30/11/2017 BBC News at Ten

The special relationship

under strain.

Theresa May criticises

Donald Trump for sharing tweets

from a British far right group.

On a visit to Jordan,

the Prime Minister says she isn't

afraid to call out the president

when she believes

he's made a mistake.

I'm very clear that

re-tweeting from Britain First

was the wrong thing to do.

But the White House had

brushed off any criticism,

saying the president is only

highlighting his concerns

about Islamist extremism.

Also tonight...

Net migration into the UK falls

sharply - and it's mainly down

to fewer people coming from the EU.

One of the six British men wrongly

jailed in India for four years tells

of his joy at his new freedom.

I'm on cloud nine.

There's not a word in that English

dictionary that can describe how

I feel at this minute.

Could the deal to support

the minority Tory government be

at risk over efforts to resolve

the Irish border post-Brexit?

And on the eve of the draw

for the World Cup, England manager

Gareth Southgate tells the BBC he's

in it to win it.

Coming up on Sportsday on BBC

News - Big Sam is back.

He's returning to football

management with Everton,

after signing an 18 month deal

to take over at Goodison Park.

Good evening.

Theresa May says Donald Trump was

wrong to share tweets from a British

far right organisation.

Despite them, and his

subsequent tweet about her -

effectively telling her to mind her

own business - she insists

the special relationship continues.

But Britain's ambassador

to the US has visited

the White House to raise concerns

about the president's tweets.

The president's spokesperson has

brushed off any criticism saying

he is only expressing his concern

about Islamist extremism.

More from our correspondent

Alex Forsyth, who's been

with the Prime Minister,

on her visit to Jordan.

This was a trip focused on building

relationships around the world.

But while Theresa May

was meeting kings

and ministers in Jordan,

a major diplomatic row was

brewing elsewhere.

President Trump had been

personally rebuked by

Downing Street for sharing far

right videos online.

His response to Theresa May,

on Twitter, of course...

Don't focus on me, focus on the

destructive radical Islamic

terrorism that is taking place in

the UK.

Madam Prime Minister.

Her tour of the Middle East suddenly

required diplomacy of a different

kind.

The fact that we work together does

not mean we are afraid to say

when we think the United States

have got it wrong and be

very clear with them.

I am very clear that re-tweeting

from Britain First was

the wrong thing to do.

He tweeted effectively telling

you to stay out of his business.

Is that acceptable behaviour from a

supposed ally?

It is an enduring relationship

that is there because

it is in both our

national interests.

What of the much anticipated state

visit by President Trump?

An

invitation of a state visit has been

extended and accepted. We've yet to

set a date. Thank you.

In her speech

she, Theresa May had little choice

but to respond to this tweet. It was

aimed directly at her. This, another

test of her leadership, how she

maintains authority yet de-escalates

a potential row with a friend. The

US president, forging friendships of

his own.

You've been a great friend

and we appreciate it...

Has so far

shown little regret. He shared

videos posted by this woman, Jayda

Fransen, the Dep leader of the

anti-Muslim group Britain First.

Today, at the White House, Donald

Trump 's spokeswoman was asked if

he'd known who she was at the time.

No, I don't believe so, but again, I

think he knew what the issues are

and that is that we have a real

threat of extreme violence and

terrorism and not just in this

country, but across the globe,

particularly in Europe and that was

the point he was making.

But in

Westminster plenty disagree with

President Trump, and questioned

Theresa May's approach.

She's never

invited -- she should never have

invited him after a few weeks of

being elected. We have to be sure

about who it is we are inviting.

It's very difficult to see how you

can continue to rely on the goodwill

of some of these fundamentally, evil

racists completely contrary to our

own values.

So while the Prime

Minister practice diplomacy in the

Middle East, relations elsewhere

were tested. Theresa May once again

under scrutiny not just at home but

around the globe. Alex Forsyth, BBC

News, Jordan.

Our North America correspondent

Nick Bryant is in Washington.

This is not the kind of diplomacy we

normally see. It's rare for a

British Prime Minister to rebuke a

US president. How damaging is this

to the so-called special

relationship?

The only time most

Americans have seen a British Prime

Minister public rebuke -- publicly

rebuked by US President is in the

movies, in Love Actually. This

doesn't happen in real life.

Disagreements in the special

relationship, and there have been

many over 70 years, are ordinarily

sorted out behind closed doors,

through normal diplomatic channels.

This is anything but normal. The

president re-tweeting those far

right anti-Muslim videos. Then

launching a highly personalised

attack on Theresa May. All that

would suggest that Donald Trump

doesn't really regard the special

relationship is that special.

Certainly not the way that his

predecessors did. It also suggests

that he knows that special

relationship is an asymmetrical

relationship. It always has been.

America has always had the upper

hand. But particularly so now, in

this Brexit climate, where Britain

is so desperate to get a pros Brexit

trade deal with America. But

arguably this shows weakness and

vulnerability on both sides of the

Atlantic. This tweeting from the

president is not boosting America's

standing in the world. America first

increasingly looks like America

alone. For Downing Street problem is

that this shows Britain as well is

increasingly isolated, in a very

difficult spot with Europe and a

problematic relationship with its

closest ally. America.

Nick Bryant

in Washington, thank you.

Net migration in the UK -

the difference between the numbers

of people arriving and leaving -

has fallen sharply in the year

after the Brexit referendum.

That's a drop of around a third

compared to the previous year.

And most of that drop is due

to fewer people coming from the EU.

Our home affairs correspondent

Tom Symonds looks at why

the numbers are going down.

Is this the start not

of an exodus but of a Brexodus?

We're now getting some hard numbers.

French business consultant

Cyrille Viossat is planning to go.

Polish mathematician

Dominika Czerniawska has already

gone back to Warsaw.

London still is the best city

of the European Union, but once it's

not in the European Union it loses

so much appeal that Berlin,

Amsterdam, and for some people

Warsaw, are far more attractive.

Investment has dried up.

Certainly I see my clients...

I work in financial

services and my clients

have started to move jobs,

and of course because I'm

consultant to those clients,

if the roles are elsewhere then

the jobs will be elsewhere.

They're among thousands who've spent

the months since that night

calculating their futures

in a post-Brexit Europe.

Decisions which are reflected

in today's figures.

Since the vote, 572,000 people have

arrived to live in the UK,

but 342,000 have left.

The difference is that crucial

net migration figure.

230,000 more people living

in the UK than a year ago.

But following the Brexit vote,

that figure has fallen sharply

by 106,000, the biggest fall

since records began.

Many employers are deeply worried

about the loss of potential workers,

but not Ken Beswick,

who runs a stationery

firm in South Wales.

This has been a land

of milk and honey.

The people of Great Britain have

suffered because of it for far too

long, and so the drop to a quarter

of a million we really welcome,

but after having said that,

a quarter of a million extra people

is like another city of people

being added to the country

and straining our resources.

So some professional Europeans

in office jobs are now leaving.

There has also been a fall

in the number of people coming

here looking for work -

but a Brexodus?

It's still the case that 107,000

more Europeans came to Britain

in the last year than left.

The numbers today are quite dramatic

but you do have to put

them in perspective.

We're only back to levels of net

migration we saw in 2014,

so it's not a massive historical

anomaly, and the vast majority

of EU citizens in the UK

are not going anywhere.

They have been here for a long time

and emigration does not yet qualify

as a Brexodus at this point.

Some businesses, like hotels,

depend on foreign workers.

Francesca came from Italy

after the Brexit vote.

As soon as I came here in London,

I applied for a job

and had the chance to start work

here and I think it's really amazing

and not all the cities can give

you this opportunity.

As for the Government, well,

it wants to cut net migration

by more than half again.

Tom Symonds, BBC News.

The care home market in the UK

is not sustainable unless more

money is put into it.

That's the conclusion

of the Competition

and Markets Authority,

which says there is a billion pound

a year funding gap, and that care

homes are being propped up

by charging higher prices for people

who fund themselves,

while local authorities fail

to pay enough.

Our social affairs correspondent

Alison Holt has more.

Would you like some popcorn?

Would you like a cookie?

At the Home of Comfort

in Southsea in Hampshire,

they are settling down

for an afternoon of old films.

For more than 100 years,

they have provided nursing

care for older people,

but that is no protection

from the financial pressures

outlined in today's report.

Gwen Board is 90 and moved

in a few months ago

with the help of her daughters.

The girls felt I couldn't

cope on my own.

And I bowed to the inevitable.

She's self-funding, because she had

her own home and some savings,

but it also means she pays more

than someone eligible

for council care.

It doesn't seem fair that

some people pay more

than others for the same care.

But unfortunately, that's the way,

that's the rules at the moment.

As a charity, they don't

have the same overheads

as a commercial organisation.

It helps them keep their fees down,

but their administrator says

there is still a big gap

between actual costs

and what councils pay.

We are asking them for £725 week

to provide nursing care

and we don't get it.

We get about £560.

So the difference in those figures

is quite astonishing, I think.

There is a cross subsidy

happening from people

paying for their own care,

to people who are supposed

to be publicly funded.

Today's Competitions

and Markets Authority report says

on average a care home place

in the UK costs self-funders

£44,000 a year.

That is about £12,000,

or 40%, more than someone

paid for by a council.

This year-long study

by the Competition and Markets

Authority paints a picture

of a system under huge

financial pressure.

And one which is often confusing,

and unfair for people who need it

at a stressful time in their lives.

We think it's urgent,

we think the system is not

in a great place, and we think

the pressure is mounting

because you have both increasing

demand because of demographic

changes, but also we know that

labour costs are responsible

for a significant proportion

of the cost and overall costs

are increasing as well.

As more people live longer,

the CMA warns investment

in providing support for the future

is essential, and without it,

care homes will close.

The Government says it has put extra

money into care and will publish

a green paper on its funding

in the summer.

Alison Holt, BBC News.

Pressures on social care

have a direct impact

on the health service.

Next year, health care will be

rationed and waiting

times will increase,

unless the NHS in England

gets more money.

That's the warning from health

service leaders, who have been

meeting to discuss what level

of service they can deliver.

Our health editor Hugh Pym is here.

A new stark warning today that some

treatments are not going to be

available either at all,

or without a considerable wait.

That's right. This was NHS England's

formal response to the budget, after

having warned before the

Chancellor's speech that there would

be significant increases in waiting

lists, if there wasn't a big cash

increase. The Treasury did allocate

more money but NHS England says it's

not enough and the result next year

will be patients waiting longer and

key targets are waiting for routine

surgery and an A&E just won't be

met, because there is in the money

to do so. They are there to give

patients assurances about quality of

care. What's more, if clinical

Rudiger -- clinical regulators come

up with approval of new treatments

and so on, NHS England won't allow

them to go out to patients unless

they are considered affordable. The

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has

responded in comments, saying the

government is absolutely committed

to NHS constitutional standards,

that's targets, that's why we

announced an increase to the NHS in

the budget. We are determined to hit

those targets, so stand by for some

pretty difficult negotiations

between the government and NHS

England over what precisely can be

delivered to patients next year.

Thank you.

One of the so-called Chennai Six,

who was released from an Indian

prison on Monday, has spoken

of his relief and delight

at regaining his freedom

after four years.

Nick Dunn, a former soldier,

was among six Britons

acquitted of weapons charges

by an Indian court.

He said his family would now

have the best Christmas ever.

He's been speaking to our India

correspondent, Sanjoy Majumder.

Taking an innocent man's freedom

away is the worst crime I believe

that can be committed.

Former paratrooper Nick Dunn

has just been released

from an Indian prison,

one of six Britons arrested

four years ago and charged

with smuggling weapons.

Trump question

You have got to do

a proper investigation.

You've got to know

that person is guilty.

This wasn't like that.

It was, "We don't care -

you're guilty."

He's now traded his cramped, squalid

prison cell for a plush hotel room.

His sister, Lisa, has come out

to India to take him back home.

And he just can't wait.

It's going to be like four

Christmases that I've

missed rolled in one.

It's going to be the best Christmas

my family could ever wish for.

It's been a long, desperate wait for

justice inside this Chennai prison.

Nick and his mates were working

as security guards on an American

anti-piracy ship, seized

off the Indian coast.

The police accused them of illegally

carrying the weapons

and ammunition on board.

On Monday, an Indian court threw

out all the charges.

I was out training, one

of the guys shouted me over.

I could hear it in his voice,

it was excitement.

And he went, "full acquittal."

And I...

Stopped in my tracks and it was like

someone just slapped me,

because it was a shock, you know,

and it was an amazing feeling.

While they were in prison waiting

to learn their fate,

the men's families led a massive

campaign back home to

press for their release,

petitioning the Government,

including the Prime Minister.

They're delighted and the men

overcome with gratitude.

Knowing there are lovely

people out there, lovely,

amazing, supportive people,

and I'll never be able

to thank them as much

as what I'm trying to do now.

His nightmare finally over,

it's now time to go home.

Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, Chennai.

The Democratic Unionist Party has

threatened to withdraw its support

for Theresa May's minority

government if there is any

kind of special deal

between Northern Ireland and the EU.

It's in response to efforts

to try to break the deadlock over

how to continue free movement

between Northern Ireland

and the Republic of Ireland.

At present thousands of people

and millions of pounds of goods

cross the border every day.

With 16 months to go until Brexit,

our Ireland correspondent

Chris Buckler is in Newry.

Finding a solution to this issue

of the border is proving very

difficult, but without it,

talks on trade with

the EU can't begin.

yes.

As is well-known, the British

government is desperate for those to

begin. I am standing in front of one

of the 300 crossing points between

Northern Ireland and the republic. I

am standing just above another. This

is the main Belfast Dublin motorway.

Anyone of a certain age will

remember being stopped by customs as

they travelled that route in the

past in years gone by. Of course,

that all seems a long time ago.

However, there are concerns that

could return. The EU is worried

about the re-emergence of what is

called a hard border.

It is a practical solution but

deeply controversial. It will

withdraw its crucial support for the

Conservative government at

Westminster.

On the island of Ireland,

culture does not recognise borders,

and neither do people.

The uilleann pipes are one

of the traditional sounds of this

land, and in his workshop that sits

just a mile from where

Northern Ireland meets the Republic,

Martin Gallen makes the pipes.

He's closely watching the slow

negotiations to try to carve out

a deal that will see the UK leave

the EU, and he fears it

will mean a return of checks

on the Irish border.

They're on about promising

that there would be no

hardening of the border,

but I honestly can't see how they're

going to stand by that promise.

Neither the British

Government, nor the

European Union, wants a return

of customs posts on the border

bridges that connect

Ireland, north and south.

The EU says one way to ensure

that is for Northern Ireland to stay

inside the customs union

and the single market,

even if the rest of the UK leaves.

It's an offer that has

angered Unionists,

and their support is vital

to the Conservative

Government at Westminster.

If there is any hint that, in order

to placate Dublin and the EU,

they're prepared to have

Northern Ireland treated differently

than the rest of the United Kingdom,

then they can't rely on our vote

because they have undertaken

an agreement with us -

our votes for their support

for the union.

That's a fear of a move

towards a united Ireland,

and it would probably mean

new checks for ships

crossing the Irish Sea -

effectively creating a border

between two parts of the UK.

But there could be benefits for

Northern Ireland's troubled economy.

This border business

park was opened in 2013,

using £6 million of public money.

Four years on, all 22

acres lie largely empty.

Last month, one firm did finally

sign up to take a site here.

And others might be more likely

to follow after Brexit,

if being based here meant you can

trade either within the EU

or as part of the UK.

Just as we have for our people,

we can choose identity,

whether it be British or Irish,

our products can be

exactly the same.

And if we take this opportunity,

we become probably one of the most

attractive investment locations

anywhere in the world.

No-one wants new barriers

in the cities and towns that sit

all along this border,

and the Irish government

are still prepared to stand

in the path of trade talks

to ensure that.

This is an historic moment

and we are not going to allow

the re-emergence of a physical

border on this island.

And the European Union

will support us on that,

so there's going to be no need

to use a veto.

That does sound, though,

that if you had to use a veto,

you would be prepared to use it.

The EU side, in my view,

will not progress phase two

unless we make sufficient progress

in all three areas.

And it's the border that's

the sticking point?

The border's the sticking point.

Ireland's uilleann pipes were once

known as the union pipes, but no-one

is sure of the consequences once

this island is at the edge of two

unions, both the EU and the UK.

Chris Buckler, BBC News,

at the Irish border.

A brief look at some of the day's

other other news stories.

Paul Worthington, the father

of a 13-month-old girl who died

following unexplained injuries,

broke down in tears

when asked at her inquest

if he sexually abused her.

Mr Worthington wiped away tears

as he refused 252 times to answer

questions about the death

of his daughter.

Poppi died suddenly five years ago.

The police have apologised

for failing to properly

investigate her death.

Police in London have released CCTV

footage of a man believed to have

carried out 25 sexual assaults

on women and children.

The incidents have taken place

across the south east of the city -

with the youngest victim just

eight years old.

The Trump administration has

attempted to quell media speculation

that the US Secretary of State,

Rex Tillerson, could

soon be replaced.

Mr Tillerson has been

at odds with Mr Trump over

foreign policy recently.

The Secretary of State was even

reported to have privately described

the president as a "moron".

The White House spokeswoman says

Mr Tillerson is continuing to carry

out Mr Trump's agenda.

The Argentinian navy has given up

rescue attempts. A big operation has

failed to locate the submarine and

there is no chance of finding anyone

alive.

The Government is facing criticism

for failing to give schools clear

advice on how to deal

with the increasing

number of sexual assaults

by pupils on other children.

It's more than a year since MPs

called for updated guidelines.

The Government has promised some

interim advice and a consultation

on bigger changes by the end

of this school term.

Our education editor

Branwen Jeffreys has been talking

to the mother of one primary school

victim, who feels they

were badly let down.

I should warn you this report

contains some graphic descriptions.

Primary school playgrounds are meant

to be safe spaces but it was at

school that six-year-old

Bella was raped.

Day after day by boys

using their fingers,

penetrating her, hurting Bella

physically and mentally.

She is a shell of

who she used to be.

They destroyed her spirit.

They destroyed who she was.

It was hell.

We literally retreated

into our home.

She wouldn't go out to play.

She wouldn't walk to

the shop with me anymore.

She wouldn't go to the park

in case they were there.

They are monsters in her head.

Bella was hurt by boys too young

to be charged with a crime.

This isn't an isolated case.

There's been an increase

in sexual offences

by children aged ten or under.

In 2013-2014, 204 were recorded.

By 2016-2017, 456

were logged by police

forces in England and Wales.

How soon did it become

clear to you that

you were being left on your own

to deal with what had happened?

After about three days.

After we had had to fight to have

Bella medically examined.

Even though she was showing

quite severe signs of

physical discomfort,

she could not sit down.

We realised no-one was

going to come and help.

What upset Bella's mum

most was the contrast.

The boys were immediately given

support by social services.

No help was offered to her daughter.

The police eventually agreed

to record the assaults

but Bella's parents

had other questions.

Quite early on, we asked

about Bella and senior school

and we were literally dismissed.

We said, "Surely you

don't expect her to

go to school with the

boys he raped her?"

The answer we were given was, "Well,

these boys have a right to

an education.

So, if you don't want Bella

co-educated with those

boys, you're going to have to move

to a different area and go to a

different school."

MPs called for urgent

action on sex assaults in

schools more than a year ago.

Last month, they called

ministers to account.

Do you think it is

acceptable either to the

girls, or to the schools, that two

years will have passed for this

guidance to come into force

when we called for immediate action.

Since that report, we've

had a general election.

The sexually abused girls have

certainly taken note of that.

And we're going to be issuing

interim replies concerning

peer on peer abuse this term.

You'll be dealing with this

for the rest of her life.

Yes.

We know that.

She really has never had a chance

to have a normal childhood.

But we have to help her

because no-one else is.

But sometimes the thought

of knowing the other hurdles

she is going to face

breaks my heart.

The Government told us no family

would have to go through this.

Schools have a legal duty

to keep children safe.

There will be a new version of

the guidelines but they won't be in

force until September 2018.

Too late, say some parents,

for those already harmed.

Football.

And Everton have officially

named Sam Allardyce

as their new manager

on an 18-month deal.

Allardyce was at their game last

night to see Wayne Rooney score

a hat-trick in a win over West Ham.

Tomorrow, England will find out

who they'll be up against in next

summer's World Cup Finals.

Speaking in Moscow ahead

of the draw, manager

Gareth Southgate says that

England are in it to win it

but concedes that his young players

lack a little experience

for the big matches.

He's been speaking to our

sports editor, Dan Roan.

Having guided England

through an unbeaten World Cup

qualifying campaign,

the challenge facing Gareth

Southgate is about to get tougher.

Banishing the memories of successive

failures in major tournaments,

and reviving national team

after recent turbulence

will take time.

But, having flown into Moscow this

evening on the eve of the draw

for the 2018 World Cup,

the manager told me he was ready

to learn England's fate.

Excited.

I've just been at a dinner

with all of the other coaches,

and you recognise we're one of only

32 countries to qualify.

So it's an exciting

moment for everybody.

You can worry yourself

silly, worrying about

who you're going to play.

We've got to be prepared

to beat everybody.

Tonight, Southgate confirmed this

is where his squad will be based,

a no-frills spa hotel in the village

of Repino, on a secluded stretch

of the Gulf of Finland.

Work already under way to upgrade

the training facilities.

We've looked at what's

best in terms of hotel,

paired with training ground,

paired with travel,

paired with climate.

Of course, when you're

looking at any venue,

you never get absolutely

everything you'd like.

But we feel that was

the best option for us.

This is where all the teams

want to be playing on July 15th next

year, Moscow's cavernous

Luzhniki Stadium, where

the World Cup final will be staged.

In recent years, England have

proved highly effective

in qualifying campaigns,

but then they have failed when it

really counts in the major

tournaments themselves.

They have won just one match over

the last two World Cups.

Realistically, how far can they go

here in Russia next summer?

We can't go to a World Cup

and not try and win it.

A lot of these players

are going to peak maybe in two

or four years' time.

But we can't just write

off a tournament.

I don't think anybody

in England would accept that.

If I offered you the quarterfinal

of the World Cup next summer

now, would you take it?

Not now, no.

But we haven't won a knockout match

since 2006, so our last

two tournaments have

been a disappointment.

So we've got to remember

where we are starting from with this

group of young players.

Equally, they are

fiercely ambitious.

The evolution of the England squad

and Southgate has seen

an emphasis on younger players,

and the manager says he has been

impressed with their sense of unity.

They've got so many foreign players

at their club that I think coming

together with other English players

is actually a strength.

It's something they look forward to.

So, the environment

we have is very healthy.

This has been an unprecedented year

of success for England's youth

teams, with both the under-17s

and under-20s crowned

world champions.

Southgate must now hope

such achievements rub

off on his young squad,

as he prepares for his first major

tournament in charge.

Dan Roan, BBC News, Moscow.

Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.

Here's Kamal Ahmed.

Tonight, what happened to that

special relationship?

We'll examine the future

of diplomacy for Britain

and the United States

after an extraordinary 24 hours