Question Time LIVE: Brexit frontman Nigel Farage and pro-EU Ken Clarke square off
QUESTION Time is being broadcast from Blackpool, on the panel are Conservative MP for Rushcliffe Ken Clarke, former Labour leader candidate Owen Smith, businesswoman Michelle Dewberry, TV presenter Radzi Chinyanganya and former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
Nigel Farage and Ken Clarke are set to square off
11;45pm: That's all folks!
Westminster, Liam Fox, George the poet, backoff judge Prue Leith and then in Dover the week after.
11:45pm: Michelle Dewberry said Brexit presents a good opportunity
She wants more power back from Brussels to be given to local authorities with "proper devolution".
Government spending in the north of England has fallen by £696m in real terms since 2012 #bbcqt https://t.co/lN08i3EF5l pic.twitter.com/SAShGsCZh1
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:43pm: Nigel Farage said get back control of waters!
He said people need to get their fish back and also frack the shale gas.
11:41pm: Audience member said Blackpool is wonderful
He said millions of people will still come back despite Ken Clarke's comments.
11:40pm: Fifth question
How do we ensure more investment in Blackpool to ensure we keep young's people's talent in their hometown?
11:39pm: Nigel Farage said we have all become snowflakes!
What is the Northern Powerhouse? #bbcqt https://t.co/CjCV4etJHF pic.twitter.com/C2zyB12mCg
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:37pm: Nigel Farage said if we fracked they would be able to heat their homes easier
He said there is a lot of hysteria.
11:37pm: Audience member said it is an "insult" to say it is hysteria
People on lowest income and homeless will think it is a big deal.
11:35pm: Owen Smith said there is a lot of hysteria, but people have died.
He said it is hysterical for the most part.
Our next question asks whether there has been an over-reaction to #thebeastfromtheeast also known as #snowmageddon #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/Gy0EulH6Y6
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:34pm: Fourth question
Is the Beast from the East more likely hysteria from Siberia and should bosses expect people to turn up to work?
11:32pm: Audience member said it makes no difference if we all die from global warming
Said talks of fracking are meaningless.
11:32pm: Owen Smith said fracking is overblown
He said the jobs would be tiny as are the reserves.
.@Nigel_Farage : "If Brexit gets betrayed there will be a new coming together and a new party in British politics - of that I have no doubt" #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/LOvDSQyvuV
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:29pm: Audience member FURIOUS at Ken Clarke and Nigel Farage
She said she is against it because she does not want to burn fossil fuels.
11:28pm: Ken Clarke is SHOCKED that he AGREES with Nigel Farage
Ken Clarke said there is a lot of misinformation and there have been no earthquakes - but audience members said they did.
11:26pm: Nigel Farage said it will be mad to look a gift horse in the mouth
Nigel Farage said it would revolutionise the North West and the UK has been fracking since the 1950s.
Our next question is on fracking #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/WhSBE6Dwax
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:34pm: Third question.
Is it right that the Government overruled people's protest against fracking?
11:23pm: Nigel Farage says there will be another party if Brexit is betrayed.
Owen Smith said it is a "taster" for the Nigel Farage Party.
11:22pm: Michelle Dewberry said she is politically homeless.
It is time for another party, she claims.
‘‘Tonight we’re in Blackpool... and welcome to Brexit Time’’ #bbcqt
— Charlie Legg (@QuiffyGoLucky) 1 March 2018
"The people voted for what they wanted - so don't remove that power from the people". This Remain supporter says the referendum result must be respected. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/tpeAEq7FvU
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:20pm: Power to the people!
Remainer audience member said the Parliament should not grant another referendum, people fought and died for the right to vote.
11:19pm: Audience member blames immigration for Brexit
She said people had the power in their own hands anyway.
11:18pm: Ken Clarke said Brexit is a fantasy.
He said Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage do not understand the global markets.
11:15pm: Owen Smith denies it is a U-turn.
The failed Labour leader candidate said it is for the prosperity for the country.
.@Nigel_Farage says he fears there will be a second referendum on the EU called #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/xaXqqOHs10
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:13pm: Third question
Has Jeremy Corbyn's U-turn betrayed millions of its northern voters?
11:12: John Major insulted 17million people!
Nigel Farage SLAMS former PM.
11:11pm: How can we treat John Major seriously?
Audience member said it was he who took us into the Maastricht treaty.
11:10pm: Audience member said there needs to be true leadership.
He said the flip-flopping from Labour is disgraceful.
Our next question asks how Labour voters will react to the party's position on Brexit #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/ivxzGRUpXg
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has warned that the UK will face "unavoidable" barriers to trade if it leaves the customs union and single market after Brexit #bbcqt https://t.co/kfvHsBs4i0 pic.twitter.com/qKFQh28mmD
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:08pm: Ken Clarke said Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell are two of the most hardline Eurosceptics in Parliament.
But MPs are scared of the Daily Mail.
11:07pm: Ken Clarke said there should be a free Parliamentary vote
He said both parties have collapsed because they are so divided.
11:05pm: Nigel Farage clashes with audience member.
Nigel Farage said people know what they voted for, but audience member blasted him about people not knowing if they were voting about whether they were leaving the Customs Union.
11:04pm: Second question of the night
Is John Major right to suggest that the British public should have the right to vote on the final Brexit deal?
Our next question is about Sir John Major's Brexit speech #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/O5Tw2IRBYP
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
11:03pm: Audience member said Leavers didn't have the relevant information
11:01pm: Radzi Chinyanganya said he doesn't like politicians telling people what they voted for.
He said nothing has changed since the referendum and it is undemocratic to ignore the will of the people.
11:00pm: Owen Smith said the equivalent is the Common Market.
He said some Brexiteers said they never said they wanted to leave the EU
10:57pm: Audience member said the EU should have stayed as the Common Market.
She said it is too complicated now.
10:53pm: Ken Clarke said there should never have been a referendum
Ken Clarke said the question is far too complicated for people to understand the European Union.
As ever, you get our first question in advance - and it is on the ever-decreasing countdown to Brexit #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/dAw84sIsCG
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) 1 March 2018
10:52pm: The Ukip leader said the EU is treating us as a hostage.
Nigel Farage said Government is contradictory about Brexit and needs clarity tomorrow.
10:50pm: First question.
With less than 400 days to go until Brexit, has the Government wasted the last 616 days?
10:48pm: And we're off!
Stay tuned with more updates.
What might be asked tonight?
With such heavyweight figures such as Ken Clarke and Nigel Farage, Brexit will most certainly be touched upon
Owen Smith famously challenged Jeremy Corbyn for leadership, questions on the Labour Party ay be asked especially since it has advocated remaining in the Customs Union.
Perhaps something about snow could be asked especially since the weather is considered to be “historical”.
Yay! Arrived #Blackpool despite the weather. Last time I was here was as a teenager, arriving for a girls weekend in a car with ‘Hull On The Pull’ stuck on the side of it. We broke down on the M61 & got some v odd looks.
— Michelle Dewberry (@MichelleDewbs) 1 March 2018
Now, I’m here for @bbcquestiontime how times change ☺️
Who is Ken Clarke?
Ken Clarke is a former Conservative Chancellor and is the longest serving MP in Parliament.
He is considered to be a Tory rebel and was the sole Conservative MP to vote against triggering Brexit.
Who is Owen Smith?
Owen Smith is Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour MP for Pontypridd
He famously challenged Corbyn for Labour leadership in 2016 and lost convincingly.
Question Time live: Nigel Farage is the former Ukip leader and Brexit champion
Who is Michelle Dewberry?
Businesswoman and winner of The Apprentice, she also appears on the Sky News debate programme The Pledge.
She ran as an independent in the 2017 election.
Who is Radzi Chinyanganya?
Blue Peter presenter and part of the BBC team at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
He also hosted the ITV game show Cannonball.
Who is Nigel Farage?
Former
He also hosts a weeknight show on LBC radio.