20/07/2017 Daily Politics


20/07/2017

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Hello and welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:38.:00:40.

We've reached the end of the first full round of Brexit

:00:41.:00:43.

As we come on air, chief negotiators David Davis and Michel Barnier

:00:44.:00:48.

Barring any last-minute upsets, Vince Cable looks set to be

:00:49.:00:56.

crowned the new king of the Liberal Democrats,

:00:57.:01:00.

so what next for the party and why didn't anyone else want the job?

:01:01.:01:04.

MPs leave Westmister for the summer recess today,

:01:05.:01:06.

but can you always believe what they claim they're getting up

:01:07.:01:08.

Everybody that's actually going to go to Aruba or something

:01:09.:01:15.

is pretending that they're actually going to go to Aberystwyth.

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And we've given up asking the pollsters or the pundits

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what next for politics, so today we'll see if the fortunes

:01:22.:01:23.

of the party leaders are written in the stars.

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Even the music is running out of steam!

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Yes, I forsee all of that next hour of this final Daily Politics

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before Parliament rises for the summer recess.

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And I'm joined for all of it by two MPs who behave like it's the end

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of term most of the time anyway - it's Labour's David Lammy

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First today, the new leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council

:01:56.:02:00.

in London was officially appointed at a meeting last night,

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she's taken over following the fire at the Grenfell Tower

:02:03.:02:05.

Elizabeth Campbell said she was "deeply sorry" for the grief

:02:06.:02:12.

and trauma caused by the fire, which left at least 80

:02:13.:02:14.

But the council has been accused of being slow to respond

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and re-house residents, and many members of the public

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Councillor Campbell, would you like to address the chamber?

:02:24.:02:30.

The victims of this tragedy have been let down. We did not cope well

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enough in our initial response to the tragedy, and I know that you

:02:48.:02:55.

have heard me apologise for our inadequate response. Tonight I

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reiterate that apology to you directly. No ifs, no buts, no

:02:59.:03:02.

excuses. So that is the new leader of

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Kensington Council. There were protests in the gallery last night.

:03:13.:03:17.

David Lammy, you have been vocal in your response, is the council now

:03:18.:03:24.

getting a grip? They have got to, because in the end they are directly

:03:25.:03:28.

responsible for the people of North Kensington, so they've got to get a

:03:29.:03:33.

grip and do that with huge support from the Government. My own view is

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that there should have been commissioners brought in. You think

:03:37.:03:40.

the council should have been forced to step aside? I think so, because

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there is a view that the council is too small to cope with this crisis.

:03:45.:03:51.

But she was right to apologise and we have to move forward. In the

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weeks in the aftermath, Ed Vaizey, of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, aided

:03:58.:04:01.

seems that in Kensington Council you had to have a double-barrelled name

:04:02.:04:04.

and looked totally out of your depth. There was a case the central

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government taking over. And I think Elizabeth Campbell has apologised

:04:12.:04:15.

and made that point. I don't think the council itself has to be

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disbanded and replaced with commissioners, but it is clear that

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a small council like this, any council, regardless of political

:04:23.:04:24.

control, single barrelled names double-barrelled names, couldn't

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have coped with this terrible, unprecedented tragedy. So the

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Government should have stepped in sooner, and it has now stepped in.

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And the London mayor lays a key role as well. But clearly it is a

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national tragedy which deserves a national response, which is now

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happening. The central government response, Mrs May apologised and

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there was clearly something wrong with the central government response

:04:53.:04:56.

as well. I don't think anyone is going to shy away from the fact that

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the powers that be didn't get it in the first few days after it

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happened, what a tragedy this was on the scale of the response. David

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Lammy, do you still claim that the official death toll is far too low?

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Andrew, I never claimed. What I sought to do and continue to speak

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to do is speak for the victims and survivors, many of whom I know and

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you know I lost a friend. It came at last night. People watched people

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jumping out of windows. People knew their neighbours in this tight-knit

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community, and they don't recognise the number of 80. Police have

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confirmed that that is the number. They've said they think the number

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will rest at 80, but they have also said there are 23 homes that they

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are unsure about, and it is going to take some many months to work out

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who was in the building. But you talked about suspicions of a

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cover-up, the police I would take it in this situation, they are not part

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of the cover-up? You are asking me a question I can't answer. Why would

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the police cover it up? What I have said, and I'm clear in this, is that

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there have been situations like this in the past, Hillsborough is the one

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we all remember most recently, and the truth has taken 30 years to come

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out. And I'm afraid many of the folks down there, me included, are

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worried, and therefore my job as an elected backbencher in the Labour

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Party is to be extra vigilant, extra cautious. Again, you have said the

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official death toll is, quite, far, far too low. You have no evidence

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for that. My evidence is something you don't have, because I suspect

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you haven't spoken to as many victims as I do. With respect, that

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is not evidence. Testimony of people who live in the block is pretty good

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evidence. It would be evidence in a court of law. We need evidence to

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show that the official death toll is far too low. And you don't have

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that. Even the victims don't have it. They have their suspicions, and

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a stand that, and they are right to be suspicious... Have you had

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Cressida Dick on that show and asked that very question? The police have

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said, the BBC have asked... Don't turn it back on me. Do you have

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evidence that the official death toll is far, far too low, because

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you have stated that. Do you have evidence to back it up? Andrew, as a

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backbencher, I have spoken to survivors and victims. You have not

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put that question to the person in charge, don't put that question to

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me. You cannot make official statements like this unless you have

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the evidence, otherwise you're just playing politics with a really

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difficult, tragic situation. I resent the suggestion that I'm

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playing politics when I have a friend that has died, and I'm

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concerned that the BBC, your show, has not put the question to the

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person in charge, and you are putting the question to me when I'm

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speaking on the half of victims. The BBC has interviewed Cressida Dick.

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Don't make claims that are untrue. I have seen no interviews with

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Cressida Dick on this issue where she has talked about numbers. You

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need to talk to TV a bit more, then. You have got it wrong. At least you

:08:18.:08:21.

are on the show. You have got it wrong. You say I have got it wrong

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does not make you right. And it doesn't make

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you right. Once again, you are playing politics with a tragic

:08:39.:08:41.

situation. I am not playing politics, and I resent the

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suggestion about this tragedy in which I lost a friend, Andrew. Yes,

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that is tragic, and it doesn't mean you get to play politics. The

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viewers will make up their mind. That is very cheap. We will move

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onto something little lighter. The question for today

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is about the Brexit talks Last week we learned that

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David Davis' briefcase has been fitted with a device which blocks

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electronic signals to protect Now we've learned that

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the EU side is worried about eavesdropping,

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too - so what have they started Was it a) Hidden cameras b)

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Fingerprint scanners c) Invisible At the end of the show,

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David and Ed will give Let's stick with those talks

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because today marks the conclusion of the first full round of Brexit

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negotiations in Brussels The two sides are meeting

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for four days each month, and Brexit Secretary

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and the EU's Michel Barnier have this morning been talking

:09:35.:09:36.

about the progress they've made - Mr Davis and Mr Barnier have been

:09:37.:09:39.

reviewing four days of talks that have taken place

:09:40.:09:43.

between their negotiating On the table this week have

:09:44.:09:45.

been the thorny issues of citizen's rights,

:09:46.:09:49.

the Irish border and Britain's financial

:09:50.:09:51.

liabilities once we've left. By December this year,

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Michel Barnier has the initial discussions to finish,

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which may then lead to the start of talks on a new trade deal

:10:00.:10:03.

with the EU starting Also by the start of 2018

:10:04.:10:05.

the Government will want to have passed its Repeal Bill

:10:06.:10:12.

which will convert all EU law into British law,

:10:13.:10:14.

although opposition parties in both the Commons and the Lords

:10:15.:10:16.

could stall its progress. By October 2018 Mr Barnier has said

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he wants to have an agreement on the UK's exit deal and this

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will then be put to a vote in both the Lords and the Commons

:10:27.:10:29.

before then going to the European Parliament

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for approval. Once this happens it's down

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to the European Council to endorse the deal and then all being well

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the UK will be out of the EU We agree on the need for certainty

:10:42.:11:06.

on the part of citizens both in the EU and the UK, but we obviously have

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different views on how we achieve that. On financial settlement, we

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both recognise the importance of sorting out the obligations we have

:11:14.:11:17.

to one another, both legally and in the spirit of mutual corporation.

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We've had a robust but constructive talk. Clearly there is a lot left to

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talk about and further work before we can resolve this. Ultimately

:11:29.:11:31.

getting to a solution will require flexible at you from both sides, but

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as Michel said, we shouldn't expect incremental progress in every round.

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Let's speak now to our Europe correspondent, Kevin Connolly.

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This press conference has just been taking place. What have we learned

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so far? I had to tear myself away, so I'm not entirely sure how that is

:11:53.:11:57.

going to end, but I think the take away from the earlier part of the

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conference, which I suppose we can say would have been the message that

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they both went in with was that they want to emphasise there has been

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progress. Half the issues on citizens rights resolved, so

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generally I think a positive take on the first really substantial talks,

:12:15.:12:19.

getting to know the detail of each other's positions, but also of

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course that overall impression that there is a tremendous amount left to

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do, and that the obvious difficult issues like the European Court of

:12:27.:12:32.

Justice are exactly that, obviously difficult and not solved yet. And

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somewhere below that kind of mutual note of positivity, just a faint

:12:37.:12:43.

note of chippiness, I think. David Davis at one point turned to Michel

:12:44.:12:46.

Barnier and said to him, to coin a phrase, the clock is ticking, that

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of course being the phrase that Michel Barnier was using earlier in

:12:51.:12:54.

the process to imply that Britain was just not getting down to

:12:55.:12:56.

business, and was underprepared for these talks. Mr Barnier said there

:12:57.:13:03.

were still fundamental differences on Citizens' rights in the UK and

:13:04.:13:12.

the EU. That was something they were hoping for progress on, but still

:13:13.:13:16.

fundamental differences? Yes, the reality of citizens rights is that

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it is on two levels, there is the political level, where the European

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Union is adamant that the European Court of Justice should retain a

:13:26.:13:27.

role in all of this and oversee those rights, even for what will be

:13:28.:13:33.

caught the protective cohorts, the EU citizens currently living in the

:13:34.:13:42.

UK. That would give the ECJ role in British life, for the future, you

:13:43.:13:45.

think about people being born this year into a family living in

:13:46.:13:51.

Britain, possibly for 100 years. And the Theresa May, any role of the ECJ

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in Britain is a red line, so they have a big political and legal

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problem, but alongside all of that on citizens rights you have these

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tremendously conjugated issues about whether people will be able to vote

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in local governor to elections in different jurisdictions in future.

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What about the rights of posted workers, fun -- frontier workers,

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children bought -- born into families where the older children

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already have the protections and younger children may not, see you

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have both of those sets of difficulties in parallel. Overall

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the message is that a lot of progress is being made on a lot of

:14:30.:14:32.

those issues, and the British viewers that the European idea that

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Britain is underprepared is just wrong, but that issue of the ECJ and

:14:38.:14:41.

its future role looms in the background. Someone is going to have

:14:42.:14:45.

to give way on that and make a major concession, and it's not really

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clear yet who that's going to be. Kevin Connolly, thank you for that.

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Bringing us up-to-date on the press conference in Brussels between David

:14:54.:14:55.

Davis and Michel Barnier. We're joined now by

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the former deputy chairman Are our expectations too high? Are

:14:58.:15:07.

we wrong to expect some kind of breakthrough on major issues at this

:15:08.:15:13.

stage? Yes, I think our expectations are far too high and that is the

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problem I have had with the whole approach to Brexit. The country has

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voted to leave the EU and we are going to leave but suddenly the

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interpretation of what that means seems to be held by a particular

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small cabals of people who say it all has to happen by March, 2019, no

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transition, and anything with the E in it or Europe, cannot have a role.

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The ECJ will be an independent tribunal adjudicating on matters of

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law where we have a continuing relationship with the EU which we

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will have if we want to trade and if we want to give European citizens

:15:53.:15:57.

rights and we want British citizens to have rights in Europe. It can be

:15:58.:16:03.

tailored, it can have British judges on it, but what worries me is the

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ECJ redline, people seem to confuse it with the European Court of Human

:16:10.:16:15.

Rights. Nothing to do with the EU. Suzanne Evans, and then David Lammy.

:16:16.:16:19.

It does look now we are heading for quite a long transition period. Let

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me take apart a couple of things Ed said. I will take it apart. It is

:16:25.:16:31.

the EU is that set the timetable, it is no good you complaining about...

:16:32.:16:38.

It is Article 50. We triggered Article 50 under EU law. Which we

:16:39.:16:44.

agree to. We are members of the EU. If she is going to take me apart,

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she had better do it effectively! We have not even heard from David

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Lammy, we will come back to you. 52% of the people voted for it and you

:16:58.:17:04.

do the voters and your former constituents no good by claiming...

:17:05.:17:09.

The classic trick of claiming to speak for... We have got sucked into

:17:10.:17:14.

the quagmire of the EU, it just shows how much sovereignty we have

:17:15.:17:19.

given away. Do you accept their will in addition to the two-year period

:17:20.:17:22.

which is now under way under Article 50 that on a number of these issues,

:17:23.:17:29.

there will now have to be potentially prolonged transition

:17:30.:17:33.

periods? This is my worry. There is a deadline and we have to meet it.

:17:34.:17:36.

We do not want this to go on and on forever. It is not in the country's

:17:37.:17:42.

best interests. The sooner we can break free of the EU, the sooner we

:17:43.:17:47.

can make our own trade deals and control our own borders and be

:17:48.:17:52.

certain we are under British law. Do you think we are in for a prolonged

:17:53.:17:57.

transition deal? If we do not get a transition deal, there is a terrible

:17:58.:18:04.

cliff edge that while -- that will ruin our economy and jobs. It is a

:18:05.:18:13.

myth. For business and industry, there is a cliff edge, a lot of

:18:14.:18:16.

people in Britain will suffer. When you talk about a soft transition,

:18:17.:18:23.

you mean joining the EAA, all of the things I have just said, is control

:18:24.:18:26.

of borders, control of immigration, sovereignty of Parliament, that will

:18:27.:18:32.

not be possible if we stay in the single market. Some of it depends

:18:33.:18:36.

whether you put that control, the fantasy control, above the economy.

:18:37.:18:44.

I know the Labour Party thinks... It has promised to control immigration.

:18:45.:18:48.

I'm in disagreement with the bench on this. But I am saying it is a

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very peculiar thing to put immigration above the economy and

:18:53.:18:57.

without transition, we will crush the economy. Ed Vaizey, people like

:18:58.:19:01.

Suzanne Evans and people in your own party are suspicious of a long

:19:02.:19:04.

transition period because they think people like you will use it to be

:19:05.:19:10.

effectively endless so that we do not me. Exactly. It is a completely

:19:11.:19:15.

ideological approach to Brexit, completely barmy, takes no account

:19:16.:19:20.

of people's lives, jobs, British businesses. I am a remainer but we

:19:21.:19:24.

accept the result, there should be a transition period, we could be part

:19:25.:19:29.

of the EAA and sensible Brexiteers are coming to that opinion. But the

:19:30.:19:36.

Suzanne s do not give a monkeys about people's jobs. Quite

:19:37.:19:41.

extraordinary. It shows your arrogance. Why is it arrogant to...

:19:42.:19:49.

It is two of you against one. Show some respect and fairness here.

:19:50.:19:57.

Boeing, yeah! You do not think we should have fairness? -- oh, yeah. I

:19:58.:20:02.

do not think you showed me fairness earlier. Let us show fairness to

:20:03.:20:09.

Suzanne So much has still to be decided, there will inevitably loose

:20:10.:20:16.

ends that will require some kind of transition period now. Do you deny

:20:17.:20:21.

that? The analogy often given is that of divorce. In some ways, it is

:20:22.:20:27.

a bad analogy. There are children, the decree nice eye, when it is

:20:28.:20:32.

absolute, there are inevitably consequences but go on. We have

:20:33.:20:36.

always said we want to continue a good working relationship with the

:20:37.:20:40.

EU. The point is we need to do this in a spirit of harmony,

:20:41.:20:45.

communication, and what is best for our country. Let us be clear, is

:20:46.:20:49.

leaving the EU and getting a good trade deal in particular will be of

:20:50.:20:54.

benefit to the EU too. We have to be like responsible parent and discuss

:20:55.:20:58.

sensibly and look at what is in both our best interests. If you look at

:20:59.:21:02.

it logically, as a sensible Brexiteer, I do not like the fact

:21:03.:21:08.

you are saying some of us our sensible or some not depending on

:21:09.:21:11.

whether we agree with you. There is a potential for this to be in both

:21:12.:21:16.

our best interests and that is the deal we should be heading for and I

:21:17.:21:19.

hope that will come out of the press conference today. What would be left

:21:20.:21:23.

unresolved in a transition period and how long would it be? My view,

:21:24.:21:28.

my overview, is that we should be members of the EAA for a

:21:29.:21:33.

transitional period. Transitional time limited... It is the... I am

:21:34.:21:39.

trying to help people by explaining what bit EAA is. Tell our viewers

:21:40.:21:44.

what it is and why it would be... The European Economic Area, being

:21:45.:21:49.

part of the customs union and single market for a transition period to

:21:50.:21:53.

trade. There is no doubt it would be time limited and we would come out.

:21:54.:21:57.

What I want to avoid most of all is a cliff edge that takes us out of

:21:58.:22:02.

the European Union completely in the March, 2019. How long would it take?

:22:03.:22:07.

I have suggested five years. We remain in the single market and the

:22:08.:22:12.

customs union... While we work out the free trade deal that we want.

:22:13.:22:17.

You do not think the deal can be done by March of 2019? I would be

:22:18.:22:24.

staggered, if I am proved wrong, I am proved wrong... David Lammy, is

:22:25.:22:28.

that your position too? Would we do like to see a transition in which we

:22:29.:22:33.

remain in the single market and the customs union? I think it transition

:22:34.:22:36.

is essential because I absolutely disagree with Suzanne, I see no way

:22:37.:22:41.

on the timetable in which we can negotiate a free trade deal with

:22:42.:22:46.

Europe and negotiate our exit. There are too many big things to get

:22:47.:22:49.

through and you have seen just in this initial week the huge disputes

:22:50.:22:56.

over the cost of the bill and the huge dispute over what will happen

:22:57.:23:00.

to EU residents. The idea we can move on the trade is just

:23:01.:23:05.

impossible. Any lawyer will tell you who has negotiated on trade, it is

:23:06.:23:08.

impossible. For that reason alone, there has to be transition. Barry

:23:09.:23:17.

pessimistic. -- very pessimistic. We are in unique circumstances. Most

:23:18.:23:22.

trade deals negotiated from scratch. This would be a deal which

:23:23.:23:27.

inevitably would be less free than the current arrangement. Does that

:23:28.:23:30.

change things in your view? We have already seen what the benefits to us

:23:31.:23:34.

and the EU are of a free-trade deal because that is effectively what we

:23:35.:23:39.

have at the moment, it should not be too difficult for responsible adults

:23:40.:23:42.

to negotiate something very similar. With respect to both of you, start

:23:43.:23:47.

to be a bit more positive. There is a part of you that thinks you want

:23:48.:23:52.

Britain to fail on this. That is rubbish. I am not allowed to

:23:53.:23:57.

interrupt or whatever, but that is incredibly offensive. The idea that

:23:58.:24:00.

we want Britain to fail is ludicrous. We want to secure British

:24:01.:24:06.

jobs. Let us agreed that we want British dogs. -- British jobs. Thank

:24:07.:24:12.

you. If you're someone who always waits

:24:13.:24:15.

until the last possible day before filling out an application

:24:16.:24:18.

or your tax return, you'll know how They often wait until the last day

:24:19.:24:21.

before the summer recess to release details of those tricky decisions

:24:22.:24:25.

they've been thinking about. They're sometimes even accused

:24:26.:24:28.

of trying to bury bad I am one of those people so dare I

:24:29.:24:39.

suggest I have a little bit of sympathy for the Government. The

:24:40.:24:42.

Government say they are trying to finish things up and the opposition

:24:43.:24:45.

say they are trying to sneak things out. There are 22 written statements

:24:46.:24:50.

today trickled out on the Parliament website, generally pretty normal for

:24:51.:24:55.

this time of year for the end of term, but quite technical stuff. For

:24:56.:24:58.

example, we find out today from Michael Fallon that one of the

:24:59.:25:02.

Navy's new frigates will be called HMS Glasgow. Another one, the

:25:03.:25:10.

transfer rate will remain at 12% in 2019 and 2020. Me neither. It is

:25:11.:25:14.

significant if you are involved in farming. Interesting nuggets have

:25:15.:25:18.

come out today for example on the railways. The electrification of the

:25:19.:25:22.

Midland mainland and parts of the great Western Railway in South Wales

:25:23.:25:25.

will not be electrified. The Government says it is too avoid

:25:26.:25:31.

disruptive works that does not need to happen now because of new

:25:32.:25:35.

technology. But many people hoped it would happen. All of this comes when

:25:36.:25:39.

yesterday we had the announcement the state pension age will rise to

:25:40.:25:44.

68 and that will be brought forward. It was always going to be 68 but it

:25:45.:25:48.

was going to happen nine years later. That will affect 6 million

:25:49.:25:54.

extra people between 39 and 47. That was pretty controversial, the

:25:55.:25:57.

Government was accused of trying to sneak out but bad news yesterday. As

:25:58.:26:02.

ever, Andrew, nothing much gets passed us.

:26:03.:26:04.

Indeed. Quite right. Thanks for that.

:26:05.:26:07.

Let's talk now about the race, if that's the right word,

:26:08.:26:10.

to become the next Liberal Democrat leader, because nominations

:26:11.:26:12.

for this keenly-watched contest close later today.

:26:13.:26:14.

You will remember that Tim Farron announced his resignation

:26:15.:26:16.

from the job last month, saying he felt his Christian

:26:17.:26:18.

faith was incompatible with leading the party.

:26:19.:26:20.

Here he is speaking to 5 Live last week.

:26:21.:26:23.

Well, we've heard about people shedding tears

:26:24.:26:27.

I'm somebody who does shed tears occasionally if things move me.

:26:28.:26:32.

Generally not things to do with myself.

:26:33.:26:34.

Well, actually, no, I completely held it together,

:26:35.:26:37.

I knew what I was going to do, I made the little statement

:26:38.:26:42.

in party headquarters, and was about to head off up north,

:26:43.:26:44.

and I just got this lovely text from my 15-year-old saying,

:26:45.:26:49.

"I'm very proud of you," and I had a cry then.

:26:50.:26:52.

But that was more really the fact that it's nice being reminded

:26:53.:26:56.

So, with nominations closing at 4pm, who are the runners and riders

:26:57.:27:02.

Well, the first to throw his hat in the ring was the former

:27:03.:27:08.

seat back from the Conservatives at the general election,

:27:09.:27:16.

and he's dismissed suggestions that at 74 he is too old for the job.

:27:17.:27:21.

Yes, Vince was the first and only one of the party's 12 MPs

:27:22.:27:29.

to say he wanted to stand, so barring any last-minute

:27:30.:27:32.

upsets, my professional opinion is he's fairly likely to win.

:27:33.:27:37.

Well, we're joined now by one of those who didn't stand.

:27:38.:27:43.

She's the party's new Education Spokeswoman, Layla Moran.

:27:44.:27:46.

Good to see you. Why it has no one else decided to stand? Some people

:27:47.:27:56.

considered it, I think. In the end, it has to be about who is right at

:27:57.:27:59.

the time and a number of people thought about it in the context of

:28:00.:28:04.

young families, for example, and decided it was not the time for them

:28:05.:28:07.

right now. It has to be a job you want. The answer for a left-wing,

:28:08.:28:14.

Progressive party that preaches diversity and representing

:28:15.:28:21.

21st-century Britain is a 74-year-old white guy. Yeah, a

:28:22.:28:25.

74-year-old white guy who also want other people to have the best

:28:26.:28:29.

possible opportunity. You have to judge someone on what they do and

:28:30.:28:32.

not what they looked like. The fact he is older does not matter so long

:28:33.:28:36.

as he is championing the causes of young people. The fact he is white

:28:37.:28:40.

does not matter so long as he is championing the causes of minority

:28:41.:28:47.

backgrounds. I would much rather seen a woman... Why didn't you

:28:48.:28:51.

stand? I was elected weeks ago, are you mad? That is very flattering. A

:28:52.:29:00.

lot of MPs have a tradition of going for leadership when people do not

:29:01.:29:05.

expect it. Maybe next time. Why has no woman decided to stand? I don't

:29:06.:29:12.

know. I can tell you why I didn't. I was just elected. There are four of

:29:13.:29:16.

us. That is an issue. We do definitely need more MPs if more are

:29:17.:29:20.

going to throw their hats into the ring. If you look at the position of

:29:21.:29:24.

the Lib Dems at the moment from where they were when they joined the

:29:25.:29:29.

coalition in 2010, it is clearly a long fight back you are going to

:29:30.:29:33.

have, it is not going to... The last election, you got a few more MPs,

:29:34.:29:37.

but your share of the vote fell, no breakthrough at all. It will be

:29:38.:29:42.

several elections before you can re-establish your position. Don't

:29:43.:29:47.

you need somebody who was going to be there for the duration? Mr cable,

:29:48.:29:53.

he will be, if this parliament goes its full round, he will be 80 by the

:29:54.:29:58.

next election, almost. No future in that for you, is there? We will see

:29:59.:30:02.

where it goes. I bought his book quite early on when I joined the

:30:03.:30:09.

party, Free Radical. I think there are lots of progressive, young ideas

:30:10.:30:14.

in that book. The party itself is not just one person and the Liberal

:30:15.:30:18.

Democrats are very good at having a multitude of people feed into the

:30:19.:30:22.

direction of the party. I agree with you, it will take us a long time to

:30:23.:30:27.

come back, but there are signs we are. Vince Cable has said we want to

:30:28.:30:30.

overtake the Conservatives in our membership, we are not far off, so

:30:31.:30:40.

we are coming, Ed. The number of MPs customer not yet. You start where

:30:41.:30:46.

you are strong. We certainly have a strong, young, vigorous membership.

:30:47.:30:50.

From there, we will get a new crop, myself being one, and we will have

:30:51.:30:53.

more and more people come forward and I hope the lot of them are women

:30:54.:30:58.

and from ethnic minority backgrounds. When you go to the

:30:59.:31:03.

conference which I have done many times... You bought me a drink, I

:31:04.:31:09.

remember it well. You have to pass the time somehow! It is geriatric

:31:10.:31:13.

city, isn't it? I would not say so, I was there. That is why I bought

:31:14.:31:20.

you a drink! If you look at the make-up of 50% of members who have

:31:21.:31:24.

joined us in the last election, it is a huge number of young people who

:31:25.:31:28.

have joined the party who are very excited over where we are going.

:31:29.:31:33.

What about the policy on Brexit under Vincent cable? Will that

:31:34.:31:41.

change? No, we are proudly pro-European, we always have been

:31:42.:31:45.

and we stay that way. I think he is taking it even further than Tim

:31:46.:31:49.

Farron has been, and saying that he doesn't see it happening, and my

:31:50.:31:54.

first few weeks in the house, I can see how that might work out. Your

:31:55.:31:59.

new leader, or at least will be at close of play today, he previously

:32:00.:32:03.

argued against a second referendum on the outcome of the Brexit talks,

:32:04.:32:07.

but that is still your party's policy? Yes, that is the party

:32:08.:32:11.

policy and we are strong on that. So he has changed his mind? I don't

:32:12.:32:16.

know if he said that before, but it is certainly where we stand now, and

:32:17.:32:20.

it looks like public opinion is coming across. A recent poll showed

:32:21.:32:26.

that 53% with the increasingly difficult circumstances under which

:32:27.:32:30.

these talks are taking place, I do think that there is a case, and

:32:31.:32:34.

increasingly growing case in the eyes of many people, that is to have

:32:35.:32:38.

a say on what finally comes out of this mess is the right thing to do.

:32:39.:32:43.

OK. David Lammy, what do you make of the return of Vince Cable? I have

:32:44.:32:50.

always personally got on with him as a fellow London MP. I think the Lib

:32:51.:32:54.

Dems need a grown-up, to be honest, and he is definitely a grown-up. He

:32:55.:32:59.

is seasoned, he has been around Parliament a long time, he knows

:33:00.:33:02.

what he's doing. These are incredibly difficult times for our

:33:03.:33:08.

country, and you know, the Lib Dems are currently a small party. I

:33:09.:33:10.

suspect he's the right person at this time, but I hope that others

:33:11.:33:16.

who are bit younger will come through in the next short while, the

:33:17.:33:20.

next period, and we will see those people prominent in his team. I've

:33:21.:33:25.

got a lot of affection for their position in Europe. Mr Cable...

:33:26.:33:41.

Don't we call him Sir Vince? You don't get titles on this show. It

:33:42.:33:50.

may be a stretch of Labour to win an overall majority in another

:33:51.:33:53.

election, but they could do the largest party. There is room for

:33:54.:33:56.

deals, negotiation with the Lib Dems, is that not a threat to the

:33:57.:34:02.

Tories? Might well be room for coalitions. We will fight Labour and

:34:03.:34:07.

the Lib Dems equally vigorously. I think they are scarred by their

:34:08.:34:11.

experience of coalition with us, but of course we are going to win the

:34:12.:34:15.

next election hands down, so it is a hypothetical question. Like you did

:34:16.:34:24.

last time?! I was one of Vince's ministers in the Department of

:34:25.:34:27.

business, and I do have a lot of time and respect for him, and I

:34:28.:34:31.

think he will be a good and effectively do. I want to ask the

:34:32.:34:34.

question of why the Lib Dems have broken through, and I say that in

:34:35.:34:39.

the spirit of enquiry. I was surprised at the last election that

:34:40.:34:41.

they didn't make the kind of breakthrough I thought they might do

:34:42.:34:44.

with Remain voters perhaps effectively punishing... That was

:34:45.:34:49.

the strategy, but it didn't seem to... We can't talk you into a

:34:50.:34:57.

last-minute bid? I'm very flattered, thank you, but no. From you, that is

:34:58.:35:03.

very flattering. The drinks are on you next time! Absolutely.

:35:04.:35:12.

The Commons and the Lords rise for summer recess today,

:35:13.:35:14.

leaving Westminster to the tourists until September.

:35:15.:35:16.

Of course, MPs have plenty of work to do back home

:35:17.:35:18.

in their constituencies, but most of them will probably be

:35:19.:35:21.

taking a holiday too and Theresa May has been telling the Tories to go

:35:22.:35:24.

Cynics might suggest that's in part so they don't spend the summer

:35:25.:35:28.

Jeremy Corbyn had a different message.

:35:29.:35:31.

He told Labour MPs that they needed to help him mount a summer election

:35:32.:35:34.

He really knows how to enjoy himself.

:35:35.:35:37.

That's the question Emma Vardy put to MPs.

:35:38.:35:41.

# We're going where the sun shines brightly

:35:42.:35:43.

# We're going where the skies are blue

:35:44.:35:46.

I hope it's a summer of beauty, kindness,

:35:47.:35:59.

everyone getting on with each other, resolving our differences and trying

:36:00.:36:01.

Well, everybody has a break, don't they?

:36:02.:36:05.

Do think the plotting against Theresa May may calm down,

:36:06.:36:09.

or do you think it's going to rumble on over summer?

:36:10.:36:12.

I don't think people want to plot against the Prime Minister.

:36:13.:36:14.

I think what we want to do is have a Government that is driving

:36:15.:36:18.

forward with a strong agenda as well as dealing with Brexit.

:36:19.:36:23.

I think everybody needs a summer break.

:36:24.:36:25.

I don't think MPs are underworked or they take too long

:36:26.:36:27.

I suppose you would think of me as part of the union

:36:28.:36:31.

I think a lot of people are heading off.

:36:32.:36:35.

Everybody that's actually going to go to Aruba or something

:36:36.:36:39.

is pretending that they're actually going to go to Aberystwyth, because

:36:40.:36:41.

Are you a sort of cocktails on the beach man, or a walking

:36:42.:36:46.

Our constituency has some fantastic beaches,

:36:47.:36:49.

so I suppose I'll be doing a lot of that, walking on the beach.

:36:50.:36:52.

We've got a food festival in September as well,

:36:53.:36:54.

But actually, above all, it's just an opportunity

:36:55.:36:57.

to spend time with residents in the constituency.

:36:58.:36:59.

And we're joined now by Julia Hobsbawm.

:37:00.:37:04.

She's the author of a book called Fully Connected -

:37:05.:37:06.

Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Overload, and she's been

:37:07.:37:09.

writing about the important of switching off on holiday.

:37:10.:37:14.

Welcome to the programme. Hello. There is a time of great political

:37:15.:37:20.

change, Labour hopes there will be a slap election -- snap election. The

:37:21.:37:28.

Government mired in bricks and negotiations. Is this really a good

:37:29.:37:32.

time from holiday. Probably not, and even if it is, it is difficult to

:37:33.:37:36.

do, because Every has got their smartphone, which they need to board

:37:37.:37:41.

the plane with, or they need their smart maps. 60% of us go online on

:37:42.:37:49.

our mobiles, so even if we want to disconnect, it's actually really

:37:50.:37:53.

hard to do. But as you are pointing out, psychologically, we are now

:37:54.:37:56.

pretty embedded in these networks, and it is very difficult to say,

:37:57.:38:01.

thanks, I'm taking a break. It is difficult in the sense of just

:38:02.:38:06.

switching off and not looking at the smartphone or consulting the iPad

:38:07.:38:10.

while we are away, at least for a period of time. Do you recommend

:38:11.:38:14.

that we do? I think each person, it is a bit like diet and fitness. You

:38:15.:38:19.

have to find your own strategy. But having no strategy is a bad idea.

:38:20.:38:31.

We have infobesity like we have a obesity. It is not easy to do, but I

:38:32.:38:37.

certainly think that having rules and regulations saying I will be

:38:38.:38:40.

online for this amount of time per day, or I am going to actually have

:38:41.:38:45.

some time when I just turn my mobile off. I have a day when I turn my

:38:46.:38:55.

technology off, and one day a week, I am disconnected. Of course I cheat

:38:56.:39:00.

sometimes, but I try not to. And it really makes a difference. It really

:39:01.:39:05.

makes a difference to just read and talk and be face-to-face and not on

:39:06.:39:09.

Facebook. I would definitely say nobody should be on Facebook over

:39:10.:39:12.

the holidays. You have to cut the cord. Politicians are exhausted at

:39:13.:39:16.

the moment. This has been an exhausting period. We all are, we

:39:17.:39:22.

are all completely overloaded. There is more data now produced in a

:39:23.:39:25.

single year than in the whole of human history. We are drowning. So

:39:26.:39:30.

the answer isn't to stuff ourselves with more information, and these

:39:31.:39:34.

rolling feeds and rolling news make people edgy, so I think that our

:39:35.:39:40.

social health, as I put it, which is everything to do with how we

:39:41.:39:44.

connect, you have to, because actually politicians that lack

:39:45.:39:49.

social health, and I exclude these two fine gentleman, time and time

:39:50.:39:53.

again you see an absence of social health where people are so

:39:54.:39:56.

overloaded, they are not making sensible decisions, and they are

:39:57.:40:02.

tuning out anyway. David Lammy, will you switch your phone off? I think I

:40:03.:40:05.

want to take Julia as my therapist! This is fantastic. I would

:40:06.:40:12.

definitely be literally putting the phones in a drawer and chatting

:40:13.:40:17.

away. And the reason for that is we have had a general election which

:40:18.:40:20.

went on for a very long time. We have then had a very tough period in

:40:21.:40:27.

politics, and certainly Grenfell has been at the forefront. I want to

:40:28.:40:31.

spend time with my wife and kids. I have a three-year-old. I want to

:40:32.:40:36.

read the Gruffalo, more than once. And that is a very good aim indeed,

:40:37.:40:40.

but how long will the phones be in the draw? Half an hour!

:40:41.:40:46.

LAUGHTER I feared you might say that. To be

:40:47.:40:50.

fair, you have a little luck in the morning after breakfast, and then

:40:51.:40:55.

you put them away, and there are staff, wonderful staff, who are able

:40:56.:40:59.

that only, you can be away, and if summary said to me once, if a plane

:41:00.:41:04.

falls on your constituency, the Prime Minister will deal with it.

:41:05.:41:11.

Good luck with that! That's true! According to Mr Corbyn, you are

:41:12.:41:15.

meant to be campaigning in 75 marginal seats. Are we? Yes! He

:41:16.:41:21.

can't do it all himself. It is going to be minus David Lammy friendlies

:41:22.:41:24.

two weeks. Didn't you go to the Parliamentary Labour Party meeting

:41:25.:41:29.

this week? I have to confess I wasn't there. You were looking at

:41:30.:41:33.

your mobile phone! That is what he said, he said that they are looking

:41:34.:41:36.

forward to a long recess, but my bad news is that they are not getting

:41:37.:41:40.

one, that's you, not you personally but Labour MPs, because they have

:41:41.:41:47.

got to go campaigning. I want to disagree publicly on that. I

:41:48.:41:50.

honestly think we need a rest, we need a quiet, we need a period where

:41:51.:41:54.

it is not politics, we are talking about EastEnders or something.

:41:55.:41:58.

Productivity around the world is stagnant, stress levels are soaring,

:41:59.:42:03.

so this fully connected life is not yielding the benefits we have been

:42:04.:42:08.

promised, but we have to want to make behavioural changes, and I'm

:42:09.:42:12.

reminded about that joke, how many Californian psychoanalysts does it

:42:13.:42:16.

take to change a light bulb? One, but the light bulb has to want to

:42:17.:42:20.

change. You have to want to disconnect, or you will find a

:42:21.:42:23.

million reasons not to. You will want to disconnect, otherwise how

:42:24.:42:27.

could you continue to plot with fellow Tories against Theresa May? I

:42:28.:42:34.

hate holidays anywhere! I get so bored on holiday, so my phone comes

:42:35.:42:38.

out the minute we arrive on holiday, and a good holiday for me is using

:42:39.:42:43.

my phone and not seeing my children for two weeks. Absolutely perfect. I

:42:44.:42:48.

would be plotting against Theresa May, but after my row with Suzanne

:42:49.:42:52.

Evans, I will have to spend the next three months on Twitter batting off

:42:53.:42:56.

the Ukip is coming for Mr letting my country down. He is a lost cause! He

:42:57.:43:02.

isn't, he has bought my book and he is halfway through it. He wants to

:43:03.:43:06.

change, here's the light bulb. I haven't had a chance to read it, I

:43:07.:43:10.

have been on Twitter! We will leave you to it.

:43:11.:43:13.

So, assuming MPs do get at least some time off over the summer,

:43:14.:43:16.

like the rest of us, they'll be looking for a good book to read.

:43:17.:43:19.

And if they don't fancy the latest Dan Brown,

:43:20.:43:22.

then luckily for them, the MP Keith Simpson produces an annual

:43:23.:43:24.

OK, not all of us were on the BBC's talent rich list yesterday,

:43:25.:43:50.

but who needs Honolulu when you've got the Costa del Thames?

:43:51.:43:53.

Besides, doesn't matter where you are when your

:43:54.:43:55.

Making the list this year, three authors whose other

:43:56.:44:01.

Ann Clwyd's a very personal memoir, Johnny Mercer writes

:44:02.:44:07.

about his time in Afghanistan, and Chris Bryant critiques

:44:08.:44:09.

If the process of government is your thing, you're in luck.

:44:10.:44:20.

There are, for example, three titles which look

:44:21.:44:22.

into what the Cabinet Secretary does and one about the Prime Minister's

:44:23.:44:25.

As ever, there are some good reads on the world wars,

:44:26.:44:32.

from the battlefield of Passchendaele,

:44:33.:44:35.

the resistance to the Nazis, and turncoat Gestapo agents.

:44:36.:44:40.

Of course, there are authors who have done plenty of digging

:44:41.:44:50.

into history and unearthed some real factual gems.

:44:51.:44:52.

There are diamonds and Romans and husband hunters,

:44:53.:44:54.

Theresa May told her MPs to relax this summer.

:44:55.:45:00.

For those who really can't take their minds off

:45:01.:45:02.

plotting, there is also a book about Machiavelli.

:45:03.:45:05.

Now, you might need a longer holiday than you thought.

:45:06.:45:08.

The list covers all sorts of subjects and there are 42

:45:09.:45:10.

It's pretty heavy going, so you may consider packing a little

:45:11.:45:16.

There are 40 books on your list, do you present this to your fellow MPs

:45:17.:45:42.

as a selection or they should read the 40? It is a pick and mix. The

:45:43.:45:47.

whips like to think they will read the 40. David has just said it

:45:48.:45:51.

should be fiction and my wife would agree. Every MP invariably says to

:45:52.:45:56.

me, I do want to read one proper nonfiction book. All I do and I have

:45:57.:46:02.

read a lot of them is draw a cross-section. You do this every

:46:03.:46:08.

year? It started ten years ago when I was working with William Hague and

:46:09.:46:15.

I did it as a joke and it caught on. Have you read all 40? I have read

:46:16.:46:22.

two thirds. Why are you recommending once you have not read? They are

:46:23.:46:26.

ones other colleagues have read and I have looked at them and thought, I

:46:27.:46:29.

am going to get around to reading them. If you had, say, only one book

:46:30.:46:37.

that you had to recommend. An MP says, I have only time for one book.

:46:38.:46:42.

What would it be? It would actually be my colleague Johnny Mercer's

:46:43.:46:50.

book. I always look out for books written by colleagues. Johnny

:46:51.:46:55.

arrived in 2015, Central office said he would never take a seat off

:46:56.:47:00.

Labour, he got re-elected, he was a regular soldier. I thought, I knew

:47:01.:47:04.

what it would be like. I had no idea he was brought up in an incredibly

:47:05.:47:08.

strict Baptist household. All kinds of problems with his parents.

:47:09.:47:12.

Eventually went into the army, served three tours in Afghanistan.

:47:13.:47:17.

He writes brilliantly. He had a very good friend shot next to him which

:47:18.:47:22.

traumatised him. He decided he would go into politics the Conservative

:47:23.:47:33.

Party and he has worked hard at it. Afghanistan has dropped off our

:47:34.:47:35.

vision. Seven, eight years ago, we were all concerned with it. I can

:47:36.:47:38.

really recommend it. It is pretty earthy. One soldier's story about

:47:39.:47:48.

brutal combat. It came out at the beginning of the general election

:47:49.:47:52.

and his agent managed to get it listed and extracts from it in the

:47:53.:47:56.

Daily Mail in the middle of the election. The list is quite serious.

:47:57.:48:03.

Quite heavyweight. Don't MPs deserve a bit of light relief as well? Yeah,

:48:04.:48:11.

they can do that. They can dip into a well-known book shop or go on to

:48:12.:48:16.

Amazon and get novels. I have... I don't know if it is sexist. Several

:48:17.:48:21.

female MPs have said to me, including recently a Labour MP,

:48:22.:48:25.

look, Keith, when is your book list coming out? My husband is pretty

:48:26.:48:29.

good with the kids on the beach for the first week, but after that, he

:48:30.:48:33.

wants one heavyweight book to read. What about a history book? I would

:48:34.:48:42.

recommend One Hot Summer. The author has taken 1858 and it is relevant

:48:43.:48:49.

because she weaves together three great characters. Disraeli,

:48:50.:48:56.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Darwin, Origins Of The Species, 1858, he

:48:57.:49:00.

rushed it out, and Dickens, going through a rather messy divorce. It

:49:01.:49:07.

is about Parliament as well and 1858 was a horrendous hot summer. The

:49:08.:49:11.

Thames stank. There were no proper sewers. As often the case,

:49:12.:49:16.

Parliament panicked and we brought through a whole series of bills

:49:17.:49:22.

which enabled the engineers but the embankment and everything else. It

:49:23.:49:28.

is funny as well. They are building a new super sewer down the Thames

:49:29.:49:33.

these days. We hope it will work. David Lammy, have you decided, any

:49:34.:49:38.

of these books catch your fancy? I thought it was all a bit heavy but

:49:39.:49:43.

you have now persuaded me I have got to buy Johnny Mercer's book.

:49:44.:49:48.

Otherwise it is Lee Childs for me. I want something like, nonfiction,

:49:49.:49:52.

easy. Heavy politics put to one side. I can understand that. All of

:49:53.:49:58.

this effort... Understandably... It is also quite hard to read a heavy

:49:59.:50:03.

book in the sun. You need something... What is your reading

:50:04.:50:08.

list? This is why you bring David and I together. My answer is

:50:09.:50:13.

identical. Johnny Mercer's book, it has had incredible reviews and I am

:50:14.:50:16.

definitely now going to read it. I will obviously take that free copy.

:50:17.:50:23.

Not before I do! Lee Child is my default option on holiday. Keith

:50:24.:50:34.

sticks to politics. East-west Street I am also very keen to read and a

:50:35.:50:39.

must read if you want to sound sophisticated about the future of

:50:40.:50:43.

the planet. The other one I would mention, your rival from another

:50:44.:50:48.

organisation, The Women Who Made Politics. Absolutely excellent.

:50:49.:51:00.

Sophy Ridge from Sky. Some of your fellow parliamentarians find time to

:51:01.:51:04.

write books as well. They do indeed. In one case, their researcher wrote

:51:05.:51:14.

it. Name them! Not Johnny Mercer. Our great collie, the man known as

:51:15.:51:19.

the Prime Minister's brain, Oliver Letwin, he has got a book coming out

:51:20.:51:25.

about hearts and minds this October -- our great colleague. Partly

:51:26.:51:29.

autobiographical, Thatcher up to... And another... Ann Clwyd brought out

:51:30.:51:40.

a memoir recently. They've lot do. Is Jacob Rees Mogg going to write a

:51:41.:51:45.

book? The parliamentarian first elected in 1834 is too busy deciding

:51:46.:51:50.

whether he wants to be Speaker or leader of the party. He probably

:51:51.:51:58.

will write a book but it will be in Latin!

:51:59.:52:01.

At this point in the political year, we often ask some pundits

:52:02.:52:04.

for their predictions about the fortunes of the party

:52:05.:52:06.

leaders when normal service resumes in September.

:52:07.:52:09.

But as the pundits have proved so comprehensively

:52:10.:52:11.

useless in recent years, today we're looking

:52:12.:52:13.

elsewhere for guidance - specifically, to the stars.

:52:14.:52:15.

As I'm not, you may be surprised to learn, a great expert in studying

:52:16.:52:18.

the significance of celestial objects, we're joined

:52:19.:52:20.

now by the astrologer Alison Chester-Lambert.

:52:21.:52:21.

Alison, what are your predictions for Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn?

:52:22.:52:24.

Well, thank you. So, let us start with Jeremy Corbyn. This guy has a

:52:25.:52:34.

son in Gemini and a moon in Taurus. This makes him very young at heart

:52:35.:52:39.

and he has great appeal for the young. This year, he cannot do a lot

:52:40.:52:44.

wrong. He has some very good transits on his side. He is one to

:52:45.:52:48.

watch and definitely for the foreseeable future. Then we turn to

:52:49.:52:55.

Theresa May. She has a sun in Libra and a moon in Virgo. Her sun has

:52:56.:53:04.

echoes of Margaret Thatcher's sun in Libra but Theresa May has a little

:53:05.:53:07.

more compassion and a little less intransigence. Theresa May is not

:53:08.:53:14.

having a good year, astrology can only describe what it finds, and

:53:15.:53:18.

what we see is that she is struggling with vulnerability, she

:53:19.:53:24.

is disempowered and absolutely her strength is dwindling all of the

:53:25.:53:27.

time, especially in August of this year. She is going to struggle. We

:53:28.:53:36.

have this description of people as fatally wounded and it does not seem

:53:37.:53:41.

to get much better in the foreseeable future. Ed Vaizey,

:53:42.:53:48.

astrologically speaking, your leader is in trouble. In August! What are

:53:49.:53:55.

you going to do about it? Ask peace. I am sure she will recover -- ask

:53:56.:54:04.

Keith. She will come back fighting. I have a lot of respect for our

:54:05.:54:10.

resident astrologer. Theresa May has had difficulties. I think it can be

:54:11.:54:18.

beaten over the August... What is it? See how quickly I adapt? You

:54:19.:54:26.

pick up the lingo very quickly! I have noticed that for a while, Ed

:54:27.:54:35.

Vaizey. Many years! Not a bad astrological outlook for Mr Corbyn?

:54:36.:54:43.

The runes look good for Jeremy Corbyn, good summer and good year. I

:54:44.:54:47.

think the idea that August might be so bad that... Another general

:54:48.:54:57.

election but quickly. Your heart just sings! There we go. Back to

:54:58.:55:02.

Alison, the Brexit negotiators, David Davis for the UK, Michel

:55:03.:55:06.

Barnier for the EU, what do the stars behold for them? Right, OK,

:55:07.:55:13.

David Davis's chart, I opened his chart and I saw he had not one

:55:14.:55:20.

planet in Capricorn, four planets in Capricorn. I was thinking, there we

:55:21.:55:24.

go, strength, perseverance, power, this man has it all. Great, he is on

:55:25.:55:30.

our side. That will do. Then I opened Michel Barnier's chart and I

:55:31.:55:36.

was amazed to see he also has four planets in Capricorn. That is some

:55:37.:55:40.

coincidence. Michel Barnier seems to have the edge because his moon is in

:55:41.:55:45.

Aquarius and this can be quite intransigent and very fixed and he

:55:46.:55:54.

is a very clever strategist, quite brilliant. Oh, dear. Next year, it

:55:55.:55:59.

appears David Davis pulls through, he gets a huge boost from Pluto, as

:56:00.:56:04.

if he has been plugged into a nuclear power station, and at that

:56:05.:56:08.

point, he powers ahead. Certainly one to watch anyway. Very

:56:09.:56:13.

interesting. There you go. Remainers like you, you had better send a new

:56:14.:56:21.

computer! I have always said that David Davis was a four planets in

:56:22.:56:29.

Capricorn kind of guy. Did you know Pluto was his ally? Watch out for

:56:30.:56:32.

the nuclear power Pluto, it will take off. I think it is more Pluto

:56:33.:56:40.

in Mickey Mouse. Pluto the dog! He has the dog on his side as well! It

:56:41.:56:48.

is uncanny, four planet Capricorn man meets another. It obviously

:56:49.:56:53.

means for tight negotiations. Give us a prediction for the summer? What

:56:54.:56:59.

can we expect? I understand there is a coast-to-coast solar eclipse in

:57:00.:57:02.

America, what does that mean? Absolutely, there is. On the 21st of

:57:03.:57:07.

August, we have a coast-to-coast solar eclipse across America. These

:57:08.:57:12.

things usually happen once a century. But strangely, America has

:57:13.:57:17.

two, one on the 21st of August, another in seven years' time. This

:57:18.:57:22.

is an interesting one because if we go back to a bar baloney and times,

:57:23.:57:28.

eclipses always foretold of the fall of nations and the fall of leaders

:57:29.:57:36.

-- Babylonian times. It hits Donald Trump's chart very keenly. He is

:57:37.:57:41.

rattled by this and he looks considerably weakened by the

:57:42.:57:44.

eclipse. Who knows, another one to watch, could be exciting. Cracking

:57:45.:57:48.

stuff! You should do this every week! Yes, I agree!

:57:49.:57:53.

LAUGHTER Can you tell us, will there be

:57:54.:58:00.

another election this year? I have not looked at the astrology. I would

:58:01.:58:06.

not have thought so. I am a big fan of your analysis that surely Vince

:58:07.:58:13.

willpower to centre stage, six planets in his Capricorn. Thank you

:58:14.:58:17.

very much. Thank you very much, I enjoyed it.

:58:18.:58:20.

There's just time before we go to find out the answer to our quiz.

:58:21.:58:23.

The question was, "David Davis' briefcase has been fitted

:58:24.:58:25.

with a device which blocks electronic signals

:58:26.:58:27.

But what have the EU side started using to stop espionage?"

:58:28.:58:30.

Was it, a, hidden camera, b, fingerprint scanners,

:58:31.:58:32.

c, invisible ink, or, d, an underwater car?

:58:33.:58:34.

So, David and Ed, what's the correct answer?

:58:35.:58:37.

Underwater car. Yes. The correct answer. No. It is fingerprinting.

:58:38.:58:46.

They have not got an underwater car. The one o'clock news is starting

:58:47.:58:49.

over on BBC One now. I will be back tonight with the

:58:50.:59:00.

final This Week of the season. Tried to join us.

:59:01.:59:06.

Promise me that you'll come and find me.

:59:07.:59:09.

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