:00:39. > :00:40.Hello, and welcome to the Daily Politics.
:00:41. > :00:43.Christmas cheer could be in short supply
:00:44. > :00:46.if you want to use a post office, train or plane this week.
:00:47. > :00:48.So, how serious are the latest round of strikes?
:00:49. > :00:52.And how should the Government respond?
:00:53. > :00:54.There's been a mass walk-out in the Stormont Assembly
:00:55. > :00:56.in Northern Ireland this morning, where First Minister
:00:57. > :00:59.Arlene Foster is facing a vote of no-confidence over
:01:00. > :01:12.I am the only candidate who has pledged to defeat Isis.
:01:13. > :01:15.We'll be talking about this unusual campaign to win election
:01:16. > :01:20.It's been a roller-coaster of a year.
:01:21. > :01:23.We'll look back at the pictures that have defined 2016,
:01:24. > :01:30.and ask what the year ahead could have in store.
:01:31. > :01:35.And with us for the whole of the show are the Conservative
:01:36. > :01:51.And, having failed in our bid for a Christmas Day special
:01:52. > :01:54.to replace a rerun of Dad's Army, this is the penultimate
:01:55. > :01:58.No need to answer, that's more of a rhetorical question.
:01:59. > :02:01.First today, let's talk about the wave of strikes
:02:02. > :02:03.hitting a range of services in the run-up to Christmas.
:02:04. > :02:05.Postal services, railways and airlines are all affected,
:02:06. > :02:10.which could add up to a miserable time for many members of the public
:02:11. > :02:20.and has sparked renewed calls for the Government to do more
:02:21. > :02:23.to curb the impact of strikes, following claims that at least some
:02:24. > :02:26.Around 3,000 staff at hundreds of Crown Post Offices,
:02:27. > :02:28.the larger branches usually located in high streets,
:02:29. > :02:31.are expected to strike today, tomorrow and on Saturday,
:02:32. > :02:33.in a dispute over jobs, pensions and branch closures.
:02:34. > :02:35.UK airports are also set to be hit by a 48-hour
:02:36. > :02:41.strike from December 23rd, with about 1,500 check-in staff,
:02:42. > :02:47.baggage handlers and cargo crew involved in a row over pay.
:02:48. > :02:49.In a separate dispute, some cabin crew at British Airways
:02:50. > :02:53.have also called strikes for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
:02:54. > :02:58.Meanwhile, strikes continue on Southern Rail services today,
:02:59. > :03:04.with conductors from the RMT union beginning two days of walk-outs.
:03:05. > :03:09.So, how close are we to a Christmas of discontent?
:03:10. > :03:11.Well, the number of working days lost to workplace
:03:12. > :03:16.disputes is up this year, but industrial unrest is still very
:03:17. > :03:19.low by historical standards, and only a fraction of the levels
:03:20. > :03:26.The Conservatives have already introduced the Trade Union Act
:03:27. > :03:29.in May, delivering their manifesto pledge of strike ballots having
:03:30. > :03:32.to achieve a 50% turnout in order for industrial action to go ahead.
:03:33. > :03:38.Ministers also introduced a minimum threshold of at least 40% support
:03:39. > :03:45.for industrial action in "important public services" like health,
:03:46. > :03:50.But not all of the strikes taking place this month are covered by this
:03:51. > :03:57.Some Conservative MPs are calling on the Government to go further,
:03:58. > :03:59.and introduce stricter laws on strike action.
:04:00. > :04:03.And there were questions about whether some of the strikes
:04:04. > :04:05.were politically motivated, after a video emerged
:04:06. > :04:11.of one union leader, the RMT president Sean Hoyle,
:04:12. > :04:14.saying unions were seeking to "bring down the Tory Government"
:04:15. > :04:20.and "replace the capitalist system with a socialist order."
:04:21. > :04:26.Suella Fernandes, do you think these strikes are justified in the run-up
:04:27. > :04:32.to Christmas? Identity top I think the unions are holding a gun to the
:04:33. > :04:37.head of the management and, actually, the commuters and baby but
:04:38. > :04:40.you need to use our postal service. Hundreds of thousands of people are
:04:41. > :04:45.going to be affected severely by these strikes. My constituency in
:04:46. > :04:49.Fareham, I hear from communities every day who are suffering. They
:04:50. > :04:52.can't get to work, can't get home to see their families and are in the
:04:53. > :04:56.middle of this dispute which is now unfair and disproportionate. Do you
:04:57. > :05:00.agree with your colleague, David Lammy, Meg Hillier, chair of the
:05:01. > :05:03.Public Accounts Committee, who has suggested the unions need a bit of a
:05:04. > :05:07.wake-up call and the impact of the strike action could be shooting
:05:08. > :05:10.themselves in the foot? I do want to make a generalised statement about
:05:11. > :05:16.the unions because, actually, in each situation you've got something
:05:17. > :05:18.very different. With Southern Rail, frankly the government should have
:05:19. > :05:23.done something about the nightmare of a company now making huge profits
:05:24. > :05:30.but running a line terribly and obviously now in a very disagreeable
:05:31. > :05:35.situation and this stuff. BAE, it is about a deal struck in 2010 and what
:05:36. > :05:38.a percentage of those who are on the airlines, their terms and
:05:39. > :05:42.conditions, which are not fantastic by anyone's standard and the
:05:43. > :05:46.situation with Royal Mail, which is not really about the government, is
:05:47. > :05:52.an internal dispute. So are those strikes justified? I don't know the
:05:53. > :05:56.detail of the Royal Mail situation. What about the RMT or the athletic
:05:57. > :06:03.train drivers? Is it justifiable for them to be still on strike? -- Aslef
:06:04. > :06:09.train drivers. I am deeply frustrated with Southern Rail so, in
:06:10. > :06:12.a sense, the mess, I think, sits with the Government. It really
:06:13. > :06:19.should act. But what about the unions? The row is about who closes
:06:20. > :06:24.the doors! I understand a third of our rail franchise, the doors are
:06:25. > :06:29.closed by the driver. It feels like, obviously, an incidental dispute but
:06:30. > :06:33.it is serious to the terms and conditions of the conductors. And
:06:34. > :06:37.surely it is down to the company to have actually resolved this strike
:06:38. > :06:41.and the company that hasn't invested, Southern Rail, and hasn't
:06:42. > :06:44.actually got enough staff to cover these disputes, or even when there
:06:45. > :06:49.are no dispute, they don't have enough staff, it seems, to actually
:06:50. > :06:54.be on the trains. Do you think they don't bear any responsible to? The
:06:55. > :06:58.fact is that these strikes are... No jobs are going to be lost, no wages
:06:59. > :07:01.are going to be cut, there is no safety issue. The independent
:07:02. > :07:05.regulator has said there is no safety issue, despite what the
:07:06. > :07:10.unions say. Do you think the company has any responsibility? These
:07:11. > :07:14.strikes could end tomorrow if Aslef and the RMT called them off. That's
:07:15. > :07:18.where the fault lies. It is not the Government's fault. The whole
:07:19. > :07:24.responsible as he is politically motivated and unfair. So you don't
:07:25. > :07:26.think the committee has any responsibility? You may make the
:07:27. > :07:32.accusation that it is politically motivated. Isn't it politically
:07:33. > :07:35.motivated, though, David Lammy? We can listen to the RMT president Sean
:07:36. > :07:38.Hoyle and what he said about whether politics is involved.
:07:39. > :07:40.The great newspaper the Times, they did a spread the
:07:41. > :07:43.other week where they were talking about the left trying to bring the
:07:44. > :07:45.Government down and it had the National Shop Stewards
:07:46. > :07:47.Network, the RMT, other left-wing organisations,
:07:48. > :07:48.coordinating to bring the Government down.
:07:49. > :08:03.Any trade unionist with any sense wants to bring down this bloody
:08:04. > :08:09.working-class-hating Tory government.
:08:10. > :08:18.He couldn't have been clearer, could he? It is politically motivated, so
:08:19. > :08:27.says Sean Hoyle. Is he right? There is no surprise that the union of
:08:28. > :08:30.Crow has deep animosity towards a government that has pursued
:08:31. > :08:32.austerity. I don't think it is surprising that his agenda, of
:08:33. > :08:38.course, is to bring down the government. That's the position of
:08:39. > :08:41.the RMT. Is that fair on union members, to use that union to pursue
:08:42. > :08:47.an agenda to bring down the government... I don't think that's
:08:48. > :08:51.news. But is it right, is it fair that travellers on these trains are
:08:52. > :08:53.suffering because unions have gone on strike, motivated by the
:08:54. > :08:59.political agenda of the union leaders? I think you've got to
:09:00. > :09:02.distinguish between a stated RMT position, and the RMT is not
:09:03. > :09:07.affiliated to the Labour Party, so they've always been in a very
:09:08. > :09:10.strong, extreme position, and this dispute, and in the end, when Suella
:09:11. > :09:14.Fernandes says it has nothing to do with the government, this is a
:09:15. > :09:18.company that has made 100 million. Its profits have gone up by 27 and
:09:19. > :09:25.was the worst rail franchise country. It should be in the control
:09:26. > :09:28.of the mayor, Sadiq Khan wants it and we find out the Chris Grayling
:09:29. > :09:30.doesn't want to do it because he is a Labour mayor so what is the
:09:31. > :09:34.Government doing about this franchise which is out of control
:09:35. > :09:40.and causing huge chaos to the south and to London? Think of our GDP and
:09:41. > :09:44.how it is affected. The fact is, there is no reasonable basis for
:09:45. > :09:50.this strike action. Unions say that is not the case. They say there are
:09:51. > :09:53.safety issues. And we see what their motivation is, to bring down the
:09:54. > :09:59.government. Has Southern Rail been a successful franchise? Southern Rail
:10:00. > :10:02.has... There have been a lot of problems with cancellations, delays
:10:03. > :10:06.and poor service, absolutely, and this is a dispute between unions and
:10:07. > :10:09.the management. The Government can take action but that takes a long
:10:10. > :10:15.time. We need action now and the way it can stop now is if the unions
:10:16. > :10:19.call off the strike and if Labour condemns this action. It is
:10:20. > :10:22.unsurprising that Aslef pays ?100,000 to the Labour Party and yet
:10:23. > :10:26.Jeremy Corbyn will not come out and criticises an acceptable strike
:10:27. > :10:29.action. What did you think of the letter Chris Grayling wrote a Boris
:10:30. > :10:33.Johnson to say that he wouldn't be happy, in 2013, for the suburban
:10:34. > :10:38.rail lines to be given to a Labour mayor, but it was politically
:10:39. > :10:40.motivated, to use your words? Ideology became involved over a
:10:41. > :10:45.decision over who should run the suburban rail lines. This is a
:10:46. > :10:49.dispute between the company and the management and the unions and the
:10:50. > :10:51.Government has assisted to try and ensure negotiation. As far as I
:10:52. > :10:55.know, those talks are not taking place today and yet industrial
:10:56. > :10:59.action is proposed. What about Suella Fernandes's point that you
:11:00. > :11:03.could condemn the strike and of Jeremy Corbyn came out and condemn
:11:04. > :11:06.the strike action, particularly on Southern Rail, that would actually
:11:07. > :11:14.help bring it to" book she didn't answer your question. You're not
:11:15. > :11:17.answering my now. It is crystal clear in the letter, she didn't
:11:18. > :11:21.answer it. In relation to the strike itself, there is a genuine dispute
:11:22. > :11:25.about who should shut the doors when you accept that two thirds of our
:11:26. > :11:29.train doors are shut by conductors. The bottom line is, this franchise
:11:30. > :11:33.is failing and the Government have failed to act. People are suffering
:11:34. > :11:37.and the Government has failed to act, so it's not just a situation
:11:38. > :11:40.between management and the union. Let's talk about some of the
:11:41. > :11:44.suggestions about what might be done because Chris Grayling said he
:11:45. > :11:49.wasn't ruling anything in or out and the Conservative MP Chris Gayle has
:11:50. > :11:52.suggested new laws to make strikes reasonable and proportionate, things
:11:53. > :11:56.like maintaining a 50 cents level of service when strikes take place in
:11:57. > :11:59.public infrastructure and making it mandatory to attend mediation talks
:12:00. > :12:04.at Acas when a strike is ongoing. Would you support that? I did the
:12:05. > :12:08.Government can take action and it takes a long time to get act of
:12:09. > :12:14.Parliament through the Lords and we need action now. We need to look at
:12:15. > :12:17.lots of options. We need to consider what is right. The trade unions act,
:12:18. > :12:21.which has gone through the last parliament, was very effective in
:12:22. > :12:25.trying to limit some of the powers of the unions. Southern Rail passed
:12:26. > :12:30.the threshold that was required so would you like to go further? I
:12:31. > :12:34.think what needs to happen is that the unions take responsibility and I
:12:35. > :12:38.accept that the effect of their actions is unfair, disproportionate
:12:39. > :12:43.and unacceptable. And you want to repeal the trade union act. You
:12:44. > :12:48.would make it even easier to strike. Strikes are down compared to the
:12:49. > :12:53.1970s and 1980s. That was a long time ago and they were not good
:12:54. > :12:56.decades.. Why are we wasting time taking bill through parliament on
:12:57. > :13:00.trade unions when, relative to where we were in the 1970s, nothing like
:13:01. > :13:05.the scale of strikes. It is much harder to strike in Britain. Yes,
:13:06. > :13:10.we've got problems and disputes but that will always happen between
:13:11. > :13:14.those who run public franchises and those who work for them. That is
:13:15. > :13:19.part of the grist. We shouldn't just dismiss strikes as politically
:13:20. > :13:22.motivated when there are genuine issues between terms that could
:13:23. > :13:25.change within companies and that is certainly the case with BA. We will
:13:26. > :13:42.leave it there. We are going to go to Stormont and
:13:43. > :13:45.told our correspondent because there has been a walk-out in the Northern
:13:46. > :13:50.Ireland assembly and let's try and get some of the background and talk
:13:51. > :13:53.to Mark Devonport. What actually happened? Arlene Foster, the First
:13:54. > :13:57.Minister, has been able to make a statement but that was after other
:13:58. > :14:02.members of the Assembly walked out. We've had a lot of drama here at
:14:03. > :14:05.Stormont. The background to this is this renewable heat scandal, which
:14:06. > :14:10.is set to potentially cost the Northern Ireland taxpayer ?400
:14:11. > :14:13.million over the next 20 years. The reason our First Minister Arlene
:14:14. > :14:15.Foster has been in the firing line is that she was the Minister in the
:14:16. > :14:20.department responsible for this scheme when it was introduced in
:14:21. > :14:25.November 20 12th. There has been growing concern, both in the media
:14:26. > :14:29.focus on this and public attention, about this. It has come to a head
:14:30. > :14:32.here today and she went ahead and made a statement setting out her
:14:33. > :14:35.version of events but the reason that was controversial is that we
:14:36. > :14:40.have a very particular kind of power-sharing here, whereby she is
:14:41. > :14:44.meant to act in no way, shape or form without the approval and
:14:45. > :14:47.authority of the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, and he
:14:48. > :14:50.didn't want her to go ahead with that statement and thinks something
:14:51. > :14:55.more of the nature of a judicial inquiry is required and that's why
:14:56. > :14:58.there was a walk-out. What about her standing as First Minister?
:14:59. > :15:02.Obviously, there were calls for a vote of no-confidence in Arlene
:15:03. > :15:08.Foster. What has this to her leadership? I think politically, she
:15:09. > :15:11.is undoubtedly damage, as is the stability of the Stormont Coalition
:15:12. > :15:15.but she can still stay on because under the Stormont rules, to have
:15:16. > :15:18.her excluded from office, and that is what opposition politicians were
:15:19. > :15:23.asking for, you need a majority of both nationalists and unionists and
:15:24. > :15:26.on her own, Arlene Foster can still command a majority of unionists. She
:15:27. > :15:30.has enough members of the legislative assembly in the DUP to
:15:31. > :15:33.stave off any attempt so any kind of motion that will be heard this
:15:34. > :15:38.afternoon will have a symbolic impact, rather than a practical one,
:15:39. > :15:39.but it is a seriously damaging impact on the Stormont power-sharing
:15:40. > :15:52.Coalition. Thank you very much. Now to the latest part in our series
:15:53. > :15:56.looking at the issues faced by key Government departments
:15:57. > :15:57.in the run-up to Brexit. We've already covered
:15:58. > :15:59.the Home Office, the turned our attention to another
:16:00. > :16:03.department that was created It's the Department For Business,
:16:04. > :16:09.Energy And Industrial Strategy. The Business Secretary's top protein
:16:10. > :16:12.will be to ensure British firms benefit from free trade deals and
:16:13. > :16:17.continued access to the single market after Brexit. His recent
:16:18. > :16:22.glitter to Nissan provided enough reassurance to the Japanese giant to
:16:23. > :16:26.not just maintain but expand UK production. What other sectors will
:16:27. > :16:30.require similar guarantees? A central plank of the vote Leave
:16:31. > :16:35.campaign was Brexit would allow us to be rid of many EU regulations.
:16:36. > :16:40.Now ministers will have to decide which should go while maintaining
:16:41. > :16:49.access to export markets. This possibility for employment law rests
:16:50. > :16:51.with the business department. Will ministers looks to change rules
:16:52. > :16:57.governing time limits on working hours and rights for temporary
:16:58. > :16:59.workers? Will London remain an international arbitration centre?
:17:00. > :17:03.Some believe leaving the EU will provide an opportunity to amend
:17:04. > :17:07.English law emanating from the EU that could make the UK more
:17:08. > :17:10.attractive for international arbitration.
:17:11. > :17:16.The UK has led the way on reducing harmful emissions but will Brexit
:17:17. > :17:20.give the UK a chance to reset its policy? Potentially moving away from
:17:21. > :17:26.the complex EU carbon trading programme. The EU sets stringent
:17:27. > :17:30.targets for production of renewable energy across member states. Our
:17:31. > :17:34.climate change at goes even further so Brexit won't lead to a reversal
:17:35. > :17:40.but it will mean the UK won't be response both are cutting more if
:17:41. > :17:41.other countries in the EU failed to meet obligations.
:17:42. > :17:56.The EU requires member states to recycle 50% of household
:17:57. > :17:58.waste by 2020 whilst Scotland and Wales have similar targets set by
:17:59. > :18:00.their governments but England does not. Leaving the EU could give
:18:01. > :18:05.ministers leeway to be more lenient. These are some of the issues for the
:18:06. > :18:07.Government as we move ever closer to triggering article 50 on our x it
:18:08. > :18:10.from the EU by next March. And we're joined now
:18:11. > :18:12.by a former Business Secretary, the former Lib Dem MP,
:18:13. > :18:22.Vince Cable. No one knows what exactly was in the
:18:23. > :18:25.glitter to the Nissan but if you had been Business Secretary what would
:18:26. > :18:28.you have written? Or what Nissan wanted and the
:18:29. > :18:35.current minister wants, all the supply chains want, is an assurance
:18:36. > :18:38.they can remain within a customs union arrangement because that
:18:39. > :18:43.doesn't just exempt them from tablets but means they don't have
:18:44. > :18:48.the bureaucracy associated with the so-called rules of origin. Something
:18:49. > :18:51.like that must have been in the glitter.
:18:52. > :18:57.Does he have the power to do that, Greg Clark, when we know nothing has
:18:58. > :19:00.been ruled in or out in terms of negotiation?
:19:01. > :19:05.Nissan seems to have been persuaded. They are very smart operators. The
:19:06. > :19:13.argument going on in Government and even Doctor Fox the ultra among the
:19:14. > :19:19.Brexiteers, seem to accept a customs union arrangement is necessary. He
:19:20. > :19:25.has cited Turkey as a role model. Whether it can be done on a sectoral
:19:26. > :19:31.basis, we don't know. That is pretty top of the lift for Greg Clark.
:19:32. > :19:34.Is that what you have written or given more assurances?
:19:35. > :19:37.That isn't the only thing, but one of many.
:19:38. > :19:44.Quite a few key industries to depend on single market rules, we are
:19:45. > :19:48.talking about life sciences, pharmaceuticals, a key issue is a
:19:49. > :19:52.common testing standard which operates at European level.
:19:53. > :19:55.Things like that throughout our industries which are critical to
:19:56. > :19:58.retain. Will it be the first of many letters
:19:59. > :20:02.written to industries in different sectors?
:20:03. > :20:06.It looks as if the Government is going down that road, piecemeal
:20:07. > :20:13.guarantees for particular industries. I was told they have 95
:20:14. > :20:16.sectors they are working on. It begins to look unmanageable.
:20:17. > :20:22.We have no idea how the EU will react.
:20:23. > :20:31.They recognise most of our key export industries to depend on EU
:20:32. > :20:36.rules. Is that how you see it? To keep
:20:37. > :20:43.businesses in the UK is an assurance they will be in a customs union even
:20:44. > :20:47.though we weren't make the free trade deals the gun that has talked
:20:48. > :20:50.about? It is great news and a vote of
:20:51. > :20:56.confidence in the British economy Nissan has committed to maintaining
:20:57. > :21:00.their plants in Sunderland, 150,000 jobs staying here. Other businesses
:21:01. > :21:08.have made real commitments, defying the negative predictions.
:21:09. > :21:14.What was promised to them? I don't think promises, I am not
:21:15. > :21:17.party to those negotiations. It is really clear Theresa May has
:21:18. > :21:21.said she wants Britain to be a leader in free trade and we want a
:21:22. > :21:30.pro-market strategy. Greg Clark is in favour of making
:21:31. > :21:33.Britain competitive in terms of regulation, allowing more
:21:34. > :21:37.productivity and competition. We can only do that because we have
:21:38. > :21:46.an opportunity for Brexit. I don't think what Vince says is
:21:47. > :21:51.right. Both are not compatible.
:21:52. > :21:55.There is no way companies like Nissan will commit themselves to
:21:56. > :22:03.expanding their operations in the UK unless they are exempted from
:22:04. > :22:07.bureaucracy. That thinking is clear. The idea by
:22:08. > :22:13.leaving the EU we will have less regulation actually goes contrary to
:22:14. > :22:18.the way the arguments are going. One thing Britain will get out of
:22:19. > :22:25.leaving, it is a positive thing, it's to interrupt corporate
:22:26. > :22:28.takeovers and apply tougher rules in the public interest, something
:22:29. > :22:34.Theresa May wants to do, the Daily Mail is keen to do it. We need it
:22:35. > :22:37.for our science -based industries. This is more national controlled
:22:38. > :22:43.than less European. Let us look at red tape, you say you
:22:44. > :22:46.want to be free from EU regulation. Six months on you properly have a
:22:47. > :22:50.list. Which otherwise you would like to
:22:51. > :22:54.see the end? The import tariffs, not quite
:22:55. > :23:03.regulation. There are 2000 costing ?3 billion a year. That price gets
:23:04. > :23:11.taken on by the consumer. Products coming into the customs
:23:12. > :23:15.union from outside the EU which... Let us talk about regulations. The
:23:16. > :23:20.Leave campaign talked about the yards of EU regulation they wanted
:23:21. > :23:24.to get rid of, which would you like to get rid of?
:23:25. > :23:29.I am glad the ports directive will not go ahead, one example of an
:23:30. > :23:36.unhelpful, ill thought out directive which would have damaged our ports
:23:37. > :23:39.which the trade unions were against, which were anti-competitive.
:23:40. > :23:45.The reach chemicals directive which would have burdened our biochemical
:23:46. > :23:49.industries. But that has already been
:23:50. > :23:54.implemented. A damaging directive. Placing huge
:23:55. > :23:59.costs on that sector in this country.
:24:00. > :24:06.She is saying there will be some, they may be here but they will be
:24:07. > :24:09.dumped. It is interesting to see which will be.
:24:10. > :24:12.They are common standards for the chemical industry. If you get rid of
:24:13. > :24:21.common standards how do British chemical kind is toucher -- how do
:24:22. > :24:24.British chemical industries trade in Europe?
:24:25. > :24:29.We have a chance to decide what those regulations will be as opposed
:24:30. > :24:36.to being imposed. We can, our parliaments, our
:24:37. > :24:41.decision-makers, will have a say. We negotiated them, I was involved,
:24:42. > :24:46.we reached a common decision, that is how the EU functions.
:24:47. > :24:49.Do you agree, even if some regulations are dumped, others come
:24:50. > :24:56.in their place, at least the UK will have decided, we will have taken
:24:57. > :25:05.back control? Yesterday, Liam Fox refuse to fall
:25:06. > :25:09.at leaving the customs union. It is argued we have to leave the customs
:25:10. > :25:13.union and I suspect Nissan and other manufacturers will be out the door
:25:14. > :25:16.because they will be subject to tariffs.
:25:17. > :25:22.How would you do free trade deals if...
:25:23. > :25:24.I am not in the Government. They are making these rules up as we go
:25:25. > :25:30.along. What is the point of having a fancy
:25:31. > :25:34.trade department striking free trade deals if Liam Fox says we might be
:25:35. > :25:41.staying in the customs union? Why will Europe give us this pic and
:25:42. > :25:46.make steel? Let us let us listen to Liam Fox.
:25:47. > :25:48.There would be limitations on what we could do in terms
:25:49. > :25:51.of tariff setting, which would limit what kind of deals you would do.
:25:52. > :25:55.But we want to look at all the different things.
:25:56. > :25:58.I hear people talking about hard Brexit and soft Brexit
:25:59. > :26:00.as though it's a boiled egg we're talking about.
:26:01. > :26:04.So Turkey, for example, is in part of the customs union
:26:05. > :26:08.What we need to do before we make final decisions
:26:09. > :26:18.How do you interpret that? There will be people like David Lammy who
:26:19. > :26:23.say that was an indication we are not going to leave the customs union
:26:24. > :26:27.or we will opt back into certain sectors that might make it easier
:26:28. > :26:31.for agriculture or financial services. You are clear we are
:26:32. > :26:35.leaving the customs union. I would like us to gain all the
:26:36. > :26:41.benefits of the freedom to strike trade deals.
:26:42. > :26:46.I think Liam Fox is right, at this stage, there are lots of options. It
:26:47. > :26:50.is not a binary choice. Theresa May has been right in setting out the
:26:51. > :26:53.fact there are many options and we will have to consider what is best
:26:54. > :26:58.for Britain. Did he really say anything, Liam
:26:59. > :27:06.Fox? What did he really say?
:27:07. > :27:11.Nothing is what he said. He talked about it not being binary. The man
:27:12. > :27:16.who before Somerset we are striking out free trade deals, now talking
:27:17. > :27:22.about staying. They are making it up as they go along.
:27:23. > :27:26.44% of our exports are to the EU, we should be very worried.
:27:27. > :27:30.Let us return to regulation, and employment laws, we are bound by
:27:31. > :27:34.European standards. Should the Government rollback
:27:35. > :27:39.limits on working hours? It needs to be considered in the
:27:40. > :27:45.mix. We need to take into account the needs of our employees,
:27:46. > :27:48.businesses and industries. Different sectors have different needs for
:27:49. > :27:51.their workforce. That needs to be part of a
:27:52. > :27:57.discussion. Do you agree?
:27:58. > :28:01.We have spent five years looking at this. The working Time directive was
:28:02. > :28:06.a risk but Britain got an opt out. There are bits we have opted.
:28:07. > :28:11.Are we suggesting we suggesting we go back to junior hospital doctors
:28:12. > :28:17.having a 100 hour week? There is no appetite for that. The
:28:18. > :28:20.agency workers directive, there was unhappiness in business. They agreed
:28:21. > :28:26.a deal with the trade unions. They don't want to reopen that.
:28:27. > :28:28.There was little in employment law is considered so I must Britain has
:28:29. > :28:36.to get out. On climate change, the UK has been
:28:37. > :28:41.ahead of its European neighbours on cutting carbon emissions. There has
:28:42. > :28:45.been criticism of the effectiveness of the carbon trading programme.
:28:46. > :28:50.Does Brexit allow us something new? Britain led the way with the climate
:28:51. > :28:56.change act. The biggest cost on British business
:28:57. > :29:07.is the carbon price floor introduced by... It was not a European measure.
:29:08. > :29:10.Some say it doesn't work. So there is an opportunity for the
:29:11. > :29:17.UK to do something? The Government could change, it
:29:18. > :29:21.would be retrograde, would be to get rid of the radiation on coal-fired
:29:22. > :29:26.power stations. If the Government wanted to undo the 30 years of work
:29:27. > :29:29.and bring back coal instead of gas, that is one of their freedoms they
:29:30. > :29:33.could gain. Most of the measures are already
:29:34. > :29:38.British. Before we let you go, any plans in
:29:39. > :29:43.the New Year for a return to politics?
:29:44. > :29:48.I am working with my party already, I have helped in the by-election.
:29:49. > :29:54.I may well get involved. Standing? I am already the candidate
:29:55. > :29:56.in Twickenham. You may see me back as an MP.
:29:57. > :30:00.Thank you. According to one popular theory,
:30:01. > :30:03.voters around the world have this year rejected
:30:04. > :30:05.the so-called "liberal elite". It's a distrust of this group
:30:06. > :30:07.of affluent and powerful people that is said to be the driving force
:30:08. > :30:10.behind some of 2016's biggest electoral upsets,
:30:11. > :30:13.with the possible exception of Ore But our next guest, Ryan Shorthouse,
:30:14. > :30:17.director of the Conservative think-tank Bright Blue,
:30:18. > :30:20.says it's time for the liberal metropolitan elites
:30:21. > :30:22.like him to strike back. Here's the life lesson that
:30:23. > :30:39.I and countless others learned Work hard at school, go
:30:40. > :30:43.to university and chase your dream But when you successfully do
:30:44. > :30:50.all of this, you get lambasted for being a member
:30:51. > :30:53.of the liberal metropolitan elite. And being against the elite,
:30:54. > :30:55.specifically the liberal metropolitan elite, is now such
:30:56. > :30:57.a common and winning narrative The left have prodded at this,
:30:58. > :31:05.arguing that only an elite have prospered from years,
:31:06. > :31:10.decades, of neoliberal orthodoxy. This is not true on a whole host
:31:11. > :31:16.of things - education, Most people's lives have got better
:31:17. > :31:20.and most people, apart from those who are still struggling,
:31:21. > :31:24.are generally happy. But, surprisingly, those
:31:25. > :31:27.on the right have indulged in this nonsense, too,
:31:28. > :31:30.arguing that a disconnected and decadent elite have imposed
:31:31. > :31:34.social liberalism and political But this idea of an elite
:31:35. > :31:51.versus the people is a Marxist myth. It's simply not true
:31:52. > :31:53.that society has become an elite and people,
:31:54. > :31:55.both with united Every day in the newspapers,
:31:56. > :32:03.for example, politicians And denouncing the existence
:32:04. > :32:10.of an elite is indulging in class If a member of an elite has acquired
:32:11. > :32:16.their position undeservedly, If someone in the elite behaves
:32:17. > :32:21.irresponsibly or anti-socially, But just being a member
:32:22. > :32:28.of the elite is not something These are people who excel
:32:29. > :32:34.in a particular field. The right should want more
:32:35. > :32:36.people to join the elite, You know, we shouldn't sneer
:32:37. > :32:43.at or stereotype anybody and that includes people who live in cities
:32:44. > :33:01.and have done well in life. What's wrong with a popular revolt,
:33:02. > :33:05.a revolt against the status quo? People will be taking back control
:33:06. > :33:12.of their lives. Well, I know this might not make me that popular...
:33:13. > :33:16.Don't worry about that! The anti-elite story has been so
:33:17. > :33:19.dominant and winning this year in western politics that I think we
:33:20. > :33:22.need to expose it for what it is. It is quite ugly. We shouldn't blame
:33:23. > :33:26.complexes were problems on any particular social group -
:33:27. > :33:31.immigrants, the white working class and the liberal metropolitan elite.
:33:32. > :33:35.It's the stuff of angry, ugly tribalism. The second thing to say
:33:36. > :33:40.is, it is just that there is a kind of elite behind the scenes pulling
:33:41. > :33:44.all these strings, imposing a dystopia on everybody. Every day in
:33:45. > :33:47.the newspapers, we see businesses against government, government
:33:48. > :33:51.against businesses. For example, government is trying to introduce a
:33:52. > :33:54.higher minimum wage and an apprenticeship love. This doesn't
:33:55. > :34:01.sound like an Ely all in it together imposing their agenda on everybody.
:34:02. > :34:04.Let me put that if Suella Fernandes. This rather ugly, if it is a revolt
:34:05. > :34:08.against the status quo and blaming immigrants or blaming your
:34:09. > :34:12.neighbours or blaming the liberal metropolitan elite, it's an angry
:34:13. > :34:19.reaction and is not actually true. I think representing a constituency
:34:20. > :34:23.which is outside metropolitan elite area, speaking to my constituents on
:34:24. > :34:33.a daily basis, their concerns are about the impact of uncontrolled
:34:34. > :34:36.immigration on wages, jobs and services and I think, for them, they
:34:37. > :34:42.need a voice for that and I feel that sometimes members of this
:34:43. > :34:47.elite, this metropolitan group, do not take those concerns enough and
:34:48. > :34:51.there is a disconnect between some of the voices that we hear and
:34:52. > :34:55.actually people who are voting with their feet on the ground. Are you
:34:56. > :34:59.standing up for the liberal metropolitan elite, David Lammy? The
:35:00. > :35:05.liberal metropolitan elite, if it exists, is a long way from
:35:06. > :35:10.Tottenham, where average incomes are about ?20,000, where you certainly
:35:11. > :35:13.can't buy a house in a regular job. In fact, you probably can't even do
:35:14. > :35:19.that if you're a junior consultant in London. So, in a sense, I'm with
:35:20. > :35:23.you, I don't like the tribalism, but I do think that the Westminster
:35:24. > :35:27.village and successive governments - this runs across knowledgeable
:35:28. > :35:31.parties - are detached from quite significant sections of the
:35:32. > :35:36.population and that's not a north/ south thing because I represent that
:35:37. > :35:39.-- recognise that representing Tottenham, but there is a detachment
:35:40. > :35:44.where the concerns of many people have not been addressed. Is it the
:35:45. > :35:46.fault, though, of what we call the liberal metropolitan elite? Ryan
:35:47. > :35:49.says in his film but just because people have been successful, they
:35:50. > :35:55.may live in a city, may have acquired wealth and a certain
:35:56. > :35:58.status, is it their fault that your constituents and Suella Fernandes's
:35:59. > :36:01.constituents are feeling this disconnect? We got to examine the
:36:02. > :36:06.liberal in that. There liberal games but we got on 20th century in terms
:36:07. > :36:09.of rights that I would welcome but we've had a liberal laissez faire
:36:10. > :36:14.economy in which many people have got rich but the majority have not,
:36:15. > :36:18.wages have stagnated and you can't get on in life and access the good
:36:19. > :36:23.life. I hold your party responsible for a lot of that but that's the
:36:24. > :36:27.consensus that shut people out. Do you accept that, that actually it is
:36:28. > :36:31.liberalism's fault? Some of the problems constituents are suffering
:36:32. > :36:35.from today or complaining about is the result of liberalism, but it has
:36:36. > :36:39.been foisted on them to some extent, being told what to believe and what
:36:40. > :36:42.to think, particularly with the issue of immigration, that it is
:36:43. > :36:48.always a good thing, and not everyone agrees with that? Actually,
:36:49. > :36:52.the elite, which is the Government, technically, which has been in power
:36:53. > :36:55.since 2010, has wanted to control immigration so it's untrue that
:36:56. > :37:00.we've had uncontrolled migration. The Government have sought ways to
:37:01. > :37:03.reduce it. But they've failed. They have failed to meet the target it up
:37:04. > :37:07.I think that target is indiscriminate and not the best way
:37:08. > :37:11.to control migration but you look at polling. Most Londoners, for
:37:12. > :37:15.example, most people in the higher social groups, one some form of
:37:16. > :37:17.control of migration. So it's not true that Londoners think very
:37:18. > :37:23.differently from the rest of the country. That's a myth. On your
:37:24. > :37:26.point about liberalism, I agree that people have certainly been left out,
:37:27. > :37:30.there is a minority of people who feel left behind, and that requires
:37:31. > :37:35.clever policy-making. I don't get the fault of liberalism. Over the
:37:36. > :37:38.past few decades, on most indicators - education levels, health
:37:39. > :37:41.standards, living standards - the majority of people in this country
:37:42. > :37:45.have got better and someone will probably tell me I am out of touch
:37:46. > :37:49.and don't understand how everyone else is living, but I can't talk to
:37:50. > :37:51.everybody, but the Office for National Statistics does an annual
:37:52. > :37:55.survey and asks how satisfied people are with their lives and most people
:37:56. > :38:00.are generally or fairly satisfied. I want to take you to MPs and you've
:38:01. > :38:04.got different constituencies but you are privately educated barrister, a
:38:05. > :38:10.graduate of Harvard who became a London MP, you went to a private
:38:11. > :38:18.girls' schooling pinna, where I was brought up, you may not be
:38:19. > :38:22.metropolitan or liberal but you are part of the elite, aren't you? I did
:38:23. > :38:27.not go to state school. I went to a very, very good state school. I've
:38:28. > :38:31.been to Harvard law school. Of course I am part of an elite group.
:38:32. > :38:34.My income puts me in part of an elite group but believe me, from the
:38:35. > :38:37.working class background I've got, I've got many family members who
:38:38. > :38:42.have not benefited in the way I have. What about you? This is about
:38:43. > :38:45.aspiration. I come from a working-class background in Wembley,
:38:46. > :38:49.where my father was unemployed for many years and we've had to struggle
:38:50. > :38:53.as a family. But I'm a Conservative because I believe it is about rising
:38:54. > :38:56.up the ladder of opportunity and true meritocracy, through hard work
:38:57. > :39:00.and endeavour, it doesn't matter where you come from, the
:39:01. > :39:05.Conservative Party values enable people to start where ever they are
:39:06. > :39:10.and to realise their potential. You will both be sticking up for the
:39:11. > :39:14.liberal metropolitan elite, then? I'm with you on immigration but I
:39:15. > :39:18.think that probably there are some liberal, particularly the economic
:39:19. > :39:22.liberal, arguments that are problematic to huge swathes of the
:39:23. > :39:27.country. We have to end it there but thank you very much.
:39:28. > :39:28.Now, even politics usually stops for Christmas.
:39:29. > :39:31.And it's nearly time for the Parliament and even
:39:32. > :39:33.the Daily Politics to pack up for a week or so.
:39:34. > :39:36.But let's have a quick look at what's happening in the last few
:39:37. > :39:40.Theresa May will deliver a statement to the commons this afternoon
:39:41. > :39:43.to tell MPs about her trip to Brussels for last week's meeting
:39:44. > :39:47.Tomorrow, the Prime Minister gives evidence to the Liaison Committee -
:39:48. > :39:49.that's the super-committee made up of the heads of all the main
:39:50. > :39:56.care and, of course, Brexit.
:39:57. > :39:58.Tuesday sees the last Daily Politics of the year.
:39:59. > :40:02.And the Commons also rises for the Christmas break.
:40:03. > :40:08.Peers linger on until Wednesday, when you can also see the final
:40:09. > :40:11.ministerial outing for Lord Freud, who is stepping down as an unpaid
:40:12. > :40:18.Work And Pensions Minister after more than six years.
:40:19. > :40:20.Friday sees the release of the Christmas singles
:40:21. > :40:23.Will the cover of You Can't Always Get What You Want,
:40:24. > :40:26.recorded in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox, get to number one?
:40:27. > :40:28.And on Saturday, Theresa May will release her first Christmas
:40:29. > :40:32.We're joined now by Kate Devlin from the Herald.
:40:33. > :40:33.And Christopher Hope from the Telegraph.
:40:34. > :40:43.They are probably demob happy! Crist of hope, what do you think the
:40:44. > :40:46.challenge will be for Theresa May in the New Year? One word, Brexit. It
:40:47. > :40:50.all starts really the second or third week of January when the
:40:51. > :40:54.government will probably lose its appeal in the High Court in the
:40:55. > :40:57.Supreme Court and then it is a race against the clock to try to get this
:40:58. > :41:03.vote through the Commons and Lords to trigger Article 50. Then we are
:41:04. > :41:08.almost straight into this great repeal bill, which will be the bill
:41:09. > :41:14.of all bills, the mother or legislation, looking at repealing or
:41:15. > :41:19.shifting EU law for Europe into this country, about 40% of all laws are
:41:20. > :41:22.made in Europe and that will all have to get into one massive bill
:41:23. > :41:27.about a foot deep. It will be an epic. You sound like you are looking
:41:28. > :41:31.forward to it! What about Jeremy Corbyn? The polls of Babe grim
:41:32. > :41:35.reading recently for the Labour Party, 17 or so points behind the
:41:36. > :41:38.Tories, although an opinion poll today seems to but that gap at the
:41:39. > :41:43.close at about seven points. What does he have to do? It is quite
:41:44. > :41:47.strange to Jeremy Corbyn. In some ways he has backed himself into a
:41:48. > :41:52.corner. One thing he probably does have to do is rely on strife with
:41:53. > :41:55.his own backbenches because that is currently what Corbyn and his
:41:56. > :42:02.supporters are claiming is the reason for these opinion polls being
:42:03. > :42:06.so bad and were that to fall away without a rise in the opinion polls,
:42:07. > :42:11.I think a lot of serious questions would be asked. He's also got quite
:42:12. > :42:14.serious elections, local council elections, coming up next summer and
:42:15. > :42:19.he probably needs to do a little bit better in those than he did last
:42:20. > :42:24.year. That said, to his detractors, he didn't do as badly as was
:42:25. > :42:28.expected last year. If the opposition isn't posing a huge
:42:29. > :42:32.threat to Theresa May at the moment, that is what they feel certainly in
:42:33. > :42:37.Conservative headquarters, is the threat going to come from within the
:42:38. > :42:41.Tory party? Almost certainly, yes. You've seen George Osborne doing
:42:42. > :42:44.very well on the Andrew Marr programme yesterday, Nicky Morgan
:42:45. > :42:46.and other big beasts on the Tory backbenchers will start to sharpen
:42:47. > :42:50.their clause once this whole issue of Brexit starts to get in the House
:42:51. > :42:55.of Commons and they've got a mandate to start talking about it. I imagine
:42:56. > :42:58.these guys in the Commons will support triggering Article 50 by the
:42:59. > :43:02.end of March but the real battle starts in the summer, when you can
:43:03. > :43:06.amend this huge bill, this great reform bill, great repeal bill,
:43:07. > :43:14.however you put it. I totally agree with Kate, Jeremy Corbyn has become
:43:15. > :43:18.irrelevant -- has to become relevant but that will take a few years and
:43:19. > :43:21.in the meantime, the Tory backbenchers will flex their
:43:22. > :43:25.muscles. What about the relaunch the Jeremy Corbyn in the New Year? When
:43:26. > :43:29.everyone talks about a relaunch, you think they are in trouble. Very
:43:30. > :43:32.true, and it's not usually a good thing to have said about someone,
:43:33. > :43:35.especially when you consider what the relaunch are supposed to be
:43:36. > :43:39.about, it is supposed to be about tapping into an idea of
:43:40. > :43:45.authenticity, anti-politics, which has been incredibly popular this
:43:46. > :43:48.year. We've seen it in a lot of popular campaigns. I would suggest
:43:49. > :43:52.it is probably a fake authenticity, certainly from the likes of Donald
:43:53. > :43:58.Trump presenting himself as a man of the people when he's a billionaire
:43:59. > :44:02.businessman. And of course when you are going for authentic, relaunch is
:44:03. > :44:08.kind of the kiss of death. Let's look back. Christopher hope, give me
:44:09. > :44:14.your thoughts on -- 2016. I think it is the year of the peasants' revolt
:44:15. > :44:18.it up if you think about 1381 when what Tyler marched on the capital,
:44:19. > :44:24.it is basically that, the voters were told not to vote for Brexit by
:44:25. > :44:28.politicians, most politicians, most ecologists, all the boss is big
:44:29. > :44:31.companies, celebrities, everyone said, don't do it, and the people of
:44:32. > :44:35.Britain gave a massive up yours to the establishment. I think it is
:44:36. > :44:41.rather a moving moment, the fact that people felt they could say, no,
:44:42. > :44:45.you are the servants of the people, you do what we say, we are going to
:44:46. > :44:49.leave the EU. I think it's been an amazing year, which I will never
:44:50. > :44:54.forget. I don't think anyone will ever forget it. What about your view
:44:55. > :44:57.of 2016, Kate? I agree with Chris, it is a year in which everything has
:44:58. > :45:00.been dominated by politics. I was very excited at the start of the
:45:01. > :45:04.summer when Northern Ireland qualified for euros for the first
:45:05. > :45:11.time in my living memory. Of course, a couple of weeks later we were put
:45:12. > :45:15.out by Wales, two days after the referendum, leading to the joke at
:45:16. > :45:17.home that Wales had but Northern Ireland out of Europe twice in one
:45:18. > :45:20.weekend. The Christmas break! Now, we've already talked about some
:45:21. > :45:23.of the year's biggest elections, that's the EU referendum and the US
:45:24. > :45:25.presidential vote, But now, we're going to talk about
:45:26. > :45:29.one you might just have missed. And that's the elections
:45:30. > :45:31.for this year's delegates to One candidate from Durham University
:45:32. > :45:35.swept to victory with this rather unusual pitch to his
:45:36. > :45:37.fellow students. I'm running to be an NUS delegate
:45:38. > :45:41.at this year's conference. Here are the pledges I'm
:45:42. > :45:45.going to deliver for you. I pledge to construct
:45:46. > :45:48.a giant statue. A giant statue of NUS
:45:49. > :45:51.president Malia Bouattia so that students in Durham can see
:45:52. > :45:53.how vitally important I pledge to cut back
:45:54. > :46:02.the foliage so that our beautiful students' union building
:46:03. > :46:09.is even more visible. I pledge to make sweeping
:46:10. > :46:11.sw-sw-sweeping agrarian reform - a national priority.
:46:12. > :46:13.Vote for to me to take out the rubbish.
:46:14. > :46:19.I am the only candidates who has pledged to defeat Isis.
:46:20. > :46:33.But, seriously, if you vote for me, I will vote against all irrelevant
:46:34. > :46:34.grandstanding, self-aggrandising, self-defeating NUS policies that
:46:35. > :46:42.only serve to discredit students as a whole.
:46:43. > :46:45.And Tom Harwood, who won election as a delegate to the NUS conference
:46:46. > :46:50.thanks in part to that campaign video, joins us now.
:46:51. > :46:58.Congratulations. You are trying to poke fun at the state of student
:46:59. > :47:01.politics, what are your issues? The NUS doesn't represent students
:47:02. > :47:05.anymore. It is run by a narrow group of
:47:06. > :47:10.people who come from a narrower spectrum of opinion who are not
:47:11. > :47:15.representing the issues that matter to students.
:47:16. > :47:19.You are trying to undermine the NUS? They do a good job themselves, with
:47:20. > :47:24.their banning of newspapers on campuses, with their boycotting of
:47:25. > :47:30.Coca-Cola because they have factories in Israel. The issues
:47:31. > :47:34.which have nothing to do with the lives of students.
:47:35. > :47:40.Students must have supported some of those issues?
:47:41. > :47:48.That is a good point, the NUS sees itself as a legislator. Most
:47:49. > :47:54.students see it as irrelevant, only 4% bothered to turn out. At Durham
:47:55. > :48:01.we had delegates who have had identical opinions for years. As
:48:02. > :48:07.soon as I ran my campaign, turnout was up 200%. People who are offered
:48:08. > :48:11.a change go for it. Students have always campaigned on
:48:12. > :48:16.global issues whether or not they could affect change. That is what
:48:17. > :48:22.being a student in student politics is about. Many heads of the NUS have
:48:23. > :48:26.gone on to be politicians. What is wrong with that?
:48:27. > :48:29.Nothing is wrong with campaigning on global issues but you need to pick
:48:30. > :48:39.the avenue to do it. Don't present -- Don't pretend to
:48:40. > :48:44.represent all students. What are you going to do, put your
:48:45. > :48:51.money where your mouth is and go along to conference with this?
:48:52. > :48:55.Absolutely. I said as long as we are in the NUS I will work hard to make
:48:56. > :49:00.it slightly less terrible. My weight is pushing forward
:49:01. > :49:08.democratic reforms, hopefully one member one vote through.
:49:09. > :49:14.The current resident has faced accusations of anti-Semitism and has
:49:15. > :49:20.said some distasteful things, calling the University of Birmingham
:49:21. > :49:24.a Zionist outpost for example. I hope to get more representative
:49:25. > :49:28.people. What you think of his view of the
:49:29. > :49:33.NUS? I am reluctant to get dragged into
:49:34. > :49:38.student politics at seven -- Except to say I am with you in part.
:49:39. > :49:43.I wasn't hugely involved in student politics at university. I found a
:49:44. > :49:53.certain group of people would hijack a cause, political careerists in
:49:54. > :49:57.their own party. I recognised that. Some of the anti-Semitism that has
:49:58. > :50:02.gone on particularly I think is very worrying.
:50:03. > :50:05.Do you support what Tom is trying to do.
:50:06. > :50:11.I know there are some real issues around the cost of student housing.
:50:12. > :50:18.That is something you would hope to see the NUS is taking up much
:50:19. > :50:22.louder. It has campaigned on expensive
:50:23. > :50:28.housing. The NUS is undermined on legitimate
:50:29. > :50:31.issues when it uses covers as a platform to call for bringing down
:50:32. > :50:39.the Government as every single president seems to do.
:50:40. > :50:46.Sometimes perhaps they should focus on presenting a broader spectrum of
:50:47. > :50:50.student opinion. Sadly, the NUS has lost credibility
:50:51. > :50:56.and legitimacy because of a Kabbalah of people who do not represent the
:50:57. > :50:59.body of students and have given it a bad name.
:51:00. > :51:10.I was involved in student politics and saw it as a great opportunity to
:51:11. > :51:17.learn more. It was an opportunity, it was fun,
:51:18. > :51:25.we campaigned, helped in elections. Do you have any support?
:51:26. > :51:28.Nationally? I won a landslide victory at Durham.
:51:29. > :51:38.Generally there was a 300% increase in turnout but it was only 10%. I am
:51:39. > :51:42.trying to highlight this. Up and down the country more people
:51:43. > :51:47.are emulating campaigns like this. We might see a good batch of
:51:48. > :51:48.antiestablishment delegates at the conference in April.
:51:49. > :51:50.Thank you. Now, are you getting a bit tired
:51:51. > :51:53.of hearing news programmes talking Because, at about this
:51:54. > :52:00.time every December, that have defined the year,
:52:01. > :52:04.as seen through the lens of the chief political photographer
:52:05. > :52:06.of the Press Association. And he's had plenty
:52:07. > :53:26.to keep him snapping. Welcome. What is your image of the
:53:27. > :53:32.year? It is a hard one. A picture at the
:53:33. > :53:40.beginning of the campaign in April. David Cameron, Paddy Ashdown and
:53:41. > :53:44.Neil Kinnock, in a phone bank, making calls, campaigning. It was so
:53:45. > :53:50.early, I think David Cameron thought... I don't think it was a
:53:51. > :53:57.problem for him. Everyone is quite relaxed. It was a good campaigning
:53:58. > :54:00.picture, a lot of fun. It changed as the campaign went on.
:54:01. > :54:07.I don't think we would have seen that later closer to June the 23rd.
:54:08. > :54:11.They all looked as if they were having fun representing the
:54:12. > :54:14.different parties. Physical photographers are
:54:15. > :54:18.effectively flies on the wall. You said it did get more uptight as the
:54:19. > :54:23.months passed. On the subject of the campaigns,
:54:24. > :54:28.with the results, talk us through one of the pictures you took the
:54:29. > :54:36.morning after? First of all, 4am, I was with Nigel
:54:37. > :54:41.Farage. I soon realised I needed to move and find out where Nigel Farage
:54:42. > :54:45.was, and at four Rayaheen was declaring the result himself. He
:54:46. > :54:51.came out punching the air, a very strong picture of him.
:54:52. > :54:54.He looks pleased. He took no encouragement to do that.
:54:55. > :55:00.He had been making his victory speech since 3:30am.
:55:01. > :55:04.How things change. We did that. Suddenly a couple of hours later the
:55:05. > :55:09.Prime Minister announced he would resign.
:55:10. > :55:14.An hour later, the press conference with Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.
:55:15. > :55:21.It was difficult to know where to be. Do I find where David Cameron
:55:22. > :55:29.is? Boris? The results caught us by surprise. Where do I need to be now?
:55:30. > :55:33.A busy morning. How would you describe the atmosphere? Where were
:55:34. > :55:36.you on the night when the result came through?
:55:37. > :55:42.I was in my constituency for the vote. The vote came through at 3am.
:55:43. > :55:49.It became clear my considers the voted to leave the EU. I was with my
:55:50. > :55:56.campaign is, I drove to London in the early hours and went to the Vote
:55:57. > :56:02.Leave headquarters. Another big story, the reaction of
:56:03. > :56:07.Jeremy Corbyn for a second time. How did that compared to last year?
:56:08. > :56:13.I thought it would be the same but it wasn't. Last year, a huge
:56:14. > :56:18.fanfare, a big deal, in central London. Lots of triumphalism. It
:56:19. > :56:23.ended up with a rally in a pub around the corner.
:56:24. > :56:27.This year, it was over in 15 minutes, Saturday morning. The
:56:28. > :56:31.announcement would be at 12 noon. All done very quickly. They wanted
:56:32. > :56:36.to get it out of the way before conference.
:56:37. > :56:44.What about your recollection of the second?
:56:45. > :56:49.I didn't engage. I found the biggest story of the year was Brexit. At the
:56:50. > :56:56.time I felt very low that the Labour Party were caught up in this. I
:56:57. > :56:59.didn't engage. I had engaged big-time in Brexit.
:57:00. > :57:04.For me, the photo has to be of Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, who
:57:05. > :57:09.should be celebrating, but are standing there like schoolboys who
:57:10. > :57:18.have wrecked the room, looking really sombre and depressed at what
:57:19. > :57:21.they have created. That is what struck me, at that news
:57:22. > :57:24.conference, thinking they would come on with a certain amount of
:57:25. > :57:31.smugness. They walked on ashen faced. The whole 20 minute press
:57:32. > :57:38.conference, the same mood throughout. This was odd. They were
:57:39. > :57:43.in shock. Some said they were thinking, what have we done? I don't
:57:44. > :57:47.think that was the case. I think the result may have caught them by
:57:48. > :57:51.surprise. An hour before David Cameron had announced he had
:57:52. > :57:56.resigned. Maybe that had shocked them. They did not want to appear
:57:57. > :58:01.victorious having lost their leader. Shock was the word for many during
:58:02. > :58:05.these events. We can show you the Changing of the
:58:06. > :58:10.Guard at number ten. You had a classic photo of David
:58:11. > :58:16.Cameron and his departure. Here he is announcing he is going.
:58:17. > :58:21.We had seen him come out with his resignation speech on the 24th of
:58:22. > :58:24.June. This is the moment he left. The same day we knew Theresa May
:58:25. > :58:30.would walk in. He/she is going in.
:58:31. > :58:35.I did that picture an hour after photographing David Cameron.
:58:36. > :58:39.I photographed him from the side because I realised his close
:58:40. > :58:45.advisers were close to tears. I focused on them.
:58:46. > :58:49.All the time I was concerned about getting inside number ten. I knew
:58:50. > :58:52.she would be front page next day. Thank youth are taking us through
:58:53. > :58:55.those key moments. And to our guests.
:58:56. > :58:57.The One O'Clock News is starting over on BBC One now.
:58:58. > :58:59.I'll be here at noon tomorrow for the last
:59:00. > :59:07.Hello, I'm Charlie Brooker. Please join me for 2016 Wipe,
:59:08. > :59:10.looking back at a year containing nothing but hard Brexit,