Chancellor Gordon Brown MP

On Sunday 9 February, Sir David talked to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown and to the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.

He also interviewed Hussein Al-Shahristani, from the Iraqi Refugee Council and the biographer of Saddam Hussein Patrick Cockburn.

The Sunday papers were reviewed by Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, actor Roger Lloyd-Pack and Iain Dale, owner of the political bookshop Politico's.

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The Chancellor insisted he had not ruled out Britain's entry into the euro and said that the assessment had not even started. He said the five economic tests into Britain's suitability of entering the single currency, which must be completed by June, would be "rigorous and comprehensive".

"The assessment has actually not started. We are doing a tremendous amount of work. This is the most difficult, the most important economic decision that this country has had to make on economic policy.

"We are determined to do it on a rigorous and comprehensive analysis."

Gordon Brown also said that he and CBI director general Digby Jones have forged an agreement to work together to boost Britain's economy.

Mr Brown said the work would focus on areas where the Government and the CBI shared common ground such as investment, enterprise, innovation and skills.

"There is so much common ground about what needs to be done so that Britain is best prepared to be the beneficiary of the world upturn. And there are changes that I am looking at in the context of the Budget statement that I will make in the next few weeks, and in other policy changes that we're talking about.

"We have decided ... that there are areas where we can work together on investment, on enterprise, on improving the innovation and skills of the economy, and helping to make the economy more flexible."

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In his interview, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy called for more clarity from the Prime Minister over Britain's stance in the Iraq crisis.

"Once we prosecute such a war what are we going to do about the peace? Who are we going to put in power? Who is going to police it? What is going to be the role of the British forces?

"We have not had adequate answers to this question. A lot of military commanders share that sense of trouble because they want clear instructions. I don't think that the British House of Commons or the British Government is fulfilling its purpose properly unless it issues clear guidelines with objectives.

"I don't think that is fair on the military personnel who, as we speak, are being deployed and will be risking their lives.

"I think that the essential problem in all of this is a clear sense of what the political will is."

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