:41:14. > :41:19.are doing, they are wrong and Dominic knows it. You were upset
:41:20. > :41:22.about the departure of Dominic Grieve, and Kenneth Clarke, who
:41:23. > :41:27.would describe himself as the biggest Europhile in the Tory ranks.
:41:28. > :41:35.He is quite liberal as well in his views, so we are disappointed to see
:41:36. > :41:39.him go, as well as Dominic. Of the new appointments, the best gloss I
:41:40. > :41:45.can put on it is the number of women that he has promoted, some very
:41:46. > :41:49.talented, sparky women, but this lurch to the right to try and
:41:50. > :41:53.appease the right wingers who will never ever be appeased because they
:41:54. > :41:56.will always want more, unfortunately, and that is a shame
:41:57. > :42:02.he has done that. That's what it looks like two critics and
:42:03. > :42:06.opponents, that losing both Kenneth Clarke and Dominic Grieve is a sop
:42:07. > :42:11.to UKIP. It is fear, and trying to reconcile the right of the party. I
:42:12. > :42:16.don't think that is the case. Ken Clarke, it has been widely trailed
:42:17. > :42:21.that he has stepped down from his own decision after so many years.
:42:22. > :42:25.What about Dominic Grieve? I was very sorry to see Dominic go as
:42:26. > :42:29.well. I think he has been a fine Attorney General changes have be
:42:30. > :42:35.made. And within time for a general election. But this is just changing
:42:36. > :42:38.the face, this is a clear signal that they want to move away from
:42:39. > :42:43.their commitment to the Convention on human rights which is a serious
:42:44. > :42:49.thing. Does it worry you if there is a move away? Dominic Grieve was seen
:42:50. > :42:51.as a block on debate about withdrawing from the European
:42:52. > :42:55.Convention on human rights. Would you be worried about it? I would be
:42:56. > :43:00.worried if the alternative proposals would not enshrine all the
:43:01. > :43:04.principles of the Convention on human rights into a British Bill of
:43:05. > :43:07.Rights. That is the proposal. Yes, I was concerned by what Dominic had to
:43:08. > :43:12.say yesterday but we will see how that develops. I just think it would
:43:13. > :43:20.be a complete disaster. Britain has been a flagship for human rights,
:43:21. > :43:23.and if we withdraw from the European convention on human rights, what is
:43:24. > :43:29.that going to say to all of the dictators around the world? What
:43:30. > :43:34.will it say to Vladimir Putin? It's a horrible example to set. It hasn't
:43:35. > :43:41.happened yet. But that is the way it's going and that's why we are
:43:42. > :43:45.both anxious about it. Message discipline is always important. And
:43:46. > :43:48.you said to the leadership that you were probably let go by Ed Miliband
:43:49. > :43:53.because you weren't quite on message. Could you be recalled if
:43:54. > :43:57.there is a reshuffle? I was sacked because I was one of the first
:43:58. > :44:03.people to express opposition to the war on Syria and I don't regret a
:44:04. > :44:07.thing. Who Ed Miliband has on his front bench is a matter for him.
:44:08. > :44:11.When he sacked me, he said, do you think I'm doing the right thing? I
:44:12. > :44:17.said you are, it's your reshuffle. It's always the right thing. I am
:44:18. > :44:19.happy backbencher. I can say to Margot, she can be a happy
:44:20. > :44:30.backbencher as well. Leave it there. What's your idea
:44:31. > :44:32.of a fun summer weekend? How about being cooped up in
:44:33. > :44:34.a conference room in Milton Keynes, hammering out policy agreements with
:44:35. > :44:37.200 of your closest colleagues? No? Well,
:44:38. > :44:39.that's how Ed Miliband and his team spent last weekend, at the Labour
:44:40. > :44:41.Party's National Policy Forum. Here's what Ed Miliband said
:44:42. > :44:51.at the event. Britain still has a deficit to deal
:44:52. > :44:58.with and a debt to pay down, so we commit to balance the books in the
:44:59. > :45:01.next Parliament. We will deliver a surplus in the current budget. But I
:45:02. > :45:05.want to say to you today that there is an even bigger reason why we need
:45:06. > :45:10.a new direction, rooted in Labour values. It comes from our experience
:45:11. > :45:14.in government. Higher spending is not actually the answer to the
:45:15. > :45:15.long-term economic crisis that we together have identified over the
:45:16. > :45:18.last four years. So those on the left, who wanted to
:45:19. > :45:21.see a bit of old-fashioned anti-austerity tax and spend,
:45:22. > :45:23.are likely to be disappointed. But the man who delivered New Labour
:45:24. > :45:27.to office has also had been speaking about Labour's policy direction this
:45:28. > :45:42.morning. Diane might be upset to know that
:45:43. > :45:48.the third Way is here to say. It isn't a programme, it is a
:45:49. > :45:53.philosophy. Its essence does not lie in a particular set of solutions.
:45:54. > :46:00.But in a way of thinking. For that reason, it's not time-limited, it's
:46:01. > :46:12.perpetual. But because it is about modernisation, it is, therefore,
:46:13. > :46:16.also dynamic and not static. Tony Blair, delivering a speech 20 years
:46:17. > :46:21.since being elected as leader. Higher spending is not necessarily
:46:22. > :46:26.the answer. Do you agree? Not necessarily. A lot of people will
:46:27. > :46:34.vote Labour because they are hoping that they will reverse the coalition
:46:35. > :46:38.cuts. Using the money differently is one thing, but would you like to see
:46:39. > :46:42.Labour promising to spend more in general on public services?
:46:43. > :46:51.Train-macro it's not what I would like to see, people -- it's not what
:46:52. > :46:56.I would like to see, people will vote for us or the Lib Dems because
:46:57. > :46:59.they want to see some of the spending reversed. Were you
:47:00. > :47:02.disappointed with what Ed Miliband had to say, that it would be
:47:03. > :47:11.business as usual, keeping the spending cuts? It doesn't surprise
:47:12. > :47:14.me that they want to keep within the spending envelope. The question for
:47:15. > :47:19.us as a party is how do we spend that money? We think we can spend it
:47:20. > :47:27.better than the Tories. Were you disappointed to hear it? They have a
:47:28. > :47:30.long way to go. For a start, they have only committed to matching the
:47:31. > :47:36.plans for a year. They can do a hell of a lot of damage in the four years
:47:37. > :47:43.after that is up. People would argue you have done damage with the
:47:44. > :47:48.terrible welfare cuts. We inherited an economy where we were spending ?5
:47:49. > :47:53.for every ?4 we were earning. You seem to have forgotten about the
:47:54. > :47:57.collapse and the international financial crisis. The previous
:47:58. > :48:04.Labour government started borrowing to spend in 2001, years before the
:48:05. > :48:08.collapse. So the investment was wrong into the National Health
:48:09. > :48:11.Service and education? A lot of money was basically borrowed and
:48:12. > :48:14.when the chickens came home to roost and this country was suddenly facing
:48:15. > :48:19.the same sort of banking crisis as the rest of the world, we were more
:48:20. > :48:23.exposed than any of the other G-7 countries. That was the legacy we
:48:24. > :48:26.had to deal with and which we are still dealing with, and there is
:48:27. > :48:30.more to be done. What Labour have come out with over the weekend is
:48:31. > :48:37.wholly inadequate. Do you think it is believable? No, they have opposed
:48:38. > :48:42.every single reduction in our spending that the coalition has had
:48:43. > :48:50.to settle on. Every single one. Who do you agree with? Is Diane Wright?
:48:51. > :48:57.Some of the benefits cuts are extremely unpopular. -- is Diane
:48:58. > :49:02.correcter macro? I don't have a great deal of sympathy for Diane's
:49:03. > :49:07.position. It seems Ed Miliband is saying, look, we crashed the economy
:49:08. > :49:13.before but please do trust us because we won't do it again. I
:49:14. > :49:18.don't see any evidence... You go out there next year campaigning to
:49:19. > :49:25.defend Tory cuts and see what that does for you. Do you defend the
:49:26. > :49:29.cuts? Do you defend the idea of more cuts post-2015? Yes, I think we have
:49:30. > :49:33.to stay solvent as a country. We have found that what happens when we
:49:34. > :49:37.are on the brink of economic disaster. We have to be sensible. I
:49:38. > :49:44.have sympathy with the idea of spending differently. Where would
:49:45. > :49:47.you spend differently? Each party has their priorities. We have
:49:48. > :49:54.announced there are certain things we want to change. There will be a
:49:55. > :49:59.whole manifesto... Suddenly discovering it is a bad thing, three
:50:00. > :50:08.years on... We're not saying the bedroom tax is a bad thing. Are you
:50:09. > :50:12.calling it a bedroom tax? A spare room subsidy. We are saying the
:50:13. > :50:18.implementation has not been done successfully and that is why we have
:50:19. > :50:21.changed it. We still agree with it. Diane, you are looking at Lorely
:50:22. > :50:26.quizzically, but you could be in coalition. Some of the ideas have
:50:27. > :50:30.been taken straight out of the Lib Dem manifesto, mansion tax,
:50:31. > :50:41.localism, devolution, these are all things you agree on. Acting on the
:50:42. > :50:47.question of free school meals years before Labour discovered it... Why
:50:48. > :50:51.didn't you do it then? We did it in local authority is where we have the
:50:52. > :50:55.power to do it, in case you didn't notice. We were not in power so we
:50:56. > :51:02.couldn't implement it. Yes, many of the things Lib Dems talk about, we
:51:03. > :51:04.have been talking about for years. There are policy matches between
:51:05. > :51:09.yourself and the Lib Dems. More than ever. There is always going to be
:51:10. > :51:15.policy overlap when both parties are vaguely to the left of the Tories.
:51:16. > :51:18.So there is an overlap. Labour moving closer to the Lib Dems
:51:19. > :51:25.because they see the only possibility is of a coalition? It
:51:26. > :51:29.will be in the coalition's hands whether we see a coalition. It is
:51:30. > :51:33.not for me to second-guess. Ken Clarke has said it would be a
:51:34. > :51:39.mountain to climb for the Tories to the largest party, never mind have
:51:40. > :51:42.an overall majority. It's a challenge for any party to get an
:51:43. > :51:46.overall majority when you see reduced voting for the main two
:51:47. > :51:50.parties, that is an electoral fact we have to deal with. In addition,
:51:51. > :51:55.we didn't get the boundary changes through. It still takes a lot more
:51:56. > :52:01.conservative votes to elect a government than a Labour government.
:52:02. > :52:05.In terms of our progress on the economy and the polling of the Prime
:52:06. > :52:09.Minister's support against Ed Miliband's support, which is
:52:10. > :52:16.massively in favour of the Prime Minister... You are still four
:52:17. > :52:19.points behind. At this stage. I don't think politicians who have
:52:20. > :52:26.been three points behind with a year to go... Technically, you have got a
:52:27. > :52:28.recovery, but it is a vote less recovery because people don't feel
:52:29. > :52:36.better off. You might have thought it is
:52:37. > :52:40.the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow -
:52:41. > :52:43.but you'd be wrong. In fact, the Clerk of the House
:52:44. > :52:46.of Commons is really in charge. He's also chief executive
:52:47. > :52:48.of the House of Commons Service. The current holder of the post,
:52:49. > :52:51.Sir Robert Rogers, is retiring after I popped over
:52:52. > :53:07.the road to meet him last week. cheering us with his good humour,
:53:08. > :53:11.Sir Robert has been unfailingly helpful, patient and courteous. He
:53:12. > :53:20.has brought formidable intellect, his insight and his great sense of
:53:21. > :53:24.humour. Sir Robert's appearance belies an intellectually adventurous
:53:25. > :53:35.mind, and a considerable radicalism in terms of this place.
:53:36. > :53:40.Robert Rogers, you are part of the houses of parliament. One of the
:53:41. > :53:46.most interesting things about your role, you are the legal owner of all
:53:47. > :53:50.these amazing buildings. How come? Well, I am the corporate officer,
:53:51. > :53:54.which means I own all of the house's property and it also means I
:53:55. > :53:59.am the person liable if anything goes wrong. To preserve something
:54:00. > :54:04.like this for future generations I think is a really worthwhile
:54:05. > :54:09.endeavour. It's absolutely amazing. People around the world know it, but
:54:10. > :54:14.it also looks a bit ecclesiastical and fusty so we have to run a modern
:54:15. > :54:18.parliament inside that building. One of the most important roles in your
:54:19. > :54:23.job is to give advice to the Prime Minister and other ministers, but do
:54:24. > :54:30.they ever take your advice? Giving advice, absolutely partially, to
:54:31. > :54:35.government, ministers, wherever they are in the house, members of any
:54:36. > :54:41.party, no party... Of course we advise them, but it is always in
:54:42. > :54:45.confidence. It is always rigidly impartial and vice. Is this where
:54:46. > :54:50.you bring ministers and Prime Ministers, to talk to them? Is this
:54:51. > :54:54.your chambers? If it was the Prime Minister, I would go and talk to
:54:55. > :55:00.him, although he happens to be two doors down. This is my office. This
:55:01. > :55:05.is where any member who wants to come and consult me can come and
:55:06. > :55:09.find me. Lets go and have a look. You the 49th clerk the house. Is it
:55:10. > :55:18.important to know each individual member? Absolutely vital. I do, and
:55:19. > :55:22.all of my colleagues do. When I am walking around the estate, I always
:55:23. > :55:26.greet members individually, stop and talk to them about something they
:55:27. > :55:35.are doing. The House of Commons is a small community. A newcomer to the
:55:36. > :55:42.houses of parliament, never been here before, how would you describe
:55:43. > :55:46.what you do? Two aspects do my job. Principal constitutional adviser to
:55:47. > :55:49.the house, advise on all its procedure and business. I have a lot
:55:50. > :55:55.of extremely able people to help with back. The buck on those is used
:55:56. > :55:58.to stop with me. The other part of the job, which only two or three of
:55:59. > :56:04.my predecessors would recognise as it is now, is being Chief Executive
:56:05. > :56:09.of the House of Commons service, which is getting on for 2000 people.
:56:10. > :56:10.Imagine you are going into the chamber. What would you do just
:56:11. > :56:25.before you go in? A lot of God to put on. Yes. --
:56:26. > :56:42.gramsarb. It's a dignified framework of the
:56:43. > :56:47.chamber. A lot of people outside this place like it. It's a dignified
:56:48. > :56:52.framework that allows the hurly-burly of politics to go on
:56:53. > :56:58.within it. I am not worried about signs of times past. History should
:56:59. > :57:05.be our inspiration, not our jailer. How old is that weaker? Quite old!
:57:06. > :57:23.We are ready to go. Off we go. Thank you. Sir Robert
:57:24. > :57:30.Rogers, who has retired. A great character. Did you meet him? Yes, I
:57:31. > :57:34.did, I went to him for some advice on procedure. He was just the most
:57:35. > :57:38.charming guy that you could ever wish to meet. I was reflecting on
:57:39. > :57:43.what he was saying about history being our inspiration, not our
:57:44. > :57:46.jailer. Perhaps both colleagues... We could have an outbreak of
:57:47. > :57:54.agreement that we do need some modernisation in the House of
:57:55. > :57:56.Commons. I just think he would be in the hearts of so many people for a
:57:57. > :57:59.long time to come. There's just time before we go to
:58:00. > :58:03.find out the answer to our quiz. The question was:
:58:04. > :58:05.who is Ed Miliband meeting today? Tony Blair, Barack Obama,
:58:06. > :58:19.Jean Claude Juncker, Angela Merkel? Diane? Barack Obama? Yes, what could
:58:20. > :58:22.possibly go wrong! Because it has never gone long before. Can you
:58:23. > :58:29.describe what the brush buyer will mean? Gordon Brown had to go in the
:58:30. > :58:36.kitchen and Barack Obama literally brushed by him there. The
:58:37. > :58:46.scholarly! Do you think that is what they call it? An important moment?
:58:47. > :58:50.Yes, an important step towards May 2015 when he gets elected... I
:58:51. > :58:54.shouldn't have given you that opportunity! Thank you to the three
:58:55. > :58:58.ladies for being my guests. The one o'clock News is starting on BBC1. I
:58:59. > :59:10.will be here tomorrow with the last daily politics. Goodbye.
:59:11. > :59:13.Imagine the number of women this industry supports.