THURSDAY 28 MAY - 22.30 GMT - BBC TWO PRESENTER: JEREMY PAXMAN From the web team: Julie Kirkbride and Margaret Moran have announced they will stand down as MPs at the next election. Pressure had been mounting on both since details of their expenses claims were revealed in the Daily Telegraph. In announcing her decision, Ms Kirkbride said she "must take into account the effects on my family" of the row. Mrs Moran also said that the "understandable anger in the media and amongst the public... has had a bruising effect upon my friends, my family and my health". So, were they hounded out by a media hungry for blood, or was the frenzy of press interest a justifiable response to public concern? Tonight we will be debating this with both politicians and journalists. Also, BAE systems - Britain's global arms dealer - was still struggling at this month's annual meeting to rebrand itself as an "ethical" arms company. Meanwhile, more than two years after the British government pulled the rug on its biggest fraud investigation, BAE may have returned the favour, helping to get the government off the hook with the international anti-corruption agency. BAE has stopped a billion pounds insurance contract which tied the government to its alleged bribery and corruption in Saudi Arabia. The move, which Newsnight can reveal for the first time, has astonished BAE's critics, who smell a rat. Plus, the cuckoo - known for its springtime song - has joined a "red list" of the UK's most threatened bird species. We will be asking why. Missed Newsnight? Click here to watch online Newsnight Blogs Join the debate |