05/02/2013 BBC News at One

Allowing gay marriage in England and Wales. MPs vote on the plans

today. Supporters say it's the right time and the right thing to

do. Opponents say no-one has the right to redefine marriage. As MPs

begin the debate, more than 100 Tories say they'll vote against the

change. Senior ministers are making final attempts to persuade them to

support the legislation. The breakdown of a marriage. A

court hears that Chris Huhne's ex- wife was looking for revenge when

she told newspapers about his speeding offence.

Water bills in England and Wales are to rise by around 3.5% from

April. Scotland's "Independence Day". It's

March 2016 if the country votes yes in the referendum.

Heavy snow returns to large parts of the UK as the freezing

temperatures and strong winds return.

Too old to carry on says 23-year- old Rebecca Adlington as the double

Olympic champion says she's retiring. The goal that won the

gold in London was 15. 23 does not quite compare -- other goal. Later

on BBC London: Calls for a new high speed rail line under the capital

to link the south west to the north east. Plus, the North London

residents running their own library Good afternoon and welcome to the

BBC News at One. MPs have begun debating whether to

introduce gay marriage in England and Wales. A vote will take place

this evening. The Commons is expected to vote in favour of the

legislation, but it's thought more than 100 Conservative MPs could

vote against the plans on what they say are moral and religious grounds.

Here's our political correspondent, A marriage between a man and a

woman only is about to change. The coalition wanted to be open to all,

gay or straight. Supporters say it is the final step towards equality.

The coalition plans to allow same- sex marriage in England and Wales

and it will no longer be exclusively Civil partnerships. The

Church of England and the Church in Wales are exempt, and other

religious organisations can opt in. Some of this lot are not willing to

say that they will. Cabinet ministers met this morning knowing

that law will almost certainly pass, but it has been a huge headache for

the Prime Minister because it has split his Conservatives write down

the middle. A Home Secretary supports the change. She was part

of a last-minute bid to persuade Tory doubters. In a joint letter to

the Daily Telegraph with the Chancellor and the Foreign

This issue, extending marriage to gay couples as another part of

making sure that Britain is a good place to live, a good place to

bring up children and to be a citizen. If they contravene the

laws of nature, it contravenes the law of God. Out side Parliament

there were few small process -- protest, but not as much as you

might expect given the weight the issue has dominated Tory circles

for months. David Cameron thinks this is the right thing to do and

thinks it will strengthen the Institute of marriage, something

Conservatives should be all four. But there is also the electoral

calculation, because this is his latest effort to modernise the

Conservative Party and try to win at new supporters. At the there is

no prospect of a gay marriage at Westminster Abbey. The Church of

England has been exec -- exempted, as has the Church in Wales, but

some people fear a step too far. same-sex marriage is not just about

extending a fundamental institution, it is about fundamentally rewriting,

the complementary union of a man and woman. M P's have started

debating whether to change the law -- MPs. I beg to move that the

marriage and same-sex couples will be read a second time. They will

vote this evening and is sure to go through with Liberal-Democrats and

Labour backing it, but half of his MPs refuse to support the Prime

Well, as we just heard, the issue of same sex marriage has revealed

deep divisions within the Conservatives. It's also proving

controversial at grass roots level as our political correspondent,

Louise Stewart, has been finding out in Croydon. Not all

Conservatives on board with the government plan to introduce same-

sex marriage. In fact the split within the party has been brought

into sharp focus in London's largest borough, Croydon. Croydon

Central is a marginal seat, and the MP here knows he risks alienating

core voters, but will be backing the Bill. The right thing for

politicians to do is listen to what people say and do what we can to le

-- address legitimate concerns, but we cannot be guided by how many

people we can get to vote for us. By oath of Croydon's Conservative

MPs back the Bill -- both of them. But not everyone in the party

locally agrees with them and it is proving to be a divisive issue.

David Cameron says he passionately believes unequal marriage, but at

this Conservative Club in Croydon, members say that some activists

have deserted the party over the issue and warned it could damage

electoral prospects in the future. I don't believe in it in any way,

shape or form, based on my Christian belief. I do not agree

with gay marriage at all. profession is a photographer. I do

a lot of possible partnerships, and I think that is as far as it can go.

The churches for people to have a family, the man and a woman, and

that should be the marriage. Conservative MPs have been given a

free vote on the bill, but that has not been enough to prevent a deep

rift splitting the party down the middle. Downing Street hopes that

the row will be forgotten by the time of the next general election,

but others fear that the division could cost the party deer at the

polls. Our Political Correspondent Norman Smith is in Westminster. How

difficult could it be for the Prime Minister? The great paradoxes that

David Cameron could emerge as a winner and loser -- ease that. He

will almost certainly win tonight's vote because he can count on the

overwhelming support of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs, and when the

measure goes to the Lords in the week it will probably be approved

as well. But a loser because he is likely to lose the support on this

issue of up to half of his parliamentary party. Why? Because

for many Tories this is an issue of principle on which they will not

budge, which is why they have been immune to the appeals of senior

Cabinet ministers. Others have also commanded huge pressure from the

local parties. The great unknown is whether this will be a temporary

hiatus or cause more permanent damage to Mr Cameron's leadership.

Whether some Tory MPs will be so angry it will spill over into other

policy areas and lead to broader disenchantment with the leadership,

or, as those around Mr Cameron hope, that this will be a temporary

hiatus. But in time, the party will become reconciled to the idea of

same-sex marriage, and in the same way as over similar contentious

issues, for example, civil partnerships and lowering the age

of consent, although at the time they were hugely divisive in the

party, over time they became reconciled to those moves.

digital viewers can follow the debate in the House of Commons on

Former minister Chris Huhne's ex- wife set out to bring him down when

she told newspapers that she had taken his speeding points a decade

ago. That's what a jury has been hearing today. Vicky Pryce is

standing trial at Southwark Crown Court for perverting the course of

justice. She denies the charge. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Tom

Symonds is at the Court. Yesterday Chris Huhne pleaded guilty to

passing the points to his wife, and today she was being prosecuted for

accepting them, something the prosecution said could only happen

if both sides in the arrangement where prepare -- were prepared to

play ball. It came to light in 2011 when it is alleged Vicky Pryce went

to newspapers when Chris Huhne was having an affair. The court heard

she wanted revenge. There were a series of e-mails between her and

Isabel Oakeshott, Sunday Times journalist, in which Vicky Pryce

said she wanted to nail him more than ever. She was talking about

revealing a story saying she had been asked to take the speeding

points. We also heard today that a series of phone calls made between

Vicky Pryce and Chris Huhne, recorded by Vicky Pryce and Isabel

boat shot, in which Vicky Pryce furiously tries to get her husband

to admit that he told her to take the points. Chris Huhne very calmly

says he does not, but we know now that he did, and he admitted that.

Another point is that Isabel Oakeshott told Vicky Pryce but

there was a minor risk that she could be prosecuted if she revealed

she had accepted the points. A risk that we now know to have come true,

because she is now being prosecuted for exactly that. She accepts she

took the points but claimed she was coerced into doing so by a husband.

The prosecution says she will claim that she had no choice, and the

prosecution say should the jury will have to decide if she is the

kind of woman that would have Water and sewerage bills in England

and Wales will rise by an average of 3.5% over the next year. The new

charges will vary depending on your supplier, but there will be around

�13 a year extra to pay from April bringing average bills to almost

�400 a year. The regulator, OFWAT, says the extra money will go

towards a multi-billion pound investment programme. Our Business

And when it comes to water, we don't have any choice who delivers

the vital supply is. The good news is that prices aren't going up as

fast as last year, but they are still rising. The average bill is

forecast to increase by 3.5 % in April. That is half a % above

November's inflation figure. That is an extra �13 people will have to

splash out every year. Bills will vary, depending on the water

company and the level investment they need to make. Here is why

Southern Water has one of the highest price rises of just over

five %. This is one of the biggest projects in the water industry.

has just finished building a sewage treatment plant near Brighton.

project alone is �300 million and is part of a 1.8 billion pound

programme over five years. Those are vast sums of money that you

simply have to finance by going into the capital markets and

borrowing money. Bills will increase to cover the interest on

loans. Companies can only raise prices by what has been previously

agreed with the regulator. Taking into account predicted levels of

inflation. But one consumer group says because inflation is lower

than expected, some firms are making higher profits. We know that

the companies are actually performing very well financially,

so we are saying to the companies, if you're going to put your prices

up by the amount you are allowed, you need to make sure you are

sharing the benefits of that with your customers. But the regulator

says price rises could have been a lot worse. We have challenged hard

on behalf of companies -- customers. Companies wanted the bills to go up

by about 10 %. We said no, and we pay the bills broadly at inflation

now. High bills are not welcome news, but the regulator says they

will hope -- help to make sure suppliers do not run dry in future.

A 65-year-old man has been arrested by detectives from Operation

Yewtree, the Scotland Yard unit set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile

affair. He was arrested at an address in South London and has

been taken into police custody. He is being questioned over

allegations of sexual offences. Sales of wellingtons, tablet

computers and smart phones helped boost retail sales last month,

which grew at their fastest rate since December 2011. The British

Retail Consortium says like-for- like sales for January were up 1.9%

The Scottish Government has drawn up a timetable for independence if

the country votes "yes" in the 2014 referendum. Under the plans,

Independence Day for Scotland would be in March 2016 with the first

elections to an independent Parliament held in May 2016. Our

Scotland Correspondent Lorna Gordon is at Holyrood. So we have the

timetable, but there is still a big question. Yes, it is the fact that

the vote on whether or not Scotland leaves the union still has to take

place. People living here in Scotland have to decide whether or

not they want to leave the union, and what they want their

constitutional future to be. These are plans to set out what would

happen if a majority of people decided that they were in favour of

independence. The Scottish government has described it as a

transition timetable from a referendum to this so-called

independence day in 20th March 16. They say it is an orderly and co-

operative transition. They are inviting representatives of other

parties and wider, civic Scotland to take part in negotiations if

there were to be a Yes vote. That is Abedin if, because at the moment

-- a big if, because at the moment the polls suggest Scotland is not

in favour of independence. There is also the issue that if people voted

in favour of independence it is a hugely ambitious timetable to go

from bad vote in autumn of next year -- that voting autumn of next

year to go to independence in their early 2016. Alex Salmond has been

speaking today and he said, not so and it is in line with other

international experience. Let's look at the international examples.

30 countries have gone through the process of becoming independent

after a referendum, and the average timescale between a referendum and

independence was 15 months. We have allowed longer than that. If the

other countries can do it, why not Scotland? Critics have been lining

up to give their views on this idea today. The leader of the Liberal-

Democrats in Scotland said the timetable is absurd. He says the

SNP have hopelessly underestimated the scale and complexity of it and

says they would have to negotiate or renegotiate 14,000 international

treaties. The Scottish Secretary says that they are devoting their

energies to the picture frame when they don't have a picture to put in

it. They don't even have a date or a publicly announced the date of

when the referendum will be. And Alastair Darling says it lacks

credibility. There are too many issues that need to be discussed,

pensions and welfare being just a couple of those issues. But Nicola

Sturgeon from the SNP said this was the first in a number of papers,

and that these issues will be dealt $:/STARTFEED. There is much more

detail and analysis of this story on our website. Go to

www.bbc.co.uk/Scotland's future. Our top story: MPs are debating

controversial plans to allow same sex marriage in England and Wales.

Coming up - resurrected from a car park grave, but where will King

Richard III's final resting place On BBC London, Haringey council

faces a High Court challenge over plans to make some of its poorest

residents pay council tax. And once a battleship which escorted supply

boats in the war, now The Wellington prepares to welcome

visitors. They were known as the Magdalene

laundries, Catholic-run workhouses run by nuns for more than 70 years.

Thousands of single mothers and other women were put to work there

in detention. Many suffered years of imprisonment and abuse. Today, a

report is expected to reveal just how much the Irish Government knew

about what went on and survivors are hoping for an apology. Chris

Buckler is in Dublin for us now. Sophie, the Irish Government have

always emphasised that the Magdalene Laundries were run by

religious orders, effectively the Catholic Church. It's been said

time and time again that the state must have known what was going on

inside them. Some have gone further saying the state were in effect

complicit in a period of shameful history.

These buildings were known as laundries and workhouses. For those

locked inside, they were prisons. Over a period of 70 years, the

laundries were places for so-called fallen women or troubled girls

taken into what was supposed to be Christian care. They were simply

used. Forced to work having lost their freedom. You were a prisoner,

worse than a prisoner. A prisoner had rights we didn't. My name was

taken off me. I wasn't called Maureen after that, I was called

Frances. If you didn't answer, they'd come down and box you to the

side of your head. Your ears would be swoln and red. Some held in the

laundries were single mothers, others girls judged to be at risk

of promiscuity. Run by nuns, they were presented to the public as a

place where they would learn values and the teachings of the Catholic

Church. But it's the true morality of what happened here now under

question. Today's report will examine exactly what was known by

the authorities and ask to what extent the Irish state should be

held responsible. They were not only sending in girls

and women through the courts, through mother and baby homes, they

were also ignoring the fact that they abused the women.

laundries operated between the 20s and 90s, campaigners have been

fighting for compensation for the victims still alive. But what's

most important is the prospect of an official apology and an

acknowledge by from the Irish Government of what took place

behind these doors. Families want records of documents to be made

public. Some still don't know why their relatives were taken to the

laundries. She was effectively kidnapped in so far as she was

driven by a Preece under false pretences into 20 years of

effective slavery and incarceration. Many of the women held in the

laundrys are now dead, some never had a chance to leave the

institutions where they suffered. If there is an acknowledgement of

the abuse, it's come decades too late.

The report will be published in a couple of hours' time and relatives

won't only be looking at what it says, but also at what the Irish

Government says in response. One word is more important than other

and it's "Sorry" they need that acknowledgement and the apology.

A five-year-old boy held at gun point for a week in an underground

bunker in America has been freed unharmed. His captor, a retired

Vietnam War veteran abducted the boy from the school bus last

Tuesday after shooting the driver dead. FBI agents finally sthormed

the bunker yesterday, killing the 65-year-old man -- stormed. Jane

Little reports from Washington. A seven-day stand-off came to an

abrupt end when the FBI stormed an underground bunker here in rural

Alabama. Officers raided the bunker and rescued the boy within seconds

after negotiations with his captor, Jimmy Lee Dykes, broke down.

Dykes was confirmed dead, though no details were given. The boy, known

only as he than, was described as physically unharm and taken to a

local hospital. Ethan's ordeal began last Tuesday

when Dykes boarded his school bus and demanded two boys between the

ages of six and eight. The driver, Chuck Poland, blocked

his path and was shot dead. Dykes then grabbed Ethan. During the

siege, negotiators kept talking to Dykes and he allowed them to pass

toys, food and medicine through a haven't laition pipe. Ethan is said

to have Asperger's Syndrome. Over the past 24 hours, our

communications with the subject deteriorated and we were certainly

concerned for the safety of the child. Vigils were held each day

and night for him. Friends made birthday cards. It is his sixth

birthday on Wednesday. And now, there's cause for

celebration. She's been the golden girl of

British swimming since her triumphs at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 but

today, Rebecca Adlington announced she was retiring from competitive

sport. She's only 23 but she says she just feels too old to compete

with the younger generation of swimmers. This report from our

sports correspondent, Tim Franks, contains flash photography.

Rarely do people retire at the age of 23. Rare orstill is what this

23-year-old has achieved. Rebecca Adlington's been the most

successful British swimmer of the modern era. She's looking forward

to an end to five in the morning starts and the exhausting embrace

of the pool. I don't like the word "Retiring" but just ending my

competitive career. It's just the right time. I've achieved

everything that I ever hoped for and beyond, definitely.

COMMENTATOR: It could be Adlington... She was just 19 when

she took the first of two Olympic golds in Beijing. She was keen to

stress hers was not a success that came from nowhere. Since the age of

12, she'd endured a training regime which her coach described as brutal.

That pain was repaid with that smile of joy and disbelief mirrored

in the faces of mayor parents watching from home in the Midlands.

The sport of swimming, we have had so much fun with as a family. Not

just on holidays, with competing. We have chlorine running through

the house and our veins. It's been our sport as a family. At the

London Games, she secured double bronze, a feat all the more

impressive given how thin British swimming's achievements were at the

Games. Adlington herself has criticised the administrator's

reluctance to listen to the people in the pool. It's the swimmers that

have to stand on the block and perform. The whole sport is based

on us and it's what we do and it's about just listening to all the

athletes, like I said, and knowing what they need.

Rebecca's career in the pool may be over, after a few short years, but

her presence as a role model could last for decades to come.

Now, he's been lying under a car park in Leicester for hundreds of

years, but now King Richard III has re-emerged into the spotlight and

sparked a rue over where heion buried. There are plans to bury him

in Leicester Cathedral near where he was found but he grew up in

Yorkshire and the council are writing to the Queen asking that he

be buried at York Minster. Ed Thomas reports.

The unveiling of a King. We knew where he was bury and from this

reconstruction, was now know what Richard III might have looked like.

But there is one more argument to settle - where will he finally be

laid to rest? Richard III was a northern King... Richard III might

have been Attuneed in Leicester, but here in York, a letter's been

sent to the Queen, asking for their King to be returned.

Richard III was an adopted Yorkshireman and had a special

relationship with the City of York. This is the place where he should

be buried in York Minster. argument goes on. Richard III met

his wife in York and his son Edward is buried here. This place lives

and breathes its history. York is confident of its past. Here, they

say the signature of Richard III isn't to be found underneath the

car park, but in its stone and mortar. He had his northern

Coronation at York Minster. In 1484, he paid for building work here, his

northern roots might be calling but the finders and keepers of the bone

in Leicester aren't listening. think we've already established

with the people of Leicester and here in the cathedral that we

believe it would be wonderful if he was buried here. His remains have

lain within the parish of St Martin Leicester for over 500 years, just

a few yards from this church. The Yorkists face another problem.

The exhume ace was only allowed as long as the body was reburied by

June this year and in Leicester. People keep referring to a will,

but I don't know that it really exists, so I don't think it's a

valid claim. But York is not giving up. This once controversial King

faces one last battle. Fresh snowfall and gale force winds

are causing problems across large parts of the UK again weeks after

severe weather led to school closures and transport problems.

Dozens of schools have been closed again in parts of Northern Ireland

and Scotland and some flights have been delayed at Belfast, Manchester

and Leeds Bradford Airports. Judith Moritz reports.

This crash near to the M62 in Huddersfield this morning happened

after the cars skidded on ice. It caused long tail backs at the

busiest time of day. The rush hour feels ironic on days

like this. Everyone needs to be somewhere, but here in West

Yorkshire, no-one was getting very far.

Can't move. Tried to move the car but it's not going anywhere. I'm

just stuck. Those on hand to help tried their best, though conditions

were difficult. Really horrendous. Traffic on both

sides getting stuck on the hill. Dangerous. Snow fell overnight and

again this morning mostly on high ground like here in the Pennines.

Mountain roads like this one between Huddersfield and Manchester

are always first to be affected when the snow falls at this time of

year. But with other Trans-Pennine routes like the Woodhead and Snake

Pass shut this morning, it's put extra pressure on the motorways. In

Sheffield, bus services were suspended earlier this morning.

Some are now running, but there's severe disruption to many routes.

In the Peak District on the outskirts of Stockport, the roads

were particularly icy. In Scotland, on the M77, there were

long tail backs whilst more than 20 schools in Dumfries and Galloway

have closed. In Northern Ireland, there's also been disruption around

Belfast with some schools closing and some airport delays. Across the

UK, the weather isn't forecast to be as severe as it has previously

but widespread ice is a possibility. Let's go straight to the weather

Let's go straight to the weather with Jay. Is it going to last?

There is some pretty cold air out there. Some will come down this

afternoon in the form of big wintry showers and strong winds on top of

that to contend with as well. This is what we have seen so far today.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have a wintry mix of rain, sleet and

fairly significant snow. It's likely to cause further travel

disruption as it edges its way southwards. If you have plans in

the south of England, tune into your BBC local radio to find out

the latest. In northern England, 200 metres

plus is where the heaviest snow is likely to be.

Poor visibility and tricky conditions on the roads, so bear

that in mind. Things improve in southern Scotland. Feeling colder

with the winds. A few showers around and the snow level creeps up

a little this afternoon. In Northern Ireland, it's mostly rain

showers, but it's cold and windy with a bit of sunshine to be found

in-between the showers. The showers affecting the North Wales area.

Mostly rain showers down towards the far south-west. A bit of

sunshine in-between. Again, feeling much colder in the very strong

winds. Things tend to dry up towards the south-eastern corner.

Sunshine to be found and only four or five degrees, so colder than

yesterday, particularly in the wind. Staying windy in the south and west

tonight. Wet snow moves its way through East Anglia for a time but

towards dawn, ice will be the main problem with temperatures close to

or below freezing. Tomorrow, the wind's coming from the Arctic, a

genuine Arctic blast with a significant wind chill factor with

cold air spreading down across the UK. Bringing showers early on in

the day. They become confined to eastern Scotland and eastern

England later in the day. It will be a cold day at four or five or

six, but add on the strength of the wind and it will feel like it's

round about freezing or subzero. The winds gradually ease down on

Wednesday night, particularly out towards the west and it will turn

cold. On Thursday, some improvements with

lighter winds. Still cold and wintry showers out towards the east.

Later in the day, the weather front is moving into the cold air and we

may see a bit of snow on the leading edge of that.

Thank you very much. A reminder of our top story. MPs have begun

debating whether to introduce same- sex marriage in England and Wales.

More than 100 Conservative MPs are expected to oppose the Bill in a