:00:35. > :00:39.It's Sunday Morning, and this is the Sunday Politics.
:00:40. > :00:41.Theresa May says she has no plans to increase tax levels,
:00:42. > :00:45.but refuses to repeat David Cameron's 2015 manifesto
:00:46. > :00:52.promise ruling out hikes in VAT, national insurance and income tax.
:00:53. > :00:55.The leaders of the EU's 27 member states unanimously
:00:56. > :00:59.agree their negotiating strategy for the upcoming Brexit talks, but
:01:00. > :01:09.And in the last of our series of interviews ahead of Thursday's
:01:10. > :01:12.local elections, I'll be talking to the leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne
:01:13. > :01:19.Wood, and the former leader of the SNP Alex Salmond.
:01:20. > :01:47.They hit an all-time low after coalition government,
:01:48. > :01:48.but are the Lib Dems poised to bounce back,
:01:49. > :01:53.And with me to analyse the week's politics,
:01:54. > :01:54.Isabel Oakeshott, Steve Richards, Tom Newton-Dunn.
:01:55. > :01:56.They'll be tweeting using the hashtag #bbcsp.
:01:57. > :01:59.So when Theresa May was interviewed just over an hour ago
:02:00. > :02:02.on The Andrew Marr Show, the Prime Minister was asked
:02:03. > :02:04.to confirm that she would repeat David Cameron's 2015 election
:02:05. > :02:06.promise not to raise VAT, national insurance and income tax
:02:07. > :02:11.We have absolutely no plans to increase the level of tax,
:02:12. > :02:14.but I'm also very clear that I don't want to make specific proposals
:02:15. > :02:16.on taxes unless I'm absolutely sure that I can deliver on those.
:02:17. > :02:19.But it is, would be my intention as a Conservative Government
:02:20. > :02:21.and a Conservative Prime Minister, to reduce the taxes
:02:22. > :02:31.The Tories like to have a clear tax message in elections, are they
:02:32. > :02:34.getting into a bit of a mess? That method wasn't clear, but does it
:02:35. > :02:39.mean, saying they have no plans to increase the level of tax? We are
:02:40. > :02:44.clear there will not be a rise in VAT, a lot of commentators will get
:02:45. > :02:49.overexcited about that, but there was no great expectations there
:02:50. > :02:54.would be a rise in VAT. Tempting as it is, because even one percentage
:02:55. > :02:58.point on VAT rate is 4.5 billion for the exchequer so it is tempting but
:02:59. > :03:05.there has been no speculation that would happen. We can see that she
:03:06. > :03:08.clearly wants to reiterate the language about hard-working families
:03:09. > :03:14.but I don't think we are that much the wiser. Even if she does not put
:03:15. > :03:18.up rates, according to projections the overall tax burden, as a
:03:19. > :03:23.percentage of GDP, is rising, will rise in the years ahead. That is why
:03:24. > :03:28.it was an odd phrase, I know she is doing it to be evasive but to say
:03:29. > :03:32.they have no plans to raise the general level of taxation, they do
:03:33. > :03:36.have. We also know they have specific plans because it was in the
:03:37. > :03:43.last budget, they had a tax rise which they had to revise, National
:03:44. > :03:51.Insurance rises, so very wisely in my view they are keeping options
:03:52. > :03:55.open, the 2015 tax-and-spend debate was a fantasy world, totally
:03:56. > :04:00.unrelated to the demands that would follow. They now have the
:04:01. > :04:03.flexibility, one of the arguments you had heard last time was Philip
:04:04. > :04:09.Hammond saying to her, we have to break away from the 2015 manifesto
:04:10. > :04:13.commitment and we can only do it this way, that is one of the better
:04:14. > :04:17.arguments. The Tories like to talk about tax cuts in elections, whether
:04:18. > :04:24.they do it is another matter, but they are not being allowed to talk
:04:25. > :04:28.about tax cuts, they are now on the defensive over whether they will
:04:29. > :04:31.raise taxes. That is not a healthy position for the campaign to be in.
:04:32. > :04:37.If you look at the numbers, quite frankly, if you will not do this at
:04:38. > :04:40.this election with eight 20 point lead over Labour, then when will you
:04:41. > :04:45.take these tough decisions? Reading between the lines of what Theresa
:04:46. > :04:48.May has said all over different broadcasters this morning, income
:04:49. > :04:52.tax will go down for low-income families, such as the threshold rise
:04:53. > :04:59.that microbes that was already factored in. She has had to commit
:05:00. > :05:03.to it again. VAT will be fat, national insurance contributions
:05:04. > :05:09.will go up. Do you think they will go up? I think so, she had plenty of
:05:10. > :05:15.opportunity to rule it out and she didn't. There was a terrible mess
:05:16. > :05:18.with the budget, it is a good tax argument but not a good electoral
:05:19. > :05:23.argument that you are eroding the base so heavily with people moving
:05:24. > :05:26.into self-employment that as you raise national insurance
:05:27. > :05:29.contributions for everybody but the self-employed, it is something the
:05:30. > :05:34.Treasury will have to look at. The other triple lock on pensions, we
:05:35. > :05:38.don't know if they will keep to that either? If they are sensible they
:05:39. > :05:42.will find a form of words to give them flexibility in that area as
:05:43. > :05:47.well. I would say there is no question over that, that has gone.
:05:48. > :05:50.As Mrs May would say, you will have to wait for the manifesto. That is
:05:51. > :05:55.what all the party leaders tell me! Labour have spent the weekend
:05:56. > :05:56.pushing their messages Speaking at a camapign rally
:05:57. > :05:59.in London yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn promised a Labour
:06:00. > :06:08.government would fix what he called People are fed up, fed up with not
:06:09. > :06:12.being able to get somewhere to live, fed up waiting for hospital
:06:13. > :06:17.appointments, fed up with 0-hours contracts, fed up with low pay, fed
:06:18. > :06:21.up with debt, fed up with not being able to get on in their lives
:06:22. > :06:25.because we have a system that is rigged against so many.
:06:26. > :06:27.I've been joined from Newcastle by Labour's elections
:06:28. > :06:28.and campaigns co-ordinator, Ian Lavery.
:06:29. > :06:39.Good morning. To deal with this rigged economy, as Mr Corbyn calls
:06:40. > :06:44.it, the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has a 20 point plan for
:06:45. > :06:47.workers out today. When you add up everything he plans to do to help
:06:48. > :06:52.workers, how much will it cost? The full costings, one thing I need to
:06:53. > :06:58.say at the very beginning, the costings of any policy which we have
:06:59. > :07:02.already ruled out and any policy we will be ruling out in the next few
:07:03. > :07:08.days and weeks will be fully costed in the manifesto and in addition to
:07:09. > :07:12.the fact that it will be fully costed, we will see it in the
:07:13. > :07:17.manifesto how indeed it has been funded, so we are very clear,
:07:18. > :07:20.anything we have seen already, and there are some exciting policy
:07:21. > :07:24.releases and there will be more in the future, anything we are going to
:07:25. > :07:28.do will be fully costed and in the manifesto. You announced a 20 point
:07:29. > :07:33.plan but cannot tell me what the costs will be this morning so at the
:07:34. > :07:38.moment it is a menu without prices? It is not a menu without prices, it
:07:39. > :07:42.is a fantastic opportunity. This 20 point plan is something which will
:07:43. > :07:47.transform the lives of millions of millions of people in the
:07:48. > :07:52.workplace... But what is the cost? It will be welcomed by many people
:07:53. > :07:56.across the UK. The fact the costings have not been released, you will
:07:57. > :08:01.have to be patient, it will be released very clearly, it will
:08:02. > :08:05.identify that in the manifesto. Let me come down to one of the points,
:08:06. > :08:11.the end of the public sector pay freeze. Can you give us any idea how
:08:12. > :08:14.much that will cost? The end of the public sector pay freeze, so
:08:15. > :08:21.important to the future of the Labour Party, it is an massive
:08:22. > :08:26.policy decision. Let me say at this stage, Theresa May, the Prime
:08:27. > :08:29.Minister, this morning, on The Andrew Marr Show, did not have the
:08:30. > :08:35.common decency, courtesy all respect to condone the fact that nurses, the
:08:36. > :08:41.heroes of the NHS, have had a reduction of nearly 14% in their
:08:42. > :08:45.wages since 2010 and are using food banks to feed themselves! Does that
:08:46. > :08:51.not say everything that is wrong with today's society? So can you
:08:52. > :08:56.tell me what it will cost, which is what my question was? What I will
:08:57. > :08:59.say is everything the Labour Party pledges, everything that we come out
:09:00. > :09:04.with, what we will roll out between now and the 8th of June, will be
:09:05. > :09:07.fully costed, people will be very much aware of how much the costings
:09:08. > :09:12.will be, where the funding will come from, when the manifesto is
:09:13. > :09:17.published. What about doubling paternity leave, nu minimum wage,
:09:18. > :09:28.four new bank holidays, any idea what it will
:09:29. > :09:32.cost? These are exciting new proposals and of course today cost
:09:33. > :09:34.money but we are the sixth richest economy in the world. It is about
:09:35. > :09:37.redistribution of the wealth we create. We are seeing growth in the
:09:38. > :09:40.economy, it is how we utilise the finances in the best way we possibly
:09:41. > :09:46.can for a fairer society for the many and not the few. You just can't
:09:47. > :09:51.tell me how much it will cost? That is why I will repeat again that you
:09:52. > :09:55.need to be very patient. Do you know the cost yourself? You are the head
:09:56. > :09:59.of the campaign, do you know the cost of these things yourself? I am
:10:00. > :10:03.very much aware of how much the costings are likely to be, they have
:10:04. > :10:09.been identified, they will be published in the manifesto. You
:10:10. > :10:13.really do understand I would not be releasing today, live on your show,
:10:14. > :10:18.any costings or predictions with regards the manifesto. Why not? You
:10:19. > :10:24.have released the policy, why not the cost? Because there is a fine
:10:25. > :10:27.detail and we will identify it to the general public in the manifesto.
:10:28. > :10:34.We not only explain how much it will cost but we will explain where the
:10:35. > :10:39.funding comes from. Be patient. Will some of the costs be met by
:10:40. > :10:44.increasing taxes? I would think at this point in time there is not any
:10:45. > :10:50.indication to increase basic taxes and again the taxes and spending of
:10:51. > :10:55.the Labour Government with the proposals of the 20 point plan, the
:10:56. > :11:01.issues we have got, housing, the NHS, crime, education will all be
:11:02. > :11:06.identified with the costings in the publication. Can you tell us this
:11:07. > :11:13.morning, we'll tax for most people rise or not to finance this? We in
:11:14. > :11:19.the Labour Party are looking to a fair tax system which will be
:11:20. > :11:25.clearly identified in the manifesto. Mr McDonnell also wants to ban all
:11:26. > :11:31.0-hours contracts. Would that include those who actually like
:11:32. > :11:34.those contracts? There are nearly 1 million, depending on which figured
:11:35. > :11:38.you'd use, there are nearly 1 million people on zero-hours
:11:39. > :11:43.contract and the vast proportion of those want to be able to live a
:11:44. > :11:49.decent life, a secure life, they want to understand whether they will
:11:50. > :11:53.be at work the next day, they're included hours... I understand a lot
:11:54. > :11:57.of people don't like zero-hours contract and your proposal will
:11:58. > :12:02.address that, but there are those, I saw one survey where 65% of people
:12:03. > :12:06.on zero-hours contract like the flexibility it gives them. Will you
:12:07. > :12:10.force them off zero-hours contract or if they like them will they
:12:11. > :12:15.continue with them? We will discuss it with employee is to make sure
:12:16. > :12:19.individuals in the workplace have the right to negotiate hours in that
:12:20. > :12:27.workplace. Guaranteed hours is very, very important. Zero-hour contracts
:12:28. > :12:31.are an instrument in which employers abuse and exploit mainly young
:12:32. > :12:37.people, mainly female people in the workplace. We would be banning
:12:38. > :12:41.zero-hour contract. But there are those, students for example, who
:12:42. > :12:46.like them, would they be forced off zero-hour contracts in your
:12:47. > :12:50.proposal? Our proposal would be banning zero-hour contract and
:12:51. > :12:55.introducing contracts which have set hours in the workplace. You also say
:12:56. > :12:59.no company will be able to bid for a public contract unless the boss
:13:00. > :13:04.earns no more than 20 times the lowest paid, or the average wage,
:13:05. > :13:07.I'm not quite sure which. What would happen if British Aerospace bids to
:13:08. > :13:13.build more joint strike Fighters and the boss is paid more than 20 times?
:13:14. > :13:20.I understand the point you raise but we have an obscene situation in this
:13:21. > :13:25.country, Andrew, in which the bosses at the very top make an absolute
:13:26. > :13:31.fortune... But what would happen then? Who would build joint strike
:13:32. > :13:36.Fighters... The difference in wages between the top earners in the
:13:37. > :13:41.country and the people in the factories, in the workshops,
:13:42. > :13:46.producing the goods, is vast. I understand that is the reason you
:13:47. > :13:50.want a ratio. What I am saying is, what happens if the ratio is
:13:51. > :13:56.greater? Who gets the contract if not British Aerospace? Who else
:13:57. > :14:03.builds the planes? We are going to introduce a wage rate CEO of one to
:14:04. > :14:06.20. -- wage ratio. We want to close the gap between the people at the
:14:07. > :14:10.very top and people who produce the goods. Let me try one more Time, who
:14:11. > :14:17.would build the joint strike fighter? We would look at the issue
:14:18. > :14:21.as it came along but the policy is clear... Can you name a single
:14:22. > :14:29.defence contractor weather boss' salary is less than 20 times average
:14:30. > :14:35.earnings? We are not reducing, we have rolled that out as part of this
:14:36. > :14:41.fantastic plan to transform society to get rid of discrimination, to try
:14:42. > :14:46.and bring together our communities. We will introduce a pay ratio of one
:14:47. > :14:48.to 20. Fair enough, thank you very much.
:14:49. > :14:52.It's a month after the triggering of Article 50, and EU leaders -
:14:53. > :14:54.with the exception of Britain - met in Brussels this weekend
:14:55. > :14:57.to agree their opening negotiating stance, to get the divorce
:14:58. > :15:13.It is inside this psychedelic chamber where Britain's 'Grexit'
:15:14. > :15:18.future will be decided over the next two years, but there is a vast gulf
:15:19. > :15:28.in rhetoric coming from the UK and the EU. With parallel narratives
:15:29. > :15:31.emerging for both sides. There is broad agreement that an orderly
:15:32. > :15:36.withdrawal is in the interests of both sides. But Theresa May's
:15:37. > :15:39.position is that the terms of our future trade deal should be
:15:40. > :15:44.negotiated alongside the terms of our divorce. Meanwhile the EU says
:15:45. > :15:50.the terms of the UK's exit must be decided before any discussion on a
:15:51. > :15:53.future trade deal can begin. But don't forget that divorce
:15:54. > :15:59.settlement. Don't remind me. In Brussels, many think written should
:16:00. > :16:02.pay even more, while in the UK ministers said the divorce bill
:16:03. > :16:07.should be capped at 3 billion. After you. Thank you.
:16:08. > :16:18.For are you looking forward to it? Isn't that divorce bill a bit high?
:16:19. > :16:23.Isn't this about punishing Britain? We are very united, you all seem so
:16:24. > :16:31.surprised but it's a fact. How soon can we get a deal? We have to wait
:16:32. > :16:36.for the elections. It was the decision of Mrs May. It took over an
:16:37. > :16:39.hour for the leaders to make their entrances but once inside it's just
:16:40. > :16:45.a few minutes to agree the negotiating guidelines. They set out
:16:46. > :16:49.three main areas. The first phase of talks on the divorce settlement will
:16:50. > :16:52.deal with the existing financial commitments to the EU, the Northern
:16:53. > :16:56.Ireland border and the rights of EU citizens in the UK. They said a UK
:16:57. > :17:01.trade agreement can be discussed when the first phase of talks
:17:02. > :17:06.reaches significant progress. And that there must be unity in the
:17:07. > :17:12.negotiations, that individual EU members won't negotiate separately
:17:13. > :17:16.with the UK. They are quite good here at negotiating because they are
:17:17. > :17:20.used to it. They set a maximum and then they have to recede a little
:17:21. > :17:26.bit depending on what the other side is prepared to offer. I think there
:17:27. > :17:30.is room for manoeuvre in some issues, but I don't think some of
:17:31. > :17:35.the baseline things will change that much. For example I don't think the
:17:36. > :17:40.European Union will concede on the rights of citizens who are already
:17:41. > :17:46.in the UK. It will be very difficult for them to accept that they will
:17:47. > :17:50.not be any exit bill, and the question of Northern Ireland is very
:17:51. > :17:54.important as well, the hard order question. The baseline things are
:17:55. > :17:58.not going to move that much, then you have room for manoeuvring
:17:59. > :18:02.between. On security, defence and the fight against terrorism, the
:18:03. > :18:07.guidelines said the EU stands ready to work together. And after lunch,
:18:08. > :18:12.friendly signs from some EU leaders as they gave individual press
:18:13. > :18:15.conferences. Paul and said the talks should open doors to new
:18:16. > :18:22.opportunities and even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had
:18:23. > :18:24.earlier said some in Britain were deluded about Brexit, softened her
:18:25. > :18:29.tone saying there was no conspiracy against the UK. Unity was the
:18:30. > :18:34.buzzword at this summit and for once everybody seemed to be sticking to
:18:35. > :18:38.the script. That unity is not only amongst the 27 states, it's also
:18:39. > :18:43.among the institutions so many of the divisions we have seen in the
:18:44. > :18:47.past at European level do not exist. That is very important and it's not
:18:48. > :18:51.be unity that is directed somehow against the UK because I think we
:18:52. > :19:04.all want this to be an orderly process and part of that is that the
:19:05. > :19:08.EU side is unified. So although there are no surprises here, what
:19:09. > :19:11.took place in this room was a significant step towards the real
:19:12. > :19:16.Brexit negotiations which will begin soon after the general election in
:19:17. > :19:21.June, said to be the most complex the UK has faced in our lifetimes.
:19:22. > :19:26.Isabel, Steve and Tom are still with me.
:19:27. > :19:34.Isabel, doesn't the British media have to be a bit careful here? We
:19:35. > :19:39.would never take at face value anything a British politician tells
:19:40. > :19:43.us. We would question it, put it in context and wonder if they are
:19:44. > :19:47.bluffing, but we seem to take at face value anything a European
:19:48. > :19:51.politician says about these negotiations. You only have to look
:19:52. > :19:56.at the front page of the Sunday Times today to see that. They quoted
:19:57. > :20:00.at length Juncker, who didn't like the food at the reception and this
:20:01. > :20:05.and that, and I think the mood is very optimistic. The key thing is
:20:06. > :20:10.the EU trade Commissioner has said we will get a free trade deal and a
:20:11. > :20:13.lot of people seem to be wilfully ignoring that incredibly big
:20:14. > :20:19.concession. That is what will happen in their view. Everything that is
:20:20. > :20:24.said at the moment needs a slight rerun over. They are all in
:20:25. > :20:28.negotiating positions, plus we seem to be completely unaware that they
:20:29. > :20:34.all have their own domestic constituencies as well. Angela
:20:35. > :20:36.Merkel has an important election coming up in September,
:20:37. > :20:40.Euroscepticism is quite different from Britain of course, but there's
:20:41. > :20:45.a different kind of euro scepticism in Germany, she has got to deal with
:20:46. > :20:49.that. Of course she has, which is why you are right, nothing should be
:20:50. > :20:55.taken too seriously out of the mouths of British politicians or
:20:56. > :20:59.European politicians until October this year. We have got to wait for
:21:00. > :21:03.the French elections, then German elections, and if you look through
:21:04. > :21:09.this you can see a way forward. There's no trade talks until pay up,
:21:10. > :21:13.but what was actually written was no trade talks until we make
:21:14. > :21:17.significant progress on the money. You can define significant progress
:21:18. > :21:22.in a lot of ways but come December, fireworks over the summer, we all
:21:23. > :21:26.get very excited about it, in these chairs I'm sure, come December
:21:27. > :21:31.things will look a lot smoother. The German elections are at the end of
:21:32. > :21:34.September but I've seen reports in German press, depending how it goes
:21:35. > :21:40.it could take until Christmas before a new coalition government is put
:21:41. > :21:43.together. The Brussels long-standing negotiating tactic of nothing is
:21:44. > :21:49.agreed until everything is agreed, then I guess the British could say
:21:50. > :21:53.we agree a certain sum of money if that's what it takes but that
:21:54. > :21:59.depends on them, what good trade deal we get. If we don't get that,
:22:00. > :22:04.the sum of money is off the table. In that sense, the two are going
:22:05. > :22:08.parallel. However, I wouldn't entirely dismiss what people are
:22:09. > :22:14.saying in their pre-election periods to their own electorates because
:22:15. > :22:18.they have to some extent to deliver subsequently. Of course Angela
:22:19. > :22:22.Merkel is campaigning and electioneering, who wouldn't, she
:22:23. > :22:26.has a tough election to fight, but she is measured and thoughtful and
:22:27. > :22:30.when she says things like some of the British are delusional, that is
:22:31. > :22:37.unusually strong language for her. What was she referring to? I don't
:22:38. > :22:41.know, it wasn't specific. Have the cake and eat it perhaps the
:22:42. > :22:44.sequencing the British don't want. When they thought the British
:22:45. > :22:48.government was going to effectively demand membership of the single
:22:49. > :22:55.market, that's not going to happen now. Unless you sign up to the four
:22:56. > :23:01.pillars, that's the cake and eat it proposition, which they are right in
:23:02. > :23:05.saying Theresa May has made. But everybody has access, even with no
:23:06. > :23:15.deal you have access. The other side of it is I think there will be a
:23:16. > :23:21.united position from them. And so, as somebody pointed out in that
:23:22. > :23:29.report, they are experienced, tough negotiators, so I don't think it
:23:30. > :23:35.will be quite as easy as some think. I spoke to one of those who drew up
:23:36. > :23:38.Article 50 and they said to me they deliberately put this two year
:23:39. > :23:45.timetable in to make it impossible for anybody to think about leaving.
:23:46. > :23:48.This is really tight, this negotiation. Easy, it isn't.
:23:49. > :23:50.This coming Thursday, voters up and down the country
:23:51. > :23:53.will be going to the polls in this year's local elections.
:23:54. > :23:55.Over the past few weeks I've interviewed representatives
:23:56. > :23:57.of the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats,
:23:58. > :24:00.Today it's the turn of Plaid Cymru and the SNP.
:24:01. > :24:03.A little earlier I spoke Alex Salmond, who until 2014
:24:04. > :24:07.I started by asking him why Scots should vote SNP in local elections
:24:08. > :24:09.when the Scottish Government had just cut central Government funding
:24:10. > :24:25.It's actually a funding increase going into Scottish councils this
:24:26. > :24:29.year, and if you look at the funding position for example between
:24:30. > :24:32.Scottish councils and those in England, which are obviously
:24:33. > :24:36.directly related through the Barnett formula, the funding in Scotland has
:24:37. > :24:47.been incomparably better than that in England so there's a whole range
:24:48. > :24:50.of the -- of reasons... What's happening south of the border
:24:51. > :24:54.indicates the protection the Scottish Parliament has been able to
:24:55. > :24:58.put in that helps vital services in Scotland. But there hasn't been a
:24:59. > :25:03.funding increase, the block grant from Westminster to Edinburgh was
:25:04. > :25:10.increased by 1.5% in real terms but the grant to councils was cut by
:25:11. > :25:15.2.6%. It was going to be a cut of 330 million, the Greens got you to
:25:16. > :25:25.reduce it to 170 million but it is still a cut of 2.6%. Your own
:25:26. > :25:30.Aberdeenshire Council has had a cut to 391 million. You have cut the
:25:31. > :25:33.money to councils. Yes, but councils have available to them more
:25:34. > :25:38.resources this year, and as you say the budget increased that further
:25:39. > :25:41.which is why we put forward an excellent local government budget in
:25:42. > :25:48.Aberdeenshire and resisted a Tory attempts to knock ?3 million off...
:25:49. > :25:52.You asked me about Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeenshire has put forward a
:25:53. > :25:57.budget for investment expansion and resisted a Tory attempts to knock ?3
:25:58. > :26:00.million off the education budget, and I'm very grateful you have given
:26:01. > :26:06.me the opportunity to make that point. The Government in Edinburgh
:26:07. > :26:13.has cut the money to Aberdeenshire by ?11 million. It is a cut. But
:26:14. > :26:16.there is an investment budget in Aberdeenshire that has been made
:26:17. > :26:22.available by the ability to increase the council tax by 2.5% after a
:26:23. > :26:26.nine-year freeze in Scotland, and that has brought more resources into
:26:27. > :26:30.local government and that's why the butchered in Aberdeenshire has been
:26:31. > :26:34.an investment budget including protection of the education budget
:26:35. > :26:38.in the face of a Tory and liberal attempt to cut bit. You have to
:26:39. > :26:41.compare what is happening in Scotland and England, and there's no
:26:42. > :26:48.doubt Scottish local authorities have been much better funded than
:26:49. > :26:50.those in England over the last few years and that's been the ability of
:26:51. > :26:56.the Scottish Government to protect the services at local level. A good
:26:57. > :27:02.reason for voting SNP. If they have been so well funded, why after a
:27:03. > :27:10.decade of SNP rule do one in five Scottish pupils leave primary school
:27:11. > :27:14.functionally illiterate? You have got to take these things... Nicola
:27:15. > :27:19.Sturgeon has made it a top priority to address these challenges but
:27:20. > :27:22.let's take another statistic. 93% of Scottish kids are now emerging from
:27:23. > :27:30.school to positive destinations, that means to further education,
:27:31. > :27:36.apprenticeships or work. Why are one in five functionally illiterate? You
:27:37. > :27:40.argue one statistic, I'm arguing Scottish education is putting in
:27:41. > :27:45.some substantially good performances like the 93% going on to positive
:27:46. > :27:50.destinations. You can't have a failing education system if you have
:27:51. > :27:54.got that 93%, and incidentally a record low youth unemployment in
:27:55. > :27:59.Scotland without the second lowest unemployment rate in Europe. These
:28:00. > :28:03.pupils are being prepared by the Scottish education system. Let's
:28:04. > :28:08.take the figures in the round on education. It's so important. Under
:28:09. > :28:13.your watch, under your government, the Scottish schools in the most
:28:14. > :28:24.important global comparison have fallen from tenth to 19th in
:28:25. > :28:31.science, and 11 to 24th in maths, that is a record of decline and
:28:32. > :28:36.failure. That is by the OECD and first questions about that, but the
:28:37. > :28:40.OECD has also described Scotland is one of the best educated societies
:28:41. > :28:46.in the world. That was from the school system in previous years gone
:28:47. > :28:52.by. For those who are currently in Scottish schools, you have fallen
:28:53. > :28:55.from 11th to 24th in mathematics. The OECD was commenting on
:28:56. > :28:59.introduction of the new curriculum for excellence in which they have
:29:00. > :29:04.given a resounding thumbs up to it, and that's the same source as the
:29:05. > :29:08.rankings which you are comparing. Nicola Sturgeon has said there are
:29:09. > :29:11.challenges on Scottish education, particularly the access through the
:29:12. > :29:16.education system and the attainment gap but don't tell me it's failing
:29:17. > :29:19.when 55% of our pupils have gone on to higher education. That's one of
:29:20. > :29:26.the most impressive figures in the world. Why have you cut 4000
:29:27. > :29:30.teachers? The pupil numbers in Scotland have been falling over
:29:31. > :29:34.recent years as well and now of course we are increasing the number
:29:35. > :29:38.of people going through teachers training so we can make sure that
:29:39. > :29:43.number increases, but listen, the Scottish Government and Scottish
:29:44. > :29:47.Parliament, as you very well know, are subject to real terms spending
:29:48. > :29:51.cuts over the last few years and all public services have been under
:29:52. > :29:54.pressure. The main reason in terms of teacher numbers has been an
:29:55. > :29:59.attempt on the Scottish Government to protect the teacher pupil ratio,
:30:00. > :30:07.and that will now be enhanced by a further taker -- intake. You
:30:08. > :30:12.promised you would reduce primary class sizes to 18 and instead they
:30:13. > :30:19.are now 23.5 and rising. You broke that promise. You didn't mention
:30:20. > :30:23.where we started from. We have kept the teacher pupil ratio very solid
:30:24. > :30:27.in Scotland and that's been against a range of public expenditure cuts
:30:28. > :30:29.but the new intake of teachers into the new teacher training in Scotland
:30:30. > :30:40.I think will enhance the system. You have spent in the pasty in
:30:41. > :30:45.Hollywood 43 hours on Government time debating independence. How many
:30:46. > :30:50.hours have you debated education on Government time? I don't have that
:30:51. > :30:53.they get a hand... The answer is zero, you have spent zero-hours
:30:54. > :30:59.debating education on Government time. Isn't it time the SNP got back
:31:00. > :31:04.to concentrating on the day job? Andrew, as you very well know Nicola
:31:05. > :31:07.Sturgeon has identified a key priority, closing the attainment gap
:31:08. > :31:13.in Scottish education. That is exactly what she has done. Let me
:31:14. > :31:18.answer the question, it is difficult to be in a remote location, if you
:31:19. > :31:24.talk before I answer the question then the view was will not be able
:31:25. > :31:29.to listen. I let you answer that without saying a word. Is this
:31:30. > :31:33.general election about independence, as you say it is, or not about
:31:34. > :31:40.independence, as Mrs Sturgeon says it is? No, I have said exactly the
:31:41. > :31:43.same as Nicola Sturgeon on that. The issue what independence will be
:31:44. > :31:48.decided in a national referendum of the Scottish people. The mandate for
:31:49. > :31:53.that referendum was gained in last year's Scottish elections. What this
:31:54. > :31:55.election is about is backing the right of the Scottish parliament to
:31:56. > :31:58.exercise that mandate and also providing real opposition to this
:31:59. > :32:03.Tory Government and allowing the Scottish Parliament to reverse
:32:04. > :32:08.austerity and some of the public expenditure cutbacks you have been
:32:09. > :32:08.talking about, that is what this is about, backing our Scottish
:32:09. > :32:10.Parliament. Alex Salmond, speaking
:32:11. > :32:12.to me earlier. I'm now joined by the leader
:32:13. > :32:19.of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood. You accuse the Government of wanting
:32:20. > :32:24.an extreme Brexit, those are your words. What is the difference
:32:25. > :32:27.between hard Brexit and extreme Brexit? My concern is the way in
:32:28. > :32:32.which we leave the European Union could be very damaging to Wales if,
:32:33. > :32:36.for example, there are tariffs introduced then that would have a
:32:37. > :32:42.real impact in terms of Welsh jobs, and I want to make sure that we have
:32:43. > :32:46.a Brexit that doesn't cause the damage to Wales that could be
:32:47. > :32:52.caused. But what is the difference between extreme and hard? Anything
:32:53. > :32:55.that puts Welsh jobs at risk is either extreme or hard and
:32:56. > :32:59.unacceptable to Plaid Cymru, and we will do what we can to protect those
:33:00. > :33:04.jobs. You want Wales to remain a member of the single market even if
:33:05. > :33:08.the UK isn't, which would mean Wales having to accept the free movement
:33:09. > :33:20.of people, still being under the jurisdiction of the European Court,
:33:21. > :33:22.and you also want to stay in the customs union which means you could
:33:23. > :33:25.not do your own free trade deals. What is the difference between that
:33:26. > :33:27.and being a member of the European Union? We would be like Norway,
:33:28. > :33:30.outside the European Union and inside the single market. The key
:33:31. > :33:34.question is the issue of jobs and the ability to continue to trade.
:33:35. > :33:38.Wales exports, we are the biggest exporter in the whole of the UK, so
:33:39. > :33:47.there are many jobs reliant upon those goods being able to be sold to
:33:48. > :33:52.the single market. Is it central to the UK? Out of the four countries
:33:53. > :34:00.that make up the UK... Proportionally, yes. If you remain
:34:01. > :34:04.in the single market, it is hard to see how Wales could stay in the
:34:05. > :34:08.single market if the UK -- when the rest of the UK was not, you cite
:34:09. > :34:13.Norway, that has free movement, it has to be said, it effectively have
:34:14. > :34:17.to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court, it is not in the
:34:18. > :34:26.customs union so it can do some of its own free trade deals, but the
:34:27. > :34:30.Welsh people voted to leave. We have to accept the principle of free
:34:31. > :34:34.movement if there is not going to be a hard border between the north and
:34:35. > :34:38.south of Ireland. There is going to be free movement within Ireland and
:34:39. > :34:43.therefore freedom of movement, as we said in the referendum campaign,
:34:44. > :34:49.would be very, very difficult to rule out. You lost that campaign, as
:34:50. > :34:55.you know, Wales voted to leave, 17 Council areas voted to leave, only
:34:56. > :34:59.five voted to remain. Doesn't it explain why your party is going
:35:00. > :35:06.nowhere? A majority in Wales voted to leave but you effectively want to
:35:07. > :35:10.support that and de facto remain in the EU? I don't accept that, we
:35:11. > :35:15.accepted the result but Plaid Cymru now is about defending Wales. There
:35:16. > :35:19.are so many risks facing our people from the jobs perspective, the
:35:20. > :35:23.privatisation perspective, the cuts perspective, and from the fact that
:35:24. > :35:28.the Tories would like to grab power was back from our National Assembly,
:35:29. > :35:32.so the key point... If you look at the Wales bill that went through
:35:33. > :35:36.recently, the list of reserved powers there suggests there are some
:35:37. > :35:42.powers currently within the Welsh Assembly jurisdiction that would be
:35:43. > :35:47.dragged back. Which power was will Westminster take back? They could
:35:48. > :35:54.take powers back over the NHS, for example. There is no indication they
:35:55. > :36:03.want to do that. The Tories have attacked the Welsh NHS. That is my
:36:04. > :36:06.point! Quite viciously. If they increase their mandate, I wouldn't
:36:07. > :36:11.put it past them to try to take power was back over the NHS and then
:36:12. > :36:16.of course we risk our NHS being privatised though this election is
:36:17. > :36:19.all about defending Wales, protecting Welsh people from further
:36:20. > :36:24.privatisation and cuts and a power grab from the Tories. Why is there
:36:25. > :36:28.never a breakthrough for your party, Plaid Cymru? Labour dominated in
:36:29. > :36:32.Wales for years, the Tories do quite well, Ukip had a surge for a while,
:36:33. > :36:37.it looks like the Tories will have another surge, never you, always the
:36:38. > :36:41.bridesmaid, never the bride. Wait until Thursday and I think you will
:36:42. > :36:45.see that in many parts of Wales we will increase our representation at
:36:46. > :36:51.a local council level. In the Rhondda, where I am assembly member,
:36:52. > :36:59.we are looking to increase our representation... You are only 13%
:37:00. > :37:03.in the polls will stop which is half of even the Tories in Wales! If you
:37:04. > :37:10.don't breakthrough in the selection, if the real problem is going
:37:11. > :37:15.nowhere, do you think you will pack it in? Robert Green not, I have a
:37:16. > :37:20.job to do, a vision of Wales which is about building up our nation and
:37:21. > :37:23.standing on our own two feet and my job is not done yet. Thank you for
:37:24. > :37:27.being with us as part of your job, we will see how it goes on Thursday.
:37:28. > :37:29.It's just gone 11.35, you're watching the Sunday Politics.
:37:30. > :37:32.We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland who leave us now
:37:33. > :37:35.Coming up here in 20 minutes, the Week Ahead.
:37:36. > :37:58.First though, the Sunday Politics where you are.
:37:59. > :38:02.We have three MPs with us this morning - Sarah Olney,
:38:03. > :38:04.Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park, Meg Hillier, Labour MP
:38:05. > :38:05.for Hackney South and Shoreditch, and for the Conservatives,
:38:06. > :38:19.is it hugely hard work, Theresa Villiers? We will all be knocking on
:38:20. > :38:24.as many doors as we can over the next few weeks, it will be a tough
:38:25. > :38:28.contest. I do this kind of thing year round, it does not take an
:38:29. > :38:31.election to get me on the doorstep, but obviously you step up a gear in
:38:32. > :38:36.a big way at this time of year, particularly when it was a snap
:38:37. > :38:40.election, obviously the long preparation period we had the 2015
:38:41. > :38:47.we are trying to do in about a week. You are the chairman of the Public
:38:48. > :38:50.Accounts Committee and had to try to get all of these reports out in
:38:51. > :38:53.time. We had 12 reports waiting to get out so we had to get them out
:38:54. > :38:58.very quickly, so that has been a big part of this week, but I have also
:38:59. > :39:02.been knocking on doors, I do it all year round, we would not be in
:39:03. > :39:06.politics if we didn't like talking to people. You cannot say you do it
:39:07. > :39:12.all year round, you have only been there six months! But I'm sure you
:39:13. > :39:17.will say you do it every week, potentially, having just got in in
:39:18. > :39:21.December, it could all be over soon? Well, I hope not, I am working very
:39:22. > :39:26.hard, as I have been since I came into Parliament, but this has come
:39:27. > :39:29.sooner than I expected, so it is a bit tiring getting back out there
:39:30. > :39:34.and being back on the campaign trail. But I'm enjoying it, I'm
:39:35. > :39:37.enjoying being an MP, I hope the people of Richmond Park will want me
:39:38. > :39:39.to continue as their MP, I look forward to it.
:39:40. > :39:41.So what challenges does a snap election throw
:39:42. > :39:43.up for the parties - those activists, party
:39:44. > :39:45.organisers and volunteers who could play a pivotal role
:39:46. > :39:48.In recent elections, Labour has shown itself a formidable
:39:49. > :39:58.Less than six weeks to go until voting day,
:39:59. > :40:02.but here in Hampstead and Kilburn, where at the last election Labour
:40:03. > :40:04.narrowly still had the strongest pull, the Conservatives have only
:40:05. > :40:07.just selected their candidate - local councillor and art therapist
:40:08. > :40:15.Meanwhile, the campaign to re-elect the sitting MP,
:40:16. > :40:22.And where Labour might enjoy a possible advantage is the number
:40:23. > :40:29.They claim to have the largest membership of any party in Europe.
:40:30. > :40:31.It's all systems go from the off, and it's very
:40:32. > :40:34.But it's been really easy here to organise
:40:35. > :40:36.because there's so many volunteers, so many local characters
:40:37. > :40:41.We had many people across the constituency come and help,
:40:42. > :40:46.so the Labour Party is very strong in terms of mobilisation.
:40:47. > :40:49.On the other side of the constituency, we were told
:40:50. > :40:52.it was too early in the campaign to speak to anyone from the local
:40:53. > :40:56.Conservative group, who are out canvassing too.
:40:57. > :40:58.Alex Crowley worked on both of Boris Johnson's successful
:40:59. > :41:01.mayoral campaigns, so he knows how to get a Conservative elected
:41:02. > :41:05.in what historically is not their territory.
:41:06. > :41:07.If you're anywhere else in the country, there'll
:41:08. > :41:10.be lot of complacency, I suspect.
:41:11. > :41:13.You'll see all the opinion polls showing the Tories are well ahead,
:41:14. > :41:16.and I think that will be a bit of a challenge because that
:41:17. > :41:18.means people might be tempted to stay at home.
:41:19. > :41:21.There's a lot of people don't tend to vote for their constituency MP.
:41:22. > :41:25.They actually tend to look at the national picture.
:41:26. > :41:28.Crucially, they also look at the party leaders.
:41:29. > :41:31.Back on the doorstep with Labour, and this lady says there's only one
:41:32. > :41:36.I want to say a bad decision, and no-one really understood,
:41:37. > :41:39.so I think ahead of this voting campaign people are actually
:41:40. > :41:44.going to need to know what they're voting for.
:41:45. > :41:47.So the party will try and build on their majority in this staunchly
:41:48. > :41:54.Some people down here were firmly against in the past,
:41:55. > :41:57.but we'll just see how it might have changed in the light
:41:58. > :42:01.Exactly, and, yeah, any people, really, any voter who lives
:42:02. > :42:03.in the constituency and has any issues.
:42:04. > :42:07.I think most Londoners will understand that it's happened
:42:08. > :42:10.and there no going back now - Article 50 has been triggered,
:42:11. > :42:15.and the question before us is, what does our future look like?
:42:16. > :42:20.How are we going to handle those negotiations over
:42:21. > :42:23.the next couple of years, and what are we going
:42:24. > :42:29.And while some Tories may still secretly be
:42:30. > :42:31.mourning their own Dave's sudden departure, they know that
:42:32. > :42:34.what comes next will in part be decided by who can
:42:35. > :42:36.mobilise their volunteers most effectively.
:42:37. > :42:42.It's amazing how many people are prepared to come out
:42:43. > :42:45.in the evenings after a long day at work and just slot things
:42:46. > :42:48.It's a very important election for us to win,
:42:49. > :43:02.Since Jeremy Corbyn was elected, we have had Momentum, which has
:43:03. > :43:05.increased the activist base enormously, so you must be welcoming
:43:06. > :43:12.what this could do to the campaign. Membership of the Labour Party has
:43:13. > :43:13.increased massively, we had good turnout in my constituency, it is
:43:14. > :43:20.difficult for me to judge what is going on across London, and as you
:43:21. > :43:24.rightly say we are formidable as a campaign machine and in an election
:43:25. > :43:28.like this, where Brexit is an issue, cost of living is an issue, those
:43:29. > :43:34.conversations on the doorstep will be very important, partly to get
:43:35. > :43:38.turnout up. It is tragic, I cannot think of the right word, but when
:43:39. > :43:42.you have seen such difficulty with your leader establishing a presence
:43:43. > :43:45.in terms of the polls or whatever else, this sort paradox here, this
:43:46. > :43:50.great fighting force potentially on the ground but what are you selling?
:43:51. > :43:55.We have clear policies today on the workplace, things that resonate very
:43:56. > :43:58.much in my constituency about protecting low paid workers,
:43:59. > :44:01.zero-hours and temporary contract and so on, they resonate with people
:44:02. > :44:10.and there is a danger that people like you and me, well-paid and in
:44:11. > :44:13.comfortable positions, don't see that. On the doorstep, the people I
:44:14. > :44:15.represent, I know that is an issue, and things like that, my party has
:44:16. > :44:19.very good policies. The strategy of Theresa May is so good, a lot of
:44:20. > :44:23.Conservative regions, like in London, etc, had no idea there would
:44:24. > :44:28.be an election, it is difficult to get the machinery up and running. It
:44:29. > :44:31.is taking a lot of effort across London for the Conservatives to get
:44:32. > :44:38.activists out on the street but we are determined to do that, we have
:44:39. > :44:41.hit the ground running, and on the doorstep people respect the Prime
:44:42. > :44:47.Minister and I think there is a positive response for a Government
:44:48. > :44:53.led by Theresa May, stable and in the national interest. Two years
:44:54. > :44:58.ago, everyone whipped themselves up against and the Conservatives were
:44:59. > :45:03.left with rocks, you still don't have candidates in a lot of places
:45:04. > :45:08.the seats. We have moved swiftly to select many places and get campaigns
:45:09. > :45:11.going. The reality is people need to turn out to vote Conservative
:45:12. > :45:15.because anything else could open the way for a coalition of kirrioss led
:45:16. > :45:20.by Jeremy Corbyn which would be a disaster for this country, if on the
:45:21. > :45:23.night to view Jeremy Corbyn was the one smiling on the steps of Downing
:45:24. > :45:30.Street I don't believe that would be in the national interest. Coalition
:45:31. > :45:35.of chaos, people are talking about progressive alliances, a candidate
:45:36. > :45:40.did not stand in Richmond Park when you won in the by-election,
:45:41. > :45:46.indication they might not stand this time, Liberal Democrats not standing
:45:47. > :45:50.against Caroline Lucas in Brighton, would you like to see a Liberal
:45:51. > :46:01.Democrat candidate standing aside in more places in London? They are
:46:02. > :46:05.specific examples, conversations took place and we agreed there was
:46:06. > :46:09.common ground that we both wanted to fight on and it made sense. I cannot
:46:10. > :46:16.say that is going to happen in every seat or that it always makes sense
:46:17. > :46:18.in every individual... Do you feel the Liberal Democrats will be
:46:19. > :46:22.serious here because you clearly have gained from it but it looks
:46:23. > :46:25.like the Greens are making the running in saying they are prepared
:46:26. > :46:27.to do it in more places, has the time come for you not to stand so
:46:28. > :46:37.many candidates, I think it is too soon to say. What
:46:38. > :46:42.is clear is the Liberal Democrats are the only party providing real
:46:43. > :46:46.opposition to the hard Brexit and if people want their voices heard they
:46:47. > :46:52.need to vote for the Liberal Democrat candidate. And Ukip are
:46:53. > :46:57.standing aside in Vauxhall to favour a Labour MP, Labour gaining from
:46:58. > :47:01.Ukip's decision. It is up to individual parties if they decide
:47:02. > :47:11.not to stand. I think we should stand in every seat and contest
:47:12. > :47:15.every seat. We should be putting our proposal clearly. It takes the
:47:16. > :47:20.choice out of the hands of the electorate. It looks like, Theresa
:47:21. > :47:25.Villiers, you will gain, you are in a Remain area, Ukip will not stand
:47:26. > :47:29.against you either. Do you feel happy benefiting from their active
:47:30. > :47:35.decision to stand aside so you can strengthen your position? I don't
:47:36. > :47:39.know what choices Ukip will make in relation to the Chipping Barnet
:47:40. > :47:43.constituency, it is entirely a matter for them, but this collection
:47:44. > :47:47.is not just about Brexit. One of the main reasons why we need a strong
:47:48. > :47:51.and secure government under Theresa May is to continue with economic
:47:52. > :47:59.stability. This Government has delivered roughly 1000 new jobs for
:48:00. > :48:02.every day we have been in office. We must not jeopardise that economic
:48:03. > :48:07.success, we still have a deficit to deal with. There's no way Jeremy
:48:08. > :48:09.Corbyn can cope with those kind of challenges. OK, let's move on, lots
:48:10. > :48:12.to get through. In 2015, the Lib Dems
:48:13. > :48:14.were reduced to one MP They've won one back of course -
:48:15. > :48:18.Sarah in Richmond Park And they are hoping they can do
:48:19. > :48:22.the same in other constituencies, especially those which voted Remain
:48:23. > :48:24.in the referendum. The last general election
:48:25. > :48:27.was pretty close to disaster Voters kicked out six
:48:28. > :48:31.of their seven MPs, including But two years and one referendum
:48:32. > :48:37.later, the former Business Secretary is campaigning to win back this
:48:38. > :48:40.almost aggressively pleasant corner With highly-educated,
:48:41. > :48:43.healthy and wealthy voters, this The reason for that is what happened
:48:44. > :48:52.just over the water here last December in the neighbouring
:48:53. > :48:54.Richmond Park constituency, where the Lib Dems in a by-election
:48:55. > :48:58.managed to kick out the then Tory MP Zac Goldsmith, who had had a massive
:48:59. > :49:02.majority of over 20,000 votes. The Lib Dems put it down
:49:03. > :49:05.to a lot of things, but one factor over others,
:49:06. > :49:10.and that was Brexit. The Lib Dems have tried to cast
:49:11. > :49:16.themselves as the party of the 48%, How much is this an
:49:17. > :49:23.election about Brexit? Well, it's starting off that way
:49:24. > :49:26.and we are willing to take it on on that basis,
:49:27. > :49:38.and Theresa May has argued that it is,
:49:39. > :49:40.but we have a fundamental The Lib Dems took us
:49:41. > :49:43.out doorknocking... ..To a street where almost
:49:44. > :49:47.miraculously, everybody seemed I think you were a very good
:49:48. > :49:51.local MP, and also... I'm glad to hear you
:49:52. > :49:56.are running again. Next stop, Twickenham Green,
:49:57. > :49:59.for Vince Cable's campaign launch I just want to say something
:50:00. > :50:04.about the bigger issues. We've just been out
:50:05. > :50:07.on the streets around here. A lot of support for us,
:50:08. > :50:10.a lot of it around the Remain issue, In a two-minute speech,
:50:11. > :50:17.one subject came up. ..Pursuing this very
:50:18. > :50:18.extreme form of Brexit... But there might be a problem
:50:19. > :50:21.with that here in Twickenham. The Conservative MP,
:50:22. > :50:23.Tania Mathias, also backed Remain. If Theresa May is in
:50:24. > :50:35.Government, you get someone The leaflets being handed out
:50:36. > :50:38.here focus on strong There's also no mention
:50:39. > :50:42.of the Lib Dems or Vince Cable, although they do talk about Jeremy
:50:43. > :50:45.Corbyn. Over a cup of tea,
:50:46. > :50:49.we talked about why. Because the simple fact
:50:50. > :51:00.is Number Ten, Downing Street on June 9th is either Theresa May
:51:01. > :51:03.walking in there or it's It's not going to be Tim Farron,
:51:04. > :51:08.and that's the reality, so I appreciate your point,
:51:09. > :51:10.but for people here, I want them to realise
:51:11. > :51:19.the vote is critical. But in Twickenham, doctors
:51:20. > :51:22.Mathias and Cable agree on many of the big local issues -
:51:23. > :51:25.both oppose Heathrow expansion and are concerned
:51:26. > :51:27.about cuts to school budgets. Without fundamental disagreement,
:51:28. > :51:28.the conversation on the doorstep turns to who would be more
:51:29. > :51:37.effective. I do believe if I'm part
:51:38. > :51:40.of the team, part of the Government, the party in power,
:51:41. > :51:45.I will represent our interests well. Without me, you have somebody
:51:46. > :51:48.on the opposition benches. Labour and the Greens will also be
:51:49. > :51:58.putting up candidates. Ukip have yet to decide,
:51:59. > :52:03.but the party many eyes will be on come June the 8th
:52:04. > :52:05.will be the Lib Dems, win back Twickenham,
:52:06. > :52:18.any hopes of a national revival Tanya Mattias trying very hard, but
:52:19. > :52:21.it is difficult there in Kingston were the Liberal Democrats want to
:52:22. > :52:26.get back in the strong Remain areas, do you accept it will be difficult
:52:27. > :52:40.to hold those seats? Is there will be a tough fight there but Tania
:52:41. > :52:42.Mathias is right, you could risk Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime
:52:43. > :52:47.Minister in this country which would be a disaster. We have Tim Farron
:52:48. > :52:51.talking about cross-party co-operation, the Lib Dems would
:52:52. > :52:54.prop up a week and bumbling leader as Prime Minister in Jeremy Corbyn.
:52:55. > :53:05.And that's what they were going to do in the last prime -- general
:53:06. > :53:10.election... We are standing on our own manifesto with our own message
:53:11. > :53:14.to voters and a few vote Lib Dem you get the lid Dem member of Parliament
:53:15. > :53:17.and that will be somebody who will be a consistent opposition to
:53:18. > :53:24.Conservative Brexit plans. We are the only party consistently opposed
:53:25. > :53:27.to Brexit and that's what you get if you vote Liberal Democrat. The
:53:28. > :53:32.purity of a Liberal Democrat position on Brexit will make this
:53:33. > :53:36.very difficult. I think the Lib Dems have put all their eggs in one
:53:37. > :53:41.basket. We are seeing the cost of living go up and Theresa May has
:53:42. > :53:45.made a really big gamble. Even David Davis has acknowledged this
:53:46. > :53:49.negotiation in Europe will be the most difficult over. She has wasted
:53:50. > :53:53.several months, Parliament won't be properly up and running until autumn
:53:54. > :53:59.and there has to be some sort of deal in 18 months' time if there is
:54:00. > :54:03.any hope of Parliament having a say on it. People will be making
:54:04. > :54:08.decisions not just on Brexit, though that is clearly an issue. They will
:54:09. > :54:12.note that figures like Tony Blair is saying his position is closer to the
:54:13. > :54:16.Liberal Democrats on something like this and Labour voters could move
:54:17. > :54:19.heavily over to the Liberal Democrats in seats like yours.
:54:20. > :54:25.People are very loyal to their parties, of course we are going to
:54:26. > :54:30.see Brexit and Europe cut across party lines in different ways and in
:54:31. > :54:36.party lines in different ways. I voted against triggering Article 50,
:54:37. > :54:40.there were similar rebellions, in fact even the Lib Dems were not
:54:41. > :54:45.united in Parliament on this vote, not all of them voted for the Remain
:54:46. > :54:48.position they now advocate. We touched before that film on the fact
:54:49. > :54:55.this campaign group, the three campaign groups, yours is one of the
:54:56. > :54:58.seats in London. Eight of the 20 they are targeting with resources,
:54:59. > :55:03.with extra volunteers and so on, eight of them in London, one of them
:55:04. > :55:09.is yours, as I said in a Remain area. Are you concerned when they
:55:10. > :55:16.focus this kind of attention on you? It will be difficult. I will be
:55:17. > :55:21.campaigning hard on the basis of my record but also on the basis this is
:55:22. > :55:25.a clear choice. Do they want Theresa May as their Prime Minister or
:55:26. > :55:29.Jeremy Corbyn? But they will also look at Brexit and say we didn't
:55:30. > :55:33.want in this area, and it's not as if Theresa Villiers was one way or
:55:34. > :55:38.the other, you were very strong, part of the Leave campaign, and they
:55:39. > :55:45.may think my God, we didn't want to go there. We don't know exactly how
:55:46. > :55:54.the constituency voted, but there was a significant majority for
:55:55. > :55:59.Remain. So you'll think your constituents was a little less
:56:00. > :56:03.Remain? I speak to many voters on the doorstep who say that whilst
:56:04. > :56:08.they voted Remain, they feel a decision has been made and we need
:56:09. > :56:13.to get on with it. I want a settlement with our European
:56:14. > :56:15.partners, a deep and special partnership which hopefully the
:56:16. > :56:22.majority of Leave and Remain voters... We have this on the Public
:56:23. > :56:26.Accounts Committee, no detail from government about what the
:56:27. > :56:31.negotiations are about. And you think Jeremy Corbyn is going to do
:56:32. > :56:35.better? You are the party in Government so you should have had a
:56:36. > :56:40.plan when this happened and there is still no plant one year after the
:56:41. > :56:44.referendum. Did you vote for the no-confidence resolution in Jeremy
:56:45. > :56:52.Corbyn or didn't you? My record is clear on that but he is our leader.
:56:53. > :56:57.In spite of it, it picks up on what Theresa Villiers has said, in spite
:56:58. > :57:04.of him being a Brexiteer, one of Theresa May's colleagues, Zac
:57:05. > :57:07.Goldsmith, a Remain orientated Conservative Party have brought him
:57:08. > :57:11.back this week which indicates they are thinking about who delivers the
:57:12. > :57:18.best deal. The decision has been made, which would spell trouble for
:57:19. > :57:21.you, wouldn't it? Firstly I was very surprised they selected Zac
:57:22. > :57:25.Goldsmith. He stood down in October because he didn't want to be part of
:57:26. > :57:29.a party that supported Heathrow expansion. We went through the
:57:30. > :57:34.expense of a by-election because he made that decision, and now six
:57:35. > :57:38.months later, although Tory policy on Heathrow expansion hasn't
:57:39. > :57:44.changed, suddenly it is OK for him to be a Tory again and there is a
:57:45. > :57:47.great deal of irritation in the constituency that he has put local
:57:48. > :57:50.voters through that. But they have decided, they have seen something,
:57:51. > :57:56.fair enough the decision has been made and they've invited him back,
:57:57. > :58:00.they must think he's a winner. I don't know what they think to be
:58:01. > :58:03.honest. To pick up on the point you were making about needing to get on
:58:04. > :58:10.with it, it is clear what Theresa May is asking for is a blank cheque.
:58:11. > :58:14.She has no plan as to how she plans to deliver Brexit, and all she wants
:58:15. > :58:17.is a blank cheque from the electorate so that anything she does
:58:18. > :58:21.over the next five years she can claim she has a mandate for and it's
:58:22. > :58:25.very important we have a strong opposition in the Commons so we can
:58:26. > :58:29.continue to challenge and scrutinise. She has made it clear
:58:30. > :58:37.she doesn't want opposition. Can I pick up on the Zac Goldsmith point
:58:38. > :58:40.here, because you supported him in the by-election. How was it that he
:58:41. > :58:46.can go back not as an independent but as a Conservative candidate?
:58:47. > :58:50.Because he is the strongest possible champion for Richmond. He's been a
:58:51. > :58:55.hugely effective local campaigner, he cares deeply about the place. He
:58:56. > :58:58.threw out his time in Parliament was always ready to question the
:58:59. > :59:03.Government, to challenge the front bench. He was always one standing
:59:04. > :59:09.up, defending the interests of Richmond on all sorts of issues. He
:59:10. > :59:13.would be undoubtedly... It is worth saying this is what he said. He was
:59:14. > :59:18.trying to claim circumstances had changed. This is what he said after
:59:19. > :59:21.he was selected this week. I think the circumstances of this election
:59:22. > :59:25.are very different to the circumstances of the by-election,
:59:26. > :59:29.that was a one-off opportunity caused by my resignation over
:59:30. > :59:32.Heathrow but it gave people an opportunity to express their rage
:59:33. > :59:35.about the outcome of the referendum and it was an opportunity they
:59:36. > :59:40.weren't to going miss. No matter how much I spoke about Heathrow, people
:59:41. > :59:44.wanted to talk about Brexit which is understandable but I didn't have a
:59:45. > :59:46.choice. I knew it would be difficult, if it had been a
:59:47. > :59:50.calculated decision I wouldn't have done it but I don't think
:59:51. > :59:55.politicians should break their promises. The point is he will have
:59:56. > :59:59.the full backing of the Conservatives, the machinery. It's
:00:00. > :00:04.ridiculous, nothing substantial has changed. We are still heading for a
:00:05. > :00:06.hard Brexit and of anything we have more information about Theresa May's
:00:07. > :00:11.plans to leave the single market than we did at the time of the
:00:12. > :00:14.by-election. You have got to admire the dedication, to risk going back
:00:15. > :00:19.for selection, they might have rejected him. I won't comment on the
:00:20. > :00:23.selection process but Heathrow, the Tories are trying to promote this
:00:24. > :00:27.strong and stable leadership, they haven't even got the courage to put
:00:28. > :00:31.their actual position on Heathrow in the manifesto so it is hardly strong
:00:32. > :00:35.government being offered. It's actually give us a blank cheque and
:00:36. > :00:39.we will take the mandate that we want. To all three of you, thank
:00:40. > :00:51.you. Andrew, back to you. So, how will Thursday's local
:00:52. > :00:53.election results affect Who's winning the
:00:54. > :00:56.election ground war? And as he celebrates 100
:00:57. > :01:13.days in the White House, We have the local elections, Metro
:01:14. > :01:18.elections in Liverpool, greater Birmingham, West Midlands, how will
:01:19. > :01:21.they play into the general election? Significantly, it is very unusual.
:01:22. > :01:26.People keep comparing this with the election in 83, not! Margaret
:01:27. > :01:30.Thatcher was nervous and to wait until after the local elections to
:01:31. > :01:34.call the election to see the result. We are getting these result in the
:01:35. > :01:40.middle of an election campaign so it will be important, whoever does
:01:41. > :01:43.badly will suffer a dent in confidence in terms of how they
:01:44. > :01:48.approach the election and we are also going to have mayoral figures
:01:49. > :01:53.as a reminder of another big difference with the 80s that however
:01:54. > :01:57.big, say, the Conservatives win in Westminster, there are now sectors
:01:58. > :02:00.of power in other parts of the United Kingdom which were not there
:02:01. > :02:05.in the 80s. One of the reasons niches that are rated in 83 was
:02:06. > :02:10.memories were still alive in political circles of 1970, Wilson
:02:11. > :02:15.saw the local election results and thought, I can win, he was told he
:02:16. > :02:19.would win by the Economist magazine, who had done the analysis, and of
:02:20. > :02:27.course he lost, so that is why she waited, Mrs May does not need to
:02:28. > :02:30.wait for that at all now, and on the Metro elections, the one she will be
:02:31. > :02:34.looking at is the West Midlands, that is the one that is a
:02:35. > :02:37.competition. I think she can really lose on Thursday in the local
:02:38. > :02:42.elections, governing parties are supposed to take effect again,
:02:43. > :02:48.losing lots of council seats. She is projected to put on 100 or so seats,
:02:49. > :02:52.Labour projected to lose around 200, the first time the main opposition
:02:53. > :02:55.party has shed seats since something like 83 so clearly the local
:02:56. > :02:59.elections give Mrs May great momentum going into the general
:03:00. > :03:02.election campaign but there is a downside in that, which is what we
:03:03. > :03:08.have already heard fighting about this morning, if it looks like it is
:03:09. > :03:12.going too well for the Tories, it says to voters, why bother turning
:03:13. > :03:15.up? Sushi comes up with totally unbelievable sound bites this
:03:16. > :03:21.morning that this is the most important general election in her
:03:22. > :03:28.lifetime. Really?! For her it is! It always is until the next one! I
:03:29. > :03:32.wonder if voter turnout is a problem? Tory voters are more likely
:03:33. > :03:38.to vote than Labour voters. If there is a sense that it is all over bar
:03:39. > :03:42.the shouting, the overall turnout will be low that Tory voters are
:03:43. > :03:46.still likely to turn out more than Labour voters so she would still win
:03:47. > :03:51.some. I don't think she needs to be too worried, I think there will be a
:03:52. > :03:58.significantly low turnout, even I am finding it hard to be that excited
:03:59. > :04:02.about this general election. Really, the policies, we have spent a lot of
:04:03. > :04:07.time talking about them today and we have to examine them, but all this
:04:08. > :04:11.is about is, do you want Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn in Number Ten?
:04:12. > :04:14.Those are the only question is, apart from possibly how strong do
:04:15. > :04:20.you feel about Brexit, that will be on the voters' minds. You may say
:04:21. > :04:24.that but I will not be put off from going through a list of policies
:04:25. > :04:31.that we have already had in the last 24 hours. On the Conservatives, more
:04:32. > :04:38.powers to stop company bosses under pensions, of course Philip Green was
:04:39. > :04:43.in mind there. Labour has come up with quite a few policies, actually,
:04:44. > :04:52.give all work of equal rights, whether part-time or full-time,
:04:53. > :04:57.temporary or permanent. Ukip, scrap VAT or takeaway -- on takeaway food
:04:58. > :05:03.and end the BBC licence fee. The Liberal Democrats have come out
:05:04. > :05:10.posed to the runway at Heathrow. I thought I knew that already? Will
:05:11. > :05:16.any of these policies make a difference? They are all nice handy
:05:17. > :05:20.things that people quite liked but probably not, is the answer. They
:05:21. > :05:24.are an awful way away from polling day now for people to remember and
:05:25. > :05:30.latch onto. I don't think you make your mind up on small issues like
:05:31. > :05:33.Heathrow, unless you live in Richmond-upon-Thames, maybe, but the
:05:34. > :05:37.problem Labour have got with unfailing a lot of these retail type
:05:38. > :05:42.policies which, in themselves, are very popular, is no one will listen
:05:43. > :05:46.to them until they get over the leadership credibility issue. Jeremy
:05:47. > :05:49.Corbyn could the world on a stick, but if no one believes he can
:05:50. > :05:52.deliver it then he will not be listened to and he has not done much
:05:53. > :05:56.apart from a speech yesterday in which is claim to fame was getting
:05:57. > :06:02.arrested, I don't see how that would work for him getting to Number Ten.
:06:03. > :06:08.They are not making progress on it. Labour has rolled out a number of
:06:09. > :06:13.policies which, taken individually, would have certain traction in
:06:14. > :06:16.normal times, quite interesting ideas, this sense of unfairness, a
:06:17. > :06:22.feeling that ordinary workers have not done well out of the recovery,
:06:23. > :06:25.those who caused the crash have, 20 points, I went through some of them
:06:26. > :06:30.earlier, putting aside they are not costed, we are assured they will be.
:06:31. > :06:36.The problem I suggest is not the costing but the cut through? Every
:06:37. > :06:40.election has a context which is determined by opinion polls, however
:06:41. > :06:43.sceptical we are these days, and if one party is way ahead it is
:06:44. > :06:49.difficult for the other party to appear relevant, because if people
:06:50. > :06:53.assume they are not going to win, even some of its own MPs are saying,
:06:54. > :07:00.we are not going to win this, so you can vote for us, it is very hard to
:07:01. > :07:04.get attention and relevance. Where I think all the parties are bad with
:07:05. > :07:10.their current leaders is framing arguments, so those policies you
:07:11. > :07:13.have highlighted makes sense. The best leaders are brilliant framers
:07:14. > :07:20.of an argument and neither Theresa Maynor Jeremy Corbyn R. They have
:07:21. > :07:24.been campaigning, their manifestos are not out yet, both sides have
:07:25. > :07:28.been telling us we have to wait for costings, but it has not stopped
:07:29. > :07:33.them campaigning. Let's remind you of where they have been and what
:07:34. > :07:38.they have been doing so far. Let's start with Jeremy Corbyn, his
:07:39. > :07:42.first official visit was in the ultra-marginal Conservative seat of
:07:43. > :07:47.Croydon Central where the MP Gavin Barwell has a lead of just 165. That
:07:48. > :07:51.is not the only Conservative seat he has visited, along the way he popped
:07:52. > :07:58.in on Bristol North West, a Conservative majority of nearly
:07:59. > :08:05.5000. The Tory seat of Cardiff North, a lead of just over 2000,
:08:06. > :08:10.Warrington South, just over 2700, and Crewe and Nantwich, Tory
:08:11. > :08:15.majority of three and a half thousand. Yesterday he visited
:08:16. > :08:21.Bethnal greed and Bob, a Labour lead of 20 4000. Theresa May kicked off
:08:22. > :08:26.her campaign in Bolton, Labour majority of over 4000. On her way
:08:27. > :08:30.round the UK she had a comfy stop in her own maidenhead seat, where she
:08:31. > :08:34.is defending a majority of nearly 30,000, before travelling to other
:08:35. > :08:41.Labour marginals including Dudley North, a Labour lead of 4000.
:08:42. > :08:42.Bridgend, a lead of just under 2004 Labour, before becoming ambitious
:08:43. > :08:58.and visiting shadow minister Richard Bergen's Leeds East seat, which he
:08:59. > :09:01.won by over 12,500 votes. Yesterday she went north of the border to
:09:02. > :09:03.Aberdeenshire, where amongst other places she visited the SNP seat of
:09:04. > :09:04.West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, where the Tories would have to gain
:09:05. > :09:12.over 7000 votes to unseat the NP. What do you make of it all so far?
:09:13. > :09:16.It is remarkable she is doing these visits in Scotland. Past but even
:09:17. > :09:19.five years and the idea of a Tory Prime Minister going round Scotland
:09:20. > :09:24.would be utterly counter-productive, and actually they are ambitious for
:09:25. > :09:28.Scotland now under with Davidson, a prospect of multiple seats, and that
:09:29. > :09:31.would be a real genuine shift in Scottish politics, the likes of
:09:32. > :09:41.which we have not seen for 15 or 20 years. If she gets that, that helps
:09:42. > :09:46.towards 100 seats, because if she wins ten in Scotland, it is
:09:47. > :09:50.effectively 20, the SNP lose ten, she gains ten, she wants to do that
:09:51. > :09:56.in the Midlands with Labour, and the North. To get the 100 majority,
:09:57. > :10:01.other than Scotland, she has to win Labour seats, that is all that is
:10:02. > :10:05.there. And clearly she has been told, it is obvious, that she has a
:10:06. > :10:08.chance of doing so, otherwise you don't go to these parts of the
:10:09. > :10:13.country in the first few days of the campaign. All logic points to her
:10:14. > :10:18.being able to pull it off as well. The opinion polls, the state of the
:10:19. > :10:22.Labour Party. The only qualification I have in this is that politics is
:10:23. > :10:29.so wild and free Braille at the moment, it doesn't feel like
:10:30. > :10:35.landslide to rain. That is true, it doesn't. It is early days, we
:10:36. > :10:38.haven't yet had the manifestos, the campaign is yet to gather momentum.
:10:39. > :10:47.It doesn't feel like landslide territory. I disagree, look at every
:10:48. > :10:52.single poll, the Tory lead is 10% in Wales, you can see her picking up 20
:10:53. > :10:56.seat there. Put this together, I am told by the way she is going into
:10:57. > :11:02.traditional Labour heartland again tomorrow, the key is the Ukip vote.
:11:03. > :11:21.That will implode... Crumble towards Tories? If she can hoover that up
:11:22. > :11:22.and retain the Tory vote, she will have a majority of 150.
:11:23. > :11:22.I cannot let you go without reminding you that it is Donald
:11:23. > :11:23.Trump's 100 days. He's not making a lot of it now, this is what he said
:11:24. > :11:25.last night. We are just beginning in our fight
:11:26. > :11:28.to make America great again. Now, before we talk about my first
:11:29. > :11:37.100 days, which has been very exciting and very productive,
:11:38. > :11:42.let's rate the media's 100 days. Because, as you know,
:11:43. > :12:02.they are a disgrace. There you go, still bashing the
:12:03. > :12:07.media, that was at a rally in Virginia, the 100 days was last
:12:08. > :12:10.night. He seems happier campaigning than running the country. You each
:12:11. > :12:19.have 20 seconds to give me your board on the first 100 days.
:12:20. > :12:24.Remarkable, he will not stop slagging off the media but America
:12:25. > :12:27.first has not meant America first in terms of national policy, he has
:12:28. > :12:32.reneges on what he said about Nato being obsolete. He is moving from
:12:33. > :12:40.the old right to the centre because that is where you get things done,
:12:41. > :12:46.he is a pragmatist, also is about's friend Nigel Parrott is no longer
:12:47. > :12:51.welcome, we read this morning! Allegedly! He loves campaigning but
:12:52. > :12:55.finds governing much more difficult. Who would have thought being
:12:56. > :12:59.president of the United States was a difficult job?! He loves rallies but
:13:00. > :13:05.being president and politics is a very difficult thing indeed. Thank
:13:06. > :13:06.you, there we go, Mr Trump's 100 days, we will see what the next 100
:13:07. > :13:09.brings. The Daily Politics is back
:13:10. > :13:12.on BBC Two after the bank holiday on Tuesday at midday,
:13:13. > :13:14.with all the latest And I'll be back here
:13:15. > :13:18.on BBC One next Sunday Remember - if it's Sunday,
:13:19. > :13:28.it's the Sunday Politics.