20/03/2016

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:00:20. > :00:24.The former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith says

:00:25. > :00:27.he resigned from the Government because he felt welfare policy

:00:28. > :00:30.was heading in a direction that divides society rather

:00:31. > :00:38.Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mr Duncan Smith said

:00:39. > :00:40.although he had supported a consultation on changes to some

:00:41. > :00:43.disability benefits, he had come under massive pressure

:00:44. > :00:45.to deliver savings ahead of last week's Budget.

:00:46. > :00:52.Here's our political correspondent Alan Soady.

:00:53. > :00:56.A former Conservative Party leader and now ex-cabinet minister

:00:57. > :00:58.about to go on live TV with explosive accusations

:00:59. > :01:12.I am concerned that this Government, that I want to succeed, is not able

:01:13. > :01:15.to do the kind of thing is that it should because it has become too

:01:16. > :01:20.focused narrowly getting the deficit down without being able to say where

:01:21. > :01:23.that should fall other than simply on those who I think progressively

:01:24. > :01:29.can less afford to have that fall on them. It was George Osborne's

:01:30. > :01:32.priorities in Wednesday's Budget that pushed him. Iain Duncan Smith

:01:33. > :01:38.had signed off on money-saving changes to disability benefits but

:01:39. > :01:43.he said we did not know it would be alongside tax breaks for the

:01:44. > :01:46.wealthy. Juxtaposed as it came through in the Budget was deeply

:01:47. > :01:50.unfair and it was perceived to be unfair. That unfairness is damaging

:01:51. > :01:54.to the Government, to the party and to the public. He said he was then

:01:55. > :01:59.dismayed by the reports that the Government was thinking of undoing

:02:00. > :02:03.the policy. It is a very peculiar way to try and set policy against

:02:04. > :02:07.immediate agenda where you start Friday morning absolutely apparently

:02:08. > :02:10.saying to everybody you must go out and defend it, then by Friday

:02:11. > :02:23.evening you are drifting away from it

:02:24. > :02:27.and then later on Friday evening you say you have kicked it into the long

:02:28. > :02:29.grass. Overhauling the benefits system has been one of the

:02:30. > :02:31.Government's flagship policies. George Osborne then set a welfare

:02:32. > :02:34.limit on spending. I progressively got more and more depressed about

:02:35. > :02:36.the idea that we were running to an arbitrary Budget agenda which had a

:02:37. > :02:39.welfare cap in it. I am resigning because I want my Government to

:02:40. > :02:41.think again about this and get back to that position that I believe in,

:02:42. > :02:44.which is about being one nation. Iain Duncan Smith is on the other

:02:45. > :02:48.side of the EU referendum debate to David Cameron and George Osborne but

:02:49. > :02:53.he denies that is behind his resignation. Could there be any

:02:54. > :03:15.other reason? These are series of body blows to the Chancellor.

:03:16. > :03:19.Can I put it to you that you don't like him and he doesn't like you and

:03:20. > :03:22.this has been simmering for years. There are people saying this is the

:03:23. > :03:25.beginning of a coup against George Osborne and David Cameron. It wasn't

:03:26. > :03:26.personal, he said, but his attack on George Osborne's and the

:03:27. > :03:29.Government's priorities was savage. I care for one thing and one thing

:03:30. > :03:32.only. It is the people that don't get the choices that my children get

:03:33. > :03:35.our left behind. I do not want them to be left behind. Everything I do

:03:36. > :03:38.has been about that. It is not easy. It is painful to resign, I don't

:03:39. > :03:41.want to resign, but I am resigning because I think this is the only way

:03:42. > :03:44.I can do this. Because what is happening at the moment is immoral?

:03:45. > :03:47.I think it is in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society

:03:48. > :03:54.rather than unites it and I think that is not fair. Downing Street

:03:55. > :03:56.rejects its accusations and says it is improving opportunities for all

:03:57. > :04:00.while protecting the vulnerable. But for a politician who once described

:04:01. > :04:01.himself as a quiet man, Iain Duncan Smith is doing anything but going

:04:02. > :04:10.quietly. Alan Soady joins me in the studio.

:04:11. > :04:13.What do you make of this? This was a blistering attack. The Government

:04:14. > :04:18.was shot by his resignation and the ferocity of his letter on Friday

:04:19. > :04:23.evening. Today this was not just about his objection to one change to

:04:24. > :04:25.disability benefit. He was questioning the fundamental

:04:26. > :04:29.principles underpinning this Government. Really the question of

:04:30. > :04:32.whose side are they on and going further than that and suggesting

:04:33. > :04:37.that in his view the party leadership is on the wrong side, and

:04:38. > :04:41.so much of that was aimed specifically, personally at the

:04:42. > :04:45.Chancellor, George Osborne. Many in the Conservative Party will see that

:04:46. > :04:49.that may well damage George Osborne's prospect of ever

:04:50. > :04:58.potentially taking over from David Cameron as Prime Minister. This

:04:59. > :05:00.whole affair since his resignation is causing bitter divisions within

:05:01. > :05:02.the Conservative Party between those who think he is taking a principled

:05:03. > :05:05.stand, and those who despite his denials today feel sure that this is

:05:06. > :05:06.connected to trying to further his cause in the campaign to leave the

:05:07. > :05:11.EU. Thank you. The European Union's new rules

:05:12. > :05:13.for migrants crossing from Turkey From today, all migrants who don't

:05:14. > :05:18.prove a case for asylum in Europe can expect to be sent

:05:19. > :05:19.back to Turkey. But the rule hasn't stopped migrants

:05:20. > :05:22.from attempting the trip Shortly after dawn,

:05:23. > :05:26.our correspondent James Reynolds met one boat as it reached

:05:27. > :05:33.the Greek island of Lesbos. It is just after dawn

:05:34. > :05:36.here on the island of Lesbos and these are some of the first

:05:37. > :05:39.migrants to arrive on these shores following the introduction

:05:40. > :05:44.of the new system. They came on this

:05:45. > :05:47.boat, this little one They were met by volunteers

:05:48. > :05:54.and they are now being kept warm on the beach here,

:05:55. > :05:56.provided with blankets The volunteers are making

:05:57. > :06:03.sure that they are OK. It looked like their

:06:04. > :06:05.condition was fine But these migrants now face

:06:06. > :06:19.an uncertain fate here in Europe. Unlike everyone who arrived up till

:06:20. > :06:21.yesterday at midnight, these people don't

:06:22. > :06:23.know whether or not The terms of the new deal mean that

:06:24. > :06:28.everyone you see here will have to go for an individual interview,

:06:29. > :06:30.an individual hearing, If they are turned down,

:06:31. > :06:37.they will get an appeal, and they may in just

:06:38. > :06:40.two weeks' time be told by Europe to get on a boat

:06:41. > :06:43.and to head back across these waters A bus carrying foreign students has

:06:44. > :06:57.crashed in Spain killing at least 14 The passengers were returning

:06:58. > :07:01.from a bonfire festival in Valencia when the bus overturned

:07:02. > :07:03.on a motorway. The students on board were studying

:07:04. > :07:08.at Barcelona University as part The nationalities of those killed

:07:09. > :07:14.has not been confirmed. President Obama will arrive in Cuba

:07:15. > :07:17.this evening for what will be the first visit to the island

:07:18. > :07:20.by a serving US President The trip has taken months

:07:21. > :07:25.of negotiation after President Obama and his Cuban counterpart

:07:26. > :07:28.Raul Castro decided to reinstate Our correspondent

:07:29. > :07:44.Will Grant is in Havana. In the year or so since President

:07:45. > :07:47.Obama and Raul Castro decided to reinstate diplomatic ties, I have

:07:48. > :07:51.covered the length and breadth of this island. People here keep saying

:07:52. > :07:55.the same thing to me. They never thought they would live to see the

:07:56. > :07:58.day. Today they really will see history in the making. A

:07:59. > :08:08.presidential visit to consign the Cold War to the past.

:08:09. > :08:10.It might be known as America's pastime but President Obama

:08:11. > :08:12.will find Cubans just as passionate about baseball.

:08:13. > :08:16.While in Havana, he would do well to come down to 12th Street to watch

:08:17. > :08:17.the island's young talent play a few innings.

:08:18. > :08:20.These children know there is an important visitor in town

:08:21. > :08:23.but have little idea of just how historic his trip is.

:08:24. > :08:24.Not since 1928 when Calvin Coolidge visited

:08:25. > :08:27.the island has a sitting US President come to Cuba.

:08:28. > :08:28.In those days relations were close, too close

:08:29. > :08:37.After Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries took power,

:08:38. > :08:40.there followed five decades of Cold War hostility including

:08:41. > :08:42.the failed invasion of the Bay of Pigs.

:08:43. > :08:44.But President Obama and Raul Castro have

:08:45. > :08:46.reset the relationship, re-establishing diplomatic ties

:08:47. > :08:51.and lifting trade and travel restrictions.

:08:52. > :08:54.The White House says President Obama will hold talks with dissidents

:08:55. > :08:57.and won't avoid the question of human rights while in Cuba.

:08:58. > :09:03.The Cubans say he can raise whatever issues he likes.

:09:04. > :09:07.Cuba of course is open to discuss and

:09:08. > :09:10.exchange views with the United States about every issue

:09:11. > :09:11.including human rights, democracy, whatever.

:09:12. > :09:15.But Cuba has been very clear in saying

:09:16. > :09:20.that those issues are not for negotiation so matters that

:09:21. > :09:21.are internal decisions and the sovereignty

:09:22. > :09:25.of the Cuban Government, the Cuban people, will not be

:09:26. > :09:32.This trip will be a big test for the new

:09:33. > :09:35.friendship with some tough questions on the table but most Cubans just

:09:36. > :09:38.want to thank President Obama for turning the page on the past.

:09:39. > :09:41.The Australian Grand Prix, the first of the season,

:09:42. > :09:43.has been won by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

:09:44. > :09:47.A dramatic race saw Fernando Alonso involved in this huge crash.

:09:48. > :09:50.Remarkably the McLaren driver was able to walk away unscathed.

:09:51. > :09:53.Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second

:09:54. > :10:02.The next news on BBC One is at 18:15.