THURSDAY 21 MAY - 22.30 GMT - BBC TWO PRESENTER GAVIN ESLER From the web team: Gordon Brown has defended Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell over accusations in the Daily Telegraph that they avoided paying Capital Gains Tax when they sold homes in London. The prime minister says he is satisfied they have complied with the law, and believes they will not need to repay any money to Revenue and Customs. A stark contrast indeed to the way he spoke about Communities Secretary Hazel Blears when the Telegraph reported that she had not paid the tax and Mr Brown responded by denouncing her behaviour as "completely unacceptable". Is that consistent prime minister? Also actress Joanna Lumley will be joining us hotfoot from a triumphant victory over residency rights for thousands of former British army Ghurkhas. What does her success say about the future of politics? Plus, on the day that a leading credit rating agency revised down its outlook for the UK economy to "negative" from "stable" due to concerns about our debt burden, we have an interview with economist David Blanchflower. He recently left his job as a Bank of England rate setter after frequently disagreeing with Governor Mervyn King throughout 2008 about the severity of the coming recession. He warns that youth unemployment could reach one million and says we are in danger of creating a "lost generation." Join Gavin for all of that and more at 10.30pm on BBC Two. Missed Newsnight? Click here to watch online Newsnight Blogs Join the debate |