22/04/2016 Victoria Derbyshire

Hello, it's Friday, it's 9am, I'm Norman Smith in for Victoria.

Our top story today: President Obama arrives in the UK and steps

At the start of a three day visit he appeals for the UK to stay

in the European Union but Vote Leave campaigners say

Also today: Tributes pour in for the singer Prince,

He was a legend of our city, he was probably

He brought the Purple Rain, he brought a whole different type

of atmosphere with the music, rock and roll, he played

all the instruments, and he was just a different style about him,

We'll bring you reaction and the latest on the

40,000 runners prepare to pound the streets of London this weekend,

but just what does it take to get through 26 miles

As we go on air this morning huge crowds are gathering in Minnesota

to pay tribute to Prince, who has died aged 57.

Thousands of fans have joined a party in Minneapolis,

where the singer, songwriter and producer was born.

We'll bring you tributes throughout the programme.

Do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning.

If you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.

And don't forget if you've got a story you think we should be

Our top story today: President Obama has started a three day tour

to the UK with an impassioned intervention in the debate

In a newspaper article, Mr Obama argues that if Britain

leaves the EU it will be less able to tackle terrorism,

the migration crisis and economic problems.

But Vote Leave campaigners say his comments are

Our North America editor, Jon Sopel, travelled

with the president from Saudi Arabia to London on Air Force One.

His report contains flashing images.

Phase one over, and now on to London.

There was probably relief that for President Obama this

would be his last visit to Saudi Arabia as president.

Although London will not be without controversy.

The president is preparing to leave Saudi Arabia,

leaving the conflicts of the Middle East for a rather

different conflict, European politics, and whether Britain should

In an article for today's Daily Telegraph, he tackles the idea

that this is no business of the US by saying the tens of thousands

of Americans who rest in Europe cemeteries

are a silent testament to just how intertwined our prosperity

When he joins David Cameron for a news conference later today

in the Downing Street garden, it won't be to cook up a barbecue,

but it will be to skewer the arguments of those who want Brexit.

That will delight David Cameron, but will bring accusations

They argue that President Obama would never allow US sovereignty to

be pooled with Canada and Mexico in the way Britain does with

Carole Walker is in Westminster for us this morning.

We have already seen this barnstorming article by President

Obama in the Daily Telegraph. I imagine Downing Street were doing a

jig of joy. Yes, they can barely contain their delight. They keep

insisting it is down to the British people but saying we should listen

to our friends and let us make no mistake, we already have the

barriers going up around Westminster for people turning up to see

President Obama. He is pretty big box office, a lot more popular in

the UK than at home. This is a direct powerful emotional appeal to

Britain to stay in the European Union and that article... He talks

about the Americans who fought and died alongside the British and

Britain's relationship is enhanced by the EU and we would have less

influence on the global stage and on tackling a whole range of issues

from extremism and terrorism, the migration crisis, global warming,

all of that he says is better tackled by Britain acting

incorporation and through cooperative action with the rest of

the EU. A pretty strong intervention. Of course delighting

the Remain side of the argument. What do the people on the Brexit

side do to respond to such an argument from President Obama? Their

basic point is that this is what one of them, the Justice minister,

described as wanton double standards. Boris Johnson the mayor

of London talked about as an example of hypocrisy, do as I say, not as I

do. They say the United States would never accept the loss of

sovereignty, loss of powers, imposition of rules and regulations,

which Britain has to accept as part of its membership of the European

Union. Furthermore they are saying that President Obama is motivated by

what is in America's national interest not necessarily Britain's

interest and the two do not necessarily coincide. Saying this is

a decision for the British people, the president can express his views,

but letters make no mistake, he has a vested interest in keeping Britain

inside the EU. The wider point is that their only hope is to represent

themselves as the sort of insurgent campaign against the establishment.

On the Remain side you have President Obama and Francois

Hollande and Angela Merkel and a host of other world leaders, the

IMF, the Bank of England, all saying there are huge risks to Britain

leaving the EU. What those who want to do so can say is this is the

establishment, of course they are going to say that, come with other

due can have a brighter and freer future outside the EU. There is no

doubt this intervention by President Obama at this stage is a significant

boost to the Remain campaign. Thank you. A busy day ahead. I hope you

have your flag to wave in Downing Street.

We'll bring you reaction to Prince's death in just a moment but first

we cross to the BBC Newsroom for more on that and a summary

A post-mortem examination is to be carried out on the body

of the pop legend Prince, who has died aged 57.

It could take place as early as today.

The American musician, who defined the sound

of the 80s with songs like 1999 and Purple Rain,

was found collapsed in a lift at his home in Minnesota yesterday.

Meanwhile, thousands of fans have joined a party in Minneapolis,

where the singer, songwriter and producer was born.

Our US Correspondent James Cook reports.

Paisley Park feels like the new Graceland.

Prince's home and recording studio is awash with tears and tributes

as fans of all generations come to pay their respects to a musical

Half of my family members knew him personally.

My mother-in-law went to school with him.

All around, I think he was a phenomenal guy.

I grew up listening to Prince in college.

That is what we listened to when we went to clubs and

Prince was found slumped in a lift by sheriff's deputies

Efforts to resuscitate him failed, and he was pronounced dead at 10.07.

Mystery still surrounds the cause of death,

and a post-mortem examination is scheduled for Friday.

Tributes have poured in from around the world.

Fellow musicians lining up to praise a legend who reshaped

Among the fans in mourning, Michelle and Barack Obama.

Prince Rogers Nelson's uniquely sexually charged blend of funk,

He was a prolific composer for himself and others.

He played dozens of instruments, and of course he could sing.

Prince will also be remembered for struggling for the soul

of his art, changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol

He leaves a treasure trove of recordings

We'll bring you more tributes to Prince throughout

Surgeons are concerned that overweight people and smokers

are being refused routine operations, such as hip

Research by the Royal College of Surgeons found that a third

of NHS areas in England are blocking surgery until people lose weight

The college claims the policies are in breech of official guidelines

and has urged the government to step in.

Here's our health correspondent, Adam Brimelow.

The Royal College of Surgeons is becoming increasingly alarmed

about what it calls rationing of surgery in a tough financial

climate, particularly for people who smoke or are overweight.

Its report draws a distinction between voluntary policies,

where patients are encouraged to stop smoking or lose weight

before routine operations, and mandatory approaches,

which delay or deny surgery for patients

Freedom of Information returns suggest more than one in three local

commissioning groups in England have at least one compulsory

restriction on surgery, related to smoking or weight.

In 2014, about one in eight restricted access to hip

Our major concern is for the patient.

Every patient who is denied access to surgery or the surgery is delayed

because of arbitrary rationing conditions is likely to suffer

The college said it supports public health programmes to help weight

management and quit smoking but it insists treatment should be based

However, some of the local NHS groups who have been criticised

say their policies are based on good evidence.

The government has been forced to cancel a national spelling test

for primary school pupils after it accidentally appeared

Half a million seven-year olds in England were due to take

The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, has apologised,

Apple's co-founder, Steve Wozniak, has said his former company

Mr Wozniak said all companies including the technology giant Apple

Apple, along with Google and Amazon, has been criticised for not paying

enough in tax and the firm is currently the subject of

More than 200,000 miscarriages happen in the UK every year.

What causes so many of them is still not known.

It's hoped that will change with the opening, next week,

of the UK's first national research centre dedicated

to understanding causes and effects of miscarriage.

That's a summary of the latest BBC News.

Do get in touch with us throughout the morning.

If you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.

Good morning, lots of sport to get through.

Arsene Wenger has called on fans to support the team.

Arsenal have moved into third place in the Premier League ahead

of Manchester City after beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 last night.

The Gunners have seen their title hopes fade recently and some fans

didn't attend last night to see a routine victory started

Arsenal had most of the chances and Sanchez took them further

clear with this free kick before half time.

The result keeps them on course for Champions League

We are in the position where it depends

But we want more, so we have to fight at least to stay in the top

That means we have to absolutely try to win every single game we play.

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has accepted a charge of improper

conduct from the FA, which means he could now be

Vardy reacted angrily to his red card against West Ham

at the weekend and will miss the Premier League leaders' home

He's requested a personal hearing but could be given

an additional suspension, meaning he'd miss the trip

to Manchester United the following weekend.

Two goals from England's Fran Kirby earned Chelsea a 2-0 win at Arsenal

in the women's Super League, three weeks before the sides meet

An awful mix-up in the Arsenal defence allowed Kirby to open

She added a second ten minutes from time as Chelsea

won their second successive game and are top of the table on goal

The Olympic flame was lit yesterday in Greece as it begins the long

journey to Rio de Janeiro for this summer's Games.

Unfortunately though, some of golf's biggest stars

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen is the latest big name to pull out,

It's golf's first appearance at the Games since 1904 but already

Australia's Adam Scott and Vijay Singh of Fiji have

Liverpool's and field will host its first rugby league match. -- and

feel. New Zealand will play Scotland. The Olympic Stadium in

London has also been chosen as a venue.

Huddersfield coach Paul Anderson called referee Joe Cobb's

performance disgraceful as the Super League's bottom side

The Giants had led midway through the second half thanks

to a hat trick from full back Ryan Brierley.

But a try and two drop goals from Wigan's Matty Smith put

the home side back in front, before this try from Dan Sarginson

sealed the win, which sends Wigan top of the table.

That is all the sport. As a Spurs fan, I am not massively upset about

Fardy's difficulties. -- Fardy's difficulties.

Huge crowds are gathering in Minnesota to pay tribute

Thousands of fans have joined a street party in Minneapolis,

where the iconic singer, songwriter and producer was born.

And Prince's sister has met mourners who are also meeting

Major world figures have been playing tribute. Here are a few of

them. President Obama tweeted that a strong spirit transcended rules.

Nobody's spirit was stronger, bolder and more creative. Madonna said he

changed the world. A true visionary. And Paul McCartney tweeted, God

bless this created giant. than 100 million records

during his career, with hit albums including Purple Rain,

1999 and Sign O' the Times. # I never meant to cause you any

sorrow. # I never meant to cause you any pain.

# only want to see you in the Purple Rain.

??HOTKEY Purple Rain, Purple Rain. # Purple Rain, Purple Rain.

# Purple Rain, Purple Rain. # only want to see you laughing in

the Purple Rain. Fantastic stuff. Let's mull over

Prince. John McKie is the former

editor of Smash Hits. Mobeen Azhar is a Prince

fan and journalist. And Nihal is a DJ and BBC radio

presenter. John, let me start with you. It is

almost a bit glib, trite, to say that he was a rock star. He was so

much more? He was beyond that. Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush, they were

a musician to orderly revered Prince. I would probably say he was

the greatest live performer in the history of contemporary popular

music. The curious thing about him, I was thought, was here was a man of

huge charisma and talent and yet he was a shy, private individual. He

was. It was all about the music for him. We know the pop star Prince.

The guy who sold 100 million records and won Grammy awards and Oscars.

But ultimately it was about the music. In the past decade he would

give away albums as cover amounts. He would not do promo videos. It was

a single-minded obsession with getting music out of there. The

other funny thing about him is that he liked to characterise musicians

of being a particular genre. -- we like to categorise. Where do you put

someone like Prince? He embodies everything that is great about

modern music. Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, James Brown, Joni Mitchell,

they lived inside of him. He managed to make them sound completely fresh

and completely new. What sort of reaction has there been? We have

seen fans traumatised. I always wonder who is fans were. He seemed

to encompass so many different kinds of music. Who was the Prince fan?

One thing that I have noticed about a lot of people I know who are

Prince obsessives, I Fardy has this kind of devotion attached to him on

like any other artist I know about -- of. One thing about him is

allowing people to be with a. That is quite often for people, wherever

they are, who feel very isolated and different from everybody else. It

allows you to be pre-war. And that raw sexuality. That makes him beyond

a normal artist. That energy. I text it Beverley Knight last night, who

is a huge fan. I am sure you drop names with politicians all the time.

She could not even speak she was so upset. So part of his aura. It was

an aura. It was beyond music. It was magical. Bowie and Prince in one

year. It is a terrible year for music. From a journalistic point of

view, how was he with the media? Many stars distrust. They do the

media but they do not like it. We are from a generation where Lady

Gaga will tweet what she is having for dinner. Prince was so

mysterious. In the rare interviews he gave, he would not allow

Dictaphones. You had to take notes. At concerts he banned camera phones.

That made his concerts more of a communal experience. It made them

more special. It made them more one off. Even trying to find video

footage last night as I was, it is still quite difficult. When you

think about someone who lived for music and played a gig and then an

after show gig until three o'clock in the morning, still managing to

find stuff online is difficult. That is how much control he exerted over

the material he wrote. We know he produced a huge catalogue of work,

nearly 40 albums. It was the live performances which were his defining

feature. That is what made him special. It was. I worked on a

documentary last year and I went to Minneapolis. I met lots of the band

members who played on those instrumental albums and had played

with Prince from the 70s until now. And they told me he was constantly

recording. He was recording all the time. I remember one of them said if

Prince was to leave the world today, he has gotten enough unreleased

music to put an album out every year for 100 years. I am right in saying

that he had signed up to do a memoir? When I heard the news about

the memoir, I thought this was so unlike Prince. It was not a Prince

thing. It is a Prince thing to write poetry. It is not a Prince thing to

write a straightforward memoir. Who knows if we will ever see that? In

terms of his unreleased work, there are more than 100 unreleased albums.

He recorded pretty much every live performance he ever did. His

bandmates told me that. There are complete promo videos in the vault.

There are two feature films that had never been released. There is a lot

of material. I am wondering if he can be imitated? Can anybody

actually try to follow on from him or is it mission impossible? It is

absolutely Mission impossible. Why would you try to do something like

that? It is like me saying I want to be Usain Bolt. It is never going to

happen. One thing about Prince and his universality was really put into

focus by a tweet from a DJ on BBC. He said, at this point every station

is playing different Prince songs simultaneously across four BBC

stations. An incredible man. You need to take the parts of Prince

that feel something to you and go on your own journey. He would 100% not

be up for you being a pastiche of him. That is completely against

everything he stood for. He was kind of an unlikely figure to be a

superstar if you look at his background. A very small guy, he did

not come from the Bronx. He came from the midwest. An unlikely

superstar. But wrote his first song at seven. A prodigy. He was a

one-off. One of the things that made him interesting was that he was

obsessed with James Brown as he was with Joni Mitchell. White Rock and

funk and soul, it would all meet in the middle with Prince. That is why

he could write a song like Purple Rain and Nothing Compares 2 U and

Manic Monday. He can do all that. A master songwriter. And a live

performer that can do all that is beyond rare. I think it is really

important to say as well that he was in many ways an unlikely star. But

if you strip away the flamboyant clothes and the Hare and the videos,

there was so much there. It was raw talent. Who is there who has jumped

from a drum kit to piano to base to guitar and play all of them with

skill? His first Alchemy recorded every single instrument. He can sing

like an angel. And he writes Andy Bridges is. Who else can do that?

All of this stuff is so out there. It is so otherworldly that the

persona of Prince was inconsequential. It is always about

the music. Thank you very much. Still to come: Will President

Obama's impassioned plea for Britain to remain in the EU make any

difference to the way people vote? If you work for a large company

on a self-employed basis, are you missing out on staff

benefits which your We'll hear about a test case

which could change the law. President Obama has started

a three day tour to the UK with an intervention

in the debate over In a newspaper article,

Mr Obama argues that if Britain leaves the EU,

it will be less able to tackle terrorism,

the migration crisis But Vote Leave campaigners

say his comments are Saying the US would never allow a

foreign power to have control over national issues. A postmortem

examination is to be carried out on the pop legend Prince who has died

aged 57. It could take place later today. He defined the sound of the

80s. He was found collapsed in a lift at his home in Minnesota

yesterday. Thousands of fans have joined a party in Minneapolis where

he was born. A Prince fan told us how much music meant to the start.

It was all about the music for him. We know the pop star Prince so we

know the man who sold all the records and won Oscars and Grammys

but it was about the music. In the past decade or so he would give away

albums as cover mounts, he would not do promo videos. His only concern,

it was their single-minded obsession with getting music out there.

Surgeons are concerned that overweight people and smokers

are being refused routine operations, such as hip

Research by the Royal College of Surgeons found that a third

of NHS areas in England are blocking surgery until people lose weight

The college claims the policies are in breech of official guidelines

and has urged the government to step in.

The UK's first national research centre dedicated

to understanding the causes of miscarriage is to open next week.

More than 200,000 women in Britain suffer miscarriages every year.

What causes so many of them is still not known.

The new centre will look at the impact of miscarriages on women and

families. The government has been forced

to cancel a national spelling test for primary school pupils after it

accidentally appeared Half a million year two pupils

in England were due to take The Schools Minister,

Nick Gibb, has apologised, That's a summary of

the latest BBC News. There have been difficult times at

the Emirates recently. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has

made a plea to the club's fans They beat West Brom 2-0 last night

in the Premier League to consolidate their position

in the top three. Two goals from Alexis Sanchez. Louis

Oosthuizen is the latest golfer to pull out of the Olympic Games. He

says he will not attend due to family and schedule issues.

It's been announced Liverpool's home, Anfield, will host its first

rugby league matches in almost 20 years.

The final of England's Four Nations tournament will take place

The Olympic Stadium in London has also been chosen as a venue.

And I will be talking to this man hopefully just after 10am.

The Everton fan raising money by walking from Merseyside

to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final.

So President Obama steps off Air Force One in London and steps

straight into the febrile debate on the European Union.

The UK should stay in, he says, because that's how it will be best

able to tackle terrorism, the migration crisis

Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Obama says the UK's ability

to fight terror would be more effective if it voted to remain

and that the EU had helped magnify Britain's influence

He said now more than ever was a time for friends

Leave campaigners say he's being hypocritical because the US

wouldn't hand over control of its borders and many

Mr Obama's here for three days and will have talks

with David Cameron this afternoon at Downing Street.

That will largely focus on the terror threat.

But does he have a right while he's here to intervene and will

Here to discuss the president's visit is Bronwen Maddox,

the Editor of Prospect Magazine, and Freddie Sayers,

Also with us are Caroline Drewett, an ambassador for the Leave EU

campaign, Polly Jones, Head of Campaigns and Policy

Here comes the Barack Obama. A big article in the Telegraph. Will it

make a difference? In a complicated campaign the messenger matters

almost as much as the message. Barack Obama is a huge figure, one

of the most admired figures in the world with approval ratings that any

British politician would die for. No doubt this is a coup for the Remain

campaign. It might not make a huge amount of difference on its own but

it will add to the background sense there are credible figures lining up

alongside them. This is a bit of a problem to have such a global

superstar saying do not believe, for you guys. It is true, he is a big

character, but Boris is Britain's Obama. Really? Do not tell him that!

It is of course important that Obama is here but he is on his way out and

it does not make a difference. You have been around the diplomatic

world. This article is not new and, carefully calibrated, it is strange?

No. He is not the first to say it. So has Angela Merkel and other

foreign leaders. He is right that Britain is better off in and Europe

is stronger with Britain in. We are at the point of fragility and

defending Western values and the kind of country we have in the world

and it need the strength that project has. He is entitled to see

it. It is about a common project of the west. He has made a specific

point which is the rub of all of the boroughs point about sovereignty. He

has referred to the servicemen dead in European graveyards and said you

would not be independent, you would not have a sovereign country, if it

were not for American intervention in those words.

Also here is MP Pat McFadden, a former Europe Minister campaigning

It looks like Barack Obama has come over here to tell us what we should

be doing with our country and the lot of people might think back off,

we will decide. He acknowledged in his article this was a decision for

the British people, but I think he has every right to speak out in this

way. Partly for the reasons he has said. American soldiers fought

alongside us in two world wars and the history and future of Europe is

wrapped up in a sense in these shared values. He is not alone in

speaking out in this way. The Prime Minister of Canada has talked about

Canada's interest being in a strong and united Europe, Australian

leaders, New Zealand leaders and so on, and this is important because

the vision that the Leave campaign has put forward, the problem is the

very people they are saying they wants to be closer to our saying no

thank you, we think Britain is stronger and more powerful and a

better ally if it remains in. Awkward for you guys because Jeremy

Corbyn is usually the sort of died protesting outside the US embassy. I

do not share his views on the United States as a whole. It is important

that the President's message in substances listened to because he is

telling us that this is a matter of values as well as interest and

telling us it is a matter of power as well as control and giving us a

message about how power is exercised in an interdependent world. You only

have to ask yourself not to is advising us to stay but who would be

pleased if we came out and the answer is probably President Putin.

And the French National Front made some comments this week. How far is

President Obamaburst Ewing American interests and not that bothered

about whether we are in or out and he wants to make sure that any

influence the US can project is maximised by making sure his best

pals and in the European club? That is top of the agenda. No matter how

much he says he is looking forward to having tea with the Queen. Obama

has staked his political career on trying to get this deal negotiated

before he leaves at the end of the year. That is part of his trip. Once

he has left ear and had negotiations with David Cameron he is going to

Germany to try to get this deal in the back and we are very concerned

about the deal and there are issues that it might backfire because this

trade will is the epitome of the worst of Europe, shrouded in

secrecy, good for corporations with very little democratic control. Are

you disappointed Jeremy Corbyn is seeking a visit with President Obama

and his criticism seems to be" to one side? Not disappointed he would

be seeking a meeting, you have to meet and make your case. He wants to

make sure that every opportunity you have a chance to make your argument

-- you want. Some emails. John says nobody outside the UK shouldn't

fear. The US only wants us to remain because it suits. They are

hypocrites. Paul says Obama wants Britain to remain in the EU because

US companies will not be able to plunder the UK so easily. Someone

says President Obama sticking his nose into Brexit. If this visit is

going to have an impact, we have had a whole host of people lining up,

the IMF, the world and his wife saying do not go, it does not seem

to be reflecting in the polls because it is touch and go.

Absolutely. It is very close with a couple of points in it. The people

that matter is a group of people who have decided one way and the other

way, it is the people who are not particularly aware of the details

who are the most valuable votes at this point because they will shift

either way. Someone like Barack Obama who potentially cuts through

to be Bobby do not normally pay attention to politics can make all

the difference. We hear your side trying to say it is the big boys

bullying is almost. We have had big companies, big banks, telling us

what to think, David and Goliath almost. Does it when rounding off

voters? It appeals to some but does taking on everyone get you over 50%?

It is important to realise the big banks and big corporations are the

ones with the large voices, the ones the small people listen to because

they think they must have something to say, they earn lots of money, it

must be important, but actually people have become disillusioned

with banks and politics. The Tory party less than popular. How much is

anybody listening to David Cameron? We are a sovereign country and

should be making our laws. Is it not the people who should be making

those decisions? That is coming back round. Is there not a risk in

adopting that approach that it can seem as if you think there's some

sort of conspiracy by big business to do others don't? It verges

towards looking as if is against us. It is true in the sense of of course

you need big business for a country to run but Obama said there was no

way we would have a trade agreement with Britain a few left the EU. That

is rubbish. Countries like Iceland, the size of Dudley, have trade

agreements with China. I used to work in Dudley.

There is no way we can be bullied into thinking that Britain is not a

bigger power. May be many people in America, particularly on the

Republican side of the argument, may not share of Obama's view. It is an

interesting point. I think a whole series of Presidents of all kinds of

Persuasion 's have found it easier to deal with Europe as one block, if

you like, and have seen in Europe as stronger working together. --

Persuasions. I think the Republicans would not say leave. Is that wishful

thinking on America's Park? Europe is a multiheaded beast and will

always be a multiheaded beast. Maybe America once that single entity?

There has always been that element. Even in the past couple of years you

could say, there is an answer, just call Angela Merkel. But Europe is

much more complex. It has a strength working together, a diplomatic and

economic strength, which America does want to continue. That goes

across the political aisle. Pat McFadden, the Obama intervention is

the biggest of all interventions. When you look at the totality of the

campaign, why is it, still, despite those interventions, and George

Osborne warning we will be poorer if we ever leave the EU, a massive

effort going into it by the government... Why is it that still

is so close? When I knock doorsteps in my Wolverhampton constituency,

the main reason people raise with me for being against the EU at their

concerns about immigration. I think it is important we acknowledge those

concerns. This brings pressure as well as advantages. That is probably

at the core of people's concerns. As the campaign develops we will see a

desire to look at the bigger picture. We began this week with a

big warning about the economic costs of leaving, that we would actually

probably be poorer as a country. That has an impact on family

finances. Today we are talking less about economic interests and more

about values and power in the world. As we look at the broader picture on

the economy, and on how a country in today's world maximises its power,

we see a broader picture on the EU. That is really the importance of

president Obama's intervention. Pat McFadden and everyone else,

thank you. Let me give you a couple of more

tweets and e-mails. This from Len. Obama should not be dictating to

smack about our referendum when our Queen Elizabeth does not even

comment. We have a pro-Obama tweet. Freedom of speech exists at all

levels of society. The president has his right.

Coming up: We'll be joined by some London marathon first-timers

and giving them some tips for how to survive the race.

I know the answer to that. Jelly babies.

When you spend up to 50 hours a week cycling round London delivering

parcels, and are told what to do, when to do it and wear a company ID

why don't you get holiday pay, the national minimum wage

It's because you're self-employed and not an employee.

Four bicycle couriers are taking their companies

to employment tribunal, saying they should be counted

The ruling could have a massive impact

on others who are classed as self-employed.

Our legal eagle, Clive Coleman, has more

They may not be everybody's Freiberg road user but the life of a city

bicycle courier is not easy. There is the danger of weaving in and out

of traffic. I flipped on a manhole cover. And there is a lot of

distance to cover. Then there is how they are treated by courier

companies. I am being told which ordered to do. If I do not do them

in the right order, I will get shouted at. Insurance is not

provided. That is not expendable. You are. These couriers regard

themselves as employed workers because they work for one company

for around 50 hours per week. They are told what to do, how to do it

and when to do it. But they are not treated as being employed. The idea

that we are independent contract is running our own company is simply

not true. I do not get sick pay, holiday pay or pension. Like many

others who work in sectors such as cab driving our construction, they

are treated as self-employed independent contract is, which means

they are not entitled to a range of rights and benefits, including the

national minimum wage, and the right not to be treated or dismissed.

So in what could be a landmark case, four London courier companies are

being taken to an employment tribunal. The couriers, supported by

their union, preceding a declaration that they are in fact employed

workers. The career industry has been premised on this bogus to

declaration. All of the courier companies, nearly all of them, do

this. You have hundreds of bicycle couriers and thousands of motorbike

and van drivers who, on a regular basis, are being deprived of paid

holidays, sick pay, pensions, the right to claim victimisation.

According to the lawyer bringing the case, a win for the careers could

have a significant impact on the modern labour market. They are

either employees or workers and therefore entitled to employer --

employee rights. They can go to a court and say, it does not matter

what it says on the contract, I am an employee and worker and can I

have the same rights? We spoke to the four courier

companies. None of them conceded the claims of the careers. The city

sprint's response was representative.

-- city Sprint. For the moment, the couriers

continue to be treated as self-employed, which means putting

in the miles with no employee benefits.

Andrew Boxer is a bike courier and one of four claimants in the case.

He works for XL. Mario Cunha is a bike courier and union official for

the Corriere branch of the independent workers of Great

Britain. What is it you lose out on from not being an employee? Holiday

pay. That is one of the major things. If we go to a tribunal, for

instance, and they decide to victimise me for that, I don't have

any rights. That is another major point. We may not even get the

minimum wage some weeks. A couple of weeks ago I did not manage to get

that. It is a big deal for you? Absolutely. It surely turns on

whether people like Andrew can work for other people? If they can work

for one company one day and another and another day, it becomes harder

to say you are an employee? OK. They cannot do that. I assume most

couriers do a little bit here and there? Absolutely not. You are

locked to one company. You have to work certain hours, nine to five.

You cannot deviate. They dictate when you take your break. They

dictate which order you do the jobs in. What happens if you say to them,

that is fine but this afternoon I am working for them and tomorrow I am

over there? You cannot do that. Absolutely that. You are basically

working for this company. If you are going to take time off work to do

something, you have to ask permission. It is not paid. I am

thinking London, it is just so dangerous cycling in London. If you

take a hit, have you taken a hit? Did you get covered? Nothing like

that. As Mario has passed -- said, the insurance is for the package on

my back, not for me. We do not get sickness pay. You could take out

insurance for yourself? One could do. But with the amount of money we

are paid, there is no spare capital. I have to pay the gas bill. It is

tough. Mario, you are bicycle couriers. What happens with

motorcycle couriers? Do they have a different deal? Everybody in the

career industry has the same deal. They are viewed as self contracting.

Yes. Self contracting. What do the companies say to you? That is one of

the tricks they play on us. You are on the same level as them. In

practice, you have none of the rights of a self contracting worker.

You turn up when they say you turn up. You do what they say. You get

fired. And you have no recompense for that. Andrew, a quick one. How

far do you cycle in a day? I do sort of 55 miles every day, easily. But

quite often more than that. Sometimes we can do 10-hour days. I

am thinking you should be doing the London Marathon!

Coming up, an investigation is launched after the national spelling

test for seven-year-olds in England is published in error on a

government website. We will speak to the eagle eyed teacher who spotted

it. Let's get the latest weather with Thomas.

There is a chill on the way. We have been forecasting it for a few days.

It is already turned cold in Scotland. Minus five degrees last

night. Towards the south, we have got cloudy, rainy conditions. Tried

a bit of contrast across the country. Through the week and there

will be contrasting temperatures compared to what we have experienced

in the past week. Winds coming from the Arctic. It will not feel like

Arctic air would do in the middle of winter. But it certainly will feel

on the chilly side. Two things happening today. We have cloud and

rain in the South. Not a pretty picture in the south-west. Only 10

degrees. An easterly breeze. In southern parts of Wales, still spots

of rain. From the Midlands North words it is a better day. Some

sunshine for Belfast, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow. The air is cold.

Wintry showers over the hills of Scotland. Through today, look what

happens with the rain in the south, it retracts back into the English

Channel. The reason for that is the colder air coming from the North is

winning, squeezing it out. Temperatures will be giving away.

The skies will start to clear. And those temperatures will tumble.

Tomorrow looks something like this. For many it is a bright, crisp

start. Then in the afternoon, from morning on words, we will see some

showers. Some of these could be sleety. I would not be surprised if

there was some hail. Foremost we are talking about 10 degrees. The

morning will nippy. Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday,

quite a widespread grass frost. A significant air frost across

Scotland and northern England. The South may just about get away with

it. Sunday, a fair bit of cloud for some. Also some sunny spells. Some

showers. The possibility of wintry ones. It looks as though for the

marathon it is going to be dry most of the time. I would not rule out a

shower. These conditions persist through Monday and Tuesday. Northern

part of the UK could turn really cold. Here is a summary for the

weekend. A colder feel. Sunshine and showers. And night frosts. Wrap up

warm. Hello, it is Friday. I am Norman

Smith funding around in Victoria's place. Welcome.

Welcome to the programme if you've just joined us.

Coming up before 11am: "Working as one to make the world

President Obama praises what he calls the "remarkable

legacy" of the US, Britain and the EU.

So will his impassioned support for our continued membership

Also today: Tributes pour in for the singer Prince whose death

Stevie Wonder, Keadby -- Kate Bush, people who revered prince, he was

the greatest performer in contemporary music.

We'll bring you reaction and the latest on the

And we will speak to the teacher who discovered that a spelling test had

been published on a government website.

All that to come but first here's a summary of today's news.

President Obama has started a three day tour to the UK

by intervening in the debate over the European Union.

In a newspaper article, Mr Obama argues that if Britain

leaves the EU it will be less able to tackle terrorism,

the migration crisis and economic problems.

But Vote Leave campaigners say his comments are hypocritical,

saying the US would never allow a foreign power to have such control

The US president is due to have lunch with the Queen at Windsor. Our

correspondent is there. An interesting mix of politics and

pageantry. That meeting with the Queen but a law to focus on the EU

referendum comments. Indeed. It has been a busy few days in Windsor for

the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations and those continue. A

private lunch today. The president and the first Lady will arrive by

helicopter from London. There will be photocalls but the lunch is

taking place behind closed doors. Those conversations would be

fascinating to listen to but we will not get to hear. He will go to meet

the Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a press conference and then

another royal engagement, meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

and Prince Harry. Prince Harry somebody that Michelle Obama has met

several times, sharing similar interests. Very much royal

engagements on the agenda. Thank you.

A post-mortem examination is to be carried out on the body

of the pop legend Prince, who has died aged 57.

The American musician, who defined the sound

of the 80s with songs like 1999 and Purple Rain,

was found collapsed in a lift at his home in Minnesota yesterday.

Meanwhile, thousands of fans have joined a party in Minneapolis,

where the singer, songwriter and producer was born.

A DJ tool does about the music legend's fan base. He has this kind

of devotion attached to him unlike any other artist I know of. One

thing about him is his allowing for people to be who they art, whoever

they are, and that is quite often for people who feel isolated and

different from everyone else. Surgeons are concerned that

overweight people and smokers are being refused routine

operations, such as hip A third of NHS areas

in England are blocking surgery until people lose

weight or give up smoking, according to research

by the Royal College of Surgeons. The college claims the policies

are in breech of official guidelines and has urged the

government to step in. Apple's co-founder, Steve Wozniak,

has said his former company Mr Wozniak said all

companies including Apple Apple, along with Google and Amazon,

has been criticised for not paying enough in tax and the firm

is currently the subject of The UK's first national research

centre dedicated to understanding the causes of miscarriage

is to open next week. Tens of thousands of women suffer

miscarriages every year. In total around 200,000

lost pregnancies. What causes so many of them

is still not known. The new centre will look

at the impact of miscarriages The government has been forced

to cancel a national spelling test for primary school pupils after it

accidentally appeared Half a million Year Two pupils

in England were due to take The Schools Minister,

Nick Gibb, has apologised, That's a summary of

the latest BBC News. 40,000 runners prepare to pound

the streets of London this weekend, but just what does it take

to get through 26 miles And do get in touch with us

throughout the morning. If you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate. Football fans up and down

the country may have already caught a glimpse of our next guest,

mainly because he's Speedo Mick is a big Everton fan

and, like his name, he's not leaving He's walking from Merseyside

to Wembley for the FA Cup Tell us about what you're doing

and why in Speedos. The reason for the Speedos is I swam

the English Channel and I decided to carry on the fundraising by going to

all of the Everton games in my Speedos, my goggles also, for the

rest of the season, and I have done. We got into the semifinal of the FA

Cup so I thought I would work in my Speedos all the way to Wembley from

Goodison Park, and one day away from Wembley, I have been in my Speedos

for nine days, it has been pretty cold. We wanted to prove to be Bobby

have been giving money to your cause that you are indeed wearing Speedos.

It is over 200 miles. Luckily the weather has been kind. How have you

found it? Yes. It is about four seasons in the last nine days. The

four seasons were in two days about three days ago, heel Stone is,

slowing and reigning. A little bit of sunshine as well. I have a bit of

a. Over the last couple of days it has been pretty fair. Conditions I

have been putting up with over the winter doing 90 minutes that

everything go game, it is not bad today. Many people have seen you at

Everton games in your Speedos collecting money. What was harder?

The cold Merseyside winter. It has been so long, every week. Some weeks

it has been two games, Wednesday and Saturday. I would not undertake

anything as long as that again, I would not do it, but I might be

walking to the final. A big FA Cup semifinal coming up. You lost the

Merseyside derby. A very poor performance from Everton. What are

you expecting to greet you when you get to Wembley? Football wise? Yes.

You never know what is going to happen in the cup and that is the

only hope I have got. Even if we lose, if they show heart and passion

we will walk away with our heads held high. The results and the way

we have been playing with no passion, I had a hard day walking

yesterday after the result, the 4-0, not because we lost 4-0 but because

there was no heart in the team. I was this heartened. I thought I am

walking 200 miles to watch a team that has already lost. Best of luck

with the rest of your journey and the FA Cup semifinal. Come on you

Blues! That is the sport. I am looking forward to your reading the

sport in your Speedos. Breaking news, a play in the Alton Towers

crash court case. A number of people were injured, five seriously, in the

crash on the ride last June. The Health and Safety Executive is

prosecuting the owner of the theme park. Our reporter is at

Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates' Court. Give us the latest. This is a

very brief hearing which has been taking place at the Magistrates'

Court. Merlin attractions operations, the parent company of

Alton Towers, has pleaded guilty to breaching section three of the

health and safety at work act from 1974. Not surprising because that

crash... They very quickly said they accepted responsibility and talked

about human error being to blame. We will not find out the full details

of what happened on that day today because they are going to adjourn

for sentencing. The Health and Safety Executive may give us some

outline of what happened on the 2nd of June. We have seen a number of

the victims who were hurt on that ride coming into court. The people

most seriously hurt or the front row, including two girls who lost a

leg, they Currin caught with their families. It is packed at the

moment. We have seen three of the people on the second role of the

crash. A woman and her daughter and another woman and her daughter, who

were badly hurt as well. One had to spend a long period in hospital as a

result of the injuries she suffered. They have never spoken before but

have given an interview to the BBC which we will be hearing later. We

will bring you more detail as we get it because the Health and Safety

Executive is giving more information about what happened on the 2nd of

June last year. This was something that led to the closure of the

Smiler ride and other rides across the group, but they are all open

again. Alton Towers said in the past that accepted responsibility for

what happened and has been paying for psychological and physiotherapy

for people hurt that day. Thank you. Our top story today: President Obama

has started a three day tour to the UK with an impassioned

intervention in the debate In a newspaper article,

Mr Obama argues that if Britain leaves the EU it will be less able

to tackle terrorism, the migration crisis

and economic problems. But Vote Leave campaigners

say his comments are Let's take a look back at his two

terms in office with Bob Ravelli from Democrats Abroad,

Kate Andrews from Republicans from Democrats Abroad, Kate Andrews

from Republicans Overseas, and Charlie Wells from

the Wall Street Journal. It always seemed to me the

difficulty with Obama was even before he started he had raised the

bar so, Lord solely high that when he came in he could only disappoint.

He came in on a promise that he would transform America, he talked a

lot in his campaign about wanting to be sort of like Reagan, a president

who transformed the political scene and changed a lot of the assumptions

we have about how government and society works. I do not know that he

never thoroughly did that. He made a lot of changes. It seems as if it is

a continuation of a lot of the assumptions we had. Republicans seem

to really laws President Obama and President Obama Cayman and one of

the things that he wanted to do was create a bipartisan politics and

that has failed spectacularly, I would suggest because of you guys

who whacked him back. That is what the president says as well. You are

on the same page. Senator Obama ran on a platform of change and said he

was going to unite people and I think Republicans who did not miss a

thoroughly support him were hopeful that would be one of the benefits

that came out of his presidency and his first and I would say only major

piece of legislation was a process in which he refused to meet with a

single Republican to discuss any ideas for a massive health care

reform. Roosevelt and Reagan made sure they were bipartisan. President

Obama was arrogant and turned the Republicans of. I think leadership

comes from the top. I am going to ask you to reply.

I think the president made a bold decision to bring the health care

bill in in his first year in office, at a time when he had a lot of

political capital to expend. You could argue that maybe you could use

that political capital in another way. The fact he did, it will be his

greatest legacy because he went and did something that has been talked

about for years by many Presidents and he was successful. The

Republicans who tried to knock it out, appealing it, went to the

Supreme Court, at the end of the day it is there and it is working. Many

Republicans find their constituents saying this is great. Many people

would say he has failed in foreign affairs. Most people would point to

Syria where he seemed to put down a pretty clear red line and said to

Asad, you use chemical weapons and we will get involved. And he backed

off. He didn't mean what he said? I look back at the Bush administration

and the neo-cons who controlled the agenda at the time, it was about

military action first and talk later. President Obama has always

been of the opinion that diplomacy is what we use. We only use force

when it is absolutely necessary. The American public has been very

reluctant to support any foreign invasion after the disaster in Iraq.

Therefore, his ability to do bold initiatives in terms of sending

troops overseas would not even pass muster in Congress. Charlie, it is

probably right that Americans were profoundly scarred by the Iraq war.

But in Obama's foreign policy, many Americans, I suspect, view it as

weak? That is certainly a prevailing view. One of the issues with Obama

is he is very Surei broke, he is professorial, he will take big

issues, mulled over. Others worry that sometimes it is a little bit

cold. On Syria he was incredibly straightforward and incredibly

rational. Americans were quite afraid of that. The message could

have been communicated better. Kate, let's just talk gun laws. President

Obama, after another massacre, said, right, we are going to sort this.

What is it about reforming gun laws in America that makes it mission

impossible, even for Barack Obama when he said he was going to do it.

--? What makes it so impossible? It is impossible because Republicans

and Democrats believe very strongly in gun writes. Overwhelmingly,

Democratic politicians know they cannot touch gun laws. Even

Democrats in urban areas have strong historical ties to their gun rights.

What President Obama did, having the comfort of a second term, is use an

executive order to bypass Congress and do this on his own. He has a bad

history of using executive power in a manipulative wear. Obama care has

not been a great deal for middle America. Premiums have risen. He

continues to bring in this legislation that he decides is his,

ignoring the checks and balances. Maybe the defining legacy of Obama

is who he is and what he represents, namely a black president? It was

historic and it sort of shattered a lot of barriers that were out there.

It put race on the table in a way that it had not been in a long time.

But of course as we have seen during the course of the administration,

race is still an issue. A huge issue. I think it was an historic

and proud moment to elect our first African-American president. One of

my decent -- disappointment is that he has not prioritised school

vouchers that would get poorer African-American kids into better

schools. He had real opportunity to bring the country together and he

did not. It was an historic moment but he has been vilified by the

right from the moment he took office. Republicans said from day

one they would do nothing to help. They would do everything they could

do damage his presidency and not getting re-elected. In spite of

that, he has accomplished a lot. Yes, he had to do it by executive

order on occasion because he had no choice. In spite of that, he has

been a very successful president. History will judge 's overall

accomplishments. But I would say in terms of health care, the economy is

much stronger. Charlie, thank you.

Thank you for your time. Still to come, we will be joined by London

Marathon first timers asking them what inspired them to take part.

Merlin attractions operations Limited, which operates the Alton

Towers resort in Staffordshire, has pleaded guilty to breaches in health

and safety law. 16 people were injured on the Smiler ride in June

last year. One of the five seriously hurt people has given a broadcast

interview with her daughter. Mrs Khan has spoken to the BBC about

what happened that day. They claim the support they first received from

the company has stopped, leaving them feel neglected. The pair spoke

exclusively to us. We did not actually know what had

actually happened. Had it crashed? Had it made an emergency stop? But

the fear of sitting there, and I kept thinking, we are going to tip.

It is going to slip off the rails and we are going to fall right on

our heads. That image comes across constantly for me.

We could not see each other. I thought I had lost my kids. All of

these things went through my head. Every so often I was drifting off

again. It was like I was in and out of consciousness. There was moaning,

crying, screaming. And then there was an eerie silence. It was so

haunting. I still get that haunting. The

family had gone to Alton Towers on a girly day out. This picture shows

three of them wearing black, grey and pink tops sitting in the second

row of the carriage that collided with an empty cart on the Smiler

ride. They were sitting behind Vicky Balz, Daniel Thorpe, Joe Pugh and

Leah Washington. -- Vicky Balch. I could see when the medics arrived

that they were tending to the kids in front. They were not in a good

state. They were in a horrible way. We were in a horror movie with

things, flesh, blood, everything. Although we were not cuts, and our

scars were invisible, that stayed with us. What do you remember about

getting off the right and the rescue operation surrounding that? I was

hoisted out of my seat and asked to walk down the scaffolding. That was

quite a height. I told them I was in excruciating pain and that I could

not do it. They said, just a little bit more. They encouraged me to get

down. When I touched the ground, I think I just fell to the ground. She

was helped away by members of the emergency services. She was later

diagnosed with broken ribs and a swollen long.

They took scans of me and found I had fluid in my abdomen. There was

some internal bleeding. They had to operate. They also told me I may end

up with a colostomy bag. Luckily I didn't. But later on, I found that

my liver had ripped. That is what was causing internal bleeding. What

sort of help did the company offer you initially?

From Alton Towers, initially they appeared to be quite concerned.

Promised the world. Promised the world. They promised us everything.

They signed us to a rehabilitation programme. We had a physio, a

psychotherapist. They gave us a taxi account. Otherwise I could not go

and see Venetia. She could not see us. I am very close to my grandsons.

A lot of help we received was from family and friends.

My injuries were not major but they were very painful. They stopped me

from being a mum for a large amount of time. And I feel like we have

been neglected by them. Is it that they do not think we

require any more rehabilitation? What is it? How can they assume

that? I feel that it is like everything we have had to ask for,

or request, has been a battle. Our support system has broken down but

it is affecting my grandchildren, it has affected all of us. And it has

continued to. How important is this health and safety executive hearing?

The court procedure. How important is it to you? I would never want

anybody else to be in the situation that we were put in. So in that

case, yes, I am glad they have been taken to court. Does it make a

difference to me? No. At the end of the day we still have to go through

what we are going through. You never think it is going to happen to you.

Merlin attractions in a statement said the company continues to

provide all of the help and support it can to those injured. They say

they are always available to deal with individual issues privately but

will not discuss them publicly. This morning we've been

sharing your tributes to Prince, He became a superstar in the 1980s,

with the albums 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O' the Times

and was found dead Thousands of fans have been partying

through the night in his home town, and Prince's sister has met mourners

outside his Paisley Park home. Major world figures have

been paying tribute - President Obama tweeted: "A strong

spirit transcends rules, Prince once said, and nobody's

spirit was stronger, And Paul McCartney

tweeted: "God bless The global superstar sold more than

100 million records during his career. Here is a selection of some

of his hits. # tonight we are going to party like

it is 1999. # you do not have to be beautiful to

turn me on. # just need your body baby from dusk to dawn. # you've got

the luck. ??HOTKEY it looks good. # I'm going down to alphabet Street.

??HOTKEY I am going to talk so sexy shoe wander from my year to my feet.

RJ Benjamin is a musician who was inspired by Prince,

and a vocal coach who works on South African versions

Bryant McIntosh is a Prince fan in Chicago.

It is probably a dumb question, but what was it that made prints so

special? There is so much. For me as an artist, obviously it is just the

seemingly never-ending creativity. I found as an artist growing up that

for me he was like the encyclopaedia of pop music or rock. Like every

album there was something. We're having some difficulty.

Bryant, can you remember how you first got into prints and what he

made you suddenly set up? Well, the first time I heard Prince was back

in 1979 when I heard the song I want to be your lover. Even being that

young of an age, I respected him. I really liked the music. It continued

on from then. Everything he embodied, even back then, you could

tell the genius in the man. You could tell the musicianship. I

learned he had played every instrument on the album. Me being a

young kid and playing instruments myself, irony admired that.

He was more than a musician. He was a cultural phenomenon. He could do a

range of things. Definitely. Everything he touched...

He could be on stage at the Grammys and Hollywood would be in awe of

him. Just the mystique of them was amazing, not like any other person

we are going to see again. I was interested when you talked about the

mystique because as a fan was difficult to relate to him in the

sense that he seemed a very private, almost shy, individual. Yes, but I

do not think it was not easy to relate to him a call as his body of

music, it touched so many people, touched everybody. There was

something that everybody could find in his music. Relating to him and

finding something in his music that you could identify with, I believe

everybody could find something to identify with in his music. Thank

you. Still to come: A spelling test

is pulled after it appeared online. We'll talk to the teacher

who worked out that her seven-year-olds had

seen it all before. Now for the news from

the BBC Newsroom. The Alton Towers operator Merlin has

admitted breaching health and safety rules in a crash last year that

badly injured five people. Merlin attractions operations Limited, the

parent company of Alton Towers, has pleaded guilty to breaching section

three of the health and safety at work act from 1974. Not surprising

because that crash on the Smiler ride last June, they quickly

accepted responsibility and talked about human error being to blame.

This is the scene outside the court. We are expecting a statement from

the Health and Safety Executive and a victim's lawyer, and we will bring

those to you. President Obama has started

a three day tour to the UK by intervening in the debate over

the European Union. In a newspaper article,

Mr Obama argues that if Britain leaves the EU it will be less

able to tackle terrorism But Vote Leave campaigners

call his comments hypocritical. Seeing the US would never give

control to a foreign power. MP Pat McFadden, who wants

to remain in the EU, says Obama has every right

to make his voice heard. He acknowledged in his article that

this was a decision for the British people but I think he has every

right to speak out in this way, partly for the reasons he has said.

American soldiers fought alongside us in two world wars and the history

and future of Europe is wrapped up in a sense in these shared values.

A post-mortem examination is to be carried out on the body

of the pop legend Prince, who has died aged 57.

The American musician, who defined the sound

of the 80s with songs like 1999 and Purple Rain,

was found collapsed in a lift at his home in Minnesota yesterday.

Meanwhile, thousands of fans have joined a party in Minneapolis,

where the singer, songwriter and producer was born.

The government has been forced to cancel a national spelling test

for primary school pupils after it accidentally appeared

Half a million Year Two pupils in England were due to take

The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, has apologised,

The UK's first national research centre dedicated to understanding

the causes of miscarriage is to open next week.

Tens of thousands of women suffer miscarriages every year.

In total around 200,000 lost pregnancies.

What causes so many of them is still not known.

The new centre will look at the impact of miscarriages

Join me for BBC Newsroom live at 11am.

Here's the sport headlines with Hugh.

Tell me you're not going to show people dancing in their underpants

again! Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has

made a plea to the club's fans Lots of empty seats at the start of

their game yesterday. They beat West Brom 2-0 last night

in the Premier League to consolidate their position

in the top three. It's been announced Liverpool's

home, Anfield, will host its first rugby league matches

in almost 20 years. The final of England's Four Nations

tournament will take place The Olympic Stadium in London has

also been chosen as a venue. The 2010 Open Champion Louis

Oosthuizen is the latest golfer to pull out of this summer's Olympic

Games. Golf returns to the Games

for the first time since 1904 but Oosthuizen says he won't attend

due to family and schedule issues. And England pace bowler Mark Wood

will be out until the late summer after having further surgery

on an injured ankle, which was also operated

on back in November. It means the Durham man will miss

a significant portion of the season. I'll have more on BBC News

throughout the morning. We are hoping to bring you a

statement shortly from the owners of Alton Towers after pleading guilty

to the Health and Safety Executive prosecution following the accident

at Alton Towers. Two days to go until the start

of the London Marathon. Around a quarter of a million people

applied to take part. Close to 40,000 will run,

a huge number of them taking on the challenge

of a marathon for the first time. One man who knows all about

the London Marathon is John Fisher. This will be his 15th consecutive

London Marathon after having Francis, 24, is running

the London Marathon for the first time for Macmillan in aid

of his father Martin who died last year and Leeann Nash is running

the marathon for the first time for the National Autistic society

to raise awareness for autism. Her 14-year-old son

Thomas is autistic. You are all sitting down. You will

not be sitting down on Sunday. What sort of stage are you at? How many

miles have you been putting in? Is it looking daunting? It is daunting

but I have run up to 22 miles so I am quietly confident but who knows

what could happen? It is to raise awareness for the National Autistic

Society. Costume? No question. I thought about it but I was worried.

How long have you been pounding? Have you run before? I have. It is

my first marathon. I used to run with my dad. Sunday is going to be a

special day. Do you train on your own? Sometimes on my own and

sometimes with others. I am training with someone else who is running the

marathon with a. I expressed incredulity that you have had a

heart transplant and are doing marathons. What are you doing? It

puts strain on an old hard but I have a young heart. People see this

old body but I have a brand-new Italy mag. Top tips? Do not drink

too much. Drink at every station but do not drink the whole bottle. I

would not step what over my head to cool off the closure body is trying

to you up. Put something over your risk. -- wrist. Do not go for

porridge. I normally have chocolate muffins and chocolate Swiss rolls

and a can of Coke. In the training you have done what has been the

hardest bit? Is it getting going? Or 15 miles when you have a lot more to

do? All of the aforementioned. I have six children. The autistic one

will not be coming but some of the others will be. The great thing

about London as the crowds. They drag you around. Yes, fabulous

support. They give you an orange or somebody might give you jelly

babies. It is a party atmosphere. When you do the London Marathon you

will be reflecting on your dad. How much is it the charity element which

has driven new to do it and how much is it something you want to tick

off? A bit of both. McMullan were incredible. How much have you

raised? Just short of ?5,000. McMullan were so supportive during

my dad's illness. It is something I have always wanted to do and it will

be fantastic to do it. Did your dad do marathons? Not quite. He did

holes. We would have liked to have done a marathon together. You have

finished the London Marathon, do you think you will think you like this

and might do another one? Yes. Injuries. How have you done? Did you

run before? No. But I was quite fit. People say that runners are either

coming back from an injury or about to be injured. Luckily I did not

suffer any injury. You are doing yet another marathon. Do you get bored?

No. This one is special because it is going to be my 54th birthday and

my 15th marathon. Are you getting faster? No. Each year the weather is

a big factor. It looks pretty grim this year. I keep thinking I will

beat the year before but then I remember I am each year older. I

enjoy the atmosphere. I am hoping to get somewhere near four hours. I

have entered a run in May. 54 mile run in South Africa. Are you mad? In

the blazing sunshine? What is the training for that? The London

Marathon. This is a warm up! When you get to the end of it, family,

big celebration, a few beers, pizza, or flat on your back? A bit of both.

Mandy is going to be a struggle to going to work. Do you have the

family? Yes, family and friends. How much of a difference does that make?

A huge amount. You cannot underestimate how important that

will be. I will hopefully see them at as many points along the route as

possible and it will give you a boost. Knowing you are going to see

your family soon. My tip is go to the toilet before you start because

otherwise it is grim. I also brought these, my emergency rations. There

is a daily baby. Super foods. -- jelly. Tomorrow will Richard Johnson

will be crowned a champion jockey which means he has written more

winners than any other jockey this season but in terms of sporting

determination and commitment it means more than that because he has

been runner-up nearly every year for 20 years. The man who thought it

time each time AP McCoy, finally it is his turn to lift the trophy.

7:30 on a Somerset morning and Richard Johnson is exactly

Today, he's helping to train horses for more victories.

Every year, the jump jockey who wins the most races is champion.

But Johnson's faced an almost impossible problem.

He was cursed to be competing against AP McCoy.

For 20 consecutive years until he retired, McCoy

For nearly all of those years, Johnson finished just

I'm sure in my 20s, I got very frustrated with AP always...

I never felt, however hard I tried or however great a week I had,

It's a shame he's not still riding because it would have

But again, it does not take the shine off it for me.

When AP McCoy finally retired last year, he had

But in the history of the sport, only one other jump jockey has ever

There's a brand-new trophy for the new Champion Jockey

The man who helped choose the new design and who will

give Johnson the trophy on Saturday is AP McCoy.

I could not be happier as to who I'm presenting it to.

He is someone who made me achieve what I achieved for so long.

I think that it is deserved for his great work and his hard work

and dedication over the last 20 odd years.

I think it shows that perseverance can always pay off in the end.

Two days off and the next one begins.

The champion of perseverance and patience is not stopping now.

The Schools Minister has cancelled a national spelling tests

for primary schools in England, after a teacher spotted it had

already been published online as a practice paper.

More than half a million seven-year-olds had been due to take

the test next month, as part of their Sat tests.

Nick Gibb described the incident as "regrettable".

Charlotte Smiles is a teacher at Upland Primary School -

And Mary Bousted is General Secretary at the Association

Gosh, what a thing to spot. How on earth did you work out that someone

had done the test before? We were testing in small groups and a

colleague of mine was taking her group to take the test. One of the

children appeared to know what was coming next. He was saying, I know

this one! Quite unusual for a child. It struck a chord with her. She did

some digging online and followed a link that another school had

published on their website to encourage parents to help

familiarise themselves with the test, and that is when she found it

online. What did you do? Did you bring the

Department of education saying there was a problem? Yes. I was quite

shocked. I rang the standards and testing agency and asked if there

had been a mistake in possibly the test they had sent us. They said to

leave it with them and they would get back to me. A couple of hours

later I had a phone call to tell me that they had actually... Firstly,

they could not find the paper. I had to direct them. Then I was told that

yes, it had been mistakenly loaded onto the website. Mary, at one

level, what a mess. At another level, does it matter that much?

Well, it matters in that if a school made this mistake, there would be

serious professional consequences for the headteachers and the

teachers. They would be sacked. So when a government agency does it,

that shows there is a real problem. It is not just a problem with this

test. There are problems with tests for 11-year-olds, GCSE and A-level.

The whole test programme is chaotic. There is too much testing, scrap it?

It should have been done properly. Tests are very important things both

for the people who sit them, for schools and parents. What has

happened is we have had a raft of A-levels, GCSE, the 11-year-old test

of the seven-year-old test, introduced to quickly and in two

chaotic anyway. Now the government is making big mistakes in their

administration. This is not good enough. It is not good enough for

pupils, it is not good enough for parents.

And the government is in special measures. I am impressed by, was it

a boy who found this paper? Is there are a lot of searching that goes on

on the Internet to try to find past papers? I do not think so. This is a

new testing system. It is a new curriculum. It is the first year it

has been introduced. The best way to educate children is to have

all-party singing from the same hymn sheet. We encourage is parents to

encourage their children at home. Doesn't it become though... I

understand what you say about familiarising them, but isn't there

a danger it becomes cramming, endless practising for the test Yes

it does. We would ask parents to use it more for a familiar race and

exercise. That is part of the new curriculum. There are grammatical

balls that need to be crammed into heads. Presumably things will carry

on and the garment will have tighter Internet security? This is not the

only thing they have put on hold. They have cancelled the baseline

tests taken by four-year-olds. Last year they gave those tests to three

test providers. They were told not to do so. All the warnings that you

would not get comparable results have been proved to be true. They

have cancelled those tests. They have cancelled key stage one

spelling tests. The writing assessment is in chaos. We have had

five further clarifications. We have got GCSEs. We have got the same. The

reason it is all going pear shaped is because it is too much? There is

too much testing. It is being implemented too quickly. Testing is

very difficult to get right. It is being implemented to quickly and it

is based on a curriculum which is inappropriate. What is your take on

testing. You are the one in front of the class, you have a sense of how

the kids are doing. Why don't you form an assessment rather than wait

for the government to present you with a test paper? I agree with that

point of view. We know these children better than any test paper

can tell you. They were not give you the same insight into a child that

we can give as a teacher. We should be trusted. From the point of view

of a parent, they want the certainty of a national comparison, which in

national test would give them? Yes, and I can understand that. When you

look at schools, you need to take everything into consideration. But

you can have a uniform policy, a uniform system where teachers can

assess their children, that does not involve them sitting down taking a

formal test. Let me stop there. Thank you both. The health and

safety executive and a solicitor for the victim are making statements

outside the court after Merlin pleaded guilty to breaching rules of

health and safety in the Alton Towers crash.

It failed in its legal duty to protect people on the Smiler right.

Those injured on the 2nd of June had every right to expect a carefree and

fun day out. The incident was profoundly distressing for all those

involved, both physically and mentally. It left some with life

changing injuries. We hope this first step in this criminal case

will help those affected by the matter in their recovery going

forward. I am acting on behalf of eight of

the victims from the accident. Going back to that notorious date now in

June, my clients sustained significant and in some cases life

changing injuries. But it is important to say that from the

perspective of the families, today was certainly not about victory.

Today was certainly not about retribution. But it was a very

important step, a psychological milestone along the recovery route.

Clients still have psychological injuries. They were last a good

while. The physical injuries were last forever. This, as I say, was

not about punishment. It was about trying to find out what went wrong

that day. Whatever the facts that lead this accident, and also to

ensure, very critical to the families, to ensure it will not

happen again, not only on the Smiler right but for other rights around

the country and indeed into Europe. It is perhaps not surprising that

there will be a guilty plea today because here our young people who

have gone out to have a fun day out and have come away, some, with an

amputation. But that said, it is a comfort that there has been a guilty

plea and now we will not have to go through the necessity of a trial.

May I say finally that the families are very grateful to the health and

safety executive for the manner and thoroughness with which they

prosecuted this case. In particular may I say with the sensitive way

they have dealt with the families. Thank you very much. The company

which runs Alton Towers has issued a statement. It says Merlin today

pleaded guilty to an offence under the health and safety and work act.

From the outset the company has accepted responsibility for what

happened in June last year and it has cooperated fully with the health

and safety executive in its investigation. We have sought to

provide help and support to those injured in the accident, and will

continue to do so. Well, tomorrow marks the 400th

anniversary of the death of England's most celebrated playwright

and poet, William Shakespeare, of course. His works have been

translated into 80 languages, including Klingon. He will -- he

helped shape the English we use today, introducing more than 300

words and many well-known faces. We can take a look as people read a

scene from as you like it. All the world is a stage and all the

men and women merely players. S they have their exits and their

entrances. One Man in his time plays many parts. His acts being seven

ages. At first of the infant mewling and polluting in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining schoolboy with his satchel and shining morning

face. Creeping on willingly to school. Fine like furnace with a

woeful ballot. Then, a soldier full of strange oafs, jealous in honour,

sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the

Canon's mouth. And then the Justice in fair or round belly with good

cave on, lined with eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise

souls and modern instances, and so he plays his part. The sixth phase

shifts into the lean and slicker pantaloon. His youthful hose well

saved, a world too wide for his shrunk shank and his big manly

voice. Turning again toward childish trouble, pipes and whistles in his

sound. The last scene of all that ends this history is second child as

this. Song's eyes, song's taste. Song is everything.

Blow winds and cracked by cheeks! Spout fire! That is King Lear.

Enough. BBC newsroom live is next. They will have the latest on this

morning's breaking news, the operator of Alton Towers has pleaded

guilty to breaching health and safety regulations of the roller

coasters crash last year. Five people were seriously injured when

the carriage collided with another one. Thank you for your company

today. Normal service resumed on Monday.

Cheerio.