The Daily Politics - 14/10/2009

The Prime Minister will today make a statement on the war in Afghanistan. He will list the names of the 37 members of the armed forces who have died in Afghanistan over the summer. We also understand he will announce 500 more troops will be going to the country. But is this enough or are we sacrificing the lives of more troops in an unwinnable war? We will be talking to a former Commander of British forces in Afghanistan. Figures out today show that unemployment has topped 2.4 million. We will be discussing whether the British economy really is in recovery. The MPs' expenses saga rumbles on. The Conservative Shadow Cabinet has revealed what they have to pay back and the LibDem leader, Nick Clegg, calls for Sir Thomas Legg to broaden the inquiry to include mortgage payments and flipping homes. But some backbench MPs are refusing to pay and even threatening to go to court to stop payments. We will have the latest. And last year's winner of Strictly Come Dancing, the dancer Camilla Dallerup, will be here to explain why dogs should be microchipped to stop them being abadoned and suffering abuse. The former Defence Secretay, John Hutton, and the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Theresa May, will be with us for the whole programme. You can read more about all that and join in the debate on Andrew's blog: bbc.co.uk/blogs/dailypolitics And don't forget to visit the website for highlights, features and fun: bbc.co.uk/dailypolitics.