:02:49. > :03:20.Welcome to Hull, the city I am proud to call home. The city I hope to
:03:21. > :03:22.represent in Parliament and the city that has the distinction of being
:03:23. > :03:42.the UK's City of Culture 2017. From the freedom festival to the
:03:43. > :03:49.newly fushished gallery, to the truck company, from our university
:03:50. > :03:53.to our museums. Hull is a cultural centre and City of Cultural status
:03:54. > :03:56.is adding to our national and international representation. We
:03:57. > :04:04.have so much to look forward to in Hull. Whatever your tastes we have
:04:05. > :04:09.the BBC One big weekend, the Proms, the Turner Prize, the royal
:04:10. > :04:14.Shakespeare's visit. Hundreds of events across the four themeds? .
:04:15. > :04:19.That makes Hull the perfect place for Labour to launch its pledges. A
:04:20. > :04:24.creative future for all. So, I am very pleased to introduce and to
:04:25. > :04:29.welcome back to Hull the deputy Leader of the Labour Party and
:04:30. > :04:31.Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for culture rks, media and sport Tom
:04:32. > :04:47.Watson. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. It is
:04:48. > :04:52.fantastic to be back. Emma, thank you for that excellent introduction.
:04:53. > :04:59.I used to live in Hull and I have very great and fond memories of the
:05:00. > :05:10.stismt indeed, I went back to visit some of my former haunts last night.
:05:11. > :05:14.Do any of you know the small music venue called the Adelpy. Paul
:05:15. > :05:18.Jackson still runs it. Last time I was there was 25 years ago. He said
:05:19. > :05:24.to me, are you going to try and blag your way in for free, like you used
:05:25. > :05:28.to? Not a lot changes. Actually it did change, because I paid ?3 to get
:05:29. > :05:37.in last night. I saw three acts. Now that is culture for the people. ?3
:05:38. > :05:41.for free bands. I saw an act called Katie Spencer, who had such a
:05:42. > :05:45.distinguishing guitar playing style, it reminded me of the first time I
:05:46. > :05:51.ever heard John Martin play. If you want to see an up and coming artist
:05:52. > :05:57.look for Katie Spencer. What is the point I am trying to make? The point
:05:58. > :06:01.I am trying to make is those of us who have lived here always knew that
:06:02. > :06:08.Hull was a City of Culture. But it is just... That is Katie
:06:09. > :06:12.Spencer's agent on the phone! It is fantastic it's been finally made
:06:13. > :06:19.official. And I am immensely proud of this city. I am immensely proud
:06:20. > :06:23.to be Shadow Culture Secretary. Jeremy and I share an ambition to
:06:24. > :06:28.ensure that millions of people who want to enjoy arts and culture have
:06:29. > :06:33.the opportunity to do so. We are here today to hear Jeremy outline
:06:34. > :06:38.Labour's vision for the arts and the creative industries. That is if Carl
:06:39. > :06:41.can switch his phone off in time for us all to hear the speech! I am sure
:06:42. > :06:48.everyone in this room knows how important this sector is. Just for
:06:49. > :06:54.the avoidance of doubt, the creative industries contribute ?84 billion a
:06:55. > :06:59.year to our economy. They provide 2 million jobs. Art council figures
:07:00. > :07:02.show every pound of public investment returns ?5 in tax
:07:03. > :07:08.contributions from the sector as a whole.
:07:09. > :07:12.The creative industries can regenerate whole communities. This
:07:13. > :07:16.city knows this better than most. With Labour in power, Hull has seen
:07:17. > :07:20.the benefits of investment in culture and the arts and how that
:07:21. > :07:24.can drive regional economic growth and regeneration. The creative
:07:25. > :07:29.industries will be judged on the amount of revenue they generate. But
:07:30. > :07:36.there's another measure that's less easy to quantify. And that is the
:07:37. > :07:39.benefit of more people reading, listening to music, painting,
:07:40. > :07:47.visiting galleries or exploring our heritage. The unique things that
:07:48. > :07:50.Britons create give our nation a particular way of speaking to the
:07:51. > :07:54.world. An influence that doesn't come from military power or economic
:07:55. > :07:58.success alone. But from what people love about us.
:07:59. > :08:02.When it comes to the cultural sector, we are admired around the
:08:03. > :08:09.plan et. We have global clouds beyond our size. And whatever
:08:10. > :08:13.uncertainty lies ahead, we can be at the heart of a global culture. Now
:08:14. > :08:19.our economy is set to be transformed by automation. And we need to
:08:20. > :08:24.respond to that by becoming a more creative nation and teaching arts
:08:25. > :08:28.and culture is one way to do that. And even more important than that,
:08:29. > :08:33.is the way arts let us talk to the world. It is the way arts let us
:08:34. > :08:39.talk to each other. I believe access to the arts and culture is
:08:40. > :08:44.profoundly civilising. They broaden our horizons. They help us
:08:45. > :08:48.understand each other. To be more tolerant of each other's
:08:49. > :08:52.differences. They help us build communities and right now n the
:08:53. > :08:56.midst of the upset and division that the referendum caused, it feels like
:08:57. > :09:02.we very much need that. It feels like we need the shared experiences
:09:03. > :09:06.this sector provides. The things we all watch, we make, listen to. The
:09:07. > :09:13.museums we visit. The art galleries we go to. The video games we play.
:09:14. > :09:18.And when I first got the job as Shadow Secretary I read the speeches
:09:19. > :09:25.of Jenny Le, the first ever arts minister. She believed access to the
:09:26. > :09:28.arts was as fundamental to our health and happiness as the National
:09:29. > :09:33.Health Service. I agree with her. The Tories, not so much. The arts
:09:34. > :09:37.and culture are always one of the things they target. Art council and
:09:38. > :09:42.local authority spending on culture and the arts has fallen by hundreds
:09:43. > :09:50.of millions of pounds since the Tories came to power in 2010. And
:09:51. > :09:52.the past seven years has seen arts and culture systematically removed
:09:53. > :09:56.from our education system, leading to a collapse in the numbers of
:09:57. > :10:04.students taking art, music and drama.
:10:05. > :10:12.Under a Labour government, arts and culture will be getting the funding
:10:13. > :10:17.they need to prosper. 1 billion cultural capital fund will let us
:10:18. > :10:21.upgrade existing facilities, and one of the great things about this job
:10:22. > :10:26.is the people you meet and the places you get to visit. I have met
:10:27. > :10:38.kids in new who have been given free music lessons thanks to a Labour
:10:39. > :10:41.mayor. I have visited the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester and saw rows
:10:42. > :10:46.of parked up in arms because it is so popular with mothers and their
:10:47. > :10:50.young children. A Labour government will replace the creative industries
:10:51. > :10:58.at the heart of our industrial strategy, leaving... So that when we
:10:59. > :11:06.leave the European Union it will put the creative industries first. And a
:11:07. > :11:12.Labour government will put inclusivity at the heart of all we
:11:13. > :11:15.do. Access to arts and culture, the opportunity to pursue a career
:11:16. > :11:20.creating something they love... These things should be available to
:11:21. > :11:24.everyone, not just the privileged few. I'm going to pass you on to
:11:25. > :11:30.someone who knows just how important access to the arts and culture can
:11:31. > :11:35.be. She is someone I have admired from afar for long time. She's one
:11:36. > :11:38.of our finest actors and she's incredibly brave. Please welcome
:11:39. > :12:00.Samantha APPLAUSE. You'll have to excuse me,
:12:01. > :12:07.I've never done anything like this before but I think now the time. I
:12:08. > :12:15.am going to read off this. I am really thrilled to be here today in
:12:16. > :12:20.Hull, the UK's city of culture 2017 to introduce Labour pledges for the
:12:21. > :12:24.arts and creative industries, and I'm especially pleased that Labour a
:12:25. > :12:31.sporting access to the arts for all at the heart of its pledges. The
:12:32. > :12:37.creative arts have so much to offer us all, whether as audiences or as
:12:38. > :12:46.creators. We have all had our lives enriched by a song or the poem, a
:12:47. > :12:51.novel or a dramatic performance, even an image, a painting. Art is
:12:52. > :12:59.not an afterthought to what elections are fought over, art is
:13:00. > :13:04.what makes our lives worthwhile, it's a political issue. Every time a
:13:05. > :13:10.museum, gallery or library closes down or a child is denied the chance
:13:11. > :13:16.to study and artistic subject, or a young person with talent as to
:13:17. > :13:19.abandon a promising career in theatre or music because they cannot
:13:20. > :13:24.afford to support themselves, that is a loss to all of us. I come from
:13:25. > :13:29.a working-class background, and without drama teachers at school and
:13:30. > :13:33.the inspiration they gave me, and the opportunities they opened up in
:13:34. > :13:37.my life, my life would have been very different. I certainly wouldn't
:13:38. > :13:43.have been here today, and I couldn't have had the career I have had if my
:13:44. > :13:49.talents had not been identified and spotted and supported at a really
:13:50. > :13:53.early age. There are young people growing up today who have huge
:13:54. > :13:58.artistic talent, but who don't have the support they need to develop it
:13:59. > :14:02.properly. Artistic careers should not be restricted to those with the
:14:03. > :14:08.most family wealth behind them or those who go to the most expensive
:14:09. > :14:12.schools, and that is why it is so important that Labour's policies to
:14:13. > :14:17.make sure children have the opportunity to study artistic
:14:18. > :14:21.subjects in school and to build up our cultural institutions so that
:14:22. > :14:30.everyone can use them are put into effect. That is why I am Labour, and
:14:31. > :14:32.I hope you are too. Please welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Mr
:14:33. > :15:00.Jeremy Corbyn. APPLAUSE Samantha, thank you for the
:15:01. > :15:04.introduction, thank you for your talent and the way you inspire so
:15:05. > :15:07.many young actors to achieve what you have achieved.
:15:08. > :15:13.We are really honoured and proud you are here today to launch our
:15:14. > :15:17.cultural manifesto. Thank you very much indeed.
:15:18. > :15:21.APPLAUSE. I look forward to you joining
:15:22. > :15:28.Carlisle and Diana as three brilliant representatives of Labour
:15:29. > :15:34.for Hull, thank you for being here today. I also want to thank Tom
:15:35. > :15:38.Watson, a former Hull university student, I cannot claim to be that
:15:39. > :15:42.but he will be an absolutely brilliant secretary of the state for
:15:43. > :15:46.culture, media and sport in the next government because he is totally
:15:47. > :15:49.dedicated to the brief he has got and the determination that culture
:15:50. > :15:53.should be there for everyone. Thank you for what you said this morning
:15:54. > :16:02.and everything you are doing in this campaign. Actually there could be no
:16:03. > :16:08.better place to launch our cultural manifesto, and during the hour after
:16:09. > :16:13.the general election was announced, Tom and I put our heads together and
:16:14. > :16:21.said culture launch will be in Hull, and it is, and we are here. It is
:16:22. > :16:28.Labour's guarantee of culture for all and it is right we are here. In
:16:29. > :16:32.the last Labour government, Andy Burnham was impressed by how
:16:33. > :16:36.Liverpool had been transformed after being made the European city of
:16:37. > :16:41.culture, and I was in Liverpool over the weekend and we had an incredible
:16:42. > :16:47.music event over the water in the Wirral. 20,000 people turned up to a
:16:48. > :16:53.football stadium to enjoy music. That is the mixture of sport and
:16:54. > :16:58.music and inspiration of so many people. Andy proposed the idea that
:16:59. > :17:03.every four years we should have a UK city of culture. He was unable to
:17:04. > :17:07.guarantee that speakers in an election campaign don't lose their
:17:08. > :17:13.voice, and thanks to the brilliant bid put forward by Hull City
:17:14. > :17:18.Council, Hull was chosen to be the city of culture. Congratulations to
:17:19. > :17:26.Hull, well done on the bid you have put forward. These things don't
:17:27. > :17:32.happen by accident, they happen with very, very hard work by a lot of
:17:33. > :17:38.people. Hull had hoped to encourage an extra million people to visit
:17:39. > :17:45.Hull during 2017. One third of a million visited in the first week,
:17:46. > :17:49.and I'm not surprised - look at what we have offered. Anyone arriving at
:17:50. > :17:55.Hull Station, the first thing you see is a replica of Amy Johnson's
:17:56. > :18:00.plane made by prisoners to help them learn new skills, which is excellent
:18:01. > :18:04.for anyone in prison, but also as a gift to this wonderful city in
:18:05. > :18:10.memory of one of its favourite daughters, Amy Johnson. Well done
:18:11. > :18:19.Hull, well done to the prisoners, well done to Amy Johnson. A 200 foot
:18:20. > :18:27.wind turbine blade made locally went on display in Queen Victoria Square.
:18:28. > :18:33.The poppies had 450,000 visits in two months, and finally you created
:18:34. > :18:42.the Sea of Hull by encouraging 3000 local people... Yes, it is very
:18:43. > :18:46.broad-minded... To strip naked, paint themselves blue, and be
:18:47. > :18:51.photographed in the early hours of Saturday morning. These photos taken
:18:52. > :18:56.by a brilliant photographer, Spencer to Nick, are now on display in the
:18:57. > :19:00.refurbished Ferens Art Gallery. So in a very nice way, the people of
:19:01. > :19:08.Hull made an exhibition of themselves. I would like to thank
:19:09. > :19:19.Labour council leader Steve Brady for his hard work in helping deliver
:19:20. > :19:24.the city for culture. APPLAUSE Steve, well done you and
:19:25. > :19:30.your colleagues and well done Martin Green also for the hell people to to
:19:31. > :19:33.achieving this because this is a team that achieved something
:19:34. > :19:37.brilliant for the city. We can see what transformative
:19:38. > :19:41.powers of culture have done for Hull, not just attracting visitors
:19:42. > :19:46.in creating world-class cultural events, but here in Humber Street
:19:47. > :19:50.where a former fruit market is being regenerated into a thriving cultural
:19:51. > :19:56.hub, creating new businesses and jobs. The new Humber Street
:19:57. > :20:01.contemporary art gallery next door has seen 60,000 visits in the first
:20:02. > :20:07.six weeks. It's estimated that being the UK city of culture will bring
:20:08. > :20:11.?60 million in economic boost to the city of Hull this year alone, that
:20:12. > :20:16.is an achievement everybody should be very proud of. And this city that
:20:17. > :20:23.has done so much for this country, brought so much art and poetry and
:20:24. > :20:28.inspiration, is a model we can all learn from. And now Labour wants to
:20:29. > :20:34.replicate what we have seen in Hull across the rest of Britain. Here is
:20:35. > :20:44.why. Our music industry alone contributes ?4 billion to our
:20:45. > :20:53.economy each year, but every Adele has to start somewhere. Small the
:20:54. > :21:00.news and larger ones give artists the first break as they learn their
:21:01. > :21:07.craft. -- small venues. But over the last ten years in London alone, 40%
:21:08. > :21:10.of small venues have closed. That means there is nowhere for budding
:21:11. > :21:15.musicians to perform, there is a loss of rehearsal space. Where are
:21:16. > :21:20.the next generation of musicians going to come from if we take away
:21:21. > :21:26.the facilities now? This Conservative government has made
:21:27. > :21:31.matters even worse. Since 2010, they have slashed 48 million funding for
:21:32. > :21:37.the arts councils in England, Wales and Scotland. There is creativity in
:21:38. > :21:45.everyone. Labour's mission will be to set that creativity free. We need
:21:46. > :21:50.to give people the opportunity for all the creativity to flourish, so
:21:51. > :21:55.today we unveil our cultural manifesto, which sets out a bold and
:21:56. > :22:01.inspiring programme to encourage creativity. We are pledging ?1
:22:02. > :22:06.billion to launch a new cultural capital fund to support our world
:22:07. > :22:12.leading cultural industries that have been savaged by Conservative
:22:13. > :22:17.cuts. We will end austerity to boost creativity. It will be amongst the
:22:18. > :22:23.biggest arts infrastructure funding ever created, it will boost arts,
:22:24. > :22:26.theatre and literature, upgrading our cultural infrastructure for the
:22:27. > :22:32.digital age and supporting our economy. It will also invest in
:22:33. > :22:36.creative clusters across the country based on a similar model to business
:22:37. > :22:41.enterprise zones. I don't want to see just one city benefit from this
:22:42. > :22:46.transformative powers of culture every four years. Our cultural
:22:47. > :22:53.capital fund will help many more towns and cities benefit all round.
:22:54. > :22:59.The fund will be administered by the arts Council, a Labour generation,
:23:00. > :23:04.over a five-year period and helped transform our country's cultural
:23:05. > :23:11.landscape. We will also protect and invest in music venues to support
:23:12. > :23:14.grass roots and professional music, ensuring a healthy music industry
:23:15. > :23:22.right across the country in every town and city. Labour will review
:23:23. > :23:27.the business rate system to make it fairer to organisations like music
:23:28. > :23:31.venues. This is actually very important, very practical help we
:23:32. > :23:35.can give, extending the thousand pound pub relief to help small music
:23:36. > :23:41.venues which are suffering from extraordinary rate rises at the
:23:42. > :23:46.present time. We will also maintain something that we are very proud of
:23:47. > :23:51.in the Labour Party, and what Kris Smith achieved when he was our
:23:52. > :23:59.Secretary of State in 1997. We will maintain free museums and invest in
:24:00. > :24:07.our heritage sector. APPLAUSE I remember Chris explained
:24:08. > :24:12.to me how he went to the National museums after they had been made
:24:13. > :24:16.free and suddenly everybody could be there.
:24:17. > :24:19.Before that they couldn't. Our national heritage is National for
:24:20. > :24:27.everybody, not just those that can afford it.
:24:28. > :24:32.The heritage sector is central to both the identity and economy of
:24:33. > :24:37.local communities across the country because access to culture is vital
:24:38. > :24:42.for the emotional and intellectual growth of all our people, but
:24:43. > :24:46.especially important for young people. We want to unleash the
:24:47. > :24:54.potential of every young person, not just through education in the normal
:24:55. > :25:00.school setting, but also through culture, in every of us there is a
:25:01. > :25:07.poet, writer, a singer of songs, an artist, a creative thinker. But too
:25:08. > :25:11.few of us are able to fulfil any kind of artistic ambition. Under the
:25:12. > :25:15.Conservatives it's getting worse. Per-pupil funding for schools will
:25:16. > :25:21.be cut for the first time in a generation.
:25:22. > :25:28.Forced to send out begging letters to parents for donations to keep the
:25:29. > :25:35.schools running. This is a shameful state of affairs. So, we will be, in
:25:36. > :25:42.addition to properly funding our schools, scrapping tuition fees and
:25:43. > :25:45.introducing universal free school meals in our primary schools,
:25:46. > :25:49.something pioneered here in Hull. But we will go further...
:25:50. > :26:05.Labour will introduce an arts pupil premium that will allow every
:26:06. > :26:11.primary school child in England the chance to learn a musical
:26:12. > :26:16.restaurant, take part in drama -- instrument, take part in drama, have
:26:17. > :26:22.regular access to galleries and museums. Labour will not only feed
:26:23. > :26:23.our children's stomachs, but feed their minds and unleash their
:26:24. > :26:41.creativity. The arts pupil premium will provide
:26:42. > :26:45.?165 million per year to boost creative education and ensure arts
:26:46. > :26:49.facilities in state schools match standards found only now in many
:26:50. > :26:55.private schools. We will deliver a creative future
:26:56. > :27:02.for all and a culture for the many, not the few. But we need your help.
:27:03. > :27:09.If people want to see these transformative changes, then they
:27:10. > :27:16.have to be able to vote. Those who are not on the register have 12
:27:17. > :27:25.hours, 26 minutes to get registered. 12 hours, 26 minutes. It will take
:27:26. > :27:31.you two minutes. Since the election was called, more than two million
:27:32. > :27:38.people have registered to vote. 40% of them aged between 18-24.
:27:39. > :27:44.So, my message is simply this - if you are being held back, and want to
:27:45. > :27:50.lead a richer life, then get registered and have your say.
:27:51. > :27:57.We can stop a Conservative Government that wants to pit the old
:27:58. > :28:01.against the young. And replace it with a Labour Government that offers
:28:02. > :28:06.hope and unity. A Government for the many, not the
:28:07. > :28:10.few. A Government that ensures that
:28:11. > :28:15.culture is for all. And I'm very proud of the manifesto we're putting
:28:16. > :28:20.forward. I'm very proud of the culture and creative part of this
:28:21. > :28:26.manifesto. This country is so brimming with talent.
:28:27. > :28:30.Let's let that creativity, that talent, that genius be unleashed.
:28:31. > :28:36.Because culture is for the many, not the few. Thank you very much indeed.
:28:37. > :29:34.Well, before we start the questions, I'd just like to say this, in 2011,
:29:35. > :29:41.when we became the administration in Hull, it was a question of either
:29:42. > :29:45.managing decline or going for growth.
:29:46. > :29:52.And the sensible thing, the most sensible thing to do, we knew quite
:29:53. > :29:58.well was to go for growth. Growth produces jobs. It gives hope to the
:29:59. > :30:04.people. And part of that, we got together with business, with the
:30:05. > :30:11.voluntary sector, with the arts community and we developed that plan
:30:12. > :30:16.and I can say this, that in four years, that plan and all the things
:30:17. > :30:26.that we had in that plan has succeeded. We plan to get 7500 jobs
:30:27. > :30:35.in a ten-year period, we've achieved that in four years.
:30:36. > :30:44.That is everybody in Hull working together. It is what was needed. We
:30:45. > :30:52.needed that Hull and the futures for our young people. What we've seen,
:30:53. > :30:58.what we are seeing now is an upsurge in regeneration and investment.
:30:59. > :31:03.Never before seen in this City. Just in the last 18 months announcements
:31:04. > :31:11.and actual now developments have occurred to the tune of just under
:31:12. > :31:15.?3 billion in this city. A total transformation of the city centre,
:31:16. > :31:24.where people are so proud to come into. There are art galleries. We've
:31:25. > :31:31.expanded the offer to the public. We've increased the hours of our art
:31:32. > :31:35.galleries and the other cultural things in this city, so we have not
:31:36. > :31:43.gone in to decrease or to close down. We have increased. And through
:31:44. > :31:48.that, we're now seeing a huge number of jobs created in the city centre
:31:49. > :31:55.alone. And I just have to say this, if anybody doubts that the City of
:31:56. > :32:01.Culture should actually stop, come to Hull and see the reasons why it
:32:02. > :32:06.should go on. I'm going to take questions now from the media and the
:32:07. > :32:16.first one is from the Press Association.
:32:17. > :32:23.George Osborne has tweeted to say the Tories will U-turn on their
:32:24. > :32:28.social care policy and they will introduce a social care cost cap. I
:32:29. > :32:33.want to get your reaction to that. That was George Osborne, was it? Did
:32:34. > :32:37.that come from the Tory central office or from The Evening Standard?
:32:38. > :32:41.It's going to be in The Evening Standard.
:32:42. > :32:55.I would suggest to you that he probably knows. We will take them in
:32:56. > :33:01.threes and Rachel from RTV. Good morning.
:33:02. > :33:06.Labour have been running education in Wales since 2011 and yet tuition
:33:07. > :33:12.fees there are the same as in England, ?9,000 aer. Why should
:33:13. > :33:19.students in England trust you on tuition fees? And Kier, from the
:33:20. > :33:25.Daily Mirror. Morning. The last two sets of
:33:26. > :33:30.opinion polls have been single dig get-leads for the Tories. What do
:33:31. > :33:38.you think is behind that? And do you think you can keep going? OK. Thanks
:33:39. > :33:42.for your questions. A Tory U-turn on social care would be extremely
:33:43. > :33:48.welcome, because I want this country to face up to its responsibilities
:33:49. > :33:52.to those who need care, either frail elderly, those with special needs,
:33:53. > :33:57.those with severe disabilities, those with learning difficulties and
:33:58. > :34:01.our proposals are that we will refund social care, putting
:34:02. > :34:05.emergency money into it now, so those million people waiting for
:34:06. > :34:09.social care don't wait and we won't get involved in this horrible policy
:34:10. > :34:13.the Tories are putting forward, which will actually damage families
:34:14. > :34:18.and family income, damage people, break up relationships, all kinds of
:34:19. > :34:21.horrible things will happen from their very dangerously ill thought
:34:22. > :34:27.out social care policy. And if George Osborne is at last doing
:34:28. > :34:30.something useful in his life of supporting proper funding of social
:34:31. > :34:35.care, then thank you, George, for that. And I urge him to read very
:34:36. > :34:41.carefully what's in our manifesto on social care. Rachel, thanks for your
:34:42. > :34:47.point. We put forward a very clear funded and credible policy of what
:34:48. > :34:53.we'll do on university fees. We do so because if we carry on with this
:34:54. > :34:56.process of ever rising fares and under Conservatives the threat of
:34:57. > :35:01.lifting the cap all together, then what happens is two things. One is
:35:02. > :35:05.those that have achieved enough to get into university, gone through
:35:06. > :35:11.university, leave with debts of often ?50,000 and more than that.
:35:12. > :35:15.And if they earn more than ?21,000 they have to start repaying it, but
:35:16. > :35:20.the debt is still there for a long time after that.
:35:21. > :35:24.I'm determined that university education should be available for
:35:25. > :35:29.all. And that is why we've gone into this in a lot of detail, after a lot
:35:30. > :35:35.of debate and discussion and looked at it and decided, yes, we will make
:35:36. > :35:39.this offer of removing the university fees, reinstating the
:35:40. > :35:42.maintenance grant for those who need it at university and reinstating the
:35:43. > :35:47.Educational Maintenance Allowance, so that young people can continue to
:35:48. > :35:51.do A levels or vocational qualifications and have some degree
:35:52. > :35:54.of independence and self-respect in what they are doing. We do that
:35:55. > :35:58.because we want all young people to have the chance of going to
:35:59. > :36:02.university. Since the fees have gone up to ?9,000 under the coalition
:36:03. > :36:06.Government, the numbers of working class youngsters going to university
:36:07. > :36:10.has declined. The number of university applications has started
:36:11. > :36:17.to go down. Surely, we should be investing in our future. Somebody
:36:18. > :36:20.who doesn't achieve the profession they want, nursing, teaching,
:36:21. > :36:24.medicine in some other form, engineering - whatever it happens to
:36:25. > :36:29.be, they lose out. But we as a society lose out because we've lost
:36:30. > :36:32.a qualified person who can help improve our industries, improve our
:36:33. > :36:37.services, improve our quality of life. We're determined to do it. And
:36:38. > :36:40.we're going to do it when we've won the election on June 8th.
:36:41. > :36:53.Kier, thanks very much for your question, I'm not commenting on any
:36:54. > :36:57.polls that are going on. The only poll I am interested in is the one
:36:58. > :37:01.on June 8th. What I would say is, the numbers of people who are
:37:02. > :37:06.registered to vote in this election are extraordinary. The numbers of
:37:07. > :37:09.people that are volunteering to help the Labour election campaign are
:37:10. > :37:14.extraordinary. And the numbers of people making
:37:15. > :37:17.small donations, average of ?22 to our election funds says something
:37:18. > :37:22.about the popularity of the manifesto we put forward and the
:37:23. > :37:26.views that are there in it. This election is obviously very
:37:27. > :37:32.important. Very important for the future direction this country leads.
:37:33. > :37:37.What I do is invite everyone to take part in conversations over the next
:37:38. > :37:41.two weeks. Conversations about whether you want a Government that
:37:42. > :37:45.continues to tax cutting corporations, tax cutting the
:37:46. > :37:50.wealthiest in our society and continuing to underfund schools.
:37:51. > :37:53.Underfund education, underfund social care, underfundamental
:37:54. > :37:58.health. Deny the arts the support they need and deny industry the
:37:59. > :38:02.investment it needs in a better infrastructure across the whole
:38:03. > :38:07.country. So we get high-quality railway lines to every city,
:38:08. > :38:10.including Hull. That we get good broadband, contact rate, access
:38:11. > :38:16.rates all over the country. The Labour offer is about an expanding
:38:17. > :38:22.economy, which will improve employment, improve wages and living
:38:23. > :38:25.standards or a continuation of the grotesque levels of inequality that
:38:26. > :38:28.exist in Britain. That's the Labour offer.
:38:29. > :38:46.We will take questions from the audience. Any questions from the
:38:47. > :38:50.audience? Jeremy, we have a society that we want, we have a society that
:38:51. > :38:57.we want to be built on equality. I know that is what you are attempting
:38:58. > :39:01.to deliver. Have you a keen message for younger voters, such as my two
:39:02. > :39:04.daughters who are hoping to go to university and a son that wants to
:39:05. > :39:10.get into qualifications that's a message of hope for them. I know our
:39:11. > :39:16.policies are there. But it is key to us, as parents and as those who have
:39:17. > :39:21.young people, still a few years off, but she's going to be there, but we
:39:22. > :39:25.want to make sure that those young people and their parents understand
:39:26. > :39:28.the real importance of why they need to vote Labour in June, because
:39:29. > :39:32.we've got to win this election. This is a one-off. If we don't, we're
:39:33. > :39:35.damaged. Not us, I'm talking about, as a
:39:36. > :39:39.party, I'm talking about the country. How do we get by this and
:39:40. > :39:57.how do we deliver? We have one of the best school music
:39:58. > :40:02.services in the country, do you think your preset for every primary
:40:03. > :40:09.school pupil will enable such centres of excellence to spring up
:40:10. > :40:29.all over the country? Any further questions? Anybody in the audience?
:40:30. > :40:40.Thank you. Lynn Davidson from the Sun. No, we don't boo journalists.
:40:41. > :40:49.The Northern Ireland Secretary has challenged you today, he has asked
:40:50. > :40:58.five questions on the IRA asking should IRA's murdered the condemned
:40:59. > :41:05.unequivocally by IRA terrorists. If they are, would you unequivocally
:41:06. > :41:09.condemned the IRA as terrorists? Thanks to James Brogan Shire for his
:41:10. > :41:14.questions, I condemn all acts of violence in Northern Ireland from
:41:15. > :41:17.well wherever they came. I spent the 1980s representing a constituency
:41:18. > :41:22.with a large number of Irish people in it -- Northern Irish people in
:41:23. > :41:27.it. We wanted justice and a solution. The first ceasefire helped
:41:28. > :41:30.bring that about and helped bring about those talks which were
:41:31. > :41:35.representative of all sections of opinion in Northern Ireland and the
:41:36. > :41:40.Labour government after 1997 helped bring in the historic Good Friday
:41:41. > :41:43.Agreement, the base of which was the recognition of the differing
:41:44. > :41:49.cultural histories and values of Northern Ireland, and it stood the
:41:50. > :41:53.test of time and it is still there. We have a devolved administration in
:41:54. > :41:59.Northern Ireland, and I think we should recognise that the piece was
:42:00. > :42:02.achieved by a lot of bravery both in the unionist community as well as in
:42:03. > :42:07.the nationalist community. People that walked a very difficult extra
:42:08. > :42:11.mile when they were under pressure from the communities not to do so,
:42:12. > :42:16.both Republicans and unionists walked that extra mile and brought
:42:17. > :42:20.the Good Friday Agreement and I think we should use this election is
:42:21. > :42:29.thanking those that brought about the Good Friday Agreement.
:42:30. > :42:33.APPLAUSE All of them. Those in Government at the time as well as
:42:34. > :42:37.those who did so much on the ground, and Northern Ireland is a very
:42:38. > :42:40.different place. We will be working with the devolved administration in
:42:41. > :42:44.Northern Ireland as well as the Government of the Republic to make
:42:45. > :42:54.sure wrecks it doesn't bring about a barbed wire border -- to make sure
:42:55. > :42:59.Brexit doesn't bring about a barbed wire border. Of the other two
:43:00. > :43:07.questions raised, thank you. This election is about two views and
:43:08. > :43:10.visions of Britain. Either the absolute 21st-century cutting-edge
:43:11. > :43:15.ideas put forward by the Conservative Party, which seemed to
:43:16. > :43:20.revolve around restoration of fox hunting and selective education, or
:43:21. > :43:24.our view which is one which is about giving opportunities for all. We
:43:25. > :43:29.cannot go on being the lifeguard of industrial investment of all the
:43:30. > :43:33.major industrial countries in the world. We cannot go on underfunding
:43:34. > :43:38.crucial services and short-changing our young people who are offered
:43:39. > :43:43.little except greater costs and greater debt and less opportunity.
:43:44. > :43:48.And so we are not going into this awful game of setting off the young
:43:49. > :43:52.against the old, saying to the young you have got to pay for the costs of
:43:53. > :43:56.the older people, saying to the older people you are under some kind
:43:57. > :44:02.of threat because of what we want to spend on education. In reality we
:44:03. > :44:06.all depend on each other. Young people need the support and wisdom
:44:07. > :44:11.of older people, older people need to be encouraged and infused by
:44:12. > :44:17.younger people so our manifesto is for all. This is your chance. People
:44:18. > :44:24.lay down their lives so that you might vote. Women's right to vote
:44:25. > :44:28.came about because of the bravery of suffragettes and many others around
:44:29. > :44:35.the time of the First World War, but it also started here in Hull. Mary
:44:36. > :44:40.Wollstonecraft wrote the rights of women, and that is part of the
:44:41. > :44:44.origins of that whole democratic movement. Hull has taught the world
:44:45. > :44:49.a great deal and I tell the people this is your chance... Your chance
:44:50. > :44:53.to vote in this election, your chance to express your democratic
:44:54. > :45:02.view and I hope you will recognise we are determined unserious to
:45:03. > :45:05.properly fund education, culture and the arts, properly invest in service
:45:06. > :45:11.industry growth for the future so your skills, your genius can
:45:12. > :45:15.contribute to a better quality of life for everybody. Please take part
:45:16. > :45:19.in the election, but above all have that discussion, ask the difficult
:45:20. > :45:26.questions of each other and everyone else between now and election day,
:45:27. > :45:37.that is what an election should be about, proper debate and discussion,
:45:38. > :45:42.and I'm enjoying every minute of it. APPLAUSE And on your point about
:45:43. > :45:46.music, I congratulate Hull because of the traditions it has got in
:45:47. > :45:51.culture and so many other things but also the way in which you have a
:45:52. > :45:55.council which is serious about young people learning music. When young
:45:56. > :45:59.people achieve things together it is quite inspiring, and it's the role
:46:00. > :46:04.of local education authorities that is also important in this. I went to
:46:05. > :46:09.the Royal Albert Hall to see a concert a couple of years ago,
:46:10. > :46:14.absolutely brilliant. Huge orchestras of 100 children coming
:46:15. > :46:18.together, you think how does the conductor manage it? But the joy of
:46:19. > :46:23.those children there performing together. You go to libraries where
:46:24. > :46:28.there are some reading projects and you see the joy of children who have
:46:29. > :46:33.read six books, talked about it and felt inspired by it, carrying on
:46:34. > :46:37.using the libraries so I want to rule that out across the country.
:46:38. > :46:42.The areas seeing the theatres and libraries closed, schools with lack
:46:43. > :46:47.of instruments and that kind of thing, it isn't going to cost a lot
:46:48. > :46:53.of money in order to reinstate so much of that, and that is why Tom
:46:54. > :46:57.and I are serious about this people arts premium to make sure everyone
:46:58. > :47:02.gets a chance. Don't leave it just those whose parents are able to
:47:03. > :47:06.spend enough money to get their children into private theatre
:47:07. > :47:13.schools or private music lessons. Let's make it mainstream. Do well in
:47:14. > :47:19.music, you do well in maths. It is part and parcel of our creativity
:47:20. > :47:23.and our lives. I think what we have proposed today in Hull is something
:47:24. > :47:28.that will transform the cultural landscape of this country in exactly
:47:29. > :47:36.the same way the 1960s Labour government led by Harold Wilson and
:47:37. > :47:38.the fantastic Minister of arts, Jennie Lee, transformed the ideas
:47:39. > :47:53.and notions of culture. There is creativity in us all, rich or poor.
:47:54. > :47:59.Thank you very much. APPLAUSE