0:00:02 > 0:00:06Tonight at ten, the economy takes a turn for the worse, raising fears
0:00:06 > 0:00:15of a new recession. At the end of last year, growth fell by 0.2%,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19provoking a new debate about the government's strategy. How bad do
0:00:19 > 0:00:24things have to get in our economy to shake him out of his
0:00:24 > 0:00:27complacency? The party opposite has only one answer, and that is to
0:00:27 > 0:00:30deal with a debt crisis by borrowing more and adding to debt.
0:00:30 > 0:00:37We will be reporting on the growing pressure for the Government to
0:00:37 > 0:00:38change course. Also tonight: Your Scotland, your
0:00:38 > 0:00:40referendum. Scotland's First Minister spells
0:00:40 > 0:00:44out his plans for a vote on independence.
0:00:44 > 0:00:51Two aid workers held captive in Somalia have been rescued in a raid
0:00:51 > 0:00:54by American special forces. I think the contents have it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57The biggest defeat so far for the government's welfare reforms in the
0:00:57 > 0:01:06House of Lords. And the mood in Argentina ahead of
0:01:06 > 0:01:09the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Later on the BBC News Channel, I will be here with Sportsday, with
0:01:13 > 0:01:23all the goals from Anfield and the Carling Cup semi-final.
0:01:23 > 0:01:36
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And City get back into the tie, but Good evening. There is concern that
0:01:40 > 0:01:44the British economy is heading into recession for the second time in
0:01:44 > 0:01:48three years. At the end of last year, growth fell by 0.2%, with
0:01:48 > 0:01:52notable weakness in manufacturing and production. The Chancellor said
0:01:52 > 0:01:56the figures were disappointing, but not unexpected, and they have
0:01:56 > 0:02:02provoked more debate today about the wisdom of the government's
0:02:02 > 0:02:05strategy. The letters stand for gross
0:02:06 > 0:02:10domestic product, the sum total of everything produced in the UK. In a
0:02:10 > 0:02:14recovery, it is supposed to keep getting bigger, but not lately and
0:02:14 > 0:02:20not in the last three months of 2011. In that fourth quarter, our
0:02:20 > 0:02:24national output officially shrank by 0.2%. It is a very weak number.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29It is a disappointing number, although it is one that was
0:02:29 > 0:02:33expected by analysts and financial markets. It reiterates the
0:02:33 > 0:02:37challenges that the UK and global economies face as we head into 2012.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41The figures show that manufacturing did particularly badly, but for
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Tony Hancock in Doncaster, who makes ground handling machines for
0:02:45 > 0:02:50the aviation industry, it is not about statistics, it is about
0:02:50 > 0:02:55survival. I will survive, because that is my nature. I do not know
0:02:55 > 0:02:59yet exactly how I will survive, but the last thing I will do is lose
0:02:59 > 0:03:05staff. If I lose any more staff, I would have to look at saying, let's
0:03:05 > 0:03:11close the doors and move on. 2009 was the worst year of the recession,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16when our economy shrank by 4.4%. 2010 looks better now than it felt
0:03:16 > 0:03:22then. Revised figures show growth of 2.1%. Last year was not half as
0:03:22 > 0:03:28good, with an expansion of just 0.9%. The average forecast for 2012
0:03:28 > 0:03:31keeps falling. The betting now is that we will barely grow at all.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37The Prime Minister said the figures were disappointing, but don't blame
0:03:37 > 0:03:42him. They reflect three things - the overhang of the debt and the
0:03:42 > 0:03:46deficit that we have to deal with... They reflect the higher food and
0:03:46 > 0:03:51fuel prices that put a squeeze on household income towards the end of
0:03:51 > 0:03:57last year, and yes, they also reflect the crisis in the Eurozone
0:03:57 > 0:04:02that has frozen Europe's economies. He said unemployment would fall. It
0:04:02 > 0:04:05didn't. He said the economy would grow. It hasn't. He said we are all
0:04:05 > 0:04:10in this together. We are not. When will the Prime Minister's visit to
0:04:10 > 0:04:14the fact that his policies are failing our country? It was mainly
0:04:14 > 0:04:18weak spending here at home that held back the UK economy last year.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Our trade with other countries and even Europe in fact held up well.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26But the Prime Minister is right that the Government was not the
0:04:26 > 0:04:30only one squeezing UK households last year. They also faced a big
0:04:30 > 0:04:34rise of energy and food prices coming from the rest of the world
0:04:34 > 0:04:38and uncertainty about the Eurozone probably did not weigh on
0:04:38 > 0:04:42confidence last year. It will be more important in 2012. Take
0:04:42 > 0:04:47tourism. Last year, we had more foreign visitors and spending by UK
0:04:47 > 0:04:52holidaymakers rose by more than 10%. But 2012 is hard to call. On the
0:04:52 > 0:04:54plus side, we have the fantastic global exposure of the Queen's
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. On
0:04:58 > 0:05:04the negative side, we have the turmoil in Europe. If we have a
0:05:04 > 0:05:08flat year, we would still be doing well. Today's news is a bit worse
0:05:08 > 0:05:13than expected, but the broad message is the same - the UK
0:05:13 > 0:05:16economy is flat. But that is enough bad news to be getting on with two
0:05:16 > 0:05:22and a half years after the steepest recession in living memory is
0:05:22 > 0:05:24supposed to have ended. Let's go live to Downing Street and
0:05:24 > 0:05:28talk to our political editor Nick Robinson. We are just two months
0:05:28 > 0:05:31and a bit away from the Budget, so how will these figures affect the
0:05:31 > 0:05:39thinking? The intriguing thing about today is that any economist
0:05:39 > 0:05:47will tell you that it does not make a lot of difference if it is plus
0:05:47 > 0:05:510.2% or minus 2%. But anyone in the building over there will toadied
0:05:51 > 0:05:56there is a vast difference between a plus and a minus, because it
0:05:56 > 0:06:01allows the government's opponents to say, you are going backwards.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Also, it means the politicians inside Downing Street fear the next
0:06:05 > 0:06:09number. In other words, if there was another negative figure in the
0:06:09 > 0:06:15next quarter of growth, that is technically how economists define a
0:06:15 > 0:06:19recession. And that would be serious for the Government. That
0:06:19 > 0:06:24means there is more on -- a more lively debate now about what should
0:06:24 > 0:06:28be in the Budget. Interestingly, the deputy prime minister Nick
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Clegg tomorrow will make a speech arguing that the Government should
0:06:32 > 0:06:36now make tax cuts for people on low incomes and middle incomes. The
0:06:36 > 0:06:41chancellor's private reply is bound to be sure, but we have to work out
0:06:41 > 0:06:45where we can get the money. The debate going on in government was
0:06:45 > 0:06:50echoed inside the IMF. Today you had the head of the IMF, Christine
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Lagarde, saying the government has no room to change course. But her
0:06:54 > 0:06:57own chief economist said that if they can slow down the cuts, they
0:06:57 > 0:07:01would find there was some benefit for growth. That will be the
0:07:01 > 0:07:04agonising going on inside government at the moment. But the
0:07:04 > 0:07:11Chancellor is not an economist, he is a politician, and he needs to
0:07:11 > 0:07:19prove that this is not going well. Scotland's First Minister Alex
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Salmond has been outlining his proposals for a Richenda --
0:07:22 > 0:07:25referendum on independence, which he would like to see in the autumn
0:07:25 > 0:07:30of 2014. He told the Scottish parliament that the vote would be
0:07:30 > 0:07:34the most important decision made by the public of Scotland in 300 years.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39The plan will now go out for consultation. This report contains
0:07:39 > 0:07:43flash photography. Edinburgh Castle, Historic Scotland.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Awaiting his place in that history, Scotland's First Minister. Alex
0:07:47 > 0:07:52Salmond chose the castle's Great Hall for a referendum plan which
0:07:52 > 0:07:57could restore Scottish independence. We offer a malice towards nobody.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02We offer friendship towards all, particularly those other nations in
0:08:02 > 0:08:07these islands. The venue, a calculated echo of 1997, when
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Labour's devolution plan was also celebrated at the castle. From that
0:08:12 > 0:08:16base of devolution, Scots will now be given the chance to go further,
0:08:16 > 0:08:26to adopt independence and so end the union. The proposed question
0:08:26 > 0:08:27
0:08:27 > 0:08:31is: Alex Salmond wants 16 and 17- year-olds to be able to vote in the
0:08:31 > 0:08:34referendum, and he wants the ballot to be held in the autumn of 2014.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The First Minister now accepts that the Electoral Commission should
0:08:38 > 0:08:41monitor the ballot, but he wants the option to ask a second question
0:08:41 > 0:08:46about handing Holyrood full financial power, but short of
0:08:46 > 0:08:50independence. If there is an alternative of maximum devolution
0:08:50 > 0:08:53which would command wide support in Scotland, it is only fair and
0:08:53 > 0:08:57democratic that adoption should be among the choices open to the
0:08:57 > 0:09:02people of Scotland. But his opponents at Holyrood think that is
0:09:02 > 0:09:06confusing, and so does the UK government. We must have a
0:09:06 > 0:09:09referendum that is decisive and does not allow one side or the
0:09:09 > 0:09:13other to cry foul. Many constitutional experts will say the
0:09:13 > 0:09:17best way to achieve that is with a short, sharp, decisive question on
0:09:17 > 0:09:21the issue of whether Scotland remains part of the UK or not.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Holyrood, they have been preparing for tonight's Burns Supper, but in
0:09:24 > 0:09:29getting ready for the referendum, they may need to consider how
0:09:29 > 0:09:32others see it, because a legally watertight pilot needs
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Westminster's sanction. So an historic day here at Edinburgh
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Castle, but the referendum rules are still hedged around with
0:09:40 > 0:09:44uncertainty. To be clear, Alex Salmond is still fulfilling his
0:09:44 > 0:09:48promise on timing, but he made that promise at least partly because he
0:09:48 > 0:09:52suspects that the Scots might not be ready to go for independence
0:09:52 > 0:10:00right now, at a time of economic uncertainty. But it is about
0:10:00 > 0:10:06cultural confidence as well. Helping win new fans for Burns's'
0:10:06 > 0:10:09poetry, the First Minister says Scotland would thrive under
0:10:09 > 0:10:16independence. His opponents say it would be a blow for Scotland and
0:10:16 > 0:10:18the UK. Today brought that choice closer.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Earlier this evening, the Government suffered its biggest
0:10:21 > 0:10:24defeat so far in the House of Lords over its plans to change the
0:10:24 > 0:10:29welfare system. Peers rejected plans to charge single parents a
0:10:29 > 0:10:34fee to use the Child Support Agency. Our political correspondent has the
0:10:34 > 0:10:39details. In your view, how significant was this? This is the
0:10:39 > 0:10:43sixth defeat the Government has suffered in the House of Lords over
0:10:43 > 0:10:46the Welfare Reform Bill. What is extraordinary about this one is the
0:10:46 > 0:10:49number of Conservative peers who took part, more than 30. The
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Government wants to encourage parents who separate to make their
0:10:54 > 0:10:57own arrangements for maintenance payments, and where they in future:
0:10:57 > 0:11:03the child support agency to put those arrangements in place, they
0:11:03 > 0:11:08will have to pay a fee. Many in the Lords he objected that proposal.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13They say it would have the effect of penalising children, so the
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Government suffered a huge defeat of 270 votes to 128. But the
0:11:18 > 0:11:26government said tonight that CSA cases can cost �25,000 or more and
0:11:26 > 0:11:30that if people use that agency, they should be asked to contribute.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35President Obama has paid tribute to the US Special Forces who rescued
0:11:35 > 0:11:39two Western hostages from Somali pirates. US Navy Seals freed an
0:11:39 > 0:11:43American woman and a Danish man who had been held since October. Nine
0:11:43 > 0:11:53of their kidnappers were killed. The raid was carried out by the
0:11:53 > 0:11:57same unit that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan last year.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02Kidnapped in Somalia three months ago. Aid workers Jessica Buchanan
0:12:02 > 0:12:05from the US and Poul Hagen Thisted from Denmark. Tonight, they are
0:12:05 > 0:12:10spending their first night of freedom, rescued by in the US Navy
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Seal commandos. This was how it was done. The hostages were held in a
0:12:15 > 0:12:20compound in northern Somalia. US Navy commanders mounted the
0:12:20 > 0:12:24operation. They parachuted into the area, landing close to the compound
0:12:24 > 0:12:28at 2am. Gunfire broke out as they approached their objective. In the
0:12:28 > 0:12:32fighting that followed, all nine kidnappers were killed. There were
0:12:32 > 0:12:36no American casualties. The hostages were then flown by
0:12:36 > 0:12:42helicopter to the safety of a US based in neighbouring Djibouti. The
0:12:42 > 0:12:49entire operation lasted one hour. The president personally authorised
0:12:50 > 0:12:54this. We used our special operations forces. The president
0:12:54 > 0:12:58gave them the go-ahead. His relief last night was obvious. This could
0:12:58 > 0:13:01have gone very wrong. Good job tonight. On his way to give the
0:13:01 > 0:13:07State of the Union address, President Obama congratulated his
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Defence Secretary on a successful rescue mission. He also broke the
0:13:11 > 0:13:15good news to Jessica Buchanan's father. His calculated risk paid
0:13:15 > 0:13:20off. This morning's raid was the highest profile US military action
0:13:20 > 0:13:26in Somalia since US forces pulled out of there in 1994. But that
0:13:26 > 0:13:29still leaves over 150 hostages, mostly sailors, held by a Somali
0:13:29 > 0:13:34pirates and bandits. The ransoms for their release are rising,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38running well into the millions. These ransoms are making the
0:13:38 > 0:13:42situation in the economy in Somalia worse. Millions of dollars are
0:13:42 > 0:13:46being poured into a criminal economy, in a country that is
0:13:46 > 0:13:51bereft of security and administration and where millions
0:13:51 > 0:13:54are starving. One of those still held in Somalia is a British
0:13:54 > 0:13:58tourist, snatched from this Kenyan beach resort last September. It is
0:13:58 > 0:14:01partly what has prompted David Cameron to call an international
0:14:01 > 0:14:06conference on Somalia next month. Somali piracy and kidnapping will
0:14:06 > 0:14:11not stop with a single rescue operation. So while tonight, two
0:14:11 > 0:14:19former hostages can sleep safely, preparations are likely to be under
0:14:19 > 0:14:22way to hold the next victims to President Obama has delivered his
0:14:22 > 0:14:26State of the Union Address, his last before this year's
0:14:26 > 0:14:31presidential election. He called for a fairer tax system with the
0:14:31 > 0:14:40wealthiest Americans paying a bigger share - a policy opposed by
0:14:40 > 0:14:43most Republicans. It's a short drive from the White
0:14:43 > 0:14:48House to the capital, but for President Obama this could be the
0:14:48 > 0:14:52last time he makes this journey to deliver the State of the Union.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57President of the United States. will only make another if he stays
0:14:57 > 0:15:05President and this speech was his manifesto, his campaign blueprint
0:15:06 > 0:15:15for re-election. First, a moment of high emotion as he hugged the
0:15:16 > 0:15:16
0:15:16 > 0:15:22Congress woman Gabby Giffords. shrinking number of people do well,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26while a growing number of Americans barely get by. We can restore an
0:15:26 > 0:15:31economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair
0:15:31 > 0:15:35share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. APPLAUSE As this
0:15:35 > 0:15:40White House film shows, months of debate, rewriting and editing goes
0:15:40 > 0:15:44into this speech which has become a national ritual. The overriding
0:15:44 > 0:15:51theme? Fairness. An end to tax breaks for the wealthy. No bail-
0:15:51 > 0:15:54outs, no handouts, no cop-outs. An America built to last insists on
0:15:54 > 0:16:01responsibility from everybody. Republican attack ads were on
0:16:01 > 0:16:08screen before he got to his feet. But it is how the President's
0:16:08 > 0:16:12message plays on main street that matters. This man is comfortably
0:16:12 > 0:16:17off. America has had a reputation where the rich are admired, not
0:16:17 > 0:16:21envied or resented so Republicans are spitting with fury at Obama's
0:16:21 > 0:16:27speech. They say when he talks about fairness, what he means is
0:16:27 > 0:16:31class war. This business has had a rough time in the recession. The
0:16:31 > 0:16:36company has shrunk. He can't rent out this office space and he thinks
0:16:36 > 0:16:41the President is looking for scapegoats. I think he's trying to
0:16:41 > 0:16:46play on the anger of the middle- class against Wall Street and the
0:16:46 > 0:16:53wealthy and it is very easy to rally the troops when you have a
0:16:53 > 0:16:56common villain as we saw in Germany. You think it is dangerous? I do.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00This is the State of the Union roadshow. President Obama is take
0:17:00 > 0:17:06his message to the country over the next few days. Only if it goes down
0:17:06 > 0:17:16well, will he get to talk to the nation this time next year.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18
0:17:18 > 0:17:26Coming up: The Royal Ballet is rocked by the sudden departure of
0:17:26 > 0:17:30one of its biggest young stars. As we approach the 30th anniversary
0:17:30 > 0:17:34of the start of the Falklands conflict, the diplomatic tension
0:17:34 > 0:17:44between Britain and Argentina is rising. Last month, a powerful
0:17:44 > 0:17:48South American trading bloc banned ships flying the Falkland island
0:17:48 > 0:17:55flag from using certain ports. Fergal Keane is in Argentina and he
0:17:55 > 0:18:00reports on the view from Buenos Aires.
0:18:00 > 0:18:10Every morning the ceremonial guard arrives. Here at the national
0:18:10 > 0:18:11
0:18:11 > 0:18:15memorial to Argentina's most bitter defeat. More than 600 Argentine
0:18:16 > 0:18:21servicemen died in the conflict. Many of them young conscripts.
0:18:21 > 0:18:28Their names are embedded in this wall, reminders of an era that most
0:18:28 > 0:18:33people in this country wish to forget. It was the age of dictators,
0:18:33 > 0:18:41who sent their troops to the Falklands in a bid to restore their
0:18:42 > 0:18:49fading power. When the war was lost, the military junta was overthrown.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52This man was 18 when he fought against 3 Para. The islands, las
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Malvinas as they call them, remain a passionate cause.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01TRANSLATION: It has been 30 years, the anniversary allows us to think
0:19:01 > 0:19:05of those we have lost but also gives us the strength to keep on
0:19:05 > 0:19:10fighting for what is right. As the diplomatic rangle between Argentina
0:19:10 > 0:19:17and Britain escalates, protesters have converged on the British
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Embassy. The rights of the Falkland islanders to remain brirn aren't
0:19:21 > 0:19:23recognised. Surely if they want to remain British, that is their
0:19:23 > 0:19:29democratic right? TRANSLATION: We also have a right
0:19:29 > 0:19:33to reclaim what is ours. government, the mood has been
0:19:33 > 0:19:38hardening. David Cameron's assertion that Argentina was guilty
0:19:38 > 0:19:41of colonialism provokes a bitter response.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46TRANSLATION: Argentina was shocked and we felt disrespected by the
0:19:46 > 0:19:49British Prime Minister. Argentine history is far from colonialism,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54that is much more like the British history. It was ironic to listen to
0:19:54 > 0:19:58such an accusation from the British. Buenos Aires rules out military
0:19:58 > 0:20:03action. The new strategy is to try and isolate the Falklands, just as
0:20:03 > 0:20:11British oil firms begin exploration there. Falklands ships are banned
0:20:11 > 0:20:16from several Latin American nations including Brazil. Dr Jorge Castro
0:20:16 > 0:20:22says Argentina wants to use the growing political clout of Latin
0:20:22 > 0:20:26America. South America as a group has become more and more important
0:20:26 > 0:20:31because all the emerging countries are now the centre of the economic
0:20:31 > 0:20:38growth in world terms. There may be no more military adventures, but
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Britain faces a real diplomatic challenge in a region asserting its
0:20:43 > 0:20:49new-found strength. That is the view from Argentina.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Next week, we will be reporting on the views among Falkland islanders
0:20:52 > 0:20:56themselves. A major police search is under way
0:20:56 > 0:21:04for a prisoner who escaped from the grounds of a hospital in Suffolk.
0:21:04 > 0:21:11Two guards were confronted by a gunman outside Suffolk Hospital as
0:21:11 > 0:21:16they arrived there with Andrew Farden.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20The Ministry of Defence has named the British soldier who died at a
0:21:20 > 0:21:24base in southern Afghanistan yesterday. 21-year-old Signaller
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Ian Sartorius-Jones of 200 Signal Squadron was from Runcorn. He died
0:21:28 > 0:21:34at a NATO patrol base in Helmand Province. His death is not thought
0:21:34 > 0:21:37to have been the result of hostile action.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41David Cameron says the European Court of Human Rights should
0:21:41 > 0:21:45interfere less in decisions made by National Courts. He told the
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Council of Europe today that the concept of human rights was being
0:21:50 > 0:21:54discredited by some of the court's rulings. Britain holds the
0:21:54 > 0:22:00presidency of the Council of Europe and the Prime Minister was there
0:22:00 > 0:22:04speaking in that capacity. In the wake of the Second World War,
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Europe agreed a new convention on human rights, its aim was to give
0:22:09 > 0:22:13people back the freedoms they had lost in years of conflict. But
0:22:13 > 0:22:17David Cameron came to Strasbourg today to say that the European
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Court of Human Rights that upholds the Convention had strayed from its
0:22:22 > 0:22:26origins and the time for reform had come. Controversial decisions such
0:22:26 > 0:22:30as giving prisoners the vote was corroding support for human rights.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34The court should be free to deal with the most serious violations of
0:22:34 > 0:22:38human rights and not be swamped with a backlog of cases, it should
0:22:38 > 0:22:43not act as a Small Claims' Court. The court should hold us all to
0:22:43 > 0:22:47account. It should not undermine its own reputation by going over
0:22:47 > 0:22:50national decisions where it doesn't need to. This is what he is talking
0:22:50 > 0:22:54about, the European Court's decision last week to prevent
0:22:54 > 0:23:01Britain deporting the radical Muslim cleric, Abu Qatada, for fear
0:23:01 > 0:23:06that he would not get a fair trial in Jordan. But on the very same day,
0:23:06 > 0:23:12the court also ruled that three of Britain's most dangerous murderers,
0:23:12 > 0:23:17including Peter Moore, shouldn't have their life sentences reviewed.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22Supporters of the court says it is getting the balance right and warns
0:23:22 > 0:23:29reform carries risk. Some of the proposals from member states, such
0:23:29 > 0:23:34as the UK, seriously threaten the rights of individuals all across
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Europe to seek justice for human rights violations. David Cameron's
0:23:39 > 0:23:43come to Strasbourg because he believes that the judges are
0:23:43 > 0:23:47interfering too much in British national life. His reforms even if
0:23:47 > 0:23:52they are agreed will take years to implement and, for some, he is not
0:23:52 > 0:23:56going far enough. That is because the European Court is expected to
0:23:56 > 0:24:00rule on whether prisoners should get the vote. If it insists that
0:24:00 > 0:24:05they should, many Tory MPs believe it will be time not for reform but
0:24:05 > 0:24:09withdrawal from the Court entirely. For now, David Cameron's won some
0:24:09 > 0:24:14support for his reforms and he's bought himself time with MPs
0:24:14 > 0:24:17pushing for change. But one day soon the Prime Minister may have to
0:24:18 > 0:24:21decide between the democratic wishes of the Parliament and the
0:24:21 > 0:24:26legal obligations of the court. Nothing he has said today will
0:24:26 > 0:24:31change that. Now, the Royal Ballet has been
0:24:31 > 0:24:35rocked by the departure of its youngest ever principal male dancer,
0:24:35 > 0:24:40Sergei Polunin. He has resigned with immediate effect, days before
0:24:40 > 0:24:44the opening of a new production. The 21-year-old has admitted having
0:24:44 > 0:24:53some difficulty with the strict regime that is imposed on
0:24:53 > 0:24:58professional dancers. He was one of the Royal Ballet's
0:24:59 > 0:25:06superstars, compared by some to Nuryev. The company had made him a
0:25:06 > 0:25:11principal at just 19 years old. No male dancer had achieved such
0:25:11 > 0:25:18heights so young at Covent Garden. Yesterday, when still only 22,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23Sergei Polunin stunned the company and the dance world by walking out.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27For a 22-year-old dancer who has done so much for us, who has so
0:25:27 > 0:25:34much promise, such an amazing career ahead of him, recognised by
0:25:34 > 0:25:39all of us to leave us at this point is shocking. He has everything you
0:25:39 > 0:25:43would want in a perfect classical line and apart from that, he has
0:25:43 > 0:25:47the elevation, the jump, the spins, and he's never off balance. I have
0:25:47 > 0:25:53never been able to catch him out when I have been looking at him. It
0:25:53 > 0:25:57is almost too good to be true. has been suggested he found the
0:25:57 > 0:26:06life of a classical ballet dancer too restrictive. He said that he
0:26:06 > 0:26:11would love to have behaved badly, an ambition he retains, judging by
0:26:11 > 0:26:16some of his tweets. Sergei Polunin might be leaving the Royal Ballet
0:26:16 > 0:26:22but that doesn't mean he will be giving up performing. In fact, he
0:26:22 > 0:26:27will be dancing here in Sadler's Wells on Friday night. The
0:26:27 > 0:26:32production, Men In Motion, is being put on by Ivan Putrov, who was also
0:26:32 > 0:26:36once a principal at the Royal Ballet. Being in a company has this
0:26:36 > 0:26:41element that you are sometimes told what to do, you have to be part of
0:26:41 > 0:26:47the, if you want to be part of the company you have to maybe shut up
0:26:47 > 0:26:54and do what you are supposed to do. If you want to be an artist, an
0:26:54 > 0:26:59artist creates. Craftsman does what he is told. An artist creates.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Sergei likes to create. Sergei Polunin was due to take the lead in