Sunday 30th June 2002

The guests on Breakfast with Frost this week were: the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, the shadow Home Secretary Oliver Letwin, the financier George Soros, the former Foreign Secretary Lord Owen and the former Wimbledon tennis champion Virginia Wade. The paper reviewers were Jane Moore, Gyles Brandreth and the Chairman of the London Assembly, Trevor Phillips.

John Prescott spoke about his decision to resign from the railway union the RMT, after nearly 50 years of membership. He also spoke about the London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who has applied to rejoin the Labour party. The application will be considered by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee in July. Bans usually last for five years but lifting it now would let Mr Livingstone to run as a Labour candidate in the capital's 2004 Mayoral election. Speaking on Breakfast with Frost John Prescott, an NEC member, said that on a previous occasion Mr Livingstone had told the committee "a tissue of lies". He said "I just don't believe this man in whatever he says."

Oliver Letwin spoke about the need to appeal to voters by fighting crime with his vision of a more neighbourly society. Mr Letwin wouldn't be drawn on whether he felt offended by being described by Lord Tebbit as a Hampstead Liberal.

George Soros said Britain is less likely to suffer a major corporate fraud like that thought to have been perpetrated by United States phone giant WorldCom. He said that no one could guarantee that similar problems would not be found here, but the United Kingdom business community did not have the "systemic problem" seen in the US.

Lord Owen spoke about the need to reform the structures of the European Union and on the single currency he said that it was not for him to lead a NO campaign.

Tennis champion Virginia Wade spoke about Tim Henman's chances and about hopes for improvement in British Tennis. She tipped Venus William's to win the women's title this year and said she'd put money on Tim Henman...

John Prescott MP, deputy prime minister

Oliver Letwin MP, shadow home secretary

Lord Owen, former foreign secretary

George Soros, financier

Virginia Wade, former tennis champion