24/08/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at ten, a sharp fall in net migration as large numbers of EU

Homeward bound - net migration is down to its lowest

Many feel they're no longer earning enough here.

We want to go there because we can find good jobs for the same money.

Business leaders have expressed some concern, warning of the risk of

labour shortages. Also tonight, the number

of teenagers gaining the highest GCSE grades has fallen

amid the biggest shake-up of exams The husband of the woman killed

by a cyclist riding a bike with no front brakes calls for new laws

to prevent another tragedy. Once thriving communities -

a special report on the former mining towns where people claim

disability benefits at up to three Show me some respect and a little

bit of help. And, most of all, some understanding.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travels to Libya to urge military

and political leaders to restore peace and stability

And Test match Special is 60 years old today -

we look back at that very British institution.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News, there is a very tough draw

for Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic, as this seasons's Champions League

Net migration to the UK - that's the difference

between the number of people entering and leaving -

has fallen to its lowest level for three years,

mainly because of the large numbers of EU nationals

It's prompted warnings from employers about the risk

The latest figures from March 2016 to March 2017 show net migration

That's a fall of 81,000 compared with the previous 12 months.

More than half of that change is due to the fall in net migration of EU

But that still means there are twice as many EU nationals coming

Here's our home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford.

For some Eastern Europeans, Brexit has been the trigger to go.

Buses leaving London for Poland this afternoon -

and some of the passengers won't come back.

Among the crowds, telecoms technician Daniel, who is

heading back to Romania at Christmas.

He says the atmosphere in Britain has changed.

I think they are a little bit racist with us, with the European people.

That's why you are planning to leave?

Yeah, and also because sterling is going down, you know?

We want to go there, because we can find good

At this chicken hatchery in West Oxfordshire,

they've become reliant on workers from the so-called

that joined the EU in 2004, like Poland.

It's allowed their business to expand, year-on-year.

But suddenly, almost as many people from E8

countries are leaving Britain as arriving.

For workers at this farm, Brexit was a sort of watershed.

Over the last 12 months or so, it's just got worse and worse.

People have thought about it more and more and it's

This isn't something that might happen in the future, in 2019.

For people like ourselves, recruiting staff, this

Further up the chain in chicken production,

they're even more reliant on EU workers.

So for the first time in years, he's planning to shrink

Rightly or wrongly, huge sections of the agricultural,

food production, hospitality and manufacturing industries

in the UK have become reliant on a ready supply of workers

Now, all of a sudden, that supply is drying up.

In nearby Witney, only some thought the

fall in migrant numbers was a good thing.

We're getting too many people in the country, so yeah, we'll get

It does depend where the migrants come from

and what skills they bring with them.

I think we need the mix and they've been very

In the year to March, overall migration into Britain fell

sharply because fewer Europeans are coming and more are leaving.

It is still almost a quarter of a million a year,

far short of the government's aim of tens of thousands.

There's still a lot of work to do and we'll continue to do that work,

to deliver ultimately on the long-term ambition to see net

A sense of uncertainty and falling pound.

It's more expensive to live in the UK.

But also, if you are earning money in the UK and

you want to spend that money another country or send it home to your

And one argument over student migration was

Newly introduced exit checks discovered that almost

nobody abuses their student visa and overstays in the black economy.

Eleanor Garnier is at the Home Office.

Just explain why the student numbers are proving tricky for the Prime

Minister? Well, previous estimates have shown a big difference between

the number of international students arriving and those leaving. That led

to concern that student that one mights were being used as a sort of

illegal back route into Britain. New figures, that officials say are far

more accurate, show that the number of people who obeyed the rules,

stuck to the rules, was as high as 97%. Fewer than 5000 overstayed

their visas. Under Theresa May, this Government has rigidly stuck to its

target to bring net migration down to tens of thousands. Despite calls

even from within her own Cabinet, Theresa May has refused to remove

international students from those immigration figures. Even though

that could help the Government get much closer to its target. Now,

tonight ministers are slapping themselves on the back and saying

that this success with the student figures is down to a crackdown on

bogus colleges and other measures brought in by the government. But

this will put much more pressure on Theresa May to take those

international students out of net migration figures once and for all.

Thank you. The first GCSE results since new,

more demanding, English and maths exams were

introduced in England are out and they show a decline

in the proportion of top grades. The overall pass rate

across all subjects in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has

also fallen slightly. Over the next two years all subjects

will move to the new marking system. The old top mark, A*,

is being replaced by a 9, It's all part of wider reforms

designed to make GCSEs more rigorous and challenging, as our education

editor Branwen Jeffreys reports. the first 16-year-olds

to take the tougher exams. There's loads more new content

that you have to learn. There's just not much

time to learn it in. We're learning A-level stuff

as well as GCSE stuff. It's just making sure smarter people

get the grades they deserve, I say. At this Nottinghamshire school,

tears mainly of relief. For the kids this year,

the new GCSEs have been They've had to learn so much more,

remember so much more, and their grades have all rested

on these final exams. The results here, much better

than last year - but at a cost. They couldn't teach it

all in the school day. We've had a compulsory

session after school, particularly focused on English

and maths, but on a rotation for all other subjects,

to get in the increased content. Of course, that's going to get

even tougher as we move towards the new GCSEs

in all other subjects. The pass rate in England for

16-year-olds moved just a little. In English language,

69.9% got a 4 or above, a little better than in

the old exam last year. Both just slightly down,

because the grade points are moved In Wales, results

included six new GCSEs. As a result, fewer pupils

got good grades - This is where they

pick up the pieces. In England, maths and English

resits are compulsory. That's for anyone

getting a 3 this year. So does that help us be

a better skilled nation? Not just about how they're

going to do it, but also Because a lot of young people

come to colleges to go into vocational education,

into technical education. And GCSEs, traditional GCSE routes,

are those the right routes? Today's results are

just the beginning. What children learn in England

is changing, with more Branwen Jeffreys, BBC

News, Nottinghamshire. Amongst those receiving

their results today The teenager lived on the 13th floor

of Grenfell Tower and just hours after escaping from the fire,

she went to school and sat her chemistry exam -

dressed in the same clothes that Our correspondent

Adina Campbell reports. The gloomy grey shell of what is

left of Grenfell Tower has been home to Ines Alves for the past 16 years.

Today, she is celebrating her GCSE results. How was it, hoping that

envelope after what you had gone through? Mixed emotions. I was

disappointed in some subjects, but really glad and really excited in

others. She and her family had a lucky escape, but just hours later,

Ines decided to sit her chemistry exam. I received an capital Ain my

chemistry GCSE, the exam I did the morning of the fire. How much of the

fire did you see? My dad burst into my room, and he said there was a

fire in the building. We left our flat, reached down stairs. At first

I was annoyed at him for pulling me out, because it was such a small

fire. Then we realised how big it was getting when it started reaching

six floors above it and it carried on going. Up, and up, then it was no

turning back. Since the disaster, Ines's family have been living in a

hotel and are still waiting to permanently rehoused. After

everything you had seen, you had heard in that fire, you were at

school the next morning taking an exam. Many people will be wondering

why you had all of that courage to go into school? I had been revising

for chemistry the night before. That was in the top of my mind. When I

woke up, my dad barged into the room, my chemistry notes were right

next to me. The first thing I grabbed. Whilst I thought they were

going to put the fire out, I thought, why not waste my time and

just revise? I don't really think I was thinking of much of the time. I

thought it was a normal day, just doing an exam like everybody else.

After her success today, Ines plans to carry on studying and says

nothing will hold her back. Today, of course, is a day to celebrate.

You have done so well with everything you have gone through.

Are you positive about the future? Yes. I feel like if I could get

through this, I could get anything, really.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has travelled to Libya to urge

military and political leaders to restore peace and stability

Five years after the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi, Libya

is still a country that is deeply divided by civil war.

Forces loyal to one of Gaddafi's former generals, Khalifa Haftar,

are controlling the east of the country.

Rival militias are in control in the west,

and no-one is in control of Libya's southern border.

From Libya, our diplomatic correspondent, James

When RAF jets crossed this coast six years ago,

they were firing missiles against Colonel Gaddafi's forces.

Today, they delivered a Foreign Secretary instead.

Officials said Boris Johnson was the first senior

Western politician to set foot in Benghazi since 2012.

Only recently have the last remnants of so-called Islamic State been

He came to see the troops who had taken the fight

The self-proclaimed Libyan National Army is clearly

But these forces matter because they control much of eastern

Libya and will have to be part of any political deal

that tries to unite this deeply divided country.

So the intentions of their commander matter.

Marshal Khalifa Haftar, a military strongman and great rival

to the UN-backed government in Tripoli to the West.

The question that many Western diplomats and politicians are asking

is, will the man who commands these forces be willing to subject

them to the control of democratically elected politicians?

Can they be brought into any kind of political process?

Because on that, the future of Libya may depend.

There has got to be a civilian leadership here in this country.

The marshal accepts that were he to be successful,

were he to stand and be successful in an election, then he could not

We had to travel around Benghazi in armoured vehicles.

And yesterday, IS beheaded at least nine of Marshal Haftar's

The Foreign Secretary told me there was a chance

of a political deal, but only if other countries gave

up their different agendas on Libya and worked with the United Nations.

Our role, really, is to get the other players, all the friends

and partners of Libya who may have varying ideas about the future

of this country and who should be in charge, to get them to sing

We are now able to fly the union flag once again...

At the former British residence in Tripoli,

Mr Johnson promised to expand the UK's presence here.

But this country will be united not by foreign diplomats,

but by Libyan politicians and commanders agreeing

A brief look at some of the day's other news stories.

Councillors in Kensington and Chelsea have agreed

a ?76 million package to help people who lost their homes

?40 million will go towards buying homes from private

Money is also being set aside to compensate people

At least eight people are still missing in eastern

Switzerland after the biggest landslide there in decades.

Almost ten million tonnes of rock and mud rode down into the valley

yesterday near the tiny village of Bondo.

A rescue operation is under way, but police say the mud and rock

covers an area of three miles - and is 30 feet deep in places.

The husband of a woman - killed by a cyclist riding a bike

with no front brakes - is calling for new laws to be

introduced for death by dangerous cycling.

The cyclist, 19-year-old Charlie Alliston, was convicted

yesterday of "wanton and furious driving", an offence

Kim Briggs' husband says it's time the law was brought up to date.

She had this mantra of make every day count.

Enormous believer in filling life with experiences, with travel.

Kim Briggs' husband wants to make her death count. She died crossing

the road in a coalition which he describes as senseless and

avoidable. The law is inadequate. People keep saying I'm calling for a

new law. I'm not. I'm calling for a change in the law to incorporate

cycling. We have dangerous driving and reckless driving and causing

death by Ulster bank calling for cycling to be incorporated into

that, for the law to catch up. This case raises broader issues about how

cyclists and pedestrians share the same space but the key question is

how much responsibility should cyclists have for safety on the

road. Should that responsibility be at the same level as car drivers.

Some cycling groups accept a review is needed but they want all the

rules of the road updated. The government promised four years ago

to look at road traffic offences and it's been under the remit of four

consecutive Justice Secretary. None of whom have progressed it. The

matter is still in abeyance at the moment. It's prompted plenty of

debate especially at this London cycle cafe. Everyone has a

responsibility on the roads and I think someone's causing death by

dangerous cycling, why should that be difference from causing death by

dangerous driving. You regularly see bikes that aren't fit for the road,

shouldn't be out on the road, bikes with three wheels that have brakes

that don't work, that are more dangerous than fixed wheel without

brakes. Matt Briggs writes about himself but he thinks the change in

the law could save lives and prevent injuries. This is the right thing to

do and yes, I'm doing it in Kim's name, but I'm also doing it to

ensure that just perhaps we can stop this happening again. These deaths

are rare. Many more people come on foot and on bikes, are killed by

motorists. But our streets are getting busier, with the potential

for more conflict. Dan Johnson, BBC News, London.

Nearly 500,000 people are claiming this ability benefits in mining

areas. Since closure of the Horden's

Colliery in 1987, the population has fallen and it now

suffers high unemployment. 34% of people have a long

term illness, compared With 39% of children

living in poverty, Nikki Fox has gone to see how

the villagers are doing. She reports on the legacy of

disability that has been left in one former coal-mining community.

The old mining village of Horden, nestled along the north-east coast.

The industry is gone, but the people remain.

And, most of all, some understanding.

The strength is absolutely going out of me.

And that's why I am grateful for any help that I get.

Both these men have spent years at the coal face.

Like so many on these terraced streets, their lives have been

For Nick, that's looking after his recently disabled wife, Dot.

When she leaves hospital, he'll become her full-time carer

It is one hell of a struggle, financially.

Whereas when I worked at the pit, you never

It was a dangerous job that left its mark on the miners

who risked their lives, leaving many with hearing loss, lung

Once part of a thriving community - now neglected, forgotten.

High rates of unemployment, poverty and there's three times as many

people claiming disability benefits than the national average.

These people gave their life to this country to produce coal,

they've just been left to wither on the vine.

You shouldn't be treating people with disabilities

His life underground left him deaf, and now he's blind.

He no longer feels he belongs in the village he once loved.

There's nothing in this area for us. Nothing.

And I couldn't. I couldn't.

The community is trying to regain what it's lost.

I didn't know what I was entitled to...

This friendly drop-in centre offers locals the chance to meet and get

help with the very basics, like food, housing and transport.

What we'll do is speak to the carers...

Nick is one of those getting that help - a referral

A proud miner who has hit rock bottom.

Anybody asked for anything, I'd be there straight away to do it.

But now, if it's me needing help, I don't know.

The demise of the coal-mining industry has left

It's unlikely this generation will see the investment that's

so badly needed to improve the lives of disabled people who live in these

Shares in Dixons Carphone - the company which owns

Carphone Warehouse and Dixons - have dropped by nearly a quarter,

after it warned that its profits would be lower

Rory Cellan-Jones is at a Carphone Warehouse for us.

Why aren't people buying so many phones then? It's not that people

have stopped buying phones. What Dixons Carphone thinks it's spotted

and what's really worried its investors is they may be holding off

a little before upgrading, may be waiting another six months. Part of

the reason is modern smartphones are capable devices, they all look much

the same, and people are finding it quite difficult when a new device

comes along to work out what is different about it. Then there's the

price. We've seen of course the pound fall against the dollar, and

as it's fallen, the price of these has risen. Just yesterday, Samson

fought out a new phone with a price tag of ?869. There are rumours when

the new iPhone comes out, probably next month, that its price could

sort above ?1000 for some models. That phone is expected to be a

really big hit, but it will need to be a huge hit to make investors in

this retailer and others feel a bit more cheerful. Thank you.

A woman in America has won the biggest lottery prize ever

53-year-old Mavis Wanczyk - here wearing the black top -

scooped almost ?600 million after spending $2 on a lottery

ticket at a petrol station in Massachusetts.

The mother of two says she has already quit her job.

She chose her numbers based on her relatives' birthdays.

The stand-out moment of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival -

that's how one critic has described a new play that's opened

It tells the remarkable story of a transgender asylum seeker

He's making a new life for himself in Scotland. The new play doesn't

just tell his story, he is the start of the show. Eloise Dickers has been

following Adam's journey from Egypt to centre stage.

The last time I've seen my mum I was in a girl's body,

Adam felt he couldn't live freely in Egypt.

They will harass, they might even torture, they will kill for that,

because it's just something not normal, not normal.

He sought asylum in a country that would allow him to live as a man.

Once in Scotland he started reassignment surgery.

They take a skin graft from your arm.

Skin that they took from your arm with the nerves and artery

I stopped having periods the moment I got on testosterone,

so that was like four years ago, that was ages ago.

This year, life changed dramatically again.

It's something that just a few years ago he could never have imagined.

She's not superficial in the slightest.

She managed somehow to see through all that and just

With the help of the National Theatre of Scotland, Adam has now

turned his extraordinary journey into play.

Who knew you were transgender in Egypt?

How many of your friends knew you were transgender?

It's had its premiere at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival,

Female Adam is played by Neshla Caplan, and the real Adam

He hopes that the play will inspire others like him to speak out.

I had my inspirations from people on YouTube,

showing the me the before and after, and that really gives me hope.

He did it, he did it, he did it, why can't I?

Really hope that I give the light to somebody else.

Adam's story being told in Edinburgh.

Today is the 60th birthday of Test Match Special and fittingly

it was celebrated with a cricket match in Yorkshire.

Teams of celebrities, coached by the BBC's cricket

correspondent Jonathan Agnew and the former England batsman

Geoffrey Boycott, were playing at the University of Leeds.

Our media correspondent Amol Rajan was there, to reflect

It's the sound of the English summer and this year it turns 60.

He bowls to Weekes, and Weekes throws his bat

at the ball wide outside his offstump.

You have, you're spitting all into the microphone, too.

For over six decades, Test Match Special has marked

the fluctuating fortunes of England's cricketers

And in 1991 it delivered perhaps the most famous episode

of cricketing commentary ever when Brian Johnston and Jonathan

Part of his thigh must have just removed the bails.

He just didn't quite get his leg over.

Hit a four over the wicketkeeper's...

Hit a four over the wicketkeeper's...

Head... And he...

It's obviously funny because people still laugh at it.

It kind of captured everything about Test Match Special, I think.

There are people having a bit of fun in the commentary box,

that bit of innuendo that goes on at the same time.

Perhaps more than any other sport, cricket lends itself to talk radio.

The long pauses within an epic drama that unfolds over five days have

And that something has, for the past 60 years,

been the eccentrically English banter of the TMS commentary box.

Of course cricket itself has changed irreversibly over

that period and TMS, celebrated in this birthday fixture

today, has always tried to move with the times.

It's the stories, it's the characters behind the microphone

that bring the sport we love so much to life.

Ebony Rainford-Brent played for Surrey and England

as a professional and is now part of the TMS team.

She says TMS has become more than just radio.

Social media is another way of connecting,

We bring people's thoughts and comments into the commentary.

People send in really odd stats, things like that.

It's just so nice you can be that close to the fans

listening in and you can connect, and share.

Citing social media has really helped TMS to thrive.

In recent decades, television rights and then the internet dragged

this most traditional of games into modernity.

But before then it was the old transistor radio that

beamed the latest score to an engrossed public.

And Swanny, absolutely quaking in his boots!

And, 60 years on, TMS is bowling over new audiences as never before.

Newsnight's about to begin over on BBC Two in a few moments.

On Newsnight, what do today's migration statistics mean for

Theresa May, and what lessons can the UK learn from Norway and border.

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