03/08/2016 Victoria Derbyshire

Our top story, plans have been unveiled that should lead to a cut

That's after Ofgem accepted a series of reforms. We will bring you the

details. Also today, as MPs tell local

authorities that not enough is being done to settle Syrian

refugees in this country the head of the Local Government Association

tells this programme they are on target and places

are ready and waiting. And later, we'll be

hearing Adrienne's story. She is a transgender woman living

in Belfast where same sex marriage is still not legal and she tells us

about how the community reacted I didn't really think that I would

ever find an acceptance in a Christian church that was able to

worlds that coexisted, but existed together and being here and being

who I am, you know, it made it so much more real to worship as a

person I was always meant to be. Lots coming up we are going to take

a look at how you can save money on your energy bills as the body

in charge of the big suppliers says more will be done to help people

switch more easily and pre-paid meters will have

a limit set on them. Get in touch with your experience

of trying to find the best deals Do get in touch on all the stories

we're talking about this morning - use the hashtag Victoria Live

and if you text, you will be charged Lower energy prices

could be on the way The gas and electricity regulator,

Ofgem, says it's going to introduce a cap on prices charged

by pre-payment meters, which are used by around

four million people. Ofgem says the cap will help

the most vulnerable and customers least likely

to switch suppliers. It's expected to save them around

?75 a year from next April. The announcement follows a report

published by the Competition and Markets Authority in June

which set out ways in Critics say it doesn't go far

enough but Dermot Nolan, the Chief Executive of Ofgem,

says people will get a better deal. I think it will be an improvement

for consumers and I think it will also deliver for them in a way that

it hasn't done before. I think there is a number of quite important

changes. One I would say is the recommendation that pre-payment

customers, about four million people in the UK are on pre-payment meters.

In the last few years they haven't been getting a great deal and we're

going to be introducing a clear protection for them which will save

them ?70 or ?80 a yearment that's important because electricity is an

essential service and the vulnerable really need to be protected so I

think it will be a better deal for them. I also think that by

encouraging people to be able to switch, by making switching easier,

by giving people far more information and empowering them, it

will over time make things better. It will drive down prices and you

will have a more empowered consumer making better choices and getting a

better deal. Our business correspondent

Theo Leggett is here. What are the most important

proposals and what's been left out? There has been criticism that things

have been missed? Well, the most change clearly is the move to

introduce a cap on the prices paid by people on pre-payment meters.

These are the poorest customers and the ones who find it harder to move

around. The cap will be introduced which should save them between ?70

and ?80. That will stay in place until 2020 when smart meters will be

introduced. As far as things that have been left out are concerned,

well there is no move to cap standard variable tariffs, the ones

which you go on to in you don't bother shopping around and if your

discounted deal comes to an end. Some people wanted more action on

that and there is controversy around the way to the way price comparison

websites show deals, whether or not they are able to exclude deals,

where they are not paid commission for example. There is a lot of chat

about that at the moment and so far, all that Ofgem is doing is

consulting on it. Will much change for the average customer, the bulk

of customers who are with the big six on standard variable customers?

Not unless they decide to shop around for themselves. Ofgem, says

it will take more action to get disengaged customers to start

looking around for deals. If you are to take notice of the deal, you have

to be reading your bill in the first place, if you're not shopping

around, that suggests you are not paying as much acontinuation.

Two-thirds of customers don't shap around and they could be saving up

to ?300 a year according to Ofgem. OK, we will be talking more about

that later. Let us know your thoughts and

experiences on that. We will bring you thoughts into the conversation a

little later if we can. Julian is in the BBC

Newsroom with a summary Britain's border force has

a "worryingly low" number of boats MPs on the Commons Home Affairs

Committee say just three boats are available to patrol 7,000

miles of shoreline. It's calling for the Royal Navy

to be brought in to support Our correspondent

Angus Crawford reports. Out of the dark, a lone boat,

adrift and in trouble. As rescuers close in,

it is clear the The group bypassed security

in France hoping to slip The Home Affairs Committee

warns more criminal gangs are doing the same,

exploiting inadequate policing at smaller ports

to smuggle people into the UK. It's the job of UK Border Force

vessels to stop them, but the report says only three

are available to patrol Britain's This one, Protector,

the biggest and most modern, is currently on duty

in the Mediterranean. I'm afraid, as an island nation,

there are weaknesses in our border security and we need

additional vessels used. There are Royal Naval vessels that

are not being used at the moment which should be deployed to deal

with people traffickers. The Home Office says it already

works with the Royal Navy, uses radar and aerial surveillance

and has ordered eight new vessels. All part of a constant struggle

to stop smuggling and save lives. A report by MPs into

the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the UK says not enough

is being done by local authorities to reach the goal of resettling

20,000 Syrians by 2020. It said the UK Vulnerable Persons

Resettlement Scheme started well with co-operation between local

authorities, the government and the agencies involved but that

a two-tier system was emerging with some providing

support to Syrian refugees A police officer in Pakistan

in charge of an investigation the death of a woman from Bradford

has confirmed she was strangled. Samia Shahid, who was 28,

died last month while visiting Her husband says she was the victim

of a so-called honour killing, an allegation denied

by her relatives in Pakistan. Profits at Britain's biggest bank,

HSBC, have fallen sharply. In the first six months of this year

they were down by 29% compared to the same period last year - at

?7.2 billion. The bank said there had been

"exceptional volatility" because of concern about China's

economy and Britain's There will be more armed police

officers patrolling the streets of London from today,

in response to recent attacks The move has been announced

by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police,

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, They say the aim is to reassure

the public and deter attackers. We already know that the threat

level is severe so we know that We have no intelligence

there will be an attack shortly, but what we do know is what we have

seen attacks in Germany and we have seen attacks in France and Belgium

and I think we would be foolish to ignore that

so it is important we get officers out there with firearms

to respond where necessary. A British man has been killed

while fighting with Kurdish forces against so-called Islamic State

militants in Syria. Kurdish reports say 22-year-old Dean

Carl Evans died last month. His father, John, has

confirmed the death. He is the second British man to die

while fighting as a volunteer A tribute to Dean Evans was posted

to one of the websites It also showed some

recent video of him. According to friends,

he was on the frontline behind a wall when he was

hit by an IS bullet. A female Kurdish fighter who tried

to save him was also killed when a rocket-propelled grenade

hit them both. On Facebook, John Evans

confirmed his son's death. He posted a photo of him

when he was a teenager and said he would be loved and missed

by all his family and friends. Dean Evans was killed in fierce

fighting around the town of Manbij. It's said to be a key staging post

on the road to Raqqa, The Foreign Office wasn't able

to confirm his death and advises against all travel to Syria

for whatever reason. Last year, another

Briton, Erik Scurfield, The former Royal Marine

from Barnsley was given full military honours when the Kurdish

forces handed over his Dean Evans is said to have left

a will saying he wanted to be buried in the Kurdish part of Syria,

next to the people he called his A legal ruling is expected later

today in the case of a British woman who claims she is being held

against her will in Saudi Arabia. 21-year-old Amina Al-Jeffery has

dual British and Saudi citizenship, She says her father has imprisoned

her at his home in Jeddah. A British High Court judge has been

considering whether he can call for her return,

but any ruling is likely to have limited power outside of the UK,

with the Saudi government Two leopards have been born at twi

cross Zoo. These CCTV pictures are the first glimpse of the cubs. They

are the second pair born to mum and dad. The zoo says the new arrivals

will help ensure the long-term survival of the species.

That's a summary of the latest BBC News.

They were scrummy, weren't they? We will look at how you can save

money on your energy bills as the body in charge of the big suppliers

says more will be done to help people switch easily and pre-payment

meters will have a limit set on them. Get in touch on your

experience about trying to find the best deals. We will hear from a

trans woman living in Belfast. She will tell us how the community

reacted to her sexuality. Do get in touch with us

throughout the morning - use the hashtag Victoria LIVE

and If you text, you will be charged With three days to go

until the start of the Olympics in Rio, today we will discover

the sports that will be added to the program

in Tokyo in four years time. With golf and Rugby Union added to

the schedule this year. Today the International

Olympic Committee is expected to announce that

Sports Climbing will be an event Which means we can expect to see

Shauna Coxsey compete. She is with me now. Thank you very

much for joining us. This would be pretty cool, wouldn't it, if you got

to compete at the Olympics? Yeah, it is something I never expected to see

in my professional career as a climber. Yeah, it is a bit

overwhelming considering climbing being in the Olympics, but it is an

exciting and historical day. Your specialism is bowledering? That's

correct. That's one of three events that you would have to take part in?

I specialise in bouldering and it is three events that have been selected

and it is one medal for the overall. Yeah, it is a little bit like asking

Usain Bolt to do his 100 meter race and run the 800 meters and a

marathon on top of that. It is complicated. One of the events is

speed climbing? It is speed climbing, yes. It is very different

to bowlering. Tell us about bouldering? It is a discipline of

climbing and you go not too high above the ground, above mats with no

ropes. It is a free sport. Speed climbing is as fast as k get up a

wall and there is league climbing you clip your rope in as you climb

up and it is a much more endurance based sport. You won a World Cup

event this year which means you're world number one in your sport,

aren't you? Yes, I'm world number. I won that title which is really

exciting and I have been competing for a while and you can see the

footage from one of the World Cups which was in Austria. On top of

that, it would be a few, speed climbing and league climbing as

well. Speed climbing looks great to watch, having seen the pictures this

morning, it looks exciting. It would make for a great sport and spectacle

at the Olympics, but how difficult is that to turny answerings and em--

ayour attention and improve? It is up to my coach to work out! That's

his job. I'll do what I'm told. Have you been practising in anticipation

of the sport being included in the Olympics? Not currently. I was a

lead climber previously, transferring back to that discipline

wouldn't be too difficult and I'm excited about that, but the speed

climbing is alien to me, so it will be a challenge. I'm excited about

the challenge and I think with the announcement coming later today, I

think it will change the way our sport works right now and it is

really exciting and yeah, we don't know how it will work, but it is a

big step for our sport. Why is it set to be included, when

the announcement comes, we know that rock climbing is certainly one of

the UK's fastest-growing sports. Correct, it is a wheelie accessible

sport and a natural sport to do, as kids we want to climb trees and jump

around a climbing frame. It is something that feels natural to do

and it is so much fun, as an adult going back to it, you see people

doing it, it is as though you get to climb on things again, nobody will

tell you. Was it a love of climbing, when we were growing up. I began

climbing when I was four years old, nearly 20 years ago, it was

something that was so natural to me, I fell in love with it immediately,

I was really fortunate to have a supportive father who was keen to

take me climbing, it is something that was really natural to me and

something I fell in love with immediately. You could be competing

in the Olympics in four years' time. Crazy to think about, excellent.

Thank you very much for joining us. We await the announcement later on

the inclusion of rock climbing in the Olympics in Tokyo in for you is

time, we will be keeping an eye on that today, and, as we know, not

long until the start of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, just three

days away, that's the moment is all of the sport and we will have more

in 15 time. Ain't very much see you then.

Are the UK's borders up to the job of fighting the huge and growing

A group of MPs this morning says they're NOT.

The Home Affairs committee says smaller ports are being

exploited by criminal gangs, and the Border Force simply doesn't

The number of vessels patrolling the seas around Britain is,

We have three border boats, for seven and a half thousand miles

compared to Italy's 600 vessels, for 4,5000 miles.

a former Director General of the UK Border Force.

Comparing statistics, it seems woeful, why does Britain have so few

patrol boat? You need to understand the nature of the threat, places

like Italy face huge volumes of irregular migrants coming across the

Mediterranean Sea, that is not something we have seen in the UK

until recently, it is a fairly recent change. What we have had to

do is change the response mechanism, we actually have five cutters, we

have one aerial reconnaissance aircraft. When I was there. One is

in doc, one in the Mediterranean, so only three left. New threat of the

smugglers trying new routes, usually illegal migrants come through Dover,

in the backs of lorries, there has been a huge investment in Calais, it

is made it harder for them to do that, they are trying new methods.

We need new border surveillance to deal with the new threat. There are

boats coming, but there will not come through until the end of next

year, it will only be another eight, does the Royal Navy need to step in

in the meantime? It is important that it is not just about the net

red number of votes, it is a complicated structure, 16 different

agencies involved in border protection, not just the border

force. -- not just about the number of votes. -- boats. You have the

National Crime Agency, various agencies, the Navy as well, we need

to make sure they all work together under them for space of the national

maritime intelligence centre, there is no good having an armada of votes

out there if they do not known where to go or how to intercept. -- armada

of boats. Is it clear what is the picture, family migrants are trying

to come to this country on boats. How many are coming through? -- how

many migrant. How do we know if someone comes in a legally, unless

they come to our attention, the best answer is probably a silent intake,

most asylum seekers come in a legally, that has crept up by 12% in

the last year, there is evidence that there is more penetration

through the border. You do not know if that is by sea or any other

means. We only know how many we stopped at Calais, we know there has

been significant investment in Calais, ?25 million, with the French

fences, CCTV, makes it much harder for the smugglers to operate in what

has always been the traditional route into the UK. They are trying

other things, what we need to do is to adapt, so that we can tackle the

changing threat. The MPs are warning that small ports are particularly

vulnerable to people traffickers, and when you realise that smugglers

can make ?100,000 per journey, for each boat, you can see that there is

a huge incentive to find loopholes, and find those small ports, what is

the best way to protect individual ports, I know what you are saying

about a joined up approach to security, does it need to be the

case that there is something of these there are, in terms of boats,

or whatever it is that this sending out a signal in the way that Italy

has done with a lot about. General maritime has always been a threat,

small ports and coastal coverage, we do not have a border patrol in this

country, responsible for trolling between the ports of entry, it is

the same organisation that manages the ports as does the areas in

between, it is like community releasing, we have had coast watch

and we have had Project Kraken. Will rely upon Harbour Masters and the

Coast Guard to rely upon -- notice things. When we begin to identify

trends, then we can take a criminal gangs. How many boats are being

intercepted? The actual numbers of interceptions is not recorded,

because... Because there are different types of threat coming

into the UK, the border Force cutters do not just deal with

smuggling, they deal with environmental threats, things like

fishing and environmental issues and so on, the cutters are being

deployed on an intelligence led basis, to different operations, some

of the operations are covert, that will be organised by the national

crime agency, made be deployed by a larger organisation. Spread more

thinly than just being about border patrols and people smuggling, does

that send out a message that written is a soft touch, if you want to try

to get a boat load of people in? Britain is not a soft touch, when I

was head of border force, what a lot of people visited to see how we did

things, of course we still have a border with Europe, most of Europe

does not have won because of Shannon, and the external frontier

is broken, with huge numbers coming across the Mediterranean, we have a

change in threat but we should not put this out of perspective. --

Schengen. It is a change and we are adapting to it, we just need to keep

ahead of the smugglers. Did not long strongly critical of local

authorities for not acting quickly enough in their resettlement plans

for new arrivals. It is reported that many councils are refusing to

house refugees because of high costs. Well it's not long since the

British government was lambasted for reportedly taking in only 216

refugees from Syria. Those numbers were well up by the beginning of

July - as you'd expect - and we've now received eight thousand

refugees. But MPs still say there's little sign that the UK will meet

its goal of resettling 20-thousand Syrians by 2020. The same report

we've just heard about, which is warning about border force problems,

is also strongly critical of local authorities for not acting quickly

enough in their resettlement plans for new arrivals. It's reported that

many councils are refusing to house refugees due to high accommodation

costs. I spoke to Councillor David Simmons, who heads up an asylum,

migration and refugee task force for the Local Government Association.

The figures used are out of date, after the official arrival of

refugees, there would be a pause while they learn what could be done

to improve logistics. During that period the local government

Association and local councils have been coming forward with offers of

accommodation as part of the programme for resettling 20,000

Syrians and I am confident they are talking to councils around the

country that those 20,000 targets will be met. -- that 20,000 target

will be met. A survey has found that one in three councils have been

fusing to take in refugees, is that still the picture? All councils are

playing a part in bringing refugees to the UK, it depends upon

whereabouts in the country, how many offers of houses they are able to

make, and it also depends upon what other refugees they may already be

looking after. The Syrian scheme is one small part of the picture, we

also have a number of other government schemes for resettling

destitute refugees and a 100 cent increase in the number of

unaccompanied refugee children being looked after by councils across the

UK. This survey which is being done and the Home Office side committee

report is a small part of that picture. We need to be aware of

wider context. Are some local authorities point blank refusing to

take in refugees, in London, only 11 of 32 London boroughs had agreed to

take 521 refugees. Across the total number of borrowers there. Other

local authorities are also not and have not been taking... Is it right

that any local authority should not take a single refugee under this new

proposal? Local authorities, most local authorities will have some

refugees and some will have large numbers which will not appear in the

total because they have not been brought to the UK as part of this

specific scheme which the survey on the report we are looking at, my own

authority, Hillingdon, has more than 100 unaccompanied refugee children,

because there is a very severe shortage of accommodation, its entry

cannot be found within the funding that is being offered by the Home

Office, we will not be taking significant numbers of adults and

families but elsewhere in the country, different picture, there

are parts that have few if any refugee children because they do not

have the expertise in looking after them perhaps, but where

accommodation can be more readily found, taking very significant

numbers, that is why we will see a patchwork of offers based upon what

local communities have the capacity to provide. What about it being the

right thing to do, the deputy leader of Coventry City Council, which has

been one of the most welcoming councils has said, " we have

accepted refugees because it is the right thing to do, they say that is

why they want to do it. There is a combination of factors which is

always at work. Clearly no council wants to have to face is local

community later on and say that the may have to close libraries and may

be struggling for school places because this finance simply is not

there. We need to balance local communities and we need to look at

what we have the capacity to provide, parts of the country will

be spending a good deal of money and providing a good deal of support to

refugee children who may not be taking in families, they may be

areas of the country which offer specific support to adults with

disabilities or injuries as a result of what has happened with has led to

them being refugees but may not be able to take young children, that is

why it is so important in this game and that is why it is a cause for

celebration that we have reached the target of 7000, although we could be

significantly more if called upon to do so. It is inevitable that any

council taking in refugees will cut costs on something else that they

are spending money on as a result, when you look at the figures, the

way that they break down, councils get ?8,500 for every refugee in the

first year, ?1000 in the fifth year, councils say that covers only 80% of

their costs, that is at the same time as local authority funding has

been cut by one third. The pressures on council funding have been

well-publicised, we know that all of the councils coming forward with

offers of accommodation for refugees will need to make difficult

decisions in order to make that happen but we also need to recognise

that the circumstances of refugees vary a lot, in London, for example,

large numbers of refugees who are either from their own resources

paying for the accommodation or who are coming to the UK to stay with

extended family members, at members of the community from which they

come in the country that they fled. Not all refugees will be dependent

upon the taxpayer, that is why it is very much a mixed picture around the

country. How much scrutiny is there of a council when it says, we are

not going to take in any refugees, this is voluntary and we do not have

too. Enormous scrutiny but we need to make sure that is well-informed,

it is no good simply looking at how money refugees a council may take

the Syrian scheme, we need to look at whether the council is in a

dispersal area, one of the Home Office's six compass contract,

whether they have significant numbers of unaccompanied refugee

children, we also need to consider how money people they may already be

looking for housing for the Council in that local area, that is why it

is best that it is done at a local level, because the council is in a

position to know what is going on in the local community and look at what

it has the capacity to provide without putting unfair pressure on

other people who may also need help. We can speak with a Syrian refugee

living in south London tried to get on his feet after a long and

dangerous journey to the UK, in Coventry, I'm joined by Sabir Zazai,

who is the Director of the Refugee and Migrant Centre there. He arrived

in Britain from Afghanistan 17 years ago. And in Birmingham we have

Louise Calvey. She travels the country as Head of Resettlement at

charity Refugee Action helping Local Authorities support refugees. Thank

you for joining us. Sabir, you are in Coventry and it has been

described as the gold standard, where is the balance made between

the needs of the local community against the needs of refugees? I

think the most important thing that we have in Coventry is a strong

goodwill within the public, mainly across the communities and the

support of the Bishop of Coventry and faith organisations. But on top

of that, Coventry has also got the resources and the infrastructure.

Dispersed to this city and also in addition to this Coventry has a

worldwide reputation as a city of peace and reconciliation and we were

one of the first cities of sanctuary. So I think within the

city, the leadership of the city takes those legacies of the city

seriously and I think for that reason we have been able to work

with local communities to galvanise and get their support behind us and

Coventry has extended to Syrian refugees, but it has extended to

people over many years fleeing conflicts across the world. What

about balancing the pressures on local resources for the local

community? We were hearing from the Local Government Association talking

about the difficulties fore a council if it has to justify closing

facilities like libraries or pressure on other budgets when

refugees have been taken in? I wouldn't blame all of that

pressure on refugees. We are resettling Syrian refugees at an

economically difficult time. It was straight after the recession. The

plans for closing libraries, the plans for closing children's

centres, were there in place because of the austerity plans, but what we

have is that we know that the Syrian programme comes with funding, but at

the same time, we focus more on the issue of integrating and allowing

these people to set up their lives and rebuild their lives in safety

and dignity. Instead of focussing on those blame issues that we blame it

on refugees, we support these refugees so that they can find jobs

and they can be active members of our society and our city. At the end

of the day everyone wants to rebuild their lives, everyone wants to have

a job and a dignified income and our focus, the focus of our charity at

Coventry and Migrant Centre and the migrants is we help these people

earlier on so they have got jobs to help and support themselves and also

make a contribution to the local economy.

Louise, the local authorities have now offered up the 20,000 places in

total. MPs were concerned that they weren't coming forward and there may

not be enough places. Are you happy that the Local Government

Association says that the places are on offer? Absolutely. That can only

be good news. Particularly in the context of the 200 figure we were

looking at in the summer of last year. In refugee Action's experience

we are seeing local authorities and the Home Office working very much

with communities, local communities to create a position of welcome for

some of the most vulnerable people in society. That's a brilliant

thing. That work has to continue. Refugee Action believes that 20,000

is an achievable number in the UK. We need to be doing more. We need to

find more routes to safety. We need to be bringing more vulnerable

people into the UK so that they can form members of our society to

contribute in the way that we know that they want to. Are you happy

that all local authorities are pulling their weight? Because some

are taking in higher numbers than others. But the Local Government

Association says you need to look at the picture that isn't always clear

when you look at the headline figures because obviously different

pressures will be put in different areas depending on what has gone

before, whether it is child refugees there or any other refugees? Yeah, I

think there can be no doubt that pressures on Local Government at the

moment are very high. There are a lot of vulnerable members of our

communities and many of those are very keen to welcome refugees as

well. In our experience, local authorities are working hard to find

solutions to some of those problems. And working hard with the

communities around them. One of the overwhelming positively things

that's happened over the last few months is that position of welcome

from local communities, from all different types of communities

whether it be, you know, rural chocolate-box Middle England all the

way through to urban areas, communities wanting to come together

to welcome Syrians and vulnerable members of our society and local

authorities have really been alive to that in our experience have been

trying to find solutions to come to a position of welcome. Kamal you

came as a refugee from Syria. Have you felt welcomed here? Yeah, I

think, most people they welcomed me. Most people I met, they welcomed me.

Have you had any issues? Some issues about the accommodation, about when

I moved from Stockton-on-Tees to London, I found it difficult to find

a job and found accommodation and to rent a house, but we welcomed me

when I found Homeless For Syria, it is a website. They helped me to get

accommodation and now I live with an English family and I am part of this

family. I'm happy to be there. They helped me to find work and to update

my CV, to do a lot of things, to contact other people. Are they a

family that offered themselves in a charitable gesture and you don't pay

rent? Because when I moved from Stockton-on-Tees to London, I live

in the room with people I don't know. They used drugs. They drank

alcohol all the time. I can't stay with them. One day we make some high

sounds and shouting and they kicked me out. So I went to the coffee shop

and I tried find somebody to particular me in, I tried to search

on the web to find a new solution for me. So I wpt on the internet and

I found Homeless For Syria and I e-mailed them and they helped me to

find a family to guest me. Thank you for coming in and talking

to us. A couple of e-mails from you. Sydney e-mailed, "I am ashamed at

the lack of help we are giving to refugees. We demeanour respect and

ourselves with our callous attitude." Malcolm e-mailed, "It is

all very well having boats intercepting people smuggling small

boats in the channel, but what happens? These people are brought to

this country, so these poor migrants have succeeded anyway." The Home

Office have issued a statement saying, "Our priority to offer

humanitarian support to those most in need while maintaining the

security of our borders. Refuge has been provided for more than 1800

Syrians under the scheme while the Government is on track to deliver

its pledge to resettle 20,000 by the end of the Parliament. We have made

clear our commitment to bringing very vulnerable children from

Europe. Still to come, we'll be hearing

from a transgender woman in Belfast about her life in a community

where sexual identity, And as events are cancelled

across France this summer because of the security threat,

we look at what you need to know if you're heading

to Europe on holiday. Here's Julian in the BBC Newsroom

with a summary of today's news. The gas and electricity regulator,

Ofgem, has endorsed a series of proposals designed to cut

customers' energy bills in England, Wales and Scotland,

calling them a "watershed The proposals including a price cap

for prepayment meters were put forward in June by another

regulator, the Competition A number of quite important changes.

One I would say is the recommendation of pre-payment

customers. About four million people in the UK are on pre-payment meters.

In the last few years they haven't been getting a great deal and we

will be introducing a very clear protection for them which will save

them ?70, ?80 a year. Electricity is an essential service and the

vulnerable really need to be protected.

A police officer in Pakistan in charge of an investigation

into the death of a woman from Bradford has confirmed

Samia Shahid, who was 28, died last month while visiting

Her husband says she was the victim of a so-called honour killing,

an allegation denied by her relatives in Pakistan.

Profits at HSBC have fallen sharply. In the first six months of this

year, they were down by 29%, compared to the same period last

year. That's at ?7.2 billion. The bank said there had been exceptional

volatility because of concern about China's economy and Britain's

decision to leave the EU. There will be more armed police

officers patrolling the streets of London from today,

in response to recent attacks The move has been announced

by the commissioner of the Metropolitan police,

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, They say the aim is to reassure

the public and deter attackers. Two Amur leopards -

believed to be the world's rarest big cat have been born

at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire. There are only about 70

of the leopards left in the wild. Theses CCTV pictures are the first

glimpse of the cubs. They're the second pair born to mum

Kristen and dad Davidoff. That's a summary of

the latest BBC News. Here's the latest

sport now with John. After missing three drugs tests

which could have forced Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead to be

banned from the Rio Olympics, the silver medallist

from London 2012 has admitted she that she was naive in not

challenging the first of those until her Olympic place was

in jeapordy. It was only

after missing a third test and facing a possible two year

suspension, she took her case to the court of arbitration

for sport and her first failure UK Anti-Doping, while happy

with the process, feels there needs to be more explanation

as to why it was not upheld. Cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins has said

the honour of being flag bearer at the opening ceremony

of the Rio Olympics should Wiggins featured in the opening

of the Games at London 2012. Boxer Nicola Adams, long-distance

runner Jo Pavey and tennis player Andy Murray are among

the contenders with a decision And Steven Finn is back

in the England side to face Pakistan He replaces the injured

all rounder Ben Stokes. With the series level at 1-1,

with two tests left to play. This weekend is the annual gay

pride march in Belfast Same-sex marriage is

still illegal there. Last night the Scottish Conservative

leader Ruth Davison called on Northern Ireland to follow

the example of the rest of the UK So what are the challenges that face

lesbian, gay and transgender people living in Northern Ireland

where sexual identity and politics Our reporter Peter Coulter has been

to meet a transgender You will legislate

perversion and immorality. A murderer can be redeemed

by the blood of Christ, Homosexuality was decriminalised

in Northern Ireland in 1982, A ban on gay men donating blood

was lifted this year, Same-sex marriage is still not legal

in Northern Ireland. Legislation has been blocked five

times by the country's biggest political party, the

Democratic Unionist Party. Northern Ireland has come a long way

over the past few decades in terms of the peace process,

but now it's facing up As time moves on, the country begins

to adapt to social changes and the more liberal leanings

of its young people, but where does the LGBT community

fit into this new piece time I'm Adrianne Elson

and I'm a transgender I grew up on the Merseyside

and Cheshire border roughly halfway Certainly my primary school was very

conservative and I suppose that's where I learned

to suppress my feelings a lot. At what point did you realise

that you were different? Sort of pre-school age but I had

no way to vocalise it. So what was it like for

you growing up in Merseyside? It was very northern,

if you can say such a thing. Men were expected to be men

and women were expected to be women and the gender roles were much more

enforced than they are now. After years of struggling

with her gender identity, Adrianne decided to move to Northern

Ireland. I got myself involved in evangelical

Christianity and I just thought that would be a way of purging

my feelings from me. The way I was thinking about it,

the theory was the plant analogy, that if you don't water

plant, it will die. So if you don't give

the transgenderism any thought, nature abhors a vacuum

so if you are out doing lots of things from dawn till dusk,

you never get a chance to dwell Adrianne joined the prominent

Protestant leader, the Reverend Ian Paisley's church

and his Save Ulster From Sodomy movement, and she joined

the Unionist Orange Order. She also picked up manual work as

a depot operative on the railways. She hoped that by filling

her time with religion, protesting against Belfast's gay

pride parade in 2005. I was actually on a protest

about gay pride at City Hall and that was where my road

to Damascus conversion came because there was a LGBT protest

against our protest and I made, momentarily, fleetingly made eye

contact with a young man And I just thought, what am

I doing here? That's not the devil incarnate,

that's not a demon, It was after this incident that

Adrianne decided that she would I was so unhappy pretending to be

someone I wasn't. I felt like I was an actress playing

a male role, a part. Although I had actually come

to like the person I was playing, it was still, you know,

acting, it was still falsehood. Adrianne began to transition

about four years ago. Religion is still extremely

important to her and she remains Sometimes I feel marginalised

in the sense that I don't feel as though I entirely belong

in the LGBT community because of my history and some

of my political beliefs or whatever may not be in concert,

in tune with that which is widely And conversely, I no longer feel

part of the evangelical, sort of, you know, conservative,

Protestant community because by very nature of what I'm doing,

that excludes me from Adrianne has since found love

and has married her partner He has been the victim of a number

of trans-phobic attacks and has asked not to be identified in this

film for fears of increased abuse. I brought you outside here to show

you this church which is a special place for me because this

is where I got married in the non-subscribing

Presbyterian Church. You have obviously joined

this church. You've become a member

of the community there. It is really massively important

because I didn't really think I would ever find an acceptance

in a Christian church. It was like two worlds that

coexisted but could not exist together and then

being here and being who I am, it has made it so much more real

so that I can worship as the person And what's it's like for you walking

down the street in Belfast? It has got somewhat easier

but it is a little bit like having your fight or flight

response switched on. You always wonder if people

are checking you out, sizing you up. You walk around and things you may

have taken for granted in the past, like some teenagers loitering

on a street corner, you will cross the road to avoid them

where is maybe in the past Have you or your partner ever

encountered any trans-phobic abuse? It seems to be less but certainly

the awareness has become a lot more Anything that stands out,

anything that makes you different from the crowd will draw attention

to you and people will look and do a double-take and then the adverse

comments and the catcalls And at times it can be

extremely hurtful, some very, very vulgar and nasty

and threatening things can be said. And what sort of things have

they been saying? Sexual things and threatening

things, very, very hurtful things. or, you know, that you want raping

and things like that. There has been a lot more trans

awareness over the last few years. Do you see the likes

of Caitlyn Jenner having raised Yeah, absolutely, I don't know

if Caitlyn Jenner is necessarily a good example

of a transgender advocate. The celebrity transgender people

who can afford to queue-jump, who can afford to get surgery

and transition when they want, it's very different to the experiences

of maybe someone living in a bedsit in Belfast, vastly

different experiences. Adrianne wanted to take me back

to show me another part The Orange Order is a Protestant

society founded in 1795 to uphold Protestant power in Northern

Ireland. It takes its name from

the Dutch-born Protestant king, Its members wear orange sashes

and are referred to as Orangemen. They parade each year on the 12th

of July, marking the date King William defeated the army

of Catholic King James II The 12th of July is one

of the biggest cultural events in Northern Ireland and thousands

of Orangemen like this take For many of Northern

Ireland's Catholics, these marches are divisive,

with some traditional parade routes passing through staunchly

Catholic areas. Most Orange Order parades pass off

peacefully but the rest of the world has often only seen the images

of those that don't. Adrianne took me to see

the Belfast parade. The emphasis is very much

on the Christian side of it rather than the parading

I felt, but... It was a strange thing for someone

of my background to do, who was brought up nominally

Roman Catholic, it felt quite privileged to be accepted

to be honest with you. How did the Orange Order react

when you first told them They weren't sort of cross with me

if you see what I mean, they tried to maybe dissuade me

in a very gentle and Christian way Would you like to be asked to join

the women's Lodge? Yes, I think so, I would like to be

given the opportunity. Once again, I don't know if it

would really ever be possible. Maybe in the future it would be

nice if it was possible, maybe that is something

for another generation. Do you think that the Orange Order

could accept a transgender member? You have to challenge the status

quo or preconceptions Some people would say yes,

some people would say no but I'd like to think that it's something

for the future, yes. So you've actually brought your

Order collarette with you. Most people refer to them as sashes

but sashes are for the And this is one you used to have

when you used to be an Orangeman? Why do you think you kept it?

I don't honestly know. It may be too big a step

for the Orange Order to accept a transgender member

but Northern Ireland is adapting. There are currently no openly gay

politicians in the Northern However, the deputy mayor

of Belfast, Mary Ellen Campbell, is the first openly gay person

to hold a senior role in the city. Mary Ellen is on completely

the opposite side of the political She is a member of Sinn Fein

which is an Irish republican party. Mary Ellen invited Adrianne

to meet her in a scene many from Northern Ireland would be

surprised to see. An openly gay Irish republican

Deputy Mayor hosting a transgender

Unionist in Belfast City Hall. Years ago, you know,

it would have been inconceivable What are your own thoughts about

that? This council is run in this building from the 1960s, and I am

the first LGBT person, to hold this offers. It would have been

unthinkable even ten years ago. I am thankful for the people who elected

me and for the people of my party, it is a big role for me, and for the

community, for the LGBT community. What you think we need to do next?

Winnie to be bringing in legislation on equality that is more in line

with what is in GB and the Republic, within these islands, we are

sticking out like a sore thumb. How we change the way that things are

legislated, people come in and say, this is how I would like you to

focus on the issue, this is important. There are people like

yourself, who go through the hard battles. I really want to give you

that commendation. Belfast is a very welcoming city for all visitors and

for the people who live here. I think that if you are dealt to BT,

Belfast is a good place to visit, we are a progressive city and open for

business. We asked the orange order if

transgender members would be allowed to join, in a statement they said

that any application is treated on its own individual merits. The next

half hour we will be speaking with a campaign for equal marriage, a

transgender woman, and the Northern Ireland member of the Evangelical

Alliance that opposes gay marriage. Breaking news, which we are getting

on a couple of terrorism arrest, two have been arrested on relation of

Syria related terror offences. Two men were arrested today in Coventry

on suspicion of financing terrorism, West Midlands Counter-terrorism Unit

has said that officers are searching to properties, the arrests were part

of an ongoing investigation and intelligence led, no immediate

threat to public safety. The men can be questioned for an initial 24-hour

before they are charged, released or officers can apply for a warrant

further detention. Coming up: As a cap is introduced on how much

energy firms can charge customers using pre-payment meters - we look

at how you can save money on your energy bills and switch suppliers

more easily. Very wet weather conditions across

the UK, this is a picture from East Midlands, showing that gorgeous

sunrise, lots of blue sky. Further north, we have got some showers,

also some sunny spells, weather conditions across Northern Ireland,

parts of western Scotland going down. Rain and increasing wind.

Choppy seas in County Down. There is the area of low pressure, quite a

deep area, unseasonably windy for August. Northern areas will see most

of the rain, southern areas, compared to the last few days,

actually getting away with a lot of sunshine and feeling warm as well,

the wind will really be a feature, Irish Sea coast areas 40, 45 mph,

really going to be noticeable. Heavy, thundery showers through the

afternoon, in towards the Moray Firth, some of the showers hit and

miss, could get some local flooding. The wind gust, I have put the arrows

on, wet and windy, that will be a feature through the afternoon across

much of Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, north and north-west

England, North West Wales, heavy rain at times, some showers for

north-west England and West Wales but for the Midlands, South and

East, a lovely looking day, lots of sunshine around. With that sunshine,

averages 23, 20 4 degrees, still a warm day for the North and West.

Little bit cooler than that across the extreme north, where we have

strong wind and heavy rain. We have lost the humidity of yesterday. As

we head on towards the evening, heavy rain clearing away for much of

Scotland, overnight, blustery showers. The wind still quite a

feature, but easing down all of the time. Temperature wise, not too bad.

Area of low pressure tomorrow moving off into the North Sea, still fairly

strong wind across the northern half of the UK, continuing to ease down

through the day, another blustery start to the day, heavy rain

clearing away, then we look at areas of showers, sunshine and showers

really sums up tomorrow, some could be quite heavy, north-east England,

through the Cheshire Gap, a touch cooler across-the-board, eyes of 22

degrees. Into Friday, pretty decent day, high-pressure rich moving in,

very few showers around, sunny spells, temperature 17 to 23

degrees. This weekend looking good, away from the far north-west of

Scotland, which could see wet and windy weather, a few showers around,

plenty of sunshine, feeling warm in the sunshine.

I'm Joanna Gosling, welcome to the programme

Coming up before 11am: Four million of the UK's most vulnerable

households could see their energy bills capped - under

proposals that have been accepted by regulator Ofgem.

What it's like to live in a devout community

Adrienne from Belfast tells us her story.

When people look and do a double take and then the adverse comments

and the cat calls and the mockery will come and at times it can be

extremely hurtful. Some very, very vulgar, nasty and threatening things

can be said. And the terror threat in Europe,

as events are cancelled across France - we look

at what you need to know if you're Here's Julian in the BBC Newsroom

with a summary of today's news. Lower energy prices

could be on the way The gas and electricity regulator,

Ofgem says it's going to introduce The announcement follows a report

published by the Competition and Markets Authority in June

which set out ways in Critics say it doesn't go far

enough but Dermot Nolan, the Chief Executive of Ofgem,

says people will get a better deal. There are a number of important

changes. Four million people in the UK are on pre-payment meters. In the

last few years they haven't been getting a great deal and we will be

introducing clear protection for them which will save them ?70 or ?80

a year. That's important because electricity is an essential service

and the vulnerable need to be protected.

Two men have been arrested in Coventry on suspicion

of terrorism offences related to Syria.

The pair, aged 38 and 40, were detained at an address

Police say the arrests are part of an on going investigation.

into the death of a woman from Bradford has confirmed

Samia Shahid, who was 28, died last month while visiting

Her husband says she was the victim of a so-called honour killing,

an allegation denied by her relatives in Pakistan.

Britain's border force has a "worryingly low" number of boats

MPs on the Commons Home Affairs Committee say just three boats

are available to patrol 7,000 miles of shoreline.

It's calling for the Royal Navy to be brought in to help.

Our correspondent Angus Crawford reports.

A former Director-General of the UK Border Force told this programme is

not just about having more boats. We have 16 different agencies involved

in border protection, not just the Border Force. Yes, the Royal Navy

are part of that. You have got the Maritime and Coastguard Agency,

Border Force under the Home Office, Navy under the MoD, you have got the

various police agencies and National Crime Agency, we need to make sure

they work together under the umbrella of the national maritime

intelligence centre. We don't want a number of boats out there if they

don't know where to go or who to intercept. Yes, we need more

vessels, but I don't think that's the only thing we need.

Profits at Britain's biggest bank HSBC have fallen sharply.

In the first six months of this year they were down by 29%

compared to the same period last year ?7.2

The bank said there had been "exceptional volatility"

because of concern about China's economy and Britain's decision

There will be more armed police officers patrolling the streets

of London from today, in response to recent attacks

The move has been announced by the commissioner

of the Metropolitan police, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe,

They say the aim is to reassure the public and deter attackers.

A British man has been killed while fighting with Kurdish forces

against so-called Islamic State militants in Syria.

Kurdish reports say 22-year-old Dean Carl Evans died last month.

His father, John, has confirmed the death.

He is the second British man to die while fighting as a volunteer

A tribute to Dean Evans was posted to one of the websites

It also showed some recent video of him.

According to friends, he was on the frontline

behind a wall when he was hit by an IS bullet.

A female Kurdish fighter who tried to save him was also killed

when a rocket-propelled grenade hit them both.

On Facebook, John Evans confirmed his son's death.

He posted a photo of him when he was a teenager and said

he would be loved and missed by all his family and friends.

Dean Evans was killed in fierce fighting around the town of Manbij.

It's said to be a key staging post on the road to Raqqa,

The Foreign Office was unable to confirm his death and advises

against all travel to Syria for whatever reason.

Last year, another Briton, Erik Scurfield,

The former Royal Marine from Barnsley was given full

military honours when the Kurdish forces handed over his

Dean Evans is said to have left a will saying he wanted to be buried

in the Kurdish part of Syria, next to the people he called his

The parents of Anton Yelchin - the Star Trek actor who was crushed

to death by his jeep have been speaking out about their decision

to take legal action against the makers of his car.

The 27-year-old was found dead at his home in June.

A recall had been in place on the vehicle since April,

because similar Jeeps had rolled when owners thought the brake

He was our only son and he was a remarkable human being, very modest,

very simple, very honest, generous, loving. It is wrong, it is against

nature when the parents Bury their own child. That's why we hope that

this lawsuit will make our family never go through the same hell that

we are going through right now. Two Amur leopards -

believed to be the world's rarest big cat have been born

at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire. There are only about 70

of the leopards left in the wild. The zoo says the new arrivals

will help ensure the long-term They're the second pair born to mum

Kristen and dad Davidoff. The zoo says the new arrivals

will help ensure the long-term Lots of you getting in touch on the

report of the transgender living in Northern Ireland. Ben tweeted,

"Horrible. Northern Ireland is very far behind the UK when it comes to

treating trans people with dignity. Dwths Wendy treated, "That's scary.

Why can't folk be who they want to be?"

Time to catch up with John who has the latest sport.

Plenty going on this morning as the build up to the start

This morning at Edgbaston England Cricketers take on Pakistan

in the third test and that is where we will start.

Patrick one all after two tests, England levelling with a comfortable

win in the last match at Old Trafford.

And with two matches to play, it's all in the balance?

Cricket is going to have a lot of competition in the coming weeks with

the Olympic Games and the return of the football season dominating the

back pages and the sports bulletin, but this one is intriguingly poised.

The first Test Pakistan won at Lords, but England roared back in

that second Test and because of that have real momentum coming to

Edgbaston, but they don't have Ben Stokes. He is a real miss for

England both with ball and bat and because he is a big character in the

England dressing room. England have recalled Steven Finn which means

their batting will be weaker, but Finn has struggled to impress with

the ball this season and particularly in the first Test and

that's something that Alastair Cook acknowledged yesterday. We have gone

for a guy who has got a really good record here. His Test record is

fantastic. He picks up wickets. He has done that in the past and we're

backing a guy who hasn't had the best summer, but I think a couple of

things have changed over the last week, a couple of things physically

he sorted out and I thought the way he bowled for Essex, the pace is

back up to high 80s and 90s which is when Steven Finn is at his best.

Sometimes in selection going that way, you know, people aren't always

looking over their shoulder all the time which gives people confidence

to go out and express themselves. Changes being made to the England

side then Patrick. How will that affect things going into the Test

match? Well, it is an interesting one how this one will work out. It

won't be a quiet game, John. This ground has a reputation, a deserved

reputation as the most boisterous in England and Alastair Cook England

talked of the riotous atmosphere, which is something that will inspire

the England team. The Pakistan fan have been here going up and down the

Edgbaston Road in a bus! England have won six of the last ten Tests

and Pakistan have never beaten them here and it doesn't pay to bat first

on this pitch. This maybe the crucial day of the series. When I

came to the ground I was talking to a taxi driver about the match, they

always have an opinion, but he said he didn't know and I think that's a

good place to be on the first morning of a Test match! Thanks,

Patrick. After missing three drugs tests

which could have forced cyclist Lizzie Armitstead to be

banned from the Rio Olympics, the silver medallist

from London 2012 has admitted she that she was naive in not

challenging the first of those until her Olympic place was

in jeapordy. It was only

after missing a third test and facing a possible two year

suspension that she took her case to the court of arbitration

for sport and her first failure UK Anti-doping feels there needs

to be more explanation I'm not disappointed. I respect the

process, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is a very experienced

panel. They deal with anti-doping matters probably day in and day out.

I have yet to understand fully, because I have yet to see the

written decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, what it is

that this case turned on. And only at that point will I really be able

to fully come to a conclusion. We're just days away

from the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics,

but already we're looking ahead to Tokyo 2020,

with the IOC set to announce today which sports will be added

to the Games in four years time. It's one of eight sports that

have been shortlisted, British climber and Bouldering world

number one Shauna Coxsey says it would be incredible if she gets

the chance to compete. I mean it's something that I never

expected to see in my professional career as a climber. So it's, it is

a bit overwhelming considering climbing being in the Olympics. It

is a really accessible sport and it is a very natural sport to do. As

kids we want to climb trees and jump around on climbing frames. It is

something that feels quite natural and it is so much fun. You see

people come in and you get to be a big kid and jump around and climb on

things and no one will tell you off for it!

That's all the sport for now, I will have more at 10.30am. See you then,

thank you. Good news for people who have

to use a pre-payment meter There's to be a cap set on how much

energy firms can charge It's one of a range of plans

designed to make the energy Big energy firms are also

going to be encouraged to make it easier for people to switch to other

companies to get better deals. The energy watchdog Ofgem says

the meter limit will help the most vulnerable and could

save them around ?75 a year. Let's talk to David Cox an

energy analyst. Ed Kamm,

managing director of energy company First Utility and Guy Thompson

who runs price-comparison website My Utility Genius,

Lisa Frederiksen, a working mum who has found switching

to a new supplier frustrating, Thank you very much for joining us.

David, first of all, you look at what's going on in the industry.

What do you think about what Ofgem has come up with? I think they will

implement the CMA report. I think most people in the industry think

the CMA report... The competition markets authority. It is a missed

opportunity. They have not done a good job in identifying the problems

in the competitive market. What's the problems you've identified?

People weren't switching enough. They are not looking for the

cheapest priced deals and the energy companies, the big six dominate the

energy market. Is anything that's come out today going to change that?

I don't think so. I'm disappointed with what Ofgem are going to do in

terms of implementing the findings. They have to. Ofgem are in a

difficult place. They have been criticised heavily in the past for

allowing this market not to work very well and in fact, putting in

some measures that have actually damaged competition in the market in

the past. So they're going to try and implement some of the measures,

but I'm not confident that we will see a major step improvement.

Ed, you are the biggest of the independents, what do you think

about this? We agree. I disagree in that I think the competition

authority correctly identified the problem. Too many customers take a

passive approach to energy buying. Unlike any product that they buy. As

such, 70% of the consumers in the household energy market are on the

worse tariffs. I don't blame the consumers for that. The suppliers

don't do a lot to prompt them to look at the market to look at better

deals and so I think the competition authority correctly identified the

problem that you have what we call the tale of two markets, one market

that's engaged and they look to switch tariffs and switch providers

and they are getting great deals and another segment of the market that

doesn't look to engage and doesn't look at the offers on the market and

therefore, they get a raw deal from the big six. What they haven't done

is they haven't involved that. They have put it back on the consumer to

look around. The information remedies of giving the consumers the

right information so they can make the right choice isn't strong

enough. We think they get worse. It used to be any provider to only

provide four tariffs, now you can provide an unlimited amount of

tariffs. 'S very few consumers have said that

they want more tariffs, if any thing they have said the opposite, we are

not pleased because we don't think the competition authority has the

right solutions, they have put it on the back of the consumer, and in

essence, customers can wallow away on the standard variable tariff, the

highest placed on the market, for decades, that is what we see

happening in the market today and I do not see that changing. You think

it will be more likely that people will switch after today? I don't

think it will make any material difference to the man industry. They

were not engaged before, they were not engage now. Nobly has chosen to

grasp the nettle, symptomatic, when you get the CDMA brought in to deal

with the market that already had a regulator, you know that something

is fairly substantive the wrong, they still have not chosen to grasp

the nettle, 70% of people on standard variable tariff, six

companies have a massive voice in the market, in terms of marketing,

they can do more talking to people, they can manage the situation. --

CMA. Until you effectively decide that... It is... We have discussed

it so many times, there are organisations, companies like yours,

all kinds of options out there, that should make it easy for people to

switch and they are not switching. It is easy, that is the irony, but

the message does not get out there because the people with the weight

from a marketing perspective are marketing stay with us, not switch.

The messaging is 85% stay with us, because of these reasons... Only 15%

of the messaging is switch. Switching is easy but the mechanism,

any time anything goes wrong, it is normally a result of the company you

are switching from that is the problem, that is not how the

consumer sees it, they seem switching as having been the

problem... Is that a deliberate ploy by the companies that are being

switched away from? I don't know, I think they don't have an incentive

to fix it, if you don't have an incentive to fix the issue, then the

old adage, that a happy person tells to people and an unhappy person

tells 11 people, one person has a bad experience switching because of

some fundamental data related issue with the existing supply business,

their first move is to blame the switching business or blamed the

company they are switching to, simultaneously, the other companies

phoning them saying, why are you moving, we can change your direct

debit level, which does not change the price, to a more amendable

number. Lisa is a consumer, what has your experience been, have you

switched? We are one of those consumers, every year we look at the

costs and we try to get the best deal, but the issue we have had,

with trying to switch, telling a new supply what the meter reading was,

they read the meter, they confirmed it, then the old supplier refused to

accept that as some kind of method of communication between electricity

supplies and gas suppliers, they would not accept the meter reading,

it took three months to sort out, in the meantime, they owed us ?290.

What do you take from that, does it make you less likely to switch? We

look at it every year, switching should be simple, it is not. Finding

competitive tariffs is quite congregated, very often you have to

do dual fuel versus single fuel, that becomes an issue for some

people, because the market is geared towards tiny in towards getting both

from one supplier. We asked to go on the single tariff electricity, and

single tariff gas, they refused and said we had to go on the joint

tariff, which is more expensive. I think that they are pricing it

against the consumer all of the time. In the end, if everybody

switch, prices would go up across-the-board, because they

identified ?1.7 billion that could be saved if everybody switch, it is

a mythical number. I think it is. We are privately held, we don't

report profit margins, but I cannot say that it is a fraction of six to

8%. You cannot run a business on a 1% profit margins, the idea that we

can work ?300 of everyone's combined bill would drive the energy

companies into bankruptcy, we would not get the investment in

infrastructure that we need to the lights on. There is a bit of a

fulsome Raj being presented here, to consumers, if everyone switches

?300, you will not. Focusing on margin is the wrong thing, you

should be focusing on the cost and what a reasonable cost to the market

should be, and the reality is that if a company has 70% of the customer

bases that do not switch, it has no incentive to become more efficient

or deploy the best systems, what you have, having worked with these

companies, I have an insider view, businesses that have absolutely no

requirement to get better at what they are doing. So they can still

report a relatively small margin because costs are massively inflated

because they are inefficient. If the competitive market forces them to be

competitive, then not all of the 1.3 billion is going to fly back to the

consumers, but a significant chunk will. It is not right to say that in

a fully competitive world, we... It is not going to happen. Thank you

very much, thank you for coming in to speak with us, thank you for your

comments, keep them coming in, let us know what your spirits is having.

Still to come, another British man has been killed while fighting with

Kurdish forces against Islamic State in Syria, we will speak with a

representative of his family. Last night, the Scottish Conservative

leader Ruth Davidson called on Northern Ireland to follow the rest

of Britain and legalise gay marriage. In a moment we will speak

with the people directly affected. First, a place where sexual

identity, politics and religion regularly clash, Peterculter has

spent time with a transgender woman living in Belfast.

adapt to social changes, and more liberal leanings of its young

people. What where is the LGBT community fitting into this new

piece time Northern Ireland? -- piece time. -- peacetime.

You have obviously joined this church, you have become a member of

the community, how important has that been for you? It is massively

important, I did not think that I would ever find an acceptance in the

Christian church, it was like to world that coexisted but could not

exist together. Being here and being who I am, it has just made it so

much more real. So that I can worship as the person I was always

meant to be. How did the Orange Order react

when you first told them They weren't sort of cross with me

if you see what I mean, they tried to maybe dissuade me

in a very gentle and Christian way Would you like to be asked to join

the women's Lodge? Yes, I think so, I would like to be

given the opportunity. Once again, I don't know if it

would really ever be possible. Maybe in the future it would be

nice if it was possible, maybe that is something

for another generation. Do you think that the Orange Order

could accept a transgender member? Some people would say yes,

some people would say no but I'd like to think that it's something

for the future, yes. We ask the orange order if

transgender members would be able to join. In a statement they said that

"Any application for membership of the Orange Institution is treated on

its own individual merits." Last year the assembly voted in favour of

legalising same sex marriage but the ruling Democratic Unionist Party

used what's known as a Petition of Concern to stop the reform going

through. Last year the assembly voted in

favour of legalising same sex marriage but the ruling Democratic

Unionist Party used what's known as a Petition of Concern to stop the

reform going through. We asked the party to allow us to speak to one of

their assembly members this morning to discuss the issue, but they

refused to allow any to participate. They also refused to provide a

statement on any of the issues we'll be discussing. Lets talk now with

Adam Murray who works for an LGBT organisation in Belfast and has

campaigned for equal marriage, Ellen Murray, transgender woman who works

for a support group for trans people in Northern Ireland. Peter Lynas who

is the Northern Ireland director of the Evangelical Alliance and opposes

gay marriage, Why'd you oppose gay marriage? Good morning, it is

important that we get some facts correct, in your report it said that

it had been blocked by the times, but that is incorrect, there were

four votes prior to that, majority people voted against any change,

only in the final vote, this has come before the Zambia five times,

only on the last occasion was the petition of concern used, the reason

is simple, it requires cross community support. -- this has come

before it five times. One is about right, there is no European or UN

right to same-sex marriage or to redefine marriage, the second is

around love, the reality is that love is not a human rights in that

way, the law does not legislate for love, it always puts limits on who

you can marry, based on age and family relationships. The final

argument is a quality, not long ago, Stonewall were saying that marriage

was a hetero normative concept and they wanted civil partnerships,

civil partnerships came into being, I gave Adam ?5 notes -- the way in

which society has chosen to approach this issue is in the same way as if

I gave Adam to ?5 note and I gave you a ?10 note. Adam Murray, what do

you say about that? -- ?25 notes. Different but equal, where have we

heard that before! -- 2 five pound notes. It is a big thing to ask of a

society that has come so far, we won that vote, this cross community

support, created to support sectarian domination of one side

over the other, this legislation was designed to protect equality,

equality is being denied at this point in time. It is really not

acceptable and we are not going to accept this different but equal

status, this is not just a religious issue, if single marriage as macro

marriage is something that is offered to the population large, it

must at be offered to everyone equally, the love between two adult

men or women is no different than the love shared by one man and one

woman. There is no such thing as civil marriage, you can have a civil

wedding and a religious wedding but there is only one marriage. Those

are intertwined. You cannot have a civil marriage, there is only one

marriage. This can redefine marriage and put views on other people.

Northern Ireland is getting portrayed as backward, it is

inaccurate. Northern Ireland is out of kilter with the rest of the UK on

this. 170 countries around the world have marriage between a man and a

woman, only 20 have recognised a different form of marriage. It is

out of kilter with Scotland and England and Wales but not out of

kilter with the vast majority of countries around the world, it is

not backward in that sense, it has chosen to go a different way, a

consequence of devolution, Northern Ireland gets to do things

differently. Does it matter to you? Certainly, it matters to the LGBT

community generally in a large way, even for folks who don't avail of it

personally, it sends a signal to our community that we have equal access

to the benefits of society. This is not about religious institutions and

those who have been protected throughout the discussions. We are

talking about the role of the State in recognising relationships and not

further. What difference do you think it would make, Adam, if gay

marriage were given the go-ahead in Northern Ireland? Well, there is

that important symbolic aspect. It is about equal status under the law

that you have equal access to civil marriage. You know, it is not

actually, I think, the biggest issue, you know, we have really big

problems with homophobia within our schools and that's for me

personally, that's something I care about maybe a lot more, but... So to

focus on that then, what do you think would make a difference? In

terms of schools? Just in terms of the general intolerance that you are

describing and schools are part of that. Schools are the biggest part

of it, I think. A lot of the issues we deal with in the LGBT community,

higher levels of self-harming and suicide and lower levels of good

mental health, these are problems which are formed actually during the

formative years of schools and if you asked me one big change I would

want, it would be for section 75 or some similar legislation to apply to

schools that they have to track homophobic bullying and they have to

track homophobic incidents and they have to train their teachers to deal

with homophobia and they have to treat homophobia in the same way as

they would treat racism. If we were to change that, I think it would

have massive changes on our society. Peter respond to that. I have no

problem. We have been very clear. I have been at Pride and I have been

involved in discussions with Rainbow and other groups on the ground.

Clear in term of saying homophobic bullying is wrong. There is no place

for that, but it is important that all sides then show how we debate

this issue well. The last motion that came, it was limited to

couples, only to couples and there are already asking why can't three

people who love each other come into a relationship? We need to have the

debate. The Green Party said in the UK they want to see three people in

a relationship. That's an open and valid position to take. It is one I

would object to and say that's our concern. It is undermining a

fundamental relationship that is uniquely placed in the case of

children. It is a different discussion from the one about gay

marriage, but thank you all very much for joining us. Thank you for

your time. With the news, here's Julian

in the BBC Newsroom. Yoan that, thank you very much.

-- Joanna. The gas and electricity regulator,

Ofgem, has endorsed a series of proposals designed to cut

customers' energy bills in England, Wales and Scotland,

calling them a "watershed The proposals include

a price cap for pre-payment meters which are used

by around four million people. The announcement follows a report

published by the Competition and Markets Authority in June

which set out ways in Dermot Nolan says people will get a

better deal. There is a number of quite important changes. One I would

say is the recommendation of pre-payment customers. Four million

people in the UK are on pre-payment meters. In the last few years, they

haven't been getting a great deal and we will be introducing a clear

protection for them which will save them ?70, ?80 a year. That's an

important, because electricity is an essential service and the vulnerable

really do need to be protected. Two men have been arrested

in Coventry on suspicion of terrorism offences

related to Syria. The pair, aged 38 and 40,

were detained at an address West Midlands Police say

the arrests are part A police officer in Pakistan

in charge of an investigation the death of a woman from Bradford

has confirmed she was strangled. Samia Shahid, who was 28,

died last month while visiting Her husband says she was the victim

of a so-called honour killing, an allegation denied

by her relatives in Pakistan. UK Border Force has a "worryingly

low" number of boats patrolling Britain's coasts,

according to MPs. The Home Affairs Select Committee

said that just three boats are available to patrol 7,000 miles

of shoreline. It has called

for the Royal Navy to be brought The Government says it's already

taking measures to combat a rise in people smuggling and it's ordered

eight more patrol vessels. But a former Director-General

of the UK Border Force told this programme it is not just

about having more boats. We do have about 16 different

agencies involved in border protection, not just the Border

Force, so yes, the Royal Navy are part of that. You have got the

Maritime and Coastguard Agency which comes under the Department for

Transport, Border Force under the Home Office, navy under the MoD, you

have got the various police agencies, we need to make sure they

all work together under the umbrella of the national maritime

intelligence centre so that we get the right intelligence because we

don't want an armada of boats out there if they don't know where to go

and what to intercept. Yes, we need more vessels, but I don't think

that's the only thing we need. That's a summary of the latest

news, join me for BBC Here's the latest

sport now with John. After missing three drugs tests

which could have forced Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead to be

banned from the Rio Olympics, the silver medallist

from London 2012 has admitted she that she was naive in not

challenging the first of those until her Olympic place was

in jeapordy. It was only

after missing a third test and facing a possible two year

suspension, she took her case to the court of arbitration

for sport and her first failure UK Ant-doping, while happy

with the process, feels there needs to be more explanation

as to why it was not upheld. Cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins has said

the honour of being flag-bearer at the opening ceremony

of the Rio Olympics should Wiggins featured in the opening

of the Games at London Playing his part in

the opening ceremony. Boxer Nicola Adams, long-distance

runner Jo Pavey and tennis player Andy Murray are among the other

contenders to carry the flag in Rio, with a decision expected

by the BOA today. Steven Finn is back in the England

side to face Pakistan He replaces the injured

all-rounder Ben Stokes. With the series level at 1-1,

it's all in the balance, That's all the sport for now.

The Australian family living in the Highlands have been told they have

lost their battle to stay in the UK. Gregg and Catherine Brain have

failed to find jobs. The Home Office has written to them saying it is

asking them to leave. Let's talk to Gregg. Thank you for joining us. Is

that it, you have been told you have to go? Well, we have been told we

have to go. I think, however, I said I would not characterise this as

over. We are talking to our lawyer. We may be able to make an

application if an employer comes forward. So certainly, we will be

talking to the Home Office about what arrangements need to be made

going forward. But we are a long way from giving up yet. What have you

been told by the Home Office? Well, we have been told by the Home

Office, the letter we received essentially mirrors who they have

made in their public statement. As of 1st August we have not made an

application, which is true. And that obviously at this point we are here

without leave and should be making arrangements to leave voluntarily,

however, we are of the understanding that we may be able to make an

application and have that considered by the Home Office. We are still

searching for an employer and hope that one will come forward and make

an application to allow us to stay. We are disappointed that they have

decided not to follow what we would have hoped would have been the

honourable course in giving us what was promised in the advertising to

entice us to come over here when they told us if you come over her on

a study visa, there will be this workplace after it. The Immigration

Minister says that there are no exceptional considerations which

would justify granting you leave to remain outside the immigration rules

as they are. Officials will be in touch with you later this week to

discuss a voluntary departure to Australia. If immigration officials

get in touch and say, "Right, let's plan how you head back to

Australia." What will you say? What will you do? Well, what we will be

saying to them is we are in discussions with our lawyer that we

will be doing everything we can to comply with the laws as they

currently stand. We are in the rather cynical situation of hoping

that the laws will remain the case and not be changed again because

that's what happened. The Home Office said this is the law as it

stands and you don't fulfil the criteria, you are here illegally so

you have to go? Well, that's the situation as it stands if we don't

make an application. I think that the possibility exists that we may

still be able to make an application which the Home Office would

consider. While things are awkward for us, they certainly admit that, I

don't think we are at a situation where they are expecting us to turn

ourselves into the local police station and put us in a detention

centre and put us on a plane. We are a long way from that point yet.

Gregg Brain, thank you for joining us. No problem at all, thank you.

The businessman Ian Taylor, who was reportedly in line

for a knighthood in David Cameron's resignation honours list,

has said he does not want his name to go forward.

The oil firm boss is a Conservative Party donor

and also made donations to the EU Remain campaign.

He has written to both Mr Cameron and Theresa May asking

for his name to be withdrawn from the list.

Our Political correspondent, Tom Bateman is following

Tom, tell us more about the controversy around this and what the

latest is? Well, of course, it is several days now since the Sunday

Times leaked that list of what it said were people who were in line

for honours. The controversy around many of it being because many of the

people in that apparent list were those who had given money to a

campaign for Britain to remain in the European Union which, of course,

the vote that was lost by that side. So there was some criticism of David

Cameron in the resignation honours for having apparently wanting those