Implosion of the tories. State of the nation starts now. Ill also be joined by my most intellectual panel, former conservative mp and commentator paul goodman, and gb news senior political commentator nigel nelson. As always, i want to hear from you. Its a crucial hear from you. Its a crucial part of the programme. Email me at gb news. Com but now its what youve all been waiting for. The news of the day with sophia wenzler. Jacob. Thank you. Good evening. Im sophia wenzler in the gb newsroom. Your top story this hour. The gb newsroom. Your top story this hour. The Prime Minister has ruled out holding a general election on the 2nd of may, amid speculation he could choose to go to the polls early. In an interview with itv, rishi sunak was asked if there would be an election on the same day as the local elections, which takes place on the 2nd of may. He replied there wont be an election on that day. Previously, hes been reluctant to make a definitive statements about the general election, saying that its his saying only that its his working assumption. It will take place in the second half of the year. Michael place in the second half of the year. Michael gove place in the second half of the year. Michael gove has named some of the groups to be investigated under a new definition of extremism, which he says will mean the government can express more clearly than ever who poses a risk to britain. Some of the groups included are alleged to have islamist views, with others described as neo nazi. See described as neo nazi. See todays new extremism definition will be used to assess whether some groups should be marginalised or blocked from pubuc marginalised or blocked from public funding. But michael gove insists its not about silencing those with private and peaceful beliefs. Beliefs. We have to be clear eyed about the threat we face, precise about where that threat comes from and rigorous in defending our democracy. That means upholding freedom of expression, religion and belief when they are threatened, facing down harassment and hate, supporting the communities facing the greatest challenge from extremist activity, and ensuring this house and this country are safe, and country are safe, free and unhed country are safe, free and united now. Great yarmouth mp Brandon Lewis has announced he is standing down as a candidate at the next general election. In the next general election. In a statement posted on x, formerly twitter, the former Northern Ireland secretary said it has been the greatest honour of my life to represent the people of Great Yarmouth in parliament. In other news, russia has been accused of disrupting the gps signal on the defence secretarys plane en route to poland. The incident occurred as the raf jet flew close to the edge of kaliningrad. Gps navigation and Internet Access was lost for around 30 minutes dunng was lost for around 30 minutes during the flight, but the pilots have confirmed the aircraft was never at risk , and aircraft was never at risk, and the prince of wales has expressed concerns about the amount of time children spend on phones as hes visited a youth club today. The prince asked some of the children how long they spend on their phones, with one girl saying she spends up to 15 hours a day. The future king said grown ups were also guilty of excessive screen time and said weve all got to get better at managing it. He also poked fun at his apparent lack of artistic skill as he took part in some biscuit decorating, saying is the arty saying that his wife is the arty one. And for the latest story, sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen or go to gb news. Com slash alerts. Now its back to. Jacob. Michael gove today unveiled the governments new official definition of non violent extremism. It states extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance that aims to negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, undermine, overturn or replace the uks system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights, or create a or intentionally create a permissive environment for others achieve the results. Others to achieve the results. In 1 2 groups that meet this in 1 or 2 groups that meet this definition will be blocked from receiving government funding and meeting officials. Extremism meeting officials. Extremism used to be understood to mean violence. Advance violence. To advance your political cause through violence and not through debate. Non violent extremism , however, non violent extremism, however, is nebulous rhetorical is a nebulous rhetorical flourish. Hazy , indistinct, flourish. Its hazy, indistinct, open to widely different interpretations and is dangerous as the basis of legislation, freedom, rights and responsibilities are not absolutes. Containing freedom in one area enables it in another and vice versa. Freedom for the wolves means death for the lambs. As Isaiah Berlin put it. A 2016 channel 4 news poll found that half of british muslims think homosexuality should be illegal. This would appear to meet the criteria as defined by the government of non violent extremism. As such, a view negates the freedoms of others or creates a permissive environment for others to do so. Now making homosexuality illegal is a view i disagree with, but it would not be desirable or workable to ban half of british muslims from interaction with the government. We could no longer britain a democracy longer call britain a democracy if did so. And a democracy. If we did so. And a democracy. How we relate to each other has to be put through at times difficult process of deliberation and debate. Unfortunately its not how many of those on the left see things today. An influential Advocacy Group called hope not hate issued a release called state of hate 2020 for front and centre of the report. However, not fascists who are pushed right to the back but elected members of parliament. Im in there as my fellow mps miriam cates danny kruger, marco longhi and others. The conservative media comes under attack. The very mild mannered spectator, as well as the daily telegraph. There as well as gb news, which is mentioned over 60 times. Even the Prime Minister questioning labour policy is suggested to be evidence of a radical right drift, which is perhaps not surprising given one of their directors is a labour peer. Hope not hate says that it is non partisan. That is anti fascist, and that they defend, champion and promote democracy in the rule of law. Speaking against anti democratic and authoritarian forces and policies. Under this fake policies. Under this fake posturing, it receives government funding. The home government funding. The home offices counter extremism unit, in fact, has given them over £100,000 over the last few years. Not only that, but theyve received a similar sum from trust for london, trust for london manages church of england trusts, ostensibly for the maintenance of church buildings, but also administers a trust set up for poverty relief with a 10 million grant from the government. After the abolition of the Greater London council. As you see, institutional capture is unfortunately how too much of the left operates. They much of the left operates. They will take advantage of the good faith of their opponents to smear and silence those with whom they do not agree. It has happened with hope, not hate and the rest of the quangocracy with sir intends sir keir starmer intends to expand. Happened the expand. It has happened with the Civil Service. Has happened Civil Service. It has happened with church of england. With the church of england. Its even some degree even happened to some degree with forces and with the armed forces and unfortunately its at risk of happening again with standards of this kind that have been announced today, despite the good intentions that may be behind it. As ever. Let me know your thoughts. Mail margaret gb news. Com and im joined now by sean irish spokesman Just Stop Oil, my panel of former conservative mp and commentator paul goodman and gb news senior political commentator nigel lawson. Now, sean, were both a bit worried that we may agree on this definition of extremism. Stopping your Group Just Stop Oil doing things that are legitimate protest. Sadly. Well, its not surprising that the government have taken this stance. I mean, tory policy has been written by the daily mail and gb news, and now its come back to bite us. You know, its quite clear what gb news and the daily mail have been months and been saying for months and not years, that protest needs to be squashed, democratic, you squashed, that democratic, you know, express squashed, that democratic, you know, in express squashed, that democratic, you know, in a express squashed, that democratic, you know, in a democratics squashed, that democratic, you know, in a democratic manner yourself in a democratic manner if not the way gb news if its not the way gb news likes to do it. So this you know, its not surprising. Its just these are upset now that its come back get used and its come back to get used and we will defend you on this. It is not it should not is not right. It should not happen. But also youve laid you made bed. Youre to made your bed. Youre going to have in, think, at this have to lay in, i think, at this stage, hopefully we will stage, but hopefully we will see, you know, next election will change. Will bring change. Not against your but im not against your right protest. Indeed, ive right to protest. Indeed, ive defended i against you defended it. I am against you gluing road gluing yourself to the road because criminal because thats called criminal damage. Always damage. So there is always a balance within the law. What is legitimate protest and what is illegitimate . Question illegitimate . Its a question of where line. Surely, certainly. And we are going to hold. We were we hold ourselves accountable action accountable for every action that ive that we take. You know, ive been court many times. My been into court many times. My partner just sent prison partner was just sent to prison today, without trial, today, again without trial, which quite which is happening quite frequently in the uk. Groups like Just Stop Oil and these like Just Stop Oil and all these other going to other groups are not going to stop were matter stop what were doing. No matter what government says to us, what the government says to us, they to come to the they need to come to the negotiation table. They need to recognise people of recognise that the people of britain change, saying britain want change, and saying that extremist ask for that its extremist to ask for that its extremist to ask for that will not stop people that change will not stop people from asking for it. Be entitled to and you must be entitled to argue for your cause, even if other people disagree with it. And mean, ive often said and i mean, ive often said to you, stand for you, you should stand for election it to to election and put it to voters to see if want your policies, see if they want your policies, which i think are extreme but not you follow me not extremist. If you follow me in of difference , i in terms of the difference, i understand what you mean. Yeah. Well, i would say, you know, again, politicians are seeing is coming. Seeing this change is coming. You we having more and you know, we are having more and more mps that are saying they agree with our demands of ending new gas. Although labour new oil and gas. Although labour have some of their have reneged on some of their demands, saying demands, they are still saying that not be that new licences will not be part their policies part of their policies going forward. We are seeing that the tories going to thrown tories are going to be thrown out in next general out in the next general election. Whenever decides election. Whenever rishi decides to well see about that. Time. Will tell, nigel, i hope not. Hate coming out and saying that a whole slew of conservative are being conservative mps are being exploited essentially as fascists. Underpins fascists. Thats what underpins them. He said. Them. Thats not what he said. Well, them in their well, it lists them in their whole that theyre whole cause, is that theyre there to fascists. There to expose fascists. Well, what it describes. Well, what what it describes. You are it describes you as is radical, right . I dont know if you would actually along with you would actually go along with it that description. It with that description. Part of the mainstream it with that description. Conservative re mainstream it with that description. Conservative party. Nstream it with that description. Conservative party. Nstrtanr the conservative party. Im an elected of parliament elected member of parliament because their campaign is because their whole campaign is implying people on the implying that people on the right are involved in hate. There is no evidence that members of the tory party in parliament are involved with hate. Its a very extreme view. Hate. Its a very extreme view. I mean, what hope not hate . I dont dont agree with with, a lot of they say. I dont lot of what they say. I dont agree with a lot their agree with a lot of their conspiracy theories, they have done some good work. Done some really good work. I mean, that their main is mean, that their main focus is to, expose the far left, far left extremists , and thats left extremists, and thats their basic target. What they were arguing was that people like you are taking the mainstream towards the right. Now. I, as i say, i dont back that particular argument. But when youve got an organisation that prevented an mp, rosie coopen that prevented an mp, rosie cooper, from being murdered by neo nazis, that shows the kind of good work that they have been doing and that went to court and the Security Services protected raise cooper from that. But its mentioning people like me in the same list as, people who are neo nazis. I mean, thats pretty ridiculous. Seems to me youre mentioning the same document. I dont think that they call the neo nazis, that the fascist fringe. So they do distinguish between the radical right, which they you as, and the they label you as, and the fascist , which are the fascist fringe, which are the neo nazis. Its very dodgy that a group like gets government funding. Paul, look, its a perfectly sensible thing to have organisations that are monitoring far right activity, far left activity , islamist activity. Thats all absolutely fine. But i think hope not hate are just not doing themselves any favours or doing what theyre meant to do. Any favours. If they start dragging in and seeking to deal, legitimise views that are within the democratic mainstream , even if democratic mainstream, even if you disagree with them like you, or even, say, nigel farage, and putting them in the same bracket as neo nazis, it doesnt do the debate any good, and its actually devaluing the contribution they themselves can make. And saying that were blurring the lines between the radical right and fascist, which from an extraordinary view, they are lines between are blurring the lines between what legitimate criticise what is legitimate to criticise in my view, and whats part of the mainstream. Even if you dont like it. Even if you dont like it. Back to michael and come back to Michael Goves this goves definition of this morning , does that stop the morning, does that stop the government interacting with people who have legitimate views . That is to say, would it be legitimate to want the caliphate to take place in the uk . If you could persuade uk . If you could persuade british people to vote for it . Its very important to go back to the origins of all this. I mean, this debate about extremism isnt you. And the government years has had government for years has had this debate over another group that wasnt today, the that wasnt named today, the Muslim Council of britain. You know, do you give it a platform . Know, do you give it a platform . Do you provide it with government patronage . Do you do you fund it . Theyve been having that debate. This just doesnt apply to Just Stop Oil at all because the governments never patronised the governments patronised it. The governments never it money the never given it money and the governments a governments never given it a platform. So feel myself that platform. So i feel myself that the got a of the governments got a bit of explaining to do. Know, i explaining to do. You know, i understand engage understand not wanting to engage orfund understand not wanting to engage or fund groups that seek to overthrow parliamentary democracy. To on democracy. When you get to on part one of the definition, which is all about ideas and values , that me values, that seems to me a muddle. And im not quite clear what the governments thinking of here, because, nigel, were not all obliged have same not all obliged to have the same values, we . Values, are we . No, the point. And im no, thats the point. And im quite pleased to see the quite pleased to see from the old prevent definition , the idea old prevent definition, the idea about undermining british values, disappearing simply because its so vague. Im in favour of british values. But if they mean Different Things to different this is different people, this is certainly more specific. But i think pauls right. It rather depends how its actually exercised, because its going to be a subjective judgement on groups, not an objective one, and the michael gove oddly mentioned things like patriotic alternative , a Neo Nazi Group alternative, a Neo Nazi Group which obviously doesnt get government funding. What worries me is that when i was in the cabinet office, we heard that a sort of semi terrorist supporting group had gone into home office. So we drew up regulations to try stop groups like that try and stop groups like that going the government. Then going into the government. Then we a civil we discovered that a Civil Service interpreted this to service had interpreted this to stop expert on whatever field stop an expert on whatever field he who didnt like brexit he was in who didnt like brexit going and this the going in. And this is the problem. Rules from problem. The rules go from something perfectly sensible. And is, think, where and this is, i think, where youre concerned to stopping people having legitimate cause. I think is very much the i think this is very much the point. And this why i would point. And this is why i would say you, jacob, like, if this say