0:00:07 > 0:00:11Theresa May has a plan for Brexit.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14On Friday she's going to spell it out for us in a big speech...
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Her problem is that the EU have killed it off already.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22TRANSLATION:It is an illusion to imagine that we are going
0:00:22 > 0:00:27to accept cherry picking.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31We are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the single market.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33There's also trouble ahead over the Irish border.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And whether we meant it when we said there wouldn't be one.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39We'll get the Irish perspective.
0:00:39 > 0:00:45And hear how the Brexiteers want to deal with the problems.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46Also tonight: the tragic death of Zac Cox...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48A British man working on the construction
0:00:48 > 0:00:52of a new stadium in Qatar.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I find this probably the most traumatic piece of
0:00:55 > 0:00:57information that we've got.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59You can see this is where Zac apparently landed.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02So you can see his safety harness which has been cut.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04You can see the ropes.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07You can see his shoe and you can see the dent in the
0:01:07 > 0:01:10structure which is probably where he fell.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12A new study says street cannabis is getting
0:01:12 > 0:01:20dangerously strong.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27When he
0:01:29 > 0:01:34-- when you use skunk you are five times more likely to develop
0:01:34 > 0:01:36psychosis compared with somebody who does not use it.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Does that make it more or less sensible to legalise
0:01:39 > 0:01:40the weaker forms of the drug.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41And this...
0:01:41 > 0:01:42LAUGHTER.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44John Sweeney gets full on snow madness.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Hello.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Let's be clear.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The EU is not making it easy for Theresa May.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Michel Barnier made clear today that Brussels will hold clear
0:01:52 > 0:01:57to its own goals rather than bend to help the Prime Minister.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01It now feels as if this is the week that the fudge could hit the fan -
0:02:01 > 0:02:03to use a phrase of one Brexit expert.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06So let's look at why this is all becoming so difficult.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Last December, with a lot of fanfare, we signed a Joint Report
0:02:08 > 0:02:11with the EU on the terms of our divorce.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Tomorrow, the EU publishes its suggested legal version of that,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19hardening up some of the unresolved ambiguity of the December version.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24Notably on the issue of the Irish border.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27So that's headache number one.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Complicated by the position of Boris Johnson.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35More on that later.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38But then, headache number two relates to our long term trading
0:02:38 > 0:02:39relationship with the EU.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41At a press conference today, Michel Barnier was clear
0:02:41 > 0:02:43that the carefully constructed cabinet compromise
0:02:43 > 0:02:44on that is a non-starter.
0:02:44 > 0:02:52Here's Nick Watt.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55An exasperated minister has an arresting analogy
0:02:55 > 0:02:59for the Brexit negotiations.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02They are now like the iconic scene in the spaghetti western, The Good,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06The Bad, And The Ugly.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Who will shoot first?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10This minister asked me.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14As if on cue, one of the characters in the real-life stand-off popped up
0:03:14 > 0:03:21to make clear that the EU is now spoiling for a fight.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Michel Barnier was dismissive of Britain's plans for its future
0:03:23 > 0:03:26trading relationship with the EU, which Theresa May will outline
0:03:26 > 0:03:33in a major speech on Friday.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35TRANSLATION:It is an illusion to imagine that we are going
0:03:35 > 0:03:36to accept cherry picking.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38We are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the single market.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40The UK knows the rules that underpins the integrity
0:03:40 > 0:03:48because they worked with us to create them for 43 years.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Tomorrow the European Commission will publish its full legal text
0:04:01 > 0:04:02of the UK's withdrawal treaty.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Amid frustration in Brussels that the UK is not rising
0:04:04 > 0:04:07to the challenge, the EU is planning to tighten its demands
0:04:07 > 0:04:15on the Irish border.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26This busy thoroughfare is the latest source of irritation in the EU.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28After Boris Johnson appeared to liken the change in road signs
0:04:28 > 0:04:31between two London boroughs to the Northern Ireland border.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33The Foreign Secretary said the success of cameras in collecting
0:04:33 > 0:04:36the congestion charge shows how the dilemma of the Northern Ireland
0:04:36 > 0:04:38border after Brexit can be resolved with a little imagination.
0:04:38 > 0:04:46Ireland's's governing party is unimpressed.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53I suppose I was a little surprised, but I'm never shocked
0:04:53 > 0:04:56by what Boris Johnson says, so I'm taking it with
0:04:56 > 0:04:57a slight grain of salt.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59But it's much more serious than that, because I represent
0:04:59 > 0:05:01a constituency that borders with Northern Ireland,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and we know very well the downside if things go wrong with Brexit.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07So I would hope Boris Johnson would have a better understanding
0:05:07 > 0:05:10that we are not talking about two boroughs in the United Kingdom,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15or in London, we're talking about two sovereign nations.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Downing Street is for once relaxed about the Foreign Secretary.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Sources say he was simply making a general call for original thinking
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and isn't suggesting that cameras should be placed along
0:05:24 > 0:05:28the Irish border.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30The Government's plans involve no infrastructure along the border
0:05:30 > 0:05:38and simply call for digital innovation to track goods.
0:05:39 > 0:05:45This is not the 19th century where we have moustachioed customs
0:05:45 > 0:05:46officers wearing caps with epaulettes peering
0:05:46 > 0:05:48into your barracks.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Almost all customs clearance is done electronically and in advance.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52That process is becoming easier as technology advances.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55There is something going on with some of our negotiating
0:05:55 > 0:05:57partners in Brussels, not so much in the 27 capitals,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01where, you know, if you asked them the time of day they say no cherry
0:06:01 > 0:06:03picking, you can't have your cake and eat it.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The UK Government has come out with a series of friendly
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and imaginative ways to maintain the closest possible cooperation.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14And this has been our position right from the beginning,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16right from Theresa May's Lancaster house speech saying she wanted
0:06:16 > 0:06:24the UK to be the EU's best friend and closest ally.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26The Brexit stand-off is now underway.
0:06:26 > 0:06:34Who, if anyone, will be riding off into the sunset?
0:06:37 > 0:06:44Nick's here now and so is our business editor Helen Thomas.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50The other story today was Liam Fox spelling out his vision. And also
0:06:50 > 0:06:55trying to counter the claims of his former secretary who said giving up
0:06:55 > 0:06:59the EU for future trade deals is like giving up a three course meal
0:06:59 > 0:07:04with the promise of a packet of crisps. Take us through that
0:07:04 > 0:07:07particular argument.Let's take a look at the big picture.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The EU is a big chunk - 44% - of exports.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13But it has been getting smaller.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Over the last decade.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19The Liam Fox view of the world is that 90% of economic growth over
0:07:19 > 0:07:21the next decade is forecast to come from places outside the EU.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So that's where we should focus.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26But there is good evidence that countries trade more with places
0:07:26 > 0:07:28that are big and rich and close to them.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33Which is why the EU is important.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Let's take the government numbers - from that Brexit analysis leaked
0:07:36 > 0:07:37to Buzzfeed last month.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Here's the three-course meal.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43This looked at how much lower UK growth might be over
0:07:43 > 0:07:4715 years after Brexit.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49So it was 2% lower in the softest Brexit
0:07:49 > 0:07:51scenario, where we remain in the European Economic Area.
0:07:51 > 0:07:575% with a free trade agreement with the EU.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02-- 5% lower with a free trade agreement with the EU.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05And then 8% in a hard, WTO scenario.
0:08:05 > 0:08:12Now the crisps.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13They are the deals.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15So that same analysis - assumed that a trade deal
0:08:15 > 0:08:20with the US would add 0.2% to GDP in the long term.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Trade deals with everyone else - China, India,
0:08:22 > 0:08:30Australia, Southeast Asia - would add 0.1% to 0.4% in total.
0:08:34 > 0:08:42They are the small bites.OK. They are small numbers. How much weight
0:08:42 > 0:08:47should be put on them?They look strangely small.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49But when we were talking about TTIP -
0:08:49 > 0:08:52or a deal between the EU and US - it was estimated that it
0:08:52 > 0:08:57could boost UK GDP by 0.14% - 0.35% over a decade.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59And actually the EU's analysis of its own trade deals -
0:08:59 > 0:09:07comes up with similarly small benefits to GDP.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10The caveat is that it is hard to model the benefits of the deal,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13particularly when it comes to removing nontariff barriers, which
0:09:13 > 0:09:18is most of the benefits. Liam Fox was asked about this. He said he
0:09:18 > 0:09:23didn't recognise that choice. We want a deal with the EU, we are
0:09:23 > 0:09:28pursuing deals elsewhere, and we are rolling over EU deals into UK law.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33He wants his meal, his crisps, it may a burger on the side, whatever
0:09:33 > 0:09:41it may be.Thank you. Boris Johnson has had quite a day. There has been
0:09:41 > 0:09:45a leak, a letter about the Irish border to Theresa May, tell us about
0:09:45 > 0:09:51it.The front page of the Daily Telegraph. It says Boris raises the
0:09:51 > 0:09:54prospect of a hard border in Ireland. This is off the back of a
0:09:54 > 0:09:58letter leaked by Boris Johnson to the PM to Sky News in which he
0:09:58 > 0:10:03raises that very prospect. He isn't saying that he wants that to happen,
0:10:03 > 0:10:09but he is saying that if it does happen we shouldn't worry because in
0:10:09 > 0:10:13that scenario 95% plus of goods would cross that border on
0:10:13 > 0:10:21unchecked. Why is he saying this? He is saying this because he fears that
0:10:21 > 0:10:25in seeking a 100% guarantee of no hard border, the Prime Minister is
0:10:25 > 0:10:32in danger of paying too high a price. At that price could raise
0:10:32 > 0:10:36questions about the ultimate UK endgame, which is this ambitious,
0:10:36 > 0:10:46managed both urgent from the EU. Now the -- number ten has said there
0:10:46 > 0:10:55will be no hard border along the island border. -- managed divergence
0:10:55 > 0:10:59from the EU.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The Tory MP Bernard Jenkin is with me - but first let's
0:11:02 > 0:11:03speak to Neale Richmond, he's the Irish government
0:11:03 > 0:11:07spokesman on EU affairs.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11The legal agreement, I'm confused about this legal agreement we are
0:11:11 > 0:11:13going to get tomorrow, because it seems to say that in the absence of
0:11:13 > 0:11:18any other solution Northern Ireland has to align itself on everything
0:11:18 > 0:11:26with the EU. Is that what you understand the legal agreement is?
0:11:26 > 0:11:34This draft legal text is the legal manifest -- manifestation between EU
0:11:34 > 0:11:39and the British negotiating team. We resolve all issues as close as
0:11:39 > 0:11:43possible. We want to be working together. The second option is
0:11:43 > 0:11:45awaiting the data from the British Government. We've been waiting quite
0:11:45 > 0:11:51some time for that. The third option is the backstop, which is something
0:11:51 > 0:11:55nobody wants, that will ensure the entire island of Ireland maintains
0:11:55 > 0:12:00that Customs alignment to make sure there is no return to a border.That
0:12:00 > 0:12:04is the backstop, sorry to interrupt, can you tell me, in that backstop
0:12:04 > 0:12:10world, which is the only one being written into the first draft of
0:12:10 > 0:12:14this, in that Wyatt Russell single market customs union border go
0:12:14 > 0:12:25exactly? -- in that backstop. You have obviously thought about the
0:12:25 > 0:12:29backstop, you are happy with it, where does your border, the EU
0:12:29 > 0:12:34border with the UK, the non-single market customs union, where does it
0:12:34 > 0:12:42go?We are not happy with the backstop. We accept it.Where does
0:12:42 > 0:12:48the border go? Please answer.It is a bit simplistic to put it like
0:12:48 > 0:12:54that. It means there was no border on the island of Ireland. It means
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Northern Ireland is in full alignment with the European Union.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04Where does the market border go? When a ship arrives at the north of
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Ireland with goods. Is there a border? Is there no EU border?It
0:13:09 > 0:13:14would be a matter for the UK to implement that throughout the
0:13:14 > 0:13:19entire...We can then send everything we have got, sorry to be
0:13:19 > 0:13:23aggressive, if you are imposing no board anywhere, what is going to
0:13:23 > 0:13:28stop UK...I'm not proposing anything. This is a draft agreement.
0:13:28 > 0:13:36Where does the border go? You are not able to tell me.I never once
0:13:36 > 0:13:42said there was no border. I said there was no border on the island of
0:13:42 > 0:13:49Ireland.Where is it?Between the remainder of the UK with the EU.You
0:13:49 > 0:13:56will put EU customs posts in Northern Ireland to stop... At
0:13:56 > 0:14:02Belfast Airport to stop people flying, goods flying from Britain to
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Northern Ireland? There will be EU customs post in Belfast stopping
0:14:06 > 0:14:15stuff coming from Britain into Belfast? Is that your proposal?No.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20But you just said.Let me finish. The agreement from both British and
0:14:20 > 0:14:24European sides in December, and this isn't just a European decision, this
0:14:24 > 0:14:29is a draft based on the political agreement in December. It refers to
0:14:29 > 0:14:40a joint EU UK customs union.Wait there. What is your solution?
0:14:40 > 0:14:46You are seeing de-escalation from the Irish Republic government. They
0:14:46 > 0:14:54do not want to threaten a hard water. I will say what Theresa May
0:14:54 > 0:14:59will not say but I know that she thinks. We are not having a hard
0:14:59 > 0:15:04water in Northern Ireland under any circumstances. If the EU wants a
0:15:04 > 0:15:08hard border and put things up at the border then that is their problem.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11But this country has signed an agreement that says if we do not
0:15:11 > 0:15:18agree a border we will line. That is the agreement that we signed.The
0:15:18 > 0:15:22word alignment is not regulatory alignment, it is highly ambiguous
0:15:22 > 0:15:30and a rather fudged agreement.Full alignment, with the rules of the
0:15:30 > 0:15:35customs union.It is a somewhat fudged agreement.You're just trying
0:15:35 > 0:15:40to backslide from something you signed up to.It does not refer to
0:15:40 > 0:15:45regulatory alignment.The rules of the internal market and Customs
0:15:45 > 0:15:52union.In trade agreements alignment and regulatory alignment are
0:15:52 > 0:16:01different things.You're just trying to backslide on an agreement.I am
0:16:01 > 0:16:08clear there is going to be no hard border in Northern Ireland. I'm also
0:16:08 > 0:16:11clear worst-case scenario, unless the EU is so stupid they do not want
0:16:11 > 0:16:16a trade agreement at all, we will at least have some Canada or Canada
0:16:16 > 0:16:22plus agreement. Michel Barnier has said that. In which case, and as
0:16:22 > 0:16:28Bertie Ahern has said and and Kenny used to say, that we do not need a
0:16:28 > 0:16:33hard border in Northern Ireland. And here is a paper published by the
0:16:33 > 0:16:41European Parliament and drafted by the Secretary
0:16:41 > 0:16:44the Secretary General of the world customs Organisation saying you do
0:16:44 > 0:16:52not need a hard border. You can use technology and risk based policing.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Are you running out completely any kind of technological solution to
0:16:54 > 0:17:01the issue that the British want to divert from the single market and
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Customs union regulations and that means some kind of checks at the
0:17:03 > 0:17:10border?What Wiggo one is the agreement in December made by both
0:17:10 > 0:17:13the European negotiating side and British Government. We're staying
0:17:13 > 0:17:17true to that agreement that will be no return to a border on the island
0:17:17 > 0:17:24of Ireland. People talk about electronic options but we have seen
0:17:24 > 0:17:28no detail. Brexit happens in 13 months. Reassuring speeches and
0:17:28 > 0:17:33soothing noises are no use at this stage unless we see substantive
0:17:33 > 0:17:40detail which we have not seen. There is no real solution. By maintaining
0:17:40 > 0:17:46there is no border on the island of Ireland.Effectively you are saying
0:17:46 > 0:17:53the UK must have a border, an internal border and you're going to
0:17:53 > 0:17:59police that on the side.We're not going to police it, it will be the
0:17:59 > 0:18:05UK and the EU together. This is what was agreed. An agreement between the
0:18:05 > 0:18:09government and the European Commission.Thank you very much.
0:18:09 > 0:18:17Very quickly yesterday we saw those the that Parliament will put us in a
0:18:17 > 0:18:21customs union anyway. Do you think that Theresa May can remain as Prime
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Minister with Parliament instructed her to put us in a customs union and
0:18:25 > 0:18:30then lead Britain into a customs union?I do not think Parliament
0:18:30 > 0:18:35will vote for a customs union but if it did it would be pretty
0:18:35 > 0:18:38existential for her administration and her authority. So for that
0:18:38 > 0:18:40reason I do not think many of my colleagues would support the
0:18:40 > 0:18:47opposition on this and I also expect rather more Labour MPs will be
0:18:47 > 0:18:51voting as we saw from people like Frank Field at the weekend, rather
0:18:51 > 0:18:55more Labour MPs supporting the government. Because if we stay in
0:18:55 > 0:18:59the customs union were not delivering the referendum result.
0:18:59 > 0:19:05I'm so sorry, we have already overrun.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08As one of the Gulf States, one of the richest countries
0:19:08 > 0:19:11in the world, and the host of the 2022 World Cup,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13you will not be surprised to hear that Qatar has imported hundreds
0:19:13 > 0:19:17of thousands of workers to build its facilities.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20You will also not be surprised to hear that many deaths have
0:19:20 > 0:19:22occured on the construction sites - although the precise
0:19:22 > 0:19:24numbers are disputed - and that Qatar has been much
0:19:24 > 0:19:28criticised for the treatment of its migrant labour.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31But you may not have heard about the case of Zac Cox,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34a British man who died just over a year ago, while working on roof
0:19:34 > 0:19:36walkways on the Khalifa Stadium.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41He fell 40 metres, after his safety line failed to hold him.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43It's a tragedy, compounded by the difficulty of his relatives
0:19:43 > 0:19:46to get a full official account of what happened.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Today, a coroner in Brighton ruled Mr Cox had been working in
0:19:49 > 0:19:52a 'downright dangerous' environment.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56His family, friends and colleagues do not want to let the issue drop.
0:19:56 > 0:20:04Katie Razzall has been speaking to them.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09He was very, very kind.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12He brought as much joy as he could to those around him.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17A thoughtful man.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Zac Cox died in Qatar in January 2017.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24A rope access technician, Zac had been involved in renovating
0:20:24 > 0:20:32one of the World Cup 2022 stadiums when he fell 40 metres to his death.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38This is the Doha the authorities want you to see.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41The Khalifa Stadium was the first World Cup venue to be finished
0:20:41 > 0:20:43and is already hosting events.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47But behind the scenes the picture is less clear.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Figures have been claimed and disputed about how many
0:20:50 > 0:20:52construction workers have died building World Cup
0:20:52 > 0:20:56projects in Qatar.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Zac died after equipment failed high up in the stadium.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01This is information that we've gained from various sources
0:21:01 > 0:21:03from Zac's colleagues.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Zac Cox's family agreed to give Newsnight their first
0:21:06 > 0:21:07television interview.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10A full 13 months after his death.
0:21:10 > 0:21:16They had kept quiet, they say, as Qatari
0:21:16 > 0:21:20processes ran their course.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21But are left feeling frustrated.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22It is deeply distressing.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25You know, you have lost a loved one, a very, very dear friend.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27And no one has been held responsible.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30There's no sense that anyone will held accountable and we have no
0:21:30 > 0:21:32confidence that lessons will be learned and other families won't be
0:21:32 > 0:21:34put in this horrific situation.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Here is Zac and you can see how this is one element of the catwalk.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Mr Cox had been working in a team of three, installing catwalks that
0:21:41 > 0:21:43were to hold lighting and other equipment near the roof
0:21:43 > 0:21:44of the stadium.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46I find this probably the most traumatic piece
0:21:46 > 0:21:49of information that we've got.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52You can see this is where Zac apparently landed.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55So you can see his safety harness which has been cut.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56You can see the ropes.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58You can see his shoe.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01And you can see the dent in the structure which is
0:22:01 > 0:22:08probably where he fell.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15From the beginning of the lever hoist failing to Zac hitting
0:22:15 > 0:22:18the ground was about three and a half seconds, I think.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It was, it was a big fall.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25I was working parallel to Zac and his team.
0:22:25 > 0:22:32On another set of catwalks.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35All of a sudden we heard a large bang and looked over to see
0:22:35 > 0:22:42the chain running through the block of the lever hoist.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46And the catwalk started falling away.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51Zac's close friend and colleague John Johnson saw what happened.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54He says one of the bits of equipment called a lever hoist that the teams
0:22:54 > 0:22:57were using to hold up the catwalks until they could be
0:22:57 > 0:23:00permanently fixed, failed.
0:23:00 > 0:23:08Zac was standing on the catwalk that lever hoist was supposed to support.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Zac got pulled towards the slings that were holding
0:23:11 > 0:23:12the lever hoist up.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15And the weight of the catwalk was entirely on Zac then, on his line.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Which then failed and the catwalk swung away leaving Zac
0:23:18 > 0:23:24to fall to the ground.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26And how far did he fall?
0:23:26 > 0:23:31I believe it was 39 metres.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The falling lever hoist rigging had caught Zac's safety rope.
0:23:34 > 0:23:42Unable to bear the added weight of the catwalk, the rope snapped.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Another colleague, Graham Vantz, who had been standing near Zac Cox
0:23:47 > 0:23:49on the adjacent catwalk, and who had watched him fall,
0:23:49 > 0:23:50was arrested that day.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53He was released, but prevented from leaving Qatar for 11 months.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54Wrongly blamed for the death.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56He was eventually exonerated.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Throughout that time the family didn't want to speak publicly
0:23:59 > 0:24:05for fear of harming his case.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08For a year the family said they have been kept almost
0:24:08 > 0:24:09completely in the dark.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Recently they got hold of the internal investigation
0:24:11 > 0:24:14report, carried out immediately after Zac Cox's death by the stadium
0:24:14 > 0:24:16contractors and overseen by the Supreme Committee,
0:24:16 > 0:24:24the Qatari body responsible for delivering World Cup infrastructure.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Despite promises of cooperation they said this document
0:24:27 > 0:24:29was never given to them through official channels.
0:24:29 > 0:24:30It was undertaken by the companies involved
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and by the Supreme Committee but we have never been given
0:24:33 > 0:24:34that document formally.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37It's the clearest account of what happened to Zac and why.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40And the fact it's been there, and nothing is happening to it,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and no one is going to read it, and it's not going to lead
0:24:43 > 0:24:46to any other sequence of events where people are actually held
0:24:46 > 0:24:47to account, is deeply distressing.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49The report revealed what they'd suspected, that there were issues
0:24:49 > 0:24:52with some of the equipment the teams were using.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55One of the key things in this report was the page that talks very clearly
0:24:55 > 0:24:59about the equipment being used and the fact that it
0:24:59 > 0:25:02was in poor condition.
0:25:02 > 0:25:08It had no third-party certification available.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10But yet it was labelled up and provided to Zac
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and his colleagues to use in their work.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Under normal circumstances, that equipment should have
0:25:15 > 0:25:17been put in the bin.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Without the relevant and appropriate certification.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24But yet it was used for a team of people who were working 40 metres
0:25:24 > 0:25:26up above ground level.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30In my opinion that's beyond devastating.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32The investigation report says the subcontractor
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Pfeifer accepted equipment from another subcontractor,
0:25:36 > 0:25:37Eversendai.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40But that equipment was in poor condition and didn't
0:25:40 > 0:25:42have the correct certification.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45This is denied by Pfeifer and the main contractors,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Midmac Sixco, who say far from being substandard,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51the equipment was fit for use.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54According to John Johnson the teams had run out of lever hoists,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55so some were borrowed.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56There were parts missing.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59They were rusty.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04We knew that this stuff wasn't suitable for use in such a project.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And why did you think it was being used, why was it
0:26:07 > 0:26:09there if it shouldn't have been?
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I believed we were using it because we had run out
0:26:12 > 0:26:15of our own equipment, which was...
0:26:15 > 0:26:17The equipment from Pfeifer was second to none and
0:26:17 > 0:26:21the best in the world.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24We had no problems using it.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26We had used it in other projects before.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27No problems.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29But we ran out.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I believe that batch of lever hoists we borrowed,
0:26:31 > 0:26:37should never have been on site.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Zac lived on the south coast in Brighton.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46Born in Johannesburg, he'd married a Briton.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Today, family members arrived at Brighton's Coroner's Court
0:26:48 > 0:26:55for the conclusion of the inquest into Zac's death.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58We heard details of his fall and how he likely
0:26:58 > 0:26:59died instantaneously.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01But much of the evidence concerned the contents
0:27:01 > 0:27:03of the investigation report, detailing the poor condition
0:27:03 > 0:27:05of the lever hoists given to the teams after Christmas 2016.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08John Johnson, who also lives in Brighton, described how he shored
0:27:08 > 0:27:11up the lever hoists he used with ratchet straps because he was
0:27:11 > 0:27:14so worried about their state.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The coroner was clear with the family, that liability
0:27:17 > 0:27:19didn't come into her remit.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Her job, she said, was to find out how Zac Cox died,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24not who was responsible.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Especially, she added, as the people and companies involved
0:27:28 > 0:27:30in renovating the stadium weren't in court to answer
0:27:30 > 0:27:32for their actions.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36But this afternoon in her summing up she was damning.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38She said, the system after Christmas was chaotic,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42unprofessional, unthinking, and downright dangerous.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45She concluded, I find many men, many managers should have known
0:27:45 > 0:27:48they were effectively asking their workers
0:27:48 > 0:27:54to rely on lethal or potentially lethal equipment.
0:27:54 > 0:28:00We are calling for a full independent enquiry of the evidence.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Until a full investigation has been carried out by an impartial party,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I think there are still unknowns.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10But Newsnight has been told that the criminal proceedings
0:28:10 > 0:28:14in Qatar finished last November.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Which leaves the family with little confidence anyone
0:28:16 > 0:28:21will ever be held to account.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Katie Razall there.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30In a statement Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy
0:28:30 > 0:28:33said several systemic failures and human errors had contributed
0:28:33 > 0:28:35to the incident and that four members of staff had been removed
0:28:35 > 0:28:41and banned from working on further projects.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43A spokesman said the Supreme Committee had been assured
0:28:43 > 0:28:45that the contractors would keep in touch with Mr Cox's
0:28:45 > 0:28:47family and apologised for failing to do so itself.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51It said workers' welfare was its main concern.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54The building contractor Pfeifer, in a joint statement
0:28:54 > 0:28:57with Midmac Sixco, denied any equipment was substandard and said
0:28:57 > 0:29:00the firms had kept in close contact at all times with the family
0:29:00 > 0:29:05and British embassy.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07There have always been arguments about whether cannabis
0:29:07 > 0:29:13should be decriminalised, but there was a time
0:29:13 > 0:29:15when the drug was legitimately seen as at the light end
0:29:15 > 0:29:16of the illicit drug spectrum.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18However, things have changed: a new study from
0:29:18 > 0:29:20King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Neuroscience being published tomorrow, suggests that the weaker
0:29:22 > 0:29:26forms of cannabis have almost been driven out of the market,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30which is now overwhelmingly dominated by the more dangerous,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32psychosis-inducing forms.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37It's a new form of Gresham's law - bad drugs drive out the good.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42Weed, marijuana, skunk, grass.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45There are many ways to talk about cannabis but with each
0:29:45 > 0:29:48word, the exact potency of the product can change.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52When it comes to smoking cannabis, there are two crucial ingredients.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, is what gets people high.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01But large doses of THC can also induce temporary psychotic symptoms.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05The other substance is cannabidiol, or CBD.
0:30:05 > 0:30:13It offsets some of the negative effects of THC.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Now hash traditionally has equal levels of the two.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18Grass has low levels of both.
0:30:18 > 0:30:25Whereas skunk has lots of THC and virtually no CBD.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Tomorrow's the study from King's College concludes that
0:30:27 > 0:30:29it's skunk that forms an increasing portion of the cannabis
0:30:29 > 0:30:30available on our streets.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33In 2005 only half the product was high potency skunk.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35By 2008 it was 85%.
0:30:35 > 0:30:41And in 2016 it had hit 94%.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43The findings are important because having a market
0:30:43 > 0:30:45which is dominated by high potency cannabis like skunk means
0:30:45 > 0:30:47that the cannabis users are at significant risk
0:30:47 > 0:30:51of developing psychosis.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Because it is known that when you do use skunk your risk of developing
0:30:54 > 0:30:57psychosis can be pushed up to five times greater compared
0:30:57 > 0:31:05to people that never use.
0:31:06 > 0:31:14Also links between TH key and addiction. Skunk is more addictive,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18an added bonus for dealers. This all bears on the legalisation debate.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23There's a lesson from the prohibition era.When people want
0:31:23 > 0:31:30something they generally get it. Potent drugs are liked by dealers as
0:31:30 > 0:31:34volumes sold can be smaller and easier to disguise. That is why
0:31:34 > 0:31:38whiskey was more popular in their probation speakeasies in America
0:31:38 > 0:31:46than beer. Cannabis once legalise it could stop the slide towards more
0:31:46 > 0:31:47potent versions?
0:31:47 > 0:31:48Well, others say legalising drugs that can result
0:31:48 > 0:31:50in psychosis can never be right.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Making a highly addictive drug more accessible will only
0:31:52 > 0:31:55create more problems.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58The one thing both sides agree on is that cannabis
0:31:58 > 0:32:01is getting stronger.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04The stuff puffed by hippies in the 60s had about 1% of THC in it.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Today's THC levels are now over 14% on average,
0:32:06 > 0:32:14as skunk's prevalence rises.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18We should mention that three of the five authors of the new study
0:32:18 > 0:32:20do work for GW Pharmaceuticals, a company developing
0:32:20 > 0:32:22cannibinoid medicines.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25I'm joined by Lord Monson - he's a hereditary peer whose son
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Rupert Green took his own life last year after suffering
0:32:27 > 0:32:31psychosis the family believe was brought on by skunk.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34In Toronto is Bill Blair.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38He's a former chief of the city's police and now an MP and drugs czar
0:32:38 > 0:32:40to Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau - together
0:32:40 > 0:32:42they are pushing through the legalisation of cannabis.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47And also with me is Marjorie Wallace from the mental health charity Sane.
0:32:47 > 0:32:56Good evening. Nick, take us through Rupert's experience, how quickly did
0:32:56 > 0:33:05he go from ordinary life to psychosis?Shore. He called me in
0:33:05 > 0:33:08August, about a year and a half ago come he said he hadn't been doing
0:33:08 > 0:33:12very well in his studies. He explained to me over the telephone
0:33:12 > 0:33:17there was a reason for that, which was that his flatmates had been
0:33:17 > 0:33:21spying on him and said that had unnerved him. He came to see me. We
0:33:21 > 0:33:30discussed it. I said the likelihood of his flatmates being so unpleasant
0:33:30 > 0:33:35and bad minded towards him... It was just the remotest possibility.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Possibly he was being a little bit paranoid. Then he turned round and
0:33:39 > 0:33:43said come if you say that to me again I'm going to punch you.Then
0:33:43 > 0:33:50you realised something was wrong. Yes. -- and said, if you say that.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55He hadn't shown signs of anything like this before?No. But I haven't
0:33:55 > 0:34:01seen him for six months. His mother called me and said that he had gone
0:34:01 > 0:34:06home and that he wasn't, doesn't seem well, and he was diagnosed by
0:34:06 > 0:34:13some doctors. They said that he had drug induced psychosis. Quite what
0:34:13 > 0:34:18that meant to us, we didn't know. They said it will be fine, he just
0:34:18 > 0:34:21needs to take his pills and he will be all right. They didn't really
0:34:21 > 0:34:29explain to us how dangerous the psychosis could be. He went back to
0:34:29 > 0:34:38university. This behaviour was... He was quite aggressive over the
0:34:38 > 0:34:44telephone. Then we had a chat and he said that he intended to kill
0:34:44 > 0:34:51himself. Then intervention followed. And he was... He was taken to
0:34:51 > 0:34:56hospital. Three weeks later he was released and they said just fine, go
0:34:56 > 0:35:02back home carry on taking the pills. We expected him to slowly get
0:35:02 > 0:35:10better. But it just wasn't the case. And he had more and more, sort of
0:35:10 > 0:35:15come he was supposed to be taking the pills but we couldn't make him
0:35:15 > 0:35:21because of human rights.We know how this tragically ended. Marjorie, you
0:35:21 > 0:35:27see a lot of people with bad mental health. Are you linking all of...
0:35:27 > 0:35:35How often are you linking it to skunk?Sadly much too often. Your
0:35:35 > 0:35:43experience, we see it we played that day out. Dozens of families. And
0:35:43 > 0:35:48through the charity hundreds. It's the same link between young people,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52usually young people, they are starting out in life, they have
0:35:52 > 0:35:56promise, their lives ahead, then they start taking cannabis. And the
0:35:56 > 0:36:03stronger forms of skunk have much higher psychoactive THC content.
0:36:03 > 0:36:09Then starts the downward spiral.You both agree on how dangerous this can
0:36:09 > 0:36:15be. Let me bring in Bill Blair. You were a police officer for many
0:36:15 > 0:36:19years. An undercover narcotics officer. Now leading the process by
0:36:19 > 0:36:25which Canada will legalise cannabis. What is this thinking? How much is
0:36:25 > 0:36:31this strengthening of the street cannabis motivating that?What
0:36:31 > 0:36:33motivates us, currently in Canada we have the highest rates of cannabis
0:36:33 > 0:36:39use among our young people of any developed country in the world. The
0:36:39 > 0:36:44cannabis they are using is entirely sourced from criminal organisations.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49We believe that it's necessary to lift the prohibition through
0:36:49 > 0:36:55legalisation in order to enable us a comprehensive system of strict
0:36:55 > 0:36:58regulation for its production and distribution. So we can do a better
0:36:58 > 0:37:04job of keeping it out of the hands of our kids. The risk factor is we
0:37:04 > 0:37:07are finding among our young people that the earlier they begin to use
0:37:07 > 0:37:12it more frequently they do. And the higher potency of what they use has
0:37:12 > 0:37:17much higher health risks and social risks for our young people. We
0:37:17 > 0:37:21believe we can be far more effective in regulating this substance if we
0:37:21 > 0:37:26lift the prohibition. I want to be clear. Our approach is entirely
0:37:26 > 0:37:30predicated on a public health model. It is based on the best scientific
0:37:30 > 0:37:32and health advice that we could obtain from public health officials
0:37:32 > 0:37:39in order to ensure we could do a better job of it.Did you think
0:37:39 > 0:37:42about the idea of just legalising the weaker forms to encourage people
0:37:42 > 0:37:49not to be taking the illegal really strong psychosis inducing stuff?One
0:37:49 > 0:37:55of the things we can do... Since 2013 we had a strictly regulated
0:37:55 > 0:38:01production of medicated cannabis in Canada. The processes are regularly
0:38:01 > 0:38:08tested. There was a strict level of accountability. We never potency,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12the purity, and the provenance of the cannabis available for
0:38:12 > 0:38:17consumption among adults. We can provide our adult consumers with far
0:38:17 > 0:38:21more accurate information so they can make healthier choices, safer
0:38:21 > 0:38:26choices and socially responsible choices.Thanks very much for that.
0:38:26 > 0:38:32Marjorie, do you think that the powerful stuff which is around, so
0:38:32 > 0:38:35prevalent, would strengthen the case were legalising at least some
0:38:35 > 0:38:45cannabis, the weaker form?We know that some people would take
0:38:45 > 0:38:49cannabis, whatever strength. And they are likely to develop
0:38:49 > 0:38:53schizophrenia and later depression and anxiety. We don't know who is
0:38:53 > 0:39:00vulnerable. It might be ten to 20% of people. We don't know. We haven't
0:39:00 > 0:39:04done enough research. It's too early to dilate the message is that it is
0:39:04 > 0:39:10dangerous. It may be utopian in the end to be able to provide the higher
0:39:10 > 0:39:16forms like skunk -- divide the higher forms like skunk from the
0:39:16 > 0:39:20lower ones. At the moment it is too dangerous to gamble with young
0:39:20 > 0:39:25minds. Over the 25 years of the helpline, I've seen so many
0:39:25 > 0:39:32tragedies, so many people destroyed by that taking of what seems
0:39:32 > 0:39:37harmless as a relaxant.Do you think that the strengthening of the street
0:39:37 > 0:39:44products changes the argument around legalisation?I do. This report that
0:39:44 > 0:39:47has come out has demonstrated what I have been saying from anecdotal
0:39:47 > 0:39:55evidence. Over the last year. That the greater the amount of THC the
0:39:55 > 0:40:00greater the damage that can be bought on vulnerable minds. And
0:40:00 > 0:40:04remember, it's the very young people, the people with developing
0:40:04 > 0:40:11brains below the age of 22, they are the most vulnerable. If you are over
0:40:11 > 0:40:1525, for instance, and you have a psychotic fit from your cannabis
0:40:15 > 0:40:22habit you can get over it. Many people under 22 cannot. They are
0:40:22 > 0:40:28marked for life. And it is those people I would seek to protect.I
0:40:28 > 0:40:33just want to go back to Bill Blair. What is the evidence? Lots of places
0:40:33 > 0:40:37have legalise the stuff. We have Washington State, Colorado in the
0:40:37 > 0:40:42US, have you looked at the evidence? Are they getting better outcomes in
0:40:42 > 0:40:48those places?They are beginning to. Simply managing regulation or
0:40:48 > 0:40:53prohibition alone is insufficient. We must make significant investments
0:40:53 > 0:41:00in public education. Particularly directed towards young people so
0:41:00 > 0:41:03they know the health risks. One of the things the evidence tells us is
0:41:03 > 0:41:05that many young people are unaware of the very significant health risks
0:41:05 > 0:41:13of cannabis use. And the risk it poses to the developing brain. We
0:41:13 > 0:41:19maintain a prohibition for young people under the age of majority. An
0:41:19 > 0:41:26absolute prohibition in their legal purchase or possession of this drug.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Marjorie, you would agree very much with the education message?
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Definitely with the education. But if you dilate the message too much
0:41:33 > 0:41:37then I think the parents, the teachers, all of us trying to
0:41:37 > 0:41:45educate cannot do so. -- dilutes the message. That is why we cannot
0:41:45 > 0:41:49decriminalise it immediately.We need to leave there. Thank you very
0:41:49 > 0:41:49much.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51That's all we have time for tonight.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54We did promise we'd send John Sweeney out into the snow -
0:41:54 > 0:41:57I'm very sorry to say that items earlier in the programme overran
0:41:57 > 0:41:59and we don't have time to bring you that report.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Maybe we'll convince him to brave the elements again tomorrow.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Kirsty will be here then.
0:42:03 > 0:42:09Goodnight.