Politics - Access Interviews

Peter Knowles

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

BBC Parliament controller Peter Knowles talks to Sarah MacKinlay on the channel's tenth anniversary

Margaret Eaton

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Ben Duckworth speaks to the first female chairman of the Local Government Association, Margaret Eaton, about what she plans to do now she's in charge.

Caroline Lucas

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Caroline Lucas talks to Total Politics about becoming leader of the Green Party, standing for Parliament and green politics in an age of economic uncertainty

Sir Alan Beith MP

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Sir Alan Beith talks to Total Politics about his autobiography, A View from the North.

Ricky Gervais

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Ricky Gervais tells Total Politics what he would do if he were Prime Minister.

Nigel Farage

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

In an exclusive interview with Iain Dale, the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party says UKIP is more relevant than ever, acknowledges entryism by the BNP and denies he is President Medvedev in disguise

Ray Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

RAY Lewis, the man hailed as Boris Johnson's guru in the war against knife crime, today speaks for the first time about the allegations that led to him resigning in disgrace as Deputy Mayor of Young People. The former pastor whose groundbreaking work at the Eastside Young Leaders Academy, founded to help troubled black youths, has been lauded, not just by Boris Johnson but also by Conservative leader David Cameron and former leader Iain Duncan Smith, and whose trustees include Francis Maude MP and former politician Steven Norris. But after two months as Deputy Mayor, he fell on his sword, after lying about being a magistrate and being accused of financially exploiting a vulnerable parishioner, of making sexual advances to a young woman parishioner, and of lying that he did not know that he had been suspended by the Church of England. In addition, complaints by six children at his academy about his boot-camp style of discipline were referred to police. The fallout has meant that the future of his academy - which helps 90 black boys "perform a handbrake turn in their lives" and which Boris wanted to replicate across London - is in jeopardy. "We have lost £1.2 million of funding, more than half our budget of £2.1 million," says Lewis, 45. "Seven donors have pulled out, run for the hills because apparently I am too leprous. I had to make a third of my staff redundant. Also the credit crunch took Lehman Brothers, so we lost the £130,000 a year they were giving us. "We've taken one hell of a bash here at the academy, and unless we find new funders, we will not survive the next 12 months. One of our boys is up on a murder charge. I visited him in prison a couple of weeks ago. This is what we do, we try to rescue boys from themselves, we try to make our communities safer. It doesn't always work. The problems in this city run so deep.We've got to cut off the supply to gangs, that's why we target at-risk eight-year-olds. "It's so painful. To think that everything we've built up since 2002 could go up in smoke. The loss to the boys, the schools and the community will be immense. Because of claims of financial and sexual misconduct contained in a 10-year-old Church file that were never even put to me to refute or to answer."

Shimon Peres

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is in Damascus, trying to improve relations with Syria. In the United States, the president-elect, Barack Obama, is promising a push for peace when he takes office in January. Shimon Peres discusses what moves should be made to foster relations with Syria and Iran - and how the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians can be revitalised.

Peter Mandelson

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson accused shadow chancellor George Osborne of being "reckless and irresponsible" over his warning about the collapse of sterling. Mr Osborne had said he fears the currency could collapse amid trouble money markets. But Lord Mandelson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What George Osborne was trying to do in his remarks was undermine the confidence of markets." The shadow chancellor is certain to face more pressure if - as most expect - the pound continues its dramatic descent against the dollar and euro. But Mr Osborne has already insisted that he will not accept the blame if further falls materialise. He mounted a robust defence after being accused of breaching convention and putting crucial G20 financial negotiations at risk by "talking down" the pound. "My job as shadow chancellor is to tell the British people the truth about the British economy," Mr Osborne told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. "The truth that it is the worst prepared economy in the world for recession. The truth that we have got the highest personal debt in the world. The truth that the pound has fallen by a record amount against other currencies. I am telling the public the truth and that is the job of elected politicians, particularly opposition politicians, in difficult times." In an interview with The Times on Saturday, Mr Osborne highlighted a 30% fall in value of the pound over recent months against a basket of currencies, and said Government policies were creating the "danger of having a proper sterling collapse, a run on the pound". But on Sunday Mr Osborne dismissed the idea that he would be partly to blame for further falls: "What the markets are doing (is) looking at the economic fundamentals. They are not looking at what politicians - be it myself or indeed any other politicians - are saying."

Peter Mandelson

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Lord Mandelson says he has been watching Strictly Come Dancing with "a degree of envy" and told the BBC it would be nice to be asked to take part. The business secretary said he was supporting ex-political correspondent John Sergeant on the show. But he joked he was a better dancer and offered to demonstrate his skills next time he was invited onto the BBC. Lord Mandelson later added: "It would be nice at least to be invited into the audience." Lord Mandelson was on BBC Breakfast to talk about the economy, but was asked about John Sergeant's dancing efforts - which have been criticised by the show's judges but have won him huge public support. He replied: "I was cheering for John Sergeant on Saturday with, I have to say, a degree of... envy." Asked if he would star on the BBC show he joked: "It would be nice to be asked." He said he was a better dancer but, in a later BBC interview dominated by the government's efforts to shore up the economy amid the downturn, declined the chance to demonstrate. "Not this morning, because it's too serious but another day invite me back and I will show you what I can do." Asked if he had really suggested he could take part, he replied it would be nice at least to join the audience: "I'm not backtracking. Have you ever seen me dance?"

Barack Obama

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

President-elect ready to hand top posts to ‘enemies’. Also Discusses National Security, Iraq, And His Cabinet In 60 Minutes Interview. Barack Obama said today he would appoint at least one Republican to his cabinet as he praised the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln – a president who gave top posts to several of his bitterest political enemies. Mr Obama, who meets John McCain in Chicago tomorrow to discuss ways they can work together after he becomes president, said he would be announcing Cabinet appointments soon, days after he discussed with Hillary Clinton the possibility of making her his Secretary of State. In his first full interview since winning the election, Mr Obama described the challenges he faces when he takes office in January as "enormous" and "multiple". He made clear his determination to pick the most effective team to tackle them, even if it means choosing former rivals and Republicans. Mr Obama said he had spent "a lot of time" reading the writings of President Lincoln since the election, because "there is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful." He and Mrs Clinton have both read and admired 'Team of Rivals', Doris Kearns Goodwin's book about how President Lincoln bought old foes into government after winning the 1860 election. Reminded that the 16th president put many of his political enemies in his cabinet, Mr Obama was asked on CBS's 60 Minutes whether he was considering the same approach. "Well, I'll tell you what," he replied. "I find him a very wise man." Aides to Mr Obama said a final decision on whether to appoint Mrs Clinton as Secretary of State - his former rival for the Democratic nomination - had not yet been made. But it is understood that both sides want it to happen. One internal debate centres on the foreign business dealings of Bill Clinton – and the list of donors to his presidential library - at a time when the president-elect has pledged transparency. If Mrs Clinton is appointed as America's top diplomat, an announcement could come as early as this week. James Carville, Mr Clinton's former strategist, said: "There is a lot of momentum on this. This thing could very well happen." The former First Lady's possible move to head the State Department also received the backing of two prominent Republicans today: Henry Kissinger, who held the post under Presidents Nixon and Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Governor. Mr McCain is not expected to be brought into the Obama Cabinet, but their discussions tomorrow will focus on how the Arizona senator, as he returns to Capitol Hill after his general election defeat, can help the new president on issues where there is common ground. They include reforming government, tackling global warming, banning torture by US personnel, and closing Guantanamo Bay. One Republican on a list of possible cabinet appointees is Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska senator and Vietnam War veteran who is leaving Congress in January. He was a longstanding critic of President Bush's Iraq strategy and decried Mr McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running-mate. Another Republican under debate is Robert Gates, Mr Bush's Secretary of Defence. Aides to Mr Obama have indicated that he may be asked to stay on, although his fate is still uncertain. One area where Mr Obama is not following Mr Lincoln is his groundbreaking use of the internet. On Saturday, he posted the first of what will be his weekly radio address on You Tube. As he looks to appoint more than 300 Cabinet secretaries, deputies and under-secretaries, and 2,500 political appointees, Mr Obama is using another former Republican president as a model: Ronald Reagan. He is focusing on forming his White House team first, before fleshing out cabinet positions, much like Mr Reagan did during his transition. The Obama team announced several more White House appointments yesterday, including Gregory Craig as his White House counsel. Mr Craig is a Washington veteran who headed Mr Clinton's impeachment defence. He was an early supporter of Mr Obama's and has been a senior adviser throughout his campaign.

Nevres Kemal

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Exclusive: the brave social worker who blew the whistle on Haringey's dire treatment of children before Baby P's death tells how the the council tried to destroy her life

George Osborne

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne defends his comments about sterling, and accuses the government of "abandoning fiscal responsibility".

Douglas Alexander

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Labour's election co-ordinator Douglas Alexander dismisses early General Election talk.

Garry Kasparov

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

The chess prodigy honoured by the Soviet Union now combines his Western lecture tours with vociferous opposition to the Kremlin regime. Garry Kasparov was involved in some epic clashes during his time as the world's leading chess player, but of late, he's picked an opponent that he seems most unlikely to defeat: Vladimir Putin. Revered in Russia as a chess legend, he has become persona non grata by dint of his withering attacks on the country's leader, who he says has perpetrated "the greatest robbery in the history of the human race" by dividing the proceeds of Russia's wealth among his cronies. Kasparov lives in a quiet and pleasant area of central Moscow. I am escorted up to his apartment by a bodyguard and received by his mother, Klara, who eyes me with some distrust. I wait for Kasparov in the spacious living room of the apartment, which is done out in a style best described as late-Soviet opulence. With glass chandeliers and ornate mahogany cabinets overflowing with crystal and china ornaments, it's how I imagine the apartment of a 1970s politburo bigwig might have looked.

George Osborne

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Britain is heading for a “collapse of sterling” if Gordon Brown persists with trying to borrow his way out of trouble, George Osborne says in an interview with The Times today. Risking accusations that he is talking down the pound, the Shadow Chancellor mounts a ferocious attack on the Prime Minister, accusing him of following a deliberate “scorched-earth policy” that would leave the economy in a mess for the Tories to inherit. Mr Osborne, ignoring the convention that senior politicians do not predict runs on the pound, says that the country knows instinctively that no government can borrow its way out of debt. He claims that the weight of debt will stifle recovery and also create a big risk for sterling. “Sterling has devalued rapidly against the euro and the dollar. We are in danger, if the Government is not careful, of having a proper sterling collapse, a run on the pound. The danger of a run on the pound . . . is that it pushes up long-term interest rates, which is a huge burden on the economy. The more you borrow as a government the more you have to sell that debt and the less attractive your currency seems.” THE INTERVIEW: In the Conservative Party’s Hundred Acre Wood, George Osborne has always been Tigger to David Cameron’s Christopher Robin. The Shadow Chancellor is a natural optimist, bouncing back enthusiastically after every setback. As an aide, he used to cheer up John Major and William Hague in the bleakest times. A year ago he delighted his party by bouncing Gordon Brown out of holding an election. Not only was he the Conservative leader’s best friend, he was his closest political ally, the joint architect of the strategy for modernising the Tory party. But in the past few weeks he has had his tail between his legs. The backbench Eeyores have begun moaning that it’s all going horribly wrong. The media bees have started to sting. There has been speculation that he might be left in the nursery. His misjudgment over a yacht in Corfu has, critics say, been compounded by his inability to give a clear alternative to Mr Brown on the economy. His confidence seems to have been shaken. As his ebullience has deflated, so has the Tories’ poll lead. Mr Osborne admits that it has been a tough few weeks. He will not, he tells us, be going back to Corfu next summer. “I regretted the whole farrago. I made a mistake — not because I broke any law or rule, I never asked for a donation, nor did I receive one — but it didn’t look good.” He is determined to win back those in the party who have questioned his political acumen. “My door is completely open to anyone who wants to talk to me,” he says.

Chris Patten

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Chris Patten on Lord Carrington, who versed him in the fine art of delegation

Tony Blair

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

Tony Blair has urged Barack Obama to take the initiative on issues from climate change to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a way to heal the divisions between America and Europe. In an interview with the Guardian during a visit to Rwanda, the former prime minister said Obama's election as US president opened up "an era of real possibility". "I think he can say to Europe, look I'm going to champion a global deal on climate change, I'm going to take the Middle East peace process seriously, I'm going to make sure that poverty in Africa is right at the top of the agenda, I'm going to listen to your concerns and get a shared agenda with you." But while Blair, who now serves as Middle East special envoy of the Quartet of the US, EU, Russia and the United Nations, welcomed Obama's election, he also warned that the new president would make demands on Europe and defend US interests. "I'm not going to get into comparing presidents, because I think that would be, er, not very fruitful. But there's a tremendous possibility for Obama to reach out and create a unifying agenda," Blair said. "People should also understand that [Obama's] agenda will encompass American interests and demands too, and once the euphoria subsides a little, as it always does in these situations, there are tough choices all round." ...

Nicholas Rankin

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

At the recent Cheltenham Literature Festival, Nicholas Rankin talks to Nicola Barranger about his latest work – Churchill’s Wizards – the British Genius for Deception. He talks about how the Brits all but enjoyed outsmarting the enemy with their capacity to confuse. Just before his presentation at the festival, Nicholas talks about how the two world wars gave the British a perfect platform to exercise intrigue, trickery, delusion, subterfuge even play acting in the most tragic of theatres.

George Bush

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:01:51 +0000

In his first post-Election Day interview, President Bush spoke to CNN's Heidi Collins on Tuesday aboard the Intrepid, a former U.S. Navy aircraft carrier where he was commemorating Veterans Day. He reflected on his presidency and the transition in the works with President-elect Barack Obama. Here is a transcript of the interview. The president began by talking about his feelings for the troops. President Bush: Being the commander in chief is as high an honor as you can possibly imagine and I have given it my all to support our military and to support our veterans. What does that mean? It means going to Congress and saying let's make sure our military families have good housing, health care, educational benefits. It means helping to work with the Congress to get money for our veterans, but it really means saying to our troops, "I will make decisions based on what is best for our country, not what is best for me politically." I don't want your troops thinking that the decisions I have made were about politics or about my standing. The decisions were made how to secure this country, how to protect ourselves from the long run. And that was important for those troops to know that their commander in chief not only supported them but stood with them in their mission CNN: As you stand with them in their mission there are two months left of your presidency. How will that feel to leave office in the middle of two wars? Bush: I'm trying to figure it out because there's a lot going on. We've got an economic situation, the campaign just ended, we still have troops in harm's way. I'll be meeting with families of the fallen today. This job will end on January 20 and so this is a better question answered on the 21st. I'm not sure what to tell you because I know I'm going to go from 100 mph to near zero overnight. I'm not sure what to expect. I know I'll miss certain things about the presidency. I also know I'm looking forward to getting home, so I've got mixed emotions. CNN: What will you tell -- and maybe you talked about this yesterday with President-elect Obama -- about taking care of America's veterans and active servicemen and women? Bush: To the extent that he asked my advice -- and he may want to ask it again -- and the best way to make sure he feels comfortable asking it again is for me not to tell you in the first place on what I advised him. We had a very private conversation. It was relaxed. It was interesting to watch someone that is getting ready to assume the office of the president. It will be a fantastic experience for he and his family. He didn't need my advice about supporting the military. He knows he must do that. We had a good conversation. I was very pleased. Remember the conversation I had with my predecessor Bill Clinton, as a matter of fact called him yesterday and said, Bill, I'm getting ready to meet with the new president and I remember how gracious you were to me. I hope I can be as gracious to President-elect Obama as you were to me. It was interesting yesterday. One of the things President-elect Obama was interested in, after we had our policy discussions, was his little girls, how would they like the White House. It was interesting to watch him go upstairs. He wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep. Clearly this guy is going to bring a sense of family to the White House and I hope Laura and I did the same thing, but I believe he will and I know his girls are on his mind and he wants to make sure that first and foremost he is a good dad. And I think that's going to be an important part of his presidency... *Full transcript here...