08/02/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at Ten: The patients struck in hospital for months

The BBC uncovers evidence that 130 people had to stay on wards

for more than three months because there was nowhere

It's probably the most worrying time that I've ever known in 20 years.

Leaked text messages - Labour accuses the Tories of doing

a secret deal with one council to avoid political embarrassment

With an ageing population, we'll be asking what the Government

can do to address the increasingly difficult problem of

MPs vote by a large majority to allow the Government to begin

formal divorce talks with the European Union.

The woman who won a landmark legal battle over her late partner's

pension which could affect millions of unmarried couples.

Convicted of embezzlement, now Russia's main opposition leader

could be barred from running for President against

And, the socialite and TV personality Tara Palmer-Tompkinson

has been found dead at her home, she was 45.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News.

Will The Tinkerman, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, regret ten

changes against Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round replay?

Dozens of hospital patients in England have had to wait for more

than three months before being discharged, often

because there was no suitable home or nursing care for them.

The figures uncovered by the BBC also reveal that one patient

was stuck in hospital for more than a year.

Half of the acute hospitals in England told us about their longest

delays in discharging medically fit patients.

Over the last three years, 130 patients spent 100 days or more

The Mid-Yorkshire Hospital Trust reported the longest delay with one

Today, a report by the Government's spending watchdog has warned that

efforts to ease pressure on the NHS by joining up health and social

care aren't working, though ministers say it's too

Our social affairs correspondent Alison Holt reports

This is the road back to some sort of independence

She's just spent more than a month in hospital after a stomach bug.

I wasn't eating and it took me all my time to drink

The danger was she would be stuck in an expensive hospital bed waiting

for the care she needed to cope at home.

I was isolated in a little room all by myself.

I thought, "I'm never going to come out of here".

But she was moved to this special flat with care on hand.

Without it, she could have been in hospital for another fortnight.

It's one way North Yorkshire County Council and the NHS locally

are working together to ease pressures.

I feel as if they're helping me to get my strength back.

But North Yorkshire is a large rural county with an ageing population.

Despite investing in new services, like many authorities highlighted

in today's National Audit Office report, the council is struggling

And delays in getting people out of hospital have increased.

At Harrogate Hospital, it is social worker Carol Burdon

who has to organise the community support needed.

There is a drive to get them out as soon as possible,

but then you have to do the liaising with families, any community nurses

or anybody that needs to be involved in that discharge.

It can be quite hard to coordinate that care and find the care.

The ambitions of the council plan or all about better outcomes

for all North Yorkshire residents despite reductions in local

It's North Yorkshire councillors and officials who have to find

the money to pay for a lot of that care.

They're raising Council Tax, but this Conservative-run authority

is adamant a long-term solution has to be found.

I am too greatly disappointed that the Government hasn't seen fit

to provide genuinely new money when it is so desperately needed.

Seven years ago, this council spent about a third of its budget

on providing care and support for people who are

But now the cost of adult social care is heading

towards half of its budget, with demand still increasing,

and that is at the heart of the problems they are wrestling

We will continue to plan ahead for the future.

We will continue to prioritise social care.

Social care is a much bigger proportion of our budget.

But it's probably the most worrying time in social care that I have

And at each stage, the care system is showing signs of the pressure.

And of course we have got this evening's handover at 7:15pm.

At this Harrogate home care provider, they are arranging support

But on the wages they are able to pay it can be a struggle to compete

You are driving from place to place, you're in your own vehicle and it's

Now, that might be a nursing home or it might be a supermarket.

Carers are not paid enough, you know, for the service

And people like 62-year-old Jenny Dent rely on those care workers.

She is partially paralysed with other complex conditions.

The four visits she gets each day mean she can remain at home -

vital support which she says needs recognising.

Value your carers, give them more money, give them more respect

and provide more carers and adequate care for people who want

The Government insists people are benefiting from health and care

services working together and that more money is being invested.

But change takes time and for those on the front line

Alison Holt, BBC News, North Yorkshire.

Labour has accused the Government of doing a deal with a Conservative

council to prevent an embarrassing council tax rise

Jeremy Corbyn said that leaked texts from the leader of Surrey Council

showed he would call off a local referendum after an

But tonight the Government says Surrey Council might be able to keep

From Westminster, here's our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg.

The file under her arm, the Prime Minister,

always properly prepared, with her red government folders

Theresa May, on her way to weekly Prime Minister's Questions, into,

this time, a good old-fashioned ambush.

Tory Surrey Council called off a vote on increasing

Can the Prime Minister tell the House whether or not a special

The decision as to whether or not to hold a referendum in Surrey

is entirely a matter for the local authority in Surrey.

He was armed with leaked texts, where the council leader wrote

Is the same sweetheart deal on offer to every council facing

the social care crisis created by her government?

He comes to the dispatch box making all sorts of claims.

Yet again, what we get from Labour are alternative facts.

It absolutely goes against the grain for us to propose

The council leader seems to have thought he was having a conversation

He wrote, "I'm advised that the Department

for Local Government officials and my director of finance have been

Then, "The numbers you indicated are the numbers that I understand

are acceptable for me to accept and call off the R" -

"Really want to kill this off, David Hodge".

But it's believed he sent them by mistake to a Labour leader

A lot more awkward than just text message finger trouble.

The council leader, having his snap taken

with several Cabinet ministers, allowing Labour to claim

central government has done favours for friends.

Surrey's adamant there's been no deal but calling off

the referendum yesterday, the leader hinted

But I am a lot more confident now about the future.

I think the government recognises adult social care is a national

issue and we need to look for some alternative ways of how we fund it.

The texts meant Jeremy Corbyn had Theresa May on the back foot

One senior council leader told me they smacked of the worst kind

But more broadly, it has turned minds again to the pressing question

of how we pay to care for our elderly.

Ministers say privately, they are looking hard for a solution

but in public there's not much evidence yet.

Without an answer, the government faces much more

Very clear this evening just how difficult a problem this is proving

to be for the Government. You are absolutely right. Day by day through

these winter months, whether it is MPs, whether it is members of the

public, whether it is local council leaders, medics, other professionals

or even former ministers, including some Conservatives, calls have been

growing for the Government to find some kind of solution to the

stresses and strains on the social care system. That seems to be in no

question, now there is a real political imperative on ministers to

act. It's emerged tonight for Surrey Council at least, although there's

been firm denial of any sweetheart deal, that ministers have agreed at

least in theory that from 2018 they will be one of councils allowed to

keep all the local business rates, the local tax that they raise. That

might be part of a longer term solution for well-off areas, but

other sources warn for poor areas that could create bigger holes in

the budget and many people argue this solution to this is needed now,

the social care system is in an urgent crisis according to many

people who have been talking about this for months. Behind closed doors

there is ministers say a lot of work going on but successive governments

have been warned time and time again about this impending problem but

with the cash crunch in local authorities and the demographic too

it may be this is the Government finally who really has to confront

this. Thank you. including ten charts

on the pressures facing the NHS and info of the cost of social care

in your area, go to our website - MP's have voted by a large majority

to allow the Government to start The legislation will now be

considered by the House of Lords. More than 50 Labour MPs rebelled

against their leader and voted against, including

Clive Lewis who quit his Here's our chief political

correspondent Vicki Young. The message is loud and clear,

Theresa May wants to get on with Brexit negotiations,

and tonight MPs gave It's an historic vote today and it

got through by a large It's carried out the will

of the British people. That's what parliament

has done today. And it's put through a bill

which is just 137 words long. It's very simple, it just authorises

the Government to do The SNP had fought the bill all the

way. They lost but sound the European Union's anthem in defiance.

Others expressed frustration that they haven't had enough time to

fully debate the Brexit bill. The whole of the curtailing of this

debate leaves parliament unable This bill is being railroaded

through this House with scant regard MPs also wanted a guarantee

in the bill that EU citizens living in Britain could stay,

but ministers said that would have It is therefore not appropriate

to seek to tie the hands of the Government in individual

policy areas at this stage. Doing so can only serve to

jeopardise our negotiating position. While threats of Conservative

rebellions melted away, before the vote it was clear that

Labour MPs like Clive Lewis were struggling to follow orders

from Jeremy Corbyn not to block It's my intention to do what's

right by my constituents and by my conscience and whatever

that takes and also I have to think Tonight he walked out of Labour's

top team saying he couldn't vote for something he believed

would harm his constituents. But Diane Abbott, who was criticised

last week for missing a vote through illness,

did show up tonight. I am a loyal member

of the Shadow Cabinet and a loyal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn

and so I have now voted Theresa May left parliament tonight

reflecting on a job well done. The Labour leader has

to deal with 52 rebels So Labour are divided and Theresa

May has sailed through the process and it's pretty extraordinary to

think the government did not want any of this in the first place. They

fought it but in the end the Supreme Court said Parliament should have a

say but those Tory rebellions did not materialise. Tonight, ministers

have cleared a massive hurdle. The Brexit bill has gone through the

Commons completely unchanged and that is very important. The size of

the majority in the vote is crucial to because it sends a signal to the

Lords who have to deal with this in the next few weeks, not to start

ripping it all apart. One government source tonight said if the Lords

don't want to face of overwhelming public will to be abolished, they

must get on and protect democracy and pass the bill, a very firm

warning to them that they need to fall into line next.

Thank you for joining us. The UN has appealed for more

than ?1 billion to provide life-saving assistance to millions

of people in Yemen who are facing Pro-government forces,

supported by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling the rebel Houthi

movement since 2015 when its forces overthrew the president

and seized the capital, Sanaa. Almost 3.3 million people are now

suffering from acute malnutrition. Aid supplies can't be unloaded

at Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodaie Aid supplies can't be unloaded

at Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeida after it was bombed by warplanes

from the Saudi-led coalition. Our correspondent Nawal al-Maghafi,

one of the few western journalists to have travelled to Yemen in recent

months, has sent this report. Fatima is the face

of hunger in Yemen. In the six months since we met her,

every day has been Her mother says they

are barely surviving. There are over 2 million

children like her. 90% of Yemen's food is imported

and most of it arrives here, But all the cranes needed

to off-load the ships have been The Saudis have imposed

an aerial and naval blockade, controlling all imports

to the country. They say they are stopping

arms from getting to But that means that very little

food is getting through. The World Food Programme has bought

new cranes for Hodeida's port but we have been told the Saudi

coalition has refused to allow them These delays in bringing

foodstuffs onshore, either commercially or humanitarian,

means there's less available and therefore,

the prices will go up. From what I've heard,

the Saudi argument is that firstly, the port is in control

of the Houthis, so they are handing over cranes to a port

that is in control of the rebels. They also say that these cranes

could be used to off-load arms for the rebels and therefore,

fuel the fight. Those cranes are brought

in and funded for WFP, who are the logistics cluster,

to bring those food goods off The port is controlled by the same

people who have always controlled the port,

the same as the sea offshore is controlled

by the Saudi-led coalition. So we just want these cranes

in so we can do our work, to make sure the humanitarian

pipeline is a strong to make sure the humanitarian

pipeline is as strong The fighting for control

of the port has been going on for over six months,

with neither side winning. And it's the most vulnerable

that are left suffering. The Government is ending a scheme

that allows unaccompanied migrant A total of 350 will have been

accepted by the time The scheme began after a campaign

by the Labour peer, Lord Dubs, who came to Britain as a child

refugee fleeing the Nazis. Our home affairs correspondent

June Kelly is here. 350 children will have been accepted

by the time the scheme adds but Lord dubs was hoping for something like

3000 to come. That's right because he was the architect of the scheme

and passionate about the subject. Just to give a bit of background,

last year around 900 unaccompanied children and teenagers were allowed

into the UK because they have relatives here. They came in under

one set of regulations and in addition, the government said it

would take in some other youngsters who did not have family here, as a

response to the migrant crisis and this was the initiative driven by

Lord Dubs and he and his supporters had been hoping the figure would be

around 3000 but today they learned it would be a tenth of that. This

decision has been condemned by politicians, charities

and some church leaders, branded a disgrace. Tonight, the Home Office

said they had to strike a balance between enabling under 18s to come

into the country and ensuring local councils have the capacity to look

after them so they say it is basically a resources issue.

Meanwhile, some charities who had mounted a legal challenge against

the government against the way the scheme was fermented are going to

court on Friday as they continue to challenge it. -- was implemented.

A woman who was denied access to her long-term partner's pension

after he died suddenly has won a legal battle that could affect

Denise Brewster argued at the Supreme Court

that she was the victim of serious discrimination.

Our Ireland correspondent, Chris Buckler reports.

Denise Brewster had lived with her fiance, Lenny,

for ten years and they were making plans for their future.

When I look at this picture, I think that's just how we were.

He was a fun loving guy, he had lots of friends.

But in 2009, just days after they got engaged, he died suddenly.

It was such a difficult time and it will always remain difficult for me.

But I feel Lenny has given me strength at

For 15 years, Lenny worked for Translink, which provides public

transport in Northern Ireland and, during that time, like many workers,

he paid into a local government pension scheme,

which he thought would provide some security for him

But when he died, Denise was informed she wouldn't benefit.

Because Denise wasn't married, she was told that she wasn't

Her partner would have had to have filled out this, a nomination form.

She argued that that was unlawful discrimination and today

the Supreme Court ruled in her favour.

We say that she is entitled to receive a pension

and that the nomination requirement should no longer be applied.

It's a ruling that could benefit the partners of some other public

sector workers like nurses, teachers and civil servants,

although that could depend on the rules of each

There are over six million people across the country

Many of them are in company pension schemes, public

sector pension schemes, and they should be treated equally

So I hope all pension schemes will review their rules

And the woman who fought this case hopes it will provide greater

At least I just had to defend for myself and I had

to take my hardships but when you have other families

that have a young daughter or son who are losing their daddy

or their mummy and then they have the financial

burden on top of that, the inequality and the injustice

And some will see the Supreme Court decision as a judgment

which reflects the modern meaning of family in the UK.

Russia's main opposition leader could be barred from running

for President against Vladimir Putin next year, after he was found guilty

of embezzlement and handed a five-year suspended sentence.

But Alexei Navalny, who denies the charges,

insists the case against him is politically motivated

and has vowed to take part in the race regardless.

The case was heard in the Russian city of Kirov

from where our correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports.

Alexei Navalny breezed into court today, but Vladimir Putin's fiercest

critic knew what happened here could decide

He told me he wasn't expecting anything good.

The judge mumbled through his verdict for some three hours,

Alexei Navalny now has a serious criminal conviction which bars him

from running for president, and he has vowed to challenge that.

TRANSLATION: This is a telegram from the Kremlin saying they see me

and my team as too dangerous to let us run for election.

But according to the constitution, I have every right to run

and I will do that, to represent those who want to see Russia

He first championed the cause five years ago, emerging

as a natural leader, as furious crowds claimed elections

In the crackdown on opposition that followed, Alexei Navalny

Two years ago, another protest leader, Boris Nemtsov,

was shot dead just metres from the Kremlin.

So when Mr Navalny wound up on trial here, 500

miles east of Moscow, he insisted the motive

President Putin's spokesman today called it a normal judicial process.

Across Russia, Vladimir Putin claims enormous support.

If you believe the opinion polls, it is currently

Alexei Navalny can't claim even a fraction of that.

And yet, he is charismatic, he can rally the crowds

and his anti-corruption cause is a popular one, and it seems that

Last weekend, the activist launched his election bid

Volunteers flocked to his first campaign office in St Petersburg.

But another presidential hopeful has told me he believes liberals

like Navalny are no threat in today's Russia at all.

If he participates, this company, next year, much,

he can receive about five, 6%, that's all.

The activist wants to test that at next year's election,

but the verdict here today suggests the Kremlin isn't ready

An inquest into the deaths of 30 Britons in the terror attack

in Tunisia has heard that lives could have been saved if police

and security teams had not deliberately and unjustifiably

delayed their response because of panic, fear

In total, 38 people died when a lone gunman opened fire

2017 is a big year for elections in Europe, with votes coming up

in key EU countries - Germany, the Netherlands and France.

The French presidential election in the spring is already shaping up

to be an unpredictable race, with the Eurosceptic nationalist

Marine Le Pen as one of the front-runners.

Our Europe editor Katya Adler reports on how the rise of populist

candidates across Europe is threatening the very

Her report contains some flash photography.

All over Europe, populist politicians are mesmerising voters.

This isn't Brexit contagion or Europe swinging to the far right.

Like Italy's Beppe Grillo, populist promises, spoken

They fight for people, they say, not big business.

Old and young from all sorts of backgrounds,

TRANSLATION: Populism is a beautiful word.

There is a part of society in Italy and the world which has nothing.

We will certainly win the next election.

Europe's populists are getting louder.

The migrant and the Euro crises, popular discontent has blown wind

Their policies differ from country to country

but an antiestablishment, anti-immigration, Eurosceptic,

nostalgic, nationalist vein runs through most.

There are big elections this year in key EU countries.

In Germany, the Netherlands and especially here in France,

populists stand to make dramatic gains.

Marine Le Pen is a top contender to become France's next president.

TRANSLATION: This is the year of the patriot, the great comeback

Look at Trump. Look at Brexit.

Either it radically changes, abandons its authoritarian

For some in Europe, populists embody change and hope.

Here in Brussels, even insiders admit the EU

The blame game, that everything which is good is national

and everything which is bad is European, if that

would continue as today, the risk that we fall apart

This story is of global significance, too.

For the main, Europe's populists are big fans

And a weaker, fractured Europe works for both men,

for Moscow in terms of geopolitical influence, and for Washington

With so much at stake, it could be that even Europe's angry

voters decide it is safer to stick with the political mainstream.

Here in Italy, as elsewhere, polls are unreliable,

Europe's voters are in a volatile mood.

You can see Katya Adler's documentary, After Brexit:

the Battle for Europe, tomorrow at 9pm on BBC Two.

The scriptwriter, Alan Simpson, who's been described as half of one

of the greatest comedy writing duos of all time, has died

How much do you want then? A pint of course. A pint? Have you gone raving

mad question might Alan Simpson and his writing

partner, Ray Galton, co-created two of Britain's most

popular sitcoms - Steptoe and Son Galton and Simpson worked together

for more than two decades. Today, Ray Galton said there were no

words to express his sadness Tara Palmer-Tomkinson,

the socialite, TV personality and close friend of the Royal

family, has been found dead Police, who were called to her home

in Chelsea at lunchtime, say her death is not

being treated as suspicious. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess

of Cornwall say they are deeply saddened, as our correspondent

David Sillito reports. At her partying peak,

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson said you should always keep your passport

close because you never knew It was Tatler that had

spotted her on the party scene Suddenly, life was all

about flying in private planes She was famous for being famous,

famous for being well-connected. She was a big, outrageous

personality, who lived This was Tara aged 16,

the slightly naughty youngest child A friend of royalty,

she was fun, the poster girl of what was to become known

as celebrity culture. And all this unexpected

attention, this It girlness, Suddenly, everyone was like, "Oh,

this girl is the girl of our time, Then after a year of all the fun

parties and the fun clothes, you suddenly realise that you've

done absolutely nothing and you feel When ITV packed some

celebrities off to the jungle, I had an overdose and I did

need serious, you know, to get me back, to get my heart

going again and stuff. She was a complex and very

interesting character. Charming, vulnerable,

talented and actually, unhappy. A guest at a Royal wedding

who would speak in schools, warning tomorrow's Taras

to avoid her mistakes. A year ago, a brain

tumour was discovered. This afternoon, she was

found dead at her home. Prince Charles said

he was deeply saddened. Tara Palmer-Tomkinson -

funny, well-connected, money, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson,

who has died at the age of 45. Here on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.