20/01/2017 Daily Politics

Hello and welcome to the Daily Politics.

The world watches as Donald Trump prepares to be sworn is as the 45th

Ahead of his inauguration, Mr Trump promises he will bring

We'll look at Donald Trump's plans for his first days

And we report from Melania Trump's home-town in Slovenia.

Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure from Labour MPs

to change tack on Brexit, with some urging the Labour

leader to vote against triggering Article 50.

And why is a Conservative-run county council planning to hike

And with us for the next half an hour - Kate Andrews from

the Institute of Economic Affairs, who is a Republican,

So, the big day has arrived as President-elect Donald Trump

prepares to be sworn in as the 45th President of the United

Last night, Mr Trump and his wife Melania appeared on the steps

of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington for an

eve-of-inauguration rally and concert titled

The Make America Great Again Welcome Celebration.

It doesn't quite trip off the tongue, but there we are!

Addressing cheering supporters, Donald Trump promised to bring

And our phrase - you all know it, half of you are wearing the hat -

But we're going to make America

great for all of our people, everybody.

That includes the inner cities, that includes everybody.

Donald Trump. We will be hearing more from him. We will talk about

the number of things, but give me your main thought on this historic

day. President Obama is leaving with some of the highest approval ratings

of any president leaving office, which comes down to the value we

have put around personal integrity in a time where Clinton and Trump

are running for the White House. Trump is coming in with some of the

lowest approval ratings of any incoming president elect. There is

no doubt that he has won and has upset politics as we know it, but he

has a lot of work to do in building backtrack is -- building back trust.

He needs to work on the Republicans before the Democrats. We all forget

that the president has less power than the Prime Minister does in

terms of making laws, so he has to play nice and get along with people.

Bonnie, what is your main thought today, it wasn't the result you

wanted? We have a constitution, a military code of justice, these

laws, and this is not a man who seems to be interested in the rule

of law. I have complete faith in the constitution being upheld, and that

is where I go into this new period, with faith in our laws and faith in

the laws of the founding fathers. I think all the people who oppose him,

and even as Kate said, the centrist Republicans who are holding their

nose and being a part of this, all have faith in the constitution.

The question for today is: Who is headlining

Is it a) Celine Dion, b) Country star Toby Keith,

c) Elton John, or d) Charlotte Church?

At the end of the show, Kate and Bonnie will give us

Probably by a process of elimination!

In a few hours, Donald Trump will go from property tycoon and TV host to

the president of the richest and most powerful country on earth. It

is just 7am in Washington. They are five hours behind on the east coast

of the US, so I expect Mr Trump will probably be taking his cornflakes

right now, if that's what he has a breakfast. Let's look at how he will

spend his big day. Donald Trump's first engagement

today is a church service at around 1.30 this afternoon,

that's 8.30am in Washington. He's chosen to have a private

service with his family in St John's Episcopal Church,

opposite the White House. At 2.30 he'll head over the road

for coffee with President Obama. This is something that always

happens - the outgoing president and the incoming president elect meet.

Then at about 3.30, both men will ride together to Capitol Hill

for the Inauguration Ceremony, which will be watched by hundreds

And the big moment will be at 5 o'clock, that's

Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President

In the famous oath, he will swear to "preserve,

protect and defend" the American Constitution.

President Trump will then deliver his inaugural address.

We're not expecting too much policy but his aides have promised a speech

that will be personal, sincere and philosophical.

After that, President Trump and Vice-President Pence will embark

on one a half mile parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

They'll be lined by supporters along the route.

Probably not protesters. Some may get through, but they are being kept

away from the main ceremony itself. Then just before six, it's thought

Donald Trump will sign his first As we have said, presidents have a

lot of executive power which they don't need Congress to implement.

Some may undo what Mr Obama has done with his executive orders. As I say,

we don't quite know. We don't know what these will be,

but Mr Trump has promised some "very Members of President's Trump's

Cabinet will also be sworn in tonight, not least

the new Defence Secretary General At midnight, that's 7pm

in Washington, the traditional President Trump and First Lady

Melania Trump will have their first dance and, according to reports,

the music they've chosen Let's talk now to our Washington

correspondent Nick Bryant, Nick, tell us more. It looks great

behind you. The tabloid joke is, it's a new dawn

in Washington, and a new dawn as well. -- and a new Don. He will

swear the oath that will make him the 43rd president of the United

States. The action begins down the road in Pennsylvania Avenue. He will

come out of the guest house opposite the White House. The Queen has

stayed there, no less. He will go to church, and then, because America

sets great store in this transfer of power, he will meet the Obamas for

coffee and a chat. What could be more civil? Then the improbable

final leg of an extraordinary political journey will bring him to

Capitol Hill, where he will give his inaugural address. It is said to be

very philosophical. He has written it himself, he says, and we will be

interested to hear what he says. We expect it to be thematic rather than

programmatic. Not a laundry list of things to do but a broader vision of

how he plans to make America great again, that great ringing slogan of

this campaign. There are always people on

inauguration day, not as many as when President Obama was first

inaugurated in 2008, but still, hundreds of thousands of people, but

still some protesters. My understanding is that the protesters

will be kept quite a long way away from Pennsylvania Avenue, the hill

where you are, and the White House where the President-elect will end

up, is that right? Yeah, Washington has become this

modern-day fortress. They have put a ring of steel around the area where

800,000 people are expected to gather. About 1.9 million people

came for Barack Obama. Lots of hotels still say they have vacant

rooms, which is unusual for an inauguration. This is such a deeply

divided country, and there are many people who love Donald Trump, who

have been hoping that this day, and there are many people who hate him,

quite frankly. Then, this is terrifying, and I think we will see

that unfold today in the capital. The polarisation that has been such

a feature of American politics for decades, but never more so than in

the last year. Enjoy inauguration day. Back here in

London, we're joined by Jacob Rees Mogg, the Conservative MP, who

started off backing Donald Trump president, before dropping his

support following the groping allegations made against Mr Trump in

the later stages of the election, but is now back on site, at least we

think he is. Are you? We have an American president, and it is in the

interests of the British Government to get on with the American

president, and it would be a bit wet of me not to support him. I will do

lots of flip-flops. I wish Mr Trump extremely well. He is broadly on the

same side of the political argument as the Conservative Party, but not

exclusively. Are you encourage that for the first time ever, the White

House will be occupied by a Eurosceptic? Is it the first time

ever? What happens if you go back to some of the earlier presidents? I'm

not sure. They were quite pro-Europe but anti-British. Some work, but not

all. Let me narrow it down. In the postwar world, we have the first

Eurosceptic American president - are you encouraged by that? It's not

like you not to produce precise questions. It's not like you not to

produce precise answers! He wants a trade deal with us, wants to be a

friends of hours. His mother was devoted to the Queen, as all

sensible mothers are. This is positive for the UK, and my concern

is not domestic American politics, although of course I wish them well,

but its effect on the UK. I hope that Mr Trump will be a better

friend of the United Kingdom than Mr Obama was. What do you expect be

president in the first days of his presidency? Some of the really big

things he wants, like tax cuts, infrastructure spending, that will

need the support of Congress. So that will take a while, but there

are some things he can do by executive order. What would you like

to see? What would mark out the beginning of his presidency? Tie-in

with Jacob, in that in the medium to long term I am not apocalyptic about

this. Some of the tax reforms will give America an economic boom, but

in the 24 hours at first, my suspicion is he will roll back

executive orders that Obama signed, specifically aimed at immigration.

There is talk of him rolling back the dreamers act which would allow

people who came with young children to get citizenship. The pledged to

take 10,000 Syrian refugees. It will be for show and will be designed to

appeal to his supporters. He wants to hang onto those wearing the make

America great again hats. Those two pieces of legislation in particular,

I would have loved to see them go to Congress. It was a mistake in the

beginning for Obama to sign them as executive orders, but those are two

good pieces of legislation. Of course, they weren't legislation,

they were executive orders. In a sense, this may be a problem of Mr

Obama's modus operandi, because a lot of what he did because Congress

was a difficult was done by executive order, and that always

runs the risk, and we may see it over the weekend, of the incoming

president on doing what the outgoing one has done. As Kate said, it is

his prerogative to issue these orders. As you say, the Congress was

deadlocked pretty much against this president from the beginning. In

fact, the leader of the House of Representatives stated in 2008 that

his job was to make sure that President Obama got only one term.

That didn't happen. He lost his majority quite quickly, so he had a

situation where the is only tool was the executive order, which is not a

way to govern. -- where his only tool. Do you think these executive

of orders will be unravelled? He has to keep throwing red meat to his

base because he has been elected by a base that doesn't trust

Washington. It is an old American thing. He's got that base, and he

has to keep throwing things out to them. Americans love their

Congressmen and women but they never love Congress. It is said that his

cabinet has the highest IQ of any American cabinet. He also said he

was the greatest American ever put on God's.

It was said this is the greatest gathering of brain power in the

White House since Thomas Jefferson dined alone! Exactly.

Are you comfortable with Donald Trump's plans for substantial

unfunded tax cuts and massive infrastructure spending? I think

that the unfunded tax cuts could be funded. The American tax system is

complex, it is failing to raise funds, a form of Corporation Tax

could raise money. As we have seen in the UK receipts from Corporation

Tax has gone up. If you get the US companies to re-patriate funds from

outof the United States, that could be beneficial to the fiscal side of

the US. And as a visitor to the US it is

noticeable how poor some of the roads are. You are surprised that

the richest country in the world has weak infrastructure. So again it

could be been fishally, economically, the evidence is that

money spent on roads has a helpful economic effect. So this could be

good. But there is nothing mystical about the problem with the American

infrastructure, that goes down to the States at the end of the day.

The Republican Party controls most. So you have a democratic President

who has to work his or her way down the cycle.

What we have seen over the Obama administration is the loss of the

support for the Democratic Party, the voters detrade by the Democratic

Party, especially with energy policies, we have seen the

republicans taking back control and taking back the power at each level

of government, I think because President Obama failed to lead and

failed to offer a plan formidle America.

Let me move on. We will come back. What we do know is Donald Trump's

ability to surprise us. We don't really know what he might do in the

next 36 hours. His journey to the White House is to say the least, an

extraordinary one. Here is a brief look back from Donald Trump's

transformation to businessman, to celebrity and to US President, and

perhaps not surprisingly, there are flashing images.

I actually asked him are you doing this on purpose to try to

make it look bad, so I'd pay some more money?

It is the worst pile of crap architecture I've

# I feel so far removed...

I've never said that I'm a perfect person, nor

pretended to be someone that I'm not.

Did you have your porridge,

Donald Trump's extraordinary journey to the White House.

In terms of being President, I, looking to someone who did American

history and has continued to read lots about it, I can think of no

President, no equivalent President in the past, that comes anywhere

near Mr Trump, do you agree with that? Possibly, Teddy Roosevelt.

Andrew Jackson. He had been a politicians before.

I agree with you, broadly. To try to find similarity, teddy Roosevelt is

the closest to somebody who is impulsive, follows a path he

chooses. Not really a republican.

And ends up being independent, creates his own war, does all sorts

of things you don't expect Presidents to do.

It is unchartered territory. But that make it is exciting. I

think there is a feeling, not just in the US, and the UK, that we were

absolutely fed up with professional politicians who go through the

patter, reeling off the same answers, dining in the same clubs

and this is something different. It may not work, you can't tell at the

beginning but it's different and potentially exciting.

Is there a little bit excited by the unknown, or are you just terrified!

The part of me that is the playwright is excited, you cannot

create this person. In fact, moo I last play that closed

in October, had him elected President, and I was told to rewrite

the script as he was not going to be elected.

You could write part two! Now, he could be high on a golden age of

satire and theatre but this man, I want to lay rest the middle America

quickly. The middle America voted for Barack Obama and voted for him

twice, so we have to look down into what's been happening... As to what

happened. But not today. We don't have time. But brieflily as the

republic here, you get the final word, Kate. You were not keen on

Donald Trump for a while. Are you reconciled? I recognise the mandate

for him. I understand why he won. I will continue to struggle to forgive

him for the comments he made about miniorities, many republicans could

not get behind him for that. But the biggest comparison I have for him is

to Ronald Reagan. Now he is in the presidency but Ronald Reagan united

coalitions. He had been an active DFR... But it

is completely... Completely. He had been governor of the largest State

of the Union. Acheham ling con, give me a break.

On that. It's expected that next

Tuesday the Supreme Court will deliver its verdict

on the Government's appeal against the previous High Court

decision that parliament must vote on the decision to trigger Article

50, which will kick off Ahead of that decision

Jeremy Corbyn finds himself Yesterday the Labour leader said

it was "very clear" his party accepted the referendum result,

and that he will ask Labour MPs However, there are reports that

around 60 Labour MPs in pro-Remain seats are threatening not to vote

to trigger Brexit, including members Shadow Business Secretary Clive

Lewis told one newspaper, signing Article 50

under these conditions is in the best interests

of...the country." And last night Shadow Defence

Secretary Emily Thornberry was forced to defend Labour

from accusations that they weren't scrutinising the Government

or providing a strong enough Labour is not in power. The

Conservatives are in power. What we should be looking at...

You're not even in opposition! What we should be looking at as the

opposition is what Theresa May has said. I wish her the best of luck, I

hope she gets all she promises thankfully she made in that speech.

We've been joined by the Labour MP Neil Coyle.

You are not voting for Article 50? No.

And why not, let's take the Supreme Court decision, if that is what it

is? So, the Labour manifesto made clear that we supported being in the

European Union, the Labour Conference voted to retain our

position. And the facts have not changed from before the referendum.

Irbelieve that voters want us to stand up for the principle, and not

as Jacob Rees-Mogg says, have career politicians. Me beliefs have not

changed. Your constituency voted remain?

About 72%, yes. If they voted to leave, would that

change your thinking? No. There are those lined up to vote against

triggering Article 50. I understand but mostly from remain.

Yes. How many will follow your example?

There is speculation between 40 and 80. But unknown. There are

discussions going on with the whips as to whether or not there is a free

vote. Are we not clear yet from the whips

whether this will be a free vote for Labour or a whipped vote? The

decision has not been taken is the message that I got this morning.

There is speculation, that is premature. We don't know which way

it will go. In December there was a whipped vote. I was one of the 23

Labour MPs who said I'm not voting for the Government's timetable.

We also understand that Shadow Cabinet members may be voting with

you? Yes. Is that, isn't that the end of

collective Shadow Cabinet responsibility? Well, I'm still

hoping there will be a free vote. I think that is why some of the Shadow

Cabinet are indicating that they feel strongly and would like a

chance to vote with their conscious. There is confusion, we face not just

two years of debate and wrangle from the European Union but five years of

negotiations for what new trade agreements would look like. We don't

know that In that period, the damage is being

done. Jobs are being lost in my constituency now.

Jobs are being created... Jobs are being lost.

That may be to do with your constituency. But the fact is that

overall jobs have risen. But I want to talk about the process, to look

at the substance of that another time. Is it not remarkable that Her

Majesty's opposition, on something as fundamental as a vote to trigger

the negotiations to begin our exit from the European Union, doesn't

have a collective policy, and would have a free vote? To portray this as

a Labour division or Labour not providing opposition, I dispute.

You are divided. The Conservatives have lost. David

Cameron has left early. Zac Goldsmith has been thrown out for

his support. So to suggest that there is Labour confusion,

government is in disarray. You want to talk about that later but I am

saying for my businesses in my constituency, they are already not

seeing investment. 7,000 leaving the country as a result of this.

This could be given excuses. There are facts.

They are not facts. There are, we have been told 7,000

jobs are going... I'm a member of the party, I will be voting with

Andrew here, there is a tone that the opposition sets, it is not about

people saying you are not delegates, you represent your own selves and

conscience but there is a tone that I don't understand in Labour's

relation to this question. I don't know what it is. Now I know what

Jeremy says. The latest thing now I understand that there will not be a

three line whip but I don't know where Labour stands? I need to hear

from Kate? The referendum was advisetory, there was no political

weight. It had political weight but not

binding. It did not have constitutional

weight. Exactly. Your point to the career politicians, is it not

strange to have a referendum, to hear the voice of the people then

decide you are going down your own path to reject what they are going

to do? That's a good question. We will let it hang in the wind. We

have to move on. As the process unfolds come back to talk with us.

And talk about the substance of the issue. The process is interesting as

well. Thank you for being with us. Thank you.

Now, you may well have had enough of referendums,

but people in Surrey could soon have another one to look forward to.

Surrey County Council have unveiled plans to raise council tax

The proposal would cost residents around ?200 a year more on average,

and will need to be approved in a local vote to go ahead.

The Conservative Council say it's the only way they can protect local

We'll talk to the Council's leader in a moment.

First though, the BBC's deputy political editor John Pienaar

was in the Surrey town of Esher yesterday, here's what some

I believe, I heard it on the one o'clock news

How about some more of that money for the Council for social

There's lots of money in Surrey, but that doesn't mean to say

we're going to accept a 15% rate increase.

I can't afford to pay, because my pension is frozen.

More council tax to pay for social care -

I think we live in a very affluent area.

There are lots of people around who need it more than

Here with us now to discuss this is Dia Chakravarty,

the Political Director of the Taxyapers' Alliance,

and David Hodge, he's the Leader of Surrey County Council.

-- here to discuss this is David Hodge. Not everyone is affluent.

Yes, but we have two set a budget to protect vital services for people in

Surrey. Demand is growing in social care, adults with learning

disabilities, and we have to protect children's services. Will you go

ahead with a 15% increase before the referendum then if the referendum

goes the wrong way from your point of view, you would unravel the

increase? You have to. The council papers require you to have two

alternative budgets. So you could put it up before the people have

decided whether it should go up? I didn't make the law. Just as a

clarification. That will happen. How much will it raise? 5% is what the

council would pretend. The extra 10% is around 60 million 70 million. And

what will you spend it on? Adult social care. Hospitals need it to be

protected fully so that we can get people out of hospital. Elderly

people should not be staying in hospital. Get them out. You had to

cut that part as local Government funding has been cut? We haven't cut

it yet. We have worked really hard, and we are trying desperately to do

that. We have the largest cohort of adults with learning disabilities in

the country. It's a historical fact, and we have to look after them. The

Surrey Conservative Paul Beresford said that this was not a good idea

and you should look for savings elsewhere. Opposition councillors

say the council is to blame for financial failings. What do you say

to that? We have made ?450 million worth of annual savings since 2010,

despite the Government cutting our grant by ?170 million since then. We

are on track to save 700 to our transportation programme, which is

vital to Surrey, but we have to come back to reality. The Government says

we need ?70 million a year for learning disability clients and they

have cut that by ?32 million. In terms of the better care fund, we

are supposed to get ?25 million a year, but we are getting nothing

next year, nothing the year after, and the following year, we get ?1.5

million. So you need this money? Desperately. Is the Government not

leaning on new? I am here to represent the people of Surrey. That

is what I was elected to do. And in the process of that, this is quite

embarrassing for the Government, so are they leaning on you to pull

back? I have been producing facts and figures to MPs and to

Government, and they have never told me the figures were incorrect. In

fact, they had told me the figures are correct. Are they leaning on

you? They can do that, but I am accountable to the people of Surrey,

and we have to be honest, stood up and told people the facts. The facts

are that adult social care is in crisis in this country. I understand

that is where you're coming from, but are you going to win this

referendum was Mike we will tell the truth. If we win, I will be very

pleased. Let me try one more Time - will you win the referendum, or will

it be a resigning matter if you lose a? I believe that the people of

Surrey will go to that with a clear conscience. They know what the facts

are. We will put the facts to them. You sound like a national

politician. I am definitely not, much more local. I understand. We

have run out of time. You have given the case, and we shall see what the

outcome is. It's an interesting story. Thanks for being with us.

It's time now to find out the answer to our quiz.

The question was, who is headlining Donald Trump's

So Bonnie and Kate what's the correct answer?

Let's go with the person we had never heard of and say Toby Keith. I

said you could do it by elimination. I have heard of him. He's great. I

will get you a CD. It's the first time with the -- we been offered a

present. Normally the guests just steel beam mugs.

Coming up in a moment it's our regular look at what's been

For now it's time to say goodbye to my two guests of the day -

So for the next half an hour we're going to be focussing on Europe.

We'll be discussing the reaction to Theresa May's Brexit speech,

the election of the new president of the European Parliament,

and we report from Slovenia in the latest in our series,

First though here's our guide to the latest from Europe -

After much anticipation, on Tuesday, Prime Minister, Theresa May,

She said the UK would leave the single

market and had a stark message to Britain's European neighbours.

No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain.

There were mixed reactions from European leaders.

Some accused the PM of cherry-picking the parts

Also on Tuesday, European Parliament elected its new President.

Step forward, Italian politician, Antonio Tiani, who comes from the

On Thursday, MEPs called for emergency aid for migrants and

Specifically to help them cope with freezing temperatures

And also this week, a report by top officials, called for the EU

to raise its own taxes - stand by for

news of a European VAT, a bank levy or a European corporate tax -

And with me for the next 30 minutes i've been joined

by the Conservative MEP Vicky Ford, and the Labour MEP Neena Gill.

And we've also been joined from Brussels

by Politico's Chief Brussels Correspondent David Herszenhorn.

David, let me come to you first. When will we get the combined or

collective European negotiating position? Mrs May as outlined in

broad terms the British strategy with her speech this week. Will we

get something similar from the European Union site? Certainly not

before the triggering of Article 50. The EU has been clear about this,

that it is not their job to help the UK along or to get ahead of formal

procedures. You know the steps that need to be taken. We are waiting for

a court decision, for Parliament act. Once that happens, and the

formal notification is received in Brussels, then we will start to see

the chief negotiator for the European Commission kick into

action, and a more cohesive message should be coming out of Brussels at

that point. In London, how much hostility is there to Britain in

these negotiations, building up to these negotiations? I think there is

resignation and disappointment with the way we are going, and I would

say there is almost a feeling that there is an abdication of political

leadership in terms of, we keep talking about immigration and only

that, and not discussing important issues like the economy and jobs and

what that means. The speech, other than clarifying that we're not going

to be in the single market, which I'm personally really devastated by,

because I do think it is important for our economy and jobs, and for

our income, to safeguard NHS, education and services, but I think

the main concern is that we seem to have thrown in the towel before

we've actually started negotiations. Actually, I disagree. I happen to be

in the more detailed discussions that are happening between the

Parliaments' committees, and I've noticed very much a change of tone

over the Christmas period, as those committees have started to look at

the more detailed implications. Both sides, and we had a long meeting

last week with the European Council chief negotiator. One of the people

who is heading up... And he is a very detailed person, and one who

talks about the need for partnership and the need to recognise the close

economic ties between Europe and the UK. And what I have noticed, sorry,

is that as they look at the details, a more practical and pragmatic

approach, not wanting to damage the economy on either side of the

Channel, and I am just beginning to feel in that negotiation... In

response to Theresa May's speech, it has undone some of that work. My

colleagues involved in those discussions, and they have said

there was a plan, there is a way to move these former -- these things

forward, but the way it has gone down now, people said, you are not

really interested in a close a deal. You have stated that you want out,

and... The Prime Minister wants as close a deal as possible. David, let

me ask you this, because we are still a little unclear on this side

of the Channel. Assuming Article 50 is triggered by the vote in

parliament, what then, how does Europe come to its collective view?

Does that have to be determined in the Council of ministers first, by

the 27, excluding Britain? Duvet then give the chief negotiator a

broad negotiating mandate. Will we get to see what that mandate is? We

get the sense that that mandate is already taking shape. Let me back up

a second to answer your previous question, which my fellow guests

didn't get to, which is in fact there is a lot of lip service paid

to the continuing importance and relevance of British officials in

the EU and in Brussels. We are seeing that it is quickly apparent

that they are being marginalised. In the Parliament, they say that

everyone is a full member until Brexit happens, but it is clear that

that relevance is diminishing fast, and that is important for the UK,

which will be a part of the EU for the next couple of years. In terms

of the mandate for the chief negotiator, there has been some

reaction to the Prime Minister's speech, looking back to the very

first but simple things that Angela Merkel said after the referendum,

which is the four fundamental freedoms of the EU are not up for

negotiation. What officials are telling me is that there doesn't

seem to be sufficient recognition of that in London, that people haven't

heard the message that these things are not negotiable. Membership has

its privileges! What do you say? The Prime Minister recognise that very

strongly, and recognised the importance of the four freedoms. She

went on to talk about needing to keep a close economic partnership,

but from the UK side, we want to keep open as much trade as possible

and then put it back to the EU, the practical cooperation that we have

on certain issues, like trading goods. She mentioned cars and

financial services, the sort of practical co-operative links,

wanting to keep... Can I ask a question? We haven't got much time,

so we have to share of this. If the Government is ruling out membership

of the single market, wine are the four freedoms relevant? They don't

need to be up for negotiation, because if we're not going to be a

member the single market, the four freedoms don't apply and are not for

us. I agree. I am asking here in London, David. I think it is wrong

that we put immigration above jobs and the economy, and that is what I

am hearing from manufacturers in the West Midlands, that they need access

to the single market. When we look at the referendum... Hold on... Let

me just finished, we were being reassured that we weren't talking

about leaving the single market. Do you accept that if we are not going

to be a member of the single market, then the four freedoms that go with

the single market, therefore, don't have to be part of the negotiations?

Theresa it depends what we want. We have had some statements from the

Prime Minister saying we will have customs arrangements, and it's not

clear. We do not know what that means. Let me go back to David. If

it is the Government position to go for a free-trade agreement, why are

the four freedoms of the single market relevant? The point, I think,

is to understand that if there is compromise on that side, and if the

UK is not willing to live up to those standards, then in fact, there

will be a cost to leaving membership of the EU, that any trade deal will

not be as preferential. The Government knows that. If they

understand that, then negotiations can proceed, but it will take some

time. In any free-trade agreement, there is always a clause about these

every access or movement. The Canadian free-trade deal, the most

recent one, doesn't involve free movement. Can I come back in? Let's

be clear. I have heard the chief negotiator say it is not a special

deal for the UK but a deal that is very specific, that recognises our

economic links, wants to form a new partnership, and that is what the

Prime Minister has set out. She has set out her willingness to not put

up new barriers to try, to manage the economy on both sides, and we

need to start working on the detail of that. That is the tone I have

heard in Brussels, and we need to start working.

How much concern is interest in Brussels, or is there not a concern,

of the kind of anti-establishment survey, that we have seen with the

Donald Trump election, could dominate the important elections in

Holland, France, Austria, perhaps Italy, and eelections taking place

in Germany, that that could be the backdrop? Are they worried about

what is happening on the ground this Europe? There is no question that

the antiestablishment forces are a concern but interestingly, Donald

Trump may be a force to serve to unify the EU, if the EU saw a reason

to stay unified because of the upcoming Brexit negotiations, that

Donald Trump is providing greater urgency for the EU to stay together.

So folks are feeling confident, Angela Merkel thinks that things

will be fine in the elections. I think there is confidence growing in

Brussels they will make it through the elections OK and Trump is

creating a unifying force. All right. There was confidence in

the establishment that Donald Trump would not win the primary process as

well, so let's see if the Princess Elizabeth bureaucrats are better at

calling this than those on the other side of the Atlantic.

It's the election that has gripped the corridors

of Strasbourg this week, MEPs spent all of Tuesday voting

for the next president of the European Parliament.

It's an important position, because as the parliament's top dog

they get to wield considerable influence behind the scenes.

The moment when Antonio Tajani from the centre-right

European People's Party became the new man in charge.

Congratulating him, his predecessor Martin Schultz,

the German socialist who's leaving after five years at the helm.

Even though his party's candidate, Gianni Patella, was defeated

As Schultz exits stage left, the changing of the guard

at the European Parliament is completed.

This election was really a battle between two Italians,

but it started off as a contest divided up between six candidates.

After three rounds of voting, it was down to Gianni Patella

on the left and Antonio Tajani on the right.

In the end, it was Mr Tajani who came out on top.

Tajani's election marks a clean sweep for the centre-right

As well as the Parliament, the Commission is headed up

by Jean-Claude Juncker and the council by Donald

We fought the monopoly but we weren't able to win

but we fought strongly against the monopoly and we will

Well, he's certainly a familiar face around the Parliament

but he cut his political teeth as a spokesman for the controversial

former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

You can feel it, all of the different groupings

If you ask them and inparticular Members of Parliament,

what they would say about him, it is not only me,

it is that he is a man that keeps his word and this

It's this approach that eventually won Tajani the support of all

It's this approach that eventually won Tajani the support of the other

I think Tajani would be a better chairman for us in the Parliament,

for two reasons, primarily, one, he has promised to be more

of a speaker of the House than a Prime Minister,

we need a more neutral conductor of business, and the other thing

for a conservative mind, is that it is better

to have a centre-right person in the chairman,

to have a centre-right person in the chair,

So for those two reasons we ended up in the last two rounds supporting

Mr Tajani's intray is already pretty full, countering

the rise of Euro-scepticism, ahead of elections in France,

Germany and Holland, coping with any new wave

of migrants, and of course, Brexit, although he won't be the man

leading the negotiations on behalf of Parliament.

That will be done by the liberal MEP, Mr Verhoffstat.

How do you think Antonio Tajani will respond in terms of Brexit?

I think in terms of rhetoric, of course, he will subscribe

to the standard European position that they are opposed to Brexit,

they think it's a disaster, they're going to punish us,

they're going to expect to see us perform very badly,

I think actually, I think he is much more measured and pragmatic.

So Mr Tajani will most likely be the man here in post

here at the Parliament in just over two years' time, when the sun sets

on the UK's negotiation over its exit and MEPs

from the remaining 27 member states will have a vote to ratify any

Jo Coburn reporting from Strasbourg.

So, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of The Commission, Donald Tusk,

another conservative President of the council of ministers, now a

centre-right Italian MEP, President of the Parliament, is the right

taking over the EU's institutions? I am disappointed that our candidate,

who put up a good fight but was not successful.

Who were you backing? I was backing Gianni Patella.

So, on you go. So, I think it is of concern that

all three institutions are in the centre-right. I don't think it bodes

well. But more importantly, what concerns me, and I get on very well

with Antonio Tajani but I think he is not really a strong candidate in

terms of the challenges the EU faces this year. And Martin Schultz has

increased Parliament's role and that is important to connect with the

citizens. OK. Is there not a certain irony

that the conservative Government is taking us out of the EU

institutions, just as the Conservatives are dominating the EU

institutions? In response to Neena, the reason we have a centre-right

politicians now is because the centre-right have more votes,

because the centre-right got more votes from the public in the

Parliament in the last election as they won more votes in the last

European elections. So that is why he won. I am pleased to see someone

who has said that they will be more of a speaker and less of a Prime

Minister. We found Martin Schultz dictatorial. He overruled many

decisions of the Parliament commission, so the backbenchers...

ALL SPEAK AT ONCE Will he be helpful or unhelpful on

Brexit? The reason I voted for him in the last round was that he

promised to listen to all the Parliament, especially to the

Conservative reformist group, my grouping and promised to pledge a

neutral tone on Brexit to allow the negotiations to happen in a rack

thank you call, pragmatic way. Although, part of the deal is that

Verhofstat stays to strengthen and what Gianni Patella was offering.

Vicky, let me finish, I listened to you. He was saying he would take

Verhofstat off the negotiations, so in terms of British interests it

would have been better, given his position on the UK... He is the

Belgian federalist? Yes. He is now a leader of one of the

groups and has an agreement with the centre-right grouping, the EPP, to

change the direction of the EU. They now want a European coastguard, a

European governor zone, a European defence force and also European

intelligence and investigation capacity. So if that's the way that

these two big groups in the European Parliament are going, even Labour

could not support most of that? No. We were were not supporting these

candidates. No but is that the direction of

travel for Europe? This is what the Conservatives were supporting him

for. I could not have supported the socialist candidate. You have a

choice of two, both of them are federalist...

ALL SPEAK AT ONCE Gianni Patella is En not a federalist. They said that

the Antonio Tajani offer was to be more of a neutral speaker to allow

the Parliament to move on. Just on Verhofstat, he is not in the

negotiations. The negotiations happen with the entire Parliament.

He is either in or not? He is the chief negotiator. One of the parts

of the deal. Hold on.

The two of you are confusing me! You are saying he is not in the

negotiations, you are saying he is the chief negotiator. Both cannot be

right? The Article 50 negotiations are conducted with the European

Council and with the Barniaese team. The Parliament as a whole then hads

a vote. I understand that. But I'm still not

clear but have run out of time to clarify it. We have to move on in

the latest of series of films for the EU Member States.

Adam Fleming has travelled to Sloveni, where people

in Melania Trump's home town have been getting used to the idea

that their most famous ex-resident is moving into the White House.

I was born in Slovenia, a small, beautiful and then communist country

And here is where - the town of Sevnica.

Fittingly for a former model, it is where you will find

Slovenia's biggest manufacturer of pants.Melania left and found

fame, fortune and a husband in the

Since then, her home country has joined

Armed with my Nova magazine, with Melania

on the front cover, let's find out what people think about her.

Can you imagine Donald Trump in the street,

Here, they are offering a wise First Lady

tour, where you can see the Melania's

old school, have some of the

At the Julia bakery, they are selling a Trump-themed cake.

We put on white chocolate because of the White

House, she is always dressed in white, so we put white chocolate.

And we put gold on top because it's luxury.

Also almonds and other special ingredients.

It's not exactly Melania-mania, maybe because

Mrs Trump's Slovenian lawyers have issued

It's not exactly Melania-mania, maybe because

Mrs Trump's Slovenian lawyers have issued

a reminder that her name is a

The biggest thing Mrs Trump has done for us is to get us

In Sevnica, we're respectful about using

her name, partly because her family still live here.

And that will continue to be the case in the

But surely it's all great material for Slovenian comedians.

That she was a robot designed in Slovenia

designed to infiltrate the White House and now we are in charge.

We are such a small country, this was

The president of Uefa is also Slovenian, so we're

kind of like putting people in positions

and waiting to see what is

Celebrations for the inauguration are low-key.

The main event is the annual pruning of Sevnica's

That I will faithfully execute the Office...