26/02/2017

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:00:41. > :00:46.It's Sunday morning and this is the Sunday Politics.

:00:47. > :00:47.Theresa May still has plenty on her plate,

:00:48. > :00:49.not least a battle over Brexit in the Lords.

:00:50. > :00:50.But after Thursday's by-election win in Copeland,

:00:51. > :00:52.the Prime Minister looks stronger than ever.

:00:53. > :00:55.Jeremy Corbyn's Labour saw off Ukip in this week's other by-election,

:00:56. > :00:57.but losing to the Tories in a heartland seat leaves the party

:00:58. > :01:08.The leader of Scottish Labour joins me live.

:01:09. > :01:13.You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden!

:01:14. > :01:23.And in the West: mocked for talking about the impact

:01:24. > :01:25.Local authorities raise tax and cut services this week.

:01:26. > :01:27.The leaders of our two biggest councils will be with me

:01:28. > :01:31.In London, will the rise in council tax in all but four local

:01:32. > :01:38.authorities be enough to alleviate the crisis in social care?

:01:39. > :01:40.And joining me for all of that, three journalists who I'm pleased

:01:41. > :01:48.to say have so far not been banned from the White House.

:01:49. > :01:52.I've tried banning them from this show repeatedly,

:01:53. > :01:56.but somehow they just keep getting past BBC security - it's Sam Coates,

:01:57. > :02:06.We have had two crucial by-elections, the results last

:02:07. > :02:10.Thursday night. It's now Sunday morning, where do they believe

:02:11. > :02:14.British politics? I think it leaves British politics looking as if it

:02:15. > :02:19.may go ahead without Ukip is a strong and robust force. It is

:02:20. > :02:25.difficult to see from where we are now how Ukip rebuilds into a

:02:26. > :02:30.credible vote winning operation. I think it looks unprofessional, the

:02:31. > :02:33.campaign they fought in Stoke was clearly winnable because the margin

:02:34. > :02:37.with which Labour held onto that seat was not an impressive one but

:02:38. > :02:42.they put forward arguably the wrong candidate, it was messy and it's

:02:43. > :02:45.hard to see where they go from here, particularly with the money problems

:02:46. > :02:51.they have and even Nigel Farage saying he's fed up of the party. If

:02:52. > :02:58.Isabel is right, if Ukip is no longer a major factor, you look at

:02:59. > :03:03.the state of Labour and the Lib Dems coming from a long way behind

:03:04. > :03:07.despite their local government by-election successes, Tories never

:03:08. > :03:12.more dominant. I think Theresa May is in a fascinating situation. She's

:03:13. > :03:17.the most powerful Prime Minister of modern times for now because she

:03:18. > :03:22.faces no confident, formidable opposition. Unlike Margaret Thatcher

:03:23. > :03:27.who in the 1980s, although she won landslides in the end, often looked

:03:28. > :03:33.like she was in trouble. She was inferred quite often in the build-up

:03:34. > :03:39.to the election. David Owen, Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams. And quite

:03:40. > :03:44.often she was worried. At the moment Theresa May faces no formidable UK

:03:45. > :03:48.opposition. However, she is both strong and fragile because her

:03:49. > :03:53.agenda is Brexit, which I still think many have not got to grips

:03:54. > :03:58.with in terms of how complex and training and difficult it will be

:03:59. > :04:03.for her. Thatcher faced no equivalent to Brexit so she is both

:04:04. > :04:07.strong, formidably strong because of the wider UK political context, and

:04:08. > :04:12.very fragile. It is just when you think you have never been more

:04:13. > :04:17.dominant you are actually at the most dangerous, what can possibly go

:04:18. > :04:20.wrong? I think that the money of her MPs they haven't begun to think

:04:21. > :04:25.through the practicalities of Brexit and she does have a working majority

:04:26. > :04:28.of about 17 in the House of Commons so at any point she could be put

:04:29. > :04:32.under pressure from really opposition these days is done by the

:04:33. > :04:40.two wins inside the Conservative Party, either the 15 Europhiles or

:04:41. > :04:42.the bigger group of about 60 Brexiteers who have continued to

:04:43. > :04:47.operate as a united and disciplined force within the Conservative Party

:04:48. > :04:51.to get their agenda on the table. Either of those wings could be

:04:52. > :04:54.disappointed at any point in the next three and a half years and that

:04:55. > :05:00.would put her under pressure. I wouldn't completely rule out Ukip

:05:01. > :05:05.coming back. The reason Ukip lost in Stoke I think it's because at the

:05:06. > :05:11.moment Theresa May is delivering pretty much everything Ukip figures

:05:12. > :05:14.might want to see. We might find the phrase Brexit means Brexit quite

:05:15. > :05:17.anodyne but I think she is convincing people she will press

:05:18. > :05:24.ahead with their agenda and deliver the leave vote that people buy a

:05:25. > :05:27.slim majority voted for. Should that change, should there be talk of

:05:28. > :05:32.transition periods, shut the migration settlement not make people

:05:33. > :05:36.happy, then I think Ukip risks charging back up the centre ground

:05:37. > :05:40.and causing more problems in future. That could be a two year gap in

:05:41. > :05:44.which Ukip would have to survive. As I said, Ukip is on our agenda for

:05:45. > :05:45.today. Thursday was a big night

:05:46. > :05:47.for political obsessives like us, with not one but two

:05:48. > :05:51.significant by-elections, Ellie braved the wind and rain

:05:52. > :05:59.to bring you this report. The clouds had gathered,

:06:00. > :06:04.the winds blew at gale force. Was a change in the air, or just

:06:05. > :06:08.a weather system called Doris? Voters in Stoke-on-Trent

:06:09. > :06:12.were about to find out. It's here, a sports hall

:06:13. > :06:16.on a Thursday night that the country's media reckon

:06:17. > :06:22.is the true eye of the storm. Would Labour suffer a lightning

:06:23. > :06:24.strike to its very heart, or would the Ukip threat proved

:06:25. > :06:27.to be a damp squib? Everybody seems to think the result

:06:28. > :06:29.in Stoke-on-Trent would be close, just as they did 150-odd miles away

:06:30. > :06:33.in Copeland, where the Tories are counting on stealing another

:06:34. > :06:38.Labour heartland seat. Areas of high pressure in both

:06:39. > :06:45.places, and some strange sights. We knew this wasn't a normal

:06:46. > :06:48.by-election, and to prove it there is the rapper,

:06:49. > :06:50.Professor Green. Chart-toppers aside,

:06:51. > :06:53.winner of Stoke-on-Trent hit parade was announced first,

:06:54. > :06:55.where everyone was so excited the candidates didn't even make it

:06:56. > :06:59.onto the stage for the result. And I do hereby declare

:07:00. > :07:03.that the said Gareth Snell Nigel Farage has said that victory

:07:04. > :07:11.here in Stoke-on-Trent But Ukip's newish leader

:07:12. > :07:17.played down the defeat, insisting his party's

:07:18. > :07:20.time would come. Are you going to stand again

:07:21. > :07:26.as an MP or has this No doubt I will stand again,

:07:27. > :07:30.don't worry about that. The politics of hope beat

:07:31. > :07:39.the politics of fear. I think Ukip are the ones this

:07:40. > :07:41.weekend who have got But a few minutes later,

:07:42. > :07:47.it turned out Labour had Harrison, Trudy Lynn,

:07:48. > :07:51.the Conservative Party That was more than 2,000

:07:52. > :08:02.votes ahead of Labour. What has happened here tonight

:08:03. > :08:06.is a truly historic event. Labour were disappointed,

:08:07. > :08:08.but determined to be optimistic At a point when we're 15 to 18

:08:09. > :08:20.points behind in the polls... The Conservatives within 2000 votes

:08:21. > :08:24.I think is an incredible The morning after the night

:08:25. > :08:28.before, the losing parties were licking their wounds

:08:29. > :08:32.and their lips over breakfast. For years and years,

:08:33. > :08:36.Ukip was Nigel Farage, That has now changed,

:08:37. > :08:42.that era has gone. It's a new era, it is

:08:43. > :08:45.a second age for us. So that needs to be

:08:46. > :08:50.more fully embedded, it needs to be more defined,

:08:51. > :08:52.you know, and that will We have to continue to improve

:08:53. > :09:02.in seats where we have stood. As we have done here,

:09:03. > :09:04.we've improved on our 2015 result, that's what important,

:09:05. > :09:06.is that we are taking steps Can I be the first to come

:09:07. > :09:11.here today to congratulate you on being elected the new MP

:09:12. > :09:14.for Stoke on Trent Central. Jeremy Corbyn has just arrived

:09:15. > :09:18.in Stoke to welcome his newest MP. Not sure he's going to

:09:19. > :09:22.Copeland later though. Earlier in the day, the Labour

:09:23. > :09:26.leader had made clear he'd considered and discounted some

:09:27. > :09:28.theories about the party's Since you found out that you'd lost

:09:29. > :09:34.a seat to a governing party for the first time

:09:35. > :09:38.since the Falklands War, have you at any point this morning

:09:39. > :09:41.looked in the mirror and asked yourself this question -

:09:42. > :09:45.could the problem actually be me? In the end it was the Conservatives

:09:46. > :09:53.who came out on top. No governing party has made

:09:54. > :09:55.a gain at a by-election With the self-styled people's army

:09:56. > :10:01.of Ukip halted in Stoke, and Labour's wash-out

:10:02. > :10:06.here in Copeland... There's little chance of rain

:10:07. > :10:17.on Theresa May's parade. In the wake of that loss in

:10:18. > :10:20.Copeland, the Scottish Labour Party has been meeting for its spring

:10:21. > :10:22.conference in the Yesterday, deputy leader Tom Watson

:10:23. > :10:27.warned delegates that unless Labour took the by-election defeat

:10:28. > :10:29.seriously, the party's devastation in Scotland could be repeated

:10:30. > :10:33.south of the border. Well, I'm joined now

:10:34. > :10:48.by the leader of Scottish Labour, Even after your party had lost

:10:49. > :10:52.Copeland to the Tories and with Labour now trailing 16 points in the

:10:53. > :10:57.UK polls, you claim to have every faith that Jeremy Corbyn would

:10:58. > :11:04.absolutely win the general election. What evidence can you bring to

:11:05. > :11:07.support that? There is no doubt the result in Copeland was disappointing

:11:08. > :11:11.for the Labour Party and I think it's a collective feeling for

:11:12. > :11:14.everyone within the Labour Party and I want to do what I can to turn

:11:15. > :11:17.around the fortunes of our party. That's what I've committed to do

:11:18. > :11:24.while I have been the Scottish Labour leader. This two years ago we

:11:25. > :11:28.were down the mines so to speak in terms of losing the faith of working

:11:29. > :11:32.class communities across the country, but we listened very hard

:11:33. > :11:36.to the message voters are sending and responded to it. That's what I'm

:11:37. > :11:42.committed to doing in Scotland and that's what Jeremy Corbyn is

:11:43. > :11:48.committed to doing UK wide. The latest polls put Labour at 14% in

:11:49. > :11:53.Scotland, the Tories at ten points ahead of you in Scotland, even

:11:54. > :11:59.Theresa May is more popular than Jeremy Corbyn in Scotland. So I will

:12:00. > :12:03.try again - why are you so sure Jeremy Corbyn could win a general

:12:04. > :12:07.election? What I said when you are talking about Scotland is that I'm

:12:08. > :12:12.the leader of the Scottish Labour Party and I take responsibility for

:12:13. > :12:14.our policies here. Voters said very clearly after the Scottish

:12:15. > :12:18.Parliament election that they didn't have a clear enough sense of what we

:12:19. > :12:22.stood for so I have been advocating a very strong anti-austerity

:12:23. > :12:26.platform, coming up with ideas of how we can oppose the cuts and

:12:27. > :12:30.invest in our future. That is something Jeremy Corbyn also

:12:31. > :12:36.supports but I've also made it clear this weekend that we are opposed to

:12:37. > :12:40.a second independence referendum. I want to bring Scotland back together

:12:41. > :12:45.by focusing on the future and that's why I have been speaking about the

:12:46. > :12:48.federal solution for the UK. I know that Jeremy Corbyn shares that

:12:49. > :12:52.ambition because he is backing the plans for a people's Constitutional

:12:53. > :12:59.Convention. Yes, these are difficult times for the Scottish Labour Party

:13:00. > :13:05.and UK family, but I have a plan in place to turn things around. It will

:13:06. > :13:10.take time though. I'm still not sure why you are so sure the Labour party

:13:11. > :13:14.can win but let me come onto your plan. You want a UK wide

:13:15. > :13:21.Constitutional Convention and that lead to a new Federalist settlement.

:13:22. > :13:27.Is it the policy of the Labour Shadow Cabinet in Westminster to

:13:28. > :13:31.carve England into federal regions? What we support at a UK wide level

:13:32. > :13:35.is the people's constitutional convention. I have been careful to

:13:36. > :13:38.prescribe what I think is in the best interests of Scotland but not

:13:39. > :13:43.to dictate to other parts of the UK what is good for them, that's the

:13:44. > :13:48.point of the people's constitutional convention. You heard Tom Watson say

:13:49. > :13:52.there has to be a UK wide conversation about power, who has it

:13:53. > :13:56.and how it is exercised across England. England hasn't been part of

:13:57. > :14:01.this devolution story over the last 20 years, it is something that

:14:02. > :14:05.happened between Scotland and London or Wales and London. No wonder

:14:06. > :14:08.people in England feel disenfranchised from that. What

:14:09. > :14:14.evidence can you bring to show there is any appetite in England for an

:14:15. > :14:19.English federal solution to England, to carve England into federal

:14:20. > :14:22.regions? Have you spoken to John Prescott about this? He might tell

:14:23. > :14:28.you some of the difficulties. There's not even a debate about that

:14:29. > :14:33.here, Kezia Dugdale, it is fantasy. I speak to John Prescott regularly.

:14:34. > :14:36.What there is a debate about is the idea the world is changing so fast

:14:37. > :14:40.that globalisation is taking jobs away from communities in the

:14:41. > :14:45.north-east, that many working class communities feel left behind, that

:14:46. > :14:48.Westminster feels very far away and the politicians within it feel

:14:49. > :14:52.remote in part of the establishment. People are fed up with power being

:14:53. > :14:55.exercised somewhere else, that's where I think federalism comes in

:14:56. > :14:59.because it's about bringing power closer to people and in many ways

:15:00. > :15:08.it's forced on us because of Brexit. We know the United Kingdom is

:15:09. > :15:10.leaving the European Union so we have to talk about the repatriation

:15:11. > :15:13.of those powers from Brussels to Britain. I want many of those powers

:15:14. > :15:15.to go to the Scottish parliament but where should they go in the English

:15:16. > :15:20.context? It is not as things currently stand the policy of the

:15:21. > :15:20.English Labour Party to carve England into federal regions,

:15:21. > :15:30.correct? It is absolutely the policy of the

:15:31. > :15:35.UK Labour Party to support the people's Constitutional convention

:15:36. > :15:39.to examining these questions. I think it is really important. You're

:15:40. > :15:43.promising the Scottish people a federal solution, and you have not

:15:44. > :15:48.even squared your own party for a federal solution in England. That is

:15:49. > :15:51.not true. The UK Labour Party is united on this. I am going to

:15:52. > :15:56.Cardiff next month to meet with Carwyn Jones and various leaders.

:15:57. > :16:00.United on a federal solution? You know as well as I know it is not

:16:01. > :16:05.united on a federal solution. We will have a conversation about power

:16:06. > :16:29.in this country. It is not united on that

:16:30. > :16:32.issue? This is the direction of travel. It is what you heard

:16:33. > :16:35.yesterday from Sadiq Khan, from Tom Watson, when you hear from people

:16:36. > :16:37.like Nick Forbes who lead Newcastle City Council and Labour's Local

:16:38. > :16:39.Government Association. There is an appetite for talking about power.

:16:40. > :16:41.Talking is one thing. We need to have this conversation across the

:16:42. > :16:44.whole of the United Kingdom, to have a reformed United Kingdom. It is a

:16:45. > :16:46.conversation you're offering Scotland, not the policy. Let's come

:16:47. > :16:49.onto the labour made of London. He was in power for your conference. He

:16:50. > :16:51.wrote in the record yesterday, there is no difference between Scottish

:16:52. > :16:54.nationalism and racism. Would you like this opportunity to distance

:16:55. > :16:59.yourself from that absurd claim? I think that Sadiq Khan was very clear

:17:00. > :17:04.yesterday that he was not accusing the SNP of racism. What he was

:17:05. > :17:08.saying clearly is that nationalism by its very nature divides people

:17:09. > :17:13.and communities. That is what I said in my speech yesterday. I am fed up

:17:14. > :17:17.living in a divided and fractured country and society. Our politics is

:17:18. > :17:22.forcing is constantly to pick sides, whether you're a no, leave a remain,

:17:23. > :17:26.it brings out the worst in our politicians and politics. All the

:17:27. > :17:31.consensus we find in the grey areas is lost. That is why am standing

:17:32. > :17:45.under a banner that together we are stronger. We have to come up with

:17:46. > :17:49.ideas and focus on the future. That is why I agree with Sadiq Khan. He

:17:50. > :17:52.said quite clearly in the Daily Record yesterday, and that the last

:17:53. > :17:54.minute he adapted his speech to your conference yesterday, to try and

:17:55. > :17:57.reduce the impact, that there was no difference between Scottish

:17:58. > :18:01.nationalism and racism. Your colleague, and Sarwar, said that

:18:02. > :18:04.even after he had tried to introduce the caveats, all forms of

:18:05. > :18:12.nationalism rely on creating eyes and them. Let's call it for what it

:18:13. > :18:16.is. So you are implying that the Scottish Nationalists are racist.

:18:17. > :18:20.Would you care to distance yourself from that absurd claim? I utterly

:18:21. > :18:27.refute that that is what Sadiq Khan said. I would never suggest that the

:18:28. > :18:32.SNP are an inherently racist party. That does is a disservice. He did

:18:33. > :18:36.not see it. What he did say, however, is that nationalism is

:18:37. > :18:40.divisive. You know that better than anyone. I see your Twitter account.

:18:41. > :18:46.Regularly your attack for the job you do as a journalist. Politics in

:18:47. > :18:51.Scotland is divided on. I do not want to revisit that independence

:18:52. > :18:54.question again for that reason. As leader of the Labour Party, I want

:18:55. > :19:00.to bring our country back together, appeal to people who voted yes and

:19:01. > :19:04.no. That banner, together we are stronger, that is where the answers

:19:05. > :19:08.lie in defaulters can be found. If in response to the Mayor of London,

:19:09. > :19:13.your colleague says, let's call it out for what it is, what is he

:19:14. > :19:21.referring to if he is not implying that national symbol is racist? --

:19:22. > :19:25.and that nationalism is racist? He is saying that it leads to divisive

:19:26. > :19:29.politics. The Labour Party has always advocated that together we

:19:30. > :19:33.are stronger. Saying something is divisive is very different from

:19:34. > :19:37.saying something is racist. That is what the Mayor of London said. That

:19:38. > :19:42.is what your colleague was referring to. He did not. You would really

:19:43. > :19:48.struggle to quote that from the Mayor of London. He talked about

:19:49. > :19:54.being divided by race. What does that mean? I think he was very clear

:19:55. > :19:58.that he was talking about divided politics. There is an appetite the

:19:59. > :20:03.length and breadth of the country to end that divisive politics. That is

:20:04. > :20:06.what I stand for, focusing on the future, bringing people back

:20:07. > :20:11.together, concentrating on what the economy might look like in 20 years'

:20:12. > :20:12.time in coming up with ideas to tackle it today. Thank you for

:20:13. > :20:13.joining us. Thursday's win for Labour

:20:14. > :20:15.in Stoke-on-Trent Central gave some relief to Jeremy Corbyn,

:20:16. > :20:18.but for Ukip leader and defeated Stoke candidate Paul Nuttall

:20:19. > :20:20.there were no consolation prizes. I'm joined now by Mr Nuttall's

:20:21. > :20:31.principal political Welcome to the programme. Good

:20:32. > :20:34.morning. How long will Paul Nuttall survivors Ukip leader, days, weeks,

:20:35. > :20:41.months? You are in danger of not seeing the wood for the trees. Ukip

:20:42. > :20:45.was formed in 1993 with the express purpose, much mocked, of getting

:20:46. > :20:49.Britain out of the European Union. Under the brilliant leadership of

:20:50. > :20:52.Nigel Farage, we were crucial in forcing a vacuous Prime Minister to

:20:53. > :20:58.make a referendum promise he did not want to give. With our friends in

:20:59. > :21:05.Fort leave and other organisations. Mac we know that. Get to the answer.

:21:06. > :21:09.We helped to win that referendum. The iteration of Ukip at the moment

:21:10. > :21:14.that we're in, the primary purpose, we are the guard dog of Brexit.

:21:15. > :21:19.Viewed through that prism, the Stoke by-election was a brilliant success.

:21:20. > :21:24.A brilliant success? We had the Tory candidate that had pumped out

:21:25. > :21:28.publicity for Remain, for Cameron Bradley, preaching the gospel of

:21:29. > :21:33.Brexit. We had a Labour candidate and we know what he really felt

:21:34. > :21:36.about Brexit, preaching the Gospel according to Brexit. You lost. Well

:21:37. > :21:52.the by-election was going on, we had the Labour Party in the House of

:21:53. > :21:55.Commons pass the idea of trickling Article 50 by a landslide. Are

:21:56. > :21:57.passionate thing, the thing that 35,000 Ukip members care about the

:21:58. > :21:59.most, it is an extraordinary achievement. I am very proud. What

:22:00. > :22:02.would you have described as victory as? If we could have got Paul

:22:03. > :22:06.Nuttall into the House of Commons, that would have been a fantastic

:22:07. > :22:11.cherry on the top. Losing was an extraordinary achievement? Many Ukip

:22:12. > :22:18.supporters the Stoke was winnable, but Paul Nuttall's campaign was

:22:19. > :22:25.marred by controversy, Tory voters refuse to vote tactically for Ukip

:22:26. > :22:29.to beat Labour, his campaign, Mr Nuttall is to blame for not winning

:22:30. > :22:33.what was a winnable seat? I do not see that at all. This is

:22:34. > :22:38.counterintuitive, but Jeremy Corbyn did do one thing that made it more

:22:39. > :22:43.difficult for us to win. Fantasy. That was to take Labour into a

:22:44. > :22:49.Brexit position formerly. Just over 50 Labour MPs had voted against

:22:50. > :22:52.triggering Article 50. In political terms, we have intimidated the

:22:53. > :22:54.Labour Party into backing Brexit. How much good is it doing you? It

:22:55. > :23:11.comes to the heart of the problem your party faces.

:23:12. > :23:14.You're struggling to win Tory Eurosceptic voters. For the moment,

:23:15. > :23:16.they seem happy with Theresa May. Stoke shows you're not winning

:23:17. > :23:18.Labour Brexit voters either. If you cannot get the solution Tolisso

:23:19. > :23:20.labour, where does your Broad come from? In terms of the by-election,

:23:21. > :23:23.it came very early for Paul. I'm talking about the future. We have a

:23:24. > :23:28.future agenda, and ideological argument with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour

:23:29. > :23:33.Party, which is wedded to the notion of global citizenship and does not

:23:34. > :23:36.recognise the nation state. We know he spent Christmas sitting around

:23:37. > :23:40.campfires with Mexican Marxist dreaming of global government. We

:23:41. > :23:43.believe in the nation state. We believe that the patriotic working

:23:44. > :23:50.class vote will be receptive to that. Your Broad went down by 9% in

:23:51. > :23:55.Cortland. In Copeland we were squeezed. In Stoke, we were unable

:23:56. > :24:01.to squeeze the Tories, who are on a high. Our agenda is that social

:24:02. > :24:05.solidarity is important but we arrange it in this country by nation

:24:06. > :24:09.and community. We want an immigration system that is not only

:24:10. > :24:14.reducing... We know what you want. I do not think people do. You had a

:24:15. > :24:18.whole by-election to tell people and they did not vote for you and. When

:24:19. > :24:24.Nigel Farage said it was fundamental that you were winner in Stoke, he

:24:25. > :24:31.was wrong? Nigel chooses his own words. I would not rewrite them. It

:24:32. > :24:35.would be a massive advantage to Ukip to have a leader in the House of

:24:36. > :24:38.Commons in time to reply to the budget, Prime Minister's questions

:24:39. > :24:41.and all of that. But we have taken the strategic view that we will

:24:42. > :24:45.fight the Labour Party for the working class vote. It is also true

:24:46. > :24:49.that the Conservatives will make a pitch for the working class vote

:24:50. > :24:54.might as well. All three parties have certain advantages and

:24:55. > :24:58.disadvantages. As part of that page, Nigel Farage said that your leader,

:24:59. > :25:03.Paul Nuttall, should have taken a clear, by which I assume he meant

:25:04. > :25:09.tough, line on immigration. Do you agree? He took a tough line on

:25:10. > :25:13.immigration. He developed that idea at our party conference in the

:25:14. > :25:16.spring. Nigel Farage did not think so? Nigel Farage made his speech

:25:17. > :25:23.before Paul Nuttall made his speech. He said this in the aftermath of the

:25:24. > :25:29.result. Once we have freedom to control and Borders, Paul wants to

:25:30. > :25:33.set up an immigration system that includes an aptitude test, do you

:25:34. > :25:39.have skills that the British economy needs, but also, and attitudes test,

:25:40. > :25:44.do you subscribe to core British values such as gender equality and

:25:45. > :25:47.freedom of expression? We will be making these arguments. It is

:25:48. > :25:52.certainly true that Paul's campaign was thrown off course by,

:25:53. > :25:58.particularly something that we knew the Labour Party had been preparing

:25:59. > :26:01.to run, the smear on the untruths, the implications about Hillsborough.

:26:02. > :26:07.If you knew you should have anticipated it. Alan Banks, he helps

:26:08. > :26:12.to bankroll your party, he said that Mr Nuttall needs to toss out the

:26:13. > :26:15.Tory cabal in Europe, by which he means Douglas Carswell, Neil

:26:16. > :26:21.Hamilton. Should they be stripped of their membership? Of course not. As

:26:22. > :26:24.far as I knew, Alan Banks was a member of the Conservative Party

:26:25. > :26:28.formally. I do not know who this Tory cabal is supposed to be. He

:26:29. > :26:33.says that your party is more like a jumble sale than a political party.

:26:34. > :26:39.He says that the party should make him chairman or they will work. What

:26:40. > :26:41.do you see to that? He has made that statement several times over many

:26:42. > :26:46.months, including if you do not throw out your only MP. Douglas

:26:47. > :26:50.Carswell has managed to win twice under Ukip colours. Should Tibi

:26:51. > :26:57.chairman? I think we have an excellent young chairman at the

:26:58. > :27:03.moment. He is doing a good job. The idea that Leave.EU was as smooth

:27:04. > :27:05.running brilliant machine, that does not sit with the facts as I

:27:06. > :27:10.understand them. Suzanne Evans says it would be no great loss for Ukip

:27:11. > :27:15.if Mr Banks walked out, severed his ties and took his money elsewhere.

:27:16. > :27:19.Is she right. I am always happy people who want to give money and

:27:20. > :27:23.support your party want to stay in the party. The best donors donate

:27:24. > :27:28.and do not seek to dictate. If they are experts in certain fields,

:27:29. > :27:31.people should listen to their views but to have a daughter telling the

:27:32. > :27:37.party leader who should be party chairman, that is a nonstarter. You

:27:38. > :27:42.have described your existing party chairman is excellent. He said it

:27:43. > :27:46.could be 20 years before Ukip wins by-election. Is he being too

:27:47. > :27:50.optimistic? There is a general election coming up in the years'

:27:51. > :27:55.time. We will be aiming to win seats in that. Before that, we will be the

:27:56. > :28:00.guard dog for Brexit, to make sure this extraordinary achievement of a

:28:01. > :28:05.little party... You are guard dog without a kennel, you cannot get

:28:06. > :28:09.seat? We're keeping the big establishment parties to do the will

:28:10. > :28:12.of the people. If we achieve nothing else at all, that will be a

:28:13. > :28:14.magnificent achievement. Thank you very much.

:28:15. > :28:16.Sweden isn't somewhere we talk about often

:28:17. > :28:19.should because this week it was pulled into

:28:20. > :28:20.the global spotlight, thanks

:28:21. > :28:29.Last weekend, Mr Trump was mocked for referring to an incident that

:28:30. > :28:33.had occurred last night in Sweden as a result of the country's open

:28:34. > :28:36.Critics were quick to point out that no such incident had occurred

:28:37. > :28:39.and Mr Trump later clarified on Twitter and he was talking

:28:40. > :28:42.about a report he had watched on Fox News.

:28:43. > :28:45.But as if to prove he was onto something,

:28:46. > :28:47.next day a riot broke out in a Stockholm suburb

:28:48. > :28:50.with a large migrant population, following unrest in such areas

:28:51. > :28:59.So what has been Sweden's experience of migration?

:29:00. > :29:02.In 2015, a record 162,000 people claimed asylum there, the second

:29:03. > :29:09.That number dropped to 29,000 in 2016 after the country introduced

:29:10. > :29:10.border restrictions and stopped offering permanent

:29:11. > :29:18.Tensions have risen, along with claims of links to crime,

:29:19. > :29:21.although official statistics do not provide evidence of a refugee driven

:29:22. > :29:30.Nigel Farage defended Mr Trump, claiming this week that migrants

:29:31. > :29:32.have led to a dramatic rise in sexual offences.

:29:33. > :29:34.Although the country does have the highest reported

:29:35. > :29:37.rate of rape in Europe, Swedish authorities say recent rises

:29:38. > :29:42.were due to changes to how rape and sex crimes are recorded.

:29:43. > :29:44.Aside from the issue of crime, Sweden has struggled

:29:45. > :29:50.Levels of inequality between natives and migrants when it comes

:29:51. > :29:53.Unemployment rates are three times higher for foreign-born workers

:29:54. > :30:06.We're joined now by Laila Naraghi, she's a Swedish MP from the

:30:07. > :30:08.governing Social Democratic Party, and by the author and

:30:09. > :30:24.The Swedish political establishment was outraged by Mr Trump's remarks,

:30:25. > :30:29.pointing to a riot that hadn't taken place, then a few nights later

:30:30. > :30:33.serious riots did break out in a largely migrant suburb of Stockholm

:30:34. > :30:38.so he wasn't far out, was he? I think he was far out because he is

:30:39. > :30:43.misleading the public with how he uses these statistics. I think it is

:30:44. > :30:47.important to remember that the violence has decreased in Sweden for

:30:48. > :30:50.the past 20 years and research shows there is no evidence that indicate

:30:51. > :30:59.that immigration leads to crime and so I think it is far out. The social

:31:00. > :31:02.unrest in these different areas is not because of their ethical

:31:03. > :31:09.backgrounds of these people living there but more about social economic

:31:10. > :31:13.reasons. OK, no evidence migrants are responsible for any kind of

:31:14. > :31:20.crime? This story reminds me after what happened to the Charlie Hebdo

:31:21. > :31:25.attacks in Paris when also a Fox News commentator said something that

:31:26. > :31:29.was outlandish about Paris and the Mayor of Paris threatened to sue Fox

:31:30. > :31:34.News, saying you are making our city look bad. It's a bit like that

:31:35. > :31:39.because the truth on this lies between Donald Trump on the Swedish

:31:40. > :31:45.authorities on this. Sweden and Swedish government is very reluctant

:31:46. > :31:47.to admit any downsides of its own migration policy and particularly

:31:48. > :31:53.the migration it hard in 2015 but there are very obvious downsides

:31:54. > :31:59.because Sweden is not a country that needs a non-skilled labour force

:32:00. > :32:04.which doesn't speak Swedish. What was raised as the matter of

:32:05. > :32:09.evidence, what is the evidence? First of all if I can say so the

:32:10. > :32:12.rape statistics in Sweden that have been cited are familiar with the

:32:13. > :32:16.rape statistics across other countries that have seen similar

:32:17. > :32:21.forms of migration. Danish authorities and the Norwegian

:32:22. > :32:26.authorities have recorded a similar thing. It is not done by ethnicity

:32:27. > :32:32.so we don't know. And this is part of the problem. It is again a lot of

:32:33. > :32:37.lies and rumours going about. When it is about for example rape, it is

:32:38. > :32:42.difficult to compare the statistics because in Sweden for example many

:32:43. > :32:47.crimes that in other countries are labelled as bodily harm or assault

:32:48. > :32:52.are in Sweden labelled as rape. Also how it is counted because if a woman

:32:53. > :33:00.goes to the police and reports that her husband or boyfriend has raped

:33:01. > :33:06.her, and done it every night for one year, in Sweden that is counted as

:33:07. > :33:10.365 offences. Something is going wrong, I look at the recent news

:33:11. > :33:14.from Sweden. Six Afghan child refugees committed suicide in the

:33:15. > :33:20.last six months, unemployment among recent migrants now five times

:33:21. > :33:26.higher than among non-migrants. We have seen gang violence in Malmo

:33:27. > :33:30.where a British child was killed by a grenade, rioting in Stockholm.

:33:31. > :33:34.Police in Sweden say there are 53 areas of the country where it is now

:33:35. > :33:40.dangerous to patrol. Something has gone wrong. Let me get back to what

:33:41. > :33:45.I think is the core of this debate if I may and that is the right for

:33:46. > :33:49.people fleeing war and political persecution to seek asylum, that is

:33:50. > :33:55.a human right. In Sweden we don't think we can do everything, but we

:33:56. > :33:58.want to live up to our obligation, every country has an obligation to

:33:59. > :34:04.receive asylum seekers. But you have changed your policy on that because

:34:05. > :34:08.having taken 163,001 year alone, you have then closed your borders, I

:34:09. > :34:13.think very wisely, closed the border which means 10,000 people per day at

:34:14. > :34:18.one point were walking from Denmark in to Malmo, you rightly changed

:34:19. > :34:22.that so he realised whatever ones aspirations in terms of asylum, it

:34:23. > :34:28.sometimes meets reality and Sweden is meeting the reality of this.

:34:29. > :34:31.Let's respond to that. We are not naive, we know we cannot do

:34:32. > :34:35.everything but we want to try to do our share as we think other

:34:36. > :34:40.countries also need to do their share. But let me say that, if you

:34:41. > :34:43.look at what the World Economic Forum is saying about our country

:34:44. > :34:48.they show we are in the top of many rankings, the best country to live

:34:49. > :34:56.in, to age in, to have children in, to start into -- to start

:34:57. > :35:03.enterprise. Why have you not been so good at integrating migrants? The

:35:04. > :35:07.unemployment rate is five times higher among migrants than

:35:08. > :35:12.non-migrants and that's the highest ratio of any country in the EU and

:35:13. > :35:17.the OECD, why have you not been able to integrate the people you have

:35:18. > :35:22.brought in for humanitarian reasons? I'm sure there are things we can do

:35:23. > :35:25.much better of course but if you look for example at the immigration

:35:26. > :35:30.that came in the 90s from the Balkans, they are well integrated

:35:31. > :35:32.and contributing to our society. They are starting enterprises and

:35:33. > :35:41.working in different fields of society, and they help our country.

:35:42. > :35:47.Why have they not got jobs, the migrants that have come in? It takes

:35:48. > :35:52.time. In the 90s we managed it and I'm sure we can do it again. Can I

:35:53. > :35:55.put this into some context, it is clear Sweden has got problems as a

:35:56. > :36:00.result of the number of migrants that come in, whether it is as bad

:36:01. > :36:04.as Mr Trump and others make out is another matter, but perhaps I can

:36:05. > :36:09.put it into context. Malmo, which has been at the centre of many of

:36:10. > :36:16.these migrant problems, its homicide rate is three per hundred thousand.

:36:17. > :36:21.Chicago, 28 per 100,000. It may have problems but they are not huge. No,

:36:22. > :36:26.they are pretty huge and I think they will grow. The Balkan refugees

:36:27. > :36:31.into Sweden in the 90s did bring a lot of problems and Sweden did for

:36:32. > :36:34.the first time see serious ethnic gang rivalries. There was an upsurge

:36:35. > :36:40.in gang-related violence that has gone on since. The situation in

:36:41. > :36:44.Malmo in particular is exaggerated by some people, there's no doubt

:36:45. > :36:48.about that, I have been there many times and it is undoubtedly

:36:49. > :36:54.exaggerated by some, it is also vastly unpersuaded by the Swedish

:36:55. > :37:04.authorities. -- understated. In 2010, one in ten Jews in Malmo

:37:05. > :37:14.registered some form of attack on them. It got so bad that in 2010

:37:15. > :37:17.people offered to escort Jews... You have had a good say and I have got

:37:18. > :37:24.to be fair here, what do you say to that, Laila Naraghi? There are

:37:25. > :37:28.people trying to frame our country in a certain way to push their own

:37:29. > :37:34.agenda. I regret that President Trump is trying to slander our

:37:35. > :37:38.country. But what about the specific point on Malmo? If you speak to

:37:39. > :37:42.people in Malmo and also to different congregations, they say

:37:43. > :37:46.they are working together with the authorities to improve this. I say

:37:47. > :37:51.again, there are a lot of people trying to spread rumours and lies.

:37:52. > :37:57.Your situation is very like the situation we had in Britain when we

:37:58. > :38:01.have these situations in Rotherham and elsewhere. 1400 girls were raped

:38:02. > :38:05.in Rotherham before police even admitted it was going on. That

:38:06. > :38:09.happened in Britain in the last decade, a similar phenomenon. An

:38:10. > :38:13.upsurge in particularly sexual and other forms of violence and then

:38:14. > :38:18.total denial by an entire political class is now something that is

:38:19. > :38:21.happening in Sweden. I see it in Swedish authorities and the denial

:38:22. > :38:26.that comes up and the desire to laugh and dismiss Trump but he's not

:38:27. > :38:33.answer nothing and that's a painful thing for any society to want to

:38:34. > :38:40.admit to. There are number of Swedes who think the establishment is

:38:41. > :38:44.covering up the true statistics, that you don't break crime down by

:38:45. > :38:50.ethnic crimes, people are suspicious of the centre-left and centre-right

:38:51. > :38:54.parties now in Sweden. There is no denial and no cover-up. This is what

:38:55. > :38:57.I'm speaking about when I say people are trying to frame it in a certain

:38:58. > :39:01.way. The social unrest is not because of the ethnical background

:39:02. > :39:05.of the people living there but rather because of different

:39:06. > :39:11.socioeconomics conditions. There is no research that shows

:39:12. > :39:14.immigration... But you don't do the research into it. Swedish

:39:15. > :39:18.authorities deliberately ensure you cannot carry out such research and

:39:19. > :39:22.after the attacks in Cologne in 2015 it was the first time then that the

:39:23. > :39:26.Swedish authorities and press admitted that similar sexual

:39:27. > :39:33.molestation have been going on for years in Sweden. Is it right to

:39:34. > :39:37.think, given the problem is maybe not as bad as many people make out

:39:38. > :39:43.but clearly problems, given these problems, is the age of mass asylum

:39:44. > :39:47.seeking for Sweden over? You have cut the numbers by 80% coming in

:39:48. > :39:52.last year compared with 2015, is it over while you concentrate on

:39:53. > :39:56.getting right the people that you have there already? We want to do

:39:57. > :40:00.our share, we have done a lot and now we are concentrating of course

:40:01. > :40:13.on integration and making sure people get a job, and also

:40:14. > :40:16.on big welfare investments because it's important to remember that for

:40:17. > :40:19.eight years Sweden were governed by a government that prioritised big

:40:20. > :40:22.tax cuts instead of investment in welfare. It may just not work. I am

:40:23. > :40:23.grateful to you both, we have to leave it there.

:40:24. > :40:26.It's coming up to 11:40am, you're watching the Sunday Politics.

:40:27. > :40:28.We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland, who leave us now

:40:29. > :40:42.the Week Ahead, when we'll be asking if the Government is facing defeat

:40:43. > :40:45.Welcome to the Sunday Politics in the West.

:40:46. > :40:48.Coming up: Building the dream - our local councils want to build

:40:49. > :40:51.200,000 new homes, but do they have any chance of doing so?

:40:52. > :40:57.With councils facing the squeeze, I'm joined by two people who've been

:40:58. > :41:03.They are the leaders of our two biggest local authorities.

:41:04. > :41:05.Baroness Jane Scott is the Conservative leader

:41:06. > :41:09.And Marvin Rees is the Labour Mayor of Bristol.

:41:10. > :41:17.It got rather rowdy in Bristol this week as the council set its budget.

:41:18. > :41:21.Proceedings were interrupted and police called as a ?16 million

:41:22. > :41:31.At other councils, services have also been slashed and taxes

:41:32. > :41:32.raised, prompting even conservatives to complain.

:41:33. > :41:40.We can say enough is enough, we can't take any more.

:41:41. > :41:42.We're going to stand together, we're going to fight

:41:43. > :41:52.And there were protests inside with pretty city councils

:41:53. > :41:54.budget setting meeting even suspended while the public

:41:55. > :41:57.Eventually, after six hours, the ruling Labour

:41:58. > :42:04.Council tax up 5%, jobs lost and services cut.

:42:05. > :42:09.The social glue that holds the city together is going to be eroded.

:42:10. > :42:13.All the things that we take for granted are going to be eroded

:42:14. > :42:18.and are going to disappear because of this.

:42:19. > :42:21.Our libraries, our community partnerships, our leisure

:42:22. > :42:26.How are parks going to pay for themselves?

:42:27. > :42:31.The same day, 25 miles away and quite a contrast.

:42:32. > :42:33.Wiltshire set their budget with the ruling

:42:34. > :42:40.We are seen as a pioneer in terms of pushing the boundaries

:42:41. > :42:44.and doing things differently from local government.

:42:45. > :42:47.One big difference, it's a unitary authority,

:42:48. > :42:51.Bristol and Wiltshire are similar in population

:42:52. > :42:57.providing similar services, but in different ways.

:42:58. > :43:04.A you years ago, Wiltshire reduced staffing and now relies more

:43:05. > :43:08.Both councils have similar numbers of libraries,

:43:09. > :43:10.but a third of Wiltshire's are run by volunteers.

:43:11. > :43:16.Bristol, by contrast, staffs all of its branches

:43:17. > :43:21.But not all Conservative councils are like Wiltshire as the Secretary

:43:22. > :43:24.of State for Local Government should have known when he came to Somerset

:43:25. > :43:27.this week for the launch of their campaign to keep control

:43:28. > :43:33.What we've seen here in Somerset County,

:43:34. > :43:36.through this manifesto, through some of the things that John

:43:37. > :43:39.has already talked about, is just what a difference you have

:43:40. > :43:43.made to people's lives right here the county.

:43:44. > :43:46.There are reduced library opening hours, reduced bin collections,

:43:47. > :43:52.absolutely no major road improvement schemes,

:43:53. > :43:55.cuts to drug advisory services, cuts to youth clubs,

:43:56. > :43:58.less funding to support the elderly in their own homes and

:43:59. > :44:04.This was a debate on local government funding the previous day.

:44:05. > :44:14.We have to now accept that in rural areas public services have not just

:44:15. > :44:16.been cut to the bone, they have had all the

:44:17. > :44:19.So, I try to find out if the Minister agreed

:44:20. > :44:26.People want to see their council tax bill go lower rather than higher

:44:27. > :44:28.so they accept that when changes do need to be made...

:44:29. > :44:31.So if the investment is going into adult social care,

:44:32. > :44:35.as it is in this coming financial year, I think pie

:44:36. > :44:43.They won't be cut if you have the right administration.

:44:44. > :44:46.But the MPs says, the Conservative MP here says they have cut things

:44:47. > :44:49.like drug advisory services, youth club, support for the elderly.

:44:50. > :44:52.What we've seen here is you've got the right leadership that

:44:53. > :44:54.has been making some of these tough decisions.

:44:55. > :44:57.That is to protect most vital services and that's

:44:58. > :45:05.There was no hint that cuts in funding for local

:45:06. > :45:10.On May the 4th, voters can decide who will take charge of cutting

:45:11. > :45:20.Jane Scott, which cut did you feel the most unhappy about?

:45:21. > :45:27.I'm always unhappy about making people redundant if I have two.

:45:28. > :45:34.Not make them compulsorily redundant and I hope I don't this year.

:45:35. > :45:37.You haven't mentioned a single cut in your speech.

:45:38. > :45:41.No, but my cabinet member responsible did to talk about 200

:45:42. > :45:43.job losses and hopefully those will all come from

:45:44. > :45:49.But support for adults with learning difficulties,

:45:50. > :45:59.reduced adult social care, reduced the ground repairs, reduced.

:46:00. > :46:04.Because we do differently in Wiltshire.

:46:05. > :46:07.You can see with what we've done with children's centres,

:46:08. > :46:10.And there are 867 volunteers, not 750.

:46:11. > :46:22.We try to deliver services in a more modern way and I think

:46:23. > :46:25.that is the key to the success of an authority.

:46:26. > :46:27.That, and doing things in a more businesslike way as well.

:46:28. > :46:30.OK, but your own government grant has been reduced by 17.6%.

:46:31. > :46:33.That is austerity being delivered from central government locally.

:46:34. > :46:37.Do you ever say to Theresa, that is enough?

:46:38. > :46:40.As Conservative councillors, particularly, we talk

:46:41. > :46:43.to our government about the fact that it has probably gone far enough

:46:44. > :46:45.and that if you look at what the government is doing

:46:46. > :46:48.and it's saying, no more grants from us, you're going to rely

:46:49. > :46:51.on your non-domestic rates and your council tax,

:46:52. > :46:53.But this is ruthless austerity, isn't it?

:46:54. > :46:57.Marvin, it's people like you that have two implement it.

:46:58. > :47:11.We are at city and local government level and it's a massive challenge.

:47:12. > :47:14.When we first started down this path, one of the things I was very

:47:15. > :47:16.concerned about was if people in Westminster hadn't really

:47:17. > :47:20.taken account of the fact that there is a cost to the cuts.

:47:21. > :47:22.If you impact on our ability to intervene earlier in people's

:47:23. > :47:24.lives, you have two build physical resilience, mental health

:47:25. > :47:27.into people's lives, jobs skills, they turn up requiring public

:47:28. > :47:29.services later on in life so it can be a false economy.

:47:30. > :47:32.Do you think people might ask, what was the point of electing

:47:33. > :47:34.Labour mayor who's going to impose Tory cuts?

:47:35. > :47:38.I don't think that's a justified question,

:47:39. > :47:41.but that's been one of the arguments of the critics.

:47:42. > :47:44.My point is that we've come in, we have a set of values and we've

:47:45. > :47:46.been driving through what we do in local government

:47:47. > :47:49.in a way that we believe is in line with our values.

:47:50. > :47:51.Protecting the most vulnerable in all possible ways.

:47:52. > :47:56.What I would also say is we've got to appreciate that Bristol is not

:47:57. > :48:02.We have two big universities, a huge private sector,

:48:03. > :48:05.other public sector organisations and a big voluntary sector.

:48:06. > :48:08.The real art of getting outcomes for people in Bristol has to look

:48:09. > :48:11.beyond just what the City Council does but to look at the collective,

:48:12. > :48:14.combined impact of all those organisations.

:48:15. > :48:16.Only today I was at a board meeting talking about

:48:17. > :48:20.the Local Enterprise Partnership talking about inclusive

:48:21. > :48:32.But you've still imposed ?60 million worth of cuts and you've got

:48:33. > :48:37.It's what our party requires and it's competence.

:48:38. > :48:40.One of the most important things we can do for Bristol

:48:41. > :48:42.is deliver a financially competent local authority.

:48:43. > :48:44.We have a challenging settlement from central government,

:48:45. > :48:47.we also are dealing with a very challenging inheritance surrounding

:48:48. > :48:50.mismanagement of the Council's finances and we are having to work

:48:51. > :48:55.What was the cut that you found the most difficult?

:48:56. > :48:58.Clearly, cuts surrounding children's services.

:48:59. > :49:01.This was big because, with my background in public health,

:49:02. > :49:03.I know that if you get children off to the best possible

:49:04. > :49:07.start in life, you build resilience into their lives.

:49:08. > :49:09.So, you are actually doing things you don't want to do?

:49:10. > :49:13.We are all doing things we don't want to do at a local level.

:49:14. > :49:18.It's about being a businesslike authority.

:49:19. > :49:23.When I moved to a unitary council in 2009, the back office costs

:49:24. > :49:28.for our council were 19% of our spend.

:49:29. > :49:33.By doing that, you are cutting your back offices and that then

:49:34. > :49:36.makes very little effect to your front line services.

:49:37. > :49:40.That's what a lot of councils have got to get very strong on and do

:49:41. > :49:44.Do you accept you might be able to take some advice from Wiltshire?

:49:45. > :49:50.We are working closely with our core city partners and I'm also a member

:49:51. > :49:53.of the global parliament of mayors so we are drawing on experiences

:49:54. > :49:55.of cities all around the world as to how they manage

:49:56. > :50:00.Again, we've got to get to a point where we understand that shaping

:50:01. > :50:02.life in a city is not just about local government.

:50:03. > :50:10.When we talk about cohesion in place, it's about the sports

:50:11. > :50:12.offer, football clubs, big employers, health services.

:50:13. > :50:18.How do we get the collective impact of those organisations?

:50:19. > :50:22.Are you surprised, on a political point, that despite the cuts

:50:23. > :50:24.which are happening in every single local authority, Labour

:50:25. > :50:35.This is a Westminster focused conversation.

:50:36. > :50:38.Labour is in charge of every core city, that's ten core cities.

:50:39. > :50:40.That's a third of the population and a big chunk

:50:41. > :50:44.So, if you take a Westminster view, which you shouldn't do

:50:45. > :50:47.at a regional level, but if you take a Westminster view

:50:48. > :50:49.of politics, Labour are having a tough time even though

:50:50. > :50:59.Coming down to a city level, Labour are actually in power.

:51:00. > :51:02.I think we should look at Copeland last night.

:51:03. > :51:06.One of the biggest challenges facing local councils is how

:51:07. > :51:11.In the West, we need another city the size of Bristol just to keep up.

:51:12. > :51:12.But from angry locals to reluctant developers,

:51:13. > :51:15.there are also lots of obstacles in the way.

:51:16. > :51:27.They all love dressing up like builders but we still don't have

:51:28. > :51:29.So, people of my generation, as the Community

:51:30. > :51:31.Secretary said, can only window shop.

:51:32. > :51:34.On any high street today, you will see young people with their

:51:35. > :51:36.faces pressed against estate agents' windows dreaming of owning or

:51:37. > :51:42.All of our local councils have their own

:51:43. > :51:45.housing targets over the next decade or two.

:51:46. > :51:50.Add them all up and you've over 200,000 new homes.

:51:51. > :51:53.Or, to put it another way, another Bristol.

:51:54. > :52:00.Despite these grand targets, supply is way

:52:01. > :52:04.In Chippenham, it would appear to be an old-fashioned one.

:52:05. > :52:06.It's the last nice scenic landscape in the

:52:07. > :52:09.Steve Perry campaigns against urban sprawl on

:52:10. > :52:21.I came here because we love the town, but the bottom line

:52:22. > :52:23.is we're not building the housing people need.

:52:24. > :52:25.We're providing housing that people don't need.

:52:26. > :52:29.We're providing multinational housing developers

:52:30. > :52:35.with huge profits for selling corporate houses to people who don't

:52:36. > :52:43.A lack of affordable homes has seen campaigners take to the streets.

:52:44. > :52:47.Take this plan for 135 swanky new homes on an old factory

:52:48. > :52:53.Developers say they can only afford doing six affordable ones.

:52:54. > :52:56.The strength of feeling in Bristol is immense.

:52:57. > :52:59.People are desperate to have affordable housing.

:53:00. > :53:01.Actually, this is a fact that is of national

:53:02. > :53:06.If we don't have councils standing up to greedy,

:53:07. > :53:09.profiteering developers now, what will happen is in a few

:53:10. > :53:13.years we'll have a worse and worse housing crisis.

:53:14. > :53:17.At a planning meeting this week, councillors said they

:53:18. > :53:21.were powerless to change the plans and waved them through.

:53:22. > :53:23.I've repeatedly asked the developers to

:53:24. > :53:27.comment, but with planning in the bag, they've refused.

:53:28. > :53:29.So, is the answer for councils to don their own

:53:30. > :53:32.hard hats, high vis and build it themselves?

:53:33. > :53:36.These are council houses built on council land.

:53:37. > :53:42.This is your first interview in a hard hat

:53:43. > :53:47.Absolutely, but hopefully not the last one.

:53:48. > :53:50.You know, I'm hoping that I'll be spending a lot

:53:51. > :53:53.of time going around building sites in Bristol seeing lots of new

:53:54. > :53:57.In total, we're looking at sites that we are

:53:58. > :54:03.They won't all be built straightaway.

:54:04. > :54:05.Some of the schemes might take ten years, but we're

:54:06. > :54:13.absolutely dedicated in having as many homes built as possible.

:54:14. > :54:16.The Labour administration is planning to

:54:17. > :54:19.pump millions into setting up its own housing company for more like

:54:20. > :54:24.this in the hope of a housing wind of change.

:54:25. > :54:27.Marvin, you always said in the election campaign,

:54:28. > :54:31.You have a target - how is that going?

:54:32. > :54:34.2,000 a year by 2020 so we have to build our capacity.

:54:35. > :54:38.I'm not saying it will be plain sailing.

:54:39. > :54:40.It will be a real challenge to get there.

:54:41. > :54:43.It was always a stretched target but we've got committed

:54:44. > :54:44.political leadership and we are breaking ground.

:54:45. > :54:48.What are the biggest obstacles to getting housing built?

:54:49. > :54:51.Among the challenges we face, and there are many, is our power

:54:52. > :54:57.You were seeing their development on a private site that has minimal

:54:58. > :55:00.affordable housing and we're very limited in the power we have to

:55:01. > :55:07.It's one of the conversations that I, with the core cities,

:55:08. > :55:10.the ten biggest cities outside of London, are going to be talking

:55:11. > :55:16.How do you empower us as a city to make sure we get our share?

:55:17. > :55:19.So, you're saying your hands are tied?

:55:20. > :55:22.Well, the weighting of power when it comes to negotiations

:55:23. > :55:24.is in the hands of private developers unless it's on our land.

:55:25. > :55:27.One of the things we have done is stop selling off council-owned

:55:28. > :55:32.land so we can have much more control over the mix of housing.

:55:33. > :55:35.Do you have that problem in Wiltshire?

:55:36. > :55:38.Yes, we always have the problem of the number of houses that

:55:39. > :55:42.Interestingly, we are looking at perhaps modular housing.

:55:43. > :55:45.That means build houses that are built off-site.

:55:46. > :55:52.They are very different and there are a lot of new technologies.

:55:53. > :55:54.But that's the way you will get more houses built.

:55:55. > :55:59.Exactly, but these are very high-value houses

:56:00. > :56:05.If you go across to the continent, you will see many of

:56:06. > :56:13.So we want to look at that so we can get more of our 42,000 houses that

:56:14. > :56:17.we're going to have to build by 2026 built out quicker.

:56:18. > :56:20.How do you feel about the fact that, under this Conservative government,

:56:21. > :56:23.most, or many millions of young people, can wave goodbye

:56:24. > :56:35.Well, I think in Wiltshire that is our biggest priority.

:56:36. > :56:38.Yes, we need to look at social housing for very specific people

:56:39. > :56:41.but most of young people in Wiltshire, if they are in

:56:42. > :56:43.good jobs, they want to buy their own homes.

:56:44. > :56:46.So it's really important we get those houses built because,

:56:47. > :56:47.at the moment, there's not enough for them.

:56:48. > :56:49.This is one of the real crunch points.

:56:50. > :56:52.I take the point about modular housing as well.

:56:53. > :56:56.We have to look at all different ways of having

:56:57. > :57:00.It actually comes into context of the previous

:57:01. > :57:04.Some services we end up spending money on our because we haven't

:57:05. > :57:06.provided people with stable homes in the first instance.

:57:07. > :57:10.Of all the priorities we've set out, providing children and families

:57:11. > :57:12.with stable homes in settled communities where they have

:57:13. > :57:16.resilience built into the fabric of everyday life is one of the most

:57:17. > :57:20.significant social policy interventions we can make.

:57:21. > :57:23.And yet those sorts of services are being cut.

:57:24. > :57:26.Yes, that's why I'm saying we have two build in other ways as well.

:57:27. > :57:29.So, what I'm saying is some services come

:57:30. > :57:30.in because we haven't provided people with those

:57:31. > :57:35.We've talked about building homes, but homes and communities.

:57:36. > :57:44.It's the community bit that we need to build on.

:57:45. > :57:57.Rather than going to a GP, for example.

:57:58. > :58:00.they have a good network of neighbours to do some of the work

:58:01. > :58:02.of building resilience and relationships

:58:03. > :58:05.You have a target of building 226 social homes over

:58:06. > :58:10.That's not exactly going to go far, is it?

:58:11. > :58:12.No, but that's what we're spending money on ourselves so those

:58:13. > :58:14.will be very specific to our ageing population.

:58:15. > :58:16.They will be sheltered housing and extra care housing.

:58:17. > :58:23.What we will be expecting is our developers to provide the 30%

:58:24. > :58:25.which they haven't provided in the past and we

:58:26. > :58:29.And when you talk to developers and say, I want you to build

:58:30. > :58:32.a housing estate like this one near Chippenham and I need them

:58:33. > :58:34.to be affordable for people with young families,

:58:35. > :58:37.First is that they can't afford to do that.

:58:38. > :58:41.But you have two push them and we have delivered.

:58:42. > :58:43.We've delivered 600 out of the 2000 in the last year.

:58:44. > :58:46.We will continue to do that but those will be

:58:47. > :58:54.Well, we will our waiting to see what comes out of the next

:58:55. > :59:00.The big builders do have quite a lot of say when it comes

:59:01. > :59:03.to the rules on housing because they want to

:59:04. > :59:11.Yes, the viability assessment and they say they can't afford it.

:59:12. > :59:14.But I want to make a point and let developers know loud and clear,

:59:15. > :59:18.on the land we own in Bristol, we are looking for long-term

:59:19. > :59:21.relationships with developers who have a proven track record

:59:22. > :59:25.of delivering affordable homes on their sites.

:59:26. > :59:30.Those who do not have a track record will struggle to get an answer to...

:59:31. > :59:34.The other thing you need to say is not just our sites,

:59:35. > :59:37.it's all public sector sites so we should be looking

:59:38. > :59:42.The Ministry of Defence in Wiltshire, in particular.

:59:43. > :59:47.Well, we've got a property being disposed of at the moment

:59:48. > :59:50.by the MoJ and they haven't come to me to talk about it

:59:51. > :59:52.and they should have which is a problem.

:59:53. > :00:05.Let us have a look through the week in 60 seconds.

:00:06. > :00:13.The MP for South West Wiltshire will look into claims lives were put at

:00:14. > :00:18.risk by failures in the computer system that Dorset and Wiltshire

:00:19. > :00:23.fast service use. I'm alarmed we appear to have a system that

:00:24. > :00:30.routinely goes down. It's not acceptable to have ongoing issues of

:00:31. > :00:33.this sort. The system needs to be sorted. A parish councillor in

:00:34. > :00:38.Gloucestershire was asked to stand down after he was accused of posting

:00:39. > :00:42.Winter was also suspended by Ukip. Winter was also suspended by Ukip.

:00:43. > :00:49.Business projects across the West were given millions of pounds of the

:00:50. > :00:51.mid-money and among them aside apart based at GCHQ and centre to develop

:00:52. > :00:55.cars of the future at Bristol and cars of the future at Bristol and

:00:56. > :00:59.Bath science Park. North Somerset Council is bringing

:01:00. > :01:02.back traffic wardens after a 10-year absence, taking back enforcement

:01:03. > :01:09.powers from the police. Drivers go where. -- beware.

:01:10. > :01:18.So, that was the week. A couple of So, that was the week. A couple of

:01:19. > :01:22.other things. Brexit. Use it in the House of Lords and you voted Out.

:01:23. > :01:26.When you try and first-rate a hard Brexit will go along with what the

:01:27. > :01:31.buy minister once? I will go along with what the Prime Minister once

:01:32. > :01:35.but it's about what the people wanted in the referendum and they

:01:36. > :01:39.clearly said they wanted out of Europe and we should deliver what

:01:40. > :01:44.they want. Do you think they realised that it was out of the

:01:45. > :01:48.single market and all the other bits and pieces? Absolutely, the people I

:01:49. > :01:54.talk to know exactly what they voted for. What effect will Brexit have on

:01:55. > :01:59.Bristol? Not good. It was the wrong answer to the challenge. I don't

:02:00. > :02:05.have as much confidence that people were fully aware because during the

:02:06. > :02:10.time, the debate was confused and full of bluff and bluster. So it's a

:02:11. > :02:14.challenge for us and Bristol is an international city so we need our

:02:15. > :02:19.international and global collectivity. Do you think the Lords

:02:20. > :02:23.will succeed in confronting the Prime Minister even though she was

:02:24. > :02:29.there glowering at them? I do think she will come back in again. I think

:02:30. > :02:32.there will be challenges and amendments during the committee

:02:33. > :02:36.stage, but I hope they won't go through because we just need to

:02:37. > :02:41.think back to the referendum which said the people of this country

:02:42. > :02:50.wanted out of Europe. And talking about Mr Trump. His state visit in

:02:51. > :02:55.June. Should things get a bit noisy in London and they want to get him

:02:56. > :03:00.act of the smoke, perhaps due Birmingham, or Bristol. Would you

:03:01. > :03:04.welcome him? No, I wouldn't welcome him to Bristol but that is not a

:03:05. > :03:07.rejection of the relationship with US. There are men is not a rejection

:03:08. > :03:10.of the relationship with US. There are amazed that overseeing big

:03:11. > :03:17.economies we can build international relationships with. But you would

:03:18. > :03:23.not welcome Donald Trump? It is a bad brand of politics. What about

:03:24. > :03:26.Wiltshire? The president of the United States, I'm sure would be

:03:27. > :03:33.welcome at Stonehenge and that's the only places likely to want to come.

:03:34. > :03:35.I think we have two not think of it as Donald Trump but as the president

:03:36. > :03:54.of the United States. Thank you both Welcome back. Article 50, which

:03:55. > :03:58.triggers the beginning of Britain leaving the European Union and start

:03:59. > :04:03.negotiations, is winding its way through the Lords in this coming

:04:04. > :04:09.week. Tarzan has made an intervention, let's just see the

:04:10. > :04:14.headline from the Mail on Sunday. Lord Heseltine, Michael Heseltine,

:04:15. > :04:17.my fightback starts here, he is going to defy Theresa May. I divide

:04:18. > :04:22.one Prime Minister over the poll tax, I'm ready to defy this one in

:04:23. > :04:28.the Lords over Brexit. There we go, that's going to happen this week. We

:04:29. > :04:33.will see how far he gets. I don't think he will get very far, I don't

:04:34. > :04:37.think Loyalist Tory MPs and Brexiteers are quaking in their

:04:38. > :04:41.boots at the prospect of a rebellion led by Michael Heseltine. I sense

:04:42. > :04:45.that many Tory MPs are already moving on to the next question about

:04:46. > :04:50.Brexit, and the discussion over how much it will cost us to come out.

:04:51. > :04:57.The fact they are already debating that suggests to me they feel things

:04:58. > :05:00.will go fairly smoothly in terms of the legislation. When I spoke to the

:05:01. > :05:05.Labour leader in the Lords last week on the daily politics, she said she

:05:06. > :05:12.was going to push hard for the kind of amendments Lord has all-time is

:05:13. > :05:18.talking about and they would bring that back to the Commons. But if the

:05:19. > :05:21.Commons pinged it back to the Lords with the amendments taken out, she

:05:22. > :05:28.made it clear that was the end of it. Is that right? That's about

:05:29. > :05:32.right. This is probably really a large destruction. There will be to

:05:33. > :05:38.micro issues that come up in the Lords, one is on the future of EU

:05:39. > :05:43.nationals, that could be voted on as soon as this Wednesday, and then the

:05:44. > :05:47.main vote in the Lords on a week on Tuesday, when there is this question

:05:48. > :05:52.of what sort of vote will MPs and peers get at the end of the Brexit

:05:53. > :05:55.process and that is what has all-time is talking about. He wants

:05:56. > :06:00.to make sure there are guarantees in place. The kind of things peers are

:06:01. > :06:03.looking for are pretty moderate and the Government have hinted they

:06:04. > :06:08.could deliver on both of them already. But they are still not

:06:09. > :06:14.prepared... Amber Rudd said they were not prepared... They may say

:06:15. > :06:19.yes we are going to do that but they won't allow whatever that is to be

:06:20. > :06:23.enshrined in the legislation. The question is whether we think this is

:06:24. > :06:26.dancing on the head of a pin. The Government have already promised

:06:27. > :06:30.something in the House of Commons, but will they write it down, I don't

:06:31. > :06:34.think that's the biggest problem in the world. In a sense this is a

:06:35. > :06:40.great magicians trick by Theresa May because it is not the most important

:06:41. > :06:44.thing. The most important thing in Brexit is going on in those

:06:45. > :06:46.committees behind closed doors when they are trying to work out what the

:06:47. > :06:51.next migration system is for Britain and there are some interesting,

:06:52. > :06:56.indeed toxic proposals, but at the moment Downing Street are happy to

:06:57. > :07:01.let us talk about the constitutional propriety of what MPs are doing over

:07:02. > :07:05.the next eight days. It seems to me the irony is that if we had a second

:07:06. > :07:10.chamber that can claim some kind of democratic legitimacy, which the one

:07:11. > :07:15.we have cannot, it would be able to cause the Government more trouble on

:07:16. > :07:18.this, it would be more robust. Absolutely. I saw the interview we

:07:19. > :07:28.did with the Labour Leader of the Lords, they are very conscious, of

:07:29. > :07:32.the fact they are not elected and have limited powers. She was clear

:07:33. > :07:36.to you they would not impede the timetable for triggering Article 50

:07:37. > :07:41.so we might get a bit of theatre, Michael Heseltine might deliver a

:07:42. > :07:46.brilliant speech. It is interesting that Euroscepticism gun under

:07:47. > :07:51.Margaret Thatcher in the Tory party but two offer senior ministers Ken

:07:52. > :07:54.Clarke and Michael Heseltine are the most prominent opponents now but

:07:55. > :07:59.they will change nothing at this point. She will have the space to

:08:00. > :08:03.trigger Article 50 within her timetable. Let's move on. Let me

:08:04. > :08:09.show you a picture tweeted by Nigel Farage.

:08:10. > :08:17.That is Nigel Farage and a small group of people having dinner, and

:08:18. > :08:21.within that small group of people is the president of the United States,

:08:22. > :08:26.and it was taken in the last couple of days. This would suggest that if

:08:27. > :08:31.he can command that amount of the President's time in a small group of

:08:32. > :08:36.people, then he's actually rather close to the president. Make no

:08:37. > :08:39.mistake about it, Nigel Farage is now to and fro Washington more

:08:40. > :08:47.regularly than perhaps he is here. Hopefully that LBC programme is

:08:48. > :08:52.recorded over in the state. He's not only close to the president but to a

:08:53. > :08:56.series of people within the administration. That relationship

:08:57. > :09:00.there is a remarkable one and one to keep an eye on. Will the main

:09:01. > :09:07.government be tempted to tap into that relationship at any time or is

:09:08. > :09:14.it just seething with anger? You can feel a ripple of discontentment over

:09:15. > :09:17.this. We are in the middle of negotiating the state visit and the

:09:18. > :09:22.sort of pomp and circumstance and what kind of greeting Britain should

:09:23. > :09:25.give Donald Trump when he comes over later in the year. There is a great

:09:26. > :09:30.deal of neurotic thought going into what that should look like, but one

:09:31. > :09:33.of the most interesting things about our relationship with Donald Trump

:09:34. > :09:37.is that there is a nervousness among some Cabinet ministers that we are

:09:38. > :09:41.being seen to go too far, too fast with the prospect of a trade deal.

:09:42. > :09:45.Even amongst some Brexiteer cabinet ministers, they worry we won't get a

:09:46. > :09:49.very good trade deal with the US and we are tolerably placing a lot of

:09:50. > :09:54.stalled by it. When we see the kind of deal they want to pitch with us

:09:55. > :10:02.there might be some pulling back and that could be an awkward moment in

:10:03. > :10:04.terms of our relationship, and no doubt Nigel at that term -- at that

:10:05. > :10:11.point will accuse the UK of doing the dirty on Donald Trump. If there

:10:12. > :10:18.was a deal, would they get it through the House of Commons? Nigel

:10:19. > :10:22.Farage is having dinner with the president, not bad as a kind of

:10:23. > :10:26.lifestyle but he's politically rootless, he won't be an MEP much

:10:27. > :10:31.longer so if you look at where is his political base to build on this

:10:32. > :10:35.great time he's having, there is one. Given that there is one I think

:10:36. > :10:39.he's just having a great time and it isn't much more significant than

:10:40. > :10:51.that. No? There's a lot to be said for having a great time. You are

:10:52. > :10:57.having a great time. Let's just look, because of the dominance of

:10:58. > :11:03.the Government we kind of it nor there are problems piling up, only

:11:04. > :11:07.what, ten days with the Budget to go, piling up for Mrs May and her

:11:08. > :11:13.government. The business rates which has alarmed a lot of Tories, this

:11:14. > :11:17.disability cuts which are really a serious problem for the Government,

:11:18. > :11:22.and the desperate need for more money for social care. There are

:11:23. > :11:26.other issues, there are problems there and they involve spending

:11:27. > :11:29.money. Absolutely and some people argue Theresa May has only one

:11:30. > :11:34.Monday and that is to deliver Brexit but it is impossible as a Prime

:11:35. > :11:41.Minister to ignore everything else. And she doesn't want to either. The

:11:42. > :11:44.bubbling issue of social care and the NHS is the biggest single

:11:45. > :11:48.problem for her in the weeks and months ahead, she has got to come up

:11:49. > :11:53.with something. And Mr Hammond will have to loosen his belt a little

:11:54. > :11:57.bit. I think he will in relation to the NHS, he didn't mention it in the

:11:58. > :12:01.Autumn Statement, which was remarkable, and he cannot get away

:12:02. > :12:04.with not mentioning it this time. If he mentions it, it has to be in a

:12:05. > :12:09.positive context in some way or another and it is one example of

:12:10. > :12:14.many. She is both strong because she is so far ahead in the opinion

:12:15. > :12:18.polls, but this in tray is one of the most daunting a Prime Minister

:12:19. > :12:24.has faced in recent times I think. Here is what will happen on Budget

:12:25. > :12:31.day, money will be more money, magically found down the back of the

:12:32. > :12:35.Treasury sofa. The projections are that he has wiggle room of about 12

:12:36. > :12:38.billion. But look at the bills, rebels involved in business rates

:12:39. > :12:45.suggest the Chancellor will have to throw up ?2 billion at that problem.

:12:46. > :12:47.3.7 billion is the potential cost of this judgment about disability

:12:48. > :12:53.benefits. The Government will try to find different ways of satisfying it

:12:54. > :12:57.but who knows. It will not popular. I'm not sure they will throw money

:12:58. > :13:00.at the NHS, they want an interim settlement on social care which will

:13:01. > :13:06.alleviate pressure on the NHS but they feel... That's another couple

:13:07. > :13:11.of billion by the way. They feel in the Treasury that the NHS has not

:13:12. > :13:18.delivered on what Simon Stevens promised them. But here is the

:13:19. > :13:22.bigger problem for Philip Hammond, he has two This year and he thinks

:13:23. > :13:24.the second one in the autumn is more important because that is when

:13:25. > :13:27.people will feel the cost living squeeze.

:13:28. > :13:30.The Daily Politics is back at noon on BBC Two tomorrow.

:13:31. > :13:33.We'll be back here at the same time next week.

:13:34. > :13:39.Remember - if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday Politics.