:01:28. > :01:32.Here in the east, new candidates revealed for the role of police
:01:32. > :01:42.commissioner. And how best French oil refinery has been given a bail-
:01:42. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :35:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1999 seconds
:35:02. > :35:07.out will workers over here face the Hello and welcome to the programme.
:35:07. > :35:10.Coming up, Labour wants their line- up for the new role of police
:35:10. > :35:19.commissioner. It is part of the biggest shake-up of policing Eric
:35:19. > :35:23.many years. And now meet our guest, at the
:35:23. > :35:27.Labour and Conservative MPs. Let's talk about the region's
:35:27. > :35:33.unemployment figures which came out this week. Once again, the buck the
:35:33. > :35:37.national trend. This time, they are up by 1,000. 2,000 people looking
:35:37. > :35:44.for work in the east. When will the Government makes some jobs for
:35:44. > :35:50.these people? We are, we have made 6,000 or more new Private sector
:35:50. > :35:53.jobs since 20th May 10. The direction of travel is right, but
:35:53. > :35:57.taking individual figures, there are bound to the regional
:35:57. > :36:02.differences and fluctuations, and obviously it is quite disappointing
:36:02. > :36:06.that this has gone up in the east. We do seem to be well below the
:36:06. > :36:11.national average unemployment rate, 6.8%, hardly weathering the
:36:11. > :36:15.recession better Shia than in other parts of the country? There is much
:36:15. > :36:19.worse to come. The Government is insisting on going on with it cuts
:36:19. > :36:24.programme. There are many more cuts to come. Before the last election,
:36:24. > :36:28.unemployment was coming down. It has gone up since then. It is
:36:28. > :36:30.substantially higher than it was one year ago. In my constituency,
:36:30. > :36:34.we are still above the national average.
:36:34. > :36:39.Stem with jobs and unemployment, the first 200 jobs will go at the
:36:39. > :36:44.Cotton Oil refinery in Essex next week. It will be the emission --
:36:44. > :36:49.issued will be the first wave of redundancies at the plant since its
:36:49. > :36:52.but with its parent company in January. 850 jobs are at stake. The
:36:52. > :36:58.Government is adamant that it cannot legally give aid to the
:36:58. > :37:04.plant. It has been a different story in France.
:37:04. > :37:09.They protest by oil refinery workers, days from redundancy and
:37:09. > :37:13.desperate for Government help. nothing is done now, then we will
:37:13. > :37:17.have people being thrown on the scrapheap for no reason at all.
:37:17. > :37:25.This is the refinery they are tried to save. Coryton, capacity 9
:37:25. > :37:30.million tonnes per year. 850 jobs. How does a profitable oil refinery
:37:30. > :37:35.end up on the verge of closure? The big money is in extracting oil, not
:37:35. > :37:40.refining it. Also, Coryton produces mainly petrol and demand for petrol
:37:40. > :37:44.is falling. More and more drivers are switching to diesel. Back in
:37:44. > :37:48.20th June -- back in June 2007, BP sold Coryton to a Swiss owned
:37:49. > :37:54.company called petrol plus, but in January this year, that company
:37:54. > :37:57.went bust and Clayton was put up for sale again. Last month,
:37:57. > :38:02.Coryton's administrators said they have not found a buyer, leaving
:38:02. > :38:07.workers facing the dole queue. one of the lucky ones who can
:38:07. > :38:10.manage, but I look at many of my work friends and they will struggle.
:38:10. > :38:16.Recorded in the struggle could -- have committed as close, it will be
:38:16. > :38:23.a huge blow to the local economy. An impact assessment put the loss
:38:23. > :38:26.at �100 million. �30 million in wages alone. In the Commons, one MP
:38:26. > :38:32.called for an urgent debate about the state of the UK's refining and
:38:32. > :38:36.dentistry. Can be explored in that debate what help the Government can
:38:36. > :38:39.give to the industry and whether or not it is possible to offer some
:38:40. > :38:43.form of financial assistance, as he did to the banks so that we can
:38:43. > :38:47.keep order to open. I am not sure that keeping the refinery open
:38:47. > :38:52.indefinitely at the public expense would be the best use of resources.
:38:52. > :38:56.At this public meeting in Basildon, angered that the Government is not
:38:56. > :39:02.do more. Anyone who thinks that this is the state had and 50 people
:39:02. > :39:07.who are having problems, no. This is the whole community. In ten days,
:39:07. > :39:12.redundancies will be coming through the door. Elsewhere in Europe,
:39:12. > :39:17.governments have saved stricken refineries. We travelled to this
:39:17. > :39:22.town in France. Like tourism, the refinery here was also owned by the
:39:22. > :39:27.Swiss company, but unlike Coryton, it is still in business largely
:39:27. > :39:31.thanks to promises of Government help. The workers here say they
:39:31. > :39:35.were lucky that the crisis hit in the middle of a French presidential
:39:35. > :39:42.election campaign. The fate of the refine their and their jobs became
:39:42. > :39:45.a national issue. It was either they came and spoke to us and says
:39:45. > :39:55.what their position was or it would have been war. What would that have
:39:55. > :40:00.
:40:01. > :40:05.meant? We would have simply shut down the facility, closed the roads
:40:05. > :40:10.and forced the Government to look at the situation. Everton would
:40:10. > :40:14.have stopped. Back in the United Kennon, Labour MEP Richard have it
:40:14. > :40:17.seen speaking to quarry to workers, criticise the Coalition for not
:40:17. > :40:21.even formally consulting the European Commission about the
:40:21. > :40:25.option of state support. And Whitehall, after another
:40:25. > :40:31.frustrating meeting, the quarries are workers vowed to adopt a more
:40:32. > :40:36.Gallic tactics. They have already staged one demo at eight fuel depot,
:40:36. > :40:39.the unit union said that more will follow. A this Ollerton time no one
:40:40. > :40:45.is listed, so maybe we have to take drastic action to make people
:40:46. > :40:54.listen. They feel protest. The workers hope it will force the
:40:54. > :40:57.coalition to save Coryton. Joining as at is a former Labour MP
:40:57. > :41:02.and the eight former chair of the all-party British offshore oil and
:41:02. > :41:09.gas group. I have recorded in problems symptomatic of the
:41:09. > :41:13.industry as a whole? They are, and Coryton is a tragedy for all the
:41:13. > :41:17.people there and their families. It is something we should all be were
:41:17. > :41:21.-- something we should all be worried about because of the
:41:21. > :41:27.refinery capacity. We have a shortfall in refining diesel. We
:41:27. > :41:31.are already importing 15 to 20% of a diesel, that is why we are pay
:41:31. > :41:37.more at the pump. With the loss of Crediton, that will be a further
:41:37. > :41:41.10% shortfall. -- with the loss of Coryton. It is dangerous for this
:41:41. > :41:45.country to rely on imported fuel from places like the Middle East.
:41:45. > :41:49.The Government must act. Not only for the jobs at Coryton, but also
:41:49. > :41:53.to ensure that be have enough diesel to be able to function as a
:41:53. > :41:57.country. What about the fact that no buyer has been found? You cannot
:41:57. > :42:01.magic a buyer from nowhere. reason that people are not
:42:01. > :42:04.investing in refining in this country is because of the lack of a
:42:04. > :42:08.level playing field. The government-commissioned report to
:42:08. > :42:16.see what they could do to make this country a more attractive
:42:16. > :42:22.investment area. The report said that they could stop imposing
:42:22. > :42:24.higher carbon taxes than other countries, that they could stop
:42:24. > :42:29.called putting legislation and environmental legislation so that
:42:29. > :42:33.it was not more burdensome than other countries, and they could
:42:33. > :42:36.encourage investment by offering soft loans or loan guarantees. This
:42:36. > :42:42.report was delivered to the minister one year ago. It has been
:42:42. > :42:47.on his table for a here and he has done nothing. No buyer has yet been
:42:47. > :42:52.found for Coryton, but by pledging support and keeping the French
:42:52. > :42:56.refinery open the French Government had seemingly secured its future.
:42:56. > :43:00.Isn't it time for our Government to do the same? And absolutely, the
:43:00. > :43:08.Government is simply hiding behind EU legislation and as Abbott says,
:43:08. > :43:11.we could actually put the plant into temporary or permanent public
:43:11. > :43:18.on a ship. The plant is inherently profitable, perhaps but as
:43:18. > :43:23.profitable as other uses but it is actually profitable. We deduce
:43:23. > :43:25.stand on this? The Government say they cannot replace it in. It is
:43:25. > :43:29.important to recognise the difference between what is
:43:29. > :43:33.happening in Coryton and what is happening in France. They are
:43:33. > :43:36.keeping the refinery going whilst still searching for a buyer. It is
:43:36. > :43:41.not right to say that no one is interested in buying the Coryton
:43:41. > :43:47.refinery as it is. We did not say that, we said that no buyer has
:43:47. > :43:51.been found. No buyer has been found to operate it as a refinery. They
:43:51. > :43:54.are looking for alternative uses. That is what has made it
:43:54. > :43:58.increasingly difficult to keep refining capacity here at Coryton.
:43:58. > :44:02.I am trying to build a case to the Government on the lines that there
:44:02. > :44:06.is a huge economic impact associated with the closure of this
:44:06. > :44:10.refinery and it damages her feel security. I am struggling to get
:44:10. > :44:14.that message across to the Government. They do not see it that
:44:14. > :44:20.way. They believe there is overcapacity in the United Kingdom
:44:20. > :44:23.and UK refining markets. However, it is a profitable refinery and
:44:23. > :44:28.supports a large number of jobs and I am working hard to say that.
:44:28. > :44:31.we have to accept that the economy is the changing? That there is an
:44:31. > :44:34.international market and this is just the way that things are going?
:44:34. > :44:38.I do not think we should give up. That is why the French Government
:44:38. > :44:43.are doing the right thing. They are saying that this is an important
:44:43. > :44:48.industry, not just for people's jobs but for security and supply.
:44:48. > :44:53.It would be disastrous. We're talking about 25% of the diesel is
:44:53. > :44:59.Coryton closes been imported from foreign countries. Battersea been
:44:59. > :45:03.to his place to be. This project is important for the -- that is a
:45:03. > :45:07.dangerous place to be, this project is important for the whole country.
:45:07. > :45:10.Back in 2003, they were fined 2 million euros. Are you saying that
:45:10. > :45:14.her Government should actually break the law effectively and
:45:14. > :45:18.suffer the consequences later? not encouraging the Government to
:45:18. > :45:21.break the law, I am asking them to look creatively at what further
:45:21. > :45:27.support they can get to the refinery. I do not believe that
:45:27. > :45:30.state ownership is an option, public on a ship would be �1
:45:30. > :45:34.billion not just to bite you fine you but to operate it. The
:45:34. > :45:37.throughput of crude that goes through and the storage of fuel.
:45:37. > :45:41.But there must be a way that we can find of helping a buyer comes
:45:41. > :45:45.forward and operate the refinery. Would the Labour Government are in
:45:45. > :45:48.a Labour Government have broken these European rules? If I had my
:45:48. > :45:55.way I would settle the pick those rules. Other countries have broken
:45:55. > :45:58.them. It is ridiculous that we have rules made in the European Union
:45:58. > :46:02.that some countries feel free to fight and we seem to go along. We
:46:02. > :46:06.are a very law-abiding country. We must look at changing both was as
:46:06. > :46:12.well. What would the impact be in your opinion on the local economy
:46:12. > :46:15.if the seat had and 50 jobs were lost? There will be a huge impact
:46:15. > :46:18.both locally and regionally, it is a beetle employer at has many
:46:18. > :46:24.suppliers across the south-east of England and across the country, so
:46:24. > :46:28.the impact of its closure would be felt not just locally. But luckily,
:46:28. > :46:33.we have had a refining tradition it is part of our industrial heritage.
:46:33. > :46:40.There were once the refineries and that is just now 01. It to be a
:46:40. > :46:44.tragedy if it closed. We will leave it there. Now to the
:46:44. > :46:47.way be run our police forces. There have always been bodies overseeing
:46:48. > :46:51.the work of the police from Justices of the piece to the board
:46:51. > :46:56.committees. But it has been the work of police authorities since
:46:56. > :46:59.1964. Now they are to be replaced for a -- replaced by a single
:46:59. > :47:09.police commissioner for each forced that you will let in five months'
:47:09. > :47:10.
:47:10. > :47:14.time. The first candidates are These are the people that Labour
:47:14. > :47:18.are hoping will soon be the region's police commissioners. One
:47:18. > :47:22.for each county, many local councillors. All stressing that if
:47:22. > :47:26.elected they will be independent. My track record always says that I
:47:26. > :47:33.stand up for the people who I represent. What I want people to
:47:33. > :47:36.see me as his Norfolk minded, rather than particularly label --
:47:36. > :47:41.particularly Labour or independent- minded. We're looking for local
:47:42. > :47:46.solutions. This is a new idea, one person to be the face of policing
:47:46. > :47:49.any county. Responsible for policy, not day-to-day operations and
:47:49. > :47:55.answerable to the electorate. The biggest challenge at the moment is
:47:55. > :48:00.to sell the idea to voters. What is wrong with the current system? Were
:48:00. > :48:04.should they get more money wasted? I do not think it needs to be
:48:05. > :48:09.changed. The minister in Northampton this week try to do his
:48:09. > :48:13.bed. Everyone will have their say and the ability to influence local
:48:13. > :48:16.policing. Priorities to put the public in the driving seat. This
:48:16. > :48:19.will strengthen the bridge between the police and the public. Labour
:48:19. > :48:23.have their team in place, the Lib Dems are still deciding if they
:48:23. > :48:27.will even take part. The Conservatives have selected just
:48:27. > :48:32.two candidates. This is their candidate for Northamptonshire,
:48:32. > :48:36.very enthusiastic about the new post. It is the best opportunity to
:48:36. > :48:41.do new things. I do not have to step into anyone else's footsteps.
:48:41. > :48:44.I can develop this and make it what I will. The wild card in these
:48:44. > :48:50.elections could be the independent candidates, local people who feel
:48:50. > :48:53.strongly about policing, like this but has been in Norfolk. I have
:48:53. > :48:57.lost �250,000 invested this year of one that I would say that in the
:48:57. > :49:01.last 40 years since I had been in business and of loss or �1 million.
:49:01. > :49:05.I can tell you know that nobody has ever been caught or convicted for
:49:05. > :49:11.any of those crimes. The candidates are enthusiastic, now they must win
:49:11. > :49:17.over the public. The Labour Party seems to have
:49:17. > :49:23.embraced this idea, have you? Labour has embraced the idea, the
:49:23. > :49:27.legislation has gone through and we have a candidates, as you have seen.
:49:27. > :49:31.I think the main thing is to try and protect the country and
:49:31. > :49:36.Protector region against the effect of police cuts. I am getting a
:49:36. > :49:40.negative vibes from me on this. Are you grudgingly accepting what has
:49:40. > :49:44.been decided? Can masterly we have put a case, an alternative case,
:49:44. > :49:48.but now we have police commissioners be appointed go for
:49:48. > :49:52.it very strongly and to her best to protect the public, given that we
:49:52. > :49:59.will have savaged police cuts which are really affecting us now.
:49:59. > :50:04.times of austerity, why spend more than �100 million on electing these
:50:04. > :50:08.people? This is about closing the democratic deficit, I do not think
:50:08. > :50:13.that it can be a bad idea to have someone who is in charge of
:50:13. > :50:17.policing at local level. Someone directly accountable to the people
:50:17. > :50:20.they serve. That is what this is about. I am hoping that the cost of
:50:20. > :50:25.collecting police commissioners, whatever that turns out to be, will
:50:25. > :50:29.be more than covered by the commissioner's ability to cut
:50:29. > :50:34.bureaucracy and get a policeman head of police stations at onto the
:50:34. > :50:37.streets. He will police the commissioners? Communities. The
:50:37. > :50:41.police's any elected representative? People put
:50:42. > :50:48.themselves forward and see what they're on to do and then do it and
:50:48. > :50:53.are held to account by the public. What is your view on this idea? In
:50:53. > :50:57.America there have been several cases of corruption. I am sure it
:50:57. > :51:01.will not be the case with their candidates, particularly in
:51:01. > :51:05.Bedfordshire, all Martin's is just a brilliant guy had a personal
:51:05. > :51:12.friends that he will do a superb job for Bedfordshire. Is it too
:51:12. > :51:16.much power in the hands of one person? I do not think so. -- I do
:51:16. > :51:20.not think so, provided you get the right candidates. We have the right
:51:20. > :51:25.candidate in the east for my party and whoever wins at Opel to the
:51:25. > :51:31.best job possible and try and project -- whoever wins will do the
:51:31. > :51:35.best job possible and try and protect the police procedures.
:51:35. > :51:39.candidates have been rejected that Major referenda in several cities,
:51:40. > :51:43.again, who is going to oversee, you mentioned the public will oversee,
:51:43. > :51:46.but once someone has been appointed head than they did that? They hold
:51:46. > :51:52.them to account at elections in the way that we are both held to
:51:52. > :51:55.account in elections. There will be checks and balances, there will
:51:55. > :51:58.still be the Home Office who can call into account if things are
:51:58. > :52:03.going wrong and there will be local panels that they will work in
:52:04. > :52:07.conjunction with. I see this as a real step forward, this is about
:52:07. > :52:11.democracy and transparency and accountability. It is through those
:52:11. > :52:16.things that we can manage the police budget. We can manage it
:52:16. > :52:21.better and to better. Time for her weekly political
:52:21. > :52:31.ground up. One of the usual suspects has a bone to pick with
:52:31. > :52:34.
:52:34. > :52:37.It has been a week of complaints kicks off by the local MP over
:52:37. > :52:42.Boris Johnson's suggestion of a second runway at Stansted. This
:52:42. > :52:46.will idea that the problems in the short-term can be served by a
:52:46. > :52:52.second runway at Stansted. It goes against the very concept of a hub
:52:52. > :52:57.airport. Another MP is cross that more farm workers are being
:52:57. > :53:01.exploited by unscrupulous gang masters.
:53:01. > :53:08.Complaints of striking doctors that there be made to take more and wait
:53:08. > :53:12.longer for their pensions cut no cloth with Suffolk MP Dan Poulter.
:53:12. > :53:16.There is a good deal on the table. The MP for Wellingborough wants to
:53:17. > :53:26.part company from the coalition altogether. Would my preferred to
:53:26. > :53:36.Deputy Prime Minister a race a report from the yellow perils?
:53:36. > :53:41.believe a divorce would be very Let's talk about the industrial
:53:41. > :53:44.action by the doctors. But to support this? Know I did not. I
:53:44. > :53:49.understand that no one liked to have their pension arrangements
:53:49. > :53:54.changed, but I think that for doctors to have gone on strike is
:53:54. > :53:57.the wrong move. But is it fair that their pain effectively a higher
:53:57. > :54:02.percentage than other civil servants on the same salary? After
:54:02. > :54:07.these changes they will have the best possible publicly funded
:54:07. > :54:10.pension imaginable. Dad has to be paid for. To be paid for through
:54:10. > :54:15.additional contributions. They should focus on their patients and
:54:15. > :54:20.I am pleased to say that, I do not what they have reports that doctors,
:54:20. > :54:23.that many did not strike. I think this is for the doctors to support
:54:23. > :54:27.their action, they were obviously extremely angry and I think that
:54:27. > :54:31.many doctors who did not take strike action felt equally angry
:54:31. > :54:35.but felt they could not actually on that particular day take the action
:54:36. > :54:39.with their fellow striking doctors. Even those who went to work felt
:54:39. > :54:43.very unhappy about the situation and I think they still do.
:54:43. > :54:47.Thank you both very much for your time today. That is all for now,