0:00:00 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language and scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08This is Tottenham. On the surface, an unremarkable suburb in north London,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10with a famous football team.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Trying to get the shot away...it's 2-0!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But for the last 30 years,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17this place has rarely been out of the news.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23October 1985, Broadwater Farm became hell on earth.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28PC Keith Blakelock was savaged to death.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Victoria Climbie's mother arriving for the end of the first part
0:00:31 > 0:00:34of the inquiry into her daughter's death.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Doctors and police officers all knew he was at risk
0:00:37 > 0:00:40but Baby P was never rescued.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44The shooting of Mark Duggan sparked riots across the capital
0:00:44 > 0:00:47and the rest of the country.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Many of the challenges in Tottenham
0:00:49 > 0:00:52land at the door of local MP, David Lammy.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54I know them said to one of the other police,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57"Handcuff her, handcuff her."
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Then he swung me around and he shoved me to the wall.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I was embarrassed, I was in the streets.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I thought they'd got the wrong person.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07But it was the wrong person!
0:01:07 > 0:01:11These cases are the bane of the MP for Tottenham's life,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and it's just totally unacceptable how people are treated.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Totally, totally unacceptable.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23David Lammy runs one of the busiest MP advice surgeries in the country.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25For the first time, cameras have been allowed in
0:01:25 > 0:01:27to film behind the scenes.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Haringey is saying that they won't give you the tenancy.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31They won't give me anything.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35This trespasser, whether I've been a trespasser for 14 years...
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Some of these people really do have a horrific time,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43and they don't really have anyone to turn to.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Who do you tell when you're on your own?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48That's why it's so good that they can come to the MP
0:01:48 > 0:01:50knowing that he will help them,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55because sometimes it's not their last resort, it's their only resort.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Tottenham is home to over 115,000 people,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25speaking around 200 different languages.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It's part of the Borough of Haringey,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33where more than 70% of young people are from an ethnic minority.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39David Lammy was born here
0:02:39 > 0:02:44and spent much of his childhood on the Broadwater Farm estate.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46He's been the MP for Tottenham for 15 years.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51When I told my mother I wanted to be an MP, she cried.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56"Why do you want to do that job? That nasty horrible politics!"
0:02:56 > 0:02:59You know, I was a barrister, I was going to be a QC,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03I'd be making shitloads more money than I'm making now.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06But it's a vocation, it's like being a priest or a teacher,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11you can't stop it, it's what you need and want to do.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Surgeries are held twice a month on a Friday evening.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24David Lammy and his team deal with over 6,000 problems every year.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28And your cases, Daisy, are they sort of straightforward?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Yeah, emigration, housing today, some homelessness cases.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Here to see David tonight is Colly.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37She's come to see him about her eldest son, Adam,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39who is waiting for spinal surgery.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43His operation has been delayed
0:03:43 > 0:03:45because their house isn't adequate for Adam's needs.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- I've only got a provisional licence for this thing(!)- I know!
0:03:48 > 0:03:50The authorities have agreed
0:03:50 > 0:03:52she is entitled to a grant to adapt her house,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55but there is a dispute as to exactly what changes are needed.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59They won't release the funds until an agreement is reached.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- Hi.- Hi, Mr Lammy. - How are you?
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- It really is dire, Mr Lammy. - Go through it with me.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Basically, Adam is 9-and-a-half years old,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12he was born with brain damage, he's got epilepsy,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16he can't walk, he's peg fed, he's got major curvage of the spine,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18so he's got a spinal brace on,
0:04:18 > 0:04:24he's 31.9 kilogram, as you can see I'm four-foot nothing,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27although I have a lot of, you know, zeal,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29to look after my own son,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31I can't physically manage any more.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Tell me what your life consists of
0:04:33 > 0:04:35without this grant to adapt the home.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- Carrying him up and down the stairs. - How far is the stairs, what's...?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42We do about 20 steps, unless I'm bad at maths.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- Can't you carry? - No, it's 17, Mum.
0:04:44 > 0:04:4817, sorry! My right hand man says it's 17.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53I carry him literally horizontally and have to dip him, bang his leg,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56up and down, when we want to wash him, we take him downstairs
0:04:56 > 0:04:57where the wet room facility is,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01which is very small for a child who has to lay horizontally,
0:05:01 > 0:05:06it's absolutely freezing, the wet room door crashes into the lift,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09but the bottom line is I feel he's being discriminated.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11HE CRIES
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It's OK, sweetheart, it's here.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's not Lammy no more, We're blocking him out, look, it's Stevie!
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Is that OK? We're not going to get help by screaming.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26We've got to do some talking. And doing some listening.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28OK? "OK, Mama?"
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- Sorry, this is... - STEVIE WONDER PLAYS ON PHONE
0:05:30 > 0:05:35No, I know. Stevie calms me down as well!
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I'm going to get...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- MUSIC PLAYS - Sorry, Mr Lammy!
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- DAVID SINGS ALONG - Oh, gosh!
0:05:43 > 0:05:45I love this one!
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I'm going to speak to the solicitor.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51What the problem here is, this, he needs spinal surgery,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53he needs it now, he shouldn't be wearing this,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- this is a temporary measure. - What's the delay?
0:05:55 > 0:05:58The house isn't suitable, so he cannot be discharged,
0:05:58 > 0:05:59that's why he can't have the surgery,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02that's why I've ended up at your doorstep,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04because enough is enough, school can't support me,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06local authorities can't support me,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08who is going to support a child like this?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Like, you know, me, I can only do my best, I'm just a mum.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- Paracetamol and a cup of tea? - No!
0:06:17 > 0:06:22But I'm not here to break down and cry,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I'm here to be sober and professional
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and do what I can to try and move this one forward, yeah?
0:06:27 > 0:06:30That's what you need from me. You don't need my sympathy.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34I know that's not what you want. You want action, so, OK.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- Great. - Thank you very much.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37- Bye.- Bye.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43That woman is incredible, incredible, incredible.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- And incredible. - You nearly cried, there.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I know, she reminds me of my mother.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Aargh! Energy! God.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53Oh!
0:06:55 > 0:06:56In many ways, this child has made me.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59In many ways, he's made me the woman I am today,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01if I'm whinging about something,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04if I'm upset about something, go and get a hug off Adam,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07that's the theme in our house, everyone gets a hug off Adam,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10because Adam will pat you on the head and tell you,
0:07:10 > 0:07:11"Listen, get over yourself,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14"because you're not the centre of the earth, I am!"
0:07:16 > 0:07:19This is the bit where I wish they did add something for me.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Because I'm on the small side!
0:07:23 > 0:07:28# There's a ribbon in the sky... #
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Here to see David are sisters Gina and Mandy.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Three weeks ago, their 30-year-old nephew, Ambrose Ball,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47went missing in the middle of the night
0:07:47 > 0:07:49following a car accident near Tottenham Marshes.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03They've come to talk to David
0:08:03 > 0:08:06about how the police are handling the case.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Hello.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Ambrose's mother, Ruth, is too ill to come herself.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Tell me about Ambrose, Ambrose is 30.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Yeah. He's a father, he's got two children.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22They've been separated since last March.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Well, personally, as a family,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27we actually think there's something bad's happened.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29When was Ambrose last seen that night?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Independent witnesses at between 1:00 and 1:30,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and he's just vanished.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36And it's totally out of character.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38And there's also the case of how the police
0:08:38 > 0:08:40dealt with the accident scene.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43They didn't tape it off, they left the number plate there,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- they left the wheel there... - Contamination.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47They left all the debris there,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49so all along, it just seems like the police
0:08:49 > 0:08:51just have not even wanted to find out what's gone on,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54you know, it just does not make sense as to why
0:08:54 > 0:08:55he's just disappeared like this
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and why the police have been so unhelpful.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00- What are the police saying to you? - We've not heard anything,
0:09:00 > 0:09:06apart from text messages saying no new sightings of Ambrose, nothing.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08That's all we're getting.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10OK, leave it with me
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and I will try and find out what the hell's going on.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15In the meantime, keep the faith.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- Thank you. - Thank you so much.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Well, hopefully he'll keep to his word
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and get to the bottom of all what's happened.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26So if you're not doing anything, you feel like you're giving up.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27You know, if you don't do anything,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29you feel like you're giving up on him,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34and obviously we'd never want Ambrose to think that, you know.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Yeah.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49David calls Haringey's Chief Superintendent, Victor Olisa,
0:09:49 > 0:09:50from his Westminster office.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Look, Ambrose, the 30-year-old man who's gone missing, his family
0:09:56 > 0:10:03have come in raising real concerns about the, erm, investigation,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05you know, the inference that they're making effectively
0:10:05 > 0:10:09is the police aren't taking this seriously because he's a black guy
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and they obviously think he's been killed or something ugly has
0:10:13 > 0:10:19happened to him, but it does sound a bit weird that nothing's turned up.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21'Yeah, it does sound weird.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24'We've searched the canal to a distance of, you know,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28'5km from where Ambrose's car was and everything else.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33'We've done extensive work in terms of telephone, cross-links, and we've
0:10:33 > 0:10:35'been phoning and he hasn't responded.'
0:10:35 > 0:10:39'We are just as perplexed at the moment about where he might be.'
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I'll tell you what I'm conscious of - there's a breakdown of trust
0:10:43 > 0:10:49and this is going to turn into a political issue, frankly, and so
0:10:49 > 0:10:53I think if you could meet with the family pretty soon, I'd be grateful.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55'I'm happy to meet with, er, with the family,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57'so I'll get back to you tomorrow.'
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Great. Cheers. Bye.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Erm, you need to go to your next meeting.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Oh, shit, OK, right, thanks.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Hello, Stephen, how are you?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Well, I hope I don't get as emotional as I was last time,
0:11:20 > 0:11:21I was all over the place.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Hello, Beauty, how are you?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I mean, we... I've not heard anything from Haringey yet.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28'I always think the amazing
0:11:28 > 0:11:33'and unique thing about our democracy is that there are 650 MPs
0:11:33 > 0:11:38'and every single one of us does an advice surgery.'
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- What school are you at?- Harris.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Harris Academy? How's it going?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Bad, because I have dyslexis.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- You're dyslexic? My son's dyslexic as well.- Yes.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51But you know what?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Some of the brightest people in the country...
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- Richard Branson's dyslexic! - That's what I told him!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59'I do love this side of the job.'
0:11:59 > 0:12:01It's sort of real, real people,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04it's a long, long way from Westminster.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Someone's using your National Insurance number?
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Yes, that's...that's correct.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11They're working in your name, they have been for the past four years.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12Yes.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24There's a lot of people these days who are stealing identities.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26It's a real issue.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29No, but someone has taken it.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Yes.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'It's not about being a politician arguing in the chamber,'
0:12:34 > 0:12:38it's about representing people's interests and using your power
0:12:38 > 0:12:42and political capital to make a change in people's lives,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46and that's not something you should take lightly, actually.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48We fought hard to get that.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50How can I help, Mr Ricker?
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Where I live, it's an alleyway off the main road.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56We've had double yellow lines put in, no loading or unloading,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and I'm fed up because I can...
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Well, I'll show you, I've got some...
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Where is this, Mr Ricker?
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Green Lanes, Haringey.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- Oh, yeah? I know.- That one's out... - Grand Parade, yeah.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11..my bedroom window. Nothing but trouble.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14This one, disabled bay is 24/7.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17He's gone over the pavement to get in there,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I've got over 100 photos.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Look, Mr Ricker, I can see that it's very difficult for you,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32cos it must be very frustrating. The problem is Haringey's
0:13:32 > 0:13:36actually collecting more than the national average in parking fines.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37I get a lot of people come in here
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and say the parking attendants are too zealous.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44In the end, this problem goes back to...to drivers.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47It's people breaking the laws.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Haringey cannot police the whole of Green Lanes
0:13:49 > 0:13:52with more than the officers that they've got, and they're
0:13:52 > 0:13:55running up and down every day and they're giving loads of tickets.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Hang on a minute. Let me finish.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01The council's had £144 million worth of cuts.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Over 100 vehicles, right, say for argument's sake each one,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08130 quid, you know how much that comes to?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10£13,000 they're losing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Now, with that, they could employ more staff,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- this one I went Friday...- Mr Ricker, I do have to press on.- I'm sorry.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I've got some others, unfortunately.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I'm not going to go head-to-head to you on parking,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22cos I've got a feeling you could beat me.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24THEY LAUGH
0:14:24 > 0:14:26But you've persuaded me, I will press Haringey.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34It's been four weeks since Ambrose Ball went missing.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Tonight, David Lammy has
0:14:39 > 0:14:43arranged for Tottenham's Chief Superintendent to visit the family.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Ambrose's mum Ruth has just come out of intensive care,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and is waiting with sister Gina.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Sorry.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57SHE SOBS
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The relationship between Ruth and the officers
0:15:00 > 0:15:03investigating her son's disappearance has broken down.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06So now they contact her by text.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11"There's been no reported sightings of Ambrose.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16"There have been no responses to our witness appeal today.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18"We will contact you as soon as possible
0:15:18 > 0:15:20"if there are any further developments."
0:15:20 > 0:15:21Do you know, I really believe,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I really believe they're antagonising me.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28They're trying to push that last tick of my heart,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31they're trying to push me over to that, that stabbing pain that
0:15:31 > 0:15:34I'm getting. That's what I truly believe, that's what they're doing
0:15:34 > 0:15:38right now, and I would like this commissioner to stop this today.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Ruth's mistrust of the police is rooted in her own childhood.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49My record, when I was nine, robbery, nicking a bike,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52all the way through absconding, assault on the police
0:15:52 > 0:15:55because I didn't want to be put back in care, to a place that
0:15:55 > 0:15:57was raping and abusing me, so I had no choice, it was either that
0:15:57 > 0:16:01or that, and I believe every time they bring up my record or our name,
0:16:01 > 0:16:06they go straight to that, and that is scum. That's how they see it,
0:16:06 > 0:16:07that's how they see me,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and that's how I'm portrayed, and that's how
0:16:09 > 0:16:12exactly I was treated and have been treated ever since.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16They're not saying that, seeing how I've dug myself out of that on own,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19how I've achieved and brought three good, fine men up,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21and got to the point I've got to,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24they're not seeing that, they just see I'm damaged goods,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27lost cause, that is that, and that is the nitty-gritty of it.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30- Good evening.- Hello.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32How are we?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Chief Superintendent Victor Olisa
0:16:34 > 0:16:38is hoping to rebuild relationships with the family.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Let me start by saying thank you for agreeing to see us.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48I know the journey up to this stage has not been...brilliant, or as
0:16:48 > 0:16:50simple as it can be, but, erm,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54as best as I can reassure you that we're doing everything
0:16:54 > 0:16:58within our powers to try and find Ambrose. Yeah?
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- Yeah.- So...you're going to take some convincing, aren't you? Listen...
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Right, my first question, if you don't mind, please.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Not at all.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Why wasn't I listened to when I first reported my son
0:17:10 > 0:17:14on the marshes on the 24th of the first, 2015?
0:17:14 > 0:17:16So, when is that, is that the...?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18The same day he went missing. No, the same day.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20- It was within six hours. - The same day?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- He was in a very serious car crash.- Yeah.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25I went down to the marshes, I wanted to see where the car was,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27and I was standing there in the marshes,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29begging the police to come to me, please help me.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32They said they'd get back to me, stay where I am. Three hours later,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37and still nobody came to me. I need to know why I was ignored, otherwise
0:17:37 > 0:17:40I would have had a chance of finding my son in those first 48 hours.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Look, I can't give you an answer for that at the moment, so, we're going
0:17:43 > 0:17:46to go through the whole sequence of what's happened from the moment
0:17:46 > 0:17:50we get the report to where we are now, yeah? Just to analyse every
0:17:50 > 0:17:53single thing to make sure that we've got the right information...
0:17:53 > 0:17:55My son's lying somewhere with maggots coming out of his face,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57do you know that?
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Ruth, I understand how you feel, yeah? I understand exactly how
0:18:01 > 0:18:03you feel, erm... Like you, I'm a parent,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and Ambrose is just as important to me as anybody else
0:18:07 > 0:18:09my officers have got a responsibility to find.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11You're not going to find him, are you?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14You would have found him by now. Come on, please. Common sense
0:18:14 > 0:18:19would tell you that. You find dogs quicker than this, and missing cats.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Anyone working in my position would be wrong to come in here and
0:18:22 > 0:18:25actually say, "Ambrose is dead but we don't have any proof."
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Equally, I'd be wrong to come in here and say, "Ambrose is alive,
0:18:28 > 0:18:29"but we don't have any proof."
0:18:29 > 0:18:32We just don't know and that's why we actually keep going.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I do. This is not a missing person case.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37But he is a missing person.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41No, he's gone, he's finished, he's vanished, he's disposed of,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43he's evaporated.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46OK, and if that's, if that's the language you want to use,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48you want to hold it, that's fine.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50I'm not going to argue with you about that, all I can...
0:18:50 > 0:18:53You're all itching each other's backs, just to dispose
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- and get rid of all this... - Nobody wants to get rid...
0:18:55 > 0:18:59..cos they made a big mistake. Instead of saying sorry to me,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and not acting on those first, crucial 48 hours,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and apologising, admitting they've gone wrong,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08to continue this down the road, "he's still just missing..."
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Ruth, please, yeah?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13When we get to a conclusion...
0:19:13 > 0:19:16- Finish, please.- Finish?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I'm finished with you now. I'm not being...
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Please, I'm finished.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Sorry, I'm done.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30The meeting ends with the police offering to get a new family liaison
0:19:30 > 0:19:34officer, arrange a case conference, and increase media publicity.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52For many Tottenham residents, their biggest problem is housing.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Across Haringey, over 9,000 people on the council's waiting list.
0:20:10 > 0:20:1460% of the cases that come into David Lammy's surgery are housing related.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18So you're 28, you're staying with your aunt,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22she wants you out in March and you've got no money?
0:20:22 > 0:20:26It's phenomenally difficult for single men to get a council house,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29which is effectively what you want,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32when there are queues and queues of people, particularly families.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Looks like very bad damp to me. I mean, look at that.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It's in the bedroom, the bathroom,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and then the ceiling of the bedroom's got leaking water
0:20:41 > 0:20:43when it rains badly.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45I remember going to surgery with my mother,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47to my predecessor MPs,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and, actually, people have pretty low expectations often,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54because they've been let down by public services.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57So there's no point sitting here as if I've got a god complex
0:20:57 > 0:20:58and I can fix the world for them,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00you know, it's about being realistic.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I don't want to make any promises,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06I have seen cases that are worse than yours.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- Oh, OK. - Even today, in today's surgery.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- How old is your son?- Four.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And you've been sleeping at friends' places?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Police station, buses, friends' places, everything.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Hi, have a seat.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Thank you very much.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Lorry driver Koefe has come to see David Lammy
0:21:24 > 0:21:27because his flat is overcrowded.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29- So there's five of you. - Five of, yeah, of us.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- In a one-bedroom. - In a one-bedroom.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Where are you all sleeping?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Right, this is what...
0:21:40 > 0:21:42This... I sleep on the floor,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47and then both kids sleep on the bedroom, on the bed,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and my wife sleep on the living room,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and my daughter sleep on the floor in the living room.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- And your wife has liver cancer.- Yes.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Right now, she's in the hospital,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04so I have to go to the hospital,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07come take the kids out of school, get someone to look after them,
0:22:07 > 0:22:13cook, go to the hospital, and, this, it's like my life, it's not easy.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16When it comes to night, it's where my worry comes,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19how I'm going to sleep, how my kids are going to sleep.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24What do the doctors say about your wife, is she going to get better?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27They started one treatment before,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and then, er, the treatment did not work,
0:22:29 > 0:22:36so, they try, are trying another treatment which is the chemotherapy,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41which is...as all of us know how chemotherapy is.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42This feels very serious to me.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- It is.- And so, I'm going to be contacting the council
0:22:46 > 0:22:50because I can't see how you are in band B, you should be in band A.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Thank you, er...- God bless you.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55OK, best of luck.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57I pray for you to be there for us all the time.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59OK, thank you, stay strong, thank you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08People think that all of the problems in a constituency like this
0:23:08 > 0:23:09are about poverty.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14Sometimes, they think it's about laziness, or stupidity,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16or a lack of acumen.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Actually, a lot of the issues here are simply about bad luck.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23You just get a bad draw.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26You know, shit happens in people's lives,
0:23:26 > 0:23:31all people's lives, whatever your financial circumstances.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36If you're middle class, if you have networks, if you have friends,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39it's not that terrible things don't happen, er,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43but it's often that you're...
0:23:43 > 0:23:46you have support networks, there are buffers for you,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50and a lot of my constituents have not got those buffers.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00In Tottenham, the problems with housing are escalating.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Between 2013 and 2014,
0:24:05 > 0:24:10councils across London only funded 40 council houses.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12None of them were in Haringey.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Koefe has been trying to get his family rehoused for eight years.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Who want, do you want this bread or that one?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- That one.- This one.- That one.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Every week, he bids for a council property using their online system.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32My last bidding was on Wednesday,
0:24:32 > 0:24:39and then what I found out, er, we are 573, it was 570 before,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44now is 573 people fighting for one house,
0:24:44 > 0:24:49and I wonder who's going to, what's going to happen.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Councils decide who gets offered a property based on
0:24:56 > 0:24:58who they deem to be a priority.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01They don't have nowhere to play,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05that why he's keeping throwing everything like that.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Come. This is my wife Pauline.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31For me, we feel like animals,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34because, even though animal has a...
0:25:34 > 0:25:39They have a...I mean, a way to live in separate, you know.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43We are... I don't know which word to describe,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45but it is like, you know, putting...
0:25:46 > 0:25:48You feel like in prison, I can say.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Over the next 20 years, Tottenham will undergo massive regeneration.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Along with Spurs football club,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02the council is planning to redevelop the north end of Tottenham High Road.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07This controversial scheme involves demolishing this large area.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Nearly 300 homes, and 120 businesses will have to go.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18In their place, the council plan to build
0:26:18 > 0:26:21community and leisure facilities, and 1,200 new homes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Unless the businesses under threat sell up and leave,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31they will be compulsory purchased and offered compensation.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37One of them is this timber yard that's been here for 65 years.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Corned beef, I never know what I got until I open the box up.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45I've got a very nice wife, she gets all the food for me,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49and it's a surprise every time I, er, go to have a look.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Brian Dossett is the owner of this profitable family business
0:26:54 > 0:26:57that sells timber and manufactures bespoke furniture.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Me uncle and me dad started in the back garden
0:27:02 > 0:27:04making deck chairs and that sort of thing,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and then they gradually got one place and carried on,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and, ever since, they built it up.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I've been coming here, in a pram to start with, with me mum,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16because me mum worked here and me aunt worked here,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18all our family's worked here.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I remember when I was a kid,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23we used to get the shavings and put them in sacks.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25I done that in my holidays and played about, yeah.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Always been here, all my life.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Despite the offer of compensation,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37unless Brian can find an alternative local site to rebuild his business,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39he says he'll be forced to close down
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and his 28 employees will lose their jobs.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47Six months ago,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Brian went to ask David Lammy for help to fight the plans.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Right, there's plan 1, er, our building is just here.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Basically they want to build a road through your business.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59And flats, they want to put a road through it
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and they want to knock this down, and the rest of the estate.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Everything they're doing is not going to improve Tottenham.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Look, I've campaigned for regeneration in this area,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- and I will continue to campaign... - I'm not saying...
0:28:10 > 0:28:12It's got to be fair, it's got to be balanced,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15it's got to take people with-with you, it's got to take people, er,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18or there's no point. I can't make promises, it's a consult... Go on.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Is it possible you can have a word with the other councillors
0:28:21 > 0:28:23to see if they are going to do their job.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Well, they've got to come and have a look.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Absolutely, absolutely, I'm going to have a word.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29That's easy, I'll do that, for sure.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- All right, good to see you. - Thank you very much for your time.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35David Lammy, I told him I had a problem,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37and he's never been back since.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41He's not interested, he's not bothered, he's just...
0:28:41 > 0:28:42Waste of time.
0:28:44 > 0:28:45After several months with no news,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Brian has asked David to come and see him.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Perhaps he's got some nice answers to tell me that it's all a mistake
0:28:54 > 0:28:55and we can stay here after all.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02- Hello.- Hello, I'm here to see Brian.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Brian, hello.- Hello there.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Good to see you, good to see you.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09What you come to tell me? Some good news that it's all been cancelled?
0:29:09 > 0:29:11You never came back and answered any of my questions
0:29:11 > 0:29:13when I...seen you at your last surgery.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17Well, Brian, the difficulty for me, as I said to you then,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19I was the person who campaigned
0:29:19 > 0:29:22to get money into the constituency to regenerate it.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26And I think locally, as the MP, I had raised issues with the council
0:29:26 > 0:29:29on the way that they consulted on the scheme, the way it landed...
0:29:29 > 0:29:32- Why...? - But what I can't do is not -
0:29:32 > 0:29:36I haven't got the power to do it - is to tell the authority what to do.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37In this area where we are here,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40we've got a main road in front of us, does no harm to anybody,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44a railway line at the back, nobody likes railways so it's great.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47We're not doing any harm to anybody having an industrial estate there,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49they've got to be somewhere.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53But, no, they decide they want to get rid of us simply because
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Tottenham Hotspur own bits of property all round on the estate,
0:29:56 > 0:29:58they can make a damn good killing out of it.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- We're supporting all that?- I totally get your point about manufacturing,
0:30:01 > 0:30:06and about your business being here for 65 years.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08I-I-I am very sympathetic to that.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12But my own view is that we do need regeneration in the area.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16You know we have had riots, there is high unemployment, there are issues.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19We keep saying that it's very bad employment in Tottenham,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22but, there again, we're getting rid of the places that are employing.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25All these other little restaurants and cafes, there's loads of them,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28you're trying to take their trade away from them.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Brian, you say you, you know...
0:30:30 > 0:30:33OK, you're in charge of Tottenham, you're the top man.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Yeah, well, this is always the difficulty...
0:30:35 > 0:30:38- If you can't sort it out, who can? - This is always the difficulty.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41My job as Member of Parliament
0:30:41 > 0:30:46is primarily to stand up for my constituents in Westminster.
0:30:46 > 0:30:47- Correct.- Right?- Where, where...?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50In Westminster. I don't run the local authority.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54- I'm not the big chief of Tottenham, I'm really not.- But you certainly...
0:30:54 > 0:30:56I've got no money, got no budget.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59- But you've got certainly more clout. - Of course I've got clout.
0:30:59 > 0:31:00- So then, er... - Of course I've got clout.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03What we're trying to do is work out how Tottenham can be improved.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Absolutely. The issue is whether they're changing for the better.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09I remember when I used to go down to Stoke Newington,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13I used to go to Dalston, I used to go across the river to Brixton,
0:31:13 > 0:31:20all of these areas... Notting Hill was a dump. Look at them now.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23And where has Tottenham been in comparison to that?
0:31:23 > 0:31:28So I'm not setting my face against regeneration. I can't, I can't do.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31What is wrong with Tottenham in your view, what is wrong with it?
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Well, clearly if you've had two riots in a generation,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37clearly if we're sitting in a ward
0:31:37 > 0:31:40in which unemployment is amongst the highest in London,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42we're sitting in a ward in which there are very...
0:31:42 > 0:31:44They're getting rid of the places where they can work.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Most people here are privately renting and their rents are soaring.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50We're sitting in an area of high crime.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54These are issues that require intervention.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56- The house...- This is not easy stuff. - Nothing's easy.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00There are people who want to give the impression it's easy, it's not.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03So how by putting houses, how by putting houses on here
0:32:03 > 0:32:05is that going to make Tottenham a better place?
0:32:05 > 0:32:08You're just going to have a lot more houses
0:32:08 > 0:32:10for more people that are unemployed.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14Because we've got massive, massive housing problems here.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18And you'd have even more job problems, you'd get more people.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19And we have got unemployment here as well.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23After I leave here, I'm going to go to my surgery, and it would...
0:32:23 > 0:32:25I don't think I've ever done a surgery in my life,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28in the 15 years that I've been MP,
0:32:28 > 0:32:29where somebody has not come...
0:32:29 > 0:32:32And, actually, in my surgeries, it's more than somebody,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35it's usually about 20 or 30 or 40 people. ..have not turned up
0:32:35 > 0:32:39and have not been virtually homeless, had crap housing,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43been overcrowded, had cockroaches, want somewhere to live.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45So I can't have it both ways.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48I can't say there's a housing crisis in London
0:32:48 > 0:32:50and we've got to sort the housing out,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55and then when it comes to where they build the housing, er,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58beat up the local authority who have an idea of regenerating the area
0:32:58 > 0:33:00and bringing some new housing.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02So there's a balance to be struck.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04I can see that you'd really like to be sitting here
0:33:04 > 0:33:06with the councillors who are making these decisions,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08because it miffs me quite a lot
0:33:08 > 0:33:11that I've got to be the guy that sort of sells the scheme...
0:33:15 > 0:33:17DAVID LAUGHS
0:33:17 > 0:33:18What am I supposed to do?
0:33:18 > 0:33:21I've had my ear bent, I shall go and bend others.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24And if you want me to help with the law and other people,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27that is part of my job, I'm happy to do that.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29I'm sure I'll be needing one in this near future.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31OK, cheers.
0:33:33 > 0:33:34He can't do nothing.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38There's no answers at all, is there, eh?
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Nothing's been solved, nothing will be solved.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43Just what we thought.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Hello, again. Hi.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01We're campaigning to keep our youth clubs open
0:34:01 > 0:34:04because Haringey Council are making er, cuts,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06and we're just trying to save it.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08When people are reaching for what to cut,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11young people somehow aren't a group.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Which is one of the reasons why we've got to get 16-year-olds the vote
0:34:14 > 0:34:16because it seems to me - I've always said this -
0:34:16 > 0:34:19if you're old enough to have sex, you're old enough to vote.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Don't want to make you blush, but that's the truth.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24You've been waiting 11 days.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27That was, that was the last time I tried to book an appointment.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31Yes, it was actually two weeks, er, before I got to see a doctor.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33It's never been a brilliant surgery, shall we say.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35It is a scandal, an outrage.
0:34:35 > 0:34:41We've got a huge problem with GPs' overrun in the area
0:34:41 > 0:34:43and poor practices in the area,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47and I'm afraid you're at one of the serial offenders.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49So you're saying that you were, er,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52you weren't allowed to use a toilet?
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I wasn't allowed to use the toilet.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56For eight-hour shifts?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58For eight-hour shift, I was not able to go to the toilet.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Every time you ask to use the toilet,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04they tell you, "Get back to your till, there's a queue."
0:35:04 > 0:35:05Oh, hello.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07For David Lammy and his team,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11some of the most challenging cases are to do with immigration.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Today, Daisy Goodman, David's senior caseworker,
0:35:15 > 0:35:16is helping 75-year-old Anna.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21She came to the UK 12 years ago,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24seeking asylum from the civil war in Angola.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26She's currently homeless.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31She's got no place to live, she's got no right to GP, no work.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35She gets no income at all from the Government or anything.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I just didn't, didn't like it,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40just, you know, someone like her in that particular situation,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43so I had to take her into my property and then trying
0:35:43 > 0:35:45to get the Home Office involved,
0:35:45 > 0:35:47trying to get, er, MP as well involved.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51The system is designed to make it hostile for people who are here
0:35:51 > 0:35:54technically illegally, and the way that they make it hostile
0:35:54 > 0:35:56is you get no benefits of any kind.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58So that's the reason why she's not getting help.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01But if she's got a valid asylum application in,
0:36:01 > 0:36:04then we'll try and get her some help as an asylum seeker.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Good luck, and it's very good to meet you both.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Tottenham has always been known as a gateway community
0:36:09 > 0:36:11for migrants and refugees.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16For those who want to stay in Britain, they have to navigate
0:36:16 > 0:36:19a complex immigration system that can take many years.
0:36:23 > 0:36:2522-year-old Shantel from Jamaica
0:36:25 > 0:36:28has been living in the UK since she was nine.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31But despite repeatedly applying to the Home Office,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35she still hasn't got her permanent residency.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Not having the right status,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43it just leaves me in a very confused and puzzled place
0:36:43 > 0:36:45because I've been here for such a long time.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49So it's like a bit touchy and emotional for me
0:36:49 > 0:36:51because all my family migrated here.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54My nan was here from she was in her 20s,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56she, like, migrated to Manchester,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00like my cousin, my brother, my nephews, like my sister.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04They have their status and then, with me, it's just like a fight,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06like every day is the next fight.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Shantel wants to go to university, but the fees are £15,000 a year.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Because of her temporary residency status,
0:37:16 > 0:37:20she isn't entitled to a student loan, so can't afford to study.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26I thought I was the only person in this situation,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29and then, when I researched,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32I found out there's 930-odd students
0:37:32 > 0:37:34that go through the same thing that I'm going through.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37How can the system be set up like that?
0:37:37 > 0:37:41Because I've done primary school, secondary school, sixth form
0:37:41 > 0:37:45then college, so I thought it would have been a successful ending
0:37:45 > 0:37:46to get in a degree,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50and then you work so hard for it and then you can't go further,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53which makes no complete sense to me.
0:37:53 > 0:37:59- Hello, hi, come on in. How are you, Shantel?- I'm fine.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01I'm really concerned about young people like you,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04that are trying to make a contribution to the country,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08want to work, want to get on, and then can't take a degree.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10And now you're working in a bookies.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Nothing against bookies,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14but that wasn't what you set out and wanted to do.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15What did you want to do?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17I wanted to do hotel...
0:38:17 > 0:38:21Like, my future plan is to like renovate hotels,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23so that's why I wanted to study business.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27All that has to be on a pause because of this, like, situation.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29How much are you getting paid at Coral?
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Because I've been promoted to assistant manager,
0:38:32 > 0:38:38I get £7 something, but when I get signed off, I would get £8.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42So your future is basically working at the bookmakers for some time
0:38:42 > 0:38:44- to raise the money to go to university?- Yeah.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45It's going to take years.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49I know because I live by myself as well, so I have to pay my rent
0:38:49 > 0:38:53and I don't know how I'm going to do that. I really don't know how.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56OK, Shantel, well, look, as I say, I'm very concerned about it.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58- I'll press for you and see where we get to.- Brilliant.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Thanks, best of luck.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Shantel is not the only person needing David Lammy's help
0:39:05 > 0:39:07to get a student loan.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Thank you. As I have mentioned in the letter...
0:39:10 > 0:39:1320-year-old Kawana has been living in the UK for over 14 years
0:39:13 > 0:39:17and she doesn't have full residency either.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19I contacted, er, the Prime Minister, actually,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22he said that he's going to forward it to the immigration,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25and they said because I have a discretionary leave,
0:39:25 > 0:39:26they're not helping me.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31I mean, I think that it would be unjustifiably harsh
0:39:31 > 0:39:32to remove you from the country.
0:39:34 > 0:39:40To all intents and purposes, these two women are British.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42They're British. They're never, ever going to be sent back
0:39:42 > 0:39:45to the places that their parents came from
0:39:45 > 0:39:48because they've lived here all their lives, they know nothing else.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51You know, they're looking forward to going to university,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54doing great jobs, paying their taxes
0:39:54 > 0:39:56and making a huge contribution.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00And the system has now said that we want a freeze on the numbers,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02and therefore you're keeping these girls
0:40:02 > 0:40:07in this in-between, undocumented situation, effectively,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10and now they can't go to university, so I'm going to go and challenge
0:40:10 > 0:40:13the minister about what's happening. Why has this happened?
0:40:15 > 0:40:20That meeting was a breakthrough. I'm finally getting somewhere.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24It gives me hope because I know once they do all of this,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28I know MP has the MP hotline. They can find different information
0:40:28 > 0:40:33that you can't probably access, or probably know how to access
0:40:33 > 0:40:35that information. So, yeah, it is really useful.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Ruth's son, Ambrose, is still missing after he disappeared
0:40:43 > 0:40:46following a car accident near Tottenham Marshes.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Unhappy with the police investigation,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Ruth is starting her own campaign.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Five weeks today, my son has been missing,
0:40:57 > 0:41:02and still I don't know where my son's body is.
0:41:02 > 0:41:0631 years old tomorrow. I love you, Ambrose!
0:41:08 > 0:41:10We're going to get the answers, Ambrose!
0:41:16 > 0:41:19I'm seeing the Borough Commander. It's David Lammy.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24David and his political assistant have come to check up
0:41:24 > 0:41:26on the investigation.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Yeah, so went to see the family last Friday.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35Had a good conversation but Ruth is, as you'd imagine, very agitated.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Just how is Mum?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40She displays the signs of a mum who's grieving.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42- Oh, God.- Hello.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- BREATHLESSLY:- Gina, Gina! Hang on a minute.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Gina, hang on. Oh, God
0:41:48 > 0:41:53She just wanted us to tell her that Ambrose is dead, you know?
0:41:53 > 0:41:54He's been gone five weeks,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57but there's no indication to suggest that.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00The thing is, what the community say, and I know this is not...
0:42:00 > 0:42:04It's not nice, but at the same time,
0:42:04 > 0:42:09we've had this terrible incident in Bristol
0:42:09 > 0:42:13involving a white young woman who goes missing,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and the whole national attention has been on it.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21Very, very sadly, she has died.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26Ambrose is the same timeframe, here in Tottenham, no coverage.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28You can see what the frustration is, and they say,
0:42:28 > 0:42:32"Oh, no-one's taking it seriously. No-one cares cos he's just a 30-year-old black guy."
0:42:32 > 0:42:35- I know. That's what Ruth was saying.- Yeah
0:42:35 > 0:42:38There's nothing further from the truth. On two separate occasions,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41we've had the murder investigation team in
0:42:41 > 0:42:45to review the whole investigation, and we went back again
0:42:45 > 0:42:47two days ago to re-search the canal.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51We've done telephone checks, we've gone into the history of friends,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53national media won't pick it up because we're not talking
0:42:53 > 0:42:57of any suspicious circumstances, so there's nothing
0:42:57 > 0:43:00that actually makes it stand out.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Unless we want to turn round and say a 30-year-old black man
0:43:02 > 0:43:05going missing is unique in itself, which it isn't,
0:43:05 > 0:43:07then the national media are not going to pick it up.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10We don't want the national media picking it up cos we'll have to
0:43:10 > 0:43:12go with an angle, that says,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15"Suspicious circumstances. Strongly believe this man's dead,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17"believe there's a third party involvement,
0:43:17 > 0:43:19"and we're making a witness appeal."
0:43:21 > 0:43:23But that would be jumping the gun.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26I can't tell you, I want this case solved.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30As I said to you, I am worried that these cases can get hijacked.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34But I can assure you we're throwing every possible resource at it.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39It's a mystery. It's a mystery how a 30-year-old man just disappears.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41- SHE SOBS - Thank you.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48I'm sorry.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Ruth's come to her local police station to hand in
0:43:50 > 0:43:55a list of 50 questions about her son's case that she wants answered.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57- I'll give you a lift back. - Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08The thing is, we're in a part of the country where relations
0:44:08 > 0:44:13between parts of the community - particularly, historically,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16the West Indian and Jamaican community - and the police
0:44:16 > 0:44:18are as bad as they can possibly be.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22And I'm worried, because there are few places in the country,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25in the world, that have had two riots in a generation,
0:44:25 > 0:44:29and frankly this is the kind of case, and they come up frequently,
0:44:29 > 0:44:33month after month, that can just spiral out of control.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36But I've got the Borough Commander to properly engage.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40He will now ricochet down to find out what's going on.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44But, in the end, if I don't get satisfaction,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47I'll go over his head to the Met Commissioner.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Shantel is on her way to the House of Commons to meet David Lammy.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09He's taking her to see the Minister for Universities.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14She's hoping that despite her temporary residency status,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17the minister will allow her to get a student loan.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37I've literally never been to Westminster before.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39This is my first time. And it's so weird,
0:45:39 > 0:45:43I've lived here for so long and I've never actually travelled here.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49It's so big.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56I'm so eager to get in.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03- Mind the car, please! - HORN TOOTS
0:46:08 > 0:46:10I can't believe it.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13I just saw the Prime Minister in his car!
0:46:13 > 0:46:15He nearly hit me over!
0:46:15 > 0:46:18See, in my area, you don't see nothing like that.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23- I'm here to see David Lammy in the House of Commons.- Yeah, shall we...?
0:46:25 > 0:46:27That was scary.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29David has also invited Kawana,
0:46:29 > 0:46:32the other student who is the same predicament as Shantel.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36- Are you a bit nervous? - Yeah.- Yes, I am.
0:46:37 > 0:46:38- Are you OK?- I'm fine.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42OK. So, now, in a way, I'm going for two reasons.
0:46:42 > 0:46:47The way you are treating these British students
0:46:47 > 0:46:51who have discretionary leave to remain is wrong.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55You changed the rules on this a couple of years ago,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57and this is the hardship it's causing.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00This cannot be what you intended, right?
0:47:00 > 0:47:04So, straight backs...
0:47:04 > 0:47:06- Rosa Parks...- Yeah. - THEY LAUGH
0:47:09 > 0:47:11..and just, you know... See what I mean? Yeah?
0:47:12 > 0:47:14You haven't been to the Commons before...?
0:47:21 > 0:47:25The meeting with the Universities Minister, Greg Clark, lasts an hour.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30- LAUGHING - Ah! That was so sick!
0:47:35 > 0:47:38- It is beautiful.- We had a meeting in the House of Commons.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43I know! With like a high MP...
0:47:43 > 0:47:48And like seeing the MP in itself, then seeing Greg in itself...
0:47:48 > 0:47:50It was just like... I was overwhelmed.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53I feel blessed right about now. I do. I do feel blessed.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57- I feel very important.- I know! I feel like I'm somewhere in society.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Somewhere, my voice has been heard. That's all it is.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03I feel like I'm being heard.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06He thought there was another way for us to get these fees.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10- Yeah.- Which was quite scary, really.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12I know, it was so scary. He was like,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15"So, could you get something else?"
0:48:15 > 0:48:18No. "Could you apply for something else?"
0:48:18 > 0:48:22No. "All right, then, we need to sort this out,"
0:48:22 > 0:48:24cos it's like they just didn't know. They just didn't know.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28And I don't blame it cos people make the legislations,
0:48:28 > 0:48:30and they don't do it in a malicious way,
0:48:30 > 0:48:34but when it actually does affect someone,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36someone should do something about it, if that makes sense.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39How does Westminster compare to Tottenham?
0:48:39 > 0:48:42- Oh, my God.- Let me take a good look.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47Oh, my God. Look at Churchill over there.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50It's beautiful. This area is overwhelming.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52look at Big Ben, with the gold.
0:48:52 > 0:48:57- Like, look, seriously. It's real gold, you know.- Is it?
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Why do you think there's so much police outside?
0:49:01 > 0:49:03I'm definitely coming back to Westminster,
0:49:03 > 0:49:08- but it's out of my money region. - For now.- For now, yeah. For now.
0:49:26 > 0:49:2813 weeks after Ambrose Ball went missing,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31a body has been found in the River Lea,
0:49:31 > 0:49:33alongside the canal near where his car crashed.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39The police are 90% sure it's Ambrose.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53I'm just... I'm in a trance...
0:49:55 > 0:49:56..to tell you the truth.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I don't know if this is what shock's supposed to be. I don't know.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03I don't know what I'm feeling.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13But I know this is my son that we're going to see,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15and I knew from the beginning.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22The police asked Ruth and her family to come to the mortuary
0:50:22 > 0:50:24to identify the body.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- He's covered apart from his arms.- OK.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42The other warning that I must tell you is the smell...
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Um, it's unique to when bodies die. It's the smell.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49I advise you just not to touch.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52SHE WHIMPERS
0:50:53 > 0:50:57Yeah, that's him, that's him. That's my son.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59That's my son.
0:50:59 > 0:51:00SHE BREATHES HEAVILY
0:51:00 > 0:51:03They're going to pay for this, I swear to God. Get me out of here.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06- Get me out! Get me out of here! - SHE SOBS
0:51:06 > 0:51:10- Get us out!- You're going to pay for this, I swear to God.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12They're going to pay for what they've done to my son!
0:51:12 > 0:51:14I swear on the Holy Bible they're going to pay.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16They're going to pay for what they've done to my son.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21- Can you not discuss anything?! - Don't talk to them!
0:51:21 > 0:51:22Don't discuss anything with them!
0:51:22 > 0:51:24They've already got rid of our evidence!
0:51:24 > 0:51:26They've done what they wanted to fucking do.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31We're not fucking idiots!
0:51:31 > 0:51:33That's my son in there!
0:51:36 > 0:51:38I need to get away from here.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55The coroner has now started an investigation into how Ambrose died.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Two weeks after Ruth identified her son's body,
0:52:02 > 0:52:05David Lammy invites her and her sister, Gina,
0:52:05 > 0:52:06to come to his Westminster office.
0:52:10 > 0:52:15Because it's got so complicated, the errors that have been made,
0:52:15 > 0:52:20the way you've been treated, clearly the way it's been managed
0:52:20 > 0:52:23- has been shockingly appalling. - It's disgusting, yeah.
0:52:23 > 0:52:29So I am going to write to Bernard Hogan-Howe, the police chief.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32- I am going to copy that letter... - Yeah, we've e-mailed him four times.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34- ..to the Home Secretary.- OK.
0:52:34 > 0:52:41And what I'm going to do, is try and summarise all the things
0:52:41 > 0:52:45that have gone wrong in this case, and say, "This is not acceptable.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48"The family are deeply hurt and upset, and deeply mistrustful..."
0:52:48 > 0:52:51Insulted.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55- "..and they want new supervision of this case."- Yeah.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57- And a new investigation. - That will mean that Hogan-Howe
0:52:57 > 0:53:00has to look at the case, has to haul in Victor and say,
0:53:00 > 0:53:01"What the hell's going on?"
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Somebody is covering up somewhere, and it is down to the police.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07I know that and my heart tells me that from the 24th.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09I know what happened. I know.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12But they didn't expect Mummy to come along to a 31-year-old only hours
0:53:12 > 0:53:15after he's gone missing. That was not what they bargained for.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20Well, look, I've got to work with your lawyer
0:53:20 > 0:53:22to see if we can get to the truth.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24Not yet.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27No, we will get to the truth. I know we will.
0:53:27 > 0:53:28I won't stop until we do.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33The Independent Police Complaints Commission are now investigating
0:53:33 > 0:53:36the Metropolitan Police's handling of the case.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41It will be months before an inquest is held
0:53:41 > 0:53:44so Ruth can find out exactly how her son died.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57In Tottenham, three months after they went
0:53:57 > 0:54:00to David Lammy's surgery for help, Koefe and his family
0:54:00 > 0:54:04have moved from their overcrowded flat into a bigger home.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06See?
0:54:06 > 0:54:07Massive kitchen.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09SHE LAUGHS
0:54:09 > 0:54:12I don't know how to describe it. I'm so happy.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17I like the house. Very big, the kitchen is nice, everything is nice.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19HE SHOUTS
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- Aw! Give me five!- Yeah!
0:54:26 > 0:54:30Sadly, after just two months living in her new home,
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Koefe's wife, Pauline, lost her fight with cancer.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41- MUSIC: Stand By Me by Ben E King - What is that?
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Is that Adam's song?
0:54:44 > 0:54:47# I won't cry
0:54:47 > 0:54:48# I won't cry... #
0:54:48 > 0:54:52- Yeah, it's wheelie. - # No, I won't shed a tear
0:54:52 > 0:54:56# Just as long as you stand... #
0:54:56 > 0:54:58Stand by me!
0:54:58 > 0:55:00Oh, dear.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07It's been six weeks since Colly visited David Lammy's surgery,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10he's still trying to resolve her dispute with the authorities
0:55:10 > 0:55:12over the adaptations to her house
0:55:12 > 0:55:15so that her son, Adam, can have his spinal surgery.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17I've got to take a breather.
0:55:17 > 0:55:18You OK? You going up?
0:55:20 > 0:55:21You look very disappointed
0:55:21 > 0:55:25that I couldn't do it with one shot, one go.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Go! 'So he's been left in a brace for over two years,'
0:55:28 > 0:55:33'because we can't have his surgery cos, as far as I'm concerned,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36'the house isn't suitable for him to be discharged in,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39'because people are not prepared to change or knock down a wall
0:55:39 > 0:55:43'or improve the size of something or connect a bathroom to his bedroom.'
0:55:43 > 0:55:47And it doesn't make any sense, so the more it doesn't make sense,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50the more I challenge them because I'm not willing to sit back
0:55:50 > 0:55:53and have my child not get the help that he needs.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55# Stand by me... #
0:55:55 > 0:55:59How are we going to manoeuvre him up and down the stairs,
0:55:59 > 0:56:04if our lift is too small for him? Cos Adam has grown,
0:56:04 > 0:56:08and they can't understand that!
0:56:08 > 0:56:11It's... They're nutcase.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13SHE LAUGHS
0:56:17 > 0:56:20After asking the Universities Minister to allow them access
0:56:20 > 0:56:25to student finance, both Shantel and Kawana were turned down...
0:56:27 > 0:56:31..so Shantel joins the Just For Kids law campaign,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34who are challenging the law at the Supreme Court,
0:56:34 > 0:56:35with the support of David Lammy.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43- You aren't asking to go to university for free.- No!
0:56:43 > 0:56:46- You are asking for a loan!- Yes!
0:56:46 > 0:56:48If you've gone to school in this country,
0:56:48 > 0:56:53if your parents are in this country, and able to make their way,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56then it seems to me you should get access to student finance.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01Eight weeks later, the Supreme Court ruled that young people
0:57:01 > 0:57:03like Shantel, lawfully in this country,
0:57:03 > 0:57:05should not be discriminated against,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07and should be entitled to student finance.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13We've got our goal. We've got the goal, we've made it,
0:57:13 > 0:57:14Like, we made it!
0:57:14 > 0:57:18The fact is, I wanted to go to uni so I could financially help myself
0:57:18 > 0:57:22and get a good education so I can take myself out of like...
0:57:22 > 0:57:26I wouldn't call it poverty but the working class, shall I say,
0:57:26 > 0:57:30into something like a middle class where I could be comfortable,
0:57:30 > 0:57:34and all of this means so much, because it just makes me feel
0:57:34 > 0:57:38like I'm not alienated and isolated like what I have felt before.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43Now I can get on with my life and have a normal life like anyone else.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48# Darling, darling
0:57:48 > 0:57:51# Stand by me... #
0:57:52 > 0:57:55And for David Lammy, it's business as usual.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58- Mr Reeker.- And how are you, young man?
0:57:58 > 0:58:00I'm all right. What have you come to see me about today?
0:58:00 > 0:58:03- I've got...- Now let me guess.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05Is it transport?
0:58:05 > 0:58:06HE LAUGHS
0:58:06 > 0:58:09So, you're here because your dog has been seized?
0:58:09 > 0:58:12Yes. He tried to kick my dog.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16My dog retaliated, and he unfortunately got bitten.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18- There you go.- He doesn't look very dangerous, does he?
0:58:18 > 0:58:20He's a little sop.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22How many Twitter followers have you got now?
0:58:22 > 0:58:26- 6,000.- 6,000? What are you, a celebrity?
0:58:26 > 0:58:28- SPEECH SYNTHESISER:- Working on it.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31THEY LAUGH
0:58:31 > 0:58:32Oh, my word.
0:58:47 > 0:58:49Subtitles by Ericsson