Ed Davey answers questions on Question Time’s Leadership Special
Fiona Bruce Let me introduce the program.
First, she says, the audience reflects the political climate of the country.
She introduces Ed Davey.
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Davey says he is “not proud” of some of the votes the Lib Dems supported during the coalition.
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But he says they stopped George Osborne cutting welfare by £12bn.
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UPDATE: Davey said:
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It was very difficult governing with the Conservatives. We couldn’t get everything we wanted ..
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You either had to stay in and fight inside the government or leave. I think the easy choice for me would be to leave, vote against it, and tour the media studios and complain. The hard choice was to stay in, roll my sleeves and really fight.
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Fiona Bruce introduces the programme.
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She starts by saying the audience reflects the political complexion of the country.
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She introduces Ed Davey.
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The BBC has responded to the statement put out earlier tonight by Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate being investigated by the Gambling Commission over an election date betting allegation. She said she was considering suing the BBC over the story, which it broke. In response, a BBC spokesperson said:
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We are confident in our journalism. As Laura Saunders is a candidate standing for election, it is clearly in the public interest to report allegations made against her.
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Good evening. Tonight we are getting the BBC’s Question Time leaders’ special. It starts at 8pm and it will feature the four main party leaders. They will get half an hour each taking questions from the audience in York and they will be appearing in this order: Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader; John Swinney, the SNP leader; Keir Starmer, the Labour leader; and Rishi Sunak, the Conservative leader and PM. Fiona Bruce is in the chair.
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This won’t have the drama of a head-to-head debate between Sunak and Starmer. There is just one more of those to go. It is on Wednesday next week, hosted by the BBC, with Mishal Husain presenting and acting as referee.
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But Question Time is still a very tough gig, and it is a programme that regularly illustrates how members of the public can often ask questions that are more challenging, more aggressive, and better informed than the ones politicians normally get from journalists. And there is a long history of politicians coming unstuck here at election time. In his London Playbook briefing for Politico this morning, Dan Bloom recalled some examples.
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This show has in the past produced some of Britain’s most memorable election moments, as politicians’ rehearsed lines crumble upon impact with public anger. It’s the one where Theresa May told a nurse there was there “isn’t a magic money tree” … Ed Miliband drew gasps for saying Labour didn’t spend too much (then tripped off the stage) … David Cameron refused to say where £10bn in welfare cuts would fall … and Tony Blair, well, he duelled a pipsqueak Richard Tice.
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Tonight Sunak may face particular flak over the Tory election date betting allegations. Here is our story about this.
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And here are the questions Labour says he must answer about the allegations.
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We are not able to open the comments tonight. I’m sorry about that. But if you want to flag something up to me for my attention, do use X; I’ll see something addressed to @AndrewSparrow very quickly.
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Important Events
Davy The Liberal Democrats say they have a “very good chance” of winning against the Conservatives in Hazelgrove and Cheadle in the north-west.
The next question is about the broken promise of tuition fees waivers. One student says people like her are hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. How can her generation trust the Liberal Democrats?
He is met with thunderous applause.
Davy He says it’s difficult to be in power. “We didn’t win everything, we lost to that government,” he says.
He says he’s learned not to promise things he can’t deliver on.
He argues that the manifesto’s promises are now more realistic, which was the “big lesson” he learned.
Bruce said the broken tuition-free promises still feature frequently on the “Question Time” program.
Davy He said the party had been “severely punished” in elections in 2015 and two thereafter, losing seats.
Davy He said the two-child limit on the benefit was “totally wrong” and should be scrapped.
Q: Are you trying to convince people that you can become prime minister?
Davy He says he is realistic.
“Given the polls, that will be difficult.”
But he doesn’t want to put any limits on his ambitions.
Q: So your manifesto is just a wish list?
Commenting on the policy to add more GPs, Davie said it was achievable, as some people train as GPs but are unable to get work because there is no funding to employ them.
Q: Is the Manifesto a wish list?
Say No DavyIt is a “program entirely for the government.”
As a coalition minister he learned not to promise things he could not deliver.
Q: Will tuition fees be waived?
surely, Davy.
He says he’s spent time trying to rebuild trust.
The next question comes from Linda, who says Davy’s antics on the campaign trail – which often result in him getting wet during fun photo opportunities – are unbecoming of a Prime Minister.
Davy He says he’s been trying to get attention.
But he says the stunt had a serious purpose – he fell in Windermere to raise awareness of the problem of sewage in the water.
Mr Davie said he was “not proud” of some of the things the Liberal Democrats did during their coalition government with the Conservatives.
A man in the audience said he had lost faith in the Liberal Democrats because they had broken promises on tuition fees and supported austerity.
Davy He said he was “not proud” of some of the votes the Liberal Democrats supported during the coalition government.
But they prevented George Osborne from making £12 billion in cuts to welfare, he says.
update: Davy Said:
Governing as a Conservative Party was very difficult. We couldn’t achieve everything we wanted.
It was either I stayed in the government and fought internally or I left. I think the easy choice for me was to leave and vote against it and go around the media studios and complain. The hard choice was to stay in the government and roll up my sleeves and really fight.
The first question is from Alison. She says the Lib Dems will spend five times as much extra as Labour. Won’t they bankrupt the country?
Say No Davy.
He says the Liberal Democrat plan has costs. Oil and gas companies will pay more. The big banks will pay more. The Conservatives gave them tax cuts, but taking them back would mean a £4.3 billion tax increase.
There should be a tax on big digital media companies.
Q: You’ve promised a further £28 billion.
By the fifth year of the Congress, Davy.
Blues She said she doesn’t know who is funding some of the programs, such as reparations for WASP women.
Davy The Liberal Democrats say they will crack down on tax evasion and avoidance, and their plans are more credible in this area because they will invest £1 billion in HMRC.
Alison says the nation’s finances are not a bottomless pit.
Of course not. DavyBut he says public services need to be rescued.
He says he worries about children going to school hungry. When the Liberal Democrats were in coalition government, they pushed the government to introduce free school meals for young children. George Osborne was not happy. Now, Osborne says, the Liberal Democrats want to go further.
Ed Davey answers questions on Question Time’s Leadership Special
Fiona Bruce Let me introduce the program.
First, she says, the audience reflects the political climate of the country.
She introduces Ed Davey.
BBC responds to legal threat over Conservative election date gambling allegations, says coverage “clearly in the public interest”
of BBC The BBC is responding to a statement made earlier this evening by Laura Sanders, the Conservative candidate currently under investigation by the Gambling Commission over allegations of election day gambling, who said she was considering suing the BBC over its reporting of the allegations.
We believe in journalism, and because Laura Sanders is running for office, it is clearly in the public interest to report the allegations against her.
At a BBC event in York, Kevin HollinrakeAsked about allegations of Conservative election day gambling, Business Minister John McClellan, who works in the Conservative party’s press office, said it was “categorically wrong” if anyone had used inside information to place bets, but that an independent investigation was being carried out and people should wait until it was completed.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has arrived for a special Question Time Leadership segment. He will be the first to appear at 8pm.
The climate crisis was not a major focus of the election campaign. Chris Skidmore It might change a little. Pippa Crerar Skidmore, a former Conservative energy secretary who also ran the net zero review for the government, reportedly announced he would vote Labour because he believes Rishi Sunak is “siding with the climate change deniers” in order to politicise the energy transition.
Here, SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney arrives in York for BBC’s Question Time leadership feature, which starts at 8.30pm.
Sunak, Starmer, Swinney and Davie face audience in BBC Question Time leadership special
Good evening. Tonight we are bringing you the BBC’s Question Time Leaders special. We have four major party leaders appearing from 8pm. Each leader will have 30 minutes to answer questions from the audience in York, in this order: Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats; John Swinney, Leader of the Scottish National Party; Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party; and Rishi Sunak, Leader of the Conservative Party and Chancellor. Your host is Fiona Bruce.
There will likely be no drama like a Sunak-Starmer showdown – there’s just one more to go. Next WednesdayThe event was hosted by the BBC and Mishal Hussain acted as presenter and judge.
But Question Time remains an incredibly tough job, a show that regularly shows ordinary citizens often asking politicians questions that are more challenging, more aggressive and more informed than the questions they typically get from journalists – and there’s a long history of politicians getting bogged down at election time. London Playbook Briefing This morning on Politico Dan Bloom I remember a few examples.
The show has previously produced some of Britain’s most memorable election moments, with politicians’ rehearsed lines collapsing under the guise of public anger. Theresa May I told the nurse, “There is no magic money tree.” …Ed Miliband is breathtaking. Labour says it didn’t spend too much. (after that Fallen off the stage) …David Cameron Refuses to say where £10 billion in welfare cuts will go would fall… and Tony Blair would duel. Little Richard Tice.
Tonight Mr Sunak may come under particular scrutiny for his role in the Conservative election date gambling scandal, which we cover here.
And here are the questions Labour is asking him to answer about the allegations:
I’m not open to comments tonight, sorry, but if you want to flag something for me to pay attention to, please use the X. I’ll look at comments addressed to @AndrewSparrow right away.
