Sunday shows: Boris Johnson, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham

The Andrew Marr Show

The first interview slot went to Boris Johnson, who was mainly asked about his language. He described himself as a “model of restraint” and refused to apologise for using the word “humbug” in response to Paula Sherriff raising concerns about her and other MPs’ safety.

While insisting that Brexit could still be done before October 31st, the Prime Minister did not deny that he had held talks with EU leaders in a bid to have one of them block the request for another extension. He said there was a “good chance” of the UK leaving the EU with a deal.

Angela Rayner said she deplored language used in political debate on all sides, and confirmed that there would be no vote of no confidence until no deal has been definitively “averted”. She also talked about votes at 16, freedom of movement and the abolition of private schools.

• On language: “We have a responsibility now as parliamentarians to dial down our language and act responsibly. Boris Johnson is using No10 to inflame and divide our country as a direct strategy, which I think is irresponsible and wrong.”
• Asked whether David Lammy calling Tory Brexiteers “Nazis” and the comments of other Labour MPs were also wrong: “Yes, I think all that language has to stop.”
• On a vote of no confidence: “What we’ve said quite clearly is that we need to make sure that we get no deal averted… Jeremy Corbyn is really clear. He wants to make sure we don’t go off a cliff-edge.”
• On the Commons reducing the voting age to 16: “I would like to see votes at 16… I think that 16 year olds are responsible enough to make decisions about voting. They can join the army; they can have children.”
• On Labour conference passing a motion to maintain and extend free movement: “It’s misleading to suggest somehow we have complete open borders. That’s not the case. We’ve said we need a fair system, but we won’t scapegoat people who have made the UK their home, who have contributed to our society.”
• On Labour conference voting to abolish private schools: “I want a comprehensive state education system and I want to stop subsidising private education, which is elitist.”
• On whether Labour would appropriating assets as part of that policy: “We’ve said that we would act within the law. Our social justice commission will look at the situation in regard to assets and what private schools currently have.”

Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner says “elitist” private schools “have been subsidised by the taxpayer for far too long” #Marr https://t.co/kYMaiTvwWn pic.twitter.com/8w2KVF18nX

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 29, 2019

Ridge on Sunday

Andy Burnham, mayor of Manchester, shared his views on social media and Brexit – and responds to the suggestion that he could run for the Labour leadership.

• On the effect of social media on politics: “I think it has ratcheted up the whole atmosphere and not for the better. There are some ways in which social media has improved politics, in terms of bottom up change and people having a stronger voice, but in my view it did begin to damage parliament quite significantly.”
• Asked whether Labour should back Remain: “No, because I think that would be quite damaging. The Liberal Democrats did that and it appeared to me that that was a very arrogant move, certainly to the people who voted Leave. I think that move that they made has probably further damaged democracy, further polarised people.”
• On another referendum: “Personally, I would have encouraged [Labour conference] to take a slightly different approach last week, the focus should be on stopping no deal Brexit and then getting a sensible deal through, that is where I think the national interest still lies. If anyone were to listen to me, I would recommend now that there needs to be compromise on all sides and that we should leave the European Union on a Norway-style deal.”
• On the idea he could run for the Labour leadership: “I lost and I know why I lost. People were looking for a change, and not the continuity that we’d seen during the Labour governments of the last decade. So to be honest, I feel a bit liberated being out of the dysfunctional world of Westminster. It never worked for me individually very much.”

“What I would say to the PM is that this ‘take no prisoners’ approach to Brexit is unnerving people… this conference needs to be a turning point” says Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. #Ridge

Follow Sunday politics live here: https://t.co/mjxKKK6vk4 pic.twitter.com/rpzOfuw2ZP

— Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) September 29, 2019