25/01/2018 Newsnight

Tonight, a woman so distraught

about her experience

at The President Club ball her mum

called in the police.

We hear the story of Anna,

speaking out for the first time

of the fondling, the massages,

the possible prostitution

and the other jobs.

A lot of the girls were handed the

men's business cards. I know there

were a lot of nanny jobs are being

offered, they were getting work from

these rich men.

To go and be a

nanny?

To go and nanny as well as

other things.

Also tonight, Newsnight has details

of how Saudi Arabia's

anti-corruption drive

is being conducted and talked

to the Canada-based

businessman at its centre.

He didn't look comfortable. He

was... He was unshaven. He didn't

look in his best condition.

Isner

mentor spreading beyond the

political arena? -- is Momentum.

People coming together in

solidarity, we get ourselves a good

deal.

We talk to Momentum's

chairman Jon Lansman,

successfully elected to Labour's

National Executvie Committe,

what does want Momentum to do now?

Good evening, she returned

from The President Club ball

extremely upset and confused.

Anna's mum told me today,

"not even daring to explain to me

what she'd witnessed because she'd

signed a non disclosure agreement".

Her mother, distraught,

called the police.

The stories that are emerging

about The Presidents Club dinners

at the Dorchester Hotel

are getting harder to hear, not

easier with time.

Anna herself, one of the 150 women

who'd attended the event,

both last week and in a previous

year, told me today of her dawning

realisation that the women there had

been hired to do nothing but

euphemistically - "have fun".

She described women giving the male

guests massages as they sat and ate,

she described being fondled by a man

who reached for her backside and

berated her for not being fitter.

She described the after-party,

where a group of women changed

into the same uniform

of sheer white robes,

women, she understood

then, to be prostitutes.

And she described the men

who offered the girls

who caught their eye nannying jobs

for their own children.

Anna is not her real name.

We have disguised her and her mum

to protect her identity as she said

When we got into the

room we were all...

We were sitting down and then

we got told to sign an NDA

and hand our phones in, which were

just put into plastic bags.

And then we were given dinner

and we got given a glass of wine

with dinner and then we were taken

for a rehearsal, which involved...

We basically had to stand.

We had to line up and then stand

at the top of the stage.

And we went in twos.

And we would pose at the top

of the stage and then walk.

As if they said it was a cat walk

around the room and then stand

by your assigned table.

So you were paraded around the room.

Up until this point,

it just feels like a sort of unusual

modelling assignment.

You're told what to wear.

It was somewhere between that and...

You know, we thought

we would be waitressing.

It wouldn't be food.

We were told it wasn't,

you know, offering food,

but it would be drinks.

You went through the night,

you served drinks.

Yup.

And then were you

talking to the man?

Or what did you...

The thing was, there were actually

drinks already on the table,

but there was also a bar.

A lot of the girls felt awkward,

because we didn't know how to...

Because, you know, the standing

up, the sitting down.

Because, you know, we're standing

up, their sitting down.

They're at a dinner.

We didn't really know

what we were supposed to do

because they already have alcohol

on the table from what we saw.

So we sort of realised,

we're not here to serve drinks.

And they come up to us

if they so we weren't speaking

to the man and sort of say,

you need to engage in conversation.

Which just felt so forced.

Because...

And just a bit strange, because that

wasn't what we were told.

We were all standing up

and it was very, you know...

It's quite claustrophobic

and you don't really know

how to speak to them,

while they're eating.

And did they engage

you in conversation, or...?

Yeah, they did.

And the thing was that I realised,

is there was just a massive mix

of people attending the dinner,

because some of the men...

It was quite obvious

that they were very

confused what our role was.

And also why we were there.

And they were quite shocked

by it and sort of...

I remember some of them actually

having a really nice conversation

with me and there's the other side

of the men, where they're

quite, just, flirtatious

and also grabby.

Like,

some of them, you know,

you'd stand and they would try

and hold your hand and speak to you.

Or hold you by the waist.

I had one man...

I was standing there

and he grabbed my bum and he said,

"You don't work out a lot, do you?"

And that's when, actually,

another of the men stood up for me

and said, "Don't let him

speak to you like that".

There were girls there that had done

it, clearly, before,

and they were very...

It looked like they

were enjoying it.

There were some girls

in the middle of the room,

on the longer table,

it was sort of...

They were so touchy,

massaging the men while they were

having their dinner.

Some of the girls were sitting

on men's lap and the men were sort

of feeding them their food.

There were definitely some of

the girls who enjoyed the evening.

A lot of them were handed

the men's business cards.

I know there were lots

of nanny jobs being

offered, so they were getting work

from these rich man.

To go and nanny.

Yeah, to go and nanny

as well as other things.

And then there were,

you know, the girls who were

very young.

They were 19.

Some of the men on their

table didn't want

them on the table because they said

they were too young and they

wouldn't entertain them properly.

What's going through your head

at this point, then?

It almost felt like we were escorts.

That was not our role and we weren't

told that would be our role.

And yes, some tables weren't eating.

They didn't have enough girls

on their table, so they complained

about not having enough girls.

Tell us what else you saw

at the after party.

Things changed, because all us

girls were in black.

You know, black dresses

and black belts.

And then at one point,

a song came on and these girls...

I can't remember exactly

how many there were.

I think about five women came

in, in sort of gowns

that were quite sheer

and sequins everywhere.

And they basically were also paraded

into the middle of the room.

And it seemed...

Like they were prostitutes.

That's what some of the girls

who had done it before said.

And did you see any of the men

actually pairing off with the girls?

Yeah, at the after party.

Quite a few others did.

We didn't see them going back

to their hotel rooms, but a lot

of the girls said they were taking

them back to their hotel room.

of the girls said they were taking

them back to their hotel rooms.

You were still up

when Anna got home.

She woke me up.

And what do you remember

of that night?

She was incredibly upset

because she was confused.

She didn't know how to act.

She was incredibly concerned

that there would be legal

consequences if she even spoke

to her own mother about it.

And what did you do the next day?

I called the police.

I was very angry and I felt that

something should be done

about it, so I called the police

and the police came over and then

I also felt quite protective

about my

daughter, who wasn't keen for this

to go any further and...

The police then came

back a little bit later

and said that, unfortunately,

there was nothing they

could do, because if

a bunch of middle aged men

want to employ women

in whatever capacity at a dinner,

it's not against the law.

It makes me furious.

Anna thought then she'd

never go back, but she

came under pressure to do so and

reluctantly returned this year.

What did you find, this time?

Was it different?

Had the atmosphere changed?

It was different in the fact that,

at the after party, there

weren't these women

who came in in white.

That never happened

at the event last week.

But it was along the same lines.

And you found it easier, did you?

Yeah, I did find it easier

and I was actually able, sort

of, to look after some of the girls

who were quite shocked by what was

going on.

What did you think when you saw it

had been exposed, it was

all over the papers and the news?

I was very happy!

And kind of amazed,

because I didn't think that would

actually happen.

But I think it's a great

thing it's happened.

One of the women from The Presidents

Club.

And just to add that,

the Metropolitan Police have

confirmed they received a third

party allegation of sexual assault

against a female at an event held

at a hotel on Park Lane on 21st

January 2017.

They also confirmed she did not

want to proceed with the allegation

and consequently the investigation

was discontinued.

Our business editor

Helen Thomas is here.

What else have we learned today?

This evening, we heard that Lord

Mandelson, the Labour peer, was

asked to step back from the front

bench. He attended part of that

evening. He agreed to do so and it

could put pressure on others who

attended the event. We're getting a

fuller picture of exactly who was at

this dinner. They were not very

wealthy and well-known people, like

the likes of Sir Philip Green, owner

of top shop. A broad range of

people, tables of some younger

professionals. Men in finance or

real estate but not the boss class.

Vice Chancellor of Bolton University

confirmed he was there and he said

he didn't witness any of that

behaviour but said he felt

uncomfortable and left early. Senior

bankers. The old lawyer.

Another guest we spoke to, another

person who left early and didn't see

anything told us he remember there

being a verbal warning, you've got

some lovely ladies to look after

you, they are someone's sisters and

daughters, so, please respect them.

Gosh, so everyone left early apart

from those who obviously staged for

the after party. Where does this go

next?

There have been calls for the

police to investigate. Vince Cable

and Joe Swinson, leader and deputy

leader of the Liberal Democrats

wrote to the Metropolitan Police.

When we spoke to the mat, they said

there hadn't been any complaints or

reports by many individuals as yet.

But as part of this we will see a

focus on nondisclosure agreements.

The hostesses were asked to sign

5-page agreements and the Prime

Minister's office today has said

that is something they will take a

look at, how those are being used.

Thanks.

Newsnight has discovered details

about how Saudi Arabia's

anti-corruption drive

is being conducted.

It began last November,

with the rounding up and detention

of dozens of citizens,

including members

of the royal family.

A Canadian-based businessman

who was flown to the Kingdom to help

the authorities construct a case

against the most celebrated

detainee, Prince

Al-Waleed bin Talal.

And now that businessman has been

talking to our diplomatic

editor, Mark Urban.

Viewers should be aware

that there is flash

photography in the film.

Early in November, something

happened that many Saudis would have

thought unimaginable.

From their homes across the country,

dozens of the Kingdom's richest men,

including members of the Royal

family, were swept up

and detained in the gilded cage

of Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

It's been called an anti-corruption

drive and those facing interrogation

include Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal,

whose estimated $18 billion fortune

makes him Saudi Arabia's

richest businessman.

Waleed bin Talal is important,

because he is the richest

of the detainees, by far.

So, he is very important

in financial terms.

But he is also important

because he is one of the best-known

princes in the west.

And he has many Western connections

and he has many Western businesses.

Waleed is known for his

gold-plated private airliner,

his friendship with celebrities

as well as his business,

Kingdom Holdings, that has

stakes in EuroDisney

and Western tech companies.

But his wealth and family

connections also made him a rival

to Mohammed bin Salman,

Crown Prince and architect

of the anti-corruption drive.

We drive in under police escort,

just past midnight.

No-one enters here, now,

without official permission.

The BBC got a swift look

inside the Ritz-Carlton,

but opposition sources have claimed

inmates were being tortured

and required to sign

over their fortunes,

in order to be released.

On Monday, the Arab Digest

website reported that

Canadian-based businessman,

Alan Bender, seen here to the right

of Waleed bin Talal, had been flown

to the Kingdom as it built

a case against the Prince.

Mr Bender was taken

to a site near the hotel.

Alan Bender had a unique insight

into the situation in the Ritz,

because for the past two and a half

months, there's been very little

information escaping -

that the Saudis have controlled

the inflammation flow.

Newsnight managed to locate

Mr Bender in Toronto.

He was able to confirm his trip

to Riyadh in December and he spoke

via video conference

while there with the detained

Prince Waleed.

He was brought in

the teleconference.

He was brought in through

the teleconference.

He was sat down.

We were looking at each

other, face-to-face.

I think he was surprised to see me.

Umm...

He looked different from what I'm

used to seeing him look.

Did he look as if he was,

in some way, being ill treated?

Or was he just shocked to see you?

How would you describe

his appearance?

I would say he didn't

look comfortable.

He wasn't...

He was unshaven.

He didn't look in his

best condition at all.

He looked tired.

A lot of twitching,

while I was reading

the script out to him.

The Saudi authorities had prepared

a script of allegations

for Mr Bender to read

out to Waleed bin Talal

via a video conference link.

In the script, it contained a lot

of information related to regarded

conversations that Prince Al-Waleed

had, with or without his knowledge.

It touches political,

financial and moral issues.

I would say my presence

was to be used as, probably,

evidence of details that they needed

to confront him, because I was

probably the only person

who was involved in personal

and direct negotiations with him,

related to a very personal matter

that was supposed to be kept secret.

Those very personal matters related

to Waleed's separation

from a former long-term partner.

Mr Bender has represented her

in settlement negotiations

and she alleges that the Prince

engaged in abusive

and immoral conduct.

The Saudi authorities, it seems,

want to use these personal pressure

points to force Waleed to sign

over his foreign wealth.

Alan Bender has had a sequence

of meetings with Waleed bin

Talal over the years,

face-to-face, very tough

negotiations, concerning this very

acrimonious divorce.

So, these two know

each other very well.

And the Saudis flew in Alan Bender

and other old business adversaries

of Waleed, to try to

put pressure on him,

to try to crack him and make him do

what Mohammed bin Salman wants,

which is hand over all his foreign

assets and make video-taped

confessions, admitting

to all his guilt and

swearing allegiance.

The Saudi authorities have announced

the Ritz-Carlton will soon revert

to its normal role as a hotel.

But there's evidence

that some key detainees,

including Prince Waleed had been

transferred to detention

elsewhere, even in December.

The room he was in definitely

was not a hotel room.

I would say it looked more

like a detention room or something

related to a jail cell.

Even the sound of the doors,

sliding back and forth.

It didn't look or sound

like he was at the Ritz-Carlton.

You've known him, obviously,

for many years, what sort

of change do you think had come over

the man that you saw

through that video teleconference?

Dramatic changes.

He looked completely

different from the man I saw.

Whether in North America or in

Saudi Arabia or in Switzerland,

he wasn't the same person, at all.

He looked very sad.

And very...

Stressed.

Alan Bender's account is a singular

one and the Saudi authorities

have not yet responded

to our request for comment.

But it gives a good idea

of the lengths the Kingdom's rulers

are willing to go to humble a prince

who was their most

successful businessman.

Well, Mark Urban joins me now.

How Clear do you think we are now on

what's actually going on in Saudi

Arabia?

One of the things that is so

remarkable about Alan Bender's

account is we go very little from

any sort of reliable sources. The

whole thing has been cloaked in

secrecy and mystery. I mean, from

what we understand, because of the

powers the Saudi monarchy can wield,

some of these detainees have agreed

to surrender huge amounts of wealth.

So everything that's on the Saudi

side of the balance sheet, if you

like, is open to expropriation

ordeals. Some Saudi officials have

been talking about raking in up to

$100 billion from this

anti-corruption drive, so the sums

involved are huge. One Prince

reportedly released after agreeing

to pay $1 billion. Then you get to

the wealth outside the country, like

Prince Waleed's big stake in

EuroDisney, for example, much more

complex, much more likely to be

litigated. It is perhaps for that

reason that they're going to be

bowled like Alan Bender is to find,

if you like, dossiers of evidence

that could be used either to

persuade Prince Waleed not to impose

this in foreign courts ought to be

used in foreign courts.

And your

sense of what happens now is?

The

Saudis say this thing is winding

down, that there are a few dozen

people still in custody, that 90

have been released, that many deals

have been done. They say if you

agree to pay compensation for your

corrupt acts and to be sincere in

your repentance, you can be

released, and indeed it's known that

that's happened in the case of many

families. But the are still dozens

of people detained. About 60, it's

pleased, in highest security prison

including Prince Waleed outside

Riyadh. Their future is unclear.

The arrival of three Momentum

candidates last week

on Labour's ruling executive,

the NEC, was dubbed a Lan-slide.

A playful take on the name

of the charismatic figure

at its centre, Jon Lansman.

If Tony Blair's New Labour thought

it had shut down the socialist left

of his party for good,

the rise of Momentum,

which now stands at the party's very

core, is a reminder of how

much can change.

The group were formed

following Jeremy Corbyn's successful

campaign for the Labour leadership

in 2015 and now boasts 150 local

groups and over 200,000

members and supporters.

In a moment, I'll be

speaking to Jon Lansman,

but first David Grossman has been

to Lancaster to see what Momentum

look like in action.

Here's a project

making a difference.

Deborah Finn is collecting unwanted

food from this warehouse in Preston.

It's the start of a process

that she hopes will not just help

some people who need some help,

but will also change society.

The question is, is this politics,

is it activism, is it charity

or is it something else?

It's not party politics,

in that sense.

It is political, because

community is political.

When I started doing this,

I kept being told off, that,

you know, politics has no

place in community.

I was just bewildered by that.

I mean, what is community if it's

not full of political decisions?

And, so, for me, this...

I only got into this,

this whole process,

in September 2015, guess why?!

And got involved then with

the Labour Party and with Momentum.

So, why Momentum?

Why not just the Labour Party?

For me, I don't see

a distinction, to be honest.

So, why have the two memberships?

Why be a member of Momentum

and not just Labour?

I suppose just to signal

the strength of belief amongst

the membership that,

actually, we do want a different

kind of Labour Party.

That we want one that really does

believe in the new politics

of hope, of solidarity.

The food from the warehouse

is laid out at the friend's

meeting hall in Lancaster, piles

of perfectly good in-date produce.

It's a waste of a system Deborah

says needs to change.

This isn't charity.

This isn't a food bank.

No, no, not even remotely.

This acts like a cooperative.

This is about people coming

together in solidarity.

When we get together,

we get ourselves a good deal.

At half past six, the Lancaster

Community Food Club opens its doors.

The members pay the club

dues, £3 a week.

They vote on the club rules

and they socialise over tea.

This is not, though,

a political meeting.

There is no mention at all

of Jeremy Corbyn or Momentum.

This is not about getting

people to vote for change,

but being a change.

Do you talk to them about Momentum?

No, no, no, no.

You don't?

No, no, no.

There's absolutely no

politics in the club.

But Momentum's part of you and this

is why you're doing it.

Yes.

It's about my belief

as a human being about how

I think society should be.

And I think, if we are socialists,

we need to live our values.

I think we can't go

around speechifying.

I think we have to demonstrate it,

that is how we will achieve change,

by living our values.

We do need to change society,

from the ground up.

Do you think, in a sense,

that the problem with

the Labour Party was that it lost

sight of that connection

with the communities

that they were serving?

It was more, sort of, top-down?

Yes.

It was a sense that,

"As long as you give people stuff,

you know, they'll be grateful

and they'll vote for us".

Yeah.

Yes.

Undoubtably.

Yes.

And it stopped working, didn't it?

At the end of the evening,

the club members take turns

to collect a share of the food.

Around £35-£40 worth it.

Not surprisingly, there's

a waiting list to join.

How much is it really a model

for a new type of politics?

How much is it simply a reflection

of the fact that, as Deborah says,

people love a good deal.

Jon Lansman, Momentum

Chairman, joins me now.

Nice of you do come in. Give us

sense. We'd seen some of the

projects like the food, the sort of

community projects going on. How

much do you think that should be the

state's responsibility still and how

much should it be the work of

Momentum and the work of local

activists now to take on some of the

bigger problems, A&E provisions of

those sort of thing is?

I think it

should be a state of microbe

responsible at to do those things

that the state has off-loaded. The

collapse in recent days of trillion

has demonstrated the folly of

privatising public services.

privatising public services. -- the

collapse of Carillion. Private

sector contractors are at risk.

Still having to pick up the bill at

the end of the day. It would be so

much better for us to do it. I also

think it's important that we do live

the values that we preach and the

work that Deborah's doing up in

Lancashire is fantastic.

And

Momentum stays local. It's

individual groups and it's a kind of

centralised campaign.

It's both. We

got local groups that do things on

the ground, that work at elections,

that, you know, campaign in their

communities and in their workplaces.

And at a national level, you know,

we try and provide the back-up and

support. We developed digital tools.

We mobilise people to do the things

we need.

So let's look ahead, then.

Momentum backed councillors could be

the dominant voice on Haringey

Council. Come May, if you have that

push behind you, how radical but the

change be? How much would you like

to see? You mentioned the failure of

Carillion. Would you like to see an

end to the public-private

partnerships under way? The

development of the biggest state

between land lease and the council?

I don't accept there's going to be a

Momentum Council.

You've got to have

a strong voice.

We will, but it will

be a Labour council. It is now and

will remain so. I think that the

deal, I can understand why

councillors in the past but you may

have to do those deals as perhaps

the only option, but I think now we

could be only months away from a

Corbyn government. I think we got a

much greater opportunity.

How strong

will you be? If you have this boys,

will you say, I don't want to see

any more public-private by the ships

on the council? Let's take a Labour

run council, Manchester, I don't

want to see those deals any more?

Will you feel able to tell those

Labour councillors what to do?

I

think the great thing we've achieved

as Jeremy 's election as leader, is

we can enforce what they believe,

the state can do good things. The

state has been slapped off by

unfortunately too many politicians

across the spectrum over the last 30

years.

You are the radical man. You

either chairman of momentum. Let me

take you back to Haringey Council.

Would you like to see public worker

salaries over £60,000 cut?

That

isn't a proposal I'm familiar with.

Am I the radical man? I think I'm

the mainstream man. Momentum is the

new mainstream.

Is that something

you'd like to see?

I think there is

in many parts of the private sector

is far too great gap between the top

paid and the lowest paid, but that

isn't the top priority for me in

Haringey. I think we need, actually,

good managers to be able to take

public service...

Council tax, Chris

Williams's idea. A rise in council

tax for larger houses, cut it for

smaller ones. Where is your big idea

now? This is your moment. You've

come of age and you can start

saying, this is our radical plan.

This is what we want to see.

We are

developing radical plans and I think

a lot of local authorities are

thinking of new ways of delivering

public services in the public sector

and that is what I want to see. I

don't think that's radical. I think

it is now mainstream.

But no

commitment to cut salaries, no

commitment to raise council tax on

big houses, none of the ideas that

have been floated over the past few

months?

I want to see us build

houses. We've hardly build any

houses in Britain for generations.

Everyone wants to see that. What

makes...

You say that, the Tories

might say it but they haven't done

it. Unfortunately, neither did the

last Labour government. I want to

see it in the next.

You've said

clearly that Momentum will not

campaign for the deselection of

anyone anywhere, I think was your

phrase. Do you think there are

elements pulling you away from a

Corbyn victory?

I am pleased with

the new spirit of unity that we saw

on the NEC this week, is that I

think we now see in the PLP, that

recognises that Jeremy is here to

stay. I think we are seeking a

transformative government.

In a

spirit of unity, when you have for

example a local Momentum group

continuing to support and campaign

for a man who's been suspended for

the Dubler from the Labour Party for

his anti-Semitic views, what role do

you need to play as chairman of

Momentum? Where do you stand on

that?

I have experienced

anti-Semitism. My children are only

half Jewish, they have experienced

it.

You know what I'm talking about.

Local Momentum group, Walthamstow

supporting David Watson who was

suspended from the Labour Party

Scott and trying to get to the

bottom of this. Do you tell that

local Momentum group to get in line

because Labour has suspended this

man for anti-Semitic remarks?

Someone who has suspended Seu been

suspended hasn't yet been removed.

There are processes. One of the

things I want to see is speeding up

those processes. However, there

should be proper processes. I want

to see them improved and sped up but

we are very clear in Momentum that

if people are not members of the

Labour Party, they cannot be members

of Momentum. We are a Labour Party

organisation.

What would your

message be to Momentum? Don't like

someone who's been suspended for

anti-Semitic remarks, or do what you

want?

If people have made

anti-Semitic remarks, we have to

deal with that. But we have to do it

all so through a process because we

believe in applying the principles

of natural justice.

State visit is

now back on, working visit for

President dropped. Jeremy Corbyn

will be meeting him when he comes, I

assume?

I don't know whether he'll

be meeting Trump, but I don't think

he will welcome the visit and I

certainly don't. I think most people

in Britain won't.

Will you be out

there protesting it?

I think I will

be protesting Trump's visit. He has

shown himself to be a racist, to be

completely against what most people

in Britain believe in. I think his

politics have no place in British

society or in the United States.

Thank you very much.

Now, from events inside

Labour to events inside

the Conservative Party.

And, who knew, there's a bit

of a ruccus tonight on Brexit.

Nick Watt is here.

Take us through it.

We now have a

full-scale row in the Conservative

Party right up to the senior levels

in the Cabinet after a speech by the

Chancellor, Philip Hammond, to the

CBI in Davos. Talking about the

nature of a future trading agreement

between the UK

nature of a future trading agreement

between the UK and the EU he said

this:

. The Chancellor did clarify his

. The Chancellor did clarify his

remarks, but it really looked the

blue touch paper. His clarification

was not good enough for Downing

Street and this evening, Downing

Street issued a statement in which

they said, "The UK is going to be

the customs union and the single

market and these could not be

described as very modest changes".

That is throwing the Chancellor's

words back at him. The reason for

that absolute fury in the Cabinet,

I'm hearing from people not 1

million miles away from Cabinet

ministers, things like the

Chancellor's speech is making a

complete mockery of the Prime

Minister's Florence speech. He is

playing a very dangerous game and

the Chancellor wants to stay in the

EU in all but name.

Where is the

strength? What will happen?

Interesting speech this evening from

Jacob Rees Mogg, he is the leader,

the Chairman of the Eurosceptic

European reform group. Talking about

that mindset of the Chancellor, he

said we have to be careful about

being timid, about cowering and

about being terrified of our future.

The next step tomorrow is David

Davis, the Brexit secretary giving a

speech, giving more details of the

incoming patient period or

transition period. I'm told this

speech will be billed as a speech

from a principled pragmatists. It's

about keeping faith with your

respect -- Eurosceptics. And this is

not a speech of a "Weak supplicant".

And I think they are quite keen that

we compare that to the Chancellor's

speech.

Thank you.

We might all recoil from the slew

of smartphone images

that saturate the world.

But the response of one master

photographer has been to devote

years to a single picture at a time.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that

Andreas Gursky's large prints

of subjects such as tulip fields,

and one of Amazon's warehouses,

have been likened to abstract art.

As a new exhibition of his images

opens at a revamped Hayward Gallery

in London, the photographer gave

a rare interview to Stephen Smith.

This is a rave in

Germany, in Dortmund.

So, in a way, I'm very close

to this kind of music.

You like this music, don't you?

I like it very much.

I've read it's all

you listen to, now.

Is that right?

Yes.

So in a way I'm also...

I feel like a member.

You're a raver?

I'm a raver, yeah.

Andreas Gursky has brought his

outsize, meticulously composed

pictures to the refurbished

Hayward Gallery

on London's Southbank.

The pick of four decades of work,

some are eerily lonely.

In others, people teem -

human ant hills.

This is Gursky's view of one

of Amazon's despatching centres.

He's been called a chronicler

of late capitalism.

The remarks are right, because my

subject matters come from news

and this is the themes

with which we are concerned,

but this is only one aspect

of my work, so I'm a picture maker

and my main interest

is doing images.

A striking and uncluttered

stretch of the Rhine.

This image fetched

an astonishing £2.7 million

at auction, seven years ago.

A then record for a photograph.

It isn't quite what it seems.

You've removed factories,

or a factory.

What was your thinking, there?

It was just a consequent decision

to get the perfect image.

So, the location by itself I know

quite well as it's not far

from my studio and I do

there my daily jogging.

And so the idea came up by jogging

and looking on the river and then

on later on to realise the image,

it took me nearly two years.

Back at his studio,

manipulation of digital images

is now an established part

of Gursky's practice.

A bird's-eye view of a race track

in Bahrain becomes almost abstract.

Painstaking compositions like this

are Gursky's riposte to the Niagara

of images now flooding the world.

I think, in a way, my task is to set

something against this many,

many thousands, millions of images,

so, I'm producing very big,

heavy images and that means, yeah,

a decision in advance.

The photographer's high vantage

point has been called Godlike.

Is it benign?

You're more interested in the mass

of people than in an individual.

Why is that, Andreas?

In German, or in French,

we say "la condition humaine" -

this is what I'm more interested in.

That's all from us, but before

we go, for some they were eyesores,

for others they were status symbols,

but Sky today announced

that they will be ditching the dish.

Starting in Europe,

but before long in the UK,

Sky will be switching its TV

transmission from satellite

to broadband, and those

once-outlandish, now-familiar

appendages will start

to disappear from the terraces

and tower-blocks of Britain.

Here's a look back at the exciting

moment when Tomorrow's World

broadcast the first pictures

from Sky's Astra satellite.

Goodnight.

There are two satellite broadcaster

starting up this year, using

different types of television signal

and with satellites in different

parts of the sky.

And we've got a dish which is up on

the roof, ready to receive the very

first pictures from Astra.

Fingers

crossed, we should get those first

pictures coming in. There we are.

Those are pictures of the control