04/11/2017 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon.

Labour's Shadow Chancellor John

McDonnell has called on all the main

political parties to agree

a new independent system to tackle

sexual harassment at Westminster.

Mr McDonnell said the recent

allegations of misconduct by MPs

was distressing and was undermining

the public's confidence

in the political system.

Last night, the Conservative MP

Charlie Elphicke was suspended

from the party after it said

"serious allegations" had been

referred to the police.

Mr Elphicke said he'd

done nothing wrong.

Our political correspondent

Emma Vardy reports.

Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative

MP for Dover since 2010 is no longer

a Tory MP, at least for now. Last

night the new Chief Whip Julian

Smith issued a statement... Charlie

Elphicke's anger at how he'd been

treated was clear. He tweeted...

Meanwhile there are still serious

questions for Labour about the

suspended MP Kelvin Hopkins. Jeremy

Corbyn is under pressure to answer

why he was promoted to the Shadow

Cabinet even after he was

reprimanded following complaints of

sexual misconduct from a young

Labour activist. Mr Hopkins has said

he denies the allegations. Today the

party leadership said thorough

investigations must now take their

course to reassure the public.

We've

got to ensure there is confidence in

the investigation process, both from

those expressing their concerns and

complaints, but also those accused

as well. I'm hoping now we can start

giving the confidence back to people

because we are establishing this

independent process.

And the Labour MP Clive Lewis has

strongly denied groping women at the

Labour Party conference back in

September. The allegations that have

come to light over the past week are

wide-ranging, from a touch on the

knee the accusations of rape, and

party officials are braced for what

could come next, but as the claims

and counterclaims mount up a veteran

of British politics has called for

balance, saying that this unfolding

sex scandal is becoming a witchhunt.

I don't think there is anybody who

would seek to defend rape or sexual

abuse. In the context, there is no

proof that I can see yet of any

wrongdoing. How does a Member of

Parliament refute that? It's a

witchhunt.

Political parties want to

be seen to be acting quickly.

Theresa May is due to meet party

leaders on Monday to discuss the way

forward. A culture change is taking

place in British politics that many

say has been long overdue. Emma

Vardy, BBC News.

Police in New York say

they have a viable case

against the Hollywood producer,

Harvey Weinstein.

The announcement came

after an actress, Paz de la Huerta,

made claims that Mr Weinstein

raped her twice in 2010.

She is among dozens of women

who have come forward since October

to accuse the 65-year-old

of sexual misconduct.

He has denied all allegations

of non-consensual sex.

Richard Galpin reports.

Recent weeks have seen

a torrent of allegations

against Harvey Weinstein.

And now comes the first word

of a possible arrest.

New York detectives following up

are investigating a claim

by the Hollywood actress Paz de la

Huerta that the former movie mogul

raped her twice back in 2010 -

and she has now spoken to the CBS

network in the United States.

The New York police say her

account is credible.

We have an actual case here.

We are happy with where

the investigation is right now.

Mr Weinstein is out of state.

We would need an arrest

warrant to arrest him.

So right now we're

gathering our evidence,

we continue to do so every day.

Already some of Hollywood's

biggest names, among them

Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie,

have come forward to

accuse Harvey Weinstein

of sexual harassment.

He issued a statement emphatically

denying any allegation

of nonconsensual sex.

Mr Weinstein is now

under investigation both

in the United States

and here in Britain.

Like ripples in a pond,

and accusations of misconduct

against men of wealth and influence

appear to be growing rapidly.

Richard Galpin, BBC News.

Netflix has cut all ties

with Kevin Spacey, who plays

the lead role in one

of its most successful

programmes, House of Cards.

The company said it would no longer

be involved in the series

if the actor continued to be

part of it.

The announcement came

after Mr Spacey faced allegations

of sexual misconduct

from a number of men.

The Lebanese prime minister,

Saad Al-Hariri, has resigned saying

in a live television broadcast

that he fears for his life.

In his address he also heavily

criticised Iran, saying the country

was sowing "fear and destruction"

in several countries

including in Lebanon.

Mr Hariri's father,

a former prime minister,

was assassinated in 2005,

and he says he feels

there are current plots

to target his life too.

Only around a half of fixed

speed cameras in the UK

are actually switched on,

according to figures

obtained through a Freedom

of Information request.

And at least four police forces

don't have any fixed

speed cameras at all.

Alan Clayton reports.

For motorists caught out

by them, they infuriate

and bring a hefty fine.

Safety campaigners argue speed

cameras are lifesavers.

New research suggests only around

half of the luminous boxes

throughout the UK are operational.

The Press Association sent a Freedom

of Information request

to all of the 45 forces,

asking how many fixed

speed cameras they had

and how many were active.

The 36 which responded had

a total of 2838 cameras,

of which only 52% were working.

Forces in Cleveland,

Durham and North Yorkshire said none

of their fixed speed

cameras were active.

While Northamptonshire said it

turned its cameras off six years ago

but left them in place

to deter speeding.

Those than replied said they used

mobile speed cameras and regularly

reviewed which cameras

were turned on.

I suspect in this case, they're

thinking that the yellow boxes

are there, they're sending out

the message that motorists ought

to be recognising about risky roads,

but they're also increasingly

looking to more advanced technology

such as average speed cameras,

or indeed better engineering

of the road, which might

have a more beneficial affect.

The National Police Chiefs Council

said the decision to use cameras

was an operational matter and that

all forces have individual

responsibility for their

use of the cameras.

Alan Clayton, BBC News.

With all the sport,

here's Mike Bushell

at the BBC Sport Centre.

Good afternoon.

What's happening in the football. --

a lot happening in the football.

The Scottish champions Celtic

are hoping to break a 100-year-old

British and club record run,

of 62 domestic games

without defeat.

They're taking on St Johnstone,

this lunch time, who were ironically

the last Scottish side to beat them.

They're approaching half

time at McDiarmid Park.

Scott Sinclair has ended his own

goal drought to put Celtic on course

for that record.

Just one point seperates them,

in the Premier League and there's

not much to chose between Stoke

and Leicester City in this

lunchtime's kick-off.

Riyad Mahrez has just given

Leicester the lead.

Leicester haven't lost

since September, and new manager

Claude Puel is looking

for a second win.

And they are on course for that!

From pub team to the first

round of the FA Cup in ten years -

that's the story of

Shaw Lane Association,

who are taking on league side

Mansfield this lunchtime.

The part-timers from Barnsley have

ridden their luck at times,

and had their goalkeeper

John Stewart and post to thank early

on, to keep the scores level,

heading towards half time.

But the Shah Lane resistance was

finally broken, Christian Pearce,

and the Stags, as they are known in

Mansfield, are ahead.

In the racing world, Ted,

Ruby and Katie Walsh are as part

and parcel of the jump season,

as the Cheltenham Gold Cup

and Becher's Brook.

As the National Hunt

calendar begins again,

the family are gearing up

for another winning season.

Richard Conway has been

to Ireland for Breakfast,

with the Walsh's to find out,

the secret to their success.

For Slate, and as the jump season

gets underway there is a sense of

anticipation for racing's first

family. Ted, Ruby and Katie Walsh

know that glory may lie ahead and it

is here at their yard in County

Kildare, Ireland, that plans are

forged. With the morning's work

done, time for breakfast...

All the

horses are back in, new recruits,

and you don't really know if

something is really good or

anything's good at the minute, so it

is time to find out really what you

have for the rest of the season,

isn't it?

And the family knows a

thing or too much about what makes a

good horse Papillon cleared the

notorious fences to win the Grand

National 17 years ago. Katie then

went on to finish third in 2012 on

sea bass, a race that captivates

them still.

Is editor couple of

times. A chance to win this.

Everyone thinks going out in a

national...

The Grand National, you

were thinking.

LAUGHTER

That would happen me!

LAUGHTER

Now 38, Ruby Walsh has written over

2000 winners and broken a lot of

bones along the way, something he

feels is simply an occupational

hazard.

Loads of different things in

the world people do that high risk.

When I joined the the Navy... It

would have been worse as a kid, my

bladder, spleen that ruptured, you

don't need it, so they just took it

out, away you go, move on.

With or

without all their body parts, the

Walsh family's love for their sport

is a certainty. Richard Conway, BBC

News, County killed there. What a

family. Just to tell you Xherdan

Shaqiri has just equalised for Stoke

against Leicester. And England have

also been in action as a Scotland in

the Rugby World Cup and you can see

how they got on in the BBC sports

highlights programme which follows

after the news here on BBC One. Back

to you, Sean. Thank you.

You can see more on all of today's

stories on the BBC News Channel.

The next news on BBC One

is at 20 to 6 - bye for now.