by while it was the big rishi sunak speech at manchester today where he decided to scrap the hs2 extension to bring in a smoking ban to make it illegal for anybody born after 2009 to smoke anybody born after 2009 to smoke a cigarette and he's going to change a—levels. >> but was it enough? did it inspire ? and were you at home inspire? and were you at home satisfied? i'll be discussing all of that in detail with a great panel after the news with polly middlehurst. nigel thank you. >> good evening to you. well, as you've been hearing, the prime

minister has confirmed today that the northern leg of hs2 is being scrapped . speaking after being scrapped. speaking after weeks of speculation , rishi weeks of speculation, rishi sunak told the conservative party conference in manchester that he's ready to make tough decisions for the country . he's decisions for the country. he's defended the move as well, saying the money will be better spent developing projects in the north midlands . spent developing projects in the north midlands. hs2 will north and the midlands. hs2 will still run from euston in central london, but current management will no longer be responsible. he said. we'll reinvest every single . penny £36 billion in single. penny £36 billion in hundreds of new transport projects in the north and the midlands across the country. >> this means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation . across our nation. >> well, in reaction to that, the former prime minister, david cameron has criticised the announcement , saying that cameron has criticised the announcement, saying that a once in a generation opportunity has been lost and the mayor of

greater manchester, andy burnham, said the new investment plan simply doesn't create a coherent transport network. but mayor of the west midlands, andy street, while he's disappointed in the decision, said he believes it is a good compromise . now in his speech, the prime minister also reaffirmed his commitment to stop small boats crossing the english channel from france . from france. >> our new law will ensure that if you come here illegally , you if you come here illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed. now, i am confident that once flights start going regularly to rwanda, the boats will stop coming. just look at how our returns agreement with albania has seen the numbers coming from there. fall by 90% and i am confident that our approach complies with our international obligations . but international obligations. but no, this i will do whatever is necessary to stop the boats now , in news away from the conservative party conference in

manchester, a murder investigation has been launched after a dog believed to be an xl bully killed a man in sunderland last night. >> police responded just before 7:00 following reports a dog had injured a 54 year old, a 44 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. the dog was destroyed at the scene . a second destroyed at the scene. a second dog was seized . and lastly , a dog was seized. and lastly, a sixth person has been arrested in connection with the crooked house pub fire in staffordshire . a 23 year old man from leicestershire was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent. he's been released on conditional bail while the investigation continues. four men and a woman were previously arrested in connection with the fire that destroyed the iconic pub back in august . but destroyed the iconic pub back in august. but you destroyed the iconic pub back in august . but you with gb news august. but you with gb news across the uk on tv , in your across the uk on tv, in your car, on digital radio and on your smart speaker by saying play your smart speaker by saying play gb news. this is britain's news channel . good evening.

news channel. good evening. >> yes, i'm back from manchester, but it was rishi sunak's big day. maybe be the biggest opportunity he has between now and the next. general election to set out his stall and to inspire people in this country to go out and vote. conservative next time round. well, there was one very big moment , albeit it well, there was one very big moment, albeit it had been well, there was one very big moment , albeit it had been very moment, albeit it had been very heavily pre trailed and it was , heavily pre trailed and it was, of course, unsurprisingly , about of course, unsurprisingly, about hs2. let's have a look at rishi's big moment of the day. i am ending this long running saga. >> i am cancelling the rest of the hs2 project and in its place and in its place , we will we and in its place, we will we will reinvest it every single penny. £36 billion in one hundreds of new transport

projects in the north and the midlands across the country. this means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation . across our nation. no government has ever developed a more ambitious scheme for northern transport than our new network north. this is the right way to drive growth and spread opportunity across our country to level up with our new network, north. you will be able to get from manchester to the new station in bradford in 30 minutes. sheffield in 42 minutes, to and hull in 84 minutes, to and hull in 84 minutes on a fully electrified line . what i have to say, i've line. what i have to say, i've campaigned against hs2 ever since 2010. >> i've campaigned up and down

that line. and indeed, for parties that have led one quite a few council seats on this very issue. i always thought it was madness to spend vast amounts of money just allowing people to get london far more quickly. get to london far more quickly. and i say that because that was the french experience. the tgv in paris, not marseille or lyon or elsewhere. and the idea that we'll spend all of this money on a huge number of projects connecting cities across the north and the midlands , i say north and the midlands, i say hooray for that. although the only thing is where's the guarantee that any of this will happenin guarantee that any of this will happen in the next 10 to 15 years? and where's the guarantee that actually the budgets will be any better managed than they were for hs2? what else was there in this speech ? well, the there in this speech? well, the big nanny state, yes, the tories have gone so far away from being a libertarian party that now anybody born from 2009 or later will never be able to buy and smoke tobacco products. they'll

probably go on taking class a drugs in industrial quantities, but that somehow doesn't seem to really matter . i think it is really matter. i think it is over nannying by the government wholly unnecessary and certainly not fitting with being a conservative. and the third big pledge is a big change to a—levels , where rather than a—levels, where rather than doing three subjects, you'll have to do five subjects, including maths and english order. before a—levels we had the school certificate, which was almost exactly that. it's like we've gone back 70 years. doesit like we've gone back 70 years. does it mean that it's wrong ? does it mean that it's wrong? but overall, i have to say i think he's a nice bloke. i think he's got a very high intellect, much higher, perhaps than many of our recent prime ministers and a very decent all round , and a very decent all round, good integrated image , decent good integrated image, decent family citizen. no question about any of that. but is he an inspiring leader or just a very good accountant? i have to say i wasn't satisfied . but what he wasn't satisfied. but what he had to say today, i was pleased about hs2 for the rest of it. i

doubt this will inspire the country. that's my take. give me your view, please. will you satisfy farage at gbnews.com. now i'm joined by alex crowley, former political director to bofis former political director to boris johnson and john mctiernan , former adviser to tony blair. alex, was this the big moment? was it the big fight back for the conservatives? >> well , the a lot of people in >> well, the a lot of people in the hall were hoping that it would be. and his strategy of presenting himself as mr change after many, many years of the same nice in theory. but the problem was his speech didn't really contain much of substance that was changing anything. the big change item we had was not building a railway line and replacing it with a couple of smaller railway lines and a few buses, which is fine. >> this doesn't sound that you were very inspired. >> well, look , you can >> no. well, look, you can overdo the inspirational bit, okay?i overdo the inspirational bit, okay? i think you know plenty of voters would much rather a prime minister that gets on and does

stuff rather than kind of can make a great speech. boris could make a great speech. boris could make a great speech. boris could make a fantastic speech, but no one accused him of being a particularly good manager of things, right? so you can overdo that. but i think there's a big strategic question here politically the conservative politically for the conservative party they've decided party. they've obviously decided that party can't present that the party can't present itself as change because of course, been in years course, they've been in 13 years and at 14 by the time of the election. so instead they've decided sunak himself is decided that sunak himself is change because he's only been in a year. he wasn't even in parliament when david cameron was elected prime minister and so and that's fine. that so on. and that's fine. that makes sense from a political point of view. but therefore, you then got to go on and actually do things that are different and you've got to and you've to actually change you've got to actually change things the substance he was things and the substance he was offering . worthy. offering were perhaps. worthy. the maths thing very worthy. yeah. the smoking thing . yeah. the smoking thing. whatever you think of the nanny state aspect of a worthy state aspect of it, a worthy thing, most people will agree. but i, i did struggle to detect what is a big change from , from

what is a big change from, from rishi sunak that he was that his rhetoric was promising. however john mcternan u c rishi sunak he's the agent of change because keir starmer, he told us, represents events that failed establishment political status quo of the last 30 years. >> rishi is for change. well, i thought what i tweeted during the speech, i said, rishi given a brilliant clip to labour digital . digital. >> he said the country needs change. and i was like , yeah. change. and i was like, yeah. >> and they were collected. that's been out already . that's been out already. >> and it's like you've given you don't give your opponents a great line. if the country is changed. there's an obvious way to do it. remove these guys. that's first thing i thought that's the first thing i thought was problematic. the second the second it didn't feel second thing was it didn't feel visionary . it felt here's a lot visionary. it felt here's a lot of things i can fix, like making a big announcement on education and you go and it will come into force in 2033. yeah, even if rishi won, even if the tories won every election until the 30. rishi won't be prime minister

then. and i felt it was a kind of. it was a kind of bathos to it and it was. and i suppose in the end, the decision on hs2, there's now going to be a high speed rail line between in london and birmingham because it's been extended to euston. there was a talk of it not coming to and he made that clear today under a new management company because he was unhappy with had been with the way it had been managed. what it actually means is enlarges greater london to is it enlarges greater london to include birmingham. so now the birmingham market is birmingham property market is going within 50 minutes, going to be within 50 minutes, 55 of central london, 55 minutes of central london, which means birmingham which actually means birmingham is part of london. and so is now part of london. and so it's actually you're going to create a bigger london. greater london, not just the greatest. >> john, i've always criticised of inequality. >> that's going quite i've >> that's going to be quite i've always what they always criticised what they claim . claim. >> i've always criticised this. as the french as i said, i cited the french example earlier. it just drives more to london, not more business to london, not birmingham, i've birmingham, manchester. i've never of that. never believed any of that. however, plan to link up all however, his plan to link up all those northern cities and they all got to mention a new station

in bradford hull got a mention the manchester liverpool 12 billion investment but labour have come back and said that many of the new railway lines he's talking about and the electrification had already been promised. electrification had already been promiswhat was what today a >> so what was what today was a bunch of re—announced . it's some bunch of re—announced. it's some slight rhiannon statements because remember when they took the leeds of hs2 , they also the leeds leg of hs2, they also cancelled bradford , the station. cancelled bradford, the station. they cancelled quite a lot of northern what was then called northern . yes, northern powerhouse. yes, there's new brand for there's a new brand for re—announcing existing promises which haven't actually been through more than here's the costing estimates , but they've costing estimates, but they've not got. what would the work take. they've not built in the inflation. they don't they don't know that the 12 billion for manchester to liverpool will actually able fund that if actually be able to fund that if it the same overruns it has the same cost overruns because they've actually because they've said actually haven't have haven't they, costs have increased on hst. >> this is my worry. yeah will all these new projects finish up the same? >> and i saw an estimate from the ft correspondent jane williams a large chunk she williams that a large chunk she said up to a third of the money

is going to be spent on potholes . now potholes are important, but this potholes in roads because of 13 years of underfunding of local councils to switch money from rail to that , it feels like it feels that, it feels like it feels like there's a lot of spin in the representer ation and i suspect it will fall apart over time. >> the idea of linking up the northern cities is a very good idea. good idea, fine . okay. so idea. good idea, fine. okay. so we agree on that. yeah. so the labour response to it has been on. well, they've been critical, but what would labour do about hs2 ? hs2? >> so the first thing is, is labour wouldn't have built such a gold plated railway . some of a gold plated railway. some of the 10 billion of the costs are actually probably thanks to your campaigning and the campaigning, the campaigning in the children. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> well, it's the largest underground railway in the world. >> yeah. yeah. >> yeah. yeah. >> and the irony is, of course, this was done to placate tory voters probably going voters who probably going to voters who probably going to vote the next vote lib dem in the next election. so £10 billion to not even save the seats you want to

save remarkably bad political save is remarkably bad political spending. think labour's spending. but i think labour's position is now have position is we now have a massive problem with infrastructure, whether it's rail infrastructure, delivering the northern, northern the northern, the northern locations or the new power connections the off shore connections or the off shore cables and interconnectors such a for them. a massive need for them. something's going wrong in infrastructure development, planning, something's going wrong in slowing down the planning permissions. something's wrong in the something's going wrong in the design delivery. there's design and delivery. so there's going a labour will have a going to be a labour will have a review. we can't do anything about it in opposition. we have to coming government. >> i think it's pretty for >> i think it's pretty tough for everybody. about the everybody. what about the advanced which advanced british standard, which is, as said, the sort of is, as i said, the sort of updated school the idea updated school set? the idea that five start, we do. we that we do five start, we do. we do five subjects up to 18. so we get broad qualification, a bit get a broad qualification, a bit more a sort of bachelor more like a sort of bachelor area qualification. good area type qualification. good idea. >> well, i mean, me, >> well, i mean, you know me, i'm closer to europe i'm a remainer closer to europe . can never we can get . . we can never we can get. >> they never give up >> they never they never give up european qualifications. >> never get european >> they never get european timescale for getting rid of fossil fuel cars. i mean that's

something funny about. i thought it was very funny . the prime it was very funny. the prime minister great reformers. minister is great reformers. let's france . let's be more like france. >> the french didn't get some things right myself. he was also going to give incentives for teachers, wasn't he? >> yes, he was. >> yes, he was. >> course, that's that's >> and of course, that's that's not a bad idea because we do need good people teaching. not a bad idea because we do neeexactly.jeople teaching. not a bad idea because we do nee exactly. andle teaching. not a bad idea because we do nee exactly. and that teaching. not a bad idea because we do nee exactly. and that was hing. not a bad idea because we do nee exactly. and that was the|. >> exactly. and that was the criticism of some of his earlier announcements about school reform teachers reform as the teachers were saying, us saying, well, you're asking us to but you're not to do extra work, but you're not paying to do extra work, but you're not paying any more. and so that paying us any more. and so that was obviously a very good thing. but mean, i come but it's just i mean, i come back to it. i don't get any sense that the voters of britain were if only we just were saying, oh, if only we just had maths. everything do had more maths. everything do you know what i mean? >> and everything with more maths. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> i mean obviously i tell you what, and play darts. >> your mental arithmetic would improve pretty quickly. >> all snooker. >> they're all snooker. very good for mental, you know. so okay, all very okay, fine. it's all very kind of worthy worthy but you of worthy stuff. worthy but you know, did set challenge to know, he did set a challenge to the labour party, which would be interesting they interesting to see how they respond next week because the criticism keir is criticism that keir starmer is kind of basically trying to

avoid saying anything while he's busy measuring the curtains for downing street is a fair one and it's something that resonates with voters because voters say they definitely don't like the tories. enough. but they tories. fair enough. but they also say don't quite know also say we don't quite know what make of this what to make of this keir starmer we don't starmer bloke yet. we don't really what he stands really know what he stands for. we're really what we're not really sure what labour would do in office. so labour would do in office. so labour a have a have labour have a have a have a choice next they can choice next week they can continue strategy of continue their strategy of basically saying anything basically not saying anything apart sort general apart from sort of general platitudes about spending more, which they can kind which is fine, or they can kind of outline what they would actually do, not in any great detail because wouldn't as actually do, not in any great deioppositione wouldn't as actually do, not in any great deiopposition at wouldn't as actually do, not in any great deiopposition at this'ouldn't as actually do, not in any great deiopposition at this'ouldn"but an opposition at this point. but to a so if labour to give people a so if labour are the change, then i would like to know. >> but he's made it for easy labour change, he's made it easy for labour. on one thing he didn't mention legal net migration at all. no, we're going to get the figures in a couple of weeks showing what over million in the last two over1 million in the last two years for stop the boats, years and as for stop the boats, i mean no mention of echr. this could been a real wedge could have been a real wedge issue i think issue with labour. so i think i think a few things.

>> one is i think it's interesting that the prime minister of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland believes his major speech should be about posing a problem to the labour party. he talked about keir and the labour party often thought, party so often you thought, don't about britain ? do don't you care about britain? do you have a view about you not have a view about britain's future? so was britain's future? so that was interesting to but interesting to me. but on i don't he listened to you, don't think he listened to you, listened to what you said during the referendum campaign . he the referendum campaign. he didn't listen to the campaign at all. take back control. it wasn't don't stop the boats . wasn't don't stop the boats. nobody can ever stop 100% of something. what you have to do is have control. and i think the chances of labour meeting , i chances of labour meeting, i mean, that's why keir went to europe to speak to macron, speak to europol somebody who actually can be do a deal with europe is somebody who actually can take control . control. >> it could be even higher numbers and the contest over control is one that labour can at least take to a score draw because i think rishi made a mistake by saying he could stop

it. >> you can never you can never stop. >> well, tony abbott in australia did final an ocean didn't he had a notion what he didn't he had a notion what he did and we've got a channel you know final thought alex. i was in manchester. was swarms in manchester. there was swarms of i couldn't of young people. i couldn't believe . the sheer number of believe it. the sheer number of young people that were there hungry to hungry for ideas, wanting to believe in something did today do it for those people ? do it for those people? >> i'm not sure they found what they're looking for quite yet . they're looking for quite yet. >> okay, gentlemen , thank you >> okay, gentlemen, thank you very much indeed. somehow he did his best. it hasn't really worked in a moment, i'll be joined by shrewsbury and atcham mp daniel kawczynski, an hs2 supporter . mp daniel kawczynski, an hs2 supporter. i'll find out in a moment what his reaction is

radio. >> well, some of your reactions from home. elliot on twitter says, no speech is going to do anything to convince me of anything to convince me of anything these days. heard far too many promises with no follow

through. i'll judge actions and their results if they ever happen. their results if they ever happen . dave on twitter is so happen. dave on twitter is so sceptical. i'm not satisfied with any politicians speech because that's all they ever are . i'll be satisfied with actions . pat, on the other hand, says, i liked rishi and his speech. i like the spread of money across the country. he on the cancelling of hs2 . i like the cancelling of hs2. i like the a aa levels being combined as a lifelong floating voter , i would lifelong floating voter, i would vote for rishi. now i'm joined in the studio by daniel kawczynski conservative member of parliament for shrewsbury and atcham and daniel, first things first, i said there were loads of young people up at the conference. a lot of mps weren't there, you weren't there? no, but i was working in the house of commons because i'm one of the prime minister's trade envoys looking after envoys and i was looking after a delegation in this week from from overseas. that's a lot of mps weren't there. it somehow suggests that and maybe this speech has changed it. i don't know, but it somehow suggests that rishi inspiring the

that rishi is not inspiring the parliamentary party. oh, i don't think that's right. i think he's bringing discipline back into the parliamentary party. the one thing we tory mps crave for thing that we tory mps crave for more anything else is the more than anything else is the strong hand of discipline . and strong hand of discipline. and good lord, what a quote. and we and were floundering all over and we were floundering all over the place. unfortunately, over the place. unfortunately, over the last period under liz truss and the dying days of boris johnson, the whole thing was not what we wanted . he is starting what we wanted. he is starting to introduce a certain degree of discipline into the parliamentary party and you can't win an election without discipline. all right. i just noficed discipline. all right. i just noticed there were many faces i expected to see that, weren't there? hst you you've been a strong supporter of the hs2 project. do you today? project. how do you feel today? well, i supported hs2 because patrick mclaughlin, the secretary of for secretary of state for transport, talked about capacity on the network. we had campaigned for a long time for a direct service between direct train service between shrewsbury and london. we couldn't because couldn't get it because there was no capacity on the network. so i supported hs2, but i actually appreciate the

leadership that rishi rishi has shown. he says the facts have changed. he says since since the since the 2010 original conception of the plan that the facts have changed, that we've lot more of us work from home. et cetera. is he right? >> well, there's something else fundamentally important, which is equilibrium, the pendulum is the equilibrium, the pendulum has swung away from engineers and government towards individuals and communities and having got the scars on my back, on trying to complete a circular road around shrewsbury, i have seen at first hand the power of the environment agency, the power of individuals to prevent infrastructure projects from being brought to fruition and actually as a result of hs2 not going ahead, we've been given more money for our project in shrewsbury, which is very welcome, but , shrewsbury, which is very welcome, but, but nigel, this is an important thing, very easy to blame the government, but i need what the media should be doing now is a forensic examination of

why the costs have gone up. >> so much. and if you empower people the to the degree that we have empowered them to block and frustrate and prevent infrastructure, essential infrastructure, essential infrastructure projects from being built, then ultimately we all pay the price that actually extends to house building as well. stay with me. now joining me down the line is christian walmart, railway journalist, historian and former labour politic , asian christian in some politic, asian christian in some ways you might be upset that this ambitious new extension to manchester is not going to be built, and yet a lot more railway infrastructure being built right across the midlands and the north of england. so in some ways, isn't this good news for the railways ? for the railways? >> well, yes . well, let's come >> well, yes. well, let's come to that in a minute. i've never been a fan like you, nigel. i've never been a fan of hs2. but there is a problem here. i don't know if you've been to the chilterns lately, but there's

£28 billion has been spent on this and another 20 billion will be needed to spend just to get to birmingham. and we will end up with what i've called the acton to aston shuttle because the euston bit, you know. yes. that's been taken out of hs2's hands. that's been taken out of hs2's hands . but, you know, it's going hands. but, you know, it's going to be years and years and years before that. actually completed. you it as your you know, and it is as your picture is showing now, an absolute wasteland. i cycle through it a lot and it's a disgrace. so you know, i think we do have to finish the project between euston and birmingham and then it's not an amazingly useful line by cutting that line last bit off, we've actually reduced the function of it. so in a way i do recognise that rishi sunak and his ministers were between a rock and a hard place , you know, do you end up place, you know, do you end up spending a lot of money chasing some bad or do you actually scrap the thing? they decided to scrap the thing? they decided to scrap the thing? they decided to scrap the thing. now on the on the good news nigel, i think you mustn't be fooled by that and you actually said in your

introduction earlier that you know, you were bit sceptical know, you were a bit sceptical about it and you know, they've cobbled projects cobbled this lot of projects together without consulting with network rail and mean network rail, own all the infrastructure. they know all about the projects and they haven't even talked to them. so they've cobbled this up in a you know, a hotel room in manchester or in some offices in whitehall without kind of asking , is this without kind of asking, is this one feasible? how much would this cost? you know, the new station in bradford? well, that was scrapped a few years ago and nobody and i've talked to who knows where this new station will go . what does it mean now? will go. what does it mean now? there's projects in there's some good projects in there. electrification there. there's electrification of wales line, which of the north wales line, which hasn't put before. hasn't been put fonnard before. great idea . but you know, in great idea. but you know, in general it just seems a great idea. but you know, in general itjust seems a bunch of general it just seems a bunch of projects cobbled together to kind sugar the pill. kind of sugar the pill. >> all right, christian, that's a sceptical response. a pretty sceptical response. daniel on that. a lot daniel kawczynski on that. a lot of these are promises. you know, we were going to have a bradford station years ago, then it was

scrapped. now it's coming back. station years ago, then it was scrap|:isn'tiow it's coming back. station years ago, then it was scrap|:isn't much s coming back. station years ago, then it was scrap|:isn't much newning back. station years ago, then it was scrap|:isn't much new here,)ack. there isn't much new here, really, there? well there's really, is there? well there's more for my for my more money for my for my constituency. that's all that matters which is very matters. which is which is very important. but nigel, when important. but but nigel, when you are £2.8 trillion in debt and you will you will know that we had to borrow 700 billion to get through the pandemic . when get through the pandemic. when you're spending 98 billion a year on debt interest payments. and by the way, the speaker of the congress was got rid of because of concerns about their $33 trillion debt. i think it's i think it's very welcome news that despite the fact that hs2 has been scrapped, this money will be earmarked for those additional projects, new projects in certain cases, because the budget is very tight at the moment. but as you know and you, daniel, you are a fiscal hawk like i am , daniel, fiscal hawk like i am, daniel, if all those listen, the scrapping of this hs2 extension and if the other projects the tram system in leeds and if all of these things were done, it would be fantastic if. final thought did your leader do

enough today? do you think, to turn things around? well i believe so. and i sincerely hope so. i, i think we have 12 months potentially to convince the british people to give us an unprecedented fifth term of office. i'm not convinced by what sir keir starmer is saying and actually, to be honest with you, those hard core left labour mps are still there. they haven't gone away and i just i just feel that the country can't afford a labour government. well, we'll have a good look at keir starmer next week. daniel, thank you for joining keir starmer next week. daniel, thank you forjoining me in keir starmer next week. daniel, thank you for joining me in the studio. in a moment we'll talk about the smoking ban. yeah, it's unbelievable. anybody born after it'll be a after 2009 for them? it'll be a criminal offence to smoke . does criminal offence to smoke. does that actually work or just play into the hands of the black

radio. >> it doesn't really matter whether it's labour or tory.

they simply can't resist it. the size of government gets bigger and bigger . size of government gets bigger and bigger. they size of government gets bigger and bigger . they want to control and bigger. they want to control every aspect of your life and rishi sunak is no exception to that. anybody born after 2009 will not be able to go into a shop and legally buy tobacco . so shop and legally buy tobacco. so you're going to have this weird situation in ten years time where somebody goes in and wants to buy a packet of and they're 26 years old, but they can't buy them at 26, but they can if they're 27. the whole thing is bonkers. i should think the criminal gangs must be absolutely licking their lips at the prospect of this. but of course it's all done in the name of health. and after all, government always knows what's best. or does it? i'm joined by darren haley, co—founder of the vaping company burn now. darren what do you make of this legislation that's going to be on? it's going to be a free vote , he in the house of , he said in the house of commons. i have little doubt commons. but i have little doubt that mps vote for it. that mps will vote for it. >> there will people that are

>> there will be people that are for against personal for and against my personal opinion and that of other co directors of the company for e burn is that we do think it would be a move in the right direction for bannau ing tobacco, but it has to be in a supportive way and recently the has been an announcement for the government swap to stop a £45 million fund which is going to allow for more councils to bid for that funding and get over 1 million people to switch to quit with vaping. >> yeah, i mean obviously you're a vaping company and vaping is seen as a way out of tobacco smoking. the other debate of course , is whether it's becoming course, is whether it's becoming trendy amongst teenagers is because he did say about vaping they're going to start regulating your products in terms gum, flavour and terms of bubble gum, flavour and all the rest of it. >> and i fully agree with that and it should be not attractive

for younger generations and, and you know, i'm for all like with our packaging, it's with the switch to quick range it's just words. there's no pictures , words. there's no pictures, there's nothing to attract children . our products go into children. our products go into the mental health. so yeah, i saw that. >> i saw no i saw that i saw that. but here's the here's the here's the prime minister attacking . well, frankly, attacking. well, frankly, actually making tobacco illegal for anybody born after 2009. and yet we have a drugs epidemic in this country. wouldn't it be better to have focussed on that ? >> drugs ? yes, they but look at >> drugs? yes, they but look at the look at the i'm not sure of the look at the i'm not sure of the actual figures, but when you look at how many people die per year for tobacco related illnesses to those that are using drugs , i'm sure that the using drugs, i'm sure that the tobacco aspect would be a higher

well, we could argue that sugar that sugar is now the greatest poison of all. >> we have an obesity crisis, so why not ban sugar? i mean, all i'm saying is these to me , these i'm saying is these to me, these things should be personal choices, for not government to intervene. and i reckon if there's a black market in drugs , there'll be a black market in tobacco born after 2009. >> that is a real possibility. >> that is a real possibility. >> but if it's correctly policed and the vaping phenomenon is consumer driven, not industry driven, we're just simply responding to what consumers want . want. >> how big a ban on vaping is he going to bring in? how many restrictions is he going to bnng restrictions is he going to bring in, do you believe , with bring in, do you believe, with my main product is actually a disposable, but which which which they're targeting and australia have banned . australia have banned. >> but my product isn't aimed at children. it's aimed at mental health for an 80% of those people that are in mental health facilities do smoke and when

they go in, they need an alternative. and vaping is an acceptable form of nicotine intake . intake. >> yeah. i wonder. i wonder, darren, whether in the end vaping might get banned as well given the pure botanical drift that our governments are on. >> well , i that our governments are on. >> well, i can't. >> well, i can't. >> no, i mean, i don't know. i don't know. but generally i understand why the vaping industry might be in support of this ban, but is it really for government to make these decisions ? decisions? >> i lost my mum to cancer, so i've got a personal interest in any life that's saved through not smoke ing. tobacco is a positive thing. >> we could we could end up banning everything, couldn't we? >> alcohol, we could argue, was wrecking lives all over the country, killing people. i don't know. thank you for joining country, killing people. i don't know. thank you forjoining me know. thank you for joining me on this debate . and i know i'll on this debate. and i know i'll be in the minority with my view on this because anything to do with health, safety, protection , often people say, yes, the government must do more. but generally, governments, when

they don't generally they intervene, don't generally get right and create get things right and create black markets . now quite black markets. now quite extraordinary. what the farage moment is. i really thought in the run up to this conference that there really would be some serious talk about about a four letter word. yes, i expected to hear a four letter word coming out from the home secretary yesterday and the pm today, and that was echr . but no, we got that was echr. but no, we got nothing at all from the home secretary yesterday, suella braverman, and today the prime minister just said that we'll be able to send people to rwanda whilst meeting our international obligations. we won't . we won't. obligations. we won't. we won't. there is little chance of the government winning that legal action they're fighting despite the £140 million we've spent, not a single person yet has been sent to rwanda. this was their big opportunity to drive a wedge between their position and that of the labour party. they've chosen not to do it. they will

not stop the boats. none of it will happen and not even a single word, by the way, not a word on on net legal migration . word on on net legal migration. and the figures are coming out in a couple of weeks it will be over 1 million for the last two years with a massive impact on gp appointments. traffic and housing and education and everything else . that i think is everything else. that i think is the big fail from this particular conference. now kevin mccarthy, the us speaker, was booted out last night. it had never , ever happened before in never, ever happened before in the history of america. let's find out why. john fund is a columnist for the national review magazine and a us political commentator. and i'm speaking to him direct in washington , dc. john it it's washington, dc. john it it's quite difficult over here to sort of make people understand and the sheer significance of what's happened here. this is a this was a big historic move, wasn't it? >> yes, we elect speakers for two years, and this is the first

time in anyone's memory that we have had a speaker remove . and have had a speaker remove. and more astonishingly , 96% of his more astonishingly, 96% of his party members voted for him. but 100% of the democratic opposition voted against him. there were eight renegade republicans and that was enough to end the speakership of kevin mccarthy, even though he had just won a significant victory by keeping . oh, dear, we may by keeping. oh, dear, we may have lost the line, which is not good. >> so kevin mccarthy has gone on. this was a row a serious row. it was over all sorts of budget deals, including funding for ukraine. and some of those republicans simply thought that mccarthy was being too pally to parley with the democrats. but he would argue that mccarthy would argue in his defence that he managed to get a deal that stopped , that stopped stopped, that stopped a government shutdown . now, john government shutdown. now, john is going to rejoin me down the

line. i hope john, wasn't mccarthy's achievement that he managed managed to stop the government shutting down. why is it that matt gaetz and the renegade aides seem to want the government shut down? >> well, i think that in reality, they all had personal reasons to vote against mccarthy and the dissatisfied faction with the terms by which he kept the government open were a smokescreen. i think . matt gaetz smokescreen. i think. matt gaetz is running for governor of florida . he also faces a house florida. he also faces a house ethics probe. so i think this was a way for him to, i think, deflect attention from whatever the results of the house ethics probe were . if it comes out probe were. if it comes out against him, he can say he's a martyr and being punished for having challenged the establishment and of course, he's planning stay in the he's not planning to stay in the house for very long. he has bigger ambitions. bigger political ambitions. >> course, brits >> yeah. and of course, brits won't this, but after won't realise this, but after the and the vice the president and the vice president in america , the president in america, the speaker number three in line. speaker is number three in line. now it seems to me, it seems to

me that what the republicans have done here is an own goal to a certain extent. it just doesn't a look to the doesn't have a good look to the outside world. and some talk that donald trump could replace mccarthy. surely that's not true i >> -- >> it's an amusing thought. it's an intriguing thought, but it's an intriguing thought, but it's a completely unrealistic thought. the house has never elected a non—member as a speaken elected a non—member as a speaker, and i think donald trump's style would not be suited to robert's rules of order or the parliamentary or congressional process . congressional process. >> i think that's one of the biggest under statements of the yean biggest under statements of the year. finally john, how will this get sorted out and will it all finish with the us government shutting down in 40 odd days time ? odd days time? >> well, i think we have two candidates for speaker now . the candidates for speaker now. the majority leader who was mccarthy's deputy, steve scalise, and the head of the judiciary or legal committee, jim jordan, both . both are very jim jordan, both. both are very

competent people . one of them competent people. one of them will win next week . and i think will win next week. and i think that there will be a honeymoon penod that there will be a honeymoon period and part of the honeymoon penod period and part of the honeymoon period will be that the republican members, including some of the rebels , will not some of the rebels, will not want to go through again want to go through this again because chaos and the bad because of the chaos and the bad pubuc because of the chaos and the bad public look that it has. because of the chaos and the bad public look that it has . so public look that it has. so i think we're in about 40 days. we have to have another go at keeping the government open. yeah, i hope it's more orderly and i think it will be more orderly . orderly. >> john, thank you for joining me. the line from me. down the line from washington, thank now, washington, dc. thank you. now, not are the banks being not only are the banks being closing accounts over the closing our accounts over the last over the last few years, but over the last few years, but over the last decades, they have been last few decades, they have been ripping for tens of ripping us off for tens of billions. the ppe scandal billions. yes. the ppe scandal and crisis, it hasn't gone away. there's another huge wave of it . and frankly, frankly , the way . and frankly, frankly, the way many of these banks have behaved is little short of disgusting . is little short of disgusting. there is now the possibility of compensation for millions more people. find out how and why in

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if your weekly income is below £201.05, or £306.85 if you live with a partner, you could be eligible for pension credit, even if you own your home or have savings. it's worth, on average, £3,500 a year, and you could get help with heating bills and more, plus cost of living payments.

well, as you all know very well, i am not exactly a fan of the banks closing down people's accounts, making life miserable for small business, crushing out cash closing down 3/5 of cash and closing down 3/5 of their branches in the last eight years. but there's another story , and it's an old story, but actually it's an even bigger scandal. actually it's an even bigger scandal . it is the ppi actually it's an even bigger scandal. it is the ppi mis selling story. yes yes. you've heard of it before , but i wonder heard of it before, but i wonder whether you really understood what the implications of it were andindeed what the implications of it were and indeed are, because it's not gone away. well, i'm joined by damon parker, senior partner of law firm harcus parker . and you law firm harcus parker. and you are the law firm leading a new legal case from the top. damon, and thank you for joining us here in the studio. what was ppi? >> ppi was theoretically a kind of insurance that would protect you from not being able to repay your loans . but the problem with

your loans. but the problem with it was , first of all, it was bad it was, first of all, it was bad insurance . it frequently didn't insurance. it frequently didn't cover what it was supposed to coven cover what it was supposed to cover. if you if you were self—employed, for example , it self—employed, for example, it didn't cover you, obviously. and often people were covered for the for that risk anyway. but the for that risk anyway. but the big issue, the one that hasn't, i think, been adequately publicised is the fact that for every pound you paid in ppi premium between 75 and 90, 95% sometimes was a commission paid to the bank. >> so an absolute mega rip off. >> so an absolute mega rip off. >> astonishing. >> astonishing. >> and this was never declared. >> and this was never declared. >> it was never declared. it's a secret commission and a secret commission. and so but that must be illegal. surely it's been found by the supreme court in ppi cases to be against the provisions of the consumer credit act. it's unfair . credit act. it's unfair. >> how were the banks selling this ? how were they i mean, this? how were they i mean, millions signed up for this because the idea that you pay a small amount of money and then if you lose your job or you fall ill, there'll be enough money there to cover your mortgage.

and mean, can see the appeal and i mean, i can see the appeal of it. how were selling of it. how were they selling it on or was it? how on the phone or how was it? how was it sold? >> well, it depends very much on the that you had. the kind of loan that you had. if you were taking out a mortgage or an unsecured loan, you might be sold but often you might be sold it. but often if a credit card, you if you had a credit card, you just had it. you were given it so wasn't to you as so it wasn't sold to you as such.it so it wasn't sold to you as such. it was just there in just tacked on. it was just there in the and so the small print. and so frequently people don't know. and the this is the and this is the this is the essence of the secret commission claims don't know that you claims you don't know that you paid but paid a secret commission, but often know that often you don't even know that you ppi. might have been you have ppi. it might have been in statement, but had to in the statement, but you had to be looking carefully to see it. and so and that's the and so and so that's the scandal. so the greater part of this what was the timeline on this is what was the timeline on this? ppi started this? damon well, ppi started to be the 80s. 64 be sold in probably the 80s. 64 million policies were sold overall. although think overall. and although we think probably about billion has probably about £50 billion has been customers, been returned to customers, including of the including the expenses of the banks, 18 billion. ft says banks, 18 billion. the ft says it still still is in the banking system to be returned to customers. >> so . >> so. >> so. so

>> so. so when >> so. so when did >> so. so when did it >> so. so when did it stop operating? >> well, it hasn't necessarily stopped. >> there in a way. >> there in a way. >> is there? i've seen offer letters settling. apparently ppi claims where it's sort of said in the small print and by the way, we assume because you need it, you want ppi to continue, you've got to be looking carefully to spot it and say , carefully to spot it and say, no, i'm just thinking mr or mrs. smith are sitting right now in kettering on their sofa watching this or they don't know whether they had ppi , do they? probably they had ppi, do they? probably not. but if they had a credit card, they probably did. >> right. >> right. >> and they can check. we can check for them. >> yes. >> yes. >> and if i can plug this ppi glocom, sign up, we'll check for you and 350,000 people or so have already asked us to check and we have 50,000 clients ready to on cases . to go on these cases. >> and what could mr and mrs. smith entitled to? smith be entitled to? >> depends much on how >> we depends very much on how they their credit card, what they use their credit card, what kind of it was. but if you kind of ppi it was. but if you do an averaging out of £18 billion and 6 million people, we think about £3,000 per person .

think about £3,000 per person. but it depends very much on when it was as well, because interest pays a significant it's big money. >> so in general, i'm taking out a mortgage and i take out this insurance cover and typically what would it cost say i'm what would it cost me? say i'm taking out £100,000 mortgage. typically the ppi cover? >> of course, it might just be a few pounds a month, a few pounds, a few of pounds a pounds, a few tens of pounds a month. but but. and if it's credit cards, it's less. but but don't forget that it's useless insurance. never have insurance. you should never have it. you could have it. and anyway, you could have got for money somewhere got it for less money somewhere else, because someone else, presumably because someone else, presumably because someone else wouldn't be charging you. >> these legal battles have >> and these legal battles have gone for years years. you gone on for years and years. you mentioned that went mentioned already that this went as as the supreme court, and as far as the supreme court, and yet we don't hear much about this anymore . this anymore. do we? >> no, we don't, because one of the stories is that ppi stopped

. it didn't stop, but it was supposed to stop in 2019. remember those arnold schwarzenegger adverts? there was a kind of arnold schwarzenegger robot and that was encourage people come was to encourage people to come fonnard to claim through the fca's but but that fca's scheme. but but but that that was a peculiar scheme because it didn't really give people back everything that they'd lost been the they'd lost or been charged. the fca that was fca proposed that there was a tipping between fairness tipping point between fairness and tipping and unfairness. the tipping point if paid 80% point was 50. so if you paid 80% commission, got 30% back. commission, you got 30% back. >> this was was banks >> and this was this was banks building societies, credit card companies . store card operators companies. store card operators , anyone who's giving people loans , consumer loans was pretty loans, consumer loans was pretty well charging ppi because it was such a beanfeast it was good for the people who sold it. >> it's good the banks and >> it's good for the banks and they made a lot of money. and even been terribly even now it's been terribly profitable them. i just find profitable for them. i just find this whole the sheer the amounts of repeat how of money, but just repeat how much money has been returned to individuals. £50 individuals. we think about £50 billion, gone billion, £50 billion has gone back british consumers as back to british consumers as people ripped off people who were ripped off with a commission ppi. a hidden commission on ppi. >> is . a vast amount

>> that is. a vast amount of money. >> it's a huge amount of money. but but despite that, i want to stress it's still been a very, very profitable profit for the banks because they've still got 18 billion of it. and they know who their customers were. they could everyone and say, could write to everyone and say, you do you to you have ppi, do you want to claim it back? >> but they're not going do >> but they're not going to do it a massive action. it without a massive action. >> so do you operate in >> so how do you operate in this? so people touch this? so people get in touch with site that you've with the ppi site that you've set you run a quick check, set up. you run a quick check, you tell yes or no. and how you tell them yes or no. and how do you operate? is this big do you operate? is this a big class that take class action that you take legally? class action that you take leg yeah, group action. >> yeah, it's a group action. >> yeah, it's a group action. >> we're going to to run >> so we're going to try to run the cases together. it the cases all together. it hasn't done before in this hasn't been done before in this in type of very american in this type of very american style things. yeah. and style of doing things. yeah. and but it has be more efficient, but it has to be more efficient, more coherent, more cost effective, at the moment effective, because at the moment a number say a small a small number or i say a small number, of thousands of number, tens of thousands of cases are the courts cases are in the county courts being individually. cases are in the county courts being difficultidividually. cases are in the county courts being difficult to vidually. cases are in the county courts being difficult to run,illy. they're difficult to run, they're to and they're difficult to run, thejbanks to and they're difficult to run, thejbanks can to and they're difficult to run, thejbanks can crush and they're difficult to run, thejbanks can crush them.nd the banks can crush them. yeah. >> so strength in numbers,

strength in numbers. >> i have to get >> so i have to i have to get a response from the industry to everything just been everything that has just been said for said because a spokesman for uk finance, body that finance, the body that represents banks and represents the banks and building the building societies, has said the fca's customers fca's deadline for customers to make complaint to a firm which make a complaint to a firm which sold . was in august 2019. >> the firms will review and respond to any claims made in legal proceedings as required. now i've got to tell you, damon, i'm not a big fan of the fca, but they're saying, no, it's all too late, it's not too late. >> because what the fca couldn't do was extinguish legal do was extinguish your legal rights the end of rights as it was the end of their scheme, and they had set up a scheme made it for up a scheme that made it for easy people to claim without resorting litigation. resorting to litigation. now it's necessary for people to go to and we say this is to the courts and we say this is the effective way the only effective way of vindicating rights. vindicating your rights. >> damon parker, for >> damon parker, thank you for joining . us joining. us >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> fascinating. very, very interesting indeed. well we're all back from manchester.

luckily, those of us who didn't have to come back by train have managed it back i managed to make it back from i got back early of got back in the early hours of this jacob this morning. jacob extra. i would say, on the positives would just say, on the positives about manchester, astonished about manchester, an astonished number oh amazing. i addressed young >> i addressed a young conservatives reception conservatives drinks reception yesterday was yesterday evening and it was absolutely couldn't yesterday evening and it was absfrom sly couldn't yesterday evening and it was absfrom one couldn't yesterday evening and it was absfrom one end couldn't yesterday evening and it was absfrom one end of couldn't yesterday evening and it was absfrom one end of the couldn't yesterday evening and it was absfrom one end of the room 1't yesterday evening and it was absfrom one end of the room to go from one end of the room to the and they're really the other and they're really interested policy and excited the other and they're really intibeingi policy and excited the other and they're really intibeing conservatives. excited the other and they're really intibeing conservatives. andted by being conservatives. and they're brave because being at university a. university today and being a. conservative are very tough. doesn't make you that many friends. >> no, very, very tough. and of course, hs2, are you pleased? oh, delighted. >> i always thought was >> i always thought it was terrible idea. and they're to going money the going spend some money on the roads, i'm all favour roads, which i'm all in favour of. listen, i. i campaigned >> no, listen, i. i campaigned for years against hs2 right from the now i'm the very beginning. now i'm going joining you for going to be joining you for joining me. >> but you were the talked >> but you were the most talked about man at the party conference. absolutely conference. it was absolutely amazing. even amazing. somebody who isn't even amazing. somebody who isn't even a may be a tory, a tory. well, you may be a tory, but not member the but not a member of the conservative party. >> mini was a mini >> it was a mini it was a mini hijack. i'll be joining jacob

after weather. hello . there. after the weather. hello. there. >> i'm jonathan vautrey here of your gb news weather forecast provided by the met office. a little bit of a mixed picture as we end off day we've got we end off the day we've got rain lingering parts rain lingering across parts of northern southern northern ireland southern scotland sink its way scotland will just sink its way southwards scotland will just sink its way southwar england before northern england as well before generally petering off into the second though second half of the night, though some of rain just some other areas of rain just beginning into beginning to push their way into parts ireland parts of northern ireland throughout as throughout the early hours as well. a amount of cloud well. a good amount of cloud around hold up the around will hold up the temperatures most places temperatures for most places around but of around 11, 13 c. but parts of northern drop off northern scotland will drop off a down into those a touch more down into those single values under single figure values under the clearer have this clearer skies we have here. this rain . will then spread its way rain. will then spread its way in as we head throughout thursday. quite a damp start to the day for northern ireland, then into western scotland, western also western england and wales. also seeing a fair amount of rain throughout faux pas throughout the day. faux pas southeastern england, southeastern areas of england, though, largely with though, staying largely dry with some sunny spells here. so a relatively fine day across the board. breezy board. we'll be quite breezy for most taking the edge off most of us taking the edge off some of temperatures a some of those temperatures a

touch, 19 c possible in the touch, but 19 c possible in the south. more the south. generally more around the 16, north 16, 17 c. further north into friday. this mixture of low pressure and high pressure continues. generally high pressure stuck towards the south, keep things south, helping to keep things relatively but

by by >> by >> hello. good evening. it's me, jacob rees—mogg on state of the nafion jacob rees—mogg on state of the nation tonight. the tory party conference drew to a dramatic end and it all comes down to the question has rishi sunak turned it round ? first it was the bold it round? first it was the bold calls on net zero. then it was the freezing of civil service jobs. and now it's the cancellation of hs2's northern leg. that won't convince the great nigel farage to join the party. then what will the scrapping of hs2's northern leg is a triumph for those of us who have consistently called for sensible spending and cutting waste . the pm has promised the waste. the pm has promised the £36 billion saved will be used for multiple transport projects in a complete overhaul of northern and regional infrastructure . but surely helps infrastructure. but surely helps pave the way for unleashing