23/06/2013 BBC Weekend News

was ordered to spy on the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Months after their son was killed, the officer says he was asked to

trawl for evidence to discredit the Lawrence family. Along the lines of

the family are political activist 's, somebody in the family was

involved in demonstrations, drug dealers, anything. Nelson Mandela,

the former South African president, is in a critical condition in

hospital tonight. The US intelligence agent Edward

Snowden fly to Moscow to escape US extradition. Tonight he is seeking

asylum in Ecuador. And India has beaten England by five

runs to win the Champions Trophy at police officer has said he spent

four years spying on the family of the murdered teenager Stephen

Lawrence. An investigation by the Guardian and Channel 4's Dispatchers

suggest that the Metropolitan Police was attempting to discredit the

family in the years following his death. The officer Peter Francis

says that his activities should have been disclosed to William

MacPherson, who conducted the inquiry into the teenager's murder.

1993. Stephen Lawrence had been dead for just a few months. In the face

of a botched police investigation, his family were campaigning to find

his killers. Around them, protest groups were rallying to their cause.

In the mid-Stothert all, a former police officer now claims he

covertly infiltrated the wider antiracism campaign centred on the

family. He is Peter Francis. His cover name was Peter Black. He says

his rematch was to look for dirt. They wanted any intelligence that

could have smeared the campaign, yes. There is this general remit.

Had I come through my circles, come up with something along the lines of

the family being political activists, someone in the family was

involved in demonstrations, drug dealers, anything. What they would

have done with the intelligence, I can't say. But that is the re-met.

Not just for them, that is always our remit. He said he was undercover

because the police were worried the reaction to Stephen's death could

result in something like this, the 1992 LA riots, following the beating

of Rodney King. The undercover officer claims to have tipped off

his handlers that Dwayne Brooks, the friend in whose arms Stephen died,

was involved in violence during this protest against the British National

Party. The charges were later dropped. He also informed on those

visiting the Lawrence family. Overall, the operation was a

failure. I was not successful in finding a thing really concrete. It

was just a bit of hearsay, tittle tattle. Stephen's family have lived

through a public inquiry, two Old Bailey trials and claims of police

corruption. This was his mother's reaction to the latest revelations.

Quite shocked that back in that time, during our time of grieving

for our son, that there was somebody sitting somewhere, calculating,

infiltrating into our family. Out of all the things I found out over the

years, this has certainly topped it. The public inquiry, chaired by Sir

William MacPherson, through a spotlight on the gang at the centre

of the police inquiry, but not the role of covert police officers.

Peter Francis now says the controversial special demonstration

squad, for which he worked, should have come clean them.

Tom Symons is with me now. What are The Met police saying about this?

They have released a statement, and they have refused to confirm or deny

whether the claims are true. They say two interesting things.

Firstly, they share the concern of the Lawrence family. Secondly, this

quote. At some point, it will fall upon this generation of police

leaders to account for the activities of our predecessors. They

are not taking a straight line. They say there could be some concerns, I

think you can read into those statements. There is no doubt that

Peter Francis's work is well regarded by The Met police. I have

seen a commendation that said he had outstanding initiative and

investigative skills. It is clear they were very pleased with what he

was doing. This is the latest in a line of allegations about undercover

police officers, that they had relationships with targets, that

they were using the names of dead children. On Friday, a Guardian

investigation at one of them had co-written the McLibel leaflets, the

ones that led to that trial of McDonald's against

environmentalist. There is an investigation into the actions of

these covert police officers under way.

Within the last hour, the South African government has had the

condition of the former president else in Mandela has become critical.

The 94-year-old former leader has been in hospital in Pretoria for

more than two weeks, where he is being treated for a recurrent lung

infection. Andrew Harding is in Johannesburg. Presumably they do not

use a word like critical likely? the last fortnight they have been

describing his condition as serious. President Zuma went to see Nelson

Mandela. In a brief statement, he said that his condition had

deteriorated in the past 24 hours. That he was now in a critical

condition. No other information. But it is worth remembering that this is

a country and presidency that has been keen to put a positive spin, if

you like, Nelson Mandela's state of health. Earlier this week, they were

talking about how his condition was improving. The fact they are using a

word like critical is going to send real alarm around the country.

your sense that the public are satisfied by the way the authorities

are providing information about his condition? It is a tricky one. I

think there is a thirst for more. There is also an understanding that

the family and presidency are keen to protect Nelson Mandela's privacy

and his dignity. We had a leak yesterday, reported by an American

network and picked up widely here, confirming that Nelson Mandela had a

breakdown in his ambulance, it had broken down en route to hospital two

weeks ago. He had to change ambulances. Information like that,

people do want to know. Generally, I think they are prepared to accept

and wait for the official line. The former US intelligence analyst

Edward Snowden, who is facing spying charges for revealing details of a

secret surveillance programme, is spending the night at an airport in

Moscow after flying there from Hong Kong. He is said to be planning to

travel to Ecuador tomorrow to seek asylum. The US says he should not be

allowed to travel further overseas. The plane believed to be carrying

Edward Snowden, touching down in Moscow. He is on the run. But where

will he end up, and will the US be able to reach him? The media were

camped inside the arrivals hall. But there was no sign of the 30-year-old

American, with reports he had been whisked away in an embassy car. Only

yesterday the US seemed confident they would be able to extradite him

from Hong Kong, on charges of espionage. Today, the Hong Kong

authorities claimed that the paperwork had not been in order,

meaning he was free to travel. His boss today made clear why the US

wants him so much. What he has revealed has caused irreversible and

significant damage to our country and to our allies. So, what is

Edward Snowden accused of doing? From Hong Kong he leaked documents

revealing that American intelligence was collecting data about US phone

calls, that Britain's GCHQ was tapping cables carrying global

communications and that the US had been hacking into Chinese computers.

If he believes he did something good, he should get on the plane,

come back and face the consequences of his actions. Edward Snowden's

journey began when he was working at a US intelligence contractor in

Hawaii, before he fled to Hong Kong, part of China. Tonight, he is still

in Moscow. But he is not thought to have permission to stay. The

expectation is that tomorrow he will get on a plane to Latin America. The

exact route he will take is unclear. The WikiLeaks organisation, founded

by Julian Assange, which also made its name revealing American secrets,

says it has been helping Edward Snowden plan his next move. Julian

Assange has been camped here, at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, for

more than a year, trying to avoid being put on trial. The news that

his WikiLeaks organisation is now helping Edward Snowden raises the

possibility that Ecuador could be a final destination for the fugitive

American. Tonight, Ecuador confirmed he had applied for asylum. But the

US government made clear that wherever he goes it will continue to

pursue him. In a moment we will speak to our

correspondent Paul Adams, in Washington. First, Daniel Sandford

is at Washington airport. Where is Edward Snowden now? We believe he is

in a transit hotel, at the back of the terminal, here at Sheremetyevo

Airport. That is where he will spend the night. That is where we first

got the clue that Ecuador might be his final destination. About 30

metres to my left, the Ecuadorian ambassador to Moscow turned up in a

car with the Ecuadorian flag flying. Asked by reporters what he was here

to do, you said he was here to seek Edward Snowden. It was not one after

that that we heard that Edward Snowden have sought asylum in

Ecuador. We think that Edward Snowden have a reservation on a

flight out of here to Cuba, in the early afternoon. The itinerary then

goes on from Havana, in Cuba, to Caracas in Venezuela. This engine

is, although we do not see the itinerary beyond Venezuela, the

assumption is that he will fly from Venezuela to Ecuador. Those plans

could change. That looks like it is his way out of here. These are

stepping stones across the globe. Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, all

countries where he can be fairly sure he is not going to be arrested.

Countries that have helped him to escape the net that was closing

around him in Hong Kong. All, we have heard how many countries are

involved. What, if anything, can the authorities do? It's a difficult

situation for the United States. The Justice Department says it is going

to pursue all law enforcement cooperation with any country where

he might show up. They say they want to talk to the authorities in Hong

Kong. They believe their extradition request was a sound one. It seems

like the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities may not have wanted to

play ball, possibly because of those allegations of hacking against

Chinese Telecom and occasions networks. Part of the whole

diplomatic wreckage left by this affair. Politicians of both major

parties are outraged. They smell a rat in the involvement of both

Beijing and Moscow. They do not think that Russia or China are

innocent bystanders. As for the options for the United States, if Mr

Snowden arrives in Ecuador, that is not a country friendly to the United

States, not one that will give Edward Snowden up willingly. That

will not stop the United States trying. They believe that Edward

Snowden and the secrets he still carries represent a security threat

to this country. Negotiations over the next round of

spending cuts are finally under... Over. The BBC has learned that the

last minister to settle was the Business Secretary Vince Cable. What

do you understand has been agreed? The wrangling over where the axe

should fall has been going on for weeks. It was Vince Cable that was

last to reach an agreement. His argument was that he was the

Minister for growth, responsible for science, universities and skills. He

held out until the last minute. He has been rewarded with a cut a

little bit less than some government departments, I am told it is just

under 8%. Others have had to do with 10%. In case those are numbers that

are battling, that will mean that between the last election and the

next one, many government departments will cut by around a

third. We learned another thing today, whoever is our next

Chancellor, George Osborne or Ed Balls, they are coming for pensioner

benefits. Not current pensioners, but the likes of you and me. We will

end up having to work for longer and we are likely to get less in the way

of benefits because both Ed Balls and George Osborne have said they

are not sure they can afford it. Islamic militants wearing police

uniforms have shot dead at least nine foreign tourists is in a remote

mountainous area of north Pakistan. The victims, who were climbers,

included American and Chinese nationals. The Pakistan Taliban and

a Sunni militant group say they carried out the attack.

Cricket, and India have beaten England to win the Champions Trophy

by five runs. Rain reduced the match to just 20 overs per side. There was

no shortage of excitement as the game came down to the very last

ball. The spirit of India is portable.

Plenty on display in Birmingham. If only the Indian weather was as easy

to transport. There was a newsflash at 10am. England won the toss and

will be bowling. Queue hours of frustration and precipitation. You

would be forgiven for giving up. Finally, between the showers, there

were a brace of cricket. A six was squeezed in while the covers were.

With the match slashed to 20 overs a side, India tried to hurry. Ravi

Bopara took six in and over. Now England were desperate for the

clouds to stay away. Virat Kohli landed some big lows to help India

recover. 129 was the total. It could have been better for England, it

could have been worse. In response, England slumped to 46-4. Ian Bell's

dismissal was odd. But in the air or out of the crease? The TV umpire saw

enough to decide he was stumped. They needed Ravi Bopara. When he was

hitting sixes, they were right on track. Then they lost: Margo, Morgan

and Bo Bharata. It left Tredwell facing the last ball. It must have

felt like a home match. A bit like the one they won in different

preparations for Wimbledon ahead of his match against Benjamin Becker

and tomorrow. The Briton has been trying to play down his chances, but

that hasn't stopped hundreds of people queueing for tickets to see

him in action. So, we'll practice finally make

perfect? Andy Murray, training at Wimbledon and bracing himself for

that perennial question. Could this be his year? 12 months ago, it all

ended in tears. I am going to try this, and it's not going to be

easy... His defeat in the final two Roger Federer left a nation reaching

for its hankies. The heartache has been replaced with a more

philosophical approach. I cannot guarantee I will win Wimbledon. I am

doing everything I can to give myself the best possible chance. I

will work as hard as I can. As long as they give 110% on the court, that

is the best I can do. When I have started to accept those types of

things, I have started to play better tennis. He will play his

first match on Centre Court tomorrow against Benjamin Becker, the world

number 25. He might be doing his best to play down the pressure, but

he knows that hopes and expectations have never been higher. Already, the

nearby park resembles a campsite, with hundreds of fans queueing for

tickets. After his success at the Olympics and the US open, British

belief is in bountiful supply. think he has a very good chance of

winning this year. I know everybody is likely to say that, but this

year, he probably has. The monkey is off his back with the Olympic thing.

He plays beautifully on grass. He loves it, having won the Olympics.

This year he looks phenomenal. summer, that year is ultimately

turned to triumph on Centre Court. If Andy Murray can repeat the

Olympic form, even greater glory Andy Murray, after the news.

The main news tonight: A former undercover police officer says he

has spent years spying on the family of the murdered teenager Stephen