ANY QUOTES USED MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO MURNAGHAN, SKY NEWS

ANNA JONES: This week the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, will host a global summit with an ambitious aim, the Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict will bring together 151 countries and will be hosted by the actress Angelina Jolie and the Foreign Secretary William Hague who is here with me now, a very good morning to you.  So high ambitions for this summit, what are you trying to achieve?

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well many things.  It is intended to bring an end, although this will take some years of course, to sexual violence in conflict, one of the terrible crimes of our world that we cannot leave unaddressed and what we are hoping to achieve this week with more than 100 countries here in London is to agree an international protocol which is an agreement on how we are going to investigate and document such crimes.  Often it is the lack of evidence that means that these things go unpunished and we’re going to hear specific plans from some countries severely affected such as Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo.  We are also going to talk about the support we can give to survivors and of course it is all geared to changing global attitudes to this which we need to do everywhere in the world so that the stigma of rape is attached to the perpetrator and not to the victims of these crimes. 

AJ: It is one thing to say rape in war is a bad thing in London, changing anything on the ground is a totally different matter, how does that make a difference?

WILLIAM HAGUE: It is a huge challenge of course and it is the most important step in a two year campaign that Angelina Jolie and I have been chairing, have been leading and will go on leading it over the coming months and years.  You are absolutely right it is only worth anything if events on the ground change and this is the objective of this, so that prosecutors will have the evidence, that governments will have clear action plans as to what they are going to do about it, that a soldier or fighter of any description who thinks they can get away with war zone rape is going to have to think twice when we have implemented the things that we are discussing this week.   

AJ: You say prosecutors will have the evidence, I mean that again is easier said than done.  It is notoriously difficult to get prosecutions for rape in this country where law and order is working normally, in war zones everything breaks down, so is it really practically possible to bring convictions? 

WILLIAM HAGUE: It is practically possible.  I have already set up a team of 70 experts, British experts.  These are lawyers, doctors, forensic experts, I deploy them to different places in the world to support local governments and local groups in gathering the evidence.  Now this will lead to prosecutions.  None of this will be achieved overnight but this is a problem which has been getting worse in recent decades and is utterly unacceptable in the 21st century, it has been in any century but particularly in our own times and so we do have to take action about it.  I know people are going to say it is hopeless, you can’t do it, it’s too big a problem, well this is a problem created by humans and it can be resolved by humans.

AJ: What about what can be resolved closer to home? Some charities who work with victims of violence, asylum seekers, victims of torture are worried about what the UK does itself.  They say that victims of rape come to this country seeking asylum but they are not treat properly by our own immigration forces and by the Home Office, they are very worried about that and say it is hypocritical to pledge a clampdown on rape as a war crime and yet treat people in this way.

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well of course we are a country that has always been a home for asylum seekers, for genuine asylum seekers. The Border Force officials are trained in this, it’s a matter I have discussed with the Home Secretary before because I think and she thinks it is extremely important that they need to recognise and that they are properly sensitive to victims of sexual violence from other countries and so I believe that they are but it is not a matter that we are complacent about and if ever there are problems in that regard we will look into them.

AJ: So do you think there could be improvements amongst immigration staff? 

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well from every discussion I’ve had with the Home Secretary about this I have heard that the standards of training are there and it’s important that they are observed, so as I say we will look at any reports of problems but I am not going to jump to the conclusion that there is a problem. Sometimes people allege things when there isn’t a problem.

AJ: As you’ve mentioned, you are co-hosting the summit with Angelina Jolie, I got a chance to interview here early this month and I spoke to her about the summit but also about the situation in Syria as well and I just want to play what she said to me.

AJ: Should the world do more, should countries like Britain take in more refugees do you think?

ANGELINA JOLIE: Yes but I think also there is a bigger, there is something bigger at play which is how is it that we don’t have an international body to be able to all work together, for the Security Council and for NATO and for all of us to just work together as a community to be able to answer these situations when they begin or prevent them from happening. 

AJ: So Angelina Jolie is saying more should be done, why isn’t Britain taking in more …?

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well I’ve said it myself, the UN Security Council has failed to shoulder it’s responsibilities …

AJ: But she said Britain should do more as well. 

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well we are a member of the Security Council and of course we have tried many times against Russian and Chinese vetoes to bring a solution to the situation in Syria but we do take refugees, particularly those affected by, vulnerable to violence, particularly sexual violence and Britain is the second biggest donor in the world after the United States of humanitarian aid to people who have fled Syria or are still there and are in desperate circumstances so we are always doing more.

AJ: Well yes and you mentioned vulnerable people, Britain has agreed to its own vulnerable persons relocation scheme hasn’t it, which is separate from the asylum system, that's been welcomed of course but some people are raising eyebrows about the number of people that are coming in through that, there is talk of just a few hundred over three years, is that really an adequate response do you think?

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well there are many countries working together on this.  We provide our response and everybody must remember that we are also sending a billion dollars so far of humanitarian aid to people who are there in Syria or in neighbouring countries, other countries do it a different way and they are able to take more refugees but they give much less humanitarian aid. Between us we have to ensure we are giving people assistance who are in the worst humanitarian situation in the world.  I’ve no doubt that we will have to do more and keep doing more because we’re not able at the moment to resolve the situation politically.  We will keep up our efforts to do that as well.

AJ: Let’s turn our attention to domestic matters because you’ll have seen the papers this morning, the front pages, splashes across them about a row right at the heart of Cabinet, two of the most powerful people aside from yourself of course in Cabinet, Theresa May and Michael Gove, an unseemly row between two cabinet ministers and Yvette Cooper this morning, the Shadow Home Secretary, is saying that Theresa May may have broken the ministerial code and should at least apologise, what’s your view?

WILLIAM HAGUE: There has been an investigation into this, it is a disciplinary matter in government.  The Prime Minister has insisted, quite rightly, on firm discipline and that has led to Michael Gove apologising and to one of Theresa May’s special advisors resigning.  That is the matter dealt with and extremely firmly and correctly.  The most important thing of course is the issue itself of extremism in schools and Michael Gove will make a statement tomorrow about the results of investigations into that.  The government will take a very firm and robust line, we are not going to have extremism contaminating the education of children in our schools.

AJ: Do you think we have a problem with Islamic extremism in this country?

WILLIAM HAGUE:  Well that’s why there has been an investigation and Michael Gove will therefore speak about that, I don’t want to prejudge what he will say tomorrow.  Of course the Department for Education have already established a counter extremism unit, they have already improved teacher training standards on this issue but he will speak tomorrow about what we’re going to do.

AJ: So more findings revealed tomorrow but do you think there could be a threat potentially to national security?   

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well we are alert to all … I am not going to prejudge the investigation, we’ve got to listen to the investigation.  We’ve asked Ofsted and the Department for Education to do that so let’s have the investigation but what people can be sure about is that this Home Secretary, this government, take all threats to national security extremely seriously and we will deal with any such threat. 

AJ: It is going to make things a little uncomfortable around the Cabinet table isn’t it? 

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well I think it’s good that discipline is asserted, that’s a healthy thing for government.  Of course in all governments sometimes there are disagreements between Ministers or advisors or departments, the important thing is that the Prime Minister of the day sorts that out.  This Prime Minister does that and he has done it in this case as well.

AJ: If it is so important then you must have been pretty shocked by the lack of discipline that’s been shown that has brought us to this point. 

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well there has been an investigation and it has been dealt with.  As I say, we will be very focused on dealing with the issue and nothing takes away from the fact that Theresa May is a Home Secretary who is bringing about a sustained reduction in crime in this country, who is utterly rigorous in my experience of dealing with all threats to national security.  Michael Gove is an Education Secretary doing a fantastic job of raising educational standards in this country and these will be in the long term much more important than the headlines of today. 

AJ: Okay, well other headlines of today you will have seen, more allegations surrounding the bid process for the 2022 World Cup and awarding it to Qatar.  No suggestion of wrongdoing by the Qatar bid team, they deny any wrongdoing but Ed Miliband says this bid should be rerun if the allegations are proved, do you agree?

WILLIAM HAGUE: Again it sounds a bit similar to what we were just talking about before because we will have to see the results of the FIFA investigation, I don't think we should get ahead of that.  Of course there have been some very serious allegations, it’s important that they are looked into in a very transparent way and in a way that commands everybody’s confidence but we will have to see also this week the result of that investigation before we leap to judgement on this.

AJ: However, if it were to prove the allegations should that bid process be rerun in your view? 

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well there are many possible outcomes I presume in this investigation in terms of the seriousness of what has happened so we will have to look at it.  I don't think we can call for the FIFA to investigate as everybody did and then before the report comes out say we know what we think should happen.  We’ll be able to see it in good time, it is very important that there is international confidence in sporting bodies and in how these decisions about where major sporting events are held so we want that principle to be followed but let’s see what they actually find first of all.

AJ: Okay, well we are waiting for results on both those investigations, we are also looking ahead to the future.  Another issue that we’re talking about over the next couple of months is the Scottish referendum and the Murnaghan show has conducted a poll that suggests that there are a number of people both Scottish and English people, who feel that English politicians should stay out of the independence debate.  Should English politicians keep their noses out?

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well it is about the whole United Kingdom.  This is for the Scottish people to decide of course, for the voters registered in Scotland to decide and it is very important that whatever side of the argument they’re on they take very seriously the arguments and I am sure they are doing so.  We all have a stake in it though, it is about the whole future of the United Kingdom, it will affect us all and this whole issue of Scotland trying to keep the pound, that affects people in Scotland but it affects everybody in England as well and they have views about that, and in Wales and in Northern Ireland.  So I think we are all entitled to our opinion about it but in the end it is the Scottish voters who are going to decide and we all respect that.

AJ: But the Tories in particular are not popular in Scotland, should they just butt out of it?

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well we’re all entitled to our view and the Scottish Conservatives are waging a very strong campaign on this and so they are entitled to their view just like everybody else in Scotland.  So we should all give our view but we should respect the fact that the Scottish voters decide.  That’s the whole idea, it’s a referendum for them, they will decide but I am sure they are entirely able to take in their stride views from everybody in Scotland and indeed people from the rest of the UK.

AJ: But do you think it’s helpful, is it helpful to the no campaign which the Tories are pushing? 

WILLIAM HAGUE: It’s very important for the facts to be set out by the British government, wherever we come from in the UK.  I think it’s very important to explain, for me to explain as a proud Yorkshireman who is also therefore English, that represents the whole of the UK around the world, how strongly I feel about what the United Kingdom achieves and I think  it is very important for us to explain that but we’re not saying we’re making the decision.  We are saying that the people of Scotland make the decision and we will respect their judgement. 

AJ: Okay, I just want to turn our attention to Europe briefly because David Cameron is engaged in something of a row about the next job, the next taker of the job of European Commission President.  He is fiercely opposed to Jean-Claude Junker, Angela Merkel wants him in the job, how confident are you that Britain will get their way?

WILLIAM HAGUE: What this is about is the direction of the European Union.  We are saying, particularly after what happened in the European elections around Europe, Europe needs change, it needs reform.  If it just carries on in exactly the same way as before it will not deliver change and what is needed for people of all of the nations of the European Union.  That affects who is in the top jobs in Europe, now there is a range of candidates, there are many people who are capable of doing these jobs including President of the Commission so that is what the Prime Minister is now discussing with other countries but he is doing it from that viewpoint that I’ve just described, that this is what Europe needs.  It is not about the personalities, it is about the policies that will be pursued by the people in charge.  

AJ: Well if David Cameron doesn’t get his way and Jean-Claude Junker is elected as President, what steps will you take, will the referendum be brought forward?  

WILLIAM HAGUE: Well we are committed to our referendum in 2017 but we will of course continue working over the coming days and weeks in getting the right outcome of these discussions on Europe so that we can achieve reform in Europe and then have the referendum on whether we stay in it or not.  That’s our very clear policy.  

AJ: It is but doesn’t this argument over Jean-Claude Junker show you just how hard it is to achieve that reform given the very entrenched views, very differing views around the table?

WILLIAM HAGUE: It’s always hard but we very often succeed.  David Cameron is the first British Prime Minister to succeed in reducing the European Union budget overall which is going to save this country vast sums of money.  We’ve achieved reform in getting this country out of having to pay for Eurozone bail outs, we have just managed to reform the Common Fisheries Policy which was a disaster before so Britain does achieve positive change in Europe and we want to do that over the coming years and then hold the referendum and that remains our objective, to have that referendum in 2017.

AJ: William Hague, we appreciate your time.  Foreign Secretary, thank you for coming in.  

WILLIAM HAGUE: Thank you Anna.