17/03/2016 BBC News at Ten

The Chancellor says he's standing firm

despite growing criticism of yesterday's Budget.

The figures in Mr Osborne's red box have "worrying" implications

for the wider economy and the public finances

according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The Chancellor is running out of room for manouevre.

Any further downgrades to the economic forecast

and to meet his own target he's going to have to announce some

serious tax rises or additional spending cuts.

But the Chancellor insists he's planning for the next generation

and says he will balance the books as promised.

What I am saying in this Budget is we have got to hold to the course

we have set out, we have got to take action on public finances now

so that we are stable and secure and we don't pay

But he's also facing criticism over plans to change benefit payments

We'll have more on that and we'll be looking in more detail at the state

Also tonight: The plight of thousands of migrants stranded

at the border between Greece and Macedonia as EU leaders search

Ministers announce that schools in England will no longer be

Tackling the obesity crisis among children and young people -

experts say taxing fizzy drinks will not be enough.

And Paul Daniels, the magician who entertained

A letter I had yesterday from a lady said you had a marriage that

And we have all the reaction of an Europa League clash between

Manchester United and Liverpool as they fight for a place in the

quarterfinals. George Osborne says he will stand

firm and hold the course despite some bleak assessments

of yesterday's Budget. The figures he announced

based on a worsening economic outlook will

result in a period of falling wages and

lower living standards according to the Institute

for Fiscal Studies. It also warns that austerity will be

extended into the next parliament. He's also facing criticism

from a growing number of Conservative colleagues

over plans to change Our political editor

Laura Kuenssberg has more details. The day after his budget,

George Osborne's mathematics and his motivations

are being questioned. Some of the claims branded

disingenuous, And real cuts - hardly

something to celebrate. We make sure that in

uncertain times we are fit for the future, by taking action

on our public finances And we back small businesses,

the self-employed, above all working people, by reducing their taxes

so they can help us grow Reality has arrived along

with the budget on MPs' desks. Warnings on wages and living

standards. I really admire George Osborne's

love of a five year plan, because it is always

five years away. He missed every single target he set

for himself in 2010. And in the Tory ranks,

there is also unhappiness, Sarah Stuart from Surrey is one

of more than 600,000 people with disabilities

who might be affected by changes to the personal

independence payments. When cases are reviewed

in future, the benefits will be calculated

differently for some. People like me that used to work

all the time and are now needing help from the system they paid into,

it is an awful-time. Some Tories are ready to campaign

to fight the change. This change is wrong-headed and it

really hits the wrong people. They are always tinkering

around the edges - that needs to happen so that you

have a slightly fairer system. But I think the package

which has been offered up to now, which is still

a consultation, does go too far. The minister in charge admitted many

thousands of people might lose out, A significant number of people may

see a loss. The overall numbers of people will continue to increase and

the amount of people being paid out in disability benefit will increase

every year in this Parliament. What do you say to a disabled person

who might lose a vital share of their income, and the person next

door might get a tax cut? It is providing a fair,

sustainable benefit which provides support to those with genuine,

ongoing extra costs. Like with any budget, it is a test

of the Chancellor's reputation. George Osborne has got bigger

ambitions than being in charge So he was trying to impress is own

MPs as well as the public. His team insist he has made

the right big and bold decisions, but the budget has not

gone entirely to plan. That was such a big

occasion, wasn't it? Events which change his

and all of our lives. As we mentioned the Institute

for Fiscal Studies has produced a rather bleak assessment

of the Budget figures. It says there are worrying

implications for the wider economy It's also questioned

whether Mr Osborne will be able to meet his target of a ?10

billion budget surplus Our economics editor Kamal Ahmed

is here with his analysis. Day two of the analysis

of the Budget. We could be facing law wages and

living standards according to the Institute of Financial Studies.

There are also likely to be more public sector cuts ahead. The most

important piece of news we got yesterday was that we are going to

be worse off than we thought we were going to be. Downgraded news on

productivity and growth has had a knock-on effect on the Chancellor

who is finding it harder to meet his own fiscal targets.

The IFS says that if the Chancellor is to achieve his fabled budget

surplus, he will need to find a further ?10 billion of cuts

to planned spending on public services by 2021.

Those cuts could fall most heavily on non-protected departments such

as the Home Office and Justice - they may have to find a further 13%

The Chancellor also announced income tax cuts - increasing the personal

allowance and taking 585,000 people out of the higher 40p rate of tax.

But according to one analysis, that cut tends to be more

It will boost the incomes of the richest 20% of households

That figure for the poorest 20% of households?

There was some better news for the Chancellor today.

The Bank of England said wage increases were stronger and that

productivity was rising - and after the bad news

on productivity yesterday, that will come as a welcome

For this manufacturing firm, Mr Osborne's pledge to support

The Treasury made productivity improvements - crucial

for maintaining growth - a central part of the Budget.

If you put your efforts into your staff and machinery

and invest back into the company, you are getting

more work, you are widening your capabilities

One final thought. Never underestimate Mr Osborne's ability

to find a little extra something behind the fabled treasury sofa. As

one Government source pointed out to me, yesterday's figures

poor, that things can only get better.

A day after the budget what do you make of the most controversial

aspects? Budget sometimes turn into horror

films. This is more like an action movie. We are not sure what the

ending will be. The plot is beckoning. The Government is pleased

to see that EU leaders have agreed to get rid of what is known as the

tampon tax, a 5% VAT charge on Saturday products. They were looking

at a hefty rebellion, possibly defeat in Westminster next week,

that EU leaders said the governor and can go ahead and get rid of it.

They are claiming that as a win over rest of the EU. In terms of things

that are going to be more troublesome there is a lot of

trouble brewing over those changes to disability payments. Many

Conservative MPs including some of those who have organised the

rebellion and defeat over tax credits are not happy about these

changes, worried about the impact on thousands of people potentially

around the country, and also worried about the political message that

sense. The leadership is under pressure already to relent and they

are at a minimum going to have to do a lot more explaining of that

policy. But there is a new question on defence spending tonight. The

small print of the budget reveals that the Ministry of Defence is

spending ?800 million less than they had been forecast to do in this

financial year. That is a lot of money in a department that is

stretched. Labour tonight is demanding answers over that, writing

to the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon. Treasury

sources said it might be simple as an underspend but there is not

clarity yet on what has happened to defence spending. Despite the big

bleaker economic picture this budget all and all is far from a disaster.

But there is plenty of unfinished business that could catch George

Osborne out in the weeks and months to come.

Thank you. In Brussels tonight European Union

leaders are meeting on stopping the flow

of migrants into Europe. Since January last year more

than one million migrants and refugees arrived

in Greece by boat Chancellor Merkel of Germany says

she's cautiously optimistic Thousands of people are currently

stranded at the border between Greece and Macedonia

at Idomeni where the crossing point is closed and many have

been trying to cross illegally as our international

correspondent Ian Pannell reports. The resilience of youth. Still able

to laugh and smile when this is where you live. Imagine the either

need of being trapped at a railway station with departures to nowhere.

Where mothers cling to their children to stop them running onto

the line. Where thousands not so much live as

Billy exist. -- barely exist. Many have lost

there possessions and now they lose their dignity as they stand begging

for hand-outs. We thought this silly in refugee had

crossed into Macedonia earlier this week. Bat this Syrian refugee.

This is how much they want to get further into Europe.

He was wheeled across a field and further into Macedonia. But like all

the others he was rounded up and eventually sent back to Greece. What

is your message to the leaders of Europe? TRANSLATION: We want

humanity. Look at who they are treating as. There is no humanity

left. We are being used as bargaining chips. They are making

money off our backs. If a deal is reached in Brussels everybody here

could be deported to Turkey, which would not just be difficult but

perhaps illegal. We met three families from three cities whose

people know all about war and persecution. One said he left home

after thugs from Islamic State cut him. Another said he was beaten this

week by the police and Macedonia. It is not the protection they are

guaranteed by law or the welcome they expected. What will you do if

the Borders to closed? TRANSLATION: I cannot go back home. I do not have

one. I came here asking for European protection because they said they

would open the borders. Why are we sat here? Everyone here knows about

the meeting in Brussels and everyone is waiting for the outcome. If they

are not allowed through some will go back, perhaps to Turkey. But do not

expect all of them to just disappear.

It is incredible to think that more than 1 million people have come this

way over the last year. European leaders have repeatedly met,

debated, discussed how to deal with this crisis. Groups may be closing

down. We should not forget that many of these people have run away from

the prospect of death and the able do whatever it takes to get across

that border. For now the line is holding. This

week the breakthrough feels but that will not be the last. Thousands more

landed on the shores of Greece this week and Babel head here putting

even more pressure on Greece and Europe. The dream of a new life may

have stalled but it is far from over.

The way schools in England are governed as more of them

in plans announced by the Education Secretary Nicky

Schools would no longer be legally required to have parents

as governors but there would be a greater obligation

Failing schools would also be given a longer period without official

inspections to encourage successful head teachers

Our education editor Branwen Jeffreys has the details.

Schools across England are facing a massive shake-up.

Teachers will have to prove their classroom skills to qualify,

and all schools will become academies within years.

Rebecca Jones is a parent governor at this primary

Under these plans, elected parent governors will go when it

Parents give immediate feedback if there is an issue,

and if you don't have the parent governors there, I don't think

the parents would feel able to approach the school about issues.

Like most primary schools, it is still run by the council,

but that will have to change within the next six years.

She resisted pressure to become an academy before.

But what about other Government plans?

Head teachers who moved to a struggling school will get more

time, at least two years to turn things around before

I feel at the moment head teachers are a bit like football managers.

You make one mistake or you have only been in the school for a year

What difference will it make to their education?

These changes, taken together, aim to give headteachers

at schools much more freedom to shape what they teach.

It will also create huge chains of schools, competing with each

The question is, who holds them to account?

Steve Lancashire is the chief executive of two primary school

They are held to account, he says, through their results.

All of our children will go to a capital city in a foreign

country to make sure they experience a different culture.

It is about what we can provide as an academy rather

The Education Secretary told me she wants parents to

have a bigger say so why get rid of parent governors?

We want governors to be there because of the skills they bring.

I think there are more effective ways to have parents involved,

rather than having a couple of parents on a body.

We want to set up a parent portal and a better complaints system.

Schools still have to try and impress parents but there is no

guarantee there will be a graceful transition to the new system.

The magician Paul Daniels, for many years one of the most

popular entertainers on television, has died at the age of 77.

He announced last month that he'd been diagnosed

His wife Debbie McGee told the BBC that they'd lived a fairy tale life

If the ball's in my left hand, it's in my left hand,

if it's not in my hand, it's under the cup.

He was fast, funny, and very skilful.

He took old-fashioned magic and refashioned it

He became a fixture of the Saturday night schedules.

He had started in northern clubs, combining magic

He devised a catchphrase to deal with hecklers.

What first, Debbie, attracted you to the millionaire

I really got the giggles because when I first worked

But the things that attracted me to him,

I had a letter yesterday from a lady who had met us and she said,

"The thing is, Debbie, you had a marriage that

He was not to everyone's taste but his versatility inspired many.

Everyone I know had a Paul Daniels magic kit -

that was the first time people would learn how to do magic.

In his autobiography he admitted he had slept with many women and could

not have been sure they were all over 16.

Paul Daniels who has died at the age of 77.

In South Africa President Zuma is facing calls

to resign over his links with a wealthy family

and claims that he's allowed the Guptas to

One of the president's party colleagues has warned that

South Africa is in danger of turning into a mafia state

and the country's former president FW De Klerk

says that democracy in South Africa is under threat.

Our world editor John Simpson is in Cape Town and he sent this

This country which has been a beacon to the world now seems in growing

trouble. Political, economic, even racial. In Parliament to D attention

centred on the President over alleged corruption. There is no

minister here who was ever appointed. You and your family are

getting richer while South Africans are getting less well off. He is

accused of allowing a family who only came to South Africa one year

before apartheid ended to dictate cabinets for the financial gain.

Should the President resign? And deny a bully. He is not fit to lead

South Africa. The last white President is celebrating his 80th

birthday. He is usually guarded in history to systems. Not now. There

is too much nepotism. There is too much corruption. There is too much

favouritism. A black elite has grown. The loyalist of the President

says she is disheartened by corruption. We must intensify

efforts to take fast action as decisions on any of our members who

are found to be engaged in the bad practices. Even the President? Any

person who would fall foul of established norms and public conduct

should appear before that Commission. Corruption is not the

only serious problem this country faces. Much worse, the ideal of the

non-racial rainbow nation, is mired across the world, is being

threatened before our eyes. Recently a university rugby match, a largely

white affair, was interrupted by radical Black demonstrators. Among

the young in particular the non-racial idea could be feeding.

Right from the top politicians are worried.

I went to a township outside Cape Town to meet some of those born

after apartheid. From this humble background this

person is going to interested Jess University. -- going to a

prestigious university. He was not demanding enough. There was not

enough loyalty to the demands of his people. He should have been tougher

on the fights? Definitely. It shocks her mother who still review as

Nelson Mandela. Now all people seem to hear about is corruption and

views of racial trouble. South Africa is in post-Mandela territory.

Health professionals have welcomed the new tax on sugary drinks

announced by George Osborne in his budget yesterday

but they've warned that it will not be a panacea

for the obesity crisis especially among children and young

people which remains one of the biggest public health

Our correspondent Jeremy Cooke has this report.

It is a global epidemic, fuelled by fast food,

Modern-day snack food is not love, it's a killer.

One in three of our ten-year-olds is now obese, their futures

Katie is 15, loves singing and drama and going to the movies.

Her battle against weight has been a lifelong challenge.

14-year-old Becky likes R music and Justin Bieber.

She too is working hard to shed the pounds.

When it comes to calories, for both girls, the problem has been

It was like a pot of Pringles, an iced coffee, a croissant.

Chocolate cereal and I would have in my lunch, rolls and crisps.

I would have, like, chicken nuggets or just something out

And then your mum would give you your supper?

Yeah, and I would have lunch and I would have breakfast.

Why didn't you, as a mum, simply feed her less food?

We hid bread in places like the laundry basket

Now Katie is fighting back, has found the strength to lose two

stone and is determined to lose more.

I'm around 16 right now and so, like, obviously I will see

when I get to where I want to be but roughly like ten stone

Katie is on the right road, using exercise and diet.

For others, though, the challenge is still daunting.

Four out of five obese children will become obese adults.

Overweight young people look relatively healthy,

they get up and about, they move around, they do things

But when they are in their 40s and 50s, you find that the body

Becky is doing well, going to the gym, choosing healthy food.

But being overweight can also bring psychological problems and for her,

the bullying started at primary school.

I would feel like I was always being talked about so I would walk

round a corner and there would be a group of people.

Even if I didn't know them and they were laughing,

I would think they were laughing at me.

It's hard to see your child sort of feel that way.

I don't think there's anything quite as heartbreaking

than when your child tells you that they hate themselves

and they don't want to look at themselves in the mirror.

Health professionals have welcomed news of the sugar tax but say

it is only a first step towards tackling the childhood

Liverpool are through to the quarterfinals

of the Europa League, after drawing 1-1 this evening

Philip Coutinho scored the visitors' only goal.

The result means they win the tie on aggregate and go

Tottenham are out after losing to the German side Borussia Dortmund.

The broadcaster Cliff Michelmore whose long and distinguished career

spanned five decades has died at the age of 96.

He joined the BBC after the Second World War

and demonstrated a remarkable range on radio and television

from current affairs to light entertainment.

He was the face of BBC television in the 1960s. Presenter of the first

daily current affairs show. Typical was an interview with the young

David Bowie about cruelty to long-haired men. Who is being cruel?

They are mostly tolerant but we have had comments. Tonight was both

breathless and serious. There was even a daily topical song.

It was part of our lives. His humour, the way he looked at issues,

it was such a different form of broadcasting and now it seems more

commonplace but back then it was not. That was down to his character

and what he did. He was an outstanding broadcaster.

The Welsh mining village devastated by a disaster. I hope I never see

this again. We are expecting 150 results to come in one way or

another. Yourself anchored three general election programmes and

fronted the coverage of the Apollo missions. Including the heart

stopping return of Apollo 13 which was damaged. The last moments of

Apollo 13 as it begins its re-entry. The best thing we can do now is

listen and hope. And I'm off. He was a survivor of a golden age, a man

whose nightly payoff was 90 million of listeners. The next night will be

tomorrow night, good night. The broadcaster Cliff Michelmore viewers

died at the age of 96. Here is James O'Brien. Tonight a

Labour MP calls into enquiry within bullying inner party and we grow the

schools minister on the government 's grand scheme for education is

laid out today. Join me now on BBC Two. 11pm in Scotland.