23/04/2017

:00:36. > :00:39.It's Sunday afternoon - this is the Sunday Politics.

:00:40. > :00:42.Jeremy Corbyn wants to give everyone in Britain four

:00:43. > :00:44.extra bank holidays - but is the Labour leader up

:00:45. > :00:47.to being Prime Minister if he wins the election in just

:00:48. > :00:53.Theresa May says she wants a stronger hand to deliver Brexit -

:00:54. > :00:55.how will the Conservatives go about getting the bigger

:00:56. > :01:02.I'll be asking Party Chairman, Patrick McLoughlin.

:01:03. > :01:06.And I've been in Paris where voters are going to the polls in first

:01:07. > :01:09.round of the French Presidential election - what could be the impact

:01:10. > :01:12.on the EU and Brexit of this most unpredictable of contests?

:01:13. > :01:14.On The Sunday Politics in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire,

:01:15. > :01:16.we are in the heart of Britain's most Eurosceptic county,

:01:17. > :01:19.and we will be assessing what impact Brexit will have

:01:20. > :01:25.Or feel they may not like it but the Tories

:01:26. > :01:40.And with me has always ready for the marathon task of covering a snap

:01:41. > :01:44.general election, even working on bank holidays, the best and

:01:45. > :01:44.brightest political panel in the business. David Wooding, Polly

:01:45. > :01:48.Toynbee and Toby Young. So Labour's big announcement this

:01:49. > :01:50.morning was a crowd pleaser. Four more rainy bank

:01:51. > :01:52.holidays to enjoy - one for each of the patron saints

:01:53. > :01:55.of England, Scotland, But Mr Corbyn probably won't be

:01:56. > :02:01.getting the time off work if he wins And on The Andrew Marr Show this

:02:02. > :02:06.morning he was asked what he would do as Prime Minister

:02:07. > :02:08.if the security services asked him to authorise a drone strike

:02:09. > :02:11.on the leader of Islamic State. What I'd tell them is,

:02:12. > :02:15.give me the information you've got, tell me how accurate that is,

:02:16. > :02:17.tell me what you I'm asking you about decisions you

:02:18. > :02:27.would take as Prime Minister. Can I take you back

:02:28. > :02:29.to the whole point? Is the objective

:02:30. > :02:33.to start more strikes that may kill many innocent

:02:34. > :02:35.people, as has happened? Do you think killing

:02:36. > :02:37.the leader of Isis would be I think the leader of Isis not

:02:38. > :02:46.being around would be helpful, and I'm no supporter or defender

:02:47. > :02:48.in any way of Isis. But I would also argue that

:02:49. > :02:53.the bombing campaign has killed a of whom were virtually prisoners of

:02:54. > :02:56.Isis. So you've got to think

:02:57. > :03:02.about these things. Mr Corbyn earlier. David, is his

:03:03. > :03:07.reply refreshing damaging? It is damaging. He has clearly been

:03:08. > :03:11.freaked to the fire already in the first week, there will be lots of

:03:12. > :03:14.questions on his suitability as a leader and the damage it could cause

:03:15. > :03:19.to our national security over the weeks ahead and Andrew Marr has cut

:03:20. > :03:22.straight to the chase here. The other thing, of course, is the

:03:23. > :03:25.letters of last resort, one of the first duties of a Prime Minister

:03:26. > :03:31.when he walks into No 10 is to sign these letters on his own, on or --

:03:32. > :03:34.or on her own in a room, a very lonely moment, to decide whether he

:03:35. > :03:38.should press the nuclear button and that goes in the Vanguard submarines

:03:39. > :03:42.and is opened in the event of a strike and he has dodged a question

:03:43. > :03:46.so many times. One must wonder what he would do that. He has to make

:03:47. > :03:51.these decisions as Prime Minister. On the Isis point, refreshing or

:03:52. > :03:56.damaging? It sure is his base, the people who support him, that's the

:03:57. > :03:59.sort of thing they support info and maybe his tactic is that's all he's

:04:00. > :04:03.going to get, that is what the polls seem to suggest, in which case they

:04:04. > :04:06.will be pleased, and say yes, the man is a man for these who doesn't

:04:07. > :04:13.press buttons and shoot people down. But if you want to win you have to

:04:14. > :04:17.deal with your own weaknesses and reach out to other people. I think

:04:18. > :04:22.most people would say that's not somebody who could defend the

:04:23. > :04:26.country. I wonder if he was being totally honest in saying he would

:04:27. > :04:30.consider it he would ask for more information. He has previously been

:04:31. > :04:33.on the record as being against drone strikes in principle, he's

:04:34. > :04:37.campaigned against them, he wants to abolish drones. I think Andrew Marr

:04:38. > :04:41.let him off saying it was a drone strike rather than a Navy SEAL or

:04:42. > :04:44.SAS operation and he had the fact that they could be collateral

:04:45. > :04:50.damage. We that's not his position because he condemned the

:04:51. > :04:54.assassination of Osama Bin Laden even though there was no collateral

:04:55. > :04:57.damage. David is right on the Trident point, he fetched the

:04:58. > :05:03.question. We heard Niall Griffiths on this very show saying Trident,

:05:04. > :05:06.the renewal of Trident, would be in the next Labour Party manifesto. It

:05:07. > :05:09.turns out now we don't know and when he was asked he said that remains to

:05:10. > :05:13.be seen, his re-opened a can of worms. What he has said about

:05:14. > :05:18.Trident which was extraordinary was, we will rebuild the submarines but

:05:19. > :05:21.not have any nukes on them which is expensive and useless. And of course

:05:22. > :05:24.the Labour Party were forced soon after that interview to put out a

:05:25. > :05:30.statement saying it is Labour Party policy to renew Trident. So where

:05:31. > :05:34.are we? Do we know what the party's policy is? It is to renew Trident

:05:35. > :05:40.but he has started this review which involves looking at it all again. We

:05:41. > :05:45.know he is a unilateralist to start with but whether he can force this

:05:46. > :05:49.through is dubious. Does it matter, though, if the party policy is in

:05:50. > :05:53.favour of Trident, if the leader is not? The potential Prime Minister is

:05:54. > :05:56.not? They split three ways when they went to vote on it in the Commons.

:05:57. > :06:00.The party agreed they were pro-Trident and when it came to the

:06:01. > :06:05.vote they split three ways. I think it's difficult for them, it's always

:06:06. > :06:09.been a really difficult issue for Labour. The question is whether you

:06:10. > :06:13.want to seal off your negatives, whether you really want to try and

:06:14. > :06:16.reach out to people. There are an awful lot of people who will like

:06:17. > :06:22.what he said, there are an awful lot of people that think we have been

:06:23. > :06:25.involved in terrible wars, we have wasted a lot of money and blood and

:06:26. > :06:30.let's just get back from the whole thing, let's retreat from the world

:06:31. > :06:33.and not try punching above our weight. There is something to be

:06:34. > :06:38.said for that and it is a reasonable argument. He's been true to himself

:06:39. > :06:41.on this. I think he is and Polly is right, lots of people will agree

:06:42. > :06:45.with him, not enough to win a general election, the latest ComRes

:06:46. > :06:48.poll shows Tories on 50% and Labour on 25 and as my colleague James

:06:49. > :06:52.Forsyth in the Spectator said if this was a boxing match it would

:06:53. > :06:53.have been stopped by now by the revelry. We are not stopping, we are

:06:54. > :06:55.going on. So the political parties have had

:06:56. > :06:57.to move into election mode Stand by for battle buses,

:06:58. > :07:01.mail shots and your social media timeline being bombarded

:07:02. > :07:02.by political propoganda. But none of this comes cheap -

:07:03. > :07:08.Adam's been doing his sums. Democracy is priceless but those

:07:09. > :07:13.planes, trains and automobiles used in the last election cost money

:07:14. > :07:16.and we know exactly how much, thanks to the Electoral

:07:17. > :07:21.Commission database. The Conservatives flew David Cameron

:07:22. > :07:25.to every part of the UK in one day on a private plane costing ?29,000,

:07:26. > :07:31.in-flight meals extra. They shelled out ?1.2 million

:07:32. > :07:37.for adverts on Facebook. The most expensive item was their

:07:38. > :07:41.election guru Lynton Crosby. They bought ?2.4 million worth

:07:42. > :07:44.of advice and research from his firm Labour's biggest expenditure

:07:45. > :07:51.was on good old-fashioned leaflets, costing ?7.4 million

:07:52. > :07:53.to print and deliver. Hope they didn't go straight

:07:54. > :07:59.into the recycling. Cheap for all the

:08:00. > :08:07.enjoyment it gave us. To turn a normal minibus

:08:08. > :08:10.into Harriet Harman's pink bus Nick Clegg toured the country doing

:08:11. > :08:16.all manner of stunts transported although the party got a grand's

:08:17. > :08:29.discount when it broke down. Ukip's then leader Nigel Farage

:08:30. > :08:31.was accompanied by bodyguards Nicola Sturgeon's chopper

:08:32. > :08:40.cost the SNP ?35,450. Plaid Cymru spent just over

:08:41. > :08:44.?1,000 on media training And the Greens spent ?6,912

:08:45. > :08:58.promoting their tweets. It adds up to a grand total

:08:59. > :09:02.for all the parties of ?37,560,039. Jabbing at my calculator that works

:09:03. > :09:08.out at less than ?1 per voter. Adam Fleming there -

:09:09. > :09:13.and joining me now is the man responsible for the Conservative

:09:14. > :09:17.election campaigns - for the locals next month

:09:18. > :09:25.and the general election in June - Welcome to the programme. The Crown

:09:26. > :09:28.Prosecution Service is reviewing evidence from 14 police forces that

:09:29. > :09:33.your party breached election spending rules on multiple occasions

:09:34. > :09:39.in the last election. What are you going to do differently this time?

:09:40. > :09:45.Well, the battle buses are part of the National campaign spend. You saw

:09:46. > :09:48.them just on the shot that you did, all three parties had those battle

:09:49. > :09:52.buses so that's why we believe they were part of the national spend and

:09:53. > :09:55.it was declared that way. At least 30 people in your party, MPs and

:09:56. > :09:59.agents, being investigated because they may not have been right to

:10:00. > :10:02.include it in the national spend. Are you saying you are going to do

:10:03. > :10:10.nothing differently this time? You asked me about last time and the way

:10:11. > :10:14.the position is... Was. I asked you about this time. We will take a

:10:15. > :10:20.careful count and make sure that everything that we do is within the

:10:21. > :10:24.law. But as I say, the last election, all three parties had

:10:25. > :10:28.battle buses. It is your party that above all has been investigated by

:10:29. > :10:34.14 police forces. You must surely be taking stock of that and working out

:10:35. > :10:37.how to do some things differently. You are being investigated because

:10:38. > :10:42.you put stuff on the National Ledger which should have been on the local

:10:43. > :10:45.constituency ledger. Are you looking at that again? All of the parties

:10:46. > :10:49.had battle buses and they all put them on their national spend. I

:10:50. > :10:54.don't think any of the parties put them on the local spend. The other

:10:55. > :10:57.battle buses were not full of their party activists. Your party stuffed

:10:58. > :11:03.these battle buses with activists and took them to constituencies.

:11:04. > :11:07.That's the difference. And I ask again, what is different this time?

:11:08. > :11:11.Are you going to run the risk of being investigated yet again? We

:11:12. > :11:16.believe that we fully compliant with the electoral law as it was. What

:11:17. > :11:21.will happen if one of these, or two or three or four or five of these 30

:11:22. > :11:27.people, Tory MPs, or agents running campaigns are charged during the

:11:28. > :11:31.campaign? As I say I believe we properly declared our election

:11:32. > :11:34.expenses. What happens if they are charged? You asking me a

:11:35. > :11:37.hypothetical question, the importance of this election is about

:11:38. > :11:42.who is in Downing Street in seven weeks' time. Let me clarify this,

:11:43. > :11:46.you maintain that in 2015 you did nothing wrong with how you allocated

:11:47. > :11:48.the cost and the activities of the battle buses and you would do

:11:49. > :11:53.exactly the same this time round? What we did at the last election we

:11:54. > :11:58.believe fully complied with the law. So the battle buses this time,

:11:59. > :12:02.stocked full of activists, will still be charged to the national

:12:03. > :12:10.campaign even when they go to local constituencies? Will they? We will

:12:11. > :12:14.be looking at the way we do it, there is new guidance from the

:12:15. > :12:18.Electoral Commission out and we will look at that guidance. It is not the

:12:19. > :12:22.guidance, it is the lawful stop the Electoral Commission said that, if

:12:23. > :12:25.you look at the report they did on us, they said there was one area

:12:26. > :12:29.where we had over claimed, over declared, and another area we had

:12:30. > :12:32.and declared. We haven't worked out what to do

:12:33. > :12:36.yet, have you? We will get on with the campaign and

:12:37. > :12:38.start the campaign and I'm looking forward to the campaign.

:12:39. > :12:42.I'm trying to work out of the campaign is going to be legal or not

:12:43. > :12:45.because last time it seems it could have been illegal.

:12:46. > :12:47.I am sure the campaign will be legal.

:12:48. > :12:52.You started the campaign warning about the prospect of, the coalition

:12:53. > :13:00.of chaos. Mr Corbyn has ruled out a post-election coalition with the SNP

:13:01. > :13:02.and so have the Lib Dems so who is going to be in this coalition?

:13:03. > :13:04.Vince Cable said he was looking towards a possible coalition trying

:13:05. > :13:07.to stop a Conservative government. Is not the leader of the Lib Dems.

:13:08. > :13:14.He's an important voice in the Lib Dems. Who will be in it? Let's see

:13:15. > :13:17.because of the Conservative Party is not re-elected with a strong

:13:18. > :13:20.majority, what will happen? There will be a coalition stopping us

:13:21. > :13:25.doing the things we need to do. Who will be in it? It will be a

:13:26. > :13:29.coalition of the Labour Party, the SNP and the Liberal party. They have

:13:30. > :13:32.ruled it out. I think they would not rule it out if that was the

:13:33. > :13:36.situation. Like Theresa May not ruling out an election and then

:13:37. > :13:40.changing her mind? The things the Prime Minister said were very clear,

:13:41. > :13:44.once she had served Article 50 there was an opportunity, as we know

:13:45. > :13:48.today, there is going to be the start of a new government formed in

:13:49. > :13:51.France and in September we have the German elections. So it was quite

:13:52. > :13:57.right that we didn't get ourselves boxed into a timetable. That is why

:13:58. > :14:01.the Prime Minister took the view that they should be a general

:14:02. > :14:04.election to give her full strength of an electoral mandate when it

:14:05. > :14:11.comes to those negotiations. What about Mr Corbyn's plan for four new

:14:12. > :14:14.bank holidays, good idea? I'm not... If we get Corbyn in No 10 Downing St

:14:15. > :14:20.we will have a permanent bank holiday of the United Kingdom. We

:14:21. > :14:25.will have fewer bank holidays of most other major nations, most about

:14:26. > :14:29.major wealthy nations. What about at least one more? Well, look, he's

:14:30. > :14:34.talked about four bank holidays. Today would be a bank holiday and

:14:35. > :14:38.next Monday would be a bank holiday and the other week was a bank

:14:39. > :14:42.holiday too. I don't think it's very well thought out. It sounded more to

:14:43. > :14:46.me something like you get in school mock elections rather than proper

:14:47. > :14:49.elections. Your party is the self-styled party of the workers and

:14:50. > :14:53.you have no plans to give the workers even one extra bank holiday?

:14:54. > :14:58.What we want to do is ensure Britain is a strong economy and building on

:14:59. > :15:02.the jobs that we have created since 2010. We were told that by reducing

:15:03. > :15:07.public expenditure unemployment in this country would go up,

:15:08. > :15:12.unemployment has gone down and the number of jobs have gone up

:15:13. > :15:15.substantially. But no more bank holidays? Well, we will make our

:15:16. > :15:19.manifesto in due course but I don't think four bank holidays held in

:15:20. > :15:25.April, March and November are very attractive to people. When Ed

:15:26. > :15:34.Miliband as leader of the Labour Party suggested the government

:15:35. > :15:38.should control energy prices by capping them, the Conservatives

:15:39. > :15:42.described that as almost Communist and central planning. Do still take

:15:43. > :15:46.that view? You'll see what we have to say on energy prices. I didn't

:15:47. > :15:50.you about that, I asked you if you take the view... The Prime Minister

:15:51. > :15:53.made a speech at the Conservative Spring conference in which she

:15:54. > :15:56.outlined her dissatisfaction about people who are kept locked on a

:15:57. > :15:59.standard tariff and those are the issues we will address in the next

:16:00. > :16:04.few weeks when the manifesto was published.

:16:05. > :16:10.Would that be an act of communism? You will need to see what we say

:16:11. > :16:17.when we set out the policies. It could be. You could put a Communist

:16:18. > :16:21.act into your manifesto? I don't think you'll find a Communist

:16:22. > :16:25.manifesto in a Conservative manifesto which will be launched...

:16:26. > :16:29.You are planning to control prices? We will address what we think is

:16:30. > :16:33.unfairness in the energy market. Mr Jeremy Corbyn was reluctant this

:16:34. > :16:39.morning to sanction a drone strike. You heard us talking about it

:16:40. > :16:43.earlier against the leader of Islamic State if our intelligence

:16:44. > :16:47.services identified him. What would it achieve? When the Prime Minister

:16:48. > :16:52.gets certain advice in the national interests, she has to act been that.

:16:53. > :16:55.We've seen with Theresa May in her time as Home Secretary and Prime

:16:56. > :16:59.Minister, she's not afraid to take those very difficult decisions. What

:17:00. > :17:03.we say this morning from Jeremy Corbyn was a his tans, a reluctance.

:17:04. > :17:10.I don't think that serves the country well. What would it achieve

:17:11. > :17:15.if we take out the head of Islamic State he's replaced by somebody

:17:16. > :17:20.else. It brings their organisation into difficulties. It undermines

:17:21. > :17:24.their organisation. It shows we'll take every measure to undo an

:17:25. > :17:27.organisation which has organised terrorism in different parts of

:17:28. > :17:30.Europe, the UK. I think it is absolutely right the Prime Minister

:17:31. > :17:35.is prepared to take those kind of measures. Jeremy Corbyn said he

:17:36. > :17:40.wasn't prepared to take that. Because he wasn't sure what it would

:17:41. > :17:45.achieve. The Obama administration launched hundreds of drone strikes

:17:46. > :17:51.in various war zones and we in the west are still under attack on a

:17:52. > :17:57.regular basis. Mr Corbyn's basis was what would it achieve? It would

:17:58. > :18:01.achieve a safer position for the UK overall. The war on terrorists. But

:18:02. > :18:06.the Westminster attack, Paris has just been attacked again? There's

:18:07. > :18:10.been attacks which have been stopped by the intelligence services. We

:18:11. > :18:14.must do all we can to support them. The question was about drone

:18:15. > :18:19.strikes. Whether it is drone strikes or other action, we have to be

:18:20. > :18:23.prepared to act. Let's move on to Brexit. It is the major reason the

:18:24. > :18:27.Prime Minister's called the election? Not the only within but

:18:28. > :18:31.the main reason? It is one of the reasons. Now we start the two-year

:18:32. > :18:36.negotiations and then a year afterwards. Also the way in which

:18:37. > :18:39.certain people said they would try to use in the House of Lords or

:18:40. > :18:47.House of Commons to prevent us making progress. I think you'll put

:18:48. > :18:52.in your manifesto, it is the Government's policy, the Brexit

:18:53. > :18:59.negotiating position will be no more freedom of movement. Leave the

:19:00. > :19:02.single market and no longer under the jurisdiction Europe. You expect

:19:03. > :19:08.every Tory MP to fight on that manifesto. What will you do with Ken

:19:09. > :19:13.Clarke and Anna? They will have fought on their manifesto. They will

:19:14. > :19:16.understand the Prime Minister has the authority of the ballot box

:19:17. > :19:21.behind them. Will they fight the election on these positions? I'm

:19:22. > :19:26.sure they'll fight the election supporting the election of a

:19:27. > :19:29.Conservative Government and it's manifesto will quite clearly set

:19:30. > :19:34.out... You know they're against these positions. Ken Clarke has a

:19:35. > :19:38.prod tradition of expressing a certain view. Overall, the party's

:19:39. > :19:42.manifesto, it is not just individuals like Ken Clarke, it is

:19:43. > :19:47.what happens as far as the House of Lords are concerned, people said

:19:48. > :19:51.they'd use the House of Lords to prevent certain measures. You're the

:19:52. > :19:56.party chairman, will it be possible for people like Ken Clarke to fight

:19:57. > :20:01.this election under the Conservative ticket without sub describing to all

:20:02. > :20:07.-- subscribing to all of these Brexit conditions? Ken Clarke will

:20:08. > :20:11.fight as Conservative candidates. That wasn't my question. I know

:20:12. > :20:15.that. Will they be allowed to fight it on their own ticket and not

:20:16. > :20:19.subscribe to what is in your manifesto? The manifesto will be

:20:20. > :20:23.what the Conservative Party fights the General Election on. There will

:20:24. > :20:29.always be cases where people have had different views on different

:20:30. > :20:35.parts of the manifesto. That will be the guiding principles for the

:20:36. > :20:40.party. Philip Hammond says your election promises in 2015, in your

:20:41. > :20:44.manifesto not to raise taxes tied his hands when it came to managing

:20:45. > :20:49.the economy. Do you agree with him? No. The simple fact is we have to do

:20:50. > :20:53.the best things for the economy. We'll set out in our manifesto in a

:20:54. > :20:58.few weeks' time, what the policies will be for the next Parliament. Can

:20:59. > :21:04.I clarify, you don't agree with your Chancellor? What Philip was saying

:21:05. > :21:09.was some of the areas we wants to address as Chancellor, what the

:21:10. > :21:12.party will do, it will set out all the issues we're fighting on. It

:21:13. > :21:16.will set out clearly the choice we have in this country. That's the

:21:17. > :21:21.important thing. Let me put the question to you again. Philip

:21:22. > :21:25.Hammond said this week your election promise in 2015 not to raise taxes

:21:26. > :21:30.had tied his hands when it came to managing the economy. I ask you, do

:21:31. > :21:35.you agree with him? You said no. Philip expressed his view as to what

:21:36. > :21:40.he would like. What I'm saying is in a few weeks' time we'll set the

:21:41. > :21:44.manifesto which will set the policies, agreed with the the

:21:45. > :21:48.Cabinet. He's Chancellor. Doesn't he determine what the economic part of

:21:49. > :21:53.the manifesto is? We'll talk about that in due course. Will you have a

:21:54. > :21:58.lock on the taxes that you locked in 2015 on income tax, VAT, national

:21:59. > :22:05.insurance? That will be decided. You'll see that when we publish the

:22:06. > :22:09.manifesto in a few weeks' time. Will you rule out the possibility taxes

:22:10. > :22:14.may have to rise under a future Conservative Party? Conservative

:22:15. > :22:20.Government. We've taken four million people out of tax. Now, on average,

:22:21. > :22:26.people are paying ?1200 less tax than they were on the same salaries

:22:27. > :22:28.in 2010. I'm very provide of that. I can assure you, the Conservative

:22:29. > :22:32.Party will want to see taxes reduced. It is the Labour Party

:22:33. > :22:38.which will put up taxes. We have the evidence where this he did so.

:22:39. > :22:44.Council tax went up by over 100%. You haven't reduced the tax burden

:22:45. > :22:50.as a percentage of the GDP is now going to reach its highest level

:22:51. > :22:55.since the mid-180s which was when Conservatives were in power. The tax

:22:56. > :22:58.burden in this country under your Government is rising? We've more

:22:59. > :23:01.people paying taxes which is something, because we've a growing

:23:02. > :23:06.economy and more people... What about the tax band? You said you

:23:07. > :23:12.reduced the tax burden on your own Government's figures is rising? We

:23:13. > :23:16.have reduced the tax burden. The threshold at which people start

:23:17. > :23:22.paying. These are tax rates not the tax burden. It is rising. The tax

:23:23. > :23:27.rates have been reduced. You said tax burden. Perhaps I misspoke. Tax

:23:28. > :23:35.rates have been reduced. We'll leave it there. No doubt we'll speak again

:23:36. > :23:37.between now and June Is France now about to make it

:23:38. > :23:41.a hat-trick of shocks The prospect terrifies

:23:42. > :23:44.the governing elite in Paris. But they're no less scared

:23:45. > :23:47.in Brussels and Berlin, given what it could mean

:23:48. > :23:49.for the whole EU project, never mind the huge potential impact

:23:50. > :24:09.on our own Brexit negotiations. 11 candidates are contesting

:24:10. > :24:11.the first round of the presidential Only the top two will go forward

:24:12. > :24:17.to the run-off on May 7th. For the first time since General De

:24:18. > :24:22.Gaulle created the fifth Republic in 1958, it's perfectly possible that

:24:23. > :24:26.no candidate from the ruling parties of the centre-left or the

:24:27. > :24:29.centre-right will even make it The election has been dominated by

:24:30. > :24:36.the hard right in the shape of the who's never been elected

:24:37. > :24:43.to anything and only started his own party

:24:44. > :24:45.a few months ago. And the far left in the form

:24:46. > :24:48.of Jean-Luc Melenchon, a former Trotskyite who has surged

:24:49. > :24:52.in the final weeks of the campaign. The only candidate left from the

:24:53. > :24:55.traditional governing parties is the centre-right's

:24:56. > :24:58.Francois Fillon and he's been struggling to stay in

:24:59. > :25:01.the race ever since it was revealed that his Welsh wife was being paid

:25:02. > :25:07.at generous public expense for a job I've just come across

:25:08. > :25:21.this magazine cover and it kind of sums up the mood

:25:22. > :25:24.of the French people. It's got the five main candidates

:25:25. > :25:28.for President here but it calls them the biggest liar, the biggest cheat,

:25:29. > :25:31.the biggest traitor, the most paranoid, the biggest demagogue,

:25:32. > :25:33.and it says they are the winners The four leading candidates,

:25:34. > :25:44.Le Pen, Melenchon, Macron and Fillon, or in with a chance

:25:45. > :25:47.of making it to the second round. Only a couple of points separates

:25:48. > :25:49.them in the polls, Frankly, no one has a clue what's

:25:50. > :25:56.going to happen. Of the four, there is a feeling that

:25:57. > :26:01.two of them may be President But the two of them may not find

:26:02. > :26:14.themselves in the second round. Somebody said to me that the man or

:26:15. > :26:28.woman on the Paris Metro has as much a chance of knowing

:26:29. > :26:31.who will win as the greatest experts Because the more expert you are

:26:32. > :26:38.the more you may be wrong. The country has largely

:26:39. > :26:43.stagnated for over a decade. One in ten are unemployed,

:26:44. > :26:46.one in four if you are unlucky Like Britain in the '70s there is

:26:47. > :26:50.the pervasive stench There are three keywords that come

:26:51. > :26:58.to mind. Anger, anger at the elite, and in

:26:59. > :27:04.particular the political elite. And an element of

:27:05. > :27:10.nostalgia for the past. These three words were decisive

:27:11. > :27:14.in the Brexit referendum. They are decisive in

:27:15. > :27:26.the French election. Identity and security has been

:27:27. > :27:29.as important in this election France is a proud nation, it worries

:27:30. > :27:36.about its future in Europe It seems bereft of ideas about how

:27:37. > :27:41.to deal with its largely Muslim migrant population, huge chunks of

:27:42. > :27:44.which are increasingly divorced It is quite simply exhausted by

:27:45. > :27:55.the never-ending Islamist terrorist attacks, the latest only days before

:27:56. > :27:58.voting in the iconic heart of this If Fillon or Macron emerge

:27:59. > :28:09.victorious then there will be continuity of sorts, though Fillon

:28:10. > :28:13.will struggle to implement his Thatcherite agenda and Macron will

:28:14. > :28:17.not be able to count on the support of the French parliament, the

:28:18. > :28:20.National Assembly, for his reforms. But if it's Le Pen or Jean-Luc

:28:21. > :28:26.Melenchon then all bets are off. Both are hardline French

:28:27. > :28:29.nationalists, anti the euro, anti the European Union, anti-fiscal

:28:30. > :28:32.discipline, anti the market, Either in the Elysee Palace

:28:33. > :28:41.would represent an existential Brexit would simply become

:28:42. > :28:50.a sideshow, the negotiations could just peter out as Brussels

:28:51. > :28:55.and Berlin had bigger fish to fry. We're joined now from

:28:56. > :29:06.Paris by the journalist 8th Welcome to the programme.

:29:07. > :29:10.Overshadowing the voting today was yet another appalling terrorist

:29:11. > :29:17.attack in Paris on Thursday night. Do we have any indications of how

:29:18. > :29:21.that's playing into the election? That initially people thought this

:29:22. > :29:26.has been almost foiled in that the police were there as a ramp up. One

:29:27. > :29:30.policeman was killed. But the terrorist did not spray the crowd

:29:31. > :29:36.with bullets. It was seen as not having much of an effect on the

:29:37. > :29:42.election. This has changed. We now know the policeman who was killed, a

:29:43. > :29:48.young man about to the promoted, he was at the Bataclan the night of the

:29:49. > :29:54.terror attack. He was a fighter for LGBT rights. The fact he was

:29:55. > :30:01.promoted, happy within his job, he has this fresh face. Sudden, he's

:30:02. > :30:06.one of us. It took perhaps 48 hours for the French to process this. But

:30:07. > :30:12.now they're angry and this may actually change the game, at least

:30:13. > :30:19.at the margins. To whose advantage? I would say the two who might

:30:20. > :30:23.benefit from this are Marine Le Pen, she's been absolutely

:30:24. > :30:28.anti-immigration, anti-anything. And made no bones about it as she

:30:29. > :30:31.immediately made rather strange announcement in which she'd said if

:30:32. > :30:35.she'd been president none of the terror attacks which happened in

:30:36. > :30:43.France would have happened. Francois Fillon has written a book two years

:30:44. > :30:47.ago called Combating Islamic Terrorism he's has an organised plan

:30:48. > :30:51.in his manifesto. Unlike Emmanuel Macron who stumbled when he was

:30:52. > :30:56.asked the evening this happened what he thought, he said, I can't dream

:30:57. > :31:00.up an anti-terror programme overnight. The question, of course,

:31:01. > :31:03.that arrows was this is not the sort of thing that's just happened

:31:04. > :31:09.overnight. It's been unfortunately the fate of France for many years.

:31:10. > :31:14.Let me ask you this finally, what ever the outcome on May 7th in the

:31:15. > :31:20.second round, who ever wins, would it be fair to say French politics

:31:21. > :31:23.will never be the same again? Yes. Absolutely it's a very strange

:31:24. > :31:28.thing. People have no become really excited about this. You cannot go

:31:29. > :31:32.anywhere without people discussing heatedly this election. The anger

:31:33. > :31:39.that was described is very accurate. Very true. There was this feeling as

:31:40. > :31:43.for the Brexit voters and the Trump voters, vast parts of the people

:31:44. > :31:49.were being talked down to by people who despised them. This has to

:31:50. > :31:55.change. If it doesn't change, we cannot predict what the future will

:31:56. > :32:00.be. We'll know the results or at least the ex-the Poll London time

:32:01. > :32:01.tonight at 8.00pm. Thank for joining us from the glorious heart of your

:32:02. > :32:05.city. Now, the Green Party currently has

:32:06. > :32:08.one MP and they'll be contesting many more seats in June

:32:09. > :32:11.as well as hoping to increase their presence on councils in

:32:12. > :32:14.the local elections on 4th May. Launching their campaign

:32:15. > :32:15.on Thursday, co-leader Caroline Lucas made

:32:16. > :32:17.a pitch to younger voters. When it comes to young

:32:18. > :32:19.people they've been But one crucial way they've been

:32:20. > :32:24.betrayed is by what this generation and this government and the previous

:32:25. > :32:28.ones have been doing when it comes We know we had the hottest year

:32:29. > :32:32.on record last year, you know, you almost think what else does

:32:33. > :32:35.the environment need to be doing All the signs are there

:32:36. > :32:39.and it is young people who are going to be bearing

:32:40. > :32:41.the brunt of a wrecked environment and that's why it's so important

:32:42. > :32:45.that when we come to making that pitch to, yes, the country at large

:32:46. > :32:48.but to young people in particular, I think climate change,

:32:49. > :32:49.the environment, looking after our precious resources,

:32:50. > :32:54.has to be up there. And I'm joined now by the Green

:32:55. > :33:09.MEP, Molly Scott Cato. Welcome back to the programme.

:33:10. > :33:12.Promised to scrap university tuition fees, increase NHS funding, rollback

:33:13. > :33:16.cuts to local councils spending, how much would that cost and how would

:33:17. > :33:19.you pay for it? Like the other parties we haven't got a costed

:33:20. > :33:22.manifesto yet, it's only a few days since the election was announced so

:33:23. > :33:26.I will come back and explain the figures. You don't know? Like every

:33:27. > :33:32.party we have not produced accosted manifesto yet, we produced one last

:33:33. > :33:35.time but public spending figures have changed so we're not in a

:33:36. > :33:40.position to do that but we will be in a week or so. What taxes would

:33:41. > :33:44.you like to consider raising? We would consider having higher taxes

:33:45. > :33:49.for the better off in society. I think we need to increase the amount

:33:50. > :33:52.of tax wealthier people pay. How do you define better off? I'm not

:33:53. > :33:59.entirely clear what the precise number would be but I think 100,000

:34:00. > :34:02.people would pay a bit more, 150,000 quite considerably more but the real

:34:03. > :34:05.focus needs to be on companies avoiding paying taxes. I work on

:34:06. > :34:09.that a lot in my role in the European Parliament, we see an

:34:10. > :34:12.enormous amount of tax avoidance by companies moving profits from

:34:13. > :34:15.country to country and we need European corporation to make that

:34:16. > :34:21.successful. It has not made much difference yet. We have made lots of

:34:22. > :34:25.changes. Google turned over $1 billion and only paid 25 million in

:34:26. > :34:29.taxes last year. There was a significant fine introduced by the

:34:30. > :34:33.competition commission on Apple and in the case of Google we must change

:34:34. > :34:39.the laws so that people cannot move profits from country to country.

:34:40. > :34:42.Everybody wants to do it. But you couldn't face a big spending

:34:43. > :34:46.programme on the ability to do that. You'd have to increase other taxes.

:34:47. > :34:49.If you look at the cost of free student tuition, tuition fees and

:34:50. > :34:53.also maintenance grants to students, that would come in at about 10

:34:54. > :34:56.billion a year. One way of paying for that would be to remove the

:34:57. > :35:00.upper threshold on National Insurance, bringing in 20 billion a

:35:01. > :35:04.year, that's the order of magnitude we are talking about. It is not

:35:05. > :35:08.vast, and some of the proposals we have... That would be an increase on

:35:09. > :35:15.the better of tax? National Insurance on people earning...

:35:16. > :35:19.People earning above 42,000. You would have another 10% tax above

:35:20. > :35:25.42,000? I can't remember exactly how much the National Insurance rate

:35:26. > :35:29.changes by. But in government figures it would be 28 billion

:35:30. > :35:33.raised. I think it is up to 45, a bit more you pay a marginal rate of

:35:34. > :35:37.40%, you would have them pay a marginal rate of over 50%? We would

:35:38. > :35:42.put the National Insurance rate on higher incomes the same as it is on

:35:43. > :35:45.lower incomes. If you are a school head of an English department on 50,

:35:46. > :35:51.60,000 a year you would face a marginal rate under U of over 50%?

:35:52. > :35:56.It is not useful to do this as a mental maths exercise but if you

:35:57. > :36:00.look at other proposals would could have a landlord licensing system,

:36:01. > :36:03.longer term leases on properties, so young people particularly, but also

:36:04. > :36:06.older people who rent, could have more security which needn't cost

:36:07. > :36:11.anything. We could insist on landlords paying for that. The

:36:12. > :36:15.mental arithmetic seems clear but we will come back to that. How is the

:36:16. > :36:19.Progressive Alliance coming? It is going well, I have heard of a lot of

:36:20. > :36:24.interest at local level. Winterset this in contest, context, lots of

:36:25. > :36:29.progressives are concerned about the crisis in public services, prisons,

:36:30. > :36:32.social care system, and also about the Tories' hard extreme Brexit they

:36:33. > :36:37.are threatening. You want the left to come together? Theresa May has

:36:38. > :36:40.given us opportunity, she has taken a risk because she has problems with

:36:41. > :36:44.backbenchers, she doesn't think she can get through Brexit with a small

:36:45. > :36:47.majority so there is an opportunity and we are saying progressives must

:36:48. > :36:50.come together to corporate, Conservatives are effective at using

:36:51. > :36:55.the first-past-the-post system and we have to become effective as well.

:36:56. > :36:58.Do you accept this Progressive Alliance cannot become the

:36:59. > :37:02.government and Mr Corbyn is the Prime Minister? How could it happen

:37:03. > :37:06.otherwise? I think that is a secondary question. For me the

:37:07. > :37:09.primary question is who do people choose to vote for? Aluminium

:37:10. > :37:13.government afterwards comes after the election. In most countries that

:37:14. > :37:16.is the case. I understand that but we have the system we have and you

:37:17. > :37:20.accept this Progressive Alliance cannot be in power and thus mystical

:37:21. > :37:23.Burmese Prime Minister? Personally I think Mr Corbyn is less of a threat

:37:24. > :37:26.to the country than Theresa May, she has shown herself to be an

:37:27. > :37:33.authoritarian leader and she has said she doesn't want to have

:37:34. > :37:35.dissidents, which I would say is reasonable opposition, and what we

:37:36. > :37:38.are suggesting at the moment is there is a way of avoiding that very

:37:39. > :37:40.hard Brexit and damage to public services. You'd be happy to pay the

:37:41. > :37:45.price of having Mr Corbyn as Prime Minister? I do not see that as a

:37:46. > :37:49.price. People have the choice of Jeremy Corbyn or Theresa May as

:37:50. > :37:53.Prime Minister, that's the system that works. You would prefer Mr

:37:54. > :37:56.Corbyn? I would but votes are translated into seats and the

:37:57. > :37:58.Progressive Alliance is a step towards that.

:37:59. > :38:00.It's just gone 3:50pm, you're watching the Sunday Politics.

:38:01. > :38:02.We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland, Wales

:38:03. > :38:04.and Northern Ireland who leave us now.

:38:05. > :39:48.Coming up here in 20 minutes, the Week Ahead.

:39:49. > :39:52.You're watching the Sunday Politics for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

:39:53. > :39:55.Will Brexit trump traditional party loyalties in the general election?

:39:56. > :39:58.is the issue that continues to divide opinion.

:39:59. > :40:01.will we have enough labour to harvest crops?

:40:02. > :40:07.We can't get to the doctors, the hospitals, schools.

:40:08. > :40:11.Whatever you make of the past five days, history has been made.

:40:12. > :40:14.The question now is: just how much will Brexit influence voting

:40:15. > :40:17.in parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where the leave

:40:18. > :40:19.vote in last year's referendum was so strong?

:40:20. > :40:20.Most parts of our region were solidly Brexit.

:40:21. > :40:23.Boston in Lincolnshire had the UK's highest vote in favour of Brexit

:40:24. > :40:27.Conservative Matt Warman is the sitting MP there.

:40:28. > :40:29.In Wakefield, 66% voted for Brexit in the referendum,

:40:30. > :40:32.something which could present a problem for Labour's Mary Creagh

:40:33. > :40:35.And could opportunity be knocking on the door

:40:36. > :40:37.for the Lib Dems in Harrogate, where 51% voted remain?

:40:38. > :40:39.Just what could that mean for Conservative MP Andrew Jones?

:40:40. > :40:42.Well, we've been in Lincoln with a panel of politicians to weigh

:40:43. > :40:46.But first, there has been bumper harvests of winter crops

:40:47. > :40:48.in Lincolnshire gathered in by an army of East Europeans

:40:49. > :40:51.But what does the future hold for them?

:40:52. > :40:55.British labourers and their EU counterparts

:40:56. > :40:59.This area and this industry lean heavily on migrant labour from

:41:00. > :41:03.And one local employer is hoping that the tap won't be turned

:41:04. > :41:07.With a snap election like this, what we need to be doing, and the

:41:08. > :41:10.government needs to help us on, is making the migrant labour welcome,

:41:11. > :41:13.to stay that we have here, and encourage labour going forward.

:41:14. > :41:14.So this company, like others, is already

:41:15. > :41:15.planting new shoots in the

:41:16. > :41:18.area of automation, should the supply of labour be weakened.

:41:19. > :41:20.Machines don't tend to have as many sick days and holidays.

:41:21. > :41:23.We have invested in automation, with this automatic planter,

:41:24. > :41:24.because of rising labour costs and long-term concerns

:41:25. > :41:27.about where our labour force is going to come from.

:41:28. > :41:29.Lincolnshire produces a quarter of the country's vegetables.

:41:30. > :41:32.Before the EU enlarged in 2004, EU migrants made up a tiny fraction

:41:33. > :41:35.Today, they are estimated to number 15,000 -

:41:36. > :41:39.Now, it could be said that the seeds of Brexit were sown

:41:40. > :41:41.here in Lincolnshire, and last year Boston recorded

:41:42. > :41:43.the highest Leave vote in the EU referendum.

:41:44. > :41:46.Well, by mid-June, we will have a whole new political

:41:47. > :41:49.landscape in an election which many will see as a verdict on Theresa

:41:50. > :41:51.That makes Boston a key battleground.

:41:52. > :41:53.Everyone around here has just had enough.

:41:54. > :42:19.You can't get to the doctors, the hospitals, schools,

:42:20. > :42:23.So really something needs to be taken in hand with regard

:42:24. > :42:26.Here in Boston, town and country have often been

:42:27. > :42:30.Will a post-election government be able to secure a Brexit that reaps

:42:31. > :42:32.the rewards of the EU labour supply without sowing more

:42:33. > :42:36.Well, to answer that question and more besides, no doubt,

:42:37. > :42:38.I have come to Lincoln where I'm joined by Conservative's

:42:39. > :42:39.Dr Caroline Johnson, Labour's Melanie Onn

:42:40. > :42:44.Caroline Johnson, how seriously is Theresa May taking this claim

:42:45. > :42:46.that there could be a shortage of agricultural

:42:47. > :42:48.Well, as a farmer's wife, Tim, I understand

:42:49. > :42:52.The important thing with Brexit is we will have control

:42:53. > :42:55.of our borders and we will be able to say who comes

:42:56. > :42:58.And that will be something that is under our control,

:42:59. > :43:02.Melanie Onn, it sounds like we're hearing the same arguments we did

:43:03. > :43:04.during the EU referendum campaign last year.

:43:05. > :43:06.People then said the British economy couldn't survive

:43:07. > :43:09.The British public rejected that argument then and they will reject

:43:10. > :43:12.The reality is that, in the agricultural sector,

:43:13. > :43:15.we're looking at a shortage of around 90,000 horticultural

:43:16. > :43:19.And that is a really serious issue that has to be addressed.

:43:20. > :43:21.But of course when people voted in the European referendum,

:43:22. > :43:24.one of the issues was about labour and it was about freedom

:43:25. > :43:27.of movement, and so people will be looking to see exactly

:43:28. > :43:29.what the Prime Minister will do and the commitments she has made

:43:30. > :43:32.to the agricultural sector frankly don't mean a bean until we have

:43:33. > :43:36.Victoria, what you think you hear farmers in this part of the world,

:43:37. > :43:39.in Lincolnshire, saying they cannot cope without migrant labour?

:43:40. > :43:41.I believe they could, when things get back to normal.

:43:42. > :43:46.What concerns me is that Theresa May has talked about keeping freedom

:43:47. > :43:48.of movement even after Brexit and I think this is an excuse

:43:49. > :43:54.We can go back to the seasonal workers scheme which worked

:43:55. > :43:56.for generations, where people could come from anywhere

:43:57. > :43:57.around the Commonwealth, strictly controlled,

:43:58. > :44:01.they came here and did their job for the season and went back again.

:44:02. > :44:03.Also, a guest workers scheme, for the NHS, for example -

:44:04. > :44:05.there is no need to have our uncontrolled borders

:44:06. > :44:09.And I'm sorry, the Prime Minister is backsliding -

:44:10. > :44:11.one of the biggest issues in the referendum was immigration.

:44:12. > :44:14.We're going to have uncontrolled immigration before Brexit and after,

:44:15. > :44:19.Caroline Johnson, you have to remember, Theresa May

:44:20. > :44:21.was Home Secretary for most of the last Parliament,

:44:22. > :44:25.So she hasn't really got a good record on this, has she?

:44:26. > :44:27.Net migration has gone up to record levels.

:44:28. > :44:37.Well, actually, net migration is falling, and fell in the year

:44:38. > :44:38.to September by 49,000, so we are getting

:44:39. > :44:42.We haven't been able to control immigration from Europe

:44:43. > :44:44.because of the European Union rules and that will change after Brexit.

:44:45. > :44:47.We will now be in control of our immigration.

:44:48. > :44:50.Theresa May has made it very clear she will have control of our borders

:44:51. > :45:00.Melanie Onn, Theresa May wants this election campaign

:45:01. > :45:05.Is Brexit going to be the dominant issue?

:45:06. > :45:07.I think that she would love for this to be entirely

:45:08. > :45:10.about leaving the European Union, that is the battle ground

:45:11. > :45:14.But I think the domestic issues really need to be prominent

:45:15. > :45:16.because that is what is affecting people day in, day out,

:45:17. > :45:19.in my area, Great Grimsby - we have a hospital trust that twice

:45:20. > :45:21.under the Tories has gone into special measures.

:45:22. > :45:25.We have violent crime on the up and we know that people are ?3000

:45:26. > :45:27.on average a year worse off under the Conservative government

:45:28. > :45:49.So those are the things I'm going to be talking

:45:50. > :45:52.about in my constituency of Great Grimsby and urging people

:45:53. > :45:55.to make sure they do vote Labour again and it is not just

:45:56. > :45:57.about voting in those seats that already have Labour

:45:58. > :45:59.candidates and Labour MPs, but those that have the chance

:46:00. > :46:09.to change the way the country is going at the moment.

:46:10. > :46:12.Do you accept that, Victoria Ayling, that there are for many people

:46:13. > :46:17.far bigger issues out there other than Brexit?

:46:18. > :46:20.No, I believe Brexit is so tied up in everyday life now and immigration

:46:21. > :46:22.control is one of the biggest issues and the backsliding

:46:23. > :46:25.by the government has hacked off a lot of people around

:46:26. > :46:28.Theresa May does barnstorming speeches about controlling

:46:29. > :46:32.She has not talked about keeping a 200-mile limit.

:46:33. > :46:34.She has not talked about our fisherman's rights.

:46:35. > :46:36.She's still talking quotas, even after Brexit.

:46:37. > :46:38.Of course, we will hear from all the main parties

:46:39. > :46:42.in the run-up to polling day on the 8th of June, but today

:46:43. > :46:45.we are going to focus on Ukip because this is an area where Ukip

:46:46. > :46:47.has targeted in recent years with some success,

:46:48. > :46:49.although it is worth noting that voters in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

:46:50. > :46:52.still have not sent a Ukip MP to Westminster.

:46:53. > :46:54.And in recent months, the party has often hit

:46:55. > :46:56.the headlines for all the wrong reasons, as Charlotte Rose reports.

:46:57. > :47:00.Three years ago, Ukip was riding a wave, winning five MEPs

:47:01. > :47:02.across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and a raft of local councillors

:47:03. > :47:30.MEP Amjad Bashir defected to the Conservatives in January 2015.

:47:31. > :47:33.Last year, Mike Hookem and North West MEP Steven Woolfe had

:47:34. > :47:36.The police investigated and Steven Woolfe left the party.

:47:37. > :47:41.At the same time, James Collins MEP was taken to court over defamatory

:47:42. > :47:43.comments she made about three Labour MEPs.

:47:44. > :47:45.She now faces costs and damages of nearly ?300,000.

:47:46. > :47:47.This year has brought no better luck.

:47:48. > :47:53.Leader Paul Nuttall failed to get a seat at the Stoke-on-Trent

:47:54. > :47:56.A month later, their only MP, Douglas Carswell, quit.

:47:57. > :47:59.To top it off, Theresa May has stolen the party's thunder on Brexit

:48:00. > :48:05.Leader Paul Nuttal insists there is a good reason to vote

:48:06. > :48:09.If people elect a Ukip councillor, they are electing someone who really

:48:10. > :48:13.They will stand up for the wishes of their residents.

:48:14. > :48:16.Now, of course, there is a general election to think about as well.

:48:17. > :48:19.Could June's vote finally see the party get an MP in the region?

:48:20. > :48:22.In Great Grimsby, Ukip came third in 2015, but fewer than 500 votes

:48:23. > :48:23.behind the second-place Conservatives.

:48:24. > :48:26.Mike Hookem wants to stand there and says he is in

:48:27. > :48:36.We are the only party that has said for the last 23 years we want to be

:48:37. > :48:40.We are fighting for that and we are going to carry

:48:41. > :48:43.And you need to put somebody into Westminster that will carry

:48:44. > :48:46.on that fight and make sure that the Brexit that happens,

:48:47. > :48:49.the negotiations that come to pass, are exactly what the people voted

:48:50. > :48:53.The question is, will two elections in five weeks help or hinder Ukip?

:48:54. > :48:55.In terms of whether voter apathy will affect Ukip supporters,

:48:56. > :48:58.Ukip have lost its two main assets, which is its clear message

:48:59. > :49:00.of being the only party supporting the leave from Europe,

:49:01. > :49:02.and its charismatic leader Nigel Farage.

:49:03. > :49:05.So in terms of how Ukip's share of the vote will change,

:49:06. > :49:09.perhaps there is less for Ukip voters to go out and vote for now.

:49:10. > :49:13.The other parties would like to write Ukip off as a spent force,

:49:14. > :49:17.In last December's by-election in Sleaford and North Hykeham,

:49:18. > :49:24.Many claim they are now a busted flush, as Theresa May has

:49:25. > :49:29.But could they be carried back into Parliament on the back

:49:30. > :49:36.The next seven weeks will show if Ukip have got staying power

:49:37. > :49:39.or if they have reached the end of the road.

:49:40. > :49:41.OK, well, let's start with Victoria Ayling.

:49:42. > :49:45.Do you accept that, if Ukip fails to win an MP in our part

:49:46. > :49:48.of the world in the forthcoming election, you might as well just

:49:49. > :49:54.I mean, we've got many local councillors, we've got MEPs

:49:55. > :49:56.and we've still got massive support and members are rejoining,

:49:57. > :50:00.especially with the backsliding on immigration by this government.

:50:01. > :50:02.But you're only MP, Douglas Carswell, has given up

:50:03. > :50:04.the ghost, you've got senior figures deserting the party.

:50:05. > :50:07.Surely you accept that perhaps the time for Ukip

:50:08. > :50:24.I think it's well documented that Douglas Carswell was actually a Tory

:50:25. > :50:28.plant and the senior people leaving the party were in league with him.

:50:29. > :50:30.They have now gone, so we can move onwards and upwards

:50:31. > :50:33.to actually win seats, maybe this time, maybe next time.

:50:34. > :50:36.We are a new party, we've made great gains despite that

:50:37. > :50:39.and we have a huge amount of loyal support, especially in this area.

:50:40. > :50:42.Melanie Onn, how worried are you that Ukip, as has

:50:43. > :50:43.happened in the past, could take Labour

:50:44. > :50:47.I think Ukip has served their purpose now, to be honest,

:50:48. > :50:49.they were here to push forward an anti-European agenda,

:50:50. > :50:52.they have done that, we are in the process of it,

:50:53. > :50:54.and I don't really see the point of them any more.

:50:55. > :50:56.Certainly Douglas Carswell doesn't and the idea

:50:57. > :50:59.that he is a Tory plant, let's not forget that Victoria was

:51:00. > :51:04.I left the party before joining a party.

:51:05. > :51:09.Douglas Carswell never left the Conservatives.

:51:10. > :51:12.May I point out that the backsliding by the government has made us more

:51:13. > :51:14.relevant than ever to make sure true Brexit happens?

:51:15. > :51:23.And some of their biggest backers now are deciding

:51:24. > :51:24.to stand against formerly Ukip representatives.

:51:25. > :51:30.They're either going independent or are going back to the Tories

:51:31. > :51:35.And do you accept, Caroline Johnson, that Ukip still has a big

:51:36. > :51:37.following in this part of the world, especially from people

:51:38. > :51:40.who voted for Brexit in record numbers last year?

:51:41. > :51:46.The Prime Minister has made that clear and we are now

:51:47. > :51:50.The key thing with this general election is that a vote

:51:51. > :51:52.for the Conservatives gives Theresa May a stronger hand

:51:53. > :51:56.with which to negotiate our best deal as we leave the European Union.

:51:57. > :51:59.And I agree with Melanie that Ukip was there to serve the purpose

:52:00. > :52:01.of trying to push for leaving the European Union.

:52:02. > :52:03.We are now leaving the European Union and therefore,

:52:04. > :52:08.in my view, there is no reason now to vote for them.

:52:09. > :52:11.I'm afraid the government is not going to be truly leaving

:52:12. > :52:14.the European Union and it's up to Ukip to make sure this happens.

:52:15. > :52:19.We've got backsliding on keeping freedom of

:52:20. > :52:23.We are keeping the European arrest warrant.

:52:24. > :52:25.There has been no indication that we are going to take our

:52:26. > :52:29.It is all talk, and talking about quotas post-Brexit.

:52:30. > :52:32.Theresa May comes up with all the speeches,

:52:33. > :52:36.but the reality is we will stay in the single market if we're not

:52:37. > :52:37.careful, and Ukip has never been more relevant.

:52:38. > :52:40.And when people see what is happening, and some

:52:41. > :52:42.are already doing so, you will find we will be

:52:43. > :52:48.Melanie Onn, do you expect to see Jeremy Corbyn on the steps

:52:49. > :52:55.of Number Ten Downing Street on the morning of 9th of June?

:52:56. > :52:57.There is absolutely no doubt that this is going to be

:52:58. > :53:13.However, you don't go into an election admitting any kind

:53:14. > :53:16.So everybody is going to be out there.

:53:17. > :53:18.In the last election, people like you would have

:53:19. > :53:21.In the last election, you were fighting for Ed Miliband

:53:22. > :53:25.Do you accept Jeremy Corbyn as the next Prime Minister?

:53:26. > :53:28.I think we stand as good a chance as we have ever stood,

:53:29. > :53:30.to be perfectly honest, to win this election and make sure

:53:31. > :53:33.we turn this country around because this is the opportunity

:53:34. > :53:36.to make sure that some of the most severe cuts that are affecting some

:53:37. > :53:39.of the most vulnerable people in our communities are changed

:53:40. > :53:43.And we know Jeremy Corbyn is a man of great principle,

:53:44. > :53:45.something that cannot be said of Theresa May.

:53:46. > :53:47.She promised we would not have a general election and just

:53:48. > :53:49.12 months down the line, here we are facing

:53:50. > :53:54.Hard-working families have been neglected by the main parties.

:53:55. > :53:57.They are dominated by trade unions who are funding one, and big

:53:58. > :54:03.But unions represent working people, Victoria.

:54:04. > :54:05.These are individuals who join a trade union

:54:06. > :54:08.Something that Ukip and frankly the Tories really don't

:54:09. > :54:13.And when it comes to talking about Brexit, it is people like me

:54:14. > :54:16.who are in parliament who, for the last two years, have been

:54:17. > :54:18.doing everything that they possibly can to serve their constituents,

:54:19. > :54:20.and when it comes to the European Union and leaving

:54:21. > :54:23.the European Union, making sure that things like workers' rights,

:54:24. > :54:26.which you would scrap in the name of an entirely free market

:54:27. > :54:28.and flexibility for employers, to make sure those key core

:54:29. > :54:30.protections for people in those working lives are removed.

:54:31. > :54:32.Well, let me ask you, Caroline Johnson, because Jeremy

:54:33. > :54:36.Corbyn may well ending up speaking to a large chunk of the population

:54:37. > :54:40.People who perhaps have not voted for many years,

:54:41. > :54:43.who may have voted last year in the EU referendum,

:54:44. > :54:44.but may not have voted in a general election.

:54:45. > :54:55.There could just be a surprise in this election, couldn't there?

:54:56. > :54:57.Well, I mean, I will be out there with my colleagues

:54:58. > :54:59.fighting for every vote for the Conservatives.

:55:00. > :55:02.A vote for the Conservatives is to strengthen Theresa May's hand

:55:03. > :55:06.It is a very important time for our country and what we need

:55:07. > :55:09.at this time is a strong leader and I don't think Jeremy Corbyn

:55:10. > :55:12.is a strong leader and I think that's been demonstrated in the way

:55:13. > :55:16.Which is why Theresa May has called the election.

:55:17. > :55:18.Some would say it is a cynical attempt to kill

:55:19. > :55:23.I think she has been very clear she has come to this

:55:24. > :55:24.decision on reflection and that she

:55:25. > :55:28.wants to hold this election so she can show that she has a good

:55:29. > :55:30.mandate for a position of strength as she goes

:55:31. > :55:37.It has been a week of comings and goings, with a number of MPs

:55:38. > :55:40.announcing they will be stepping down and others saying

:55:41. > :55:52.Sean Stowell has our summary in 60 seconds.

:55:53. > :55:56.He is the former postman who stamped his authority

:55:57. > :55:58.on some of the biggest jobs in politics.

:55:59. > :56:05.But Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson was amongst the first

:56:06. > :56:07.of batch of high profile MPs to announce their departure

:56:08. > :56:12.It's been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to represent

:56:13. > :56:18.Also announcing his exit from Westminster, Barnsley MP

:56:19. > :56:22.and vocal Corbyn critic Michael Dugher.

:56:23. > :56:24.He says he wants to make a difference in life

:56:25. > :56:28.But continuing to strive for change are South Yorkshire's former party

:56:29. > :56:33.One should never be flippant, I think, about putting

:56:34. > :56:39.The former Shadow Chancellor and Strictly star Ed Balls ruled out

:56:40. > :56:41.an attempt at returning to being MP for Morley.

:56:42. > :56:43.Meanwhile, Grantham and Stamford Conservative MP

:56:44. > :56:46.Nick Bowles has said his cancer is in remission and he will be

:56:47. > :57:10.The time in politics, isn't it? I am joined by Victoria honeymoon, a

:57:11. > :57:15.lecturer in politics at the of Leeds -- a week is a long time in

:57:16. > :57:23.politics. Were you surprised about there being a snap election? Yes,

:57:24. > :57:29.pundits, academics and even politicians were also surprised.

:57:30. > :57:39.What impact more our part of the world play in deciding the outcome

:57:40. > :57:43.of the election? They like to see what is going on in this region.

:57:44. > :57:48.There are some close marginal seats that often give a taste of what is

:57:49. > :57:52.going on nationally. This time around, there might be slightly less

:57:53. > :57:58.consideration of this region because the Conservatives seem so dominant

:57:59. > :58:03.nationally. A lot of the current Conservative seats will more than

:58:04. > :58:15.likely stay that way. Places like Halifax might be interesting, or

:58:16. > :58:19.Lincoln Central. I think it will be some key marginals that will be

:58:20. > :58:26.particular interest, rather than general scope across the region.

:58:27. > :58:31.What impact will the Brexit effect have? Will the referendum have

:58:32. > :58:37.changed traditional party loyalties? It depends how important the

:58:38. > :58:42.electorate think Brexit is. Does it trumps the economy and the NHS? Is

:58:43. > :58:47.it more important than who they habitually vote for? For example

:58:48. > :58:51.tribal voting. If they do, Brexit becomes the main consideration in

:58:52. > :58:57.the views on Europe of the candidates become important. If they

:58:58. > :59:03.go back to traditional ideas about voting, it might be that Brexit

:59:04. > :59:06.becomes a secondary issue. At the moment, the Conservatives and the

:59:07. > :59:13.Lib Dems are focusing on Brexit as the main issue. Labour are trying to

:59:14. > :59:17.shift the focus. Are there any crumbs of comfort for Jeremy

:59:18. > :59:21.Corbyn?? Anything can happen. If you spoke to me this time last week, I

:59:22. > :59:26.wouldn't have thought we were having a general election. Some of the

:59:27. > :59:30.opinion polls in recent history have been wrong. Very wrong. But actually

:59:31. > :59:36.they have been dealing with issues were the difference between one side

:59:37. > :59:42.and the other have been very narrow. Brexit and Trump against Clinton,

:59:43. > :59:46.and also the 2015 general election. This time, we are seeing enormous

:59:47. > :59:52.differences between the Conservatives and Labour. I think we

:59:53. > :59:55.can see the overall view of these polls is likely to be correct and it

:59:56. > :00:04.looks like the Conservatives will be dominant. Can things like the policy

:00:05. > :00:09.for extra bank holidays make any difference? Some people are

:00:10. > :00:15.impressed by that. Britain has very few bank holidays compared to other

:00:16. > :00:20.European countries. I think a lot of people will focus on the bigger

:00:21. > :00:25.issues, Brexit, the NHS and the economy. There is an argument that

:00:26. > :00:31.these ten of policies are almost a secondary issue. Have we seen the

:00:32. > :00:34.end of fixed term Possibly. The idea was you would have five years and

:00:35. > :00:39.that would be the set amount of time you would have a parliament for. But

:00:40. > :00:44.we are seeing this can be overturned, so it may well be that

:00:45. > :00:48.we begin to see this more and more and it effectively becomes more and

:00:49. > :01:00.more. What will the result be on the 8th of June? I expect there to be a

:01:01. > :01:06.Conservative Government. I think Labour might have a bad night. I am

:01:07. > :01:08.not sure the Liberal Democrats will do as well as people are expecting.

:01:09. > :01:10.Thank you. on issues like the NHS. Run out of

:01:11. > :01:17.time. Andrew, back to you. Now, Ukip have made their first

:01:18. > :01:23.significant policy announcement of the election campaign today

:01:24. > :01:29.with a call for a ban on wearing But is it a policy that will meet

:01:30. > :01:35.with the approval of the man who bankrolled the party's last

:01:36. > :01:43.general election campaign? Hello, Andrew. Let me see if I can

:01:44. > :01:47.clarify some things, are you a member of Ukip? I a patron of Ukip

:01:48. > :01:53.so I don't stop being a member. So you are still a member? I am,

:01:54. > :01:59.apparently for life. Are you still hoping to bankroll Ukip? Not at the

:02:00. > :02:03.moment. Why is that? The internal problems we have had in Ukip have

:02:04. > :02:08.been aired, and a lot needs to happen in the party in terms of

:02:09. > :02:12.professionalising it and I think it is ill-prepared for this general

:02:13. > :02:21.election. Are you going to run in Clacton? I will be if selected. For

:02:22. > :02:26.Ukip? Yes. Have you been to Clacton? I've been with Nigel Mansell on the

:02:27. > :02:29.campaign. You will run for a constituency you've only been in

:02:30. > :02:34.once? Yes, why does that surprise you? You know nothing about it. I've

:02:35. > :02:39.just recently decided to become the candidate there. Did you know where

:02:40. > :02:43.it is? Of course I do, your piece the other night was completely

:02:44. > :02:47.wrong. I said I knew where it was but I didn't know much about it.

:02:48. > :02:57.Maybe the people of Clacton will regard you as a carpetbagger? Why?

:02:58. > :03:00.Because you have never been there. Most politicians are carpetbaggers

:03:01. > :03:05.and I will be there for the right reasons. I thought it was because of

:03:06. > :03:10.your visceral hatred of Douglas Carswell. He only lasted 24 hours

:03:11. > :03:13.after I announced my candidacy so we will see what happens. The main

:03:14. > :03:16.thing I am going to Clacton on Monday to meet the Ukip councillors,

:03:17. > :03:20.see what the issues are and see if they want me as a candidate. They

:03:21. > :03:27.may not want me. Who do you think you will be up against? The

:03:28. > :03:32.potential Conservative candidate. Who in Ukip? I don't suppose anyone

:03:33. > :03:39.in Ukip will stand against me, I wouldn't have thought. Really? I

:03:40. > :03:44.would have thought. Money talks! Why do you say that? You talked about

:03:45. > :03:47.having a pirate radio station to blast into Clacton so it is not

:03:48. > :03:51.covered by the election rules. You've been talking about financing

:03:52. > :03:57.a sort of right-wing Momentum movement. I just wonder, has

:03:58. > :04:00.politics now just become a Richmond's hobby? From my

:04:01. > :04:04.perspective the reason I'm interested in it is if you have

:04:05. > :04:06.looked at what has happened in the country, it's clear the

:04:07. > :04:15.Conservatives will have a massive majority. -- has politics become a

:04:16. > :04:20.rich man's hobby. Only putting up candidates not against Brexit MPs.

:04:21. > :04:23.Is Ukip over? I don't think so. The electoral maths is interesting

:04:24. > :04:34.because first-past-the-post effectively could help Ukip in this

:04:35. > :04:38.example. Ukip got one MP with 4 million votes. What we are seeing is

:04:39. > :04:41.the total collapse of Labour. In that situation there are certain

:04:42. > :04:44.seats up north in Hartlepool and other seats like that, the total

:04:45. > :04:50.collapse of the Labour Party could help Ukip to win a few seats. Is

:04:51. > :04:53.Ukip over? It looks that way, yes. They haven't made much of a dent in

:04:54. > :04:56.Labour's vote in the north, they don't really have a defining issue

:04:57. > :05:02.anymore and all the polls we have seen published since the election

:05:03. > :05:06.was called show Ukip vote is going to the Conservatives. Is Ukip over?

:05:07. > :05:10.It always happens when the Conservative Party goes far to the

:05:11. > :05:15.right, really hard Brexit, there is no space for BMP, Ukip and all of

:05:16. > :05:20.that. Are you associating the BNP with Ukip? Or that, movements to the

:05:21. > :05:26.right of the Conservatives get eaten up one the Conservatives move as far

:05:27. > :05:30.right as Theresa May has done. I think what your enterprise shows is

:05:31. > :05:33.how it's really time to reform funding of political parties. It is

:05:34. > :05:38.disgraceful that very rich people can move in and bankroll the Brexit

:05:39. > :05:46.campaigned to the extent that they did. We need proper state funding of

:05:47. > :05:54.parties. The union is bankrolling Labour. I assume the reform would

:05:55. > :05:56.include trade unions? Indeed. Ukip has lost its talisman in Nigel

:05:57. > :06:01.Farage, it was a one-man party, I have to say, people like Tim. Having

:06:02. > :06:05.voted for Brexit its reason to be has gone. It will still take votes

:06:06. > :06:10.from Labour and the Conservatives but probably only from the don't

:06:11. > :06:14.knows. There are seats in certain places where if enough Tories back

:06:15. > :06:19.Ukip dated when. Hartlepool is an example. Were the Tories will never

:06:20. > :06:23.win. The demise of Ukip has been forecasted many times before but I

:06:24. > :06:26.don't see a Tory candidate winning in a place like Hartlepool. So we

:06:27. > :06:31.could see, and I think we will see, the total collapse of the Labour

:06:32. > :06:34.vote. We shall see. The leader of the party of which you say you are

:06:35. > :06:40.still a patron, Paul Nuttall, said he would ban the Burcea and the

:06:41. > :06:48.niqab in public, what is your view? -- the niqab and the Burcea? I'm not

:06:49. > :06:52.in agreement with that. If it is a security issue at airports or public

:06:53. > :06:55.transport it could be acceptable but I'm not in favour of curtailing

:06:56. > :07:00.people's writes. You have gone further than him, haven't you? You

:07:01. > :07:04.tweeted you wanted to ban Muslim immigration. In my view the problem

:07:05. > :07:06.we have had with the lack of integration in certain communities

:07:07. > :07:11.has come about through mass open-door immigration. If you are a

:07:12. > :07:18.must win you wouldn't be allowed in? What I said in the tweet was I think

:07:19. > :07:23.they should be a ban on immigration... You said Muslim

:07:24. > :07:26.immigration. That's what I believe. If you are a world famous doctor

:07:27. > :07:29.coming to help one of our big teaching hospitals in this country

:07:30. > :07:32.because you are a Muslim you could not get in? We have to start

:07:33. > :07:35.somewhere, there are huge problems in areas where 20% of the population

:07:36. > :07:42.don't speak the language, they haven't integrated. You should read

:07:43. > :07:47.the rest of the tweet, it is control of immigration from a 10-year ban on

:07:48. > :07:50.unskilled immigration. The first thing you said was to ban Muslim

:07:51. > :07:55.immigration, it is in black and white. I have said that, I do not

:07:56. > :07:58.dispute that. I was questioning that. There is my answer, you cannot

:07:59. > :08:02.tell somebody's will adjust freedoms but what you can do is stop adding

:08:03. > :08:08.to the problem. Doesn't that sound a bit like the BNP? It's as like BNP

:08:09. > :08:12.and like Trump. Its, we hate Muslims, fine, if that is what you

:08:13. > :08:16.are standing for, that is clear. The final word is we have had open-door

:08:17. > :08:19.mass immigration from the Conservative Party, we've had it

:08:20. > :08:23.from the Labour Party and its fine if you are in north London to say

:08:24. > :08:26.these things, if you live in Oldham and your community has been

:08:27. > :08:29.radically changed and you have a whole population not integrating in,

:08:30. > :08:33.not speaking the language, something has got to be done. We had better

:08:34. > :08:37.leave it there. Thank you for coming in. I am en route to Clacton. We

:08:38. > :08:39.will see how you get on there. Now, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron

:08:40. > :08:41.was on TV earlier today and he was asked again

:08:42. > :08:44.about an issue that he's been asked about repeatedly -

:08:45. > :08:46.his attitude to homosexuality. when they asked you whether gay sex

:08:47. > :08:56.was a sin. Come on, Robert, I've been

:08:57. > :08:58.asked this question loads few days and I have been clear,

:08:59. > :09:02.even in the House of Commons, It's possible I'm not the only

:09:03. > :09:12.person getting tired Probably, but then why don't

:09:13. > :09:25.you just close it down? Toby Young, why does he get into

:09:26. > :09:30.such a mess over this? I mean, he is leader of the Liberal Democrats. Its

:09:31. > :09:33.2017. I guess the reason he keeps refusing to answer that question is

:09:34. > :09:41.because what the implication is that he does think that homosexual acts

:09:42. > :09:45.are sinful, and he cannot bring himself not to say that, or to say

:09:46. > :09:48.what Robert Peston and others want him to say because he is an

:09:49. > :09:52.evangelical Christian who converted at the age of 20, 21, and clearly he

:09:53. > :09:57.really struggles with this issue and I think it will be really difficult

:09:58. > :10:00.for the Lib Dems to promote, or even Lib Dem candidates like Vince Cable,

:10:01. > :10:03.to promote the idea of the Progressive Alliance even though Tim

:10:04. > :10:12.has ruled it out, if he is not prepared to say I don't think

:10:13. > :10:15.homosexual acts are sinful. What is your view? It is disastrous if that

:10:16. > :10:18.is what he really thinks but Preston did not push the hard. I'm not sure

:10:19. > :10:21.he understood the difference about the question between gay sex and

:10:22. > :10:25.being gay. I think he just thought he was going on saying I'm not

:10:26. > :10:28.anti-gay. He needs to command immediately and clarify it. If you

:10:29. > :10:32.are right and he does actually think it is a sin he is in real trouble.

:10:33. > :10:37.There is a slight parallel with what police said before about Jeremy

:10:38. > :10:42.Corbyn, how his unilateral nuclear policy would appeal to the hard core

:10:43. > :10:46.of the left. The problem for Tim Farron with what he is saying here,

:10:47. > :10:54.while he is an evangelical Christian, this will not appeal to

:10:55. > :10:58.traditional Liberal Democrats. An LGBT community member cannot

:10:59. > :11:01.possibly vote for an MP who believes that a sexual act between

:11:02. > :11:06.homosexuals is sinful. He has not made that clear. Of course, he wants

:11:07. > :11:09.to stop Brexit as well so he is neither liberal nor democratic. He

:11:10. > :11:13.will have seven weeks to make it clear because I am sure he will be

:11:14. > :11:18.asked again. We have the chairman of the Conservative Party on earlier,

:11:19. > :11:21.Polly. An important figure for the Tory campaign. What did you make of

:11:22. > :11:27.what he said? I don't think he will have him on very often, he didn't do

:11:28. > :11:29.brilliantly. I think they will bring back chemical Ali, Michael Fallon,

:11:30. > :11:36.he can say anything with a straight face, he can say black is white.

:11:37. > :11:41.Michael Fallon, chemical Ali? Why do you say that? He can absolutely say

:11:42. > :11:48.black is white. For instance if you look back at what he said, you

:11:49. > :11:53.challenged him about the energy policy, when Ed Miliband came out

:11:54. > :11:58.with it, he said any kind of freeze would stop investment, the lights

:11:59. > :12:03.will go out. You have him on, he will say the exact opposite. He is

:12:04. > :12:06.magic at that. But I don't think your guy today was up to the job. If

:12:07. > :12:15.Michael Fallon was chemical Ali, or we should say chemical Fally,

:12:16. > :12:20.Patrick was more like comical Ali. The whole Iraq war is rushing back

:12:21. > :12:24.at me. He is the warm up comedian, there is another six weeks to go,

:12:25. > :12:29.just getting things started. What did you think? I don't think he was

:12:30. > :12:33.too bad, it was difficult for him to say exactly what was in the 2050

:12:34. > :12:36.manifesto is going to be replicated in the Conservatives' manifesto

:12:37. > :12:40.during this general election, he doesn't want to be seen rowing back

:12:41. > :12:43.on stuff but on the other hand I don't think he can conceal the fact

:12:44. > :12:47.they will be far fewer commitments in this Conservative manifesto than

:12:48. > :12:50.in the last one, as you and I know, it was full of rash promises last

:12:51. > :12:59.time because they thought they would have to trade a lot of them away in

:13:00. > :13:01.the negotiations with the Liberal Democrats to form a second coalition

:13:02. > :13:03.so they are saddled with policies they don't particularly want to be

:13:04. > :13:05.hemmed in by. The forthcoming Conservative manifesto will be much

:13:06. > :13:09.lighter and shorter with fewer commitments. Different? Some stuff

:13:10. > :13:13.jumped from the 2050 manifesto? I think so but we will see a

:13:14. > :13:15.commitment to run schools to overcome that hurdle in the next

:13:16. > :13:19.parliament and I don't think, in spite of what you think, Polly, that

:13:20. > :13:23.it will be a hard tack to the right. I think if anything the mood music

:13:24. > :13:28.of the Conservative manifesto will be a centrist inclusive one. The

:13:29. > :13:32.mood music will be because the specifics would be there. She is

:13:33. > :13:35.good at saying governing for everybody and the many and not the

:13:36. > :13:40.few but when you look at the hard facts of what her and Hammond's

:13:41. > :13:43.budget looks like, you look at her hard Brexit, it's a very different

:13:44. > :13:51.story. Or that, the music has stopped for this week! Thank you. I

:13:52. > :13:58.will be back next week at the normal time of 11am on Sunday morning. On

:13:59. > :14:03.BBC One The Daily Politics is back at midday tomorrow and we will be on

:14:04. > :14:04.every day next week on BBC Two. Remember, if it's Sunday, it is The

:14:05. > :14:34.Sunday Politics. There'll be a couple of hours of

:14:35. > :14:37.just fantastic music, really, all the Ella classics, as well as

:14:38. > :14:39.some very special guests, we have Mica Paris, Imelda May,

:14:40. > :14:43.Dame Cleo Laine 'There's a side to Rory that the

:14:44. > :14:48.public doesn't see. 'Rory has suspected for some time

:14:49. > :14:52.that he may have ADHD. Here we have the first hydrogen bomb

:14:53. > :15:01.that went into service with