Transcripts For BBCNEWS Question Time 20170605

I think they should have more powers to be able to monitor these people, especially where data has been encrypted on mobile phones. It is a new world we live in. Why in your manifesto do you say, picking up on that point, that he would Rollback State Surveillance Powers . It is not that you dont want new powers, you want fewer . We are talking about the Snoopers Charter, data surveillance, however you want to describe it. This is the issue, when we are trying to deal with terrorists and suspected terrorists, we need to be able to focus on what they do and who they talk to. What we have at the moment, if you like, is an ever widening haystack and we are looking for a needle. The answer is not to put more hay into the haystack. It is to put more magnets around the haystack so we can find what is in there in the first place. So you dont want those powers, you want them rolled back . There are two things, i have a practical concern and a principled concern. The practical concern is this, our Security Services utterly need the ability to be able to catch and trace people but the widening of powers is not something the evidence is there to support. It is a practical problem and there is a principal issue. The lady in the middle. You have said that the practical is to put more police effectively back on the beat again, that the conservatives have got rid of, 20,000 bobbies on the beat. Are you going to give them more than a big stick . Lets takes a mother views. Lady at the front. One of the terrorists was known, he appeared on an itv a documentary. Channel 4. Unveiling an isis flag. We have Thousands Ofjawad is being allowed back into the country. Jihadis. Why are they being allowed back into the country and why are we not in turning the people we know are problematic . And the gentleman at the front. Just, i dont want to feel like the thing is too reactionary and we are just taking this for one issue to strengthen powers against terrorism. Terrorism, by its own mindset, is basically to create fear and to create a reaction. Strengthening views like that might be used indirectly. Yes, we were hearing about a big stick. So we need to have resources. Cressida dick said today she did not favour and did not think it would make us a safer country if we armed every officer in the uk. I agree with her but that does not mean we shouldnt have more resources and off that £300 million the Liberal Democrats would give to the police force, some of that would go towards ensuring we have that capability. Theres a question about people being allowed back in the country and that is a really good question, given we had a question about the powers we do or dont need. The government has, the Home Secretary has the power to issue temporary Exclusion Orders. In the last two years, she has used one. We know of people who potentially could have been stopped. It is not whether we have the powers, it is whether we use them. But it is notjust that because you say in your manifesto you want to rollback powers. You oppose powers for the Security Services to read encrypted messages, you oppose taking internet history, you oppose the Anti Radicalisation Prevent Strategy and you once talked about a paranoid, authoritarian state. You are the new no powers man. We want to back the police do have resources to do something about it. At times like this, it is very easy and tempting for a politician to come up with a knee jerk, sounds good response. I want to do some good. I realise at this point, people are seeking answers and want to see action. For example, you talked about the anti radicalisation strategy, and you asked the question before about people we know about and are not tackling. We know that the murderer in manchester was reported by his community on five separate occasions. That is a reminder that the community out there are desperate to tackle terrorism and the police and Security Services dont have the resources to enable them to do it. That is where the priority must be. So even if the police and Security Services say they want more powers, you say they are wrong and they can have more money but not more powers. If you listen to the police and Security Services, what they want most is the resources to catch people and theres also a point, what do terrorists want us to do, to turn in on ourselves and be divided as a country . They want us to give up on our freedoms and our liberties and those are the things we must not sacrificed otherwise the terrorists would have won. Applause time for your next question. Changing the subject, moving on to the issue of brexit. Is your second referendum strategy in any way respecting the will of the british people . I always think that if you believe in people having a vote, that is generally quite democratic. I take the view that the result last june, 52 48, as narrow as it was, nevertheless, the government has the mandate to negotiate brexit and that is the direction the country is going in. If im honest, it breaks my heart. Im someone who believed that britain would still be better at the heart of the European Union. Nevertheless, i accept that if the narrow wheel of the people. The thing is this, though, What Happens Next . One might argue that theresa may has called the election as early as she has, despite the fact she also has a clear majority in parliament because labour backed her, she has called it now before the details of brexit become clear. That plan, that deal that theresa may and indeed the european leaders will negotiate, will impact upon all of our lives, the younger we are, for longer, and it will impact on the prices we pay at the supermarket, onjobs and Everything Else. The single point here, nick, if i can finish. Then you can tell me if im right or wrong. It is simply this that we will have to live with this deal for the next several generations and it will either get signed off by the politicians or by the people. What if it is a bad deal and i mean dementia tax bad, that kind of bad . If it is that bad, shouldnt you have the final say and not the politicians in vape filled rooms in brussels and london. Applause we are having a General Election to decide who will give us the best deal going forward. Why do we need another referendum to save we will take the deal or not . Which way did you vote in the referendum . I voted to leave. The gentleman just down here . Second referendum for the eu, why not a second referendum. For scotland. Applause both scotland and northern ireland, as you know the voted overwhelmingly to remain. We are partners, equal partners of the union, not regions. Do you support Nicola Sturgeon being at the top table for brexit negotiations . Lets come back to the scottish issues particularly in a second and first deal with ashleys point, which is that she thinks you are not listening to the will of the people. What part of no dont you understand . Fundamentally, my view, im a democrat. But you are not because you say there was a vote and you want to have another one. We had a General Election two years ago and we appear to be having another one. Applause i absolutely accept the result of the referendum and the people i blame for the situation we have got ourselves in our David Cameron and George Osborne who took a chance on our countrys future and our children will pay for it and they were on the remain side so i blame them if its anyone. We are a country learned to deal with a new future and we must do it together but that deal that none of us know the content stop will be stitched up Behind Closed Doors by brussels and london and i simply say the final deal will be stitched up, or rather decided, endorsed by someone, either the politicians or the people. I think it is ultimately democratic to say it must be the people. Applause do you want to come back to the scotland question . The difference between the positions. Lets carry on with the brexit position, whether people think you are or not listening to the will of the people . Doesnt it just underline that a yes or no referendum is a blunt instrument to make constitutional decisions with . Can i be honest and say im not an enormous fan with referendums but if you start with democracy, you cant end up with a stitch up. We voted for departure last june but we did not vote on the destination. It was not on the ballot paper and the only person i blame for that is David Cameron, it is nobody s fault but his but we have started with democracy and we cannot end this process with a stitch up. After that, i will be happy if we never have another referendum. Im a young person and i have just come back from living in the European Union and i really feel like im being shut out of this debate about free movement, about losing free movement, which would be so damaging to my life chances. Why shouldnt i get a say on what kind of brexit i want to see . I think mr farron will agree with that. I do. As a little reminder, it is a brilliant point, but two things i want to say, first, the majority voted to leave, that is the result in the direction of the country but all of us, especially our leaders, must not forget that three quarters of our young people voted to remain and they will have to live with the consequences of this for longer than most of us. The second point, Freedom Of Movement is often raised but what about Freedom Of Movement for british people . Our ability to live, work and study, love and explore overseas . These things matter, too, which is why the content of the deal should be agreed by the people, not the politicians. Forgive me, these are the arguments you put in the referendum and you were defeated. 48 of the population voted remain, nobody quite trust s Opinion Polls at the moment and not one of them as you above 10 . This is not exactly a popular cause, is it . Cliche klaxon number one, the only poll that matters is the one on thursday. But it is right. If people really wanted what you wanted, you would be a very popular man, wouldnt you . Thats a good question and im sure it may be so. Firstly, doing what you believe in is the right thing to do, some people think we take a calculation of our position, on this matter of democracy for the final deal but do you know my major motivation . In 30 years time, when my children are my age, i want to look them in the eye and tell them i did everything i could to protect their future. That is what being in politics should be about, not narrow calculation. Applause the gentleman at the front here as stewart about the scottish referendum. Asked you. A second referendum is ok for europe but its not good enough for the people of scotland, and we were promised the only way we could stay in europe was by voting no. Ok, so the answer to this question starts with me saying something nice about Nicola Sturgeon and the snp, wait for it. Nearly three years ago, when scotland had the chance to vote to leave the United Kingdom, the snp, its then First Minister alex salmond, produced a 650 page white paper showing what leaving the United Kingdom would look like for scotland. And 12 months ago, nigel farage presented us with a lie on the side of a bus. They are not comparable. The scottish people voted in that referendum knowing not just departure but destination also. They had no idea of the destination because britain have not elected conservative government but was committed to have a referendum that eventually took us out of eu. The people of scotland voted on the basis of a false prospectus. The argument is. If you are a democrat, why not give them another go . I fully respect whatever people feel on both sides of the issue on independence. I am bound to say as a northerner, it breaks my heart, the thought but you want to leave us lot saddled with the tories, please dont go, but the second thing i would say on this is that we as a party stood in the holyrood elections, the Scottish Parliamentary elections, last may, on a manifesto committed to scotland as part of the United Kingdom and so keeping to our mandate, it is right that we say we continue to support the union and theyre not being a rerun of the scottish referendum. A couple of quick points. In 2014, scotland was told that if it wanted to stay in the eu, it would have to vote no, so scotland voted no and endorsed the eu. In 2016, scotland voted to remain in the eu. Twice in two years, scotland has endorsed the eu. Surely the only way to get a route back into the eu per scotland is to become an independent country . Would you not agree there is misinformation on either side of these referenda . There is certainly misinformation from the eu and there was misinformation from the no campaign in regards to what we would get if we stayed in the eu. Uk. You have less than ten seats now, you will have less than ten seats in a weeks time, what is the point of a vote for the liberal platitudes . Thank you very much if the polling is to be believed, one third of the folks in here support the snp and enough respect to all of you and two years ago, you had six mps and whether i like it or not, you have made a significant difference in that time, so dont write off people on the current number of mps in single digits. There were a bunch of questions about What Happens Next and the rest of it. My view is simply this, as somebody who is a northerner, committed to my Collective British identity, i want us to be a United Kingdom. I totally respect those who believe in independence but i politely disagree. The issue about there being untruths or wrong arguments on either side, do you know what . I mean, i most critical about the arguments used by those who operated the remain campaign. Talking about misuse of information. I think theyre asking, why wont you give them a scotland referendum again . I think i have explained that. You asked me a question about people giving wrong arguments and all the rest of it. Can i point at the moment, im fairly sure, that remain lost the referendum last year . It was the moment the George Osborne, who i should be nice to because he may or not print this, he pointed out that if you leave the European Union, usual foreign holiday, you lose your savings, you lose your pension, you lose yourjob. You would lose your foreign holiday. A whole bunch of people in this country thought i had got none of them, stuff you. The arguments for remain were not the emotional inspiring ones that should have been used and we could well have won. That is the history, a new question please, from ann treherne. Do you feel conflicted between your faith and your policies . Not in the slightest. I mean, my identity, like most of you in here, is multiple in the sense that i am a father, yes i am a christian, i am a northerner, not as northerly as most of you but i count myself as a northerner, i am a liberal democrat, i could be facetious and say i am a Blackburn Rovers fan. All of these things make up who i am and we all but blend of different identities and i believe somebody who lives in a society like this, which is so diverse and so balanced, i couldnt want to pick another country in the world to be in. You know why the question is being asked, it is because you have been asked it again and again and you may consider it unfair that you have often been asked whether you regard homosexuality as a sin . You have not wanted to answer the question. N0 is the answer to that question. You dont think it is a sin . Do you think abortion is wrong . The question is do you act in a way because of what you believe sincerely in your heart in a liberal fashion and defend peoples rights . Ijoined the liberal party, as it was then, when i was 16 but one of the very first campaigns i was involved in was trying to abolish and get rid of section 28, that homophobic piece of legislation introduced by the conservative government of that time and right the way through my time, passionate for lgbt plus rights, particularly when we were in coalition government, introducing gay marriage, and that is what is important. He has been clear, he doesnt regard homosexuality as a sin. What do you think . You answer the earlier question by saying you have to do what you believe in, you have been active in lgbt and voted in favour of gay marriage, which i am impressed by, i respect that. That must be very difficult with a christian evangelical background. No, if you are a liberal, you fight for everybodys right to be who they are. I honestly dont understand the conflict people think is there. Why is it so hard to answer the question . I am not somebody who wants to go around talking about my faith all the time. But you have had lots of interviews, you must be tempted to say lets have done with this and answer it . Or you could actually take the view that i am not running to the pope and am not. Applause so i am a political leader, not a religious one. So i dontjudge anybody. Utterly key to my faith, for what it is worth, you treat others as you want to be treated yourself. You do notjudge other people otherwise you yourself will bejudged. We will move onto another subject and another. Frank donnelly. Can we trust the Liberal Democrats after the u turn on tuition fees that left their reputation in tatters . Applause so, i am the leader of the Liberal Democrats. I made a promise to my constituents by signing the pledge in 2015 to vote against an increase in tuition fees and i kept my pledge. You can argue it cost me a place as a minister during that time of the coalition government. Its important to keep your promises. Its also important to do what is right by the people that you represent. Whatever one thinks about tuition fees, i can tell you from my experience as a Working Class Lad who got to university in the late 1980s, what helped me to get to university was the simple fact that i got a Maintenance Award and that is what made the difference between me and my folks being able to afford me going to university. That is what the Liberal Democrats are committed to replacing, bringing in a £7,000 a year Maintenance Award, so folks like me and many in the United Kingdom, can afford to go to university. Are you convinced . Ijust think if the conservatives dont get the majority they need, and there is another coalition, how many of the pledges you have made just now will be turned over . We are not going into coalition, i have made it clear. Whether one likes it or not, theresa may is heading for a landslide on thursday, one wishes she wouldnt. You just told us not to trust the polls, how do you know she is heading for a landslide . There you go, you got me. Nick, you got me, but one assumes. Nobody calls an election at the point that she did if she did not assume. Maybe she is taking it for granted but that is the outcome. Either way, we have been very clear, we will not be going into coalition with any party after this election. You can still make a massive difference in opposition. Here in scotland, quite a good example is the snp government, just short of a majority here, the Liberal Democrats are not in coalition or partnership for any pact with the snp government. We stay in opposition and we make a difference from the opposite side. If you want to stop Dementia Tax Cuts in education and hospitals, in opposition gives you the chance. Just on tuition fees, slightly puzzling thing, your party promised to scrap fees after the election but you introduce them. You voted against these but you know so you will keep them because they are fairer. Any wonder that people find it hard to trust your party . That was always about trust and not tuition fees. On the detail of the policy, has things are now in england, you have to be earning £70,000 a year now before the new system that we introduced is more expensive for you than the one that was replaced by labour. So it is about making things better. The priority for us is bringing Back Maintenance Grants so working class kids can go to university in larger numbers. I am going to askjosh west to ask the question. How can the Liberal Democrats justify making every tax payer pay an extra 1p of tax . Well, first of all, we absolutely are proud of saying that we are going to be honest with all of you that the nhs and social care across the United Kingdom is in crisis and in england are specially, i would observe. And that means that either you can have platitudes from people who will tell you they can solve this problem without any extra money or we can be brutally honest and say for the price of a Cup Of Coffee a week, we can have the best nhs and social care in the world. My view is this, there isnt a Single Person who either themselves or their loved ones uses health and care in this country and doesnt know there is a crisis. Social care, you have wonderful, loving people, caring people, caring for our older people who can earn more money stacking shelves at the local supermarket. That is an absolute outrage and im determined to solve it and we will solve it by putting a penny on income tax for everybody, to make sure we have the best health and social care in the world. Just spell that out a bit more, you say that is the price of a Cup Of Coffee a week. Take a Police Constable, for example. How much would your 1p tax rise cost them . An average earner would be £2. 50 a week. A Police Constable would be £235 a year extra at a time when real incomes are going down. Isnt that important . We clear that what we are doing will make a massive difference. You can do banal offers that you know you are never going to keep or you can make promises. You could tax the rich or big business . The richest in this country would be paying 95 of the burden but this is a colossal problem and either we solve it or we dont and the Liberal Democrats have a plan to solve it and we are going to be honest with you and tell you how we will pay for it. You, sir. You keep saying it is 1p, it is not, it is 1 . The second thing, you mentioned dementia tax. It is nothing to do with dementia and it is not a tax. How will you raise the money for the elderly if those who can pay do pay . There is a great point and you are right to say calling the dementia tax, theresa mays dementia tax, does not fully explain the situation because people with Multiple Sclerosis. He says it is not a tax. We are short of time, so briefly. What theresa may is planning to do is say to everybody in this country who gets a long term condition, whether it be alzheimers or Multiple Sclerosis or whatever it might be, if you have to get care then your spouse or your children, that house will have to go on the point of your death. That is not something that is the case now. Theresa may says there will be a cap but give me a colossal majority first and i will tell you what it is going to be. So you think it is bearable somebody who works in mcdonalds or claims a hospital to have to pay in their taxes instead of someone who has quite a prosperous background and has a house to pay for their own care . We believe there should be a cap in terms of what you pay for care. The £72000 cap that Once Upon A Time was a cross party solution. We believe the dementia tax is an appalling attack on the poorest in this country. Nine out of ten houses will pay for it. If you have dementia or your loved ones have dementia, your house is at risk and on thursday you have the vote to stop it, to vote liberal democrat. Thank you very much your time, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much to tim farron. Applause sorry to cut off tim farron but we need to be fair to our next guest as well. Please welcome the leader of the snp and First Minister of scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. Applause good evening, First Minister. Thank you forjoining us. Lets get our first question this evening. What can our politicians do to make our streets safe again . Well, its possibly the question that is uppermost in everybodys mind right now and all of our thoughts of course remain with those affected by that horrific and cowardly attack in the centre of london on Saturday Night and of course with the people of manchester as well. This is one of the greatest responsibility for any politician and i think the first thing politicians need to do is be honest. There are no easy answers. Often, the Knee Jerk Responses are the wrong ones. Firstly, we have got to tackle and address and challenge extremism wherever we find it. I believe very strongly that we have to do that with the Muslim Community we mustnt scapegoat the Muslim Community because it is wrong. Most muslims are as appalled at these attacks as the rest of us. It would also be counter productive because we are going to find it easier to root out extremism if we are working in partnership with that community. Secondly, we have got to make sure we invest in our security and intelligence services. And we have to make sure we invest in our police. Obviously, one of the big issues of debate today has been the reduction in Police Numbers in england, 20,000 fewer Police Officers. In scotland, we have maintained Police Numbers and increased the numbers of Police Officers who are trained to their firearms. After the manchester attack, Police Scotland was able to have an increased level of policing from within its own resources without calling on the military although we are very grateful for the offer of help from them. These are the things we have to do. Two final points are these, ive made one of them already about not scapegoating particular communities but secondly, we must make sure that in our determination and all of us share it to keep the population safe, we dont start to undermine our own freedoms and Civil Liberties. These are part of what makes us who we are. If you dont mind me asking, is that like saying dont give new powers to the police and Security Services . We should always listen very carefully to what the police and Security Services say but they already have fairly wide ranging powers. I listen to some of your conversations with tim farron. They have asked for new powers in terms of controlling people at home or interception, theres a series of them. We have the ability to tag people who are thought to be extremist, Exclusion Orders to keep people who have left and gone to places like syria, to prevent them coming back. The police and Security Services have wide ranging powers in terms of interception. What we have to guard against is the Security Services having so much data and information that they cant make sense of it. Theres a number of things weve got to do and i think we have to come together and try to make sure we move forward here with as much consensus as possible. I find it quite disturbing personally that there are armed police on the streets but the incident in london would have been shut down a lot sooner if there were more of them around. Ill be perfectly honest, this is one of the trickiest balances we have to strike. We have a police force, not just in scotland but across the uk, that is routinely unarmed. My feeling is that is how the majority of people would prefer that it stayed. But we must make sure we have got sufficient numbers of armed Police Officers to respond to incidents like the one in london. Frankly, the response of the police on Saturday Night was exceptional. I mean, all of us should be full of gratitude for the speed and effectiveness with which they responded. Frankly, the police saved, i think a lot of lives through their response on Saturday Night and we must make sure we support them to do that. Applause. Just before we move on to a different subject, just for clarity, though, you are the third Biggest Party westminster at the moment, you would use your votes to vote against new surveillance powers, new forms of control orders, even if, as they have done in recent years, the Security Services say that is what they would like . We would study very carefully the proposals that came forward, we voted against the Snoopers Charter because we thought it went too far in interfering with Civil Liberties and did not practically enhance Police Powers in the way we thought was effective but we would always look very carefully and studied the case for any proposalfor additional powers. I want to move you want a subject you will be even more familiar talking about, scottish independence. Lets take the question from mr gallaher. With snp support falling, do you accept that you miscalculated the mood of scotland by calling another Independence Referendum . Did you miscalculated the mood . Sometimes in politics, you have to do what you think is right. Dont get me wrong, all politicians make calculations and tactical calculations but sometimes you have to be guided by principle. My position on this is reasonably straightforward when you strip it all away. We face, Notjust Brexit but perhaps a very extreme form of brexit, that could have implications and consequences for life in scotland for generations to come. It could see jobs lost, it could see investment in our country falling, it could see the horizons of our young people in terms of Freedom Of Movement seriously restricted. Now my proposition is simply this, when we get to the end of the brexit process, and we can see what the implications are for the future of our country, we should have a choice. Do we think that is acceptable and right for scotland or do we want to choose a different future . Because fundamentally, our future should be decided for us, not bias, which is the principal. What i would say is that with you, Nicola Sturgeon, you are very good at standing and speaking on your podium at bute house about independence but when it comes to governing the country and tackling the big issues and Current Health inequality, education, social care and those things, the snp and yourself are hopeless at it. Applause. We are going to give you the chance to talk about that more later. We will come back to that. Please. Why have your Approval Ratings declined by so much . You used to be the most popular First Minister but your ratings have gone down ever since you became First Minister. And just in front . Ijust want to raise a point you made about our future being decided for you, my girlfriend is in the states right now and im training to be a medical student, about to be a doctor and im going to walk away from the nhs because the tories are putting in Immigration Policies that are not benefiting scotland. I think the people of scotland will need to have a say, we need to have a voice and you need to bring it forward as soon as possible. I think you would agree with that but lets focus on the ones you might not agree with. They are saying that you announced a second Independence Referendum, you didnt have to do it, after brexit, believing it would be popular, it would be the moment that would change it all but in fact, you have become less popular and independence has become less popular. Perhaps putting the polls into context, they all suggest the snp is on track to win the election in scotland fairly convincingly. I take nothing for granted, i dont take a single vote for granted but we have to take it in context. The points made by the gentleman here about the responsibilities of the Scottish Government, and i dont stand here and say that we dont have challenges to address but i was hearing as i was waiting to come on, the discussion about the demented tax and in scotland, we support free personal nursing care so people have less burden on their personal assets when they need care. Our nhs, if you take the a e departments, the best performing of any of the nhs systems in the whole of the uk by a considerable distance. Health spending in scotland per head of population is 7 higher than it is in the rest of the uk. We have more doctors, nurses, Health Professional than anywhere else in the uk. I think we are doing a good job on these things but we have to continue to make sure we address the challenges we face. Still on the issue of the Independence Referendum for now because we have other questions coming, i know, on the record of the snp government. If there was a second vote, should it apply for a minimum period of time, for a generation, 25, 30 years . Of course, you said it would be once in a generation. Let me be perfectly frank about this, when we voted in 2014, we were told that voting to stay in the uk protected our place in the European Union, and voting to be independent risk to our place in the European Union. Less than three years later, we find ourselves facing the prospect of brexit with no real understanding yet what the implications are for lots of aspects of our change. My simple proposition is it should be our choice when the time is right and we know what brexit means for our country, to decide what the future of scotland should be because the alternative to that. Are you saying that on the night you lost the referendum, you went to bed thinking, thats it, there wont be another vote like this for decades, not in my lifetime. On the night of the referendum and until the brexit rev read, if youd told me id be standing here right now talking about another referendum, i would have said i didnt think that was the case. Many voters think that if your whole life and all you have spent your time thinking about. I want what is best for scotland and the alternative to not having a choice over our own future is we have to put up with brexit regardless of how damaging it is and that could mean narrowed horizons for our lost people and Tens Of Thousands of lostjobs. If there was a second vote, would you stipulate for this time that it would apply for a minimum period . I dont think it is right for any politician to dictate to a country what it is future should be. That should be a choice for the people of scotland. So the answer is no. The lady there. The idea of being possibly excluded from the uk and also europe of the same time, i find it exceptionally scary, it would give us no control with regards tojobs and i think theres a lot of people who voted snp the last time you have the same thought. Are we to smaller nation to be excluded from europe and the rest of the uk . Some of the richest and most prosperous countries in the world are countries of a similar skies to scotland. If that is your view, that is a choice you could make. A similar size to scotland. But in this election on thursday, we have a more immediate opportunity as a country to make our voice heard more loudly in the brexit negotiations, i think, to make sure our interests are not ignored as theresa may, assuming it is theresa may, take the negotiations forward. Someone mentioned Freedom Of Movement earlier. Immigration is a really difficult thing for politicians to talk about because people have concerns but one of the Biggest Challenges facing scotland right now is the need to grow the working age population. If we have the conservatives putting more and more restrictions on the ability of the best and brightest from around europe and the world to come here, that will be damaging for our economy, notjust now but for decades to come and i dont think we shouldnt we accept that. Do you think it is right that 50. 1 of the Population Voting for independence could forever take us out of the uk . That comes down to. Those are the rules. It comes down to whether you think referendums are the best way to decide these issues. We will come in to brexit later. Excuse me, i feel im very angry, im sitting here and im welsh, i have taught the 1707 act very often and in no way does it mention that scotland is a country. You signed that away. You were glad to be part. I wasnt alive at the time you signed thataway and i feel most denied that you are prepared. I was born in wales into Great Britain or the uk if you want to call it that, in 1933. I am british. I am proud that during the war, we fought with scots and the english. So you dont want a vote . I want to vote and i dont have one. The man at the bud. You make some very valuable points about the risks of leaving the eu about the ability to travel to work and trade with the rest of the eu. Many, many more of us work and trade and live with the rest of the uk than with the rest of the eu. Surely scexit is much more dangerous than brexit . I dont want people to have to choose between travelling and trading with the rest of the uk and doing that with europe. I think we should have the ability to do both. If you listen to theresa may and david davis and other uk politicians right now, they say to the Republic Of Ireland that they dont have to choose between trading with europe and trading with the uk. Why should we lose our ability to trade in the biggest Single Market in the world, when Tens Of Thousands on jobs depend on us being able to do that . We should be able. The point being made to you. Why should we choose between scotland and the rest of the uk . The point being made is that you are losing more trade if you choose to leave the uk, even than you would be if you left the eu, i think. Why on earth would we stop trading with the rest of the uk . Lets here from the man who asked the question. Surely that then becomes whatever deal you manage to get after scexit is with the rest of the uk government says, sorry, hard bargains, no trade deals, be stuffed. The uk government right now is saying to ireland, rightly, let me make care that brexit does not mean a hard border between the North And South of ireland, it does not mean interruption to trade. The Prime Minister went to dublin, i think, and said ireland does not have to choose between trading with europe and trading the uk. How is it they can say that to ireland but try to pretend in scotland that Something Different would be the case . We should protect our trade with the uk but in my view, also tried to protect our trade with the Single Market and the biggest Single Market in the world, which is eight times bigger than the uk market. That is the best of both worlds that scotland should be seeking to secure. I have not given you the chance to defend your policies in government but i will do that now with another question. Youve said you want to be judged on education. On that basis, shouldnt you resign . Applause. For obviously people here and Live Audience in edinburgh know what youre talking about but why . What is it about the educational record that you think raises questions . I think on a number of measures, the Scottish Education system, which is to be regarded as probably the best in britain is now, you know, the worst and i think that there have also been misjudgements around things like the funding of tuition fees, free tuition fees, which are paid for by. Just to remind people that health and education are devolved policy so they are determined by your government. Firstly, i will defend Free University tuition. I got the chance to go to university because education was free and i dont think i have the right to take that away from anybody and we have more young people now in scotland going to university than ever before, including more young people from our most deprived communities. I stood for the Scottish Parliament election last year seeking to be First Minister and said over the course of the Scottish Parliament, my priority was to raise standards in our schools and close the Attainment Gap and were working to do that through a range of different reforms and additional Investment Director into our schools, to headteachers, to allow them to employ additional staff or whatever resources they think are necessary. In the internationally recognised pisa rankings, scotland recorded its worst ever results last year for reading, maths and science. That doesnt leave a great deal, does it . Absolutely, these figures are two years old. All figures look at the past. What sparked me making that commitment and i will be when we come to contest the next Scottish Parliamentary elections, if im asking people to vote for me again as First Minister, i expect to bejudged on that and it is legitimate to me to be asked these questions and answer them but on thursday, we are not using a Scottish Government, we are choosing mps we are not choosing a Scottish Government, we are choosing mps who will Go To Westminster and vote on public spending, whether the money available to invest in schools and hospitals goes up or down. We will elect mps to Go To Westminster to decide whether the Social Security cuts that the tories want to impose that are going to drive hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million more children across the uk into poverty and we need to make sure we have strong voices. Do you think that forcing through the Draconian Named Persons Act will improve Education Results . Do you think you should be focusing on what is important . Can ijust make a point with regards to Higher Education . Even though you have got Free Education, which, to be honest, it isnt free, we are paying for it as taxpayers, it is having the perverse effect of restricting and rationing places for scottish students in order for non scottish students to pay for that. And secondly, also, the evidence is also showing that regardless. Applause. With england having fees, there are in fact more deprived students but percentage compared to scotland actually go to universities so therefore Free Education is not. Internationally recognised statistics show that england is more successful in getting deprived young people into university than scotland, even though the snp abolished tuition fees. I dont want to be too technical but the stats are not directly comparable. More young people in scotland than in england and hedged acrylate Higher Education in further education colleges but we have more scottish students could university than ever before, we have more places than ever before for scottish students and the gap between the richest and poorest is starting to narrow. More scottish students. We need to do more. But young people in england are coming out of university with £27,000 in debt from tuition fees so students in scotland have much lower debt to take into the start of their working lives. I think education should be based on your ability to learn, not on your ability to pay. Applause just clarify something, you. It was quoted to you by the questioner, you said it was your top priority and you would resign if you didnt to resign but notjust now, before the Scottish Parliamentary elections. With the greatest respect, i was elected as First Minister in the Scottish Parliamentary elections and put forward a manifesto for a five year term and at the heart of the manifesto was our priorities in education. When we come to the next Scottish Parliament election, i should bejudged on how to account, but on thursday, we are electing mps hopefully to Go To Westminster to protect public spending and stop the tories pushing more kids into poverty which will make it more difficult for us to improve attainment in our schools. Sorry to cut you off. Ijust want to stick with education and actually want to say that i was quite angry to hear a gentleman earlier saying that Nicola Sturgeon got it wrong with tuition fees. Im a first generation student, no one in my family has been to university before myself and i would never have got there without free tuition for myself, so i am outraged at the suggestion that that is wrong. We will move on. You made your point powerfully but the First Minister has addressed tuition fees. We will move on to another question, if we could, on the issue of tax. Alistair drummond. How can you support increased top rate taxes for the uk but not use devolved powers to raise scottish taxes . Just to remind people of the powers, if you wouldnt mind, which is the Scottish Government does have power and has had since 1999 to raise the level of income tax and more recently has had wider powers to raise the top level of tax as well. On the top level of tax, we have the power to set the road. What we dont have power over in scotland are the rules around Tax Avoidance, so we dont have the ability to say we would stop people moving their income South Of The Border or into capital gains, so we took advice and the advice was if that was introduced in scotland alone, then we would risk not raising more revenue but actually seeing a decline in the revenue we raised. We dont have the ability to set rules. So that is why we didnt do it in scotland alone. I think it should be done across the uk and if it is done in the rest of the uk, we would do that here in scotland as well because we could be more competent than of raising extra revenue for our schools and hospitals. More confident. There is no point setting a tax if you come out with less money at the end of it. Mr drummond . But surely if we had independence, it would be exactly the same situation . Absolutely not because with independence, we would have full powers about the rules around Tax Avoidance and over tax. We have the power only to set the rate of income tax, we dont have the other powers to go around creating the whole of the tax system. But after many years of people campaigning for greater powers, first for a Scottish Parliament and then greater powers for the parliament, they are pointless, these powers are unusable . On that particular issue, they have to be fuller for us to be allowed to use them in scotland. But you dont want to use them in any way . That is not true, we are not raising the basic rate of income tax. At a time of inflation racing, it is not right to ask lower and middle earners to pay more but we have taken a different approach on the higher rate of income tax. Unlike the conservatives at westminster, we are not giving a tax cut to people who pay the higher rate of tax. Instead, we are investing that revenue in schools and hospitals and that is absolutely the right thing to do. Applause i would like to move on for a second because our politicians south have been talking a lot about Mental Health. Could we talk about tax if you wouldnt mind . I can bring you back. The First Minister raises an argument that we wont raise additional revenue if we raise the top rate of tax but in terms of the land tax, you rate it and damaged the scottish property market. Regarding the 50p tax rate, is a dodge is true that you want the 50p tax rate to affect london and the south east and receive more money. Is it notjust true. That is not how it works. If it was introduced in the rest of the uk, we would introduce it in scotland. I want full powers over tax in scotland but right now, if we do it in scotland alone, we couldnt prevent people shifting their incomes and we would run the risk of losing money. Surely common sense tells you that if the advice says you might lose money by putting a tax up, it would not the most sensible thing to do . I want you to ask your question, you wanted to change the subject onto Mental Health. Thank you. Ijust wanted to ask if perhaps we could move one step forward from many pledges that we hear about Mental Health and have a Mental Health committee, with mps and patients alike working together to scrutinise and advise on policies that are going to have a direct impact on their lives . Yes, that is something i will take away and give consideration to. We do try to consult Patient Groups and consult organisations that work with Patient Groups before Formulating Policy in any area but it is particularly important in Health Matters and i think probably particularly important when it comes to Mental Health. We are investing a lot of try and improve Mental Health Services Just now. One of the good things i think we should all be positive about is that more and more people come forward for Mental Health help now because the stigma around it is reducing and that is something that is good but it puts more demand on services, so we have a real obligation to invest but i certainly take your suggestion about looking at how we formalise the patient input. Just time for one last main question. Could i get a question from gillian main . Would the snp be prepared to compromise on an Independence Referendum and join a coalition with another party to stop the conservatives from winning . Just to be clear, when you say compromise, what do you mean . Put it on the back burner for the time being. I said my position on an Independence Referendum, i certainly would want to be part of an alliance, a progressive alliance, the arithmetic and added that would keep the conservatives out of power. If the arithmetic allowed it. Part of an alliance that would invest in Public Services and end the cards to the support for the most vulnerable in our society. But if they if they said they could only work with you, that is the question, if they could only work with you if you said no to a referendum not forever but maybe for a period of a parliament . For five years . I think that the end of the brexit process, people in scotland should have a choice and i have already set out why that is the case. I think you are losing a lot of votes, i think, from snp supporters by continuing with the Independence Referendum at this time. Because . And i will give the First Minister a chance to reply. Some people just dont want it and dont think it is the right time because Everything Else that is going on. Im not proposing it now, i accept that point. When are you proposing it . At the end of the process. When is the end of the process . I dont know, i am not in charge. You used to be clearer, spring 2019. Theresa may says the deal will be done before the uk exits and if that is the case, that is the end of the process, we know what the deal is and if it is not the case, clearly that timetable will be longer. She talked last weekend of a transitional deal of year or two, 2020, 2021 . She talks about a lot of things like that. Shes not always consistent. I think trying to keep up with theresa mays positions in this election has become quite difficult on a whole range of different things. Can i come back to your point about a progressive alliance, to use that terminology . I would want to be part of that if it was possible but do you know what . I think looking at the polls, the conservatives are unfortunately still going to win this election but it is no longer inevitable but theresa may gets a bigger majority and that is a choice of scotland, do we vote for mp5 that stop theresa may increasing her majority or not . Last very quick question. You say you want independence to take us back into the European Union. Can i ask you whether you would commit here today to the Scottish Fisherman that you will not barter away our Fishing Resources to join the eu or a Single Market . Applause i and the snp and people before me in the snp have argued against the common fisheries policy, we have argued for it to be scrapped or fundamentally reformed. It is the tories time after time after time that have sold out Scottish Fisherman and believe it, they are shaping up to do it all over again. Thank you very much, im afraid you are right time. Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to Nicola Sturgeon. Applause that is all we have got time for tonight. David is back on friday, the night after the election, for a special programme. Until then, from us here in edinburgh, from me and the First Minister, thank you for watching. Applause. Hello there. With heavy rain and some strong winds in the forecast, you could well see some disruption to travel over the next 2a hours. There could be lying Surface Water around and the strength of the wind perhaps Strong Enough to down to some small trees. We have low pressure pushing gradually northwards and eastwards across the country during the past few hours. Through tuesday morning, that area brings outbreaks of rain across many parts of the country. Gale force gusts of wind at times, too. There will be brighter conditions moving in from the west later on. Lets look at 8am for the morning commute. Cloudy for the Midlands Down Tot the south east with patchy outbreaks of rain. More sunshine as we head South West Of England and wales. Sunny spells, scattered showers, still windy around the exposed coasts and hills. Wet whether continuing across north wales, the midlands, northern england. Northern ireland will see a return to drier weather with sunshine but scotland is sitting underneath the cloud with outbreaks of rain. The area of Rain Nudges Slowly Northwards And Eastwards across england, wales and scotland. The south western half of the uk sees a return to sunshine and showers, but the strength of the wind could be gusting up to 50 mph, even inland. A windy day on tuesday and it will feel cooler than it has been recently with temperatures between 13 and 18 degrees. Particularly cool where youre stuck under cloud and the outbreaks of rain across scotland and north east england, the rain lingers on into the early hours of wednesday. Elsewhere across the country, a return to clearer conditions temperatures overnight down to about nine or ten. Wednesday will be an improving sort of day down to the fact that this area of low pressure will slowly clear off to the north east. We still have pretty tightly packed isoba rs during wednesday. Another breezy day to come across northern and eastern parts of england and scotland but elsewhere we have light winds and a bit more sunshine, so an improvement. The next batch of Rain Waiting In The Wings to head in from the south west later on. But in the sunshine with the lighter winds, it will reach about 20 or so in london. During thursday, we will see further spells of wet weather working west to east across the country, another breezy day and that makes way for a fairly unsettled week ahead. Bye for now. Welcome to newsday im Babita Sharma in london. Police say one of the three London Bridge attackers was a well known supporter of an islamist extremist group. President trump again attacks the mayor of london on twitter but the white house says hes not picking a fight. And im rico hizon in singapore, also on the programme we report from the Southern Philippines where hundreds of civilians remain trapped in the city of marawi, as the government fights to retake it from islamist militants it is clear that badly underestimated both the strength and the numbers of the insurgents. India launches its most powerful rocket carrying the heaviest