06/03/2017 BBC News at Ten


06/03/2017

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Thousands of Vauxhall workers seek assurances about their jobs,

:00:00.:00:08.

The two plants in the UK have been bought by the French group that owns

:00:09.:00:15.

Workers have been voicing their disquiet.

:00:16.:00:20.

Of course, we're all going to be worried

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I mean, I myself have been here nearly 30 years.

:00:25.:00:28.

Disbelief because no-one really knows what is going on.

:00:29.:00:30.

The new owners are warning that British workers will have to reach

:00:31.:00:34.

a benchmark of efficiency, and the future is up to them.

:00:35.:00:38.

I trust my Vauxhall employees in the UK.

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As long as we improve performance and we become the best,

:00:45.:00:47.

And while some observers warn that Brexit will make things

:00:48.:00:54.

even more uncertain, others say it presents

:00:55.:00:56.

new opportunities for the British motor industry.

:00:57.:00:58.

President Trump signs a new travel ban -

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this time against six mainly Muslim countries.

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The Department of Justice believes that this executive order,

:01:06.:01:12.

just as the first executive order, is a lawful and proper exercise

:01:13.:01:15.

A zoo in Cumbria, where nearly 500 animals have died,

:01:16.:01:21.

In China, the government takes action against old,

:01:22.:01:27.

It says it will make the skies "blue again".

:01:28.:01:39.

And 30 years after the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, relatives,

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survivors and rescuers return to remember the 193 people

:01:42.:01:43.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News:

:01:44.:01:48.

Chelsea are in action at West Ham, as they look

:01:49.:01:50.

to restore their ten-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

:01:51.:02:13.

Trade union leaders have demanded assurances about the future

:02:14.:02:21.

of thousands of jobs at Vauxhall's two car plants in the UK,

:02:22.:02:24.

Vauxhall has been sold by General Motors to the French

:02:25.:02:27.

car manufacturer, PSA, which owns Peugeot and Citroen.

:02:28.:02:35.

Ministers say they are cautiously optimistic about the future but it

:02:36.:02:49.

all depends on performance. According to the head of PSA.

:02:50.:02:53.

Labour says the Brexit process adds a new layer of doubt,

:02:54.:02:55.

as our industry correspondent, John Moylan, reports.

:02:56.:02:57.

Vauxhall's plant at Elsner, the centre of GM's operations for years.

:02:58.:03:04.

But now there is uncertainty for thousands of workers. We are all

:03:05.:03:08.

worried, we have all got families, I've been here for nearly 30 years.

:03:09.:03:13.

I have seen when Peugeot took over other plants and they didn't go as

:03:14.:03:16.

well as people thought it would so we have to see what happens. It

:03:17.:03:20.

doesn't sound like a terrible thing for us, he looks like he's looking

:03:21.:03:24.

to keep our jobs and if he sticks to his word everyone should be happy.

:03:25.:03:28.

The deal creates Europe's second-biggest car-maker after

:03:29.:03:32.

Volkswagen and redraws the map of the European car industry. Across

:03:33.:03:35.

Europe the PSA group has 14 production sites with 139,000

:03:36.:03:41.

workers. It is buying GM Europe, known as Opal, for ?1.9 billion

:03:42.:03:48.

including its eight plants outside the UK and 38,500 employees. The

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deal includes Vauxhall's plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port and their

:03:53.:03:59.

4500 staff. GM Europe have turned a profit since 1999 but its new owners

:04:00.:04:02.

hope cars like this will change all that. The Crosland X is the result

:04:03.:04:08.

of a four-year joint venture with Peugeot demonstrating that big cost

:04:09.:04:12.

savings could be found. But what about job security at Vauxhall's

:04:13.:04:18.

plants? Peugeot's boss Carlos Tavares has promised to honour

:04:19.:04:21.

existing production guarantees. But today he said that after that

:04:22.:04:25.

workers' futures were in their own hands. I trust my Vauxhall employees

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in the UK. I trust them. I know that they are skilled. I know that they

:04:35.:04:37.

are dedicated. I know that they are committed and I trust that they will

:04:38.:04:42.

be in a very good situation by working in a constructive and open

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manner and as long as we improve the performance and become the best

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there is no risk they should fear. Here at Ellesmere Port the Vauxhall

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Astra has been rolling off the production line since the 1980s. But

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to secure its future unions know that the owners must commit to a new

:04:59.:05:03.

vehicle from the plant in the coming year. If they want to sell cars in

:05:04.:05:06.

the United Kingdom they will have to build cars in the United Kingdom,

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that is Unite's position and we will fight tooth and nail to ensure that

:05:12.:05:15.

happens. The conversations that I and the Prime Minister have had both

:05:16.:05:20.

with GM and PSA tell me that they intend to safeguard the plants,

:05:21.:05:24.

honour their commitments and look to increase the performance and sales

:05:25.:05:30.

of cars. So we want to hold on to those commitments. But what will

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Brexit mean for Vauxhall's plants? The auto industry could face tariffs

:05:35.:05:37.

when we leave the Single Market making trade more expensive. 60% of

:05:38.:05:44.

the components that go into the Vic Mauro van that is built in Luton

:05:45.:05:47.

come from abroad and for the Astro built at Ellesmere Port it is 75%.

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Bits is more than four plants in mainland Europe and it puts the UK

:05:53.:05:58.

at a disadvantage. The former boss of GM's European operations says

:05:59.:06:01.

this could be a make or break issue for Vauxhall's plants if the new

:06:02.:06:06.

group needs to make cuts. There will be excess capacity and the UK is in

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a week, a relatively weak position, compared to other European

:06:11.:06:15.

countries. Not because the plants are inefficient, they aren't, they

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just don't have enough components purchased here so it puts the cost

:06:19.:06:22.

of the car up because they have to import so many components. Britain's

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auto sector has been a huge success story. But the creation of this new

:06:28.:06:33.

European car giant could present major challenges. John Moylan, BBC

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News, Luton. Live to Geneva where the annual motor show is taking

:06:40.:06:42.

place. Many executives from the car industry get-together. Simon Jack is

:06:43.:06:48.

therefore as. What are they saying about the prospect for these jobs?

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The general view on the shores of Lake Geneva is this is a good one

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for the industry, consolidation is the only way you will get rid of the

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excess capacity in Europe and that ultimately means fewer factories and

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fewer jobs. So ultimately it will be a fight for survival on the 24

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plants this combined company will have. Most people think that in the

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fight for survival in the UK starts at a disadvantage because of the

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devaluation of sterling making those components John talked about a bit

:07:16.:07:20.

more expensive, and the uncertainty that Brexit creates. Not everyone

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agrees. Carlos Tavares said something interesting today. He said

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that if there is a hard border, a hard Brexit, between Europe and the

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UK it may make more sense rather than less to have some production on

:07:32.:07:35.

that side of the fence. But for that to work you need to get more chain

:07:36.:07:44.

into the UK, and that will require government help. We have already

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seen the government score a win in convincing this and to increase

:07:47.:07:49.

investment in the UK, and it did that mainly by saying we are going

:07:50.:07:52.

to provide skills and training and a big focus on research and

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development and technology, including things like electric cars

:07:56.:07:58.

and batteries which are red-hot issues here. It worked with Nissan

:07:59.:08:04.

and it might work with PSA. Extra incentive, if any were needed, for

:08:05.:08:08.

the Chancellor on Wednesday to say some car friendly things around

:08:09.:08:13.

those issues, and I'm betting that he will. Simon, thanks for the

:08:14.:08:15.

latest in Geneva, Simon Jack. President Trump has signed

:08:16.:08:17.

a new executive order banning people from six mainly Muslim countries

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from entering the United It's a revised version

:08:20.:08:22.

of the ban, which was blocked This time Iraq is not on the list,

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and the wording has been changed The US attorney-general,

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Jeff Sessions, claimed all six countries were connected directly

:08:31.:08:34.

or indirectly to terrorism. Our North America correspondent,

:08:35.:08:36.

Nick Bryant, has the latest. There was applause when President

:08:37.:08:51.

Trump signed the first executive order, but it caused anger, chaos

:08:52.:08:55.

and confusion at America's airports as the travel ban on entrants from

:08:56.:09:00.

seven mainly Muslim countries was hurriedly put into effect but the US

:09:01.:09:03.

courts blocked it opening the borders, delivering an embarrassing

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rebuke to President Trump. So today he signed a revised band with

:09:09.:09:12.

unusually little fanfare. The Washington press corps not invited

:09:13.:09:15.

to witness it and this photograph taken instead by a White House

:09:16.:09:20.

staffer. He left it to a senior administration officials to sell one

:09:21.:09:25.

of his signature policies. It is the President's solemn duty to protect

:09:26.:09:29.

the American people and with this order President Trump is exercising

:09:30.:09:34.

his rightful authority to keep our people safe. Whilst citizens from

:09:35.:09:38.

Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya and Yemen are still affected, Iraq,

:09:39.:09:43.

unlike last time, is not on the list. People with legal residency in

:09:44.:09:46.

the US who hold a green cards and those who already had visas will not

:09:47.:09:54.

be subject to the ban. Syrian refugees originally banned

:09:55.:09:56.

indefinitely are not singled out for harsher treatment. The Trump

:09:57.:09:58.

administration claims some refugees pose a potential terror threat. In

:09:59.:10:04.

fact, today more than 300 people, according to the FBI, who came here

:10:05.:10:09.

as refugees, are under an FBI investigation today for potential

:10:10.:10:15.

terrorism related activities. By delaying it simpler mentation until

:10:16.:10:18.

later in the month the White House is hoping to avoid a repeat of the

:10:19.:10:24.

botched roll out of the original travel ban. Removing Iraq, a key

:10:25.:10:27.

ally, is designed to make it more politically palatable for Republican

:10:28.:10:32.

critics. The Trump administration has tried to make it legally

:10:33.:10:37.

watertight. But to constitutional scholars think they have succeeded?

:10:38.:10:42.

Distal grounds to challenge this executive order, the same grounds as

:10:43.:10:45.

before, it will just be more difficult. None of this means that

:10:46.:10:49.

courts could not strike this town or issue a restraining order, it's just

:10:50.:10:54.

that it will be tougher. This has fewer edges. The Muslim

:10:55.:10:57.

neighbourhoods of America such as this one in Michigan, the travel ban

:10:58.:11:01.

affects family members and friends and many complain it also

:11:02.:11:04.

marginalises them. It's really sad because it's affecting a lot of

:11:05.:11:09.

people and it's going to hurt a lot of people. I think it's a wrong

:11:10.:11:13.

decision. I wish he would teach us how to love each other more and be

:11:14.:11:17.

more peaceful, do not say this group is bad, that group is bad. America

:11:18.:11:23.

has long solar rated its welcoming tradition towards immigrants,

:11:24.:11:26.

symbolised by the Statue of Liberty. But opinion on the travel ban

:11:27.:11:30.

exposes deep divisions here between those who protest it's un-American

:11:31.:11:36.

and those who believe it's necessary to protect the American homeland.

:11:37.:11:41.

Tonight it was the state of New York that said it was ready to mount a

:11:42.:11:47.

legal challenge against the new travel ban. All this, of course, a

:11:48.:11:52.

massive conversation change after a weekend dominated by President

:11:53.:11:56.

Trump's extraordinary trip Twitter tyrant against Barack Obama accusing

:11:57.:12:01.

him of ordering wiretaps at Trump Tower. Perhaps that's why the

:12:02.:12:04.

President kept such a low profile today. Maybe he didn't want to be

:12:05.:12:07.

exposed to questions from supporters who would have doubtless asked him

:12:08.:12:11.

to provide proof to back up those explosive claims.

:12:12.:12:15.

Nick, thank you very much, Nick Briant at the White House.

:12:16.:12:18.

In Northern Ireland, the search is on for a new political deal,

:12:19.:12:21.

which will allow the creation of a new power-sharing executive.

:12:22.:12:24.

The Northern Ireland Secretary, James Brokenshire, has started talks

:12:25.:12:26.

with the main parties, but the Democratic Unionists

:12:27.:12:28.

and Sinn Fein are struggling to resolve the differences,

:12:29.:12:31.

which led to the collapse of the old executive in January.

:12:32.:12:34.

For the latest, let's join our Ireland correspondent,

:12:35.:12:37.

As you say, the parties have spent the day negotiating at Stormont and

:12:38.:12:47.

those talks will continue tomorrow but they face many challenges to

:12:48.:12:51.

deal with all of those disagreements that became clear during a bitter

:12:52.:12:55.

election campaign. There is the potential for a deal to restore

:12:56.:12:58.

power-sharing but it needs to be done within three weeks to avoid the

:12:59.:13:02.

need for potentially even the Westminster government taking over

:13:03.:13:05.

control of Northern Ireland, at least for a period, or perhaps even

:13:06.:13:09.

another election. Last week's vote saw a rise in support for

:13:10.:13:12.

Republicans leaving some Unionists shocked. My report does contain some

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flash photography. This is an island where

:13:16.:13:17.

political battles have And Irish Republicans see this

:13:18.:13:19.

election as a leap forward. In Sinn Fein's heartland

:13:20.:13:23.

of West Belfast, the vote was presented as a chance

:13:24.:13:26.

for nationalism to hit back at unionism, after the collapse

:13:27.:13:30.

of power sharing and disagreements Identity and culture is deeply

:13:31.:13:33.

important to listeners And the result of this vote

:13:34.:13:45.

will have strengthened many of their aspirations

:13:46.:13:52.

for a united Ireland. Brexit and this election have

:13:53.:13:54.

started to open people's minds to the possibility of discussing

:13:55.:13:58.

new relationships, a new way of structuring

:13:59.:14:01.

relationships on this island. I think it's very early days to say,

:14:02.:14:04.

yes, this will lead And even in these politically

:14:05.:14:09.

turbulent times, all indications are that a referendum on Irish

:14:10.:14:15.

unity would fail. But at Stormont it's last

:14:16.:14:18.

week's vote that matters. And Sinn Fein have been celebrating

:14:19.:14:22.

their success with selfies The political landscape

:14:23.:14:24.

has shifted enormously. The message is very clear -

:14:25.:14:31.

that people want equality for all, that they want

:14:32.:14:42.

respect in institutions. The DUP leader Arlene Foster's

:14:43.:14:44.

position is at the centre of the talks to try to

:14:45.:14:47.

form a government. In order to go back into power

:14:48.:14:50.

sharing, Sinn Fein are demanding that she steps aside

:14:51.:14:53.

as First Minister, while an investigation takes place

:14:54.:14:56.

into a financial scandal surrounding It's a matter which Sinn Fein seem

:14:57.:14:58.

to want to draw red lines about. We want negotiations to work

:14:59.:15:10.

for the people of Northern Ireland. The DUP walk into these negotiations

:15:11.:15:14.

still Stormont's biggest party. But they used to have ten more

:15:15.:15:18.

Assembly members than Sinn Fein. That's been reduced to just

:15:19.:15:21.

a single seat advantage. Unionism no longer has a majority

:15:22.:15:24.

in Northern Ireland's Assembly. The likes of Sinn Fein, saying

:15:25.:15:27.

they're there for both sides... They're only there for

:15:28.:15:29.

their own community. If they want a united Ireland,

:15:30.:15:36.

that's not what we want. This has long been a place of peace

:15:37.:15:39.

walls and divided identities. Stormont has just three weeks

:15:40.:15:44.

to come up with its latest cross A brief look at some of the day's

:15:45.:15:47.

other other news stories. Security services have prevented 13

:15:48.:15:56.

potential terror attacks in Britain since 2013,

:15:57.:15:59.

that's according to the UK's most Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley

:16:00.:16:03.

also said there were 500 live investigations at any one time

:16:04.:16:08.

and appealed for help Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

:16:09.:16:12.

will face prosecution over alleged It's the first time the regulator,

:16:13.:16:18.

the Care Quality Commission, has launched a prosecution

:16:19.:16:23.

against a Trust. Southern Health has been widely

:16:24.:16:26.

criticised over its failure to investigate the deaths

:16:27.:16:28.

of hundreds of patients in its care Fund managers Aberdeen Asset

:16:29.:16:31.

Management and Standard Life have agreed on a merger today,

:16:32.:16:38.

that would make it one of the The deal would put the group value

:16:39.:16:41.

at around ?11 billion, overseeing assets

:16:42.:16:47.

worth ?660 billion. The deal is subject

:16:48.:16:51.

to shareholder approval. A zoo in Cumbria, where nearly 500

:16:52.:16:58.

animals died within four years, The owner of South Lakes Safari

:16:59.:17:02.

Zoo, where a tiger keeper was mauled to death in 2013,

:17:03.:17:07.

was refused a new licence to operate He now has four weeks to appeal

:17:08.:17:10.

against the decision, as our correspondent,

:17:11.:17:15.

Danny Savage, reports. Conditions for some

:17:16.:17:18.

of the animals here have been so bad it's now been

:17:19.:17:26.

ordered to close. An inspection in January

:17:27.:17:29.

found poor accommodation, uncontrolled breeding, and exotic

:17:30.:17:35.

animals living in unheated, We've had reports from

:17:36.:17:39.

the public over many years that we've obviously chased up

:17:40.:17:46.

with the council with animals having head injuries, from feeding

:17:47.:17:49.

experiences where people have been absolutely disgusted

:17:50.:17:54.

at the state of them. It's just been an ongoing issue

:17:55.:17:56.

with animal welfare, really, and neglect for even

:17:57.:18:00.

the most basic needs. The zoo has been dogged

:18:01.:18:04.

with trouble for years. A keeper, 24-year-old

:18:05.:18:06.

Sarah McClay, was killed Her brother believes it

:18:07.:18:09.

should have closed them. All the reports over

:18:10.:18:16.

the past week have said 500 animals died in the

:18:17.:18:23.

past four years. So if you'd closed the zoo down

:18:24.:18:25.

after an employee had died, them all this mistreatment

:18:26.:18:31.

of animals wouldn't have come out. I think it should have been closed

:18:32.:18:34.

down four years ago. It wasn't and now look

:18:35.:18:37.

what's happened to all The man refused a licence

:18:38.:18:39.

to run the zoo today is David Gill, described by inspectors

:18:40.:18:42.

as being desperate to keep control And it was David Gill's

:18:43.:18:45.

attitude towards the number of animal deaths

:18:46.:18:49.

which concerned inspectors. They say he didn't seem

:18:50.:18:52.

to have a problem with it, and a keeper told

:18:53.:18:58.

the inspection team that their instructions

:18:59.:19:01.

were to dispose of bodies and not David Gill says he no longer

:19:02.:19:03.

wants to operate the zoo, but without his license

:19:04.:19:15.

the new company now running it can't So the site is now facing closure

:19:16.:19:18.

and the animals may need new homes. Danny Savage, BBC

:19:19.:19:22.

News, South Cumbria. The Chinese government has

:19:23.:19:23.

declared its aim of making the skies blue again by introducing plans

:19:24.:19:26.

to tackle the country's air The authorities

:19:27.:19:31.

say they want to reduce reliance on coal and invest billions

:19:32.:19:35.

in renewable energy, such as solar, As part of our series

:19:36.:19:38.

on tackling air pollution, called So I Can Breathe,

:19:39.:19:41.

our China editor, Carrie Gracie, reports from Beijing on the impact

:19:42.:19:44.

of these latest measures. Everything in China

:19:45.:19:50.

is on a massive scale. Cars are to blame for about

:19:51.:19:54.

a third of China's air So it's scrapping

:19:55.:20:03.

the worst offenders. But this ritual in the wrecker's

:20:04.:20:10.

yard is a losing battle against 30 million new cars taking

:20:11.:20:13.

to the roads this year. If these people want

:20:14.:20:31.

clean air, then, from transport to heating and lifestyle,

:20:32.:20:33.

they have to change their behaviour. China has to kick its

:20:34.:20:35.

addiction to fossil fuels. For this Beijing couple,

:20:36.:20:39.

the morning commute is a his Meet Little Blue,

:20:40.:20:41.

harmful emissions zero. To beat the petrol heads,

:20:42.:20:58.

China subsidises electric vehicles and makes them

:20:59.:21:01.

much easier to licence. On smoggy days Little Blue doesn't

:21:02.:21:05.

face restrictions like other cars. And she's proud to do

:21:06.:21:09.

her bit for clean air. TRANSLATION: We all have

:21:10.:21:12.

to live in this city and the pollution is terrible for our

:21:13.:21:16.

health and for Beijing's image. But driving Little

:21:17.:21:19.

Blue I don't have to I tell my friends they

:21:20.:21:22.

should get one too. To beat the smog, all the villages

:21:23.:21:31.

surrounding Beijing have banned And this 70-year-old farmer is

:21:32.:21:40.

forced back to the old ways. The government did give

:21:41.:21:49.

them an electric heater. But on their pensions they can't

:21:50.:21:59.

afford to switch it on much. But he tells me he's more worried

:22:00.:22:02.

about his electricity bill He's wearing thick

:22:03.:22:08.

layers of longjohns. Beijing can clean the air

:22:09.:22:16.

when it wants to. Like now, for the annual session of

:22:17.:22:21.

its rubber-stamp parliament. But it can't do it for long because,

:22:22.:22:25.

despite the push for cleaner vehicles and cleaner

:22:26.:22:27.

heating, the Chinese economy is And in the one-party

:22:28.:22:30.

state, there's little the public can do to force

:22:31.:22:37.

the politicians here And there's more on the issue

:22:38.:22:39.

of pollution, as part of our special series,

:22:40.:22:47.

on the BBC News website. In France, leaders from the main

:22:48.:23:06.

centre-right party have backed Francoise Fillon as their candidate

:23:07.:23:09.

in next month's presidential election, despite his troubled

:23:10.:23:13.

campaign. Mr Fillon has been accused of misusing public funds, but this

:23:14.:23:18.

evening, his party colleagues unanimously renewed their support

:23:19.:23:22.

for his candidature following a discussion about the allegations,

:23:23.:23:25.

which have clouded the Fillon campaign.

:23:26.:23:27.

They've backed him despite all the troubles. What kind of impact will

:23:28.:23:35.

that have on the rest of this campaign? It possibly won't make

:23:36.:23:42.

things any easier for Marine Le Pen. She might have hoped to inherit some

:23:43.:23:48.

of Mr Fillon's loyal supporters, if he were forced to stand down. The

:23:49.:23:51.

parties have a lot of work to do to draw back some of its more centrist

:23:52.:23:59.

voters who might have drifted towards Macron. Mr Fillon is still

:24:00.:24:03.

under investigation and is still something of a gamble. The party

:24:04.:24:07.

tonight found itself somewhat hemmed in between two major problems, the

:24:08.:24:11.

first is that they're running out of time. They have to confirm their

:24:12.:24:15.

candidate by the end of next week. The other more fundamental problem

:24:16.:24:19.

is that Mr Fillon simply wouldn't go, no matter how bad things got,

:24:20.:24:23.

over the past few weeks, he simply said he wouldn't stand down. That

:24:24.:24:28.

has forced the party's hand. That's something he repeated again tonight,

:24:29.:24:31.

before going into that meeting. It looks as if he's won that war. But

:24:32.:24:34.

the presidential race is still wide-open.

:24:35.:24:37.

Lucy, again, thanks very much for the latest there in Paris.

:24:38.:24:42.

As the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, prepares for this week's Budget,

:24:43.:24:44.

the BBC understands he's been told that the economy is predicted

:24:45.:24:47.

to grow by more than was previously thought since the EU referendum.

:24:48.:24:50.

The Government's financial watchdog is expected

:24:51.:24:52.

to upgrade its forecasts, and the Government is

:24:53.:24:54.

expected to borrow less, but as our economics editor,

:24:55.:24:57.

Kamal Ahmed, reports, there are still significant risks ahead.

:24:58.:25:03.

Blue skies over Hart in southern England,

:25:04.:25:05.

place of low unemployment and consumers still spending, pretty

:25:06.:25:08.

Hampshire Hills, a pretty healthy economy and a pretty good canvas on

:25:09.:25:12.

which the Chancellor will paint his budget.

:25:13.:25:16.

With little discernible Brexit effect, what is behind the

:25:17.:25:20.

sun continuing to shine on the UK's finances?

:25:21.:25:23.

Consumer confidence has bounced back since the referendum.

:25:24.:25:29.

We're still spending, and that's good for the economy.

:25:30.:25:32.

And after the referendum the value of sterling

:25:33.:25:34.

They're up 4.1% since the referendum, positive for business

:25:35.:25:42.

The unemployment rate is now just 4.8%.

:25:43.:25:51.

We haven't seen a figure that low since August 2005.

:25:52.:25:55.

So, the economic waters at the moment are

:25:56.:25:59.

not too treacherous for Philip Hammond.

:26:00.:26:02.

Expect the Office for Budget Responsibility, the

:26:03.:26:07.

Government's official economic watchdog, to upgrade its growth

:26:08.:26:09.

Last autumn, the OBR predicted that economic

:26:10.:26:15.

growth for 2017 would be a rather modest 1.4%.

:26:16.:26:21.

In the Budget, it's likely to be more optimistic, saying

:26:22.:26:25.

High levels of economic growth mean higher tax receipts and lower levels

:26:26.:26:31.

The OBR is now set to say the Government could undershoot

:26:32.:26:40.

its own borrowing target by as much as ?12 billion.

:26:41.:26:44.

Does that mean Mr Hammond might have more money to spend?

:26:45.:26:46.

The bulk of any extra spending will be saved in

:26:47.:26:52.

case that Brexit risk to the economy materialises.

:26:53.:26:56.

Consumers spoken to by the Bank of England believe

:26:57.:26:59.

inflation could hit 2.8% by the end of the year.

:27:00.:27:03.

That could mean a squeeze on living standards.

:27:04.:27:07.

The price of fuel has already hit an 18-month high.

:27:08.:27:11.

It costs now ?9 more to fill up the average family car than

:27:12.:27:15.

And what about that all-important issue,

:27:16.:27:23.

Well, the latest surveys suggest that confidence

:27:24.:27:32.

And if it declines that could be bad for economic growth.

:27:33.:27:36.

Social care and schools could see increases,

:27:37.:27:45.

but this will not be a budget full of big giveaways, despite the

:27:46.:27:48.

In the Premier League this evening, leaders Chelsea returned

:27:49.:27:52.

to being ten points clear of their title challengers

:27:53.:27:54.

Can anyone stop the march of Chelsea? The league leaders arrived

:27:55.:28:04.

with only four defeats to their name in all competitions. Although one of

:28:05.:28:08.

them came here. It was a result that had West Ham bubbling with belief at

:28:09.:28:12.

the start, building the pressure on their rivals, before Chelsea flicked

:28:13.:28:16.

the switch. Like a well-oiled machine they surged forward for Eden

:28:17.:28:19.

Hazard to score. Though the celebrations were very nearly

:28:20.:28:23.

ambushed. Security at the London stadium once again in the spotlight.

:28:24.:28:26.

Throughout the first half, all the pressing came from Chelsea. The only

:28:27.:28:31.

thing missing, precision. Those in claret and blue offered little.

:28:32.:28:36.

After the break, they gave Diego Costa the simplest of chances to

:28:37.:28:39.

stretch Chelsea's lead. The margin would have been wider but for the

:28:40.:28:48.

fingertips of the keeper. With seconds remaining, Lanzini pulled a

:28:49.:28:51.

goal back. The win leaves Chelsea ten points clear with 11 games to

:28:52.:28:58.

go. Antonio contoy's side will take some stopping -- Conte's side will

:28:59.:29:03.

take some stoppingment - stopping.

:29:04.:29:05.

30 years ago, 193 people died, when a cross-Channel ferry,

:29:06.:29:08.

heading for Dover, capsized outside the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.

:29:09.:29:10.

It was Britain's worst peacetime disaster at sea,

:29:11.:29:12.

The Herald of Free Enterprise got into difficulties

:29:13.:29:15.

within minutes of setting sail, because the crew had failed

:29:16.:29:18.

Ceremonies and services have been held in south-east

:29:19.:29:21.

England and in Belgium, involving survivors, rescuers,

:29:22.:29:22.

Our correspondent, Duncan Kennedy, reports.

:29:23.:29:33.

In the choppy waters of the North Sea not far

:29:34.:29:36.

from where the Herald went down the residents of Belgium

:29:37.:29:38.

reached out to the people of Britain in the day's first

:29:39.:29:42.

It was 30 years ago tonight The Herald of Free Enterprise

:29:43.:29:58.

capsized just outside Zebrugge harbour.

:29:59.:30:00.

A crew member had left the bow doors open and water surged in.

:30:01.:30:03.

She took just 90 seconds to roll over.

:30:04.:30:05.

A cross-Channel sailing became a mid-Channel disaster.

:30:06.:30:07.

Below there was chaos, people clawing and fighting their way up,

:30:08.:30:11.

In the grim night of horror and loss that followed, 193 people died.

:30:12.:30:22.

Brian Gibbons used his watch to tap on water pipes to alert rescuers.

:30:23.:30:39.

With the screams and the shouts and everything else,

:30:40.:30:48.

unfortunately some people didn't make it, and the reason I'm talking

:30:49.:30:51.

to you today is I think people need to know what happened

:30:52.:30:54.

because of the 193 that didn't make it.

:30:55.:30:58.

Three decades on, the legacy of the Herald's loss

:30:59.:31:09.

is its capacity to fill a church with family and friends.

:31:10.:31:14.

Among them the aunt and uncle of Kim Spooner, then

:31:15.:31:26.

an eight-year-old girl, but still able to recall her

:31:27.:31:28.

Oh, my goodness, I remember it so vividly.

:31:29.:31:37.

I didn't really process what it meant at the time, to be honest.

:31:38.:31:40.

But sitting up all night waiting to hear them called, waiting,

:31:41.:31:43.

hoping they would get in touch and it didn't happen.

:31:44.:31:46.

To the lasting regret of Kim and many families no-one was ever

:31:47.:31:49.

But the impact was so great, entire fleets of ships

:31:50.:31:54.

were redesigned to make them more stable.

:31:55.:31:58.

Today the Herald's salvage bell was finally returned to the harbour

:31:59.:32:03.

that she had set sail for but never reached.

:32:04.:32:05.

Recalling the terrible events of 30 years ago tonight was Duncan Kennedy

:32:06.:32:16.

reporting there. Newsnight is getting

:32:17.:32:20.

under way on BBC Two. Tonight we're visiting the

:32:21.:32:29.

Netherlands, famous for its tolerance, liberalism and funny

:32:30.:32:34.

coffee shops. But an election next week could get the right-wing

:32:35.:32:37.

populist vote, a shock to the system.

:32:38.:32:39.

Here on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

:32:40.:32:41.

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