0:00:06 > 0:00:07Tonight at Ten:
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Moscow is set to ignore the midnight deadline to explain how a Russian
0:00:10 > 0:00:13poison was used to attack a former spy.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned
0:00:16 > 0:00:19in Salisbury over a week ago - the Russians have denied any
0:00:19 > 0:00:21involvement in what happened.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23The police investigation in Salisbury is being extended
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and Scotland Yard warns it will take many more weeks.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29The public are going to continue to
0:00:29 > 0:00:32see a great deal of police activity in and around the city, including
0:00:32 > 0:00:36potentially more cordons being erected.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But don't be alarmed, it is necessary as part of this major
0:00:39 > 0:00:40investigation.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42As officers appeal for witnesses
0:00:42 > 0:00:44and identify the Skripals' red BMW, the Government's warnings to Russia
0:00:44 > 0:00:50get a sharp response.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54We will make sure our response - as I indicated to the House last
0:00:54 > 0:00:59week - is commensurate but robust.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04Russia is not a country to be spoken into in the language of ultimatums.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09I think it is high time the United Kingdom learned that.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12We'll be reporting from Moscow and from Salisbury, as the tensions
0:01:12 > 0:01:13deepen between Britain and Russia.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Also tonight:
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Just over a year after his appointment, Rex Tillerson is sacked
0:01:17 > 0:01:18as US Secretary of State.
0:01:18 > 0:01:24President Trump says they had areas of disagreement.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time. We got along
0:01:30 > 0:01:35actually quite well, but we disagreed on things.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37In his Spring
0:01:37 > 0:01:38statement, the Chancellor reveals
0:01:38 > 0:01:40forecasts for higher growth and lower inflation and debt
0:01:40 > 0:01:43and hints at possible spending rises in the future.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45And Manchester United are out of the Champions League after losing
0:01:45 > 0:01:48at Old Trafford tonight.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49And coming up on Sportsday:
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The big race of the opening day of the Cheltenham festival,
0:01:52 > 0:01:53the Champions Hurdle, was won by favourite
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Buveur D'Air, who now joins some of jump racing's greats.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Good evening.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22There are two hours left to the deadline announced
0:02:22 > 0:02:30by Theresa May for Moscow to explain how a nerve agent
0:02:31 > 0:02:33probably made in Russia was used to attack a former
0:02:33 > 0:02:34spy and his daughter.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were taken ill over
0:02:37 > 0:02:38a week ago in Salisbury.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41The Kremlin said today it would not cooperate with any investigation
0:02:41 > 0:02:43until it was given a sample of the substance involved.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45As tensions deepened between London and Moscow,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Scotland Yard gave more details of the attack and appealed
0:02:47 > 0:02:48for more witnesses.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Our first report tonight is from our diplomatic
0:02:50 > 0:02:52correspondent, James Landale
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It began as a brutal attack on the streets of Salisbury,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57the poisoning of a former Russian intelligence officer
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and his daughter.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03But it's become tonight a global diplomatic row,
0:03:03 > 0:03:04with Britain in confrontation with Moscow
0:03:04 > 0:03:12and looking for allies.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14The Kremlin has just two hours left to explain
0:03:14 > 0:03:15what role it played in
0:03:15 > 0:03:16Salisbury.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19To say how a nerve agent developed in Russia ended up
0:03:19 > 0:03:22here.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25And if midnight passes without that explanation, the Government is
0:03:25 > 0:03:27promising a robust and expensive response.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32This is a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on UK soil.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38Policeman still in hospital, overwhelmingly likely or highly
0:03:38 > 0:03:42likely the Russian state was involved, and the use of this
0:03:42 > 0:03:44nerve agent would represent the first use of nerve agents
0:03:44 > 0:03:51on the continent of Europe since the Second World War.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54As part of a huge diplomatic push,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57British officials told the chemical weapons watchdog in the Netherlands
0:03:57 > 0:03:59that Russia was implicated in the use of a nerve
0:03:59 > 0:04:01agent on British soil.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03The Foreign Secretary called his EU counterparts, securing
0:04:03 > 0:04:07expressions of support from France, Germany,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09the European Commission and Nato.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13This afternoon Theresa May spoke to Donald Trump, who agreed
0:04:13 > 0:04:16with her that Russian must provide unambiguous answers about how this
0:04:16 > 0:04:18weapon came to be used in Britain.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Even before the call, the President acknowledged
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Russia's involvement.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Theresa May is going to be speaking to me today.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly
0:04:29 > 0:04:32take that finding as fact.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Russia is already subject to sanctions because of its
0:04:41 > 0:04:46interventions in Ukraine and Crimea.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Ministers insist these damage Russia's economy, but their impact
0:04:48 > 0:04:52on Moscow's behaviour is doubtful.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Crucially, these are largely EU sanctions, the UK can't
0:04:55 > 0:04:58impose them on its own.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01So, what unilateral options is the Government considering?
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Well, some of Russia's 58 diplomats in London could be expelled but that
0:05:05 > 0:05:09might provoke a tit-for-tat expulsion of British diplomats.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Wealthy Russians in London with links to the Kremlin could face
0:05:13 > 0:05:16financial sanctions and travel bans, but who and how?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19There could be tougher laws to crack down on Russian officials guilty
0:05:19 > 0:05:21of human rights abuses, and Russian TV stations
0:05:21 > 0:05:25like RT could be targeted.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The media regulator has already warned it could lose its licence.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Here at the Foreign Office, they are also investing a lot
0:05:32 > 0:05:34of effort and diplomacy in trying to bring international
0:05:34 > 0:05:38pressure to bear on Russia, but the bar is high.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Russia has a veto at the UN and some EU countries are reluctant
0:05:41 > 0:05:45to contemplate yet more sanctions.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48This evening the Russian Embassy said Moscow would not respond to
0:05:48 > 0:05:54Britain's ultimatum unless it was given samples of the nerve agent.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56As diplomats promised retaliation against any punitive action.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Russia is not a country to be spoken to in the language of ultimatums.
0:06:00 > 0:06:07I think it is high time the United Kingdom learned that.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Tonight, the investigation continues in Salisbury.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Tomorrow the diplomatic war of words will be
0:06:11 > 0:06:12replaced by deeds, and outright confrontation.
0:06:12 > 0:06:19James Landale, BBC News.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Russia has repeated its denial of any involvement in
0:06:22 > 0:06:24the nerve agent attack.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The country's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, dismissed
0:06:27 > 0:06:29the accusation, while the Russian Embassy in London warned
0:06:29 > 0:06:31that the threat of sanctions by Britain would be met
0:06:31 > 0:06:32with a response.
0:06:32 > 0:06:39Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports from Moscow.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Accused of a crime many miles from here, under
0:06:41 > 0:06:42pressure to explain a
0:06:42 > 0:06:46chemical attack that shocked Britain.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51But today the Kremlin has remained silent.
0:06:51 > 0:06:51The Foreign Minister, though, was in full
0:06:51 > 0:06:53defensive flow.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Sergey Lavrov rejected Britain's 24 hour ultimatum
0:06:57 > 0:07:04to respond to the claim that Moscow used a nerve agent.
0:07:04 > 0:07:11Russia should get ten days, he said, accusing
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Britain of flouting the chemical weapons convention.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15And when I asked about the actual charge the minister
0:07:15 > 0:07:16called that nonsense.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19TRANSLATION:Russia is not guilty.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Russia is ready to co-operate
0:07:21 > 0:07:24In accordance with the Convention on the Prohibition
0:07:24 > 0:07:26of chemical weapons if the UK
0:07:26 > 0:07:28finally decides to fulfil its obligations under international law
0:07:28 > 0:07:34within that document.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Russia's also demanding a sample of the substance
0:07:36 > 0:07:43used in the attack to conduct its own tests.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46The UK has identified it as Novichok, which the BBC believes
0:07:46 > 0:07:47was once produced here in a secret Soviet programme.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Reports in Moscow say any stockpiles were destroyed
0:07:49 > 0:07:54long ago.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59So when the British Ambassador was called to the Foreign Ministry,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Moscow says he came to hear its protest at a sordid attempt
0:08:02 > 0:08:03to discredit this country.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I reiterated the points made by Prime Minister
0:08:07 > 0:08:10May that we expect by the end of today an account from the Russian
0:08:10 > 0:08:13state as to how this material came to be used in Salisbury.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Russia has always insisted it had nothing to do
0:08:16 > 0:08:20with the poisoning in
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Salisbury and that position clearly has not changed even with the threat
0:08:23 > 0:08:24of sanctions.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26After all this is a country that's been living under
0:08:26 > 0:08:28international sanctions for some time, linked to its actions in
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Ukraine.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Those actions have not weakened President Putin politically
0:08:31 > 0:08:34at all.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37If anything, they have made him stronger.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Moscow then is in no mood for ultimatums and it
0:08:39 > 0:08:41will continue to insist on its
0:08:41 > 0:08:42innocence.
0:08:42 > 0:08:48Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, Moscow.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Scotland Yard has given further details about the movements
0:08:50 > 0:08:53of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the hours before
0:08:53 > 0:08:55they became critically ill.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Counter-terrorism police say the investigation
0:08:59 > 0:09:02will take many weeks, but the prime focus
0:09:02 > 0:09:04is discovering exactly how the poison was administered.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05Our home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford has
0:09:05 > 0:09:11the latest from Salisbury.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15This evening, with nerve agent contamination still a huge concern,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18police were working at the pound where Sergei Skripal's car was found
0:09:18 > 0:09:23after being towed away from Salisbury town centre.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Britain's most senior counter-terrorism detective warning
0:09:24 > 0:09:31today that the complex operation in the city will last many weeks.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33We are sifting and assessing all evidence available
0:09:33 > 0:09:38and we are exploring all investigative avenues,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41this includes extensive CCTV footage from across the city and over 380
0:09:41 > 0:09:44exhibits so far.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Detectives now believe Yulia Skripal arrived at Heathrow Airport
0:09:47 > 0:09:51from Russia on the afternoon of Saturday, 3rd March.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55The next day, the day of the attack, she and her father Sergei drove
0:09:55 > 0:09:58into Salisbury in this red BMW.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Police are asking anyone who saw the car between 1.00pm and 1.45pm
0:10:01 > 0:10:05that Sunday to come forward.
0:10:05 > 0:10:12At 1.40pm that afternoon they parked on the upper deck of the Sainsbury's
0:10:12 > 0:10:15car park, from where they walked past a small park to the Mill pub.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18After a drink they headed to the Zizzi restaurant,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20where they were between 2.20pm and 3.35pm.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22They then headed back to the park where, at 4.15pm,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26they were found desperately ill on a bench.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Today, police said Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31who also became seriously ill after getting contaminated,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35was making good progress.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37The two people targeted in the attack, Yulia
0:10:37 > 0:10:41and Sergei Skripal, are still in intensive care
0:10:41 > 0:10:43here in Salisbury Hospital, were staff are having to use special
0:10:43 > 0:10:47precautions because of the military grade nerve agent.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50They're both in a critical condition, but they are both
0:10:50 > 0:10:54still stable, which means they're not getting significantly worse.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59I understand that she is doing slightly better than he is.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03We still don't know if detectives have a specific suspect in this
0:11:03 > 0:11:05unique and challenging investigation, they said
0:11:05 > 0:11:07they wouldn't be making that public at this stage.
0:11:07 > 0:11:14Daniel Sandford, BBC News, Salisbury.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19In a moment the latest from our correspondents in Moscow
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and in Downing Street, but first our security correspondent
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Gordon Corera is with me.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28A sense of how challenging this investigation is now?It has been a
0:11:28 > 0:11:34very challenging investigation, more challenging I'm told even than a
0:11:34 > 0:11:41counter terrorism investigation, because of the the forensics and the
0:11:41 > 0:11:46contamination. It was only on Saturday night that they identified
0:11:46 > 0:11:51the nerve agent and hence the warnings to the public. And we got a
0:11:51 > 0:11:58sense of broadening line of inquiry for the police. There have been
0:11:58 > 0:12:01questions about deaths of Russians in the last few years. Today the
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Home Secretary said she had asked the police and MI5 to look at those
0:12:06 > 0:12:09to see if there was suspicions. In the afternoon we learned the police
0:12:09 > 0:12:17were investigating what they called an unexplained death in New Malden
0:12:17 > 0:12:25south of London. We understand that is Nicholai Glushakov. He was a
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Russian businessman and a friend of Boris Berezovsky, a critic of
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Vladimir Putin, in turn whose death is considered suspicious. There is
0:12:33 > 0:12:40no sign at the moment that this death is suspicion and it could be
0:12:40 > 0:12:42entirely natural causes, but you get the sense from the way the police
0:12:42 > 0:12:46are treating it, that they feel they have got to take it seriously,
0:12:46 > 0:12:51because of this changing context of what might be possible, but that
0:12:51 > 0:12:53challenging information in Salisbury is certainly the main focus.Thank
0:12:53 > 0:12:58you.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Our correspondent is in Moscow. This deadline is approaching, we have had
0:13:03 > 0:13:09a sense of response in Moscow. What is your reading of things there?
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Well, I think there is no sense that Russia is planning to comply with
0:13:13 > 0:13:18that deadline. We have heard unless London hands over a sample of nerve
0:13:18 > 0:13:22agent it says was used, then Russia will ignore this deadline. If there
0:13:22 > 0:13:27are any lights on there in the Kremlin, it is not people worrying
0:13:27 > 0:13:30about that deadline. But what we have heard is if there are sanctions
0:13:30 > 0:13:35from the UK, then Russia will respond to that. Specifically on one
0:13:35 > 0:13:40thing, the Foreign Ministry said that if the pro-Kremlin RT were to
0:13:40 > 0:13:45be closed in the UK, no British media would remain working in
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Russia. Now, beyond that, she was also on television here tonight
0:13:50 > 0:13:53reminding viewers of Vladimir Putin's recent speech when he
0:13:53 > 0:14:01revealed all the new nuclear weapons that Russia has in itarsenal after
0:14:01 > 0:14:07that it said no one should issue rush with ultimatums.Thank you. Now
0:14:07 > 0:14:12live to Downing Street and our diplomatic correspondent. Once this
0:14:12 > 0:14:16deadline has passed, what is your sense of what the next the 24 hours
0:14:16 > 0:14:21could bring?Well, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will convene her
0:14:21 > 0:14:24national Security Council and be briefed on the investigation and the
0:14:24 > 0:14:29expected lack of Russian response. She and her ministers will decide
0:14:29 > 0:14:33how robust they wish to be in their response to what they see as
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Russia's involvement in the Salisbury attack. Those decisions
0:14:36 > 0:14:41have yet to be made. But we can detect I think some patterns. One, I
0:14:41 > 0:14:45think the Government is determined to make sure this response is far
0:14:45 > 0:14:49more robust than the response given to the murder of Alexander
0:14:49 > 0:14:54Litvinenko more than a decade ago. Second, I think tomorrow will be
0:14:54 > 0:14:58very much the first stage of what is going to be a staged response and
0:14:58 > 0:15:03the focus tomorrow will be on the UK domestic decisions, the action that
0:15:03 > 0:15:12Britain can take. We are talking expulsion of diplomats and bans on
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Russians who have wealth here and then the question will be how Russia
0:15:15 > 0:15:23responds. The Russian Embassy here in the UK has just said, look, if
0:15:23 > 0:15:34those calling for Russian diplomats to be expelled don't care about
0:15:34 > 0:15:43British diplomats in Moscow.Thank you.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Some of the day's other news.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49In the biggest change yet for the Trump administration,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51the President has sacked his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson,
0:15:51 > 0:15:52following a series of public disagreements.
0:15:52 > 0:15:58Mr Trump announced his decision on social media and told reporters
0:15:58 > 0:16:00that he and Mr Tillerson had a "different mindset"
0:16:00 > 0:16:01on some key issues, including the nuclear
0:16:01 > 0:16:02deal with Iran.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05The Director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, has been named
0:16:05 > 0:16:10as Mr Tillerson's replacement, as our North America
0:16:10 > 0:16:11editor, Jon Sopel, reports.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14After a long trip to Africa glad-handing and promoting the US,
0:16:14 > 0:16:20Rex Tillerson flew back to Washington overnight.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But unbeknown to him, the President had signed his death warrant,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and it would be death by tweet.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27"Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA, will become our
0:16:27 > 0:16:28new Secretary of State.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29He'll do a fantastic job.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service."
0:16:31 > 0:16:34But Tillerson isn't on Twitter, so excruciatingly it fell
0:16:34 > 0:16:38to his Chief of Staff to inform him of his demise.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41There was no contact from the White House,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43only this afterwards from the President.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I think Rex will be much happier now, but I really
0:16:45 > 0:16:50appreciate his service.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Happier, he didn't seem it.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54In his farewell statement, he never mentioned Donald Trump by name,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56didn't thank him or wish him luck.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Instead, there were these pointed remarks on Russia.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Much work remains to respond to the troubling behaviour
0:17:01 > 0:17:05and actions on the part of the Russian government.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions
0:17:08 > 0:17:10are in the best interests of the Russian people,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and of the world more broadly.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I, Rex Wayne Tillerson do solemnly swear...
0:17:15 > 0:17:19It was all so different when he was sworn in,
0:17:19 > 0:17:24then seen as one of the grown-ups of the administration.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28But his fate was probably sealed last October,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31when it was reported he called Donald Trump "a moron", an
0:17:31 > 0:17:33accusation he didn't exactly deny.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that.
0:17:36 > 0:17:43I mean, this is what I don't understand about Washington.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Again, you know, I'm not from this place,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47but the places I come from, we don't deal with that
0:17:47 > 0:17:48kind of petty nonsense.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Then there was the public undermining of the Secretary
0:17:50 > 0:17:53of State by the President, sending family to do work that
0:17:53 > 0:17:55would normally be done by America's chief diplomat,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and public shaming on Twitter, like this.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05There's not much love lost between Donald Trump
0:18:05 > 0:18:09and Rex Tillerson, they disagreed on policy and didn't much
0:18:09 > 0:18:11like each other personally.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Mike Pompeo will be much more to Donald Trump's taste and it's
0:18:15 > 0:18:17vital they do get on, given the importance
0:18:17 > 0:18:20of subjects like North Korea.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23But will he be the man who says to the President -
0:18:23 > 0:18:31I think you're wrong, as Rex Tillerson did?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Tillerson was isolated trapessing around the world with little
0:18:36 > 0:18:37support in Washington.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39In his previous life, the former CEO of of Exxon
0:18:39 > 0:18:41was a corporate titan, but he's now political road kill.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Surely the place with the lowest life expectancy
0:18:43 > 0:18:45anywhere in the world,- being a member of the
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Trump administration.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48Another senior figure who didn't smell the coffee.
0:18:48 > 0:18:56Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has delivered his spring statement,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04insisting there's light at the end of the tunnel for the UK economy
0:19:04 > 0:19:08and hinted at possible increases in public spending later this year.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The Office for Budget Responsibility's growth forecast
0:19:12 > 0:19:16for this year has been increased modestly by 0.1% to 1.4%.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20And Government borrowing will be lower this year than expected.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22The OBR now forecasts it will be £45.2 billion,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25which could give the Chancellor a potential £5 billion
0:19:25 > 0:19:29for extra spending.
0:19:29 > 0:19:37But the OBR nonetheless downgraded its forecasts for 2021 and 2022
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and Labour accused the Chancellor of "astounding complacency", given
0:19:40 > 0:19:44the pressures on public services.
0:19:44 > 0:19:52Our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, has the details.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Is there anybody out there?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Number Eleven didn't want us to pay that much attention.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59No fuss, no frills.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01REPORTER:Do you have good news today, Chancellor?
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Only the Chancellor slipping off to work.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04THE SPEAKER:Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07But what was this, a cheery Philip Hammond rushing to his place?
0:20:07 > 0:20:12If there are any Eeyores in the chamber, they're over there.
0:20:12 > 0:20:18I, meanwhile, am at my most positively Tigger-like today.
0:20:18 > 0:20:24Not much has changed from the world outside.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27True, the economy will grow a little bit faster.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29The debt will start to fall, just.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32The day to day deficit, remember that, it's gone.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36But compared to other countries, the economy is sluggish
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and slow, only a hint of easing off months away.
0:20:39 > 0:20:46If, in the autumn, the public finances continue to reflect
0:20:46 > 0:20:47the improvements that today's report hints at then, in accordance
0:20:47 > 0:20:50with our balanced approach, I would have capacity to enable
0:20:50 > 0:20:54further increases in public spending.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55That might have delighted his side.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57THE SPEAKER:John McDonnell.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00But Labour accused him of not being in the real world.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Hasn't he listened to the doctors, the nurses, the teachers,
0:21:04 > 0:21:09the police officers, the carers and even his own
0:21:09 > 0:21:12councillors, they're telling him they can't wait for the next Budget.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13They're telling him to act now.
0:21:13 > 0:21:21But is he listening?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26This is the eighth year, the eighth year in a row
0:21:26 > 0:21:29when a Conservative Chancellor has said to the public that dealing
0:21:29 > 0:21:31with the accounts is more important than what they might feel they need.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Well, I hear what you're saying, Laura, but the facts
0:21:34 > 0:21:35speak for themselves.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39I've put £11 billion - this is just what I've done,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43since I've been Chancellor - £11 billion additionally into public
0:21:43 > 0:21:46spending in 2018/19 and have promised to put more
0:21:46 > 0:21:49into the National Health Service this year if we get a deal on pay.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Many of your colleagues now believe that the evidence is overwhelming
0:21:53 > 0:21:57for more money to go into the NHS in the longer term?
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Well, the evidence is clearly there that our
0:21:59 > 0:22:03population is getting older.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06That technology is developing in a way that makes more and more
0:22:06 > 0:22:09interventions possible, and indeed desirable
0:22:09 > 0:22:11in the health service, and that does represent
0:22:11 > 0:22:16a continuous upward pressure.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Is the Cabinet at the moment discussing how to find more money
0:22:19 > 0:22:21for the health service, as some of your
0:22:21 > 0:22:22colleagues have told me?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Well, this is my responsibility to look at these things,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28but of course we look at all these issues.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31As we approach the Budget in the autumn and then
0:22:31 > 0:22:34the spending review in 2019, of course we will look at all these
0:22:34 > 0:22:35pressures across the piece.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Not good enough for these opponents.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41This is a Chancellor that's asleep at the wheel.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44He really had to show today he was prepared to take action.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45There was nothing in that statement that
0:22:45 > 0:22:46creates confidence.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49He has dispelled some of the gloom about the economy
0:22:49 > 0:22:52by giving statistics about employment, growth,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54output, debt etc.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57What the Chancellor should have done, I think, is to be much more
0:22:57 > 0:23:00open and honest with the public and say there is no more public
0:23:00 > 0:23:04money for public services, which is very badly needed, and
0:23:04 > 0:23:06therefore we are going to have to have an increase
0:23:06 > 0:23:09in taxation to pay for it.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Not admissions the Government is ready to make.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Hard choices that will linger long after today.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Along with the Brexit bill, revealed to be hanging around until 2064.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Spring has not yet really sprung.
0:23:18 > 0:23:26Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News, Westminster.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29While Philip Hammond spoke of a "turning point"
0:23:29 > 0:23:31for the economy, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and Development, the OECD, was less confident about the UK's prospects.
0:23:34 > 0:23:41Our economics editor, Kamal Ahmed, is here to look at the figures.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45How would you characterise that verdict?Certainly, Huw, the
0:23:45 > 0:23:49rhetoric very positive. I think the figures rather more mixed. Yes,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53there was slightly better news on the economy for this year. Slightly
0:23:53 > 0:23:56better news on borrow, which might give the Chancellor more head room
0:23:56 > 0:24:00on public spending. The Office for Budget Responsibility said that
0:24:00 > 0:24:06inflation would be coming down, prices. That means that income
0:24:06 > 0:24:09squeeze that affected so many people could come to an end. There is one
0:24:09 > 0:24:15big challenge in these figures. 1.5% growth is the new normal for the UK.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20We used to have growth of 2% to 2.5%. The OECD, as you said, said
0:24:20 > 0:24:28that put us at the bottom of the G20 list of industrialised nations
0:24:28 > 0:24:32growth, behind America, behind Germany, behind France. For every
0:24:32 > 0:24:370.1% of growth that you lose, that's lower tax revenues, lower Government
0:24:37 > 0:24:41income and that's less room for manoeuvre for spending on health,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and for defence and head education which is what Philip Hammond will
0:24:44 > 0:24:50want to do when it comes to the big event, the Budget, in the autumn.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Kamal Ahmed there, our economics editor.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57A brief look at some of the day's other news stories:
0:24:57 > 0:24:59The leader of Telford and Wrekin Council in Shropshire
0:24:59 > 0:25:02is calling on the Home Secretary to order an independent public
0:25:02 > 0:25:04inquiry into cases of child sexual exploitation in the town.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It follows reports claiming that hundreds of girls may have
0:25:06 > 0:25:14been abused in the town since the early 1980s.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31A teenager on trial for the attack at Parsons Green
0:25:31 > 0:25:34underground station in London has admitted leaving
0:25:34 > 0:25:37a device on a train but said he never intended
0:25:37 > 0:25:39to kill anyone.
0:25:39 > 0:25:4118-year-old Ahmed Hussan said it became a 'fantasy' for him
0:25:41 > 0:25:43when he was 'very bored' over the school holidays.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45He denies attempted murder and causing an explosion
0:25:45 > 0:25:47likely to endanger life as our home affairs correspondent
0:25:47 > 0:25:48June Kelly reports.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Ahmed Hassan has always admitted setting off on a
0:25:51 > 0:25:53September morning last year to plant a device on an underground train.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Today, it was his turn to explain to a jury why he did it.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58After listening to days of prosecution
0:25:58 > 0:26:00evidence against him, he was brought to court
0:26:00 > 0:26:01to mount his defence.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03In the witness box, he said he expected
0:26:03 > 0:26:06the device to burn, rather than explode.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Asked by his barrister, Tim Maloney QC:
0:26:16 > 0:26:19The device partially detonated on a train at Parsons
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Green train station.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Passengers were burned by the fireball.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Today, Hassan said he hadn't looked at this
0:26:26 > 0:26:34footage when it was played in court.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Last summer, on his bedroom door, he made plain his boredom with
0:26:37 > 0:26:38his life.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41He told the jury it was partly boredom which drove him to
0:26:41 > 0:26:42build and plant the device.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47Using the explosive TATP, he constructed
0:26:47 > 0:26:55it in the kitchen of his foster parents' home
0:27:00 > 0:27:03it in the kitchen of his foster parents' home and he said he'd
0:27:03 > 0:27:05packed it with shrapnel, because he wanted
0:27:05 > 0:27:06it to look serious.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Under cross-examination by the prosecutor,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Alison Morgan, Hassan denied that he wanted
0:27:09 > 0:27:11to avenge his father's death in a coalition airstrike in their
0:27:11 > 0:27:12native Iraq.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15She put it to him, "You believed that the fight against
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Britain should be brought into this country."
0:27:17 > 0:27:18He replied, "No".
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Hassan was aiming to leave the UK after the attack.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Today, he said he fantasised about being a fugitive chased across
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Europe by police.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28In fact, he was arrested in Dover.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31June Kelly, BBC News at the Old Bailey.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34The Gulf state of Qatar will be introducing a sugar
0:27:34 > 0:27:36tax later this year, a move partly prompted by health
0:27:36 > 0:27:39surveys showing that 70% of Qataris are overweight or obese -
0:27:39 > 0:27:40almost double the global average.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The government is taking action to try to get people to lose weight,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and it's also set to start screening adults for diabetes.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Our global health correspondent, Tulip Mazumdar, has been given rare
0:27:48 > 0:27:51access to the Qatari health system and she sent this report.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53It's time for the weekend shop and families are stocking up,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57the Jamals' are trying to make healthier choices.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It's because, at just 16 years old, Jabor's poor diet, he tells me,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02led to him developing type 2 diabetes.
0:28:02 > 0:28:08TRANSLATION:When I was a kid, I really loved sweets.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14We would just eat, go to bed, wake up the next day and eat more.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Qatar has become one of the richest countries on earth thanks
0:28:17 > 0:28:20to the discovery of oil and gas here.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23With all that wealth though came a massive influx of international
0:28:23 > 0:28:27workers and western tastes.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29In a very short period of time, Qataris have totally
0:28:29 > 0:28:34changed how they live, where they live and what they eat.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38They've gone from active, outdoor desert living to much more
0:28:38 > 0:28:41indoor sedentary lifestyles and many are now paying the price
0:28:41 > 0:28:44for adopting some of the worst of western excesses.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Qatar is now building more outdoor areas, like this one,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52it's introducing a sugar tax this year and improving food labelling.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53We declare it's an epidemic.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Everyone knows and there is a high political commitment to face this.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01We try to find the best approach to tackle this.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04One of those approaches is funding new research,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Salem is part of a study targeting younger people trying
0:29:08 > 0:29:10to reverse their type 2 diabetes.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13TRANSLATION:I used to eat very chaotically.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16For breakfast I'd eat sandwiches, for lunch I'd have a lot of meat
0:29:16 > 0:29:19and I'd have a heavy dinner.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23I started feeling pain in my joints and my feet.
0:29:23 > 0:29:24Left untreated, the disease can cause blindness
0:29:24 > 0:29:29and even foot amputations.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Almost one in five people suffer with the condition here,
0:29:31 > 0:29:36but through this strict diet and exercise programme patients
0:29:36 > 0:29:37are going into remission.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40We need to see the long-term outcomes, but it is possible
0:29:40 > 0:29:42medically to take younger people, get them fit, improve their life
0:29:42 > 0:29:45without any medication, without any surgery.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49All these mixture of medals...
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Aldana is part of the women's national handball team and wants
0:29:53 > 0:29:55to help fight the obesity crisis.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57She says people need better education on living well.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00By increasing the awareness and doing programmes for families.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05They're not aware how much is dangerous for the children.
0:30:05 > 0:30:11They've started to get this information about healthy lifestyle.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Unlike many other countries, Qatar certainly has the resources
0:30:14 > 0:30:18to deal with its obesity epidemic.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20The bigger challenge is ensuring its people have the will.
0:30:20 > 0:30:26Tulip Mazumdar, BBC News, Doha.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27Tonight's football news.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Manchester United have been knocked out of
0:30:29 > 0:30:31the Champions League by Sevilla.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33They lost the second leg at Old Trafford, 2-1.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37John Watson watched the game.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39All your match day scarves and souvenirs!
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Champions League nights are special nights.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46Once commonplace under Sir Alex Ferguson,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Manchester United's current crop hoping to emulate his achievements.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52A return to the knockout stage of Europe's top club
0:30:52 > 0:30:55competition a start, Jose Mourinho hoping to mastermind
0:30:55 > 0:30:59a march to the quarter-finals with victory over Sevilla.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02After a goalless first leg, once again they were in short supply.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Marouane Fellaini's effort the best of a poor first half.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07It was cautious and conservative.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Jesse Lingard attempting to find the breakthrough.
0:31:09 > 0:31:15How he's seen it all before.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18But perhaps not quite as underwhelming and underperforming.
0:31:18 > 0:31:18Where United couldn't, Sevilla could.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Ben Yedder putting his side in front.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23The complexity of the tie changed in seconds.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28David De Gea, who saved them from defeat in the first leg,
0:31:28 > 0:31:36couldn't this time, as Ben Yedder struck again.
0:31:40 > 0:31:41COMMENTATOR:It is in! 2-0!
0:31:41 > 0:31:43United now needed three goals, Romelu Lukaku could only get one.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46This, a match United had been expected to win comfortably.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48On this performance, they remain some way
0:31:48 > 0:31:49off Europe's elite.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50A not-so-special night for the so-called Special One.