09/02/2017

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:00:37. > :00:56.MPs have voted overwhelmingly to give the prime minister the power

:00:57. > :01:01.to trigger Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

:01:02. > :01:04.It's now over to the Lords, but so far the bill has caused more

:01:05. > :01:06.problems for Jeremy Corbyn than Theresa May.

:01:07. > :01:10.This morning, MPs are crying foul over moves to end the Dubs

:01:11. > :01:11.scheme for child refugees, while the government

:01:12. > :01:17.Surrey Council insists ministers didn't cut a special deal

:01:18. > :01:21.to persuade it to call off a referendum on council tax.

:01:22. > :01:27.So just why did local Conservatives change their mind?

:01:28. > :01:29.And Surrey's council leader isn't the first politician to send

:01:30. > :01:46.All that in the next hour and we're joined

:01:47. > :01:50.Reading Giles' CV would take us up to the one o'clock news,

:01:51. > :01:53.but as well as being a writer and broadcaster he's also

:01:54. > :01:55.a former Conservative MP, and he once held the record

:01:56. > :01:57.for the world's longest after-dinner speech -

:01:58. > :01:59.which makes him perfectly qualified for this show.

:02:00. > :02:07.First today, it was a big moment in the House of Commons last night,

:02:08. > :02:12.as MPs voted by 4-1 to back the EU notification

:02:13. > :02:14.of Withdrawal Bill, which gives the Prime Minister the authority

:02:15. > :02:25.It survived the Commons unamended, and now moves onto the Lords.

:02:26. > :02:27.Lifelong Eurosceptics were cock-a-hoop at the result,

:02:28. > :02:36.Let's have a listen to Scottish National Party breaking into song.

:02:37. > :03:04.Miss Gibson, it's very good to hold a choir,

:03:05. > :03:07.but what I would say is, I personally don't mind singing,

:03:08. > :03:13.but I certainly can't allow it in the chamber.

:03:14. > :03:20.The Deputy Speaker getting a little angry. The tune was not Flower Of

:03:21. > :03:21.Scotland. For those of you who couldn't name

:03:22. > :03:24.the tune, it was Beethoven's Ode to Joy, which the EU has adopted

:03:25. > :03:29.as its anthem. We did ask the SNP on this morning

:03:30. > :03:41.but no-one was available. I think they were at choir practice.

:03:42. > :03:48.Giles will sing it instead. What did you make of it? I did not

:03:49. > :03:54.make much of it but given the Speaker's less stuffy House of

:03:55. > :03:58.Commons, a bit of band standing on the part of the Scottish

:03:59. > :04:04.Nationalists. Not happy, but once you begin to let anything go, when

:04:05. > :04:08.applause and cheering is allowed, it is difficult to contain other people

:04:09. > :04:16.when they are doing their thing. Anarchy could be breaking out.

:04:17. > :04:22.Not in the Palace of Westminster! It was sedate. And during a division

:04:23. > :04:25.by the look of it so the house was momentarily suspended, voting was

:04:26. > :04:37.going on and there seemed to be a nice choir mistress conducting. And

:04:38. > :04:43.the sinking sotto voce. That comes next!

:04:44. > :04:48.Is it a rule not to break into song? It is not Parliamentary to sing,

:04:49. > :04:56.speak in other languages, to applaud and these things still happen. I was

:04:57. > :05:02.trying to remember when Labour MPs once broke into the Red Flag. I

:05:03. > :05:05.cannot remember. No doubt Twitter will remember.

:05:06. > :05:07.And you can announce it later. That is not the quiz.

:05:08. > :05:10.We'll be returning to last night's vote a little later in the show,

:05:11. > :05:13.but now let's turn to this morning in the Commons, where

:05:14. > :05:15.the government has been asked about its announcement,

:05:16. > :05:17.made in the fifth paragraph of a written statement published

:05:18. > :05:19.after Prime Minister's Questions, that the so-called 'Dubs'

:05:20. > :05:23.scheme to take in child refugees is to finish,

:05:24. > :05:26.having helped just 350 children - far short of the thousands

:05:27. > :05:33.We will transfer the specified number of 350 children,

:05:34. > :05:36.pursuant to that section, who reasonably meet the intention

:05:37. > :05:42.This number includes over 200 children already

:05:43. > :05:44.transferred under section 67, from France, and I want

:05:45. > :05:50.to be absolutely clear, the scheme is not closed.

:05:51. > :05:54.Where does it say in the Hansard debate that I have here

:05:55. > :05:57.from our debates on the Dubs amendment that we will only help

:05:58. > :06:01.Where does it say that instead of the 3,000

:06:02. > :06:03.that Parliament debated, we will only help the

:06:04. > :06:09.Where does it say that when we get the chance, we will somehow

:06:10. > :06:18.It doesn't, because we didn't say that at the time.

:06:19. > :06:26.Labour's Yvette Cooper. Giles, do you agree with Lord Dubs who put

:06:27. > :06:32.forward the amendment, himself a child refugee from Nazi Germany,

:06:33. > :06:40.that this is a shabby move? It looks like it. I am a fan of Lord Dubs. He

:06:41. > :06:43.came over as a refugee. A lifetime of public service and secured a

:06:44. > :06:49.great success, persuading the government of the day to change its

:06:50. > :06:54.mind and introduce what is known as the Dubs amendment, allowing quite a

:06:55. > :06:59.small number of children who do not have people to look after them to

:07:00. > :07:03.come into this country, up to 2000 and taken care of by local

:07:04. > :07:07.authorities. It is not asking a lot. We are still a prosperous country

:07:08. > :07:11.and we should be a generous country and we should be seen to be doing

:07:12. > :07:18.the right thing by these children. It looks disappointing. Lord Dubs

:07:19. > :07:24.was surprised. There was not a time limit on this amendment. There was

:07:25. > :07:30.no specific number but calls for 3000, 3500 children to be brought in

:07:31. > :07:35.Rather than 300 and 50. Timing is interesting in the midst of debate

:07:36. > :07:41.and discussion over Brexit. You think this was an attempt to try to

:07:42. > :07:47.drop the scheme? Buried the news in paragraph 40 seven. You said it.

:07:48. > :07:51.Possibly. I don't know. It seems unnecessary. Such a small thing in

:07:52. > :07:56.the great scope of things to be seen to be generous and open. Such a

:07:57. > :08:05.triumph. They got brownie points agreeing to the amendment. We were

:08:06. > :08:09.at the Oldie awards. They were honoured for the work they had done

:08:10. > :08:14.on refugees, everybody cheered cross-party, even David Cameron. His

:08:15. > :08:19.government allowed the amendment to take place. It is disappointing the

:08:20. > :08:24.way it is perceived. It looks like the government is tracking. They say

:08:25. > :08:29.it is not being stopped. Don't worry, we are adjusting things as we

:08:30. > :08:31.go along and hopefully Dubs will rule.

:08:32. > :08:34.The question for today is all about a debate

:08:35. > :08:36.in the Lords yesterday, when peers were discussing

:08:37. > :08:39.the shortage of vegetables caused by bad weather on the continent.

:08:40. > :08:43.Courgettes, spinach and lettuce are all in short supply.

:08:44. > :08:46.But which appropriately-named peer replied for the government?

:08:47. > :09:00.What great green fingered names they have in the Lords.

:09:01. > :09:02.At the end of the show, Gyles will give

:09:03. > :09:19.The Red Flag was sang on 2006 to mark the Labour Party's founding.

:09:20. > :09:25.They sang it in 1979 when they lost the vote of confidence in Mrs

:09:26. > :09:28.Thatcher's first government and in 1976, the night Michael Heseltine

:09:29. > :09:33.grabbed the base because he was angry at Welsh MPs for singing it.

:09:34. > :09:41.The most famous was in 1945, when Labour came in with a landslide. --

:09:42. > :09:45.mace. You learn a lot on the show. Yesterday at Prime Minister's

:09:46. > :09:47.Questions, Jeremy Corbyn staged a good old-fashioned ambush,

:09:48. > :09:49.claiming to have evidence that the government had cut a deal

:09:50. > :09:52.with Surrey Council to avoid the prospect of

:09:53. > :09:58.a local tax increase. Surrey County Council,

:09:59. > :09:59.which is Conservative controlled,, had announced it would hold

:10:00. > :10:03.a referendum on raising council tax by 15% to pay for the spiralling

:10:04. > :10:12.costs of social care. To raise it by that amount you have

:10:13. > :10:15.to have a referendum. But at PMQs, the Labour leader said

:10:16. > :10:17.a text message exchange showed the council had dropped its plan

:10:18. > :10:20.after striking a "sweetheart" deal The text messages in question

:10:21. > :10:25.were sent by Conservative leader of Surrey County Council,

:10:26. > :10:28.David Hodge. It is thought they were

:10:29. > :10:30.intended for Nick King, a special adviser at the Department

:10:31. > :10:32.for Communities But instead he sent

:10:33. > :10:38.them to another Nick, believed to be Nick Forbes,

:10:39. > :10:40.the Labour leader of Newcastle In his first message,

:10:41. > :10:46.Councillor Hodge said he had been advised

:10:47. > :10:48.that the Communities Department received clarification

:10:49. > :10:57.that the numbers being talked about are "acceptable" enough

:10:58. > :11:00.for him to call off the 'R' - which we assume referred

:11:01. > :11:03.to the referendum on the tax rise. After the messages were published,

:11:04. > :11:05.Surrey's leader said there had been "no deal"

:11:06. > :11:09.with the government. But later, the Communities

:11:10. > :11:14.Department clarified that Surrey would be part of a new pilot scheme

:11:15. > :11:18.to retain 100% of the money it raises from business rates,

:11:19. > :11:20.which could in future plug It added, "All other councils

:11:21. > :11:26.will be free to apply to participate in these pilots,

:11:27. > :11:28.and the government And to discuss that we're joined

:11:29. > :11:39.by one of Surrey's Conservative MPs, Kwasi Kwarteng, and Labour's only

:11:40. > :11:45.Surrey councillor, Richard Evans. We asked the government

:11:46. > :11:59.for an interview but were told Welcome. Councillor Evans, you were

:12:00. > :12:04.at the Council budget meeting. Tell us what happened. We got there for

:12:05. > :12:08.the budget meeting be expected to start at ten o'clock and we were

:12:09. > :12:13.told there was an adjournment until 11 o'clock and then another

:12:14. > :12:18.adjournment on the budget until one o'clock when we were anticipating,

:12:19. > :12:21.even the Conservatives and Cabinet members in the Conservatives

:12:22. > :12:26.expected a vote on the 15% increase and putting it out to a referendum

:12:27. > :12:32.and then we were told by the leader, Mr Hodge, we would not need that and

:12:33. > :12:37.that he had had a promise, or he was confident he could go ahead with 5%.

:12:38. > :12:42.This was a shock to everyone. When you went to the meeting, the

:12:43. > :12:48.universal expectation was you would vote essentially for a 15% increase,

:12:49. > :12:54.which could only happen with a referendum? Absolutely. The fact it

:12:55. > :13:00.was cut to 4.9%, I think, for which you do not need a referendum, was a

:13:01. > :13:06.surprise? A total surprise, to even the Conservative cabinet members. In

:13:07. > :13:12.your view, was a deal done? Something must have been done. For

:13:13. > :13:15.months, the leader of the council told us there was no alternative, he

:13:16. > :13:22.had spoken to government about the funding needed in Surrey and the

:13:23. > :13:25.funding for adult social care has been cut and the budget would not

:13:26. > :13:29.add up without the 15% rise in council tax. I think they got wind

:13:30. > :13:35.they would lose the referendum. Which is probably they would have

:13:36. > :13:41.done? There was no evidence people would vote for it. Most thought they

:13:42. > :13:47.would lose by 75%. Did he indicate he had assurances from anybody that

:13:48. > :13:55.with 5%, to round it up, that he could fill the gap? No, he did not

:13:56. > :13:58.give that assurance. We had been asking for details and information

:13:59. > :14:02.and it has been clouded in mystery and secrecy. Cloak and dagger stuff.

:14:03. > :14:10.He kept the council in the dark on this. What happened? I have no idea.

:14:11. > :14:14.You are a Tory MP. I do know, but I do not run the county council nor do

:14:15. > :14:20.I have a seat on that county council but I know there was a lot of local

:14:21. > :14:26.activists. The party was upset about a referendum and huge pressure was

:14:27. > :14:29.applied to David Hodge from my constituency in Spelthorne but our

:14:30. > :14:35.chairman, volunteers in the county, and we did not want a referendum. We

:14:36. > :14:40.did not go into politics as conservatives to raise taxes by 15%.

:14:41. > :14:46.There are ten Conservative MPs in Surrey. I think there are 11. You

:14:47. > :14:50.could say 12 and I would not be surprised. Five in government,

:14:51. > :14:55.including the Chancellor, Health Secretary, you are an MP. This was a

:14:56. > :14:59.huge interest to the Conservative Party in the county, there must've

:15:00. > :15:03.been involvement by MPs at the prospect of a Conservative council

:15:04. > :15:10.proposing a referendum on a 50% increase? We upset about it. We

:15:11. > :15:15.tried to use persuasion. The referendum is not happening. Neither

:15:16. > :15:19.is the 15% increase. We managed to exert moral pressure, if you like,

:15:20. > :15:22.persuasion to call off the referendum and it was a decision be

:15:23. > :15:28.county council and particularly David Hodge made. -- 15%. The deals

:15:29. > :15:33.they say has been done is that you will be part of a pilot that gets to

:15:34. > :15:39.keep the business tax to see what happens. That does not come in until

:15:40. > :15:45.2018, and I understand you've missed the first round. It is one year

:15:46. > :15:47.away. How will you fill the gap? You mentioned 4.9% of the other thing

:15:48. > :16:03.you have failed to mention was... Well, I did mention it. You cut me

:16:04. > :16:08.off. The manifesto is very clear. They are keen that they retain the

:16:09. > :16:13.business rates is that is a huge business in Surrey and a huge

:16:14. > :16:21.generator of revenue, and that will help the shortfall in revenue. Do we

:16:22. > :16:25.know how much? Sorry kept 41 million of the local rate revenue and the

:16:26. > :16:33.social care bill was 516 million, so how do we fill the gap? -- sorry. We

:16:34. > :16:38.have a 5% increase, and we all know this because it was made clear,

:16:39. > :16:45.there might well have to be some reductions in expenditure that is

:16:46. > :16:48.how you the budget, typically. Can the holding onto a bigger chunk of

:16:49. > :16:56.the business rate make much of a difference? There is business in

:16:57. > :16:59.Surrey. Prosperous business? Yes, prosperous business but it's not a

:17:00. > :17:03.solution for this year, starting at the beginning of April. When I've

:17:04. > :17:10.asked for information, this is what I got back from the leader of the

:17:11. > :17:13.council. A lot of black lines. This letter was sent to all the MPs and I

:17:14. > :17:21.was asking for details of what was going on and it has been redacted.

:17:22. > :17:25.Are they national secrets in this? I don't know. It's only from the

:17:26. > :17:31.leader of the council. Is there a D notice on this? What could he be

:17:32. > :17:37.saying to Surrey MPs that he won't say to the council? Tell me about

:17:38. > :17:42.the government code of transparency. This is David Hodge and I'm not here

:17:43. > :17:50.to answer for him. I have read it and from my recollection there was

:17:51. > :17:53.nothing to -- to sensational. Redacting is when councils are

:17:54. > :17:58.asking what is going on means there is no openness. How can we vote on a

:17:59. > :18:01.budget if we opt not given the information? My understanding was it

:18:02. > :18:06.was a full debate and a lot of the numbers were transparent. The debate

:18:07. > :18:10.had been built up for 15% and you said you'd like it, but the council

:18:11. > :18:13.proposed that that is what the budget figure was, and on the last

:18:14. > :18:17.minute on the basis of text messages being sent by the leader of the

:18:18. > :18:22.council we were told it would be all right and we could get away with

:18:23. > :18:27.just 5%. It is no way to run council. It is a shambles. According

:18:28. > :18:33.to the Council finance director, Surrey will have to find an

:18:34. > :18:41.additional ?30 million of cuts in this financial year -- 13 millions.

:18:42. > :18:45.-- 30 million. It is a large amount but in the overall context of the

:18:46. > :18:49.budget, they will have to find it. It's already lost 170 million in

:18:50. > :18:52.central government funding. You will appreciate over the last four or

:18:53. > :18:56.five years there has been the squeeze on the national budget and

:18:57. > :19:00.it has affected councils up and down the country. Every council in the

:19:01. > :19:04.country has to face the degree of financial pressure and Surrey are

:19:05. > :19:07.doing this as well as anyone. We know there has been a squeeze on

:19:08. > :19:11.budgets and the government felt they had to reduce the deficit. We know

:19:12. > :19:17.all that. But it was a political decision to do that by taking 4.6

:19:18. > :19:20.billion out of the social care system. That was a political

:19:21. > :19:29.decision by your government at a time of rising demographics amongst

:19:30. > :19:33.retired people and more social care was needed, and you took that

:19:34. > :19:38.political decision, and that is surely why even prosperous places

:19:39. > :19:44.like Surrey are in deep trouble. You are right. The country has

:19:45. > :19:49.demographic challenges, as you describe. The question was whether

:19:50. > :19:54.that commitment should be met at a national level from the national

:19:55. > :19:59.exchequer or at the local and county council level and they should take

:20:00. > :20:03.the strain. That was a political decision. This is in line with the

:20:04. > :20:08.policy of trying to devolve responsibility in terms of budget,

:20:09. > :20:14.devolving power means taking more responsibility. You have devolve the

:20:15. > :20:19.problem and cut the budget by 4.6 billion and said over to you -- you

:20:20. > :20:23.have devolved the problem. You chose some of the most vulnerable people

:20:24. > :20:29.to be affected by this. There wasn't an argument that at some stage the

:20:30. > :20:33.deficit had to be brought down, but you chose to do it in a way that

:20:34. > :20:36.hits some of the oldest and most vulnerable people in society. I

:20:37. > :20:43.disagree with that. What we were trying to do was to say that the

:20:44. > :20:46.responsibility for adult social care should be devolved down to the

:20:47. > :20:49.county councils. If the government had spent the money there wasn't

:20:50. > :20:53.going to be any more money, the government would have made the

:20:54. > :20:57.reductions. I think it was perfectly reasonable to say that local

:20:58. > :21:02.councils were best placed to decide how to spend this reduced amount of

:21:03. > :21:10.money. Where is the situation now? Let's assume that council tax will

:21:11. > :21:14.go up by 5% and not 15% and there will be something done on business

:21:15. > :21:19.rates coming in in 18 months' time or so. What is the situation between

:21:20. > :21:23.now and then as far as you can tell? There is a big gap in the budget

:21:24. > :21:27.because unless there is some sort of secret deal being done between

:21:28. > :21:33.Surrey and the government to fill the gap there will be a big hole in

:21:34. > :21:37.the finances of Surrey because one minute it was 15% are now it is 5%.

:21:38. > :21:40.It's no good saying that adult social care should be funded by

:21:41. > :21:44.local councils. Everybody recognises that this is a central government

:21:45. > :21:49.responsibility. Adult social care funding will increase as people get

:21:50. > :21:53.older, more people, particularly in Surrey and it has to be a national

:21:54. > :21:59.government responsibility. It strikes me there are two things on

:22:00. > :22:04.this. One is the natural journalistic suspicion that thinks,

:22:05. > :22:14.here is a Tory heartland, Tory council, only one Labour MP on the

:22:15. > :22:19.council. He didn't come on. I am sorry that our guest of the day is

:22:20. > :22:24.so rude to our guests. Let me finish the question. And it is dealing with

:22:25. > :22:31.a Tory government, the Chancellor and the Health Secretary come from

:22:32. > :22:35.this county area, distinguished backbenchers like our other guests

:22:36. > :22:39.here today. That is one thing. That is one thing, but even if keeping

:22:40. > :22:44.more business rates was a solution for Surrey, that is because Surrey

:22:45. > :22:47.has lots of businesses. There are other parts of the country where

:22:48. > :22:51.they don't have that many businesses and this is not a route that helps

:22:52. > :22:56.the social care fund. There is a double tension here. Going back 25

:22:57. > :22:59.years when I was an MP, I recall the same conflict between local

:23:00. > :23:02.government and national government. There is nothing new in this.

:23:03. > :23:06.Essentially the people at County Hall thinks they can do think better

:23:07. > :23:09.than the national government and the national government knows it can do

:23:10. > :23:15.things better than at county level. So there is always this tension. It

:23:16. > :23:20.goes back literally decades. The new dilemma, of course, is that we now

:23:21. > :23:25.believe in localism so we are heaving no authority and power and

:23:26. > :23:31.more money to people we don't always really believe can do the job as

:23:32. > :23:35.properly. And problems as well. Now there is a big national problem

:23:36. > :23:40.about this. Let's devolve and see what happens. OK, we have run out of

:23:41. > :23:43.time. An interesting subject, and thanks for both of you. You didn't

:23:44. > :23:50.have to talk about Brexit. Don't worry, we're going to now. After

:23:51. > :23:51.that brief interlude we turn back to Brexit.

:23:52. > :23:53.Now let's turn back last night's Brexit vote,

:23:54. > :23:55.as MPs finished three days debating a piece of legislation

:23:56. > :23:58.which looks certain to end up in the history books.

:23:59. > :24:00.The debate has been at times tetchy, at times it's repeated

:24:01. > :24:02.well-rehearsed arguments, but it's always been passionate.

:24:03. > :24:05.Here's a look back at just some of the moments that

:24:06. > :24:13.This House has spoken and now is not the time to obstruct

:24:14. > :24:17.the democratically expressed wishes of the British people.

:24:18. > :24:20.The Supreme Court was right to make clear that Parliament should exert

:24:21. > :24:26.That influence should be felt at the start, throughout,

:24:27. > :24:28.and, most importantly, at the end of the formal

:24:29. > :24:36.Does he really think that in a negotiation,

:24:37. > :24:42.many months, and be extraordinarily complicated, is it in the best

:24:43. > :24:44.interests of the United Kingdom to have to reveal their hand

:24:45. > :25:04.All of this will have an impact on the devolution process,

:25:05. > :25:07.be it in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

:25:08. > :25:08.If ministers respect the devolution process,

:25:09. > :25:11.then they should have no problem with the additional scrutiny

:25:12. > :25:18.Isn't the truth that she knows, we know, the whole House knows,

:25:19. > :25:21.that the Scottish National Party have no interest and no desire

:25:22. > :25:26.She knew that before tabling this amendment,

:25:27. > :25:29.so members on this side of the House will be asking, surely this is just

:25:30. > :25:34.It's quite clear that the honourable lady had not resumed her seat.

:25:35. > :25:36.Being in the chair accords you many privileges,

:25:37. > :25:42.but you cannot reinterpret the wishes of the honourable

:25:43. > :26:04.I can confirm that the government will bring forward a motion

:26:05. > :26:08.on the final agreement to be approved by both Houses

:26:09. > :26:11.of Parliament before it is concluded, and we expect and intend

:26:12. > :26:13.that this will happen before the European Parliament debates

:26:14. > :26:20.and votes on the final agreement.

:26:21. > :26:23.That is a huge and very important concession about the process

:26:24. > :26:30.What the House wants is the opportunity to send

:26:31. > :26:33.the government back to our EU partners to negotiate a deal,

:26:34. > :26:42.That is exactly the vote we had on second reading of this Bill.

:26:43. > :26:44.If you are at all worried about leaving the EU,

:26:45. > :26:47.you should clearly not have voted for this Bill on second reading.

:26:48. > :26:51.That is the point of the irrevocable debate.

:26:52. > :26:54.I feel sometimes I am sitting along with colleagues who are like jihadis

:26:55. > :27:20.We ought not to trigger Article 50 until we have given some sort

:27:21. > :27:23.of assurance to EU nationals living in the United Kingdom

:27:24. > :27:29.The quicker we get this Bill on the statute book,

:27:30. > :27:32.the quicker we get Article 50 triggered, the quicker we can get

:27:33. > :27:34.that arrangement in place and reassure EU nationals in Britain

:27:35. > :27:41.I will not be voting with the opposition.

:27:42. > :27:43.I am very content with the government's current

:27:44. > :27:51.I urge all honourable and right honourable members who have tabled

:27:52. > :27:53.amendments now to withdraw them, so that we can progress the Bill,

:27:54. > :27:58.start the process of withdrawal and work to deliver a deal that

:27:59. > :28:01.respects the vote of the British people in the referendum.

:28:02. > :28:22.We're joined now by the shadow international trade

:28:23. > :28:34.Welcome back. The government celebrating, and no wonder. Labour

:28:35. > :28:38.put down 120 amendments, none of them were passed and you failed to

:28:39. > :28:42.extract any concession from the government. If you look back three

:28:43. > :28:48.or four months, at that time, we were saying that we wanted a vote in

:28:49. > :28:52.parliament, we wanted a white Paper, we wanted clarity on the final

:28:53. > :28:58.negotiated agreement and a vote on that. So, actually, over that period

:28:59. > :29:02.the government moved and conceded those points. You're absolutely

:29:03. > :29:06.right, and what they didn't do, and I regret it, is that they did not do

:29:07. > :29:10.what the Supreme Court said should happen, which is that the people had

:29:11. > :29:14.decided we should leave in the referendum but it was for Parliament

:29:15. > :29:18.to then shape how we left. I think that was a mistake on the

:29:19. > :29:21.government's part because it would have been stronger if Parliament had

:29:22. > :29:30.felt it had the control of the process going forward. Just to argue

:29:31. > :29:32.the point about three or four months ago, Gena Miller brought a court

:29:33. > :29:35.case and that is why you got to debated in Parliament and Tory MPs

:29:36. > :29:38.also demanded a White Paper. That was conceded and Theresa May had

:29:39. > :29:41.already promised to have a vote on the actual deal done. I ask you

:29:42. > :29:47.again, what did Labour actually extract from the government? I don't

:29:48. > :29:52.think that is a fair analysis of what was going on. What happened in

:29:53. > :29:55.the last three days? The government have conceded nothing and that is

:29:56. > :29:59.the problem of being in opposition, you don't have the votes because you

:30:00. > :30:03.are not in government. It's hardly surprising that if the government is

:30:04. > :30:07.obdurate and the government is not trying to reconcile the whole of the

:30:08. > :30:11.country and bring it back together and simply says, no, we will do it

:30:12. > :30:14.our way, no matter what anyone says then of course that is what happens.

:30:15. > :30:20.What did Jeremy Corbyn mean by tweeting that the real fun -- fight

:30:21. > :30:26.starts now? What do you does he mean? You have a great repeal Bill

:30:27. > :30:30.Cumming and there are hundreds of pieces of legislation that need to

:30:31. > :30:35.go through Parliament -- and we will scrutinise them and make sure that

:30:36. > :30:36.the government cannot simply take us into the sort of deregulated

:30:37. > :30:47.offshore tax haven that many of us You said if the government wants to

:30:48. > :30:52.do that you as the opposition cannot stop them. What can you change, what

:30:53. > :30:56.will you do in terms of effecting change in the government as the

:30:57. > :31:01.Labour opposition that you have not been able to do up till now? We are

:31:02. > :31:04.a Parliamentary democracy and we have to speak out when we believe

:31:05. > :31:09.what the government is doing is not in the best interests of the British

:31:10. > :31:15.people. That is what we have done and will continue to do. You are

:31:16. > :31:20.right, on our own, we cannot win the vote. I hope there may be members of

:31:21. > :31:24.the Conservative Party who will see the rationality of some things we

:31:25. > :31:29.are putting forward and who will then choose in their conscience to

:31:30. > :31:35.vote with us. I am not sure it will be the case, because clearly the

:31:36. > :31:38.government has the numbers. Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary,

:31:39. > :31:48.tweeted Tory Brexit will be a disaster and voted for it. There are

:31:49. > :31:52.two competing principles. One, and I also believe leaving the EU is

:31:53. > :31:59.really going to be potentially disastrous for the British economy,

:32:00. > :32:03.but... Wide not vote against it? Because of the principle of

:32:04. > :32:07.respecting democracy in a referendum and the British people have been

:32:08. > :32:13.given the opportunity to vote. It ill behoves politicians to say we

:32:14. > :32:18.know better than you do, you are ignorant about these matters, we

:32:19. > :32:22.understand the economy, we understand World Trade Organisation

:32:23. > :32:27.rules, get back in your box, we will do it our way. If I were on the

:32:28. > :32:31.winning side of the referendum and the government said, we know you

:32:32. > :32:35.won, but we will ignore that, I would have been furious. My best

:32:36. > :32:39.judgment, which is what I owe my constituents as a member of

:32:40. > :32:44.Parliament, is that if that had happened and we turned round and

:32:45. > :32:47.refuse to accept the will of the people, people would have been

:32:48. > :32:52.outraged and we may have seen an upsurge in hatred and violence. That

:32:53. > :32:58.is a passionate defence of what you did. Why did you fail to persuade

:32:59. > :33:05.Clive Lewis, a member of the Shadow Cabinet, and 49 others to vote the

:33:06. > :33:08.same way? I regret that. I know that Clive wrestled with that and

:33:09. > :33:14.accepted the Democratic principle on the second reading. By the third

:33:15. > :33:19.reading he felt we should have been able to move the government forward,

:33:20. > :33:26.that is what he wanted to do. He respected democracy by voting for a

:33:27. > :33:30.second reading. It then went through without a single amendment being

:33:31. > :33:34.accepted by the government. They were intransigent. At that point,

:33:35. > :33:41.Clive thought he could not vote for that. Life is not black and white.

:33:42. > :33:44.We have to understand members of Parliament have been wrestling with

:33:45. > :33:48.these competing principles and they have tried to do what in all honesty

:33:49. > :33:55.they believe is the best for their constituents. Do you have sympathy

:33:56. > :34:00.for Barry Gardner's arguments? What amuses me looking back on it as a

:34:01. > :34:04.former whip, is to see how successful the Conservative whipping

:34:05. > :34:08.has been, that because there are differing views on the conservative

:34:09. > :34:13.side, only three Conservatives did not vote with the government and

:34:14. > :34:19.about 50 Labour MPs voted against the three line whip imposed by

:34:20. > :34:23.Jeremy Corbyn. One party is much more publicly divided than the

:34:24. > :34:31.other. It must be curious for knew to be in the lobby joshing shoulders

:34:32. > :34:38.with Bill Cash. All your old friends. Did you feel tainted, or

:34:39. > :34:45.OK? I do not feel that being with people taints me. What I feel is

:34:46. > :34:50.very sad, because I feel that our country is going to become more

:34:51. > :34:54.divided. I think people will be less kind to one another as a result of

:34:55. > :34:59.this. It deeply troubles me. Parliament has embarked on a course

:35:00. > :35:05.that will not just make is poorer, but also I think we will be less

:35:06. > :35:11.kind. There is something about society that is worrying. It is

:35:12. > :35:15.alarming rhetoric. I was Remained that when the decision was made I

:35:16. > :35:19.thought we have to go along with this. My instinct is now we have to

:35:20. > :35:22.really go along with this which means supporting it and going with

:35:23. > :35:29.it and what you are trying to give us now is going along with it, yet

:35:30. > :35:34.there will be agony down the line. Barry Gardner, is that why you

:35:35. > :35:37.called for Labour MPs to abstain? Did you call for that? I never

:35:38. > :35:48.discuss what we say at Shadow Cabinet. Did you call for an upsurge

:35:49. > :35:51.in? -- and abstention. I do not discuss what we say in Shadow

:35:52. > :35:57.Cabinet so we have a full and frank discussion. I understand exactly

:35:58. > :36:02.what you are saying about now we have to go with it, which is why I

:36:03. > :36:08.voted for it, but we need to try to shape it in the right way, so that

:36:09. > :36:12.the 48% of the population who felt it was wrong, do not feel

:36:13. > :36:17.marginalised. That is why I think Jeremy said the fight Naz starts, on

:36:18. > :36:26.individual pieces of legislation. We have to ensure we shape it in the

:36:27. > :36:31.best way -- the fight now starts. There is no renegotiation on offer.

:36:32. > :36:35.It is as it was promised, a vote on the deal or you fall on to WTO

:36:36. > :36:40.rules. You do not think any more than I that is a real choice the

:36:41. > :36:47.government is offering. I am not commenting on choice, I am asking

:36:48. > :36:52.the concession. Precisely what I am saying is the government is trying

:36:53. > :36:58.to pretend it is giving Parliament a choice when it is not. That is

:36:59. > :37:01.dishonest. The way they have dealt with the amendments during the past

:37:02. > :37:09.three days has been equally dishonest. When can we expect a

:37:10. > :37:12.reshuffle? That is a matter above my pay rate. It cannot be above your

:37:13. > :37:20.pay grade, you are in the Shadow Cabinet! Jeremy Corbyn dismissed

:37:21. > :37:26.rumours about setting a date on his departure. Saying it was fake news.

:37:27. > :37:30.Have people discussed it? Can you rule out there was any discussion

:37:31. > :37:34.about a date on his departure? I can tell you for certain, I have not

:37:35. > :37:39.been party to those discussions, I know nothing about them. There have

:37:40. > :37:43.been rumours, they have been in the press, but as far as my first-hand

:37:44. > :37:48.knowledge is concerned, absolutely not. Jeremy Corbyn said he did not

:37:49. > :37:54.want Donald Trump to be allowed into the UK. I Shadow trade Secretary, is

:37:55. > :37:59.that wise? We have to have good relations with America. We have to

:38:00. > :38:04.ensure we have a good trade relationship with America. Including

:38:05. > :38:10.getting him into the country? As many people think, I think President

:38:11. > :38:14.Trump's remarks have been thoroughly objectionable, and his policies,

:38:15. > :38:18.what he's doing in terms of refugees... Should he be allowed

:38:19. > :38:23.into the country? Of course he should be allowed in. What honours

:38:24. > :38:26.he is allowed when he is here is different. Jeremy Corbyn said he

:38:27. > :38:27.should not be allowed in, you disagree with him on that.

:38:28. > :38:30.And while we're talking about Brexit, in recent weeks

:38:31. > :38:32.you may have noticed we've been trying to make sense

:38:33. > :38:34.of some of the words, phrases and acronyms that

:38:35. > :38:37.politicians use when talking about our exit from the EU.

:38:38. > :38:38.Many of them we don't even understand -

:38:39. > :38:45.Here's our Adam with his third and final guide

:38:46. > :38:54.Here's what you need to know to understand the script.

:38:55. > :39:01.It stands for Department for Exiting the European Union,

:39:02. > :39:05.headed by the Brexit Secretary, David Davis.

:39:06. > :39:08.300-plus staff examining the Brexit effect on 50 different sectors of

:39:09. > :39:14.the economy, while preparing the UK's negotiating position.

:39:15. > :39:17.Article 50 sets out the process for a

:39:18. > :39:22.Except it doesn't, it's just an outline of the process

:39:23. > :39:28.And it says it all has to happen in a two-year period.

:39:29. > :39:31.And if you're interested, Article 49 is the process

:39:32. > :39:39.A transitional period is a sort of halfway house between the UK

:39:40. > :39:41.finalising its departure and realising its full post-Brexit

:39:42. > :39:49.It's a way of buying a bit more time to sort out particularly

:39:50. > :39:51.complicated aspects of our membership.

:39:52. > :39:54.Remain campaigners like it because it's not really like

:39:55. > :39:57.Leave campaigners don't like it because it's not really like

:39:58. > :40:07.Theresa May wants the UK to have free trade agreements with the

:40:08. > :40:15.EU and other countries around the world post-Brexit.

:40:16. > :40:17.They are bespoke deals to reduce the barriers to

:40:18. > :40:26.and recognising each other's regulations.

:40:27. > :40:28.This one is my favourite, because it's amazingly

:40:29. > :40:34.If the EU negotiates a deal that also affects policy areas that

:40:35. > :40:38.are controlled by individual member countries, then

:40:39. > :40:41.it is deemed to be a mixed agreement, which means it has

:40:42. > :40:47.usually by votes in every parliament.

:40:48. > :40:50.The Great Repeal Bill is a piece of legislation promised by

:40:51. > :40:53.the government, which will cancel the original piece of legislation

:40:54. > :40:58.that took us into the EU in the first place.

:40:59. > :41:01.It will simultaneously copy and paste EU law into British

:41:02. > :41:07.law, so that MPs can decide what measures to keep

:41:08. > :41:10.It involves something called Henry VIII powers, as well.

:41:11. > :41:14.And, trust me, that's a whole other movie.

:41:15. > :41:22.And you can find the Daily Politics guide to the Brexit process

:41:23. > :41:24.on our Twitter page, that's at 'Daily

:41:25. > :41:31.And if you aren't on Twitter then Jo will send you a copy in the post.

:41:32. > :41:33.I have been stuffing envelopes all morning. Handwritten!

:41:34. > :41:37.You pay your council tax, we assume, so at the very least

:41:38. > :41:39.you expect your local authority to empty your bins?

:41:40. > :41:50.But the time between collections in some areas has been getting

:41:51. > :41:53.longer, and a handful of areas in the UK now have to wait a month

:41:54. > :42:08.Jenny Kumah's been out on one Welsh bin round to find out more.

:42:09. > :42:17.Bin day here in Conwy in North Wales.

:42:18. > :42:19.Recyclable waste, including food, paper and glass is

:42:20. > :42:22.But a trial of three-weekly and monthly collections

:42:23. > :42:33.People can get really worked up about the issue of rubbish,

:42:34. > :42:37.especially when there are changes to bin collections,

:42:38. > :42:39.and here in Conwy, the council is one

:42:40. > :42:44.to move to a system where they will only collect general waste

:42:45. > :42:49.The council says it's not just about saving money,

:42:50. > :42:54.it's also about trying to get people to recycle more.

:42:55. > :43:00.The council says it is a success, with initial figures showing a 15%

:43:01. > :43:03.increase in recycling and a 28% drop in residual waste.

:43:04. > :43:08.But it's not clear whether it's working for everyone.

:43:09. > :43:12.There are six adults and several pets living here.

:43:13. > :43:15.They say that, by bin day, they've got so much rubbish,

:43:16. > :43:18.despite having extra bins to help them cope.

:43:19. > :43:27.We have ashes from the fire going in in the winter.

:43:28. > :43:33.Monday they will be coming to collect.

:43:34. > :43:38.There are going to be bags piled on top.

:43:39. > :43:42.We have paper, we put paper in the top.

:43:43. > :43:46.The family argue they are recycling everything they can,

:43:47. > :43:48.but Fiona admits she puts food in her black bin rather

:43:49. > :43:55.In nearby Kimnel Bay, the local councillor isn't happy

:43:56. > :44:01.that animal and some human waste products can end up in black bins

:44:02. > :44:04.for several weeks before the monthly bin day comes round.

:44:05. > :44:07.He has had numerous complaints from residents.

:44:08. > :44:09.Overflowing bins, fly-tipping and problems with seagulls

:44:10. > :44:15.Food waste is collected weekly, so there should

:44:16. > :44:21.But you will have wrappers off takeaway, things like that,

:44:22. > :44:24.so the actual smell of food odour will attract.

:44:25. > :44:28.They will go looking, because of the smell.

:44:29. > :44:32.The councillor responsible for bringing in the new service admits

:44:33. > :44:37.For example, with helping young families access the weekly

:44:38. > :44:45.But he denies there has been increased fly-tipping and vermin.

:44:46. > :44:47.He argues that if people recycle properly, monthly

:44:48. > :44:54.Landfill tax costs the taxpayer ?128 per tonne.

:44:55. > :45:01.We need to get every recycling out of every residual bin.

:45:02. > :45:05.Believe me, you will come back here in six, seven years

:45:06. > :45:16.Wales is the only UK nation to set legally binding recycling targets,

:45:17. > :45:20.and they are higher than those set by the EU.

:45:21. > :45:23.Councils can be fined if they fail to deliver.

:45:24. > :45:25.So monthly collections could become more widespread,

:45:26. > :45:36.as the drive to get people to be more green gets more intense.

:45:37. > :45:41.And we're joined now by the Conservative MP Jake Berry,

:45:42. > :45:43.who's campaigning for a return to weekly bin collections,

:45:44. > :45:45.and by the Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley,

:45:46. > :45:57.welcome to both of you. It would seem most residents do want to see

:45:58. > :46:02.regular bin collections. They don't want them to be scrapped. Why are

:46:03. > :46:05.they wrong? I don't think they are necessarily wrong but it is the

:46:06. > :46:10.wrong approach and we are going to tackle recycling we are facing.

:46:11. > :46:14.There has been a great increase in recycling rates, until last year,

:46:15. > :46:20.where it plateaued and now it is falling. We need better education

:46:21. > :46:23.and give clear recycling systems. In South Oxfordshire they have

:46:24. > :46:30.alternate collections, recycling and food waste and refuse the following

:46:31. > :46:34.week. There is regularity and they have a huge recycling rate. What do

:46:35. > :46:40.you say to that? I agree we should all recycle more but this is an

:46:41. > :46:44.issue in places like Lancashire or places where people have no back

:46:45. > :46:48.garden and living back-to-back terraces and have the rubbish bin

:46:49. > :46:53.under their front window for two weeks without being emptied. If you

:46:54. > :46:57.have a young baby who is going through three or four nappies a day,

:46:58. > :47:01.and you have it by your front door for two weeks, or a month, it is

:47:02. > :47:07.pretty unpleasant. On the issue of all recycling, some local

:47:08. > :47:12.authorities, including Blackbird, the original plan was to reduce the

:47:13. > :47:15.size by two thirds of the non-recyclable bin but still ended

:47:16. > :47:21.it every week and I think that is the right solution for households

:47:22. > :47:24.across the UK -- Blackbird. What is underlying this move from local

:47:25. > :47:32.authority level are cut from central government. It's not about boosting

:47:33. > :47:37.recycling. Guys, you talked about a crisis in recycling. What do you

:47:38. > :47:42.mean? We are meant to hit 50% by 2020 and we had been on the up until

:47:43. > :47:45.about two years ago and then it plateaued and now it is going down.

:47:46. > :47:49.Why do you think that is happening? Because of the cuts from central

:47:50. > :47:54.government. We look at the waist resource action plan which has been

:47:55. > :47:56.cut by 50% which means there is money not going into education and

:47:57. > :48:04.how we can develop a circular economy and used waste material as

:48:05. > :48:08.at commodity. Local authority budgets make no difference to

:48:09. > :48:12.people's ability or desire to recycle. Responsible people want to

:48:13. > :48:16.recycle. But it is a basic service that every local authority should

:48:17. > :48:21.offer, to say we should bin once a week. It's all very well for those

:48:22. > :48:24.with large gardens to talk about the bins at the end of the lawn being

:48:25. > :48:28.emptied once a month. If you live in a small house with a big family,

:48:29. > :48:32.it's frankly disgusting and unacceptable to have the bin not

:48:33. > :48:40.emptied. But with more recycling you will boost the recycling rate. Look

:48:41. > :48:46.at the budgets and say we can cut this. We see this every street,

:48:47. > :48:50.every week. They empty food waste every week so why not emptied the

:48:51. > :48:57.non-recyclable bin every week. Just give people a smaller bin but empty

:48:58. > :49:01.it once a week. Back to recycling, what are we not recycling that we

:49:02. > :49:09.should be recycling? Across the board. If you look at people's bins,

:49:10. > :49:13.60 or 70% in bins on average could be cycle -- recycle. A bottle return

:49:14. > :49:16.scheme would be a good way of addressing it. It's not just about

:49:17. > :49:20.waste collection, it's reducing the amount of waste and the amount of

:49:21. > :49:25.re-use we can heading to. The plastic bag levy, everybody said it

:49:26. > :49:29.wouldn't work and we have cut billions of plastic bags and it's

:49:30. > :49:33.worked like a dream. What about a bottle recycling scheme? But it

:49:34. > :49:39.shows if you work with people rather than punishing them they are happy

:49:40. > :49:44.to recycle. Local authorities in other areas take even more extreme

:49:45. > :49:47.steps, and if you live in a rural property they are now refusing to

:49:48. > :49:52.empty your bin unless you drag it a mile to the nearest collection

:49:53. > :49:58.point. I think the local authorities need to listen. This is a core

:49:59. > :50:03.service. You said it was nothing to do with cuts or central government

:50:04. > :50:06.money, but Eric Pickles promised a fund to restore weekly bin

:50:07. > :50:12.collections and it was quietly dropped because there wasn't enough

:50:13. > :50:15.money to fund the fund. I think, unfortunately, Eric was too little,

:50:16. > :50:21.too late. You could never say that about Eric Pickles. So many local

:50:22. > :50:24.authorities had changed to a fortnightly collection and I think

:50:25. > :50:29.people could live with fortnightly collections but it should be weekly.

:50:30. > :50:35.But going onto monthly is frankly absurd. That is going far too far.

:50:36. > :50:41.It is not absurd. The problem is that nobody likes change. That is

:50:42. > :50:47.why Eric, speaking to the people, we will always have weekly, if we could

:50:48. > :50:51.be making it work on a monthly basis, you have to cope with it. If

:50:52. > :50:54.you can't cope with change and become unhappy. There is also the

:50:55. > :50:59.question of different delivery trucks coming to pick up different

:51:00. > :51:05.types of waste all the same time, as in on the same day. That surely

:51:06. > :51:08.could be cut or modified so you did not have one coming to collect the

:51:09. > :51:14.non-recyclable bin and coming to collect and so on. There has been a

:51:15. > :51:18.lot of inefficiency in local government but good models like

:51:19. > :51:22.Germany have 62% recycling rates, and South Korea is doing better than

:51:23. > :51:26.we are in the recycling rates. They have efficient systems that are

:51:27. > :51:30.clear. One of the problems with the different systems we have with local

:51:31. > :51:34.authorities is with migrating populations you have different

:51:35. > :51:38.schemes in different borrowers. Local authorities would prefer to

:51:39. > :51:41.preserve their inefficient behaviours, sending bin lorries

:51:42. > :51:46.different descriptions to different houses on several a week. Rather

:51:47. > :51:52.than effect real change, which is to reduce the size of the bin and empty

:51:53. > :51:55.it every week, the cans and bottles, batteries, all the things you can

:51:56. > :51:58.recycle rather than take the difficult decision to say that the

:51:59. > :52:08.way that we do it is wrong. They prefer to punish their own

:52:09. > :52:12.residence. What would be wrong with doing what was suggested earlier,

:52:13. > :52:18.that one week they come along and take away the recyclable stuff, and

:52:19. > :52:23.the next week they come and take the stuff that isn't? Over time, you

:52:24. > :52:26.could move some that isn't being recycled into the recycled as you

:52:27. > :52:32.become more sophisticated. What would be wrong with that? There is

:52:33. > :52:36.nothing wrong with it per se. But if you are sending a bin lorry to

:52:37. > :52:39.people's houses every week, why not take away their non-recyclable

:52:40. > :52:47.rubbish at the same time? Could you can't do it all together. People

:52:48. > :52:52.want to know where they are. Is there something wrong with that? It

:52:53. > :52:58.is working very well in South Oxfordshire. I think it's up to 62%,

:52:59. > :53:01.the Germany level, because they have the regularity. People know where

:53:02. > :53:05.they stand. They know what to separate and they have clear food

:53:06. > :53:12.waste and recyclables. I am glad we have solved the problem. Job done.

:53:13. > :53:14.You have got your weekly. Thank you very much.

:53:15. > :53:17.Now, earlier in the show we talked about the mis-directed text messages

:53:18. > :53:20.that landed the Conservatives on Surrey County Council in hot

:53:21. > :53:29.They went recycled. But I bet they will be. -- they weren't recycled.

:53:30. > :53:31.But it's not the first time that a rogue text,

:53:32. > :53:33.e-mail or tweet has caused a political upset.

:53:34. > :53:42.It's that moment you send a text message about a certain person to

:53:43. > :53:46.someone else, but then realise you have sent it to that certain person

:53:47. > :53:52.by mistake. And you cannot press cancel quick enough. Take Lucy

:53:53. > :53:55.Powell, while chief of staff to Ed Miliband when he was Labour leader,

:53:56. > :54:00.ranted about the ludicrous nonsensical, unreal opposition of

:54:01. > :54:05.the party. It was a text message intended for a select few and it

:54:06. > :54:10.went to, well, loads of people. Then there was Labour's John Woodcock who

:54:11. > :54:15.tweeted to his 27,000 followers his hairy thoughts on one of Jeremy

:54:16. > :54:20.Corbyn's PMQ 's performances -- swearing thoughts. He meant to send

:54:21. > :54:23.it as a direct message, privately. The leader of the tweeting world,

:54:24. > :54:27.Donald Trump doesn't seem bothered about being private. When he was

:54:28. > :54:32.tweeting to his daughter, he was publicly proud. Just a shame he got

:54:33. > :54:38.the wrong woman. That was a council worker from Brighton. Sometimes

:54:39. > :54:41.blushes spared. In autumn 2007, just before the Tory conference a

:54:42. > :54:45.conservative staff member wrote an e-mail about George Osborne's plans

:54:46. > :54:48.to raise the threshold on inheritance tax and he sent it to

:54:49. > :54:53.Mike Hancock, the Liberal Democrat MP, who is a totally different

:54:54. > :55:03.person to Matt Hancock, George Osborne's chief of staff and who the

:55:04. > :55:05.e-mail was presumably meant for. If leaked, it would have probably

:55:06. > :55:08.persuaded Gordon Brown to call an early election that the Tories

:55:09. > :55:10.didn't want to have. But the Lib Dem Mr Hancock replied to the sender,

:55:11. > :55:15.simply saying, I think this is yours, and he kept Shrum. How very

:55:16. > :55:18.honourable. There are the grace of God go I. Have you ever sent a

:55:19. > :55:27.message to someone who should not have question a sweet message for my

:55:28. > :55:35.wife Michelle. That went to the PRS Michelle Mone. Yes, the lingerie

:55:36. > :55:41.woman? I won't ask exactly what she said -- you said, but I get the

:55:42. > :55:46.gist. This is how this one happened. It is the first names now and you

:55:47. > :55:49.might have lots of people called Nick and a few people called

:55:50. > :55:55.Michelle and you can press the wrong one and it is too late. So what

:55:56. > :55:59.should you do if you realise that you sent it incorrectly? What should

:56:00. > :56:06.be the etiquette if you have made a big boo-boo? Sent in error. But in a

:56:07. > :56:11.different life, things I would have liked to have said to you. That

:56:12. > :56:17.might be too much information, but thank you. Should we make political

:56:18. > :56:21.capital out of mistakes made by politicians? There is an American

:56:22. > :56:25.politician whose reputation was enhanced when he sent a text message

:56:26. > :56:34.saying he had laid the open air. He had actually paid to the open air,

:56:35. > :56:38.but misspelt it -- the au pair. He was seen as a conservative

:56:39. > :56:46.character, but his reputation rose as a result of this. It has

:56:47. > :56:52.distracted me somewhat. She has lived a very sheltered life. What

:56:53. > :56:57.about the whips? Do you think text in would be wise if you were sending

:56:58. > :57:04.out group text messages and you were trying to coerce people?

:57:05. > :57:07.Essentially, in life, you have to remember the Walter Cronkite rule,

:57:08. > :57:12.never do anything, say anything write anything that you are not

:57:13. > :57:15.prepared to see on the front of the New York Times. Do not put anything

:57:16. > :57:21.in writing that you would regret. And the best whipping is done by

:57:22. > :57:25.person-to-person contact, making sure you persuade your people and

:57:26. > :57:29.you know them and to speak to them one to one. Yes, you don't want on

:57:30. > :57:37.the local newspaper, then don't write it. What about what SAP? Group

:57:38. > :57:44.messages. Again, people can forget there are a list of people in the

:57:45. > :57:48.group so how careful you have to be? -- What'sApp. The problem is

:57:49. > :57:53.nowadays we have things further down the text. You find you are sending a

:57:54. > :57:57.whole history. There is a long thread. Once you get to the group

:57:58. > :58:04.things, it just grows exponentially. So, say less. As Andrew does, just

:58:05. > :58:09.tweet from the heart knowing that the message can be shared by anyone.

:58:10. > :58:15.When it comes to Twitter, you are my role model. Absolutely. Which bit,

:58:16. > :58:17.particularly? You don't need to probe, just do the quiz.

:58:18. > :58:21.There's just time before we go to find out the answer to our quiz.

:58:22. > :58:23.The question was which peer responded for the government during

:58:24. > :58:34.So, Gyles, what's the correct answer?

:58:35. > :58:41.You have caught up with the thread. Do you have a clue? I will go for

:58:42. > :58:51.Green. I'm afraid it is Lord Gardiner of Kimble. Is he the son of

:58:52. > :58:52.the old Lord gardener? I don't know. He's not related to Barry Gardiner

:58:53. > :58:54.either. The One O'Clock News is starting

:58:55. > :58:56.over on BBC One now. I'll be on This Week

:58:57. > :58:58.tonight with Liz Kendall, Matt Forde, Andy Parsons,

:58:59. > :59:01.Liam Halligan, and Michael Portillo When author

:59:02. > :59:07.Sir Terry Pratchett died,