04/01/2014 The Papers

the Everly Brothers. Coming up, a special edition of capital

reporters. Hello and welcome to our look ahead

to what the papers are putting us tomorrow. I am joined by Emily

Ashton and Eva Simpson. That's look at what they are bringing us on the

Sunday papers. The Independent on Sunday has an exclusive with the

Labour leader Ed Miliband, promising to close a loophole in the rules

about agency workers. The paper also has strong image of high tides

battering Aberystwyth. The Observer leads on labour condemning what it

calls crass, ugly claims by education secretary Michael Gove

about the First World War. The Sunday Times report David Cameron's

pledging to protect pensions. The front page has a picture of a

21-year-old student rescued in Aberystwyth after fears he was swept

to see. The mail on Sunday has a story about the Church of England

rewriting the words said by parents and godparents during christening

ceremonies. They will no longer need to repent their sins during baptism.

And the Sunday Telegraph has an end to pensions Lottery on the front

page. Let's look at some of those stories. Starting with the weather.

That is the big story, and for many people watching BBC News this

evening, they asked a clearing up their homes after the first round of

floods, with more to come. The front page of the Independent has a

striking picture of the waves. I think looking at the pictures and

watching the news this evening, it's hard to get a true picture of how

devastating this is. As you say, people are still cleaning up from

the storms over Christmas, and it has started all over again. Once the

cameras go away and the TV crews go away, that's when they start

counting the toll of what has happened in the homes. It's pretty

devastating stuff. What I find quite scary is the people who haven't been

heeding the warnings to stay away from the coasts and go along and try

and take photos. It's incredible. There is a picture of a father with

his toddler daughter... That was today! And it was a massive weight,

it's frightening. You can see what people would do it easy these

amazing waves and people getting very close to them, but it means

rescue crews had to go in and make sure they are OK. We will see

tomorrow that a photography student today got too close and had to be

rescued, very silly. As you say, the pictures are dramatic and fantastic

to look at but it's a good point behind those amazing pictures we're

seeing. There is a real loss of belongings and homes. I can't even

imagine. There was a big storm in November, high-powered wins, and my

fence got blown over but what's offence? That can easily be put up.

I can't imagine having all my family photos disappearing, all the things

of real sentimental value. As long as people have good insurance to

take care of things like fridges and televisions, it happened so

infrequently, we can't imagine what impact it has. And Christmas as

well. It's a loss of prisons that -- presents. Staying with the

Independent, they have an exclusive with Ed Miliband. Immigration is

clearly becoming the political topic. The topic of 2014, as well.

Labour have suddenly made is a big issue. Labour would the government

that let these new Eastern European countries that were joining the EU

free access. Millions came over. They predicted a few thousand each

year, and they realised that mistakes were made. Now they are

saying, we understand your anxiety over immigration, you can trust us

at the next election, we get your jobs are going to be squeezed by

this. Now they are trying to prevent these overseas agency staff

undercutting UK job-seekers. It might seem to many people too

little, too late. Can that party still be trusted? That's what a lot

of people will be thinking. It's interesting that Ed Miliband... That

he is making this pledge today. At the Labour conference last year he

made the same page, to stop cheap foreign workers coming into Britain.

Though he has clearly seized on this as his election battle ground, it's

an issue that he will continue to hammer until the next election. Do

you think it is an election battle ground because of UKIP? Exactly.

UKIP have put this at the centre of the agenda. Politicians have to be

careful when they talk about this issue. UKIP would, wouldn't they?

The main parties however have to be cute about it, it's a slippery

slope, you can find yourself entangled in conversations about

racism and so forth. Ed Miliband in this situation is seizing the

story, but taking the race angle out of it will stop he is broadening it

out. The other thing with UKIP is it is not just them against the Tories,

there are a lot of Labour voters who are disillusioned with them who are

turning to UKIP. Labour realise this and realise they have to counter

this attack. But they are not going on the benefit claimants are coming

over here, they are going on, people want to come here to work, we

understand their need for work, but we understand the concerns of Brits.

Ed Miliband in the article in the Independent says that put this into

context, what he has anxiety over is the cost of living crisis. He is

making a clear diversion away from it being a racist or even a benefits

issue, it is about whether the schools and NHS can cope, whether

the housing available can cope. He also says there is a loophole which

allows a lot of these firms that employ overseas workers at a much

lower rate, so if you run a business, it's going to be more

competitive and economic all for you to employ people from overseas,

that's an important point to make. If British workers are being

squeezed out because of minimum wage, he is right to try and combat

that. I remember when the Olympic site was first emerging in the East

End of London, there were rules to implement, you had to live in

certain east London postcodes. The idea was that jobs went to local

people, but they didn't. Because they were going to Eastern Europeans

who were moving into those areas, registering themselves, and getting

jobs on the Olympic site. So this is a problem that has been going on for

years. And you can't fault them for taking advantage of those rules,

they work hard, it is the EU that has allowed them to do that. I

suppose now David Cameron is renegotiating our links with

Brussels, Theresa May has talked about a cap on migrant workers, this

is a debate that needs to be had. Let's move on to the Sunday Times,

it is beginning to feel like an election year although we're not

quite there yet full stop the PM in a New Year cash giveaway is the

headline. This is perhaps a sign of the confidence of the government

that we are on a road to recovery. If you saw his New Year message, it

was all about how 2014 is the year we hope we will turn a corner. We

have had some tough years, with the recession, and now they are saying,

this is the years of prosperity. I really think that this year... It

does feel like it! It definitely does. The Sunday Times piece makes

it clear that he is making a pledge to the elderly, who the Sunday Times

say are more likely to vote, turnout on election day. So he is making a

clear page to them in terms of the pensions giveaway, saying he will

safeguard pension rises until 2020. Also hints that income tax for

all... This is another election issue, it is money, how much we have

of it and how much we need. Do you think that the Conservatives, the

prime minister, is winning this battle? I think in terms of taxes,

it's difficult, the only tax cut... A lot of people have been taken out

of tax altogether but the one that has hit hard in terms of politics is

this top rate of tax which has come down to 45p. That's only for people

earning over ?150,000. So that includes that may be going down even

more. I am not sure that is going to be an election winner for people

trying to make ends meet. You are hardly going to be popular being a

government in times of austerity. He is obviously choosing his people

carefully, if he is further reducing the top rate of tax, he's going for

the high earners. The Sunday Telegraph, an end to the pensions

Lottery. What we're talking about here is some of the hidden charges,

a crackdown on some of the jargon that traps people will stop there as

that word annuity... This is the Sunday Telegraph with a piece about

how Steve Webb wants to change the policy of annuities, where they pay

their pensions into an annuity which then pays them a certain amount, but

they are locked into them. He wants to change this so people can get

better... That will appeal to a lot of people. There are also these

charges, so when you retire, as I understand, there are charges to

even get that annuity in the first place. Just below that story it is

something about changes to this day pension. -- state pension. The

triple lock system, that is definitely going to stay after the

next election, that is what he is promising. That is really going to

win over pensioners. The trouble is, it's the next generation of

pensioners that will really suffer. Work until we drop! The Observer, a

story about the big society. I think that's the first I have heard that

in years. This is David Cameron's old speech writer, he is saying now

that the policy is viewed as little more than an exercise in people

eating up rubbish and running tombola Martin McGinley. This was a

big idea when it launched. He was unable to get the message across

when he launched it, David Cameron, nobody understood what the big

society meant, volunteering, people are already volunteering. So what

was he actually go to do to make it easier for people to volunteer?

Everything seems to get lost. It became a bit of a joke. This guy is

saying it has now become an exercise in picking up rubbish and running

tombolas. I don't think we will be hearing much more about that! He

also describes it as an inspiring. Uninspiring. David Cameron seems to

be about community and coming together. He has had some success

since the riots. The more you make public sector cuts, and he keeps

harping about the big society. Basically saying there is no more

money, take over and do it for free. His advisers have probably realised

it is not going to go down well. Well we have run out of time. We

will be back later for another look at some of the stories making the

front pages. Do stay with us. Yet more storms and strong winds are on

their way. Coming up next, it's Reporters.