03/11/2013 Sunday Politics North East and Cumbria

Sunday Politics. It began as Sunday Politics. It began as

Plebgate, now it is Plodgate. The evidence of three police officers to

MPs is branded a great work of fiction. They tried to intimidate

the Grangemouth bosses, but in the end it was the union that

capitulated. I will ask Len McCluskey about Unite union's strong

arm tactics at Grangemouth and Falkirk. They preach women should be

sidelined and confined to the private sphere. They argued they

should be covered up. headlines: 700 jobs and a ?1 billion

investment. Work is In the north east and Cumbria. Fears

investment. In In the north east and Cumbria. Fears

the region could lose millions of pounds of health funding. And does

Hitachi's new authority is investigating --

investing thousands of pounds in a GPS tracking system to keep tabs on

its staff. With me as always, the best and the

brightest political panel, Helen Lewis, Janan Ganesh and Nick Watt

who will be tweeting their humiliating climb-down is what they

got wrong last week in the programme. If this can happen it to

a Cabinet minister, what hope is there for anyone else? Thus the Home

Affairs Select Committee concluded what many already thought about the

treatment of Andrew Mitchell by three self-styled PC plebs. They met

him to clear the air over what did or did not happen when he was

prevented from ramming his bike through the Downing Street gates.

But the officers gave the media and inaccurate account of that meeting.

Two of them are even accused of misleading the Commons committee.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission will now reopen there

enquiry. This is not a story about Andrew Mitchell, it is about the

police. Keith Vaz is often in high dudgeon and this is the highest dad

and I have seen him in for some time. They could be held for

contempt of Parliament and technically they could be sent to

prison. It has blown up into an enormous story. I do not know what

is worse, the police trying to stitch up a Cabinet member and try

to mislead the media or the incompetence they have done it from

day one. That is quite good. I would sleep more soundly at night if I

knew the pleas were good at this. It is the incompetence that shocks me.

And this is just a sideshow. We are still waiting on the main report as

to what exactly happened outside Downing Street gates. But that not

will be good for the police either. The file has gone from the

Metropolitan police to the CPS, so we are limited about what we can

say. This is about the police Federation. They were set up under

statute in 1990 as a deal in which a police would not go on strike. This

is a political campaign to get a Cabinet minister out and the legacy

of this is the police Federation will have to be reformed. We will

keep an eye on it. They were Ed Miliband's union backers, they swung

the Labour leadership for him in 2010. Now the Unite union looks like

his biggest headache. The Sunday Times has seen extracts of the

report into the alleged vote rigging to select a Labour candidate in

Falkirk. There was evidence of coercion and Gregory as well as

deliberate attempt to frustrate the enquiry. We will be speaking to Len

McCluskey, the Unite union's General Secretary, in a moment. First out

the saga began an almost ended up with the loss of 800 jobs at a

petrochemical plant in Grangemouth. Unite were key players in the

Grangemouth dispute and the union headed by Len McCluskey has come

under fire for its intimidator Tariq tactics. In one instance

demonstrators complete with an inflatable rat picketed the home of

a INEOS director. The police were called. It was part of a strategy

the union called leverage. But turning up at people's houses seems

to represent an escalation. At the centre of the rout was Steve in

deals -- Stephen Denes. INEOS launched an investigation into him

as he was suspected of using company time to engineer the selection of

labour's candidate in Falkirk. That candidate was Karie Murphy, a friend

of Len McCluskey. Stevie Deans resigned last week and denies any

wrongdoing, but it capped a dramatic climb-down by Unite union. Len

McCluskey joins me now. Thanks to the Sunday Times we now know what is

in this labour report on the Falkirk vote rigging. Forgery, coercion

trickery, manipulation. You must be ashamed of how Unite union behaved

in Falkirk. The Sunday Times article is lazy journalism. There is nothing

new in the article. This was all dealt with by the Labour Party in

the summer. We rejected those allegations then and we said we had

done nothing wrong and both the Labour Party and the police in

Scotland indicated there had been no wrongdoing. The report itself says

you were trying to thwart the investigation. First you tried to

fix the selection of a candidate to get your woman in and then you

thwarted the investigation into the dirty deeds. The reality is the

Labour Party report was deeply flawed. The Labour Party then

instructed a solicitor, a lawyer, to do an in-depth investigation and

during that investigation they got to the bottom of what had happened

and they decided there was no wrongdoing whatsoever. At the time I

was so confident we had done nothing, I called for an independent

enquiry. They were forced to conclude there was no wrongdoing

because the people who originally complained changed their evidence

and we now know they did so because Unite union officials helped them to

rewrite their retraction and Stevie Deans approved it. That is not true.

We have had 1000 e-mails thrown into the public arena and what is that

all about? Who is leaking this? They showed the Unite union was rewriting

the retractions. This interview would go a lot better if you are

allowed me to finish the question that you asked. These e-mails were

put into the public arena by the PR company from INEOS. Why are they

doing this? The truth of the matter is that all of the investigations

that took place demonstrate there was nothing to answer. This idea

that the Unite union has rewritten and the evidence from the families

has been withdrawn, the families are a part of Stevie deems' family. They

clarified the position. Do you deny that union officials were involved

in the retractions? I deny it completely. This is important.

Independent solicitors to witness statements from the family and they

are the ones that were influencing the Labour Party with the position

is clarified and there is no case to answer. Do you deny Stevie deems saw

their retractions? It is his family. So you do not deny it? It is his

family. This is an ordinary, decent family who were faced with the full

weight of the pleas, a forensic solicitor. Of course they spoke to

Stevie Deans. This whole thing is a cesspit. Does it not need an

independent investigation? This is a trap being laid by Tory Central

office. They are making all the demands. The media, the Daily Mail,

the Sunday Times, the Conservative mouthpiece, they are laying tracks

for Ed Miliband and Ed Miliband should not fall into them. Since

when did it become part of an industrial dispute to send mobs to

the home of company families. This is a legitimate form of protest and

it is a silent protest. We believe if faceless directors are making

decisions that cripple communities, they cannot expect to simply drift

back to their own leafy suburbia and not be countable. This is silent

protest. It is lawful. It may be silent in Grangemouth, but it was

not silent elsewhere. You went with a giant rat, loud-hailers telling

everybody the neighbour was evil. No, we did not. You had

loud-hailers, you even encouraged passing children in Grangemouth to

join in. That is nonsense. Look at the rat. The reality is the

Grangemouth community was going to be decimated, Grangemouth was going

to become a ghost town. I reject totally this idea there were

loud-hailers and children involved. That is a lie perpetrated by the

Daily Mail. But you have used these tactics in other disputes. We have

used the tactics in other disputes, but we have not used loud-hailers at

people's homes. Because the labour laws are so restrictive we have to

look at every available means that we can protest. It is an outrage, an

absolute outrage, that this is happening to British workers in the

21st-century. It could not happen elsewhere. Is not intimidation the

wider hallmark of your union? You were quoted as saying to do whatever

it takes during your attempts to take over the Labour Falkirk

constituency. You were instructing to dig out the nasty stuff on your

opponents. That is not true. Let's see these e-mails? This is a con

trick. Nobody is looking to dig out... This is the words of your

legal services advisor. Unite has tried to instigate a revival of

trade union values within the Labour Party. That is what Ed Miliband

wanted us to do. As soon as we started to be in any way

ineffective, there were screams and howls of derision. When the company

started to investigate Stevie Deans, your friend, your campaign manager,

that he was using company time to moonlight on the job, you called

INEOS and said unless you stop the investigation we will bring

Grangemouth to a standstill. I never said that at all. You brought it to

a standstill. We never brought it to a standstill, the company did. Who

says that I said that we would bring it to a standstill? You have read it

in the newspapers. You should not believe everything. I did not make

that threat to the management. You carried the threat out. You

instigated an overtime ban and a work to rule. And that is what

Grangemouth to a standstill because the company decided to close the

petrochemical site down. Because Stevie Deans was suspended due

introduced industrial action? Our members in Grangemouth felt he was

being unfairly treated. In the end you're grandstanding almost cost

Scotland is most important industrial facility. The day was

saved by your total capitulation. Grandstanding, capitulation and

humiliation are grand phrases. There is nothing about capitulation. Len

McCluskey did not wake up one day and decide to have a dispute with

INEOS. The workers in that factory democratically elect their shop

stewards to represent them and to express to management their concerns

and their views. That is what happened with INEOS. Jack Straw has

condemned your union's handling of Grangemouth as a catastrophe. Have

you considered your position? Jack Straw and others in the Labour

Party, you have to ask them what their agenda is. I am not interested

in what he says. The truth of the matter is we responded to the

requirements and needs of our members. At a mass meeting last

Monday 100% supported their shop stewards and their union. We will

continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our members when they

are faced with difficult situations. You have lost all the union rights.

You have had to agree to a no strike rule, you have lost pension rights.

We have not lost rights at all, we are still working with the company

to implement its survival plan. The Prime Minister is always attacking

unions and just lately he has taken to praising the automotive

industry. Jaguar Land Rover, Foxhall, BMW at Cowley, they are all

Unite union members were the shop stewards are engaged positively to

implement survival plans and to make a success for the company. That is

what we do, but by the same token we stand shoulder to shoulder with our

members who are in struggle and we will always do that and we will not

be cowed by media attacks on us Is your leadership not proving to be as

disastrous for the members as Arthur Scargill was for the NUM? My

membership is growing. I am accountable to my members, two are

executive, and the one thing they will know is that when they want me

standing shoulder to shoulder with them when they have a problem, I

will be there, despite the disgraceful attacks launched on us

by the media. "A country ready to welcome your

investment which values your friendship and will never exclude

anyone because of their race, religion, colour or creed." The

words of the Prime minister at the World Islamic Economic Forum which

was hosted for the first time in London this week. The PM's warm

words are sure to be welcomed by British Muslims who have endured a

spate of negative headlines. There's been the controversy over the

wearing of the veil, attitudes to women, and the radicalisation of

some young British Muslims. In a moment I'll be talking to the

Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Farooq Murad.

First - here's Giles Dilnot. The call to Friday prayers at the east

London Mosque which has strong links with the Muslim Council of Britain,

one of the more vocal groups amongst British Muslims. Despite the fact it

frequently happens, it is neither helpful nor accurate to describe the

British Muslim community. There are so many different sects,

traditions, cultures and nationalities, it is more accurate

to describe the British Muslim communities, but there is one

question being put to them - are they doing enough internally to

address some challenging issues Are they willing to confront

radicalisation, attitudes to non-muslins, two women, and cases of

sexual exploitation in a meaningful way? A number of them say no, not

nearly enough. This former jihad de has spent ten years telling young

Muslim teenagers how they can reject extremist radicalisation, using

Outward Bound courses and community work, but he and others doing this

work thing -- think some elders are failing the youngsters. This has

been going on for decades, one figures -- thing is said in public

to please people but in private something very different is being

said and the messages are being confused. Some of the young people,

it pushes them further into a space where they are vulnerable for

radical recruiters. For many Muslim youngsters, life is about living 1's

faith within an increasingly secular society, a struggle not helped if

rigid interpretations of the Koran are being preached, say some

sectors. Some practices often don't make sense in 21st-century Britain,

and you are perhaps creating obstacles if you stick to those and

it is perhaps better to let go of those cultural problems, especially

when they need to clear injustices like forced marriage, reticence to

talk about grooming for example or discrimination against women. There

is a long list but I am very clear that in fact the bad Muslim is the

one who sticks to unflinching, narrow dogmatic fundamentalist

perception of religion. One issue often focused on is the wearing of

minicab. Polling suggests 80% of Britons would favour a ban in public

places. -- the niqab. Many people don't seem to recognise the legacy

of the niqab. Many people preach that women should be sidelined and

that they are sexual objects that should be covered up and the

preservation of morality falls on their shoulders. The Muslim Council

of Britain recently got praise for holding a conference on combating

sexual exploitation. In the wake of abuse cases that had involved

predominantly Pakistani men. For one man who has followed the story for

some years, the Muslim Council of Britain needs to do much more. We

need to get along together and if things like attitudes towards the

normal slim girl in stark contrast to the expression of honour and

chastity of the Muslim girl, your sister or daughter, are such that

actions that would be an fought off with a slim girl becomes permissible

with a white girl, then we are all in trouble. To some, attitudes to

women are not limited to sexual interactions at the very structures

of life in Muslim communities and indeed the Muslim Council of Britain

itself. I would like to ask the Muslim Council of Britain what they

are doing about the fact that very few mosques give voices to

are doing about the fact that very the fact that someone women are

experiencing female genital mutilation and forced marriages

what about the women who are getting married and their marriages are not

being registered and they are being left homeless and denied maintenance

rights, what about the fact there are sharia rights that have been

found to be discriminating against women, and the fact there are men in

this country who continue to hold misogynistic views about women, what

are you doing? The occasional press release will not solve this problem

of a deeply patriarchal community. That all of these issues can be

exploited to the point of Islam phobia is not doubted, but many

Muslims feel that unless the communities do tackle this openly, a

big cultural gap will exist between the two.

And the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Farooq

Murad, joins me now. One visible sign that sets muslins aside is the

veils that cover women's faces. Do you think it makes them impossible

to be part of mainstream society? The niqab is not an obligatory

requirement. But do you accept that those who wear it are cutting

themselves off from mainstream society? Some people do, and whilst

wearing niqab, some of them are working in various walks of life

successfully and it is seen as a faith requirement, but it is a red

herring in the sense that it applies to such a small number of Muslim

girls. For many Muslim preachers, isn't separation precisely the point

of the niqab? Certainly not, if you look at the Muslim women in the

public sphere, we have many very successful women. But not the ones

who are veiled. Not in the public arena as such, but the veil is a

practice which is practised by a very small number. Do you favour

it? I personally think it is not a requirement. But do you think women

should wear the veil? I think it is wrong to force women to wear the

veil. I asked if in your opinion women should wear the veil? It is

important not to force women to wear the veil. Should they of their free

choice where the veil? A lot of individuals do things out of their

free choice which I do not approve of, I don't think it is conducive it

helps their cause, but I do not have the right to take their choice away

from them. I am still unsure if you think it is a good thing or a bad

thing. Are not many Muslim women in this country being forced by Muslim

preachers and often their male relations who want to keep Muslim

women their place? As I said, it is wrong for anyone to force Muslim

women. But how would we ever know in a family if a woman was being

forced? Exactly, we don't know what is going on in people 's homes and

what pressure is being applied. I want you to look at this picture,

very popular on Islamic websites, and it shows the women who is

wearing the niqab having a straight route to heaven, and the other

Muslim woman dressed in western gear condemned to hell. Do you consider

that a proper message for Muslim women? Not at all, I don't. So any

Islamic websites in Britain... The Muslim Council of Britain is an

organisation of five affiliates from across the country and this is not

coming from any of them. As I said, those minority views propagated by

individuals should not be used to represent Muslim community. So that

would not have the support of the Muslim Council of Britain? It would

not have the support. What about the Muslim free school that requires

children as young as 11 to wear a black veil outside of school? Do you

agree with that? I am not sure exactly what the policy is... I have

just told you, do you agree that girls as young as 11 should wear a

black burka outside of school? I don't think it should be imposed on

anybody. But this is the desired dress School of the Muslim females.

I am asking for your view. I said it at the beginning that I do not think

it should be imposed. Would you send your daughter to a school that would

wear a black burka at the age of 11? Would you? No. It seems that some

muslins are determined to segregate young Muslim girls right from the

start to very early from society. It is not their segregation as such, I

would say that there are faith schools, if you look at an Islamic

girls school in Blackburn in a traditional setting, it has come the

top of the league table this year in the secondary school league tables.

But it doesn't make 11-year-olds wear black burkas. Many of those

girls go on to have a successful career. Not wearing black burkas. I

am sure there are examples of women who do have successful careers.

There is a very conservative movement from the continent on

Islam, and the issue supposedly based on Islamic law on their

website. Here is one of their recent judgements. The female is encouraged

to remain within the confines of her home as much as possible, she should

not come out of the home without need and necessity. What do you

think of that? We need to say the whole context of that quote. They

are saying they should stay at home as much as possible, do you agree

with that? I see many Muslim women who are walking about... But this is

what the mosque is recommending women should do. The practice is

quite the contrary. Let me show you another one. Another Fatwa. Do you

agree with that? These have been picked out from material dating back

to different cultural settings and in practice they are not applied.

This is advice being given as we speak. This is not being practised.

Do you agree with it? No, not at all. These are from the DL Monday

mosques, how come 72 of these mosques are affiliated to your

counsel? There may be publications from one of their scholars, but they

have been written in countries abroad and translated. This is

advice being given to young women now. They are affiliated to the

Muslim Council of Britain. Do you ever speak to them about that? The

Muslim Council is a very broad organisation. We are working on lots

of common issues to create a community which positively

integrates. Did you ever speak to them to say this is not appropriate

for British Muslims? There may be certain ad buys and publications

available, but people make their choices. So it is OK for your

organisation to issue things like that? Many of these things will fall

under scrutiny and we need to create that. Why do only 26% of British

mosques have facilities for women? If you go back to the requirement of

prayer, it was not obligatory for women to come to the masks to

prayer. When a poorer community began putting up mosques at the very

beginning in terraced houses... Did you have a policy to encourage them?

Is it on your website? It is in our practices that 20% of the council

have to be female. Coming out of this movement there is a conscious

stream of superiority between Muslims and non-Muslims. Look at

this quote. He is a well-known picture in this country.

That is what he wants to stop. I disagree with that. We believe we

live in this society and Muslims in any society of the world, and they

have historically lived as minorities in many countries... You

would this associate yourself from that? Why do you allow people like

that to be affiliated to you? The requirement is for any organisation

to be affiliated is that they are bound by the Charity commission s

rules and regulations. We only accept those who are under the law

of this country. This is a matter of taste. Let me move on to a bigger

issue. In 2009 you signed the Istanbul dash-mac the Istanbul

declaration was signed. Do you still support it? No, we never signed it

declaration was signed. Do you still or supported it. One of your leading

lights signed it. In the media mainstream he defended his position.

You have this associated yourself from it? What is wrong with that? I

am not sure about the declaration because we disassociated ourselves.

Before reading it? We did not sign it. You have not read it? I do not

know all the aspects of the declaration, but at the time in the

national newspapers and media there national newspapers and media there

was a discussion and a debate and it was highlighted that that was not

was a discussion and a debate and it what was meant by the declaration.

When did you decide so is the yourself from the declaration? From

day one. We never signed it. The East London Mosque which you are

personally closely associated with is the venue for a number of

extremist speakers, who espoused extremist positions. In 2009 the

mosque posted a video and presentation by somebody described

by the UN Security Council as an Al-Qaeda leader supporter. Another

speaker described Christians and Jews as Phil. You have had a jihad

is supporter of the Taliban there. Why do you do nothing to stop

extremists like that at this mask with which you are associated with?

We do not have anything to do with any rhetoric that condones or

supported violence. We issue guidelines and the mosque itself is

a registered charity which has its own rules and regulations, but it is

a very large mosques and lots of organisations book and come and told

their gatherings. We rent out the facilities. You were prepared to

speak alongside a man who saluted suicide bombers, and said 9/11 was a

Zionist conspiracy. Why would you share a platform like that? I did

not share a platform like that. Different organisations come and

have conferences here. Why did you agree? I did not agree with that. I

completely reject that. When you add all this up the attitude to women,

the alliance with the most fundamentalist Islamic mosques, the

toleration of intolerant views, a willingness for you to be counted

among them, why should anybody of goodwill, either a Muslim or a

non-Muslim, regard the MCB as a good force? It is an organisation which

embraces different organisations which are affiliated in the Muslim

community. You have taken snippets of certain individual views which

are not the views of our affiliates. It would be unfair to represent our

view based on those which you have highlighted in this programme. The

work that we do is quite clear and is on our website. They are all

associated with you, but we will have to leave it there. You are

associated with you, but we will watching the Sunday Politics. Coming

up: I will be talking to If Hello and welcome to your local

part of Sunday politics. Just as satisfying but a bit closer to home.

Coming up this week: Fears that some of the most deprived areas of the

north east and Cumbria could lose out on millions of pounds of health

spending under a new NHS funding model. North`east Liberal Democrat

Euro MP Fiona Hall and the Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland,

Sharon Hodgson, are here to discuss that and the rest of the week's

news. And let's get going with good news. Construction work has begun on

Hitachi's new rail plant in County Durham. It will eventually employ a

workforce of 730. The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, was

in Newton Aycliffe on Friday to give the project Government's official

stamp of approval, along with Business Secretary Vince Cable who

said it was a major step forward for both north`east manufacturing and

the railways. This is the proper this really big

project. Hitachi are going to commit a to it. We are talking about 700

jobs to it, a lot of jobs in the construction stage and in the supply

stage. We are getting a real revelation in Britain. Heavy

investment is going into Rail. But the trains are

manufactured in Japan and shipped over here? It was made very clear by

the company. But there is a commitment to building up their

supply chain here. These trains will be exported on over Europe.

Vince Cable talking to our business correspondent Ian Reeve.

In the North East, we have had some really positive signs lately, which

is great. But we must not forget that when pots of money is dished

out, it is not dished out fairly. ?225 million of that money was given

to the south`east London, and only 34 million to the East. But this is

good news for manufacturing? Yes, it is, but you have to see it as a

whole, not in isolation. Should wee bit disappointed it is just an

assembly plant? No, there is a commitment to build them here. We

have already got local companies signed up in the supply chain. It is

also worth remembering that this is Hitachi rail Europe and they have

said the interested in the UK market and in continental orders. And that

is only there because we are part of Europe. HS2 could secure vital jobs

in Durham? But you are dithering on it? Not at all. There was a vote on

Thursday on that. But Labour MPs have been attacking it. Most

north`east MPs I know that are in support. The report we had recently

said that it will be up on `` it will be a positive benefit in the

north`east. But one MP was criticising the report for just

that? That was just one MP. There is not a bottomless pit of money, we

have to be fiscally responsible. But Labour are in support of High Speed

two. Having good news on the way, Hitachi when it opens, but there was

bad news this week in the manufacturing sector with job losses

in the steel industry. We are not out in the woods in terms of

manufacturing yet? No, we are not. We started another place. I have

spent the week going round a meeting a lot of companies in the region and

I was quite struck by how several of them in different sectors said

cautiously that it is getting better, this last quarter or two, we

have been on the right side of the line. That is something to be very

pleased about. Can we be confident that manufacturing is in good hands

in the north`east? The workers in the North East are being renowned

for being some of the best. Getting enough government support? No, I

think we can always get a fair slice of the government funding. But with

regard to unemployment, I think there is still a lot of worry here

in the north`east, and in my constituency in particular,

long`term unemployed has gone up by the worst amount in the whole

country. Thank you. Now, parts of the north`east and

Cumbria has some of the worst health problems in Britain. But a new

funding formula being considered could reduce the amount of money GPs

get to tackle them. NHS England is considering switching resources away

from the most deprived areas and towards places with the highest

number of older people. But there are potential winners as well as

losers as Mark Denton reports. Pennywell in Sunderland, a place

that is used to facing problems, high unemployment, anti`social

behaviour ` for years, they have been challenges here. If you live in

this area, you are more likely to die earlier. Women's life expectancy

is three years less than the English average, men's is five years less.

There are high levels of cardiovascular and respiratory

disease, principally from smoking, but also from the history of heavy

industry diseases. There are also concerns about obesity, based on

poor diet. But despite those problems, could this area be about

to see money axed from its health budget? NHS England is reviewing the

way it handled money to clinical commissioning groups. At the moment,

deprivation is taken into account. But one idea is to scrap that and

switch funding to areas with high levels of elderly people And that

could leave a hole in the North's health service funding. . Sunderland

could lose ?41 million, Newcastle ?15 million, Gateshead ?21 million,

and Cumbria ?62 million. Inevitably, commissioning groups will have to

look at cutting some of the provision that they give no. `` give

now. That may be some of the obesity clinics, smoking clinics. It may

have an impact on people's health. The plan is to remove ?230 million

from the health Commissioner's budget for the North East and

Cumbria. That would have a devastating effect on health care in

the north`east of England. What makes matters ten times worse is I

asked about this year ago and received an assurance from the

Minister that they would not do what they are now consulting on doing But

they see things rather differently 70 miles away. . Just although there

is a North Yorkshire market town of horse `` Hoares. Some in the local

health service thinks of funding shake`up could benefit this

community. This is a huge area. The doctors have got a lot of ground to

cover here. If they put the business on age, it should benefit the

practice enormously and help to put it on a secure financial footing.

The cost of complying with rules and regulations, many of which have been

brought in the last three years, falls disproportionately on us.

North Yorkshire is a very popular place for people to grow old in.

People who are more elderly have more complex health and social needs

and this has to be reflected in a higher health care budget. There is

still time for town and country to make their case. NHS England will

make a final decision next month. The funding challenge ` giving areas

with very different health needs a fair deal.

This is taking health funding from deprived areas in the north and

least deprived areas in the south. This is not something that will

definitely happen. It is being consulted on. NHS England is doing a

bit of kite flying here. I would say it as a bad thing myself. Under the

coalition government, we have ring fenced health funding, but we have

also made it a legal obligation to address inequality. I agree with the

figures about the North East. We get 17 years less of healthy disability

free living in the poorest areas than in people in places like

Hampshire. If you are going to have a legal obligation on inequality,

you cannot do this. Why is it coming back again? Why aren't Liberal

Democrats in government saying stop this? Because this is a consulting

`` phase. Dead of University have come forward with `` with good

academic evidence against this. We need that evidence to come forward

now. Just a consultation, kite flying? I would love to be able to

trust the government that they will not just steam roller this through.

It is what they have done with all the health and social care changes.

The unfairness of this policy if it happens is just astonishing. Healthy

life expectancy in South East Hampshire is 68 years. And in my

constituency it is 58 years. Yet Sunderland, pierhead, `` Peter

constituency it is 58 years. Yet But does this principle not make

some sense? We have an ageing population, it does cost more to do

with the health concentrations of older people, surely that is needed?

But if you are healthy, it is not much of a cost. We have long`term

implications from our industrial past, higher smoking and alcohol

abuse... But we saw that GP practice who feel they have not had enough

money in the past, not enough recognition for dealing with an

ageing population. There might have been small adjustment that could

have happened. This adjustment is not small. But suspicion he will be

that it is very convenient. This formula benefits Conservative

constituencies, unlike Labour constituencies in the North. But

there is a legal obligation to address and fairness. That is by

this funding proposal at it is being flagged at the moment cannot go

ahead. But there is a legal requirement to address inequality

and the government put this in place. Any changes in funding, that

legal obligation has got to be carried out.

And the issue of NHS funding for the north`east will be raised at

Westminster on Tuesday by the Middlesbrough South MP Tom

Blenkinsop. Now, back in January, Cumbria County

Councillors took one of their most important decisions. They appeared

to rule out the area as the site for the UK's high`level nuclear waste

store. District councillors in Copeland and Allerdale took a

different view, but that did not matter as all local authorities had

to agree for the idea to move forward. Ten months later, ministers

have reopened the consultation over where to put the underground storage

and suggested a change in the rules. As Emily Unia reports, campaigners

have called that a shameless attempt to usurp local democracy.

Side`by`side, but fiercely opposed. Those for and against continuing

with this search for somewhere to bury your waist and Cumbria. Hoping

to make their voices heard outside the county council in January. The

decision by county council is to pull out of the process overruled

the yes vote by Copeland and Allerdale Borough Council. But now

the government wants to overrule that. It is a move that makes more

sense for some politicians in West Cumbria. In that consultation, it is

clear to me that the rights are given to the local people and the

local authority will just be there to listen to the community and then

take the final decision. But those who hoped January's vote was binding

are angry about what they say is an astonishingly undemocratic move by

the government. They believe it is `` is geology is unsuitable. It has

not gone down well with the local MP. It is the same old faces the

same old antinuclear campaign. In a campaign against the presence of

radioactive material, it is a curious one given that 75% of those

materials nationally are already there. Well, let's put that point to

Eddie Martin, a former leader of the county council who has helped set up

the new Cumbria trust. We have not issued any mysteriess, we are

totally in support of Sellafield. We have argued very strongly for much

greater investment in Sellafield than hitherto. We are not

antinuclear. One or two members of the Cumbria trust may be, but the

Cumbria trust is not antinuclear. But you do want to prevent an

antinuclear store `` and nuclear store being put in Cumbria. It is

morally indefensible to put nuclear waste into a deep repository which

is geologically unsafe. I do not know if the camera can see these,

these are the number of holes which have been made in West Cumbria.

Hundreds and hundreds of boreholes. Not just searching for a geological

disposal facility, for oil, for gas, first seismic activity. There

are all the boreholes, hundreds of them. What we know from qualified,

distinguished professors of geology, West Cumbria is not

suitable. That was still being explored. You're concerned as well

about damaging Cumbria, but that image would already be damaged?

There is a great deal of expertise at Sellafield. What we are saying is

that far from storing it under the present conditions, there has to be

greater investment in Sellafield in order to store it under the best

conditions, not disability to this Swedish facility I visited recently.

`` not dissimilar. Why do you want to stop the councils from having a

look at this? At what? You holster for this store? Because we are told

by a significant number of well`qualified people that you

cannot put it in Copeland or Allerdale because they geology is

not correct. We are talking about 30 years from now anyway.

Now to the rest of the week's news and two of the North's MPs used

debates at Westminster to draw attention to the problems faced by

disabled people. Here is Mark with the week in 60 seconds.

Hate crimes against disabled people should be treated the same as

religious or racial attacks according to a Gateshead MP. This is

a national problem and a national scandal where people with learning

disability are having dreadful experiences because of bullying.

They risked elderly and blind people from electrical vehicles has been

raised by our north`east MP. They are so quiet, the pose a danger to

those members of the public who rely on hearing sound to judge when it is

safe to cross the road. Finally, a late`night levy, the

first in the UK, is started in Newcastle.

Well, let's talk a little bit more about electric vehicles and the

danger they might pose to pedestrians because they are just

too quiet. I understand you want this to

happen. But if manufacturers like this, why the need to legislate? I

went out on the street blindfolded with a guide dog and that gave me a

powerful sense of how scary it is out there and how much you are

dependent on what you can hear. What they are saying is that if it is

just a voluntary thing, you cannot be sure that all manufacturers will

follow that. In terms of confidence, people who are visually impaired,

will worry when they are going out. They persuaded me and I persuaded my

group in the European Parliament. The wonderful to include it as a

statutory part of legislation on noise which is decided at a European

level. We are hoping that we will win the day on this point and that

we will get it through. In your constituency, bloody want more

legislation on this? `` do they want more legislation on this?

they are already doing this by themselves. I have driven in one of

these vehicles and the noise that is admitted if you drive at less than

90 mph, `` at more than 90 mph, there is greater noise. I am very

pleased to hear this has been done and I am baffled by the government

is resisting it. The evidence is pretty sketchy. To rush to law on

sketchy evidence is that a good idea? I do not think it is

satisfactory until we have had accidents.

Don't forget to let me know your views by following me on twitter and

letting rip, politely. Next week, a north`east MP turns the tables and

puts some tough questions north`east MP turns the tables and

Thank you for coming, north`east MP turns the tables and

puts some tough questions to Thank you for coming, great to see

you. Andrew, back to you. Labour 's relationship with Unite and other

issues all to be discussed in the Week Ahead and we're joined now by

the shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna. First I would like to get

your reaction to the interview I did earlier with the General Secretary

of the union Unite - Len McCluskey. Let's look at what he said. This is

a trap being laid by Tory Central office. They are making all of the

demands and the Daily Mail, the Sunday Times, are you telling me

they are not the conservative mouthpiece in the media? They are

laying traps for Ed Miliband and he should not fall into them. Though it

is all a Tory plot. Len McCluskey denies a lot of the allegations put,

but let me be clear in an industrial dispute, the use of aggressive or

intimidatory tactics by either side is totally unacceptable. Do you

think it is wrong for Unite to send its members to the homes of

managers? I don't know what happened in that particular case, but I think

you should keep people 's families out of these things and if you are

doing something that can upset particularly children, that is a bad

thing. I know he denied a number of things you put to him. We now know

some of the content of Labour 's own report into what happened at Falkirk

and they found all sorts of things - forgery, coercion, trickery and even

that their own investigation was being thwarted by Unite. What should

Labour do next? I have not read the report. We are told that the latest

allegations that have been made is something that the police are

looking into so that is not something I think would be

appropriate for me to comment on. We learned Labour Party members in the

Falkirk constituency have complained to the leader of the Scottish party

about a lack of action by the Labour Party on what happened in Falkirk. I

am not part of the Scottish party and that is news to me. But the

police have indicated they are looking at the new information that

has come to light. It is a bit like the 1980s and there was an

electrifying moment when Neil Kinnock took on the militant

tendency in Bournemouth in 1985 Ed Miliband has sort of tried to take

on the Unite union, but it has not worked. Does then not need to be an

electrifying moment for Ed Miliband? Your own paper has praised him for

seeking to address the issues we have in politics and the

disconnection from people. In many respects the situation in Falkirk

categorises the process of further ongoing change where we are trying

to establish a better relationship with individual trade union members.

In parts of my constituency, some of the most deprived parts, we had

people queueing round the block to vote. I do not think the issue is

that people are not political, but they have never felt so far from

party politics as they do now and that is why Ed Miliband announced

this big chains about how we do things in the Labour Party, so we

change structures in the Labour Party that were set up in the 2 th

century. The reform of the way in which we connect and our

relationship with the union puts us in a good position because we have

this relationship between the 3 million working people who ensure

our public services function. At Grangemouth INEOS stood up to

unite. At Grangemouth and Falkirk Labour rolled over to the Unite

union. I do not agree with that I'd just explained the reason. I do not

think it is fair to ask people to give evidence in an enquiry on the

basis of the report will be confidential and then to publish it

after. But if somebody is trying to take over a Labour constituency to

send an MP of their choice to our Parliament, that should not be

secret, that should be public. Ed Miliband acted very decisively. That

constituency party is still in special measures as I understand it.

This idea that somehow the Unite union runs the Labour Party, they do

not. The special measures mean according to Eric Joyce, that an

ally of Stevie Deans is chairing the meeting. I am interested in the Tory

suggestion that they would offer free Tory party membership to union

members. I then moving onto your turf? We do not know exactly all the

facts and the truth of the allegations that have been made On

your point I think it is healthy the Conservatives are looking to recruit

trade union members. A lot of their rhetoric is very negative in respect

of trade unions. If you look at Unison a third of the members vote

Conservative. In Unite union some of their members vote Tory. I think

trade unions have a lot to bring to our country. It is one of the things

many up and down the country will find very frustrating, a lot of the

good work that unions do if it gets tarnished with all the negative

stuff you see... Unite are working in partnership with GM and the

senior management in Ellesmere Port and the government ensured that we

kept that plant open. That gets overlooked by all of this. Do you

not think the bolshie behaviour from unions are motivated not by

strength, but by weakness. Unite know they cannot paralyse the

country in the way their forebears used to be able to do. Their

penetration rates in the private sector is 11%. The union movement is

weaker than it was before I was born. Some of that truck killers and

bad behaviour either death spasms of their movement rather than something

that is motivated by the fact they can't paralyse the country. You have

two increase the membership. But there is an issue about the public

perception of trade unions. It is right they should be a voice of

protest and anger and stand up for their members when it is necessary.

But people join unions for their aspiration. The unions do a lot so

that people can move up in their workplace. That profile needs to

come across as strongly as the protest part. I want to move on to

business. The head of the CBI has said that Labour's pro-enterprise

credentials have suffered a setback. He said that in relation to Ed

Miliband's speech. I was on the radio earlier. If you look at the

things in the speech, some of that was going to be uncomfortable for

some of the countries and they tend to be companies represented by the

CBI, like energy companies, like land developers, a lot of the big

business lose out from is not doing the corporate tax cut. The energy

freeze is going to help over 2. million businesses that have been

hit by high energy bills. The business community has said we had

to bring the public sector finances back into balance. That is why we

decided to switch the money being used to reduce corporation tax and

use that to help a much greater variety of businesses by doing a

business rate cut. It is all pro enterprise. They also seem to be

critical of your new idea of a living wage. They are not critical.

It would not be compulsory, but there would be a tax credit if they

paid it. It is good for business because if people are earning more

than they are more productive. It is good for the employee and good for

us as well because it means we are not having to subsidise people to be

paid to the extent we have with tax credits and benefits. Everybody

benefits from this. We all know after 2009 we need to have bold

change. Does Labour paid a living wage? We have got over 20 of our

councils signed up to doing so and we have made commitments in respect

to Whitehall. Does the Labour Party pay it? I believe so. Would it not

be worth checking? Do you get a living wage? Yes, of course I do. I

understand we paid a living wage. What does it feel like for Tristram

Hunt who has taken over your mantle as Labour's next leader? Is that a

relieved or are you angry? He is one of my best friends and at the end of

the day if we got obsessed with this soap opera stuff we would never get

anything done and we are working together to make sure we have got

the right skills in our workforce. That is all for today. The daily

politics is on all week. I will be here again next weekend at 12:2 pm

after the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph. Remember if it is

Sunday, it is the Sunday Politics. Planet Earth - it's unique.

It has life. To understand why, we're going to

build a planet...up there. There were the objects that were

making the Earth. We're now weightless.

That's how our planet started. Your arms are a little bit long

Is that as small as they go? This is like every shopping trip

I've ever been on.