:00:35. > :00:37.Morning, folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics, where we're talking
:00:38. > :00:46.about the Europe-wide contest that really matters. No, not Eurovision.
:00:47. > :00:50.The European elections. There are local elections across England too
:00:51. > :00:53.on May 22nd. The party leaders are campaigning ahead of polling day.
:00:54. > :01:00.The results could be a pointer to the Big One, May 2015. We'll be
:01:01. > :01:03.speaking to the man in charge of Labour's election battle plan. Has
:01:04. > :01:06.the opposition really got its sights set on all-out victory in 2015? Or
:01:07. > :01:13.will it just be content with squeaking home? And you can't
:01:14. > :01:17.mention elections these days without talking about the impact of this
:01:18. > :01:25.Later on the Sunday politics, the him if UKIP really
:01:26. > :01:28.Later on the Sunday politics, the candidates hoping to become Euro MPs
:01:29. > :01:30.for Yorkshire and Humber take part in special
:01:31. > :01:31.candidates hoping to become Euro MPs for Yorkshire and Humber take part
:01:32. > :01:41.in special debate ahead of elections And I'm joined by three journalists
:01:42. > :01:44.guaranteed to bring a touch of Eurovision glamour to your Sunday
:01:45. > :01:46.morning. With views more controversial than a bearded
:01:47. > :01:57.Austrian drag act and twice the dress sense, it's Nick Watt, Helen
:01:58. > :01:59.Lewis and Janan Ganesh. So you might have thought you've already heard
:02:00. > :02:03.David Cameron promise an in-out referendum on EU membership in 2017
:02:04. > :02:09.if he's still Prime Minister. Many times. Many, many times. Well he
:02:10. > :02:11.obviously doesn't think you've been listening, because he's been saying
:02:12. > :02:16.it again today. Here he is speaking to the BBC earlier. We will hold a
:02:17. > :02:20.referendum by the end of 2017. It will be a referendum on an in-out
:02:21. > :02:24.basis. Do we stay in a reformed European Union or do we leave? And
:02:25. > :02:27.I've said very clearly that whatever the outcome of the next election,
:02:28. > :02:30.and of course I want an overall majority and I'm hoping and
:02:31. > :02:33.believing I can win an overall majority, that people should be in
:02:34. > :02:42.no doubt I will not become Prime Minister unless I can guarantee that
:02:43. > :02:47.we will hold a referendum. Here's saying there that an overall
:02:48. > :02:51.majority there will definitely be a referendum. If these are the
:02:52. > :02:56.minority position, he won't form a new coalition unless they agree to a
:02:57. > :02:59.referendum, too. The Lib Dems a pulmonary agree to that. They
:03:00. > :03:03.probably will because the Prime ministers have a strong argument
:03:04. > :03:07.which is I gave you a referendum back in 2010 so the least I need is
:03:08. > :03:11.theirs and the Lib Dems are the only party who have stood in recent
:03:12. > :03:14.elections on a clear mandate to hold a referendum, so it is difficult for
:03:15. > :03:18.them to say no, there was interesting the interview he did
:03:19. > :03:22.earlier today. He named everything was going to ask for. The most
:03:23. > :03:27.controversial with him, as he said in his speech last year, he wants to
:03:28. > :03:32.take Britain out of the commitment to make the European Union and ever
:03:33. > :03:36.closer union. That is a very big ask, but the point is, he may well
:03:37. > :03:40.get it because the choice for the European Union now, France and
:03:41. > :03:45.Germany, is a clear wonderful do Britain in or out? Previously, it
:03:46. > :03:49.was can you put up with a British prime ministers being annoying? I
:03:50. > :03:54.think you'll find the answer is they are willing to pay a price but not
:03:55. > :03:57.any price to keep Britain in. In this scenario, Labour would have
:03:58. > :04:03.lost the election again because we are talking the slowly happen if Mr
:04:04. > :04:08.Cameron is the largest party or has an overall majority. Could you then
:04:09. > :04:12.see Labour deciding we had better go along with a referendum, too? I
:04:13. > :04:14.think that's unlikely because as I think that's unlikely because
:04:15. > :04:16.there's a huge upside for that for I think what's interesting is the idea
:04:17. > :04:21.he would for minority government. Would you get confidence and look at
:04:22. > :04:25.other options that might well happen with the way the arithmetic is going
:04:26. > :04:28.or is he going to hold out and say the only way I will be Prime
:04:29. > :04:33.Minister is in a majority Conservative government? No, the
:04:34. > :04:37.implication of his remarks was I wouldn't form a coalition government
:04:38. > :04:41.unless my coalition partners would also agree to vote for a referendum.
:04:42. > :04:46.He's basically talking about is negotiating strategy in those
:04:47. > :04:50.coalition talks. It's a red line and a huge opportunity for the Lib Dems,
:04:51. > :04:55.because they know David Cameron absolutely has to do, for accidental
:04:56. > :04:59.reasons, as a person who survives as Tory leader, to ask for that
:05:00. > :05:03.referendum, so they can ask anything they want in return and if I was
:05:04. > :05:06.Nick Clegg, I would work out in the next year one absolute colossal
:05:07. > :05:13.negotiating demand for those coalition talks. For a party around
:05:14. > :05:16.10% in the polls, they will do have the Prime Minister over a barrel on
:05:17. > :05:28.this one, assuming that coalition talks goes well. They could make
:05:29. > :05:32.Michael Gove Tbyte meeting. OK, we need to move on. So, the politicians
:05:33. > :05:35.are out and about on what used to be called the stump ahead of local and
:05:36. > :05:38.European elections in less than two weeks' time. But, without wanting to
:05:39. > :05:41.depress you on a damp Sunday morning, the party strategists are
:05:42. > :05:43.already hard at work on their campaign plans for the General
:05:44. > :05:47.Election next May. Yes, it's less than a year to go. They may have
:05:48. > :05:49.taken their time, but Labour's battleplan for 2015 is starting to
:05:50. > :05:52.take shape. As well as take promising to freeze your energy
:05:53. > :05:55.bills, and reintroduce the 50p rate of tax, Ed Miliband now says he
:05:56. > :06:01.wants to intervene in the housing market to keep rents down. There's
:06:02. > :06:06.even talk that the party leadership wants to bring more railway lines
:06:07. > :06:10.into public ownership. And Labour is gambling that its big push on the
:06:11. > :06:14.cost of living will see it through to the general election despite
:06:15. > :06:16.evidence that growth is firmly back. Labour's campaign chief Douglas
:06:17. > :06:24.Alexander hopes it all adds up to victory next May. But so far, the
:06:25. > :06:28.evidence is hitting home very thin. One survey today shows that 56% of
:06:29. > :06:32.people don't think Mr Miliband is up to the job of Prime Minister. As we
:06:33. > :06:35.head towards one of the least predictable general elections in 70
:06:36. > :06:40.years, has Labour got a message to win seats up and down the country?
:06:41. > :06:48.And Labour's election co-ordinator and Shadow Foreign Secretary,
:06:49. > :06:51.Douglas Alexander, joins me now. Welcome to Sunday Politics. A lot of
:06:52. > :06:55.these policies announced polar pretty well. By popular with the
:06:56. > :07:01.country. When you add them together, it's a move to the left and what
:07:02. > :07:03.would be wrong with that? I think is your packet suggests, the contours
:07:04. > :07:10.in the coming campaign are becoming clear. Our judgement is the defining
:07:11. > :07:12.issue of the year in British politics will be the widening gap
:07:13. > :07:16.between the wealth of the country and the finances of ordinary
:07:17. > :07:19.families. We believe it will be a cost of living election and we have
:07:20. > :07:23.been setting out our thinking in relation to energy prices and rent,
:07:24. > :07:26.but you will hear more from Labour Party in the coming months because
:07:27. > :07:31.we're now less than one year away from a decisive moment. If the
:07:32. > :07:35.leftish think tank suggested any of his policies in that Tony Blair
:07:36. > :07:42.years, you would have opposed them. Let's be clear, when not going for
:07:43. > :07:45.an interest but seeking to secure a majority for the only way to do that
:07:46. > :07:48.is not simply to appeal to your base, but to the centre ground. I
:07:49. > :07:53.believe we got genuine opportunities in the next year. You have the
:07:54. > :07:58.Conservatives in a struggle with UKIP on the right of politics. The
:07:59. > :08:01.Lib Dems 9% of trying to find their base, and there's a genuine
:08:02. > :08:06.opportunity in the next year for Labour to dominate the centre ground
:08:07. > :08:10.of politics and secure the majority Labour government we are planning
:08:11. > :08:21.for in the coming year. I notice you didn't deny you wouldn't have
:08:22. > :08:24.opposed. You say you have got an message for aspirational voters in
:08:25. > :08:28.the South. This is what John Denham said. He thinks you're talking too
:08:29. > :08:44.much to your core vote. He is right to recognise we took a
:08:45. > :08:47.terrible beating in 2010. 29%. If you look at what we've done in the
:08:48. > :08:52.last week, for example, the signature policy on rent Ed Miliband
:08:53. > :08:56.announced to launch the campaign, there's now more than 9 million
:08:57. > :09:00.people in the country in the private rented sector, more than 1 million
:09:01. > :09:03.families. Many of them are in the south-east. They are seeing
:09:04. > :09:08.circumstances where, suddenly, landlord will increase the rent and
:09:09. > :09:12.they put the pressure involved in schooling, health care facing the
:09:13. > :09:15.families, so it is important both in terms of policy and in terms of
:09:16. > :09:19.politics that we speak to the whole country, not simply to one part of
:09:20. > :09:27.it falls up what is the average rise in event last year? I don't know.
:09:28. > :09:34.Can you tell me? 1%. 1% not in real terms. I'm not sure what the problem
:09:35. > :09:38.is. It will happen to wages in last year, we are facing circumstances
:09:39. > :09:45.where people will be worse off, up to ?1600 off worse and frankly, if
:09:46. > :09:50.our opponents want to argue that the economy has healed and they deserve
:09:51. > :09:54.a victory lap, good luck to them because actually, what we are
:09:55. > :09:58.hearing from the Buddhist public, not just in the north and south, is
:09:59. > :10:01.not the cost living crisis is continuing and it affects families.
:10:02. > :10:07.There was nothing aspirational about your party election broadcast for
:10:08. > :10:11.the European elections. It looked like crude class war to money
:10:12. > :10:14.people. That's a bit of it. Bedroom tax. Isn't it going to look bad that
:10:15. > :10:20.two thirds of those affected are disabled? Who cares? They can't
:10:21. > :10:28.fight back. Shall be lay-offs and NHS nurses? The National Health
:10:29. > :10:38.Service? Oh yes. Mr Cameron? Who said that? Me. My gosh. The man has
:10:39. > :10:44.shrunk. He's actually shrunk. What shall we do with him? Can we hunt
:10:45. > :10:50.him? Nothing about Europe, Labour policy. News that the Tories would
:10:51. > :10:56.result in negative campaigning and smear. You didn't tell you would be
:10:57. > :10:59.just as bad. Let's start the party broadcast. The one thing guaranteed
:11:00. > :11:06.to have most people reaching for the remote control these days are the
:11:07. > :11:09.words, there now follows a party but the broadcast. I make no apology in
:11:10. > :11:14.the factory to be innovative in how we presented. It's factual. It was a
:11:15. > :11:19.policy -based critic of this government. And the Lib Dems role
:11:20. > :11:23.within it. So you're claiming it's factual to betray the camera and
:11:24. > :11:31.cabinet is not even knowing what the NHS is, -- the Cameron Cabinet. They
:11:32. > :11:35.attack the disabled because they can't fight back. The Pinellas
:11:36. > :11:43.Tanner severely Prime Minister Sun and he was treated during a short
:11:44. > :11:46.life by the NHS. It's a fact many disabled people across the country
:11:47. > :11:50.including in my constituency have been directly affected by the
:11:51. > :11:53.bedroom tax. And ultimately, this Conservative led government,
:11:54. > :11:59.including the Lib Dems, will be held accountable by the politicians. You
:12:00. > :12:03.say that, the Prime Minister, who had a severely disabled son of. I
:12:04. > :12:10.you not ashamed about? I shadowed Iain Duncan Smith of five months
:12:11. > :12:13.also they don't have the excuses of seeing that saying nobody told them
:12:14. > :12:16.the consequences of the bedroom tax. They went into this with their eyes
:12:17. > :12:20.open. They knew about the hardship and difficulty. If they were
:12:21. > :12:23.one-bedroom properties available across the country for people to
:12:24. > :12:30.move into, their argument would be OK but they knew they were dealing
:12:31. > :12:33.with the most vulnerable people. Did you sign off that part of the
:12:34. > :12:39.broadcast? Of course I stand by the fact of it. I wish David Cameron and
:12:40. > :12:43.Iain Duncan Smith would apologise to the disabled people of the country
:12:44. > :12:46.and the poorest people for the effects of the bedroom tax. I hope
:12:47. > :12:52.we get that apology between now and election. As someone who thinks
:12:53. > :12:58.integrity is important in politics, not ashamed of this kind of thing?
:12:59. > :13:00.It's important we scrutinise the policies of this government as well
:13:01. > :13:07.as adding a positive agenda for change. You want that you won't
:13:08. > :13:12.promise this is the last time we'll see such a negative press campaign?
:13:13. > :13:15.I don't think it is negative or personal to scrutinise the
:13:16. > :13:20.government. So we'll get more of this? I'm less interested in the
:13:21. > :13:25.background of the cabinet than their views. You call the upper-class
:13:26. > :13:29.twits. It's for the British public to make a judgement in terms of the
:13:30. > :13:36.British... That's how you depicted them. We are held in accountable for
:13:37. > :13:41.the bedroom tax, the NHS, taxation, and our record they have to defend.
:13:42. > :13:45.One reason are so fearful in this election is actually because they
:13:46. > :13:50.know they have a poor record. Let's look at other part of the election
:13:51. > :13:56.campaign. This poster. Particularly digitally doing the rounds. On that
:13:57. > :14:02.shopping basket, can you tell us which items take the full 20% VAT?
:14:03. > :14:06.It's representative of household shopping, which includes items like
:14:07. > :14:18.cleaning products, and we know that food is not that trouble. People
:14:19. > :14:26.don't go to the supermarket and say this is -- vatable. So you are
:14:27. > :14:34.denying that ?450 extra is being paid? Yes, where'd you get that
:14:35. > :14:41.figure? For an average family to pay ?450 a year extra VAT, they would
:14:42. > :14:44.have to spend ?21,600 a year on vatable products at 20%. The average
:14:45. > :14:48.take-home pay is only 21,009. They vatable products at 20%. The average
:14:49. > :14:53.have got to spend on all sorts of things which are zero VAT. So in
:14:54. > :15:00.addition to the items, has a range of products people face in terms of
:15:01. > :15:07.VAT. How could an average family of ?21,000 a year spent 21,006 and the
:15:08. > :15:15.pound a year on 20% vatable items? It's not an annual figure, is it? So
:15:16. > :15:20.what is it then? If it's an annual, what is it? The increased VAT in
:15:21. > :15:26.this parliament is calculated over the course of a Parliament. For the
:15:27. > :15:33.whole of the Parliament? And you're illustrated this with a shopping
:15:34. > :15:37.basket which almost has no VAT on it at all? People will be buying a
:15:38. > :15:42.weekly shop in the course of this Parliament every week. Did you sign
:15:43. > :15:47.off on this as well? Of course. It didn't dawn on you you're putting
:15:48. > :15:51.things on it which have no VAT? If you want to argue some people go to
:15:52. > :16:00.the shops and say these are vatable or not, I disagree. Even your rent
:16:01. > :16:03.cap announcement went wrong. You're working on the rent rises and it
:16:04. > :16:13.turns out it wasn't. It was a post your policy. It is the exception
:16:14. > :16:17.rather than the rule to have the position we have at the moment. In
:16:18. > :16:21.Northern Ireland we have seen the continued rise in terms of the
:16:22. > :16:28.rented sector but there is a widespread recognition that for
:16:29. > :16:33.those people in the rented sector, change is necessary. Are you
:16:34. > :16:44.coordinating this campaign? It seems accident prone. This is a party that
:16:45. > :16:47.has set the agenda more effectively than a Conservative party that said
:16:48. > :16:56.when David Cameron was elected he wasn't going to bang on about
:16:57. > :17:02.Europe. The day after the election we expect the Conservative party to
:17:03. > :17:06.be engulfed in crisis. I'm proud of what we talk about and I think there
:17:07. > :17:11.is a clear contrast about a party talking about issues people care
:17:12. > :17:16.about, and a Conservative party talking about exclusively a
:17:17. > :17:23.referendum. Are you in charge of the campaign? I am coordinating the
:17:24. > :17:29.campaign is, yes. The expensive election guru you have hired, has he
:17:30. > :17:34.been involved in any of this? We have started our discussions with
:17:35. > :17:38.him. You are going to have to brief him about British politics because
:17:39. > :17:45.he doesn't know anything about it. I make no apology for hiring him. He
:17:46. > :17:50.has a lot of experience in winning tight elections and that is what we
:17:51. > :17:56.are expecting. If you are expecting us to say, they have passed and we
:17:57. > :18:03.have to hold them accountable, then I am sorry but we have a campaign
:18:04. > :18:12.that holds the Government and the Conservatives to account for what I
:18:13. > :18:17.think is a very hopeless record in government. Thank you.
:18:18. > :18:21.He leads a party with zero MPs but his media presence is huge. He's had
:18:22. > :18:24.an expenses scandal, but the public didn't seem to mind. He's got a
:18:25. > :18:26.privileged background but he's seen as an anti-establishment champion.
:18:27. > :18:30.Nothing seems to stick to him, not even eggs. I speak of course of
:18:31. > :18:33.Nigel Farage. We'll talk to him in a moment, but first Giles has been out
:18:34. > :18:36.on the campaign trail ahead of elections that could make or break
:18:37. > :18:39.the UKIP leader. Nigel Farage likes a stage, and at
:18:40. > :18:44.this stage of the Euro and local election campaign he is, like his
:18:45. > :18:47.party, in buoyant mood. They feel they are on the verge of what they
:18:48. > :18:52.see as causing an earthquake in British politics. Today Nigel is
:18:53. > :19:02.filling thousands seat venues and bigger. Not that there's much sign
:19:03. > :19:05.of that at this press launch. But it's a threat with serious money
:19:06. > :19:08.behind it, that they believe the media and the political elite just
:19:09. > :19:11.haven't realised yet, much less learned how to counter it. Not that
:19:12. > :19:13.it's all been plain sailing. Offensive comments from some
:19:14. > :19:16.candidates has not only seen UKIP labelled as racist, but necessitated
:19:17. > :19:24.a rally by the party to visibly and verbally challenge that. The
:19:25. > :19:26.offensive idiotic statements made by this handful of people have been
:19:27. > :19:31.lifted up and presented to the great British public as if they represent
:19:32. > :19:34.the view of this party, which they do not. They never have and they
:19:35. > :19:50.never will. APPLAUSE I don't care what you call us, but
:19:51. > :20:01.from this moment on, please do not call must trust a racist party. We
:20:02. > :20:04.are not a racist party. The need to say that is not just
:20:05. > :20:07.about the European and local elections even at that campaign
:20:08. > :20:10.launch it's clear UKIP's leader has set his sights firmly on the
:20:11. > :20:12.ultimate prize. I come from the south of England and I would not
:20:13. > :20:17.want to be seen as an opportunist heading to the north, north Norfolk
:20:18. > :20:23.or whatever it will be. I will make my mind up and stand in the general
:20:24. > :20:28.election for somewhere in Kent, East Sussex, Hampshire, somewhere in my
:20:29. > :20:30.home patch. Back at UKIP HQ they are still drilling down how the last
:20:31. > :20:39.home patch. Back at UKIP HQ they are fortnight of campaigning should go.
:20:40. > :20:42.They aren't taking any chances, and one imagines having offices above
:20:43. > :20:45.those of Max Clifford is a reminder how fragile built reputations can be
:20:46. > :20:48.of the bubble bursting. They want their reputation to be built on
:20:49. > :20:51.votes and they know anything but significant success on May 22nd and
:20:52. > :20:59.some seats in Westminster in 2015 isn't going to be good enough. And
:21:00. > :21:02.after that, having sold yourselves as the honest outsiders, that stance
:21:03. > :21:06.is harder to maintain once your people are on the inside. And subtle
:21:07. > :21:11.changes from the past are already noticeable. The ordinary man of the
:21:12. > :21:14.people stance is still working. Characteristically outside a pub,
:21:15. > :21:21.Nigel Farage is glad handed by a customer. Two weeks to go, let's
:21:22. > :21:26.cause an upset. Wouldn't that be great? The only sign that such an
:21:27. > :21:38.interaction is different now is the ever presence of bodyguards who
:21:39. > :21:40.shadow his every move. Over lunch ahead of Question Time, a radio
:21:41. > :21:45.appearance, and then off to Scotland, I ask him if some of those
:21:46. > :21:48.minded to vote UKIP who see him as a man they'd be comfortable having a
:21:49. > :21:50.drink with are the sort of people he'd be entirely comfortable sitting
:21:51. > :21:53.down with. Every political party attracts support from across the
:21:54. > :22:01.spectrum and there will be some magnificent people who vote for us
:22:02. > :22:06.and some ne'er-do-wells. The one common thing about UKIP voters is
:22:07. > :22:10.that they are often not very political. And it's that people's
:22:11. > :22:12.army that if UKIP can get to a polling booth might just create that
:22:13. > :22:20.earthquake they want. Nigel Farage joins me now. When you
:22:21. > :22:23.decided not to stand at the new work by election coming said if you lost
:22:24. > :22:43.it that the bubble would have burst. What did you mean by that? I
:22:44. > :22:49.was asked at seven 20p -- at 7:21pm if I would stand, I have decided by
:22:50. > :22:56.the next morning that I would not. I didn't know he was going to resign.
:22:57. > :22:59.You claim only a handful of UKIP candidates have ever said things
:23:00. > :23:08.that are either stupid or offensive, I'm right on that, yes? 0.1%, I'd
:23:09. > :23:11.rather it was non-. But why have you chosen a candidate to fight this
:23:12. > :23:18.by-election that has said many things most people would regard as
:23:19. > :23:23.stupid or offensive? Roger is fighting this for us, someone of 70
:23:24. > :23:28.years of age who grew up with a strong Christian Bible background,
:23:29. > :23:32.in an age when homosexuality was imprisonable. He had a certain set
:23:33. > :23:37.of views which he maintained for many years which he now says he
:23:38. > :23:42.accepts the world has moved on and he is relaxed about it. The comments
:23:43. > :23:50.about homosexuality are not from the dark ages, they are from two or
:23:51. > :23:55.three years ago. From when he was a Conservative, yes, so will you be
:23:56. > :23:59.asking David Cameron that question? I have never seen a single comment
:24:00. > :24:05.from Roger that would be deemed to be offensive. Do you regard his
:24:06. > :24:10.comments on homosexuality as offensive? When he grew up,
:24:11. > :24:20.homosexuality was illegal in this country. But this was in 2012 but he
:24:21. > :24:29.said that. Most people have his age still feel uncomfortable about it --
:24:30. > :24:37.of his age. In 2012 he said, if two men can be married, why not three,
:24:38. > :24:41.why not a commune. Many people in this country are disconcerted by the
:24:42. > :24:45.change in the meaning of marriage and in a tolerant society we
:24:46. > :24:51.understand that some people have different views. But he has changed
:24:52. > :25:01.his views now in only two years? He says he is more relaxed about it.
:25:02. > :25:05.Was he your candidate? He is a first-class campaigner who has had
:25:06. > :25:10.30 years in industry, he served in the European Parliament, he is a
:25:11. > :25:14.good candidate. This morning's papers suggest you are about to
:25:15. > :25:21.select Victoria Ayling for Grimsby, but she is on camera saying that, of
:25:22. > :25:24.immigrants, I just want to send a lot back. This is all very
:25:25. > :25:28.interesting, and we can talk about it, all we could talk about the fact
:25:29. > :25:33.that in 12 days we have a European election and every voter across the
:25:34. > :25:40.UK can vote on it and it is really interesting. Are you happy to pick a
:25:41. > :25:47.candidate that says of immigrants, I just want to send a lot back? I have
:25:48. > :25:54.seen the tape, it is a complete misquote and she says it in the
:25:55. > :26:00.context of illegal immigrants. I have seen the full quote and in the
:26:01. > :26:05.context it is not about illegal immigrants. Let's come onto the
:26:06. > :26:09.European campaign, you have used a company that employs Eastern
:26:10. > :26:13.European is to deliver leaflets in London and the Home Counties. Have
:26:14. > :26:20.we? I'm told that in Croydon one branch might have done that. Have
:26:21. > :26:25.you found some indigenous Brits to deliver leaflets in Europe? We have
:26:26. > :26:29.thousands joining the party every month and they are not all
:26:30. > :26:34.indigenous because what is interesting is that in today's
:26:35. > :26:45.opinion polls, UKIP is above the Lib Dems and the Conservatives amongst
:26:46. > :27:00.the indigenous voting. We have not agreed a manifesto for
:27:01. > :27:09.the general election, we will do over the course of the summer. This
:27:10. > :27:12.is in your local election. We are having local elections in some part
:27:13. > :27:16.of the country but we are fighting a European election. It is impossible
:27:17. > :27:22.with the British media to have an intelligent debate on the European
:27:23. > :27:27.question. But as I say, we are also fighting the local elections too.
:27:28. > :27:33.You have promised these tax cuts, how much will they cost? I have met
:27:34. > :27:38.-- read the local election manifesto and it doesn't make those promises.
:27:39. > :27:42.We do talk about local services, we do talk about the need to keep
:27:43. > :27:50.council tax down but we don't talk about income tax. Absolutely not. In
:27:51. > :27:56.local election campaigning you say you would restore cuts to policing,
:27:57. > :28:04.double prison places, restore cuts to front line NHS, spend more on
:28:05. > :28:08.roads, how much would that cost? You are obviously reading different
:28:09. > :28:12.documents to me. We are voting for local councillors in district
:28:13. > :28:19.councils who have got little local budgets. Every party in a manifesto
:28:20. > :28:25.puts his aspirations in it. Have you read it? Of course I have, cover to
:28:26. > :28:31.cover, which is why I'm saying you are misquoting it. By the way, on
:28:32. > :28:39.the bubble bursting, you told that to Norman Smith of the BBC. 75% of
:28:40. > :28:44.British laws are now made in the European Union. Now AstraZeneca is
:28:45. > :28:49.potentially going to be taken over by Pfizer. The BBC is refusing to
:28:50. > :28:53.show the public that that decision cannot be taken here but by an
:28:54. > :29:00.elected European commissioner, and we sit and argue about what is in or
:29:01. > :29:11.not in the local election manifesto. It is my job, but let me come on to
:29:12. > :29:18.AstraZeneca. Is it your view that a British government should stop the
:29:19. > :29:27.takeover of AstraZeneca? It cannot. Can we please get this clear. I sat
:29:28. > :29:33.next to Chuka Umunna the other day at question time and he said what
:29:34. > :29:36.could and couldn't be done. He said I am being studiously neutral, and
:29:37. > :29:43.the reason is we don't have this power. That is what the European
:29:44. > :29:55.elections is about. Should France have the takeover of the food
:29:56. > :30:04.company Danan? We seem to do things to the Nth degree and nobody else
:30:05. > :30:09.does, perhaps because we have this culture and we obey it. In your
:30:10. > :30:17.view, you don't think Pfizer should be able to take over AstraZeneca?
:30:18. > :30:21.There is some good science within AstraZeneca which is in danger of
:30:22. > :30:28.being asset stripped and lost. Because it is run by a Swede and a
:30:29. > :30:34.Frenchman and most of its employees are overseas. I understand that but
:30:35. > :30:37.there are still some good science being produced here. What did you
:30:38. > :30:42.think of the Prime Minister saying he would not form a government after
:30:43. > :30:50.the election unless he was able to have a referendum in 2017? I sat
:30:51. > :30:55.here talking to you and you said to me that David Cameron had given a
:30:56. > :30:58.cast-iron guarantee that if David Cameron becomes Prime Minister he
:30:59. > :31:04.will have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, but he didn't deliver on
:31:05. > :31:08.that. He knows that people struggle to believe the renegotiation is
:31:09. > :31:12.worth a row of beans. He is saying he will not form a government unless
:31:13. > :31:16.he can go forward with the referendum. I know he is desperately
:31:17. > :31:20.trying to pretend to be Eurosceptic whilst at the same time saying he
:31:21. > :31:26.will campaign for Britain to remain in. In a sense, that is what this
:31:27. > :31:29.election is about. We have three traditional parties, all of whom
:31:30. > :31:33.passionately believe in the continued membership of the European
:31:34. > :31:37.Union and we have UKIP saying we want trade and cooperation but there
:31:38. > :31:44.is a bigger and better world out there. You are now travelling with I
:31:45. > :31:52.think four bodyguards, has this affected you and your family life? I
:31:53. > :31:56.can't stand it. I've always wondered about the place and on my own thing.
:31:57. > :32:00.Sadly we have a couple of organisations out there headed up by
:32:01. > :32:04.senior Labour Party figures who purport to be against fascism and
:32:05. > :32:09.extremism, who received funding from the Department of communities, from
:32:10. > :32:12.the trade unions, who have acted in a violent wait more than once. You
:32:13. > :32:19.are saying the Labour Party is behind the threats? No, I said a
:32:20. > :32:22.taxpayer funded, trade union funded and headed by senior Labour Party
:32:23. > :32:26.figures, and I'm happy for them to come to my meetings and have an
:32:27. > :32:29.itinerant with me, but it's not so much fun when there are banging you
:32:30. > :32:35.over the head. I is still keen to be an MP? Yes, what UKIP will then do
:32:36. > :32:40.is target before the general election next year for the one life
:32:41. > :32:45.be easier if you just went to the Lords? That's the last thing I want
:32:46. > :32:51.to do. There's an awful lot to do. Most of all, I will not rest until
:32:52. > :32:53.we are free from political union and government from Brussels. Nigel
:32:54. > :32:56.Farage, thank you for being with us. It's just gone 11.30am. You're
:32:57. > :32:59.watching the Sunday Politics. We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland, who
:33:00. > :33:02.leave us now for Sunday Politics Scotland. Coming up here in 20
:33:03. > :33:03.minutes, our panel talks about the big stories of the week. First
:33:04. > :33:18.You are watching Yorkshire and though,
:33:19. > :33:23.You are watching Yorkshire and Humber, today we bring together the
:33:24. > :33:26.candidates hoping to become MEPs for Yorkshire and the Humber. It is a
:33:27. > :33:33.special debate here at BBC Yorkshire.
:33:34. > :33:36.Our guests today are Conservative Timothy Kirkhope, Labour's Linda
:33:37. > :33:43.McAvan, Liberal Democrat Edward McMillan`Scott and UKIP's Jane
:33:44. > :33:45.Collins. Later we'll also hear from candidates representing some of the
:33:46. > :33:55.other parties standing in the European elections on May 22nd.
:33:56. > :33:59.First, South Yorkshire is an area that has benefited from hundreds of
:34:00. > :34:03.millions of pounds worth of EU funding in recent years, so we asked
:34:04. > :34:04.voters in Mexborough what they thought Europe had ever done for
:34:05. > :34:15.them. Can you think of anything that the
:34:16. > :34:22.EU has done for Mexborough, South Yorkshire generally? No. The best
:34:23. > :34:31.thing we can do, have a referendum to get out of the common market. We
:34:32. > :34:34.should not be in it. I think a lot of people think that a lot of
:34:35. > :34:40.decisions are made in Brussels, not in the local community. If we pulled
:34:41. > :34:44.out of Europe, would people round here notice? I think so, a lot of
:34:45. > :34:47.money has been spent on IT programmes, a lot of money has been
:34:48. > :34:55.put into infrastructure, I think they would. The little people don't
:34:56. > :35:00.get heard. I get up, I go to work, and I do the same day in day out.
:35:01. > :35:04.What about Brussels and the politicians there, that they have
:35:05. > :35:11.any role in your life? No, I don't think so.
:35:12. > :35:14.So, Linda McAvan, this is what you are up against. People struggle to
:35:15. > :35:20.understand how the European Parliament affects them. The last
:35:21. > :35:27.speaker there, he says, just goes to work every day. The public does not
:35:28. > :35:31.know that a lot of laws that protect him at work, his right to have four
:35:32. > :35:37.weeks holiday, one`day offer we, his rights in health and safety, they
:35:38. > :35:40.are made in the European Parliament. Also, the Dearne Valley has been
:35:41. > :35:46.transformed with European funding of the last 20 years. I remember when
:35:47. > :35:50.it was a door `` derelict coalfield area and now we have new jobs and
:35:51. > :35:55.houses. A lot of things happen but people, times are tough for people
:35:56. > :35:58.and what they see is falling standard of living, they worry about
:35:59. > :36:02.paying their bills that is what is foremost in their minds. So why is
:36:03. > :36:08.the EU such a tough sell in these areas? I think because the EU is
:36:09. > :36:16.regarded by most people is rather a moat. Is it remained? `` as rather
:36:17. > :36:22.remote. Is it remote? Identikit is as remote as people think. I think
:36:23. > :36:27.some people think it is not suited for the 21st century, and I would
:36:28. > :36:32.agree with them. We do need to reform and change it but we also
:36:33. > :36:38.need to act knowledge the fact that as a result of our membership of the
:36:39. > :36:41.EU, we have brought more prosperity in our region. Our concern as MEPs
:36:42. > :36:47.would always be to look after the interests of our region first. So
:36:48. > :36:53.how do you convince people like we saw that on the street South
:36:54. > :36:58.Yorkshire that the EU said `` benefit their daily life? The man
:36:59. > :37:04.wearing the soldier uniform said it was about the economy, and that is.
:37:05. > :37:07.Being part of the single market means one in ten jobs in the region
:37:08. > :37:13.depend on the EU. There are about 300,000 people there. When the CBI
:37:14. > :37:17.business organisation did a survey last year, they found eight out of
:37:18. > :37:23.ten firms want to stay in, and the Liberal Democrats are the party of
:37:24. > :37:26.in, in Europe, in work. So what if that argument is that if we left the
:37:27. > :37:33.EU, it would cost jobs? What you think? I do not think so, if we
:37:34. > :37:37.leave the EU, it will make us more correct `` competitive and we can
:37:38. > :37:41.develop trade agreements. It means we can go to the world as well as
:37:42. > :37:46.Europe. If we look at what we export to Europe, since 1973, they have not
:37:47. > :37:53.increased. For our ?55 million per day, what do we get? I want to say
:37:54. > :37:58.about work directives and implement law, it comes from the EU, but what
:37:59. > :38:05.do our MPs do? Why can't they organise the work directors? This is
:38:06. > :38:13.the point, why can't we make these laws in Westminster, why can't ``
:38:14. > :38:18.why do they have to be made in Brussels? We do not want to have a
:38:19. > :38:23.race to the bottom. We do not want to be undercut by competitors. Most
:38:24. > :38:27.companies want a level playing field, they want to be able to sell
:38:28. > :38:30.their products across Europe, and I do not want people in our region
:38:31. > :38:35.competing by having no paid holidays, having worse working
:38:36. > :38:39.conditions. That is not the way. We need to have good minimum standards
:38:40. > :38:44.across Europe then we can compete on an equal footing. So are we better
:38:45. > :38:47.off in or out? We are better off in if we can get the reforms and
:38:48. > :38:51.changes to bring Europe into the 21st century. It is very dishonest
:38:52. > :38:56.of UKIP to constantly talk about the laws of Europe when in fact the vast
:38:57. > :39:00.majority of things that come from Europe come first to our own British
:39:01. > :39:04.Parliament to be determined before they are implement it. And how they
:39:05. > :39:07.are to be invented in affecting our daily lives. That is not true and it
:39:08. > :39:12.is just another one of those things which I am afraid, unfortunately, is
:39:13. > :39:16.being put out, this disinformation, the wrong information being put out
:39:17. > :39:22.to the people. We need an honest discussion but we do need a reformed
:39:23. > :39:27.Europe. And a referendum. We shall see whether that happens or not.
:39:28. > :39:31.UKIP claim that 75% of our laws originate from Brussels, is that
:39:32. > :39:35.correct? Absolutely not, it is one of the many misleading part of their
:39:36. > :39:38.campaign which need to be addressed and is being addressed, primarily by
:39:39. > :39:46.the Liberal Democrats because we are the party in, whereas UKIP is the
:39:47. > :39:49.party out. There is a simple choice, the Labour Party and the
:39:50. > :39:52.Conservatives are sitting it out, their broadcasts do not deal with
:39:53. > :39:56.the issues, the Tory manifesto does not even mention the European
:39:57. > :40:02.Parliament. This is about your future being in Europe in work. In
:40:03. > :40:05.my view, the figure more accurately about how much comes from Brussels
:40:06. > :40:10.in terms of legislation is from the House of Commons library, says 15%
:40:11. > :40:15.of British laws are made in Brussels. We will chat more about
:40:16. > :40:19.that in the moment. Let's get more views from voters. This time in
:40:20. > :40:23.Grimsby, which has traditionally been seen as one of the most
:40:24. > :40:27.Eurosceptic towns in our region since the demise the fishing
:40:28. > :40:28.industry. `` the demise of the fishing
:40:29. > :40:42.industry. Nigel Farage coach `` should come to
:40:43. > :40:48.Grimsby, I think he would win hands down. I think immigration is always
:40:49. > :40:52.going to be sensitive topic, in any town or community. I can see why
:40:53. > :40:58.some people may be in a position to look for a political movement which
:40:59. > :41:03.would assist them with less immigrants taking our jobs, but at
:41:04. > :41:10.the end of the day they work hard. I was made redundant from my job last
:41:11. > :41:14.year. Should there be every movement of labour around the European Union?
:41:15. > :41:19.There should, I think I do agree with that. The immigration in this
:41:20. > :41:28.town is matter, it is out of control. I am not sure UKIP could do
:41:29. > :41:32.anything realistically about it. Jane Collins, UKIP's opponents
:41:33. > :41:37.accuse you of peddling myths about the EU. Is that true on issues such
:41:38. > :41:45.as immigration? No, it just is not true. UKIP's stance on immigration
:41:46. > :41:48.is that no country should lose control of its own borders. I think
:41:49. > :41:53.that is very important and we have. We cannot control who comes in and
:41:54. > :41:57.out of the country with free movement of migrants. And open`door
:41:58. > :42:01.mass immigration is not good for the economy. But don't get me wrong,
:42:02. > :42:04.UKIP is not against immigration, or migration, but it has to be
:42:05. > :42:14.controlled. It is just strict talking common sense. Timothy
:42:15. > :42:18.Kirkhope, you are a former immigration minister, have we lost
:42:19. > :42:27.control of our borders? No, our immigration rules are getting
:42:28. > :42:30.stronger in our government, UKIP mixes up the issues of immigration
:42:31. > :42:35.and the issue of freedom of movement which is the part of the internal
:42:36. > :42:38.market, people moving in order to work. The government has toughened
:42:39. > :42:43.up on things like benefit and the right of people to come here and
:42:44. > :42:46.draw benefit of EU countries, as is very important with the greater
:42:47. > :42:49.number of member states in the European Union. It is not fair to do
:42:50. > :42:55.these very unpleasant advertising measures by UKIP, which I think is
:42:56. > :42:59.not helpful in terms of good relations, good community
:43:00. > :43:05.relations. I will let Jane Collins respond in a minute, but immigration
:43:06. > :43:10.is a huge issue, especially many working class traditional Labour
:43:11. > :43:12.heartlands. Yes, and I think most people in Britain accept that they
:43:13. > :43:16.want a fair immigration system but they accept that the vast majority
:43:17. > :43:21.of immigrants who come to Britain come here to work, they pay taxes,
:43:22. > :43:25.and they work hard. The issue that we are not talking about enough is
:43:26. > :43:28.why do they come. We have got some unscrupulous employers who are going
:43:29. > :43:32.abroad and bringing in migrant workers from other countries and
:43:33. > :43:36.they are working for very low wages and that is causing tensions in
:43:37. > :43:39.communities. We need to close loopholes that allow that to happen
:43:40. > :43:44.and if we were able to tackle those issues, all the party should work
:43:45. > :43:50.towards it, because that can give rise to community tensions. There is
:43:51. > :43:54.a perception that when it comes to letting in people from other
:43:55. > :43:56.countries, we are seen as a soft touch. I think the coalition
:43:57. > :44:00.government has taken measures to control the amount of immigration,
:44:01. > :44:05.there is more to come. For example, children living abroad will not get
:44:06. > :44:10.benefits from this government. But when you are the last intervene on
:44:11. > :44:14.that clip in `` when that last person on the clip said, what can
:44:15. > :44:21.UKIP do about it, but is a good point, they can do nothing in the
:44:22. > :44:24.European Parliament. There were 12 MEPs elected, there are six left,
:44:25. > :44:32.some are imprisoned, some have left the party. My counterpart in the
:44:33. > :44:44.area, his voting record is 25%, `75%. `` mine is 75%. Your
:44:45. > :44:48.accusation, Jane Collins, is that you are running a very negative
:44:49. > :44:53.campaign, financed by a multi`million pound business man. Is
:44:54. > :44:57.this negative politics? I do not see this, the posters are hard`hitting,
:44:58. > :45:00.but it is about time someone got hard`hitting and said the facts and
:45:01. > :45:05.did something about it. I do not agree that UKIP cannot action
:45:06. > :45:15.anything, we are now dictating British, politics, making things
:45:16. > :45:19.being discussed that have not been discussed before. I think the
:45:20. > :45:24.Parliament Parliament should be more `` the European Parliament should be
:45:25. > :45:29.more open, find out why the books have not been signed for 19 years.
:45:30. > :45:33.Do you think that everybody in Britain will migrate to other
:45:34. > :45:39.countries? Everybody? That is what your posters are saying. You are
:45:40. > :45:45.twisting them message. You say, every pensioner will go and did in
:45:46. > :45:49.Spain, that is what they say. 1.4 million people have left the country
:45:50. > :45:52.and 1.4 million people have come in, over the last ten years. The
:45:53. > :46:01.statistics show that immigration is a net in the `` is a net economic
:46:02. > :46:04.benefit to the country. We know there is a problem, Ukraine is not
:46:05. > :46:10.in the European Union, and they are coming in record numbers. So we are
:46:11. > :46:19.not controlling our borders. UKIP MPs are not there to play the game.
:46:20. > :46:24.They are there to take the money. They are the eyes and ears of the
:46:25. > :46:35.British public. They are here, they should be there having influence.
:46:36. > :46:40.How much influence do the MEPs have in that parliament? We have a
:46:41. > :46:47.fisheries committee, he appeared once on that in one year. By not
:46:48. > :46:55.attending, Nigel Farage, how much influence does he have? He is
:46:56. > :47:01.actually the leader of a party, and he has a busy schedule so it is an
:47:02. > :47:06.unfair. He is the worst the tender but he had a much different from the
:47:07. > :47:09.others. It is very easy to gang up on UKIP, but they are setting the
:47:10. > :47:13.momentum at the moment, they are leading the polls. How worried are
:47:14. > :47:19.you personally that they are going to take masses of votes from the
:47:20. > :47:23.Tories? I am not worried at all, we are giving a very positive
:47:24. > :47:27.impression for Europe, the right message, a sensible message and we
:47:28. > :47:33.intend to get as many people elected as we can. I think it is right that
:47:34. > :47:37.people know, we are not going up a new `` on UKIP, I have not discussed
:47:38. > :47:40.this with my colleagues before the programme, the facts are that UKIP
:47:41. > :47:44.members do not turn up in Brussels, they do not take part in discussions
:47:45. > :47:47.and committee work enough and they think that is clever. What is the
:47:48. > :47:53.good of that, electing anybody who is going to do nothing? There is a
:47:54. > :47:57.perception that UKIP politicians are saying the things that other
:47:58. > :48:03.politicians then defender, `` dare not say in the current climate. They
:48:04. > :48:07.have become the party of protest, they were what the Liberals were in
:48:08. > :48:12.the past, people think, give them a go. They have a very simple answer.
:48:13. > :48:16.But they talk about... If we lift the EU, that is the answer to all
:48:17. > :48:20.our problems, but we have got huge economic crisis. That did not start
:48:21. > :48:24.because we were members of the European Union, it started with the
:48:25. > :48:27.global banking crisis. Those issues about people 's jobs and the economy
:48:28. > :48:31.and getting the country back on its feet, they are much more complex
:48:32. > :48:35.than a simple issue on in or out of the EU or immigration. It is too
:48:36. > :48:44.easy to claim simple answers when things are complicated. As some
:48:45. > :48:50.commentators are predicting a Lib Dem decapitation at this election,
:48:51. > :48:55.do you fear the worst? The important poll is on the day itself. I do
:48:56. > :48:58.think it is important, I think the public began to understand that UKIP
:48:59. > :49:02.does have misleading advertising and it is not dealing with the future
:49:03. > :49:06.which is about jobs. It is about the economy, about the environment,
:49:07. > :49:12.transport, a better Europe. A better Britain in Europe, that is all we
:49:13. > :49:17.are concerned about. Let's hear from some of the other parties standing
:49:18. > :49:21.in the European elections. We have been out and about on the campaign
:49:22. > :49:26.trail. We have come to launch our original
:49:27. > :49:30.manifesto. Arguably, the Greens are having the most visible campaign in
:49:31. > :49:33.Yorkshire and it is paying off. Some opinion polls say they are pushing
:49:34. > :49:39.the Liberal Democrats down into fifth place. The Green party is very
:49:40. > :49:42.strong in Yorkshire and Humber, we have got councillors in Leeds,
:49:43. > :49:47.Bradford, York, Sheffield, Scarborough, Kirklees, were around
:49:48. > :49:51.the counsellor. We have built up the strength of the local parties, we
:49:52. > :49:56.have got people campaigning. We are a lot more visible than we have been
:49:57. > :50:00.in the past. There is a queue of other minor parties wanting us out.
:50:01. > :50:06.These are the industry is, right wing and wider immigration. `` the
:50:07. > :50:11.English Democrats. Opinion poll asked opinion poll shows that people
:50:12. > :50:19.are sick of mass immigration, and we are a party that campaigns against
:50:20. > :50:23.it. And from the left, the trade union campaign group, no to EU. They
:50:24. > :50:29.say the EU supports big business at the expense of workers. Capitalism
:50:30. > :50:38.is destroying people 's livelihoods. This is the 21st century when 1
:50:39. > :50:50.million people need to rely on food banks. We have other parties
:50:51. > :50:53.campaigning, such as the BNP, whose league candidate was ill and could
:50:54. > :50:59.not be interviews. `` whose lead candidate.
:51:00. > :51:03.People should vote Conservative because they are going to get reform
:51:04. > :51:06.in Europe and we are going to give the opportunity through a referendum
:51:07. > :51:10.which we guarantee, unlike UKIP who would simply leave Europe without
:51:11. > :51:13.any further debate or indeed the Liberal Democrats who are happy to
:51:14. > :51:21.put up with anything that Europe throws at us. We have the pragmatic,
:51:22. > :51:26.practical, best support on this. When people vote they vote on who
:51:27. > :51:33.represents them on taking decisions on food safety, rights at work, the
:51:34. > :51:38.enrolment and consuming affairs. They should look at the which best
:51:39. > :51:42.represents their values. I am very pragmatic and I work on technical
:51:43. > :51:45.details on legislation, but like the Labour Party, we do that to look
:51:46. > :51:50.after the best interest of the average working person to make sure
:51:51. > :51:56.that Europe works for them. I think this is an election between UKIP and
:51:57. > :52:01.the Liberal Democrats. The Lib Dems believe we should stay in Europe, we
:52:02. > :52:05.would offer a referendum if there was a change in our relationship
:52:06. > :52:09.with Europe. This election is about the future and the economy. People
:52:10. > :52:13.should remember that one in ten jobs in this region depends on the
:52:14. > :52:17.membership in the single market, and eight out of ten firms in this
:52:18. > :52:21.country, according to a CBI survey, want us to stay in the European
:52:22. > :52:26.Union. Then you think about the inward investment, money coming in,
:52:27. > :52:32.investment in this region, it all depends on our member ship of the
:52:33. > :52:36.European Union. UKIP wants Britain to be self`governing. It is absurd
:52:37. > :52:41.to say that you have to be part of a political union to trade. We want to
:52:42. > :52:46.come out of the EU, into the world, and don't like the other three
:52:47. > :52:49.parties dressed this up. `` don't let. We want lawmaking bringing at
:52:50. > :52:55.Westminster and we need to look after the working man and woman in
:52:56. > :52:59.this country. We are out of time, thank you for your time today.
:53:00. > :53:02.Voters in the Yorkshire and Humber region, as well as the other regions
:53:03. > :53:07.across the country, will decide who represents them in the European
:53:08. > :53:08.Parliament on May 22. Now back to London.
:53:09. > :53:18.after the working man and woman in this country. We are
:53:19. > :53:26.Welcome back, let's go straight to our panel. What did you make of Mr
:53:27. > :53:29.Alexander's defence of the Labour party election broadcast? It is
:53:30. > :53:33.difficult for them because they started by saying they were not
:53:34. > :53:39.going to do negative campaigning and they have thrown that away for an
:53:40. > :53:46.advert which is funny but crude in the class war sense. He didn't look
:53:47. > :53:52.thrilled to be defending it. There is a page in Tony Blair's memoirs
:53:53. > :53:55.talking about negative campaigning, and he says that anything too
:53:56. > :54:07.extreme turns off the average voter so his line of attack on Hague was
:54:08. > :54:12.funny jokes but... I think this failed the Blair test, it was too
:54:13. > :54:19.vicious. If your strategy is to shore up your car vote, that advert
:54:20. > :54:25.was genius. If your strategy is to reach out to a broader number of
:54:26. > :54:29.voters, Middle Britain, then that advert was a complete disaster. It
:54:30. > :54:34.looks like there is a lot of negativity and smears all round in
:54:35. > :54:52.the next year. That definitely looks the way we are going. They will be
:54:53. > :55:04.essentially trying to re-run by -- the American election. I am slightly
:55:05. > :55:09.puzzled why we cannot have our own election gurus who live here and
:55:10. > :55:15.understand the country. I should point out that the ?450 extra VAT
:55:16. > :55:21.that was claimed in that Labour poster, both Ed Balls and the Labour
:55:22. > :55:27.Treasury team have said that is ?450 per year. Nonsense the VAT rise, one
:55:28. > :55:32.year. I should also point out that Nigel Farage said to Norman Smith,
:55:33. > :55:38.the BBC is always reliable Norman Smith that if you run in Newark and
:55:39. > :55:43.lost the bubble would burst. I should also point out that although
:55:44. > :55:48.a number of the tax rises I mentioned on council tax, minimum
:55:49. > :55:53.wage tax and some other things that UKIP wants to cuts, a couple of
:55:54. > :55:59.these are in the local manifesto but several are not. They are on the
:56:00. > :56:06.UKIP website, which is still current and dated 2014. We like to make sure
:56:07. > :56:12.we are absolutely right. Let's talk about Nick Clegg and Michael Gove
:56:13. > :56:19.and the latest spat. Let me show you this headline in the Observer this
:56:20. > :56:31.morning. From both the Independent, he called him a zealot, lunatic is
:56:32. > :56:36.of -- another word. Do we take this seriously? It hinges on this
:56:37. > :56:41.question of what counts as an area of need in education. The Lib Dems
:56:42. > :56:45.say an area of need is one where there are not enough school places
:56:46. > :56:50.to meet local demand. He says it can also be a place where there are
:56:51. > :57:01.surplus places but that is for a reason. Local places don't trust
:57:02. > :57:07.those schools to do a good job for their kids. It surprises me because
:57:08. > :57:11.there isn't a yawning distance between David Laws and Michael Gove.
:57:12. > :57:16.David Laws has found himself between a rock and a hard place because I
:57:17. > :57:20.asked -- as I understand it most Lib Dems don't like the free schools but
:57:21. > :57:28.Mr laws was quite sympathetic to it and he is now having to this respect
:57:29. > :57:32.it. When they asked people who are the most hated politicians in a poll
:57:33. > :57:47.were this week, Michael Gove is off the charts, far above David Cameron
:57:48. > :57:50.or George Osborne. This is tit-for-tat war. The Liberal
:57:51. > :57:55.Democrats believe Michael Gove had a hand in leaking the document that
:57:56. > :57:58.showed Nick Clegg was opposing the tougher Chris Grayling position on
:57:59. > :58:03.knife crime. They are saying there were Cabinet ministers who never
:58:04. > :58:08.usually attend the sub Cabinet meeting, they turned up and the
:58:09. > :58:12.document is leaked so what we are getting is tit for tat on that. It
:58:13. > :58:17.is inevitable but it is not good for either side of the Coalition. Voters
:58:18. > :58:23.will look at it and say it is politics of the playground. I read
:58:24. > :58:33.in the Mail on Sunday this morning that some Tory insiders are accusing
:58:34. > :58:38.Lib Dems of spreading rumours about the camera in marriage. The
:58:39. > :58:51.rebuttals of education story is that the free school meals is sucking
:58:52. > :58:57.money away. I always thought they would work together without fuss and
:58:58. > :59:02.yet it has been more the source of disagreement then I would have
:59:03. > :59:07.expected a couple of years ago. Is it serious? It is serious obviously,
:59:08. > :59:12.using that language, but is it fatal for the Coalition? I think it is a
:59:13. > :59:17.road bump because I don't think anybody wants to dissolve the
:59:18. > :59:21.Coalition. It is a challenge for Labour because where do they stand
:59:22. > :59:25.on the free schools? They invented the Academy programme so it is
:59:26. > :59:28.difficult for them to take a hands-off approach at this stage.
:59:29. > :59:32.There was a danger for Michael Gove that he looks ideological but the
:59:33. > :59:35.danger for the Liberal Democrats is that they are breaking the rules for
:59:36. > :59:39.the Coalition they said that they wouldn't break which is that they
:59:40. > :59:47.looked like opposition in government. Is Michael Gove's
:59:48. > :59:55.position safe? Very safe. If he moves in a reshuffle that will be to
:59:56. > :59:58.a a job. That's all for today. The Daily Politics will be back on BBC
:59:59. > :00:01.Two at lunchtime from Tuesday onwards. I'll be back here on BBC
:00:02. > :00:02.One at 11am next week. Remember if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday
:00:03. > :00:51.Politics. What if the person
:00:52. > :00:52.that killed her... I found out she'd been taking drugs.
:00:53. > :00:56.Just let me explain. You wasn't at that party all night.
:00:57. > :00:59.Yeah, I was. What was she even doing there?
:01:00. > :01:02.Oi, you keep your mouth shut. She was exchanging a significant
:01:03. > :01:05.number of texts and calls with someone in the weeks
:01:06. > :01:07.leading up to her death. It's like we didn't
:01:08. > :01:10.really know her at all.