02/06/2017 BBC News at Ten

We're at the University of York , where Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn

have just finished taking voters' questions, with six

For 90 minutes, the two leaders faced questions from an audience

drawn from the city of York and surrounding areas.

Theresa May was pressed on Brexit, on social care policy and the capped

level of nurses pay. We recognise the work the NHS does. I am being

honest to say we will put more money into the NHS but there is no magic

money tree that provides everything that people want. Jeremy Corbyn was

challenged on leadership, the use of nuclear weapons and his plans to

raise some taxes. We have to respect the needs of people and, frankly,

challenge all of us to say, if we want to live in a society that

genuinely cares for all, we must be prepared to deal with issues of

inequality and pay for it. I am prepared to do that.

And in another development, earlier today, a Conservative

candidate was charged in connection with expenses claimed in the last

Police investigating the Manchester attack evacuate part

A bomb disposal unit was called in after police discovered a car

they say could be prove to be a significant development

Donald Trump's decision to take America out of the Paris climate

change agreement is widely criticised around the globe.

And as a new production of Annie opens in London,

we speak to Miranda Hart about her West End debut.

Suddenly doing something new, when you are known for other

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News...

As thousands of football fans descend on Cardiff this weekend,

security is said to be tight ahead of tomorrow night's

We're at the University of York, where Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn

have just finished taking questions from an audience,

gathered for tonight's BBC Question Time Leaders' Special,

The audiences just about to leave I speak.

The two leaders appeared separately, and fielded

questions on Brexit, on social care, on nurses' pay,

on international aid, and on the use of nuclear weapons.

Our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, was following

Theresa May had much more to lose. A brave face after a bumpy few days.

Both facing the hardest audiences of all, this studio and you. A smile

but a hard start for the Prime Minister. Pressing bruises she has

taken on in this campaign. You have backtracked on the social care

policy. Your plans have holes in it. Everyone can see that. I did not

just want to stay in the job, I have called an election because of

Brexit. I think this is a really important moment for our country.

You have called a general election for the good of the Conservative

Party and it will backfire on you. Then to what her team thinks is her

biggest advantage, Brexit. People who voted out, perhaps they should

be given a second chance. You should have the confidence to say, shall we

have another vote? Collectively, people here in the UK said, that is

not the way to behave. If the people have given their choice, let's

deliver on it. Then question after question about social care and her

change of heart. You can spend your whole life working to build up a

nest egg. If it will all be taken away from you again if care is

needed, why should you even bother in the first place? It is today we

see people sometimes having to sell the houses in order to pay bills. We

want to introduce a system, a sustainable a given the ageing

population. If we do nothing, our social care system will collapse. If

you can telephone the floor is now, why can you not tell us the cap? On

the floor it is important we give people protection on their savings

which is greater than today. That is why that figure is 100,000. On the

cap, as to where you set the figure, the absolute figure that people pay,

I think it is right we have the consultation. Then pressure on the

NHS and this nurse's wage packet. My wages from 2009 are flecked what I

am earning today. How can be fair? We have had to take some hard

choices the public sector about public sector pay restraint. We did

that to bring public spending under control, because it was not under

control under the last Labour government. I am being honest with

you in terms of say we will put more money in the NHS but there is not a

magic money tree we can shape. -- shake. I have been waiting a year

and a half of this. I have suffered so much because of the work

capability assessment. I will not make excuses for the experience you

have had. That is why it is so important we do deal with mental

health. This is something where we do look at improving how that

assessment has taken place. Then, to her arrival, Jeremy Corbyn... The

first challenge to whether he would play Brexit hardball. If the EU

understands your position that no deal is a bad deal then you have no

chance. We are not approaching the negotiations by threatening Europe

by setting up a low tax Haven for big corporations in this country. We

are saying we want to continue the trading relationship outside the

European Union. He was pressed on whether he would work with the SNP

and whether the country can afford his plans. It is -- is Labour's

manifesto a realistic wish list or just a letter to Santa Claus? I

think it is a serious and realistic document that addresses the issues

that many people in this country face. I'm thinking of the last time

that the Labour Party was in government but they left a note

saying, we have no money left. The very richest in our society have got

richer. There have been more tax giveaways at the top end and more

charges at the other end. It is time to rebalance it. Then his long held

resistance to nuclear weapons came under pressure. If Britain were at

threat from nuclear weapons, how would you react? The idea of anyone

ever using a nuclear weapon anywhere in the world is appalling and

terrible. It would result in the destruction of their lives and

communities and environment for millions of people. Are you saying

there are no circumstances under which you would use it? Any

circumstances where anyone is preparing to use a nuclear weapon is

disastrous for the whole planet. That is why there has to be a policy

of disarmament globally but through multilateral policy and not

unilateral policy. Would you allow North Korea and some idiot in Iran

to bombers us and then say, we had better start talking? Of course not.

-- to bomb us. Of course I would not allow them to do that. How would you

stop them? That is why I made the point a short time ago about the

need for President Obama's agreement with Iran to be upheld the debate is

important. Also to promote disarmament in Korea. That is

difficult, I appreciate. I don't understand why everyone in the room

seem so keen on killing millions of people. Difficult moments for him as

well on the IRA. The tough night for both arrivals. A brief but big and

counter. Moments that could make the difference. There are still minds to

change. And our political editor

Laura Kuenssberg is with me. Impressions, first of all, of the

Prime Minister's performance. To reason may have a bumpy ride. She

was more on a front foot than in recent days. She was pressed on NHS

cuts and the mess over social care policy she was forced to change days

after she published her own manifesto. That is a problem of her

own making. Clearly tonight many members of the public have been

quite aware of that big mistake, as it is seen by many people inside the

Tory Party. In a sense, her team will say it is terribly positive but

they might be relieved she did seem to be more on the offensive rather

than be defensive and somehow cowed by the event. She was certainly

given a hard time by the audience. They did their job very well. How do

you see that contribution by the Prime Minister compared with Mr

Corbyn's? He faced a pretty hard time. In the last few days he seemed

more comfortable, almost with every moment of the campaign. He started

off very comfortable, very at ease. Towards the end he faced a barrage

of questions over his long-held opposition to nuclear weapons. It is

Labour Party policy to keep the Trident nuclear deterrent that he

was pushed again and again by audience members over whether or

not, as Prime Minister, if this country were under attack, would he

push the button? We know his answer to that question is no. That has

been one of his most vulnerable point since he became Labour leader.

Theresa May was under attack because of a problem of her own recent

making. It was difficult for Jeremy Corbyn here tonight because of

something he has believed for years. In a way, the audience is owned in

for both of them on their particular areas of weakness.

Earlier today, as the leaders were preparing for tonight's event

in York, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that

the Conservative candidate for South Thanet in Kent,

Craig Mackinlay, had been charged in connection

with expenses claimed during the last election two years ago.

Mr MacKinlay and two Conservative party workers will appear

The party said it believed the allegations were "unfounded",

as our home affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford, reports.

In the 2015 general election, the voters of South Thanet

were deluged by big-name Conservative campaigners,

desperate to keep the seat away from Nigel Farage.

Their candidate posed with every member of the front

Today, following an investigation started by Channel 4 News,

Craig Mackinlay was charged with filing false expenses

So was his agent, Nathan Grey, and senior campaigner Marian Little,

OBE, has been charged with aiding and abetting them.

This, the moment this morning when Nigel Farage heard the news.

Craig Mackinlay has just been charged.

Once again, it is bad judgment from Theresa May.

Why on earth would you allow someone to go ahead as a general election

candidate when this cloud was clearly hanging over him?

At the heart of this case is the thousands of pounds

the Conservatives spent on rooms for activists at hotels

The national party picked up the bills.

But a police investigation into whether, in fact,

they should have appeared on Craig Mackinlay's individual

election costs has now resulted in these criminal charges.

The allegation is that expenses that should have been

And, of course, if they had been, he might have breached the strict

limit each candidate has on how much they're allowed to spend.

The Conservative Party continues to believe these

Craig Mackinlay is innocent until proven guilty

In a statement, Craig Mackinlay said...

I'm very disappointed with the way this has been handled.

Why leave this until a few days before the election?

He will continue to campaign to be re-elected though.

Just being charged with filing false election expenses does not

His first court appearance, the 4th of July, will be less

During the day, on the campaign trail, the Prime Minister found

herself being criticised for her response to the decision

by President Trump to abandon the Paris climate treaty.

Mrs May refused to sign a letter from European leaders,

She said she was "disappointed" by the president's decision,

while Jeremy Corbyn said it was "reckless and dangerous."

Our deputy political editor, John Pienaar, reports

Putting America first, it's his slogan.

But there's outrage at Donald Trump's decision to pull

out of the international treaty signed in Paris to

I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.

The backlash has been strong, not just on his doorstep,

World leaders are united against him, from Europe to China,

in step and against the US president, lining up

TRANSLATION: The US decision can't, and won't, stop all those

of us who feel obliged to protect this planet.

We are convinced that yesterday's decision by the United States

to leave the Paris agreement was a big mistake.

Whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility.

And the row spilled into Britain's general election.

Theresa May, like many leaders, sees global warming as a threat

Out campaigning today, she explained she'd told

President Trump by phone of her disappointment.

She also defended her decision not to join European leaders in signing

I made the UK's position clear to President Trump last

week at the G7 meeting, as did the other G7 leaders.

I made the UK's position clear to President Trump last night.

Canada and Japan have not signed the letter, neither has the UK

but we all have the same view that we remain committed

That was more than enough cause for Jeremy Corbyn,

Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out

of the Paris climate change deal is reckless and dangerous.

And to depict the Prime Minister as too weak to stand up

She has instead opted for silence and once again

It's a dereliction of both her duty to this country

The Paris Treaty committed nations to work to cut emissions that caused

climate change and was seen by signatories could then including

Parties have joined the wrangling from either side of the divide

Unlike almost every other western world leader,

including Theresa May, he sticks to what he

I think Trump's decision is a reckless act of environmental

vandalism but it is also an act of economic self harm.

The truth is, in the United States as in elsewhere, the green economy

is actually doing better than the rest of the economy.

There are more jobs in the green economy.

He is actually harming the US as well as harming the wider

For many people, the environment may not be top of their list

of priorities at election time but issues of leadership are always

big, like the question, who do you want to represent

Theresa May is hoping the credit she's built up since becoming

Her opponents are hoping it is ebbing away at the end

of the campaign that has sometimes faulted.

Many people make up their minds the end of the campaign but time

is running out for the only walk that really matters,

John Pienaar with the day's campaigning, following the decision

by President Trump to withdraw America from the Paris

For more on that, and the day's other news, let's join Sophie.

So, when Donald Trump announced he was indeed pulling

the United States out of the Paris Climate

Change Agreement, he justified it by saying he'd been

elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.

But the city's mayor quickly hit back, saying that Pittsburgh

stands with the world and will continue to support

Our North America Correspondent, Nick Bryant, has been to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city twinned unexpectedly by the

President with Paris. But this morning it was not hard to find

citizens delighted by this decision. I think our president is trying to

do everything he can that is good for the American people. America

first. Absolutely. It is about time people and presidents put America

first and he is doing that and showing that all these agreements

that are not fair to the United States, it is time date we

negotiated them to become fair. The old Pittsburgh was very different.

Steel city, and manufacturing Caple often shrouded in fog. Now it is a

high-tech hub, a centre of excellence in robotics, the place

where they are testing driverless cars. I was one of the American

representatives. The democratic Mayor says its resurgence has been

based on green friendly policies and has hit back at Donald Trump. The

decision to withdraw is not only bad for the United States economy, but

it weakens us throughout the world. It is the old rusting steel towns in

the valleys outside Pittsburgh left behind by the new economy where the

slogan makes America great again reverberated most strongly. Donald

Trump would not be president were it not for the support he received in

the rust belt states, they became the critical battle ground in US

presidential politics. There are many voters here who believe that

the global anger over his Paris decision offers proof of his

determination to fight on their behalf. At this derelict steel plant

today we found something unexpected, the old economy meeting the new,

employees from Google on a day out learning about this region's

industrial past. The Paris Accord will help stimulate the economy of

this region. Green industries are the future in this region.

Unfortunately this industry is not. The post Paris question for the US

economy, is Donald Trump trying to revive old, declining industries in

a way that appeals to the development of the new.

Donald Trump's decision has been strongly criticised

by many in the world's scientific community today.

Our science editor, David Shukman, attended the Paris meeting, which

He looks now at the impact the US withdrawal could have.

These spectacular sight of the Thames barrier.

The great defence keeping London safe from flooding.

A place that researchers see as a front line in the effort to

What is happening here and along coasts

around the world is year by year, bit by bit,

the level of the sea is

rising and that is because of global warning.

It is why scientists say climate change is real and why they

are so worried about what Donald Trump has just done.

For people in low-lying countries like Bangladesh,

holding back the rising seas is a desperate struggle.

Researchers say the evidence is clear that warmer

Professor Myles Allen is working on computer

He says America leaving the Paris agreement

might encourage others to

For the first time, we actually had all the world's and

joining together to say they were going to do

Not just the rich countries but everybody.

For the richest country in the world to pull out, obviously,

May send a very strong message to the other ones.

So, what about Donald Trump's allegation that

America is suffering from the Paris agreement.

For a start, it's voluntary, with no obligations.

The US offered to cut its greenhouse gases by up to 28% by 2025, compared

By contrast, China pledged to reach peak emissions by 2030, a

But it's because China is still developing, as is

India, which has promised that 40% of its electricity will be carbon

Someone who has worked for years on climate change is

economist Lord Stern, author of a highly influential

report published more than ten years ago.

He was at the Paris summit in 2015, here on

What does he make of Donald Trump's aims about

Given that China said it would peak its emissions by 2030 and

now looks as if it is going to peak its emissions by 2020, that's not

Given that Indian emissions per capita are

about one tenth, 10%, of the United States,

that's not unfair to the

In any event, China and India facing a

crisis of air pollution are pushing for a cleaner future anyway.

Without America's help, that might take a

Police investigating the Manchester bombing have seized a car

that they say could be a significant development following the attack

A bomb disposal unit was sent into a street near the university

after the vehicle was found and the area was evacuated

Earlier Prince William visited the city to meet some of the police

officers and medical staff who were first on the scene

Our Home Affairs correspondent June Kelly reports.

A significant development in this terrorist investigation.

Today for a time, the bomb squad were back in a student area

of Rusholme in South Manchester which has become a key

Salman Abedi is said to have been here.

At a block of flats the police focus was on a white Nissan Micra

A police cordon went up and for hours people,

residents had to leave their homes as specialist teams moved in.

This morning, police came rushing in, evacuated us from the house,

In the last couple of weeks, residents here as in other parts

of Manchester have grown used to the police tape and officers

Detectives are trying to plot Salman Abedi's last days

as he finalised his plan to kill and injure scores of concertgoers.

Tonight this lorry back into position.

The car was loaded up and taken away.

There is still a feeling of rawness in this city as it welcomes

Today, the Duke of Cambridge met a police officer, Michael Buckley,

who was off duty and tended to the injured at the Manchester

Arena while he tried to find his own daughter.

William said it was horrendous, and away from the cameras he made

a private hospital visit to see some of the injured.

Manchester is now preparing for this weekend's benefit

concert, where there will be stringent security.

The appeal is firstly to not drive here.

Use the facilities that we have put on for free.

If you can avoid it, do not bring a bag as it will slow

This will be a poignant return for many concertgoers.

And a reflection of all that has been lost, with the announcement

that the inquest on the victims will open one week today.

Officials in Afghanistan say five people have been killed in clashes

with the police in Kabul. Officers opened fire against people

demonstrating against the government's handling of the

situation in the city. On Monday over 400 people were injured and

He's Ireland's first openly gay minister,

the son of an Indian immigrant, and at the age of 38 Leo Varadkar

is now set to be the youngest leader in Europe as Ireland's

He was voted in tonight as the new leader of Fine Gael

the biggest party in Ireland's ruling coalition.

It means he's set to take over from Enda Kenny

as Taoiseach in the coming weeks as our Ireland Correspondent

Leo Varadkar is the new face of modern Ireland. An immigrant, openly

gay and four months he has been the favourite to become this country's

leader. He set out his vision of leadership amid a sea of signs

bearing one name. I think if my election today has shown anything it

is that prejudice has no hold in this Republic. And so every proud

parent in Ireland today can dream big dreams for their children. Every

boy and girl can know that there is no limit to their ambition, to their

possibilities if they are given the opportunity. His father was a doctor

who emigrated from India and married an Irish nurse. Two years ago he

came out as gay, ahead of a referendum on the introduction of

same-sex marriage. He celebrated the yes vote on stage, a sign of social

change in what many still call Catholic Ireland. And Leo is totally

different to the last Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. He is not one of these

high-fiving Enda Kenny types, but that is not always what is needed.

Times change and they know what is in him, that steel and

determination. Island's economy may have emerged from a time of the bank

crises and bailouts, but Brexit poses its own challenges. And as

head of a minority government, Leo Varadkar is likely to find his

leadership is tested sooner rather than later.

The TV sitcom Miranda and the drama Call the Midwife turned her into one

Now the actress Miranda Hart is making her West End debut

Now she's playing Miss Hannigan, the infamous orphanage manager,

in the musical which first opened in America 40 years ago.

Our Arts Editor, Will Gompertz has been to meet Miranda and the three

Annies as they prepare for next week's opening night.

The show might be called Annie, but this particular west in production

is all about Miranda. It is quite a vulnerable place when you are in the

face on the poster. You think our people wanting to knock me down?

There is that fear. We are not very good at celebrating in this country.

People pick on the things they are not good at. Does it feel like the

contemporary story? Kind of. You can kind of relate to it because there

will always be orphans in the world. People from Syria and stuff. It is

kind of relevant in today's life. Who has got the worst American

accent? Oh, that is a hard question. Probably me. I was going to say

that. Yes, I am fine. That is a great idea. I am moving on. Miranda

Hart made her name with her eponymous sitcom and now she is a

star. I suppose being yourself and doing things outside of it and

having fun with that and not being caught up with the trappings of fame

and wanted it to be about fame or money because that does not bring

you happiness. In the newspapers there has been talk about Miranda

coming back. I like the idea of Miranda and Gary getting married and

that could be a sitcom. Do not get married. I am the best man. I miss

my gang, the sitcom family and my character, but whether that means I

will start writing it again I do not know. She does have plenty to be

getting on with, not least spending the summer living her dream and

starring in this West End musical.