21/11/2017 The Papers

Hello and welcome to our look ahead

to what the the papers will be

bringing us tomorrow.

With me are the former Labour

adviser and comedian,

Ayesha Hazarika and Tim Montgomerie,

the founder of unherd.com.

A look at the front pages.

The Metro which leads

with the resignation

of Robert Mugabe as President

of Zimbabwe after 37 years in power.

The I reflects the jubilant scenes

across Zimbabwe earlier today

as news spread about the end

of Mugabe's rule.

A so-called divorce

bill between Britain

and the European Union could be

settled within three weeks according

the FT's front page.

Ahead of tomorrow's budget,

the Telegraph details a last minute

briefing which the paper says saw

Downing Street demand a last minute

announcement on schools.

The Daily Express leads

with how Vitamin D could benefit

the treatment of arthritis according

to new research.

The Times reports that schools

will be paid £600 for every extra

pupil they persuade to sit maths

A-level to help Britain compete

on the world stage after Brexit.

The Guardian has an image

of Zimbabweans celebrating

on the streets of Harare

after Mugabe resigned.

And the Mail urges savers to boycott

banks that have not passed on this

month's rise in interest rates.

Let's talk about some of those. Take

us to the front of the Metro, if

only for the headline.

Amazing

headline, hip, hip, Harare. Most

papers have very vibrant scenes of

GB Lei Sheng from Harare. A lot of

smiling faces -- scenes of

jubilation. We thought Mugabe was

going to go last week and then we

thought he was going to go on Sunday

and it didn't work out but people

will be pleased. We shouldn't

underestimate what a huge moment

this is in African politics. He has

been a presiding figure not just in

Zimbabwe but across the whole

region. At first very revered, he

was the man who helped Zimbabwe

become independent in 1980. There

was a lot of promise, he was seen as

this revolutionary insurgent, this

very strong figure but Zimbabwe went

from is being the breadbasket of

Africa with great resources

basically to being the basket case,

with horrific unemployment. At one

point, life expectancy in Zimbabwe

was the lowest of anywhere on the

planet, I think for a woman it was

43 years old. A huge collar and

epidemic -- cholera and AIDS

epidemic. The agriculture dipped.

The country has a tragic set of

events happening to it. I hope that

even know there is a lot of

jubilation, I hope that there will

be real change. It's important to

note that the man taking over from

Mugabe was a big part of what

happened before, quite a

blood-soaked history.

His nickname

is the crocodile.

Doesn't bode

particularly well.

I think what

Morgan Tsvangirai is calling for is

correct, until there are free and

fair elections in Zimbabwe who must

be careful about being too jubilant.

On the story got context, this is a

very significant day, isn't it?

A

huge moment for the moment said,

this is a land that had so much

promise, still a lot of resources.

Quite a talented population in many

respects and you can see the

excitement and the jubilation. The

military, this is the softest crew

we've seen of this kind, an example

to the rest of Africa if they can

have lived correctly -- the softest

coup. There has been a lot of

intimidation and violence in the

life of the modern Zimbabwe. If this

transition can happen reasonably

peacefully, it is an open question

as to how much justice needs to be

done. Whether, behind-the-scenes,

since we had that extraordinary

press conference on Sunday, the

non-amazing nation --

non-resignation conference, has he

got protection and is the immune

from prosecution? It is up to the

people of Zimbabwe what they will

tolerate. If he has got it it is

going to leave a sour taste in the

malls of the many victims of his

regime over the last 37 years. Let's

reflect on it. The pictures are so

beautiful.

The I's front page, have

you ever seen a great expression of

joy than the guy from the pale blue

T-shirt?

It is an amazing optic, it

is one of hope. Zimbabwe has a young

population, actually well. Great

hope and expectation for the future

but I think Morgan Tsvangirai is

going to be a really important

figure. In a way he is the man who

symbolises the brutality of what

went before. Morgan Tsvangirai

survived three attempts on his life

including somebody coming into his

office, hitting him across the head

with a bar and trying to throw him

out of the window. He is going to be

somebody, he is like the physical

embodiment of somebody who pushed

back against the regime. The

pictures are very arresting but I

would urge a bit of caution in the

sense that we have to see, it is no

good replacing one dictatorship with

another one.

Moving ahead to the

Guardian which has the same image on

the front page

you raise the issue

briefly what happens Mr Mugabe.

There is a line on the Guardian's

coverage, the generals are yet to

comment on his fate and one of the

uncertainties amid the talk of

succession and maybe a democratic

process, what will happen to him?

Absolutely, Zanu-PF appeared to have

quickly moved behind the military.

Quite orchestrated in many senses so

maybe there is more of a plan than

we realise. We focus a lot on the

human rights issues associated with

the regime but the big thing that

has brought it to the climax we are

witnessing is the economic failure,

the complete economic failure,

basket case, as Ayesha said. It is

an opportunity for the West, we have

some historic involvement in the

country.

I think we do.

Anything to

how the transition. These people

have hope at the moment. The

universities haven't been paid. If

we can help in the investment. So

often we think of Africa as a

struggling continent but country

after country has been moving

forward, improvements in literacy,

improvements in child mortality etc

and now perhaps Zimbabwe will join

the success story.

Absolutely,

Africa is the market to watch in

terms of its infrastructure and

telecommunications, that is

improving but interesting to see

what the leaders surrounding

Zimbabwe do as well, particularly

South Africa.

Jacob Zuma was due

there tomorrow, I don't know if he

will go in the light of events.

Would be delighted if he went

altogether!

Easy for us to say in

the west that you must have a huge

trial, but it must be for them to

decide and it may be that there has

been so much are people and there

has been so much bloodshed they

don't want to risk a huge uprising

because he still quite popular in

Zimbabwe despite these pictures.

There are many people who think of

him fondly as the person who

liberated Zimbabwe from the evil

Empire. In a way I think that other

leaders around may also encourage

this to be as calm as possible

without increasing tensions.

One

more image before we talk about

other matters, the front page of the

Daily Telegraph. If you thought that

the man in the blue T-shirt we

showed you a moment ago was the

happiest man in Zimbabwe, maybe this

one wearing a suit and that

wide-eyed look is running him close!

Looks like he's going to explode

with happiness.

Made's budget war

with Hammond: the evil they budget.

By the time people -- the eve before

the budget. By the time people read

it it will be the day of the budget.

Would Hammond be pleased if the

Mugabe News had happened tomorrow?

It could have been drowned out or is

he glad to get the attention

tomorrow? Time will tell. Philip

Hammond, I don't think I breaking an

exclusive here...

Feel free to do

that.

He's not the most exciting

Chancellor or politician we've ever

had. And of course Conservative MPs

are not the happiest people and they

are hoping for something special

from the Chancellor. There seem to

be some interesting ideas, for

example encouraging maths teaching,

very worthy and important but not

the kind of idea or proposal that I

think will really change

Conservative fortunes. The story in

the Daily Telegraph is that Theresa

May seems to be anxious that Hammond

isn't going to delivered the game

changer.

And she may run out of

patience with him if he doesn't.

A

reach of all that she might choose

rather than those that have been

forced on her.

I come from a party

where the leader and the Chancellor

used to fight a lot and it doesn't

make for happy politics. Going into

most budgets you get a lot of pitch

rolling and atmospherics forehand.

What people have been saying so far

about Mr Hammond. Before a budget he

will do a lot of media on the

Sunday. The worst budget build-up in

history. Never had it though good

apparently. People say that it is

going to be uninspiring. What it

looks like is that the knives are

out for him. They are stuck in this

Brexit crisis at the moment and

really a budget that traditionally

happens... This is what happens in

since the Conservatives have the

election. This is a budget that is

going to be quite tough but it will

set the tone of a government with

vision. There will be nothing of

that. Things like housing, we need

something substantial. Theresa May's

conference speech didn't cut any ice

with that.

We are going to get

something on housing?

But will it be

enough? Also a lot of an happiness

about the pay cap and calls for

regional investment. Until there is

a narrative that pulls things

together, this is very

insubstantial.

A couple of minutes

left. Let's sort out Brexit in that

time! The FC, Brussels and London

aiming to reach Brexit divorce bill

in three weeks -- the Financial

Times. This follows the meeting

earlier today, where a new figure

was mooted. It was yesterday.

This

sounds ambitious to me. It is vital

that this agreement is reached

because the clock is ticking. The

Article 50 process is a two-year

process and there is a feeling that

you need an agreement to get it

passed by the European Parliament

etc and we haven't begun the crucial

trade talks yet. Theresa May is

determined to find some sort of

financial offer for the European

Union so she can get onto the trade

talks but if it is the kind of

figure that has been talked about

here, I think there is going to be

uproar inside the Conservative

Party. Tory MPs, Jacob Rees Mogg,

Robert health on already leading the

calls of anxiety. Forget the budget,

the fireworks will come when we

start getting specifics on this

number. It will be the biggest test

of Theresa May's leadership and

she's had a number of tests but this

will be huge.

It's difficult because

the issue of Ireland as well, the

border, a massive issue which people

are concerned about. Tim is right

about the money. A lot of people

thought that we would get a lot of

money back from the EU and it turns

out we are going to have to pay a

lot of money to untangle ourselves.

When we get the budget we'll be told

that there isn't much money around

and austerity will stay.

Time is up.

Don't forget you can see the front

pages of the papers online

on the BBC News website.

And if you miss the programme any

evening you can watch it

later on BBC iPlayer.

Thank you to my guests and goodbye.