0:00:05 > 0:00:07Good morning.
0:00:07 > 0:00:13I was reminded this week of something Lenin said:
0:00:13 > 0:00:15"There are decades where nothing happens;
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and there are weeks where decades happen."
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It's been one of those weeks - the Donald and Little Rocket Man
0:00:20 > 0:00:23making nice, a chilling return to the Cold War at home,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25and a new stand-off between the British Government
0:00:25 > 0:00:29and Brussels over the very future of The City.
0:00:29 > 0:00:36As time seems to accelerate, how much can we pack into the next hour?
0:00:49 > 0:00:51To update us on the British Government response to that
0:00:51 > 0:00:55attempted murder, and to discuss whether he has at last got room
0:00:55 > 0:00:57to spend a bit more,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I'm joined by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And from Berlin, Marina Litvinenko, the woman whose husband was murdered
0:01:02 > 0:01:05- she thinks on the orders of the Kremlin - to tell us
0:01:05 > 0:01:07what she wants from Theresa May now.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Now, I've quoted Lenin already.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I wonder whether John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor,
0:01:11 > 0:01:18who's in Dundee, can top that when he speaks to us later on.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24And, with the Ides of March coming up this week - Thursday -
0:01:24 > 0:01:28it's appropriate to be talking about those swaggering populists
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony -
0:01:30 > 0:01:33wowing the plebs at London's newest theatre.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I've been talking to actor David Morrissey and director
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Sir Nicholas Hytner.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43Were I Brutus, Brutus Anthony, there were an Anthony would ruffle
0:01:43 > 0:01:47up your spirits and put a tongue in every wound of Caesar that
0:01:47 > 0:01:53would move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57And reviewing the news, the Guardian's Political
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Editor Anushka Asthana and the Daily Mail's Amanda Platell.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01All that coming up soon.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03But first, the news with Ben Thompson.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Good morning.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10BBC News has learned that traces of the nerve agent used to poison
0:02:10 > 0:02:12a former Russian spy and his daughter
0:02:12 > 0:02:16have been found in a branch of the Italian restaurant, Zizzi,
0:02:16 > 0:02:17that they visited in Salisbury.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain in a critical
0:02:19 > 0:02:22condition in hospital, almost a week after
0:02:22 > 0:02:25they were taken ill.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28No one who was in the restaurant at the same time is
0:02:28 > 0:02:29thought to be in danger.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, is arguing that there is light
0:02:32 > 0:02:35at the end of the tunnel for the economy, as he prepares
0:02:35 > 0:02:37for his Spring Statement this week.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, has criticised his
0:02:40 > 0:02:42approach, saying the Conservatives can not deliver the change
0:02:42 > 0:02:44the country needs.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49President Trump has said he thinks North Korea wants to make peace.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52He said Pyongyang had promised to halt missile tests while it held
0:02:52 > 0:02:54meetings with the US, and he believed it would
0:02:54 > 0:02:55honour the commitment.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Mr Trump has said he'll meet the North Korean leader,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Kim Jong-un, to discuss the regime's nuclear programme.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Speaking in Pennsylvania, he said the discussions could end
0:03:04 > 0:03:10in failure or result in the greatest deal for the world.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13The water industry regulator for England and Wales
0:03:13 > 0:03:16is to investigate why thousands of homes suffered shortages
0:03:16 > 0:03:20or total loss of supply following the recent cold weather.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Ofwat says the review will determine whether companies had
0:03:23 > 0:03:25proper contingency plans in place, and are offering sufficient
0:03:25 > 0:03:32compensation to those affected.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34A charity co-founded by Bono has apologised after staff
0:03:34 > 0:03:36made claims of bullying, harassment and abuse.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38The ONE organisation said workers at its office in Johannesburg had
0:03:38 > 0:03:44alleged they were belittled and subjected to sexist comments.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48In a statement, Bono said the charity's new chief executive
0:03:48 > 0:03:50had taken decisive action to address the matter.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51That's all from me.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The next news on BBC One is at 1:00pm.
0:03:53 > 0:03:59Back to you, Andrew.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04Many thanks. As I said, head spinning morning for news with lots
0:04:04 > 0:04:07going on, but the papers have more or less decided what the main story
0:04:07 > 0:04:16is. The Sunday Telegraph, corrupt Russians face UK Visa bank,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20suggesting the tough American and Canadian act against misbehaving
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Russians might be applied in Britain. The Sunday Times have a
0:04:22 > 0:04:26different take on the story, talking about the Russians playing large
0:04:26 > 0:04:30amounts of money into the Conservative Party coffers. Marina
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Litvinenko will be on the story shortly. She has been speaking about
0:04:35 > 0:04:42that as well. The Mail on Sunday has another charity scandal story, this
0:04:42 > 0:04:49time Bono's charity. I keep attacking the red tops for not
0:04:49 > 0:04:53tackling serious stories, but a shout out to the Sunday People,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58eight targets on booting's hit list in the UK. They have identified
0:04:58 > 0:05:03eight people who might be next. This could be the beginning of the story.
0:05:03 > 0:05:11And the Sunday express has the spine poison in a parcel, was it in Zizzi
0:05:11 > 0:05:22or a parcel. The Observer has top paid men outstripping women by
0:05:22 > 0:05:27Quattro- one in pay. And this is a tangerine dream, beautifully
0:05:27 > 0:05:31coordinated. We'll start off with the Russian story.Every paper seems
0:05:31 > 0:05:38to have a different take on this. People has a former Russian spy
0:05:38 > 0:05:42saying the Russians tried to poison him. He is all over the People with
0:05:42 > 0:05:45other spies he says is on the hit list. They say it was in the
0:05:45 > 0:05:49restaurant, the poison was in the restaurant. The Sunday Express says
0:05:49 > 0:05:53the poison was in a parcel that was sent to his home. The Mail on Sunday
0:05:53 > 0:05:59says it was in the flowers by the grave.It was somewhere.No one has
0:05:59 > 0:06:04a clue. What strikes me about all this, we have the government saying,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08we are doing a fantastic job and taking it really seriously. Why
0:06:08 > 0:06:13then, when and on double agent, a former Russian spy, was found with
0:06:13 > 0:06:17his daughter frothing at the mouth on a park bench in rural England
0:06:17 > 0:06:21with his daughter beside him, didn't and alarm go off, and didn't
0:06:21 > 0:06:24somebody say, maybe we should get somebody in, this might be a
0:06:24 > 0:06:30poisoning.It did take days, didn't it?It was something like five days
0:06:30 > 0:06:34before they brought the army in and even to take the ambulance away that
0:06:34 > 0:06:39he was carried to the hospital in. It just seems insane.In terms of
0:06:39 > 0:06:46the political response, to big front pages. -- to make big front pages.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48The Sunday Times focusing on all the money going into the Conservative
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Party covers from prominent Russians.You get a different
0:06:53 > 0:06:56impression to the government response to Salisbury by looking at
0:06:56 > 0:07:07these papers. The Sunday Telegraph says it will make it harder to get
0:07:08 > 0:07:11visas, but the Sunday Times has a totally different approach. It's
0:07:11 > 0:07:16about the government's links to Russian oligarchs and the amount of
0:07:16 > 0:07:20money given to the Conservative Party in particular. When Theresa
0:07:20 > 0:07:26May one came into power aides said she would suck with a long spoon
0:07:26 > 0:07:30when it came to Moscow. It turns out that spoon was effective at getting
0:07:30 > 0:07:39a lot of money in.At this stage we should say we have no proven link to
0:07:39 > 0:07:45the Kremlin. It's all supposition. Absolutely.And there are very nice
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Russian billionaires that are here. The Sunday Times is clearly linking
0:07:49 > 0:07:52this to the Salisbury thing in some ways because they have goats in here
0:07:52 > 0:07:56where they have Cabinet ministers privately accusing the Prime
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Minister of a limp response. Apparently people were furious when
0:08:00 > 0:08:06she slapped down Boris Johnson in a cabinet meeting for saying Russia
0:08:06 > 0:08:10was responsible for the meeting. I wonder who briefed that.She also
0:08:10 > 0:08:15said this week that when we find out who is responsible, there will be
0:08:15 > 0:08:20serious repercussions. It took them nearly ten years to get... I can
0:08:20 > 0:08:24ever pronounce his name.Litvinenko. In the meantime we are planning to
0:08:24 > 0:08:28ban going to the World Cup, we will have played in Russia and Qatar
0:08:28 > 0:08:31before they have even decided if it is state funded.But we are not
0:08:31 > 0:08:40sending a junior minister. That will scare them. The next story, please.
0:08:40 > 0:08:50The Sun.As you have Philip Hammond on today...A really important
0:08:50 > 0:08:53interview on the Sun. But it wasn't on the front page.Very mean of
0:08:53 > 0:08:59them. It's a little bit on page two. He is here to give is great news,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03austerity is over and the light is shining again. One thing I do like
0:09:03 > 0:09:10is that he is giving a big plug to tackling the scourge of plastic.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15When you read through this piece, what he is saying is unemployment is
0:09:15 > 0:09:21down, wages are up nearly 3%. And manufacturing is up. We have had two
0:09:21 > 0:09:26quarters now where we are paying off debt Day to Day, the so-called end
0:09:26 > 0:09:31of austerity. It's a sudden Upland 's message.Philip Hammond has has
0:09:31 > 0:09:34walking into the light. But two things we can be sure of... One
0:09:34 > 0:09:38thing we can be sure of, you will not switch the light on on Tuesday
0:09:38 > 0:09:40because of expectation management is to be believed, he will do hardly
0:09:40 > 0:09:44anything when it comes to the Spring statement, but before the light
0:09:44 > 0:09:49there is quite a lot of darkness. This story in the Observer about
0:09:49 > 0:09:52millions of families basically facing the deepest benefit cuts in
0:09:52 > 0:09:56years, these are things already announced but will come into action
0:09:56 > 0:10:00this year, and they will hit 11 million families. Many of them are
0:10:00 > 0:10:03in that just about managing group that the government says it wants to
0:10:03 > 0:10:07help. You have to be careful with the language you use around
0:10:07 > 0:10:11austerity. More than one politician has got in trouble previously for
0:10:11 > 0:10:14suggesting we are about to start prancing into the sunny.I don't
0:10:14 > 0:10:19think he will be that prancing today, do you?We are watching and
0:10:19 > 0:10:27hoping for a bit of Prance. A great cartoon in the big story of the
0:10:27 > 0:10:32week.Hugely important, Donald Trump tweeted he would meet up with North
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Korean leader Kim Jong-un. You don't often get a story completely
0:10:36 > 0:10:40encapsulated in one cartoon. The short fat maniac rocket man, I
0:10:40 > 0:10:47believe? The old mentally deranged ductile, I presume. And with a nice
0:10:47 > 0:10:52warhead there.It's a clever take on a famous cartoon by David Lowe,
0:10:52 > 0:10:58great wartime cartoonist, and it is the Molotov pact between Hitler and
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Stalin. It was a very clever and beautifully drawn and accurate take
0:11:03 > 0:11:07on one of the world was not most famous cartoons.I think he's
0:11:07 > 0:11:12showing off!
0:11:12 > 0:11:15showing off!Back to domestic politics. I love this. You know when
0:11:15 > 0:11:19you use WhatsApp and it turns out it's quite private, it turns out it
0:11:19 > 0:11:23doesn't always work that way. This is a massive link to Buzzfeed of the
0:11:23 > 0:11:26WhatsApp messages between the European research group, essentially
0:11:26 > 0:11:32the Tories' backbench Brexiteers, and it starts off with their
0:11:32 > 0:11:35response when ardent Remainer Anna Soubry said Theresa May should
0:11:35 > 0:11:39essentially fling them out of the party. Former leader Iain Duncan
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Smith, you can imagine his tone, says, my suggestion is colleagues
0:11:43 > 0:11:49should not engage in this. Although immediately, they engage. A message
0:11:49 > 0:11:53from an main, the MP for St Albans, who basically says she wants a badge
0:11:53 > 0:12:01with 35 stars, the number Anna Soubry said there were of Remainers.
0:12:01 > 0:12:08A pair of swivel eyes. She said, stay focused, we intend to win. And
0:12:08 > 0:12:13they are not big fans of Philip Hammond. They repeatedly called him
0:12:13 > 0:12:18Philly no mates.They come onto these programmes and a very
0:12:18 > 0:12:21restrained in their language, but between themselves they are furious.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26They agree lines they will take between them. They are furious at
0:12:26 > 0:12:30some things Theresa May has done and furious EU citizens will continue to
0:12:30 > 0:12:31have free movement during transition. It's really quite
0:12:31 > 0:12:37telling.And because it's a Sunday morning you are not ruling out some
0:12:37 > 0:12:43of the abusive bits.There are some swear words.That's the Conservative
0:12:43 > 0:12:51side and their divisions, but also a titanic struggle between Jon
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Lansman, creator and co-leader of Momentum on one side of Labour, and
0:12:56 > 0:13:03then the Unite candidate on the other side. Its unions against the
0:13:03 > 0:13:06mass movement that challenged in the Labour Party.Groups who you thought
0:13:06 > 0:13:11would be on the same site. But the leadership seems to be backing the
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Unite candidate in this, but Jon Lansman wanted to throw it open.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18It's interesting he said female members in the Labour Party should
0:13:18 > 0:13:23feel free to put their names forward, and there is a now inspired
0:13:23 > 0:13:27by Jon Lansman hashtag with loads of women coming forward for the role.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It's an interesting problem for them because the unions have always been
0:13:30 > 0:13:34at the heart of the labour movement from the start. And now I think they
0:13:34 > 0:13:41have the most successful mass membership party in Europe.And they
0:13:41 > 0:13:47are isolating them.Jon Lansman's background is that he thinks members
0:13:47 > 0:13:55should have the power.Shall we do dogs? It's a Sunday morning. Crufts
0:13:55 > 0:14:02is on at the moment and it's completely captivating.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04completely captivating. These wonderful animals running along with
0:14:04 > 0:14:07all their beautiful fur flying around. This is what the poor little
0:14:07 > 0:14:10guys look like beforehand. I wouldn't do that to myself to get my
0:14:10 > 0:14:16hair looking that good. Would you? No.But it's worth a watch and I
0:14:16 > 0:14:20think the final might be tonight. You have a very interesting story
0:14:20 > 0:14:25about a graduate suing.This is really interesting. This graduate,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29who was from Hong Kong, now living in London, came and applied for a
0:14:29 > 0:14:34degree at Anglia Ruskin University and one of the promises in the
0:14:34 > 0:14:37prospectus was that you would have massive opportunities for employment
0:14:37 > 0:14:41afterwards. Well, she has concluded that it was a Mickey Mouse degree
0:14:41 > 0:14:46and she doesn't have all those opportunities.Very interesting.And
0:14:46 > 0:14:50she is suing the University. This is changing, students are seeing
0:14:50 > 0:14:59themselves as customers and is saying, well I get...She is saying,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04the degree wasn't tough enough? Interesting.The claim includes
0:15:04 > 0:15:08allegations that one lecturer arrived late for lessons, finished
0:15:08 > 0:15:12early, and occasionally simply told students to self-study. I have to
0:15:12 > 0:15:19say, I thought universities are all about self-study.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25It was International Women's Day, but today is Mother's Day.This is
0:15:25 > 0:15:30wonderful. Gary Oldman, fresh from winning his Oscar, is with his mum
0:15:30 > 0:15:35on Mother's Day. It's not that he just goes on about his mum. When he
0:15:35 > 0:15:40moved to America, he brought her over with him. She is now frail. He
0:15:40 > 0:15:45now lives with her. That's the way to treat your mum. Did you remember
0:15:45 > 0:15:52to send your mum flowers?I did! She got them, so I'm OK. Thank you both
0:15:52 > 0:15:54very much indeed.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57For anyone with half a memory, the Salisbury nerve agent attack
0:15:57 > 0:15:59is horribly reminiscent of the murder of Alexander -
0:15:59 > 0:16:00or Sasha - Litvinenko.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Killed in central London in a plot which a public inquiry
0:16:03 > 0:16:04concluded was probably approved by Vladimir Putin.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10Marina Litvinenko, his widow, joins us now from Berlin.
0:16:10 > 0:16:16Thank you for joining us. This must have brought back terrible memories,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19the Skripal attack in Salisbury. Can you tell us how you responded when
0:16:19 > 0:16:25you heard the news?Very good morning. Yes, it was a very
0:16:25 > 0:16:31difficult moment when I saw this news, because I believe it's never,
0:16:31 > 0:16:36ever happened again, after public enquiry provided evidence of the
0:16:36 > 0:16:41death of my husband. But unfortunately it did happen. Now I
0:16:41 > 0:16:46am living every day in news from Salisbury, and trying to understand
0:16:46 > 0:16:51what happened and who might be behind the crime.Your husband was
0:16:51 > 0:16:55murdered 12 years ago, and you fought very hard for a public
0:16:55 > 0:17:00enquiry. After that enquiry reported and suggested there was probably a
0:17:00 > 0:17:05link, you got a letter from Theresa May, the then Home Secretary.We had
0:17:05 > 0:17:11a meeting and we had a discussion about what you might achieve after
0:17:11 > 0:17:17this public enquiry. After this meeting, I received a letter. And I
0:17:17 > 0:17:21actually I would like to notice what was saying in this letter at the
0:17:21 > 0:17:26end. I and this government are clear that we must continue to pursue
0:17:26 > 0:17:32justice for your husband's killing, and that we will take every step to
0:17:32 > 0:17:40protect the UK and its people from such a crime ever being repeated.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44But unfortunately it happened again. It means something was not done, and
0:17:44 > 0:17:51a lesson received after the murder of my husband was not learned.What
0:17:51 > 0:17:54more do you think the British government could have done, after
0:17:54 > 0:18:00the enquiry into the murder of your husband, that it didn't do?We
0:18:00 > 0:18:03understand that the relationship between two countries like Russia
0:18:03 > 0:18:09and the UK need to be at a very high level, but we know Russia never
0:18:09 > 0:18:14supported the investigation of killing my husband. Nobody was
0:18:14 > 0:18:19punished, and people who have been the killer of my husband are not
0:18:19 > 0:18:23even suspects, because this investigation provided all evidence.
0:18:23 > 0:18:35They still live in Russia. He is a member of Parliament. .Going back
0:18:35 > 0:18:40to the Salisbury attacks, at this stage we don't have any proof of
0:18:40 > 0:18:45Russian involvement. How sure are you that this was a Russian attack?
0:18:45 > 0:18:52Russia has a very bad reputation now, and everything happening in the
0:18:52 > 0:18:56world, doping in sport or involvement in elections,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01immediately Russia is in the front of all minds. But in this case I
0:19:01 > 0:19:06would like to get very serious and take its all evidence, and maybe
0:19:06 > 0:19:14sometimes to provide as a tool, and was it Russia or any other country
0:19:14 > 0:19:18behind this crime? For us, it was almost ten years to provide this
0:19:18 > 0:19:23facts and evidence, and it was all proof. I want the same case to be
0:19:23 > 0:19:30made in the same way. It will not be politically motivated, and only
0:19:30 > 0:19:34after proper investigation we could say who is behind this crime.There
0:19:34 > 0:19:40is a sense at the moment that Moscow was almost laughing at Britain.
0:19:40 > 0:19:46President Putin talked about his enemies swallowing poison and then a
0:19:46 > 0:19:50presenter of a Russian television programme was talking about Britain
0:19:50 > 0:20:00being a very dangerous place
0:20:00 > 0:20:02being a very dangerous place for Russian, people falling out of
0:20:02 > 0:20:09windows and such.It is a very important job, and I hope the
0:20:09 > 0:20:13British government will understand these words and take it seriously.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17They are talking about sanctions or reaction for what happened in
0:20:17 > 0:20:22Salisbury, need to be very serious. Given now what we are saying from
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Moscow, you need to react and you need to understand it's some kind of
0:20:27 > 0:20:35message, and not just relax.So in her letter to you, Theresa May said,
0:20:35 > 0:20:40when she was Home Secretary, that we are going to take every step to
0:20:40 > 0:20:45protect the UK and its people from such a crime ever being repeated.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49What is your message to Theresa May now?You need to be very selective
0:20:49 > 0:20:53who you are friends with, and when you allow people with money to come
0:20:53 > 0:20:59to your country and make a business, you need to be sure what kind of
0:20:59 > 0:21:03money these people bring to your country. They offer this money
0:21:03 > 0:21:09stolen from Russian people, and sometimes it's a very serious crime
0:21:09 > 0:21:15behind this money. And I'm absolutely solidarity with this
0:21:15 > 0:21:19whole question and asking to United with all this action that was
0:21:19 > 0:21:24already done in the United States and in Europe. I think they have to
0:21:24 > 0:21:29do the same steps.You have commented already about the number
0:21:29 > 0:21:34of -- the amount of Russian money that has gone to the Conservative
0:21:34 > 0:21:39Party. Do you think the Conservative Party should hand that money back?I
0:21:39 > 0:21:44agree with this, because you don't know what kind of money you accept.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50You are talking about reputation. I think this minute, very serious now,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55your reputation has to be very clear, particularly in politics.You
0:21:55 > 0:22:00are in Berlin at the moment, but you live in Britain. Do you yourself
0:22:00 > 0:22:07feel safe in Britain?Since what happened with my husband, I have
0:22:07 > 0:22:13this question in almost every interview. You can't say 100%, but I
0:22:13 > 0:22:18would like to feel safe. I would like my son to feel safe, because we
0:22:18 > 0:22:23are both British, and I would like all British people to feel safe.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Marina Litvinenko, thank you so much for talking to us.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28And so to the weather.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30The month started wildly but it's getting milder.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34You may know the old saying, that March weather comes in like a lion
0:22:34 > 0:22:35and goes out like a lamb.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Louise Lear has more details.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46You are quite right. It has been a relatively unsettled start to the
0:22:46 > 0:22:49month, but through the morning it looks like some early morning fog
0:22:49 > 0:22:55will drift away, and we have had some sunny spells, as you can see
0:22:55 > 0:23:00from this picture. We are surrounded by weather fronts, topping and
0:23:00 > 0:23:05tailing the country. This area of low pressure will be more of a
0:23:05 > 0:23:09player today. Looking at a recent radar picture, the rain confining
0:23:09 > 0:23:15itself to the far north of Scotland, fringing eastern England, and
0:23:15 > 0:23:20pushing into the South West. Ahead of it, one or two scattered showers.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25The rest of Mothering Sunday, looks like sunny spells and scattered
0:23:25 > 0:23:30showers for England and Wales. The best of the weather in northern
0:23:30 > 0:23:33England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and warmer there than it
0:23:33 > 0:23:38has been of late. Perhaps not quite as warm across the rest of England
0:23:38 > 0:23:44and Wales, but not a bad afternoon. A spell of more organised rain as
0:23:44 > 0:23:49that low pressure moves in, moving steadily north and west to start off
0:23:49 > 0:23:58Monday morning. Cooler, with a touch of frost in Scotland, but a decent
0:23:58 > 0:24:03day up here tomorrow.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Now, coming up later this morning, as the investigation
0:24:06 > 0:24:08into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury continues, Sarah Smith
0:24:08 > 0:24:11will be talking to the former Home Secretary Jack Straw and former
0:24:11 > 0:24:12Security Minister, Pauline Neville Jones.
0:24:12 > 0:24:12Also live on the programme, the Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13Also live on the programme, the Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14Also live on the programme, the Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17That's the Sunday Politics at 11:00am here on BBC One.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19And so, back up north to my hometown of Dundee,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21where the Scottish Labour Party Conference is underway.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Today's keynote speaker is the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29He joins us now. Welcome. Can I ask you first about the story we have
0:24:29 > 0:24:34been talking about on this programme a lot, the poisoning attack in
0:24:34 > 0:24:41Salisbury? There is a suggestion that the organisation that cracks
0:24:41 > 0:24:45down on Russian money coming into the country should be applied in
0:24:45 > 0:24:50Britain as well. Do you agree with that?The Labour Party moved
0:24:50 > 0:24:55amendments to the money laundering bill only a week ago to introduce
0:24:55 > 0:25:01this clause. At that stage, the Conservative Party opposed our
0:25:01 > 0:25:06amendments. We hope now that they will enable us to bring those
0:25:06 > 0:25:10amendments back at report stage of the bill so we can have effective
0:25:10 > 0:25:17action. What it does is identifies those individuals who are basically
0:25:17 > 0:25:24found you'll see of human rights abuses, and then prevents them from
0:25:24 > 0:25:31having bank accounts in our country, and effectively... It was introduced
0:25:31 > 0:25:38several years ago by the Obama administration. I don't know why the
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Conservatives opposed our amendments. They said there was some
0:25:42 > 0:25:45technical issues. There was some panic among the Conservative ranks
0:25:45 > 0:25:52on this, but let's now use this legislation.If there was a Russian
0:25:52 > 0:25:58attack, and I say if, clearly there needs to be a strong British
0:25:58 > 0:26:02response. Mrs Litvinenko was suggesting that after the report
0:26:02 > 0:26:05into her husband's murder, the response was not strong enough. What
0:26:05 > 0:26:11with the Labour Party like to see? Lets see the outcome of the
0:26:11 > 0:26:18investigation. We cannot leap to any conclusions. We need to use any
0:26:18 > 0:26:22diplomatic methods we can, linked with our European and global I'll...
0:26:22 > 0:26:30Global allies. It may well be a criminal operation. We don't know at
0:26:30 > 0:26:35the moment. We cannot tolerate another state putting at risk our
0:26:35 > 0:26:39own citizens or people living in this country, so we have to isolate
0:26:39 > 0:26:46them. One of the methods we can do that, is the sort of measures like
0:26:46 > 0:26:51the Magnitsky clause that we are putting forward.One of the very
0:26:51 > 0:26:55clear things we can do is stop appearing on rush-hour today, which
0:26:55 > 0:26:59has been described by one of your ministers as a Kremlin propaganda
0:26:59 > 0:27:04vehicle.I think that is right now. I have appeared on that in the past,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08sometimes to challenge some of the issues internationally or raise
0:27:08 > 0:27:15issues here that we are concerned about, not just Russia but also the
0:27:15 > 0:27:19international scene overall. I think that's right, because what we are
0:27:19 > 0:27:25seeing from Russia at times goes beyond objective journalism.So a
0:27:25 > 0:27:29change in direction. Your deputy was on Russia today only yesterday. Will
0:27:29 > 0:27:34you encourage the rest of your colleagues to follow that lead?Yes,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38I am. I've been looking overnight at what is happening in terms of
0:27:38 > 0:27:42changes in coverage on Russian media, and I think we have to step
0:27:42 > 0:27:47back now. I can understand why people have been on it up until now,
0:27:47 > 0:27:52because
0:27:54 > 0:27:56because we have treated it like any other television station. We have
0:27:56 > 0:27:59tried to be fair. As long as they abide by general journalistic
0:27:59 > 0:28:05standards that are objective, that is fine. But we will be having that
0:28:05 > 0:28:09conversation.With respect, it wasn't like any other TV station.
0:28:09 > 0:28:15Tom Watson said that Russia today was reporting false stories, and
0:28:15 > 0:28:20aligned its policy with Vladimir Putin's Russian state. That was back
0:28:20 > 0:28:25in November.At times there were examples of that, and we need to
0:28:25 > 0:28:30take that into account in the current climate.Let's turn to the
0:28:30 > 0:28:35economic story of the day, a cheerful Philip Hammond statement in
0:28:35 > 0:28:41the sun today, when he talks about wages gumming up by nearly 3%,
0:28:41 > 0:28:46paying off debt finally, the end of austerity, light at the end of the
0:28:46 > 0:28:50tunnel. Putting aside the politics, can you give to cheers for what
0:28:50 > 0:28:55appears to be a change in the economic story of this country?No,
0:28:55 > 0:29:00because I don't think it's accurate. Last year we had the lowest economic
0:29:00 > 0:29:06growth in the G-7 countries, so we shouldn't be celebrating that. The
0:29:06 > 0:29:10head of the OBR has said that austerity is holding growth back.
0:29:10 > 0:29:18Wages are now below what they were in 2007, 2008, below the banking
0:29:18 > 0:29:22crisis. In terms of the deficit, we were promised by the Conservatives
0:29:22 > 0:29:28that they would wipe the deficit out completely three years ago. I think
0:29:28 > 0:29:34what he has done, very cleverly, is he has shifted the deficit onto the
0:29:34 > 0:29:39shoulders of NHS managers, headteachers and local government
0:29:39 > 0:29:47leaders. Conservative council leaders now are saying, I quote his
0:29:47 > 0:29:52own council leader in Surrey, that they are facing a financial crisis
0:29:52 > 0:29:56because of government cutbacks. This is not a matter for celebration. He
0:29:56 > 0:30:01should be coming into the real world. The Resolution Foundation
0:30:01 > 0:30:06said today that 11 million people today, not just the poor, are going
0:30:06 > 0:30:11to be hits next month by the cuts they get to the benefit system. Not
0:30:11 > 0:30:16a matter for celebration by any means.Pay has been rising by an
0:30:16 > 0:30:22annual rate of 2.9%. We have had the two strongest quarters of
0:30:22 > 0:30:28productivity growth, and a budget surplus for the first time since
0:30:28 > 0:30:362002. Something is happening.Pay is simply, at the moment, just about
0:30:36 > 0:30:41matching inflation. What else did he promised? The pay cap lifting? Look
0:30:41 > 0:30:47at what they are doing to health workers. They are offering them a
0:30:47 > 0:30:53standstill wage increase, and then forcing them to give up a day's
0:30:53 > 0:31:01holiday pay. These are dedicated staff in a vocation. I think it is
0:31:01 > 0:31:03miserly, mean-spirited, and it's the sort of thing we should be
0:31:03 > 0:31:08condemning.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11You have said recently your objectives are socialist, no
0:31:11 > 0:31:14surprise there. This means an irreversible shift in the balance of
0:31:14 > 0:31:19power and wealth in the face of ordinary people. What do you mean by
0:31:19 > 0:31:22irreversible? Governments come in and create policies, but those
0:31:22 > 0:31:29policies can be replaced. What is irreversible?The Clement Attlee
0:31:29 > 0:31:33government won the argument about how we manage our economy, and they
0:31:33 > 0:31:37won it for a generation, about how we manage the economy in the
0:31:37 > 0:31:40interests of everybody, how we establish a welfare state so
0:31:40 > 0:31:44everybody lucked and cared for, how we give everybody a free and free
0:31:44 > 0:31:50NHS. They won the argument for a whole generation. I think we are
0:31:50 > 0:31:55winning the argument now and I think by embedding the understanding of
0:31:55 > 0:31:58how the economy could work for everybody, we would be able to have
0:31:58 > 0:32:04irreversible change in this country. Just round the corner from you in my
0:32:04 > 0:32:09hometown, lots of fishing communities on the east coast.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Traditional fishing communities. You have your own version of cherry
0:32:12 > 0:32:16picking when it comes to Brexit, you want changes on state aid, workers'
0:32:16 > 0:32:20rights and so forth. You need to have a proper negotiation in turn
0:32:20 > 0:32:25with Brussels. Would you be prepared to see continental -based fishing
0:32:25 > 0:32:30fleets coming into British waters as part of that negotiation?We want to
0:32:30 > 0:32:36ensure that our own fisher people lead the discussions we are having
0:32:36 > 0:32:40about the future of our fishing industry. What they are saying to us
0:32:40 > 0:32:44is that in any negotiations you have to ensure our livelihoods are
0:32:44 > 0:32:48protected, but also you have to ensure that the stock of fish is
0:32:48 > 0:32:53protected. So when we go into negotiations, those are the people
0:32:53 > 0:32:57we will be listening to.You say when you go into negotiations, but
0:32:57 > 0:33:01isn't it the truth that it is more likely if you become Chancellor, you
0:33:01 > 0:33:09will become so after the deal is done? And in that context, you will
0:33:09 > 0:33:12have seen the impact assessments from the government this week about
0:33:12 > 0:33:14potential outcomes. Do you think they are accurate, broadly speaking?
0:33:14 > 0:33:19I am anxious about some of those impact assessments. Because it does
0:33:19 > 0:33:23reflect, I think, the nature of the negotiations as they now are. It
0:33:23 > 0:33:30does reflect, I think, the inability of our current government to secure
0:33:30 > 0:33:34a decent negotiated settlement. I think if you change the style of
0:33:34 > 0:33:38negotiations, worked on the basis of... And I have said this to you
0:33:38 > 0:33:42before, if you change the tone of negotiation so your recognise you
0:33:42 > 0:33:46are negotiating on the basis of mutual interest and mutual benefit,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50we can protect our economy and protect jobs. That's what we will do
0:33:50 > 0:33:58in those negotiations.If these impacts assessments are in any way
0:33:58 > 0:34:02accurate, it's a bad assessment for any chance of coming in. I don't
0:34:02 > 0:34:08normally called Tony Blair to you, but it said Labour will have less
0:34:08 > 0:34:11money to deal with the country's problems and be distracted by
0:34:11 > 0:34:15dealing with Brexit rather than the health service, jobs and living
0:34:15 > 0:34:19standards. He has a point, you would come in possibly in a situation
0:34:19 > 0:34:22where you have a lot of trouble on your plate about Brexit, and yet you
0:34:22 > 0:34:29want a huge change in economic direction.I welcome Tony Blair's
0:34:29 > 0:34:33advice, obviously, but I am saying this to you, of course I know we
0:34:33 > 0:34:38could inherit a real mess as a result of the way the government is
0:34:38 > 0:34:44negotiating with the EU. I understand that, they are making a
0:34:44 > 0:34:51Horlicks of it, as some of their own sides described it as. I think we
0:34:51 > 0:34:55could resolve those matters by ensuring we have cooperation in
0:34:55 > 0:35:00those negotiations. We don't flounce about saying no deal is better than
0:35:00 > 0:35:04a bad deal and this sort of stuff, threatening to walk away from the
0:35:04 > 0:35:08table. We have got to negotiate in the interests of our country and
0:35:08 > 0:35:12bring the country back together again. From day to day I don't know
0:35:12 > 0:35:16who is negotiating in this government because they fall out in
0:35:16 > 0:35:20cabinet all the time.I am sure we will talk more about this, but enjoy
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Dundee for now and thank you.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26If you haven't heard of the BBC's podcast about all things Brexit,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28it's called Brexitcast, and they'll be marking one year
0:35:28 > 0:35:31to go until we leave the EU with a special edition live
0:35:31 > 0:35:32at the BBC Radio Theatre in London.
0:35:32 > 0:35:39You can apply to join the audience at bbc.co.uk/showsandtours.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" has always been popular but it really
0:35:42 > 0:35:45seems to be speaking to today's politics.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49With its knife-in-the-back plots, an out-of-touch elite
0:35:49 > 0:35:53and rabble-rousing demagogues, this is not simply a history play.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Sir Nicholas Hytner has directed a new version in which audience
0:35:56 > 0:35:59members become part of the action itself, joining the mob on the floor
0:35:59 > 0:36:01of The Bridge Theatre, London's newest venue.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Recently, I caught up with him and with David Morrissey
0:36:05 > 0:36:09who plays Marc Antony.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar, and in the spirit
0:36:12 > 0:36:14of men there is no blood.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16O that we then could come by Caesar's spirit,
0:36:16 > 0:36:17and not dismember Caesar!
0:36:17 > 0:36:22But alas, he must bleed for it.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Were I Brutus, Brutus Anthony, there were an Anthony would ruffle
0:36:26 > 0:36:29up your spirits and put a tongue in every wound of Caesar that
0:36:29 > 0:36:37would move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44I've been really knocked out by the response to the play
0:36:44 > 0:36:49being performed in this way, that you are interacting
0:36:49 > 0:36:52with people, that you see them as the crowd reacting to you every
0:36:52 > 0:36:55step of the way, and...
0:36:55 > 0:36:58For the people on the floor, they are having one experience,
0:36:58 > 0:37:02and the people in the seats, when I speak to them,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05they say it's like seeing a sea of people, and they ask me
0:37:05 > 0:37:07whether they are planted or whether they are stage managed,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09and I say, no, they just find their place.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10It's really exciting.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12They make eye contact the whole time.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14They make eye contact, you're touching them,
0:37:14 > 0:37:15you're bringing them around, you know.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17They shout things out.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19There's something... The play starts with a holiday.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21It's a party.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23They're having a party, and that gets rudely interrupted,
0:37:23 > 0:37:25and the crowd really respond to that rude interruption.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27They really don't like it.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Yeah, they tell them to go home.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32That's the first line of the play.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34"Home, you idle creatures.
0:37:34 > 0:37:35"Get you home."
0:37:35 > 0:37:38It's a pretty good way to start a play, to tell
0:37:38 > 0:37:39the audience to get out!
0:37:39 > 0:37:42And this is a very fashionable play at the moment, Julius Caesar.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44It's fashionable in the States and it's fashionable here.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46There's another production of it as well.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Why is this play so much of the moment?
0:37:48 > 0:37:51What's so interesting about it in the European context
0:37:51 > 0:37:52is the way it explores the failures of liberalism.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55The people who kill Julius Caesar - Brutus, Cassius, the conspirators -
0:37:55 > 0:37:56they are revolutionaries.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58They are the intellectual elite.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00They are the Metropolitan elite, and what goes wrong for them
0:38:00 > 0:38:04is they don't know how to bring the mob, the people, with them.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07They are, many of them, people of great integrity.
0:38:07 > 0:38:14Brutus does have terrific intellectual and emotional
0:38:14 > 0:38:18integrity, but he is too arrogant to know how to sell the necessity
0:38:18 > 0:38:22of his project to the rest of the Roman population.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25So, Marc Antony, you are a brilliant, brilliant demagogue.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Just explain to people who don't know the play a little bit about how
0:38:28 > 0:38:32you are able to take the crowd into your hand and manipulate them.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34What happens is that there is the funeral of Caesar,
0:38:34 > 0:38:39and he is allowed by Brutus and Cassius to make a speech,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42and what Marc Anthony does is he is able to turn the crowd
0:38:42 > 0:38:45around by appealing to the security of yesterday, and also saying,
0:38:45 > 0:38:46"Hey, I'm one of you.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47"I'm like you.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49"I come from your place.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52"I walk like you, I talk like you, I want the same things as you.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54"I'm not like those guys, who are intellectuals, scholars.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57"They are the ones who are telling you what you need to have
0:38:57 > 0:39:00"and what you need to do, but I know you people."
0:39:00 > 0:39:07And it's a great deal of fun, in a kind of grim
0:39:07 > 0:39:09way, this production.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11There's a lot of things going on - smoke, machine guns,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13rock music and all the rest of it.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15And you have talked, in your recent autobiography,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18about the tension between art on the one hand and showbiz
0:39:18 > 0:39:21on the other, because we want to come to be entertained as well.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Just tell us a little bit about how it you deal with that
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Just tell us a little bit about how you deal with that
0:39:27 > 0:39:28in a play like Julius Caesar.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Well, when you start with Shakespeare, you're starting
0:39:30 > 0:39:31with the great master.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34That balance between substance and entertainment,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38between art and show business - because Shakespeare is always
0:39:38 > 0:39:43hurling at you stuff that will, in effect, silence the mob.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Politically, Shakespeare is none too fond of the mob,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49and one of the few undeniable constants in Shakespeare's
0:39:49 > 0:39:50plays is that he...
0:39:50 > 0:39:53He fears democracy, really.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57He suspects the crowd, but as an entertainer,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00he knows exactly what to throw them, so ending with a big battle
0:40:00 > 0:40:03sequence, that's not a bad idea.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Terrific set piece speeches, terrific idea.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Scenes that are none of them too long.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10Always on to the next thing.
0:40:10 > 0:40:11Good jokes.
0:40:11 > 0:40:12Good jokes, gripping story...
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Romans, war scenes, crowd pleasing.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Let me ask you a little bit about Britannia,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22because that's been a huge epic on Sky, and it's the
0:40:22 > 0:40:23Romans and the Britons.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28Behold, gods of Britannia.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30I am Rome.
0:40:30 > 0:40:38And where I walk is Rome.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43It's written by Jez Butterworth, and what's happening is the Romans
0:40:43 > 0:40:45are coming back to Britain for the second time,
0:40:45 > 0:40:47because Julius Caesar couldn't hack it the first time,
0:40:47 > 0:40:48so there's something that...
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Going in the second time, it's like, you're taking his crown,
0:40:51 > 0:40:52and they are going to stay.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54So they are much more vicious.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58Also what they do is they find who hates each other and they set
0:40:58 > 0:40:59them off against each other...
0:40:59 > 0:41:00One tribe against the other.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03That's how they do it, and that's how they conquered most
0:41:03 > 0:41:06of the world, is by going in and saying, "You're all Roman now."
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Let's end by talking about The Bridge and its future,
0:41:08 > 0:41:09this great theatre.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12In a sense, it's London Theatre, of course, but it's reshaping
0:41:12 > 0:41:15the kind of geography of London culture.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20It's yet another big development on the east of London.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21Yes, East and South.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Back to the future.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Shakespeare's theatre was on the South Bank,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and Southwark was the great entertainment borough
0:41:29 > 0:41:31back 400 years ago.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35Even back 100 years ago, Elephant and Castle
0:41:35 > 0:41:37was the Piccadilly of the south.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I think there is a huge amount of energy surging East in London.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44The great thing about here is that we can put all our shows out
0:41:44 > 0:41:45all over the country using National Theatre Live,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48which was one of the things that I'd started
0:41:48 > 0:41:50when I was at the National Theatre.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Julius Caesar will be out March 22nd.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55What we are hoping to do here...
0:41:55 > 0:41:57We have no great remit beyond putting on what we hope
0:41:57 > 0:42:00are terrific, thought-provoking, entertaining shows,
0:42:00 > 0:42:02and getting as many people to see them as possible.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04That's our remit.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07If we can get them out over the whole country, all to the good.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10All over the world.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Bums on seats, and, in this context, feet on the floor as well.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Thank you both very much indeed.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Thank you. Thank you.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19So, as we've heard earlier, the Chancellor believes the economy
0:42:19 > 0:42:23is at last on the turn and there's light at the end of the tunnel.
0:42:23 > 0:42:24Well, that's a relief.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27But, with a huge round of new welfare cuts looming and intense
0:42:27 > 0:42:29pressures on the health and defence budgets, does this mean
0:42:29 > 0:42:33that he will actually put his hand in his pocket?
0:42:33 > 0:42:38I will come onto that in a second. I will start by asking about this
0:42:38 > 0:42:43poisoning in Salisbury. If it is proven to be an action of the
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Russian state, how serious is that for our relationship with the
0:42:46 > 0:42:51Russian government?First of all, as you say, it's a police investigation
0:42:51 > 0:42:55and it will be evidence lead and we must go where the evidence takes us.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59We have to allow the police investigation to take its course.
0:42:59 > 0:43:05But if there were to be an involvement of a foreign state,
0:43:05 > 0:43:09evidenced by this investigation, then obviously that would be very
0:43:09 > 0:43:13serious indeed and the government would respond appropriately.You
0:43:13 > 0:43:16might have heard Marina Litvinenko was saying last time around the
0:43:16 > 0:43:20response wasn't nearly strong enough. In that context, I wonder
0:43:20 > 0:43:24what you think now about the Magnitsky Act proposal for much
0:43:24 > 0:43:30stricter these are restrictions on named individuals.The proposals put
0:43:30 > 0:43:34forward greater power we already have. The Home Secretary already has
0:43:34 > 0:43:37power to exclude individuals from the UK if she believes their
0:43:37 > 0:43:41presence here is not conducive to our national security or the public
0:43:41 > 0:43:46good. So it's not strictly necessary. But we are seeking to
0:43:46 > 0:43:48reach an accommodation with those who have put this amendment forward.
0:43:48 > 0:43:54Let's see if we can come to a proposal that works for everyone.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57You were there as Foreign Secretary at the end of the Litvinenko
0:43:57 > 0:44:02enquiry. You summoned in the Russian ambassador at the time. Marina
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Litvinenko suggests what you did was not tough enough. What's your
0:44:05 > 0:44:12message to her?The enquiry took some time and it was sometime after
0:44:12 > 0:44:16the events before we had the evidence from the enquiry, but we
0:44:16 > 0:44:20took appropriate steps, measures which are still in place today.You
0:44:20 > 0:44:25kicked out a couple of diplomats, and that's about it.But the
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Russians have not complied with their international obligations
0:44:27 > 0:44:30despite being members of the Security Council. They have
0:44:30 > 0:44:35continued to protect those who we seek to extradite in respect of the
0:44:35 > 0:44:40murder of Mr Litvinenko.And yet, in a sense, they are laughing at us in
0:44:40 > 0:44:44this country. They still think this is a place where they can do what
0:44:44 > 0:44:47they like without any serious repercussions and London is still
0:44:47 > 0:44:50one of the prime places for Russian money to arrive. Do you need to look
0:44:50 > 0:44:56at the whole thing again?The police enquiry and depth and detail, the
0:44:56 > 0:45:03vast resources that have been deployed and the high-level assets
0:45:03 > 0:45:08that we have had to be able to make these analyses show that nobody is
0:45:08 > 0:45:11laughing at us. This is a very serious investigation that's going
0:45:11 > 0:45:16on and let's see where it leads us. Your party has taken massive
0:45:16 > 0:45:19donations from Russian oligarchs and others. Is it time to hand them
0:45:19 > 0:45:19back?
0:45:24 > 0:45:30There are very strict rules about donations to political parties. Only
0:45:30 > 0:45:33British citizens can make donations to political parties. All donations
0:45:33 > 0:45:40are carefully vetted.But the facts have changed. Isn't it time to
0:45:40 > 0:45:45change your mind?There are people in this country who are British
0:45:45 > 0:45:49citizens who are of Russian origin. I don't think we should tar them
0:45:49 > 0:45:56with Putin's brush. We should recognise that people come to this
0:45:56 > 0:45:59country from many places, they become British citizens, they live
0:45:59 > 0:46:04under UK law, and they should have full participation rights in our
0:46:04 > 0:46:09society.Light at the end of the tunnel, a turning point for the
0:46:09 > 0:46:16economy. You've given examples
0:46:19 > 0:46:20economy. You've given examples about wage growth, finally ending the
0:46:20 > 0:46:23austerity years of paying back the budget day by day, and all of that.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26It feels like a really important moment.There is light at the end of
0:46:26 > 0:46:30the tunnel because we are about to see debt starting to fall after it's
0:46:30 > 0:46:35been growing for 17 continuous years. That's a very important
0:46:35 > 0:46:41moment for us. But we are still in the tunnel at the moment. We have to
0:46:41 > 0:46:47get debt down. We have taken a balanced approach over the last
0:46:47 > 0:46:51couple of fiscal events, using flexibility that we had to continue
0:46:51 > 0:46:56paying down debt, but also to provide additional support to our
0:46:56 > 0:47:00public services, to invest in our future and to reduce taxes for
0:47:00 > 0:47:05families and small businesses who are feeling it.For the people who
0:47:05 > 0:47:10are about to be hit with the next round of welfare cuts, are you going
0:47:10 > 0:47:14to be able to help them at all? There has been speculation in the
0:47:14 > 0:47:19media about what the OBR numbers will be when they are published on
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Tuesday. I suggest we wait until we see the numbers. This is not a
0:47:23 > 0:47:28fiscal event in itself. I will not be making tax or spending
0:47:28 > 0:47:32announcements on Tuesday. I will be signalling some areas we want to
0:47:32 > 0:47:37consult ahead of the budget in the autumn. We should be very careful
0:47:37 > 0:47:43looking at single sets of figures, one or two quarters. We need to look
0:47:43 > 0:47:48at what is happening sustainably in the economy. If there is the
0:47:48 > 0:47:52flexibility to do something, we will decide in the autumn how we are
0:47:52 > 0:47:57going to use that. We will continue to take a balanced approach,
0:47:57 > 0:48:02addressing the debt problem, investing in Britain's future,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06reducing taxes for hard-working families and putting money into our
0:48:06 > 0:48:13public services.Is austerity over? Most people take that to be a
0:48:13 > 0:48:18reference to the public sector pay cut, and we have removed the 1% cap
0:48:18 > 0:48:25on public sector pay.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29on public sector pay. We have an agenda for staff in the NHS, which I
0:48:29 > 0:48:33hope will lead to a pay settlement which satisfies workers in the NHS
0:48:33 > 0:48:38but is also fair to taxpayers, because it tackled some of the
0:48:38 > 0:48:44challenges we have in the NHS and makes it more effective.The working
0:48:44 > 0:48:49families affected by these welfare changes, £200 a year worse off on
0:48:49 > 0:48:55average. That feels like no light at the end of the tunnel for them. Can
0:48:55 > 0:49:00I ask you about local authorities? All across the country, both Tory
0:49:00 > 0:49:04and Labour local authorities are screaming with pain. They feel
0:49:04 > 0:49:10austerity has been pushed to the limits and they are, in the words of
0:49:10 > 0:49:14one of your colleagues, facing a financial precipice. Can you give
0:49:14 > 0:49:20them some relief at last?Just to be clear, this is not a fiscal event. I
0:49:20 > 0:49:24will not be making fiscal announcements. Local authorities
0:49:24 > 0:49:29have well over £200 billion of course spending power over the
0:49:29 > 0:49:38five-year period from 2015 to 2020. They have reserves of £23 billion,
0:49:38 > 0:49:44which is £8 billion higher than in 2010. Local authorities have done an
0:49:44 > 0:49:49incredible job in delivering efficiencies.And they are now in
0:49:49 > 0:49:54crisis.We understand that they are under pressures. At the spring
0:49:54 > 0:50:00budget last year, I put an extra £2 billion into social care. We have
0:50:00 > 0:50:06also given them greater flexibility through the precept in the recent
0:50:06 > 0:50:11local government settlement, so that local authorities now have £9
0:50:11 > 0:50:14billion worth of additional, dedicated spending for social
0:50:14 > 0:50:19services over the next three years. That is an act chew aerial answer to
0:50:19 > 0:50:24people who are screaming in pain, in terms of a system at absolute
0:50:24 > 0:50:30breaking point.We understand there are pressures in the system. We
0:50:30 > 0:50:35discuss them with colleagues in local government and in spending
0:50:35 > 0:50:39departments across Whitehall. When we get to the autumn budget, we will
0:50:39 > 0:50:44look at the numbers there. I will be paving the way in this autumn budget
0:50:44 > 0:50:50for a spending review in 2019, which will look at public spending from
0:50:50 > 0:50:552020 onwards, what the total envelope should be, how we allocated
0:50:55 > 0:50:59between departments and the local government.You are pushing off the
0:50:59 > 0:51:06good news until closer to
0:51:08 > 0:51:10good news until closer to the general election. Can I ask you
0:51:10 > 0:51:12about an important issue on the Tory backbenches, defence spending. One
0:51:12 > 0:51:15of your ministers has said that 2% is not enough these days. The entire
0:51:15 > 0:51:20military system is in real problems. They need more tanks and planes. A
0:51:20 > 0:51:24lot of your backbench colleagues are determined that you have to do
0:51:24 > 0:51:30something for them.I was Defence Secretary for nearly three years,
0:51:30 > 0:51:34and I am full of admiration for the Armed Forces and what they do to
0:51:34 > 0:51:40keep Britain safe, and I understand the complexity of the defence
0:51:40 > 0:51:44budgets. Very long-term projects at the cutting edge of technology. Some
0:51:44 > 0:51:50of the media talk as if defence is being cut. Let's be clear about the
0:51:50 > 0:51:55facts. Defence will receive more than £1 billion extra in each year
0:51:55 > 0:52:00of this Parliament. It's the fastest growing resource budget in
0:52:00 > 0:52:05Whitehall. Defence is not being cut by any means. I accept there are
0:52:05 > 0:52:09pressures on defence, including foreign exchange pressures, because
0:52:09 > 0:52:15a lot of the military equipment we use is bought in US dollars. The
0:52:15 > 0:52:19Prime Minister has announced a defence mechanisation programme,
0:52:19 > 0:52:24where she and I and the Defence Secretary are working closely and
0:52:24 > 0:52:29looking at these challenges. We are committed to making sure Britain is
0:52:29 > 0:52:34always properly defended.It sounds like yet more jam tomorrow. Can I
0:52:34 > 0:52:40reduce something that Nick Timothy said? Mr Hammond must now declare an
0:52:40 > 0:52:45end to austerity. The government has achieved its surplus. It can now
0:52:45 > 0:52:50invest in the economy in the long-term and increase public
0:52:50 > 0:53:00spending.Nick Timothy is the debt. We have a debt of 86.5% of our GDP.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02All of the International organisations recognise that is
0:53:02 > 0:53:07higher than a safe level. This isn't some ideological issue. It's about
0:53:07 > 0:53:12making sure that we have the capacity to respond to any future
0:53:12 > 0:53:17shock to the economy. There will be economic cycles in the future. We
0:53:17 > 0:53:24need to be able to respond to them without taking our debt over 100% of
0:53:24 > 0:53:31GDP.John Redwood spoke about the debt, and said that this level of
0:53:31 > 0:53:35debt is easily sustainable, and suggested that the austerity
0:53:35 > 0:53:41programme was a political choice, not an economic essential one.With
0:53:41 > 0:53:48respect to John Redwood, I think he is wrong. We have £65,000 worth of
0:53:48 > 0:53:53public debt for every household in this country. When I became
0:53:53 > 0:53:58Chancellor, I changed the fiscal rules. I said, we will tackle the
0:53:58 > 0:54:02debt. We have to tackle the debt. But we will spread out the time we
0:54:02 > 0:54:07do it a bit further, creating more flexibility, so that at the same
0:54:07 > 0:54:14time as tackling the debt, we also invest in Britain's future and put
0:54:14 > 0:54:18money into the public services, and relieve small businesses and
0:54:18 > 0:54:22families with tax breaks. That's what we've done and that's what we
0:54:22 > 0:54:29intend to go on doing.Is your real message...It's wrong to say that
0:54:29 > 0:54:33every penny of capacity we have has to go to bringing down debt, but
0:54:33 > 0:54:39it's equally wrong that every penny should go into additional public
0:54:39 > 0:54:45spending.I must ask you about Brexit. It's going to be a complex
0:54:45 > 0:54:49negotiation. The Prime Minister said last week we would not get the full
0:54:49 > 0:54:56amount of access to all markets we have at the moment. You have a very
0:54:56 > 0:55:00difficult negotiation over the future of London and the financial
0:55:00 > 0:55:05services. Is it worth it?Yes. Financial services is a very
0:55:05 > 0:55:13important part of our economy.Is Brexit worth it, I mean?The British
0:55:13 > 0:55:16people have decided that we are leaving the European Union, and that
0:55:16 > 0:55:21is what we are doing. Our job is to make sure we get the best possible
0:55:21 > 0:55:28job for Britain, that we make a smart Brexit, one that works for
0:55:28 > 0:55:31Britain, British jobs and British businesses, and that is what we are
0:55:31 > 0:55:36all about.Do you accept we are going to take some kind of economic
0:55:36 > 0:55:44hit, as Mr Tusk says?He is a negotiator, and on Wednesday he
0:55:44 > 0:55:48didn't say anything I wouldn't expect a skilled negotiator to say
0:55:48 > 0:55:52at the beginning of the negotiations. He basically said the
0:55:52 > 0:55:56deal would have to contain none of the things you want and all of the
0:55:56 > 0:56:00things we want. That is an opening negotiating position.Looking at
0:56:00 > 0:56:05what you have said about the importance of the financial
0:56:05 > 0:56:09services. You have said again and again that this has to be part of a
0:56:09 > 0:56:16fair deal. Is this at last a government Red Line?The Prime
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Minister said clearly in her speech that the way to negotiate
0:56:19 > 0:56:23successfully with the Europeans is not to threaten, not to talk about
0:56:23 > 0:56:30walking away from tables or anything like that, but to engage, to talk,
0:56:30 > 0:56:34to explore the options. The reason I think the financial services has to
0:56:34 > 0:56:40be part of the deal is firstly, the shape of Britain's economy. The
0:56:40 > 0:56:50services are very part of our economy, and this needs to be part
0:56:50 > 0:56:55of it. Secondly, the financial system in London is an asset of
0:56:55 > 0:57:00Europe as a whole. £1.1 trillion worth of loans to European companies
0:57:00 > 0:57:06facilitated through the City of London. A vast proportion of
0:57:06 > 0:57:10transactions go through the City of London.You know they are thinking
0:57:10 > 0:57:13differently. The French have said we are not going to get this kind of
0:57:13 > 0:57:18deal. If we get a deal that doesn't include the financial services, that
0:57:18 > 0:57:24would be an unfair or a bad deal?I don't accept that premise. I think
0:57:24 > 0:57:38we will get a deal on financial services, but the
0:57:41 > 0:57:43question is how? What kind of access we are able to negotiate
0:57:43 > 0:57:45reciprocally. Many European banks operate in London as part of
0:57:45 > 0:57:48London's financial services.At least we know what the government
0:57:48 > 0:57:51want out of the negotiations. How do you modelled the economic effect of
0:57:51 > 0:58:00that?We haven't embarked on the negotiation yet. The next step in
0:58:00 > 0:58:04the process at the European Council next month is to hopefully agree the
0:58:04 > 0:58:08implementation period, so that businesses can plan over the next
0:58:08 > 0:58:12three years with certainty. Then we will get the guidelines from the
0:58:12 > 0:58:15European Union for the next phase of negotiation. Then we start talking
0:58:15 > 0:58:22with them about the shape of a future partnership, which will cover
0:58:22 > 0:58:27economics, trade, investment, but also security, domestic and external
0:58:27 > 0:58:32security. Once we know what the deal looks like, we will certainly model
0:58:32 > 0:58:38it.Chancellor, thank you very much indeed. Now look at what's coming up
0:58:38 > 0:58:44straight after this programme.Join us from Newport were after a week of
0:58:44 > 0:58:50schmoozing the Saudi prince we ask, should Britain be proud of its air
0:58:50 > 0:58:54trade? And Public Health England says we are far too fat and getting
0:58:54 > 0:58:59bigger. Is be city a matter of personal choice or is it a matter of
0:58:59 > 0:59:04interest for the government?That's all from us this week. Thanks to all
0:59:04 > 0:59:13my guess is, and happy Mother's Day.