19/03/2017 The Papers

That's all of this board for now, now Maxine Mawhinney has a look at

The Papers... -- that is all of the sport.

Hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be

With me are Martin Lipton, Deputy Head of Sport

at the Sun and Rosamund Urwin from the London Evening Standard.

Let's have a look at the Sunday papers.

The Express features the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

who saw their visit to Paris overshadowed by the Orly airport

attack: the Royals "continued defiantly with their programme,"

The Sunday Times also pictures the Duchess of Cambridge,

but its main story is that alleged rape victims will be spared

cross-examination in court, under new reforms announced

The Mail goes it alone with a controversial call

from a retired doctor for women to be able to terminate a pregnancy

The Telegraph says new evidence has emerged over claims that a pregnancy

testing drug has been linked to birth defects

And the Sunday Mirror has an exclusive interview

with George Michael's personal medic - who says the star knew

Let's dive straight in. Let's go to The Times newspaper first, this

story about rape victims who can now give evidence on video tape, what do

you think of this? This is overdue. Obviously, it can be incredibly

painful to relive your attack in court. Liz Truss has given an

exclusive interview to The Sunday Times and is bringing forward plans

for us to have a recorded cross-examination for adult sexual

offences and tried in Crown Court. We have taped evidence in child sex

cases which is used already, it is being extended. It seems a really

sensible measure, it is incredibly difficult for some people, and I

think it does stop people coming forward, the idea that they have to

get up in court and talk about what has happened to them. And in front

of the person for whom they are alleged to be the victim? And

effectively be grilled by a solicitor, a barrister. Martin, what

do you think? I agree, absolutely. This is overdue by a number of

years. The trauma of being raped, I cannot imagine. The horror of having

to relive that, in front of a room full of strangers, in front of the

person you believe perpetrated that act. With the understandably

forensic and aggressive nature of a cross-examination. It's a horror I

would not want to contemplate. Anything which would alleviate this

distress in any way, a cross-examination would still take

place but a more controlled one. An antiseptic way, in a small room in

front of a camera. I think it is beneficial for everyone. It's

interesting, the suggestion pilot schemes have been developed using

the concept that there have been far more guilty pleas, early guilty

pleas. Yes, one of the other lines is that because of the reduced

pressure, I suppose, that evidence can be clearer... You are not going

to stumble... If you are sat in that box with a judge and with

cross-examination, with the jury and the press, whatever. You are going

to be even more nervous than you would be in any event. Someone to

look after the interests of the most important people in any crime, the

victims. One thing mentioned here that Liz Truss found out, a case

where a defendant faced his accuser wearing the same clothes in which he

had allegedly committed the rape. On the next page, it talks about a case

where somebody went on the stand and afterwards found the trauma so

great, she killed herself. The cause is not clear but it is great trauma,

and there are a number of cases where people suffered greatly after

facing this in court. It is interesting, using the pilot from

children, it's obviously been successful. In The Sunday Times,

George Osborne, OK... Martin, let's begin with you.

Scarpering second jobs for MPs? This could end the second jobs for MPs,

I'm more interested in six jobs for MPs can he seems to be a very busy

man! I didn't realise you could be a newspaper editor on a part-time

basis, or a deputy editor on a part-time basis. It's a full-time

job, I'm not sure I could be the MP for Wandsworth

Wandsworth or wherever while putting a newspaper to get. I struggle

enough! What would your Reading be, that he is more of a figurehead? I

suspect so, he had a job in a few years ago working for The Times and

the Telegraph. In a minor capacity. He has no knowledge of the newspaper

industry, he doesn't know how to put a story together or develop

headlines. What does he bring? That he's the former Chancellor of the

Exchequer, and I had to say, in a pro-Labour but anti-Brexit city, he

and it's one of those boxes given his position in the referendum. I

think there will be a pact between him and the mess of the

-- and the London mayor. It's a bit of revenge for him. He has the

chance to slaughter Theresa May and those who feel have trashed his

legacy. On a platform read by millions of people. It seems wrong

to me that they can do this. It is not the first and there has been a

political editor of the standard all other newspapers. The editor of the

Telegraph was a cabinet minister but not simultaneously. He's going to be

your boss, Rosamund? Yes! What is your -- what has the reaction be? He

came in on Friday to talk to the troops. And how did that go? It went

well, there were not questions, there was not time. He wants to put

out a paper that is good, he would not want to take on a job with all

of the attention it has got... I'm sure he will find it easy and be an

excellent work for her new boss, she will flourish as she always does! We

are putting you in a difficult position but Martin, you are right,

but questions about whether you can edit a paper... The chairman of

public life, has shunned the light -- shone the light on whether MPs

should have more than one job. Does it come down to salaries? Not

so much salaries, but the divergence of interest. I think it's no fair

thing that you have members of the House of Lords and the House of

Commons who are professionals in other walks of life, professionals,

doctors... But it is difficult to have a full-time job and still be a

full-time member of a house of parliament. This story will run...

It will run and run! We will ask you when you have had a flavour of it

all! In The Observer, Nicola Sturgeon's

warning to Theresa May, obstruct second referendum at your peril.

Nicola Sturgeon is talking tough on this?

Yes but it is interesting, it looks like she has been bounced into this

position by Alex Salmond, who is more hawkish on the call for a

second referendum. We have this pretty and pleasant spat between

Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May. -- and pleasant spat -- and pleasant. I

do not think Scotland can win. Wherever the vote takes place, she

has two resign, in the same way that Salmond does. If they vote for

independence, it's unlikely, but who knows... We all called Brexit

differently! She is suddenly in charge of a country where the

economic arguments in favour of independence were based on an oil

price of $130 per barrel, and there was a mythical huge sea of oil in

the North Sea that everybody was keeping quiet about before the

referendum because the British government did not want anyone in

Scotland to know this thing that doesn't exist exists... It is

bizarre. But this is about timing. And there is clearly a Nasa monitor

-- animosity between the two. They are both important people. If I was

Theresa May. I would want Scotland to go earlier. If there is any

chance of the Scottish First Minister being a conservative, like

Ruth Davidson, it would be if the SNP were to split in two, with

recriminations and aggravations, a referendum bid again... Nobody will

want to be the Prime Minister that sees the end of the union. You don't

want that on your card. And you had to think about Northern Ireland now,

that double whammy. And possibly Cornwall. But I agree, Nicola

Sturgeon has the best of both worlds at the moment. When things go wrong,

she can blame Westminster and kick a pasting there. When things go right,

the SNP in power in Scotland, -- kick up a stink.

They have a monopoly on seeds there. It is a difficult position for her.

People think, we have had two major referendums, we do not want another.

And in the last 24 hours, there was a poll, I know they change over time

but they say that a majority of people are against another

referendum in that time frame. You want to wait and see what comes from

the EU. I know plenty of people in Scotland who voted to stay as part

of red Britain. Now, because of Brexit -- as part of Great Britain

but now because of our decision to leave the EU, they are rethinking

it. What guarantee do we have that

Scotland can stay in the U... And without the euro, what would their

currency be? Would the Spanish government want to encourage a

breakaway after those problems in Catalonia? These issues would become

greater, the more there is a possibility... Any more comments on

Gordon Brown's that way? You season self as a saviour of Britain, from

the last independence, -- he sees himself.

It is fair to say that he sees Scotland as the issue that he can

bring back to the forefront... I thought he spoke really well on it

and it was a fair point. The thing is, the concept of a third way, it

goes back to when we had Clinton and Blair trying to triangulate in the

same way. I do not think people want to hear about a third way but I

understand the argument. Brown tries to field a middle

ground. I think maybe they do, what we have seen with Brexit and the

previous Scottish referendum is the binary question where we know that

political events are complex. And we want to compromise. As we saw with

Brexit, 48% of people said, hang on, we didn't vote for any of this! You

are a typical Remainer! Let's stick with the breakfast... Brexit! It's a

difficult word to say! A lot of us have done it, I hold my hand up!

Hammond faces a mutiny from Brexit ministers? It's incredible, it

seemed to weeks ago he could do no wrong but now it seems he can do no

right. To watch the budget unravel so swiftly... We had the

omnishambles before... It's an absolute disaster for him. He has

been hung out to dry by Theresa May, quite clearly. Now you have the pro

Brexit lobby pushing and demanding more money. The Treasury must have

tens and millions of pounds of extra funding. It could undermined

Britain's trading future, forging new links across the world...

Clearly there will be a demand to underpin the negotiations to ensure

that there are no negative repercussions. If it goes wrong, the

finger of blame will once again be pointed at the Chancellor of the

Exchequer. Suddenly, he's in a more difficult position then he would

have imagined. He was anti-exit, his position of Foreign Secretary was as

a Remainer. There are recriminations where you can see it coming. Doc

they do not think he is a true believer. Philip Hammond clearly

remains... Given the fallout from the Brexit, including the national

insurance contributions, how do you think he would be personally damaged

by this? I think he and is may have fallen out substantially, he did not

want to back down. -- Theresa May. He thought they should stick with

it. Clearly, whilst it was a very unpopular move, especially with

newspaper columnists, they might have thought of that! If there was

an opposition worth the concept of opposition, he would be in a lot of

trouble but he has got away with it, because of how useless Jeremy Corbyn

and McDonald... I think his defence, Theresa May thinks he has an air of

competence that is lacking. There is still an argument for national

insurance. I did not agree but there was an argument for it being

correct, you should look at realigning. But you don't ignore

your own manifesto commitments. No, I agree. Do you think he feels, with

what he sees... I think he will fill extremely let down. I think he feels

sidelined. It would be interesting to see how he rebuilds his

authority, it has been unquestionably damaged. And also his

relationship with the Prime Minister. Again, it has been

significantly weakened. He would rightly, I feel, and his advisor

would feel he is not only been let down but stabbed in the back. He was

hung out to dry. We have a couple of people not in favour of the Prime

Minister, we are racking them up! In the Mail on Sunday, they've gone

for this shock headline. Let mothers abort babies of "Wrong sex".

A shocking call by doctors, ethics board is terminations based on

gender alone. It is not the first time we have heard this. There is a

possibility, if you have some sort of inherited genetic disease for it,

but this is more widespread? This is choice. This is selective abortion,

and in other parts of the world it is more common, like India and China

particularly, in that part of the world. We are mostly talking about

female foetuses. You do not have to be anti-choice to oppose sex

selective abortion. It is much more nuanced than that. Personally, I

have studied this in other countries and throughout the world. To me,

this is not always a free choice. It is painted as a binary but the

individual is not always making a free choice because some women are

conversed into making these decisions because a son is desired.

And when a woman makes any choice, even if she thinks it's free, we do

not make it in a vacuum. There are societal pressures imposed on you,

and those decision to reflect a society that does not value

female... And the society could end up having unbalanced agendas. She is

also calling for abortion at any time. -- genders. We have a limit to

24 weeks at the moment. In other countries, it is lower. She is

basically calling for it at any stage in pregnancy. Even those who

believe in a woman's right to choose, I am strongly in that camp,

would find it difficult to stomach. I think there comes a point where

once the foetus is capable of life, then surely, that is beyond the

stage where... Unless there are medical reasons where you have to do

it for the safety of the mother... I think this will run a bed. It is

such a controversial and divisive issue.

Let's go back to the Telegraph. Rosemary, what's happening in

Cornwall? It might seem unlikely that people in Cornwall are victims

of ethnic pressure but the Council of Europe has condemned the

government for neglecting the Cornish minority. The southernmost

County, obviously, has suffered erosion of its language, there

are... 500 speakers of Cornish, apparently. And landmarks have been

Disneyfied, like Pentagon Castle. It was blowing a gale when I went there

a few months ago. It was not like a fairy tale princess, it is a rugged

bit of rock on a headland. You access it through narrow bridges. It

is not Disneyfied! Calling on the BBC to broadcast more in Cornish.

That is W1A territory. Parody in the BBC. Someone worse complaining in

that about treatment of the Cornish by the BBC. We will see what they

come up with next! Complaints from everybody now! Thank

you very much indeed for joining us. Those are The Papers this morning.

We do them every night, at 10:40pm he and BBC News. Goodbye for now.

Hello there, mixed fortunes in the weather today.

Some of us have rain, others stay dry. Some are stuck with cloud, but

others see the sunshine. This is how the morning started

across the Scottish Highlands with