:00:38. > :00:39.Hello, and welcome to the Daily Politics,
:00:40. > :00:42.our first programme back after the summer break, and guess
:00:43. > :00:49.With Brexit talks over the summer, little progress between the two
:00:50. > :00:56.The government faces a key test of its authority this week when MPs
:00:57. > :01:01.debate draft legislation on withdrawing from the EU.
:01:02. > :01:06.The PM, who's in Japan at the moment, says she's
:01:07. > :01:16.going to hang on in there and fight the next election.
:01:17. > :01:18.There's even talk of a reshuffle to bring potential Tory
:01:19. > :01:21.We'll be talking to new Tory darling, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
:01:22. > :01:24.We'll take a look back over Donald Trump's eventful summer.
:01:25. > :01:27.It's been a tough time for the President and it could get
:01:28. > :01:29.tougher following claims by North Korea that it's tested
:01:30. > :01:34.And as the nation returns to the grindstone, we'll be asking
:01:35. > :01:37.what could make your commute to work more bearable.
:01:38. > :01:45.Well, one travel expert gives us his opinion.
:01:46. > :01:49.How can we make rail passengers happy? I say it's time to put up
:01:50. > :01:56.train fares! All that in the next hour,
:01:57. > :01:59.and with us for the whole of the programme today,
:02:00. > :02:01.two of Westminster's finest, fresh-faced and invigorated
:02:02. > :02:05.following their summer break. Labour's Angela Eagle and
:02:06. > :02:10.the Conservative MP, David Jones. Angela's been writing a book
:02:11. > :02:12.all summer and David tells us he's been visiting a lot
:02:13. > :02:15.of agricultural shows. And if that doesn't fill your heart
:02:16. > :02:18.with warmth, the Duchess of Cambridge has announced she's
:02:19. > :02:32.expecting her third child. So, have you been walking in any
:02:33. > :02:38.mountings recently? Wales is very mountainous, I've done little else.
:02:39. > :02:41.I have done an awful lot of visiting agricultural shows which is what I
:02:42. > :02:49.mostly do in August. And the high point of your summer? My summer
:02:50. > :02:53.personally, it was going for to date Italy to visit a battlefield where
:02:54. > :02:57.my father fought in the Second World War. An emotional event for you.
:02:58. > :03:01.What about you, where you are following in the footsteps of Jeremy
:03:02. > :03:07.Corbyn and traipsing around marginal constituencies? No, I have been
:03:08. > :03:15.actually in deep in reading, and thought, about right-wing Tory
:03:16. > :03:21.economic policy. What fun for the summer! So that I can debunk it so I
:03:22. > :03:26.can do that in a book, I can't say a lot more at the moment, it out next
:03:27. > :03:32.year. So how you getting on with it? It's coming together. Sounds like
:03:33. > :03:39.quite a heavy Reid. I'm going to try and put some jokes in. Did you see
:03:40. > :03:44.Jeremy Corbyn perform at the Edinburgh fringe? I wasn't in the
:03:45. > :03:48.audience but I think it's important to have presence at all cultural
:03:49. > :03:53.event and Jeremy does that. What about this feeling of Groundhog Day,
:03:54. > :03:59.talking more about Brexit. And that is going to be what really dominates
:04:00. > :04:03.the next few weeks of this short session that we have in autumn. We
:04:04. > :04:07.have got the withdrawal bill coming through and that's going to be
:04:08. > :04:12.interesting, and I am sure that we are looking forward to seeing the
:04:13. > :04:18.way it develops. Are you looking forward to it, is it like Groundhog
:04:19. > :04:22.Day? Parliament is a particular place, you get a bit of extra
:04:23. > :04:25.scaffolding but not much else has changed. The Brexit bill will be a
:04:26. > :04:30.crucial part of the two weeks and we are going to have to make sure that
:04:31. > :04:33.are built that at the moment is not fit for purpose is considerably
:04:34. > :04:37.improved or we will not be going through the lobbies in support. Food
:04:38. > :04:43.for thought. What about the position papers, have you read all of them? I
:04:44. > :04:51.read most of them. You must have slept well. I am a swot. I read most
:04:52. > :04:56.of them. Which was your favourite? Adore the one on judicial
:04:57. > :05:01.Corporation was a classic of its kind. They reminded me of a series
:05:02. > :05:05.of fantasy books, they didn't have a lot to do with reality. It's about
:05:06. > :05:10.time the government start coming up with some actual detail about what
:05:11. > :05:14.they need... We will come to all of this, good to see party politics is
:05:15. > :05:15.alive and kicking in the first two minutes of the show!
:05:16. > :05:20.Last week the Prime Minister announced, to the suprise of many
:05:21. > :05:23.I think it's fair to say, that she wasn't a quitter
:05:24. > :05:25.and would lead the Tories into the next election.
:05:26. > :05:27.Well, let's talk now to Jacob Rees-Mogg, who emerged
:05:28. > :05:30.as the unexpected favourite over the summer to take her place.
:05:31. > :05:37.Are you on the news as? Of course I'm not, and you give me the
:05:38. > :05:44.splendid backdrop, photo shopped in. You are already in Downing Street! I
:05:45. > :05:47.haven't become your special Downing Street correspondent, but that would
:05:48. > :05:54.be a wonderful job to have. You have to be impartial and balanced. Unlike
:05:55. > :05:59.many people at the BBC, we will let that go! You are standing in front
:06:00. > :06:03.of number ten, how does it feel? It feels as fake as it is, I'm actually
:06:04. > :06:12.in a studio a few yards away from you. Are you and -- ambitious for a
:06:13. > :06:15.ministerial job? I am ambitious only to return to North Somerset and
:06:16. > :06:19.contribute to the development of ideas in the Conservative Party. I
:06:20. > :06:21.very much look forward to Angela's book because she is one of the most
:06:22. > :06:25.thoughtful members of the opposition and it will be very useful for
:06:26. > :06:30.conservatives to see how non-conservatives attack our views
:06:31. > :06:34.and positions, to see if we can remake the case back again. I think
:06:35. > :06:37.this battle of ideas it is so exciting, and it's what our system
:06:38. > :06:40.does so well. Wouldn't you be better placed to challenge what Angela is
:06:41. > :06:47.going to say in her book, and you have got over reader waiting. That
:06:48. > :06:52.is one, it is a start! You would be better doing it from a ministerial
:06:53. > :06:55.post, wouldn't you? We would have a lot more freedom to discuss issues
:06:56. > :06:59.from the backbenches because I'm not bound by collective responsibility.
:07:00. > :07:06.I do not have constraint upon me on what I'm allowed to say. And that's
:07:07. > :07:11.an easier position to be in and discussion board issues rather than
:07:12. > :07:16.ministers, -- and discuss broader issues. Are you surprised to find
:07:17. > :07:20.yourself as a frontrunner for a leadership which isn't yet vacant?
:07:21. > :07:24.I'm as astonished as you are. It's all jolly August stuff and now we're
:07:25. > :07:28.in September I imagine it will calm down. Where you disappointed by
:07:29. > :07:31.Theresa May's declaration that she's going to stay on and fight the next
:07:32. > :07:38.election? No, Isaac it's the right thing to say. Leaders need to give a
:07:39. > :07:41.clear guide to their intention to carry on. I understood why David
:07:42. > :07:48.Cameron said that he was going to go when he did, before the 2015
:07:49. > :07:51.election, but once leaders say that, their authority seat away and
:07:52. > :07:57.authority in politics is crucial for the ability to get things done. From
:07:58. > :08:04.some of the directions from backbenches, not you necessarily, I
:08:05. > :08:06.think there was incredulity that there was a declaration, she said
:08:07. > :08:11.she would leave it to the party to decide, but she would carry on. All
:08:12. > :08:14.leaders are servants of their party in some way and they cannot carry on
:08:15. > :08:18.if the party doesn't want them to use that will remain true. I would
:08:19. > :08:22.be very suspicious of anonymous briefings that tends to be by people
:08:23. > :08:27.who have other motives, all teary at its for saying things. Let's have
:08:28. > :08:30.people come out -- have all teary motives for saying things. Let's
:08:31. > :08:35.have people come out publicly. They were not all anonymous, some people
:08:36. > :08:39.were prepared to say publicly that they were surprised that she had
:08:40. > :08:42.declared such a thing having lost the Tory majority. Those comments
:08:43. > :08:49.were very politely and diffidently put, I do not think anyone said it
:08:50. > :08:54.was in possible or unreasonable. If you were asked to step up to the
:08:55. > :08:58.ministerial plate, there was talk of a reshuffle but that was quashed by
:08:59. > :09:05.Number ten, you would serve? When Mrs May was asked directly, she
:09:06. > :09:08.giggled, so I think my chances of a summons were limited. Boris Johnson
:09:09. > :09:12.became Foreign Secretary and some people thought that would be
:09:13. > :09:16.interesting. He is a great man and an inspirational representative of
:09:17. > :09:19.us a road. What would you do if you were offered a ministerial position?
:09:20. > :09:23.Imagine a little bit like that backdrop behind you, it is fake,
:09:24. > :09:27.you're not really in down the street, but just imagine there was a
:09:28. > :09:32.ministerial post, what would you like? This isn't going to happen,
:09:33. > :09:35.I'm very happy serving the people of North East Somerset, that's my role
:09:36. > :09:40.and that's what I enjoy doing. To start putting oneself forward is a
:09:41. > :09:48.great mistake. Heaven knows, next you'll be offering me the papacy.
:09:49. > :09:50.Yes, we've got time for that! Thank you very much, you can leave the
:09:51. > :09:58.studio now. Thank you The question
:09:59. > :10:01.The question for today is what did Brexit Secretary David Davis refer
:10:02. > :10:18.The future prime ministers, a charming bustard, soft and current
:10:19. > :10:20.cuddly, or Lazarus? Now, while our guests have been off
:10:21. > :10:22.sipping sangria and catching up on all those novels published
:10:23. > :10:25.since the 23rd June last year, the process
:10:26. > :10:26.of Brexit continues apace. It hasn't been much of a holiday
:10:27. > :10:30.for David Davis and Michel Barnier, nor for the hundreds of civil
:10:31. > :10:32.servants on each side engaged in trying to extricate the UK
:10:33. > :10:37.from the EU before March 2019. So what's been happening
:10:38. > :10:39.over the break? There have been two rounds
:10:40. > :10:47.of talks between the UK These have been dominated
:10:48. > :10:51.by discussions on citizens' rights, the Irish border and the financial
:10:52. > :11:00.settlement between the EU and UK. Over the summer, the UK
:11:01. > :11:02.released 11 position papers on Brexit, to go
:11:03. > :11:08.with the EU's nine. Future customs arrangements
:11:09. > :11:10.were covered, as well as citizens' But at a tense press
:11:11. > :11:22.conference last week, European Commission negotiator
:11:23. > :11:24.Michel Barnier said "no decisive While Brexit Secretary David Davis
:11:25. > :11:28.urged the EU to be "more imaginative The big sticking point is over
:11:29. > :11:39.the size of the UK's divorce bill, the financial settlement
:11:40. > :11:41.the UK will pay the EU. The UK side believe the EU's sums
:11:42. > :11:44.don't add up but the EU has accused the UK of refusing
:11:45. > :11:46.to honour its obligations. This weekend Michel Barnier has said
:11:47. > :11:50.part of his job is to educate the UK about the price of leaving
:11:51. > :11:52.the single market. This matters, because talks can't
:11:53. > :11:56.progress onto phase 2, the future relationship
:11:57. > :11:58.between the UK and EU, before sufficient progress
:11:59. > :12:06.on the matters of separation, including the divorce
:12:07. > :12:08.bill, have been agreed. Meanwhile, Labour announced a shift
:12:09. > :12:11.in its Brexit position this summer to staying inside the single
:12:12. > :12:15.market and customs union This could mean keeping free
:12:16. > :12:18.movement of people and other EU rules beyond March 2019,
:12:19. > :12:21.when the UK will leave the EU. On Thursday the government
:12:22. > :12:23.faces its first big Brexit-related test of the new parlimentary session
:12:24. > :12:42.with the second reading That was almost as long as the whole
:12:43. > :12:51.negotiation! Where 13 months on from the referendum vote, over six months
:12:52. > :12:54.after Article 50, what concrete achievements can you list? There has
:12:55. > :13:00.been progress, there has been a series of talks. The big issue as
:13:01. > :13:04.you rightly said in your introduction is the question of
:13:05. > :13:10.money, no doubt. It's now up to the EU how they calculate their demands.
:13:11. > :13:14.They need to tell us. We have seen a number of demands from 60 billion to
:13:15. > :13:17.100 billion, and none have been computed. We will talk about the
:13:18. > :13:21.precise money at the moment but you haven't answered the question on
:13:22. > :13:23.what concrete achievements you can point to. There have been some
:13:24. > :13:29.achievements, last week there was agreement as to the issue of health
:13:30. > :13:38.care for expats living in the EU and the U UK. That isn't really a major
:13:39. > :13:47.issue. Not in terms of the divorce Bill, EU citizens leaving -- living
:13:48. > :13:50.here and UK citizens abroad. We have to understand that the EU has struck
:13:51. > :13:54.its position and made it clear that it wants agreement on the issues
:13:55. > :13:59.that you outlined in your introduction. And for so long as
:14:00. > :14:01.they actually maintain that position, there will be no progress
:14:02. > :14:05.which is why David Davies quite rightly said the other day that we
:14:06. > :14:09.need to see some more flexibility and imagination on the part of the
:14:10. > :14:13.EU, because if, for example, they insist on resolving the Irish
:14:14. > :14:19.question before resolving the issue of trading arrangements, we will
:14:20. > :14:22.never get anywhere. He published these papers which didn't really say
:14:23. > :14:27.anything in terms of what he wanted to achieve, it was very much about
:14:28. > :14:30.aspiration, I read a number of them. There isn't much progress on the
:14:31. > :14:37.issue of the Irish border and on citizens rights and the clock is
:14:38. > :14:39.ticking towards March 2019 and you blame the commission for being
:14:40. > :14:46.intransigent, but you know what Michel Barnier's mandate was from
:14:47. > :14:48.the other 27 member states so why you complaining? I'm complaining
:14:49. > :14:53.about the fact that he is quite clearly constrained by the mandate
:14:54. > :14:59.you have been given. But you agreed to it, he agreed to settling the
:15:00. > :15:04.divorce Bill first before moving to talk about a trade deal. Until such
:15:05. > :15:09.time that we can agree a future relationship, we won't get anywhere.
:15:10. > :15:14.So why did David Davies signed up to doing it, he was wrong? I have not
:15:15. > :15:18.been in the Brexit Department for a while. What I would say is this,
:15:19. > :15:23.until such time as the EU recognise that there's got to be agreement as
:15:24. > :15:26.to the future relationship, which is actually prescribed in Article 50
:15:27. > :15:31.itself, we will not make progress and it's as much in their interests
:15:32. > :15:35.to get that progress as ours. So you want the government to state that it
:15:36. > :15:38.wants to change how these negotiations are handled, that
:15:39. > :15:43.you're not going to settle the divorce Bill? No, what I want is the
:15:44. > :15:45.EU to recognise that Article 50 prescribed that the future
:15:46. > :15:48.relationship is something that has to be considered now and this is
:15:49. > :15:52.something that they're failing to do.
:15:53. > :15:58.What is wrong with the EU saying you need to meet your obligations that
:15:59. > :16:02.you signed up to when the UK said it would honour its financial
:16:03. > :16:06.commitment in the seven-year multiannual framework? There's
:16:07. > :16:09.nothing wrong with fulfilling our obligations, the question is what
:16:10. > :16:14.they are. Are they those - should we pay for the seven years to 2020?
:16:15. > :16:18.Well, we clearly do have about only Gration to make some payment and I
:16:19. > :16:22.think everybody agrees that. I think the important thing is that the EU
:16:23. > :16:26.shouldn't be coming up with firs they've clearly plucked out of the
:16:27. > :16:29.air like 100 billion euro. It's a negotiation isn't it? But rather
:16:30. > :16:36.saying how they've calculated their demands. Over the weekend we saw the
:16:37. > :16:40.figure of 50 billion mooted as the amount of the so-called divorce
:16:41. > :16:44.bill. If that figure was spread over a transitional period, would you
:16:45. > :16:47.accept it for frictionless tariff free trade with the EU? No. I don't
:16:48. > :16:52.think we should be paying to trade. I don't think you pay a trading
:16:53. > :16:56.partner to trade with you. We need to have a proper calculation of the
:16:57. > :17:01.way that the EU have come up with this sum and then say yes, let's
:17:02. > :17:06.talk about it. At the moment, they are not doing it. Labour's changed
:17:07. > :17:12.its position, Angela Eagle, when it comes to the EU and the
:17:13. > :17:16.negotiations. Jeremy Corbyn sacked three MPs for voting for an
:17:17. > :17:19.amendment. Now Labour is saying it wants to stay in the single market
:17:20. > :17:24.and customs union during the transitional period so should they
:17:25. > :17:28.get their jobs back? Firstly it's for Jeremy to make his own Shadow
:17:29. > :17:31.Cabinet up but I think the key thing that hasn't changed is that we've
:17:32. > :17:37.always said jobs and the economy have to come first and what Keir
:17:38. > :17:43.Starmer's been saying just recently over summer is that at least for the
:17:44. > :17:48.transition period, we need to stay in the customs union and the single
:17:49. > :17:53.market. That is a change in position though from the manifesto? Let me
:17:54. > :17:57.give you an example of why. Just up the road from my constituency, there
:17:58. > :18:06.is the Ellesmere Port automotive plant. When I visited them, they do
:18:07. > :18:12.70%-odd of their trade with Europe. The supply chain is completely mixed
:18:13. > :18:16.up across Europe. They told me that coming out of the customs union
:18:17. > :18:20.would cost an extra 125 million a year just for that plant. But you
:18:21. > :18:23.are not honouring the result of the referendum. Of course we are. No you
:18:24. > :18:27.are not. Hang on. That put all of that trade and all of the jobs that
:18:28. > :18:31.my constituents do at risk. The people who voted to leave the EU...
:18:32. > :18:35.It's not what Labour said. Can I remind you what they said. Hang on,
:18:36. > :18:39.Angela Eagle. In the manifesto, it states very clearly that Labour will
:18:40. > :18:44.end freedom of movement, one of the four pillars of the single market.
:18:45. > :18:47.In order to end free movement, it means you leave the single market.
:18:48. > :18:51.If March 2019 is the date the UK leaves under Labour, we won't leave,
:18:52. > :18:55.we'll still be in the single markets and customs union and we'll still
:18:56. > :19:00.have the European Court of Justice making laws that the UK will have to
:19:01. > :19:05.buy and -- will have to abide by and nothing will have changed. We said
:19:06. > :19:10.we'd put jobs and the economy first for a very good reason. As the All
:19:11. > :19:14.Party Group that published its report on customs ahead of the
:19:15. > :19:17.Government a couple of weeks ago demonstrated, leaving the customs
:19:18. > :19:22.union and the single market potentially puts the cost of ?25
:19:23. > :19:27.billion a year. Into the far future... What do you say to the 49%
:19:28. > :19:30.who voted to leave in Wallasey? What I'm going to say to them and what I
:19:31. > :19:34.said to them and have always said to them is, we are trying to get the
:19:35. > :19:39.best deal. We need a Government that wants to engage and get a good deal.
:19:40. > :19:43.What we've got is a sort of Government led by a zombie Prime
:19:44. > :19:47.Minister who is in the middle of being dealt with by people who want
:19:48. > :19:52.to succeed her who can't make progress in Europe. It's 13-14
:19:53. > :19:57.months after the referendum, we've made no progress. The clock is
:19:58. > :20:01.ticking. Time is running out. They've got a point haven't they?
:20:02. > :20:06.They haven't because the time when they should have been making the
:20:07. > :20:09.objections was when the notification of Bill went through. That went
:20:10. > :20:15.through completely unamended. Now we have the Labour Party in an utterly
:20:16. > :20:21.incoherent position. No we are not. Their position is career -- clear
:20:22. > :20:28.but it's changed. Tom Watson is saying we need to remain in the
:20:29. > :20:32.customs union and the single market. Could you see a situation where you
:20:33. > :20:35.would support the UK staying in the single market in perpetuity? I
:20:36. > :20:39.wouldn't personally object to that. That is not our frontbench position.
:20:40. > :20:43.But let me say this, it's really important that this is a negotiate
:20:44. > :20:49.#14u7b and that we get the best possible deal -- negotiation. You
:20:50. > :20:55.don't do that by striking vein glorious posers like the Government
:20:56. > :20:59.has. The clock is ticking down. My constituents' prosperity is at stake
:21:00. > :21:02.here. Jobs, future prospects - it's really important the Government gets
:21:03. > :21:05.this right. This is about an issue of trust. One out of ten. That is
:21:06. > :21:11.the view of my two guests. So that's the view of two MPs
:21:12. > :21:14.but what do you make of the government's
:21:15. > :21:16.negotiating efforts so far? Ellie and the moodbox came out
:21:17. > :21:19.of summer hibernation to find out. One of only five boroughs of London
:21:20. > :21:23.who voted to leave in last It was also home for more
:21:24. > :21:27.than 50 years to Ted Heath, a Tory who arguably got us
:21:28. > :21:29.into all this EU stuff So, the perfect place
:21:30. > :21:32.to ask the question, do you have confidence
:21:33. > :21:34.in the government's handling I just think they don't really
:21:35. > :21:43.know what they're doing. When we voted for Brexit,
:21:44. > :21:58.we voted for a clean break, now it's all a little bit
:21:59. > :22:01.here and a little bit there and sooner or later we're
:22:02. > :22:04.still going to be tied I'm going to have to be confident
:22:05. > :22:08.and say yes, because in the end, Do you have confidence in
:22:09. > :22:13.the government to negotiate Brexit? All we can do is say,
:22:14. > :22:19.hope for the best. Boris Johnson just sums it up,
:22:20. > :22:32.he's an idiot abroad, and if that's our face,
:22:33. > :22:37.of what we're planning to do, They can negotiate a deal,
:22:38. > :22:44.whether it will be a good I don't think that the
:22:45. > :22:48.Europeans actually want us Um...I'm going to be positive,
:22:49. > :23:01.yes. Sir, good deal on Brexit, Do you trust the government
:23:02. > :23:15.to deliver a decent deal on breakfast, I mean,
:23:16. > :23:18.Brexit? So no love lost in Brussels
:23:19. > :23:30.whether divorce negotiations are well underway and it would seem
:23:31. > :23:34.good people of Bexley It was a close run thing but it
:23:35. > :23:40.seems there isn't a great deal of confidence in the government's
:23:41. > :23:54.negotiations so far. You can understand why people don't
:23:55. > :23:58.have trust in the Government, some people. Theresa May said she'd cut
:23:59. > :24:02.net migration to the tens of thousands, she didn't. She said
:24:03. > :24:07.there would be no snap election, then she called one and she lost the
:24:08. > :24:12.Tory majority. Why would she inspire confidence? I would say, by the way,
:24:13. > :24:16.that moodbox showed possibly a fairly even split which reflected
:24:17. > :24:19.the referendum outcome so I think possibly people were continuing the
:24:20. > :24:26.sentiment. And the answer to my question? I think that what we have
:24:27. > :24:30.seen so far is a positive approach to the Brexit issue. But I'm talking
:24:31. > :24:33.about trust in Theresa May. Why would she inspire confidence,
:24:34. > :24:36.bearing in mind what's happened? Because I believe that her approach
:24:37. > :24:40.has been proven to be entirely correct. We had a proper period
:24:41. > :24:45.analysing the British economy which was the right thing to do. We then
:24:46. > :24:48.published a White Paper, we then had the notification of the withdrawal
:24:49. > :24:53.Bill. But that's process, anyone could have done that. But the
:24:54. > :24:57.process is absolutely essential. Are you pleased she said she will stay
:24:58. > :25:02.on for the full five years and stay there until the next general
:25:03. > :25:07.election? As Jacob Rees-Mogg said, we need to seed our leader lead. She
:25:08. > :25:11.is saying she intends to be there to take us through Brexit. I understand
:25:12. > :25:16.that. Do you think she will. I do. Do you support her? Of course I do.
:25:17. > :25:19.It's essential that we take this country out of the European Union on
:25:20. > :25:23.the best possible terms and she's the right person to do it. There is
:25:24. > :25:27.a war goingen in the Conservative Party at the moment about who the
:25:28. > :25:31.next leader is going to be and it's clear that Theresa May isn't going
:25:32. > :25:35.to lead them into the next... Why is it clear Because they know... Who
:25:36. > :25:42.would be the next one then? Who knows. They had a clear... That's a
:25:43. > :25:49.problem... She would have been gone already. George Osborne has
:25:50. > :25:53.described Theresa May's premiership as a second rate horror show. He's
:25:54. > :25:58.described her as a dead woman walking. Do you believe Jeremy
:25:59. > :26:01.Corbyn will endure into the next election or lead you into the next
:26:02. > :26:06.election? You are running the country at a crucial time for our
:26:07. > :26:10.future history. You are the the alternative Government. Do you think
:26:11. > :26:14.Jeremy Corbyn will lead you there. I am sure he will. Would you like to
:26:15. > :26:17.see him do that? He did a good job in the election and if he wants to
:26:18. > :26:22.lead us into the next one, he will. Was it a difficult thing to persuade
:26:23. > :26:26.him... It's worrying about losing to Labour that's knocking the Prime
:26:27. > :26:30.Minister off her Perch. Well, on that basis, this idea that MPs need
:26:31. > :26:34.to back Brexit or get Jeremy Corbyn, what is the problem with amending a
:26:35. > :26:37.piece of legislation, the withdrawal Bill, how is it you get Jeremy
:26:38. > :26:41.Corbyn if you back an amendment? Because now is not the time to do
:26:42. > :26:46.it. The time for amendments... You don't get Jeremy Corbyn do you
:26:47. > :26:50.from... No, no, no, the time for amendments was the notification of
:26:51. > :26:58.the withdrawal Bill. We crossed the rule bill within parent I'm sorry.
:26:59. > :27:03.So Anna Soubry, is she a traitor? She'll have to consider where her
:27:04. > :27:08.loyalty lies. Or? Thing is what she needs to do. I think... We are going
:27:09. > :27:11.to come back to you. Ministers need the power to change law on Labour
:27:12. > :27:15.law without referring to Parliament. That's not true. We are going to
:27:16. > :27:20.discuss this later in the week when it comes back to Parliament on
:27:21. > :27:25.Thursday. Have you spoken to Tory backbenchers to support you by the
:27:26. > :27:30.way on that Plenty of that going on. How many? I'm not going to discuss
:27:31. > :27:35.that. That might be the problem. But it's happening is it? Are you
:27:36. > :27:36.worried about that? We have a few that will be supported too.
:27:37. > :27:39.Earlier I spoke to the Polish MEP Danuta Hubner, and I started
:27:40. > :27:42.by asking her why the UK should agree to any figure for a financial
:27:43. > :27:45.settlement before the start of discussions about the future
:27:46. > :27:53.You know very well we are not talking about figures yet.
:27:54. > :27:57.All we are talking and all we need to progress and to have
:27:58. > :28:02.agreement on is the methodology of calculating the bill.
:28:03. > :28:07.Here we see that the position of the UK is practically just stuck,
:28:08. > :28:12.there's no progress, there is a completely different
:28:13. > :28:17.diverging view on the approach to the financial bill
:28:18. > :28:26.There is no agreement on the legal basis.
:28:27. > :28:28.This is something which, of course, the EU side cannot accept,
:28:29. > :28:33.that's why, unless we are also seeing a more constructive approach
:28:34. > :28:36.on the UK side, we can make progress on this.
:28:37. > :28:42.We are not talking yet about figures, we are just talking
:28:43. > :28:44.about the legally binding commitments.
:28:45. > :28:47.There is a dispute about whether they are legally
:28:48. > :28:49.binding but certainly, David Davis, the Brexit
:28:50. > :28:52.secretary, has said there are moral obligations.
:28:53. > :28:58.Do you think the UK should pay anything above what it's previously
:28:59. > :29:04.signed up to in the 2014-2020 multilateral financial framework?
:29:05. > :29:08.You know, it's quite actually amazing because we hear also
:29:09. > :29:14.from all those who benefit from the programmes and projects
:29:15. > :29:16.which are confined to the EU budget to which every
:29:17. > :29:25.We hear the last position of the UK that the UK should not pay
:29:26. > :29:31.a penny beyond the exit from the European Union,
:29:32. > :29:33.then you start thinking there is no understanding at all of how
:29:34. > :29:36.the European Union functions and what the budget
:29:37. > :29:40.So that is amazing for a country that's spent with us
:29:41. > :29:48.That's why we have here this disparity
:29:49. > :29:58.Negotiation of course can bring different results,
:29:59. > :30:02.but we have also made it clear from the very beginning
:30:03. > :30:05.that we need this sequencing, that there is a logic
:30:06. > :30:10.because the Article 50 says that we have to know the future
:30:11. > :30:13.aspiration of the UK to agree on the transition period.
:30:14. > :30:17.So we want to know the future position but we have to reach
:30:18. > :30:21.a certain level of advancement of the negotiations that would allow
:30:22. > :30:28.us to do that in line with the mandate we have.
:30:29. > :30:31.Do you think it helps though that when Michel Barnier...
:30:32. > :30:33.There is one more thing we need to remember.
:30:34. > :30:36.Sorry, do you think it helps when Michel Barnier uses language
:30:37. > :30:40.like, we need to teach the UK what it means to leave
:30:41. > :30:43.the single market and we need to educate the UK.
:30:44. > :30:47.Do you think that's language that helps bring two sides together?
:30:48. > :30:53.I think on both sides during the negotiations,
:30:54. > :30:59.there is this risk of the language and we probably here can find a lot
:31:00. > :31:05.of examples of the British language and etc specially of some British
:31:06. > :31:07.politicians who is, the language, using the language
:31:08. > :31:09.which is unacceptable, I think even the British reality.
:31:10. > :31:13.So sometimes we go far with our long wadge because we want to also make
:31:14. > :31:16.the other side understand and what Michel Barnier is trying
:31:17. > :31:19.to say is that the single market is, if I can use your approach,
:31:20. > :31:21.single market is single market and single market
:31:22. > :31:25.if you are a member of it, there are commitments and the single
:31:26. > :31:30.This is the most important achievement of European integration,
:31:31. > :31:35.we cannot dismantle it for the sake of those negotiations.
:31:36. > :31:42.We are all very strong when it comes to a single market.
:31:43. > :31:48.Let's have a look though at what is being put forward by the EU.
:31:49. > :31:52.There is a sense in the UK that the EU may be prepared to bear
:31:53. > :31:56.some economic pain to make a political point.
:31:57. > :32:00.The UK is Poland's second biggest export market
:32:01. > :32:07.Are you happy to risk that relationship, that
:32:08. > :32:09.economic relationship, in order to make your political
:32:10. > :32:19.You know, there are different stages and aspects of the negotiations
:32:20. > :32:22.and there's a very clear withdrawal from the European Union and then
:32:23. > :32:25.there is this single market and customs union which we hear
:32:26. > :32:33.from the British side is just really a misunderstanding of what leaving
:32:34. > :32:37.the single market or leaving the customs union means.
:32:38. > :32:43.So we all would like to have the UK within the single market
:32:44. > :32:47.and within the customs union but that, of course,
:32:48. > :32:53.what would be the difference between belonging or being a member
:32:54. > :32:56.and to benefitting from everything that the single market oftens,
:32:57. > :33:00.so we are in this process of clearly trying to understand
:33:01. > :33:04.what is the final aspiration of the Brits to stay,
:33:05. > :33:13.Will it be happy smiles all round at the end of this?
:33:14. > :33:16.You know, everything is good what ends good and I can assure
:33:17. > :33:23.you that here on the EU side and on the European Parliament side,
:33:24. > :33:26.on the Council side and Commission side, I think we are all very
:33:27. > :33:29.seriously committed to have a good deal and to have a good
:33:30. > :33:33.If there is a good end to something which is I think something
:33:34. > :33:37.that we don't see as a good solution, also for the long-term
:33:38. > :33:40.future of the UK, but it's up to the UK citizens to decide.
:33:41. > :33:43.They decided, they will have it and we'll spare no effort to make
:33:44. > :33:47.it all well organised, to ensure orderly Brexit,
:33:48. > :33:50.but we cannot do it ourselves, we need a good cooperation,
:33:51. > :34:01.taking into account the time factor with the British Government.
:34:02. > :34:03.Let's hear from Fleet Street's finest.
:34:04. > :34:10.Tom Newton Dunn from the Sun and Kate McCann from the Telegraph.
:34:11. > :34:18.Listening to some of that, would you make of it? Is a breakthrough likely
:34:19. > :34:22.between these two sides? I think over the weekend, the breakthrough
:34:23. > :34:26.with unlikely with Barnier and David Davis escalating the war of rhetoric
:34:27. > :34:37.to President at levels this morning have maybe -- to unprecedented
:34:38. > :34:42.levels. This morning, we have just had the spokesman for the Prime
:34:43. > :34:46.Minister saying that they want to intensify negotiations, David Davis
:34:47. > :34:52.wants to move from this one week a month, slightly staid and cumbersome
:34:53. > :34:55.process, to rolling week on week until they find a way through the
:34:56. > :35:00.deadlock. No one wants to leave the room until a solution is found.
:35:01. > :35:04.Lucky them! Do you think the timelines for Brexit are now
:35:05. > :35:11.interested the? Even if they do intensify the number of times they
:35:12. > :35:18.need to talk about it. Is it in jeopardy? I think most people think
:35:19. > :35:21.so, you can see the tension between Barnier and David Davis, in fact
:35:22. > :35:29.Barnier said, I am not angry now, and when I am, you will know about
:35:30. > :35:35.it. The report overnight on Politico about intensifying gauche issues,
:35:36. > :35:39.the government realise they need to step up, we are going to have
:35:40. > :35:44.position papers coming on trade and other issues this week. I think the
:35:45. > :35:48.government say they are being met with brick walls every step of the
:35:49. > :35:51.way. There were people over some are saying the position papers were
:35:52. > :35:56.there to show that something was being done in the absence of any
:35:57. > :36:03.real concrete progress. If the EU don't change their mind, or give
:36:04. > :36:06.Michel Barnier a more generous hand in the negotiations so he doesn't
:36:07. > :36:11.have too sick to this rigid sequencing, where is the
:36:12. > :36:16.breakthrough going to come? It's not just the sequencing which delays
:36:17. > :36:19.everything hugely, one week talks, three weeks and then we go back to
:36:20. > :36:26.27 different capitals and explain what they discussed, and then that
:36:27. > :36:31.is the problems with negotiating with the EU. The Greeks had it, the
:36:32. > :36:36.Japanese, Americans, you're talking to 27 different countries and it's
:36:37. > :36:40.time-consuming. I don't think we'll see any progress at all in real
:36:41. > :36:43.substance until we get to the EU Council in October, after the German
:36:44. > :36:47.elections when the 27 have a chance to get into a room for the first
:36:48. > :36:50.time and say, maybe we need to change this framework. Another
:36:51. > :36:54.breakthrough moment this morning was Nick Clegg, not known for his
:36:55. > :36:58.Euroscepticism, the arch Europhile in the country, admitting that
:36:59. > :37:01.perhaps the EU's position was a little bit rigid and it needed to be
:37:02. > :37:05.looked at. Michel Barnier being boxed in? You can see the 27 moving
:37:06. > :37:06.but not yet. Well, don't go away, Tom and Kate,
:37:07. > :37:09.because we don't just It's going to be a busy autumn term,
:37:10. > :37:13.so lets see what's in store Tomorrow, MPs return to Parliament
:37:14. > :37:17.after the summer recess, but their sitting will be
:37:18. > :37:19.short-lived as they then break again in two weeks
:37:20. > :37:21.for the Party Conference Season. Labour will meet in Brighton
:37:22. > :37:23.from 24th September, where they are expected to debate
:37:24. > :37:26.the so-called McDonnell amendment, to lower the number of MP
:37:27. > :37:29.nominations a candidate would need Next up the Conservatives
:37:30. > :37:34.meet in Manchester, where Theresa May reportedly plans
:37:35. > :37:38.to apologise to the party faithful In amongst that, German
:37:39. > :37:44.voters will decide whether Chancellor Angela Merkel
:37:45. > :37:47.will remain in post when they go to the polls on 24th September,
:37:48. > :37:50.a result that could impact the direction of Theresa May's
:37:51. > :37:55.Brexit negotiations. And November will see our
:37:56. > :37:58.Chancellor, Philip Hammond, give his second Budget for the year
:37:59. > :38:11.as he switches the timings Let's look ahead to the conferences.
:38:12. > :38:14.How would you assess Jeremy Corbyn's position going into that conference?
:38:15. > :38:18.I think he's in quite a good position. I think there is this
:38:19. > :38:23.McDonnell a moment discussion which has had this been taken out of the
:38:24. > :38:26.tail of it, there is no talk about replacing him, no talk about a
:38:27. > :38:33.successor, no talk about rebellion. I think what Labour has to be
:38:34. > :38:37.careful on in this comfort is Brexit, their single market position
:38:38. > :38:42.is all over the place, they have a number of MPs who have strong views
:38:43. > :38:45.about the single market, you have seen Tom Watson saying one thing and
:38:46. > :38:49.Keir Starmer saying something else, they need to get this together. When
:38:50. > :38:53.you bring these people together to talk about Brexit in one place, it's
:38:54. > :38:57.only going to generate more headlines about labour being split
:38:58. > :39:00.and not having a inherent argument. Anybody who had Barry Gardner this
:39:01. > :39:08.morning try to make the odd given that the public knew what they voted
:39:09. > :39:13.for, he knows that impossible to argue. The leadership is not being
:39:14. > :39:18.to be an issue. What about Theresa May, is her position strengthened
:39:19. > :39:24.after the summer? She survived. Until last week I think it was, she
:39:25. > :39:29.didn't good job bedding in and getting a good news grid and -- she
:39:30. > :39:33.did a decent job bedding in, and she showed a bit of humility and showed
:39:34. > :39:37.she had learned and she would change her star and governing. Then she
:39:38. > :39:41.went to Japan and effectively said, I want another decade in number ten.
:39:42. > :39:50.We were pretty surprised, those on the trip couldn't believe she meant
:39:51. > :39:54.to say it. I think she actually misspoke. It has revealed the
:39:55. > :39:59.fragility she still has with the respect of Tory MPs, they are
:40:00. > :40:03.prepared to forgive have that quickly. I think she had taken a
:40:04. > :40:07.couple of steps back with this unfortunate phraseology last week.
:40:08. > :40:12.Although some would say, what else would she say which was asked, will
:40:13. > :40:14.you go on and on? Because of the problems that previous prime
:40:15. > :40:18.ministers have had when they have named a departure date. What she
:40:19. > :40:21.could have done is made a token gesture, I think she went a little
:40:22. > :40:25.bit too far, she didn't mean to say, I will fight the next election, she
:40:26. > :40:29.probably meant to say, I am not a quitter and I will not give up but
:40:30. > :40:34.he didn't and that led to questions about leading us into another
:40:35. > :40:36.election. That is not where she meant the discussion to go. It's
:40:37. > :40:41.talk about the economy briefly, could that be the fly in the team
:40:42. > :40:45.and for government? If wages do not keep pace with prices, the value of
:40:46. > :40:49.the pound has fallen, growth is slower than had been thought, how
:40:50. > :40:55.big an issue is that going to be as an issue for conferences? A huge
:40:56. > :41:00.issue going forward over the next year or two years. It won't come to
:41:01. > :41:03.fruition quite yet, there is reporting in some newspapers this
:41:04. > :41:10.morning that he's going to lift the public sector pay cap which would be
:41:11. > :41:18.a very big deal indeed. -- that she is going to lift the pay cap. So the
:41:19. > :41:21.pay freeze will go, it will cost ?4 billion yesterday Chancellor will
:41:22. > :41:25.have to pay for that in the Budget but those are ways of showing that
:41:26. > :41:28.she feels the pain of austerity and to keep people ticking over and
:41:29. > :41:34.content with her government while the economy and growth begins to
:41:35. > :41:39.lesson. Taking that on board, if that is the case, lifting the public
:41:40. > :41:43.sector pay cap, what will that do to austerity and Philip Hammond when he
:41:44. > :41:46.goes forth with his next budget? It's difficult to know because there
:41:47. > :41:49.have already been reports that Philip Hammond and Theresa May and
:41:50. > :41:53.others in the government, and particularly the Cabinet, have not
:41:54. > :41:57.agreed on how far austerity should continue. I think Tom is right, the
:41:58. > :42:00.budget later this year will be an opportunity and the Prime Minister
:42:01. > :42:04.will want to use it to show that she understands that people are
:42:05. > :42:08.struggling in the country, so we will likely see things like housing
:42:09. > :42:12.policy change or something on stamp duty. These are areas where they are
:42:13. > :42:15.popular with the country you have to balance them with how they're going
:42:16. > :42:17.to be paid for and we are yet to see an answer for that question. Thank
:42:18. > :42:20.you very much for marking our cards. Now, here's a question
:42:21. > :42:22.for you to ponder on the 6:15 Are peak rail fares
:42:23. > :42:25.simply too cheap? Here's the Independent's Travel
:42:26. > :42:29.Editor, Simon Calder, on why he thinks some rail fares
:42:30. > :42:32.should rise above and beyond Waterloo Station, Europe's
:42:33. > :42:52.biggest transport terminal. It's an essential part
:42:53. > :42:55.of the nation's infrastructure. But a lot of the commuters I talked
:42:56. > :42:58.to here are deeply upset So how can we make rail
:42:59. > :43:04.passengers happier? I say it's time to
:43:05. > :43:15.put up train fares! In there, they've extended
:43:16. > :43:19.the platforms to take longer trains. And increasing capacity should ease
:43:20. > :43:24.overcrowding for a while at least. The reason trains are too crowded
:43:25. > :43:31.is because fares are too low. So we need to increase the cost
:43:32. > :43:35.of season tickets to the most popular trains while at the same
:43:36. > :43:37.time cutting prices to tempt travellers
:43:38. > :43:42.onto less popular services. Each year, the Department
:43:43. > :43:45.for Transport prescribes what train operators can charge for about half
:43:46. > :43:47.the tickets they sell. The government has the tricky task
:43:48. > :43:53.of balancing the interests of people who pay for the railways,
:43:54. > :43:56.most of whom are not regular train users,
:43:57. > :44:01.with the long-suffering passengers. The solution is to allow
:44:02. > :44:04.market forces to prevail. If I insist on arriving
:44:05. > :44:07.at a Central London terminus between eight and nine
:44:08. > :44:10.in the morning, for example, I should have to pay
:44:11. > :44:13.for a premium season ticket, while those who are more
:44:14. > :44:17.flexible get a better deal. This government, like its
:44:18. > :44:20.predecessors, regards that idea Make do and mend remains
:44:21. > :44:26.the order of the day. But the common complaint that fares
:44:27. > :44:31.are too high and trains are too If commuters really were paying
:44:32. > :44:36.too much, there'd be Getting up early for
:44:37. > :44:43.a cheaper train might be Yet, by hiking up prices at peak
:44:44. > :44:49.times for trains, everyone would For politicians as well
:44:50. > :45:12.as rail passengers, Simon Calder joins us now from our
:45:13. > :45:16.Salford studio. You may not win the popularity prize for this soap box
:45:17. > :45:19.but passenger who is already will no doubt pay thousands for peak travel
:45:20. > :45:22.tickets will be aghast at your suggestion. How could they afford
:45:23. > :45:26.further increases? Some of them will be able to. If you
:45:27. > :45:30.can't, you are going to have to accept that you are going to be
:45:31. > :45:35.arriving, for example, in Central London or in Manchester or Leeds or
:45:36. > :45:42.Glasgow, maybe uncomfortably early, maybe at 7. 45, rather than 8. 45.
:45:43. > :45:47.But, unfortunately, since we in this country have decided we don't really
:45:48. > :45:51.like the idea of extending what the marvellous Victorians did for us in
:45:52. > :45:56.terms of the railways, it's a very good way to manage capacity. It's
:45:57. > :46:01.much better than saying OK everybody buy season tickets at very good
:46:02. > :46:07.subsidised prices, off you all go and you can all stand up all the way
:46:08. > :46:12.from Guildford to London which is not pleasant for everybody. I don't
:46:13. > :46:19.feel people necessarily think they've got a bargain when buying
:46:20. > :46:22.the season tickets. If you look at comparisons in other countries, it
:46:23. > :46:25.may be the case, I don't know. People are forced to arrive at work,
:46:26. > :46:31.school or whatever it is at the time that is given to them? Well, maybe
:46:32. > :46:34.we need to talk more deeply about having some more flexibility built
:46:35. > :46:40.into businesses which would tolerate that. But people are also making a
:46:41. > :46:44.lifestyle choice to live in leafy Essex or Surrey or wherever and
:46:45. > :46:48.commute in from there. They could live in the outer suburbs of London,
:46:49. > :46:50.they could probably still afford somewhere, they wouldn't have such
:46:51. > :46:56.nice a lifestyle so they're making choices. It comes back to the fact
:46:57. > :47:00.that many people don't travel regularly by train and they're
:47:01. > :47:05.subsidising those of us lucky enough to travel frequently by train.
:47:06. > :47:11.Angela Eagle, are you convinced? Not at all. There's ban 32% increase in
:47:12. > :47:19.regulated fares since 2010 that people pay. There's been a ?3.5
:47:20. > :47:23.billion profit that the train operators have made and I just think
:47:24. > :47:28.that we need to get to a situation where we don't from this privatised
:47:29. > :47:33.rail system which has worked out a system of milking commuters for the
:47:34. > :47:36.maximum profit. What we need to do is have something that's actually
:47:37. > :47:40.properly coordinated by the Government so that we have a fairer
:47:41. > :47:45.way of doing things. I have to say, he's talked about trains and that's
:47:46. > :47:48.fair enough, but actually, most people require buses to get to and
:47:49. > :47:56.from work and we ought to think about that. It's far more people
:47:57. > :47:59.using the bus services which again, a deregulated thing outside of
:48:00. > :48:04.London. Let's stick to the trains. Prices have gone up and are still
:48:05. > :48:07.going up. Really, can you expect people to bear higher fares when
:48:08. > :48:13.quite often the service is not up to scratch? Well, I think that is a
:48:14. > :48:20.problem that's bedevilled serial governments. That may be so, but...
:48:21. > :48:23.I think Simon's idea's got the huge defect that most employers expect
:48:24. > :48:27.their employees to get into work at a particular time because that's the
:48:28. > :48:31.way that their particular sector of the economy works. But would people
:48:32. > :48:36.be prepared to pay more at peak times if the trains were punctual,
:48:37. > :48:40.if you had a seat on almost every journey you went into work for.
:48:41. > :48:44.Would that be worth pay ago premium for at peak times then it could be
:48:45. > :48:47.cheaper at other times? I think actual think prices are pretty high
:48:48. > :48:50.as they are and the railway operating companies have got a
:48:51. > :48:54.responsibility to bear. This is something that the Government is
:48:55. > :48:59.aderision. Are you going to get anywhere with this Simon listening
:49:00. > :49:02.to our guests? Sorry to quote not a very popular person, Jean-Claude
:49:03. > :49:06.Juncker, politicians know what to do, they just don't know how to get
:49:07. > :49:11.elected afterwards and honestly, you have to accept that there is a
:49:12. > :49:16.capacity squeeze going into London that price is going to be a pretty
:49:17. > :49:20.good way of regulating it, so yes, let's have a debate about
:49:21. > :49:24.renalisation, swreked had one any time between 1997 and 2010 Angela
:49:25. > :49:27.Eagle when Labour was in power but you didn't. That's a debate worth
:49:28. > :49:32.having, the basic problem is too many of us want to go to our big
:49:33. > :49:41.cities in the rush hour at peak time. It's a zero sum game. Give
:49:42. > :49:47.some people more expensive fare bus use that to let people effectively
:49:48. > :49:52.sit around at London Victoria or wherever having a coffee while
:49:53. > :49:55.waiting for the train and having got up early to get there earlier too.
:49:56. > :49:57.Now, hands up who follows the President of the
:49:58. > :50:01.Well, if you do, you'll know he's had a busy summer,
:50:02. > :50:05.Just as well he doesn't believe in vacations.
:50:06. > :50:22.Very disappointed with the Attorney General
:50:23. > :50:32.The President certainly felt that Anthony's comments
:50:33. > :50:35.were inappropriate for a person in that position.
:50:36. > :50:40.I want to congratulate you on having done a fantastic job, General,
:50:41. > :50:42.and we look forward to, if it's possible, an even better
:50:43. > :50:49.Trump's promise to repeal and replace Obamacare crashed
:50:50. > :50:52.and burned on the floor of the Senate.
:50:53. > :50:59.Have you seen any Russians in West Virginia or Ohio or Pennsylvania?
:51:00. > :51:12.Hate has come to the streets of this southern American city.
:51:13. > :51:17.This egregious display of hatred, bigotry and
:51:18. > :51:25.The President's everyone is to blame response,
:51:26. > :51:27.and silence until now, met a firestorm of criticism.
:51:28. > :51:31.Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name
:51:32. > :51:45.Including the KKK, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists.
:51:46. > :51:47.It's epic what happened, but you know what, it
:51:48. > :51:51.happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything.
:51:52. > :52:01.I'm joined now by Kate Andrews from the Institute of Economic Affairs
:52:02. > :52:06.and by Molly Kiniry who works at the Legatum Institute.
:52:07. > :52:16.She's also a spokesperson for Republicans Overseas.
:52:17. > :52:24.Kate, how would you sum up his summer? Hectic. Some of his
:52:25. > :52:28.responses have been erratic, out of his control and he ticked all the
:52:29. > :52:35.right boxes doing what he was supposed to do. Other controversies
:52:36. > :52:36.of his making when he went off script to respond to
:52:37. > :52:39.Charlottesville, mentioning at that point that there was violence on
:52:40. > :52:44.both sides which was shocking and inappropriate. So some of it has
:52:45. > :52:49.been his own making. He's been busy firing people. We have all known him
:52:50. > :52:56.to do so since his days of the Apprentice. At quite a pace in the
:52:57. > :53:03.recent months. What was the low point? Charlottesville. That did not
:53:04. > :53:06.enhance America's image abroad, how Americans are viewed abroad or how
:53:07. > :53:10.the Republican Party is viewed as a whole. Obviously, these are views
:53:11. > :53:15.which we all whole heart think condemn. White nationalism is not a
:53:16. > :53:19.mainstream view in the American body of politics. These were a few
:53:20. > :53:26.hundred disaffected young men mostly. But wasn't he reliant for
:53:27. > :53:30.his win as President? I think that Donald Trump perceives that. My
:53:31. > :53:32.analysis would be different. I don't think this is a sufficiently large
:53:33. > :53:37.portion of the election rat that it swung the tide for him. He's had to
:53:38. > :53:44.do with some turbulent personnel changes. They happened so quickly, I
:53:45. > :53:48.couldn't keep up with them. He made some bad choices didn't he for Team
:53:49. > :53:55.Trump? He did. The a problem with Charlottesville is that one of his
:53:56. > :53:59.main chiefs of staff, he was familiar and sympathetic to the
:54:00. > :54:02.white nationalists. We saw him leave immediately after Charlottesville
:54:03. > :54:08.and that was the right choice. We have had a large turnover in the
:54:09. > :54:14.communications department. I think his best pick so far has been
:54:15. > :54:19.General John Kelly. You do? Yes. He seems to be doing what he can to
:54:20. > :54:23.whip the President into shape. There have been fewer PR disasters since
:54:24. > :54:26.he's been brought on board. Certainly conditioned handle all of
:54:27. > :54:31.them but he's been a good choice. Before I ask my guests about their
:54:32. > :54:35.views overseas. Are Republicans worried that poor support is
:54:36. > :54:40.slipping away now? No. The poll numbers haven't been indicating that
:54:41. > :54:44.at all. President Trump seems to have a floor of 35-40% of people who
:54:45. > :54:48.simply aren't going anywhere, at least for the time being. Right.
:54:49. > :54:53.Isn't that the point - whatever happens and whatever he says and
:54:54. > :54:56.does, his core support is still pretty rock solid, Angela? That
:54:57. > :55:00.seems to be the case in American terms. I don't think he's doing a
:55:01. > :55:04.lot more the image of America abroad and, I have to say, waking up and
:55:05. > :55:09.finding out what is going on in North Korea and looking at the very
:55:10. > :55:15.mixed messages that the President has actually sent to Kim Jong Un in
:55:16. > :55:19.an escalating, very worrying situation, it doesn't make me sleep
:55:20. > :55:23.any easier at night. How worried are you about that? I would agree
:55:24. > :55:26.entirely with Angela. We are at the most crucial moment so far of the
:55:27. > :55:30.Trump presidency and I think what's happening in North Korea is a real
:55:31. > :55:34.test for him. At the moment, I have to say, what he's doing doesn't
:55:35. > :55:38.appear to be that coherent and I think that the world is waiting for
:55:39. > :55:43.a lead from America. How worried are Americans? How worried are you, are
:55:44. > :55:47.we on the brink of some sort of Amageddon? I don't think we are and
:55:48. > :55:51.that is why I am concerned that Trump is now setting his own version
:55:52. > :55:55.of a red line. Remember Obama's red line in Syria and when Assad used
:55:56. > :55:58.the chemical weapons, he didn't fulfil his word and his own red
:55:59. > :56:02.line. I think Trump's really at danger of doing that. He's
:56:03. > :56:06.threatening cutting off trade with China and threatening he's going to
:56:07. > :56:10.bring down fire in North Korea. I don't think we are going to have a
:56:11. > :56:14.nuclear war with Korea, but if we don't, he's set his own red line.
:56:15. > :56:19.That's the problem. He's said it will be met with fire and fury and
:56:20. > :56:24.he's set the red line. Yet what are the military options? They are
:56:25. > :56:30.frankly somewhat limited as Steve Bannon said in his last interview
:56:31. > :56:38.before he left the White House. They've not seen any math which
:56:39. > :56:42.doesn't show several million people in Seoul dying if that were to
:56:43. > :56:46.happen. Setting a red line is a new step but it's not like any of the
:56:47. > :56:51.previous steps have worked. North Korea's development of these weapons
:56:52. > :56:56.has been going on at exponential haste for the last few years so a
:56:57. > :56:59.new strategy is needed. Right. But beyond diplomacy which obviously has
:57:00. > :57:05.been tested and sanctioned, what else is there? Well, Donald Trump
:57:06. > :57:09.has suggested cutting off economic activity Which would harm China? Yes
:57:10. > :57:16.but also countries like Germany and Russia. And also the US. Yes, it
:57:17. > :57:19.would. If we two back then to what Republicans are thinking, oaf the
:57:20. > :57:24.summer Carl Bernstein, the Watergate journalist said there was now worry
:57:25. > :57:26.and concern at high levels in the Republican Party about whether
:57:27. > :57:32.Donald Trump is really fit to continue as President. Is that
:57:33. > :57:36.actually got -- has that actually got traction? I think that's
:57:37. > :57:39.tremendously unhelpful rhetoric. He was elected, not by majority, but
:57:40. > :57:43.through the system that we have which is the electoral college. He
:57:44. > :57:47.was elected democratically. I think we all have to hope that Mr Trump
:57:48. > :57:50.grows into the role and does well as President Obama said in his note
:57:51. > :57:54.which he left for Mr Trump on his first day in office, that we have to
:57:55. > :57:59.hope he does well because how the President does is a good indication
:58:00. > :58:03.of how the country is doing. What did you think about that when you
:58:04. > :58:07.saw the Dwight about Republicans beginning to think this is enough? I
:58:08. > :58:10.think the Republicans have always thought Donald Trump would be
:58:11. > :58:16.enough. They never wanted him to be the nominee but because so many
:58:17. > :58:22.refused to drop out of the race he ended up being that and we picked up
:58:23. > :58:30.the pieces. Now just time for the answer of the quiz:
:58:31. > :58:42.What is the correct answer? Soft and cuddly. Charming. Yes, yes it was.
:58:43. > :58:47.Let's have a look. A charming person. We won't find out what you
:58:48. > :58:52.really think of him. Thank you to all of my guests and particularly to
:58:53. > :58:54.my guests of the day. The BBC News is starting at 1 on BBC One. See you
:58:55. > :59:00.tomorrow. Bye. Owen Quine - he's a very famous
:59:01. > :59:02.and good novelist. He's gone off before,
:59:03. > :59:06.only this time it's been ten days. I'm an investigator.
:59:07. > :59:09.His wife's very worried for him. Owen has written a very thinly
:59:10. > :59:13.disguised slandering