0:00:36 > 0:00:41Hello and welcome to the Daily Politics.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43He's gone - Theresa May has sacked Damian Green,
0:00:43 > 0:00:50after an inquiry found he'd made 'misleading statements'
0:00:50 > 0:00:51about pornography found on his office computer.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54The Prime Minister has lost a close ally and her third cabinet
0:00:54 > 0:00:59minister in two months.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04This year has seen Theresa May's fortunes transformed for the worse,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07a lot worse, while Jeremy Corbyn ends within reach of power -
0:01:07 > 0:01:10unless he isn't.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13We'll look back at the highs and the lows of 2017.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16You know what, it's been a busy year in politics.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18And who knows what the next 12 months could hold?
0:01:18 > 0:01:21So we've come here to London's West End to ask Christmas shoppers,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24are you feeling optimistic or pessimistic about 2018?
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And it isn't Christmas until we've revealed which well-known political
0:01:27 > 0:01:29figure has put on the white beard to become this year's
0:01:29 > 0:01:39Daily Politics Secret Santa.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43All that in the next hour of this Daily Politics Christmas Special,
0:01:43 > 0:01:44our last programme of 2017.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47And the very best one to present, it says here.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Andrew and Jo wrote that before they went off Christmas shopping
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and left me behind to fill in.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53What a year it's been in politics, though.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56We'll look back, and look forward to another one in 2018.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00And joining me for all of it, four guests we'd all love to see
0:02:00 > 0:02:03turning up on our doorstep singing - MPs Peter Bone and Jess Phillips,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and the journalists Zoe Williams and Harry Cole.
0:02:05 > 0:02:12Welcome to all of you.
0:02:12 > 0:02:13First today, let's talk about the big story
0:02:13 > 0:02:16that broke last night, just as MPs were voting
0:02:16 > 0:02:18on the withdrawal bill in the Commons, the news that
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Theresa May had sacked her deputy and old university friend,
0:02:20 > 0:02:27the First Secretary of State Damian Green.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29His job had been hanging in the balance since the beginning
0:02:29 > 0:02:33of November after claims of inappropriate behaviour
0:02:33 > 0:02:35towards a journalist, and claims he had viewed pornography
0:02:35 > 0:02:36on a computer in his office.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39He denied both and still does, but an official inquiry found he'd
0:02:39 > 0:02:41made untrue and misleading statements denying he even knew
0:02:41 > 0:02:45about the pornography, and for that he had to go.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51He is the third minister to resign in two months.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54So a big political story to end the year, and Ellie Price
0:02:54 > 0:02:58is here with the details.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01John, thank you.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Damian Green was being investigated by an official at the Cabinet Office
0:03:04 > 0:03:06after allegations that he made unwanted advances and sent
0:03:06 > 0:03:08inappropriate messages to the writer and journalist,
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Kate Maltby, in 2015.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11He was also being investigated about public statements he made
0:03:11 > 0:03:13about claims by police that pornography was found
0:03:13 > 0:03:14on his parliamentary computer.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Officers had raided his office back in 2008 during a separate
0:03:17 > 0:03:18investigation into Home Office leaks.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Damian Green strongly denied both of these accusations and has
0:03:21 > 0:03:25maintained his innocence throughout.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30The Cabinet Office report said he had made "inaccurate
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and misleading" statements by denying he knew about
0:03:32 > 0:03:34the discovery of the pornography, and had breached
0:03:34 > 0:03:35the ministerial code.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Regarding Kate Maltby, the investigation found
0:03:36 > 0:03:42there were "competing and contradictory accounts"
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and it was "not possible to reach a definitive conclusion"
0:03:45 > 0:03:47on the appropriateness of Damian Green's behaviour.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Although they added that Ms Maltby's account was "plausible".
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The report finishes by saying that Damian Green maintains his innocence
0:03:53 > 0:03:56over claims he viewed pornography on his Parliamentary computer
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and the investigation reaches "no conclusion" on this matter.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02In her letter to Damian Green, Theresa May expressed "deep
0:04:02 > 0:04:04regret" at his departure but said his actions "fell short"
0:04:04 > 0:04:09of the conduct expected of a cabinet minister.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11In his reply, Damian Green admitted his statements
0:04:11 > 0:04:13about the pornography could have been "clearer".
0:04:13 > 0:04:16And apologised that they were "misleading".
0:04:16 > 0:04:19He also apologised to Kate Maltby for making her feel uncomfortable.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23John.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Thanks very much.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Let's talk now to our political correspondent, Alex Forsyth.
0:04:28 > 0:04:34Alex, hello, what are you picking up now on this sacking, what have you
0:04:34 > 0:04:38heard from Downing Street? And the House of Commons?The overwhelming
0:04:38 > 0:04:42thing you get, especially from Theresa May's letter to Damian Green
0:04:42 > 0:04:47is the regret at the fact he had to go. It cannot be estimated how close
0:04:47 > 0:04:51these two were, they met at university 40 years ago, they were
0:04:51 > 0:04:55in parliament at the same time, they are close friends and allies, he was
0:04:55 > 0:04:59her trusted confidant, that comes across in the opening few lines of
0:04:59 > 0:05:04her letter. She sets it out clearly. There's no doubt Theresa May didn't
0:05:04 > 0:05:08want to have to make this decision but because of that breach of the
0:05:08 > 0:05:12ministerial code that only talked about, she felt she had no choice.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16It's interesting, there are a number of Conservative MPs pointing the
0:05:16 > 0:05:22finger at the role of police. There were two officers who made public
0:05:22 > 0:05:24the fact that pornography had been found on computers in Damian Green's
0:05:24 > 0:05:30office. They have been criticised by not least the Metropolitan Police
0:05:30 > 0:05:34commissioner looking into the fact that they disclosed confidential
0:05:34 > 0:05:37information, and now a number of Conservative MPs saying that perhaps
0:05:37 > 0:05:41that was not the right thing to do. Theresa May herself, in her letter
0:05:41 > 0:05:45to Damian Green, said she had concerns about the action of police.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I do think there's a sense that while Theresa May felt that she had
0:05:48 > 0:05:52little choice but to take this course of action that she wanted to
0:05:52 > 0:05:55avoid, there are bigger questions about what happened more broadly
0:05:55 > 0:05:59when it came to the raid on Damian Green's offers a number of years ago
0:05:59 > 0:06:05and what was found subsequently. It's worth saying that the police
0:06:05 > 0:06:07officers who disclose that information said they felt compelled
0:06:07 > 0:06:10to do so because it was in the public interest and they feared a
0:06:10 > 0:06:14cover-up but on that front I think there is more to come. When it comes
0:06:14 > 0:06:17to Theresa May and her government there is no doubt that she cuts a
0:06:17 > 0:06:22lonely figure at the top having lost Damian Green.No mushroom cloud in
0:06:22 > 0:06:27the Tory party about this, we remember David Davis in the Cabinet,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31he threw a protective arm around Damian Green when this went to a new
0:06:31 > 0:06:34level if you days ago. He said effectively through intermediaries
0:06:34 > 0:06:39that he would be prepared to walk if Damian Green was the victim of a
0:06:39 > 0:06:43police revenge operation. He's not going to go?It doesn't sound like
0:06:43 > 0:06:48that, he's kept quiet is this all broke publicly last night but
0:06:48 > 0:06:52various people are suggesting he's got no intention to resign at this
0:06:52 > 0:06:55stage. The Prime Minister's spokesman was asked about it and he
0:06:55 > 0:06:58said there were conversations between David Davis and Theresa May
0:06:58 > 0:07:01that will remain between them but there's no sense he's going
0:07:01 > 0:07:04anywhere. It sounded like it was a threat made that he has rowed back
0:07:04 > 0:07:08from. I think around the Cabinet table at least, this resignation
0:07:08 > 0:07:12about what has happened here, the fact that Theresa May had to take
0:07:12 > 0:07:18some course of action, given the findings of the enquiry. What is
0:07:18 > 0:07:21interesting to note is when Theresa May was first given those enquiry
0:07:21 > 0:07:26findings on Monday, this was a Cabinet Office enquiry, she took the
0:07:26 > 0:07:28decision to ask her independent adviser on the ministerial
0:07:28 > 0:07:35standards, to look at them. He did so on Tuesday and reported back
0:07:35 > 0:07:39yesterday. Theresa May really did take a pretty close examination of
0:07:39 > 0:07:42what was found, to see what course of vaccine she has to follow.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Whether she felt she had a choice around that. Who knows? She has been
0:07:47 > 0:07:50clear on her level about extreme sadness at Damian Green's departure.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Alex, thank you. -- the cause of
0:07:55 > 0:08:02action she has to follow. What does this sacking mean for Theresa May's
0:08:02 > 0:08:05strength when we are talking about the Prime Minister, she had no
0:08:05 > 0:08:09choice but to sack Damian Green, is that the truth? She said he lied and
0:08:09 > 0:08:14he had to go.Is pretty open and shut, there's not a lot of ambiguity
0:08:14 > 0:08:17in telling the truth around this. Once you've set on two separate
0:08:17 > 0:08:22occasions that something was not true, I don't think she could have
0:08:22 > 0:08:27just ignored it. I don't know if somebody stronger could have served
0:08:27 > 0:08:30it.Is not necessarily the misdemeanour that gets you but it's
0:08:30 > 0:08:37always the light, going back to the beginning, he...Why do none of
0:08:37 > 0:08:45these people watch the West Wing?No doubt that Theresa May fought to
0:08:45 > 0:08:49keep him. Everybody's been asking what is going to happen over the
0:08:49 > 0:08:53last few weeks and no doubt that the timing is admirable, she has jetted
0:08:53 > 0:08:57off to Poland, MPs are going away for the Christmas break. If this
0:08:57 > 0:09:02happened three weeks ago, pre-, maybe getting progress on the Brexit
0:09:02 > 0:09:06talks? When she was in a weaker position? She has firmed up her
0:09:06 > 0:09:09position in the party, but Europe on the brunt foot and slipped out the
0:09:09 > 0:09:16results. While obviously it is bad news, no way losing three Cabinet
0:09:16 > 0:09:20ministers in two months is bad news! It's not as devastating as it could
0:09:20 > 0:09:28be.I don't agree on waiting until it's Christmas and then they forget.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32She will not be hauled into the Commons tomorrow to talk about it.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37Let me go to the other side of the table... Peter, a very happy
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Christmas to you. A lot more Christmas to come, you've no idea!
0:09:41 > 0:09:46What's the feeling you've picked up on the Tory side about the way this
0:09:46 > 0:09:49came out? The police leaking information about an investigation,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54that was not meant to happen? Everybody thought that Damian would
0:09:54 > 0:09:58be cleared, and had he said two things that were not true, it
0:09:58 > 0:10:02wouldn't have been a problem, he has done nothing illegal and has
0:10:02 > 0:10:05completely denied looking at pornography. I absolutely believe
0:10:05 > 0:10:12him on that. But if you lie to someone, if you lie to the Prime
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Minister, you are out basically. As simple as that. But the other side
0:10:17 > 0:10:22of it, it is the police thing. I think it is quite extraordinary. I'm
0:10:22 > 0:10:26a great fan of the police generally but there's been a number of cases
0:10:26 > 0:10:33now where staff has been leaked to newspapers or to the public which
0:10:33 > 0:10:36should have remain confidential. If you have a situation where police
0:10:36 > 0:10:41can raid your property on the basis that it is on a warrant looking for
0:10:41 > 0:10:45certain information, you find something else and then you put that
0:10:45 > 0:10:49in the public domain, we have got a really...That is why these rules
0:10:49 > 0:10:56exist.It is very worrying.Let me asked all of you, do you feel sorry
0:10:56 > 0:11:00for Damian Green this morning? I'm picking up from you, Jess, because I
0:11:00 > 0:11:06missed you to like that! You don't feel sorry for him?I don't, at all.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11On a human level, I was about to swear, but I won't! He's in a
0:11:11 > 0:11:16rubbish situation, he's going home for Christmas. As somebody who has
0:11:16 > 0:11:20worked with victims my whole life, I know that they feel guilty about
0:11:20 > 0:11:25their wives and children, and the families, and the jobs of the people
0:11:25 > 0:11:29that they make accusations about. They rack themselves and they say, I
0:11:29 > 0:11:33would come forward. I know his wife, his girlfriend. The person who
0:11:33 > 0:11:40should feel guilty as the person who does the thing wrong.These claims
0:11:40 > 0:11:43would not have come forward if somebody didn't come forward. Sue
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Gray, the Cabinet ethics watchdog found her account credible. That's
0:11:48 > 0:11:52the only reason the police, however they justify it to themselves, came
0:11:52 > 0:11:57forward. It's a he said, she said, situation and it's very clear that
0:11:57 > 0:12:00this would not have happened if somebody hadn't come forward.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05Whispers were that Damian Green felt that he was going to be cleared...
0:12:05 > 0:12:12He put up on Instagram a picture of himself in a Christmas jumper!Let's
0:12:12 > 0:12:18call a spade a spade. The man lied, and the reason he did that, during a
0:12:18 > 0:12:22public investigation into him, is because he is entitled and he felt
0:12:22 > 0:12:25like he was going to get away with it and nothing bad was going to
0:12:25 > 0:12:29happen. He still felt a level of impunity, to lie about it to the
0:12:29 > 0:12:35public.It's interesting, isn't it? Where does it leave Theresa May?
0:12:35 > 0:12:40What she had to do? Replacing Damian Green in that role isn't going to be
0:12:40 > 0:12:47easy.The job was to show her up last time she was in dire straits,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50in June after the election. She called on her closest friend to
0:12:50 > 0:12:56bring him in as a shield, to help her with Brexit and see off any
0:12:56 > 0:13:01challenges, and basically get her machine up and running again.If
0:13:01 > 0:13:06William Hague wanted this job he could have it in a heartbeat?I
0:13:06 > 0:13:13don't think he wants it! The show is now on the road again, Downing
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Street operations are up to strength. The chief of staff, things
0:13:16 > 0:13:23are motoring now.You are basically saying because she has a full
0:13:23 > 0:13:28commitment of members of staff...I don't think it is necessary to pull
0:13:28 > 0:13:33someone out of a job they are doing already to make them in this already
0:13:33 > 0:13:37seeped up job which was created at a time when literally half the Downing
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Street were becoming MPs or fired or quit! There's going to be an empty
0:13:41 > 0:13:48building.If there is to be a replacement, there may not be in
0:13:48 > 0:13:51this position, who would it be? Who do she trust that much who doesn't
0:13:51 > 0:13:59want to be Prime Minister? Karen Bradley is in the Cabinet...I think
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Harry was right, the person they would not look too is William Hague
0:14:01 > 0:14:06but there is an issue. I understand that Damian was running the Cabinet
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Office operation of coordinating everything, especially to do with
0:14:10 > 0:14:15Brexit. Somebody's got to be put in that role. Perhaps a junior
0:14:15 > 0:14:19minister...They have three men doing it already, can't they do it?
0:14:19 > 0:14:25The people in charge of Brexit.No, I would...You can tell by the way
0:14:25 > 0:14:35that Brexit is going how meticulously coordinated it has
0:14:35 > 0:14:38been!You noticed that. I would think that we are going to have to
0:14:38 > 0:14:41have someone promoted.Give us a tip? Hull Dominic Raab, he would do
0:14:41 > 0:14:48a good job. He would be a junior Cabinet member.You all know that we
0:14:48 > 0:14:53are all Brexiteers now! That's absolutely clear!Speak for
0:14:53 > 0:14:57yourself!In the Conservative Party, I know that you want a second
0:14:57 > 0:15:02referendum and want to stay in... Your site has been proven to have
0:15:02 > 0:15:06not much of a relationship with the truth, which was your comment there.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11It showed
0:15:11 > 0:15:15A lot of talk this morning about how it has left Theresa May battered and
0:15:15 > 0:15:22bruised, you can't lose a senior colleague without bumps and bruises.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I think she will be all right and will survive this. I have predicted
0:15:25 > 0:15:33Theresa May will resign every 20 minutes for the last six months.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Extraordinary in PMQ 's yesterday, literally, her main point was
0:15:36 > 0:15:44showing off she was still Prime Minister.Six questions on the NHS.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46We are going to move on.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So Theresa May has lost another cabinet minister and an old friend.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53It seems the Prime Minister knew she was going to give him the sack
0:15:53 > 0:15:58yesterday afternoon, before she had to sit through two
0:15:58 > 0:16:00hours of questioning by parliament's Liaison Committee,
0:16:00 > 0:16:06that's made up of the heads of each Commons select committee.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Let's have a look at Yvette Cooper questioning her.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10They're not virtual, they have to be physical.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Are you ruling out cameras at the Northern Ireland border?
0:16:12 > 0:16:19What I'm saying is that, as part of our negotiations,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22we will be ensuring that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland
0:16:22 > 0:16:23and the Republic of Ireland.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25That can be achieved in a number of ways,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and I'm not going to sit here at the moment...
0:16:28 > 0:16:34A camera's a camera.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And I am not going to say precisely how we achieve that,
0:16:37 > 0:16:38because we are going into a negotiation.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40OK, that's also baffling.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42On the process, now that amendment seven is in,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45can you confirm that there will be a vote on a statute for
0:16:45 > 0:16:46the withdrawal treaty is ratified?
0:16:46 > 0:16:50We can speak now to someone who was watching Theresa May's
0:16:50 > 0:16:54every movement yesterday, Times sketchwriter Patrick Kidd,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57who this morning writes of that committee that the Prime Minister
0:16:57 > 0:17:00'displayed all the humanity of a Toyota production line'.
0:17:00 > 0:17:06You'll be off her Christmas card list then Patrick?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Yes, I have been bumped off the Christmas card list, I got one last,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12I got one from Nigel Evans, but nothing from Theresa May, which
0:17:12 > 0:17:16means I have done my job well.What did you make of how she handled
0:17:16 > 0:17:20herself yesterday on what we now know to be a tough day than it
0:17:20 > 0:17:23seemed to be.It was a tough day for her, we had primaries does questions
0:17:23 > 0:17:30went on for nearly the full hour. She was asked about the NHS, the
0:17:30 > 0:17:34middle of winter, everyone is saying budgets are tight, and she shouldn't
0:17:34 > 0:17:39be winning on the NHS. But she did have a good day. Backbenchers
0:17:39 > 0:17:43drummed their feet on the floor and said, more. That sent her off in a
0:17:43 > 0:17:47buoyant mood. She had nearly two hours in front of the Justice league
0:17:47 > 0:17:55of select committee. Nicky Morgan, chairman of the treasuries, was one
0:17:55 > 0:18:02of them. There are people like Yvette Cooper, who have been nemesis
0:18:02 > 0:18:07going way back. She did the Theresa May thing. We have talked about it
0:18:07 > 0:18:12before, Geoffrey Boycott was her hero as a child, she did the full
0:18:12 > 0:18:15defensive blocking show, nothing flash, and kept them out.The
0:18:15 > 0:18:21Justice league, we liked that. Who was wonder woman?Rachel Reeves was
0:18:21 > 0:18:26wearing a jacket made out of genuine Muppet fur, so that was the best
0:18:26 > 0:18:33outfit.You can call her a machine, you did, in your piece, but robots
0:18:33 > 0:18:36don't look as if they are somewhere us, and she does look like that
0:18:36 > 0:18:40quite a lot of the time, are you being unfair?That is partly my job.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45She has had a horrid year. She has lost a majority, lost her 20 point
0:18:45 > 0:18:56lead in popularity. She opens a cupboard and finds a years worth of
0:18:56 > 0:19:03detritus... But she is a survivor, and robots are built to last,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06perhaps, and it helps that no one really wants her... They don't want
0:19:06 > 0:19:10the bad bits of the job, and there are lots of bad bits of being Prime
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Minister at the moment. She is there, the poor woman, for quite a
0:19:13 > 0:19:19while to come. Apart from losing her close friend yesterday, which will
0:19:19 > 0:19:23be a bit like having Christmas and finding a rancid Satsuma in the
0:19:23 > 0:19:29stocking, I think she had a good day.What about Theresa May, the
0:19:29 > 0:19:33tough woman, she is often called tough, but we also know, when the
0:19:33 > 0:19:38exit poll came in on election night, she shed a tear, but we don't blame
0:19:38 > 0:19:44her for that. Is she tough or simply stubborn?Probably a bit of both. We
0:19:44 > 0:19:49don't see the vulnerable woman. I think she has a heart, of course she
0:19:49 > 0:19:54does, she would find it very hard not to be pained by a lot of this,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58especially losing an old friend. I think we saw Theresa May at her best
0:19:58 > 0:20:02a couple of times earlier this year when there was a crisis, the day
0:20:02 > 0:20:08after the Ariana Grande concert, I think she gave a really good
0:20:08 > 0:20:12statesman-like response. The trouble is crisis follows crisis, follows
0:20:12 > 0:20:17crisis, and after a while, it is a shambles all around you. But she is
0:20:17 > 0:20:21a divider. She begins each day with Gloria Gaynor playing on her record
0:20:21 > 0:20:30player. And she is still there, famously Margaret Thatcher didn't
0:20:30 > 0:20:35show an ability until she left Downing Street, until you saw tears.
0:20:35 > 0:20:42That was one of her finest moments after the terrorist attack, you are
0:20:42 > 0:20:45no more qualified of answering this than anyone else, but do you think
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Theresa May wishes she was somewhere else and not primaries at all just
0:20:48 > 0:20:56now?Just now, yes. I wonder, she loves to get away from things. When
0:20:56 > 0:21:02she goes on holiday, she went to Snowdonia at Easter, walking in the
0:21:02 > 0:21:10Swiss Alps as if I were her, I would get away with Philip, who has been
0:21:10 > 0:21:14her rock, she has the most important job in politics at the moment.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Patrick Kidd not being nice about Theresa May, but that is his job,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19isn't it.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23As it's our final show of the year we're going to take a look back
0:21:23 > 0:21:25at some of the defining moments of 2017.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27There were plenty of them, but nothing confounded expectations
0:21:27 > 0:21:30quite as much as June's snap general election, although obviously
0:21:30 > 0:21:32all of us here saw the result coming a mile off.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Let's take a look.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet, where we agreed
0:21:38 > 0:21:42that the government should call a general election.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45You're joking. Not another one!!
0:21:45 > 0:21:50# Over and over and over and over
0:21:50 > 0:21:57# Like a monkey with a miniature cymbal
0:21:57 > 0:21:59# The joy of repetition really is in you
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It's about providing a strong and stable
0:22:01 > 0:22:02leadership this country needs.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06This is a programme of hope.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Winning those 56 seats will be a huge challenge
0:22:08 > 0:22:10for Nicola Sturgeon's party.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Ruth Davidson has predicted that we've hit peak now,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14that the only way is down. This party...
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Hello.
0:22:16 > 0:22:22Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27The Prime Minister is not here tonight.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31She can't be bothered, so why should you?
0:22:33 > 0:22:37I get to decide when I take the bins out, not if I take the bins out.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38LAUGHTER
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And what we're saying is the Conservatives are
0:22:43 > 0:22:44the largest party.
0:22:44 > 0:22:51Note, they don't have an overall majority at this stage.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02I'm sorry for all those candidates and hard-working party workers.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Theresa May is a dead woman walking, it's just how long she's
0:23:05 > 0:23:06going to remain on death row.
0:23:06 > 0:23:14That's why I've chosen to step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I'm standing down today as the leader of Ukip
0:23:17 > 0:23:20with immediate effect.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Deal or no deal, Mrs Foster?
0:23:23 > 0:23:32Today, we have reached an outcome that is good for the United Kingdom.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44We're going to turn now to a regular feature
0:23:44 > 0:23:49of the Daily Politics Christmas special, that's where we demonstrate
0:23:49 > 0:23:52beyond doubt why it is that most TV quiz shows are pre-recorded
0:23:52 > 0:23:57and not broadcast live. Yes, it's our quiz of the year.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05And we've decided to pit our MPs against our journalists,
0:24:05 > 0:24:11so it's Zoe and Harry up against Peter and Jess.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16And just to ratchet up the tension I can confirm that absolutely
0:24:16 > 0:24:21nothing is at stake beyond the very limited bragging rights.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23You can take them away with you on your Christmas holidays.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26You may have noticed there are buzzers in front of you,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28so let's hear them one at a time.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Zoe you go first.
0:24:39 > 0:24:48Not my spaniel...He is an easy one to begin with. Stand by your bosses.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Here's an easy one to begin with, who can tell me what drink
0:24:51 > 0:24:53was blamed for leadership plots against Theresa May this summer?
0:24:53 > 0:24:59Nothing has changed.A bottle of Merle O?It was present over. I
0:24:59 > 0:25:06thought that was an easy one. Let's take a look at the Ukip leader
0:25:06 > 0:25:08discussing social care with some of the other leaders in the election
0:25:08 > 0:25:12debate in May.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13I think BLEEP is absolutely right.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14BLEEP.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Sorry. Thank you.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17My fault. Sorry. Accident. Women's names...
0:25:17 > 0:25:21You've done it twice now. Have I? I'm sorry about that.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Here is the question, what name did Paul Nuttall mistakenly call Leanne
0:25:25 > 0:25:37Wood?Nothing has changed.Was it Natalie?That is a point, we are
0:25:37 > 0:25:41keeping score, for Harry. Which of these is the odd one out and why?
0:25:41 > 0:25:50Jam... A manhole cover... State... And a copy of the morning Star
0:25:50 > 0:25:58newspaper...Not my spaniel.Jeremy Corbyn is vegetarian, but he is an
0:25:58 > 0:26:01enthusiastic about all the other things.You are right.Especially
0:26:01 > 0:26:09manhole covers.They are apparently a rich variety of manhole covers,
0:26:09 > 0:26:14and they are about the individual person that makes them.I want to
0:26:14 > 0:26:22keep the sense of momentum going. Which Parliamentary candidate s used
0:26:22 > 0:26:27this custom piece of audio to reach out to voters online?
0:26:31 > 0:26:40Who was first?Great night.It was great night. Did anyone else know
0:26:40 > 0:26:53that? -- Greg Knight will we need to get on, stand by your buzzards.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59The next round is all about Brexit, contain your excitement, look at
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Peter, he looks like someone that has woken up and found something
0:27:04 > 0:27:07under the Christmas tree. This is Theresa May giving her Lancaster
0:27:07 > 0:27:13house Peat enzuigiri. It is right the government should
0:27:13 > 0:27:16prepare for every eventuality, but do so in the knowledge that a
0:27:16 > 0:27:18constructive and optimistic approach to negotiations to come is in the
0:27:18 > 0:27:27best interests of Europe and the best interests of Britain.Which of
0:27:27 > 0:27:33these... It is the next question in its as I am getting overexcited.
0:27:33 > 0:27:44Theresa May at Lancaster in January.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55Was it don't behave like the Nazis... Or don't... It was
0:27:55 > 0:27:57something about the Second World War.We will give you a point. That
0:27:57 > 0:28:07is pretty much exactly it.I'm sure he didn't quite say that.Zoe, you
0:28:07 > 0:28:17are ahead. 2-1.You have got to pull your way.I didn't believe in
0:28:17 > 0:28:20cross-party working.On the subject of elections, let us look at that, I
0:28:20 > 0:28:24would like to hear your thoughts on, do we accept that a Corbyn led
0:28:24 > 0:28:33government is a very real... Leave the buttons alone eczema you can
0:28:33 > 0:28:37take them home. Do we think that a Jeremy Corbyn government now is a
0:28:37 > 0:28:41real possibility? You are shaking your head.I don't think so. The
0:28:41 > 0:28:45problem Theresa May had in the election, she spend the first four
0:28:45 > 0:28:49weeks of trying to convince voters that she needed an election because
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Jeremy Corbyn was a credible threat to Britain and could actually win.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56It dragged on and dragged on, but actually, if he is not going to win,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00we might as big for him anyway. Next time, she might do that, and because
0:29:00 > 0:29:12he got Labour back, he is now a threat. People realise he could be
0:29:12 > 0:29:16on the steps of power, the floating voters... Or didn't bother coming
0:29:16 > 0:29:22out...The thing is, Harry, and this is why your predictions for what
0:29:22 > 0:29:26happened in the election are worse than mine is because you don't take
0:29:26 > 0:29:32any notice of how popular he is. You can't see it. You see customary, and
0:29:32 > 0:29:41you think it is silly kids. You think it is rent a crowd... There is
0:29:41 > 0:29:45actually a groundswell of support for him, which you can't ignore.I
0:29:45 > 0:29:50am not ignoring it.You are ignoring it.Argue taking into account that
0:29:50 > 0:29:55if you look at the opinion polls, they come out every five minutes, he
0:29:55 > 0:30:00is ahead in some of the polls, you could argue with the government, the
0:30:00 > 0:30:05Labour Party should be miles ahead, but has Jeremy Corbyn peaked?We
0:30:05 > 0:30:09talk about the past and say, the polls say this, but they have been
0:30:09 > 0:30:14wrong for at least seven years now and they are wrong because asking
0:30:14 > 0:30:18people to predict how they feel about a way to vote is not a good
0:30:18 > 0:30:23way of finding out how they will vote. It doesn't work. The polls say
0:30:23 > 0:30:35to everybody, these two parties are neck and neck. The point is, the
0:30:35 > 0:30:42polls of 41-41, how do you feel? ... Theresa May. It doesn't actually...
0:30:42 > 0:30:49It has never formally been polled. They don't exist.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53The fear of the Jeremy Corbyn government unites your party, your
0:30:53 > 0:30:58side are an absolute terror. Is that the case?I don't think it is
0:30:58 > 0:31:02absolute terror...Something like terror, when it goes on for a while,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06on the governing side, there may be some opposition, that might not be
0:31:06 > 0:31:10such a bad thing?The situation is, in the electoral cycle, we've been
0:31:10 > 0:31:14in power a long time and therefore the opposition is about time that
0:31:14 > 0:31:19they won. Oppositions cannot win elections. It is all in Theresa
0:31:19 > 0:31:24May's hands. She's got to do two things. She's got to have a
0:31:24 > 0:31:27successful Brexit and secondly we've got to stop banging on about Europe
0:31:27 > 0:31:30for the next election because that will be on
0:31:32 > 0:31:37something totally different. In the last one we fought on Brighton.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Brexit was not really thought about Brexit either. It was the leaders on
0:31:41 > 0:31:53the NHS.No, it's not...Guys, guys...This is like Christmas at my
0:31:53 > 0:31:58house!There's 20 years of conversation about it. Of course it
0:31:58 > 0:32:02was a factor. The idea that it was the deciding factor in the only
0:32:02 > 0:32:05reason people voted for Brexit, nonsense.Next time around the
0:32:05 > 0:32:10Tories will not make the kind of howling gap we saw in the last
0:32:10 > 0:32:14election...Of course they well! Setting out a social care policy,
0:32:14 > 0:32:19instantly turning off your most reliable supporters.Somebody said I
0:32:19 > 0:32:22reckon there will be eight bullet points on how they will govern...
0:32:22 > 0:32:27There is a 90 page document drop and you think, what have they done?
0:32:27 > 0:32:32Jess, do you believe that Jeremy Corbyn will be Prime Minister?No,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36I'm not sure, is the answer. I don't know when the election will be. I'm
0:32:36 > 0:32:42not convinced there will be one before 2022. Why would they be so
0:32:42 > 0:32:47stupid?Why aren't you convinced? I'm interested.An election doesn't
0:32:47 > 0:32:52just happen by accident, it has to be called by the house. And it has
0:32:52 > 0:32:55to be called by a two thirds majority, so they have to instigate
0:32:55 > 0:33:00it. It has to be instigated by the Prime Minister. The Tories love
0:33:00 > 0:33:03anything, they love power. Why on earth would they do it? They've had
0:33:03 > 0:33:11a shocking time, to have their majority slashed.I think you are
0:33:11 > 0:33:15overestimated in how chaotic it's going to get.We don't mind a bit of
0:33:15 > 0:33:25chaos. We will move on.
0:33:25 > 0:33:32What did Jeremy Corbyn give to Michel Barnier? I won't disqualify
0:33:32 > 0:33:38you from this round on that basis! All of our contestants... Except
0:33:38 > 0:33:44Jess! Was it a Jeremy Corbyn scarf, an Arsenal shirt, a home-grown
0:33:44 > 0:33:51marrow or a list of potential reforms?Nothing has changed!An
0:33:51 > 0:34:01Arsenal shirt with" Michel Barnier Number 10" on the back?Is Michel
0:34:01 > 0:34:07Barnier an Arsenal fan?No, Jeremy Corbyn is.Peter, a chance for you
0:34:07 > 0:34:11to get into the game.You are lacking... I am going to bow out!
0:34:11 > 0:34:21David Davis is a man who does not do things by halves. How many pluses
0:34:21 > 0:34:28did he add to a Canada style deal between Canada and the EU... Zoe?
0:34:28 > 0:34:31How many?There were three... You are correct. So he is running away
0:34:31 > 0:34:36with this.She comes in before we are allowed to press! She is
0:34:36 > 0:34:41disqualified!I think it's within the rules of the game.Harry can
0:34:41 > 0:34:46pick it up!In June, Donald Tusk said that the EU was built on
0:34:46 > 0:34:50impossible dreams and that one of those was Britain wanting to reverse
0:34:50 > 0:34:54the decision to leave. But, what was the iconic British song that he used
0:34:54 > 0:35:05to illustrate the point?Go, Harry, go!In June?Nobody has got this.
0:35:05 > 0:35:10The answer is John Lennon's "Imagine".Yes, one of the
0:35:10 > 0:35:15weirder...LAUGHTER Yes, let's look back at some of the
0:35:15 > 0:35:26big moments of 2017...
0:35:29 > 0:35:38No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain...
0:35:38 > 0:35:40The Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot trigger
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Article 50 without an act of Parliament
0:35:42 > 0:35:43authorising it to do so.
0:35:43 > 0:35:50The ayes to the right, 494. The noes to the left, 122.
0:35:50 > 0:36:00So here it is.
0:36:01 > 0:36:11Thank you and goodbye.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14TRANSLATION:The UK decided to leave the EU, not the other way around.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18And the consequences are substantial.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20A football shirt? Barnier?
0:36:20 > 0:36:28Barnier, you're now playing for Arsenal.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31The UK will honour commitments we have made during the period
0:36:31 > 0:36:33of our membership.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35We will not accept any form of regulatory divergences that
0:36:35 > 0:36:37separates Northern Ireland economically or politically
0:36:37 > 0:36:47from the rest of the UK.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Sufficient progress has not been made on the strict
0:36:53 > 0:36:56terms of the divorce.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58This was a difficult negotiation for the European Union
0:36:58 > 0:37:08as well as for the United Kingdom.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Here is the moment that Peter Bone has been waiting for like a child
0:37:24 > 0:37:26waiting for snow to fall on Christmas Eve! Does the government
0:37:26 > 0:37:31have a plan for Brexit? A Cabinet minister ended with an agreement,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35maybe, because the agreement was that you should have your cake and
0:37:35 > 0:37:40eat it as a Brexit policy? When it comes to goods and services but
0:37:40 > 0:37:43without the obligations that go with single market membership, does
0:37:43 > 0:37:48anyone, even you, believe that is possible?It's perfectly reasonable
0:37:48 > 0:37:56to accept the fact that there are £70 billion more of goods than we
0:37:56 > 0:38:00export to them. Of course, they are going to agree to it.Services,
0:38:00 > 0:38:0680%...You cannot have one without the other.You can, as Michel
0:38:06 > 0:38:11Barnier pointed out.Why would we let themselves tonnes of goods to us
0:38:11 > 0:38:17and not let us export our services? It's an extraordinary position to
0:38:17 > 0:38:24say that we will boycott them until they accept us...When did the word
0:38:24 > 0:38:33"Boycott" come into it? They are not trivialised by behaviour.Wing there
0:38:33 > 0:38:36will be an implementation period and then we will live happily ever
0:38:36 > 0:38:45after.What if they say no?That is their gambit. It is a negotiation,
0:38:45 > 0:38:49of course everybody is going to take their hardest lines in public.As we
0:38:49 > 0:38:55saw two weeks ago, last week, at the end of the day, when push comes to
0:38:55 > 0:38:59shove, deals get done. Shove Anier is saying that there is no treaty
0:38:59 > 0:39:05that the EU have done, and what he didn't say was that they offered
0:39:05 > 0:39:07services in the Canadian free trade deal and the Canadians didn't want
0:39:07 > 0:39:19it.It is leaders around the European Union.They are much more
0:39:19 > 0:39:22divided, the 27 leaders around the EU are much more divided on what
0:39:22 > 0:39:25they won the trade deal to look like. The commission had to take a
0:39:25 > 0:39:29hard line because it is their job to protect. If you look at countries
0:39:29 > 0:39:35like Poland, and if you look at France and what Germany wants, what
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Greece wants, Italy wants... The Italians are making positive noises.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44At the end of the day it's up to them.Can I ask, Jess, do you think
0:39:44 > 0:39:48that the Labour Party is going to fully swing behind close and
0:39:48 > 0:39:52thorough alignment with the European Union? Going all the way towards a
0:39:52 > 0:39:56new single market customs union? You would like to lean that way but
0:39:56 > 0:40:02you've got a leader who doesn't really think that way II'm not
0:40:02 > 0:40:05going to speak for him but the suggestion was it was seven out of
0:40:05 > 0:40:12ten, I believe. I think the Labour Party, when all is said and done,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16all they care about, or suddenly all I care about, is the prosperity of
0:40:16 > 0:40:20the people in this country and that's the top and bottom of it, for
0:40:20 > 0:40:24me. Car manufacturing in my constituency is the single biggest
0:40:24 > 0:40:29employer, it always has been and we really have to be very careful. I
0:40:29 > 0:40:32think the Labour Party will eventually get into a position where
0:40:32 > 0:40:36there is the red Line and it cannot be crossed.Don't you need a lot
0:40:36 > 0:40:42more Labour supporters to swing that idea?If you look at the
0:40:42 > 0:40:46constituencies that will heavily leave, now they are trying to get a
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Brexit dispensation so they don't have their fishing industry affected
0:40:50 > 0:40:56by it. Most people are changing their minds and heavily leave areas
0:40:56 > 0:41:01are seeing what the impact will be. I don't know if people in my
0:41:01 > 0:41:03constituency who voted to leave her change their mind but they filled
0:41:03 > 0:41:07the sense of belonging that they hoped it would give to them, Britain
0:41:07 > 0:41:11being in charge of things, these things matter. I did a survey on
0:41:11 > 0:41:14each and every one of my constituents, 61% voted to leave and
0:41:14 > 0:41:20every single one prioritised being out of the single market.Let me
0:41:20 > 0:41:24ask, there's only -- does anybody at this table really believe that it
0:41:24 > 0:41:30would be possible to conclude a fully fledged trade agreement in
0:41:33 > 0:41:41time for March 20 19.If you look at Lancaster house and Florence, we had
0:41:41 > 0:41:44another speech in January, and one in early February, that will be the
0:41:44 > 0:41:51framework of the deal.The Prime Minister said a full-fledged deal?I
0:41:51 > 0:41:55think it is ambitious, you cannot sign a free trade agreement with the
0:41:55 > 0:42:00EU until we have left it.Every they inched towards it, they fall apart
0:42:00 > 0:42:13themselves.Let's move on...I bet £100 we will not leave the EU.How
0:42:13 > 0:42:28much did you bet?£100.There's no going back on this!
0:42:30 > 0:42:33It's time for the final round of the quiz, this is about other things
0:42:33 > 0:42:39that have been done in 2017. This is George Osborne arriving on first day
0:42:39 > 0:42:48as editor of the Evening Standard...
0:42:48 > 0:42:52As editor he's enjoyed heaping opprobrium -
0:42:52 > 0:42:55well that's the polite name for it - on the PM.
0:42:55 > 0:43:03But can you name one of his other jobs?
0:43:03 > 0:43:08Harry? He is a strategic advisor to Blackrock.That's correct, and I
0:43:08 > 0:43:13will keep it open. Any other jobs? Is he still do something about
0:43:13 > 0:43:19wallpaper?LAUGHTER Yes! I think he still has an
0:43:19 > 0:43:23interest in the family firm, I donate if he does a lot of
0:43:23 > 0:43:27management in that firm. That doesn't count as a job.Another one,
0:43:27 > 0:43:32one more? He is the chairman of the northern Powerhouse partnership?I
0:43:32 > 0:43:34will not give you a point for that.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40You've already got one!
0:43:40 > 0:43:42At Labour conference this year, the organisers had to abandon plans
0:43:42 > 0:43:45for the Labour leader to do what?
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Was it...
0:43:48 > 0:43:53I was giving you some options! I will disqualify you again. These are
0:43:53 > 0:43:55the options...
0:43:55 > 0:43:56Carve himself
0:43:56 > 0:43:57a Corbyn Stone.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Walk on water.
0:43:58 > 0:43:59Turn water into wine.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04Or hold a photo opportunity on a ram-packed train.
0:44:04 > 0:44:14It is the water one.You are right, it is the water one.Wait, no,
0:44:14 > 0:44:19somebody tell me this...He wanted to build a platform floating in the
0:44:19 > 0:44:30sea!On the beach. It would have been a great moment.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33He's known sometimes as box office or spreadsheet Phil,
0:44:33 > 0:44:35but what one word did Chancellor Philip Hammond give
0:44:35 > 0:44:45to describe himself?
0:44:46 > 0:44:51Umm... I actually don't know.Peter, you must know.The words I want to
0:44:51 > 0:44:55use for the Chancellor and ones that you are thinking!Nobody is going to
0:44:55 > 0:44:58get this. The answer is "Fiscal"
0:44:58 > 0:44:59you are thinking!Nobody is going to get this. The answer is "Fiscal".
0:44:59 > 0:45:06Fiscal Philip. Nicknames are supposed to be fun, that one doesn't
0:45:06 > 0:45:08quite qualify!
0:45:08 > 0:45:12How much did David Cameron's shepherd's hut cost?
0:45:12 > 0:45:23£20,000.I think that is actually correct.20 4000.It was £25,000.
0:45:23 > 0:45:31For a shed in the garden. Score keepers, we are giving Jess a point,
0:45:31 > 0:45:36because Peter wants to back her up.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39We've been looking at the year that's on the way out,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41but 2018 promises to be just as eventful and unpredictable.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43But is it something people are looking forward to,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45or are they tempted to hide behind the sofa?
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Elizabeth Glinka's been out with the moodbox
0:45:47 > 0:45:50for the final time this year.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56You know what, it has been a busy year in politics, and who knows what
0:45:56 > 0:46:01the next 12 months could hold? We have come to do West End to ask
0:46:01 > 0:46:04shoppers if they are feeling optimistic or pessimistic about
0:46:04 > 0:46:122018.Optimistic. I think it can't get any worse. I'm fairly confident
0:46:12 > 0:46:16that we will strike some sort of deal with Brexit.I would say
0:46:16 > 0:46:21pessimistic for politics Radwan. Pessimistic cause of Trump.Given
0:46:21 > 0:46:27where we are, I would say we can only be optimistic that things
0:46:27 > 0:46:32change.I feel like things couldn't get worse, but I feel optimistic
0:46:32 > 0:46:36with the hope there might be a new movement full of young people with
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Jeremy Corbyn at the head of it.It is new year, Christmas time, how can
0:46:40 > 0:46:43you be anything but optimistic? Optimistic, especially with Brexit
0:46:43 > 0:46:50coming up.Optimistic because I think that the stranglehold is
0:46:50 > 0:46:57loosening.Do you feel optimistic or pessimistic?I would like to think
0:46:57 > 0:47:03she would say optimistic. Look, it is panto time.Oh, no it
0:47:03 > 0:47:09isn't.Oh, yes it is.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18Pessimistic about Corbyn.You are pessimistic about Corbyn. Why is
0:47:18 > 0:47:24that?He is an idiot.When things get to a particular level of bad,
0:47:24 > 0:47:28there has to be a backlash the other way.I feel optimistic. I am moving
0:47:28 > 0:47:34to South Korea.I am feeling realistic, actually. Feeling
0:47:34 > 0:47:38realistic is often misconstrued as feeling as a mystic.What is
0:47:38 > 0:47:42happening with Brexit Bizet 's? I don't know which way to turn.I have
0:47:42 > 0:47:50a good job, I'm in love.Look, baby Christmas pudding.Evenly balanced,
0:47:50 > 0:47:57kind of thing.That sounds quite Zen.It is quite Zen.The only thing
0:47:57 > 0:48:02that's constant nowadays is change, so we had to be adaptable to change.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Maybe it is the Christmas spirit, but shoppers here in the west end of
0:48:06 > 0:48:10London are feeling, on the whole, pretty optimistic. I better get
0:48:10 > 0:48:16going. I have not done any shopping, so Merry Christmas.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19That was Elizabeth Glinka with the entirely unscientific moodbox.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Let's get the thoughts of our panel on the year ahead...
0:48:22 > 0:48:28By the way, Peter, have the extreme Brexiteers loosened their
0:48:28 > 0:48:32stranglehold?I don't know any, I am moderate. It is difficult for me to
0:48:32 > 0:48:39judge.This is a difficult question, but I will ask you anyway, this was
0:48:39 > 0:48:42a year when pundits got it wrong, no one saw what was happening next,
0:48:42 > 0:48:47what do you reckon might be the big shock of this coming year that
0:48:47 > 0:48:50proves the pundits wrong all over again?I think what is going to
0:48:50 > 0:48:54happen is Theresa May, by October, will deliver Brexit. She will go on
0:48:54 > 0:49:01to become a national hero. That is no more unrealistic than President
0:49:01 > 0:49:09Trump or Jeremy Corbyn, or us winning the referendum. That is an
0:49:09 > 0:49:11absolute possibility, and I hope it comes true. She has worked
0:49:11 > 0:49:15exceptionally hard. Whatever you think of her, the Prime Minister has
0:49:15 > 0:49:18worked exceptionally hard. I can't believe how much she does every
0:49:18 > 0:49:26single day. And have to deal with me as well! A terrible job! She is the
0:49:26 > 0:49:30right person to go on and lead us in future.A genuinely touching moment
0:49:30 > 0:49:38of self-awareness.That prediction is ridiculous. She does a full eight
0:49:38 > 0:49:45hours?? I'm sorry, she is the Prime Minister. Most people would give
0:49:45 > 0:49:49their right arm to be the Prime Minister. It is so terribly hard for
0:49:49 > 0:49:55her rhetoric I'm afraid to say, she has ultimate power to change things.
0:49:55 > 0:50:05What is your shop? -- shock.It is a continuity answer, I think we will
0:50:05 > 0:50:09be where we are right now by the end of next year. I don't think there
0:50:09 > 0:50:15will be a big upset at the front of each party.Zoe.I think Brexit
0:50:15 > 0:50:18negotiations will derail. The Labour Party will finally say, we are
0:50:18 > 0:50:26anti-Brexit or nothing. I think that will happen. As Brexit negotiations
0:50:26 > 0:50:29derail, the Conservative Party will do look West.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34They will make solid and decisions about when to call an election, and
0:50:34 > 0:50:38that will vanish because they will be all over the place.Look at the
0:50:38 > 0:50:44Labour side for me, Harry.Last night showed the divisions, the
0:50:44 > 0:50:52Brexit divisions, they will rear their head again. The Cabinet, the
0:50:52 > 0:50:57divisions in the Cabinet on Brexit are on a smaller scale. Basically,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01everyone is firing in the same direction, it is how fast they get
0:51:01 > 0:51:04there. Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd are said to be the ones that are
0:51:04 > 0:51:08trying to stick closer to Europe, but at the end of it, they are
0:51:08 > 0:51:11saying, what is the Buddha Brexit if we can't divert on something? Labour
0:51:11 > 0:51:16is much more fundamental, it is a pro-EU backbench, and that will rear
0:51:16 > 0:51:25up.The CORBA nights and the momentum movement -- they have a
0:51:25 > 0:51:28stranglehold of the party now.I don't recognise that to be the fact.
0:51:28 > 0:51:36I have had local selections in my CLB. There will be no answers
0:51:36 > 0:51:40whatsoever.I don't recognise this momentum as a big Marxist... Some
0:51:40 > 0:51:53momentum branches are massive, some are small, and...Some of them are
0:51:53 > 0:52:01lovely.Even, Jess, without punishment or ideological
0:52:01 > 0:52:06deselection is and the rest of it, the ideological march of Corbyn goes
0:52:06 > 0:52:15on. Bringing down neoliberal economics.I think you are wrong. I
0:52:15 > 0:52:17figured pragmatic and central approach is coming out of leadership
0:52:17 > 0:52:25at the moment.To the centre? It is too far to say attacking the centre,
0:52:25 > 0:52:33but I think...Unions are ones making the shots.The unions are
0:52:33 > 0:52:37making a noise about the single market, and they make a very good
0:52:37 > 0:52:41left-wing case for staying in.We can expect that, because it is this
0:52:41 > 0:52:46time of year, there will be a winter NHS crisis compounded by a winter
0:52:46 > 0:52:49homelessness crisis. That will cause problems for the government.It is
0:52:49 > 0:52:54already causing problems.Once we get past Brexit, you have got to
0:52:54 > 0:52:59look to these other issues.There are people dying on the streets of
0:52:59 > 0:53:04Birmingham, can we not wait?Carry on, Peter.It is amazing that your
0:53:04 > 0:53:11vanity project is more important than the homelessness in my
0:53:11 > 0:53:16constituency.I think the NHS is an important thing, social care is
0:53:16 > 0:53:21perhaps even more important. The homeless issue, it depends in which
0:53:21 > 0:53:25part of the country you are in, and we need a credible approach to that.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28That is probably what the next election.The Tory party tried to
0:53:28 > 0:53:37fight the election on those issues, and look what happened to them.Some
0:53:37 > 0:53:41idiot thought up a manifesto, but I never read the manifesto. It
0:53:41 > 0:53:49destroyed the campaign.We can't afford social care or the NHS, we...
0:53:49 > 0:53:58Something cross-party.I am talking about the ridiculous idea that the
0:53:58 > 0:54:01second anyone mentions the NHS, people like the Guardian jumped down
0:54:01 > 0:54:06their throats.No one is saying, don't touch it. Everyone is saying,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09funded properly.That have a grown-up conversation.I will wind
0:54:09 > 0:54:14this up now, Harry and Zoe, because we have got to the part of the show
0:54:14 > 0:54:18that matters to me. This is the bit I have been looking for.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21When you think of Christmas traditions - what springs to mind?
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Christmas pudding?
0:54:23 > 0:54:24The Queen's message?
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Reruns of Dad's Army?
0:54:27 > 0:54:32Peter Bone's Christmas card about Brexit?
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Well, what about that other, almost as ancient tradition.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39I speak of course of the Daily Politics Secret Santa.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45Yes, as usual we've asked a famous political figure to dress up
0:54:45 > 0:54:50as Father Christmas.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Previous occupants of the big red suit include such
0:54:53 > 0:54:57luminaries as Jeremy Corbyn. And look where he ended up...
0:54:57 > 0:55:00And Peter Bone. And look where he ended up.
0:55:00 > 0:55:06So it's up to my panel to guess who is under that beard...
0:55:06 > 0:55:15Do we get a question first? About... Here are some clues, it is not as
0:55:15 > 0:55:20hard as that. Here are some clues, Peter. He is a former member of the
0:55:20 > 0:55:27European Parliament. He used to be a Remainer, but now he supports
0:55:27 > 0:55:35Brexit. You can press your button if you've got it. You have all got it.
0:55:35 > 0:55:41Zoe, you were first.Are you Stanley Johnson, by any chance?Is this the
0:55:41 > 0:55:48moment to reveal myself?Yes, it is. Who are you?I am he, I am he, and
0:55:48 > 0:55:54my job is to give you all Christmas presents. Happy Christmas,
0:55:54 > 0:55:59everybody. Lovely to see you. I will take them out. I have come from the
0:55:59 > 0:56:13North Pole. Look at this.Let's see what it is.Merry Christmas. A big
0:56:13 > 0:56:23one. This is for Harry. You can open it now.Thank you very much.Look at
0:56:23 > 0:56:37that. A Jeremy Corbyn Christmas jumper.Show us your T-shirt, Peter.
0:56:37 > 0:56:50Peter Bone's is brilliant.I love it.Look at Harry's jumper. Zoe,
0:56:50 > 0:56:53what have you got?Whatever it is, I do think I can wear it, so that is
0:56:53 > 0:57:00no fun.Tell us what it is.The beautiful poetry of Donald Trump.
0:57:00 > 0:57:09Read a bit.I cherish women, joiner is expensive, no more apologies,
0:57:09 > 0:57:11take the offensive.
0:57:14 > 0:57:21That is the Donald Trump Book Of Poetry. How is life with you? You
0:57:21 > 0:57:25came out of these liberty jungle.I rather enjoyed being in the jungle,
0:57:25 > 0:57:36because I lost nine kilos. There is beans and rice, and there has beens,
0:57:36 > 0:57:46it was fine.It must be wonderful for you to be the star.Right at the
0:57:46 > 0:57:51end of my career, I finally recognised in my own right, fine.
0:57:51 > 0:57:56Why shouldn't I be pleased about that??Stanley, you have been
0:57:56 > 0:58:01waiting for this, I will give you this call the business journalists
0:58:01 > 0:58:09scored six points, the politicians scored four. Well done.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13It has been good to have you all on the show. Enjoy the Christmas
0:58:13 > 0:58:16holiday, Peter Uihlein will be looking at your photo album of Don
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Claude Juncker will
0:58:23 > 0:58:272018 should be every bit as good as the stories from this year. I wish
0:58:27 > 0:58:30you a good one at home with the family away from all this stuff.
0:58:30 > 0:58:31That's all for today.
0:58:31 > 0:58:32Thanks to our guests.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34There's no This Week tonight, and no Daily Politics
0:58:34 > 0:58:36until the 8th of January.
0:58:36 > 0:58:41Do join Jo then, and in the meantime have a very happy Christmas.
0:58:41 > 0:58:45Bye bye.
0:58:45 > 0:58:48Have a good one.