0:00:00 > 0:00:05firmly in his sights.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24Hello and welcome to our look at the stories in the Sunday Papers
0:00:24 > 0:00:25with me are the Political Commentator James
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Millar and James Rampton, Features Writer at The Independent.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Let's take a look at this mornings front pages.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32And the Sunday Express leads
0:00:32 > 0:00:35on the theory that the ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Yulia may have been poisoned by the contents of a parcel that
0:00:38 > 0:00:44went undetected in the post.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48The Sunday Telegraph says senior government figures are leading
0:00:48 > 0:00:50a plan to ban Russian officials involved in corruption and human
0:00:50 > 0:01:00right abuses from entering the UK.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04The Sunday Times claims that since becoming
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Prime Minister, Theresa May has received over £800,000
0:01:06 > 0:01:07worth of donations from Russian oligarchs.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10The Sunday People leads on an interview with a Russian
0:01:10 > 0:01:12defector who says Vladimir Putin is planning eight more
0:01:12 > 0:01:14attacks in the UK.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Of course, it's worth a reminder that Russia has not yet
0:01:15 > 0:01:17been found responsible for the Salisbury attack.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The Observer reveals government figures that show men
0:01:19 > 0:01:22earn almost four timemore than women in Britian's highest paid jobs.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25And finally, the Mail on Sunday headlines
0:01:25 > 0:01:26allegations of bullying against a former executive
0:01:26 > 0:01:35of the One charity, which was founded by Bono.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37The allegations have been denied by the individual involved.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39So plenty to look at this morning with many
0:01:39 > 0:01:46of the papers leading on Russia.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52Who wants to go first?This is stuff that if you read in a novel you
0:01:52 > 0:01:58might think is too far-fetched but then you dig into the details of the
0:01:58 > 0:02:02story and it keeps spiralling out more and more details emerging. The
0:02:02 > 0:02:09story in the Telegraph is about the so-called act which they hope to
0:02:09 > 0:02:17bring into force which will bring sanctions against Russian nationals
0:02:17 > 0:02:19accused of gross violations of human rights and they hope to ban them
0:02:19 > 0:02:25from coming to this country and freezing the assets.It is named
0:02:25 > 0:02:30after a man who died in a Russian prison cell after being beaten and
0:02:30 > 0:02:36in the United States they had the original act.Yes, it exists on our
0:02:36 > 0:02:39statute books and David Cameron has said in the past he was regretful he
0:02:39 > 0:02:44did not enacted more forcefully. There are many things he regrets in
0:02:44 > 0:02:48life and that is one of them! Extraordinary the way this is
0:02:48 > 0:02:54spinning out in all directions. 250 security service officers in
0:02:54 > 0:03:01Salisbury, this is just the beginning of the story, not the end.
0:03:01 > 0:03:07You know what happens, the editor says find something on this. The
0:03:07 > 0:03:09papers have responded, they have been able to find all sorts of
0:03:09 > 0:03:18different lines. The Sunday Telegraph is amazing, this act,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22because it's against people who are gross violators of human rights
0:03:22 > 0:03:26whose crimes include torture and extrajudicial killings. These bands
0:03:26 > 0:03:33and assets freezes, should these people not be in jail?The Sunday
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Times have got a political line. Yeah, another line about the
0:03:37 > 0:03:41connection between the Tories and the Russians and this goes to the
0:03:41 > 0:03:45heart of the matter perhaps in terms of response because there are claims
0:03:45 > 0:03:51its billions of Russian cash kicking around in the country, can we afford
0:03:51 > 0:03:57to stand up to them if they did this? It's not a huge amount of
0:03:57 > 0:04:04money, £820,000...I would not mind it!Well, comparatively speaking
0:04:04 > 0:04:08it's not a huge amount but it's not a good look, taking money from
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Russians.They are under pressure to give it back.Which will only
0:04:11 > 0:04:18increase. The wife of a former Vladimir Putin Minister paid £30,000
0:04:18 > 0:04:22last month to have dinner with Gavin Williamson the Defence Secretary,
0:04:22 > 0:04:29that is not a good look! That is how much...It is underline how eyebrow
0:04:29 > 0:04:38raising, I will not risk any more legal questions, also paid £60,000
0:04:38 > 0:04:41to play tennis with David Cameron. I would want to be paid that amount to
0:04:41 > 0:04:45play tennis with David Cameron but it indicates the extent to which
0:04:45 > 0:04:51there is an impression being created that certain people are attempting
0:04:51 > 0:04:56to buy influence. They have donated, Russian billionaires and lobbyists
0:04:56 > 0:04:59donating £3 billion to the Tories since their return to government in
0:04:59 > 0:05:062010 and it's not a good look. We don't know the exact allegations but
0:05:06 > 0:05:10we know the impression it creates and PR is everything in the modern
0:05:10 > 0:05:17world.Going inside the Sunday Times, perhaps as a result of these
0:05:17 > 0:05:23difficult questions, a story about Cabinet divisions.You can tell this
0:05:23 > 0:05:28is a big story because there's not a huge amount of leaks in terms of the
0:05:28 > 0:05:33details of what happened at the nerve agent might be but come to the
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Cabinet, the Sunday Times can find a way to find out what is going on.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42It's a remarkable story because apparently Theresa May has slapped
0:05:42 > 0:05:45down Boris Johnson for suggesting we need to be hard against the
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Russians. Of all the things Theresa May might have told Boris Johnson to
0:05:49 > 0:05:53shut up about in recent years she chooses this? I think most people
0:05:53 > 0:05:58would back him and say yes we need to stand up to the Russians.It is
0:05:58 > 0:06:02puzzling on the face of it, does the story illuminates why she might do
0:06:02 > 0:06:10that?It seems to be indicated that a lot of ministers are briefing that
0:06:10 > 0:06:14they are proceeding Theresa May as being weak and lacking leadership
0:06:14 > 0:06:19and it plays into the idea she has been limp, to use their word in the
0:06:19 > 0:06:26past, apparently she may well thwart a full enquiry into the death of
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Alexander Litvinenko who was allegedly murdered by Kremlin
0:06:28 > 0:06:34foursomes in 2006. Nerve agents don't come off the shelf and puts
0:06:34 > 0:06:39this says. There are only a handful of agencies in the world capable of
0:06:39 > 0:06:44creating this agent which has left traces apparently in a restaurant,
0:06:44 > 0:06:49maybe even in graves and ambulances, an extraordinarily powerful agent
0:06:49 > 0:07:00and you do not get it in Boots another great coat is that we cannot
0:07:00 > 0:07:03have people in the middle of England threatened by Silent assassins as if
0:07:03 > 0:07:11it's OK on the borders of England! Not in Salisbury!That's not fair.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17The serious point behind that is the public are really going to start
0:07:17 > 0:07:22putting pressure on?Totally, I think this is outrageous. In a way,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I think the fact it is Salisbury brings my bridge as it is because
0:07:26 > 0:07:31it's a cliche but it's a very beautiful, historic city and the
0:07:31 > 0:07:36cliche would be you would not expected to happen there. Dreaming
0:07:36 > 0:07:42spires, William Golding wrote a story about the warranty expired...
0:07:42 > 0:07:48Is there not some John Le Carre action down there?There is no. GCHQ
0:07:48 > 0:07:56is not too far away. However, it is a terrible cliche but it's the last
0:07:56 > 0:08:03place you'd expect it to happen, walking through a shopping centre,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08something we all do with great frequency and it happened,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13apparently and its impacted on many people. The poor policeman who says
0:08:13 > 0:08:17he does not seems up as a hero rushed to help them, one of his
0:08:17 > 0:08:21relatives said he ran towards the danger Ancelotti admire that person.
0:08:21 > 0:08:28He was seriously ill in hospital and we will hear the diplomatic
0:08:28 > 0:08:33ramifications I hope. Just see where it spends next.Is there anything
0:08:33 > 0:08:37the papers have failed to get to? Whodunnit is the obvious one.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Everyone is suggesting it is Russia but we don't know. It seems it's so
0:08:42 > 0:08:48obvious it's them but then why have we not find the smoking gun?I was
0:08:48 > 0:08:54on a press trip with some Russians when the Malaysian airliner full of
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Dutch people were shot down over Ukraine and we heard in this country
0:08:57 > 0:09:02it was definitely Russian backed forces in Ukraine and the Russian
0:09:02 > 0:09:09journalists said of course the CIA did it. It may be an Russia they are
0:09:09 > 0:09:14seeing it as the CIA doing it to smear us and add to the idea of
0:09:14 > 0:09:16anti-Russian sentiment in the West which has a lot of traction in
0:09:16 > 0:09:22Russia.Were to leave that there are, there are other stories in the
0:09:22 > 0:09:28paper. The crunch some numbers from HMRC on highly paid men and frankly
0:09:28 > 0:09:35less highly paid women.It's a good Sunday story I think because this
0:09:35 > 0:09:40will be huge in the next few weeks. Big companies have to report their
0:09:40 > 0:09:43gender pay gap so this will really kick off in the next few weeks. The
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Observer have got ahead of the game with this one. It's a fairly blunt
0:09:48 > 0:09:55instrument I would suggest, figures on how many people earn more than
0:09:55 > 0:10:06£100,000, 681,000 men. Those earning over £1 million 7000 the maximum
0:10:06 > 0:10:0810,000 men.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Further down the story is the more interesting stat that male taxpayers
0:10:16 > 0:10:23had a median income of 25,000 and the few milk and butter 20,000. That
0:10:23 > 0:10:30is a shocking gap at the average level, a £5,000 gap at quite a
0:10:30 > 0:10:32low-level and that makes your eyes pop out, you think how is that
0:10:32 > 0:10:37happening?And that does not include people who do not pay tax and that
0:10:37 > 0:10:41tends to be women because they have all law paid work. Have they
0:10:41 > 0:10:45reported this story or have they just got ahold of numbers, I don't
0:10:45 > 0:10:53see many exciting quotes?It runs out of steam fairly quickly and the
0:10:53 > 0:11:01continuation but...Will this do?It is a big story, it's shocking, the
0:11:01 > 0:11:03question is when we get these figures in the next few weeks what
0:11:03 > 0:11:08will be done about it because it is undoubtedly going to show huge pay
0:11:08 > 0:11:12gaps and of the ones we have had so far, the bosses tend to say that is
0:11:12 > 0:11:16because women work part-time and work on the shop floor, not the head
0:11:16 > 0:11:24office not understanding that the problem.Or they are pushed out for
0:11:24 > 0:11:30demanding pay rises.Do I hear a reference to someone's book coming
0:11:30 > 0:11:41up?In October, yes.Let's move on, going to the express.Yes, they're
0:11:41 > 0:11:47what you call it, the budget? The mini budget? It will get some sort
0:11:47 > 0:11:54of strange shorthand I am sure when it happens. We are a told it's going
0:11:54 > 0:11:59to be a fairly minor event, it's not going to be a big budget yet the
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Chancellor is doing around in TV studios and telling it fairly
0:12:03 > 0:12:05heavily with this suggestion that gross forecasts will be up and there
0:12:05 > 0:12:10might be an end to austerity. We have heard this before suggesting
0:12:10 > 0:12:13public servants will get a higher pay rise and then it hasn't happened
0:12:13 > 0:12:18so I don't know what he's up to if it really is going to happen or if
0:12:18 > 0:12:20he will disappoint people again in which case you might find himself in
0:12:20 > 0:12:27a spot of bother.This is one of the Chancellor who said there were no
0:12:27 > 0:12:30unemployed people in the country which makes me suspicious. It
0:12:30 > 0:12:33reflects that every single story has to be viewed through the prism of
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Brexit because he might say there is light at the end of the tunnel today
0:12:36 > 0:12:40but who knows what will happen in March next year and beyond when the
0:12:40 > 0:12:44economy could fall off a cliff if certain hard Brexiteers get their
0:12:44 > 0:12:51way that's going to happen.That would be contested by them.Guess
0:12:51 > 0:12:55they may well but if some were contending we go to WTO rules I
0:12:55 > 0:12:59think all the experts and I know we don't believe in experts any more,
0:12:59 > 0:13:05passing the economy would suffer. Some people say it will be brilliant
0:13:05 > 0:13:15and we will have billions! Kill Max Orrin a! Take your pick of the
0:13:18 > 0:13:26the Mail On Sunday.I saw an Irish comedian the other day and he said
0:13:26 > 0:13:31if there was a referendum in Ireland 90% of Irish people would vote to
0:13:31 > 0:13:36leave Bono. He is deeply unpopular, something to do with the order of
0:13:36 > 0:13:39sanctimony he radiates while there are still possible questions over
0:13:39 > 0:13:48some of his tax arrangements in Holland. There is just a whiff of
0:13:48 > 0:13:55hypocrisy.This is more off the charity story.It gives it more heft
0:13:55 > 0:13:59that they can put his picture and he can be in the headline but the meat
0:13:59 > 0:14:02of the story is shocking because there are allegations and executive
0:14:02 > 0:14:08of his charity in inverted commas pimped out an employee to an MP or
0:14:08 > 0:14:13attempted to. To try to get some leveraged.That is a truly shocking
0:14:13 > 0:14:24allegation.Bono is not technically involved but you can stick his name
0:14:24 > 0:14:28on it, it feeds into this whole charity shame and bullying and
0:14:28 > 0:14:32sexual harassment and everything but it's absolutely horrific, some of
0:14:32 > 0:14:36the stuff, if it is true it is terrible. There is also a racial
0:14:36 > 0:14:39element because its people based in South Africa and the suggestion is
0:14:39 > 0:14:42this would not have happened in London or Washington but the bosses
0:14:42 > 0:14:51when they are just Africans. So that another layer of horror.After Oxfam
0:14:51 > 0:14:56and Save the Children and Unicef, is this the end of this story?I hope
0:14:56 > 0:15:00so because I lament the fact people have used it, particularly the right
0:15:00 > 0:15:06wing, as a stick to bash charities. Tories talking about lefties
0:15:06 > 0:15:09involving charities and everything charities do particularly in the
0:15:09 > 0:15:12developing world is and if matters certain right-wing people and this
0:15:12 > 0:15:17is just another way of seeing do-gooders do not know what they are
0:15:17 > 0:15:21doing and they are messing up but no, most of them are doing a
0:15:21 > 0:15:25fantastic job and helping people less fortunate which has got to be
0:15:25 > 0:15:28supported. We cannot suddenly say we want nothing to do with it.But they
0:15:28 > 0:15:33had to live bar use. Talking of that, Mother's Day or do we call it
0:15:33 > 0:15:39something else?I don't really understand it because my mum is the
0:15:39 > 0:15:44best so why is everyone else...THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHERI don't
0:15:44 > 0:15:51understand that. Let me rip into this one, Mother's Day card school
0:15:51 > 0:15:55gender neutral. According to the introduction of this retailers are
0:15:55 > 0:16:00introducing the use of the M word to make the day more transgender
0:16:00 > 0:16:04exclusive but there is nothing in the story to back that up. What they
0:16:04 > 0:16:10are doing is introducing new cards, two mums are better than one, happy
0:16:10 > 0:16:15you day, making it more inclusive which is a nice and good thing.One
0:16:15 > 0:16:20of the messages is bad, thank for being the most amazing mum. That's
0:16:20 > 0:16:26an extraordinary development, even ten years ago let alone 30 years
0:16:26 > 0:16:30ago, that would never have happened. The fact that is being done by
0:16:30 > 0:16:35mainstream companies I think is brilliant.Happy story to end on, I
0:16:35 > 0:16:40will let you go and celebrate your mothers, your father is, your youth,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44whatever way you want to put it. Thank you both for coming in.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45That's it for The Papers this Sunday morning.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Don't forget you can see the front pages of the papers online
0:16:48 > 0:16:50on the BBC News website.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53It's all there for you - 7 days a week at bbc.co.uk/papers -
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and if you miss the programme any evening you can watch it
0:16:56 > 0:16:58later on BBC iPlayer Thank you to my guests.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59From us all.
0:16:59 > 0:17:06Goodbye.