:00:00. > :00:08.Theresa May settles into her new life of endless haggling...
:00:09. > :00:18.With the the factions of her own party...
:00:19. > :00:22.The danger is that however much any government tries,
:00:23. > :00:25.they will not be seen to be impartial if they are locked
:00:26. > :00:26.into a Parliamentary deal at Westminster with one
:00:27. > :00:42.Oh, and not to mention the Europeans.
:00:43. > :00:45.We'd better brace ourselves for non-stop negotiation,
:00:46. > :00:48.but with a government on a wafer thin majority, and to make matters
:00:49. > :00:52.worse, a Brexit department in some disarray We'll ask if,
:00:53. > :00:54.out of the mess, a red, white and blue Brexit
:00:55. > :01:02.Meanwhile, this former Conservative minister says its time
:01:03. > :01:08.for his party to change its way, and its name.
:01:09. > :01:10.Also tonight, we might have taken out eyes off
:01:11. > :01:12.the troubles of President Trump, but his Attorney General
:01:13. > :01:16.Raise your right hand if you would, please.
:01:17. > :01:18.Did you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole
:01:19. > :01:20.truth and nothing but the truth, so
:01:21. > :01:25.We'll find out if the President should be worried.
:01:26. > :01:49.Stephen Smith on a new movie about Whitney Houston.
:01:50. > :01:53.So Theresa May is here to stay, for the time being.
:01:54. > :01:56.Which means she now has to wallow in the complexities
:01:57. > :02:03.Sorting out a deal with the DUP for stability at home,
:02:04. > :02:04.and sorting out a position with the EU on Brexit.
:02:05. > :02:07.As she said yesterday, she got her party into this mess,
:02:08. > :02:12.The DUP deal is almost done, but not signed yet.
:02:13. > :02:17.The Brexit one is a great deal more complicated,
:02:18. > :02:20.and with days to go until the formal start, the department for exiting
:02:21. > :02:23.the EU, DexEU to its friends, is being reshuffled -
:02:24. > :02:30.Is it too strong to use the word disarray?
:02:31. > :02:32.Well, Theresa May sat down for dinner and a bit
:02:33. > :02:36.of football this evening, with President Macron of France.
:02:37. > :02:38.We'll take stock shortly, but first David Grossman looks
:02:39. > :02:56.The tourist snapping landmarks might conclude our democratic institutions
:02:57. > :03:01.are in imminent danger of collapse. The government is certainly in
:03:02. > :03:06.urgent need propping up. From who? This happy band, it appears. They
:03:07. > :03:10.may be few but their smiles tell you how important they know they are.
:03:11. > :03:15.Agreement was not sealed today but we are clearly heading that way. The
:03:16. > :03:20.DUP, will support the government in return for what? I'm not going to
:03:21. > :03:23.negotiate over the airwaves but there has been a lot of commentary
:03:24. > :03:26.around the issues we are talking about and it will not surprise
:03:27. > :03:30.anybody we are talking about matters that pertain to the nation
:03:31. > :03:37.generally, ringing stability to the UK Government in and around issues
:03:38. > :03:40.around Brexit, obviously around counterterrorism and doing what is
:03:41. > :03:44.right for Northern Ireland in respect to economic matters. To date
:03:45. > :03:51.one of the architect of the peace process warned Theresa May against
:03:52. > :03:54.the DUP deal. I understand what she wishes to shore up her parliament to
:03:55. > :04:00.position, that is understandable and I sympathise but, but, my main
:04:01. > :04:07.concern certainly if the peace process. A fundamental part about
:04:08. > :04:11.peace process is that the UK Government needs to be impartial
:04:12. > :04:16.between all the competing interests in Northern Ireland. Colonel Bob
:04:17. > :04:19.Stewart did seven tours of duty in Northern Ireland as an infantry
:04:20. > :04:24.officer and is now a Conservative MP and the insists there is nothing to
:04:25. > :04:28.fear from a deal with the DUP. What is motivating them is the thought
:04:29. > :04:32.that if the Conservatives are not in power in the mainland, Jeremy
:04:33. > :04:40.Corbyn, who actually gave succour to the provisional IRA, succour, when I
:04:41. > :04:43.was on the ground in Northern Ireland watching my soldiers
:04:44. > :04:48.fighting and losing their lives, they don't want that under any
:04:49. > :04:52.circumstances whatsoever. The Prime Minister did face the Commons today
:04:53. > :04:58.which was mostly engaged in re-electing the Speaker unopposed.
:04:59. > :05:01.Few of other self-conscious joke. Mr Speaker elect on behalf of the whole
:05:02. > :05:11.house, May I congratulate you on your re-election. At least somebody
:05:12. > :05:14.got a landslide! Mr Speaker, it is customary on these occasions to
:05:15. > :05:18.congratulate the returning Prime Minister and I absolutely do so and
:05:19. > :05:23.I congratulate her on returning and I'm sure she will agree with me that
:05:24. > :05:28.democracy is a wondrous thing and can throw up some very unexpected
:05:29. > :05:31.results. What is no laughing matter of course are the Brexit
:05:32. > :05:36.negotiations which will start, the government insists, on schedule next
:05:37. > :05:40.Monday. But the government department charged with running them
:05:41. > :05:47.is currently undergoing major renovations. The Secretary of State,
:05:48. > :05:51.David Davis, still sits atop the Department for accepting the EU but
:05:52. > :05:58.below him it is all change. The reshuffle as seen in the departure
:05:59. > :06:03.of both Lord Bridges and David Jones from ministerial office. They have
:06:04. > :06:08.been replaced by Steve Baker and Baroness Joyce and Elaine who joined
:06:09. > :06:11.junior Mr Robin Walker. With negotiations due to start in less
:06:12. > :06:14.than a week you have the departure of these ministers makes a difficult
:06:15. > :06:19.job even more difficult and the new ministers will need to come in and
:06:20. > :06:24.get up to speed quickly. They will need to build volition chips and
:06:25. > :06:28.companies across the department and government. Mrs May's they did not
:06:29. > :06:33.get much better with a visit to Paris to meet the new French
:06:34. > :06:37.president. Two leaders whom fortune has treated so differently. One with
:06:38. > :06:45.a landslide at his feet and the wind at his back and the other... After
:06:46. > :06:50.the election there are those in Mrs May's party who hope that Brexit
:06:51. > :06:53.might now be averted but the French president gave them some very
:06:54. > :07:00.carefully worded encouragement. TRANSLATION: A of course the door
:07:01. > :07:03.remains always open until the negotiations come to an end but that
:07:04. > :07:07.said, a sovereign decision was taken by the British people and that is to
:07:08. > :07:10.come out of the European Union and I very much respect the decision taken
:07:11. > :07:18.by the people, be it by the French people ought the British people. By
:07:19. > :07:22.tomorrow Mrs May should get a formal offer of support she needs to prop
:07:23. > :07:25.up a government but that is really only the beginning of her problems.
:07:26. > :07:28.Nick Watt is our Political Editor and Helen Thomas
:07:29. > :07:38.We have things to discuss. Starting with the DUP, that have been going
:07:39. > :07:42.on a few days, we thought we would get it signed today, what is
:07:43. > :07:46.happening? Theresa May and Arlene Foster are inching towards what will
:07:47. > :07:55.be known as a supply and confidence deal with the DUP supplying and
:07:56. > :07:57.confidence means supporting the Tories on boats and crucially the
:07:58. > :07:59.Queen's speech and that will allow the government to pursue it
:08:00. > :08:07.legislative agenda pulls up but -- but crucially it triggers the
:08:08. > :08:11.terms of the fixed in Parliament act and that means the parliament is
:08:12. > :08:16.then locked for five years and let you go through the very contradicted
:08:17. > :08:19.procedure of unlocking that and that means the DUP and the Tories have
:08:20. > :08:25.what they want, the Tories fear another election under Jeremy Corbyn
:08:26. > :08:28.and the DUP don't want the idea of a Jeremy Corbyn premiership. What this
:08:29. > :08:32.beat is that it looks very unlikely even if there is a deal tomorrow
:08:33. > :08:37.that the original date of the Queen's speech will be agreed for
:08:38. > :08:41.next Monday, it is down to the ink drying on the goat skin parchment
:08:42. > :08:47.paper! A lot of talk we might go to the next slot which is Tuesday the
:08:48. > :08:50.27th of June but we will get clarification on the date when we
:08:51. > :08:54.get the deal. One clarification we do have is that the DUP and the
:08:55. > :08:56.primers that agree that Brexit talks start next week. Peshmerga and the
:08:57. > :09:06.Prime And there is not -- and the Prime
:09:07. > :09:10.Minister. Let's talk about Brexit because we have these extraordinary
:09:11. > :09:14.goings-on at the Brexit department with more change than you might
:09:15. > :09:20.ideally want a week before negotiations start. They have lost
:09:21. > :09:25.50% of its ministers which is only two. Intriguingly, as you saw, one
:09:26. > :09:31.of the appointment is Steve Baker. He has been the convener of the main
:09:32. > :09:35.Brexit group which is the European research group he runs the what's up
:09:36. > :09:39.group that basically instruct the Brexit supporting MPs what to do and
:09:40. > :09:43.say but we have an intervention by David Cameron tonight who has told a
:09:44. > :09:48.conference in Poland that the results of the general election will
:09:49. > :09:55.lead to pressure for a soft the Brexit and the FT cites him as a new
:09:56. > :10:00.player on the stage. The 12 new Scottish MPs and is also called on
:10:01. > :10:03.Theresa May to insult other political parties on Brexit. These
:10:04. > :10:09.sort of interventions are being heard in the EU. A Manuel said today
:10:10. > :10:13.there is still time for the UK to have a rethink and you could come
:10:14. > :10:18.back in until Article 50 is triggered and that has also been
:10:19. > :10:23.said by the German finance minister. I wonder if they would let us keep
:10:24. > :10:29.the budget rebate! Maybe we would end up paying... If you did it
:10:30. > :10:33.before Article 50 ens, maybe, but it is within a treaty and that has to
:10:34. > :10:37.be agreed by everyone. Talking about some other aspects, everybody is
:10:38. > :10:43.watching the dynamics if they will be nice or not to us but there was a
:10:44. > :10:48.decision by the commission which gave a sense that cool heads are
:10:49. > :10:53.prevailing on the issue of Euro clearing. Clearing is a pretty
:10:54. > :10:58.unsexy but very important part of the plumbing of derivatives markets.
:10:59. > :11:03.Plymouth managed risk but if someone goes bust they make sure everybody
:11:04. > :11:07.gets paid -- clearers manage risk. London handles about three quarters
:11:08. > :11:11.of Euro clearing and that has been a long-standing issue for some of the
:11:12. > :11:15.more protectionist parts of Europe. The big fear was that the European
:11:16. > :11:20.Commission would say the game is over and you have the relocate to
:11:21. > :11:26.the continent. They didn't. They said the biggest clearing houses
:11:27. > :11:29.would need more regulation and be supervised by the EU effectively.
:11:30. > :11:34.London is OK with that, that is what the Americans do effectively because
:11:35. > :11:39.they also do dollar business. So they will be regular to institutions
:11:40. > :11:42.in London from Brussels. They would have some oversight of the clearers
:11:43. > :11:48.in London but there is a sting in the tail because the commission
:11:49. > :11:52.wants the power to relocate claiming further down the line if regulation
:11:53. > :11:56.is not working. It seems like regulators would make that call and
:11:57. > :11:59.not politicians but the fear is you put this in place and eventually
:12:00. > :12:01.somebody will figure out a way to use it. Thank you.
:12:02. > :12:03.Hilary Benn is the former chair of the Brexit Select Committee
:12:04. > :12:09.and is seeking re-election to that position.
:12:10. > :12:17.We can talk to him about the whole gamut of issues come up in the
:12:18. > :12:20.Brexit debate. You would rather have a Shadow Cabinet position than be
:12:21. > :12:26.chair of the select committee if it was offered? Shadow Cabinet
:12:27. > :12:30.positions are a matter for Jeremy but, assuming Labour if given the
:12:31. > :12:34.opportunity once again to chair the select committee, I will put myself
:12:35. > :12:37.forward by-election by the House of Commons because there is an
:12:38. > :12:41.important job that needs to be done particularly in the circumstances
:12:42. > :12:45.and the shambles we are in. Do you think it is odd there has been a
:12:46. > :12:51.ministerial changing of the guard at the Brexit department a week before
:12:52. > :12:53.negotiations? I think it is absolutely astonishing. Those
:12:54. > :12:56.ministers have been working very hard talking to lots of big and
:12:57. > :13:00.getting their head around the issues, the more you look, the more
:13:01. > :13:03.you realise there is to negotiate and less than a week before
:13:04. > :13:07.negotiations begin half the team disappears and two new people
:13:08. > :13:10.arrived and they have to read up at high speed. I should think of the
:13:11. > :13:15.European negotiators will wonder what we're doing. This is bad for
:13:16. > :13:20.Britain. What the election result has shown clearly is the idea of
:13:21. > :13:25.leaving the EU with no deal is now dead and buried. The big question is
:13:26. > :13:29.whether Theresa May now understand that it is definitely parliament
:13:30. > :13:34.that is going to decide the shape of the Brexit we will have. We have a
:13:35. > :13:42.white pepper which set out the objectives. I using that is dead or
:13:43. > :13:45.if that still alive -- White Paper? I think it is very important figures
:13:46. > :13:49.only a couple of days ago David Davis was still talking about being
:13:50. > :13:52.prepared to leave with no deal and that would be catastrophic as we
:13:53. > :13:55.showed when he appeared before the select committee any had to explain
:13:56. > :14:00.to us what the consequences would be. But in order to get effective
:14:01. > :14:03.scrutiny the government has had to be pushed and prodded all the way to
:14:04. > :14:06.accept the role of Parliament and I would like to see the select
:14:07. > :14:12.committee have a stronger role in its work, being able to receive
:14:13. > :14:16.regular reports from ministers, to call debate in Parliament to make it
:14:17. > :14:19.explicit that the, he is overseeing the negotiations on the half
:14:20. > :14:26.Parliament and not just the work of the Brexit, he.
:14:27. > :14:32.That sounds modest because we understand people including David
:14:33. > :14:38.Cameron are saying it would be a good idea to bring more parties and
:14:39. > :14:41.more people into this and build a Parliamentary consensus around what
:14:42. > :14:46.kind of Brexit we should have. William Hague this morning. Would
:14:47. > :14:52.that be your committee or a bigger thing? A range of things could be
:14:53. > :15:01.done, you could bring in business, unions and others. To consult on the
:15:02. > :15:06.process. You cannot have that, if it is too many people you cannot expect
:15:07. > :15:10.them to be involved in the nitty-gritty. I think there are a
:15:11. > :15:14.number of different options but in the end Parliament has a committee
:15:15. > :15:18.whose job it is to oversee that but also it will need to lead to changes
:15:19. > :15:23.in policy. Negotiations are taking place with the DUP and the DUP are
:15:24. > :15:31.clear that they do not want a return to a hard water and customs. The
:15:32. > :15:35.government is taking a risk saying we want to be out of the customs
:15:36. > :15:40.union but sort of in. They need to now revisit that decision and say if
:15:41. > :15:45.you want a guarantee for British business of tariff and barrier free
:15:46. > :15:50.trade and avoid problems in Northern Ireland, then the state in the
:15:51. > :15:55.customs union. Forego the right to sign new trade deals independently?
:15:56. > :16:00.The US is already our largest single trading market and trading goods
:16:01. > :16:04.with China has quadrupled in the past decade. Staying in the customs
:16:05. > :16:10.union, one we have all these people saying we want a softer Brexit,
:16:11. > :16:15.vaguely expressed, is that what it comes down to, when we hear people
:16:16. > :16:21.say soft Brexit is the debate inside the customs union or not? I think
:16:22. > :16:26.that is the first and clearly sensible step to take. The second
:16:27. > :16:33.issue will be what kind of access we have to the single market. But also
:16:34. > :16:38.cooperation on things like foreign policy, the fight against terrorism.
:16:39. > :16:42.That continued cooperation is essential to our security as we
:16:43. > :16:47.leave the EU. I need to talk to you but Jeremy Corbyn, he had a much
:16:48. > :16:51.better electoral success then you and most of your colleagues on the
:16:52. > :16:54.Labour backbenchers predicted. I'm interested in where you are at the
:16:55. > :16:58.moment because obviously you thought he would not do very well
:16:59. > :17:02.electorally but also did not think he was very good and I just wonder
:17:03. > :17:08.whether you still do not think he's very good. You will have had review
:17:09. > :17:13.your position on when he can get the button. But have you changed your
:17:14. > :17:18.mind about him? I thought he fought a brilliant campaign which
:17:19. > :17:22.influenced a lot of people with a message of hope rather than a
:17:23. > :17:27.message of fear like the Tories. There was a cheerful meeting of the
:17:28. > :17:31.Parliamentary Labour Party this evening in contrast to the last time
:17:32. > :17:36.before the election because many people, me included, got it wrong
:17:37. > :17:39.about his capacity to do that. And that is a great achievement. The
:17:40. > :17:45.task we have is to build on that because we need to broaden further
:17:46. > :17:49.our support. But his qualities as leader I suppose have not changed
:17:50. > :17:55.his appeal has changed or you have changed your view of it. What about
:17:56. > :17:59.leadership qualities? While the qualities he demonstrated during the
:18:00. > :18:03.campaign in the face of the attacks from the Conservatives, had a pretty
:18:04. > :18:08.hard time at the hands of the press and Jeremy Corbyn did not rise to
:18:09. > :18:12.that, he inspired people and brought young people and others who had not
:18:13. > :18:17.voted before out. We had many additional Labour MPs and it is a
:18:18. > :18:19.fantastic foundation to build on for the next election, which could come
:18:20. > :18:21.very soon indeed. Thank you. Corbyn was down in the polls,
:18:22. > :18:25.we all banged on about splits in the Labour Party,
:18:26. > :18:27.of which there were many. The arguments over Brexit are one
:18:28. > :18:31.thing, but there are other things Daily Mail Tories versus
:18:32. > :18:34.Financial Times ones. Blue collar versus toffs,
:18:35. > :18:36.fiscal Conservatives versus tax The great debate about
:18:37. > :18:39.what direction should In a moment, we'll talk to a senior
:18:40. > :18:43.Tory whose just been dropped from a government post by Theresa
:18:44. > :18:45.May. But first, we went out today
:18:46. > :19:09.to sample some views I'm Andrew Brian. Glenn Murray. I'm
:19:10. > :19:12.a conservative district council. Traditional Conservative supporter.
:19:13. > :19:22.I voted for the Conservative Party by postal vote.
:19:23. > :19:28.It does not seem like a strong basis for the future but I think she must
:19:29. > :19:31.do that for a period of time until we get through this current phase
:19:32. > :19:36.and hopefully things stabilise. She's a good advocate for the
:19:37. > :19:44.country, with a strong personality and very strong views. And would be
:19:45. > :19:47.a strong negotiator for Britain. I felt she should have taken up some
:19:48. > :19:54.of those TV programmes and showed her face on TV ad fought a corner.
:19:55. > :19:58.But she is a winner and will come through at the end of the day I am
:19:59. > :20:05.sure. I think they can work together. Most
:20:06. > :20:11.of the obvious issues around equality and things like that are
:20:12. > :20:14.just not relevant. Most of those are divorced. Their anti-abortion,
:20:15. > :20:19.anti-gay rights, anti-climate change at all these things which are quite
:20:20. > :20:25.important to be young voters. So that is not terribly appealing. But
:20:26. > :20:28.I guess if that is what is going to help the Conservatives stay in and
:20:29. > :20:34.what is going to be the strongest way for us to continue then I guess
:20:35. > :20:37.that is what shall be. It is only a temporary measure because once she
:20:38. > :20:42.gets her party back in full swing that will be the end to this
:20:43. > :20:50.conversation. You are optimistic customer very. I believe in Theresa
:20:51. > :20:57.May. I think Theresa May has big ideas on
:20:58. > :21:03.all these Brexit deals already whereas Jeremy Corbyn hasn't seemed
:21:04. > :21:09.to come forward with anything, he has no plans for Brexit. People tend
:21:10. > :21:12.to forget this is a great and prosperous country. In any walk of
:21:13. > :21:18.life people need to do business with us. I am a Remainer but
:21:19. > :21:23.fundamentally the UK voted to leave the EU and I believe we should
:21:24. > :21:27.follow that democratic mandate given by the people. I was never in favour
:21:28. > :21:33.of Brexit in the first place. For me the softer the better and I think
:21:34. > :21:36.clearly it is going to be a softer version of Brexit than whatever the
:21:37. > :21:40.previous one was. But we did not really understand anyway. The views
:21:41. > :21:41.of some Tory supporters there. Robert Halfon was Skills Minister
:21:42. > :21:43.until yesterday... He's written about the need for
:21:44. > :21:53.the Conservative Party to reform. What do you think went wrong with
:21:54. > :21:57.the campaign? I think we have a problem in terms of our message, our
:21:58. > :22:02.values and expressing most of the public. I think we have a problem in
:22:03. > :22:06.lack of membership. And also a problem in terms of our
:22:07. > :22:11.infrastructure. We did not get our message across about what we stand
:22:12. > :22:15.for. We are the party of aspiration and opportunity. We give people the
:22:16. > :22:20.chance to climb the ladder to get the security and prosperity we need.
:22:21. > :22:23.But none of that was put across and we frightened pensioners and
:22:24. > :22:28.frighten people about school meals. So we just did not get the core
:22:29. > :22:34.Conservative message across. You want the party to be clearer about
:22:35. > :22:37.being a party for working people. Is the problem that it did not get the
:22:38. > :22:44.message across or does the actual offer a need to be refined? I think
:22:45. > :22:50.it is both, fundamentally we need a rebranding and that is why I suggest
:22:51. > :22:54.we change our name to the workers party but it cannot just be a
:22:55. > :22:57.slogan, the Foreign Minister said we were the workers party at the party
:22:58. > :23:01.conference but we need to make it mean something. I think we have to
:23:02. > :23:07.actually build our policies based on five pillars, we should be a modern
:23:08. > :23:12.trade union movement for the British people, five pillars of workers'
:23:13. > :23:16.rights, jobs, skills, wages, welfare and services. Have you thought of
:23:17. > :23:21.joining the Labour Party because they aspire to all those things!
:23:22. > :23:25.They actually have Labour in the title as opposed to workers but more
:23:26. > :23:28.or less the same. The Labour Party want to do everything from the top
:23:29. > :23:33.down but I believe that the Conservative Party and our symbol
:23:34. > :23:38.should be the ladder I believe, not the tree, without the party the
:23:39. > :23:42.ladder. If you are poor will bring you to that ladder and we hold the
:23:43. > :23:46.ladder to get you out of poverty into work. If you are a young person
:23:47. > :23:51.we will offer an apprenticeship so that you can earn while you learn.
:23:52. > :23:57.You get a degree, an apprenticeship, you get a job at the end. My
:23:58. > :24:02.question about joining Labour was in serious because someone would call
:24:03. > :24:05.you perhaps a red Tory, and some in labour would be called blue Labour
:24:06. > :24:12.was quite a conservative view of the world. You could do a deal with
:24:13. > :24:16.those people, Maurice Glassman, the kind of blue thinker in the party.
:24:17. > :24:20.You could come up with a common platform. Of course in politics
:24:21. > :24:25.there are overlapping views and some people in the Labour Party I have
:24:26. > :24:30.huge respect for, Frank field and so on. But that is not the whole of the
:24:31. > :24:34.Labour Party especially under Jeremy Corbyn. They believe in everything
:24:35. > :24:39.from the top-down, unfunded spending commitments and I think we need to
:24:40. > :24:44.be a party for the workers but building on those five pillars as I
:24:45. > :24:47.described. In renaming Conservative Party the workers party or
:24:48. > :24:52.Conservative workers party, you would have as much chance of doing
:24:53. > :24:56.that is converting the Labour Party. The Prime Minister said at the
:24:57. > :25:01.conference that we were the workers party, we introduced the national
:25:02. > :25:06.living wage, we cut taxes for lower earners, we have 100,000
:25:07. > :25:10.apprenticeships offering potentially 3 million for millions across the
:25:11. > :25:13.country. Potentially there is something out there that we could be
:25:14. > :25:17.the true workers party of the country. But we must recognise
:25:18. > :25:22.public sector workers are as important as private sector for
:25:23. > :25:28.exam. Whatever is your party if you do not do that? I'm not saying I
:25:29. > :25:33.have the only answer but I thought about this for a long time. I have
:25:34. > :25:39.written about it months ago and gone run the country talking about it.
:25:40. > :25:42.But I believe the face parental calamity as a party because people
:25:43. > :25:46.see is just in terms of austerity and we failed to get our message
:25:47. > :25:50.across about being the party of the ladder of opportunity. And failed to
:25:51. > :25:53.get across the message that we are the party for the poor. When the
:25:54. > :25:58.Labour Party nor corridor everyone knows they're there the underdog,
:25:59. > :26:04.their message is clear. But our message is not. But Theresa May
:26:05. > :26:08.started out with much of this back when she became Prime Minister 11
:26:09. > :26:13.months ago and it has not happened. I doubt they're not listening to you
:26:14. > :26:19.or she is not capable of delivering this kind of vision, something is
:26:20. > :26:22.clearly going wrong. I was incredibly excited when the Prime
:26:23. > :26:26.Minister made that speech, the first speech she ever gave as Prime
:26:27. > :26:31.Minister. I thought potentially something really big was happening.
:26:32. > :26:36.For one reason or another some of this, not all of it but some has got
:26:37. > :26:41.lost. And I think the election has given us a clear lesson in this and
:26:42. > :26:53.that is why we have to reboot. Rebrand. But there has to be a base,
:26:54. > :26:56.basing all policies around what I call workers Charter. Do you think
:26:57. > :27:03.that a rather weak and Theresa May can do that. To be honest whether it
:27:04. > :27:06.was Alexander the great or Archangel Gabriel, as leader, unless we
:27:07. > :27:12.undertake these fundamental reforms and rebranding of the party, it does
:27:13. > :27:15.not matter about the media, it is about policies and values. And
:27:16. > :27:19.narrative. To reach out to the British people. Thank you very much.
:27:20. > :27:21.President Trump's embattled attorney-general, Jeff Sessions,
:27:22. > :27:23.has been taking questions - on oath - in front of
:27:24. > :27:26.the Senate Intelligence Committee, who are interested in the links
:27:27. > :27:28.between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
:27:29. > :27:32.It's awkward for Mr Sessions - he failed to declare his own
:27:33. > :27:35.meetings with the Russian ambassador, and was involved
:27:36. > :27:37.in sacking the head of the FBI who was in charge
:27:38. > :27:42.Did he survive unscathed - and did the President?
:27:43. > :27:52.Mark Urban was watching the proceedings.
:27:53. > :27:57.The Senate intelligence committee is the tip of the spear as far
:27:58. > :28:00.as these investigations go and weekly their
:28:01. > :28:06.deliberations are growing broader and more complex.
:28:07. > :28:12.Today Attorney General Jeff Sessions was called.
:28:13. > :28:18.And he faced questions on the Trump campaign's links with Russia.
:28:19. > :28:23.Under intense scrutiny, his temper flared
:28:24. > :28:25.when asked about his possible ties with the Russians.
:28:26. > :28:36.There are none, Senator, there are none, I can
:28:37. > :28:39.tell you that for absolute certainty.
:28:40. > :28:46.This is the secret innuendo being leaked out there by
:28:47. > :28:48.-- about me and I don't appreciate it.
:28:49. > :28:50.Mr Sessions insisted that short meetings with the Russian ambassador
:28:51. > :28:53.had been inconsequential and entirely proper.
:28:54. > :28:56.I have never met with or had any conversation with
:28:57. > :29:02.any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of
:29:03. > :29:05.interference with any campaign or election in the United States.
:29:06. > :29:08.Added to the tension, the fact that President Trump's confidence in his
:29:09. > :29:14.Attorney General is, reportedly, failing.
:29:15. > :29:20.The president has not really spoken that much about that
:29:21. > :29:22.question, letting it hang out in the air, as have his aides.
:29:23. > :29:25.The Attorney General himself behind the scenes
:29:26. > :29:30.has been much more open about the fact that he knows that he has
:29:31. > :29:34.gotten into the President's crosshairs a little bit.
:29:35. > :29:37.As the Senate committee's inquiry has gone on, it
:29:38. > :29:40.has expanded to include allegations of cover-up by the White House and
:29:41. > :29:42.that led last week to evidence from former FBI
:29:43. > :29:45.director James Comey who
:29:46. > :29:48.painted a picture of how he felt the president may have tried to
:29:49. > :29:56.Talk for a moment about his request that you pledge loyalty.
:29:57. > :29:58.Our relationship did not get off to a great start, given the
:29:59. > :30:01.conversation I had to have on January the 6th.
:30:02. > :30:03.This was not, this did not improve the relationship
:30:04. > :30:07.He was asking for something and I was
:30:08. > :30:11.But again, I don't know him well enough to know
:30:12. > :30:22.But of course the president fired Mr Comey which means
:30:23. > :30:24.the committee has added Comey's sacking to the other matters
:30:25. > :30:26.under investigation, prompting many questions today that Jeff Sessions
:30:27. > :30:34.Did you ever discuss director Comey's FBI
:30:35. > :30:36.handling of the Russia investigations with the president or
:30:37. > :30:44.Senator, that would call for a communication between the
:30:45. > :30:48.Attorney General and the president and I'm not able to comment on that.
:30:49. > :30:55.You're not able to answer the question
:30:56. > :31:00.And with this process is ongoing and expanding,
:31:01. > :31:02.reports today that the president might even sack
:31:03. > :31:05.the special counsel, former FBI boss Robert Mueller, who
:31:06. > :31:12.They have left that out there either for the reasons that it
:31:13. > :31:24.may be true that the president is considering it or left it out there
:31:25. > :31:28.for reasons that it may be something with political advantage for them to
:31:29. > :31:31.It all comes back to this man of course.
:31:32. > :31:33.His Attorney General defended himself successfully today
:31:34. > :31:35.on the Russian ties issue but ultimately the questions for
:31:36. > :31:46.Professor Ryan Goodman is from at New York University School of Law
:31:47. > :31:48.he was general counsel at the defense department
:31:49. > :32:06.Then have long, what is the point on which you think Jeff Sessions and
:32:07. > :32:12.President Trump are now most vulnerable? -- we don't have long. I
:32:13. > :32:16.suppose that would be the firing of James Comey. That is not something
:32:17. > :32:20.that Jeff Sessions dealt with very well today. He refused to answer any
:32:21. > :32:25.questions like the one you heard as to whether or not the president ever
:32:26. > :32:30.referred to the Russia investigation as one of the reasons he wanted to
:32:31. > :32:34.fire Comey. Sessions refused to answer and he gave the reasons he
:32:35. > :32:39.thought to recommend firing Comey which did not seem very plausible in
:32:40. > :32:46.a certain sense. He referred to the fact that it was Comey's performance
:32:47. > :32:50.but under oppression he was asked if he was if you spoken to about his
:32:51. > :32:54.performance and he said no and Nicky Wroe down and evaluation of the
:32:55. > :32:57.performance and he said no. He did the reason he recommending the
:32:58. > :33:04.firing was because the handling of the Clinton e-mails. But under
:33:05. > :33:10.pressure from Senator Reid he was asked, during the campaign you
:33:11. > :33:13.actually praised Comey for how he handled Hillary Clinton's e-mails so
:33:14. > :33:17.it was a difficult moment for him and that is probably the most
:33:18. > :33:20.vulnerable spot right now for the president because it raises the
:33:21. > :33:25.spectre of obstruction of justice if the reason he fired the FBI director
:33:26. > :33:29.was to change the course of the Russia investigation. Politically,
:33:30. > :33:32.and I know that is not your beat, but is it getting too intricate for
:33:33. > :33:38.most people to follow a few said what and do you think people are
:33:39. > :33:43.beginning to glaze over as they hear the enquiries? I think that an
:33:44. > :33:49.excellent point and in some way to you now have Comey's test over
:33:50. > :33:55.several hours and Jeff Sessions' and people start dipping, he said, he
:33:56. > :33:59.said, how do they sorted out? And many of the commentators are getting
:34:00. > :34:03.into the weeds of exactly who said what and how they differentiate from
:34:04. > :34:08.one another. I think what will emerge is that the special Council
:34:09. > :34:11.is working, plodding away on the Russia investigation, and that will
:34:12. > :34:20.still continue. I think that will resurface after these two weeks of
:34:21. > :34:23.Comey and Sessions. You say he will continue, is that correct? Is there
:34:24. > :34:27.any way they can get rid of him or Trump can fire him or tell somebody
:34:28. > :34:34.to get rid of this turbulent priest or anything like that? Probably not.
:34:35. > :34:41.The person who gets to determine whether or not the special counsel
:34:42. > :34:43.should stay in his position as is the Deputy Attorney General
:34:44. > :34:46.Rosenstein who currently has jurisdiction over the special
:34:47. > :34:51.counsel and he also testified today and said he would never dismiss the
:34:52. > :34:57.special counsel except for a good cause and he can't imagine that
:34:58. > :35:02.would come up. There are other scenarios, because this is a dynamic
:35:03. > :35:07.situation for example what if Attorney General Sessions did step
:35:08. > :35:11.down and was replaced by somebody who had not recused? That new person
:35:12. > :35:15.would have jurisdiction over the special counsel so you have the gone
:35:16. > :35:17.public those kind of issues. Thank you very much.
:35:18. > :35:20.British film director Nick Broomfield, who can often be
:35:21. > :35:23.seen in his own documentaries wearing earphones and carrying
:35:24. > :35:25.a boom mic, has pursued subjects as diverse as Sarah Palin,
:35:26. > :35:29.death row prisoners and the late rock star Kurt Cobain.
:35:30. > :35:33.And he has a new film out this week concerning another rock and roll
:35:34. > :35:35.casualty: the prodigiously gifted singer Whitney Houston,
:35:36. > :35:41.who died of a drugs overdose five years ago aged just 48.
:35:42. > :35:50.- has been called uncompromising, and in making it
:35:51. > :35:52.Broomfield has spoken to the star's entourage,
:35:53. > :35:56.And he has now been talking to our culture editor, Stephen Smith.
:35:57. > :35:58.# Just remember it was you, you, you.
:35:59. > :36:12.The matchless larynx of pop superstar Whitney Houston.
:36:13. > :36:16.This is how her many fans remember her.
:36:17. > :36:18.She won Emmys, Grammys, and sold millions of records
:36:19. > :36:24.before her tragic early death following a drugs overdose.
:36:25. > :36:27.Whitney Houston obviously was a very iconic figure.
:36:28. > :36:37.And I think made a lot of people very happy.
:36:38. > :36:40.And was very severely criticised towards the end of her life.
:36:41. > :36:45.I thought it was a good time to have another look at her life and look
:36:46. > :36:50.at her achievements and who she was, who she is.
:36:51. > :37:09.Ironically, the singer emerges from Broomfield's film as the least
:37:10. > :37:22.That included her formidable mother and her self-styled bad boy
:37:23. > :37:31.Do you think you discovered who killed Whitney,
:37:32. > :37:43.I'd say probably we all killed Whitney.
:37:44. > :37:47.As the bodyguard in the film says, there is no one not to blame
:37:48. > :37:52.for the tragedy that happened to this wonderful, beautiful woman.
:37:53. > :37:59.Older viewers will recall Whitney Houston's turn opposite
:38:00. > :38:08.Well, I don't know, maybe a tough guy.
:38:09. > :38:19.In a striking case of life imitating art, Broomfield tracked down
:38:20. > :38:24.the singer's real bodyguard, a man called David Roberts.
:38:25. > :38:27.You know the bodyguard sent in, he talks extensively in the film,
:38:28. > :38:29.a very detailed report about what was going
:38:30. > :38:31.on and suggesting that certain people should be removed
:38:32. > :38:38.And instead of that happening, he was removed.
:38:39. > :38:46.To what degree the individuals concerned were on drugs.
:38:47. > :38:55.I put it down on paper, I got the telephone call in a meeting.
:38:56. > :39:00.Thank you very much, Miss Houston has decided she doesn't
:39:01. > :39:03.need anyone of your calibre and experience again because she's
:39:04. > :39:06.not touring internationally in the future.
:39:07. > :39:09.One of the problems we were having was getting enough time
:39:10. > :39:12.in the building because of health and safety regulations...
:39:13. > :39:15.Nick Broomfield hasn't been averse to putting himself on screen.
:39:16. > :39:24.Whether he's looking at dilapidated buildings for the BBC...
:39:25. > :39:27.Here he is talking to Dana, who co-owned the music...
:39:28. > :39:29.Or on the trail of the late rappers Tupac and Biggie
:39:30. > :39:55.We're going to see some wild animals.
:39:56. > :39:59.We are, we're going to see musk ox and reindeer and a dog sled.
:40:00. > :40:01.And they're alive, Sarah hasn't got to them yet!
:40:02. > :40:06.In an homage to his highly influential kind of meta-
:40:07. > :40:08.film-making, we thought we'd take you behind the scenes
:40:09. > :40:22.Well, that's why Broomfield has a handprint on Hollywood Boulevard
:40:23. > :40:28.and I'm on just before the very late weather.
:40:29. > :40:36.If Newsnight could afford you, and equipped you with the earphones
:40:37. > :40:39.and boom mic, what would you be running around scooping
:40:40. > :40:42.Where would you think the story is here?
:40:43. > :40:44.Well, I think it's very hard to cover galloping news.
:40:45. > :40:46.You know, documentaries are a reflective way
:40:47. > :40:50.You don't fancy the mad, adrenaline rush of 5am breakfasts...
:40:51. > :40:57.Perhaps she wouldn't be interesting to you?
:40:58. > :41:01.If you could get the first 100 days of either her or Donald Trump,
:41:02. > :41:03.I think it would be quite unbelievable because that
:41:04. > :41:05.discrepancy of, is this true, is this not true,
:41:06. > :41:08.is something that really keeps one absolutely riveted to the story.
:41:09. > :41:23.So I think they would be fascinating characters.
:41:24. > :41:26.Steven Smith talking to Nick Broomfield.
:41:27. > :41:32.That's all we've got time for this evening.
:41:33. > :41:38.Before we go, the BFI have just released 600 new films from the
:41:39. > :41:40.archive. Here is a taste. Good night.
:41:41. > :41:43.# Ease your feet off in the sea my darling.
:41:44. > :41:46.# Take your shoes off curl your toes.
:41:47. > :41:56.# Will stay with us till somebody decides to go.
:41:57. > :42:13.# Soberly, without regret, I make another sandwich.
:42:14. > :42:19.# I know that things have got to you.
:42:20. > :42:31.# You decide your time is wearing thin.
:42:32. > :42:42.# A conscious choice to let yourself go dangling...
:42:43. > :42:43.Hello, some summer warmth on the way for money tomorrow but we