:00:23. > :00:32.Hello and a warm welcome to Ask the Leader.
:00:33. > :00:34.We're putting the leaders of the SNP, the Conservatives,
:00:35. > :00:37.Labour and the Liberal Democrats on the spot this week.
:00:38. > :00:39.They'll each face questions from a live studio
:00:40. > :00:43.And I'll try to press them for the answers.
:00:44. > :00:47.If you'd like to join the debate on social media,
:00:48. > :00:53.We heard from Willie Rennie last night, and we'll speak
:00:54. > :00:56.to Ruth Davidson and Nicola Sturgeon later this week.
:00:57. > :00:58.But tonight it's the turn of Kezia Dugdale, leader
:00:59. > :01:07.And the first question for her comes from Victor Clements.
:01:08. > :01:14.Without using any cliches or sound bites, what is this election about?
:01:15. > :01:18.I think it is fundamentally about the future of our country and a
:01:19. > :01:22.choice of two visions. Ultimately come the Friday after the election
:01:23. > :01:25.there will only be a Labour government or a Conservative
:01:26. > :01:29.government, and I really worry about another five years of the Tories and
:01:30. > :01:31.what they will do, particularly to the most vulnerable and
:01:32. > :01:36.disadvantaged people in this country. Why? Because I've witnessed
:01:37. > :01:39.that in the last five years. The reality is, it doesn't have to be
:01:40. > :01:44.this way. If we ask the richest people in society to pay more tax,
:01:45. > :01:48.we can raise the revenue we need to invest in public services and the
:01:49. > :01:50.things we care about, most notably the National Health Service are
:01:51. > :01:56.making sure we have the best schools in the world once again. That's the
:01:57. > :02:00.choice at this election, if we put money into public services and
:02:01. > :02:05.protect them or ignore that and proceed with the second independence
:02:06. > :02:11.referendum and keep the way things are right now. What do you make of
:02:12. > :02:16.that? There are some sound bites in that. For me it's an opportunity to
:02:17. > :02:20.freshen things up a bit, get a new narrative in Scotland, maybe some
:02:21. > :02:23.new personnel. Things have been going in circles for a few years now
:02:24. > :02:28.and it would be good to change that. Theresa May said she was calling the
:02:29. > :02:33.election in light of Brexit. Do you buy that or do you think Kezia
:02:34. > :02:39.Dugdale has identified what this election is about? The election was
:02:40. > :02:44.called because of Brexit so I think we do have two respect that and have
:02:45. > :02:47.a discussion about our relationship with the EU and what it means I
:02:48. > :02:50.don't think we've had that. We might get to that. I will take another
:02:51. > :02:54.contribution from the audience and then back with Kezia Dugdale. Given
:02:55. > :03:01.the brain freed by Jeremy Corbyn and the brain freed by Jeremy Corbyn and
:03:02. > :03:04.-- brain freeze by Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, do you still have
:03:05. > :03:10.confidence in the Labour Party? Yes I do, there are two very clear
:03:11. > :03:13.choices we can take. I want a Labour Prime Minister and government
:03:14. > :03:17.because I believe in that manifesto that's being put forward. A serious
:03:18. > :03:21.and radical plan to transform this country and how it works for. If I
:03:22. > :03:24.can give you an idea in their manifesto I believe in perhaps above
:03:25. > :03:30.all others is the idea of a real living wage of ?10 about. Under a
:03:31. > :03:33.Labour government we could live 5.6 million people that work, go out
:03:34. > :03:37.every day and earn a wage but don't have enough money to put food on
:03:38. > :03:41.their table for their family, out of poverty. It's good for business, it
:03:42. > :03:45.makes sound economic sense and fundamentally good for society as
:03:46. > :03:50.well. The contributor mentioned Jeremy Corbyn's brain freeze earlier
:03:51. > :03:56.today. Is that a technical term? Perhaps it is. What is your position
:03:57. > :03:59.on a second independence referendum? I think it is easy and clear for
:04:00. > :04:04.everyone to go and look this up on the Labour Party manifesto on our
:04:05. > :04:06.website. It says we think a second independence referendum is
:04:07. > :04:16.unnecessary and unwanted. We don't support it and we don't support
:04:17. > :04:18.Brexit either. Take that and add an additional ?15 billion worth of cuts
:04:19. > :04:23.on top of that and that's what you would get with independence.
:04:24. > :04:30.APPLAUSE That opposition you have put outcome
:04:31. > :04:32.is shared by Jeremy Corbyn as well? Absolutely, categorically. Every
:04:33. > :04:37.time Jeremy Corbyn has been in Scotland he warned against
:04:38. > :04:41.independence and the austerity would bring. You can understand why some
:04:42. > :04:45.people might have found it confusing. This is what Jeremy
:04:46. > :04:48.Corbyn said today. If the Scottish parliament and Scottish people want
:04:49. > :04:52.a referendum, they have the right to do that. That was the whole point of
:04:53. > :04:58.the devolution agreement in the 1990s. I think any referendum should
:04:59. > :05:02.take place, if there is to be won, after the Brexit negotiations are
:05:03. > :05:06.concluded. This is the most important thing. It doesn't sound
:05:07. > :05:10.like a cast-iron guarantee you gave against independence in the second
:05:11. > :05:16.referendum at all. It's not just me they gave a cast-iron guarantee it's
:05:17. > :05:20.in the manifesto. That's what he said. It's not made up view of the
:05:21. > :05:24.Labour Party, that is our experience travelling around the country. Out
:05:25. > :05:29.of him talking today on this topic. I understand that but all I can do
:05:30. > :05:33.is point to you the manifesto of the Scottish and UK Labour Party... Use
:05:34. > :05:38.the leader and you are campaigning to make him Prime Minister of the
:05:39. > :05:43.UK. He's not saying he would block another independence referendum.
:05:44. > :05:47.Look at the lines in the manifesto... Yesterday he said he
:05:48. > :05:50.would open discussions with the government in Scotland on this.
:05:51. > :05:53.Earlier in the year, in March, he said if the Scottish Parliament
:05:54. > :05:58.decided they wanted to have a referendum, then that would be wrong
:05:59. > :06:00.for Westminster to block it. The Scottish Parliament has decided to
:06:01. > :06:08.have a referendum, is not going to block it, is he? He is. What will he
:06:09. > :06:11.do to block it? I could tell you a hundred different quotes about the
:06:12. > :06:15.damage a second independence referendum would do. Am not saying
:06:16. > :06:19.he hasn't spoken out against it but he is not prepared to block
:06:20. > :06:22.independence, because he says if the Scottish Parliament once said, they
:06:23. > :06:27.can have it. He'd prefer they waited until after Brexit but he's not
:06:28. > :06:30.saying no. What is clearer than a manifesto... Fundamentally different
:06:31. > :06:38.position. That's not correct. There is one clear position on that is in
:06:39. > :06:40.the manifesto. People can look it up at home tonight on the Internet and
:06:41. > :06:42.it has clearly we don't support independence for a second
:06:43. > :06:47.independence referendum, because the austerity would bring to society.
:06:48. > :06:50.That's not what he said. It's in the manifesto. It doesn't matter what
:06:51. > :06:52.the leader of the Labour Party says, only what's written in the
:06:53. > :06:59.manifesto? You picked the one taken manifesto? You picked the one taken
:07:00. > :07:02.-- ten second quote. I am pointing to the manifesto that says it's
:07:03. > :07:05.opposed to a second independence referendum. Lets get some views from
:07:06. > :07:10.the audience. The gentleman in the back row and then the gentleman at
:07:11. > :07:15.the front. You and the public don't want it. It is clear the majority of
:07:16. > :07:19.people don't want their second independence referendum, but what
:07:20. > :07:23.are you doing to convince people who voted yes in the last referendum to
:07:24. > :07:28.change their minds? I don't really see a sort of positive vision at the
:07:29. > :07:30.moment from Labour. Can you pick up on that? Corredera lots of people
:07:31. > :07:37.around the country frustrated about how this country works and in whose
:07:38. > :07:40.interest it works well. We can tackle a huge amount of poverty and
:07:41. > :07:44.inequality we face in this country by using the powers the Scottish
:07:45. > :07:47.Parliament has. We have tremendous new tax powers and welfare powers
:07:48. > :07:51.that means no longer can we just turn to London and blame the Tories.
:07:52. > :07:54.We can choose to do things differently in Scotland. If we have
:07:55. > :07:59.the political will to do it. What I witnessed in the Scottish Parliament
:08:00. > :08:02.every day is the SNP the cuts from Westminster and then pass them onto
:08:03. > :08:06.communities across the country because it helps them to advance
:08:07. > :08:13.their case for independence. Was asking about how... Specifically
:08:14. > :08:18.asking how you are seeking to win back yes voters in the 2014
:08:19. > :08:21.referendum? You are attempting in this interview to set out in
:08:22. > :08:25.opposition to independence, how does that help? I was about to make the
:08:26. > :08:29.next point which is I can therefore tell you how we use the powers of
:08:30. > :08:33.the Scottish Parliament to end Tory austerity. The tax proposals my
:08:34. > :08:38.party advocate. That is not an issue in this election, it's a UK general
:08:39. > :08:42.election. Is, it's about, money we spend on our public services. I have
:08:43. > :08:59.a proposal to increase the amount of child benefit we get in
:09:00. > :09:03.this country by 2020. I am only able to argue that here tonight because I
:09:04. > :09:06.can point to how weak you would use the tax powers of the Scottish
:09:07. > :09:08.Parliament to raise enough money to do that. That would live 30,000
:09:09. > :09:10.children in Scotland currently living in poverty... That depends on
:09:11. > :09:12.you getting elected at Holyrood. It's about how much money we spend
:09:13. > :09:15.on our public services that depends on this general election. The Tories
:09:16. > :09:17.want to shut down the state and close things off, Labour wants to
:09:18. > :09:20.invest in the fabric of society. Similar voices from the audience,
:09:21. > :09:24.this gentleman in the front row? Do you think the comments made by David
:09:25. > :09:27.Dimbleby about lazy media focusing on negative things from Jeremy
:09:28. > :09:29.Corbyn during this election, when there are much more fundamental
:09:30. > :09:33.issues, if you look at the Labour Party manifesto. I will take the
:09:34. > :09:38.gentleman in the middle here and then come back. I understand your
:09:39. > :09:42.principally against independence and I understand that and that is fine,
:09:43. > :09:47.but what I don't understand is why you are completely against even
:09:48. > :09:51.considering the section 30 warder. If you put yourself in the place of
:09:52. > :09:56.another piece of legislation put in front of the Scottish Parliament,
:09:57. > :10:01.that was going to Westminster, basically saying they weren't
:10:02. > :10:04.considered a piece of legislation. I think the point being made in
:10:05. > :10:08.relation to Jeremy Corbyn is at least he's going to open up
:10:09. > :10:11.dialogue, as opposed to putting his head in the sand. I think there's a
:10:12. > :10:16.strong distinction that needs to be made in terms of principally
:10:17. > :10:21.opposing something and that section 30 order. That is the way in which
:10:22. > :10:24.the UK would give Holyrood the power to have another independence
:10:25. > :10:29.referendum, if it so chose. Are you against giving that power? I will
:10:30. > :10:32.answer that directly in a second. There's a point to make before we
:10:33. > :10:36.get to the details of that. That's why we are in the situation where we
:10:37. > :10:39.are contemplating a second referendum at all. I'm spending
:10:40. > :10:42.every day at the moment speaking to people on their doorsteps across the
:10:43. > :10:45.country, and I'm astonished by the number of people who are genuinely
:10:46. > :10:49.angry that we're being asked to develop and go back to these
:10:50. > :10:52.arguments of the past again. We were told it was a once-in-a-lifetime,
:10:53. > :10:57.once in a generation opportunity and we are barely two and a half years
:10:58. > :11:00.later on. Nicola Sturgeon's justification for trying to argue
:11:01. > :11:05.for a second referendum is Brexit. She will everything has changed
:11:06. > :11:09.because of the result of the EU referendum. This is really
:11:10. > :11:12.important, without enough time in the campaign talking about this. And
:11:13. > :11:16.trying to get you to address the question asked, about the transfer
:11:17. > :11:23.of power? I don't think there should be a second independence referendum.
:11:24. > :11:27.Do you oppose the transfer of power? If they are saying the justification
:11:28. > :11:30.for a second independence referendum is Europe, they can't then tell you
:11:31. > :11:34.how an independent Scotland would be in Europe or out of Europe or have a
:11:35. > :11:38.relationship like Norway does with the EU. I understand you are against
:11:39. > :11:42.independence and I understand if we were having a referendum we would be
:11:43. > :11:45.having a debate about the merits or otherwise of independence. Today the
:11:46. > :11:51.question is about the transfer of power. Does Labour, would they block
:11:52. > :11:54.the transfer of power Marc Giraud we said we wouldn't countenance any
:11:55. > :11:58.form of a second independence referendum until the conclusion of
:11:59. > :12:03.the Brexit negotiations. You might consider it then? No, we
:12:04. > :12:08.are against a second independence referendum. Widest Jeremy Corbyn say
:12:09. > :12:11.he would support the will of the Scottish parliament and you, a
:12:12. > :12:15.member of the Scottish Parliament says he wouldn't? The detail of our
:12:16. > :12:18.policy in this is in the manifesto. We don't agree with a second
:12:19. > :12:23.independence referendum. The guy didn't get the answer to the section
:12:24. > :12:26.30 question. If we get to vote that means there's been a negotiation
:12:27. > :12:29.already between the Scottish Government and UK Government and
:12:30. > :12:32.acceptance the referendum will happen, a franchise agreed, a
:12:33. > :12:37.question agreed. We are so far away from that. I don't want to
:12:38. > :12:40.countenance that because I'm in the business of trying to stop a second
:12:41. > :12:44.independence referendum because people tell me time and time again
:12:45. > :12:47.they don't want it. People who voted yes and no want to leave the
:12:48. > :12:50.arguments of the past behind us and get on with the day job of fixing
:12:51. > :12:54.our schools and hospitals, which is long overdue. I understand that and
:12:55. > :12:58.take it on board but you have answered the question, to be fair.
:12:59. > :13:02.You said on other forums in relation to this it shouldn't be brought to
:13:03. > :13:06.Westminster. I don't believe you have answered the question directly.
:13:07. > :13:09.Myself and Ruth Davidson have said if it was to get that far, where you
:13:10. > :13:14.are in the position of having a section 30 order, used have agreed
:13:15. > :13:18.there would be a section 30, of course you'd be talking about a
:13:19. > :13:23.different situation. You wouldn't block it moderate you can't be...
:13:24. > :13:26.I'm asking a straight question. It's not a straight question, you don't
:13:27. > :13:32.know what the independence question would be with franchises, the level
:13:33. > :13:36.of negotiation... In principle. Is not about in principle. We won't get
:13:37. > :13:40.any further, the second question from Angela McGinley at home. She
:13:41. > :13:50.says, if Jeremy Corbyn would rule out a coalition with the SNP? Jeremy
:13:51. > :13:52.Corbyn has said no deals, no pacts, no coalition with the SNP. No
:13:53. > :13:55.suggestion of a Progressive Alliance. Why? We don't accept the
:13:56. > :13:59.SNP are a Progressive party. The truth of that is every time they've
:14:00. > :14:01.had the powers of the Scottish Parliament to make different choices
:14:02. > :14:05.from the Tories, for example to raise the money we need to stop cuts
:14:06. > :14:09.to public services, they've refused to use it. I also don't think there
:14:10. > :14:15.is anything progressive about trying to break up the United Kingdom. Why?
:14:16. > :14:19.To redistribute power and wealth. I want to tax the wealth in London on
:14:20. > :14:23.the south-east of England and share that across the United Kingdom,
:14:24. > :14:27.where it's needed, including the poorest communities in Scotland. Why
:14:28. > :14:31.is it OK for Labour to go into the coalition in partnership with the
:14:32. > :14:36.SNP at the local government level but not at a UK level? In local
:14:37. > :14:39.government elections we have the single transferable vote system.
:14:40. > :14:42.That means that the last council elections ten days ago it's not a
:14:43. > :14:47.single council across Scotland produced an overall majority for one
:14:48. > :14:50.party. That means that has to be coalitions, deals and pacts between
:14:51. > :14:53.different political parties. If there was a hung parliament
:14:54. > :14:57.presumably there would need to be some kind of arrangement? It is very
:14:58. > :15:01.different. We had 29 authorities when nobody won overall control. The
:15:02. > :15:04.SNP and Tories refused point blank from the beginning to talk to each
:15:05. > :15:07.other, so once again it was down to the Labour Party to try and find the
:15:08. > :15:12.best deal in each of these local authorities where we could stop the
:15:13. > :15:18.cuts, protect jobs and have powers in place to grow communities and
:15:19. > :15:21.public services. In a position where you have suspended Labour
:15:22. > :15:25.councillors for doing deals with the Tories. Not suspended, they broke
:15:26. > :15:28.the rules of the Labour Party. The rule said on national executive
:15:29. > :15:32.committee had to approve any deals and they didn't, that's why they
:15:33. > :15:36.were suspended. The reason we are approaching every council deal now
:15:37. > :15:39.is on whether we can stop compulsory redundancies and cuts to public
:15:40. > :15:42.services. I think that is a really admirable approach, to make sure
:15:43. > :15:46.there are no deals across the country that will lead to job losses
:15:47. > :15:49.or cuts to education. It is the only Labour Party doing the grown-up
:15:50. > :15:52.thing. The SNP and Tories are playing petty politics in the last
:15:53. > :15:57.few weeks over this. The lady in the front row and then the gentleman at
:15:58. > :16:00.the back. What is the point in voting Labour in Scotland because we
:16:01. > :16:06.will end up with a Tory government anyway? Locally in Inverclyde where
:16:07. > :16:11.I have come for the Labour council have amalgamated with the Tories.
:16:12. > :16:15.That's not true. Yes it is. They have given the court Tory guy...
:16:16. > :16:21.It's important I address that. I don't want to get bogged down in the
:16:22. > :16:27.politics of Inverclyde. The party in charge, just as in East
:16:28. > :16:30.Renfrewshire, the SNP had a minority administration, both situations that
:16:31. > :16:36.involved a couple of Tories taking seats. If Labour did a deal with the
:16:37. > :16:38.Tories in Inverclyde, it's very simple. I want to leave that they
:16:39. > :16:49.are. The gentleman in the back. You mentioned about redundancies. In
:16:50. > :16:57.North Lanarkshire Council they are cutting classroom assistants. I can
:16:58. > :17:02.talk to you very specifically about classroom assistants. The reality is
:17:03. > :17:10.in the Scottish budget which was passed through Parliament in January
:17:11. > :17:22.a few months ago, there was cut ?170 million out of local services. We
:17:23. > :17:23.have lost hundreds and thousands of classroom assistants over the last
:17:24. > :17:24.few years. The SNP and Tory cuts are coming from Westminster. They refuse
:17:25. > :17:47.to use their own powers to do things differently. You refused to sanction
:17:48. > :17:54.the minimum wage. We wanted to use the tax powers in the Scottish
:17:55. > :18:10.Why did you refuse to be delivered through the Smith commission? The
:18:11. > :18:13.reality is social chapter rights that existed in Brussels are coming
:18:14. > :18:18.back to Britain. The conversation we need to have is about where they go.
:18:19. > :18:22.It's not answering the question. It is. Why did you refuse to be
:18:23. > :18:30.devolved from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament? Brexit forced
:18:31. > :18:35.upon us. I think there's an argument for devolving those powers to the
:18:36. > :18:39.Scottish Parliament. You're wrong. What she's saying she has changed
:18:40. > :18:43.her position as a result of Brexit. I would devolve employment law from
:18:44. > :18:46.Westminster to the Scottish parliament. Powers from Westminster
:18:47. > :18:50.coming to the Scottish Parliament and other powers from Westminster to
:18:51. > :18:52.the Scottish powers so we could use them and make better and more
:18:53. > :18:55.progressive decisions. I would like to see a higher national minimum
:18:56. > :18:59.wage in Scotland. What I don't want Scotland to be able to do is to
:19:00. > :19:02.undercut a minimum wage across the rest of the UK because then they get
:19:03. > :19:09.into competition in a race to the bottom. We need a minimum standard
:19:10. > :19:12.across the whole of the UK and I would like the Scottish Parliament
:19:13. > :19:14.have the power to top up that wage. We can do it if we give that power.
:19:15. > :19:19.We started talking about coalitions and deals and partnerships. Holyrood
:19:20. > :19:20.powers. Just to remind you, this is a UK general election, a Westminster
:19:21. > :19:32.election. There is one area in which you, the
:19:33. > :19:37.Scottish Labour Party and the SNP agree and that is the nuclear
:19:38. > :19:41.deterrent. As John Schofield points out, the Labour UK manifesto backs
:19:42. > :19:47.renewing Trident. The Scottish Labour manifesto does not. He asks,
:19:48. > :19:52.what reassurances can you give that the Scottish view will prevail? It
:19:53. > :19:58.is very clear with the Scottish and Labour manifestos we have produced
:19:59. > :20:01.that we support the renewal of Trident and work towards
:20:02. > :20:05.multilateral disarmament. We had a democratic process 18 months ago in
:20:06. > :20:09.the Scottish Labour Party. As the Scottish party we had a big debate
:20:10. > :20:14.at conference and concluded we wanted to oppose the renewal of
:20:15. > :20:17.Trident and feedback into the UK wide defence review. The democratic
:20:18. > :20:23.decision of the UK Labour Party is to renew Trident and that is
:20:24. > :20:27.reflected in the manifesto. If you have one or more Scottish Labour MPs
:20:28. > :20:34.at Westminster after this election, they will tow that particular line,
:20:35. > :20:37.no matter what the personal opinion is. Every Labour MP elected on the
:20:38. > :20:41.8th of June is standing on the manifesto and they would be expected
:20:42. > :20:46.to vote for the entire contents. Interesting to bring in members of
:20:47. > :20:53.the audience on our next question, which comes from Sarah Coutts. What
:20:54. > :20:59.guarantees do you offer adults with disabilities, including myself, who
:21:00. > :21:02.are subject to austerities cuts and cuts in benefits? First and
:21:03. > :21:10.foremost, the Labour Party has plans to stop austerity altogether. Would
:21:11. > :21:13.put a penny on the rate of income tax which means it would raise
:21:14. > :21:19.enough money to prevent further cuts to public services. What does that
:21:20. > :21:21.mean to your life or people who have learning disabilities? It means
:21:22. > :21:24.protecting things like additional support in school for young people
:21:25. > :21:30.with additional needs for the icy that falling away all the time. That
:21:31. > :21:35.is a devolved thing. You are asking what the Labour Party stands for in
:21:36. > :21:38.that regard. When it comes to Social Security and the benefits system and
:21:39. > :21:42.the welfare state, what we would like to see if more money going into
:21:43. > :21:46.the Social Security system. Jeremy Corbyn has a plan for ?10 billion
:21:47. > :21:49.more to going into the Social Security system over the next five
:21:50. > :21:52.years we can make sure people with additional needs have all the
:21:53. > :21:56.support they require to live dignified lives and do everything
:21:57. > :22:04.they want to fulfil every aspect of their potential. Your manifesto says
:22:05. > :22:07.Labour will repeal many of the cuts in Social Security support to
:22:08. > :22:14.disabled people. Which ones will it not? Obviously, there is a huge
:22:15. > :22:17.number of different aspects to the Social Security system. We would
:22:18. > :22:22.like to see the overall benefits bill come down. One way to do that
:22:23. > :22:27.is by having a real living wage meaning work pays more. Having
:22:28. > :22:31.benefits to top up wages. What we want to ensure its people with
:22:32. > :22:34.disabilities have every element of support they need. We have seen an
:22:35. > :22:39.attack on the mobility allowance right now goes a bit is giving
:22:40. > :22:44.disabled people transport support they need. That is one example of
:22:45. > :22:47.welfare support. You would reverse that one. Which ones would you not
:22:48. > :22:52.reverse question that it says she would repeal many but not all. The
:22:53. > :22:59.options are not just to reverse or appeal you can reform the benefits
:23:00. > :23:01.as well. We have said we would reform Universal Credit, for
:23:02. > :23:04.example. The Tories want to cap that all limited when there is a family
:23:05. > :23:10.with more than two children. We would make that reform. We need to
:23:11. > :23:14.make sure the overall Social Security system is funded properly
:23:15. > :23:19.so that people who want to work can access work and the work is paid for
:23:20. > :23:23.properly. The idea that we built, as the Labour Party, the welfare state,
:23:24. > :23:30.supports them to live their lives in a way that allows them to live with
:23:31. > :23:38.dignity and respect. Can I just come back to the question first of all.
:23:39. > :23:43.What did you make of that answer? I don't want the Tories cutting our
:23:44. > :23:49.benefits. What benefits are you in receipt of that you are worried
:23:50. > :23:58.about or have already lost out on? Oh, I can't remember. Sorry. But you
:23:59. > :24:04.are concerned. I am concerned. Thank you very much. My car as well, my
:24:05. > :24:07.motor ability car. That is something you currently benefit from? At the
:24:08. > :24:13.moment yes. The leather decision appears to be to restore that. I am
:24:14. > :24:16.here with my mum. You thing you would support people back into it,
:24:17. > :24:21.specifically people with disabilities. How does that come
:24:22. > :24:26.into fruition? From my perspective, what is the support you are going to
:24:27. > :24:30.give when you have young people who maybe cannot travel independently,
:24:31. > :24:39.cannot drive? What employment opportunities are there? It will be
:24:40. > :24:46.a real risk and a leap of faith for people with special needs to be a
:24:47. > :24:50.valuable member in a workforce. This is wordplay. There is nothing
:24:51. > :24:53.concrete that says to me that by voting for a Labour government in
:24:54. > :24:59.Scotland and UK wide you would then be able to increase employment
:25:00. > :25:04.opportunities. In the past, the Labour government had a great deal
:25:05. > :25:11.of success in this and supported workplaces. We had places like the
:25:12. > :25:14.engine shed in Edinburgh. You could use public money to create
:25:15. > :25:20.employment opportunities for people with disabilities. What happened
:25:21. > :25:22.since we got Tory austerity, as much as the public money helped to
:25:23. > :25:27.support the jobs and that was stripped away and were left as
:25:28. > :25:30.private companies to operate in the ordinary marketplace and many of
:25:31. > :25:34.them failed and many of the jobs for people with disability disappeared
:25:35. > :25:38.with it. The Labour approach is to provide public funding for supported
:25:39. > :25:42.employment places that people with disabilities can access work and
:25:43. > :25:48.gain the skills they want. That is something we would see a return of
:25:49. > :25:51.if there were a Labour government. That is something we will never see
:25:52. > :25:55.with the Tories. On the wider welfare system, as I understand it,
:25:56. > :26:01.according to the resolution foundation, the Conservatives plans
:26:02. > :26:04.are to reduce spending on benefits by a further 5 billion, on benefits
:26:05. > :26:11.and welfare. You have pledged to give an additional 2 billion and
:26:12. > :26:17.therefore set to fits of those cuts. What are you not prepared to do?
:26:18. > :26:21.When it comes to the freeze on working age benefits, does that have
:26:22. > :26:25.to stay? It is very difficult to give a clear-cut answer to that.
:26:26. > :26:29.What I said at the start of every government of every party wants to
:26:30. > :26:33.see the benefits bill come down. You want work to pay so you do not have
:26:34. > :26:39.to top up in work benefits. Until we have a living wage of ?10 an hour,
:26:40. > :26:42.it is hard to see what additional money you would need in order to
:26:43. > :26:46.guarantee all the different aspects in the welfare system. It is about
:26:47. > :26:51.getting the balance right. You need to make sure workplace. Far too many
:26:52. > :26:54.people are in temporary jobs. We need to improve on employment rights
:26:55. > :26:59.and workers' rights to insure a lot of the incomes would be more secure
:27:00. > :27:04.in the future. A ?10 living wage and a reform of Universal Credit and
:27:05. > :27:08.better reform of people with disabilities. When it comes to
:27:09. > :27:15.working age benefits, is it the Labour Party policy to keep that in
:27:16. > :27:20.place? We want to end the freeze. We want to. It is very difficult to put
:27:21. > :27:24.clear-cut numbers on that until you can see the difference a ?10 living
:27:25. > :27:31.wage with me. Only when you assess how many different people needs that
:27:32. > :27:35.top up. It would change every single day for the that someone takes a
:27:36. > :27:40.job. It is difficult but a figure on that. There are only about three
:27:41. > :27:45.minutes left in the programme. Last question on wrecks it. It comes from
:27:46. > :27:51.Lewis Gray. Do you think Jeremy Corbyn could negotiate on behalf of
:27:52. > :27:56.Britain in the Brexit negotiations? Jeremy Corbyn and set here Starmer
:27:57. > :28:00.QC would be a fantastic team to negotiate. They have said what they
:28:01. > :28:07.would do on day one. First of guarantee EU National spare rights.
:28:08. > :28:11.They are basically living in fear, worried about whether they can stay
:28:12. > :28:15.here in Scotland. We would also scrap any plans for the great repeal
:28:16. > :28:18.act. That is what the Tories want to do and instead have a much greater
:28:19. > :28:22.focus on jobs and workers' rights. We need to be able to have tariff
:28:23. > :28:26.free access to the single market and that means keeping a lot of the
:28:27. > :28:30.regulations the same with European neighbours. You were committed last
:28:31. > :28:39.year, absolutely committed, to EU and single market and supportive of
:28:40. > :28:41.SNP efforts to retain both now you talk about access to the single
:28:42. > :28:44.market. When did you change your position on that? Nothing has
:28:45. > :28:47.changed in that regard. It is not just down to one party or one
:28:48. > :28:51.government. We have to negotiate with the other 27 nations in Europe.
:28:52. > :28:57.It is down to them whether we get tariff free access to the single
:28:58. > :29:01.market. We are also realistic. It is unrealistic of the SNP to promise
:29:02. > :29:05.the world when they cannot explain to us what the position on
:29:06. > :29:10.membership of the European Union is. Lady in the front row and gentlemen
:29:11. > :29:16.behind. Would a Labour government move away from a hard Brexit to a
:29:17. > :29:22.soft Brexit? Do you mean staying in the single market or something else?
:29:23. > :29:26.It means staying within the market. We want tariff free access to the
:29:27. > :29:31.singer market. That is how we can protect jobs and workers' rights. --
:29:32. > :29:43.the single market. We want to respect the result of the referendum
:29:44. > :29:50.which is that we are leaving the EU. When was your support towards
:29:51. > :29:53.Corbyn? I will fight every day at my life for a Labour government and the
:29:54. > :29:57.Labour prime ministers. That is what we will need to transform this
:29:58. > :30:01.country. No matter who is in charge. I want a Labour government and a
:30:02. > :30:04.Labour Prime Minister. He is the leader of the liver party and I am
:30:05. > :30:08.immensely proud of the platform for government he stands on. At that
:30:09. > :30:12.time you said you did not think Jeremy could unite the party and
:30:13. > :30:16.lead Labour into government. He cannot commit you said, appeal to a
:30:17. > :30:21.broad enough sector of voters. Has that changed? People in this country
:30:22. > :30:26.seem to think he can do the job. There are eight days left to get the
:30:27. > :30:30.Tories out. Jeremy Corbyn has been appearing on the other channel, on
:30:31. > :30:35.the One Show. His wife has been asked what he is not good at. What
:30:36. > :30:40.do you think he said? Probably cutting the garden hedge outside his
:30:41. > :30:44.front door, which you always say on the news. It was housework actually.
:30:45. > :30:51.I don't know if there was any discussion of girl jobs and boy jobs
:30:52. > :30:54.but he is allergic to that kind of chat. Thank you very much was
:30:55. > :30:57.spending time with us and taking questions from me and the audience.
:30:58. > :31:00.Ask The Leader will be back, not tomorrow, but on Thursday night with
:31:01. > :31:01.Ruth Davidson and Nicola