16/07/2017 BBC Weekend News

The Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, has defended the Government's pay

policy, saying public sector workers get a 10% premium over the private

sector once pensions are taken into account.

Mr Hammond would not comment on reports today that he said public

workers were "overpaid", but pointed out ministers

should not be discussing private cabinet meetings.

Our political correspondent Jonathan Blake reports.

The man of the moment, for perhaps the wrong reasons. Philip Hammond

has, for the second time in a week, found himself defending private

comments in public. The Sunday Times reports that Junior cabinet meeting

on Tuesday, the Chancellor used language that the paper says left

colleagues thunderstruck. Mr Hammond reportedly said public sector

workers are overpaid when you take into account pensions. Would he deny

that? I've told you, I'm not going to talk about what comes out of a

private cabinet meeting. Five of your colleagues have. They shouldn't

because cabinet meetings are supposed to be a private space in

which we have a serious discussion. On the Chancellor. You would expect

me to put a discussion about public sector pay in the context of the

fiscal and economic situation that we face. Prison officers, teachers

and nurses are among 5 million public sector workers whose annual

pay rises are capped at 1%. That is below inflation, meaning in real

terms many have seen their pay cut. At the general election, Labour

promised to scrap the pay cap but to public sector workers deserve a pay

rise above inflation? I think they do but that will be up to the

bodies. What I won't be doing, which this Government has done, is right

to the review bodies and say, yes, you can review the paper you can

only go to 1%, which effectively means a pay cut for most people. The

Chancellor's position on public sector pay is being used by some of

his colleagues to paint him as out of touch, and according to the man

himself, by those who disagree with him about Brexit. If you want my

opinion, some of the noise is generated by people who are not

happy with the agenda that I have over the last few weeks tried to

advance of ensuring that we achieve a Brexit which is focused on

protecting our economy, protecting our jobs and making sure that we can

have continued rising living standards in the future. As protests

over public sector pay continue, the Chancellor says ministers should be

getting on with the job but the Prime Minister's authority is

damaged after the election result and ministers do not seem to be

invalid for doing as they are told. -- do not seem to be in the mood for

doing as they are told. The Chancellor also said

it was "absolutely clear" that businesses were holding off

investment, when possible, because of uncertainty over the UK's

Brexit negotiations. Mr Hammond said companies wanted

more clarity about Britain's future relationship with Europe -

and that needed to happen as early as possible to boost business

and consumer confidence. Tougher sentences for people

convicted of acid attacks are to be considered as part

of a Government review. The latest official figures suggest

there were more than 400 assaults involving corrosive substances

in England and Wales Here's our home affairs

correspondent, Danny Shaw. This is 21-year-old Resham Khan

after acid was thrown at her through a car window

while she waited at traffic lights. Her cousin Jameel Muhktar also

suffered severe burns in the attack in east

London last month. A man has been charged with grievous

bodily harm with intent. Attacks like this appear

to be on the increase. Police provided data for acid

attacks between last November 408 incidents were recorded

by police in 39 forces. The most commonly used substances

were bleach, ammonia and acid. One in five offenders

was younger than 18, where the age of the

suspect was known. The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd,

has now ordered a review to ensure that everything

possible is being done Life sentences in the most serious

cases are already available. The Home Office wants perpetrators

to feel the full force of the law. A lot of victims have said that

really their life has been ruined, so why aren't

there life sentences? So to really make sure

that the whole system really responds urgently and thoroughly

to this appalling crime, and at the heart of everything we do

must be the victim. The review will also examine

whether the 1972 Poisons Act should Retailers will be consulted

about measures to restrict sales of Customers may have to provide

proof of their age. In the latest attacks on Thursday

night, five moped riders in London were allegedly targeted

in the space of 90 minutes. A 16-year-old boy has been

charged and will appear in Roger Federer will attempt to become

the first man to win eight Wimbledon titles when he takes

on Croatia's Marin Cilic The 35-year-old from Switzerland

will be in his 11th Live to our sports correspondent,

David Ornstein, Seven wins that edged Roger

Federer's name into Wimbledon folklore but he wants to go where no

man has gone before, number eight. In the modern era, Pete Sampras is

the only men's player to have matched Federer's tally of seven.

You conceive that are going through his preparations earlier. If he gets

the eighth title he will set himself into a league of his own and also

become the oldest men's singles champion in the open era. He is up

against Marin Cilic, the correction with such chilling power. He should

have beaten Federer in the quarterfinals last year and

squandered a two set lead and three match points but Federer is expected

to win this one. There will also be some British success in the mixed

doubles, with Heather Watson going up against Jamie Murray, but you

suspect that the day will be dominated by Federer.

It's being called New York's summer of hell - the delays for tens

of thousands of commuters as urgent repairs are carried out

at Penn Station, the busiest transport hub in America.

Donald Trump has promised to be an infrastructure president,

but New Yorkers are complaining he's not doing enough for them,

It's a city of shimmering skyscrapers and evermore

Where commuter trains move in slow motion,

lines that power them are more than 100 years old.

The country's busiest rail route in the Northeast corridor relies

on bridges based on designs popularised in Britain

And this is America's fastest train, which slows to an embarrassing five

miles per hour on the approach to New York.

Routinely, they come to a complete halt because track closures reduce

this network to a single usable line.

It is horribly embarrassing, especially when I have

It is almost a third world country when it comes to infrastructure.

The rail tunnels into New York are in such a bad state of repair

it is feared they may be forced to close before new ones are built.

We got a rare glimpse inside the nerve centre of the rail

network underneath Penn Station and it felt like

The tunnel was opened to service when the Wright Brothers switched

from their model A flyer to the model B flyer.

It is definitely time to build a new tunnel.

New York's Penn Station has been hit by a series of derailments,

earning it the nickname Pain Station, and that has prompted

the urgent repair programme of the so-called summer of hell.

There was absolutely a crisis of infrastructure here.

Everything behind me relies on tunnels that

They flooded during Superstorm Sandy and they are starting to go

There is really a possibility that we are going to lose

the connection under the Hudson river for the Northeast corridor,

and then see what happens when almost 100,000 people every day

have to find a new way to get to and from work.

Donald Trump has promised to be the infrastructure president,

but the recent spending bill that he pushed through Congress

actually reduced funding for two major transportation projects -

the tunnels and improvements to the subway system -

More than 55,000 bridges across the country are

Making America great again requires modernising

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

Good afternoon. Yesterday was quite a grey day across the UK with some

rain but today things are brightening up from the North and

that is where the best of the sunny spells are this afternoon. In the

southern half of the UK, we have thicker cloud and that is bringing