28/11/2015 BBC Weekend News

Government minister Grant Shapps resigns over claims he failed to act

over the alleged bullying of young Conservative Party volunteers.

Mr Shapps says the "buck should stop with me" - as investigations

continue into the apparent suicide of a young Tory activist.

After the fatal shooting of three people at a Colorado abortion

clinic, President Obama calls again for tighter gun controls.

And magic from the Murrays puts Great Britain

on the verge of its first Davis Cup victory in nearly 80 years.

The Government minister, Grant Shapps,

has resigned over claims he failed to act against alleged bullying

Mr Shapps was co-party chairman at the time.

The allegations concern the behaviour

of the head a youth campaign, Mark Clarke, who was expelled earlier

this month, after the apparent suicide of a young activist.

In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Grant Shapps

said that although he had no record of allegations reaching his office,

Here's our political correspondent, Carole Walker.

As Conservative Party chairman, Grant Shapps was responsible for

running the party machine and overseeing its campaigns. Now he's

resigned as a Government minister, over claims that he failed to act on

allegations about the behaviour of this man, Mark Clarke, a former

candidate, who faces several accusations of bullying and

intimidation. He ran a youth campaign group at the last election,

taking activists around the country. He met the Prime Minister. Are you

going to be part of this... He was expelled from the party after the

death of one of them. Elliott Johnson, who claimed he was bullied

by Mark Clarke. Grant Shapps was full of praise for the young

activists. Elliott Johnson had a place on the platform at last year's

party conference. So did Mark Clarke. He has denied the

allegations against him. The party has launched an investigation headed

by a lawyer. Grant Shapps said though he could find no allegations

of bullying, sexual abuse or bloom mail referred to his office, "I

firmly believe whatever the rights and wrongs of a serious case like

this, responsibility should rest somewhere. Over the past few weeks,

as individual algagss have come to -- allegations have come to light,

I've come to the conclusion that the buck should stop with me." The Prime

Minister in Malta says his thoughts and prayers were with Elliott

Johnson's family. What I'd say is that it is a tragic loss of a

talented, young life. It's not something that any parent should

have to go through. I feel for them deeply. What the Conservative Party

must do and what it is doing and what I've ensured is happening is

that there's a proper investigation. Elliott Johnson, who was 21, was

found dead on railway tracks on September 15. His death is being

investigated by the Coroner. His father welcomed Mr Shapps

resignation, but told us questions remain over how the party dealt with

his son's death. I'm pleased that Mr Shapps has made

this decision. It's taken an awful long time to make that decision. But

I'm glad now he has done and fallen on his sword. He have to remember

that Grant Shapps is a cochairman. There's a cochairman who takes full

responsibility of that organisation. Downing Street say the current

chairman Lord Feldman has the full confidence of the Prime Minister.

Labour say the Conservative Party needs to come clean about who knew

what and why no action was taken earlier.

Does Grant Shapps' resignation draw a line under this affair? The

difficulty for the party is that you have not just Labour party

officials, but also the family of Elliott Johnson saying that they

feel there are others who have questions to ask about why these

allegations weren't treated more seriously, more quickly, in

particular, Lord Feldman, now the cochair of the Conservative Party.

Party officials say they have got this inquiry by an independent

lawyer, that he will look into all these matters about who was told

what and what action was taken. By the other problem is that Elliott

Johnson's father feels that inquiry is too close to Conservative central

office. He would rather it was much more open and independent of the

party. For David Cameron, of course, all this is an unwanted distraction

from those important issues he's trying to deal with on the

international stage, not least the possibility of air strikes over

Syria. But it is a serious question. He knows that unless this inquiry is

seen to be thorough and detailed, then those questions about how his

party is run will not end. Carole, thank you.

Government ministers have been phoning Labour MPs

in a bid to build support for British air strikes in Syria.

There were demonstrations around the country today protesting

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who's opposed to further military

action, has asked party members for their views.

Labour remains divided over the issue.

President Obama has made another call for tighter gun control,

following the shooting at an abortion clinic in Colorado,

Police say the gunman was a 57-year-old man, who gave himself

Our North America correspondent, James Cook, reports.

In a parking lot, somebody is shooting. Plaque Friday in Colorado

Springs, the busiest shopping day of the year. Police are taking a flurry

of calls reporting gunfire. The gunman was in a car park outside a

medical clinic, as police arrived, he turned his fire on them. We're

taking fire. We have two hits. He was in front of me and aiming at me.

I just hit the gas. He started shooting. I was looking at his face.

I think I had continue seconds, five to ten seconds to look at him, to

remember who he was and why he was doing that or whatever. Then the

shots came through the glass. Then I started bleeding. It was another

fiver hours before 57-year-old Robert Dear surrendered to police,

by which time three people were dead. Among them, Garrett Swayze, 44

years old, a former ice dancing champion, married with two children.

Five of his fellow police officers were hurt. Today amid tears and

tributes, the clinic's operators, already under pressure from

opponents of abortion, vowed to carry on. Our staff walk past these

protesters every single day and they hear the threats and they take the

abuse. Yet they work with love every day for those people. Police are not

saying whether this clinic was deliberately targeted. But already,

Planned Parenthood is talking about a poisonous environment feeding

domestic terrorism. Whatever the truth, this shooting has again

highlighted deep divisions in these United States. James Cook, BBC News,

Colorado Springs. Russia's announced economic

sanctions against Turkey in response to the shooting down

of a Russian warplane on Tuesday. The incident sparked

a major diplomatic crisis Earlier today,

Turkey's President Erdogan said his country was "truly saddened"

by the downing of the plane The Queen finished her

three-day trip to Malta today. At a banquet for leaders of

Commonwealth countries, she joked that Canada's new prime minister

made her feel old, when he spoke Our royal correspondent,

Nicholas Witchell, Thank you, Mr Prime Minister of

Canada, for making me feel so old. It was an unscripted aside

to Commonwealth leaders. Elizabeth II, Queen, head

of the Commonwealth, still doing her But with advancing years come

questions about the future and, for The Princess and the Duke meet

in the George Cross Island and pose Malta is the only country apart

from Britain which has been her home, for nearly

two years, in the early 1950s. Today, then,

was a day for nostalgia. Visiting Malta is always very

special for me, I remember happy days here with Prince Philip

when we were first married. She gazed out again at Valletta

harbour. A moment for reflection, perhaps,

for someone who will never step back from her role as monarch,

but who is ready, it appears, to delegate more of her Commonwealth

duties to her eldest son. She boarded a boat to take

her across the harbour. The bells of Malta's

capital city rang out... And there were cheers from the crew

of HMS Bulwark, all in her honour. There's a very real sense

of a wheel turning full circle, of at least the Commonwealth

component of the Queen's duties The next Commonwealth summit will be

in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2018, when the sense of

transition from Elizabeth to Charles Pope Francis arrives in the

Central African Republic tomorrow, the last stop on

his three-country visit to Africa. Since 2013,

the former French colony has been hit by serious violence between

Christian and Muslim militias Despite the presence of UN

peacekeepers, Our Africa correspondent,

Alistair Leithead, reports now This capital city is where armoured

cars are the own safe way to travel, where gunfire and grenades ring out

every day. It's a country divided on largely religious grounds. That's

perhaps why Pope Francis has added the Central African Republic to his

itinerary. By air is the only safe way to leave the capital. We

travelled with the deputy head of the UN mission here. Three years

ago, a group of mostly Muslim rebels took power, travelling from the

north, attacking churches and Christian communities on their way.

The Christians organised and hit back. Now hundreds of thousands of

people are living in enclaves. It's a festering sore, if you like. It's

also a lot of it is ungoverned space at the moment. That leaves the

terrain open for all sorts of people to come in here, if they wanted to.

This Christian camp was attacked a week ago. Their shelters burnt to

the ground. This is a Muslim quarter, the violence between armed

factions of the two has been vicious. "The security situation has

improved, Imam said. But all the Muslims in town are now living in

this one place." Walking through the ruins of this town's grand mosque,

seeing the enclaves of Christians and Muslims, it's easy to presume

this is a religious conflict, but in all the years this country's been at

war, it's not been about that. People say it's about power, it's

about politics and it's about control of the gold and the diamond

mines. They're rehearsing for the Pope's mass in the cathedral. But

he's also meeting the leaders of other faiths. It's about rebuilding

trust and inspiring peace. Now experts think they may have

discovered the final resting place Officials say there's evidence

of a hidden chamber in one of the country's most famous sites,

the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Archaeologists are 90% sure that

scans indicate the presence of a secret chamber

in the 3,000-year-old tomb. With all the sport,

here's Lizzie Greenwood Hughes Thanks very much.

Good evening. Great Britain are on the verge of

winning the Davis Cup for the first time in nearly 80 years. They're now

2-1 up in the final against Belgium, after the Murray brothers - Andy and

Jamie - won the doubles. Our sports correspondent, Joe

Wilson, reports from Ghent. The Murray brothers are individuals

who grew up spurred on by a natural rivalry, which persists today. Just

mention snooker for example. I think you're more into the old safety

battles. I'm more of a potter, aren't I? Yeah. But more of a loser,

often as well. LAUGHTER.

Doubles is a team event of course. Sometimes one player takes the

ascendency. In the opening exchanges, it was often Andy. How

about this for a set point? That's what the Davis Cup can do to you.

Britain came back down to earth in the second set, when Jamie's serve

was broken decisively. The experimental pair of Goffin and

Darcis held it together. The second set to Belgium. The noise in here

reaches a new level; a new crescendo. It feels a long way from

Wimbledon. The home crowd's attempt to promote their men was undeniably

impressive and surreal. One player really stood out. In the third set

Andy Murray held his serve, whilst everyone else was losing theirs. So

Britain took it 6-3. Fourth set, Andy Murray's service game, 0-30,

under pressure, well here's a way to escape. A mis-hit from Darcis

completed Britain's victory. It's good to be up 2-1. We would have

taken that at the start of the tie. Hopefully we can go and do it

tomorrow. Sunday's singles begins with Andy against Goffin. If that's

a British win, then the rest is history.

It's been a busy day in the Premier League,

So if you want to wait for Match of the Day - which follows

Jamie Vardy has become the first player to score in 11

The England striker broke the record in Leicester's 1-1 home

It drops Leicester to second in the league.

Aberdeen are now second in the Scottish Premiership,

There were also wins for Hamilton and Partick Thistle.

In a few minutes, Britain could have a new Heavyweight boxing

Unbeaten Tyson Fury is set for the biggest fight of his career,

challenging Ukraine's Vladimir Klitckho in Dusseldorf in Germany.

Alex South is ringside and sent us this report earlier.

The build up to this fight has always been a little strange. We

should have expected last minute drama. It all centred around that

ring down there in the middle of the arena here in Dusseldorf. What was

underneath the ring actually. Tyson Fury trained on it earlier. He said

that it was too soft. Even threatened to pull out of the fight

because he felt that it affected his fighting style too much. To make

sure that didn't happen. Vladimir Klitschko and promotors here made

sure that it was ripped up and the canvas relaid. So not the best

preparation then for Tyson Fury, who looks to become the first person in

11 years to defeat Vladimir Klitschko. Both fighters are now in

the ring. Follow it on BBC Radio 5 Live. That's all the sport.

You can see more on all of today's stories on the BBC News Channel.

Good evening. No let up tomorrow to the turbulent weather we're seeing.

A bit of snow across Scottish hills.