09/11/2012 BBC News at One

The Conservative peer Lord McAlpine denies all allegations linking him

to child abuse in North Wales care homes in the 1970s. The former Tory

treasurer calls the accusations wholly false and seriously

defamatory and says he's only been to Wrexham once and never visited

the home. We have to be very careful before casting aspersions

against individuals, and throwing people's names around, without

proper evidence. Everybody has to think carefully about this.

Astonished and excited - the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin

Welby, says he never expected to be chosen as leader of the world's

Anglican community. I am utterly optimistic about the future of the

Church. We will certainly get things wrong, but the Grace of God

is far greater than our biggest failures. 4,000 customers of

Britain's biggest bank, HSBC, are being investigated over allegations

of tax avoidance. Britain slashes its aid to India - from 2015, there

will be no new support for the increasingly wealthy country. And

the schoolgirl shot by the Taliban - tens of thousands call for Malala

Yousafzai to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Later on BBC London, a

life sentence for the man guilty of murdering a telephone executive at

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. The Conservative

peer Lord McAlpine has strenuously denied allegations linking him to

child abuse at care homes in North Wales, saying they are "wholly

false and seriously defamatory". Last week, a man told BBC Newsnight

he had been repeatedly abused at a home in Wrexham in the '70s by a

senior Conservative politician from the Thatcher era. This morning,

after a week of Internet rumours, Lord McAlpine, who wasn't named by

Newsnight, said he wanted to set the record straight. He said he had

never been to the care home and had only visited Wrexham once in his

life. Chris Buckler reports. There have been days of speculation over

who was involved in the abuse at Bryn Estyn. In last week's

Newsnight report, there were allegations that a senior member of

the Conservative party visited this children's home in north Wales.

Lord McAlpine was not named in the report, but he says that many

Internet blogs have named him. Today, he warned, enough was enough.

In a statement, he described the allegations as "wholly false and

seriously defamatory". He stated... There has been much gossip, and

yesterday, the Prime Minister was handed names of some politicians

who have been accused online. not want this to turn into a sort

of witch-hunt, particularly against people who are gay. One MP has

asked Ofcom to investigate, following claims that some of the

names could be seen on television. We have to be very careful before

casting aspersions against individuals or bandying people's

names around, as was being done yesterday, without proper evidence.

Every institution, journalist and politician has to think carefully

about this. This morning, one newspaper said it believed that

Lord McAlpine had been the victim of mistaken identity. The Tory peer

himself has called it a media frenzy, and there are questions

being asked about how responsible the reporting has been by

broadcasters and others. Ever since the abuse allegations involving

Jimmy Savile were made public, many have been asking what else had been

covered up. There are inquiry is investigating what happened in

various different places. But before finding the truth, there are

fears about who could be smeared by lives. Our political correspondent

Carole Walker is at Westminster. A very long, strongly-worded

statement this morning from Lord McAlpine - where does this leave

the Government's inquiry announced this week into child abuse at care

homes? That question was put to the Prime Minister's spokesman this

morning, whether in fact the Government had been rather too

hasty to order these inquiries. But he said that there had been serious

allegations made about the police investigation into abuse in

children's homes in North Wales, that there had also been questions

about the subsequent public inquiry, and that it was right to look into

them. He pointed out that the Government has not actually

launched an inquiry into the inquiry, it has simply appointed an

independent figure to look at the scope and conduct of that public

inquiry. But I think it does illustrate the difficulty which

politicians are finding, in framing the right response to this issue,

which has really escalated over the past few weeks. It is clear that

when the allegations surfaced, which Lord McAlpine has responded

to today, allegations which appear to go to the heart of the

Conservative Party, David Cameron has been seen to be keen to be on

the front foot, not to be shying away from the issue, but to be

saying, yes, let's take a serious look at what has gone on. The

problem is that you have now ended up with a whole series of different

inquiries into some very serious allegations. Whilst those police

investigations are continuing, there are good legal reasons for

not naming individuals, because to do so could potentially prejudicial

future trials. But in the meantime, you then get rumours taking hold

and spreading on the Internet, and while that continues, it simply

does not help the very serious process of trying to get to the

bottom of what has happened. The next Archbishop of Canterbury,

Justin Welby, says his new appointment is "exciting and

astonishing". The former oil executive, who has been Bishop of

Durham for just a year, says he never expected to be chosen to lead

the world's Anglican community. Mike Wooldridge is at Lambeth

Palace. Justin Welby has said that his first thoughts, when he was

told that he would be Archbishop of Canterbury, work, oh, no. But today,

this priest from the evangelical wing of the Church, who has been in

the church for just 20 years, but has had a lot to do with

reconciliation of various kinds, and who has been Bishop of Durham

for just one year, was presented to the church, the country and the

world in his new role. Minutes after the formal announcement from

Downing Street, the man who will be the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury

said he was astonished and excited. Well, this is the best kept secret

since the last cabinet reshuffle. He does a strong line in self-

deprecation, but not when it comes to the church itself - often

portrayed as bitterly divided and dwindling in its congregation and

influence. I am utterly optimistic about the future of the Church. We

will certainly get things wrong, I certainly will. But the grace of

God is greater than our biggest failings. We will also certainly

get much right, and we do so already. From Nigeria, a warning

over one of the most challenging controversies he will inherit.

have things which have been promoted, certain agendas, and if

that is the agenda he is coming to promote, we will not be part of it.

Justin Welby acknowledged that there were deep differences over

homosexuality. It is absolutely right for the state to define the

rights and status of people cohabiting in different forms of

relationship. That includes several partnerships. We must have no form

of homophobia in any part of the Church. Bishop will be is a rarity,

with 11 years in the oil industry behind him, before he went into the

church. I think my background taught me that moats -- most issues

surrounding business are more complicated than they appear from

the outside. People are people, in every sector. Currently a member of

the parliamentary commission on banking standards, he says that as

Archbishop, he will definitely not be party political in his

pronouncements, but he says he does believe absolutely that the Church

should speak out in public and political life. Justin Welby made

the point also that the work of the Church of England is not primarily

done on television or here at Lambeth palace, but, he said, in

the more than 16,000 churches across the country. They are the

front line of the Church, and he intends to give due recognition to

them. The tax affairs of more than 4,000

HSBC customers with bank accounts in Jersey are being scrutinised

after their details were leaked to tax and revenue officials. The list

was unearthed by a whistleblower and allegedly includes the names of

serious criminals. Our personal finance correspondent, Simon

Gompertz, has the story. It is one of the world's biggest banks, yet

it has been hurried with allegations that it is lax in

monitoring criminals moving their money, and that its customers are

avoiding tax. Jersey is well known for being favoured by a wealthy

investors as a haven for their money. Tax is not automatically

deducted from bank interest here, as it is in the UK. But today's

allegations are that criminals have also been taking advantage of its

special status. A whistleblower has revealed HSBC's Jersey client list,

containing the names of more than 4,300 Britons with accounts,

including celebrities and London bankers, holding a total of �699

million. The Daily Telegraph alleges that among them are several

who are criminals or wanted by police. But for most, the question

will be whether they have eventually paid tax on the money

earned in the accounts. I would be very surprised if any of those

4,000 were criminals, and had set out to break the law. However, if

someone has hidden money in Jersey, and they have not told the revenue

authorities about it, they really need to get in touch quickly, get

to the Revenue, before the Revenue get to them. HM Revenue and Customs

confirmed that it had received the data and was studying it, and it

said banks had to tell the authorities of any suspicions that

criminals were exploiting one of their accounts. HSBC is expecting

to pay fines of around �1 billion in the United States for breaching

money laundering regulations there. So, these allegations about

accounts in Jersey could not have come at a worse time, because they

add to suggestions that the bank is not vigilant enough in checking

what its customers are up to. HSBC It is perfectly legal to have an

account in Jersey, but the 4,000 people on the list are likely to

have their affairs being scrutinised in detail.

Britain's backlog of immigration and asylum cases in the UK is

spiralling out of control - that's the warning from a group of MPs. In

a highly critical report, they say they are concerned that attempts to

clear the backlog could lead to an amnesty for people who have no

right to be here. Our home affairs correspondent, Tom Symonds, has the

story. In May, it was as big as the population of Cambridge. By July,

the Home Affairs Select Committee said Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Now, the

MPs are measuring the immigration backlog by country. Iceland has a

population of just over 300,000. The total backlog for the last

three months is... It includes what is called the migration refusal

is called the migration refusal pool. These people are still

MPs say more needs to be done. is spiralling out of control, and

they need to take urgent action, to deal with cases quickly, to close

those cases and then remove people from the country who have no right

to be here. The MPs are concerned that the rush to remove failed

immigration applicants will result in rushed decision-making, and in

an amnesty for some applicants. Not so, says the minister. We are not

waiting these cases of, we're not going to give people the right to

stay when they do not have the right to do so. We are working

through these cases consistently, and we will have done so by the end

of this year. But there are concerns that that deadline might

cause different problems. 13 people were granted asylum this year, even

though they had been previously refused it. If decisions are rushed,

there is a higher likelihood that they will be incorrect, which could

have grave consequences, life-and- death consequences, for people, if

their asylum claim is incorrectly refused. The Home Office says this

report raises legitimate concerns, but by restricting access to health

care and financial services, as well as fighting more cases in

court, the Government believes that every day, it is becoming harder to

live illegally in Britain. Britain is to drastically cut its

aid programme to India. All new financial help will stop

immediately, and current projects will finish by 2015. After that,

aid will only be 10% of its current size, and will be limited to

technical assistance as well as help for the private sector.

now? Justine Greening was in India this week, explaining to the Indian

government what she is doing. There will be a sigh of relief across the

British Government. This is the most controversial part of the aid

programme, and it will stop the sniping from the Tory backbenchers,

and sneers from Indian politicians, who see this relationship as

demeaning. The Indian Foreign Minister was speaking to William

Hague this week, and he said there was no discussion about eight

whatsoever, only about trade, and that is going to be the new

relationship. However, Oxfam says it is too hasty, we still have a

third of the world's poorest people living in India. Save The Children

says that a quarter of global children's deaths happen in India.

What happens to the money that is saved? That is a curious political

problem. Britain is committed to the so-called millennium

development goals, trying to relieve poverty worldwide. If it

does not go to India, it has to go to places which are equally

deserving, as it were. Britain has this huge aid budget at the moment,

and is committed to raising it over the next couple of years, so there

are new political issues coming up, as to what priorities they will

have for this vast amount of money which will come back to the aid

Tens of thousands of people have signed an online petition calling

for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to the Pakistani teenager

Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head on her school bus by the

Taliban last month. The 15-year-old, who survived the attack, was

targeted because she had been campaigning for the rights of girls

to have an education. She is recovering in hospital in

Birmingham, as Daniel Boettcher now reports. Malala looks through the

thousands of cars she has received. Her father spoke. I'm utterly

thankful to all the well-wishers who strongly condemn the

assassination attempt on Malala, who pray for her health, and to

support the great cause of all Malala Yousafzai it that his piece,

education, freedom of thought and freedom of expression. It is a mum

thinks -- eight is a month since Malala was shot because of her

campaign for education for girls in Pakistan. There is a growing online

petition calling for had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

and tomorrow will see a global day of action inspired by Malala to get

30 million girls around the world into the classroom. It is supported

by Gordon Brown who is in Pakistan to prevent a petition. To have 32

million girls without an education, sometimes prevented from going to

school, if you can see every girl you meet thinks it is completely

unacceptable and they are not going to allow other people to prevent

that right to education from happening. Malala's family say she

is humbled and inspired by the support she has received from

around the world. Our top story this lunchtime: The

Conservative peer Lord McAlpine denies all allegations linking him

to child abuse in North Wales care homes in the 1970s. Coming up: They

may not be England's first 11 - but the British Army's cricket team is

putting a smile back on the faces of cricket lovers in Pakistan.

Later on BBC London. Remembering veterans of the Russian

convoys during World War Two. And Arsene Wenger's frustrations as

Jack Wilshere is called up for In less than a week's time, 41

police and crime commissioners will be elected to oversee the forces of

England and Wales, excluding London. It has been described as the

biggest change to police accountability for almost 200 years.

Matthew Amroliwala can tell us more. He is in Wolverhampton for us.

Thank you. The idea of these police and crime commissioners are simple.

They are supposed to be the voice of the people, someone who will

lead the fight against crime, some who will set the priorities for the

police and someone who will be held to account if they fail to deliver.

That is the idea. Critics of this plan are already warning about

political interference and there is a more immediate concern and that

is the worry about a record low turnout at these elections. Our

correspondent Mike Sergeant has been finding out more. Most members

of the public care about crime. They want an effective response to

incidents like these. But will people vote in police elections and

do people want a politician governing their force? I think it

will be a constructive relationship. We will work hard to make sure it

works. There are huge variety of people standing. Some have a huge

depth of knowledge already. Others less so, we will have to work hard

with them to get them to understand the complexity. The new

commissioners replace an elected police authority, holding the

police to account with the power to hire and fire the Chief Constable.

They will be paid between �65,000 and �100,000 a year. Robin Mawdsley

has a very clear idea about what he would like as a commissioner. A few

years ago, his pregnant daughter in law was shot in this phone book --

phone box with an airgun. Afterwards, he pressed for the

introduction of CCTV cameras. think the main thing around this

area for our idea is to get more bobbies on the beat. We are very

low on the amount of police here. Others have different priorities.

This canal boat is operated by current and former drug users.

Police have supported the initiative as a way of tackling

drug crime. Peter Ellwood, who has spent much of his life in prison,

once the new commissioners to understand the value of this type

of project -- Pete yoghurt. When one person get better, their

families improve and when their families improve that improves

their community. The issue of turnout in these elections is

critical. I think it would be very disappointing if there is a very

low turnout. I think that would be damaging. I guess one of the real

benefits of this change is that the architects of change will claim

this benefit and I think there is legitimacy in the claim of trying

to engage people more in the police and engage people with governments,

with that sense of setting priorities. Next week we will find

out whether people have embraced the idea of elected commissioners

or remain unconvinced that a new breed of politician can make the

streets safer. We can talk to a former chief

constable who used to run the Gloucestershire force. Thank you

for being with us. If it is a really low turnout, will there be

question marks over the legitimacy? Is if it is a really low turnout,

less than 20 %, a will damage the mandate that the commissioners

claimed. But it is a democracy and everyone has the chance to vote.

You used to run a force, what are the likely tensions, do you think

which lie ahead? There is always the potential for personality

clashes but I think chief constables will work hard to

minimise that. The big tension will be whether they put resources into

visible patrols or detection, investigating serious crimes. That

is where the big tension is likely to live. We heard in the report

what various members of the public want. Do you think this will cut

crime? Crime has been coming down for 20 years. How I do not think

one person getting elected will make that difference but they need

to make the Test against declining resources. There is less money for

policing and not a lot they can do about that.

And there is more on the forthcoming elections for police

and crime commissioners in England and Wales on our website.

The Environment Secretary has admitted that it is impossible to

eradicate ash dieback disease in Britain. He chaired a COBRA crisis

meeting this morning, which examined how to stop the spread of

the disease. Britain's woodlands are under

threat. It is clear that most of the ash trees will fall killer to

this fungal infection. In London, a meeting of the government's

emergency COBRA committee has been working on a plan but without much

optimism. We do not have a magic potion which we can stick in a

helicopter this afternoon and spray. There is no immediate cure. But

what we are confident his that there is a small number of these

trees which can survive. That could be a long-term answer. If DNA

testing can identify the future ash trees are resistant to Chalara

fraxinea, they might be used to repopulate the landscape. But it is

a long-term hope and suggest that many of our 80 million ash trees

will be lost. Some are still hoping for a scientific solution. There

are trees which are in excess of 1,000 years old. He is there

anything we can do to prevent the damage to them? Today's meeting has

stressed the need to monitor the spread of the disease through our

woodland. That is the easy bit. On how to stop the spread, there are

no easy answers. They have been called the forgotten

army - hundreds of men who fought in the fierce battle of Kohima in

India during the Second World War. Now some of the surviving veterans

have been invited to Buckingham Palace by Prince Andrew to be tell

their stories in recognition of what they did. Robert Hall reports.

These are the men whose lives changed on a battle-scarred

landscape deep in the Indian jungle. They eat defended a tiny settlement

called Kohima. In it is not a fact that this particular campaign has

been forgotten, it has never been brought out in its horror, more

than anything else, that we don't know about it. Kohima lay in the

path of the Japanese advance into India. 15,000 of their troops

surrounded 1,500 British and Indian defenders. The most savage fighting

took place around a tennis court high on the ridge where the

landscape was torn by explosions and littered with the bodies of

those who could not be buried. of my troops got a burst of machine

gun fire and I tried to get him out. He looked me in the face and said,

it is no use Sir, I am finished. So I left him. It has been on my

conscience ever since. The battle for Kohima lasted more than a month,

10,000 lives were lost. At a time of remembrance, the veterans have

thought not for themselves, but for the Naga people who lost lives and

livelihoods in a conflict which was not of their making. If that

educational trust is going to have a legacy, that I would have

expected it to be probably on the grounds that we should remember who

we are, where we are, what our places in the world and how

important each and every one of us is to making sure that we live

sodium prosperous and happy and free world. The survivors of that

forgotten army grow fewer but they are still repaying what they regard

as a debt of honour. Millions of cricket lovers in

Pakistan have been deprived of top- class action for years, because of

security concerns. That is why crowds have been flocking to see

the British Army's team, who have been on tour there. They have

become a sporting sensation, making front-page news across the country.

Aleem Maqbool went to their last match, against Pakistan's Army.

They have been no international matches in Pakistan since the Sri

Lankans got was attacked here in 2009. These cricketers, all serving

British Army personnel have had an apparently safe tour, albeit under

tight security. I think this is a good initiative by the British Army.

They are going to come here and play. The English players should

come and play in Pakistan. None of us ever thought it could be so good

that here in Pakistan and get the chance to play in Rawalpindi

Stadium. You have been on the front pages of the newspapers, you took

the wickets of three Test players yesterday, that is something else,

isn't it? It is a bit surreal. I was today Yesterday and you have to

take a step back to let it all sinking a bit. The amount of

coverage this tour got with all the matches being shown on live

television if he is an indication of just how hungry Pakistanis are

for international sport to return here. The cricket authorities will

be hoping that the British Army team have played some part in

ensuring that happens. Finally, while we have been on air,

it has been announced the Coronation Street star Bill Tami

died this morning. He lost the -- he left the long-running show two

years ago. Now a look at the The weekend is approaching. Sunday

will be the drier day of the two but it will be chilly. We have

today's rain to clear first of all. This huge sweep of cloud has given

a lot of wet weather in the north. It is sweeping into England and

Wales. It will persist through the afternoon. This is the rainfall

chart. Those showers, blown along by blustery winds and there could

be hell, rumbles of thunder and wintry nurse across Scotland. The

rain band will come and go, probably intensifying into the

evening. To the south and east, it is a largely dry picture but even

here the sunshine is fairly limited. Temperatures are around average for

the time of year. As we head through this evening and overnight,

the strong wind will blow the rain further south and east what with

some rain to brush into the Far East as well. Further north,

following the rain with the showers continuing and a touch of frost, we

could have some icy patches. Some patchy frost further south and some

mist and fog. It will be very grey and murky underneath the rain

banned. Really reluctant to clear. Dragging its heels. Brighter for

northern England and Wales but a real rush of showers. Feeling

cooler than has done recently. Not brilliant weather for our first

autumn internationals but not too bad. Perhaps a shower at the

Millennium Stadium. You can catch that coverage across the BBC.

Overnight, where we have the complication of the showers with a

greater frost risk tomorrow night, maybe more ice on the morning of

Remembrance Sunday. It is still looking light the brighter, drier

day to the weekend. We will not be without showers. In the north and

west of Scotland, some showers around here. More bright, dry

weather after the fog clears the way. It is business as usual with