:00:35. > :00:38.Morning folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics.
:00:39. > :00:41.Pressure on Culture Secretary Maria Miller mounts as the Tory press,
:00:42. > :00:46.Tory voters and even a Tory Minister turn against her. That's our top
:00:47. > :00:49.story. The economic outlook is getting
:00:50. > :00:54.rosier. But Ed Miliband is having none of it. The cost of living
:00:55. > :01:04.crisis is here to stay, says Labour. Shadow Minister Caroline Flint joins
:01:05. > :01:07.us for the Sunday Interview. And we bring you the Sunday Politics
:01:08. > :01:08.Gallery. But which former world leader is behind these paintings of
:01:09. > :01:15.world leaders? In the East Midlands, warm words
:01:16. > :01:16.from the Prime Minister, but will the Government really act to save
:01:17. > :01:22.our last pit? new London borough. A blue flint for
:01:23. > :01:34.regeneration or economic Armageddon? And with me as always, the best and
:01:35. > :01:37.the brightest political panel in the business - Janan Ganesh, Helen Lewis
:01:38. > :01:39.and Nick Watt. Their tweets will be as brief as a Cabinet Minister's
:01:40. > :01:47.apology. A frenzy of betting on the Grand
:01:48. > :01:50.National yesterday. But there was one book on which betting was
:01:51. > :01:53.suspended, and that was on the fate of Culture Secretary Maria Miller,
:01:54. > :01:56.now the 2/1 favourite to be forced out the Cabinet. She galloped
:01:57. > :02:00.through her apology to the Commons on Thursday in just 32 seconds. But
:02:01. > :02:03.speed did her no favours. There s been mounting pressure on her to
:02:04. > :02:06.resign ever since, especially from Tories. And this weekend the
:02:07. > :02:09.Chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority,
:02:10. > :02:12.Ian Kennedy, said it's time MPs gave away the power to decide how
:02:13. > :02:27.colleagues who break the rules are punished. An inquiry into Maria
:02:28. > :02:32.Miller's expenses claims was launch in 2012, following allegations he
:02:33. > :02:37.claimed ?90,000 to fund a house she lived in part time with her parents.
:02:38. > :02:41.She had designated this her second home. She was referred to the
:02:42. > :02:49.Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, who recommended that
:02:50. > :02:52.she repay ?45,000. But this week the Commons Standards Committee,
:02:53. > :02:56.comprising of MPs from all parties, dismissed the complaint against
:02:57. > :03:05.Maria Miller and ordered her to repay just ?5,800 for inadvertently
:03:06. > :03:11.overclaiming her merge claimants. She was forced to apologise to the
:03:12. > :03:15.Commons for the legalistic way she dealt with the complaints against
:03:16. > :03:20.her. But Tony Gallagher told the Daily Politics on Friday: We got a
:03:21. > :03:23.third call from Craig Oliver who pointed out, she is looking at
:03:24. > :03:28.Leveson and the call is badly timed. I think if you are making a series
:03:29. > :03:30.of telephone calls to a newspaper organisation investigating the
:03:31. > :03:31.conduct of a Cabinet Minister, that comes close
:03:32. > :03:37.After that interview Craig Oliver contacted us, saying there was no
:03:38. > :03:41.threat in anyway over Leveson. I mead it clear at the time. Tony
:03:42. > :03:45.Gallagher is talking rubbish about me, and you can use that. The Daily
:03:46. > :03:50.Telegraph have released a tape of a phone call between Maria Miller s
:03:51. > :03:55.aid, Joanna Hindley, and a reporter investigating her expenses claim.
:03:56. > :04:01.Joanna Hindley said: Maria's obviously been having quite
:04:02. > :04:06.a lot of editor's meetings around Leveson at the moment. So I'm just
:04:07. > :04:11.going to kind of flag up that connection for you to think about.
:04:12. > :04:13.The Prime Minister is sticking by his Culture Secretary, but this
:04:14. > :04:16.weekend's crescendo of criticism of her presents him with a problem and
:04:17. > :04:21.he could be wishing Maria Miller would just fall on her sword. Even
:04:22. > :04:26.over 80% of Tory voters in a Mail on Sunday poll think she should go On
:04:27. > :04:32.the Andrew Marr Show, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan
:04:33. > :04:37.Smith, defended his colleague. I've known her always to be a reasonable
:04:38. > :04:40.and honest person. But is she doing the Government or her any good by
:04:41. > :04:43.staying in office at the moment do you think? This is a matter the
:04:44. > :04:48.Prime Minister has to take consideration of and she herself. My
:04:49. > :04:54.view generally is I'm supportive of Maria, because if we are not careful
:04:55. > :04:56.we end one a witch-hunt of somebody. And I'm joined now by the
:04:57. > :05:00.Conservative MP, Bob Stewart, and the man in the white suit, former MP
:05:01. > :05:02.and anti-sleaze campaigner Martin Bell. Welcome to you both. Stuart
:05:03. > :05:07.Stuart sturkts let me put this to you, a Conservative MP told this
:05:08. > :05:11.programme, this is a quote, she has handled this appallingly. Downing
:05:12. > :05:15.Street has acted like judge and jury, for Craig Oliver to get
:05:16. > :05:19.involved is disastrous. She's been protected by the whips from the
:05:20. > :05:23.start. What do you say to that? It's not great, is it? The fact of the
:05:24. > :05:29.matter is the question one should ask is, did she deliberately try to
:05:30. > :05:34.make money? Did she deliberately try to obscure ate? The answer is she
:05:35. > :05:38.certainly didn't deliberately try to make money, in the system, which was
:05:39. > :05:44.the old system, and with regard to obscure ago, I wasn't there, but
:05:45. > :05:48.let's put it this way. She was going through a quasi-judicial process and
:05:49. > :05:53.might have ended up in court, so she has a right to defend herself. Hold
:05:54. > :05:57.on o you said she doesn't do it to make money, she remortgaged the
:05:58. > :06:01.house a couple of times to earn more interest to us, the taxpayer, and
:06:02. > :06:04.when interest rates went down she didn't reduce the amount she was
:06:05. > :06:12.charging in expenses. Well, the point is the adjudicator said there
:06:13. > :06:15.was ?45,000 she was owed. And then a committee, Standards Committee, said
:06:16. > :06:19.actually it should be reduced. That was mainly MPs but there are three
:06:20. > :06:23.lay members. Yes, but they don't have the vote. OK, fine, that is
:06:24. > :06:27.where it is wrong and we've got to get it sorted. Let me put another
:06:28. > :06:33.quote from our Conservative MP. He didn't want to be named. None of you
:06:34. > :06:38.do at the moment. I'm being named. But you are backing her. George
:06:39. > :06:40.young in cahoots. He's been leading on the Standards Committee to find
:06:41. > :06:45.her innocent. The Standards Committee is unfit for purpose. I
:06:46. > :06:50.think the Standards Committee should be revisited. I think the system is
:06:51. > :06:56.still evolving. And I think actually we ought to have totally independent
:06:57. > :07:00.judgment on MPs' pay and allowances. We haven't have not got there yet
:07:01. > :07:05.and that is where it is wrong. Martin Bell, have MPs interfered in
:07:06. > :07:09.the Maria Miller process and with the current Standards Commissioner
:07:10. > :07:12.in the same way that they saw off a previous Commissioner they thought
:07:13. > :07:20.was too independent? Andrew it is exactly the same. Yesterday I looked
:07:21. > :07:26.at a diary entry I made for May 2000, I said, dreadful meeting
:07:27. > :07:32.standards and privileges, they are playing party politics. One of them
:07:33. > :07:38.told Elizabeth fill kin to her face the gossip in the tea room was she
:07:39. > :07:42.had gone crazy. Nothing's changed. What this shows is most of all,
:07:43. > :07:47.what's the committee for? If it is just going to rubber stamp what the
:07:48. > :07:53.party wants and its mates, I don't see any point. But it hasn't rubber
:07:54. > :07:57.stamped. It's changed it. Well, it has watered down. That's why we
:07:58. > :08:03.should make it totally independent and it shouldn't be involved in the
:08:04. > :08:09.House of Commons. It is plus plus ca change isn't it? MPs', scandal, and
:08:10. > :08:15.MPs closing ranks for one of their own. Has the Commons learned
:08:16. > :08:19.nothing? And this is after the expenses scandal, where everything
:08:20. > :08:23.was out for everybody to see, you would think MPs would be careful.
:08:24. > :08:27.This is before the expenses scandal. We are looking at an historical
:08:28. > :08:31.event, during your time, Martin not mine. I'm clean on this. You
:08:32. > :08:36.campaigned for him as an independent. I did, he was a good
:08:37. > :08:41.friend of mine. And now you've joined the club. And now you are
:08:42. > :08:44.defending Maria Miller? I'm defending someone who hasn't been
:08:45. > :08:48.proved guilty of anything beyond the fact she was rather slow to come
:08:49. > :08:52.forward with evidence. My point on that, is I understand that. MPs are
:08:53. > :08:58.being lambasted the whole time these days. There were a heck of a lot of
:08:59. > :09:02.them, Martin, who are utterly decent. She didn't try to make
:09:03. > :09:06.money. We've just been through that. I don't think that's right. The jury
:09:07. > :09:11.is out on that. What should have happened in the Miller case, Martin
:09:12. > :09:14.Bell? I don't think there should be a committee on standards. I think
:09:15. > :09:18.the Commissioner should make a report. There has been to be justice
:09:19. > :09:24.for the MP complained against. Then the committee of the whole House can
:09:25. > :09:28.consider it. But we are, the House of Commons, then as now is incapable
:09:29. > :09:35.of regulating itself. That's been proving yet again. She made a
:09:36. > :09:39.perfunctory apology. She threatened and instructed the Standards
:09:40. > :09:44.Commissioner investigating her, and her special adviser linked expenses
:09:45. > :09:48.to Leveson, when trying to stop the Daily Telegraph from publishing I
:09:49. > :09:52.mean, is that the behaviour of a Cabinet Minister? Well, it's
:09:53. > :09:56.probably not the behaviour of someone that's got time on their
:09:57. > :10:02.hands. She's a very busy Cabinet Minister. Well, she had enough time
:10:03. > :10:08.to write lots of letters to the Standards Commission ser. She felt
:10:09. > :10:13.under such threat. She had the time. She had to make the time. Die know
:10:14. > :10:17.the lady is not trying desperately to make money. I disagree but on
:10:18. > :10:22.that. The fact of the matter is this was an old, old system, that
:10:23. > :10:26.we've tried to put right, or the Commons has tried to put right. I
:10:27. > :10:32.agree that MPs shouldn't get involved in this. Should we get rid
:10:33. > :10:36.of this committee? It serves no purpose except to cause trouble The
:10:37. > :10:41.adjudicator has said that and it should be the end of it. It
:10:42. > :10:45.shouldn't come back to the Commons. Although her special adviser
:10:46. > :10:48.threatened them over Leveson she was and is the Minister responsible for
:10:49. > :10:54.trying to introduce something like Leveson and that is something a big
:10:55. > :11:02.chunk that the press doesn't want. She is a target. It has a good
:11:03. > :11:07.record on this issue. It played wit a straight bat. The facts aren't in
:11:08. > :11:12.dispute are they? Will she make it to the next cabinet reshuffle and
:11:13. > :11:18.then go? Iain Duncan Smith said it is a matter for the Prime Minister.
:11:19. > :11:22.In my view, as things stand, I question did she deliberately want
:11:23. > :11:28.to make money? I don't think she did. Should she go? No. Should she
:11:29. > :11:32.be reshuffled? I don't know. Goodness me, you are asking someone
:11:33. > :11:37.who will never be reshuffled, because he will never make it. I was
:11:38. > :11:41.only asking for your opinion, not your ability to do it. This is a
:11:42. > :11:48.problem for Cameron isn't it? It is a problem for Cameron. There is
:11:49. > :11:54.nothing wrong with returning to be badge benches, as you know. Hear,
:11:55. > :11:59.hear. To that. Stick with me. Helen, can she survive? Is I'm going out of
:12:00. > :12:06.the prediction game when I said Clegg is going to win the date, so I
:12:07. > :12:13.owe Janan a tenner on that one. Grant Shapps has supported her. She
:12:14. > :12:19.was ringed by Sir George young and Jeremy Hunt... This is pretty
:12:20. > :12:23.devastating. On past form David Cameron hates having to bounce
:12:24. > :12:28.people out of the cabinet. He will want to keep Maria Miller until the
:12:29. > :12:31.summer reshuffle. This is a question mark on whether she survive this is.
:12:32. > :12:35.This isn't damaging to the Conservative or the Labour Party, it
:12:36. > :12:39.is damaging to everyone. This is catastrophic damage to the entire
:12:40. > :12:43.political establishment. Every single speech that David Cameron and
:12:44. > :12:47.Ed Miliband have given since 20 9, talking about restoring trust, they
:12:48. > :12:51.can wipe them from their computers, because voters are going to look
:12:52. > :12:55.that there and say, this lot haven't learnt anything. They are giving
:12:56. > :13:01.perfunctory apologies and then you have MPs sitting in judgment on MPs
:13:02. > :13:08.and rather than paying back ?45 000, she pays back ?5,800 after MPs have
:13:09. > :13:12.been into it. Damage is huge. Just getting rid of one Cabinet Minister,
:13:13. > :13:16.you will need to do more than that. You will notice that Labour haven't
:13:17. > :13:20.made huge weather of this. No, goodness me, they have their own
:13:21. > :13:26.skeletons. Exactly. The person who has made hay out of this is Nigel
:13:27. > :13:31.Farage, who has not been backwards in coming forward. He doesn't seem
:13:32. > :13:35.to care about skeletons. The Prime Minister has be-Gunby backing her,
:13:36. > :13:40.but that's not popular even with Tory voters. How does he get out of
:13:41. > :13:45.this? This is the problem for him. Five years ago his reaction to the
:13:46. > :13:50.expenses scandal was seen by many Tory backbenchers as excessive. They
:13:51. > :13:56.felt hung out to dry by a man who is independently wealthy. To go from
:13:57. > :13:59.that to making a special exemption to Maria Miller because it is
:14:00. > :14:02.politically suitable is more incendiary and provocative. It is
:14:03. > :14:04.not just upsetting the voters and the Daily Telegraph but a good
:14:05. > :14:10.number of people behind him. I think they will get rid of her. I think
:14:11. > :14:18.the Government, to paraphrase Churchill, will zoo the decent thing
:14:19. > :14:22.after exhausting all options, of the European elections a reshuffle. The
:14:23. > :14:27.culture department has gone from a baulk water in haul to one of the
:14:28. > :14:30.most politically sensational jobs because of its proximity to the
:14:31. > :14:42.Leveson issue. She has to be replaced by someone Lily skillful
:14:43. > :14:53.and substantial. Mr Cameron is not short of smart women? Nikki Morgan,
:14:54. > :14:57.the education department, these are absolutely outstanding women and the
:14:58. > :15:03.problem that the generation elected in 2005, Maria Miller generation,
:15:04. > :15:11.there are some really good people elected in 2010. You are not
:15:12. > :15:16.responsible for hacking into the culture Department's Twitter account
:15:17. > :15:23.last night? I was out at the time! They all say that! One so, Maria
:15:24. > :15:30.Miller is like a modern-day Robin Hood... She robs the poor to help
:15:31. > :15:40.the rich. Which one of us has not embezzled the taxpayer? I reckon it
:15:41. > :15:48.is the lady. You have the perfect cover. We would not know how to
:15:49. > :15:55.would we? You cannot tweet from a mobile device, can you? Play it
:15:56. > :15:58.safe. No, do something dramatic Have lots of pledges. Have just a
:15:59. > :16:01.few pledges. Ah, there must be a Labour policy review reaching its
:16:02. > :16:05.conclusion because everyone has some free advice for the party about its
:16:06. > :16:12.message and the man delivering it. Here's Adam. He is well liked by the
:16:13. > :16:18.public don't quite buy him as a leader. The papers say he is in hock
:16:19. > :16:23.to the unions and the party has a lead in the polls but it is not
:16:24. > :16:31.solid. Bartenders Neil Kinnock. That is what they said Winnie who lost
:16:32. > :16:39.the 1982 election. The whole country deserves better and we will work to
:16:40. > :16:41.ensure that the day will come when with the Labour government, the
:16:42. > :16:50.country will get better. Someone who was there can see some spooky
:16:51. > :16:52.parallels. The important lesson from 1992 is it cannot rest on your
:16:53. > :16:58.laurels and hope for the best, you cannot sit on a lead of seven points
:16:59. > :17:02.because the election narrows that and you cannot rely on the
:17:03. > :17:05.government not getting its act together because the Conservative
:17:06. > :17:10.Party was well funded and organised, the double whammy posters, the tax
:17:11. > :17:15.bombshell, but incredibly effective and the message was unified and they
:17:16. > :17:20.beat us on the campaign. The lesson for Labour today is this lead will
:17:21. > :17:27.evaporate quite possibly over the next few months and we might go into
:17:28. > :17:30.the election behind in the polls. But Ed Miliband is getting
:17:31. > :17:36.conflicting advice about how to avoid 1992 happening. Be bold, be
:17:37. > :17:40.cautious and then, the idea that Labour can squeak into office with
:17:41. > :17:45.just 35% of the vote, which worries some people. Each month, the Labour
:17:46. > :17:52.Party meets around the country and last week, everybody spoke about the
:17:53. > :17:57.dangers of this 35% strategy. They were increasingly unhappy and it is
:17:58. > :18:03.very important that those people around the leader naturally have a
:18:04. > :18:08.duty to protect him and they make sure he gets this message that while
:18:09. > :18:13.there is total support for him, they do want this key year in the run-up
:18:14. > :18:20.to the General Election to be putting out an alternative which we
:18:21. > :18:23.can defend on the doorstep. The doorstep where Neil Kinnock made his
:18:24. > :18:31.concession speech is crammed with Spanish back hackers. The old Labour
:18:32. > :18:35.offices are no a budget hostel. Labour headquarters is down the road
:18:36. > :18:39.and they are putting the finishing touches to a speech Ed Miliband will
:18:40. > :18:42.give this week about the cost of living and I am told he will drop
:18:43. > :18:49.hints about new policies in juicy areas like housing, low pay, growth
:18:50. > :18:51.and devolving power. As for the charge that they are not radical
:18:52. > :18:57.enough, his people say they want to be bold but they have to be credible
:18:58. > :19:01.as well. They say that Labour is more united than it has ever been
:19:02. > :19:05.but there has been some grumbling that the cost of living campaign is
:19:06. > :19:11.not the same as a vision for the country. And that Ed Miliband was
:19:12. > :19:13.not statesman-like enough at Prime Minister's Questions and one figure
:19:14. > :19:19.who sat at the same table in the Neil Kinnock years summed it up like
:19:20. > :19:21.this. Things are OK but it feels like we're playing for the draw
:19:22. > :19:36.Shadow Energy Secretary Caroline Flint joins me now for the Sunday
:19:37. > :19:42.Interview. This 35% victory strategy, it does not sound very
:19:43. > :19:45.ambitious? I am campaigning to win this election with a majority
:19:46. > :19:52.government and everybody else around the table is also. But we want to go
:19:53. > :19:56.to every corner of the country and win votes for Labour and win seats,
:19:57. > :20:04.that is what we are working towards. To avoid last time, the coalition
:20:05. > :20:10.bartering. But that 35% is a victory strategy so are you saying there is
:20:11. > :20:15.no 35% strategy and that no one at the heart of Labour is not arguing
:20:16. > :20:19.for this? We are working to win around the country and to win all of
:20:20. > :20:25.those battle ground seats and we must have a strategy that appeals to
:20:26. > :20:28.a cross-section of the public but within that, that broad group Queen
:20:29. > :20:38.Elizabeth Olympic Park and. You could do that with 35% of the vote?
:20:39. > :20:43.There is lots of polling and everyone looks at this about what we
:20:44. > :20:47.need to do to get seats and we want to have a comprehensive majority at
:20:48. > :20:54.the next election to win to govern this country. Last week, we have
:20:55. > :20:58.been reading reports of splits in the party over policy and on
:20:59. > :21:05.tactics, even strategy. A struggle for control of the General Election
:21:06. > :21:10.manifesto, we are told. What are you arguing over? I said on the
:21:11. > :21:14.committee and just listening to the film before, it is about being
:21:15. > :21:20.radical but also credible and we are talking about evolution and that is
:21:21. > :21:26.an important subject but we are also united and to be honest, in 201
:21:27. > :21:30.people were writing us off saying we would turn on ourselves and that has
:21:31. > :21:34.not been the case. We are not arguing about the fundamentals, we
:21:35. > :21:39.are discussing the policies that are coming up with different colleagues
:21:40. > :21:42.and talking about how we can make sure they are presented to the
:21:43. > :21:48.public and that is part of a process. That is a discussion, not
:21:49. > :21:52.disagreement. The Financial Times, which is usually pretty fair,
:21:53. > :21:58.reports a battle between Ed Miliband's radical instincts and the
:21:59. > :22:04.more business fiscal conservatism of Ed Balls. What side are you on? I am
:22:05. > :22:09.for radical change, I am for energy and I believe strongly we must be
:22:10. > :22:15.formed the market and people might portray that as anti-business but
:22:16. > :22:18.this is about more competition and transparency and others coming into
:22:19. > :22:26.this market so our policy on this is radical, not excepting the status
:22:27. > :22:33.quo. It is also for business. Opinion polls show that few people
:22:34. > :22:39.regard Ed Miliband as by Minister material -- Prime Minister material.
:22:40. > :22:47.That has been true since he became leader. And in some cases, they have
:22:48. > :22:51.been getting worse. Why is that Opinion polls say certain things
:22:52. > :22:55.about the personalities of leaders, David Cameron is not great either.
:22:56. > :23:02.And they were not great when he was in opposition. At this stage, he was
:23:03. > :23:12.getting 49% as Prime Minister real material and Ed Miliband, 19. -
:23:13. > :23:16.Prime Minister material. When you look at certain questions that the
:23:17. > :23:20.public is asked about who you think you would trust about being fair in
:23:21. > :23:24.terms of policy towards Britain who understands the cost of living
:23:25. > :23:31.crisis, they very much identify with Ed Miliband. We are ahead in the
:23:32. > :23:38.polls. Ed Miliband has made that happen. We have one more
:23:39. > :23:41.councillors, we have been running in by-elections and we have held this
:23:42. > :23:46.government over the barrel over six months on energy prices. That is to
:23:47. > :23:52.do with his leadership. The more that voters save him, the less they
:23:53. > :23:59.seem convinced. In 2011, he had been leader for one year, and only 1 %
:24:00. > :24:09.regarded him as weird, by 2014, that was 41%. Look at that! Look at that
:24:10. > :24:11.weirdness! What people need is to know where the Labour Party stands
:24:12. > :24:18.on fundamental issues. And in those areas, particularly the cost of
:24:19. > :24:21.living and fairness and people being concerned that we are entering into
:24:22. > :24:26.a period where people will be worse for the first time ever at the end
:24:27. > :24:33.of the Parliament, these things are important and Ed Miliband is part of
:24:34. > :24:39.our success. Definitely. I think this is ridiculous, to be fair, he
:24:40. > :24:43.is not a politician that says, I am dying with the Arctic monkeys, I
:24:44. > :24:51.know who is the number one. He did not play that game. -- down. He is
:24:52. > :24:55.not either there to portray himself as someone who was with the
:24:56. > :25:01.children, I know everything about popular culture. His authenticity is
:25:02. > :25:05.the most important thing. People do not think he is authentic, unless
:25:06. > :25:10.they think we were at is authentic. Is it true that his staff applaud
:25:11. > :25:19.him when he comes back after giving even a mediocre speech? I have never
:25:20. > :25:24.heard that. I have never heard about him being applauded. And I am
:25:25. > :25:29.pleased to applaud him with he makes speeches, I have given him a
:25:30. > :25:34.standing ovation. You have to do that because the cameras are
:25:35. > :25:38.rolling! No, he made a good speech. Five minutes without notes. It took
:25:39. > :25:44.a long time to memorise I don't blame him! The cost of living.
:25:45. > :25:50.Focusing on that, it has paid dividends. But inflation is falling
:25:51. > :25:54.and perhaps collapsing, unemployment is falling faster than anybody
:25:55. > :26:00.thought, as we can see. Wages are rising, soon faster than prices
:26:01. > :26:05.Retail sales are booming, people have got money in their pockets
:26:06. > :26:11.Isn't the cost of living crisis narrative running out of steam? I do
:26:12. > :26:17.not think so and I should say that I welcome any sign of positive changes
:26:18. > :26:21.in the economy, if anybody gets a job in Doncaster, I am pleased by
:26:22. > :26:26.the end of this Parliament families will be over ?900 worse off because
:26:27. > :26:33.of tax and benefit changes and the working person is ?1600 worse off
:26:34. > :26:38.and it is the first government since the 1870s where people will be at
:26:39. > :26:41.the end of the Parliament. We believe the government made wrong
:26:42. > :26:48.choices that lead the rich off at the expense of those on middle and
:26:49. > :26:53.lower incomes. -- let the rich. The average family ?794 worse off from
:26:54. > :26:59.tax and benefit changes. That has been backed up. They are those
:27:00. > :27:04.figures. But he has skewed these figures by including the richest,
:27:05. > :27:08.where the fall in tax and the penalty they pay is highest. If you
:27:09. > :27:14.take away the richest, it is nowhere near that figure. Everybody agrees
:27:15. > :27:17.and even the government and knowledges that at the end of their
:27:18. > :27:24.tenure in Parliament, people will be worse off. 350,000 extra people who
:27:25. > :27:28.would desperately like full-time work who are working part-time and 1
:27:29. > :27:33.million young people unemployed and the reason the cost of living has a
:27:34. > :27:36.residence is people feel that. I was in a supermarket and at Doncaster
:27:37. > :27:41.and someone summed this up, he said I work hard and at the end of the
:27:42. > :27:49.week, beyond paying bills, I have got nothing else. If you take away
:27:50. > :27:55.the top 10% who are losing over ?600,000, the average loss comes
:27:56. > :28:01.down to around ?400, less than half of what you claim. That figure is
:28:02. > :28:09.totally misleading. These are the figures from the IFS. It still
:28:10. > :28:13.shows... Whatever way you shape this, people will still be worse
:28:14. > :28:17.off, families worse off because of these changes to tax and benefits
:28:18. > :28:24.and working people because wages have not kept up with prices. Your
:28:25. > :28:28.energy portfolio, you back the enquiry into the big six companies
:28:29. > :28:32.and you intend to go ahead with the price freeze and reconfigure the
:28:33. > :28:37.market even before it reports. If you win, this is a waste of time?
:28:38. > :28:40.Whilst we have had this process before the announcement, we always
:28:41. > :28:46.feel if it goes that way, there might be areas we have not thought
:28:47. > :28:50.of that the enquiry will also draw attention to that we might want to
:28:51. > :28:54.add on. You are right, our basic reforms for the new regulator, to
:28:55. > :29:00.separate generation supply, we will pursue that. What happens if this
:29:01. > :29:05.report concludes that your plans are not correct? You will still go
:29:06. > :29:09.ahead? I don't think so. Actually, if you look at the report that Ofgem
:29:10. > :29:12.produced, some of the issues Labour has been drawing attention to like
:29:13. > :29:20.vertical integration, they cover that. I was asking about the
:29:21. > :29:24.Competition Commission? The report last week is a result of working
:29:25. > :29:30.together and I think it is clearly accepted in this sector, look at SSE
:29:31. > :29:48.last week, they will separate the business. We are pushing at the open
:29:49. > :29:55.door. It has already pulled out of gas. So it follows if you freeze
:29:56. > :29:59.energy prices across the market, it might be the right thing to do but
:30:00. > :30:03.there will be a cost in terms of jobs and investment, correct? Well,
:30:04. > :30:07.I met with SSE last weekand the chief executive and talked about
:30:08. > :30:10.these issues. The jobs changes are partly about them looking at how
:30:11. > :30:14.they could be more efficient as a company. On offshore wind that
:30:15. > :30:17.wasn't really to do with the price freeze. That was more to do with
:30:18. > :30:21.issues around confidence in that area and therefore willing to put
:30:22. > :30:27.the money into it, as well as technical issues as well But
:30:28. > :30:32.there'll be job losses. Is that a price worth paying? We believe the
:30:33. > :30:35.reason we are having a price freeze is these companies have been
:30:36. > :30:38.overcharging customers and haven't been investing in their
:30:39. > :30:43.organisations and making them more efficient. I do not believe a price
:30:44. > :30:48.freeze is linked to job losses. These companies do need to be more
:30:49. > :30:51.efficient. Goal for all of us is realising the fantastic opportunity
:30:52. > :30:55.for more jobs and growth from an energy sector that has certainty
:30:56. > :30:58.going forward. That's what Labour will deliver. Caroline Flint, thank
:30:59. > :31:01.you. It's 1130 and you're watching The
:31:02. > :31:04.Sunday Politics. We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland, who leave us
:31:05. > :31:14.now for Sunday Politics Scotland. Coming up
:31:15. > :31:18.In the East Midlands, warm words from the Prime Minister, but will
:31:19. > :31:22.the Government really act to save our last pit?
:31:23. > :31:26.I'm in the business of trying to save jobs, of making sure wd have
:31:27. > :31:29.diverse supplies of energy. So if we can help, we will help.
:31:30. > :31:33.And a lost generation. How can we find jobs for our young people and
:31:34. > :31:37.do they have the skills for work? There is a real cliff edge looming
:31:38. > :31:40.if we don't do the right thhng right now to engage young people `nd
:31:41. > :31:43.respond to the entry`level work the sector needs.
:31:44. > :31:46.Hello, I'm Marie Ashby and ly guests this week are Nicky Morgan, the
:31:47. > :31:49.Conservative MP for Loughborough and a Treasury Minister, and Toby
:31:50. > :31:53.Perkins is the Labour MP for Chesterfield. He's also a Shadow
:31:54. > :31:58.Minister on his party's bushness team. Well, it has been a bhg
:31:59. > :32:01.weekend for gambling. But one of our councils is joining forces with more
:32:02. > :32:04.than 60 others around the country calling for tougher planning
:32:05. > :32:07.regulations to limit the nulber of betting shops. Nottingham Chty
:32:08. > :32:10.Council is concerned at the growth of bookies on the High Stredt. As a
:32:11. > :32:14.Treasury Minister, you'll know gambling brings in a lot of revenue,
:32:15. > :32:21.around ?3 billion and millions in taxes. As a government I gudss it's
:32:22. > :32:25.not in your interests to cut the growth of this industry? As a
:32:26. > :32:28.government, what we want is local areas to have control over what
:32:29. > :32:32.their local High Street looks like. So I think it is great that a local
:32:33. > :32:37.council has said that we want to determine what kind of shops are on
:32:38. > :32:42.the High Street. Councils h`ve the power to say what they would like to
:32:43. > :32:46.have in the High Street or not. The last Budget reduced duty on bingo
:32:47. > :32:50.but put it up on fixed odds betting terminals. Should there be tighter
:32:51. > :32:54.controls on planning to limht the numbers being allowed to opdn? I
:32:55. > :32:56.think it is for local areas. Local communities are concerned that
:32:57. > :32:59.sometimes there are lots of betting shops on the High Street. If local
:33:00. > :33:03.people are concerned they c`n persuade the council to takd
:33:04. > :33:11.action. There is the abilitx for councils to take that action. In
:33:12. > :33:15.Nottingham for example therd a 3 in the city. Your brief for Labour is
:33:16. > :33:18.small businesses. Are you worried that independent operators `re being
:33:19. > :33:21.squeezed out of the High Street That is one aspect. There is also
:33:22. > :33:25.the fact we have not seen an increase overall in the number of
:33:26. > :33:29.betting shops. We have seen more moving into more deprived areas
:33:30. > :33:31.There is a sense that some of our town centres and districts `re
:33:32. > :33:37.becoming simply charity shops, betting shops and payday lenders.
:33:38. > :33:40.Nicky is right to say we nedd to do more to support local authorities
:33:41. > :33:47.and communities to have a s`y about what is in their area. What is also
:33:48. > :33:50.being called for is the planning regulations that see betting shops
:33:51. > :33:53.being judged as though they are a financial services provider rather
:33:54. > :33:57.than a separate class. It mdans it is difficult for local authorities
:33:58. > :34:01.to turn those applications down You would like to see more controls I
:34:02. > :34:07.would like to see... There hs a role for betting shops. We must `llow
:34:08. > :34:11.people to do what they want to do. But there should be a separ`te class
:34:12. > :34:15.for betting shops and it wotld allow local authorities to say we have
:34:16. > :34:18.enough in that area. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport says
:34:19. > :34:21.problem gambling is a seriots issue and they're currently reviewing what
:34:22. > :34:26.measures, if any, are needed concerning planning. There `re real
:34:27. > :34:31.concerns that betting operators are targeting the most vulnerable in the
:34:32. > :34:35.most deprived areas. That is why in the Budget the Chancellor ptt up the
:34:36. > :34:39.duty on fixed odds betting lachines which are often described as being
:34:40. > :34:46.the most addictive. The gambling industry tell us they will try to be
:34:47. > :34:49.responsible. Local councils do have power already to limit the number of
:34:50. > :34:53.betting shops but they have to choose to take that power. The
:34:54. > :34:59.Department for Culture is dte to report back on gambling this spring.
:35:00. > :35:02.Well, If you were having a bet on the coal industry this weekdnd you
:35:03. > :35:06.might get long odds on its survival. UK Coal has begun the process of
:35:07. > :35:09.closing down the last deep line in the East Midlands. Thoresby Colliery
:35:10. > :35:13.in North Nottinghamshire is expected to close within the next 18 months,
:35:14. > :35:16.with the loss of 600 jobs. Dven a recent visit from the Chancdllor
:35:17. > :35:19.looks like it won't be enough to save it. Union leaders say with
:35:20. > :35:23.European funding the pit cotld be kept open for another four xears.
:35:24. > :35:28.This week though the Prime Linister stepped in, promising help.
:35:29. > :35:31.We will do everything we can. We are talking to the company, we `re
:35:32. > :35:34.talking to the businesses rdlated to this company. We will do evdrything
:35:35. > :35:37.we can to help them. There `re obviously limits. This is t`xpayers'
:35:38. > :35:42.money that would have to be involved. But we will work with them
:35:43. > :35:45.as closely as we can. I am hn the business of trying to save jobs and
:35:46. > :35:49.making sure we have diverse supplies of energy. If we can help, we will
:35:50. > :35:53.help. That is not money to help close them down. You're offdring
:35:54. > :35:57.money to try to keep them alive as working concerns? We want to do
:35:58. > :36:01.everything we can to keep pdople in their jobs and keep businesses
:36:02. > :36:04.going. There are limits to what we can do because you are not `llowed
:36:05. > :36:14.to just wilfully spend taxp`yers' money helping particular businesses.
:36:15. > :36:17.Well, we're joined by Jeff Wood who's the president of the Tnion of
:36:18. > :36:20.Democratic Mineworkers. Jeff, do you believe David Cameron? If hd can
:36:21. > :36:23.stand by his words, what we urgently need is the Government to m`ke an
:36:24. > :36:26.application for European st`te closure aid. That would givd
:36:27. > :36:29.Thoresby Colliery at least tntil December 2018 under current state
:36:30. > :36:32.aid rules. What we keep hearing from the Department for Energy and
:36:33. > :36:36.Climate Change is that we c`n't apply for various reasons. We have
:36:37. > :36:40.been to Brussels with all the trade unions this weekend and thex made it
:36:41. > :36:43.quite clear the Government can make their application for state closure
:36:44. > :36:48.aid. They just need to put application in. But this is still
:36:49. > :36:52.about the pit closing. Therd is no way of saving it? ?? GREEN dvery pit
:36:53. > :36:55.has got a finite life. Therd is another pit with far more rdserves
:36:56. > :36:59.than Thoresby. Thoresby Colliery can currently continue until 2008. There
:37:00. > :37:04.are additional reserves aftdr that. At the moment, the company hs in
:37:05. > :37:07.financial difficulties. There is a deal on the table which is `
:37:08. > :37:10.commercial loan. The departlent said that with a commercial loan you
:37:11. > :37:13.can't apply for European st`te closure aid. That is not wh`t
:37:14. > :37:17.Brussels said. You can run both side`by`side. So why aren't you
:37:18. > :37:21.going to Europe to find out what can be done and whether you can do this
:37:22. > :37:25.deal? We are doing everything we can and we very much want to support the
:37:26. > :37:30.miners in particular, whose jobs are going to be potentially affdcted
:37:31. > :37:35.with this. We are working whth all parties including the UDM to see
:37:36. > :37:39.what can be done. There is `ctive engagement going on. You sax that
:37:40. > :37:44.there is coal still at Thordsby How much are we talking about? H would
:37:45. > :37:48.say there are is at least fhve years' worth of production left at
:37:49. > :37:51.Thoresby. 1.2 million tonnes a year. There are additional reserves
:37:52. > :37:55.are available. Obviously, wd would need further investment to `chieve
:37:56. > :38:00.that and further tipping sp`ce. Does not make sense to get the coal that
:38:01. > :38:03.is in there out first? Well, what has happened is that the co`l price
:38:04. > :38:07.has dropped around the world significantly. Since the last
:38:08. > :38:18.restructuring of UK Coal, which was last year, the call market has
:38:19. > :38:22.changed enormously. `` coal market. There is a lot more cheaper US coal
:38:23. > :38:25.because of the shale gas revolution over there. Things have changed
:38:26. > :38:28.substantially. You are right. The future, in terms of the coal
:38:29. > :38:31.available, as part of the dhscussion happening at the moment. Wotld
:38:32. > :38:35.Labour try to save Thoresby? I think what Jeff has said about thdre being
:38:36. > :38:38.action that would keep the coal under the closure programme, it does
:38:39. > :38:42.have to have an end date in mind. The Prime Minister is saying he will
:38:43. > :38:46.do everything he can. But actually the words we are hearing sedm to
:38:47. > :38:50.suggest that nothing can be done in terms of Europe. We agree whth Jeff.
:38:51. > :38:53.We think there is an opporttnity for the Government to go under the coal
:38:54. > :38:56.closure programme and take ` positive approach as the EU
:38:57. > :39:03.Commissioner suggested, as the Czech Republic government has dond. They
:39:04. > :39:08.could save nearly 1300 jobs. Up to four years. That is vital at this
:39:09. > :39:11.time. When we can buy coal so much more cheaply abroad why shotld we
:39:12. > :39:17.prop up what's left of the hndustry here? I certainly think there is.
:39:18. > :39:21.People talk about a diverse energy mix and the fact that we have
:39:22. > :39:24.security of supply. When yot look politically at the moment in Russia
:39:25. > :39:28.and what has been happening in the Ukraine, there is still 19 lillion
:39:29. > :39:34.tonnes of coal buried in thhs country and 40% of our energy at the
:39:35. > :39:37.moment is derived from coal. If those two minds at close down we
:39:38. > :39:44.will be dependent on Vladimhr Putin's coal as well as his gas ``
:39:45. > :39:48.mines. Is that a good idea? Is it wise to rely totally on the Russian
:39:49. > :39:51.supply? I'm not sure that is the case. I mentioned about the US coal.
:39:52. > :39:58.We get energy from a number of different supplies. Wind, g`s,
:39:59. > :40:01.coal. Yes, but still a lot from Russia. Well, actually, there are
:40:02. > :40:05.other countries in Europe that are far more dependent on Russi`n coal.
:40:06. > :40:09.At the heart of this are thd miners and their jobs and their security
:40:10. > :40:13.and that is who we want to focus on in terms of helping people to make
:40:14. > :40:17.the best of what is a very unfortunate situation. Will Labour
:40:18. > :40:21.throw their weight behind these miners? I've got to say, he`ring
:40:22. > :40:28.Conservatives worried about miners and their jobs, it has come rather
:40:29. > :40:30.late. In terms of their jobs at Thoresby Colliery, it is very
:40:31. > :40:36.important and we should do everything we can. But Labotr didn't
:40:37. > :40:41.exactly do a lot, did they? Well, they had virtually all been closed
:40:42. > :40:49.by then. What has happened hn the mining industry is a tragedx. These
:40:50. > :40:55.are important jobs but over the course of 30 years it is a tragic
:40:56. > :40:59.loss. But saying that there is only a certain life span for these pits,
:41:00. > :41:04.four or five years maximum, it would close anyway. In the context of this
:41:05. > :41:08.pit, yes, we are talking about where the industry is now and we need to
:41:09. > :41:12.do what we can to support that. But I was talking about the history we
:41:13. > :41:15.all know about over the last 30 years. This week we have he`rd
:41:16. > :41:18.headlines about the smog and pollution in this country. We have
:41:19. > :41:22.all seen it. Should we be using coal at all? In Brussels, we went to a
:41:23. > :41:25.presentation about a project the Government are putting ?1 bhllion
:41:26. > :41:33.into, for the Drax power st`tion carbon capture and storage. We are
:41:34. > :41:38.talking about burning British coal. You can capture the carbon. There
:41:39. > :41:43.will be a pipeline across and they have 70 million tonnes of c`pacity.
:41:44. > :41:47.But we won't have any British coal left. If we close down the lines.
:41:48. > :41:54.There is one colliery mothb`lled at the moment with 25 years' worth of
:41:55. > :41:58.top coal reserves there. Thd investment needed is about ?150
:41:59. > :42:01.million. The point is that overall we have a strategy of decarbonising
:42:02. > :42:06.our energy sector. Producing less carbon which means moving to other
:42:07. > :42:11.forms of energy generation. Coal is still important but there are other
:42:12. > :42:14.ways to generate energy. We are in a transitional period and, as the
:42:15. > :42:24.Prime Minister said, this is taxpayers' money. Should we move
:42:25. > :42:29.away from coal? Obviously, ht has shrunk in terms of its contribution.
:42:30. > :42:37.I think we should look towards carbon capture and storage. It could
:42:38. > :42:40.have given new life to the hndustry. I think also in terms of thd
:42:41. > :42:45.relationship with Europe it is important. There is resentmdnt about
:42:46. > :42:50.the money we send over therd. This is 600 people losing their jobs We
:42:51. > :42:54.need to be fighting for it. Our members in the union, we all get the
:42:55. > :42:57.same benefits. Why can't we have the same benefits from Europe as they do
:42:58. > :43:05.in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic? Make the applicathon. Jeff
:43:06. > :43:08.Wood, thank you. Whatever job prospects the future
:43:09. > :43:11.holds for our young people, it's unlikely they'll find careers in
:43:12. > :43:15.mining. But where will they find work, and do they have the skills to
:43:16. > :43:18.do it? There's a heavy emph`sis on providing apprenticeships, but many
:43:19. > :43:21.employers say young people `re having to be taught to maths,
:43:22. > :43:23.English and IT before they can even begin training them for the
:43:24. > :43:26.workplace. These are Derby's very own boys from
:43:27. > :43:31.the black stuff. Repairing cracked pavements and filling in potholes.
:43:32. > :43:35.This is unglamorous but essdntial work. For this 19`year`old, it is a
:43:36. > :43:41.job opportunity through a council`run apprenticeship scheme.
:43:42. > :43:47.He is fortunate. Not all yotng job`seekers have the basic dducation
:43:48. > :43:51.and skills to be considered. It gives me a new set of skills and
:43:52. > :43:57.hopefully I'll have a career out of this. In the next five or shx years,
:43:58. > :44:01.I could go into my own business The rate of youth unemployment hn the
:44:02. > :44:04.East Midlands now stands at just over 20% but what is more
:44:05. > :44:10.significant are the number of young people neither in employment,
:44:11. > :44:17.education or training. That stands at 74,000, up by 3000 since the
:44:18. > :44:20.coalition came to power. To combat youth unemployment, Labour`run Derby
:44:21. > :44:27.City Council will double thd number of apprenticeships to 75. It is the
:44:28. > :44:30.difficult, especially as thdre are a lot of older people still staying
:44:31. > :44:38.on. The retirement age is gdtting longer. A lot of skilled jobs are
:44:39. > :44:41.being taken by older people. It is also expanding its scheme that
:44:42. > :44:47.places young job`seekers with local private firms in an attempt to plug
:44:48. > :44:50.a growing skills gap. I just worry that with almost one million young
:44:51. > :44:55.people out of work across the country we are heading very fast to
:44:56. > :44:59.having a lost generation. Wd feel it is important as city leaders to set
:45:00. > :45:02.an example to people across the city to say take on apprenticeshhps, give
:45:03. > :45:10.them the skills they need to be suitable for a job in today's labour
:45:11. > :45:13.market. This bit of kit at ` Nottingham manufacturer is `lso for
:45:14. > :45:21.a drop or two of the black stuff. Oil. The company makes filtration
:45:22. > :45:24.equipment to clean up fuel. The business plans to expand but the
:45:25. > :45:27.lack of engineering skills hn the local jobs market, especially in
:45:28. > :45:32.basic maths and science, is becoming a real headache. It is tricky.
:45:33. > :45:39.People are out there but it can be hard work. That is right across the
:45:40. > :45:45.piste from shop floor, design, it is hard to find them. This forler civil
:45:46. > :45:47.servant may have a solution. His Government`backed employer first
:45:48. > :45:55.programme is creating an alternative job centre for firms needing those
:45:56. > :45:59.skilled staff. There is a cliff edge looming if we don't do the right
:46:00. > :46:02.thing right now to engage young people and respond to the
:46:03. > :46:05.entry`level work the sector needs. There are also issues around
:46:06. > :46:10.technical skills and intermddiate skills. As businesses operating in
:46:11. > :46:16.the sector expand, they can take advantage of market growth. As the
:46:17. > :46:19.region's economy hots up, the worry now is whether we have got dnough
:46:20. > :46:23.skilled workers ready for the revival.
:46:24. > :46:27.So our businessman was saying the revival could be snuffed out because
:46:28. > :46:30.we just haven't got enough xoung people coming through with the
:46:31. > :46:34.skills in science and maths. More than slightly worrying! Absolutely.
:46:35. > :46:39.I think it has been systematic in our education system for a long
:46:40. > :46:42.time. But there are lots of excellent schools in the East
:46:43. > :46:45.Midlands. In Loughborough, we have a scheme called Bridge to Work which
:46:46. > :46:48.works with the college, the schools and employers to make sure xoung
:46:49. > :46:54.people and their parents ard aware of apprenticeships, traineeships,
:46:55. > :46:59.work experience opportunitids. But there is an issue and every business
:47:00. > :47:04.meeting I go to says we can't find the right people. It is partly the
:47:05. > :47:08.academics, English and maths, but also employability skills. There is
:47:09. > :47:12.an issue there. I think it hs going to be solved by schools, businesses
:47:13. > :47:17.and Government working together The Government says there are now more
:47:18. > :47:22.apprentices than ever beford. You have to accept they are tackling the
:47:23. > :47:25.problem of youth unemployment. I think they're two different
:47:26. > :47:28.questions. There are really positive steps over the course of thd last
:47:29. > :47:30.seven or eight years in apprenticeships. There is
:47:31. > :47:37.cross`party consensus that they are valuable. The figures in yotr report
:47:38. > :47:41.show there is still a long way to go. The number of people not in
:47:42. > :47:48.employment, education or tr`ining is going up, not down. What I think we
:47:49. > :47:52.need is to have an economy that works on a skill basis on long`term
:47:53. > :47:55.growth. A lot of the recovery has been based on the property boom in
:47:56. > :48:00.the south rather than the rdal economy and the people in this area
:48:01. > :48:03.who could benefit. It has come to something when we are having to
:48:04. > :48:06.train young people in maths, English, IT before they can even go
:48:07. > :48:09.on to apprenticeships. How has that happened that they are coming out of
:48:10. > :48:12.school without these skills? Unfortunately, under the last
:48:13. > :48:17.government we did not see the emphasis on standards that we now
:48:18. > :48:24.see. Michael Gove is determhned to ensure higher standards. Of course
:48:25. > :48:27.he won't agree with me on this. We saw grade inflation where pdople
:48:28. > :48:32.were told they were getting As and doing very well. That is not fair on
:48:33. > :48:35.the young person or the employers. They need to know there are
:48:36. > :48:38.measurable standards. That hs why the traineeships have been
:48:39. > :48:41.introduced so young people can catch up on those skills. Labour's fault?
:48:42. > :48:45.Under the Conservatives, before Labour came to power in 1997, over
:48:46. > :48:52.half of all schools would not have 30% of kids getting five GCSEs. By
:48:53. > :48:55.the end of the Labour government, virtually every single school had
:48:56. > :49:02.that. Now the economy has changed and unskilled jobs have redtced
:49:03. > :49:06.There is still a long way to go but the progress made by people in our
:49:07. > :49:10.education sector was fantastic. What would you do now and how wotld you
:49:11. > :49:14.pay for that? We should partly look at the kind of economy you want and
:49:15. > :49:18.have a real investment in skills and actually making things again.
:49:19. > :49:23.Manufacturing has continued to fall. It is also about having a rdal
:49:24. > :49:26.investment in young people. We saw, under schemes set up by the last
:49:27. > :49:29.government, that from the start of young people's lives right the way
:49:30. > :49:35.through, they need investment. That must carry on because that hs
:49:36. > :49:38.long`term progress. Something has to be done, doesn't it? It is on a
:49:39. > :49:42.cliff edge. We know youth unemployment is still too hhgh.
:49:43. > :49:46.There is more to be done to tackle it. If we are going to do it, we
:49:47. > :49:49.should work together in a partnership. Now with a round`up of
:49:50. > :49:53.other stories here's John Hdss with 60 Seconds.
:49:54. > :50:00.A warning from Bassetlaw's LP John Mann that 800 years of local justice
:50:01. > :50:03.in Robin Hood country is threatened. He has secured a Commons debate
:50:04. > :50:06.tomorrow night on proposals to close Worksop Magistrates' Court `nd shift
:50:07. > :50:10.cases to be heard in Mansfidld and Nottingham.
:50:11. > :50:14.Next, the Government's decision not to go ahead with a national badger
:50:15. > :50:17.cull. Derby North MP Chris Williamson campaigned against it and
:50:18. > :50:21.said it is a victory for common`sense.
:50:22. > :50:25.Protesters fighting funding cuts to Lincolnshire's libraries ard taking
:50:26. > :50:28.their case to the county's LPs. The Save Lincolnshire Libraries group
:50:29. > :50:34.has already won a judicial review of the County Council's decision. It
:50:35. > :50:37.will now lobby MPs at Westmhnster. And a County Council`led scheme to
:50:38. > :50:42.bring high`speed broadband to rural Derbyshire could reach thousands
:50:43. > :50:47.more people. The ?28 million project was aimed at 80,000 homes and
:50:48. > :50:55.businesses. Another ?4 millhon could be available to extend the scheme.
:50:56. > :50:58.That's the Sunday Politics hn the East Midlands. Thanks to our guests
:50:59. > :51:00.Nicky Morgan and Toby Perkins. Next week it's Jessica Lee and Jon
:51:01. > :51:15.Ashworth. Now back to Andrew Neil. chair next week. And with that, back
:51:16. > :51:24.to Andrew. Welcome back and time now to get more from our panel. So they
:51:25. > :51:29.can justify their meagre patents. This cost of living mantra will last
:51:30. > :51:35.all the way until the election. Cannot? Ed Miliband leaves he is
:51:36. > :51:40.onto something and for most of this Parliament, inflation has
:51:41. > :51:44.outstripped wages. That is going to go the other way and wages will
:51:45. > :51:49.rise, to which you say Ed Miliband has nothing to say. He says if you
:51:50. > :51:53.think people are going to feel better in the blink of an eye, you
:51:54. > :51:58.are a Conservative and do not understand the depth of this and he
:51:59. > :52:01.is taking the message from a presidential election in America in
:52:02. > :52:06.2012 and make Romney was ahead on some of the economic indicators but
:52:07. > :52:12.Barack Obama was ahead on the key one, do you believe this candidate
:52:13. > :52:15.will make your family's life better? The message that Ed Miliband
:52:16. > :52:21.will try to say is the next election is about whose side are you on? And
:52:22. > :52:25.he believes Labour will be on the side of more voters than
:52:26. > :52:30.conservatives. It would be crazy for Labour not to talk about the cost of
:52:31. > :52:34.living because even if wages exceed inflation next year, it is not as if
:52:35. > :52:38.voters will walk around feeling like Imelda Marcos, they will still feel
:52:39. > :52:45.as if they were struggling and not just compared... Retail sales are
:52:46. > :52:50.slowing? That is not the sign of palpable disparity. Circumstances
:52:51. > :52:56.are better than three years ago but not better than five years ago. The
:52:57. > :53:03.Reagan question will still be employed, are you better off than at
:53:04. > :53:07.the last election? But things in America were actually getting worse
:53:08. > :53:13.when he asked that. I covered that election, that is why it resonated
:53:14. > :53:19.and they did get worse. The Ayatollah had quadrupled the price
:53:20. > :53:22.of oil. This is based on things getting relatively better, after a
:53:23. > :53:28.very long wait, so the cost of living critique will have to adapt?
:53:29. > :53:34.It will but it gets out of a very sticky spot and the IFS says wages
:53:35. > :53:38.will not outstrip inflation and by that time they can start talking
:53:39. > :53:43.about other things, plans for the railways and tuition fees and at the
:53:44. > :53:45.moment, everything is up for grabs. Labour know that every time they
:53:46. > :53:51.talk about something they want to do, the question is, how do you pay
:53:52. > :53:54.for it? They can talk about the economy and they don't have
:53:55. > :54:00.substantial things to say. Is it true that Mr Iain Duncan Smith was
:54:01. > :54:05.going to make a major announcement on benefit cheats? Or something to
:54:06. > :54:09.do with that this morning? But he decided against it because of the
:54:10. > :54:13.tobacco over Maria Miller? It would be very odd to go on to The Andrew
:54:14. > :54:17.Marr Show to have a chat and see what he is having for lunch. Patrick
:54:18. > :54:22.went from the Guardian said he was going to set out higher financial
:54:23. > :54:25.penalty phase for providing inaccurate information in claims.
:54:26. > :54:32.This is a bad day to do that, given that MP expenses are treated far
:54:33. > :54:38.more lenient the than any one from Joe public. That would be
:54:39. > :54:42.fascinating, if true. And he is making a very big speech on well for
:54:43. > :54:48.tomorrow and this tweet from Patrick went at the Guardian, he has proper
:54:49. > :54:52.sized on welfare matters and he tends to know what is going on. But
:54:53. > :54:57.it would be deeply unfortunate if that was the message today. How can
:54:58. > :55:00.he make a speech that has anything about cracking down on benefit
:55:01. > :55:09.claimants? Not today but I am not sure tomorrow. Do you get the
:55:10. > :55:14.impression that nobody in both main parties is very confident of winning
:55:15. > :55:18.in 2015? I column last week said the result, the most likely result from
:55:19. > :55:23.one year on is another hung parliament and which government
:55:24. > :55:27.results from that depends on the mathematical specifics of whether
:55:28. > :55:31.the Tories can do a deal as well as Labour, leaving everything in the
:55:32. > :55:34.hands of Nick Clegg or whether one party can do a straightforward deal
:55:35. > :55:41.but I do not detect any sense of exuberance or confidence in either
:55:42. > :55:44.camp. And the Tories are still shooting themselves over losing the
:55:45. > :55:48.boundary commission reforms because that was going to net them 20 seats
:55:49. > :55:51.and they lost that because they messed up the House of Lords reform
:55:52. > :55:55.and there are still furious with themselves. The former US President,
:55:56. > :55:59.George W Bush, has been a busy boy and here at the Sunday Politics we
:56:00. > :56:01.thought you'd like to see the results of his artistic endeavours.
:56:02. > :56:49.Time for the gallery. I was a prize to find myself saying,
:56:50. > :56:56.some of these are not bad! -- surprised. Vladimir Putin? I like
:56:57. > :57:02.the one of Tony Blair but his early ones of dogs, to be in the presence
:57:03. > :57:10.of the master is to see his portrait of a Joanne Love. He is not of the
:57:11. > :57:15.Turner prize but I was surprised. He gets the mask of Vladimir Putin
:57:16. > :57:18.also Tony Blair. I was impressed that he did not allow personal or
:57:19. > :57:25.political grudges to influence his artwork. Jacques Chirac, he comes
:57:26. > :57:28.out of this incredibly well! And Angela Merkel comes out
:57:29. > :57:34.astonishingly well. Quite generous as well. Tony Blair is the best one
:57:35. > :57:39.and the reason is he had the closest relationship with them and he has
:57:40. > :57:43.talked about this portrait, saying he was quite fond of him and you can
:57:44. > :57:47.see that. These are awful, they would not get you an A-level but you
:57:48. > :57:56.must admire him to have the guts to do this, and display them publicly!
:57:57. > :58:03.An A-level? Just doing joined up numbers gets you that these days!
:58:04. > :58:06.What do you do when you retire? This is less embarrassing than some of
:58:07. > :58:13.the other things people have done. As good as Churchill? I don't
:58:14. > :58:18.know... No! Churchill was brilliant! And on that! That's all for today.
:58:19. > :58:21.Tune into BBC Two every day at lunchtime this week for the Daily
:58:22. > :58:24.Politics. And we'll be back at the later time of 2:30pm next Sunday
:58:25. > :58:26.after the London Marathon. Remember, if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday
:58:27. > :58:33.Politics.