22/05/2017 Reporting Scotland

Here on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

On Election Reporting Scotland tonight:

Scottish Labour launch their manifesto with a cast-iron

I see like a marriage on the salary I have. I have two go to food banks.

I aim nurse who can manage. -- can't.

And the nurse who took Nicola Sturgeon to task in last

night's TV debate gets an apology on social media.

Monday's almost over but not before your nightly helping

of everything you need to know from today on the election

Another day, another manifesto launch.

Today, it was the turn of Scottish Labour to launch

their vision for the country and this one hadn't even been leaked.

Our political editor Brian Taylor reports.

Kezia Dugdale concedes pulls apparently pointed to a UK

Conservative victory while insisting she is fighting to install Jeremy

Corbyn in Downing Street. She told cheering supporters she deplores the

Conservative approach to pensioners and benefits, including the revised

offer on social care in England. The Tories are standing in this election

on a miserable and mean manifesto that will take our country backwards

and he went back and get away with it.

APPLAUSE But how? In Scotland, that partly

involves a tactical appeal to counter the SNP. They are defending

56 Scottish seats out of 59. She edged doubters in constituencies

where a labourer was second to consider turning red again. The

author, a federal UK and opposition to independence. In these 120 pages,

you'll find a guarantee that they will oppose a second referendum on

independence. The Labour Party is built on solidarity and could never

take our country down that path again. We are divided on. She said

the key manifesto policy was a living wage of ?10 gallon. -- per

hour. They will increase public spending with a spin off for

Scotland. Hull Scotland will see a huge increase in public service

investment. That figure is around ?3 billion in parliament. Money for

schools, hospitals and the benefit of being partly the United Kingdom.

That means higher taxation, although not the Jeremy Corbyn version. The

Scottish Labour manifesto in involves plans to increase the basic

rate of business tax, although that is in the hands of Holyrood. At the

launch, Kezia Dugdale said she was excited by the opportunity presented

by Labour's manifesto. Here are more details. They propose a Scottish

investment bank with ?20 billion of resources. The also involve

high-speed rail to Glasgow and Edinburgh and they will align the

Trident nuclear gerunds, in alignment with the UK policy, not

the Scottish policy. Starting in Livingston, that is the package

Kezia Dugdale will offer voters. Our nightly panel of pundits join me

now, live in the studio this evening it's Labour campaigner and former

candidate Cat Headley, the journalist Peter Geoghegan

and in Edinburgh the political Welcome to you all this evening.

Thank you for joining me. Cat, first, what lies behind a U-turn

from the Conservatives on social policy in the middle of an election

campaign? We saw two day that reason eight, when he is on, she can take

it. -- Theresa May. We saw this without having the election in the

first place, national insurance contributions in the budget. This is

sending a clear message that Theresa May every Prime Minister of the 8th

of June is actually going to, when the going gets tough, do a runner.

As she has on the campaign trail. Strong as stable. It would fight

weak and wobbly instead, doesn't it? In dollars but what is telling is

that when the manifesto was together, it was a closed room. --

it does. It works well when the going is good, it is like an echo

chamber. There wasn't much. When Andrew Gilbert was talking today,

the policy-making does not work very well under a general election

environment. In a way, we are just... A group setting, you said,

they just go and roll with it. It. It unravelled by the end of last

week. It was not going to be sustainable. These are issues,

especially around the idea of a dementia tax, it is a general

phrase. For a larger families, it is relevant to something they are

dealing with an everyday lives it was going to be unsustainable. The

much more fundamental question is, how did this come about in the

birthplace? Added and not get scrutinised before the public

domain? That is more damaged than the Eugene itself. -- in the first

place. -- than the U-turn. When it comes to paying foreign social

provision, the Conservatives need to show courage in the conviction in

asking for more from better off pensioners. The way they went about

it was wrong, but was this U-turn a mistake, and the policy itself is

fundamentally right? I think the policy, as was, and this old thing

is undeniably messy... But the policy as was was at least the

beginning of a more responsible discussion about what is a massively

complex and of course costly problem in intergenerational poverty and the

cost of social care. The requirement is sometimes to sell someone's house

to pay for that. That is a discussion we need to have and I

thought the policy unveiled last week was a beginning of something

quite promising in that respect but it is obviously political

kryptonite, there have been a view focus groups since then and the

prime minister and advisers are obviously panicking on that. -- a

few. I think we have now taken several steps back. Ivo gives group

that is obvious is the Cabinet. Do you agree that she did not go

through the rank process? Patently been the case. It is well documented

that the prime Minister and her two chiefs of staff, Timothy and Fiona

Hill, it seems that this simply was not tested. Not only beyond that

tight circle but crucially without as, members of the public. -- with

voters. ACAS Ireland guaranteed you never support independence, will

that be enough to build a Labour revival? Kezia has been very clear

that it is time to move on, Scotland have had enough. -- A cast-iron

guarantee. Scottish Labour is very clear that we are against a second

referendum. It is time to focus on education and the health service

anti-government have to get back to the day job. The debate last night

was very clear from the audience members, on the doorstep, the

independence referendum is a distraction and it is also a

convenient excuse in relation to the EU because the result was going to

be something that Nicola Sturgeon will find for the SNP to argue for

another referendum. If it was not EU, it would be something else. With

the SNP and independence, and the Tories with the cuts, have they made

a difference today? In some ways, they hidden stories of the council

elections, which is a few weeks ago but feels like a few months ago, is

that Labour did OK, they survived, come out unscathed. The jewellery

came out in seconds but it was not as bad as it could be. The challenge

for Labour in a first past the post system is that it is that

nationalism. The SNP are really a force of nationalism, the Tories are

not, where the Labour Party fit in? We are going to have any --

unionism. Are they on the Unionist side? They are probably not going to

pull off enough. What about with the SNP? And they will probably be able

to pull a view but not quite. Will they generate multi-? It is

difficult to look across the country and see where they generate multi-?

It is difficult to look across the country and see where the seat will

come from. There is one where it'll certainly struggled to vote. Whether

these were at an Edinburgh salve, because it is very different to

these policies, who knows. The prime Minister was interviewed by Andrew

Neal Elliott today, she refused to take part in your leaders debate.

You're the one in Edinburgh. -- Andrew Neil. Is it difficult for

leaders to get the point across? -- the leaders debate in Edinburgh. Of

course. You heard the nurse Jake the First Minister to chat. We should

not overstate the impact of the leaders debates, manifesto launches,

and indeed political campaigns. The average voter will not follow this.

-- take her to task. They are they are watching this programme. All of

it has its place but it can be exaggerated. Villagers decided to

vote on a general mood of candidates, a general impression of

party, leaders and policies. Very little of this actually cuts

through. Kezia Dugdale for example had a good night last night, I

think. Anti-gay, knows journalists thought she did very well at the

manifesto launch. -- And today, most journalists what she did very well.

More from the campaign trail coming up, but first Anne Lundon has

Thousands of investors seeking compensation

from The Royal Bank of Scotland are taking legal action against

This morning the case was adjourned for 24 hours

The shareholders claim they were misled

over the bank's financial health in the run-up to its near-collapse

More from our business correspondent Andy Verity.

Inside this building behind me this morning the courtroom was packed,

and included among the people were shareholders who were asked to fork

The bank was trying to raise ?12 billion, the

biggest ever fundraising at the time done by a UK corporation, and when

you raise money from your shoulders, you are supposed to tell them what

they are handing over their money for.

All the relevant details are supposed to be there, like for

example how financially strong or weak you are.

What the shareholders are claiming is that the bank didn't

tell them relevant information, like for example the fact that executives

had been telling each other that if they could not borrow from other

banks, they might run out of money in a day or less.

The shareholders are irritated now that this has

taken years to progress, and that the bank has spent

?110 million of money that comes from you and me,

taxpayers, fighting this case, only to decide it wants to settle it now.

One shareholder, Neil Mitchell, gave me his views.

It is absolutely atrocious that 110 million has been

booked so far, it will be at least 125 million.

This is taxpayer money being used to defend litigation

against their own shareholders, their own customers, which is what

RBS do in dealing with anyone dares complain against them.

Now they have decided to adjourn the case for

a day while they try to continue settlement talks.

Among the people they are talking to are former employees

of the bank who are encouraged persuaded to take out shares

themselves, investing thousands of pounds,

and of those shares went from ?2 down to 11p.

They are not happy, and in order for them to be

settled with, the bank is going to have to go some.

A former head teacher at a Catholic boarding school in the Highlands has

gone on trial accused of assaulting boys in his care.

83-year-old Father Benedict Seed is charged with assaulting

eight pupils at the now closed Fort Augustus abbey school

Inverness Sheriff Court heard that the alleged attacks included

hitting boys with a hockey stick and a spiked golf shoe.

A man has appeared in court charged with attempting to abduct two young

girls from a playpark in Falkirk last Friday.

50-year-old John Bermingham is also accused

of assault and breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

He made no plea during the private hearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court

Getting back to the campaign trail now - the Liberal Democrats called

on the SNP to drop their demands for a second independence

referendum for the sake of Scotland's businesses.

When the challenge for businesses is so huge with Brexit, the last thing

they need is even more trade barriers with independence. That's

why the SNP should call off their campaign for another independence

referendum. It will damage in this and it is bad already with Brexit.

-- damage businesses. The SNP picked up on the biggest

issue of the day - they used Theresa May's apparent

U-turn on social care to push their credentials as the protectors

of Scotland's pensioners. Left to their own devices, the

Tories will take away the triple what protection on pensions and the

Winter fuel on balance, and impose a dementia tax in England. That says

to me that, for Scotland, we need the strongest possible voices

standing up in Scotland's interest and that can only come from the SNP.

A few hours ago, in a BBC interview with Andrew Neil, Theresa May

refused to put a figure on the upper limit people will have to pay

towards the cost of social care, saying it will be

The Prime Minister has denied going back on her manifesto plan

to make people in England pay for their care, up to the last

We're going to publish a green paper, a consultation, so we want to

take people's views and views of charities and others on how the

system should be operating. We will have within the consultation that

concept of an absolute limit on the costs that people have to pay.

Well, I'm joined by some politicians - tonight the Scottish Labour MSP

James Kelly is here in Glasgow and in Edinburgh we've got

the Scottish Lib Dem candidate Christine Jardine,

the Scottish Conservative MSP Gordon Lindhurst and the SNP

Welcome to you all. Gordon Lindhurst, you were on the campaign

trail over the weekend. Just how badly was the social care issue

going down and does that explain this dramatic U-turn today? I think

what the Prime Minister did today was clarified the policy and it's

something that she says will be subject to further consultation. Did

anybody mention it to you over the weekend? No, what people have been

saying on the doorsteps is they recognise the need to address social

care and other policy issues in this area but this particular

announcement does apply to Scotland, where we have our own set of policy

considerations. but this has been a massive climb-down in the middle of

an election campaign. As I said, this only applies to England, but

the Prime Minister is seeking to clarify things and detail on policy,

is always something that needs to be clarified and were consultation is

going to be carried out, that can be done so no, it's not something that

voters were really overly concerned about in Scotland at the weekend

when I was out campaigning. Polls seem to be campaigning a bit away

from you right now. When you look back at this YouTube and social

care, will you think this was a key moment where the election possibly

turn for you? I think this election campaign still has two weeks to run

and I don't think this issue in and of itself certainly in particular in

Scotland is really something that is going to heavily influenced the way

voters vote -- influence the way voters bought, so I think one can

look at it the other way and think that it shows the Prime Minister is

listening to what people have to say and wants to allay fears that may

not have a basis. Tommy Sheppard in Edinburgh, elections are made of

manifestos and moments of last night's readers debate, in stalled

Nicola Sturgeon that she struggled to afford to live and how to turn to

foodbanks and was criticised by one of your Westminster colleagues on

social media and subsequently faced a barrage of abuse as a result.

There has been an apology on social media to her. Would you like to

apologise to her on TV? I haven't seen what was said, Stephen, but of

course I would condemn any abuse of social media, I get it myself, and

there is no place for that in this election campaign but I understand

the nurse did raise some important points that go to the heart of this

election campaign and that is who is paying for Brexit, who is paying for

its territory, and only the SNP are coming up with a coherent plan to

challenge austerity at source and decided should be the poor and

vulnerable in our society who have to pay for that. People shouldn't

have to continue working and not see an increase in their wages. So

you're saying it was important for her voice to be had and was wrong of

your Westminster College to criticise her for what she said? --

Westminster colleague. I'm not sure what the debate was, but I'm sure my

colleagues would have acted in good faith with the information they had

but the information has now been corrected an apology has been made

and I think it should go on. I think the important thing today is the

bizarre spectacle of a Labour manifesto for a Westminster election

suggests income tax should go up for basic rate taxpayers in Scotland but

not anywhere else in the UK. How on earth do they expect anyone to vote

Labour in that context? It is quite a bizarre offer to the electorate.

The SNP wants to see those with broadest shoulders who can afford to

do so paying more in tax and we want to CNN to two Tory cuts but to be

transferring them onto the backs of low-paid families in Scotland like

the nurse last night is not the way of doing it. James Kelly, Scottish

Labour, your manifesto launched today. Last day Kezia Dugdale

accused the SNP have been blinded by independence. The headline on your

press release, Scottish Labour manifesto to oppose another divisive

referendum. One page mentions independence 11 times. The truth is,

you're the party that can see past. Greenback we made it clear today

that at the heart of our proposals is that we are stronger together. We

are opposed to another independence referendum but what is becoming

clear in this election is that Labour are winning the political

arguments and that is because the policies that we are putting forward

like a ?10 minimum wage, an additional ?3 billion to the

Scottish budget and taking railways back into public ownership are

popular policies and that is why Labour has momentum going into this

final two weeks. Back to independence, it seems to be the

most important thing for you because it is all over the manifesto today.

I can much, Jeremy Corbyn said a second referendum was aptly be fine.

Now we're getting a cast-iron guaranteed never to back

independence. How does that square? Labour have made it absolutely

clear, consistently through this campaign, that we are opposed to a

second independence referendum. Module leader, Jeremy Corbyn! The

SNP have taken their eyes off the issues they should be concentrating

on like the crisis in the NHS, the pay cap that the nurse spoke about

last night and trying to improve literacy and numeracy in our

schools. I've been on the doors tonight in Rutherglen and those are

the issues that people are talking about. They don't want another

referendum and it's time that the SNP got on with the issues that they

are responsible for. That's what people are saying in this selection.

Christine Jardine for the Liberal Democrats, we heard in the debate

last night a very clear choice in the election, the SNP for

independence and two major parties opposed to independence but with

different views about how the country should be run. Where does

that leave any space for the Liberal Democrats? I think you're

overlooking the fact that Willie Rennie has been absolutely clear

that we are opposed to independence. There were three major parties last

eight opposed to it. Not on the basis of the polls, Christine.

Withered leaves us is, as a party who are the only party in Scotland

who are pro-UK and pro-EU and want to see Scotland at the heart of the

UK and the heart of Europe with a strong relationship with Europe. But

the Labour Party Conservative parties have come down now in favour

of hard Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn has backed to -- Theresa May's view.

That puts 80,000 jobs at risk in Scotland. We are the only party

standing up for a relationship with Europe which will protect those

jobs. Ruth Davidson said today she would be happy to work with you and

Labour to form a prounion coalition to force the SNP out of Hollywood.

Would you work with her? I think what we're seeing across Scotland is

people deciding for themselves who they would see as the best party to

vote the SNP alt of the seats for Westminster and that is what we are

concerned about at the moment. We have an election where it is clear

that Theresa May is heading towards a victory. So you would work with

her? I think what we're seeing is that people are deciding for

themselves how they are going to vote. so would you work with her?

Our leader has made it clear there will be no coalition at Westminster

and what we're doing is, we are working for the people across

Scotland who want to see Scotland at the heart of the UK and the UK at

the heart of Europe. That's what we're working on. Thank you all of

you for joining us this evening. Now there's around an hour

left to get yourself registered if you want to vote

in this election. I found out earlier

just how easy it is. This is Sam. She's 22 and doing work

experience. Sam dropped off the electoral roll after the

independence referendum. Up to 7 million eligible people across the

UK are not to vote and this particular -- there is particular

concern for younger voters. Hondas under-21s have dropped off the list

since the vote was introduced. But it just takes an address and

national insurance number to join. Now that that's done, my next

decision is who to vote for! So if you want to register before

the midnight cut-off in just one Before we leave you tonight,

you know that feeling when you are caught doing something

you shouldn't be doing? This was Foreign Secretary Boris

Johnson sneaking a look at the questions before

being interviewed by Fellow Tory Sir Nicholas Soames

called him a rotter. And that's Election

Reporting Scotland. Tomorrow on the campaign trail,

the SNP launch their manifesto. Until then, from everyone

here, goodnight.