25/04/2017 BBC News at Ten

Labour sets out its strategy for negotiating Britain's exit

It leaves open the possibility of going back to the negotiating

table, if the Brexit deal is rejected by Parliament.

And in a major policy move the party makes a stand on the rights of EU

On day one of a Labour Government, we will immediately guarantee that

all EU nationals currently living in the UK will see no change in their

legal status as a result of Brexit. Day one - big commitment.

But Theresa May, campaigning in the traditional Labour

heartland of South Wales, said there was only one option

We want to get votes and support here in Wales, because that will

strengthen my hand in the Brexit negotiations.

We'll be reporting on the day's campaigning and we'll be exploring

the policy initiatives announced by Labour.

A special report from Lebanon on the illegal trade in human organs

and the Syrian refugees who are the main victims.

In Berlin Ivanka Trump takes to the international stage

and defends her father's record on upholding women's rights.

A decade after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann police say

there are still significant avenues of investigation.

And we talk to British fighter Anthony Joshua ahead of one

of the biggest boxing bouts of recent years this weekend.

In Sportsday on BBC News: Can Chelsea put seven points between

them and the rest in the Premier League? A win at Stamford Bridge

over Southampton tonight would do it.

Labour has taken steps today to spell out its approach

to the Brexit process if it wins the election.

The Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer

It would retain the option of remaining in the EU Customs Union

And EU nationals would still be allowed to move to the UK

It's being presented as a significant clarification

of Labour's policy, as our deputy political editor

This is where the election's being decided, not in political

meetings, but on the streets, in the homes and in

We're choosing a path for Britain after Brexit,

and on this nation-dividing issue, Labour's taking a gamble that

will win some voters and maybe lose a lot of others.

Here in Barking, in a lot of places where people voted Labour and then

Today Labour's out to show it's more pro-Europe,

more open to compromise than Theresa May's

EU nationals here would keep their rights, no ifs, no buts.

On day one of a Labour Government, we will immediately guarantee

that all EU nationals, currently living in the UK,

will see no change in their legal status as a result of Brexit.

After Brexit, old rights of free movement across the UK

border had to change, but then, more clarity

on Labour policy - get a job offer he told me

We must have immigration that works for our communities

That means that there has to be movement of people to come

How that's managed will have to be resolved.

But the last thing we want is for our businesses to go bankrupt.

Then he poured cold water on the leavers' dream

of using new freedoms outside the customs union to conquer

I think it's worth keeping the customs union option

on the table and seeing where we are in two years.

But we have to focus on the EU trade agreement.

That's 44% of our trade and make sure that is our priority.

And not hypothetical free trade deals elsewhere in the world?

The idea of hypothetical free trade agreements in April 2019

compensating for losing the EU is something nobody's contemplating.

That's why we have to concentrate on the EU trade agreement.

Until now, Labour and the Tories have been sounding more alike over

Brexit than either side has been prepared to admit.

Now Labour is showing more of its pro-European colours.

The party needs to motivate its activists and loyal supporters.

Around here and in places like this, it's a gamble.

For many people, Europe is a gut issue.

There's enough in this small island that otherwise we're going -

it's going to be like a ship, we're going to sink.

No need to let the Europeans in to do those jobs?

All the foreigners and other people coming in they're taking them.

Labour says if you're a European and you've got

As long as they've got a job to come to.

As long as that is documented and it's not just a slip in,

then yeah, I have no problem with that.

Now it's about which side can convince the voters.

What do the others make of Labour policy?

This is the first time that we've heard this clarity on free movement.

Unfortunately for both Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer,

many on the Labour frontbench don't agree with him.

You've got to feel sorry for him in one sense.

He's trying to put a united front on a party, which is absolutely

split down the middle on this issue as on so many others.

It amounts to something which is too little,

I'm still not clear whether Labour believes we should be in or out

They say they now don't agree with the Government's

negotiating strategy, yet they fatefully voted for it

Labour's struggle to sell a clear policy line.

But now it's campaign time and the task is to get people

to like what's on offer, assuming they can get

Theresa May has taken her Conservative campaign

to the heart of south Wales one of Labour's traditional

strongholds and she's urged voters to drop what she calls

The first minister of Wales Carwyn Jones admitted today that

Labour had a mountain to climb before polling day

and he urged the party leader Jeremy Corbyn to produce a Labour

manifesto with the widest possible appeal.

Our political editor Laura Kuenssberg reports.

If the Tories want headlines about a new Iron Lady...

They're not very subtle about it. Theresa May came to inspect the

steam and sparks in Newport. Must be doing something

right she joked. She needs to to achieve a big if,

turn Wales into Tory territory. It's audacious to pop up in rock

solid Labour land at the She was only with activists,

with friends, but her appeal is to Give me a mandate

to speak for Britain. Give me a mandate to fight

for Britain and give me a mandate to She would not be drawn,

again, on whether she'll How far are you willing

to go to grab seats in parts of the country

that, until now, have So, I will be out and about around

the country in all sorts of areas, all parts of the country,

taking this message - a vote for me and for the local

Conservative candidate is a vote to strengthen our hand

in the Brexit negotiations. Taking places like Porthcawl

would mean taking lifelong Labour voters, like Brian and Ira

who have almost decided to do it. Because The Valleys are Labour.

Wales, Labour's strong hold. So, I don't know whether to Vote

Labour or Conservative this time. I'm a typical Labour

voter, but whether I'll be voting Labour this year,

because I've got no confidence But there again, I don't

think I'll be voting I've put the same effort

and thought in the way I Will you tell me how

you voted last time. I voted Labour last time. What about

father and son, the Edwards? He's been Labour all his life. I think he

swung now to Theresa May now. Definitely. She's absolutely

wonderful. Mr Corbyn, bye-bye. Here, Labour's in charge in Cardiff. But

even their leader at mitts Jeremy Corbyn has some -- admits Jeremy

Corbyn has some way to go. To prove himself as a leader and as somebody

who could be Labour's candidate for Prime Minister. We have some weeks

to go before the poll itself. But that is the challenge. Even from the

start of their campaign, Plaid Cymru won't hesitate to stir up old

memories. If people are considering voting Conservative, then I would

ask them to remember the past, the Tories have been no friends to

Wales. We're not rolling over for any Tory to take our seat. So we are

here. We're going to be out in force. It's early days, but any day

on the campaign trail is precious. Leaders only turn up to places where

they think they're in the game. With possible gains in Wales and in

Scotland too, Theresa May's not just contemplating a Tory majority, but

hoping to make true her claim there are no Tory no-go areas. Brexit

might have redrawn the map, but she wants to colour it blue. Yet as she

swept away, reminders for Theresa May, it won't be easy. Here or

anywhere else, the Tories can't be sure they'll always be welcomement

-- welcome. Our political editor

Laura Kuenssberg is here. On a key issue like Brexit, are we

seeing, between remember and the Conservatives at least, a much

greater distinction in this policy area? That's what Labour hoped to

achieve today. The Tories know. It's clear talking to voters in that area

of South Wales today, that the Tories are competitive in parts of

the country like that. One of the reasons for that is because of

Brexit, because this has been such a conundrum for Labour. Remember, most

of their MPs were on the Remain side. Their leader, lukewarm about

the whole thing. Millions of their voters wanted out. What they have to

do at the start of the campaign is try to solve that headache. Today

they went some way towards doing that. There was a very clear

guarantee for EU nationals who've come to live in this country. They

were clearer on freedom of movement. But one of the problems I think they

still have is it is a deliberate part of their approach to leave some

options on the table. That may be sensible. That may well appeal to

lots and lots of voters, but by leaving some options on the table,

like potentially some form of continued membership of the single

market in one form or other, that still leaves them open to

accusations from their political rivals that they're somehow kind of

fudging the issue, they somehow aren't clear and to boot, that they

don't quite agree amongst themselves. So I think they've got

some distance down to provide a dividing line between the Labour and

Tea Party on their -- Tory party on their approach on Brexit. It is

worth noting today, it's been Labour that's the party that's putting

policy and putting ideas forward at this part of the campaign with the

Tories for now, content to hang back and let Labour, to some extent, try

to contend with areas that are politically difficult for them. But

the Tories know also, that can't last. At some point they're going to

have put some meat on the bones. Laura, thanks very much.

And you can find out more about where the parties stand

on the Brexit process - on our website.

The Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has sought

to clarify his attitude to gay sex following claims that he'd

Mr Farron, a practising Christian, said today that he did not

believe that gay sex was a sin, and he didn't want his religious

beliefs to be a talking point during the election campaign.

He spoke to our political correspondent Eleanor Garnier.

It's fair to say, I've answered the question.

It's a subject he's been asked about again...

You won't say whether you think having gay sex is a sin.

Does the honourable member think that being gay is a sin?

They say you didn't answer when they asked

Until today, the Lib Dem leader, a committed Christian,

has refused to answer this question: I don't believe gay sex is a sin.

I take the view that as a political leader, though,

my job is not to pontificate on theological matters.

This has become a talking point, an issue.

In that case, if people have got the wrong opinion of what I think

about on these issues, that's something it's

It's taken him almost two years, since becoming

the leader of the Lib Dems, to clarify his position.

But the pressure's increased since the election was called.

So what's changed in the last 48 hours that you are now able to say

you don't think gay sex is a sin, yet for the last two years,

you have very blatantly swerved the question?

I'm quite careful about how I talk about my faith.

So, you were either misleading people before or you're

misleading people now, which is it?

So the answer to that is that I was asked the question early on,

and I didn't want to get into a series of questions unpicking

Isn't it just your Christian belief and you didn't want to admit it?

What I want is to make sure that we deal with something

It's a sense of understanding, you know, the question

I don't think people want political party leaders telling them

Mr Farron insisted the Lib Dems had undoubtedly the best record on gay

But it's clear the issue and the questions around it have

troubled him personally and politically too.

Eleanor Garnier, BBC News, Westminster.

The Middle East is now considered the global hub

for the trafficking of human organs, according to aid agencies.

The flow of refugees from Syria into neighbouring countries has

created new opportunities to exploit deperate and vulnerable people.

Traffickers linked to the illegal trade in human organs

are increasingly active throughout the region,

so our correspondent, Alex Forsyth, went to investigate

A warning that her report contains some distressing images.

Shut away in the back room of a make-shift coffee shop,

TRANSLATION: I am constantly taking painkillers.

He's a refugee who fled Syria when his brothers

At 17, he supports his mother and five sisters.

Desperate for money, he sought a dealer in human organs.

TRANSLATION: I met him at night, he blindfolded me

I got paid ?6,500, I've already spent most of the money paying

In Lebanon, Syrian refugees face heavy work restrictions,

For some, like this man, there's opportunity in the poverty.

He arranges organ sales and agreed to talk to us

TRANSLATION: I exploit people, that's what I do.

Some of my clients would have died anyway, just like this boy.

I'm exploiting him, but he's benefitting.

I know what I'm doing is illegal, but I'm helping people.

Working on commission, he's a middle man, brazenly armed.

He finds refugees and takes them to clinics.

In the past three years, he's organised around 30 kidney sales.

TRANSLATION: I was once asked to get an eye,

and I found a client who was willing to sell his eye.

I don't really care if the client dies as long as I got what I wanted.

That's not my problem what happens next, as long

Organs are hard to transport, but we're told they can be exported

All refugees are flown to nearby countries,

like Egypt, on fake papers to have surgery there.

The Middle East is becoming a hotspot in

According to some experts, who say the influx of refugees

willing to go to extreme lengths to get money is providing

a new market for brokers looking for body parts to buy,

shifting the focus from China and the Philippines to this region.

In Lebanon, lawful transplants are governed by strict rules,

but despite efforts there's a lack of available organs.

Religious and cultural sensitivity around donating fuels the shortage.

But legitimate surgeons warn there's untold danger in illegal operations.

Foreigners who travelled and they obtained organs,

They came with bad organs, without being masked,

they acquired infections, tuberculosis, HIV and so

on because those operations to start with were done

But for those already caught in this trade,

TRANSLATION: I already regret it, but what can I do?

I didn't want to do this, but I'm desperate.

Authorities insist cases like this are rare and they're taking action.

The true scale simply isn't known, but the consequences of choices

driven by desperation are all too clear.

Government borrowing has fallen to its lowest

The Office for National Statistics says the figure -

which excludes the amount borrowed by publicly-owned banks -

was ?52 billion in the year to March, which is ?20 billion lower

Nestle says it's cutting 275 jobs in the UK as part of a plan to move

production of its Blue Riband biscuit to Poland.

The losses will mainly affect sites in York and Newcastle.

The company said a "rapidly-changing external environment" had

led to the decision, but denied it was linked to Brexit.

President Trump has indicated he's willing to delay trying to secure

federal funds to build his so-called 'Great Wall' along part

The President has until the end of the week to agree federal

spending plans with Congress or risk marking his 100th day in office

Our North America editor, Jon Sopel, has more details.

REPORTER: Mr President, are you going to insist

Donald Trump made his fortune as a builder, now the President

is staking a huge amount of political capital on the most

controversial construction project of his life.

A 2,000 mile long wall to separate the US from its

No-one can say it's come out of the blue.

It was almost his campaign theme tune.

We're going to do the wall and, by the way, who's going

But the Mexicans have been blunt in their response.

We're not paying a peso towards it, something the Economy Minister spelt

If they decide to do it, it's in their own sovereign right.

The only thing that is clear is that there is no way Mexico

So Donald Trump, initially at least, will have to rely

And though there's growing acceptance that's not

going to happen right now, he's still talking tough.

We're doing plans, we're doing specifications.

But the government runs out of money this Friday and could face another

and could face another shut down, like it did four years ago,

off and Federal buildings and monuments closed.

Democrats will agree to an emergency funding package,

but only if the White House removes the proposed expenditure

Although Republicans do have a majority in the Senate,

it's slim and to get this measure passed,

you need what's called a supermajority, 60 votes,

President Trump, approaching his 100th day in office, has

faced a stark choice - either a government shut down

Because in Democratic senators, the President has come

across a rock solid wall which there is no way round.

It's been a harsh lesson in the differences between

the ease of campaigning and the struggles of governing.

It's left Democrats savouring another victory.

It's really good news that the President seems to be

taking the wall off the table in the negotiations we're having

The White House unveiled a new website today to celebrate

It's been high energy and high-tempo.

A raft of executive orders and growing economic confidence,

but on his three signature policies - the travel ban, health reform

and now the border wall, Donald Trump hasn't succeeded

President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, has been meeting

the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin

on her first international trip since being given an official

position in the Trump administration.

She's recognised as an influential adviser to her father,

but there's been growing criticism in the US about the nature

Our correspondent, Jenny Hill, reports from Berlin.

Taking her place among the world's most powerful women.

The First Daughter, rubbing shoulders with a Chancellor,

Though, almost immediately, Ivanka Trump found herself

The delegates here weren't impressed.

He's been a tremendous champion of supporting families,

You hear the reaction from the audience, so I need to...

Still, Donald Trump's special adviser persisted.

As a daughter, I can speak on a very personal level,

knowing that he encouraged me and enabled me to thrive.

I grew up in a house where there was no barriers

And the First Daughter has gone on to make powerful friends.

She's accompanied her father to talks with the leaders

Her first solo overseas trip was at the direct invitation

...empowering women, and charming one in particular.

Berlin wants, needs, stronger ties to the Trump administration.

TRANSLATION: It's the strategy of dialogue, that's

You can reach Trump through his daughter.

Every woman should do things by her own, and by her own status

and by her own positions, and not because of her

What you're seeing here may well mark a profound shift

in the way that Germany, Europe, does business

Ivanka Trump wields significant influence with her father.

The relationship that Angela Merkel and other leaders strike

with the First Daughter will be closely scrutinised on both

Expect to see more of the First Daughter of the international stage.

In the age of Trump, it seems, family comes first.

The United States has expressed deep concern about Turkish air raids

against Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey said it was targeting groups linked to the banned PKK and said it

The US State Department said the raids had not been properly

co-ordinated with the coalition that's fighting

The President of France has called for unity in what he said would be

a long and difficult fight against terrorism.

Francois Hollande made the remarks at a ceremony to honour

the policeman shot dead in Paris last week.

Xavier Jugele, who was 37, was killed when a gunman opened fire

British detectives investigating the disappearance

of Madeleine McCann, a decade ago, say they are still

pursuing at least one "significant line of inquiry."

A senior officer described it as a critical element

with the potential to explain what happened to the three-year-old

when she disappeared in the Algarve in early May 2007

Our home affairs correspondent, Tom Symonds, has the story.

Ten years, no answers. A desperate search with the media following

every step. What happened here, where is Madeleine McCann? This is

still a missing persons inquiry, despite 2014's extensive police

searches in Portugal, there is no definitive Ed she is dead. --

definitive evidence she is dead. For six years, with government

money, the Metropolitan Police have Tonight, Scotland Yard said it

still had critical leads to follow. I know we have a significant line

of inquiry which is worth pursuing and, because it's worth pursuing,

it could provide an answer. But until we've gone through it,

I won't know whether we're And that's all the

police are saying. This investigation was once pursued

by up to 30 officers, now there are just four on the case

and a handful of leads. But while there is still something

to investigate, there is still hope. In the last decade suspects

have been discounted, including a man seen carrying

a child that night. Madeleine's face has become

known across the world, endless possible sightings have

been followrd up. The police say while there

are leads, they will continue. I so wish I could say

we could definitely solve it, but a small number of cases,

sadly, don't get solved. What I've always said on this case,

and I've said it to Kate and Gerry as well, we will do everything

reasonably possible to try Madeleine's parents have described

the ten year anniversary as a "horrible marker

of stolen time." They've released a statement,

promising never to give up. "There have been many challenges

and low points along the way", they said, "but the warmth,

encouragement and postivity we've experienced from the quiet majority

has undoubtedly sustained us and maintained our faith

in human goodness." This is how Madeleine might have

looked as she's grown up, her 14th There'll be two heavyweight boxing

titles at stake on Saturday in one of the biggest boxing bouts

of recent times when Britain's Anthony Joshua,

the Olympic champion, takes on Ukraine's Wladimir

Klitschko at Wembley Stadium. Our sports editor, Dan Roan,

has been watching Anthony There's some flash

photography in his report. Final preparations for

the fight of his life. Regarded as the man heavyweight

box's been crying out for, Anthony Joshua is on the verge

of becoming the sports biggest star. And, having granted us access

to his training camp... ..he told me just what it takes

to become a champion. You know, I've dislocated shoulders

and stuff in the gym, The coaches try to reveal your

potential and then it becomes a bit of an ordeal because they start

pushing you to places that Especially with the type

of fight we're in as well. Joshua has come a long way

in a short space of time. London 2012 Olympic champion,

since turning professional he's unbeaten and now stands to earn

in excess of ?10 million I'm in the same flat that I've

been in since in 2011. Where we grew up, everyone

was about making money, when we were young,

but it was about being low-key. Probably didn't want

to get your house burgled, But life hasn't always

been trouble-free. Joshua's brushes with the law

as a teenager, growing up in a tough part of London,

are portrayed in a new advertising campaign which charts

his rise to the top. What people can relate to is life,

journeys and what people go through. Everyone goes through different

struggles, so I'm just showing mine and it can connect to a certain

group of people, and it This is the kind of preparation

and dedication that's taken Anthony Joshua to the brink

of sporting superstardom and he knows that if he can now win

the biggest fight of his career, he'll go to a whole

new level altogether. High in the Austrian mountains,

the man who stands in Joshua's way For a decade, 41-year-old Ukrainian,

Wladimir Klitschko, dominated the heavyweight division,

but after losing his last fight says Now I have a chance against young

man, very ambitious, very athletic, a newcomer,

a new star in boxing The respectful build-up

to this fight contrasts starkly with the antics,

the trash talk and the brawls that have frequently brought

boxing into disrepute. It's needed now and again,

but it's got to be real because I don't take boxing

as an act. This isn't like an act for me,

this is a way of expressing myself Joshua's wasted little time

in his road to the top. Too good to be true,

we're about to find out. Newsnight is coming up

on BBC Two, here's Evan Davis. Will the election campaign is firmly

focused on Brexit for understandable reasons, but tonight we'll also look

at social care and how to pay for it. If you want more of it, do you

want more tax? Join me now on BBC Two.

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