0:00:17 > 0:00:21Hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be
0:00:21 > 0:00:22bringing us tomorrow.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27With me, Michael Booker, deputy editor of the Daily Express,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and Times Columnist Jenni Russell.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Thanks both of you for coming in.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Many of tomorrow's front pages are already in.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40Let's take a look.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Starting with the Financial Times,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44which leads on Philip Hammond's optimism in his Spring Statement,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47as well as Donald Trump's dismissal of his Secretary of State
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Rex Tillerson.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50The Daily Express shares the Chancellor's sunny outlook,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53focusing on the possibility of tax cuts in the budget in Autumn if
0:00:53 > 0:00:58economic forecasts remain positive.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The i reports Theresa May is preparing a wave of sanctions
0:01:01 > 0:01:08against Russia amid tensions over the Salisbury nerve agent attack.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Tensions with Russia and that investigation
0:01:10 > 0:01:12into the unexplained death of a Russian businessman in London
0:01:12 > 0:01:20feature on the Metro's front page.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23The Sun also leads on that death, the 68-year-old Nikolai Glushovski,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25who was an outspoken critic of President Putin.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29The Daily Telegraph's picture story features racing fans enjoying a day
0:01:29 > 0:01:37out at the opening of the Cheltenham Festival.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39But the Daily Star's front page warns that more freezing
0:01:39 > 0:01:40weather is on its way,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43with temperatures set to plunge again this weekend.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47And the Daily Mirror warns that one and two pence pieces could become
0:01:47 > 0:01:50a thing of the past, as the Chancellor launches a series
0:01:50 > 0:01:54of finance-related consultations.
0:01:54 > 0:02:02Let's talk to our guests. I think we're starting with the front page
0:02:02 > 0:02:08of The i, and this threat of sanctions.We've had this for a few
0:02:08 > 0:02:12days, there is going to be just that of sanctions. Looks like the Cold
0:02:12 > 0:02:15work starts again tomorrow in earnest with the Russians over
0:02:15 > 0:02:19these, the poisoning and then the suspicious death which has now been
0:02:19 > 0:02:30linked to it. Oligarchs could have their assets frozen, it doesn't
0:02:30 > 0:02:34sound an awful lot. And it does not sound as if it is going to scare
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Russia a single bit. We saw a BBC correspondent speak to Vladimir
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Putin last night and he smirked when he was asked about whether Russia
0:02:43 > 0:02:45had anything to do with the poisoning. I don't think he cares
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and I think the problem we have with this, and I've seen a few
0:02:49 > 0:02:51commentators say this, is that Russia is prepared to go to the
0:02:51 > 0:02:56length that we are not. They seem to have no boundaries whatsoever, as
0:02:56 > 0:02:59seems to be happening with the poisoning and possibly again with
0:02:59 > 0:03:05this suspicious death of someone. You're not suggesting the UK
0:03:05 > 0:03:08intelligence services match the Russians in being willing to poison
0:03:08 > 0:03:13double agents.I'm not saying that, but that is the problem. They are
0:03:13 > 0:03:16prepared to go to these degrees and we are going to hit them with a few
0:03:16 > 0:03:27assets?Jenni, what is your thoughts on this coverage? Do you take the
0:03:27 > 0:03:30same view as Michael that it is I could add up to anything to cause
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Vladimir Putin sleepless nights?No, I think it's very deliberate on his
0:03:33 > 0:03:39part. He could've chosen if he wanted to commit to kill this man or
0:03:39 > 0:03:46these two people, to have done so without leaving a trace. He is
0:03:46 > 0:03:50leaving Britain a message, which is I can do what I like in your
0:03:50 > 0:03:53territory and there's nothing you can do about. Michael is right. The
0:03:53 > 0:03:57reality is we are weak. It's not that he is going to find that we are
0:03:57 > 0:04:05weak. He could see a position now. To be fair to say, they have sounded
0:04:05 > 0:04:10to support this evening. What are the actually going to do against
0:04:10 > 0:04:15Russert? The question is not whether people make diagnoses or whether
0:04:15 > 0:04:18they do anything to combat Russian power and we have very little
0:04:18 > 0:04:22leverage of our own. We can take these of measures but we are very
0:04:22 > 0:04:26small country. What economic power do behalf against Russia that will
0:04:26 > 0:04:32also damage us? And Russia very clearly said tonight this is no way
0:04:32 > 0:04:36to talk to a nuclear superpower. They are directly threatening us,
0:04:36 > 0:04:41basically making clear that if you attempt to retaliate against us, wow
0:04:41 > 0:04:47are we going to...In the meantime, potentially, another problem. You
0:04:47 > 0:04:57referenced it a moment ago. Death of ex-Russian exile terror probe.This
0:04:57 > 0:05:03is a man of 69 years old who says he was on Russia's hit list and he has
0:05:03 > 0:05:11been found strangled. The fact that this happens within days...The
0:05:11 > 0:05:16counterterrorism unit is not confirming the hit for the
0:05:16 > 0:05:20regulation mind but this is in the sun and the Metro.I think they are
0:05:20 > 0:05:24calling it in some Russian on my newspapers. It's in the Metro as
0:05:24 > 0:05:30well. It does seem as though it's adding up to, again, a big? Against
0:05:30 > 0:05:36the Russian state. It just goes to show what they are prepared to do.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41And this is a guy who was the right-hand man of...Himself, an
0:05:41 > 0:05:47enemy of the Kremlin.Found in his bathroom hanging. Well, was he
0:05:47 > 0:05:51hanging? Had he strangled his neck again, this guy, a friend of his,
0:05:51 > 0:05:57they say date did not believe he had struggled himself.There are four or
0:05:57 > 0:06:07five suspicious deaths of Russians on British soil. There is clearly a
0:06:07 > 0:06:10pattern here, which is Russia is saying we can do it as we please.
0:06:10 > 0:06:21Yes, interestingly, Matt has found some black humour on this.Yes, a
0:06:21 > 0:06:30phone call to a Moscow lab saying, "Yes, this is state-sponsored
0:06:30 > 0:06:35doping. You want state-sponsored poisoning."But as greedy changes
0:06:35 > 0:06:41for a moment and look a different story -- let's look at the
0:06:41 > 0:06:47changes... The Financial Times. They are going with their lead story,
0:06:47 > 0:06:57Hammond but then also, they have got the Trump- Tillerson story.He got
0:06:57 > 0:07:01sacked and did not really think Trump for his time as Secretary of
0:07:01 > 0:07:07State. He has gotten the boot and we have the CIA director, Mike Pompeo,
0:07:07 > 0:07:15who is basically a Trump yes-man. He can hold his hand and be nice to him
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and not patronize them as much as others do, and I think Tillerson
0:07:18 > 0:07:26called him a moron, and at one point, Trump, didn't he?Do they
0:07:26 > 0:07:28connect the time is between these two events in the FT story? Are you
0:07:28 > 0:07:33interested in the timing? Do you think it's merely an accident, in
0:07:33 > 0:07:36fact that Tillerson has had some things to say about that? Comp has
0:07:36 > 0:07:43obviously been in it different place from Russia.It seems very unlikely
0:07:43 > 0:07:47that it is a coincidence but the White House is disputing that event.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53Within hours saying Tillerson saying we can Russia is behind that, he
0:07:53 > 0:08:01gets sacked. The White House said, we planned to sack him last Friday,
0:08:01 > 0:08:13he was told nothing about it, and he is sacked. I doubt there is an equal
0:08:13 > 0:08:21incident about this at all.And interest, Donald Trump did come out
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and say something about Salisbury today but late in the day.We need
0:08:25 > 0:08:28to be worried about the Secretary of State because he's come as the
0:08:28 > 0:08:34former CIA director and he's made it his business to set up to Trump
0:08:34 > 0:08:38privately and publicly on every occasion, and the reason Trump says
0:08:38 > 0:08:41he likes him is he's on his wavelength. In other words, he will
0:08:41 > 0:08:44not challenge Trump in any way at all. He's a hawk and he will do
0:08:44 > 0:08:51whatever Trump wanted to do and would try to be -- would not try to
0:08:51 > 0:08:57be, as Tillerson was with his fault, a voice in contrast.A crisis in
0:08:57 > 0:08:59North Korea, with a summit potentially in the offing and then
0:08:59 > 0:09:05possibly the other nuclear crisis reigniting again with Iran.It's
0:09:05 > 0:09:09certainly a very frightening time at the moment in geopolitics, isn't it?
0:09:09 > 0:09:16And with that the Russian threat here as well. Terrifying. When he
0:09:16 > 0:09:20says we're not really thinking the same and the 22nd, Theresa May would
0:09:20 > 0:09:24not have half a Cabinet if he was done on that bit.Looking down
0:09:24 > 0:09:29stories that, let's get back to stories, and the Daily Express. At
0:09:29 > 0:09:35last, tax cuts on the way, is its headline. Jenni.Yes, that is the
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Daily Express's spent on this. If you look be due to are saying is by
0:09:38 > 0:09:472020 from if everything goes well on the economy, Philip Hammond is would
0:09:47 > 0:09:52have £15 billion for tax cuts. We all got a little bit confused by tax
0:09:52 > 0:09:56cuts, but that is absolutely nothing, it is a rounding error. The
0:09:56 > 0:10:00idea we can project three years into the future and say, I'm deathly
0:10:00 > 0:10:09going to have this money, is basically... Hammond is basically
0:10:09 > 0:10:13saying, we're still building up our debt. But that he was saying this,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17but he was saying I don't hunt and a NHS crisis, a social care crisis and
0:10:17 > 0:10:21anything else.Light at the end of the tunnel.He wants to be more
0:10:21 > 0:10:24positive and I think Tory MPs wanting to be a bit more positive
0:10:24 > 0:10:27going into the next election in 2000 would you because they need
0:10:27 > 0:10:32something to fight Labour on at the moment. At least it is something for
0:10:32 > 0:10:55them.He described it as Tigger-ing. Not Eeyore! Claire Foy paid less
0:10:55 > 0:11:04than that bit.She was the queen! This is so tedious! The trouble with
0:11:04 > 0:11:07this is there are many, many more roles for men and many more starring
0:11:07 > 0:11:10roles for men, and if you allocate pay on that basis, the men are
0:11:10 > 0:11:15always going to continue to be paid more and on and on. She is the
0:11:15 > 0:11:19incredible star of that series. She's won the BAFTA and the Golden
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Globe.Cheese in more scenes than him as well, isn't he?She
0:11:22 > 0:11:30absolutely held the whole thing together.She is the show.And the
0:11:30 > 0:11:37producers have said the next person to play the queen will get more
0:11:37 > 0:11:41money but that does not help Claire Foy.Let us go to our last story
0:11:41 > 0:11:51because, you know, at least Claire can can't her penny and tuppence is
0:11:51 > 0:12:00and put them in a jar.8% of people chuck them away, I mean, who chucks
0:12:00 > 0:12:11any money away? A penny on the floor. I just search pavements all
0:12:11 > 0:12:18the time!You're basically saying you are against the...I think a lot
0:12:18 > 0:12:25of people will be against it. A labour MP says charities get the
0:12:25 > 0:12:32loose change from there. They are going to miss out on this.I was
0:12:32 > 0:12:36interested to read that Thatcher dropped the 6p piece for a simple
0:12:36 > 0:12:45reason. Nothing on the coins. Maybe make a few thousand on that.Do you
0:12:45 > 0:12:49think it's a good idea though?Yes, I think they are just a complaints
0:12:49 > 0:12:57nuisance. -- a complete nuisance.A lot of rummaging around a sofa on a
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Saturday night, looking for change. And we just want to put on the
0:13:00 > 0:13:03record that you to get paid exactly the same, so no quarrelling over
0:13:03 > 0:13:09equal pay on the show. Thank you both so much for coming and. Do it
0:13:09 > 0:13:12again any time.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16That's it for The Papers tonight.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Don't forget, you can see the front pages online
0:13:18 > 0:13:22on the BBC News website.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25All there for you seven days a week, bbc.co.uk/papers, and if you miss
0:13:25 > 0:13:27the programme any evening, you can watch it
0:13:27 > 0:13:34later on BBC iPlayer.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35Thank you, Michael and Jenni again.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Goodbye.