:00:36. > :00:40.It's Sunday Morning, and this is the Sunday Politics.
:00:41. > :00:43.Theresa May says she has no plans to increase tax levels,
:00:44. > :00:46.but refuses to repeat David Cameron's 2015 manifesto
:00:47. > :00:53.promise ruling out hikes in VAT, national insurance and income tax.
:00:54. > :00:57.The leaders of the EU's 27 member states unanimously
:00:58. > :01:00.agree their negotiating strategy for the upcoming Brexit talks, but
:01:01. > :01:10.And in the last of our series of interviews ahead of Thursday's
:01:11. > :01:15.And in the East Midlands: to the leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne
:01:16. > :01:17.With low productivity and low wages who's got
:01:18. > :01:21.And the battle to win political control of our counties
:01:22. > :01:48.They hit an all-time low after coalition government,
:01:49. > :01:49.but are the Lib Dems poised to bounce back,
:01:50. > :01:54.And with me to analyse the week's politics,
:01:55. > :01:56.Isabel Oakeshott, Steve Richards, Tom Newton-Dunn.
:01:57. > :01:57.They'll be tweeting using the hashtag #bbcsp.
:01:58. > :02:00.So when Theresa May was interviewed just over an hour ago
:02:01. > :02:03.on The Andrew Marr Show, the Prime Minister was asked
:02:04. > :02:05.to confirm that she would repeat David Cameron's 2015 election
:02:06. > :02:07.promise not to raise VAT, national insurance and income tax
:02:08. > :02:12.We have absolutely no plans to increase the level of tax,
:02:13. > :02:15.but I'm also very clear that I don't want to make specific proposals
:02:16. > :02:18.on taxes unless I'm absolutely sure that I can deliver on those.
:02:19. > :02:20.But it is, would be my intention as a Conservative Government
:02:21. > :02:22.and a Conservative Prime Minister, to reduce the taxes
:02:23. > :02:32.The Tories like to have a clear tax message in elections, are they
:02:33. > :02:36.getting into a bit of a mess? That method wasn't clear, but does it
:02:37. > :02:41.mean, saying they have no plans to increase the level of tax? We are
:02:42. > :02:45.clear there will not be a rise in VAT, a lot of commentators will get
:02:46. > :02:50.overexcited about that, but there was no great expectations there
:02:51. > :02:55.would be a rise in VAT. Tempting as it is, because even one percentage
:02:56. > :02:59.point on VAT rate is 4.5 billion for the exchequer so it is tempting but
:03:00. > :03:07.there has been no speculation that would happen. We can see that she
:03:08. > :03:09.clearly wants to reiterate the language about hard-working families
:03:10. > :03:15.but I don't think we are that much the wiser. Even if she does not put
:03:16. > :03:19.up rates, according to projections the overall tax burden, as a
:03:20. > :03:25.percentage of GDP, is rising, will rise in the years ahead. That is why
:03:26. > :03:29.it was an odd phrase, I know she is doing it to be evasive but to say
:03:30. > :03:33.they have no plans to raise the general level of taxation, they do
:03:34. > :03:37.have. We also know they have specific plans because it was in the
:03:38. > :03:45.last budget, they had a tax rise which they had to revise, National
:03:46. > :03:52.Insurance rises, so very wisely in my view they are keeping options
:03:53. > :03:56.open, the 2015 tax-and-spend debate was a fantasy world, totally
:03:57. > :04:01.unrelated to the demands that would follow. They now have the
:04:02. > :04:05.flexibility, one of the arguments you had heard last time was Philip
:04:06. > :04:10.Hammond saying to her, we have to break away from the 2015 manifesto
:04:11. > :04:14.commitment and we can only do it this way, that is one of the better
:04:15. > :04:19.arguments. The Tories like to talk about tax cuts in elections, whether
:04:20. > :04:25.they do it is another matter, but they are not being allowed to talk
:04:26. > :04:30.about tax cuts, they are now on the defensive over whether they will
:04:31. > :04:32.raise taxes. That is not a healthy position for the campaign to be in.
:04:33. > :04:38.If you look at the numbers, quite frankly, if you will not do this at
:04:39. > :04:42.this election with eight 20 point lead over Labour, then when will you
:04:43. > :04:46.take these tough decisions? Reading between the lines of what Theresa
:04:47. > :04:49.May has said all over different broadcasters this morning, income
:04:50. > :04:53.tax will go down for low-income families, such as the threshold rise
:04:54. > :05:00.that microbes that was already factored in. She has had to commit
:05:01. > :05:04.to it again. VAT will be fat, national insurance contributions
:05:05. > :05:10.will go up. Do you think they will go up? I think so, she had plenty of
:05:11. > :05:16.opportunity to rule it out and she didn't. There was a terrible mess
:05:17. > :05:19.with the budget, it is a good tax argument but not a good electoral
:05:20. > :05:25.argument that you are eroding the base so heavily with people moving
:05:26. > :05:27.into self-employment that as you raise national insurance
:05:28. > :05:30.contributions for everybody but the self-employed, it is something the
:05:31. > :05:35.Treasury will have to look at. The other triple lock on pensions, we
:05:36. > :05:40.don't know if they will keep to that either? If they are sensible they
:05:41. > :05:43.will find a form of words to give them flexibility in that area as
:05:44. > :05:48.well. I would say there is no question over that, that has gone.
:05:49. > :05:51.As Mrs May would say, you will have to wait for the manifesto. That is
:05:52. > :05:56.what all the party leaders tell me! Labour have spent the weekend
:05:57. > :05:58.pushing their messages Speaking at a camapign rally
:05:59. > :06:01.in London yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn promised a Labour
:06:02. > :06:09.government would fix what he called People are fed up, fed up with not
:06:10. > :06:13.being able to get somewhere to live, fed up waiting for hospital
:06:14. > :06:18.appointments, fed up with 0-hours contracts, fed up with low pay, fed
:06:19. > :06:23.up with debt, fed up with not being able to get on in their lives
:06:24. > :06:26.because we have a system that is rigged against so many.
:06:27. > :06:28.I've been joined from Newcastle by Labour's elections
:06:29. > :06:29.and campaigns co-ordinator, Ian Lavery.
:06:30. > :06:40.Good morning. To deal with this rigged economy, as Mr Corbyn calls
:06:41. > :06:45.it, the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has a 20 point plan for
:06:46. > :06:49.workers out today. When you add up everything he plans to do to help
:06:50. > :06:53.workers, how much will it cost? The full costings, one thing I need to
:06:54. > :06:59.say at the very beginning, the costings of any policy which we have
:07:00. > :07:04.already ruled out and any policy we will be ruling out in the next few
:07:05. > :07:09.days and weeks will be fully costed in the manifesto and in addition to
:07:10. > :07:13.the fact that it will be fully costed, we will see it in the
:07:14. > :07:18.manifesto how indeed it has been funded, so we are very clear,
:07:19. > :07:22.anything we have seen already, and there are some exciting policy
:07:23. > :07:26.releases and there will be more in the future, anything we are going to
:07:27. > :07:29.do will be fully costed and in the manifesto. You announced a 20 point
:07:30. > :07:34.plan but cannot tell me what the costs will be this morning so at the
:07:35. > :07:39.moment it is a menu without prices? It is not a menu without prices, it
:07:40. > :07:43.is a fantastic opportunity. This 20 point plan is something which will
:07:44. > :07:48.transform the lives of millions of millions of people in the
:07:49. > :07:53.workplace... But what is the cost? It will be welcomed by many people
:07:54. > :07:57.across the UK. The fact the costings have not been released, you will
:07:58. > :08:02.have to be patient, it will be released very clearly, it will
:08:03. > :08:06.identify that in the manifesto. Let me come down to one of the points,
:08:07. > :08:12.the end of the public sector pay freeze. Can you give us any idea how
:08:13. > :08:15.much that will cost? The end of the public sector pay freeze, so
:08:16. > :08:22.important to the future of the Labour Party, it is an massive
:08:23. > :08:27.policy decision. Let me say at this stage, Theresa May, the Prime
:08:28. > :08:31.Minister, this morning, on The Andrew Marr Show, did not have the
:08:32. > :08:36.common decency, courtesy all respect to condone the fact that nurses, the
:08:37. > :08:42.heroes of the NHS, have had a reduction of nearly 14% in their
:08:43. > :08:46.wages since 2010 and are using food banks to feed themselves! Does that
:08:47. > :08:52.not say everything that is wrong with today's society? So can you
:08:53. > :08:57.tell me what it will cost, which is what my question was? What I will
:08:58. > :09:00.say is everything the Labour Party pledges, everything that we come out
:09:01. > :09:05.with, what we will roll out between now and the 8th of June, will be
:09:06. > :09:09.fully costed, people will be very much aware of how much the costings
:09:10. > :09:14.will be, where the funding will come from, when the manifesto is
:09:15. > :09:18.published. What about doubling paternity leave, nu minimum wage,
:09:19. > :09:30.four new bank holidays, any idea what it will
:09:31. > :09:33.cost? These are exciting new proposals and of course today cost
:09:34. > :09:35.money but we are the sixth richest economy in the world. It is about
:09:36. > :09:38.redistribution of the wealth we create. We are seeing growth in the
:09:39. > :09:41.economy, it is how we utilise the finances in the best way we possibly
:09:42. > :09:47.can for a fairer society for the many and not the few. You just can't
:09:48. > :09:53.tell me how much it will cost? That is why I will repeat again that you
:09:54. > :09:56.need to be very patient. Do you know the cost yourself? You are the head
:09:57. > :10:00.of the campaign, do you know the cost of these things yourself? I am
:10:01. > :10:04.very much aware of how much the costings are likely to be, they have
:10:05. > :10:10.been identified, they will be published in the manifesto. You
:10:11. > :10:15.really do understand I would not be releasing today, live on your show,
:10:16. > :10:19.any costings or predictions with regards the manifesto. Why not? You
:10:20. > :10:25.have released the policy, why not the cost? Because there is a fine
:10:26. > :10:28.detail and we will identify it to the general public in the manifesto.
:10:29. > :10:35.We not only explain how much it will cost but we will explain where the
:10:36. > :10:40.funding comes from. Be patient. Will some of the costs be met by
:10:41. > :10:45.increasing taxes? I would think at this point in time there is not any
:10:46. > :10:51.indication to increase basic taxes and again the taxes and spending of
:10:52. > :10:56.the Labour Government with the proposals of the 20 point plan, the
:10:57. > :11:02.issues we have got, housing, the NHS, crime, education will all be
:11:03. > :11:07.identified with the costings in the publication. Can you tell us this
:11:08. > :11:14.morning, we'll tax for most people rise or not to finance this? We in
:11:15. > :11:21.the Labour Party are looking to a fair tax system which will be
:11:22. > :11:26.clearly identified in the manifesto. Mr McDonnell also wants to ban all
:11:27. > :11:32.0-hours contracts. Would that include those who actually like
:11:33. > :11:35.those contracts? There are nearly 1 million, depending on which figured
:11:36. > :11:39.you'd use, there are nearly 1 million people on zero-hours
:11:40. > :11:44.contract and the vast proportion of those want to be able to live a
:11:45. > :11:50.decent life, a secure life, they want to understand whether they will
:11:51. > :11:54.be at work the next day, they're included hours... I understand a lot
:11:55. > :11:58.of people don't like zero-hours contract and your proposal will
:11:59. > :12:03.address that, but there are those, I saw one survey where 65% of people
:12:04. > :12:07.on zero-hours contract like the flexibility it gives them. Will you
:12:08. > :12:12.force them off zero-hours contract or if they like them will they
:12:13. > :12:16.continue with them? We will discuss it with employee is to make sure
:12:17. > :12:20.individuals in the workplace have the right to negotiate hours in that
:12:21. > :12:28.workplace. Guaranteed hours is very, very important. Zero-hour contracts
:12:29. > :12:32.are an instrument in which employers abuse and exploit mainly young
:12:33. > :12:38.people, mainly female people in the workplace. We would be banning
:12:39. > :12:42.zero-hour contract. But there are those, students for example, who
:12:43. > :12:47.like them, would they be forced off zero-hour contracts in your
:12:48. > :12:51.proposal? Our proposal would be banning zero-hour contract and
:12:52. > :12:56.introducing contracts which have set hours in the workplace. You also say
:12:57. > :13:00.no company will be able to bid for a public contract unless the boss
:13:01. > :13:05.earns no more than 20 times the lowest paid, or the average wage,
:13:06. > :13:09.I'm not quite sure which. What would happen if British Aerospace bids to
:13:10. > :13:14.build more joint strike Fighters and the boss is paid more than 20 times?
:13:15. > :13:21.I understand the point you raise but we have an obscene situation in this
:13:22. > :13:26.country, Andrew, in which the bosses at the very top make an absolute
:13:27. > :13:33.fortune... But what would happen then? Who would build joint strike
:13:34. > :13:37.Fighters... The difference in wages between the top earners in the
:13:38. > :13:43.country and the people in the factories, in the workshops,
:13:44. > :13:47.producing the goods, is vast. I understand that is the reason you
:13:48. > :13:52.want a ratio. What I am saying is, what happens if the ratio is
:13:53. > :13:57.greater? Who gets the contract if not British Aerospace? Who else
:13:58. > :14:04.builds the planes? We are going to introduce a wage rate CEO of one to
:14:05. > :14:07.20. -- wage ratio. We want to close the gap between the people at the
:14:08. > :14:11.very top and people who produce the goods. Let me try one more Time, who
:14:12. > :14:18.would build the joint strike fighter? We would look at the issue
:14:19. > :14:22.as it came along but the policy is clear... Can you name a single
:14:23. > :14:30.defence contractor weather boss' salary is less than 20 times average
:14:31. > :14:36.earnings? We are not reducing, we have rolled that out as part of this
:14:37. > :14:43.fantastic plan to transform society to get rid of discrimination, to try
:14:44. > :14:48.and bring together our communities. We will introduce a pay ratio of one
:14:49. > :14:50.to 20. Fair enough, thank you very much.
:14:51. > :14:53.It's a month after the triggering of Article 50, and EU leaders -
:14:54. > :14:55.with the exception of Britain - met in Brussels this weekend
:14:56. > :14:58.to agree their opening negotiating stance, to get the divorce
:14:59. > :15:14.It is inside this psychedelic chamber where Britain's 'Grexit'
:15:15. > :15:19.future will be decided over the next two years, but there is a vast gulf
:15:20. > :15:29.in rhetoric coming from the UK and the EU. With parallel narratives
:15:30. > :15:32.emerging for both sides. There is broad agreement that an orderly
:15:33. > :15:37.withdrawal is in the interests of both sides. But Theresa May's
:15:38. > :15:40.position is that the terms of our future trade deal should be
:15:41. > :15:45.negotiated alongside the terms of our divorce. Meanwhile the EU says
:15:46. > :15:52.the terms of the UK's exit must be decided before any discussion on a
:15:53. > :15:55.future trade deal can begin. But don't forget that divorce
:15:56. > :16:00.settlement. Don't remind me. In Brussels, many think written should
:16:01. > :16:03.pay even more, while in the UK ministers said the divorce bill
:16:04. > :16:08.should be capped at 3 billion. After you. Thank you.
:16:09. > :16:19.For are you looking forward to it? Isn't that divorce bill a bit high?
:16:20. > :16:24.Isn't this about punishing Britain? We are very united, you all seem so
:16:25. > :16:32.surprised but it's a fact. How soon can we get a deal? We have to wait
:16:33. > :16:37.for the elections. It was the decision of Mrs May. It took over an
:16:38. > :16:40.hour for the leaders to make their entrances but once inside it's just
:16:41. > :16:46.a few minutes to agree the negotiating guidelines. They set out
:16:47. > :16:50.three main areas. The first phase of talks on the divorce settlement will
:16:51. > :16:53.deal with the existing financial commitments to the EU, the Northern
:16:54. > :16:58.Ireland border and the rights of EU citizens in the UK. They said a UK
:16:59. > :17:02.trade agreement can be discussed when the first phase of talks
:17:03. > :17:07.reaches significant progress. And that there must be unity in the
:17:08. > :17:13.negotiations, that individual EU members won't negotiate separately
:17:14. > :17:17.with the UK. They are quite good here at negotiating because they are
:17:18. > :17:21.used to it. They set a maximum and then they have to recede a little
:17:22. > :17:28.bit depending on what the other side is prepared to offer. I think there
:17:29. > :17:31.is room for manoeuvre in some issues, but I don't think some of
:17:32. > :17:37.the baseline things will change that much. For example I don't think the
:17:38. > :17:41.European Union will concede on the rights of citizens who are already
:17:42. > :17:48.in the UK. It will be very difficult for them to accept that they will
:17:49. > :17:51.not be any exit bill, and the question of Northern Ireland is very
:17:52. > :17:55.important as well, the hard order question. The baseline things are
:17:56. > :17:59.not going to move that much, then you have room for manoeuvring
:18:00. > :18:03.between. On security, defence and the fight against terrorism, the
:18:04. > :18:08.guidelines said the EU stands ready to work together. And after lunch,
:18:09. > :18:13.friendly signs from some EU leaders as they gave individual press
:18:14. > :18:16.conferences. Paul and said the talks should open doors to new
:18:17. > :18:23.opportunities and even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had
:18:24. > :18:26.earlier said some in Britain were deluded about Brexit, softened her
:18:27. > :18:30.tone saying there was no conspiracy against the UK. Unity was the
:18:31. > :18:35.buzzword at this summit and for once everybody seemed to be sticking to
:18:36. > :18:39.the script. That unity is not only amongst the 27 states, it's also
:18:40. > :18:45.among the institutions so many of the divisions we have seen in the
:18:46. > :18:49.past at European level do not exist. That is very important and it's not
:18:50. > :18:53.be unity that is directed somehow against the UK because I think we
:18:54. > :19:06.all want this to be an orderly process and part of that is that the
:19:07. > :19:09.EU side is unified. So although there are no surprises here, what
:19:10. > :19:13.took place in this room was a significant step towards the real
:19:14. > :19:18.Brexit negotiations which will begin soon after the general election in
:19:19. > :19:22.June, said to be the most complex the UK has faced in our lifetimes.
:19:23. > :19:28.Isabel, Steve and Tom are still with me.
:19:29. > :19:35.Isabel, doesn't the British media have to be a bit careful here? We
:19:36. > :19:40.would never take at face value anything a British politician tells
:19:41. > :19:44.us. We would question it, put it in context and wonder if they are
:19:45. > :19:48.bluffing, but we seem to take at face value anything a European
:19:49. > :19:52.politician says about these negotiations. You only have to look
:19:53. > :19:57.at the front page of the Sunday Times today to see that. They quoted
:19:58. > :20:02.at length Juncker, who didn't like the food at the reception and this
:20:03. > :20:06.and that, and I think the mood is very optimistic. The key thing is
:20:07. > :20:11.the EU trade Commissioner has said we will get a free trade deal and a
:20:12. > :20:14.lot of people seem to be wilfully ignoring that incredibly big
:20:15. > :20:21.concession. That is what will happen in their view. Everything that is
:20:22. > :20:26.said at the moment needs a slight rerun over. They are all in
:20:27. > :20:29.negotiating positions, plus we seem to be completely unaware that they
:20:30. > :20:35.all have their own domestic constituencies as well. Angela
:20:36. > :20:37.Merkel has an important election coming up in September,
:20:38. > :20:42.Euroscepticism is quite different from Britain of course, but there's
:20:43. > :20:46.a different kind of euro scepticism in Germany, she has got to deal with
:20:47. > :20:50.that. Of course she has, which is why you are right, nothing should be
:20:51. > :20:56.taken too seriously out of the mouths of British politicians or
:20:57. > :21:00.European politicians until October this year. We have got to wait for
:21:01. > :21:05.the French elections, then German elections, and if you look through
:21:06. > :21:10.this you can see a way forward. There's no trade talks until pay up,
:21:11. > :21:14.but what was actually written was no trade talks until we make
:21:15. > :21:18.significant progress on the money. You can define significant progress
:21:19. > :21:24.in a lot of ways but come December, fireworks over the summer, we all
:21:25. > :21:27.get very excited about it, in these chairs I'm sure, come December
:21:28. > :21:32.things will look a lot smoother. The German elections are at the end of
:21:33. > :21:35.September but I've seen reports in German press, depending how it goes
:21:36. > :21:42.it could take until Christmas before a new coalition government is put
:21:43. > :21:45.together. The Brussels long-standing negotiating tactic of nothing is
:21:46. > :21:50.agreed until everything is agreed, then I guess the British could say
:21:51. > :21:54.we agree a certain sum of money if that's what it takes but that
:21:55. > :22:00.depends on them, what good trade deal we get. If we don't get that,
:22:01. > :22:05.the sum of money is off the table. In that sense, the two are going
:22:06. > :22:09.parallel. However, I wouldn't entirely dismiss what people are
:22:10. > :22:15.saying in their pre-election periods to their own electorates because
:22:16. > :22:19.they have to some extent to deliver subsequently. Of course Angela
:22:20. > :22:23.Merkel is campaigning and electioneering, who wouldn't, she
:22:24. > :22:27.has a tough election to fight, but she is measured and thoughtful and
:22:28. > :22:31.when she says things like some of the British are delusional, that is
:22:32. > :22:38.unusually strong language for her. What was she referring to? I don't
:22:39. > :22:42.know, it wasn't specific. Have the cake and eat it perhaps the
:22:43. > :22:46.sequencing the British don't want. When they thought the British
:22:47. > :22:49.government was going to effectively demand membership of the single
:22:50. > :22:57.market, that's not going to happen now. Unless you sign up to the four
:22:58. > :23:02.pillars, that's the cake and eat it proposition, which they are right in
:23:03. > :23:07.saying Theresa May has made. But everybody has access, even with no
:23:08. > :23:16.deal you have access. The other side of it is I think there will be a
:23:17. > :23:22.united position from them. And so, as somebody pointed out in that
:23:23. > :23:30.report, they are experienced, tough negotiators, so I don't think it
:23:31. > :23:36.will be quite as easy as some think. I spoke to one of those who drew up
:23:37. > :23:39.Article 50 and they said to me they deliberately put this two year
:23:40. > :23:46.timetable in to make it impossible for anybody to think about leaving.
:23:47. > :23:49.This is really tight, this negotiation. Easy, it isn't.
:23:50. > :23:51.This coming Thursday, voters up and down the country
:23:52. > :23:54.will be going to the polls in this year's local elections.
:23:55. > :23:56.Over the past few weeks I've interviewed representatives
:23:57. > :23:58.of the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats,
:23:59. > :24:01.Today it's the turn of Plaid Cymru and the SNP.
:24:02. > :24:04.A little earlier I spoke Alex Salmond, who until 2014
:24:05. > :24:08.I started by asking him why Scots should vote SNP in local elections
:24:09. > :24:11.when the Scottish Government had just cut central Government funding
:24:12. > :24:27.It's actually a funding increase going into Scottish councils this
:24:28. > :24:30.year, and if you look at the funding position for example between
:24:31. > :24:33.Scottish councils and those in England, which are obviously
:24:34. > :24:37.directly related through the Barnett formula, the funding in Scotland has
:24:38. > :24:48.been incomparably better than that in England so there's a whole range
:24:49. > :24:51.of the -- of reasons... What's happening south of the border
:24:52. > :24:55.indicates the protection the Scottish Parliament has been able to
:24:56. > :25:00.put in that helps vital services in Scotland. But there hasn't been a
:25:01. > :25:04.funding increase, the block grant from Westminster to Edinburgh was
:25:05. > :25:11.increased by 1.5% in real terms but the grant to councils was cut by
:25:12. > :25:16.2.6%. It was going to be a cut of 330 million, the Greens got you to
:25:17. > :25:26.reduce it to 170 million but it is still a cut of 2.6%. Your own
:25:27. > :25:31.Aberdeenshire Council has had a cut to 391 million. You have cut the
:25:32. > :25:34.money to councils. Yes, but councils have available to them more
:25:35. > :25:40.resources this year, and as you say the budget increased that further
:25:41. > :25:42.which is why we put forward an excellent local government budget in
:25:43. > :25:49.Aberdeenshire and resisted a Tory attempts to knock ?3 million off...
:25:50. > :25:53.You asked me about Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeenshire has put forward a
:25:54. > :25:58.budget for investment expansion and resisted a Tory attempts to knock ?3
:25:59. > :26:02.million off the education budget, and I'm very grateful you have given
:26:03. > :26:08.me the opportunity to make that point. The Government in Edinburgh
:26:09. > :26:14.has cut the money to Aberdeenshire by ?11 million. It is a cut. But
:26:15. > :26:17.there is an investment budget in Aberdeenshire that has been made
:26:18. > :26:23.available by the ability to increase the council tax by 2.5% after a
:26:24. > :26:27.nine-year freeze in Scotland, and that has brought more resources into
:26:28. > :26:31.local government and that's why the butchered in Aberdeenshire has been
:26:32. > :26:35.an investment budget including protection of the education budget
:26:36. > :26:40.in the face of a Tory and liberal attempt to cut bit. You have to
:26:41. > :26:43.compare what is happening in Scotland and England, and there's no
:26:44. > :26:49.doubt Scottish local authorities have been much better funded than
:26:50. > :26:51.those in England over the last few years and that's been the ability of
:26:52. > :26:57.the Scottish Government to protect the services at local level. A good
:26:58. > :27:03.reason for voting SNP. If they have been so well funded, why after a
:27:04. > :27:11.decade of SNP rule do one in five Scottish pupils leave primary school
:27:12. > :27:15.functionally illiterate? You have got to take these things... Nicola
:27:16. > :27:20.Sturgeon has made it a top priority to address these challenges but
:27:21. > :27:23.let's take another statistic. 93% of Scottish kids are now emerging from
:27:24. > :27:31.school to positive destinations, that means to further education,
:27:32. > :27:37.apprenticeships or work. Why are one in five functionally illiterate? You
:27:38. > :27:41.argue one statistic, I'm arguing Scottish education is putting in
:27:42. > :27:46.some substantially good performances like the 93% going on to positive
:27:47. > :27:51.destinations. You can't have a failing education system if you have
:27:52. > :27:55.got that 93%, and incidentally a record low youth unemployment in
:27:56. > :28:00.Scotland without the second lowest unemployment rate in Europe. These
:28:01. > :28:05.pupils are being prepared by the Scottish education system. Let's
:28:06. > :28:09.take the figures in the round on education. It's so important. Under
:28:10. > :28:14.your watch, under your government, the Scottish schools in the most
:28:15. > :28:25.important global comparison have fallen from tenth to 19th in
:28:26. > :28:32.science, and 11 to 24th in maths, that is a record of decline and
:28:33. > :28:37.failure. That is by the OECD and first questions about that, but the
:28:38. > :28:42.OECD has also described Scotland is one of the best educated societies
:28:43. > :28:47.in the world. That was from the school system in previous years gone
:28:48. > :28:53.by. For those who are currently in Scottish schools, you have fallen
:28:54. > :28:56.from 11th to 24th in mathematics. The OECD was commenting on
:28:57. > :29:00.introduction of the new curriculum for excellence in which they have
:29:01. > :29:05.given a resounding thumbs up to it, and that's the same source as the
:29:06. > :29:09.rankings which you are comparing. Nicola Sturgeon has said there are
:29:10. > :29:13.challenges on Scottish education, particularly the access through the
:29:14. > :29:17.education system and the attainment gap but don't tell me it's failing
:29:18. > :29:20.when 55% of our pupils have gone on to higher education. That's one of
:29:21. > :29:28.the most impressive figures in the world. Why have you cut 4000
:29:29. > :29:31.teachers? The pupil numbers in Scotland have been falling over
:29:32. > :29:35.recent years as well and now of course we are increasing the number
:29:36. > :29:39.of people going through teachers training so we can make sure that
:29:40. > :29:44.number increases, but listen, the Scottish Government and Scottish
:29:45. > :29:48.Parliament, as you very well know, are subject to real terms spending
:29:49. > :29:52.cuts over the last few years and all public services have been under
:29:53. > :29:55.pressure. The main reason in terms of teacher numbers has been an
:29:56. > :30:00.attempt on the Scottish Government to protect the teacher pupil ratio,
:30:01. > :30:08.and that will now be enhanced by a further taker -- intake. You
:30:09. > :30:14.promised you would reduce primary class sizes to 18 and instead they
:30:15. > :30:20.are now 23.5 and rising. You broke that promise. You didn't mention
:30:21. > :30:24.where we started from. We have kept the teacher pupil ratio very solid
:30:25. > :30:29.in Scotland and that's been against a range of public expenditure cuts
:30:30. > :30:30.but the new intake of teachers into the new teacher training in Scotland
:30:31. > :30:41.I think will enhance the system. You have spent in the pasty in
:30:42. > :30:46.Hollywood 43 hours on Government time debating independence. How many
:30:47. > :30:51.hours have you debated education on Government time? I don't have that
:30:52. > :30:55.they get a hand... The answer is zero, you have spent zero-hours
:30:56. > :31:01.debating education on Government time. Isn't it time the SNP got back
:31:02. > :31:05.to concentrating on the day job? Andrew, as you very well know Nicola
:31:06. > :31:09.Sturgeon has identified a key priority, closing the attainment gap
:31:10. > :31:14.in Scottish education. That is exactly what she has done. Let me
:31:15. > :31:19.answer the question, it is difficult to be in a remote location, if you
:31:20. > :31:26.talk before I answer the question then the view was will not be able
:31:27. > :31:30.to listen. I let you answer that without saying a word. Is this
:31:31. > :31:35.general election about independence, as you say it is, or not about
:31:36. > :31:41.independence, as Mrs Sturgeon says it is? No, I have said exactly the
:31:42. > :31:44.same as Nicola Sturgeon on that. The issue what independence will be
:31:45. > :31:49.decided in a national referendum of the Scottish people. The mandate for
:31:50. > :31:54.that referendum was gained in last year's Scottish elections. What this
:31:55. > :31:57.election is about is backing the right of the Scottish parliament to
:31:58. > :31:59.exercise that mandate and also providing real opposition to this
:32:00. > :32:05.Tory Government and allowing the Scottish Parliament to reverse
:32:06. > :32:09.austerity and some of the public expenditure cutbacks you have been
:32:10. > :32:10.talking about, that is what this is about, backing our Scottish
:32:11. > :32:12.Parliament. Alex Salmond, speaking
:32:13. > :32:13.to me earlier. I'm now joined by the leader
:32:14. > :32:20.of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood. You accuse the Government of wanting
:32:21. > :32:25.an extreme Brexit, those are your words. What is the difference
:32:26. > :32:28.between hard Brexit and extreme Brexit? My concern is the way in
:32:29. > :32:33.which we leave the European Union could be very damaging to Wales if,
:32:34. > :32:37.for example, there are tariffs introduced then that would have a
:32:38. > :32:43.real impact in terms of Welsh jobs, and I want to make sure that we have
:32:44. > :32:47.a Brexit that doesn't cause the damage to Wales that could be
:32:48. > :32:53.caused. But what is the difference between extreme and hard? Anything
:32:54. > :32:56.that puts Welsh jobs at risk is either extreme or hard and
:32:57. > :33:00.unacceptable to Plaid Cymru, and we will do what we can to protect those
:33:01. > :33:05.jobs. You want Wales to remain a member of the single market even if
:33:06. > :33:09.the UK isn't, which would mean Wales having to accept the free movement
:33:10. > :33:21.of people, still being under the jurisdiction of the European Court,
:33:22. > :33:23.and you also want to stay in the customs union which means you could
:33:24. > :33:26.not do your own free trade deals. What is the difference between that
:33:27. > :33:28.and being a member of the European Union? We would be like Norway,
:33:29. > :33:31.outside the European Union and inside the single market. The key
:33:32. > :33:35.question is the issue of jobs and the ability to continue to trade.
:33:36. > :33:39.Wales exports, we are the biggest exporter in the whole of the UK, so
:33:40. > :33:48.there are many jobs reliant upon those goods being able to be sold to
:33:49. > :33:53.the single market. Is it central to the UK? Out of the four countries
:33:54. > :34:01.that make up the UK... Proportionally, yes. If you remain
:34:02. > :34:05.in the single market, it is hard to see how Wales could stay in the
:34:06. > :34:10.single market if the UK -- when the rest of the UK was not, you cite
:34:11. > :34:15.Norway, that has free movement, it has to be said, it effectively have
:34:16. > :34:19.to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court, it is not in the
:34:20. > :34:27.customs union so it can do some of its own free trade deals, but the
:34:28. > :34:31.Welsh people voted to leave. We have to accept the principle of free
:34:32. > :34:35.movement if there is not going to be a hard border between the north and
:34:36. > :34:39.south of Ireland. There is going to be free movement within Ireland and
:34:40. > :34:45.therefore freedom of movement, as we said in the referendum campaign,
:34:46. > :34:50.would be very, very difficult to rule out. You lost that campaign, as
:34:51. > :34:56.you know, Wales voted to leave, 17 Council areas voted to leave, only
:34:57. > :35:01.five voted to remain. Doesn't it explain why your party is going
:35:02. > :35:07.nowhere? A majority in Wales voted to leave but you effectively want to
:35:08. > :35:11.support that and de facto remain in the EU? I don't accept that, we
:35:12. > :35:16.accepted the result but Plaid Cymru now is about defending Wales. There
:35:17. > :35:20.are so many risks facing our people from the jobs perspective, the
:35:21. > :35:24.privatisation perspective, the cuts perspective, and from the fact that
:35:25. > :35:29.the Tories would like to grab power was back from our National Assembly,
:35:30. > :35:33.so the key point... If you look at the Wales bill that went through
:35:34. > :35:37.recently, the list of reserved powers there suggests there are some
:35:38. > :35:44.powers currently within the Welsh Assembly jurisdiction that would be
:35:45. > :35:48.dragged back. Which power was will Westminster take back? They could
:35:49. > :35:55.take powers back over the NHS, for example. There is no indication they
:35:56. > :36:05.want to do that. The Tories have attacked the Welsh NHS. That is my
:36:06. > :36:08.point! Quite viciously. If they increase their mandate, I wouldn't
:36:09. > :36:12.put it past them to try to take power was back over the NHS and then
:36:13. > :36:17.of course we risk our NHS being privatised though this election is
:36:18. > :36:20.all about defending Wales, protecting Welsh people from further
:36:21. > :36:25.privatisation and cuts and a power grab from the Tories. Why is there
:36:26. > :36:29.never a breakthrough for your party, Plaid Cymru? Labour dominated in
:36:30. > :36:34.Wales for years, the Tories do quite well, Ukip had a surge for a while,
:36:35. > :36:39.it looks like the Tories will have another surge, never you, always the
:36:40. > :36:42.bridesmaid, never the bride. Wait until Thursday and I think you will
:36:43. > :36:46.see that in many parts of Wales we will increase our representation at
:36:47. > :36:52.a local council level. In the Rhondda, where I am assembly member,
:36:53. > :37:00.we are looking to increase our representation... You are only 13%
:37:01. > :37:04.in the polls will stop which is half of even the Tories in Wales! If you
:37:05. > :37:11.don't breakthrough in the selection, if the real problem is going
:37:12. > :37:17.nowhere, do you think you will pack it in? Robert Green not, I have a
:37:18. > :37:21.job to do, a vision of Wales which is about building up our nation and
:37:22. > :37:25.standing on our own two feet and my job is not done yet. Thank you for
:37:26. > :37:29.being with us as part of your job, we will see how it goes on Thursday.
:37:30. > :37:31.It's just gone 11.35, you're watching the Sunday Politics.
:37:32. > :37:33.We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland who leave us now
:37:34. > :37:45.The election's in full swing as the Prime Minister
:37:46. > :37:51.But what impact is she having on voters here?
:37:52. > :37:55.Theresa, is it May, I don't know if she's got much idea of what she's
:37:56. > :38:04.And there's another election this week, when voters take to the polls
:38:05. > :38:07.to decide who will run our county councils - we've a special report
:38:08. > :38:13.Across the county, the battle lines are drawn.
:38:14. > :38:22.Will Labour be overrun or will the Tories' dreams be left in ruins?
:38:23. > :38:26.My guests this week - Anna Soubry is the Conservative MP for Broxtowe
:38:27. > :38:29.and Vernon Coaker is the Labour MP for Gedling.
:38:30. > :38:35.Well, Anna the papers are full of the EU telling
:38:36. > :38:38.Theresa May that her strategy of trade first in the Brexit
:38:39. > :38:54.It's worrying that they feel like that at this stage. We've made it
:38:55. > :38:59.clear, and I think the EU also accepts that it is all part of the
:39:00. > :39:03.package. I listen to the interview with the Prime Minister this one.
:39:04. > :39:07.She said that she wants a good striker. That will be part of
:39:08. > :39:13.sorting out any excellent payments. -- she once a good trade deal.
:39:14. > :39:16.They want us to pay the money we owe Brussels and sort out
:39:17. > :39:28.I don't think that they have said we should pay at first. They said we
:39:29. > :39:31.should agree at first. The thing on EU citizens is absolutely right.
:39:32. > :39:39.There is no difficulty with the Government there, I think. The
:39:40. > :39:43.trade agreement. Rather the EU does. trade agreement. Rather the EU does.
:39:44. > :39:46.election, many good things about the election, many good things about the
:39:47. > :39:50.forthcoming general election, it will extend the amount of time left
:39:51. > :39:53.to the Prime Minister to make sure that if we need to extend the no
:39:54. > :40:00.cogitations beyond two years then she's got the time to do that. --
:40:01. > :40:02.the negotiations beyond two years. She's also got time for transitional
:40:03. > :40:06.negotiations. Your opinions can be at odds
:40:07. > :40:16.with others in your party. Vernon, you resigned
:40:17. > :40:18.from Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet, now you're telling us to vote
:40:19. > :40:28.to make him Prime Minister. Not really. People knew my position
:40:29. > :40:32.about Jeremy Corbyn. Now I am contending with everybody in the
:40:33. > :40:35.general and council elections to vote Labour. People see the choices
:40:36. > :40:41.that are there and we've been talking about Brexit. We saw the
:40:42. > :40:45.Prime Minister this one. It's very unclear what is going to happen in
:40:46. > :40:52.the discussions with the European Union. There could us that they will
:40:53. > :40:54.be tough about that. I think in the circumstances it's important to have
:40:55. > :41:06.Labour MPs in a stronger position working with people like Anna. -- in
:41:07. > :41:13.extra on opposition. So that Theresa May doesn't have a budget. And you
:41:14. > :41:16.will be opposition, want you? We have to see which records. It's
:41:17. > :41:21.really important that rather the opposition is that they are strong.
:41:22. > :41:25.The Government have to be held to account. That is important
:41:26. > :41:31.particularly in the run-up to Brexit negotiations. We don't want a hard
:41:32. > :41:35.Brexit. It's about jobs, industry, the rights of people that of you.
:41:36. > :41:40.The Labour Party have said that they would immediately guarantee the
:41:41. > :41:45.rights of EU nationals already have. It doesn't sound like you expect of
:41:46. > :41:47.them, though. The pollster deflector. We have an awful lot of
:41:48. > :41:49.work to do. A sign of the difficulties you face
:41:50. > :41:52.is you've had to step aside this week from Open Britain,
:41:53. > :41:54.which promotes a soft Brexit, now in reality you've got to fight
:41:55. > :42:10.for whatever type of No, no, no. Absolutely not. First of
:42:11. > :42:15.all, Theresa May made it clear that she wants this election to
:42:16. > :42:20.strengthen our hand. She's also made it clear she does not want a hard
:42:21. > :42:25.Brexit. She wants a deal. I agree with her. The next thing about open
:42:26. > :42:29.Britain, the reason I stepped away from it is because quite without any
:42:30. > :42:34.consultation they chosen to back certain candidates which placed
:42:35. > :42:38.those candidates in direct opposition to friends and colleagues
:42:39. > :42:44.of mine. Two in particular I was horrified... So I get you to do
:42:45. > :42:52.that? Absolutely. That's why it made it clear to them that I think that
:42:53. > :42:56.Open Britain has lost the plot. The most important thing is that we get
:42:57. > :43:05.out and we make the case, whichever point of view might have. Most
:43:06. > :43:08.people that I speak to, I'd be campaigning for the county averages
:43:09. > :43:12.for ages. They are bored with Brexit. They are worried about the
:43:13. > :43:18.outcomes, though. I'm sure they are. From now until June the 8th,
:43:19. > :43:21.there'll be no escaping the politicians out
:43:22. > :43:23.to grab your vote. But what are the big issues
:43:24. > :43:25.that might affect us From low wages to problems
:43:26. > :43:29.in the NHS, there are a lot of challenges in our region
:43:30. > :43:31.for whoever wins the election. Our political editor, Tony Roe,
:43:32. > :43:34.has been casting his eye over them. On the campaign trail in Derbyshire
:43:35. > :43:37.at a roofing company in Clay Cross, IKO Polymeric has been in business
:43:38. > :43:40.across Europe for over 40 years. How that trade works
:43:41. > :43:42.after Brexit will be down What businesses are looking
:43:43. > :43:53.for is certainty, so a clear direction of travel from Brexit,
:43:54. > :43:58.what will be details of those Brexit negotiations be,
:43:59. > :44:01.particularly around trade deals, It results in investment and that
:44:02. > :44:10.results in job creation. Theresa May was on a quick stop-off
:44:11. > :44:13.in the most marginal Labour seat in the East Midlands,
:44:14. > :44:21.North East Derbyshire. New businesses have brought
:44:22. > :44:24.a new kind of employment to former mining communities which used to be
:44:25. > :44:26.Labour strongholds. Linney in Mansfield started
:44:27. > :44:29.as a book shop in the town Now it's a digital marketing company
:44:30. > :44:33.with over 800 staff and is one If you worked down a pit, you could
:44:34. > :44:39.see the coal was running out. People just did what people do,
:44:40. > :44:42.they make other arrangements. The town is full of great people
:44:43. > :44:45.and we're still here. Mansfield has a high level
:44:46. > :44:52.of economically inactive - almost 14,000 - that's
:44:53. > :44:54.people of working age Almost half are defined
:44:55. > :44:57.as long-term sick. Figures like that perhaps go some
:44:58. > :45:00.way to explaining the East Midlands' The Prime Minister says
:45:01. > :45:04.Conservatives are the party That's a phrase coined
:45:05. > :45:13.by Harold Macmillan 60 years ago. Labour, meanwhile,
:45:14. > :45:14.say they are the party What they say and what they dish out
:45:15. > :45:22.is two different things. Every party says the same thing
:45:23. > :45:25.but in a different way. They're going to make
:45:26. > :45:38.changes, change that, They were voted out
:45:39. > :45:43.Because Theresa May, I don't know if she's got much idea
:45:44. > :45:50.This week, Leicester's new ?48 million accident
:45:51. > :45:52.and emergency department opened, an investment in the NHS which it's
:45:53. > :45:56.Labour also revealed plans this week they say will increase morale
:45:57. > :46:00.They've promised to raise the wages of NHS staff and also reintroduce
:46:01. > :46:02.training bursaries for nursing staff which were scrapped
:46:03. > :46:10.The Royal College of Nursing says a shortage of nurses and the effects
:46:11. > :46:17.of Brexit on recruitment are of grave concern.
:46:18. > :46:20.Surely the people that are here from other EU nations,
:46:21. > :46:23.that trusts have worked really hard to bring over to fill the shortages
:46:24. > :46:25.here, surely it's time that those people need certainty
:46:26. > :46:26.about their future employment rights.
:46:27. > :46:29.Employers are between a rock and a hard place at the moment
:46:30. > :46:31.knowing how on earth they're going to fill the vacancies
:46:32. > :46:36.Economic growth has slowed significantly this year,
:46:37. > :46:38.with prices up and people not spending as much
:46:39. > :46:43.The Lib Dems have seized on this, saying the Brexit squeeze
:46:44. > :46:46.is beginning to bite and they say a hard Brexit will leave
:46:47. > :46:55.You met Theresa May this week and you've been talking
:46:56. > :47:03.How's the general election playing out in the East Midlands?
:47:04. > :47:09.It'll be interesting to see whether Theresa May does what she says she
:47:10. > :47:13.enjoys doing, going on to the doorsteps and meeting people. There
:47:14. > :47:18.was no sense of that disease interpreter. She came to a factory
:47:19. > :47:22.which was pretty empty. -- there was no sense that this weekend option.
:47:23. > :47:27.We got one question each. But much every chance to interrogate her
:47:28. > :47:33.about any issues you. -- not much of a chance. She is taking flak from
:47:34. > :47:40.some of the parties that she start talking to ordinarily people. We've
:47:41. > :47:46.not had laboured here yet. I imagine if Jeremy Corbyn comes he will come
:47:47. > :47:55.to somewhere like Derby. Mansell put it yesterday and he got a May Day
:47:56. > :48:00.rally but I recognise the crowd. How do you tackle these issues, is it on
:48:01. > :48:05.the agenda? Low productivity has been a big problem which has been
:48:06. > :48:08.difficult to solve. When I used to be the Business Minister we looked
:48:09. > :48:14.at it. The new industrial strategy, tries to drill into it. It is to
:48:15. > :48:22.accommodated and there are many different factors to what causes it
:48:23. > :48:31.and what he can do to sorted. Mansell, like many errors in our --
:48:32. > :48:35.Everest in our country. With all these communities that have had
:48:36. > :48:41.generation upon generation of not working, lack of aspiration and so
:48:42. > :48:47.on. Normally in labour Everest. -- labour Everest. That is right
:48:48. > :48:55.apprenticeship training is so of water. I always argued for a change
:48:56. > :49:00.in the rating systems so that when businesses invested in new machinery
:49:01. > :49:06.they didn't get penalised. Is the Government doing enough on this? The
:49:07. > :49:12.Government isn't doing enough but there is a challenge for
:49:13. > :49:16.governments. It is interesting about Nottinghamshire. One of the pledges
:49:17. > :49:20.of the Labour Party in Nottinghamshire, they will do more
:49:21. > :49:25.to generate the skill base that we need three apprenticeships and
:49:26. > :49:35.vocational training. Through working with the agencies. -- we need
:49:36. > :49:38.apprentices. It is being good to see Labour in Nottinghamshire promising
:49:39. > :49:47.that as one of their specific collection pledges. Places like
:49:48. > :49:51.manslaughter to ageing. The big employer, maybe that's changed from
:49:52. > :49:57.the coal-mining history. -- places like Mansfield are changing. Maybe
:49:58. > :50:02.this is why Labour are struggling in these traditional strongholds. We
:50:03. > :50:05.are speaking to vote and thing we want to give people the opportunity
:50:06. > :50:10.and chance to work in these new jobs. Talking about his new jobs,
:50:11. > :50:15.bringing the new investment in. Investment by the Government and
:50:16. > :50:23.using investment more effectively in service like -- into areas like
:50:24. > :50:29.that. It is about raising aspiration in these communities. Donny, what is
:50:30. > :50:32.your sense of how the other parties are putting the election? Lib Dems
:50:33. > :50:39.clearly feel they can take them sit clearly feel they can take them sit
:50:40. > :50:45.in -- some seats in Leicestershire. Lobbies
:50:46. > :50:54.for anything after Brexit? This will for anything after Brexit? This will
:50:55. > :50:56.be crucial. Who is the party for working people? Both parties are
:50:57. > :51:02.positioning themselves as that. That's traditionally a Labour claim,
:51:03. > :51:12.can you really make it? The Tories have always wanted to
:51:13. > :51:15.represent everybody, not interested as to their background, just where
:51:16. > :51:23.they are going. I've been knocking on doors for months now. The thing
:51:24. > :51:27.that is really, really striking is that Labour has a real problem with
:51:28. > :51:35.its working-class, whatever that means. Most people get what that
:51:36. > :51:41.means. They find themselves unable, understandably, to back Jeremy
:51:42. > :51:46.Corbyn. It's a challenge for all parties with specific parts of the
:51:47. > :51:49.electorate. There is a challenge from Labour to ensure that people
:51:50. > :51:58.understand its policies and believe in them. That is why, alongside
:51:59. > :52:00.other parties, we are canvassing across the whole of Nottinghamshire
:52:01. > :52:04.and these midlands. People are and these midlands. People are
:52:05. > :52:11.saying to people, listen to what we are saying, listen to what Labour is
:52:12. > :52:15.actually saying and offering to the working class. George ours on what
:52:16. > :52:29.we are saying and not what you were being told. -- George ours. In 2016,
:52:30. > :52:31.we heard it was going to be really bad from Labour. It didn't turn out
:52:32. > :52:37.as bad as people were saying. Well, of course, there is another
:52:38. > :52:40.election going on at the moment - voters will go to the polls this
:52:41. > :52:43.Thursday to decide who runs All of the seats in Nottinghamshire,
:52:44. > :52:46.Derbyshire, Leicestershire The closest fight is expected to be
:52:47. > :52:52.in Nottinghamshire. Labour are in charge here,
:52:53. > :52:55.but there's no overall control - they have 32 seats, two short
:52:56. > :52:58.of the number needed for a majority. In Derbyshire, Labour have
:52:59. > :53:02.an overall majority of ten seats. In Leicestershire, the Conservatives
:53:03. > :53:04.have a majority of three. In Lincolnshire, there's
:53:05. > :53:06.no overall control, but the Conservatives
:53:07. > :53:08.are the largest party with 36 seats. With the county council
:53:09. > :53:10.elections coming so close to a general election, the results
:53:11. > :53:12.will be watched carefully. Our political reporter, Peter Saull,
:53:13. > :53:15.has been taking a look at the battle From the Civil War to the miners'
:53:16. > :53:21.strikes, Nottingham has often And these county council
:53:22. > :53:29.elections are no different. Labour is besieged on all
:53:30. > :53:33.sides and the Tories This is what Nottinghamshire
:53:34. > :53:39.could be like. The local Conservative leader thinks
:53:40. > :53:41.tearing down part of County Hall I completely trust the Conservatives
:53:42. > :53:48.to manage things in a proper, We need to raise the profile of this
:53:49. > :53:56.council, we need to raise the profile of the county
:53:57. > :53:58.across England, start We've done this once
:53:59. > :54:02.and I know we can do it again. Also on the attack,
:54:03. > :54:04.the Liberal Democrats, hoping for an anti-Brexit surge
:54:05. > :54:06.from the south of the Trent. We're the one party
:54:07. > :54:12.that support Remain. It's not only about that,
:54:13. > :54:15.it's also about education and making sure that we have an education
:54:16. > :54:17.system that suits everybody, It's about making sure
:54:18. > :54:24.that we have good social care, which at the moment is being
:54:25. > :54:26.absolutely starved of funding. People are ready
:54:27. > :54:27.to vote differently. The Lib Dems have new
:54:28. > :54:30.allies in the Greens. They've agreed not to stand
:54:31. > :54:35.against each other in one area. The Lib Dems and the Green party,
:54:36. > :54:38.be sure quite a lot of policies, so we thought it makes sense to do
:54:39. > :54:42.a pact, so voters don't have to consider voting either Green
:54:43. > :54:45.or the Lib Dems if they agree To the west, along
:54:46. > :54:52.the Nottinghamshire coalfield, unruly bands of independents
:54:53. > :54:59.are planning more raids. One day I might agree
:55:00. > :55:01.with a Conservative point of view, another day with the Labour
:55:02. > :55:03.point of view. I can vote whichever way
:55:04. > :55:06.I want, whichever I think And don't forget Ukip,
:55:07. > :55:09.looking to make inroads Locally, we've been very strong
:55:10. > :55:12.in the past, we are representing people whose voice aren't heard
:55:13. > :55:15.in the other parties, people are fed up of paying more
:55:16. > :55:18.and more and receiving less services and it's about time we give them
:55:19. > :55:20.a decent opposition. When under attack, the key
:55:21. > :55:23.is to hold firm and staunchly I'm confident that we can do
:55:24. > :55:34.well in these elections. We don't take anything
:55:35. > :55:37.for granted but the response I'm confident that Nottinghamshire
:55:38. > :55:40.will return a Labour county council. People are very concerned
:55:41. > :55:43.about the future of their local services and they know that we've
:55:44. > :55:51.had for years, we've delivered and that their services
:55:52. > :55:56.are safe in our hands. Across the county,
:55:57. > :56:00.the battle lines are drawn. The Labour be overrun or will
:56:01. > :56:06.the Toriess dreams be left in ruins? And I can assure you that
:56:07. > :56:09.Newark Castle was not harmed in any way during the making
:56:10. > :56:13.of that report. As Peter mentioned, there
:56:14. > :56:16.are independents standing in several parts of Nottinghamshire,
:56:17. > :56:17.including the Ashfield Independents group and the Hucknall
:56:18. > :56:19.First Community Forum. It's easy to forget
:56:20. > :56:21.these county council Pretty vital for Labour,
:56:22. > :56:42.what does it mean if you do as badly I agree. We are confident the devil
:56:43. > :56:48.do well. Just a couple of months ago, one of the worst county council
:56:49. > :56:53.meetings, the Conservatives proposed an amendment that would have got
:56:54. > :56:58.money going to adult social care and 1.5 million to children and young
:56:59. > :57:03.people services. -- one of the first county council. That's what it will
:57:04. > :57:08.mean. The Nottinghamshire Tories joining in and adding the cuts. That
:57:09. > :57:16.is the choice people have got. That is what people will vote this
:57:17. > :57:21.Thursday. We didn't vote for your budget, we proposed own budget,
:57:22. > :57:26.which are devoted against. It was an extra 3% on the social care precept,
:57:27. > :57:39.more money going in. A ?1 million portal fun. -- a ?1 million pothole
:57:40. > :57:41.fund. We both agree that adult social care needs to be helped.
:57:42. > :57:53.This is about the services that local people receive. Would you be
:57:54. > :58:00.in trouble? It's the general election that Jeremy Corbyn is
:58:01. > :58:05.standing in. -- would he be in trouble. I think we will do it in
:58:06. > :58:10.the... If you didn't do well, should you step aside? He's not going to
:58:11. > :58:12.step aside, residing in the general election. They deserve to do well,
:58:13. > :58:14.the Labour candidates. Are you expecting a low turnout
:58:15. > :58:25.in the county council elections? There is a difficulty because of the
:58:26. > :58:31.general election on June the 8th. People get it. They are not stupid.
:58:32. > :58:40.They are looking for to voting on Thursday. People get it. I do
:58:41. > :58:44.genuinely believe that. We've got a cracking team of candidates. On the
:58:45. > :58:49.doorsteps, I've been on every many months, we are going down very well.
:58:50. > :58:55.Everybody has to get out there. I hope they will vote Conservative.
:58:56. > :58:57.Different doorsteps to me, then, Anna.
:58:58. > :59:00.You can see a full list of candidates on the county
:59:01. > :59:02.councils' websites and you can hear more from the candidates
:59:03. > :59:04.on the Facebook pages of our local radio stations.
:59:05. > :59:07.Time now for a look at some of the other political stories
:59:08. > :59:15.in the East Midlands this week, here's Rob Pittam with 60 Seconds.
:59:16. > :59:18.The Government has been told it must publish its plans for tackling air
:59:19. > :59:23.Two cities in the region, Nottingham and Derby,
:59:24. > :59:26.have some of the highest levels of pollution in the country.
:59:27. > :59:28.They've been designated clean air zones.
:59:29. > :59:32.Dangerous dogs are clearly a very serious problem.
:59:33. > :59:35.The Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan wants to change the law to tackle
:59:36. > :59:37.dog owners who allow their pets to attack other dogs.
:59:38. > :59:41.She held a debate in Parliament calling for all dogs
:59:42. > :59:45.to have the same legal protection as assistants and guide dogs.
:59:46. > :59:48.Another of the region's long serving MPs is to stand down.
:59:49. > :59:50.The Conservative Sir Edward Garnier, who has represented
:59:51. > :59:54.Harborough for 25 years, has announced his retirement.
:59:55. > :59:57.Graham Allen, who's served 30 years as the Labour MP
:59:58. > :59:59.for Nottingham North, is also stepping down.
:00:00. > :00:01.Nottingham and Derby are bearing traditional
:00:02. > :00:18.-- Nottingham and Derby are burying traditional
:00:19. > :00:22.The councils are planning to introduce a new metro card
:00:23. > :00:24.which would allow residents to use libraries and leisure
:00:25. > :00:26.They'll also collaborate to promote Nottingham
:00:27. > :00:29.That's the Sunday Politics in the East Midlands,
:00:30. > :00:31.thanks to Anna Soubry and Vernon Coaker.
:00:32. > :00:33.Next week, full coverage of those county council results.
:00:34. > :00:40.we will take the mandate that we want. To all three of you, thank
:00:41. > :00:53.you. Andrew, back to you. So, how will Thursday's local
:00:54. > :00:54.election results affect Who's winning the
:00:55. > :00:57.election ground war? And as he celebrates 100
:00:58. > :01:15.days in the White House, We have the local elections, Metro
:01:16. > :01:19.elections in Liverpool, greater Birmingham, West Midlands, how will
:01:20. > :01:23.they play into the general election? Significantly, it is very unusual.
:01:24. > :01:28.People keep comparing this with the election in 83, not! Margaret
:01:29. > :01:31.Thatcher was nervous and to wait until after the local elections to
:01:32. > :01:35.call the election to see the result. We are getting these result in the
:01:36. > :01:41.middle of an election campaign so it will be important, whoever does
:01:42. > :01:44.badly will suffer a dent in confidence in terms of how they
:01:45. > :01:49.approach the election and we are also going to have mayoral figures
:01:50. > :01:54.as a reminder of another big difference with the 80s that however
:01:55. > :01:58.big, say, the Conservatives win in Westminster, there are now sectors
:01:59. > :02:02.of power in other parts of the United Kingdom which were not there
:02:03. > :02:06.in the 80s. One of the reasons niches that are rated in 83 was
:02:07. > :02:12.memories were still alive in political circles of 1970, Wilson
:02:13. > :02:16.saw the local election results and thought, I can win, he was told he
:02:17. > :02:20.would win by the Economist magazine, who had done the analysis, and of
:02:21. > :02:28.course he lost, so that is why she waited, Mrs May does not need to
:02:29. > :02:31.wait for that at all now, and on the Metro elections, the one she will be
:02:32. > :02:35.looking at is the West Midlands, that is the one that is a
:02:36. > :02:38.competition. I think she can really lose on Thursday in the local
:02:39. > :02:43.elections, governing parties are supposed to take effect again,
:02:44. > :02:49.losing lots of council seats. She is projected to put on 100 or so seats,
:02:50. > :02:53.Labour projected to lose around 200, the first time the main opposition
:02:54. > :02:57.party has shed seats since something like 83 so clearly the local
:02:58. > :03:00.elections give Mrs May great momentum going into the general
:03:01. > :03:04.election campaign but there is a downside in that, which is what we
:03:05. > :03:09.have already heard fighting about this morning, if it looks like it is
:03:10. > :03:13.going too well for the Tories, it says to voters, why bother turning
:03:14. > :03:16.up? Sushi comes up with totally unbelievable sound bites this
:03:17. > :03:23.morning that this is the most important general election in her
:03:24. > :03:29.lifetime. Really?! For her it is! It always is until the next one! I
:03:30. > :03:34.wonder if voter turnout is a problem? Tory voters are more likely
:03:35. > :03:39.to vote than Labour voters. If there is a sense that it is all over bar
:03:40. > :03:43.the shouting, the overall turnout will be low that Tory voters are
:03:44. > :03:48.still likely to turn out more than Labour voters so she would still win
:03:49. > :03:52.some. I don't think she needs to be too worried, I think there will be a
:03:53. > :03:59.significantly low turnout, even I am finding it hard to be that excited
:04:00. > :04:03.about this general election. Really, the policies, we have spent a lot of
:04:04. > :04:08.time talking about them today and we have to examine them, but all this
:04:09. > :04:12.is about is, do you want Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn in Number Ten?
:04:13. > :04:16.Those are the only question is, apart from possibly how strong do
:04:17. > :04:21.you feel about Brexit, that will be on the voters' minds. You may say
:04:22. > :04:25.that but I will not be put off from going through a list of policies
:04:26. > :04:32.that we have already had in the last 24 hours. On the Conservatives, more
:04:33. > :04:39.powers to stop company bosses under pensions, of course Philip Green was
:04:40. > :04:44.in mind there. Labour has come up with quite a few policies, actually,
:04:45. > :04:54.give all work of equal rights, whether part-time or full-time,
:04:55. > :04:58.temporary or permanent. Ukip, scrap VAT or takeaway -- on takeaway food
:04:59. > :05:04.and end the BBC licence fee. The Liberal Democrats have come out
:05:05. > :05:11.posed to the runway at Heathrow. I thought I knew that already? Will
:05:12. > :05:17.any of these policies make a difference? They are all nice handy
:05:18. > :05:22.things that people quite liked but probably not, is the answer. They
:05:23. > :05:25.are an awful way away from polling day now for people to remember and
:05:26. > :05:31.latch onto. I don't think you make your mind up on small issues like
:05:32. > :05:34.Heathrow, unless you live in Richmond-upon-Thames, maybe, but the
:05:35. > :05:39.problem Labour have got with unfailing a lot of these retail type
:05:40. > :05:43.policies which, in themselves, are very popular, is no one will listen
:05:44. > :05:47.to them until they get over the leadership credibility issue. Jeremy
:05:48. > :05:50.Corbyn could the world on a stick, but if no one believes he can
:05:51. > :05:54.deliver it then he will not be listened to and he has not done much
:05:55. > :05:57.apart from a speech yesterday in which is claim to fame was getting
:05:58. > :06:03.arrested, I don't see how that would work for him getting to Number Ten.
:06:04. > :06:09.They are not making progress on it. Labour has rolled out a number of
:06:10. > :06:14.policies which, taken individually, would have certain traction in
:06:15. > :06:17.normal times, quite interesting ideas, this sense of unfairness, a
:06:18. > :06:23.feeling that ordinary workers have not done well out of the recovery,
:06:24. > :06:27.those who caused the crash have, 20 points, I went through some of them
:06:28. > :06:31.earlier, putting aside they are not costed, we are assured they will be.
:06:32. > :06:38.The problem I suggest is not the costing but the cut through? Every
:06:39. > :06:41.election has a context which is determined by opinion polls, however
:06:42. > :06:44.sceptical we are these days, and if one party is way ahead it is
:06:45. > :06:50.difficult for the other party to appear relevant, because if people
:06:51. > :06:54.assume they are not going to win, even some of its own MPs are saying,
:06:55. > :07:02.we are not going to win this, so you can vote for us, it is very hard to
:07:03. > :07:05.get attention and relevance. Where I think all the parties are bad with
:07:06. > :07:11.their current leaders is framing arguments, so those policies you
:07:12. > :07:15.have highlighted makes sense. The best leaders are brilliant framers
:07:16. > :07:21.of an argument and neither Theresa Maynor Jeremy Corbyn R. They have
:07:22. > :07:26.been campaigning, their manifestos are not out yet, both sides have
:07:27. > :07:29.been telling us we have to wait for costings, but it has not stopped
:07:30. > :07:34.them campaigning. Let's remind you of where they have been and what
:07:35. > :07:39.they have been doing so far. Let's start with Jeremy Corbyn, his
:07:40. > :07:43.first official visit was in the ultra-marginal Conservative seat of
:07:44. > :07:48.Croydon Central where the MP Gavin Barwell has a lead of just 165. That
:07:49. > :07:53.is not the only Conservative seat he has visited, along the way he popped
:07:54. > :07:59.in on Bristol North West, a Conservative majority of nearly
:08:00. > :08:06.5000. The Tory seat of Cardiff North, a lead of just over 2000,
:08:07. > :08:11.Warrington South, just over 2700, and Crewe and Nantwich, Tory
:08:12. > :08:17.majority of three and a half thousand. Yesterday he visited
:08:18. > :08:22.Bethnal greed and Bob, a Labour lead of 20 4000. Theresa May kicked off
:08:23. > :08:27.her campaign in Bolton, Labour majority of over 4000. On her way
:08:28. > :08:31.round the UK she had a comfy stop in her own maidenhead seat, where she
:08:32. > :08:35.is defending a majority of nearly 30,000, before travelling to other
:08:36. > :08:42.Labour marginals including Dudley North, a Labour lead of 4000.
:08:43. > :08:44.Bridgend, a lead of just under 2004 Labour, before becoming ambitious
:08:45. > :09:00.and visiting shadow minister Richard Bergen's Leeds East seat, which he
:09:01. > :09:02.won by over 12,500 votes. Yesterday she went north of the border to
:09:03. > :09:04.Aberdeenshire, where amongst other places she visited the SNP seat of
:09:05. > :09:05.West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, where the Tories would have to gain
:09:06. > :09:13.over 7000 votes to unseat the NP. What do you make of it all so far?
:09:14. > :09:17.It is remarkable she is doing these visits in Scotland. Past but even
:09:18. > :09:21.five years and the idea of a Tory Prime Minister going round Scotland
:09:22. > :09:26.would be utterly counter-productive, and actually they are ambitious for
:09:27. > :09:29.Scotland now under with Davidson, a prospect of multiple seats, and that
:09:30. > :09:32.would be a real genuine shift in Scottish politics, the likes of
:09:33. > :09:42.which we have not seen for 15 or 20 years. If she gets that, that helps
:09:43. > :09:47.towards 100 seats, because if she wins ten in Scotland, it is
:09:48. > :09:51.effectively 20, the SNP lose ten, she gains ten, she wants to do that
:09:52. > :09:57.in the Midlands with Labour, and the North. To get the 100 majority,
:09:58. > :10:02.other than Scotland, she has to win Labour seats, that is all that is
:10:03. > :10:06.there. And clearly she has been told, it is obvious, that she has a
:10:07. > :10:09.chance of doing so, otherwise you don't go to these parts of the
:10:10. > :10:15.country in the first few days of the campaign. All logic points to her
:10:16. > :10:19.being able to pull it off as well. The opinion polls, the state of the
:10:20. > :10:23.Labour Party. The only qualification I have in this is that politics is
:10:24. > :10:31.so wild and free Braille at the moment, it doesn't feel like
:10:32. > :10:36.landslide to rain. That is true, it doesn't. It is early days, we
:10:37. > :10:40.haven't yet had the manifestos, the campaign is yet to gather momentum.
:10:41. > :10:49.It doesn't feel like landslide territory. I disagree, look at every
:10:50. > :10:53.single poll, the Tory lead is 10% in Wales, you can see her picking up 20
:10:54. > :10:58.seat there. Put this together, I am told by the way she is going into
:10:59. > :11:03.traditional Labour heartland again tomorrow, the key is the Ukip vote.
:11:04. > :11:22.That will implode... Crumble towards Tories? If she can hoover that up
:11:23. > :11:23.and retain the Tory vote, she will have a majority of 150.
:11:24. > :11:23.I cannot let you go without reminding you that it is Donald
:11:24. > :11:24.Trump's 100 days. He's not making a lot of it now, this is what he said
:11:25. > :11:26.last night. We are just beginning in our fight
:11:27. > :11:29.to make America great again. Now, before we talk about my first
:11:30. > :11:39.100 days, which has been very exciting and very productive,
:11:40. > :11:43.let's rate the media's 100 days. Because, as you know,
:11:44. > :12:03.they are a disgrace. There you go, still bashing the
:12:04. > :12:08.media, that was at a rally in Virginia, the 100 days was last
:12:09. > :12:12.night. He seems happier campaigning than running the country. You each
:12:13. > :12:20.have 20 seconds to give me your board on the first 100 days.
:12:21. > :12:25.Remarkable, he will not stop slagging off the media but America
:12:26. > :12:28.first has not meant America first in terms of national policy, he has
:12:29. > :12:34.reneges on what he said about Nato being obsolete. He is moving from
:12:35. > :12:42.the old right to the centre because that is where you get things done,
:12:43. > :12:47.he is a pragmatist, also is about's friend Nigel Parrott is no longer
:12:48. > :12:53.welcome, we read this morning! Allegedly! He loves campaigning but
:12:54. > :12:56.finds governing much more difficult. Who would have thought being
:12:57. > :13:00.president of the United States was a difficult job?! He loves rallies but
:13:01. > :13:06.being president and politics is a very difficult thing indeed. Thank
:13:07. > :13:07.you, there we go, Mr Trump's 100 days, we will see what the next 100
:13:08. > :13:10.brings. The Daily Politics is back
:13:11. > :13:13.on BBC Two after the bank holiday on Tuesday at midday,
:13:14. > :13:15.with all the latest And I'll be back here
:13:16. > :13:18.on BBC One next Sunday Remember - if it's Sunday,
:13:19. > :14:25.it's the Sunday Politics. The East End girl who became the
:14:26. > :14:28.nation's favourite. We don't know what it is,
:14:29. > :14:32.but she definitely has... Something. From stage to screen
:14:33. > :14:38.and into our hearts. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
:14:39. > :14:45.Ooh, in't she wonderful? If you're not careful, you'll end up
:14:46. > :14:49.playing this sexy little blonde