03/03/2017 Victoria Derbyshire

Hello, it's Friday, it's 9 o'clock, I'm Joanna Gosling,

Our top story today - toddler Poppi Worthington

was let down by detectives investigating her death according

The investigator found evidence that there had been

an unstructured investigation, essentially it was not

Also today, we'll hear from a man who spent 24 years in one

of Louisiana's most dangerous prisons after being wrongly

convicted of killing a British tourist.

The system didn't destroy me, didn't destroyed my kids.

Because it's totally wrong, it's an injustice.

Wheel of the full interview. -- we will have.

Buying medicines online is a risky business according

We'll hear how drugs are sometimes being sold without enough checks.

Welcome to the programme, we're live until 11am this morning.

The number of people on controversial zero hours

contracts has reached a record high of 910,000.

We would love to hear from you if you are on one or if -- or if you

are an employer that uses them. Perhaps you would rather have a

permanent job, perhaps the flexibility suits you. You can get

in touch with us. Text will be charged at the standard network

rate. The police watchdog has

published a critical report into how the Cumbria force

handled the death of 13-month-old She was found seriously

injured at her home. The Independent Police Complaints

Commission says officers failed to adequately investigate

whether she had been abused. Its commissioner, Carl

Gumsley, has described it The investigator found

evidence that there had been an unstructured investigation,

that essentially was We found concerns in relation

to the way that the scene where Poppi had been was managed,

concerns in relation to exhibits, and whether exhibits,

or potential exhibits, had been Concerns as to how the entire

investigation had been operated, and whether it had been placed

on to a case management system, Concerns that it was run

effectively through e-mail. Concerns that no investigative

action seems to have been taken in relation to allegations that

Poppi may have been abused, outside whether that actually caused

or may have caused her death. Cumbria Police says it

accepts the report's I'm very clear that the additional

investigation into Poppi Worthington's death fell well short

of what Poppi's family could have expected and, indeed,

should have expected. I would like to give a heartfelt

apology to Poppi's family for the inadequacies

in Cumbria Constabulary's Our correspondent

Sangita Myska is here. We have heard some of the headline

conclusions, fill in a bit more detail about the report. It took the

IPCC two years to investigate and reach these conclusions and as a

reaching. We have heard some of the reaching. We have heard some of the

outlined in that clip but others include crucially, to properly

protect copy's home as a crime scene and as a result it meant the nappy

she was wearing on the day she died went missing

Home. This could be a crucial piece of evidence and it was a huge loss

to the investigation and it could not be found. They went on to say

that during the process of the investigation decisions about which

police officers made decisions and why they were made and what the

police policy was in the investigations were not noted down

and as a result, Junior officers, and there were a number of them, but

they were left out of the loop of the investigation. There were other

criticisms during this report's conclusions and they were that abuse

claims early on were not properly investigated and finally,

importantly, that incorrect information was sent to the coroner.

The figure has been pointed at the dad by the coroner but what has been

done to investigate those claims? This has become a competitive

situation. According to the report, there was enough information around

to arrest Poppy's father ready much on the day that the police were

called in. A family court did was ask in 2014, two years after her

death, to go on a fact-finding mission and they concluded that Mr

Worthington probably sexually Worthington probably sexually

assaulted her before her death. I ought to say that he was arrested

eight months after Poppi died but was released without charge and

throughout Mr Worthington has vigorously denied any claims of

wrongdoing against him. Thank you. Let's catch up with the latest news.

Rebecca Jones is in the BBC Newsroom with a summary

Theresa May will make it clear that keeping Scotland in the UK

is a "personal priority" when she addresses the Scottish

Conservative Party conference in Glasgow this morning.

She has met Nicola Sturgeon several times since the Brexit boat. Mr Jin

maintains she has a cast mandate to maintains she has a cast mandate to

hold a second ballot -- Mrs Sturgeon maintains. But Mrs May has told the

BBC that Scottish voters do not want another independence vote.

I think, in 2014, the people of Scotland voted to stay

It was described by the SNP as a "once in a generation" vote

I don't think people want a referendum today.

To me, politics is about people's lives.

It's about delivering for people on the issues that

really matter to them, on a day-to-day basis,

and I can't help but feel that the SNP has tunnel

Actually, I think what people want is for the SNP government to get

on with dealing with the issues they want to see addressed,

Our Scotland Correspondent, Lorna Gordon, is in Glasgow.

How important is Mrs May's speech going to be? It is a very important

speech to her supporters here in Glasgow later. There has been

ramping up of the rhetoric surrounding independence over the

last few weeks and in particular I think over the last few days.

Interesting in that interview yesterday that she would not make

clear if she would give permission for a second independence referendum

to be called but she did say that the question was not whether there

could be a second referendum or whether -- but whether there should

be one of the cheating a twin track approach, addressing on the one hand

as she sees it at this issue of independence and also what she sees

as the problem in the way the SNP is governing here in Scotland. You

heard her comments and I think they will be repeated later, a strong

attack on the SNP's record in government on areas like health and

education, and she will argue they should focus on their day job,

saying they have a tunnel vision on the issue of independence. Of course

all this has come about as a result of the Brexit boat and Nicola

Sturgeon's government in Edinburgh says they are willing to seek

compromise and consensus at every turn -- Brexit vote. But they are

being met by a brick wall of Tory intransigence and if there is to be

another referendum, the the fault lies with the Conservative

government in London that is taking Scotland out of the EU against it

will all stop Nicola Sturgeon has said she believes another referendum

on independence is highly likely, indeed all but inevitable and

increasingly the question here and the speculation here seems to be

turning not to the question of whether there will be a second

referendum but when Nicola Sturgeon might call for it and the

speculation that it might happen within the next few weeks. Thank

you. The US Attorney General is removing

himself from an FBI investigation into claims Russia meddled

in November's presidential election. Jeff Sessions has been under

pressure to stand aside after it emerged he met the Russian

ambassador during the President Trump insisted that

Mr Sessions is an honest man but said he could have been more

accurate when questioned about his Websites that sell prescription

medicines can seem a tempting alternative to visiting a GP,

especially if you're having problems getting a suitable

doctor's appointment. But there's a warning

these online services That's according to the health

regulator in England, More than 40 companies offer online

prescriptions in England, but today the CQC says they could be

putting patients at risk. It suspended the registration

of this online company back in December, partially as a result

of a BBC investigation which looked The company said it has made many

changes to its processes and systems, that will eventually

satisfy the regulators. But the CQC is worried more widely

about the safety of online services. They say there is a risk

of people being prescribed unsuitable medication,

the treatment causing complications to existing health conditions,

and a lack of monitoring We have now looked at 11 providers,

two of which have been published today, and we are quite shocked

about what we've found. And indeed, in those other

providers, we've also found some really serious problems,

and those reports will be published For the first time, the CQC has

published a clear set They must verify patients

match their photo ID, They must get a comprehensive

medical history, and seek permission There will be a thorough

inspection of all companies by the end of the year,

but in the meantime, the official advice is to be very

careful before you buy The number of people on

controversial zero hours contracts have reached a record high and is

close to hitting 1 million. New figures based on analysis of Office

for National Statistics data revealed that 110,000 more people

were on contracts that do not guaranteed work in 2016 compared to

the same period in 2015. Sir Bruce Forsyth has spent

five nights in intensive care after developing

a severe chest infection. The veteran entertainer, who's 89,

was taken to hospital Sir Bruce underwent surgery in 2015

after he suffered two aneurysms, which were discovered when tests

were carried out following a fall A union has warned a potential

disaster was narrowly avoided when "at least" one commuter train

came within seconds of smashing into tonnes of rubble blocking

tracks near a major station. Debris was left strewn across four

lines outside Liverpool's main Lime Street station when a wall

collapsed in deep cuttings Hundreds of passengers were trapped

on trains stuck in tunnels outside the hub which handles more

than 15 million passenger The two accountants responsible

for the wrong film being announced as winner of Best Picture

at the Oscars have been given bodyguards, following reports

that they have received death They have been told they will not be

employed to do the Oscars job again, after they muddled up the envelopes

naming the winners. That's a summary of the latest BBC

News - more at 9.30am. Thank you, we want to hear from you

if you are on a zero hours contract or if you are a company that uses

them for people that work for you. They'd have said, I have been on

zero hours contracts for five years, working for a private amulets serve

as it was a choice I make at the decks ability suits my lifestyle. I

understand is might not suit everybody. Matt says, this is a

country fixated on cheap labour and business getting the maximum out of

workers for the bare minimum. Thank you for those, keep them coming in.

Let's get some sport and Hugh Woozencroft is at the BBC

You got the blue shirt memo as well! Let's talk about football because

there were ruled changes announced in golf this week and are looking

also football. Good morning. It is that when when it comes to respect,

football has an image problem, especially competitive likes of

cricket and rugby. The perception is that in those sports, players are

more measured and speak to referees and officials with a certain level

of decorum but in football it is deemed to be different with players

more than happy to hurl abuse at officials. The worry is that the

behaviour spills over to fans, Sunday league players and even kids

football and for a long time change was needed needed with rules brought

in at the start of this season that urged referees to punish intolerable

behaviour by players more strongly. The International Football

Association board are looking to change the dynamic by enhancing the

role of captain the team can play. The measures may stop players

crowding around referees with only the skipper having the authority to

talk to officials of the major incidents on the pitch. The former

Premier League referee David Ellery is their technical director. We see

in other sports sometimes the captain has a greater

responsibility, if you look at cricket, the captain of the England

team is almost more important during the match than the coach. We would

not want to move in that direction but suddenly we believe the captain

could play a much stronger role and we would move in this direction, not

least by players and coaches who say to use captain is more and we are

responding to that. We take the view that what does football want and we

have to respond to that and football wants better behaviour and better

image of the The annual meeting will propose a

series of changes including sin-bins. So there could be some

interesting and much-needed changes on the way for football. On to

tennis, a win for Andy Murray in Dubai but he didn't do it the easy

way. We know he is a very hard worker but you can't say he likes to

make things easy for himself. The longest tie-break since 1991. It

took an incredible 31 minutes, the tie-break alone, and as Murray had

lost the first set he managed to save seven, yes seven match points

to snatch victory from Kohlschreiber. Murray then powered

to victory, needing just 30 minutes. He said will will never play a

tie-break like that again. He move ops to face the Frenchman. But

Djokovic was beaten by Nick Turkish yobs at the Mexican open. 25 aces

for the 21-year-old in that one, it could be a turning point for him. A

talented youngster, if frustrated in most of his games. After the

football reforms, we will discuss a proposed ref re-strike, including a

referee from my league. We will see about that. Thank you very much. We

will talk to a couple of refs, the 18-year-old who has called the

strike and another who was abused on the pitch.

Robert Jones was only 19 years old when he was arrested

for the notorious killing of a British tourist,

Julie Stott, as well as three robberies and a brutal rape.

He had no previous convictions, and by the time of his trial,

another man had already been convicted of Julie's murder.

But still Robert was to spend the next 24 years of his life locked

up in some of Louisiana's most dangerous prisons for crimes

After a long campaign for justice, he was released in 2015

but he was still on parole and facing a retrial.

Now, finally all charges against him have been dropped

Yesterday I spoke to Robert and his lawyers Richard Davis and Emily Maw.

Thank you all very much for joining us.

I know, Robert, you've got your lawyer Richard alongside you.

We'll speak to Richard and also emboli in a little while to hear

We'll speak to Richard and also Emily in a little while to hear

exactly what they are covered in terms of the legal process.

But for you, Robert, what did you think when you were first

arrested, and you knew that you had absolutely nothing

Well, initially I thought it was a prank, some type of joke,

I didn't do anything, so, I mean, it had to be some type of prank.

And when you ask the people that were there, in my house,

in my residence, where I was arrested from, I mean,

Were there many people around you who believed in you,

Being charged with those horrific crimes, that

wasn't my character as a person, but, individually, you know,

my family, as well as my friends, they knew I was innocent.

When you went to jail, what state of mind were you in?

There's no way in the world I can stay in prison

Fighting it to that extent, you know, it never came

to the equation, because I still, you know, had a sense of hope,

thinking that, you know, these charges would be

When you went to jail, you could barely read,

during your time in jail you passed your high school diploma

and you studied law so that you could become your own advocate.

When you had that focus and that reason to study,

you then find yourself a natural student?

Yes, I mean, I had no luxury to quit.

I was sentenced to life in prison, and life in Louisiana is, like,

life without parole or suspended sentence, you know,

I mean, I had to, you know, I was compelled, because

I stayed on the fact that I knew the truth, I was innocent,

and justice will prevail, I did not have a lot of choice.

You armed yourself with the knowledge of the legal system.

But in terms of actually producing evidence and knowing how

to go about doing that, how did you start to do that,

what was the starting point for you in terms

As a prisoner then, not a prisoner now, as a prisoner then...

There is very limited resources in the system.

You take a lot of resources into proceedings...

I mean, there were legal proceedings,

So, I mean, I did my very best in my position.

I mean, I wrote to district attorneys.

I researched as much as I could research.

I did the best I could do with the tools I had at that time.

When you said just then, I'm not a prisoner now,

and you smiled, and you looked utterly joyful, and it made me

smile, I'm sure it makes everybody around you smile when we see the joy

Let's bring in your lawyers, because these were the two

people you got in touch with at the Innocence

And what they went on to discover was mind blowing in terms

of the miscarriage of justice you had been a victim of.

And the fact you had been framed for crimes

Richard, when you first became aware of Robert's story, how quickly did

You didn't have to delve very deep into the case to see that someone

else owned the car used in the crime, someone else was found

with the victim's jewellery, and no evidence was presented

at Robert's trial, but showed these two men knew each other.

If Robert was guilty, how do you explain that this other

person owned the car used in the crime, and how do you explain

that this other person was found with the jewellery stolen

While the prosecutor argued the two men were connected,

there was actually no evidence of this, so, that, to ask,

there was actually no evidence of this, so, that, to us,

was quickly a very big red flag that we have an innocent man here.

And Emily, that is an extraordinary thing, isn't it, that even before

Robert actually went to trial, another man, Lester Jones,

had been convicted and was already in jail for these crimes,

but unpicking what had happened and the cover-up took some time.

Tell us what you found about how the cover-up had happened,

Robert's case presents every single thing that can go wrong

in a criminal case in an overcrowded courthouse, in a place that looks up

in a criminal case in an overcrowded courthouse, in a place that locks up

more young black men than any other place per capita in the world.

The judge, the court system failed Robert,

the district attorney's office failed Robert, and his

And whether some of those failings were deliberate, sorry,

whether they were a product of an overburdened system,

or whether when you get down to it there is certainly some deliberate

misconduct on part of the state, knowing that they had prosecuted

another man for this, and charging Robert with it anyway.

Those are the kinds of questions that are going to be answered over

the next couple of years in professional liability issues

with some of the lawyers who were involved.

Because it did emerge that actually one of the prosecutors knew

at a very early stage that Lester Jones, the man

who was convicted, and who had initially said that he knew Robert,

but then later retracted that, said he had it beaten out of him.

It emerged one of the prosecutors knew at a very early stage that that

One of the most amazing things about Robert's case is that he tried

to get back into court when he realised that the person

who he didn't know, who he was accused of committing

a bunch of crimes with, when he realised that this man,

Lester Jones, had told police and prosecutors I don't know

who Robert is, I've never met him, was told to say it but I wasn't

going to come to court to say that because it wasn't true.

Robert tried to present that to the courts.

And for 12 years prosecutors argued that there is no such evidence

that any conversation like that took place.

The prosecutors didn't know anything about Lester Jones.

Ultimately said they didn't about Robert Jones.

And all the while in their files they have a memo corroborating

And they fought and fought and fought to keep Robert Jones

They fought successfully to keep Robert Jones convicted on the basis

he was making up some statement from Lester Jones,

although in their file they had evidence of that statement.

Because if Lester Jones didn't know Robert Jones,

there was absolutely no way Robert could have committed those crimes.

Robert, you came out of prison at the age of 44.

You will, of course, be a very different man

During the years that you were in jail you had three

children who grew up without you being able

You can never get back the experiences that you would have

But, I mean, it's wrong, it's heartbreaking.

I mean, there's nothing you can basically do about that.

But the thing is, you know, I prepared myself

Not trying to make the years up, but just continue on with the years

we do have left, and just build on that, continue on,

Opposed to having all of this resentment and being angry,

and, you know, no, so, I mean I can have a beautiful

relationship with my children and my grandkids now.

I mean, in spite of the injustice that was done to me and what was set

out to be done to me in a sense of destroying me and making me

some kind of monster and destroyed my kids' lives,

I've got beautiful kids, I've got beautiful grandkids.

Statistically wise, like I always say, you know,

the system kind of set it up in a sense, saying that once

a parent, especially a black male father,

So, I mean, I'm OK with that, you know, and that's one thing that

I used to communicate with my kids about it.

The fact that, you know I want them to move forward, and try to do

Because I'm free now, I'm not a monster, I'm

a better person in the sense of understanding, you know,

what's going on in my society, opposed to when I came

I was a young, confused boy, didn't understand

The system didn't destroy me, it didn't destroy my kids,

we're moving on, and that don't make it right, because what happened

Would it make a difference if anybody did, would

It would be respectful in one sense, however, I mean,

it doesn't, it doesn't remove the stain, you know?

It would be respectful, to a degree, like I said,

because that's human dignity, but, obviously we are not dealing

Robert and his lawyers Richard Davis and Emily Maw

If you want to watch our discussion again it's on our programme page -

"Not fit for purpose" - the highly critical report

by the police watchdog into how the Cumbria force handled

the death of 13-month-old Poppi Worthington five years ago.

And as counting gets underway in Northern Ireland's Assembly

election vote, we'll hear from young voters born after the peace deal

Here's Rebecca in the BBC Newsroom with a summary of todays news.

Police who investigated the sudden death of a baby in Cumbria

have been criticised as "unstructured and disorganised."

13-month-old Poppi Worthington collapsed

at her home in Barrow-in-Furness in December 2012 -

but the Independent Police Complaints Commission found

that the investigation into her death was "not fit for purpose".

We will have more reaction to that story in a few minutes.

Theresa May will make it clear that keeping Scotland in the UK

is a "personal priority" when she addresses the Scottish

Conservative party conference in Glasgow this morning.

Mrs May has met Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Mrs Sturgeon maintains that she has a "cast iron mandate" to hold

a second ballot - after Scotland overwhelmingly voted

The US Attorney General is removing himself from an FBI investigation

into claims Russia meddled in November's presidential election.

Jeff Sessions has been under pressure to stand aside after it

emerged he met the Russian ambassador during the

President Trump insisted that Mr Sessions is an honest man

but said he could have been more accurate when questioned about his

Websites that sell prescription medicines can seem a tempting

alternative to visiting a GP, especially if you're having

problems getting a suitable doctor's appointment.

But there's a warning these online services

That's according to the health regulator in England,

Sir Bruce Forsyth has spent five nights in intensive

care after developing a severe chest infection.

The veteran entertainer, who's 89, was taken to hospital

Sir Bruce underwent surgery in 2015 after he suffered two aneurysms,

which were discovered when tests were carried out following a fall

That's a summary of the latest BBC News.

Here's Hugh now with the sports headlines.

Good morning, that could be big changes on the way for football come

especially around discipline. Ifab, the International Football

Association board, could enhance the role of the captain to stop players

from surrounding referees. At the start of this is an new rules were

brought in designed to punish players who abused officials more

harshly. Today Aston Villa's Leandro Bacuna has been given a six match

ban for another edition with an assistant referee last weekend. Andy

Murray saved seven match point in 831 minute second set tie-break

before beating Philipp Kohlschreiber. -- a 31 minute second

set tie-break. And Castleford kept up their 100% start to the season,

brushing aside leads. Back with more just after ten o'clock. Thank you.

The sad face of Poppi Worthington, a 13-month-girl who died

from serious injuries in hospital in December 2012 with a family court

judge finding she had probably been sexually assaulted by her father

He's consistently denied any wrongdoing and has

Now a report by the police watchdog has said

senior detectives in Cumbria investigating the death

of the toddler were "unstructured and disorganised"

The Independent Police Complaints Commission also said

police did not adequately investigate whether

Poppi had been abused, despite concerns raised

It also said witness accounts were not taken until after Poppi's

parents were arrested more than eight months after her death

and the incident wasn't recorded as a crime until then.

A second inquest into the death of Poppi Worthington

The local MP for Barrow is John Woodcock.

He said he is appalled by the report's findings.

And apologies for the poor camera quality.

We've known that the failings were terrible for some time

but seeing them set out in black and white is truly, truly shocking.

I mean, we get confirmation in this report, not only

was there a pathologist's report which suggested that Poppi had been

Not only should proper procedure, basic procedure should have been

followed, but there was also intelligence pertinent

to the father, a man who the family court judgment said it was probable

that he had actually sexually abused Poppi before her death,

It is vital now that the police, it is good they have apologised

again, but they need to be able to show and be scrutinised

that the safeguards they say they have put in place to ensure

How do you explain how all of that happened?

There was, I mean, there was gross, catastrophic incompetence

at individual level and I'm going to be pressing the Home

Secretary and the Prime Minister, who was Home Secretary at the time,

to be changing the rules so people cannot either retire,

as happened in this case, or actually be given another

job after being found guilty of incompetence.

But there was simply just not the system which allowed the work

of individual officers on such an important case to be properly

checked and that is as shocking as the individual failures.

The police say they have put that right but we need to be really

vigilant to ensure that has happened because of course, Poppi is now

unlikely to ever receive justice, if it is true, as the family court

judgment thought, that it was her father who was responsible

for her death, he will never be brought to justice.

He will be allowed to be free and that is devastating

for the individuals who knew her and for our whole

He obviously denies any involvement but as you say,

a coroner did suggest exactly what you are saying.

Just picking up on what you were talking about, officers retiring,

because in this case, the two officers had

been able to retire, they both have their full pensions,

it is a situation that happens over and again.

I'm going to be asking the government, the Home Secretary

and the Prime Minister, who was responsible for this

at the time, to change the rules finally so that this all-too-common

practice of officers escaping justice by retiring

But what is most disturbing is that one of these officers,

she has now subsequently retired, Amanda Sadler, but she was found

guilty of incompetence but although she was demoted,

she carried on with a job in the force.

Someone whose failings have been that catastrophic and that serious

in terms of consequence should never be allowed to stay

It sends a terrible message and that needs to be brought

I then spoke to the Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner,

Peter McCall, and asked if he could account

Frankly I can't explain, well, I can explain, I know what happened and

what failed to happen. There is no excusing or covering up for this. It

was an abject failure at the time on the behalf of those who were first

on scene and the subsequent investigation. It was a complete

mistake and there is no dressing that up. Which is why come quite

rightly, the Chief Constable has absolutely accepted in full the

criticism which has appropriately been levelled by the IPCC. Is that

enough? Nobody in the police force loses out as a result of this, the

tee officers who were heavily criticised our both retired and on

pensions -- the tee officers. That is not quite true. One of the

officers retired in advance of disciplinary process and I'm very

pleased to say that actually legislation has changed since then

and that could happen again in future. I welcome that very

strongly. The other officer who was also alleged to have conducted gross

misconduct was disciplined, reduced in rank, and has subsequently left

the force. In both cases, the professional reputation of both of

those officers has had a very severe knock. While that in no way in my

view is justice in this case for Poppi, I don't think it is quite

true to say that they have got off scot-free. It can never be made up

to her family. What do you say to them? Of course not. The tragedy

here is that, because of those failings, we cannot deliver justice

to Poppi and I think that is a source of deep regret for us all.

And quite rightly we make a full and frank apology to the family. Nothing

will bring Poppi back. And it is quite important to make the point

that the failings of the Constabulary of course occurred

after the death of Poppi and it is important to draw that distinction.

What do you mean? It is very easy to think that the failings of the

Constabulary failed to prevent her death and I don't think that is in

question at all. Nobody is saying that is what the police force should

have been poor, but if somebody else's job, but the job of the

police is to investigate when something happened and that did not

happen here. Absolutely and it was a complete failure, no question about

it and nobody is trying to press that up in any other way. That was

Peter McCall, the Police and Crime Commissioners for Cumbria. Coming

up... A warning for patients

in England about the risk It might be an easy way to get

something if you need it but there are concerns are being discussed on

it today and we will have the details. And a couple of comments on

the interview with Robert Jones we played a while ago, the man who was

jailed at the age of 19 for a crime he did not commit. He was inside for

24 years before it was uncovered quite what had happened to him and

the fact that he had effectively been framed for the crime. We heard

from him. Mandy says, what a cracking blog, I hope we have the

best light and enjoys every second of it. Gordon says, enjoy your

freedom, I looked across the pond but I'm sorry. It was remarkable to

see the absolute joy that he exudes in spite of everything he has been

through, the resilience he showed an Nabli is a free man. -- now he is.

Votes are being counted in Northern Ireland

following the collapse of the power-sharing

It's the second election to be held in ten months.

Our correspondent Annita McVeigh is in Belfast.

Tell us why we are where we are ten months after the last election. Good

morning from Belfast. Ten months since the last time voters were

asked to go to the polls and in that time the relationship between the

two main parties in Northern Ireland's devolved government, the

Unionist DUP and Republican Sinn Fein, that relationship really

deteriorated, culminating in the row over a botched renewable heating

scheme set to cost the taxpayer around half ?1 billion, and in

January that row led to the collapse of the power-sharing assembly. If

you think being asked to go to the polls for the second time in less

than a year would put voters off, you would be wrong. Last time round

the turnout was around 55%, just less, but this time, although we do

not have an official figure yet, we are hearing anecdotally of high

turnout in some constituencies, more than 70% or 80%, almost 90% I saw

being suggested in one constituency this morning. That really is quite

an incredible and interesting way to start this counting process. We can

look now at what has been going on with Chris Butler. Stormont's

power-sharing government collapsed in January forcing this election.

The DUP and Sinn Fein fell out over a range of issues including the

financial scandal surrounding what is known as the RHI, the renewable

heat incentive, a botched scheme which was at one stage projected to

cost the taxpayer around half ?1 billion. It has been a bitter

campaign and it has felt more divisive than the last election held

less than a year ago. We can see those result in a virtual assembly

chamber. The DUP returned as the biggest party with 38 of the 108

assembly members while Sinn Fein was in second place with 28 seats. The

opposition parties, the SDLP, the Oster unionists and the Alliance

will all be hoping to their share of the votes after the coalition fell

apart and that is true for the smaller parties but some politicians

will definitely lose their seats because the number of members is

being reduced from 108 down to just 90. And another number to watch, the

size of the DUP in the last assembly gave the party what is known as a

petition of concern. In effect that is a veto to prevent any legislation

they don't like. For example, they used it to block a vote in favour of

the introduction of same-sex marriage which is still illegal in

Northern Ireland. They need to hold onto 30 seats to keep that veto.

Even when all of the votes are counted, there will need to be a

deal between the parties to give this assembly up and running again

and most people are predicting that those negotiations could be

difficult. Those negotiations could be very

difficult. Sinn Fein's leader here has already said that she won't go

back in to a power-sharing relationship with the DUP, former

First Minister Arlene Foster until an inquiry into that botched

renewable heating initiative has been completed. So on the face of

it, that would seem to put a pretty insurmountable obstacle in the way.

Nonetheless, come Monday, after the votes have been counted and the

seats have been won or lost, those MLAs who have been re-elected or

elected for the first time will go to Stormont and then, there is a

period of three weeks, taking us to 27th March. That the point the

parties are supposed to elect a new First Minister, and Deputy First

Minister, of course as you will know the assembly is set up really, to

reflect the main political groupings in Northern Ireland, both

Republican, nationalist and unionist, loyalist, so if they can't

elect the First Minister and deputy firm, what happens next? The

Northern Ireland Secretary could in theory call another election, would

there really be an an title for a third election in such a short time

frame? He could suspend the assembly again, he could impose direct rule,

but that would require new legislation at Westminster, and

certainly there is no suggestion that the Government in Westminster

has any appetite for direct rule, it has enough on its hands with the

Brexit process, finally and most likely there could be some sort of

call it a fudge, call it breathing space, call it what you will, an

extended period in which Westminster hopes the politicians here in

Northern Ireland can work out some sort of deal that means they get

back to governing Northern Ireland directly.

As we wait for the votes to be counted, we want to hear

from the Good Friday generation, those Northern Irelander's not born

when the peace agreement was signed nearly 19 years ago.

What do they think about the country's political

climate and how optimistic are they for the future?

We have a group of students from Hazlewood College.

Ben Malcolmson is 18, so could vote yesterday in the election.

17-year-old Claudia Marshall couldn't vote yesterday

but would love to see parties other than the Democratic Unionist Party

Rachel Fitzsimons and Fran Collins are both 17-years-old, Catholic,

and want to see religion separated from politics.

Thank you'll very much for joining us. How did you feel then, Ben as

you voted in this second election in ten months? I felt great, as my

first time voting I felt like I could make a change with my vote. I

felt great, I felt optimistic, it is uncertain with our Government at the

moment, but I felt as my duty to vote and get my opinion out there.

Were you, are you aware of the shadow of the past, the fact that

the system there is obviously designed to, it was designed as a

way forward from the history, and you were born after the agreement

was reached. How conscious are you of all of that in I feel like after

the agreement, I feel, I think we look forward and be optimistic about

the future. Times are uncertain especially in Stormont. I feel like

people dwell on the past a lot. I feel we need an optimistic future to

progress, I feel like our generation, my generation as a whole

needs to find their feet and look forward to the future. Claudia, I

said that you want religion and politics to be completely separated.

How do you see what is happening there? I do agree with that and with

Ben that we are a country that is very behind, a country that lives in

the past a lot. We need to look to the future and focus more on the

future and stop delling on the past as much as we are. I do agree that

religion needs to be separated from politics because it wouldn't be

happening anywhere else really. Do you understand why it is as it is?

Yes, like I do understand, and I don't think that we should forget

the past but I do think that we need to start moving forward with ideas

and just, there has been so much arguing and just... Unnecessary

obstacle in our way that could be removed if we Knorr got some of the

things and moved on with what we are trying to do in this country. How do

you esee it Rachel I feel the same. Religion should be separate from

politics, we need to move forward, we need people in power who don't

knows can on religion or who focus on religion but everyone's religion.

As we have said, you are the post Good Friday generation, do you have

conversations with your parents about this and other people who

obviously, you know, previous generations who lived through who,

very well understand why the system is as it is? Yes. Well I feel like

older generations have a lot more history and they have grown up and

experienced much more than any engeneration has. But I feel it's a

conversation to have. I feel like a lot of young people don't talk about

politics because it is something their parents or grandparents say

forget about it, ignore it because it is all scrap in a way. I feel

like our generation needs to find its own feet. I feel like a lot of

the older generation trickle down to our generation, we need to find our

own fate and think for yourselves instead of listening to older ones

but take their experience to make a better society for us. Claudeia Ben

said, a lot of your generation don't talk about politics but you three

seem to be very sort of engages and -- engaged and switched on about

politics, how would you say your generation regards politics, and the

history there? I agree. I think a lot of people our age may not talk

about politics but maybe some of the older generation think none of our

generation we really care, and we are all, like focussing on ourself,

and I don't think that is particularly true. I am focussed on

what is happening in my country. I am focusseded on the political

standing. It's a conversation I have with my mum most nights, she is very

involved with the election, she couldn't wait to get out and vote.

My mum and dad both voted. I really encourage younger generation and

people my age and maybe younger to go out and talk about politics,

because this is our future we are talking about. I go to an integrated

school. We all accept each other, that is how it should be, that is

how we need to start moving on, we need to come together and just make

a change. And I said that you are an atheist, was that a decision taken

because of the past there or is that just not a factor for you? It's a

decision that I don't think religion really needs to rule my life,

necessarily. I wouldn't call myself as much an atheist. I just say I

don't have no particular religion. I don't want one, I see it causing a

lot of problems, I never really grew up adds a religious person, my mum

is Catholic and my dad is Protestant so we came from a mixed family any

way, and if we wanted to have a religion my parents were for it,

they wanted us to make our own decision this is the decision I came

to. It is is really great to talk to you all. Thank you. Ben, Claudia and

Rachel. Coming up the extreme extremist some amateur referees are

subjected to on the pitch. Thousands of amateur referees are planning a

strike in protest. Patients could be at risk of harm

when buying medication on the internet warns

the Care Quality Commission. The health care watchdog,

has, for the first time, published a clear set of guidelines

for online companies in England This follows the publication of two

inspection reports which found that two online providers failed

to deliver safe care and potentially In our Salford studio this morning

is journalist and locum GP Dr Faye Kirkland,

who investigated some Tell us first of all, how many

people are using them, because it can be difficult to get a GP's

appointment, it is very tempting to go online and short circuit the

system? It is an interesting question, the short answer is the

Care Quality Commission doesn't know, a lot of providers are private

so they don't have to feedback on how many patients are using them.

One companies they inspected say they issued more than 3,000

prescriptions, with one doctor working for them. The Care Quality

Commission say it is a booming industry. So issues have been

flagged up by the Care Quality Commission, what are the concerns?

The main concerns that relate to the two sites they inspected fall into a

number of category, they felt the sites were inadequately identifying

the patients going online. They would fill in an online

questionnaire and passed on the a doctor. They said did they provide a

good enough history of the medical concerns so were the appropriate?

Did the patients understand the risk and benefits? I spoke to a Professor

about my investigation, which I did for 5 Live about this topic last

October. He said he was very concerned.

Your investigation was really important. We just started to look

at the remote consulting doctors online prescribing, it helped us

prioritise and we brought forward a number of inspections so we had now

looked at 11 providers, two of which have been published today, and we

are quite shocked about what we found. Indeed in those other

providers we have also found serious problems and those reports will be

published ore the next few weeks. How do you sigh the people going

online and getting prescriptions, what would your concerns be? They

don't know what they are get, are they getting the same quality of

care. They are working like family doctors but online, the doctors

should be giving the same care as face to face online. That could be

difficult. Doctors need to think about if their care is truly

adequate. I think the GMC will look at this further. We know that the

Care Quality Commission has issued guidance for patients, it is hard

for them to know if the site is offering quality care, they need to

look at the site and see where it is registered. Is it registered with

the Care Quality Commission if it is in England. Are they asking

questions about their GP? If not patients need to use them with

caution. The fact this has been looked at by the Care Quality

Commission. What does that indicate in terms of the oversight? They are

taking it seriously. They are concerned about the two sites and

there is 43 of them. They have insected another nine. They are

planning to look at this by the end of testify year. They are doing it

because of the concern, hopefully by the end of the year all the sites

will havest will have been looked at. There are probably excellent

ones but because they haven't been all inspected that is why the Care

Quality Commission is saying act with caution.

Let's get the latest weather update, with Helen Willetts.

Some flip-flopping with the weather this weekend. Let us look. We have

contrast in the weather today, some, I can show you those, what a

stunning morning in high land Scotland. Contrast this with many

parts of England and Wales under cloud and rain. This is Essex a

while ago. Those pictures cross England and Wales, really, the them

for today, but for the weekend that rain flips northwards, we will

hopefully see something brighter in the south, but there is rain on

horizon. It is unsettled this weekend. This area of rain in the

north has been giving cold weather, foggy weather for some hills. There

is just still the slightest risk of snow on the hills. The rain heads

northwards but northern Scotland fewer showers, plenty of sunshine,

what a lovely day. So, for the south, let us start here. There will

be heavy bursts of rain or showers round. The south and east may be

lucky enough to dry up. We could see 13 or 14 but for most with the rain

it feels chilly. It will be across Northern Ireland, and into southern

Scotland grey, but north of that, as you can see, a respectable six or

seven, then it changes, but through the evening and overnight the rain

is heading in. Notice still the risk of snow on the hills. Elsewhere, we

clear not Northern Ireland but for England and Wales we clear some of

the main rain but remain showery, mild, murky and grey over the hills,

a breeze still broing tomorrow, look at the difference for Scotland.

Shetland should do you OK. For the bullet of Scotland's, a damp day

again here, England and Wales does look better today, it is brighter.

Should be sunshine hopefully but again the risk of showers or longer

spells at time so it is better than today. It is not drew. Still

slow-moving low pressure round on Sunday. We could have disruptive

snow this weekend. It is down to low pressures across our country again.

Your can see the low pressure has moved. We return to the rain for

parts of England and Wales, while Scotland have a drier day. Northern

Ireland hopefully as well but round this area there will be the ribs of

unsettled weather and beyond. At least it is relatively mild. That is

how it is looks at the minute. Hello it's Friday it's 10 o'clock,

I'm Joanna Gosling. Theresa May accuses the SNP

of having tunnel vision over independence and says the country

doesn't want another referendum. This is the scene at

the Scottish Conservative's conference in Glasgow,

where the Prime Minister will be making a speech

in a few minutes time - Head-butted, spat at

and verbally abused. This kind of treatment is why 2000

referees up and down the country will be on strike this weekend -

to try and get the FA to do more And - the oven gloves are off

as the BBC's new version Here's Rebecca in the BBC Newsroom

with a summary of today's news. Theresa May will make it clear that

keeping Scotland in the UK is a "personal priority"

when she addresses the Scottish Conservative party conference

in Glasgow this morning. Mrs May has met Scotland's First

Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, Mrs Sturgeon maintains that she has

a "cast iron mandate" to hold a second ballot -

after Scotland overwhelmingly voted The US Attorney General is removing

himself from an FBI investigation into claims Russia meddled

in November's presidential election. Jeff Sessions has been under

pressure to stand aside after it emerged he met the Russian

ambassador during the President Trump insisted that

Mr Sessions is an honest man but said he could have

been more accurate when questioned under oath

about his Websites that sell prescription

medicines can seem a tempting alternative to visiting a GP,

especially if you're having problems getting a suitable

doctor's appointment. But there's a warning

these online services That's according to the health

regulator in England, Police who investigated the sudden

death of a baby in Cumbria have Their handling of the case was

described as unstructured and disorganised.

13-month-old Poppi Worthington collapsed

at her home in Barrow-in-Furness in December 2012

but the Independent Police Complaints Commission found

that the investigation into her death was "not fit for purpose".

The number of people on controversial zero hours contracts

has reached a record high and is close to hitting 1 million.

New figures based on analysis of Office

for National Statistics data revealed that 110,000 more people

were on contracts that do not guaranteed work in 2016 compared to

Sir Bruce Forsyth has spent five nights in intensive

care after developing a severe chest infection.

The veteran entertainer, who's 89, was taken to hospital

Sir Bruce underwent surgery in 2015 after he suffered two aneurysms,

which were discovered when tests were carried out following a fall

The two accountants responsible for the wrong film being announced

as winner of Best Picture at the Oscars have been given

bodyguards, following reports that they have received death

They have been told they will not be employed to do the Oscars job again,

after they muddled up the envelopes naming the winners.

The Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has offered his support

for journalists at the White House, by buying them an espresso machine.

He also sent a note, hinting at Donald Trump's feud

with some media which the president accused of peddling "fake news" -

urging them to "keep up the good fight for truth,

That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 10.30am.

Thank you, an unexpected present from Tom Hanks! A couple of comments

on zero hours contracts, Ralph says, they should be banned. As a former

supervisor in the NHS I have seen the misery and uncertainty they have

caused to workers lives. Employers are not treating workers fairly or

with respect with these contracts. Chris says, I run a small company

and my men operate on zero hours contracts. I would love to be able

to employ them on normal contract but our work is very sporadic soap

without them, we simply could not exist and we would all lose our

jobs. It annoys me that the only publicity you hear on the subject is

negative and assumes that the contract are exploited by

unscrupulous bosses. Of course, like any system, it can be abused and

unfortunately there are those who will visit is a press pay but there

must be many firms like ours which have zero hours contracts out of

necessity so I strongly within the accusation that we are using them as

a method of low-paid and I can tell you that when we have worked, my men

can earn a considerable sum each week. Thank you for those.

Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -

Here's Hugh now with the morning's sport.

Captains could be given more was possibility in top-level football to

encourage a better relationship between players and officials under

new proposals from Ifab, the International Football Association

board, saying that captains would be the only players permitted to speak

to referees about major incidents. They will discuss the possible

changes at their annual meeting later. We see in other sports

sometimes the captain have a greater responsibility. In cricket, the

captain of the England team is almost more important during the

match ban the coach. We would not want to move in that direction but

certainly we believe the captain could play a much stronger role and

we would move in this direction, not least by players and coaches who say

to use the captain is more so we are responding to that. We take a view,

what does football want? We have to respond that and football wants

better behaviour and better image of the game and the captains might play

role in that area. That is all we have time for now. Thank you.

Theresa May is addressing the Scottish Conservative Party

Last May, you achieved our party's best ever result in a Scottish

parliament election, doubling the number of Conservative MSP is. You

took second place in the Scottish election for the first time in 25

years, and you beat the Scottish Labour Party for the first time in

60 years. APPLAUSE Every MSP, candid and activists can

take pride in that result. But there is one person without whom none of

it would have been possible, the Leader of the Opposition in the

Scottish Parliament, the MSP for Edinburgh Central, your leader and

my friend, Ruth Davidson. APPLAUSE Last year Ruth had a clear and

simple message. Vote Scottish Conservative to sign a much needed

light on the SNP's record and to hold ministers to account. Since

last May, she and her team in Holyrood have been doing just that

and at Westminster Scotland has a strong and respected voice at the

Cabinet table in David Mundell. APPLAUSE

I have worked alongside David for years and have seen first hand what

a champion he is for Scotland for our party and our United Kingdom. He

may be one man but his hard work and determination have achieved far more

for Scotland than the noisy antics of all the SNP MPs combined.

APPLAUSE While others fail to hold the SNP to

account, Ruth and David's job in doing so is ever more vital. Because

for too long, a feeble and incompetent Scottish Labour

opposition did nothing to scrutinise the SNP for their failures. An SNP

government interested in only stoking up endless constitutional

grievance and furthering their obsession with independence at the

expense of Scottish public services like the NHS and education, was

given a free pass by Labour. With roof now leading the charge, the

SNP's holiday from democratic accountability has come to an end --

with Ruth. APPLAUSE Take education. Ruth and her

formidable team of dreich have exposed the SNP's mismanagement of

Scotland's schools. Scottish schools, which once led the world in

setting the highest standards of attainment are now outperformed in

every category by schools in England, Northern Ireland, Estonia

and Poland. Education, fully devolved since 1999 and under the

SNP's stewardship for ten years. But standards have fallen all stop the

attainment gap remains and Scottish Young people are losing out. 150,000

further education places cut by the Nationalists, a cap on the number of

Scottish students who can enter higher education, fewer young people

from the poorest backgrounds make it to university than in the rest of

the UK. And just this week, we have learned the SNP government has

delayed its planned education Bill. Such is their obsession with the

single issue of independence. APPLAUSE

The SNP's neglect and mismanagement of Scottish education has been a

scandal but sadly it does not stop there. The abysmal failure of their

farm payment system, the replacement of stamp duty with a new tax which

judges Scottish home-buyers more but bring in less revenue than promised.

Starving a health service by refusing to match the spending

increases on the NHS in England. The SNP government demands that the

powers for the Scottish parliament but fails to pass powers onto local

people in Scotland's villages, towns and cities. They have scrapped the

right to buy, denying ordinary working families a chance to their

own home. They opposed our nuclear deterrent which keeps us all safe

and on which tens of thousands of Scottish jobs rely. The simple truth

is their policies are not in the best interests of Scotland but in

the political interest of the SNP. APPLAUSE

A party resolutely focused on just one thing, independence. For them it

is not about doing the right thing, the SNP play politics as if it were

a game. But politics is not a game. And the management of devolved

public services in Scotland is too important to be neglected. People in

Scotland deserve a First Minister who is focused on their priorities,

raising standards in education, taking care of the health service,

reforming criminal justice, helping the economy prosper, improving

people's lives. Instead they have an SNP government obsessed with its own

priority of independence, using the mechanisms of devolved government to

further its political aims, and all the while neglecting and mismanaging

public services in Scotland. The SNP have been allowed to get away with

it for too long. APPLAUSE But not any more. Now in Ruth

Davidson Scotland has a fighter who will stand up to the SNP

establishment in the interests of the Scottish people and provide a

real alternative to the SNP. But as well as taking on the SNP for their

failures in office, we have another important job. When I stood outside

Downing Street on the day I became Prime Minister, I reminded people in

the full title of our party is the Conservative and Unionist party. And

that word Unionist is very important to me. My first visit as Prime

Minister was here to Scotland. I wanted to make clear that

strengthening and sustaining the bonds that unite us is a personal

priority for me. I am confident about the future of our United

Kingdom and optimistic about what we can achieve together at the country

will stop the fundamental strengths of our union and the benefits it

brings to all of its constituent parts are clear. But we all know

that the SNP will never stop twisting the truth and distorting

reality in their effort to denigrate our United Kingdom and further their

obsession of independence. It is their single purpose in political

life. And we need to be equally determined to ensure that the truth

about our United Kingdom is heard loudly and clearly.

As we forge a new role for ourselves in the world, the strength and

stability of our union will become ever more important. We must take

this opportunity, to bring our United Kingdom closer together,

because the union which we care about is not simply a constitutional

artefact. It is a union of people, affections and loyalties. It is

characterised by sharing together as a country, the challenges which we

all face, and freely pooling the resources we have to tackle them.

The existence of the union rests on some simple but powerful principles.

Solidarity, unity, family. Our United Kingdom has evolved over

time, and has a proud history. Together, we form the world's

greatest family of nations. But the real story of our union, is not to

be found in treaty or acts of Parliament, it is written in our

collective achievements both at home and in the world. Together, we led

the world into the industrial age. From the Derbyshire Dales to the

South Wales valleys and the workshops of Clydeside. British

industrialists inventors and workers, charted the course to

modernity and made the United Kingdom the world's engine room. The

union eenabled the social scientific and economic developments which

powered our collective achievement. Bringing people and communities

closer together, allowed new connections to be made. The steam

engine, perfected in the 1790s by a partnership between an engineer from

Greenock, James watt and a manufacturer from, Matthew Bolton.

The Menai straits. Collective achievement has been the story of

our union ever since. Penicillin discovered in 1928 by a Scottish

doctor Alexander Fleming, working in a London hospital, St Mary's. The

Harry Potter books, which have sold over 500 million copies, begun in a

cafe in Edinburgh by an author from Gloucestershire. That cooperation

economic social and cultural, has been the bedrock our success as a

union of nations and people. Together, we make up the fifth

largest economy in the world. Despite accounting for less than 1 %

of the world's population. Together we fought against and defeated

tyranny. Ours is not a marriage of convenience. Or a fair weather

friendship, but a true and enduring union. Tested in adversity and found

to be true. True. And the great institutions we have built together,

the pillars of our national life are the result of common endeavour. The

National Health Service. The BBC. Our Armed Forces, our Parliamentary

democracy, our constitution a monarchy, our commitment to rule of

law, our respect for fundamental human right, all have been admired

and imitated round the world. And all were crated here, as a

consequence of our common life together. These achievements are the

fruits of our union, they are the signs which signify its deep and

fundamental strengths and we should never be shy of making that positive

case for the union, because logic and facts are on our side.

APPLAUSE Take the economic arguments one of

driving forces be Hinds the union reaction was the logic that greater

economic security came from being united. Not the trans yacht and

shifting benefits of international alliance but the strength of being

one people. Those enduring economic strengths are obvious. Our wholly

integrated domestic market for businesses means no barriers to

trade with. That has been of immense value to firms here in Scotland. The

SNP point out the importance of the European market to Scottish

businesses. And agree. It is important. That is why I am

determined to get the best possible access to it, for Scottish firms as

I am for Welsh, English and Northern Irish firm, but what the SNP don't

point out is that the UK domestic market is worth four times more to

Scottish firms. In fact the you've comes third, after the -- EU comes

third after the rest of the UK and the rest of the world as a market

for Scottish goods. Yet the SNP proposed Scottish independence which

would wrench Scotland out of its biggest market. They think

independence is the answer to every question in every circumstances

regard also of fact and reality. It simply does not add up, and we

should never stop saying so. APPLAUSE

And the UK is not just a market place. The financial stability of a

strong shared currency and central bank underpins all sectors of the

the economy across all four nations of the UK. The broad shoulders of

the world's fifth largest economy provide security for businesses and

workers alike. Ten years ago, banks head quartered inned brud borough

and London which employ tens of thousands of people and look after

the savings of millions were rescued by the UK Treasury. Action that was

only possible because of the size and strength of the British economy.

In the oil and gas sector, a vital industry on the east coast from

Aberdeen to Lowestoft. The shoulder of our economy have allowed the UK

Government to take unprecedented action following the decline in the

oil price. Public spending here in Scotland has been protected, even as

North Sea tax receipts have dwindled to nothing. Time and again the

benefits of the union, of doing together collectively what will be

impossible to do apart are clear. Indeed the economic case for the

union has never been stronger. There is no economic case for breaking up

the you United Kingdom, or of losening the ties that bind us

together. But the economics are only part of the story. The national

security of the union in a changing world has never been more important.

The United Kingdom has led the world in developing a strategy for

preventing violent extremism and we are working with allies to take on

and defeat the ideology of Islamistic extremism. It is firmly

in our national interest to defeat Dyche that -- Daesh.

And in this task we are fortunate to draw on intelligence, provided by

the finest security agencies in the world and the greatest armed forced

anywhere. As a permanent member of the UN

Security Council, we promote peace and security round the world and

help to up hold the rules based order on which they rest. As a

leading member of Nato, and the foremost military power in western

Europe, we are a garage toe of the freedom and democracy of our euro

partners. -- guarantor. It is because we take these international

obligations seriously, that the United Kingdom is one of the few

countries to meet our Nato target of spending 2% of national income on

defence, and our UN target to spend 0.7% of income on aid. The United

Kingdom is a responsible member of the international community and

Scotland makes a huge contribution the UK's role. The Department for

International Development has its main head quartered in east kill

Brid. From there work is can ordinated which saves lives round

the world. Leading international efforts to end the outrages of

female genital mutilation, child marriage and violence against women

and children. The second largest donor to the Syrian crisis, helping

millions of families access food, water, sanitation and shelter. Tens

of millions of children around the world, immunised against preventable

disease and given access to a basic education. All work grich height

here in Scotland. In defence, Scotland is central to the United

Kingdom's capability. HMNV Clyde is not only the home of the nuclear

deterrent which keeps us safe in a changing world, by the end of 2020

it will be the home of the Royal Navy's submarines, a major

investment in future of the west of Scotland. This summer, the steel

will begin to be cut on a new generation of Royal Navy frigates,

right here in the Clyde. APPLAUSE

Our great Scottish shipyards don't just have a proud past, they have a

great future too. Firms like Ferguson Marine which is marrying

traditional shipbuilding skills with innovation in equipment and

processes. Despite the scaremongering of the SNP and their

shameful attempts to use the jobs of workers as a political football,

shipbuilding jobs in Scotland will be sustained, thanks to UK

Government orders. APPLAUSE

These practical examples of the benefit of the United Kingdom,

reflect a deeper truth. The pooling and sharing of risks and resources,

on the basis of need across the UK is the essence of our unity as a

people. All of the practical benefits which flow from the union

and which are hallmarks of out depend on that deep and essential

community of interest which we all share. It has been shaped by'd I

don't think few and history. It has shone itself to be adaptable.

Devolution is an example of that. No-one can doubt our party's

credentials on devolution. Conservatives in Government have

taken through landmark pieces of legislation, to strengthen the

devolution settlements: The Scotland act 2016 implemented in full the

legislative emlocations of the all party Smith Commission, making the

Scottish Parliament one of the most powerful devolved legislatures in

the world. The comparison between a United Kingdom which has passed more

powers down to it parts and a European Union which has sought to

centralise more power in Brussels could not be clearer, the devolution

of powers across the United Kingdom must not mean we become a loser and

weaker union, we cannot alhour United Kingdom to drift apart. For

too long the attitude has been to devolve and forget. As Prime

Minister of the United Kingdom, I am just as concerned that young people

in Dundee get a good start in life and receive the education they need

to reach their full potential as I am about young people in Doncaster

and Dartford. The economic prosperity of the UK as a whole

depends on young people in all pars of the UK, having the skills they

need to reach their full potential. And people who have worked hard all

their lives and made a contribution to society, are eeeveryone's

concern. It goes back to the fundamental unity of the British

people, which underwrites our economies tense as a United Kingdom.

We are all diminished when any part of the UK is held back, we all share

in the success when we prosper, in Government, that principle is called

collective responsibility. We need to build a new collective

responsibility across the United Kingdom, which united all layers of

Government, to works of #2i6ly together, to improve the lives of

everyone in our country. As the Government serving the whole United

Kingdom, formed in a Parliament, drawn from the whole United Kingdom,

the UK Government exercises a responsibility on behalf of the

whole UK, that transcends party politics and encompasses or life.

While strengthening the devolution settlements and the devolved

administrations across the UK, we must assert this fundamental

responsibility on our part. So in those policy areas where we govern

directly for the whole of the United Kingdom we will look to the

interests of the union, both the parts and the whole, in our policy

making. And in policy areas where responsibilities are devolved we

will look for ways to collaborate and work together to improve the

outcomes for The modern industrial strategy which

the UK is consulting on is the point. This truly UK wide strategy

wrapped in a new approach to government, stepping up to a new

active role that backs businesses and ensures people in all parts of

the UK share in the benefits of economic success. Scotland stand to

benefit from this new approach, whether it is shipbuilding, oil and

gas or food and drink exports, Scotland has huge industrial

potential. In those areas where the UK Government holds the policy

levers, we will use them wisely, to the benefit of Scottish firms and

workers. Where the Scottish Government holds the levers in areas

like skills and infrastructure, we will seek to work with them to

ensure the best outcomes for Scotland. At all times we will seek

to strengthen and enhance the ties that bind us together. APPLAUSE

And I am determined to ensure that as we leave the EU, we do so as one

United Kingdom, which prospers outside the EU as one United

Kingdom. That means achieving a deal with the EU which works for all

parts of the UK, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for

the United Kingdom as a whole also and when the UK Government begins

negotiations with the EU on Brexit, we will do so in the interests all

parts of the UK and of the UK as a whole. That is what I mean by

governing for the whole United Kingdom. And as well as ensuring

that we get the best possible deal from Brexit, we also need to ensure

that the United Kingdom can operate as effectively as possible in the

future. The UK devolution settlements were designed in 1998

without any thought of potential Brexit, in areas like agriculture,

fisheries and the environment the devolution settlement in effect

devolved to the legislatures of Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast the

power to EU directives in these areas within a common EU framework.

The essential common standards which underpin the operation of a single

market were provided at the European level. As we bring powers and

control back to the UK, we must ensure that the right powers sit at

the right level to ensure our United Kingdom can operate effectively and

in the interests of all its citizens including people in Scotland. We

must also ensure that the UK which emerges from the EU is able to

strike the best possible trade deals internationally. In short, we must

avoid any unintended consequences for the coherence and integrity of a

devolved United Kingdom as a result of our leaving the EU. As I have

made clear repeatedly, no decisions currently taken by the Scottish

parliament will be removed from them. While the SNP propose that

decision-making should remain in Brussels, we will use the

opportunity Brexit to ensure that more decisions are devolved back

into the hands of the Scottish. APPLAUSE

Our aim will be to achieve the most effective arrangements to maintain

and strengthen the United Kingdom while also respecting the devolution

settlements and we will work constructively with the devolved

administrations on that basis. But unlike any of the individual

devolved administrations, the United Kingdom Parliament elected by the

whole UK and the UK Government serves the whole UK. That place is

on as a unique responsibility to preserve the integrity and future

viability of the United Kingdom, which we will not shirk. And I

believe that the opportunities which Brexit presents for all parts of the

UK are real. Take Scotch whiskey. A truly great Scottish and British

industry, adding ?5 billion to the UK economy annually, and now the

largest net contributor to the UK's trade balance in goods. If directly

supports tens of thousands of jobs from farmers in the Highlands to

ceramics workers in Stoke. After Brexit its potential for growth in

exports across the world is immense. India, our Commonwealth partner, is

one of the world's largest spirits markets. But within the EU, Scotch

whiskey faces a tariff of 150% for selling to India. And Scotch Whisky,

the world's pre-eminent spirit, as just a 1% share of the Indian

market. I am determined that we should do better than that for our

key industries. APPLAUSE That's why I lead a major trade

delegation to India last year and why I was delighted to take the

Scotch Whisky Association with me. Purely for trading purposes! This

underlines the potential which exists for Scottish business at the

UK embarks on a new global role and free trading nation and it is an

opportunity we should seize as one strong United Kingdom. It is in the

interest of everyone in our country that we seize those opportunities

and make a success of what lies ahead. Because politics is not a

game and government is not a platform for which to pursue

constitutional obsessions. It is about taking the serious decisions

to improve people's lives. A tunnel vision nationalism which focuses

only on independence at any cost sells Scotland short. APPLAUSE

Yellow As unionists, our job is clear. We

know we are united together by a proud, shared history but we are

also bound together by enduring common interests. The United Kingdom

we cherish is not a thing of the past but a union vital to our

prosperity and security, today and in the future. The union I am

determined to strengthen and sustain is one that works for working people

across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, UK to which

everyone can feel secure in. A union in which our national and local

identities are recognised and respected but where our common bonds

are strengthened. Where different and diversity are celebrated but

where those things we share our people, a unity of interests, Al

Kellock and principles. This transcends politics and

institutions, the Constitution and the economy, it is about the values

we share in our family of nations. Our polling and sharing of risks and

resources, our social and economic solidarity, social union is the glue

which holds us together. But we should never forget that the people

who benefit the most from solidarity across the United Kingdom are not

the strong and be successful but the poorest and most vulnerable in our

society. APPLAUSE We are four nations but at heart we

are one people. That solidarity is the essence of our United Kingdom

and is the surest, -- or the surest safeguard of our future. Let us live

up to the high ideals and let us never stop making loudly and clearly

the positive, optimistic and passionate case for our precious

union of nations and of people. Thank you. APPLAUSE

Theresa May speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference talking

about the importance of the union as we prepare to leave the EU. There

will be more analysis of her speech on newsroom live from 11 o'clock

including reaction from the SNP. Head-butted, spat at

and verbally abused. My next guest - who referees amateur

football matches - is not alone. This weekend, thousands of amateur

referees are planning a strike in protest at the treatment

they receive on the pitch. Ryan Hampson - who has

organised the walk-out - says more than 2,000 people up

and down the country We can speak to Ryan Hampson

who organised the walk-out, chief executive of the charity

Ref Support, who does not think Tell us why you have organised this

strike. It is because referees up and down the country are getting

abused and assaulted on a regular basis. Myself included. Tell us what

has happened to you. I have been head-butted, punched and spat at.

And who is doing that? It is players on a Sunday league pitch. You are

18, how old are the players? It varies from 16 right the way through

to 40 or 50. Give us some more specifics on these sorts of things.

I was doing a match a few months ago and a player disagreed with one of

my decisions and he has come up to me in my face and put his head

towards mine and pushed me, pushed me flat on the chest. He didn't get

banned for it. It is upsetting, it really is. You are organising the

strike and is get this issue out there and people are talking about

it but before this, what have you done to try to get this issue looked

at? I have been and spoke to my county FA, to several people, and I

kept getting ignored and getting the door shut in my face and that is

where the charity I am an ambassador for, they got involved, Recari

Support Uk and said we can help you out. -- Referee. They are not for

the strike but I am and we have got it going and there are over 2000

involved. Today is a prime example. Leandro Bacuna, who barged into an

assistant referee, has only been given a six-game ban by the FA and

to me that is madness. Martin Cassidy is the Chief Executive of

the charity, Referee Support so how much of a problem is it? It is

becoming more common. The FA released some statement which said

there were 111 cases of assault nationwide. We're not sure if that

is over a year or a football season but if you dig into those figures,

52 weeks, that is over two per week and that in itself tells us this is

on the increase and we have to do something about it. As Ryan said, we

are not in favour of the strike but we are in favour of doing something

about the reasons for it. We have asked to change policies and

processes, ask for banning orders, talking to MPs and councillors to

try to get changes for bringing stuff outside football, measures

into bubble gum like banning orders. It is ridiculous to think you can

streak on a pitch and you get banned from every football ground in Great

Britain but if you are in a fight in the ground, you will get banned from

every ground but if you had but the referee, you don't so we should

bring in the same banning orders for when players commit violent as for

when fans commit it. Obviously you are concerned this is not being

taken seriously enough so what is the way to focus attention if you

don't support the strike? We're not support it but we support the

reasons for it. How do you get change to actually happen? What was

a wonderful progressive move was that the FA invited Ryan to when the

stadium and we went with him to represent him and give him some

support and we talked about changes in policy and process. Such as when

the county FAs received a written report from a referee who has been

assaulted, that should immediately go to the police. At the moment, the

onus is on the rhetoric and when you are from a background like Ryan, a

council estate in Manchester, the ramifications are going to the

police will last you a lifetime -- with the onus is on the police. We

should take it away from the referee, the county FA should

forward it to the police and it should go back the match officials

and things can be sorted that way. It sounds like you are being

listened to at quite a high level? Yeah, listened, but no action has

been taken yet. I have another meeting with the FA with the new

respect officer, Nathan French, who has not met a referee from

grassroots level before. That is a good move but I'm just hoping it is

more progressive and more positive than the last meeting because I did

not get much out of it. I will not sit here and lie about it, we have

got another meeting and hopefully this next one is important. We do

want change, we want referees to be able to wear body cameras and on the

6th of March, the FA have the referees committee meeting and they

will be bringing up the issue surrounding body cameras. They will

be speaking more detail in March so when we have the meeting with the FA

in Manchester, hopefully were at more to say. We'll check in with you

after that. Thank you. First, the exclusive story

of a young Syrian who had Sama - which is not his real name -

travelled more than three thousand miles and across ten countries

to escape death threats. The 17-year-old is now starting

a new life in the UK and is facing the sorts of issues most teenagers

in this country might When I was child, and because am

gay, and I keep secret, I heard my dad, sometimes he speaks

with his friends, sometimes talk about gay, like kill him

or put him in jail. They can't imagine

have gay in the world. And he told me, go out home,

you are not my son. I took boat from Turkey and I saw 54

people inside and children, When I saw these people,

I said, I don't want to go and he has a gun and he says,

if I don't go, maybe he'd kill me. Between country and country

and sleeping in street and jungle. I just have a little

bread and some dates. I left Turkey to Greece

and Greece to Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria,

Germany, France and the UK. I had interview for refugee to stay

here and I told them I'm gay so I can't go back to Syria

because the war and because I'm gay but they don't believe me, like,

they want to see my Facebook, Like a lot of question like,

I feel like horrible, like why They told me, don't worry,

you are safe here and I told I'm gay and they say,

this isn't a problem. It's a really lovely family,

I really love them. It is my first time here,

to seem like a lot of gays, lesbian here and everybody

is like crazy, dancing, drinking. I've got friends in Syria,

my friend in my school but because he just say,

I don't like Isis, the next day they took him and they put him

like in middle of street. I miss everything in Syria

but when I saw the news, the pictures in my city,

it's so hard. I'm really grateful

about this nice family. Sometimes I feel like I am

now friends, family, The number of people

on controversial zero hours The figures now stands at 910,000

people on the zero hours contract That's 110,000 more people

on contracts that do not guarantee That's an increase of nearly 14%

and 30% higher than 2014. To put it into prospective in 2005 -

just 100,000 people Let's discuss this now

with Conor D'Arcy from the Resolution Foundation who's

researched the long term future Kate Bell who is Head

of Economics and Social Affairs And Diane Cawood who works on a zero