23/06/2017 BBC News at Ten

Around 4000 people are being evacuated tonight from five tower

As residents start to move out, Camden Council says their safety

can't be guaranteed because of the cladding

I know it's difficult, but Grenfell changes everything,

and I just don't believe we can take any risks with our residents' safety

Bewildered residents are told to head for a nearby leisure centre.

Some aren't happy with the council's decision.

They had to be seen to be doing something, but this is just creating

Grenfell Tower - police say the cladding and insulation

there has failed safety tests and manslaughter charges may follow.

We'll bring you the latest on tonight's mass evacuation,

as council officials try to find accommodation for

Theresa May in Brussels, where she's told her offer

for EU citizens in the UK falls "below expectations".

A former loyalist paramilitary turned supergrass admits 200

And 46 years after their last series triumph in New Zealand,

the British and Irish Lions prepare to take on the All Blacks.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News: "I made a mistake

and I must face up to it" - the words of British number three

tennis player Dan Evans, after announcing he tested positive

A mass evacuation is underway tonight of nearly 4000 people

from 800 households in tower blocks in north London.

Camden Council says it took the decision this evening,

after it was told by Fire Services that the cladding on the blocks

is not up to standard and the safety of the residents

The police have revealed that the cladding and insulation

on Grenfell Tower has failed initial fire safety tests.

They say they are now looking at criminal offences,

At least 79 people are known to be dead or missing after the blaze

There was no warning, just a request. We need you to move out

because we can't be sure you are safe. I just don't want to go now. I

feel bad to just suddenly I have to leave my flat. Tonight, Camden

Council's mobilising its staff, block booking hotels, opening a rest

centre in an attempt to find somewhere to sleep, for 4000 people.

Individuals have been told to leave for their own safety and it's down

to them to make the decision. I intend to stay put. I intend to go

there tonight. It's a knee jerk reaction by the council, they had to

be seen to be doing something but this is creating chaos and

pandemonium. In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower the cladding on these

towers had already been ruled unsafe, but on top of that residents

raised concerns about other issues, including fire doors and gas pipes.

Camden felt it had to act. And the area which wasn't completely up to

robust standards was a deep concern, given the combination, and that was

the message from the Fire Services today. The issue was the combination

of the two factors and that's why we've taken the action we've taken

the night. The shadow of the worst fire in decades now looms large over

social housing. Grenfell Tower was destroyed from the to the top. The

fire started in a kitchen on the lower floor. Now police have

confirmed what eyewitnesses said, the origin of the Inferno was a

Hotpoint fridge, like this one, in that kitchen. Flames escaped through

a window and began to race up and across the outside of the building.

Which is why the focus right from the start has been on what was added

to the tower during its refurbishment. Aluminium cladding

and foam insulation and right from the start, police wanted to know how

fire resistant was it. Preliminary tests on the insulation samples

collected from Grenfell Tower show that they combusted soon after the

test started. The initial tests on the cladding tiles also failed the

safety tests. Such are our safety concerns on the outcome of those

tests we have shared our data with the Department for Communities and

Local Government. The cladding and installation simply should not have

burned so quickly. Instead of a fire which devoured the tower, it should

have been contained, like this fire, in Camden, five years ago. This

tower is now being evacuated. So the police tests have thrown up a string

of questions. How did it spread? The materials used are under suspicion,

but was the design of the refurbishment also to blame? Did the

work, completed last year, breach building regulations? And are the

laws governing building standards clear enough and tough enough? This

is a criminal investigation. Police seizing documents from the companies

that managed and refurbished Grenfell Tower. And they will

consider potential criminal charges, breaches of health and safety, or

even corporate manslaughter, though that is difficult to prove. For

several decades now, councils have been putting up cladding to improve

the look and installation of their ageing tower blocks. Now, in what

amounts to a crisis for that strategy, some of it is being taken

down. In Islington, initially for testing, but next week, for good.

Everyone in the block is saying if you live in a tower block

especially, you are thinking oh my God, it could have been us.

Especially now they've said it's in our cladding, we are thinking oh my

God. I'm quite tearful, actually. So far it's affecting high-rise

residents in nine council areas. In Wandsworth, where this fire broke

out in 2010, 100 tower blocks are to be fitted with sprinklers. But there

is grim, unfinished business back at Grenfell Tower. Everyone has been

accounted for in this flat, but the police need help to be sure they've

identified all the victims. Their message today, if you know someone

who was there, for whatever reason, we need to know. Tom Symonds, BBC

News. Let's talk to our correspondent Helena Lee, whose

North London for is that the Chalcots estate. This is a

huge operation to be undertaking at this time of night. We can see

council officials behind you. What's the latest happening there? That's

right. A mass evacuation here this evening. We are outside the Taplow

tower block, one of the tower blocks -- five tower blocks on the Chalcots

estate in Camden, which are evacuating all of their residence

this evening. We understand there are 400 households affected by this,

and 4000 people who are having to leave their homes the night. The

evacuation began just after 8pm this evening. We saw council members go

into this tower block and the other four tower blocks, and they went in

and they told residents that they had to prepare for evacuation and

take their essentials. Wheeler were last night there was a meeting

between council members and also residents from this block, who were

very concerned, because we know the cladding is similar to that used at

the Grenfell Tower, and today, fire chiefs have carried out safety

checks here at these buildings and the council said the night that it

was taking a difficult decision, but it had to ensure the safety of all

of the residents at these five tower blocks. And that is why they are

making this evacuation this evening. So a lot of residence here waiting

here to be told more information. Many of them are being diverted to a

nearby rest centre, where we are told they are going to spend the

evening. Week of the residents coming out behind you with suitcases

and bags. -- week can see residence. How do the residents say they feel

about this decision? When we turned up just after 8pm we spoke to a

number of residents coming out of this building and said to them, have

you been told the news that you have to leave your flats this evening?

One man said he was in his flat and heard the news on the radio, so I

think this has come as a complete surprise to the residents here. In

terms of having to leave their buildings, and actually, there have

been pretty chaotic scenes here. The council staff have been trying to

tell people about the situation, but many of them feel that they

shouldn't be leaving their flats. They think it's an overreaction. One

resident told is that there have been two fires at this tower block

over the past five years. Those fires were contained. He feels it's

a knee jerk reaction by the council. But I think too that a lot of

unanswered questions this evening, 4000 residents are going to have to

be placed somewhere in accommodation as we heard in the report there.

They are trying to block book hotels. There's a rest centre just

down the road from where we are, but there's a lot of people to

accommodate, and as you say, we've been seeing people living with

suitcases. One woman we saw leaving with a baby in one hand and her

hamster in the other. Helena in north London, thank you. Let's talk

to Tom Symonds our home affairs correspondent. Let's go back to the

safety tests at Grenfell Tower and the police saying the cladding and

installation failed the tests. Does that mean the cladding and

installation breached safety regulations so should never have

been put up, or that the safety regulations themselves were not

tough enough? It's potentially bows, isn't it? Police seemed genuinely

shocked at the tests they commissioned on the cladding and the

deletion from Grenfell Tower. They were particularly worried at the

speed with which the insulation foam, which is fitted to the outside

of the building, the speed that burned. This is stuff we've been

putting on buildings for a couple of decades now and is supposed to have

been part of the building regulations absolutely safe. Now we

are not sure. That raises a question about the building regulations. They

are incredibly complicated and the public enquiry will look at whether

they are fit for purpose. People who runs the social housing thought it

was safe but now they are not so sure. We now don't know what the

risk of fire in these buildings is. Tom, thank you.

European Union leaders have given a cool response to Theresa May's

proposal to guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.

The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, called

the plans "below his expectations" and said they risked making

Under the plan, which the Prime Minister describes

as "serious and fair", people from EU countries who've

lived here for five years would receive similar rights

Our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg reports from Brussels.

Goodbye to the flag, goodbye to this town.

A year ago today, Britain decided this place would be

But what the picture outside will look like for millions who've

made their lives around the continent is now

We've set out what I believe is a serious offer, a fair offer,

that will give the reassurance to EU citizens living in the UK.

One-to-one attempts to sell her plans.

But citizens who've lived in the UK for five years can remain for good.

And until we leave the union, others could come.

But her EU rivals have plenty of questions.

What about Spaniards now in the UK with family abroad - or anyone else?

Is the cut-off date when the Brexit process started, or the moment

Not until Monday will ministers at home be ready

Are you getting a clearer idea of the kind of Brexit

We want to be sure the rights of citizens are protected.

There are a lot of our citizens who are not covered

She might not have gone far enough here, but for many at home

It gives those 3 million EU citizens in the UK certainty

about the future of their lives, and we want the same certainty

for the more than 1 million UK citizens who are living

You've always said voters gave politicians a clear instruction

But under your plans, for nearly another two years,

as many Europeans as they like can still come to live in the UK.

For many voters, do you think that will really sound

What voters voted for when they voted to leave

the European Union was to ensure that outside the European Union,

the United Kingdom could establish our own rules on migration,

on movement of people from the EU into the UK.

Away from home, there's relief that at last the UK's putting

TRANSLATION: It's a good beginning, but not a breakthrough.

We've understood the UK doesn't want to give EU

They, just as they left together, will decide together with the rest

My first impression is that the UK's offer is below our expectations.

And that it risks worsening the situation of citizens.

Reservations shared by the opposition.

Who, in contrast, their leader is loving his time in the sun.

We should not be negotiating about this.

What we should be doing is unilaterally saying,

as Labour has said from day one after the referendum,

that all EU nationals should be given permanent residence rights.

Concerns over these proposals reflects Theresa

A united opposing front here in Brussels, clashing

expectations among the public at home, and at her back

inside her own party, different strands of thinking and demands.

And even a leader at the peak of their powers would struggle

Prime Minister, did your proposals go far enough?

But relieved, perhaps, too, to have been away

But governing is doing, not just fending off enemies.

Theresa May, at least today, has been doing that.

Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News, Brussels.

A former loyalist paramilitary commander has pleaded guilty

to 200 terrorism offences, including five murders.

Gary Haggarty admitted the crimes as part of a deal to give evidence

against other senior members of the Ulster Volunteer Force.

He's due to be sentenced in September.

From Belfast Crown Court, our Ireland correspondent

During the Troubles, the UVF took more lives than any other loyalist

One of its commanders was this man, Gary Haggarty.

The prosecution case document runs to around 12,000 pages,

Two of the five men who Haggarty has admitted murdering

The Catholic workmen were shot dead at a building site 23 years ago.

Haggarty was an informer for the security forces at the time.

Eamon Fox's son believes his father's death was preventable.

I don't care about the UVF. They'll meet their maker some day.

But it's the police, the people who are in authority

to protect and serve, they didn't protect my family.

They didn't protect this man's family.

Haggarty had a double life as an agent of the state

He was from North Belfast, where his group had a particularly

So this investigation into the UVF is set to go on to another level.

In 2010, Gary Haggarty signed an agreement in which he offered

to give evidence in court against other paramilitary leaders

in exchange for a shorter sentence for his own crimes.

He's the most senior loyalist ever to turn supergrass.

It's understood up to 15 UVF members could be charged if prosecutors

accept that the former commander's evidence is credible.

The police intelligence officers, who had contact with Haggarty,

It is the examination of their conduct and their directions

and their criminal liability which will now fall to be assessed.

The detective who is leading the current inquiry says

This allows us now to move forward to the next phase

of the investigation, where it is my intention and my hope

that we will bring others who are responsible for those crimes

There'll be more waiting for the relatives of UVF victims.

For now, Gary Haggarty is in solitary confinement

In court appearances in the future, he may be

in the witness box - not the dock.

Police have charged Darren Osborne with terrorism-related murder

and attempted murder after the attack at a mosque

in Finsbury Park in north London in the early hours

One man died at the scene and nine other people were taken to hospital.

The 47-year-old from Cardiff appeared in court this afternoon,

Our correspondent Daniel Sandford reports.

Darren Osborne being driven off to prison after his first court

He's accused of the murder and attempted murder of a group

In the dock, with a detective on either side, he'd confirmed

that he was 47-years-old and said he has no address.

The prosecution said it was their case that

Darren Osborne was motivated by extreme political views

They said he had acted deliberately to kill, maim,

injure and terrify as many people as he could.

The attack, in which a hired white van drove into worshippers leaving

prayers, happened in the very early hours of Monday morning.

Nine people were taken to hospital, and 51-year-old Makram Ali died

This diverse community has shown commendable

Today, in his mosque, Friday prayers were full

as they remembered Makram Ali, and the three people

still in hospital - two of whom are in a critical condition.

A report into a murder carried out by a psychiatric patient has

severely criticised the NHS and the Metropolitan Police.

Nicola Edgington attacked a woman with a butcher's

knife in Bexleyheath in south London in 2011.

On the day of the killing, she had begged the police for help,

and told hospital staff that she needed to be

sectioned because she felt like killing someone.

But she was allowed to walk free out of a mental

Our social affairs correspondent, Michael Buchanan has the details.

Nicola Edgington fleeing a crime scene having just brutally

Hearing police sirens, she hides, but officers arrive quickly

and the mentally ill woman is arrested hours after telling

police and medics that she fears she'll kill someone.

Five years earlier, she had been convicted

of the manslaughter of her own mother, but had been released.

Her victim in 2011 was Sally Hodkin, a 58-year-old

Today her son told me her death was entirely preventible.

It was one mistake after another and should she have been out?

Well, she killed my mum so I'll let

everyone decide whether or not they think it was appropriate

Nicola Edgington was released from this secure unit run

by Oxleas Mental Health Trust in 2009, just three years

after being given an indefinite sentence for killing her mother.

Today's report commissioned by NHS England found that Trust staff

were too willing to believe Edgington who was fixated

They didn't take seriously warnings from her sister and brother

that she was still potentially dangerous and on the day

of the murder, they failed to stop her leaving their hospital

despite Edgington being clearly unwell.

They're responsible for her being on the street.

They're responsible for her being released after three years

after killing her own mother and they're responsible

to the public to make sure that people like this are looked

after and safeguarded and we don't believe that has been done.

The Metropolitan Police also failed to stop Nicola Edgington

Today's report says the murder could have been prevented if they had

sectioned her after she repeatedly called 999 seeking help.

In a statement today, the Oxleas Mental Health Trust

reiterated their apology to Sally Hodkin's family

for their failures and say that several changes have been made

Nicola Edgington has is now serving a 37 year prison sentence and is one

of 13 patients who have gone on to kill after being

released from the care of Oxleas Mental Health Trust

Sally Hodkin's family says it's impossible to quantify the void

The Government's deal with a French energy company to build

a new nuclear power station in Somerset has been criticised

as "risky and expensive" by the public spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office says ministers have locked consumers

into paying for Hinkley Point through a subsidy on electricity

bills that's risen from ?6 billion to ?30 billion.

The Government says the plant will provide clean electricity

Our science editor, David Shukman, reports.

Each scoop of this digger lifts 30 tonnes of earth.

Look down at the driver of the truck below for a sense of scale.

This is where one of two nuclear reactors will

1,600 people work here now, soon it will be 5,000.

It's an immense and controversial project, and even now,

the National Audit Office has weighed in, attacking the costs.

The Government has committed consumers to a risky and expensive

deal with uncertain economic and strategic benefits.

The Government's case for proceeding with the deal last

The concern is not so much the ?18 billion to build the power station -

that's covered by EDF of France and CGN of China.

It's the estimated ?30 billion in subsidies paid to the two

companies on top of the market price for electricity.

That's set to add ?10 to ?15 to the average consumer electricity

bill every year over at least 35 years.

But with the deal finally signed off by Theresa May last year, the cement

And the nuclear industry says future power stations will be cheaper.

Remember, this is the first new nuclear power station

being built in this country for a generation.

And just like the first of a kind of new offshore winds

were very expensive, the price will come down

and the price will come down as follow-on projects happen.

But offshore wind and other sources of power have fallen in cost

faster than expected, leaving Hinkley Point looking

The scale of construction is extraordinary, and it's exactly

what the Government wants - a new source of low carbon,

And at this stage, it's unlikely that any concern about costs

could possibly derail the project now.

But it will come under closer scrutiny, and any future nuclear

power stations are bound to be handled very differently.

It was Britain that pioneered nuclear power.

Now, more than half a century later, there's still a struggle over

who should pay for it, and whether it's worth it.

David Shukman, BBC News, at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

It's the toughest task in world rugby.

In just a few hours time, the British and Irish Lions will take

to the field in Auckland for the first test

We haven't beaten New Zealand in the three match series since 1971.

Our Sports Correspondent Katie Gornall is at Eden Park

Katie, the countdown to kick off has begun?

Rain and all? Indeed, yes. Auckland is still waking up here, but already

we have seen tens of thousands of Lions fans descend on the city and

they come here more in hope than expectation because this has to be

the toughest test in rugby. A team that's just been together a few

weeks taking on the world champions in their own back yard, but there is

a positivity around this Lions side, but whether it will be there come

the final whistle is another question.

Auckland is undergoing a transformation.

The Lions are coming and what started as a trickle

We're like minions walking around here with our red tops on.

I hope it's 3-0 to the Lions, but I think it will be really tough.

The All Blacks at Eden Park, you just don't beat them there.

So we might have more chance in Wellington,

After just a few weeks getting to know each other, the Lions must

Warren Gatland has named an attacking side for the series

opener against the world champions, based on form, not reputation.

It will be captained by Peter O'Mahoney,

who three months ago, couldn't even get

I'm not sure if anybody could say they envisaged

You hope he makes the under-12 team, and then you hope he makes

the school team, and each time you have to say,

"I wonder, is that the level?"

It was quite a meteoric rise for Peter.

This is where it all begins tomorrow, Eden Park,

which is a fortress for the All Blacks.

They haven't lost here since 1994, before some of these current

This was the last time they tasted success in New Zealand,

way back in 1971 and it had a profound effect on

I thought rugby was invented in New Zealand, you know,

growing up and I didn't think the All Blacks could ever be beaten.

It did have quite an impact on me in 1971 when the Lions beat

It was the first time that I kind of realised that the game was played

Rugby and the All Blacks are revered in New Zealand but by the end

of this tour the Lions hope to have made their mark.