:00:00. > :00:00.The tributes being paid to one of Britain's most
:00:07. > :00:09.popular entertainers, Victoria Wood, who's died
:00:10. > :00:15.The comedian, singer and writer who inspired a new generation
:00:16. > :00:18.of female comics entertained millions with her original
:00:19. > :00:22.blend of gentle humour and social observation.
:00:23. > :00:37.If Marjorie were to let her concentration lapse
:00:38. > :00:42.for just one second, I could literally...
:00:43. > :00:46.There was no social barrier, no class barrier, no sex barrier.
:00:47. > :00:49.She was just one of us, she made us look at ourselves
:00:50. > :00:54.We'll be looking back at Victoria Wood's life
:00:55. > :01:00.The global boss of Ford tells the BBC that trading conditions
:01:01. > :01:04.would be undermined if Britain left the EU.
:01:05. > :01:07.And, in the race for the Republican presidential nomination,
:01:08. > :01:12.a big step forward for Donald Trump in his home state of New York.
:01:13. > :01:16.And on the eve of the Queen's 90th birthday, I'm at Windsor Castle,
:01:17. > :01:19.where celebrations have already begun.
:01:20. > :01:22.Well-wishers turned out in force this morning as the Queen carried
:01:23. > :01:26.out a number of public engagements in the town.
:01:27. > :01:29.A milestone moment marked with a new family photo
:01:30. > :01:33.showing three future Kings, as Prince William counters criticism
:01:34. > :01:41.I'm concentrating very much on my role as a father.
:01:42. > :01:43.I am a new father and I take my duties and my responsibilities
:01:44. > :01:57.And on BBC News, Everton start badly in the Merseyside derby, but could
:01:58. > :01:59.they turn it around against Liverpool for a first victory at
:02:00. > :02:16.Anfield since 1999? Countless tributes have been paid
:02:17. > :02:20.this evening to one of Britain's most original and popular
:02:21. > :02:23.entertainers, Victoria Wood, who's The comedian, singer and writer
:02:24. > :02:30.made a name for herself on the male-dominated comedy
:02:31. > :02:32.circuit, and she inspired a new generation of female comics
:02:33. > :02:36.in a hugely-successful career Victoria Wood's close friend
:02:37. > :02:42.Julie Walters said her death Will Gompertz, our Arts Editor,
:02:43. > :03:00.looks back at her life Let's wiggle, let's jiggle, let's
:03:01. > :03:05.really make the rafters rock... Victoria Wood doing what she did
:03:06. > :03:13.best. Let's do it, let's do it tonight! Turning the dull realities
:03:14. > :03:18.of everyday life into comedy gold. She had an ear for the ordinary, and
:03:19. > :03:24.I for the ridiculous and I love of language that shone through in all
:03:25. > :03:31.of her work. Let's direct, let's do it tonight! The self-styled shy
:03:32. > :03:40.Cheryl from Bury got her big break on a TV talent show in 1990's 1974.
:03:41. > :03:48.I wonder what they'll give me, money would be ideal. Probably be
:03:49. > :03:52.something practical... I did not know whether I could make a career
:03:53. > :03:58.out of it. At university, I was a big flop, and I have this feeling
:03:59. > :04:02.there was something I could do, but I could not nailed down what it was,
:04:03. > :04:08.because there was no role models for me. There was nobody else doing
:04:09. > :04:15.that. I was blundering about in the dark. The producers did not think
:04:16. > :04:22.so, they booked her a lot on That's Life. And in the 1980s, she turned
:04:23. > :04:26.to stand up. Hello. I am looking for my friend.
:04:27. > :04:36.Kimberley. She offered an alternative to alternative comedy,
:04:37. > :04:42.delivering her jokes with a smile and a not a smear. Another swapping
:04:43. > :04:48.party, I ended up with a man who owned a DIY shop, he said, what
:04:49. > :04:53.would you like me to do? I said, insulate the loft and like the hot
:04:54. > :04:57.water tank. She gave inspiration to other women, she was not having to
:04:58. > :05:03.be sexy and rude, although she was all of those things. She was just
:05:04. > :05:08.William, and she made it seem to other women that they could do this.
:05:09. > :05:14.I am Victoria Wood. She found her comedy soul mate in Julie Walters as
:05:15. > :05:17.her sketch show partner and an actress who could deliver her
:05:18. > :05:24.scripts with precision timing. It has been a terrible week. I thought
:05:25. > :05:29.I was having an early menopause. The dog had been messing about with the
:05:30. > :05:33.thermostat. Her acute observational skills were developed in childhood,
:05:34. > :05:42.during which she led an isolated life. Because she had not found a
:05:43. > :05:46.role, she often found herself... I will not so neglected, because our
:05:47. > :05:51.parents did not neglect is, but they let us do our own thing, and
:05:52. > :05:55.Victoria did not know what she was going to do. She felt she would like
:05:56. > :06:03.to do something, but she could not find a niche until at 13 she went to
:06:04. > :06:08.the Rochdale youth Theatre, and then she found that she could write
:06:09. > :06:14.something and see it performed. Which is exactly what you did with
:06:15. > :06:21.her fabulous spoof soap opera Acorn Antiques. She could do serious as
:06:22. > :06:29.well, both as a writer and actress. I don't have a sympathetic, loving,
:06:30. > :06:34.interesting friend. The BAFTA goes to Victoria Wood.
:06:35. > :06:43.I did not bring any jokes. I was not expecting to get either of them. She
:06:44. > :06:48.was a multi-award-winning performer, writer, dramatist and musician who
:06:49. > :06:52.brought joy to millions, inspired generations and created some of the
:06:53. > :06:55.best television made. She was a gifted artist who left her fans
:06:56. > :06:57.wanting more. The comedian, singer
:06:58. > :06:59.and writer Victoria Wood, Her Majesty the Queen
:07:00. > :07:05.will mark her 90th birthday tomorrow, and her grandson,
:07:06. > :07:07.the Duke of Cambridge, has told the BBC that it is her style
:07:08. > :07:10.and approach to the role of a constitutional monarch
:07:11. > :07:13.that he will try to follow So, on the eve of the birthday
:07:14. > :07:31.celebrations, let's join This is where the Queen will spend
:07:32. > :07:34.her birthday tomorrow, a day of public and private celebrations,
:07:35. > :07:38.which end with a dinner hosted by Prince Charles. Prince William will
:07:39. > :07:43.be there, he has been paying tribute to his grandmother. He has addressed
:07:44. > :07:50.criticism levelled at him that he is work-shy. He said that when the
:07:51. > :07:51.Queen was ready to hand down more responsible it is, he would be the
:07:52. > :07:54.first to accept them. You've had a chance over
:07:55. > :07:57.more than 30 years now to observe our current
:07:58. > :07:59.monarch, the Queen. From the particular perspective that
:08:00. > :08:02.you have as a future King, what has I think the Queen's duty
:08:03. > :08:13.and her service, her tolerance, her commitment to others,
:08:14. > :08:16.I think that's all been It's been a real sort of guiding
:08:17. > :08:24.example of just what a good monarch can be, and it's been incredibly
:08:25. > :08:29.insightful for me growing up, watching her leadership
:08:30. > :08:32.in that role. You've referred already to her sense
:08:33. > :08:36.of duty, to the conspicuous devotion to duty that she's
:08:37. > :08:41.displayed over the decades. To what extent would you say that
:08:42. > :08:44.you share that degree I think Royal duty is
:08:45. > :08:52.extremely important. It's part of the fabric
:08:53. > :08:55.of what the Royal Family and any future monarch has,
:08:56. > :08:58.and it's something I take duty very seriously
:08:59. > :09:05.and I take my responsibilities It's about finding your own
:09:06. > :09:12.way at the right time. If you're not careful,
:09:13. > :09:15.duty can sort of weigh you down I think you've got to develop
:09:16. > :09:22.into the duty role. It's because there is an impression
:09:23. > :09:26.in some quarters that you are in some way
:09:27. > :09:31.a slightly reluctant Royal. You will have seen, or I'm sure
:09:32. > :09:34.people will have told you about some of the stories,
:09:35. > :09:36.some of the headlines Work-shy William, I think some
:09:37. > :09:41.of them said. There has also been criticism
:09:42. > :09:45.of the Duchess of a similar vein. Do you regard that criticism,
:09:46. > :09:51.that impression as being a fair one? To be honest, I'm going to get
:09:52. > :09:55.plenty of criticism over my lifetime and it's something that I don't
:09:56. > :09:59.completely ignore, but it's not something I take
:10:00. > :10:03.completely to heart. I'm concentrating very much
:10:04. > :10:07.on my role as a father. I'm a new father and I take my
:10:08. > :10:09.duties and responsibilities to my family very seriously
:10:10. > :10:12.and I want to bring my children up as good people, with the idea
:10:13. > :10:16.of service and duty But if I can't give my time
:10:17. > :10:21.to my children as well, Plus, serving the community
:10:22. > :10:26.with the air ambulance... I find the ambulance role very
:10:27. > :10:31.important to me. I'd like to explore a little,
:10:32. > :10:38.what kind of King will William V be? We've become used to the present
:10:39. > :10:43.Queen being scrupulously, pretty scrupulously detached
:10:44. > :10:47.from all issues. Your father, on the other hand,
:10:48. > :10:51.as Prince of Wales, of course, is very much involved in all sorts
:10:52. > :10:54.of issues and has indicated that he would wish to convene
:10:55. > :10:58.when he becomes King - make heartfelt interventions,
:10:59. > :11:02.I think, is the phrase in use. What is your sense of what is
:11:03. > :11:06.acceptable for a constitutional How involved can a constitutional
:11:07. > :11:13.monarch be in current issues? It's a very good question
:11:14. > :11:16.and something that occupies a lot of my thinking space,
:11:17. > :11:20.how on earth you would develop into something modern
:11:21. > :11:25.in today's world. I am in a unique position,
:11:26. > :11:27.a very privileged position, to be able to see some of this now,
:11:28. > :11:32.which is that I've got my If you like, more of a passive role
:11:33. > :11:39.in how she believes I've got my father who minds
:11:40. > :11:49.an awful lot about many of the causes he's involved
:11:50. > :11:51.in and really digs down into his charitable areas as much
:11:52. > :11:53.as he can. But I think, in the Queen,
:11:54. > :11:56.I have an extraordinary example of someone who's done an enormous
:11:57. > :12:01.amount of good. She's probably the best
:12:02. > :12:04.role model I could have. I sense that you are saying,
:12:05. > :12:07.when the time comes, you will hope to be a rather more
:12:08. > :12:10.modern monarch and bring something I think the Royal Family has
:12:11. > :12:17.to modernise and develop as it goes along and it has to stay relevant,
:12:18. > :12:20.and that's the challenge for me. How do I make the Royal Family
:12:21. > :12:24.relevant in the next 20 years' time? It could be 40 years' time,
:12:25. > :12:26.60 years' time, I don't know I certainly don't lie awake at night
:12:27. > :12:31.waiting or hoping for it, because it sadly means
:12:32. > :12:33.that my family have moved on, But you must be confident
:12:34. > :12:37.that you can do that, that you can make and keep
:12:38. > :12:39.the monarchy relevant It's something that I think is very
:12:40. > :12:45.important and the Queen is a fantastic role model to lead
:12:46. > :13:03.that, as she has done A red interview with Prince William,
:13:04. > :13:10.how much of an inside does it give us into his thinking? His focus is
:13:11. > :13:17.on the monarchy in 20 years' time, his challenge, as he said, is to
:13:18. > :13:20.ensure it is relevant. His determination, stubborn
:13:21. > :13:26.determination, is to ensure he has as much control over his life at the
:13:27. > :13:31.moment, and make sure it is as normal as he can make it. He feels
:13:32. > :13:37.that having a job, being a hands-on parent, it keeps him in touch with
:13:38. > :13:42.the wider world. He does not want to be on a pedestal. He also said that
:13:43. > :13:50.both his grandmother and his father support his work/ life balance. He
:13:51. > :13:52.is a traditionalist in his style of monarchy, the non-interventionist
:13:53. > :13:57.style, as practised by his godmother.
:13:58. > :14:03.The Queen will go on a walkabout in Windsor tomorrow, there are already
:14:04. > :14:04.people camped out. Some caught a glimpse of our oldest and longest
:14:05. > :14:09.serving monarch in the town today. Birthday celebrations over two days
:14:10. > :14:12.outside Windsor Castle, which has been the home of monarchs
:14:13. > :14:16.for nearly a thousand years. The latest occupant is preparing
:14:17. > :14:19.to pass yet another significant Still 89, just,
:14:20. > :14:28.the Queen was treated This was the representative
:14:29. > :14:37.of an ancient institution visiting one with a 500-year-old
:14:38. > :14:43.history, the Royal Mail. Royals have been appearing on stamps
:14:44. > :14:47.since the time of Queen Victoria, The photo captures a hereditary
:14:48. > :14:53.monarchy with, as things George had to stand on blocks next
:14:54. > :15:05.to the woman he calls Gan Gan. Inside the Royal Mail,
:15:06. > :15:08.not to post a letter but to meet Ladies and gentlemen,
:15:09. > :15:16.I have it on good authority that your own postmen and women
:15:17. > :15:18.will be especially busy Also tomorrow, a BBC documentary
:15:19. > :15:27.featuring some of her own home movies, William and Harry are shown
:15:28. > :15:29.watching their father Charles We probably chase each other around
:15:30. > :15:46.the garden a few times. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,
:15:47. > :15:50.Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. The programme also recalls
:15:51. > :15:52.when blank shots were fired at the 1981 Trooping The Colour
:15:53. > :15:54.ceremony as the Queen passed Support for the Queen in Windsor
:15:55. > :16:04.and elsewhere is widespread Those who seek an elected head
:16:05. > :16:10.of state argue a long life doesn't give a person
:16:11. > :16:13.the right to a long reign. Such republican views weren't
:16:14. > :16:14.obviously in evidence She has served our nation with such
:16:15. > :16:20.dignity, with such ability, for so many years, 64 years
:16:21. > :16:23.on the throne. It's right we will have
:16:24. > :16:26.the opportunity in the House tomorrow to pay tribute
:16:27. > :16:28.to what she has done, and I know the whole
:16:29. > :16:31.country and the whole House will want to join me in saying,
:16:32. > :16:34.long may she reign over us. I am also looking forward to wishing
:16:35. > :16:54.her a happy birthday tomorrow. Back in Windsor, a Queen at work,
:16:55. > :16:57.almost 90, the longest-reigning She has been head of
:16:58. > :17:04.state for 64 years. Peter Hunt, BBC News,
:17:05. > :17:13.Windsor. And I'll be here at Windsor Castle
:17:14. > :17:16.tomorrow night, where we'll have been following the day of special
:17:17. > :17:20.events to mark the monarch's birthday, culminating in the first
:17:21. > :17:23.in a chain of celebratory beacons The president of the Ford Motor
:17:24. > :17:32.Company, Mark Fields, future in the European Union.
:17:33. > :17:41.to express a view on Britain's He said that the best way
:17:42. > :17:44.for business to have stable trading conditions was for the UK
:17:45. > :17:46.to remain a member. His wasn't the only
:17:47. > :17:48.American voice heard today. No fewer than eight former US
:17:49. > :17:51.treasury secretaries have signed a letter to the Times newspaper
:17:52. > :17:54.warning that leaving the EU would be The letter was published on the eve
:17:55. > :17:58.of President Obama's Sealed over a burger,
:17:59. > :18:08.the special relationship - America and Britain,
:18:09. > :18:11.might there be a new risk to that relationship if Britain
:18:12. > :18:15.were to leave the EU? After tension over Libya,
:18:16. > :18:19.now eight former US Treasury secretaries have warned that a vote
:18:20. > :18:22.to leave on June the 23rd represents a risky bet
:18:23. > :18:25.on the UK's economic future. If Britain leaves the EU,
:18:26. > :18:27.Britain will be poorer, Europe will be poorer,
:18:28. > :18:29.America will be poorer. There will be less confidence,
:18:30. > :18:32.more uncertainty. Writing in the Times,
:18:33. > :18:39.the Treasury secretaries say that Brexit threatens trade with Europe's
:18:40. > :18:43.large common market, although they do admit that over
:18:44. > :18:47.time Britain would no doubt be able to re-establish ties,
:18:48. > :18:50.it would be a difficult environment to negotiate and the risk
:18:51. > :18:57.of accidents is real. They are concerns shared
:18:58. > :19:01.by some American businesses one of which is Ford,
:19:02. > :19:03.which employs 14,000 I met the company's Chief Executive
:19:04. > :19:07.in Detroit to ask him We are concerned about
:19:08. > :19:10.the uncertainty and instability that leaving the EU may have,
:19:11. > :19:12.of which the consequences What we do know is so far
:19:13. > :19:21.we have seen a negative effect on the Sterling,
:19:22. > :19:25.which is impacting us. Our view as a business is to have
:19:26. > :19:28.stability around the trading conditions which we think the best
:19:29. > :19:33.way to do that is for the UK to stay part of a reformed EU,
:19:34. > :19:36.but that will be up to the residents A lot of this is about trade,
:19:37. > :19:44.those who support leaving the EU say new free-trade deals would be easier
:19:45. > :19:47.without the need to gain agreement from 27 other
:19:48. > :19:50.European countries. Obviously I respect their
:19:51. > :19:52.backgrounds but they are making a number of mistakes
:19:53. > :19:56.in their analysis. The first is to say that Britain
:19:57. > :19:59.leaving the European Union would result in isolation
:20:00. > :20:03.but in fact it's the opposite, In Saudi Arabia today,
:20:04. > :20:10.to discuss the response By Friday, President Barack Obama
:20:11. > :20:18.will be in Britain to deliver The Remain camp believe
:20:19. > :20:22.he is a trump card. For the Leave campaign the freedom
:20:23. > :20:25.of being out of the EU will make relations
:20:26. > :20:27.with the US even more special. Our North America Editor Jon Sopel
:20:28. > :20:40.is travelling with President Obama, We have seen some images of the
:20:41. > :20:43.visit. Lots of reported in recent months about tensions between the US
:20:44. > :20:51.and Saudi Arabia, have the tensions been evident there? Yes, very much.
:20:52. > :20:56.It's interesting that Saudi Arabia and the US share common objectives
:20:57. > :21:00.but little common ground on how to get there, take Syria and the fight
:21:01. > :21:05.against so-called Islamic State. The Saudis think that America has been
:21:06. > :21:09.weak and inconsistent and the Americans think the Saudis haven't
:21:10. > :21:15.done enough. On the Iranian nuclear deal America believes that Saudi
:21:16. > :21:20.should share the neighbourhood and that infuriated the Saudis. Barack
:21:21. > :21:24.Obama raised the issue of human rights in the wave of executions
:21:25. > :21:30.there have been in Saudi Arabia. I was told there was a full and frank
:21:31. > :21:34.discussion about that. Tomorrow as we mentioned President Obama comes
:21:35. > :21:42.to Britain, is he coming with a prepared specific message for people
:21:43. > :21:45.here? Well, just like the talks with the Saudis, this president in the
:21:46. > :21:51.final months of his presidency prefers candour to caution. He will
:21:52. > :21:54.follow in the footsteps of the eighth Treasury secretaries, a White
:21:55. > :21:58.House briefing that took place before this visit about the need to
:21:59. > :22:03.his beak out about Britain's role in Europe. It will attract charges of
:22:04. > :22:06.rank hypocrisy from the vote to leave campaigners who will say
:22:07. > :22:12.America would never have pulled the sovereignty would -- pooled
:22:13. > :22:16.sovereignty with Canada and Mexico as it is asking Britain to do in
:22:17. > :22:20.Europe but I spoke to someone close to the president and he said the
:22:21. > :22:24.British people will be left in no uncertain terms about the views of
:22:25. > :22:29.the President, there will be no ambiguity. We will talk to you again
:22:30. > :22:37.tomorrow. John Sobol is travelling with President Obama in Riyadh.
:22:38. > :22:38.The Government has been heavily criticised by
:22:39. > :22:40.the National Audit Office for failing to provide
:22:41. > :22:42.a full account of spending by academy schools in England.
:22:43. > :22:44.The watchdog said there wasn't enough accurate information
:22:45. > :22:47.for Parliament to verify how the public money had been used.
:22:48. > :22:50.The Prime Minister has been defending his plans to force every
:22:51. > :22:52.state school in England to become an academy,
:22:53. > :22:55.saying it was time to "finish the job".
:22:56. > :23:01.Let's talk to Branwen Jeffreys. The criticism I have just mentioned from
:23:02. > :23:06.the National Audit Office, exceptionally strong? You couldn't
:23:07. > :23:11.get a more severe telling off. The accounts today were published for
:23:12. > :23:15.education spending in England, nine months after every single other
:23:16. > :23:18.government department will stop even with the extra time the National
:23:19. > :23:22.Audit Office said it could not be sure that they were true and fair
:23:23. > :23:27.account of how billions of pounds of tax money had been spent. Why?
:23:28. > :23:32.Because of the difficulty in keeping track of how the land and money held
:23:33. > :23:38.by 5000 academy schools is managed in England, and just hours after
:23:39. > :23:42.David Cameron was defending plans to make 15,000 more schools become
:23:43. > :23:46.academies. The government says it's got robust measures in place that
:23:47. > :23:51.are fit for purpose to keep a check on academies, it is looking at
:23:52. > :23:55.accounting as well. There is deep unease among Conservative
:23:56. > :23:59.backbenchers this evening, once said that this report raises questions
:24:00. > :24:03.about whether officials could oversee further educational reforms
:24:04. > :24:06.and Labour has said it has highlighted how opaque the finances
:24:07. > :24:10.of some academy trusts can be. Thanks very much.
:24:11. > :24:12.New figures show that unemployment increased
:24:13. > :24:18.by 21,000 - to 1.7 million - between December and February.
:24:19. > :24:21.It's the first time the total has gone up in almost a year.
:24:22. > :24:23.Ministers who favour Britain staying in the EU -
:24:24. > :24:25.claim that uncertainty caused by the referendum -
:24:26. > :24:32.The Japanese car maker Mitsubishi has apologised
:24:33. > :24:34.for falsifying fuel data - on more than 600,000 vehicles -
:24:35. > :24:36.in order to make them appear more efficient.
:24:37. > :24:38.The company's share price has fallen sharply -
:24:39. > :24:40.and the Japanese government is considering whether
:24:41. > :24:44.Four Mitsubishi and Nissan models are affected - most of them
:24:45. > :24:58.Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton - the frontrunners in the Republican
:24:59. > :25:02.and Democratic races to be presidential
:25:03. > :25:04.candidates in November - have both secured comfortable wins
:25:05. > :25:06.in the crucial New York primary contest.
:25:07. > :25:11.But there's still some way to go before the choice is finalised.
:25:12. > :25:18.The Democratic nominee will need the votes of 2,383 delegates.
:25:19. > :25:21.So far Hillary Clinton has 1,930 - she still needs 453 to become
:25:22. > :25:27.For the Republicans - their candidate needs the support
:25:28. > :25:29.of 1,237 delegates - Donald Trump has 845 -
:25:30. > :25:37.Our correspondent Nick Bryant watched the results in New York
:25:38. > :25:52.Donald Trump entered his victory rally with Big Apple swagger.
:25:53. > :26:01.Frank Sinatra's great anthem echoing around the atrium of the skyscraper
:26:02. > :26:05.I can think of nowhere that I would rather have this victory.
:26:06. > :26:15.Winning over 60% of the vote, which gives him a big delegate haul
:26:16. > :26:17.that moves him closer to the Republican
:26:18. > :26:24.We don't have much of a race anymore, based on what I'm
:26:25. > :26:26.Senator Cruz is just about mathematically eliminated.
:26:27. > :26:29.For all of his boasts the race is not over yet,
:26:30. > :26:31.he can still be stopped if his opponents get enough
:26:32. > :26:34.delegates in upcoming contests to deprive him of an
:26:35. > :26:41.# Let's hear it for New York... #
:26:42. > :26:43.For Hillary Clinton, it's becoming far more clear-cut.
:26:44. > :26:45.And for New York's former senator, this was the happiest
:26:46. > :26:54.Today you proved once again there's no place like home.
:26:55. > :26:56.No wonder the big grin, it's become almost impossible
:26:57. > :27:00.for her rival, Bernie Sanders, to catch her.
:27:01. > :27:03.The race for the Democratic nomination is in the home stretch,
:27:04. > :27:10.Many Democrats still refuse to embrace her but with the Republican
:27:11. > :27:13.Party in a state of civil war, are we looking at America's
:27:14. > :27:20.This really was the night of the front runners,
:27:21. > :27:23.Donald Trump winning in the state of his birth,
:27:24. > :27:27.Hillary Clinton claiming victory in her adopted political home.
:27:28. > :27:29.It really was a case of New York, New York.
:27:30. > :27:37.In Poland, tens of thousands of people are expected to take
:27:38. > :27:39.to the streets tomorrow - in the biggest protest
:27:40. > :27:44.so far against a new proposal to ban abortion.
:27:45. > :27:46.Poland already has some of the strictest abortion laws
:27:47. > :27:49.in the European Union, but the move - supported
:27:50. > :27:51.by the Roman Catholic Church - and to some extent by the Polish
:27:52. > :27:54.government - is causing deep divisons within society.
:27:55. > :28:00.As Reeta Chakrabarti reports from Warsaw.
:28:01. > :28:05.A stark reminder of old and dangerous measures.
:28:06. > :28:08.The coat hanger protests have swept Poland for weeks with people bluntly
:28:09. > :28:11.suggesting that a move to ban abortion could see a return
:28:12. > :28:20.We are a very Catholic country and I don't have anything
:28:21. > :28:22.against Catholics, but I do mind when the priests
:28:23. > :28:29.I came here because I believe that our abortion legislation
:28:30. > :28:44.a citizens' bill into Parliament to ban abortion.
:28:45. > :28:53.Poland already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the EU,
:28:54. > :28:56.it's allowed in cases of rape, if the mother's life is in danger,
:28:57. > :28:58.or if there are medical problems with the foetus.
:28:59. > :29:01.There have been attempts in the past to tighten the laws further,
:29:02. > :29:03.the difference this time around for pro-life campaigners
:29:04. > :29:05.is a Conservative government that actively promotes traditional,
:29:06. > :29:11.The government has expressed some support for a ban and campaigners
:29:12. > :29:18.are hopeful the law will at least be tightened.
:29:19. > :29:21.The main aim of this initiative is to ensure that every human being,
:29:22. > :29:23.regardless of its stage of development will have the same
:29:24. > :29:36.Don't you think that by backing the bill you will be making Poland
:29:37. > :29:37.much more restrictive than most of the other
:29:38. > :29:46.Well, I would say that a person from the moment of conception has
:29:47. > :29:47.a unique genetic code, completely independent
:29:48. > :29:53.That view is shared and widely promoted by the Catholic Church
:29:54. > :30:02.Its importance lies not just in religion but in the country's
:30:03. > :30:04.recent history, when communism was opposed by the church.
:30:05. > :30:12.It was the Communists who made the abortion law very liberal.
:30:13. > :30:21.And I think it is understandable that a country which says goodbye
:30:22. > :30:23.to Communism changes many things, including this one.
:30:24. > :30:26.Opinion polls suggest Poland is less liberal on abortion than it was 20
:30:27. > :30:29.years ago, but moves to ban it entirely dividing society.
:30:30. > :30:34.And could leave Poland at odds with the rest of the EU.
:30:35. > :30:44.In a moment, here on BBC One, it'll be time for the news
:30:45. > :30:46.where you are - but we'll leave you with some memories
:30:47. > :30:48.of one of Britain's best-loved entertainers,
:30:49. > :30:54.# Let's do it, let's do it, I really want to run amok #
:30:55. > :31:08.If Marjorie were to let her concentration lapse for just one
:31:09. > :31:13.# Let's go, because I know, just how I wanted to behave
:31:14. > :31:19.# Beat me on the bottom with a Woman's Weekly
:31:20. > :31:21.# Let's do it, let's do it...#
:31:22. > :31:24.Have you ever been three weeks late?