0:00:09 > 0:00:15Oh, my God!
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Eight dead and at least 12 injured in Manhattan in what appears to be
0:00:19 > 0:00:20an Islamist terrorist attack.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We'll have the latest from the scene and ask whether America
0:00:22 > 0:00:24will always be prey to terror.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Also tonight:
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I was seriously sexually assaulted at a Labour Party event by someone
0:00:28 > 0:00:33who was more senior to me.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38It was suggested to me that I not report it.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42I was told if I did it might damage me.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'll be talking to the Labour MP John Mann about these allegations
0:00:45 > 0:00:47by former NEC member Bex Bailey, the consequences for her attacker
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and how Labour should react.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51And the Russians were all over Facebook Google and Twitter
0:00:51 > 0:00:53like a rash during the US presidential campaign,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55according to tonight's Congressional hearings.
0:00:55 > 0:01:02Can we trust the tech giants to act responsibly?
0:01:02 > 0:01:11I think you do enormous good. But your power sometimes scares me.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Good evening.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18The US authorities are treating the striking of pedestrians
0:01:18 > 0:01:22and cyclists in Lower Manhattan as a terror attack.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26A pick up truck, travelling the wrong way on the West Side Highway,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28driven by a 29-year-old man who is now in custody,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30ploughed through people at speed.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33So far eight people are reported dead and twelve injured.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36President Trump tweeted that it looks like an attack by a very
0:01:36 > 0:01:37sick and deranged man.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40The driver who was shot by police got out of the van wielding
0:01:40 > 0:01:47what were later described as imitation guns.
0:01:47 > 0:01:58The American immediate media is reporting he is an Uzbek national.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01The BBC's Michele Fleury joins us from the scene.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06What do we know about this?I'm at the edge of what we know is a terror
0:02:06 > 0:02:16attack. A couple of hours ago behind a school a vehicle drove up on to a
0:02:16 > 0:02:21busy bike lane, crashing into people. An officer was able to alert
0:02:21 > 0:02:25people quickly, but not before the drive emerged from the vehicle
0:02:25 > 0:02:29shouting as we understand, and wielding fake firearms, what we now
0:02:29 > 0:02:37understand to be a pellet gun and a paint Balogun. The individual was
0:02:37 > 0:02:43shot by the police and taken into custody. I'm standing a few blocks
0:02:43 > 0:02:49from the site of the World Trade Center, so New Yorkers are no
0:02:49 > 0:02:54stranger to terror, he said, but they know how to be resilient. The
0:02:54 > 0:02:59police said you can expect an increased presence on the streets
0:02:59 > 0:03:02tonight, which is Hallowe'en. Typically a festive time here.Thank
0:03:02 > 0:03:10you.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13A little earlier New York Mayor Bill de Dlasio gave an update
0:03:13 > 0:03:15on what happened at a press conference in the city -
0:03:15 > 0:03:18he said New York would not be cowed by the attack,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20which happened just a few blocks from Ground Zero.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22It's a very painful day in our city.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24A horrible tragedy on the West Side.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Let me be clear, based on the information that we have at the
0:03:27 > 0:03:30moment, this was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of
0:03:30 > 0:03:33terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their
0:03:33 > 0:03:39lives who had no idea what was about to hit them.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I'm joined from New York by Jerome Hauer -
0:03:42 > 0:03:45he was the director of New York's director Office of Emergency
0:03:45 > 0:03:53Management and was involved in handling the response to 9/11.
0:03:53 > 0:04:00A horrible night, and obviously a lot of confusion. The procedures
0:04:00 > 0:04:08will be in place quickly to deal with this, am I right?Absolutely.
0:04:08 > 0:04:14This was a lone actor at this point, that is what it looks like. The
0:04:14 > 0:04:19police department acted very quickly, were able to subdue this
0:04:19 > 0:04:27man before he did any more damage. Unfortunately, these types of act
0:04:27 > 0:04:35have become all too frequent, because they're so easy. Cars, guns,
0:04:35 > 0:04:40small bombs have an impact. It might not kill or injure large numbers of
0:04:40 > 0:04:46people, but they do have their effect, sending a message by someone
0:04:46 > 0:04:52who wants to execute this kind of attack.What we know is now the New
0:04:52 > 0:04:58York media are talking about him being a 29-year-old Uzbek who came
0:04:58 > 0:05:01as a refugee in 2010. There are concerns clearly around immigration
0:05:01 > 0:05:07at the moment, that is not one of countries affected by the ban. What
0:05:07 > 0:05:10impact will that information have do you think?Just because it is not
0:05:10 > 0:05:15impacted by the ban, doesn't mean that he didn't start somewhere
0:05:15 > 0:05:20that's impacted by the ban or in some other country, where he got
0:05:20 > 0:05:26trained and received the kind of training or the kind of
0:05:26 > 0:05:31radicalisation you see with these kinds of folk and then he moved to
0:05:31 > 0:05:36other countries. Which makes it easier to move or get into the
0:05:36 > 0:05:41United States.This is a big night in the New York calendar,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Hallowe'en, a lot more people on the streets than normal on a Tuesday
0:05:44 > 0:05:49night, in a sense a kind of a perfect time for somebody who wants
0:05:49 > 0:05:55to do damage to do it. Will there be a lock down in Lower Manhattan?The
0:05:55 > 0:06:00area where the attack occurred is locked down right now. It is a crime
0:06:00 > 0:06:07scene. The FBI, the YYPD, are going through everything to ensure nothing
0:06:07 > 0:06:15is missed. The parade in Lower Manhattan is many blocks away. But
0:06:15 > 0:06:21can I assure you there will be an increased presence at the parade
0:06:21 > 0:06:27surrounding it.Thank you for joining us.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30It is hard to imagine that there might come a time
0:06:30 > 0:06:32when every story of inappropriate behaviour, harassment,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and sexually abusive activity will be exposed and dealt with -
0:06:35 > 0:06:38such is the avalanche of revelations from here and from Hollywood.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Production was suspended today on Kevin Spacey's House of Cards,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43following his apology for an allegedly predatory act
0:06:43 > 0:06:46on a teenager which he conflated with his announcement he was gay,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50itself drawing huge ire.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53In Westminster this morning, there were claims that various lists
0:06:53 > 0:06:56of MPs and ministers facing harassment allegations
0:06:56 > 0:07:01are circulating and then tonight came the shocking revelation
0:07:01 > 0:07:04from young former Labour NEC member Bex Bailey that she was raped
0:07:04 > 0:07:06at a Labour event in 2011 when she was 19.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10She told the BBC's Carolyn Quinn that when she approached an official
0:07:10 > 0:07:12at Party HQ she was warned of the consequences
0:07:12 > 0:07:13of making an allegation.
0:07:13 > 0:07:22Here's Nick Watt.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27We don't know anything about the pepper rater -- perpetrator. What
0:07:27 > 0:07:40can you tell us about the attack? What we know about the perpetrator
0:07:40 > 0:07:47is he was senior to Bex Bailey. And Bex Bailey approached a senior party
0:07:47 > 0:07:50official and was told you shouldn't report this, because this could
0:07:50 > 0:07:55damage your career. The Labour Party is to appoint an independent legal
0:07:55 > 0:08:00expert to look essentially at this allegation that the Labour Party was
0:08:00 > 0:08:06allegedly involved in a cover up of rape and this investigator will be
0:08:06 > 0:08:12looking at how this party official handled these allegations by Bex
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Bailey.There could of course be a criminal investigation?Indeed, but
0:08:16 > 0:08:21what this will be looking at is whether the proper procedures were
0:08:21 > 0:08:25followed by the Labour Party. I have been talking to friends and
0:08:25 > 0:08:33colleagues of Bex Bailey about her decision to speak out.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36I was seriously sexually assaulted at a Labour Party event by,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40it wasn't an MP, but someone who was more senior to me.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43It took me a while to summon up the courage to tell
0:08:43 > 0:08:46anyone in the party, but when I did I told a senior
0:08:46 > 0:08:53member of staff who told me that, or it was suggested to me that
0:08:53 > 0:08:57I not report it.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02I was told that if I did it might damage me.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05And it might be a genuine view, it might be that that was the case,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08in which case that shows that we have a serious problem
0:09:08 > 0:09:10in politics with this issue anyway.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Bex Bailey is a widely admired Labour campaigner on women's
0:09:13 > 0:09:16rights and equalities.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I first met her a few years ago on the general election campaign
0:09:19 > 0:09:23trail with her former boss, Liz Kendall.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26In recent days as attention focused on the culture at Westminster,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Bex Bailey felt that it would be right to speak out in the hope
0:09:30 > 0:09:32of finally achieving a breakthrough in her long campaign to change
0:09:32 > 0:09:41the rules on the reporting of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Tonight I spoke to two of Bex Bailey's closest friends
0:09:43 > 0:09:49and colleagues in the Labour Party.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The main thing she is calling for and others too is
0:09:53 > 0:09:55that the Labour Party has an independent third
0:09:55 > 0:10:01party reporting system.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So that women can have the confidence that if they speak
0:10:04 > 0:10:10out there will be a real and proper change.
0:10:10 > 0:10:17Too often women are worried about speaking out because the person
0:10:17 > 0:10:20they may be reporting the assault, abuse or harassment to may work
0:10:20 > 0:10:23with the person they are accusing, may be a friend or a political
0:10:23 > 0:10:26ally of them.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30And you know, understandably, people within the party who work
0:10:30 > 0:10:35for the party don't want to see the party brought in to disrepute.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38But really they should be focusing on the women who have been subject
0:10:38 > 0:10:40to harassment or assault and that is why we need
0:10:40 > 0:10:46this independent system.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49She has been fighting for a better procedure to help people coming
0:10:49 > 0:10:51forward with complaints for a number of years.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55None of us knew her personal history in this and I think today all of us
0:10:55 > 0:10:57feel we have let her down.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00The party has let her down, things have to change.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03She gives an incredible example of why it is not good enough
0:11:03 > 0:11:05to have a hotline staffed by staff.
0:11:05 > 0:11:12You need an independent third-party reporting system.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Bex is a strong, courageous, highly principled woman.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18She has always campaigned for equality and fairness
0:11:18 > 0:11:23in the party and in the country and I am beyond proud
0:11:23 > 0:11:28of her for having the strength and courage to come forward.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31She didn't want this story to be about her,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34she wanted it to be about women everywhere and I hope that
0:11:34 > 0:11:37as a result of her speaking out, it will give courage to others
0:11:37 > 0:11:39and it will give the Labour Party and other political parties
0:11:39 > 0:11:47the courage to change.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Nick Watt there.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53The Labour Party issued a statement tonight saying it took Bex Bailey's
0:11:53 > 0:11:55allegations extremely seriously and would support anyone who had
0:11:55 > 0:12:01suffered sexual violence.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03It added that the party was launching an independent
0:12:03 > 0:12:06investigation into the claims and said it hoped the police
0:12:06 > 0:12:07would investigate.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08But is this enough?
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The Labour MP John Mann has been an outspoken critic of his party's
0:12:11 > 0:12:12record on handling such complaints.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18Helena Kennedy is a Labour peer and campaigner on social justice.
0:12:18 > 0:12:25You worked with Bex Bailey, did you know she had been raped.No, not
0:12:25 > 0:12:28until tonight.Presumably you were shocked?Of course, tremendous
0:12:28 > 0:12:36shock. Horrible to happen to anyone, but very courageous of her to speak
0:12:36 > 0:12:41out and for young women who had any kind of sexual assault, I think they
0:12:41 > 0:12:45will be taking some comfort and encouragement from the fact she has
0:12:45 > 0:12:50spoken out in such a public way. There is to be an investigation, do
0:12:50 > 0:12:56you know the identity of her attacker or the person she spoke to
0:12:56 > 0:13:03later, two years later about reporting it?No, I don't, but what
0:13:03 > 0:13:06it vital is she is in the control of situation and she has taken control
0:13:06 > 0:13:11of it and the Labour Party needs to be listening, you know, Bex Bailey
0:13:11 > 0:13:16was the person on the Labour Party national Executive who proposed
0:13:16 > 0:13:21systems for dealing with exactly this kind of thing when she was on
0:13:21 > 0:13:26the leadership under Ed Miliband and the Labour Party didn't accept her
0:13:26 > 0:13:30proposals. So the Labour Party's had a chance in the past to get its
0:13:30 > 0:13:34house in order, she knew what she was talking about and the Labour
0:13:34 > 0:13:46Party hasn't done so. Like all the other political parties.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52Is this the first time you have heard about a rape at Westminster?
0:13:52 > 0:14:00There are other allegations that I am aware of. They're not public yet.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05The allegations vary from rape to molestation is to inappropriate
0:14:05 > 0:14:13language. A wide variety. But lots of allegations.And people are
0:14:13 > 0:14:20coming forward now. What do you make of this now in the sense that there
0:14:20 > 0:14:23must be feeling that women feel safer about coming forward or
0:14:23 > 0:14:29feeling so angry that now they are prepared to come forward worse
0:14:29 > 0:14:34before as Bex Bailey said, she was told her career would suffer.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Careers did suffer as we know that has been an inhibitor for women in
0:14:38 > 0:14:43many different sectors and not just politics. What is interesting to me,
0:14:43 > 0:14:49I have been writing about this for about 35 years. And the fact that it
0:14:49 > 0:14:53has taken so long to get this taken seriously as part of the problem
0:14:53 > 0:14:58because it is dealt with as being, there is add dismissiveness about
0:14:58 > 0:15:04this. Today in Parliament I heard already men saying this is going to
0:15:04 > 0:15:08give rise to all kinds of false allegations. That was the needed
0:15:08 > 0:15:13think that the next step, rather than saying this is disgraceful and
0:15:13 > 0:15:20we must do something was immediately to minimise it. The whole thing is
0:15:20 > 0:15:25that the immediate response and you get this coming from senior women as
0:15:25 > 0:15:35well, you just slap someone on the hand.But it is all degrees, a hand
0:15:35 > 0:15:40on me, whatever, it is that sense of entitlement.And it is about the
0:15:40 > 0:15:46permissiveness that allows any of this from the small amount which is
0:15:46 > 0:15:48sometimes men saying what were you doing last night with your boyfriend
0:15:48 > 0:15:55and crossing boundaries.In the case of Bex Bailey to have faith and
0:15:55 > 0:16:00investigation will change things and perhaps even deal with the
0:16:00 > 0:16:03perpetrator?Something has happened, we now have a generation of women
0:16:03 > 0:16:08who are not going to take it any more. Far more young women have gone
0:16:08 > 0:16:13through universities, far more who are saying enough is enough.But are
0:16:13 > 0:16:18the systems in place to deal with it and do you have faith that the
0:16:18 > 0:16:23leadership will sort this out?This systems are not in place at all the
0:16:23 > 0:16:28danger is, people go for something quick and let's get this behind us
0:16:28 > 0:16:40and move on because we don't like it. I sat during that statement when
0:16:40 > 0:16:45Parliament last discussed it, a very short discussion and it was all
0:16:45 > 0:16:51backslapping. I want to thank, I want to thank. The people who need
0:16:51 > 0:16:54planking of those women who have stood up and made complaints and
0:16:54 > 0:16:57often when they have made complaints they have not been listened to at
0:16:57 > 0:17:06all.In politics at Westminster are other places that women can go and
0:17:06 > 0:17:12talk?This idea of safeguarding? You have heard from a number of women
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Members of Parliament talking about the need for independent
0:17:17 > 0:17:20professional systems in place to report to the right person. For
0:17:20 > 0:17:24example I know from other walks of life because I've handled these
0:17:24 > 0:17:30kinds of cases, very often people are approached and have no training
0:17:30 > 0:17:35whatsoever. The person in the Labour Party that Bex Bailey went to, the
0:17:35 > 0:17:39chances are they had no idea one way or another how to handle such a
0:17:39 > 0:17:47situation. And institutions like Parliament or whatever, they always
0:17:47 > 0:17:52want to protect their reputation of the party, of the institution or
0:17:52 > 0:17:56whatever rather than protect the individual.You have faith in the
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Labour leadership to sort this out? I can tell you they will be put
0:18:00 > 0:18:01under the cosh.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05And our political editor Nick Watt is here.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11The current swirl of allegations which right across Westminster.Well
0:18:11 > 0:18:15we've had two ministers accused of inappropriate behaviour or language,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19so Michael Fallon and Mark Garnier in the past 24 hours. And Theresa
0:18:19 > 0:18:24May it is fair to say is appalled by these reports. She has spent 20
0:18:24 > 0:18:31years in Parliament trying to change the culture by promoting more women.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37In 2016 she was able to act when she was strong, she appointed her
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Cabinet, Stephen Crabb the Work and Pensions Secretary, she thought
0:18:40 > 0:18:44about reappointing him. He spent some hours in Downing Street with
0:18:44 > 0:18:49the Chief Whip and was unable to give assurances about allegations of
0:18:49 > 0:18:54sexually explicit texts and he was no longer in his position. Now with
0:18:54 > 0:18:59Mark Garnier Theresa May have referred the matter to the Cabinet
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Office, she has been told she needs to buy time. She cannot afford it
0:19:03 > 0:19:07and if one minister goes, the press will be after the next one and on it
0:19:07 > 0:19:10goes.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13For months social media companies including Facebook have been playing
0:19:13 > 0:19:16down concerns over fake news - and specifically about the role it
0:19:16 > 0:19:18may have played in last year's American election.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20But earlier today Facebook changed its tune -
0:19:20 > 0:19:22releasing a statement saying the company now believed Russians
0:19:22 > 0:19:24working for a company linked to the Kremlin,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26the Internet Research Agency, operatives posted roughly 80,000
0:19:26 > 0:19:29pieces of divisive inflammatory content between January 2015
0:19:29 > 0:19:35and August 2017 that reached as many as 126 million Americans.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38That's almost half of all Americans who are old enough to be
0:19:38 > 0:19:40allowed a Facebook profile.
0:19:40 > 0:19:48The Russian agents also uploaded more than a thousand videos
0:19:48 > 0:19:49of Google's Youtube service and bombarded Twitter.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52None of these companies has ever revealed the extent
0:19:52 > 0:19:54of Russian meddling before - but tonight representatives
0:19:54 > 0:19:56for the three companies were being grilled by
0:19:56 > 0:19:56a Congressional committee.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Here's John Sweeney.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Twitter, Facebook and Google on the hook, on the hill.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Tonight three tech megaliths were called to account in Washington, DC.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13The charge against them, that they don't do enough
0:20:13 > 0:20:17to protect their platforms from being used by those who might
0:20:17 > 0:20:20want to warp American democracy.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22I think you do enormous good.
0:20:22 > 0:20:30But your power sometimes scares me.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Did China run ads in the last election cycle to try
0:20:32 > 0:20:35to impact our election?
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Not that I'm aware of, Senator.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Not that you're aware of?
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Did Turkmenistan?
0:20:45 > 0:20:49No, Senator, not that I'm aware of.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52How about North Korea?
0:20:52 > 0:20:55The answer is, Facebook doesn't know.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59After Trump's victory, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg
0:20:59 > 0:21:03rubbished the very idea that ads on his site had snow on their boots,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05as fake news and crazy.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09That was then.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Now Facebook says that Russian sources placed thousands of ads that
0:21:12 > 0:21:16reached 126 million American users.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22But fixing the problem needs humans, and they don't come cheap.
0:21:22 > 0:21:32At Facebook you have algorithms that do the first run and humans that it
0:21:39 > 0:21:41kicks to a set of humans to look at it.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44I understand that you have increased the number of humans who to look
0:21:44 > 0:21:46at these kind of things.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Can you explain the process you have?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50With respect to the sort of what I will call
0:21:50 > 0:21:52the particularised threat actors that are typically associated
0:21:52 > 0:21:54with nation states, that is a highly manual process.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56So we won't for example have a threat indicator
0:21:56 > 0:21:59that we are tracking and then if we see activity, that is really
0:21:59 > 0:22:01a highly intensive manual effort.
0:22:01 > 0:22:08This is the moment when Facebook, roughly worth $500 million,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Google 700 billion and Twitter around 15 billion, face
0:22:10 > 0:22:13much tougher scrutiny.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17But why are the tech giants in trouble?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20I think if there is one great take away already from the Russian
0:22:20 > 0:22:22controversy in the US, is that it has really shone
0:22:22 > 0:22:31a light on the way social media companies operate.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33These sort of dark ads, these sort of bots, accounts
0:22:33 > 0:22:35who don't know who is behind them.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36And finally all this is coming out.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39The way the Russians seem to have used Facebook and Twitter
0:22:39 > 0:22:42during the US elections, it doesn't seem to be a bug
0:22:42 > 0:22:45in the system, it is the system.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47We are finally understanding just how frankly deeply manipulative
0:22:47 > 0:22:50these companies are.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53How they override all our ideas of how democracy in public
0:22:53 > 0:22:59space should function.
0:22:59 > 0:23:08Did Russian agents buy this man's ticket to the White House?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11If so, is this hearing the start of a necessary revolution,
0:23:11 > 0:23:12bringing more scrutiny to the internet?
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Opinion is divided.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Companies do not give a lot of intelligence directly to US
0:23:16 > 0:23:18investigators on a general basis.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21They have pledged to work more closely together in the future.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25But of course they don't want to set a precedent that could apply to them
0:23:25 > 0:23:34in other countries around the world, with maybe harsher rules.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40It is always going to be a dance with these companies,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42so much that their futures would be a lot more complicated.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43It is a huge change.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48Finally Silicon Valley has had to walk to the hill, to Capitol Hill.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51This is a very big moment, almost as if Silicon Valley
0:23:51 > 0:23:58and all its ethics are on trial.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Again the public awareness that will come out of this and is coming
0:24:02 > 0:24:05out of this about the way these platforms spread messages, influence
0:24:05 > 0:24:08us, is massively important.
0:24:08 > 0:24:15And will I hope have to change the essence of how they function.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18But today's hearing and yesterday's charges against three men in team
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Trump together harden the evidence that President Trump's
0:24:20 > 0:24:28election victory was, in part, made in Moscow.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31So where does all of this leave the technology firms -
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and could this increase calls for them to be subjected
0:24:33 > 0:24:37to more regulation?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Thomas Rid is Professor of security studies in the department of war
0:24:40 > 0:24:41at Kings College in London.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45He himself gave evidence earlier this year to a congressional
0:24:45 > 0:24:47committee on Russian influence over political campaigns.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53He joins us from Washington.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59Can we deal with Facebook first, are you surprised by the scale of what
0:24:59 > 0:25:03happened on Facebook and how much do you think Facebook knew about what
0:25:03 > 0:25:09was going on?In a way I'm not surprised by the scale of what we
0:25:09 > 0:25:15have seen but I think we're past the point where we can talk about these
0:25:15 > 0:25:21companies in one sweep. Facebook and Twitter, you're dealing with a
0:25:21 > 0:25:23problem in different ways. The market is pushing Twitter towards
0:25:23 > 0:25:29hiding the problem, the market is pushing Facebook towards fixing the
0:25:29 > 0:25:33problem and I think that is important to understand.In that
0:25:33 > 0:25:42case then is Twitter in more trouble than Facebook is absolutely, I think
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Twitter is in a lot more trouble than Facebook but so far we have not
0:25:45 > 0:25:47fully come to terms with how much automated abuse activity was
0:25:47 > 0:25:51happening on Twitter put up consider the following question, how many of
0:25:51 > 0:25:57the likes and retweet that the real Donald Trump account received during
0:25:57 > 0:26:00the election campaign where actually human as opposed to machine
0:26:00 > 0:26:10generated.The answer is we do not know. And the unpleasant truth is
0:26:10 > 0:26:13even Twitter may not fully have the answer to that question because they
0:26:13 > 0:26:21do not keep data.When you look at the kind of material that this
0:26:21 > 0:26:26intranet research agency was pushing out there, stuff on race, religion,
0:26:26 > 0:26:33gun rights, transgender issues, will we ever really know the impact that
0:26:33 > 0:26:41that had on voting intentions?That is a very difficult thing to come to
0:26:41 > 0:26:44terms with. This question of what was the actual impact. Let's focus
0:26:44 > 0:26:54on what happened for a moment. Facebook had a clear policy, one
0:26:54 > 0:26:58face, one name and they want real names on the platform. Twitter has a
0:26:58 > 0:27:03different policy, it is OK to have an anonymous account many accounts
0:27:03 > 0:27:09at the same time. So in some ways Twitter the perfect disinformation
0:27:09 > 0:27:13that form. Ultimately think about this, Twitter is affording the same
0:27:13 > 0:27:20level of privacy protection to Russian robot networks run by
0:27:20 > 0:27:26foreign intelligence agencies Debbie Ford a -year-old teenager writing
0:27:26 > 0:27:31under their real name at home.On the question of Facebook and Mark
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Zuckerberg denied this for so long are we now have a situation where
0:27:35 > 0:27:39they smoke and make sure that a lot of the child molestation stuff does
0:27:39 > 0:27:44not reach a lot of the, the more violent stuff does not reach the
0:27:44 > 0:27:47page. They say they're just a conduit but they are a publisher and
0:27:47 > 0:27:51is the publisher they accept that they're moving in that direction and
0:27:51 > 0:27:54they will have to clean up their act to make sure all those fake stuff
0:27:54 > 0:27:58does not actually go on the same page as some of the real stuff or
0:27:58 > 0:28:03else there will be a much more trouble.The publishing of
0:28:03 > 0:28:10information, the problem cuts deeper than that. Right now we're in a
0:28:10 > 0:28:15situation where Facebook and even more so publish information that
0:28:15 > 0:28:20ships -- shapes the news, shaped democracy, shapes history. Because
0:28:20 > 0:28:25these companies take privacy protection seriously, were also in a
0:28:25 > 0:28:29situation where users including intelligence agencies from foreign
0:28:29 > 0:28:35countries, can remove content and retrospectively edit the news and
0:28:35 > 0:28:40added the way we perceive our history. That is a deep
0:28:40 > 0:28:45contradiction at the heart of an open democracy and not just social
0:28:45 > 0:28:49media.Thank you very much for joining us.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51What London does not need is more penthouses,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53but more regular affordable houses - that's Siddiq Kahn's plan.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55He wants to quadruple new affordable homes
0:28:55 > 0:28:58from from 11,000 a year to 44,000, but he has precious little power
0:28:58 > 0:29:01to to make it happen - even though he's the mayor
0:29:01 > 0:29:02of the world's great capitals.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04In fact almost half a million families now share
0:29:04 > 0:29:06with other families such is the housing shortage.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08But right across Britain there are obstacles to building
0:29:08 > 0:29:12affordable housing - some put there by complex
0:29:12 > 0:29:15planning regulations, but others by developers themselves
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- ones that allow them to wriggle out of their obligations
0:29:18 > 0:29:20to build affordable homes on every new development.
0:29:20 > 0:29:27Our policy editor Chris Cook has this.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Where better to begin thinking about homes than the most famous
0:29:30 > 0:29:37publicly funded housing in the country?
0:29:37 > 0:29:42The cost of housing is one of England's critical problems.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45It's something the government is very sorely aware of.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Affordable housing rules, one of their key levers
0:29:47 > 0:29:50for trying to mitigate it.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52The thing about housing policy is that, just like this
0:29:52 > 0:30:00location, not everything is as it first appears.
0:30:00 > 0:30:01Affordable housing is a home deliberately offered
0:30:01 > 0:30:06at below market rates.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08So it includes social housing, but also stuff
0:30:08 > 0:30:10like shared equity housing.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13About half of the flow of new affordable homes are built
0:30:13 > 0:30:15by private developers, who have to include them
0:30:15 > 0:30:19in new developments.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22So in London say, if you develop a plot of more than ten homes,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26it is expected that at least 35% of them should be affordable homes.
0:30:26 > 0:30:33And in some circumstances and in some boroughs, half.
0:30:33 > 0:30:39Sometimes you get a bit less housing than you might expect.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44Our affordable housing rules contain a concept known as viability.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Developers are expected to make a profit, usually about 20%
0:30:46 > 0:30:51of the total sale value of the site.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53And if they can't meet that benchmark, then
0:30:53 > 0:30:55they are allowed to cut the amount of affordable housing
0:30:55 > 0:30:58they are obliged to offer.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00This is a process that Shelter, the housing charity,
0:31:00 > 0:31:06believe is undermining our affordable housing policy.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10The viability loophole is actually enshrined in law and it means that
0:31:10 > 0:31:13if a developer believes they cannot make enough profit out
0:31:13 > 0:31:16of a development they can completely opt out of building
0:31:16 > 0:31:21the affordable homes element.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24No matter what the council policy on affordable homes states.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26And this was brought in during the crash,
0:31:26 > 0:31:28the financial crash, because it was felt that
0:31:28 > 0:31:31unless something was done to protect profits, houses just
0:31:31 > 0:31:34wouldn't be built.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38But obviously, you know, we're not in that situation now.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40How big a deal is all of this?
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Well there's a little complication here.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Sometimes developers pay a sum in lieu of providing
0:31:46 > 0:31:49affordable housing on site.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51But a viability assessment always mean less investment
0:31:51 > 0:31:55in affordable housing.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Let's take this example from the Royal Borough
0:31:57 > 0:32:01of Kensington and Chelsea.
0:32:01 > 0:32:02Developers have permission to turn the building
0:32:02 > 0:32:05behind me into 25 homes.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07And according to the local affordable housing quotas,
0:32:07 > 0:32:12half of them should be affordable.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17In practice, because of the viability loophole, none will be.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21All the developers are going to do is pay the council £200,000.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25The thing is, the house-builders have a point.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30Some sites can't support lots of affordable homes.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32You can't have a rigid quota for affordable housing
0:32:32 > 0:32:34because all sites have different costs associated with them.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38Imagine redeveloping an old gasworks.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42You would have to clean up the land before you could build houses on it.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45And that would have a different cost to it to where you didn't
0:32:45 > 0:32:46have to do that work.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48It would mean that some sites were totally unviable
0:32:48 > 0:32:51for development, which means that you would end up with fewer
0:32:51 > 0:33:00houses, when we need more.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02But we should be looking at this issue, because the net
0:33:02 > 0:33:06effect is quite big.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09In the last year alone, viability was used to strike out the need
0:33:09 > 0:33:10for 1000 affordable homes from planning permissions
0:33:10 > 0:33:12granted in Birmingham.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14And the council got just £5 million in lieu of that.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17In Manchester it was used to strike out the need for 472 affordable
0:33:17 > 0:33:22homes and the council got no money.
0:33:22 > 0:33:23In Bristol, viability claimed 196 affordable homes
0:33:23 > 0:33:26and they got just £131,000.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Across 11 local authorities, Shelter found 2500 affordable homes
0:33:29 > 0:33:33struck out in one year.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Now let's suppose I'm a developer who has decided to do a bit of work
0:33:37 > 0:33:39on this rather undesirable bit of Brownfield land
0:33:39 > 0:33:45in central London.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48And let's say I work out that I can make a decent profit
0:33:48 > 0:33:50and deliver affordable housing, so long as I don't spend
0:33:50 > 0:33:55more than £10 million on this grotty little plot.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59The thing is, I also know that if I spent more than £10 million,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02the council will tell me I don't have to build as much
0:34:02 > 0:34:05affordable housing.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08So the viability assessment process encourages me
0:34:08 > 0:34:10to spend more money on land, which fuels land price inflation
0:34:10 > 0:34:15and it does so at the expense of affordable housing.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Frankly, it's simply wrong that in Britain in 2017,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22where it is not exactly difficult to make a profit out of building
0:34:22 > 0:34:25homes, we are effectively underwriting developers' profits
0:34:25 > 0:34:31by sacrificing the affordable homes that people desperately need.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36Because we're in the grip an acute housing crisis.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40I think that we should be questioning why we are dependent
0:34:40 > 0:34:42on private sector cross subsidy to provide over half
0:34:42 > 0:34:45of the affordable housing that we provide in this country.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48There must be a better way.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51What it does is it drives up the cost of land and it drives
0:34:51 > 0:34:54up the cost of houses.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56This whole system exists to avoid having the state raise
0:34:56 > 0:35:00and spend money directly on affordable housing.
0:35:00 > 0:35:07But the consequences of this are not good for anyone.
0:35:07 > 0:35:08Chris Cook there.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Earlier today I spoke to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13in the lush surroundings of City Hall.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15He fought his mayoral campaign with housing
0:35:15 > 0:35:21issues front and centre, and I wanted to know what he meant
0:35:21 > 0:35:27by the term "affordable housing".
0:35:27 > 0:35:30I mean one of three things.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32One is a home where you pay a social rent -
0:35:32 > 0:35:34think of it as a council property.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Two, it's a home where you pay a London living rent.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41That's a third of average local earnings, or, three,
0:35:41 > 0:35:46it's what I called shared ownership - part-buy and part-rent.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48But actually for too many years now, the homes
0:35:48 > 0:35:51that have been deemed affordable, the few that have, aren't really
0:35:51 > 0:35:52affordable.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54I'm saying to developers, I'm saying to local
0:35:54 > 0:35:57authorities, my expectation is if you want me to approve an
0:35:57 > 0:35:59application, I want a certain percentage to be affordable and by
0:35:59 > 0:36:02affordable I mean how I define it, rather than the previous dodgy
0:36:02 > 0:36:08definition.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11You want to go from 29,000 new homes in London to 66,000
0:36:11 > 0:36:15and you want 65% of them to be affordable, whereas just now it is
0:36:15 > 0:36:16only 38%.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17By when and by what measure?
0:36:17 > 0:36:22So we have looked at London's population, currently 8.7
0:36:22 > 0:36:27million, by 2029, 2030 at 10 million.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32So we have worked out what the needs of our city are - both
0:36:32 > 0:36:35annually, what percentage should be affordable
0:36:35 > 0:36:37and the expert advice is we will
0:36:37 > 0:36:39need over the next period, every year, 66,000 homes
0:36:39 > 0:36:40over the next 20 years and a
0:36:40 > 0:36:42significant number of those need to be affordable.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45I can't deliver that unless the Government steps in and
0:36:45 > 0:36:48gives us the support we need.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50So Kensington and Chelsea, the development of 25 homes, half are
0:36:50 > 0:36:53meant to be affordable, none is and the developers simply
0:36:53 > 0:36:54handed over £200,000 to the council.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58How did they get away with that?
0:36:58 > 0:37:01There are many examples I'm afraid of local authorities
0:37:01 > 0:37:02being hoodwinked by developers.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05A number of things, firstly, a developer will
0:37:05 > 0:37:08come along during the course of a construction being built and say,
0:37:08 > 0:37:09"You know what?
0:37:09 > 0:37:11It's no longer viable to build this small numbers of
0:37:11 > 0:37:15affordable homes we have agreed to," and the council, for a number of
0:37:15 > 0:37:16reasons, firstly because they may lack
0:37:16 > 0:37:17the expertise to test the
0:37:17 > 0:37:19viability report, two, because they're just soft
0:37:19 > 0:37:21and they're happy to be rolled over, will allow a
0:37:21 > 0:37:27developer to reduce the number of affordable homes.
0:37:27 > 0:37:36Will you insist that people release brownfield sites?
0:37:36 > 0:37:39I'm lobbying the Government to get more power of compulsory purchase.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42I've set up a new scheme to allow councils to borrow to
0:37:42 > 0:37:43assemble land around brownfield sites.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45That can often free up big pieces of land.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48We saw one example last year, but I want the power,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50particularly relating to surplus land, relating to to brownfield
0:37:50 > 0:37:52sites to build the homes we need as a city.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55But the truth is without government say so you have no power.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Absolutely, we're the most centralised democracy
0:37:57 > 0:37:58in the western world.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00When I compare my powers to the powers of
0:38:00 > 0:38:03the mayor of New York, the mayor of Tokyo, other
0:38:03 > 0:38:05mayors of great cities, I've got limited powers, but also
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Londoners have far fewer powers and far fewer say
0:38:08 > 0:38:12than Parisians or New Yorkers.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14You're one of most, the most powerful directly elected
0:38:14 > 0:38:16politician in this country, and you can't
0:38:16 > 0:38:16persuade Jeremy Corbyn of
0:38:16 > 0:38:19either complete adherence to the single market or indeed a second
0:38:19 > 0:38:26referendum on a deal.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Well, two things.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33Firstly, Jeremy Corbyn's made it quite clear, nothing's off
0:38:33 > 0:38:36the table and I welcome that announcement from Jeremy Corbyn,
0:38:36 > 0:38:37Keir Starmer and John McDonnell.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39But, secondly, Jeremy Corbyn's not the person
0:38:39 > 0:38:40negotiating with the greatest
0:38:40 > 0:38:42respect, much as I would like him to, with Europe.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Theresa May and David Davis are.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46You could put a bit of pressure on, for goodness sake,
0:38:46 > 0:38:47you're mayor of London.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49And I'm and I meet Theresa May and David
0:38:49 > 0:38:50Davis regularly...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53I mean pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to come and say,
0:38:53 > 0:38:55everything's on the table, nothing's off the table,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58but why can't you get him to commit to staying within the
0:38:58 > 0:39:01single market and a second referendum on the deal?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Well, Jeremy Corbyn's been quite clear during the
0:39:04 > 0:39:07transitional deal, we want to stay members of single market, stay
0:39:07 > 0:39:11members of customs union, give a cast iron guarantee to those who
0:39:11 > 0:39:15live in our country that are EU citizens are a huge asset to our
0:39:15 > 0:39:16country.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19But the reality is as much as I would like and the country
0:39:19 > 0:39:22would do better with Jeremy Corbyn negotiating with Michel
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Barnier and the European Union than Theresa May and
0:39:24 > 0:39:27David Davis and I meet regularly with David Davis.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28Actually it might not make much difference
0:39:28 > 0:39:29for you.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Oh, it absolutely would and I will tell you why, because there
0:39:32 > 0:39:34would be a cast iron guarantee to those Londoners,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37and there are one million who are EU citizens and are
0:39:37 > 0:39:40not sure about their future, 3.3 million across the country are not
0:39:40 > 0:39:42sure about their future, they get the cast iron guarantee today.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45We would have more certainty in relation to the transitional deal.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48There wouldn't be a cliff edge fall in March 2019 and also our party's
0:39:48 > 0:39:50not divided and split like the Tories.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53So we would be united behind our Prime Minister and negotiators,
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Keir Starmer, to get a good deal for our country.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57How concerned are you about the atmosphere at
0:39:57 > 0:39:58Westminster?
0:39:58 > 0:40:01We now know of course that there is a list of MPs and so
0:40:01 > 0:40:03forth, how do you react to that?
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Well, I think the place where laws are made in our country, you know
0:40:06 > 0:40:10the mother of all Parliaments, should be a beacon for how to behave
0:40:10 > 0:40:11and conduct yourselves.
0:40:11 > 0:40:12Whether you're a politician, whether you're
0:40:12 > 0:40:15a member of staff, whether you're a lobby journalist, you should be
0:40:15 > 0:40:18treated with dignity.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20You probably heard Jess Phillips, the MP, talking
0:40:20 > 0:40:23about on the left, the Labour left, being very prone and guilty of
0:40:23 > 0:40:27misogyny.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29I think the Labour Party is probably as bad as other
0:40:29 > 0:40:31political parties.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33I think most institutions are not great at
0:40:33 > 0:40:36dealing with concerns people have around all sorts of behaviours that
0:40:36 > 0:40:37is unacceptable - whether it is sexist,
0:40:37 > 0:40:41whether it is racist, whether it is homophobic.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43We're in a situation now where we have got a
0:40:43 > 0:40:45government minister who doesn't deny getting his assistant to buy
0:40:45 > 0:40:47sex toys.
0:40:47 > 0:40:47Should he be sacked?
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Yes.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51If he worked for me, he would be sacked.
0:40:51 > 0:40:59Sadiq Khan, thank you very much.
0:40:59 > 0:41:06The times has a story which seems to drag Damian Green into the
0:41:06 > 0:41:15Westminster abuse scandal. In the last few moments Downing Street said
0:41:15 > 0:41:21they're referring Mr Green to the cabinet Secretary.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23That's it for tonight.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26We leave you with news of the death at the age of 90 of legendary
0:41:26 > 0:41:27Trade Unionist Derek Robinson.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Dubbed Red Robbo by the capitalist press, he became famous,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32And infamous, as the shop steward at the British Leyland Longbridge
0:41:32 > 0:41:36site in the 1970s who led the car workers out in a seemingly endless
0:41:36 > 0:41:37series of strikes.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40It made him a hero of the left, but the bogey man of the right,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42and immortalised the company as the butt of endless
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Saturday Night dad jokes on the BBC by the Two Ronnies -
0:41:45 > 0:41:46like this one.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47Goodnight.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50We've just heard that British Leyland strikers have been fitting
0:41:50 > 0:41:52silencers to motor horns - and now the cars don't
0:41:52 > 0:41:54give a hoot either.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56That's all we've got time for so it's good night from me...
0:41:56 > 0:41:58And it's good night from him.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Good night.