02/05/2017

:00:08. > :00:10.Hello it's Tuesday, it's 9am, I'm Victoria Derbyshire,

:00:11. > :00:14.Our top story today - this programme can reveal that 300

:00:15. > :00:25.disabled people a day are appealing against cuts to their benefits -

:00:26. > :00:28.to their benefits - and it's costing you ?1 million a week.

:00:29. > :00:38.You know I put on a brace face but inside I'm shocked really.

:00:39. > :00:43.I don't want to be a burden on society and take.

:00:44. > :00:45.I didn't ask to be sick, I'm annoyed that I'm sick.

:00:46. > :00:48.Our full exclusive story in the next few minutes.

:00:49. > :00:53.Also on the programme - a terminally ill man who campaigned

:00:54. > :00:57.on this programme against changes to widowed parent's allowance has died.

:00:58. > :01:00.You're contemplating death and want to go with some dignity,

:01:01. > :01:02.grace and peace of mind, not with financial anxiety,

:01:03. > :01:04.feeling that the government has taken money from you that

:01:05. > :01:25.Alan, which isn't his real name, wants his legacy to be overturning

:01:26. > :01:28.We'll talk to campaigners before 10am.

:01:29. > :01:31.And - found alive after 32 hours in the sea.

:01:32. > :01:36.The extremely lucky surfer who was rescued off

:01:37. > :01:54.Welcome to the programme, we're live until 11am.

:01:55. > :01:56.Throughout the morning - the latest breaking news

:01:57. > :01:58.and developing stories - and, as always, really

:01:59. > :02:01.A little later we'll hear from Paula Radcliffe who says

:02:02. > :02:04.European Athletics proposals which could lead to world records

:02:05. > :02:13.The governing body wants to eliminate any doping doubts.

:02:14. > :02:15.It means Radcliffe's marathon world record from 2003 would be

:02:16. > :02:20.Do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning -

:02:21. > :02:23.use the hashtag #VictoriaLIVE and If you text, you will be charged

:02:24. > :02:28.Labour is promising to put 10,000 more police on the streets

:02:29. > :02:34.of England and Wales if it wins the election.

:02:35. > :02:37.The party said it would fund the policy by reversing

:02:38. > :02:39.Conservative plans for cuts to capital gains tax.

:02:40. > :02:41.The Conservatives say the proposal is nonsensical as Labour has

:02:42. > :02:43.committed those savings to fund other pledges.

:02:44. > :02:46.Our political guru Norman Smith is at Westminster for us this morning.

:02:47. > :02:53.Do the sums add up? That has a good question but what strikes me most

:02:54. > :02:57.about today is we get a bit of a curveball from Jeremy Corbyn, change

:02:58. > :03:02.of tack, because in the campaign so far he has stuck to pretty much

:03:03. > :03:08.core, Corbyn campaign themes around opposing austerity, more cash for

:03:09. > :03:12.the NHS, fighting back against benefit cuts, though sort of

:03:13. > :03:15.traditional Jeremy Corbyn messages. Today he almost takes a leaf out of

:03:16. > :03:20.the Tony Blair book and goes on crime, not something you have heard

:03:21. > :03:23.Jeremy Corbyn talk much about, but pledging Labour would reverse some

:03:24. > :03:28.of the cuts that they say have been implemented since 2010 with a 20%

:03:29. > :03:33.cut in police budgets, something like 20,000 fewer police officers,

:03:34. > :03:40.and instead they say they would recruit 10,000 more officers to be

:03:41. > :03:43.paid for by reversing some of the changes to Capital Gains Tax. As you

:03:44. > :03:47.suggest, there is a right old tussle on whether the sums add up. Diane

:03:48. > :03:51.Abbott insisted they did this morning.

:03:52. > :03:57.This morning I am saying specifically that we are committed

:03:58. > :04:04.to spend, I think ?300 million, over the 2.7 billion that you get by

:04:05. > :04:09.reversing the Capital Gains Tax cut. We are committing this morning to

:04:10. > :04:16.spending it on 10,000 extremely needed policemen and women. So why

:04:17. > :04:20.is Jeremy Corbyn campaigning on what would be natural Conservative

:04:21. > :04:24.territory? I guess because he knows if he is to have any chance of

:04:25. > :04:27.winning he can't just keep banging away on the Labour drum, you've got

:04:28. > :04:33.to reach out a bit more. Interesting too where he is campaigning today.

:04:34. > :04:36.We have seen Mr Corbyn so far in pretty traditional Labour areas.

:04:37. > :04:40.Today he is down in the south of the country in what is not really a

:04:41. > :04:44.Labour area, again trying to reach out. Because he takes the view that

:04:45. > :04:48.actually the Tories should be vulnerable on crime because recorded

:04:49. > :04:52.crime, that's what police officers jot down in their notebooks, has

:04:53. > :04:58.actually gone up and certainly violent crime has gone up quite a

:04:59. > :05:02.lot. So the view in team Corbyn is there is a vulnerability here but

:05:03. > :05:05.more and order is traditionally a Tory policy. That said the Home

:05:06. > :05:07.Secretary Amber Rudd this morning insisted the Tories have a good

:05:08. > :05:13.story to tell on crime. The fact is that

:05:14. > :05:16.crime has fallen by a third since 2010 and you are right there has

:05:17. > :05:19.also been control over budgets and less police officers but we have

:05:20. > :05:24.been investing in the police force in areas we believe they can make

:05:25. > :05:28.good progress with other elements of crime. But the point is what really

:05:29. > :05:31.matters here is the outcomes. We have seen crime falling while

:05:32. > :05:37.budgets have been controlled, which is surely a successful outcome. One

:05:38. > :05:39.of the funny thing is I said at the beginning, taking a leaf out of the

:05:40. > :05:44.Tony Blair Handbook, the difference is that back in 1997 when we

:05:45. > :05:49.remember tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime, crime was right

:05:50. > :05:51.at the top of the election agenda then. Now when you look at the

:05:52. > :05:56.polling done about the issues that matter to voters, crime is right

:05:57. > :06:01.down at the bottom, only something like eight or 9% of voters rate it

:06:02. > :06:05.as a really important issue. Top of the pile is of course Brexit

:06:06. > :06:06.followed by the NHS. Thank you, Norman.

:06:07. > :06:09.Joanna is in the BBC Newsroom with a summary

:06:10. > :06:14.Senior EU sources have made a series of scathing comments

:06:15. > :06:16.about the government's approach to Brexit negotiations,

:06:17. > :06:20.raising the prospect they could fail to reach an agreement.

:06:21. > :06:22.A German newspaper reported that talks got off to a bad

:06:23. > :06:25.start when the Prime Minister met the President of the European

:06:26. > :06:28.Theresa May has dismissed it as "Brussels gossip".

:06:29. > :06:31.US President Donald Trump has said he would be "honoured" to meet

:06:32. > :06:33.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the right circumstances.

:06:34. > :06:35.Mr Trump made his comments amid continuing tensions surrounding

:06:36. > :06:46.The White House later said such talks were unlikely in the near

:06:47. > :06:48.future. This programme has learnt that more

:06:49. > :06:51.than 300 people a day are going to court to attempt

:06:52. > :06:53.to overturn decisions to reduce The government is replacing

:06:54. > :06:59.Disability Living Allowance with Pip - or the personal independence

:07:00. > :07:02.payment - which is based But around 250,000 people have lost

:07:03. > :07:07.money as a result of the change and there has been a sharp rise

:07:08. > :07:11.in legal challenges. We'll have more on that

:07:12. > :07:16.in a few minutes' time. The parents of a critically

:07:17. > :07:18.ill nine-month-old boy will lodge an appeal

:07:19. > :07:20.today against a ruling Last month a High Court judge ruled

:07:21. > :07:25.that doctors can withdraw life support from Charlie Gard,

:07:26. > :07:28.who has a rare genetic condition, Specialists at Great Ormond Street

:07:29. > :07:32.Hospital said Charlie has irreversible brain damage and should

:07:33. > :07:35.be moved to palliative care. But his parents want

:07:36. > :07:38.to take him to the US A surfer who went missing off

:07:39. > :07:44.the Scottish coast has been rescued after more than 30 hours clinging

:07:45. > :07:46.to his board. Matthew Bryce was reported missing

:07:47. > :07:49.by his family when he didn't return from a surfing trip in Argyll

:07:50. > :07:55.on Sunday afternoon. He was eventually picked up 13 miles

:07:56. > :07:58.off the coast still conscious Dramatic footage has emerged

:07:59. > :08:04.of a baby being pulled out of a car The pick-up truck with a father,

:08:05. > :08:13.his baby son and toddler daughter inside overturned in water

:08:14. > :08:15.near Myrtle Springs east of Dallas, Fellow motorists performed CPR

:08:16. > :08:22.on the children at the scene, who were taken to hospital

:08:23. > :08:27.and are said to be doing well. George Osborne starts his new job

:08:28. > :08:30.as editor of the London newspaper The Evening Standard today

:08:31. > :08:34.The former chancellor's appointment drew criticism from opposition MPs

:08:35. > :08:38.who called on him to quit politics. Mr Osbourne stepped down

:08:39. > :08:41.as Conservative MP for Tatton in Cheshire last month,

:08:42. > :08:44.a seat which is due to be abolished He'll edit the paper

:08:45. > :08:48.four days a week. New parents Cheryl and Liam

:08:49. > :08:53.Payne have reportedly named their baby boy -

:08:54. > :08:58.five weeks after his arrival. Some of this morning's newspapers

:08:59. > :09:00.are reporting that the couple have They apparently spent a week

:09:01. > :09:06.with the baby before Actresses Kate Winslet

:09:07. > :09:09.and Alicia Silverstone also both A host of celebrities turned out

:09:10. > :09:15.in their finest for what's been described as "the party

:09:16. > :09:18.of the year" - the Met Gala. The annual charity ball is held

:09:19. > :09:21.at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise money

:09:22. > :09:24.for the museum's fashion department. It's an exclusive event,

:09:25. > :09:36.with tickets costing tens Nader Torphichen's report contains

:09:37. > :09:38.some flash photography. -- Nada Tawfik.

:09:39. > :09:41.It is the hottest invite on New York's social calendar,

:09:42. > :09:44.and the biggest night in fashion, that draws out only the stars.

:09:45. > :09:46.Stepping onto the Met Gala red carpet is to enter a runway,

:09:47. > :09:50.This year, the Met Costume Institute is honouring Japanese

:09:51. > :09:52.designer Rei Kawakubo, who famously blurs the line

:09:53. > :09:59.For Rei, there is no box, and she did that so early on.

:10:00. > :10:01.When Rei started, you would never believe fashion

:10:02. > :10:04.could be as influential and as powerful as music.

:10:05. > :10:10.You know, a lot of people say, like, how do you wear that?

:10:11. > :10:14.You don't wear those clothes, those clothes wear you.

:10:15. > :10:21.Sleeves need not apply, and cotton candy hair

:10:22. > :10:24.and face coverings are just a few of her signatures.

:10:25. > :10:31.Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams along with his wife wore the

:10:32. > :10:36.designer's pieces and Rihanna stood out from the crowd with this floral

:10:37. > :10:39.look. Of course, if you are a Madonna you arrive in camouflage

:10:40. > :10:46.with your own fashion statement. What statement are you making

:10:47. > :10:54.tonight? That we have got to get our act together and start thinking

:10:55. > :10:58.about peace on earth. The irony and stupidity of war. This red-carpet

:10:59. > :10:59.has become one of the most judged. Social media was quick to play

:11:00. > :11:00.fashion critic. The Met Ball is not

:11:01. > :11:03.the place to play it safe. And that unspoken rule,

:11:04. > :11:08.combined with this unconventional designer's inspiration,

:11:09. > :11:14.has led to a night of unique looks. Nader Torphichen BBC News, at the

:11:15. > :11:16.Met Gala. That's a summary of the latest BBC

:11:17. > :11:25.News - more at 9.30am. This is to do with personal

:11:26. > :11:31.independence payments. What many people unaffected don't realise

:11:32. > :11:35.about these benefits is that the assessment is not about proving how

:11:36. > :11:41.ill you are, it's a test to see if you can carry out some very basic

:11:42. > :11:44.physical tasks. If you can then this is extrapolated into meaning you are

:11:45. > :11:49.able to do a job. The fact a person can use a microwave, for example,

:11:50. > :11:53.does not necessarily mean they are able to work, let alone that they

:11:54. > :11:58.could feed themselves. It's that kind of thinking behind these tests

:11:59. > :12:06.that is at fault. Kayla on Facebook says: my wife has a progressive,

:12:07. > :12:10.relapsing, remitting MS. She's on the high rate of DLA, disability

:12:11. > :12:14.living allowance, we have a wheelchair accessible vehicle but

:12:15. > :12:19.the cloud of waiting for the envelope to drop through the door

:12:20. > :12:22.saying we have to change to Pip is a constant worry. We have a film

:12:23. > :12:27.coming up in the next few minutes where we reveal that 300 disabled

:12:28. > :12:32.people a day are taking the Government to tribunal to try and

:12:33. > :12:36.get the benefit changes overturned. If you have experience get in touch.

:12:37. > :12:39.Use the hashtag Victoria LIVE and if you text, you will be charged

:12:40. > :12:51.It is not Hugh! Sorry, it is Hugh! I do this all the time!

:12:52. > :12:53.It seems that lots of athletics world records set before 2005

:12:54. > :12:55.could be rewritten, and that could affect

:12:56. > :13:01.We should put this into context because it sounds draconian, last

:13:02. > :13:05.year's McLaren report uncovered widespread doping in the sport and

:13:06. > :13:09.Russia as a result are currently banned from athletics. This is a

:13:10. > :13:13.sport with a reputation severely tainted, so the question now is how

:13:14. > :13:17.to try and fix it. For some desperate times call for these

:13:18. > :13:20.desperate measures and European athletics have suggested all world

:13:21. > :13:25.records that can't be verified by a series of very strict measures, will

:13:26. > :13:28.simply be rewritten. Their President says they are meaningless if people

:13:29. > :13:32.don't really believe them. It would have a huge impact, as you mention,

:13:33. > :13:36.and some famous names who fall outside of those measures simply

:13:37. > :13:41.because they happen before the IAAF stored blood and you're in samples.

:13:42. > :13:46.Jonathan Edwards's launch of record, not beaten in nearly 22 years since

:13:47. > :13:50.he recorded it in Gothenburg in 95, and also Paula Radcliffe's marathon

:13:51. > :13:54.record. They would remain on an all-time list but not officially

:13:55. > :13:58.recognised as world records. Radcliffe particularly upset saying,

:13:59. > :14:01.I'm hurt and feel this damage is my reputation and dignity and the

:14:02. > :14:04.governing bodies have once again failed clean athletes. She also

:14:05. > :14:10.revealed this morning she asked the IAAF to store hope doping sample

:14:11. > :14:13.from this day in 2003 in the London Marathon for as long as possible but

:14:14. > :14:19.the cut-off point would be 2005 so if these proposals are adopted she

:14:20. > :14:23.would lose that record. One of those people Victoria, who would feel

:14:24. > :14:24.fairly maligned this morning. We hope to hear from her late in the

:14:25. > :14:25.programme. And Mark Selby is establishing

:14:26. > :14:34.himself as one of Yes, he is now a three-time champion

:14:35. > :14:39.at the World Snooker in the crucible and he is in fact just the fourth

:14:40. > :14:43.time in the modern era that a man has defended his title at the

:14:44. > :14:47.Crucible beating John Higgins 18-15. It sounds tight but involved an

:14:48. > :15:01.impressive comeback, he won nine out of ten frames at one point over the

:15:02. > :15:03.last couple of days having been 10-4 down, the biggest comeback since

:15:04. > :15:06.Dennis Taylor in the famous final with the re-spotted black in 85, in

:15:07. > :15:14.so he is quite the battle, Mark Selby command as well as the trophy,

:15:15. > :15:17.money, he remains world number one as well. He's been there for more

:15:18. > :15:19.than two years and gains revenge for defeat to Higgins in the 2007 final.

:15:20. > :15:23.Higgins thinks Selby, who he called his toughest opponent, Candela to

:15:24. > :15:28.challenge Stephen Hendry's record of seven titles at the Crucible.

:15:29. > :15:31.Despite all the attention there was a light-hearted moment in the 20th

:15:32. > :15:35.frame that we are going to show you now where all of the frowns turned

:15:36. > :15:38.to smiles in a couple of minutes, John Higgins attempting to get out

:15:39. > :15:42.of a snooker. That was his first attempt at hitting the red. It

:15:43. > :15:46.failed, in goes the cue ball from the Brown, this isn't the same

:15:47. > :15:50.attempt, it is attempt number two. Look familiar? The same happened.

:15:51. > :15:53.Perhaps the John Higgins, third time lucky.

:15:54. > :15:58.LAUGHTER No, in it goes again. Eventually

:15:59. > :16:02.after grinning his way through he gets a thumbs up from Mark Selby to

:16:03. > :16:06.have a fourth attempt, sneaks through to clip the red on the way,

:16:07. > :16:11.just as he'd been trying to do all along and went on to win the frame

:16:12. > :16:13.too. Unfortunately for him, Victoria, he did go on to lose the

:16:14. > :16:17.match. What are the odds on that? Thank

:16:18. > :16:21.you, I like a light-hearted moment in a game of snooker.

:16:22. > :16:24.This programme can reveal that more than 300 disabled people a day

:16:25. > :16:26.are going to court to overturn a decision to reduce

:16:27. > :16:29.or stop their benefits and it's costing taxpayers around

:16:30. > :16:33.The Government is replacing what it calls the "outdated"

:16:34. > :16:35.Disability Living Allowance with PIP or the personal independence payment

:16:36. > :16:39.saying it's a better system based on individual needs.

:16:40. > :16:46.But official figures show that around 250,000 people have lost

:16:47. > :16:49.money in the switch from DLA and the number of tribunals for PIP

:16:50. > :16:53.or the Personal Independence Payment has risen sharply in the last year.

:16:54. > :16:59.Now we've seen leaked letters to judges suggesting

:17:00. > :17:01.the number of cases will rise again this summer.

:17:02. > :17:03.Our reporter Jim Reed has followed two people as they go

:17:04. > :17:12.Well, I was scared. Why are they doing it?

:17:13. > :17:21.I didn't see why I should have to go to court to prove that there's

:17:22. > :17:40.The courts are extremely overrun. A lot of it's a waiting game.

:17:41. > :17:44.This is what life can be like if your kidneys

:17:45. > :17:54.Debbie Neal was diagnosed ten years ago.

:17:55. > :17:57.She takes dozens of pills to manage the symptoms.

:17:58. > :18:00.Then five times a day, she does this, empties out excess

:18:01. > :18:03.fluid from a tube in her stomach and replaces it with

:18:04. > :18:11.They say, you know, don't let it affect your life and live your life,

:18:12. > :18:14.but you can only live your life to a point.

:18:15. > :18:26.I can't even remember what it was like not ever doing it.

:18:27. > :18:29.Debbie lives on her own and works part-time as a cleaner.

:18:30. > :18:31.For years she's relied on DLA, would disability living

:18:32. > :18:39.But that is slowly being replaced by a new benefit, the personal

:18:40. > :18:45.When she was reassessed by a private company, all her payments

:18:46. > :18:49.What was your reaction when you opened that letter?

:18:50. > :18:56.I put on a brave face, but inside I'm just...

:18:57. > :19:11.I don't want to be a burden on society and take.

:19:12. > :19:19.We didn't ask to be sick. I'm annoyed that I'm sick.

:19:20. > :19:21.That morning, Debbie is meeting Alex Powell,

:19:22. > :19:26.from a local charity that helps people with their claims.

:19:27. > :19:29.The Government says it is spending more than ever on disability

:19:30. > :19:31.benefits and many have seen their incomes rise

:19:32. > :19:34.since PIP was introduced, but more than a quarter of a million

:19:35. > :19:38.people have lost out in the switch from DLA.

:19:39. > :19:45.Some, like Debbie, thought they had that support for life.

:19:46. > :19:47.This benefit doesn't stop because you're

:19:48. > :20:02.We'll get it all sorted out once and for all.

:20:03. > :20:14.Debbie has already asked for her case to be reviewed and lost.

:20:15. > :20:17.Now she wants to go to tribunal in court, to ask a judge

:20:18. > :20:27.That evening, Alex is looking over the paperwork at home.

:20:28. > :20:33.We've only been going since January, and we're waiting for a lot

:20:34. > :20:36.more paperwork to come through from different clients.

:20:37. > :20:39.I think at the moment we have 150-200 clients that

:20:40. > :20:45.are waiting to go to tribunal, but the courts are overrun.

:20:46. > :20:54.The number taking the Government to court over PIP has risen

:20:55. > :20:57.sharply, as more are moved onto the new benefit.

:20:58. > :20:59.There are more than 1,500 tribunal cases every week.

:21:00. > :21:01.Now, we've seen in leaked letter to all tribunals suggesting

:21:02. > :21:03.the number is expected to rise further.

:21:04. > :21:05.It suggests judges travel outside their normal court area,

:21:06. > :21:10.How will you react if Debbie wins her case on Thursday?

:21:11. > :21:20.I'm always a little nervous when I go in.

:21:21. > :21:23.But I know Debbie well, I've spent a lot of time with her.

:21:24. > :21:27.I know how she suffers, so I'd be more than happy

:21:28. > :21:32.Yeah, I'll be extremely excited for her.

:21:33. > :21:44.Two days later, and the morning of the tribunal.

:21:45. > :21:56.Because, you know, I am ill and I've got...

:21:57. > :22:14.I've got to believe it, even though I don't want to.

:22:15. > :22:17.Do you worry what they're going to ask you or not really?

:22:18. > :22:23.I don't know how I'm going to answer it.

:22:24. > :22:28.The truth, of course, but whether they're going to try

:22:29. > :22:38.Debbie, helped by her neighbour Roger, is getting ready to go

:22:39. > :22:41.to the new Magistrates' Court in Kidderminster.

:22:42. > :22:43.The Government says PIP is a more effective system,

:22:44. > :22:46.based on individual need, and overall more people now receive

:22:47. > :22:59.It serves a wide range of people, with a wider range

:23:00. > :23:02.The statistics show that if you have a mental health

:23:03. > :23:04.condition, you are better served under this benefit.

:23:05. > :23:06.If you have PTSD, if you have dementia,

:23:07. > :23:08.if you have a psychological disorder, if you have

:23:09. > :23:17.That is the case, and it's important that people that.

:23:18. > :23:20.Debbie's hearing will take about an hour in court number two,

:23:21. > :23:22.in front of a judge, a doctor and a disability

:23:23. > :23:28.My emotions are all over the place at the moment.

:23:29. > :23:37.She is being represented by Alex, but she'll be questioned directly

:23:38. > :23:40.and in detail by all three of the tribunal members.

:23:41. > :23:42.We are not allowed to film inside the building itself.

:23:43. > :23:58.It has taken a year, but Debbie has won her appeal.

:23:59. > :24:02.Most of her payments will now be guaranteed for the next ten years.

:24:03. > :24:05.I think the phrase you may be after...

:24:06. > :24:08.That bit there, "The decision made by Secretary of State

:24:09. > :24:20.You know, for people who are out there who are honest,

:24:21. > :24:24.that deserve the help, then don't give up.

:24:25. > :24:35.Two-thirds of people who take the Government to court

:24:36. > :24:38.like this end up winning - higher for PIP than almost

:24:39. > :24:45.The Government says overall just a fraction of cases

:24:46. > :24:47.are overturned at appeal, but new figures seen by this

:24:48. > :24:49.programme suggest PIP tribunals like this are costing the Government

:24:50. > :24:56.It feels like going to court, even if it's not meant to be that...

:24:57. > :24:59.The judges and others who sit on tribunals have to deal

:25:00. > :25:04.They can be sacked if they speak to the media, so we agreed

:25:05. > :25:11.As a tribunal member, we often have to start again

:25:12. > :25:15.We often see people who get nothing at all in the first assessment,

:25:16. > :25:18.then we end up giving them the maximum award possible and just

:25:19. > :25:20.can't understand why they were awarded no points.

:25:21. > :25:23.The people I worry about are those who don't appeal if they get

:25:24. > :25:25.turned down for benefit, because I think appealing

:25:26. > :25:30.You need to be fairly courageous, fairly upset, fairly angry

:25:31. > :25:33.and have a great sense of injustice in order to get

:25:34. > :25:42.For years he ran his own surfing business in Cornwall.

:25:43. > :25:45.In 2002, a serious car accident left him in a coma

:25:46. > :25:56.Whatever I could do before, I now either have to find a new way

:25:57. > :25:59.of doing it or I just can't do it at all.

:26:00. > :26:01.So not only have you got no mobility, you've got

:26:02. > :26:06.Like Debbie, he thought he was guaranteed benefit payments

:26:07. > :26:13.He uses a walker and his health is unlikely to improve.

:26:14. > :26:16.My whole life has gone downhill. I couldn't work any more.

:26:17. > :26:18.Then I got a letter through saying that everything was being changed

:26:19. > :26:22.to PIP, and I was told not to worry, what ever I had an DLA would be

:26:23. > :26:25.the same on PIP, but no, completely different.

:26:26. > :26:31.Tony's own GP wrote three different letters on his behalf,

:26:32. > :26:34.saying the assessment company had got it wrong, but it didn't make

:26:35. > :26:42.Were you initially reluctant to go down that route?

:26:43. > :26:47.I didn't see why I should have to go to court to prove that there's

:26:48. > :26:57.The Government would say the amount we're paying in disability benefits

:26:58. > :27:02.There's something seriously wrong with the system.

:27:03. > :27:04.Admittedly, yeah, there are people out there that

:27:05. > :27:07.are faking it, are lying, so yeah, I can understand

:27:08. > :27:09.there having to be a way of weaning these people out.

:27:10. > :27:15.If I was faking, why would my doctor write a medical note, backing me up?

:27:16. > :27:18.If someone said to me, right, tomorrow you can have

:27:19. > :27:21.all your health back and be exactly how you were before your accident,

:27:22. > :27:24.but it means you lose everything you've got since the accident,

:27:25. > :27:30.In an instant, I wouldn't even think twice.

:27:31. > :27:34.So again, with help from a local group called Benefit Resolutions,

:27:35. > :27:38.It took a year, but he won and all his payments

:27:39. > :27:44.It's almost like them saying to me, "We don't believe there's

:27:45. > :27:46.anything wrong with you, please come here and

:27:47. > :27:51.And that's like, that's an insult in itself.

:27:52. > :27:58.The fact you go and sit in the waiting room,

:27:59. > :28:01.you feel like a criminal, you're then called through into

:28:02. > :28:04.what feels like a court and you have to walk in front of a judge.

:28:05. > :28:08.Why do I need to stand up in front of a judge and say

:28:09. > :28:12.Because I've not broken the law, I've not done anything wrong that

:28:13. > :28:19.I do not need to be stood in front of a judge,

:28:20. > :28:22.and that annoyed me more than anything else.

:28:23. > :28:25.The Government's own independent review has said that cases

:28:26. > :28:27.like this are eroding trust in the whole system.

:28:28. > :28:30.Ministers say PIP is still much better than the benefit it replaced.

:28:31. > :28:32.For the moment, though, the number of those tribunals likely

:28:33. > :28:52.Many comments from you. One viewer says, "I am one of those 300 a day.

:28:53. > :28:56.Last Tuesday I went to plead with a panel connisting of a doctor, a

:28:57. > :29:02.judge and a disability expert to reinstate the equivalent of PIP and

:29:03. > :29:05.my lifetime high rate, mobility component. My mobility is the

:29:06. > :29:11.difference between being housebound and independent. I lost. I lose my

:29:12. > :29:16.mobility car in three weeks time and can't afford to buy a new one. I'm

:29:17. > :29:22.in constant pain and barely able to walk two steps without it worsening,

:29:23. > :29:36.yet deemed able to walk unaided for 20 to 50 meters. I take medications

:29:37. > :29:40.and I'm still in pain. The expert questioned my ability to make a

:29:41. > :29:46.meal. They could only judge me on how I was last October when I was

:29:47. > :29:49.first assessed for PIP not the fact that things are worse and will

:29:50. > :29:54.continue to be until I'm in a wheelchair. I feel like I'm not

:29:55. > :29:59.believed even with all the medical evidence I have and it's wrong."

:30:00. > :30:05.Christopher, "DLA to PIP is a shocking system. My wife had to

:30:06. > :30:11.appeal due to lies misinterpretation and omissions in her original

:30:12. > :30:18.assessment report. A stressful and upsetting experience." Trudy says,

:30:19. > :30:23."Having been through three PIP assessments it was the most soul

:30:24. > :30:28.destroying experience. I was called a liar. How the Government allowed

:30:29. > :30:33.this to carry on is beyond me." G texts, "I was told because I could

:30:34. > :30:37.open a tin of cat food, I was fit for work." Linda says, "I have no

:30:38. > :30:42.problem with disability benefits being paid to those who should

:30:43. > :30:48.receive them, but the Government has a duty to protect public funds. The

:30:49. > :30:51.blame lies on the shoulders of those who exaggerate their disabilities in

:30:52. > :30:53.order to receive benefits." Thank you for those. There are more. Keep

:30:54. > :30:55.them coming in. And after 10am, we'll be speaking

:30:56. > :30:58.to a conservative MP who says A terminally ill man

:30:59. > :31:03.who campaigned on this programme against changes to widowed parent's

:31:04. > :31:05.allowance has died. We'll speak to fellow campaigners

:31:06. > :31:14.trying to overturn government Sarah says, "Thank you for keeping

:31:15. > :31:19.us updated on the sad debt of Alan. His is one of the stories from your

:31:20. > :31:23.programme that will stick in my mind for a long time. RIP Alan.

:31:24. > :31:26.Also coming up - we'll speak to three women who are calling

:31:27. > :31:29.for a public inquiry after a breast surgeon operated on them

:31:30. > :31:37.unnecessarily after exaggerating or inventing cancer risks

:31:38. > :31:40.Here's Joanna in the BBC Newsroom with a summary of today's news.

:31:41. > :31:43.Labour is promising to put 10,000 more police on the streets

:31:44. > :31:45.of England and Wales if it wins the election.

:31:46. > :31:48.The party said it would fund the policy by reversing Conservative

:31:49. > :31:52.The Conservatives say the proposal is "nonsensical" as Labour has

:31:53. > :31:56.committed those savings to fund other pledges.

:31:57. > :31:58.Downing Street says it will not enter into "a briefing war"

:31:59. > :32:01.with the European Commission over the Brexit talks.

:32:02. > :32:03.It follows reports of wide differences of view

:32:04. > :32:07.between Mrs May and the President of the European Commission,

:32:08. > :32:09.Jean-Claude Juncker, at a dinner to discuss

:32:10. > :32:16.Number Ten has strongly rejected reports suggesting EU officials

:32:17. > :32:18.believed Mrs May was in a different galaxy.

:32:19. > :32:21.US President Donald Trump has said he would be "honoured" to meet

:32:22. > :32:23.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the right circumstances.

:32:24. > :32:25.Mr Trump made his comments amid continuing tensions surrounding

:32:26. > :32:30.The White House later said such talks were unlikely

:32:31. > :32:37.This programme has learnt that more than 300 people a day

:32:38. > :32:40.are going to court to attempt to overturn decisions to reduce

:32:41. > :32:47.The Government is replacing Disability Living Allowance with Pip

:32:48. > :32:50.- or the personal independence payment - which is based

:32:51. > :32:56.Around 250,000 people have lost money as a result of the change

:32:57. > :32:58.and there has been a sharp rise in legal challenges.

:32:59. > :33:08.The parents of a critically ill nine-month-old boy

:33:09. > :33:10.will lodge an appeal today against a ruling

:33:11. > :33:15.Last month a High Court judge ruled that doctors can withdraw life

:33:16. > :33:17.support from Charlie Gard, who has a rare genetic condition,

:33:18. > :33:21.Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital said Charlie has

:33:22. > :33:27.irreversible brain damage and should be moved to palliative care.

:33:28. > :33:29.His parents want to take him to the US

:33:30. > :33:36.We will speak to a human rights lawyer and former neonatal nurse

:33:37. > :33:37.after 10am. A surfer who went missing off

:33:38. > :33:40.the Scottish coast has been rescued after more than 30 hours clinging

:33:41. > :33:43.to his board. Matthew Bryce was reported missing

:33:44. > :33:46.by his family when he didn't return from a surfing trip in Argyll

:33:47. > :33:48.on Sunday afternoon. He was eventually picked up 13 miles

:33:49. > :33:55.off the coast still conscious Celebrities in weird and wonderful

:33:56. > :33:57.fashion have walked the red carpet Dubbed the Oscars of the east coast,

:33:58. > :34:08.the event this year honoured The annual charity ball is held

:34:09. > :34:13.at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise money

:34:14. > :34:15.for the museum's That's a summary of the latest BBC

:34:16. > :34:26.News - more at 10:00am. Let me read this e-mail from

:34:27. > :34:30.Christina. I'm going to court tomorrow for Pip for my 19-year-old

:34:31. > :34:33.son who has autism who has had his reward stomach award reduced when he

:34:34. > :34:38.was reassessed from DLA. The whole system is rigged as it's all about

:34:39. > :34:43.saving money and need is irrelevant. The DWP don't care about my son and

:34:44. > :34:48.his complex condition. This tweet from Karen: over three years I faced

:34:49. > :34:52.appeals and won two tribunals. Please tell people to appeal, to

:34:53. > :34:57.fight. The latest sports now with Hugh. Good morning again, Mark Selby

:34:58. > :35:00.became World Snooker champion for the third time in his career, the

:35:01. > :35:05.world number one coming from 10-4 down to beat John Higgins 18-15 at

:35:06. > :35:09.the Crucible becoming only the fourth man in the modern era to

:35:10. > :35:13.successfully defend a world title. Paula Radcliffe says her reputation

:35:14. > :35:17.and dignity have been damaged by plans to scrap all athletics world

:35:18. > :35:22.and European record set before 2005 including hers from the 2003 London

:35:23. > :35:25.Marathon. The credibility of records has been examined of late following

:35:26. > :35:30.the renovations of widespread doping in the sport.

:35:31. > :35:33.One of the goals of the season from Emre Can boosts Liverpool's

:35:34. > :35:35.chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

:35:36. > :35:38.Quite an impressive effort from the German international. It was enough

:35:39. > :35:42.to beat Watford 1-0. Liverpool are three points clear

:35:43. > :35:45.in third having played a game more. And encouraging news for England

:35:46. > :35:47.cricket fans ahead of next On his return from injury, Ben

:35:48. > :35:51.Stokes hit his first T20 century. Helping his team win

:35:52. > :35:56.in the Indian Premier League. They call him Big Ben out there.

:35:57. > :36:01.Much more after 10am. There are calls this morning

:36:02. > :36:03.for a public inquiry into how a breast surgeon was able to carry

:36:04. > :36:06.out needless operations on hundreds Ian Paterson is due to be sentenced

:36:07. > :36:11.in the next few weeks after being found guilty of 17

:36:12. > :36:15.counts of wounding with intent, relating to nine women and one man

:36:16. > :36:18.in the West Midlands. Up to 350 women are bringing

:36:19. > :36:23.a High Court case for compensation for the operations which took place

:36:24. > :36:28.in both NHS and private hospitals. The surgeon, who treated thousands

:36:29. > :36:30.of patients during his career, exaggerated or invented cancer risks

:36:31. > :36:35.and claimed payments for more Today we can speak to

:36:36. > :36:50.three of those women. Paula Gelsthorpe who underwent two

:36:51. > :36:58.needless lumpectomies. Debbie Douglas was one

:36:59. > :37:03.of those women in court - she had an unnecessary

:37:04. > :37:12.mastectomy and chemotherapy. and Victoria Weaver

:37:13. > :37:15.who was told by Ian Paterson that she too had cancer

:37:16. > :37:17.and a lump removed needlessly. You first discovered a lump in 2002,

:37:18. > :37:20.it was removed by Ian Paterson, again a lump came back in 2009

:37:21. > :37:23.and was removed. You found out they were

:37:24. > :37:27.completely harmless? That's right. I was called back to

:37:28. > :37:31.the hospital in 2012 to be informed that both of the lumpectomy is were

:37:32. > :37:37.unsuccessful. How did you react? I was shocked, a little bit of me was

:37:38. > :37:42.overjoyed because then I realised I hadn't had cancer but I was really

:37:43. > :37:51.angry, very angry. I couldn't understand why, why are? And why did

:37:52. > :37:55.it happen? Debra, you had a cancerous tumour and had a

:37:56. > :37:59.mastectomy but didn't need one. That's right, I had a small tumour

:38:00. > :38:04.less than two centimetres and didn't need one and was told it should have

:38:05. > :38:08.been removed with a local incision and had no chemotherapy, just

:38:09. > :38:14.radiotherapy. However, he immediately told me within 48-hour

:38:15. > :38:17.Zoff giving me a needless operation, sorry, I haven't misled you, it's

:38:18. > :38:22.not the lump that has got to come out, the whole breast has got to be

:38:23. > :38:28.removed. He was very blase when he said you will go in with two breasts

:38:29. > :38:33.and, with two breasts and a flat stomach. The surgery was very

:38:34. > :38:40.traumatic. I woke up in a high dependency unit, my kids had to see

:38:41. > :38:48.me like that. And obviously at the time it also affected my stomach

:38:49. > :38:51.muscle because I had a tram flap procedure which entails the stomach

:38:52. > :38:57.muscle being re-routed under the chest wall. I am essentially cut

:38:58. > :39:01.from hip to hip, he removed all of my lymph nodes, cut under the arm

:39:02. > :39:12.and I have scars under my breast where he operated on me needlessly.

:39:13. > :39:18.Unbelievable. Yes. Astonishing. You are diagnosed by Ian Paterson and

:39:19. > :39:24.had a lump removed in 2011 and found out you had no cancer, Victoria.

:39:25. > :39:28.What was the impact on you? We were devastated as a family because it

:39:29. > :39:34.doesn't just affect you, it affects your whole family, my parents were

:39:35. > :39:39.affected, my husband, two small children both on the autistic

:39:40. > :39:45.spectrum, seven and five, and I am panicking that I'm going to die

:39:46. > :39:50.shortly, what do I do? I wonder if you were like Paula, when you are

:39:51. > :39:55.told, it was fine. You had needless operations but didn't have cancer,

:39:56. > :39:59.how did you react then? There is a slight bit of distrust because you

:40:00. > :40:02.are not sure who is telling you the truth now. That doesn't go away,

:40:03. > :40:07.even now I will have a dark thought that somebody has got it wrong. He

:40:08. > :40:12.was a nice man and always really kind to me, and was he right? When

:40:13. > :40:20.this all came out on Friday last week that he was guilty it kind of

:40:21. > :40:26.makes you angry and sad, tearful. I've had a weird emotions. People

:40:27. > :40:29.asking me, how are you? And I don't know, I really don't. Would you ever

:40:30. > :40:34.have questioned him? Would it ever have occurred to you to question

:40:35. > :40:38.what he said to you? No, his bedside manner was amazing, he was lovely,

:40:39. > :40:42.he was always telling me that he would look out for me, that

:40:43. > :40:47.everything would be OK as long as I kept coming back for my checks. But

:40:48. > :40:54.I had got an aggressive form of cancer that would return. It was not

:40:55. > :41:03.if but when. That is exactly what he said to me actually. He tried to

:41:04. > :41:05.keep you in that loop. If you had it -- if stomach it was like he had a

:41:06. > :41:15.sixth sense about you being vulnerable. I had a both parents who

:41:16. > :41:19.died from cancer. I had boot insurance and Blippar insurance was

:41:20. > :41:21.unlimited because I didn't have any preconditions from cancer so it was

:41:22. > :41:29.essentially a licence to print money. -- BUPA. Do you think that is

:41:30. > :41:40.what it was about? It was all about money? Absolutely. I do believe so.

:41:41. > :41:46.I do think so. Like you said, he had a fantastic bedside manner. He used

:41:47. > :41:50.to say, I am going to cure you, this is curable but you then have to go

:41:51. > :41:59.and have a scan, have a check, and come and see me on a regular basis.

:42:00. > :42:02.And every scan costs ?1500 which he can invoice the insurance company

:42:03. > :42:08.for. He said you had to have chemotherapy, Deborah. That's right.

:42:09. > :42:12.That is dealt with by an oncologist looking at the pathology report and

:42:13. > :42:16.the pathology report details what is wrong with the tissue removed from

:42:17. > :42:21.new. Surely an oncologist would read that and say, hang on a minute,

:42:22. > :42:26.there is no... I don't get this. That is absolutely why I don't

:42:27. > :42:29.believe it's just him. The oncologist, I mean I looked at

:42:30. > :42:33.something called the Nottinghamshire index and it says if you have a

:42:34. > :42:36.small tumour and a small tumour being less than two centimetres

:42:37. > :42:44.which I had, there is no spread to the lymph nodes, then you don't need

:42:45. > :42:47.chemo. It's all charted, and it is a look-up table, essentially. There is

:42:48. > :42:53.no way I needed therapy. He didn't do the month, multidisciplinary team

:42:54. > :42:57.meetings and if he did it was just to discuss it with a very close few

:42:58. > :43:01.people that he worked with on a regular basis. The breast care nurse

:43:02. > :43:06.should have been the patient advocate. She did not speak up once.

:43:07. > :43:10.In fact it was like being sold something that you didn't need

:43:11. > :43:17.basically. Because, I was told six weeks after having major surgery I

:43:18. > :43:21.would be playing a round of golf. This surgery was horrific. I

:43:22. > :43:23.couldn't straighten up, it affected my stomach muscles, and everybody

:43:24. > :43:28.that I know who had this pedicure tram flap surgery which they don't

:43:29. > :43:35.tend to do nowadays really struggled and you are never the same after

:43:36. > :43:40.that. You all think they should be a public inquiry. Can I ask each of

:43:41. > :43:44.you why. This needs to not happen ever again to anybody. There should

:43:45. > :43:51.not be this amount of women who have had unnecessary surgeries because

:43:52. > :43:56.one man had what seemed like a god complex. He loved the adulation that

:43:57. > :43:59.I gave him. Because actually I only paid him once, I was transferred to

:44:00. > :44:06.an NHS clinic so I didn't have insurance, we played cash -- paid

:44:07. > :44:11.cash for the surgery. You paid cash even though you were on the NHS? No,

:44:12. > :44:15.I went privately for the first treatment and then he transferred me

:44:16. > :44:21.to the NHS. But the adulation you talk about. I've been there.

:44:22. > :44:25.Absolutely. You cannot thank them enough, they have saved your life.

:44:26. > :44:31.Absolutely and he had no qualms in telling me I had had my life saved

:44:32. > :44:35.by him, and my father and my mother, they came with us and supported me

:44:36. > :44:40.at all of my appointments. And saying I have saved your life. There

:44:41. > :44:45.is no evidence Ian Paterson acted with anyone else, he is in court and

:44:46. > :44:49.is the man who has been found guilty. Explain why you believe a

:44:50. > :44:53.public inquiry is necessary. Because I don't think he's the only one. I

:44:54. > :44:57.think there were people who knew about this about what he was doing

:44:58. > :45:04.and they are hiding behind him now and there should be a public inquiry

:45:05. > :45:11.as well as Ian Paterson. I saw several other doctors that

:45:12. > :45:14.performed, I had a biopsy, ultrasound, mammogram. All of these

:45:15. > :45:19.people were involved. It has gone into the thousands. Somebody must

:45:20. > :45:26.have known what he was doing. Somebody else other than Patterson.

:45:27. > :45:29.He absolutely knew what he was doing. In 1996 he almost killed

:45:30. > :45:32.somebody at good Hope Hospital and was under a supervision order. He

:45:33. > :45:37.left that hospital, didn't work his notice, when straight to Solihull

:45:38. > :45:42.where he began operating under the NHS and in the private sector. He

:45:43. > :45:49.was a money making machine for those people. They didn't want to know.

:45:50. > :45:56.They covered up information. In 2003 a radiologist actually flagged up,

:45:57. > :46:01.did an audit about the amount of patients that he was seeing that had

:46:02. > :46:06.extra flesh, in other words this skin sparing mastectomy, and he was

:46:07. > :46:11.listened to. And you look at the people who covered this up in the

:46:12. > :46:16.executive. These people have retired on massive pensions now and earned

:46:17. > :46:19.millions of pounds. We hear what you are saying but there is no evidence

:46:20. > :46:23.of any cover-up. But I understand and I hear your calls for a public

:46:24. > :46:33.inquiry. Thank you for coming on the programme. Debbie Douglas, Victoria

:46:34. > :46:39.Weaver, and Paula -- Debbie Douglas, thank you for coming on.

:46:40. > :46:42.Next this morning, 'Alan', the terminally ill father of two

:46:43. > :46:46.who many of you will remember after he appeared on this

:46:47. > :46:48.programme to campaign against changes to widowed parent's

:46:49. > :46:51.He was 51 and passed away with his wife at his bedside.

:46:52. > :46:54.Alan, which isn't his real name, had cancer which started

:46:55. > :46:56.in his tonsils and spread to his lungs and chest.

:46:57. > :47:01.This is him talking to us a month ago.

:47:02. > :47:05.I made a calculation not long ago, regarding how much support would be

:47:06. > :47:13.available to my wife to help raise our young children.

:47:14. > :47:18.Under the current system, as you say, I calculated it

:47:19. > :47:24.would have been a sum of over ?50,000.

:47:25. > :47:33.Under the new system, it would reduce to ?6,000.

:47:34. > :47:37.I was shocked that a system of benefits that has been in place,

:47:38. > :47:47.as I understand, for 70 years, since 1946, although it's been

:47:48. > :47:52.renamed, the essence of this support is that when somebody is widowed,

:47:53. > :47:56.there's financial support available for young children up

:47:57. > :48:07.The fact that that's been taken away, seems

:48:08. > :48:17.I've said, in some ways, it wouldn't be a bad thing

:48:18. > :48:20.if they lost me a couple of days early, because at least there'd be

:48:21. > :48:33.Of course, even talking in those terms is very upsetting.

:48:34. > :48:36.You're contemplating death, and you want to go out of this

:48:37. > :48:44.world with some dignity, with some grace, with some

:48:45. > :48:46.peace of mind, not full of financial anxiety,

:48:47. > :48:48.feeling that the Government has just taken money away from you -

:48:49. > :49:05.Well, since he appeared on our programme church

:49:06. > :49:08.leaders, campaigners, charities and some politicians

:49:09. > :49:11.joined forces to fight the changes to the money

:49:12. > :49:15.Let's now talk to two of those people who are both

:49:16. > :49:20.Lord Stuart Polak who was friends with "Alan" and his family.

:49:21. > :49:23.Baroness Ros Altman is a former minister for the Department

:49:24. > :49:33.Can you give us a little bit of an insight into what happened this

:49:34. > :49:40.weekend? Yes, Alan passed away at 4 o'clock in the morning on Sunday and

:49:41. > :49:44.in the Jewish tradition we will Bury somebody very quickly and he was

:49:45. > :49:52.buried on the same day and what's going on now is that we have a thing

:49:53. > :49:57.called shiver, a week where family and friends come to the home to give

:49:58. > :50:01.some comfort to the mourners, to his wife, and family and that's going

:50:02. > :50:05.on. It's private and yet, it's a community thing that people come

:50:06. > :50:12.together and try to give comfort as much as one can at this period.

:50:13. > :50:18.When we spoke to you a month ago, the time that we spoke to Alan you

:50:19. > :50:21.came off air and you wrote to the Work and Pensions Secretary, Damian

:50:22. > :50:26.Green two express your concerns about the reforms. Have you had a

:50:27. > :50:33.response? Well, what I committed to doing on air was to getting a cross

:50:34. > :50:36.party group of peers to ask the Government to think again on this

:50:37. > :50:44.issue which is, of course, the role of the House of Lords very often.

:50:45. > :50:47.Lord Polak was involved in that letterment the frontbench for the

:50:48. > :50:54.Labour Party, the Lib Dems and the bishops as you say all of us have

:50:55. > :51:00.written to the Work and Pensions Secretary as he was then asking him

:51:01. > :51:06.if he would consider extending the payments for those bereaved families

:51:07. > :51:12.with young children. Unfortunately the election has got in the way. We

:51:13. > :51:23.don't know who the Secretary of State for Work and pensions will be.

:51:24. > :51:26.But I think we are all determined to get the Government to re-think

:51:27. > :51:32.stopping these payments just after 18 months which doesn't seem long

:51:33. > :51:38.enough for parents and children to cope with the dreadful grief of

:51:39. > :51:43.losing a loved one, a parent, in this awful way and what is the

:51:44. > :51:47.welfare state for if it is not to help families in such dreadful

:51:48. > :51:52.circumstances? It is worth reminding our audience as you say the reforms

:51:53. > :51:59.mean new claimants, newly bereaved parents such as Alan's wife will

:52:00. > :52:05.receive tax-free payments of ?9800 in total spread over 18 months. Had

:52:06. > :52:11.Alan died as he pointed out before 6th April, his family would have

:52:12. > :52:17.received a tax-free lump sum of ?2,000 followed by nearly ?6,000 a

:52:18. > :52:23.year before tax for up to 20 years. So, quite a big difference. We have

:52:24. > :52:28.a statement from Alan which he wanted us to read after his death.

:52:29. > :52:33.It is as follows, "The Conservative Party manifesto for the June general

:52:34. > :52:37.election contained a revised policy for widowed parents allowance either

:52:38. > :52:41.to revert to the pre-6th April policy of up to 20 years support for

:52:42. > :52:48.widows and young children up to the age of 20, or a compromise policy

:52:49. > :52:53.suggested by Ros Altman of ten years support. Prince William indicated

:52:54. > :52:58.his own bereavement lasted 20 years, that's further evidence of the need

:52:59. > :53:03.for the welfare state to replace the current inadequate level of support

:53:04. > :53:09.with something of much greater longevity." What do you say to that?

:53:10. > :53:14.Well, I'm, this is such a difficult area and... Why is it a difficult

:53:15. > :53:19.area? Because Government policy can't be made for individual cases.

:53:20. > :53:25.They have to have a blanket thing. I'm campaigning on this issue

:53:26. > :53:29.because it's a tiny part of the welfare budget itself and as I said

:53:30. > :53:33.in the House of Lords after appearing on your programme when

:53:34. > :53:39.Baroness Altman had a question and I followed up on the Thursday and

:53:40. > :53:47.said, "On this issue, if you lose somebody, you can't fake it. It's

:53:48. > :53:54.real. I understand sometimes things are not done in the right way and

:53:55. > :53:58.welfare, cuts are needed to be made and people are perhaps cheating,

:53:59. > :54:03.about if you have been bereaved you can't make it up." I'm keen to

:54:04. > :54:07.continue to try and encourage the Government to look at this again in

:54:08. > :54:15.the way that we described in the letter. We, just to let our audience

:54:16. > :54:20.know, we have tried to find a Conservative MP, an elected member,

:54:21. > :54:25.any Conservative MP, to come on to the programme to defend this policy.

:54:26. > :54:30.We haven't been able to find anyone. Does that suggest this policy is

:54:31. > :54:35.indefensible? No, I think timing, timing is just unfortunate. A month

:54:36. > :54:39.ago, we tried. We found, we were unable to find anyone. This, I think

:54:40. > :54:46.I said to you last time, this is a brand-new policy. It just started on

:54:47. > :54:50.6th April and so these things take time to bed down. I was listening to

:54:51. > :54:55.your previous stuff. Things take time to bed down and when things are

:54:56. > :54:57.changing they do affect some individuals whereas the vast

:54:58. > :55:02.majority hopefully are receiving the been fits and stuff that they do

:55:03. > :55:06.need. I think it was a bit too early. I think we have the

:55:07. > :55:10.opportunity now, there could be a new Secretary of State, there could

:55:11. > :55:14.be new ministers, there could be, time, after the election, to do this

:55:15. > :55:19.and I also... If the Conservatives win? If Labour win they have said

:55:20. > :55:23.they will reverse this. Well, they may try, but it's all about finding

:55:24. > :55:27.the money to do these things. Yes, of course, it is. It is about the,

:55:28. > :55:31.no, it is about the decisions you take, of course, of course,

:55:32. > :55:35.everything costs money. The same with 10,000 policemen. You can say

:55:36. > :55:39.all sorts of things pre-election. They said they would pay that by

:55:40. > :55:44.reversing Capital Gains Tax as you know. We will see. We have a

:55:45. > :55:54.statement from Alan's wife as well which I'd like to read. She has

:55:55. > :55:58.given us a statement. She says, "The Government have got this so very

:55:59. > :56:03.badly wrong. Alan wanted to speak out for all those that will suffer

:56:04. > :56:08.from this outrageous policy. Not just us, his words were intended to

:56:09. > :56:11.inspire action over and above a political discussion. That's the

:56:12. > :56:17.legacy wanted to leave to have overturned the wrong that has been

:56:18. > :56:21.done to people." I mean, you know, the Government says this ant an

:56:22. > :56:25.austerity measure, it is about updating a very old-fashioned system

:56:26. > :56:32.which didn't reflect people's lives today. How do you respond to that? I

:56:33. > :56:39.do agree that the old system needed to be simplified because it was very

:56:40. > :56:44.difficult for people to deal with and understand, but simplification

:56:45. > :56:49.doesn't itself mean that you need to do it in this particular way and I

:56:50. > :56:56.think what I'd like to reassure Alan's fally is that there is a

:56:57. > :57:01.really strong sense within the House of Lords, within the Tory membership

:57:02. > :57:07.of the House of Lords as well as Labour and Lib Dem and the bishops

:57:08. > :57:10.and across the House that we would like to ask the Government to think

:57:11. > :57:15.again about whether this is the right way to address welfare. I am

:57:16. > :57:21.supportive of the Government's position that we must not be

:57:22. > :57:28.irresponsible with welfare payments and that in fact, encouraging people

:57:29. > :57:35.to work is the best way to help them avoid poverty and deal with life.

:57:36. > :57:40.However, there are instances where styles policy changes need to be

:57:41. > :57:46.adjusted. We would very much like whoever the new Secretary of State

:57:47. > :57:53.is after the election to have another look at this and as Lord

:57:54. > :57:57.Polak said, the welfare state needs to help people and support people in

:57:58. > :58:03.tiles of distress and needment that's what it is there for, but

:58:04. > :58:09.also, needs to have the compassion to help peel who are not faking it,

:58:10. > :58:15.who really have suffered a dreadful life experience and particularly

:58:16. > :58:19.those with young children who as Prince Harry has explained and

:58:20. > :58:25.Prince William, can take many, many years to be able to deal with the

:58:26. > :58:30.grief of losing a parent. I think we have 18 months because

:58:31. > :58:38.the payments will carry on for 18 months. So we have a little bit of

:58:39. > :58:41.time to fulfil what Alan asked of the Government and asked of you and

:58:42. > :58:47.me to try and put right. Thank you very much for your time.

:58:48. > :58:52.I have these comments from you. This is from a viewer on Twitter, "Thank

:58:53. > :58:59.you for sharing Alan's sad story today. Please send condolence to say

:59:00. > :59:05.his wife and family." Stewart says, ""My thoughts are with Alan and his

:59:06. > :59:10.family at this timement" Linda e-mailed scwsmt RIP Alan, I'm still

:59:11. > :59:13.heartbroken by this story." Audrey says, "I send my con dough labses to

:59:14. > :59:20.Alan's family. May he rest in peace. We'll have the latest

:59:21. > :59:24.on the case of Charlie Gard, a critically ill nine-month-old boy,

:59:25. > :59:26.his parents say they'll appeal against a ruling

:59:27. > :59:33.that he should be allowed to die. Let's get the latest

:59:34. > :59:42.weather from Carol. This is Fife in Scotland. In

:59:43. > :59:49.Bridlington, a fair bit of cloud this morning. We will hang on to

:59:50. > :59:53.that. Look at the difference. Some lovely blue skies and thank you to

:59:54. > :59:57.our weather waffleders for the beautiful pictures. You can see

:59:58. > :00:01.where we have got the cloud on the satellite picture. We have got cloud

:00:02. > :00:05.in central areas, but for most of us, it is a dry start. There is a

:00:06. > :00:08.fair bit of sun sheub around the however, as the breeze picks you, we

:00:09. > :00:13.will more cloud coming in across Eastern England and Eastern Scotland

:00:14. > :00:16.through the day with showery outbreaks coming from that. That

:00:17. > :00:21.will transfer into central parts of the UK later on. So, west is best

:00:22. > :00:24.once again in terms of sunshinement through the afternoon, south-west

:00:25. > :00:28.England, a lot drier than it was yesterday and the same too for

:00:29. > :00:30.Wales. A lot of sunshinement temperatures in Cardiff getting up

:00:31. > :00:34.to 17 Celsius. Yesterday, Northern Ireland had its

:00:35. > :00:39.warmest day of the year so far. Today, we might be just a degree or

:00:40. > :00:44.so lower than the 20.1 Celsius that we hit yesterdayment for Scotland

:00:45. > :00:48.too, we had the second warmest day of the year so far yesterday.

:00:49. > :00:51.Temperatures down a notch. Eastern Scotland, Eastern England, more

:00:52. > :00:54.cloud. Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire, you will have the

:00:55. > :00:59.sunshine. Into East Anglia and Kent and heading towards the Midlands,

:01:00. > :01:01.there will be more cloud through the afternoon producing showers which

:01:02. > :01:05.will be hit and miss and in between we will see bright or sunny skies.

:01:06. > :01:08.Through this evening and overnight the showers will transfer towards

:01:09. > :01:11.western and eastern parts of Wales, down towards the south-west and

:01:12. > :01:17.fade. Then we have got our next system coming in from bringing in

:01:18. > :01:21.more rain and stronger breeze. Where we have had clear skies by day the

:01:22. > :01:26.temperature will fall rapidly and it will be cold. So a cold start to the

:01:27. > :01:28.day toll, but there will be a lot of sunshine around. However, in the

:01:29. > :01:32.south-eastern quadrant of the country, more cloud the the rain

:01:33. > :01:36.that we have overnight, turning more showery, but on this brisk breeze,

:01:37. > :01:40.the cloud will drift further westwards. You can see it is just

:01:41. > :01:43.the western fringes of Wales and south-west England that hang on to

:01:44. > :01:47.the sunshine. Once again, it is Northern England, Scotland and

:01:48. > :01:51.Northern Ireland that really see a dry and a sunny pleasant day. If

:01:52. > :01:54.you're thinking of heading down to the seaside because there is going

:01:55. > :01:57.to be quite pleasant in the north, you can see the temperatures that

:01:58. > :02:02.will greet you if you're there. Cold in the sea. Also as the breeze moves

:02:03. > :02:05.across the North Sea, it will bring in cooler air and cloud for the next

:02:06. > :02:30.few days into eastern coastal counties.

:02:31. > :02:33.Morning, it's Tuesday, just after 10am, I'm Victoria Derbyshire.

:02:34. > :02:35.Our top story today - the number of disabled people

:02:36. > :02:37.going to court to fight cuts to their benefit payments

:02:38. > :02:45.Why do I need to stand up in judge and say what's wrong with me,

:02:46. > :02:47.I've not broken law, I've not done anything wrong in need

:02:48. > :02:52.to be in court for - calm down - I do not need to be in front

:02:53. > :02:56.of a judge and that annoyed me more than anything else.

:02:57. > :02:58.It's all costing the taxpayer ?1 million a week.

:02:59. > :03:01.We'll talk to a man with Parkinson's who's been through the process.

:03:02. > :03:03.An innocent couple accused of seriously injuring their baby

:03:04. > :03:07.girl are due to be reunited with her in the next few days - nine

:03:08. > :03:12.When she said it was all over it was best feeling in world,

:03:13. > :03:17.A mountain lifted from our shoulders.

:03:18. > :03:21.We were the first people to shake the judge's hand.

:03:22. > :03:27.The full interview is coming after 10:30am this morning.

:03:28. > :03:30.And it's known as "fashion's biggest night out", the evening

:03:31. > :03:32.when celebrities don't have to play by the rules.

:03:33. > :03:34.This year both elegance and extravagance were on display

:03:35. > :03:51.Labour is promising to put 10,000 more police on the streets

:03:52. > :03:54.of England and Wales if it wins the election.

:03:55. > :03:56.The party said it would fund the policy by reversing Conservative

:03:57. > :04:01.The Conservatives say the proposal is "nonsensical" as Labour has

:04:02. > :04:02.committed those savings to fund other pledges.

:04:03. > :04:05.Downing Street says it will not enter into "a briefing war"

:04:06. > :04:12.with the European Commission over the Brexit talks.

:04:13. > :04:15.It follows reports of wide differences of view

:04:16. > :04:17.between Mrs May and the President of the European Commission,

:04:18. > :04:19.Jean-Claude Juncker, at a dinner to discuss

:04:20. > :04:31.Number Ten has strongly rejected reports suggesting EU officials

:04:32. > :04:33.believed Mrs May is in a different galaxy.

:04:34. > :04:36.US President Donald Trump has said he would be "honoured" to meet

:04:37. > :04:38.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the right circumstances.

:04:39. > :04:40.Mr Trump made his comments amid continuing tensions surrounding

:04:41. > :04:43.The White House later said such talks were unlikely

:04:44. > :04:47.This programme has learned that more than 300 people a day

:04:48. > :04:50.are going to court to attempt to overturn decisions to reduce

:04:51. > :04:57.The Government is replacing Disability Living Allowance with Pip

:04:58. > :05:00.- or the personal independence payment - which is based

:05:01. > :05:07.Aaround 250,000 people have lost money as a result of the change

:05:08. > :05:10.and there has been a sharp rise in the number of legal challenges.

:05:11. > :05:13.The parents of a critically ill nine-month-old boy

:05:14. > :05:18.today against a ruling that he should be allowed to die.

:05:19. > :05:21.Last month a High Court judge ruled that doctors can withdraw life

:05:22. > :05:23.support from Charlie Gard, who has a rare genetic condition,

:05:24. > :05:30.Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital said Charlie has

:05:31. > :05:34.irreversible brain damage and should be moved to palliative care.

:05:35. > :05:36.His parents want to take him to the US

:05:37. > :05:43.We'll be speaking to a human rights lawyer and a former

:05:44. > :05:47.A surfer who went missing off the Scottish coast has been rescued

:05:48. > :05:49.after more than 30 hours clinging to his board.

:05:50. > :05:52.Matthew Bryce was reported missing by his family when he didn't return

:05:53. > :05:54.from a surfing trip in Argyll on Sunday afternoon.

:05:55. > :05:57.He was eventually picked up 13 miles off the coast still conscious

:05:58. > :06:04.Dramatic footage has emerged of a baby being pulled out of a car

:06:05. > :06:08.The pick-up truck with a father, his baby son and toddler daughter

:06:09. > :06:11.inside overturned in water near Myrtle Springs east of Dallas,

:06:12. > :06:18.Fellow motorists performed CPR on the children at the scene,

:06:19. > :06:24.who were taken to hospital and are said to be doing well.

:06:25. > :06:27.Celebrities in weird and wonderful fashion have walked the red carpet

:06:28. > :06:32.Dubbed the Oscars of the east coast, the event this year honoured

:06:33. > :06:41.The annual charity ball is held at New York's Metropolitan Museum

:06:42. > :06:43.of Art to raise money for the museum's

:06:44. > :06:50.That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 10:30am.

:06:51. > :06:53.Thank you, the latest sport now with Hugh.

:06:54. > :06:55.Hello again. Paula Radcliffe says her reputation

:06:56. > :06:58.and dignity have been damaged by proposals that would scrap

:06:59. > :07:00.all athletics world and European The credibility of records has been

:07:01. > :07:05.examined following revelations And plans to wipe the slate clean

:07:06. > :07:11.would mean Radcliffe's marathon Triple jumper Jonathan Edwards

:07:12. > :07:17.and hurdler Colin Jackson would all have their world

:07:18. > :07:20.records re-written. With European Athletics insisting

:07:21. > :07:23.they're "meaningless if people don't Mark Selby has joined

:07:24. > :07:26.a rarefied elite in snooker. In winning the World

:07:27. > :07:29.championship for a third time. He's also only the fourth

:07:30. > :07:31.player in the modern era Only greats of the game like Hendry,

:07:32. > :07:37.Davis and O'Sullivan And the world number one is becoming

:07:38. > :07:41.something of a comeback king too. Selby had been trailing his opponent

:07:42. > :07:43.in the final John Higgins winning nine out of ten frames

:07:44. > :08:00.at one point to eventually triumph Very special. I mean, to get over

:08:01. > :08:04.those two wins and be sitting at three world titles out there on my

:08:05. > :08:09.own is unbelievable. To be one of only four players to defend it is

:08:10. > :08:10.something I can only dream of. 18-15, it wasn't that much of a

:08:11. > :08:12.comeback! Liverpool's chances of qualifying

:08:13. > :08:14.for the Champions League have been boosted by one of the goals

:08:15. > :08:17.of the season by Emre Can. The midfielder lit up a pretty

:08:18. > :08:19.uninspiring game with this incredible overhead kick

:08:20. > :08:26.at the end of the first half. We will see it again in Slo Mo,

:08:27. > :08:31.glorious balance, fantastic strike. But Sebastian Prodl missed a chance

:08:32. > :08:35.to snatch a point in stoppage time. Liverpool are three

:08:36. > :08:48.points clear in third. Ben Stokes is in good form with the

:08:49. > :08:55.Champions Trophy coming up next month. He hit the first T20 century

:08:56. > :08:59.of his career for Pune supergiants in the IPL. He rescued after a

:09:00. > :09:00.terrible start and took them to victory. All of after suffering from

:09:01. > :09:02.cramp. And finally, two footballers

:09:03. > :09:04.who appeared to forget which sport Watch as the ball travels

:09:05. > :09:08.towards the halfway line. It happened in the Russian Premier

:09:09. > :09:13.League yesterday between Tom Tomsk Afterwards both players only

:09:14. > :09:25.received yellow cards. You shouldn't be sent off or doing

:09:26. > :09:29.something amusing! A lot more later on and headlines at 10:30am.

:09:30. > :09:31.What children! This morning we've revealed that

:09:32. > :09:34.more than 300 disabled people a day go to to court to overturn

:09:35. > :09:37.a decision to reduce or stop their benefits -

:09:38. > :09:39.and it's costing taxpayers around The Government is replacing what it

:09:40. > :09:44.calls the "outdated" Disability Living Allowance with Pip

:09:45. > :09:47.or the personal independence payment saying it's a better system based

:09:48. > :09:49.on individual needs. But official figures show that

:09:50. > :09:51.around 250,000 people have lost money in the switch from DLA

:09:52. > :09:58.and the number of tribunals for Pip

:09:59. > :10:01.has risen sharply in the last year. Now, we've seen leaked letters

:10:02. > :10:05.to judges suggesting the number of cases will

:10:06. > :10:12.rise again this summer. We asked the Conservative Party of

:10:13. > :10:15.Department for Work and Pensions for an interview but said no. We can

:10:16. > :10:19.speak to a Conservative MP who sits on a committee of MPs which monitors

:10:20. > :10:22.the Department for Work and Pensions. He voted in favour of the

:10:23. > :10:30.move to personal independence payments.

:10:31. > :10:33.Kayley Hignell, the head of policy at Citizens Advice who gave evidence

:10:34. > :10:37.And to Jeffrey Sturt, a former civil servant who has

:10:38. > :10:38.Parkinson's and has been through the tribunal process.

:10:39. > :10:42.Good morning. How do you react to the fact we are reporting this

:10:43. > :10:46.morning 300 disabled people a day are going to court to overturn

:10:47. > :10:50.original decisions? Good morning. The important thing is we all want

:10:51. > :10:56.to see the money go to those who need it most and if people in their

:10:57. > :10:58.original application for Pip are not getting the right result it's

:10:59. > :11:01.important there is a process where they can appeal, and in some cases

:11:02. > :11:06.they are getting the money they deserve. I've gone through this in

:11:07. > :11:11.quite a lot of detail with one of my constituents last Friday who was

:11:12. > :11:15.applying for Pip and one of the things that comes out of this is the

:11:16. > :11:20.importance of being able to gather all of the evidence for that

:11:21. > :11:24.original application. A lot of the appeals are all about producing

:11:25. > :11:27.evidence that wasn't produced originally. I think there is a real

:11:28. > :11:33.emphasis on everyone from governments, CAVs, to make it clear

:11:34. > :11:36.to people applying to make sure you've got your doctor's letter of

:11:37. > :11:40.support, evidence from people who have known you for a long time and

:11:41. > :11:44.seen your condition deteriorate and so on, get ready for the original

:11:45. > :11:49.application. Sellers down to the individual claimants? That's the

:11:50. > :11:53.reason, it's their responsibility that they in some cases are being

:11:54. > :11:59.assessed as getting zero points, therefore their original benefit is

:12:00. > :12:02.being reduced. The key is in any system trying to make sure money

:12:03. > :12:06.goes to people who need it most, you've got to have a process for

:12:07. > :12:10.analysing each individual situation, and therefore if people are applying

:12:11. > :12:13.for it, the original emphasis and the way in which those who are

:12:14. > :12:18.deciding will make their decisions is based on the evidence which is

:12:19. > :12:21.given. You may not have seen our film earlier. We spoke to one man

:12:22. > :12:28.whose Doctor wrote three times to the assessors. He had all the

:12:29. > :12:31.evidence. Yes, well I can't comment obviously on any individual

:12:32. > :12:35.situation but what I can tell you is in my constituency in Gloucester at

:12:36. > :12:39.where there are people who are not getting the benefits they believe

:12:40. > :12:43.they need and deserve, they come to me and then we help them make sure

:12:44. > :12:48.that everything is in line for an appeal and give them the best chance

:12:49. > :12:51.of winning that. Quite a lot of those appeals are winning, so that's

:12:52. > :12:56.showing in a sense that the system is functioning. I think the other

:12:57. > :12:59.point to bear in mind about the difference between Pip and DLA is

:13:00. > :13:03.more than doubled the amount of people getting the top level of

:13:04. > :13:10.benefits under the late are getting them now under Pip. Let me bring in

:13:11. > :13:13.Jeffrey Sturt, a former civil servant who has parkinsonism you've

:13:14. > :13:17.been through the tribunal process but when you are first assessed you

:13:18. > :13:24.scored zero in every field. What was your reaction to that?

:13:25. > :13:29.Astonishment. The process is demeaning and stressful, it's

:13:30. > :13:37.time-consuming and fraud on so many levels -- flawed. The score of zero

:13:38. > :13:42.I couldn't cope with the outcome because it was incredible having had

:13:43. > :13:45.the disease, the condition, full four yes, that an assessor could do

:13:46. > :13:52.that. Is that the system working as it should? Well, I'd have the

:13:53. > :13:55.benefit of working in the civil service with various departments and

:13:56. > :13:59.agencies for a number of years and their contract is and I've been able

:14:00. > :14:06.to say from that experience that the system isn't working as it should,

:14:07. > :14:18.and to be quite frank, without that insight and the assistance of

:14:19. > :14:24.parkinsonism UK and the CAB, I would have forked away and I wonder how

:14:25. > :14:28.many people are walking away -- Parkinson's UK. Do you know how many

:14:29. > :14:32.people are choosing not to appeal because of the stress it involves?

:14:33. > :14:37.That is like asking how many illegal immigrants are here? It is

:14:38. > :14:41.impossible by definition. If there is anyone in that situation I would

:14:42. > :14:45.urge them to contact their MPs. OK, we are stepping down to beat

:14:46. > :14:49.candidates in a day's time but our casework teams are still very much

:14:50. > :14:53.functioning and it's important that MPs like me and everyone else knows

:14:54. > :14:59.if somebody is in a really difficult situation. It is also important they

:15:00. > :15:03.go to the CAB, I would recommend, as early as possible when applying for

:15:04. > :15:06.Pip so they get help in understanding what sort of evidence

:15:07. > :15:11.they can produce to demonstrate the strongest case for their situation.

:15:12. > :15:15.The Government's independent review into Pip published just over a month

:15:16. > :15:20.ago said the fact that 65% of people are winning at a tribunal and

:15:21. > :15:24.overturning original decisions is "Clearly eroding the trust of people

:15:25. > :15:30.in the whole system". Would you agree? I think when there is an

:15:31. > :15:34.issue, and it would be interesting if Jeffrey has any thoughts on it,

:15:35. > :15:39.the challenge in many cases is that a lot of people who are in

:15:40. > :15:43.conditions where they want to apply for Pip, are not necessarily best

:15:44. > :15:46.able to answer a complicated application form in a relatively

:15:47. > :15:52.short space of time, and probably would benefit from help doing so. I

:15:53. > :15:56.think that is, if you like, and administrative and logistical issue

:15:57. > :16:00.about the process which the DWP does have to tackle and I think they have

:16:01. > :16:05.said they will be looking at this. OK. Jeffrey, how do you respond to

:16:06. > :16:11.that? May I pick up on that, please? Please do.

:16:12. > :16:18.My personal case, I was refused, my claim was refused with an on going

:16:19. > :16:22.complaint that hasn't been resolved with regard to the assessment

:16:23. > :16:27.process and the company that were providing that service. How can you

:16:28. > :16:30.refuse a complaint when there is an outstanding, how can you refuse a

:16:31. > :16:35.claim when there is an outstanding complaint? Evidence was provided

:16:36. > :16:41.along the lines that have just been mentioned, but that was ignored. I

:16:42. > :16:47.had doctors letters that were sent to DWP that were referred to, and

:16:48. > :16:53.then they were ignored. The assessor went through with closed questions,

:16:54. > :16:58.he didn't probe, he didn't evaluate or quantify and clarify. I

:16:59. > :17:02.personally have the need to wear an alarmed watch to time my medication

:17:03. > :17:06.throughout my day which I take every three-and-a-half hours. I mentioned

:17:07. > :17:11.that to the assessor because that's an aid, permissible under the rules

:17:12. > :17:15.for PIP, he ignored it. He didn't want to know anything about it. It

:17:16. > :17:21.want recorded on my assessment form. The evidence on my assessment

:17:22. > :17:27.fortunately form from the onset of my claim said that I had, they had

:17:28. > :17:32.received a GP's factual statement. They hadn't received a GP's factual

:17:33. > :17:37.statement. I mentioned it to the assessor, he deferred to the office,

:17:38. > :17:41.I mentioned it the company, communicating with them was trying

:17:42. > :17:47.to knock a brick wall down with a toffee hammer. Mr Graham, does that

:17:48. > :17:49.sound like the system working as it does to use your phrase from

:17:50. > :17:54.earlier? No, it doesn't. And clearly... And Jeff is not the only

:17:55. > :17:58.one, you'd acknowledge that, yes? I'm sure he is not the only one and

:17:59. > :18:05.where there are issues like that, it is incredibly important that MPs

:18:06. > :18:09.take them up, the DWP is aware of it and whoever they are, they are

:18:10. > :18:15.challenged about how they are going about their process. Is the form too

:18:16. > :18:18.complicated as Richard Graham says A form for disability benefits can be

:18:19. > :18:21.quite long because you are trying to cover a lot of different conditions

:18:22. > :18:25.and support needs. So one form filling that out is a long and

:18:26. > :18:29.complicated process for a lot of people and even myself and other

:18:30. > :18:32.advisors across Citizens Advice spend many hours helping people with

:18:33. > :18:35.the application forms with gathering the medical evidence that's been

:18:36. > :18:38.mentioned and ensuring that they have got everything they can to get

:18:39. > :18:43.through that assessment process and get it right first time. Richard

:18:44. > :18:51.Graham, is the form deliberately complicated? No, of course, not, but

:18:52. > :18:55.it is designed as the CAB mentioned, it is designed to deal with a wide

:18:56. > :18:59.range of different conditions and that does make it quite hard and

:19:00. > :19:03.complicated and I do think that's something that the DWP has got to

:19:04. > :19:07.look at again and I think they have recognised that in the last session

:19:08. > :19:12.with them in the Select Committee. There are various charities Mr

:19:13. > :19:16.Graham who argue if you have a permanent degenerative condition,

:19:17. > :19:19.such as Parkinson's for example, and you've already been assessed and

:19:20. > :19:25.placed on the highest level of support, you should never face

:19:26. > :19:30.reassessment again. Do you agree? I think Damian Green did make a

:19:31. > :19:34.statement specifically on some of those issues where people had

:19:35. > :19:39.clearly got a long-term degenerative disease and I think some of people

:19:40. > :19:46.are not going through the assessment process. So yes, I would agree with

:19:47. > :19:53.that... There are plenty who are with degenerative conditions? Sorry?

:19:54. > :19:57.There are plenty who are still being reassessed with degenerative

:19:58. > :20:00.conditions? Some conditions do degenerate, some stabilise and

:20:01. > :20:05.occasionally some do get better. So it is a mixed situation... So which

:20:06. > :20:11.permanent degenerative condition gets better? Victoria, I'm not going

:20:12. > :20:16.to try and get into an argue the about specific conditions here. It

:20:17. > :20:22.is not an argumentment you said some get better and I'm asking you which

:20:23. > :20:27.get better? Let's get back also Is that because there isn't a permanent

:20:28. > :20:34.degenerative condition that gets better? The key thing about PIP is

:20:35. > :20:38.more people are getting the top lel and more of them are getting help

:20:39. > :20:42.with mobility and more are getting help with their daily allowance than

:20:43. > :20:46.used to be the case with the DLA, there are problems on it, but to try

:20:47. > :20:50.and make the case that PIP is not working for a great deal of people,

:20:51. > :20:54.I think, is over stressing it. I don't think anybody is making that

:20:55. > :20:59.case. The number of appeals is rising. It is costing the taxpayer

:21:00. > :21:05.more than ?1 million a week. Are you happy with that sth The costs of the

:21:06. > :21:10.tribunals do you mean? Yes. Or the overall programme? The cost of the

:21:11. > :21:14.tribunal? Clearly, everyone would love to see the cost of the

:21:15. > :21:17.tribunals reduced but to have a Stel without try bums would be wrong and

:21:18. > :21:20.it is important we have they will and it is important they do the work

:21:21. > :21:24.they're doing. You can argue about whether the percentage of success

:21:25. > :21:28.means too many of the original assessments are wrong, or whether it

:21:29. > :21:34.means that actually the tribunals are doing their job in looking into

:21:35. > :21:38.great deal more detail. Either way, it's important that the system works

:21:39. > :21:43.as well as as it can and as I've said the Select Committee has

:21:44. > :21:51.recommended some improsms to the DWP and they have said... Victoria,

:21:52. > :21:55.Victoria... Jeffrey, go ahead? Sorry to interrupt, I apologise. It is not

:21:56. > :21:58.a question of what's working, it is a question of the assessments

:21:59. > :22:02.process is not working. The evidence I have for that from my own

:22:03. > :22:07.experience is the fact that the tribunals are working. The

:22:08. > :22:12.assessment process is DWP's responsibility, the tribums are the

:22:13. > :22:16.Chancellor's. When I went to the tribunal they asked open questions,

:22:17. > :22:20.they qualified and clarified and quantified the situation with

:22:21. > :22:26.regards to the example I gave you for the wristwatch, they scored me

:22:27. > :22:31.positively on that. So my question for everybody involved is why did

:22:32. > :22:34.they not score positively on the wristwatch situation in my

:22:35. > :22:45.assessment? The assessment process is flawed. It's not a question of

:22:46. > :22:50.the tribunals so much, if the process was working properly they

:22:51. > :22:55.wouldn't have to go to tribunal. Kayleigh, Richard Graham, points out

:22:56. > :23:00.that under PIP more people are receiving the highest rate of

:23:01. > :23:05.support, 26% compared to 15% under the DLA system, that's got to be a

:23:06. > :23:08.good thing? We want people to get the support they need the what is

:23:09. > :23:12.crucial is that the been fit is delivered in a way that gets that

:23:13. > :23:19.right first time. So at Citizens Advice, it is our biggest enquiry.

:23:20. > :23:25.Last year we saw 400,000 enquiries about PIP... How many? 400,000

:23:26. > :23:30.enquiries in 2016. Some of that is because it is a new benefit that's

:23:31. > :23:35.being rolled out. Peel are confused about thaflt some of it though when

:23:36. > :23:38.we drill down into it, is because there are much needed improvements

:23:39. > :23:44.in the system to make sure people get that assess the right first

:23:45. > :23:49.time. Thank you. Richard Graham who sits on the committee of MPs which

:23:50. > :23:53.monitors the Department of Work and Pensionsks and Jeffrey, thank you

:23:54. > :24:02.very much for your time, former civil servant who has Parkinson's

:24:03. > :24:07.and been true the tribunals service and Kayleigh from Citizens Advice. A

:24:08. > :24:16.viewer says, "I am a serious brain injury victim. I scored 26 points.

:24:17. > :24:20.All professional medical people say that my medical condition will never

:24:21. > :24:27.get better or improve. About a month ago I had another assessment for

:24:28. > :24:32.PIP, I scored zero points. No explanation has been given. Because

:24:33. > :24:38.of this my PIP has been stopped and the disability payment of my ESA has

:24:39. > :24:44.been stopped. It is not approximately ?80 per week I'm worse

:24:45. > :24:49.off, it is ?143 I am worse off. I simply do not know what I am

:24:50. > :24:56.supposed to do anymore." Sue says, "My son has just been

:24:57. > :25:00.through a tribunal he was awarded zero points and then 27 points on

:25:01. > :25:04.appeal. He was so stressed by having to wait for so long that his

:25:05. > :25:11.machinal health got worse and he was a nervous wreck." -- mental health

:25:12. > :25:14.got worse and he was a nervous wreck." The Government has no idea

:25:15. > :25:22.what they are putting people through. He is suffering panic

:25:23. > :25:25.attacks and becoming suicidal. Viv says, "I'm watching your

:25:26. > :25:33.programme and I'm getting really angry. I'm having to go go for an

:25:34. > :25:37.assessment. The offices in a pedestrian area. All that involves

:25:38. > :25:41.is stress to plan to get there, to see if I can get there and to see if

:25:42. > :25:47.I can get back. We've worked hard all our lives even with our

:25:48. > :25:51.disabilities we try to get on, but not having the freedom to get out is

:25:52. > :25:57.daunting to be trapped at home is unthinkable." So many of you getting

:25:58. > :26:01.in touch to share your experience of appealing against your original

:26:02. > :26:05.assessment decision. Our reporter Jim Reed has been following one

:26:06. > :26:10.woman's story as she appealed against that decision.

:26:11. > :26:13.Debbie Neal was diagnosed ten years ago with a rare kidney disease.

:26:14. > :26:16.She takes dozens of pills to manage the symptoms.

:26:17. > :26:19.Then five times a day, she does this, empties out excess

:26:20. > :26:22.fluid from a tube in her stomach and replaces it with

:26:23. > :26:28.You can only live your life to a point.

:26:29. > :26:31.I can't even remember what it was like not ever doing it.

:26:32. > :26:34.Debbie lives on her own and works part-time as a cleaner.

:26:35. > :26:36.For years she's relied on DLA, or Disability Living Allowance,

:26:37. > :26:41.But that is slowly being replaced by a new benefit,

:26:42. > :26:46.the Personal Independence Payment, or Pip.

:26:47. > :26:48.When she was reassessed by a private company, all her payments

:26:49. > :27:01.I put on a brave face, but inside I'm just...

:27:02. > :27:08.That morning, Debbie is meeting Alex Powell,

:27:09. > :27:11.from a local charity that helps people with their claims.

:27:12. > :27:14.The Government says it is spending more than ever on disability

:27:15. > :27:19.benefits and many have seen their incomes rise

:27:20. > :27:22.since PIP was introduced, but more than a quarter of a million

:27:23. > :27:24.people have lost out in the switch from DLA.

:27:25. > :27:26.This benefit doesn't stop because you're

:27:27. > :27:44.We'll get it all sorted out once and for all.

:27:45. > :27:46.Debbie has already asked for her case to be reviewed, and lost.

:27:47. > :27:49.Now she wants to go to tribunal in court, to ask a judge

:27:50. > :28:02.Because, you know, I am ill and I've got...

:28:03. > :28:24.I've got to believe it, even though I don't want to.

:28:25. > :28:26.Debbie's hearing will take about an hour in court number two,

:28:27. > :28:29.in front of a judge, a doctor and a disability

:28:30. > :28:35.My emotions are all over the place at the moment.

:28:36. > :28:42.She is being represented by Alex, but she'll be questioned directly

:28:43. > :28:47.and in detail by all three of the tribunal members.

:28:48. > :28:55.It has taken a year, but Debbie has won her appeal.

:28:56. > :29:07.Most of her payments will now be guaranteed for the next ten years.

:29:08. > :29:10.That bit there, "The decision made by Secretary of State on the 4th

:29:11. > :29:16.I was just been honest about how I feel, I couldn't

:29:17. > :29:28.The Department of Work and Pensions told us that decisions are made

:29:29. > :29:35.following all the evidence from the complainedant. We routinely review

:29:36. > :29:38.our work to make sure we focus our resources on the viable ogses and

:29:39. > :29:41.deliver support for the most vulnerable in society.

:29:42. > :29:45.In their first TV interview we'll speak to the couple

:29:46. > :29:47.who was wrongly accused of seriously injuring their baby girl.

:29:48. > :29:51.They are due to be reunited with her in the next few days -

:29:52. > :29:58.nine months after she was taken away.

:29:59. > :30:01.News and sport in a couple of minutes - but first -

:30:02. > :30:03.it was dresses galore at the Met Gala in New York.

:30:04. > :30:05.Our entertainment reporter Sinead Garvan is here.

:30:06. > :30:13.Who wore the most ridiculous outfit? Katie Perry we have to talk about

:30:14. > :30:19.first. The reason she was in one of the more ridiculous ones, she was

:30:20. > :30:24.co-hosting this event. She was covered in like a red veil. This is

:30:25. > :30:27.the sort of outfit you could probably make yourself!

:30:28. > :30:30.LAUGHTER She has headwear that has two

:30:31. > :30:34.mirrors, but the close up shots of the mirrors will show the mirrors

:30:35. > :30:44.hadn't been cleaned. They were mucky actually.

:30:45. > :30:50.You would get finger prints on them trying to get them on. She had

:30:51. > :31:00.witnessed written across her forehand. -- forehead. Rihanna never

:31:01. > :31:03.fails to impress. She was wearing Comme des Garcons which this ball

:31:04. > :31:07.was in honour of last night. She said in an interview it was quite

:31:08. > :31:12.easy to put on, just a pair of shorts and then the top bit goes on

:31:13. > :31:16.but the boots go all the way up to her Falla and they took an hour to

:31:17. > :31:21.get on. She's one of the most beautiful women in the world wearing

:31:22. > :31:27.something that looks like it was made in primary school -- the boots

:31:28. > :31:32.go all the way up to her thigh. I don't know if the designer would be

:31:33. > :31:35.happy to hear that. It is a bit more out there, it's not like your

:31:36. > :31:38.average Premier, here is Pharrell Williams and his wife and she can't

:31:39. > :31:45.get her hands out. How should she eat her dinner? That is horrific. He

:31:46. > :31:49.is wearing a designer as well, Comme des Garcons, but a kind of casual

:31:50. > :31:52.viewer of it. There is a lot of people saying Pharrell Williams's

:31:53. > :32:00.wife, what did she look like? Madonna is in full Camogie, it looks

:32:01. > :32:04.more army surplus store than perhaps high-end fashion. -- camouflage. We

:32:05. > :32:10.don't know who designed it but she was hanging around with Jeremy Scott

:32:11. > :32:15.who is a designer. That looks like a kids have gone down the shop and

:32:16. > :32:19.stuck it together. Carol Dovi in, very interesting, this silver

:32:20. > :32:25.haired. -- Cara Delevingne. She shaved her head for a new role she's

:32:26. > :32:30.playing, A Year In The Life where she plays a dying kid. Everyone is

:32:31. > :32:32.talking about the headpiece she has painted on to make it more

:32:33. > :32:39.avant-garde, which is what the event is about. Serena Williams. She looks

:32:40. > :32:43.beautiful. She really does command having a great time and everyone was

:32:44. > :32:47.congratulating her. That is a Moore-Taylor outfit compared to what

:32:48. > :32:52.we have seen before. You could see the lady in the background with big

:32:53. > :33:00.cat. There are some more kind of plain addresses like JLo looking

:33:01. > :33:03.very elegant there -- plain dresses. You want exciting things at the Met

:33:04. > :33:07.Gala because you want to look at them in the paper the next day. Kim

:33:08. > :33:10.Kardashian will not wear jewellery now because of the robbery so when

:33:11. > :33:14.she is at big events she will not have jewellery on and she looked

:33:15. > :33:17.very dressed down and playing for her which was interesting to see.

:33:18. > :33:22.Did Pharrell Williams have something to say? He did indeed. Because the

:33:23. > :33:27.night was all in tribute to this designer Rei Kawakubo. She founded

:33:28. > :33:31.Comme des Garcons which is a Japanese high-end fashion company.

:33:32. > :33:34.She is someone I don't think many of us have heard of. It's not like John

:33:35. > :33:39.Paul Gautier and those sort of things. He talked about how other

:33:40. > :33:42.designers are quite obsessed with her. I think we can hear him now.

:33:43. > :33:45.Rei is your favourite designer's favourite designer.

:33:46. > :33:48.I mean, like, her abstract way of thinking just continues

:33:49. > :33:51.to influence so many brands, and four or five years later they'll

:33:52. > :34:00.And think about it, it's so call it's a woman.

:34:01. > :34:07.It's so warm and that's, like, a woman is the king of fashion.

:34:08. > :34:12.And also it's Japanese, I love Japanese culture,

:34:13. > :34:16.I love everything that Tokyo has given me personally, you know?

:34:17. > :34:21.So, for me, it's Rei Kawakubo and Nigo.

:34:22. > :34:29.That's it for me. What is interesting about the Met Ball is

:34:30. > :34:32.nominally people know what it's about, they just see people in these

:34:33. > :34:37.dresses and actually it's just the opening night of fashion exhibition

:34:38. > :34:40.in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, every year they will pay

:34:41. > :34:44.tribute to one fashion house, or one designer, and for that year there

:34:45. > :34:51.will be this amazing exhibition going on there. So this year it is

:34:52. > :34:55.Rei, as you heard, Rei Kawakubo who is the founder of Comme des Garcons

:34:56. > :34:59.command for the entire year her display will be in this entire

:35:00. > :35:02.museum. Do they raise loads of money for charity as well? Yes, it's a

:35:03. > :35:05.fundraiser and lots of fun but that's why the outfits tend to be a

:35:06. > :35:10.bit more out there for this because they are trying to pay tribute to

:35:11. > :35:14.that designer. Her catwalks are the type of catwalks that you look and

:35:15. > :35:20.think, who would ever wear that? Who would ever wear that? They are the

:35:21. > :35:23.craziest ones. Hence why Rihanna was wearing that which was from the

:35:24. > :35:29.catwalk by Comme des Garcons. And probably cost ten grand, 20 grand,

:35:30. > :35:32.50 grand? Probably more! I think there are a few diamonds in there as

:35:33. > :35:38.well so probably even more. Thank you for joining us. We will have the

:35:39. > :35:39.latest news and sport in the moment and the latest on the case of

:35:40. > :35:41.Charlie Gard. A critically ill nine-month-old boy

:35:42. > :35:43.- whose parents are reported to be lodging an appeal -

:35:44. > :35:51.against a ruling that he should be In what is being described as a car

:35:52. > :35:58.crash interview Labour's home affairs spokesman Diane Abott fails

:35:59. > :35:59.to correctly say how much Labour's policy on more police officers will

:36:00. > :36:03.cost. It is 10:35am. With the News here's Joanna

:36:04. > :36:05.in the BBC Newsroom. Labour is promising to put 10,000

:36:06. > :36:08.more police on the streets of England and Wales if it

:36:09. > :36:10.wins the election. The party said it would fund

:36:11. > :36:12.the policy by reversing Conservative The Conservatives say the proposal

:36:13. > :36:17.is "nonsensical" as Labour has committed those savings to fund

:36:18. > :36:22.other pledges. Downing Street says it will not

:36:23. > :36:25.enter into "a briefing war" with the European Commission over

:36:26. > :36:29.the Brexit talks. It follows reports of wide

:36:30. > :36:31.differences of view between Mrs May and the President

:36:32. > :36:33.of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker,

:36:34. > :36:35.at a dinner to discuss Number Ten has strongly rejected

:36:36. > :36:44.reports suggesting EU officials believed Mrs May is in

:36:45. > :37:03.a different galaxy. US President Donald Trump has said

:37:04. > :37:06.he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,

:37:07. > :37:08.in the right circumstances. Mr Trump made his comments

:37:09. > :37:10.amid continuing tensions surrounding The White House later said

:37:11. > :37:22.such talks were unlikely That is a summary of the latest

:37:23. > :37:25.news. Join me for newsroom live from 11am. Here is Hugh again with the

:37:26. > :37:27.sport. Mark Selby has become the Snooker

:37:28. > :37:30.World Champion for a third time. The world number one came back

:37:31. > :37:33.from 10-4 down to beat John Higgins He becomes only the fourth man

:37:34. > :37:37.in the modern era to successfully Paula Radcliffe says her reputation

:37:38. > :37:46.and dignity have been damaged by plans to scrap all athletics

:37:47. > :37:49.world and European records Which would mean her 2003 marathon

:37:50. > :37:53.world record would be rewritten. The credibility of records has been

:37:54. > :37:55.under scrutiny following revelations One of the goals of the season

:37:56. > :38:02.from Emre Can boosts Liverpool's chances of qualifying

:38:03. > :38:06.for the Champions League. This stunning strike was enough

:38:07. > :38:09.to beat Watford last night. Liverpool are three points clear

:38:10. > :38:16.in third having played a game more. And encouraging news for England

:38:17. > :38:18.cricket fans ahead of next On his return from injury,

:38:19. > :38:26.Ben Stokes hit his first T20 century helping his team win

:38:27. > :38:33.in the Indian Premier League. The parents of a critically ill

:38:34. > :38:35.nine-month-old boy say they'll appeal against a ruling

:38:36. > :38:38.that he should be allowed to die. Charlie Gard is currently

:38:39. > :38:44.receiving 24 hour care at Great Ormond Street Hospital

:38:45. > :38:46.for a genetic condition so rare, he's believed to be only one of 16

:38:47. > :38:49.people in the whole world He has an extremely rare

:38:50. > :38:53.muscle wasting condition There's no known medical cure

:38:54. > :38:59.for his condition and last month, the High Court ruled that Charlie

:39:00. > :39:02.should die with dignity and have his His parents, Connie Yates

:39:03. > :39:06.and Chris Gard, raised over ?1.3 million for their son to have

:39:07. > :39:09.experimental treatment in the United States in a last

:39:10. > :39:14.attempt to save him. Today is the deadline for them

:39:15. > :39:17.to lodge their appeal Charlie Gard's life support can't be

:39:18. > :39:23.turned off until then. We spoke to Connie Yates

:39:24. > :39:26.and Chris Gard earlier this year and they told us why they won't stop

:39:27. > :39:35.fighting for their son. The people that say he is in pain

:39:36. > :39:37.don't spend all day and night with him.

:39:38. > :39:40.And he's not on painkillers, so if they thought he was in pain,

:39:41. > :39:47.You know, we are there all day, every day.

:39:48. > :39:49.People who wrote the reports for court spent very

:39:50. > :39:53.So if anyone knows him, obviously they're the experts

:39:54. > :39:55.when it comes to the clinical side of things, but if

:39:56. > :39:59.Do you think if we suspected he was in pain, we'd

:40:00. > :40:02.If we were sitting there thinking he was in pain,

:40:03. > :40:07.You know, he's our boy, we love him, and we're doing

:40:08. > :40:11.I just wish we were trusted to know what's best for our son.

:40:12. > :40:14.I think we've shown the dedication we've got.

:40:15. > :40:17.We're not keeping him here just for our benefit, you know,

:40:18. > :40:27.As I said, as we were talking about before,

:40:28. > :40:33.he has fought to save, to stay here.

:40:34. > :40:36.As I say, if we feel he's not in pain and suffering,

:40:37. > :40:38.which we don't, because seriously, we would not be doing this,

:40:39. > :40:46.We just want him to be given a chance, and if he's not

:40:47. > :40:48.in pain and not suffering, as we feel he is, then

:40:49. > :40:51.we will fight to the very end to get him the treatment

:40:52. > :40:57.The parents of Charlie Gard who spoke to us last month.

:40:58. > :41:00.Let's talk now to Anna Moore who is a human rights solicitor

:41:01. > :41:02.and has represented families in similar cases.

:41:03. > :41:03.Lizzie Tandy is a former neonatal nurse.

:41:04. > :41:10.Good morning to you both. Anna, you have acted for family members in

:41:11. > :41:15.cases similar to this one. What kind of factors can lead to a successful

:41:16. > :41:18.appeal? To bring a successful appeal you would have to convince the

:41:19. > :41:23.Appeal Court that the judge in the first instance had made a mistake

:41:24. > :41:28.based on the facts or the law. It's quite a difficult thing to do. The

:41:29. > :41:32.reason this case came to court in the first place was because the

:41:33. > :41:36.prospect of another treatment in America which Charlie's parents

:41:37. > :41:40.should do not think he should be given the opportunity to have. The

:41:41. > :41:44.court heard evidence of the prospects of the successful

:41:45. > :41:48.treatment and decided it was unlikely, balancing all of the

:41:49. > :41:53.things it has to consider, felt that it would not be in Charlie's best

:41:54. > :41:56.interests for him to have the treatment and said it would be in

:41:57. > :42:03.his best interests to allow the trust to stop ventilating him.

:42:04. > :42:08.Lyssio as -- Lizzie, as a former neonatal nurse, how did doctors

:42:09. > :42:12.reach the decision to withdraw treatment from a child? Talk us

:42:13. > :42:17.through the process. It is not a decision that is taken lightly by

:42:18. > :42:22.any stretch. This is a decision that the paediatric consultants and

:42:23. > :42:27.neonatal consultants will have considered over a relatively long

:42:28. > :42:30.period of time as regards to how will the child is. The

:42:31. > :42:36.multidisciplinary teams will then come together, have a big meeting,

:42:37. > :42:39.discuss the best way forward, the best way for the child and for the

:42:40. > :42:44.parents of the family, for them to be able to grieve and to get

:42:45. > :42:48.closure. But, you know, it's not a decision that is taken lightly. You

:42:49. > :42:54.have to look at every single possible outcome for this child,

:42:55. > :42:57.whichever child, whether it's an extremely premature baby, or if it's

:42:58. > :43:01.somebody like Charlie Gard, who is now eight or nine months old, and

:43:02. > :43:05.they have to look at what the quality-of-life would be for that

:43:06. > :43:08.child. So it's not a decision that would have been taken lightly. That

:43:09. > :43:12.decision would have been discussed with the parents as well. Which is

:43:13. > :43:18.where the disagreement has arisen in this case. Exactly. The parents

:43:19. > :43:25.released a new photograph today which we can show you, with their

:43:26. > :43:31.little boy in Great Ormond Street Hospital. Withdrawing ventilation is

:43:32. > :43:35.the kind of case you come across. What kind of advice do you give to

:43:36. > :43:38.families who might disagree with the opinion of their doctors? The first

:43:39. > :43:42.thing I'll was safe to families is they should seek a second opinion,

:43:43. > :43:44.because there would be no prospect of successfully challenging a

:43:45. > :43:48.decision unless you have another doctor saying treatment should be

:43:49. > :43:53.provided, or they should be some different cause of action has to the

:43:54. > :44:01.one suggested. Excuse me, there is never more than one paediatric

:44:02. > :44:05.consultant, there would always be another consultant on a case of

:44:06. > :44:09.this. Often I would advise clients to seek an opinion from a doctor

:44:10. > :44:13.working in a different trust. I do think often the difficulties in this

:44:14. > :44:17.case is one of communication. Doctors and other professionals

:44:18. > :44:21.working in these cases do an incredible job, in incredibly

:44:22. > :44:25.difficult circumstances. But sometimes there is difficulty in

:44:26. > :44:29.communicating to families about why decisions are being taken and the

:44:30. > :44:33.reasons why, for example in this case, ventilation should be

:44:34. > :44:38.withdrawn. Often it takes the issue of court proceedings for the

:44:39. > :44:41.information to come out. But these are the rare cases and not many of

:44:42. > :44:48.these cases reach court, and so the ones you see and that reported are

:44:49. > :44:53.in the minority. Thank you both for your time. We appreciate it. Lizzie

:44:54. > :44:54.Candy, a former neonatal nurse and animal who is a human rights

:44:55. > :44:59.solicitor. Diane Abbott - Labour's spokesperson

:45:00. > :45:02.on home affairs has struggled through an interview this morning

:45:03. > :45:04.as she attempted to explain how much Labour's policy of recruiting 10,000

:45:05. > :45:07.more police officers would cost. Back to Norman who was listening.

:45:08. > :45:14.Tell us about it. Labour were already under enough

:45:15. > :45:18.pressure over their plans to recruit 10,000 more police officers with the

:45:19. > :45:21.Tories asking how their sums add up but on LBC radio this morning Diane

:45:22. > :45:26.Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, the woman should, you should have

:45:27. > :45:30.the information at her fingertips and should be completely on top of

:45:31. > :45:34.how the sums add up frankly got into the most awful tangle over the

:45:35. > :45:39.numbers and it ended up in what can only be described as a horror show.

:45:40. > :45:44.It was just a real turn curler of an interview. Have a listen.

:45:45. > :45:52.So how much would 10,000 police officers cost zm Well, if we recruit

:45:53. > :46:00.the 10,000 policemen and women over a four year period we believe it

:46:01. > :46:05.will be about ?300,000. ?300,000? Sorry. For 10,000 police officers,

:46:06. > :46:12.what are you paying them? Sorry. How much will they cost? They will

:46:13. > :46:20.cost... They will cost, it will cost... Mm about... About ?80

:46:21. > :46:31.million. ?80 million. I heard another radio

:46:32. > :46:35.station say ?300 million? I wish I could give you a clear answer of how

:46:36. > :46:40.much it will cost. They say they will reverse the capital gains cuts

:46:41. > :46:44.and that raises ?2.5 billion, but the details of how the numbers work

:46:45. > :46:50.out frankly I'm not sure we're much clearer. And the problem, of course,

:46:51. > :46:53.is elections are often about credibility, they're about

:46:54. > :46:57.competence and they are about do you trust the people who are going to be

:46:58. > :47:03.governing you? When you have that sort of interview it makes people

:47:04. > :47:08.think, hang on a sec, they haven't got a grip of those numbers, Jeremy

:47:09. > :47:10.Corbyn tried to brush it aside and saying he wasn't embarrassed by

:47:11. > :47:12.Diane Abbott's interview. Have a listen.

:47:13. > :47:19.?300 million. REPORTER: Diane Abbott was saying it

:47:20. > :47:27.would be ?80 million. She got confused saying ?300,000 and ?80

:47:28. > :47:31.million She corrected the figure and it will be paid for by not going

:47:32. > :47:35.ahead with the cuts in Capital Gains Tax.

:47:36. > :47:39.REPORTER: Is it embarrassing that your Shadow Home Secretary got the

:47:40. > :47:42.figures wrong? No, we have corrected the figure and it will be clear now,

:47:43. > :47:48.today and under the manifesto. I'm not embarrassed in the slightest.

:47:49. > :47:55.I'm not sure that Diane Abbott corrected the figure, certainly not

:47:56. > :47:59.at her first go when she floated the idea of ?80 million to pay for

:48:00. > :48:04.10,000 police officers, that means the police officers were only

:48:05. > :48:07.getting paid ?8,000. Listen more to Diane Abbott.

:48:08. > :48:15.If you divide ?80 million by 10,000, you get ?8,000, is that what you're

:48:16. > :48:20.going to pay the policemen and women? No, we're talking about a

:48:21. > :48:27.process over four years. I don't understand P what is he or she, ?80

:48:28. > :48:36.million, didded by 10,000, equals 8,000. So... What are the police

:48:37. > :48:41.officers going to be paid? We will be paying them the average... Has

:48:42. > :48:48.this been thought through? Of course, it has been thought through.

:48:49. > :48:52.Whichever party you're from, you have got to know the numbers because

:48:53. > :48:56.you will be asked what the numbers are. It's great fun, but there is a

:48:57. > :48:59.serious point to it as well. This is a Mabelingor policy announcement

:49:00. > :49:06.from Labour on crime. They want to show how they can afford to put more

:49:07. > :49:10.bobbies on the beat. This is a key law and order plank which is we will

:49:11. > :49:13.find the money to recruit 10,000 more police officers. Only it seems

:49:14. > :49:17.that the woman who is in charge of the policy, either hasn't done her

:49:18. > :49:21.homework and sat down and studied it all, or actually the numbers are a

:49:22. > :49:24.bit flaky and that does matter because at the end of the day it

:49:25. > :49:28.comes down to not just competence, it comes down to credibility. Yes,

:49:29. > :49:32.we can have a laugh and it's great fun and it is a toe curler moment

:49:33. > :49:34.and it will be probably be one of those moments during the election

:49:35. > :49:39.campaign, but there is a serious point too. If you are the person

:49:40. > :49:43.aspiring to run our police force as Diane Abbott is, then you've got to

:49:44. > :49:47.know how you're going to pay for it and in that interview, frankly Diane

:49:48. > :49:51.Abbott sounded a bit flaky. Thank you, Norman.

:49:52. > :49:53.Next this morning, an innocent couple accused of seriously

:49:54. > :49:56.injuring their baby girl are due to be reunited with her in the next

:49:57. > :49:59.few days - nine months after she was taken away.

:50:00. > :50:01.23-year-old Craig Stillwell and Carla Andrews were able to prove

:50:02. > :50:05.Effie has a rare medical condition which causes "easy bruising".

:50:06. > :50:07.Her father had been arrested on suspicion of hurting her and both

:50:08. > :50:12.But after a nine month fight to clear their name she's

:50:13. > :50:17.Her mum and dad describe their experience as every

:50:18. > :50:22.It means they've missed her first Christmas, her first teeth growing

:50:23. > :50:37.When we took her in, they told us Effie had a bleed on the brain, but

:50:38. > :50:44.it wasn't the first one. And from then, they kind of suspected that we

:50:45. > :50:47.had had shaken her. And it was obviously horrific. They called the

:50:48. > :50:50.social and the police. They told us that the social services were going

:50:51. > :50:58.to be involved, but they never mixed anything about the police. Why did

:50:59. > :51:04.they think that? I think because obviously in their textbooks, it

:51:05. > :51:09.says that when a baby comes in with the type of injury that Effie had,

:51:10. > :51:14.they they have got shaken baby syndrome. That's what you were

:51:15. > :51:17.suspected of. At what point did you realise you were suspected of

:51:18. > :51:21.actually Harolding your little girl? It was when the Thames Valley Police

:51:22. > :51:25.came in and said we have a few questions. How did that make you

:51:26. > :51:28.feel? Quite angry to be honest. It was scary because we didn't

:51:29. > :51:33.understand why they were even there in the first place. Presumably this

:51:34. > :51:42.was within hours of you getting to the hospital? Yeah. I was arrested

:51:43. > :51:46.at 3.15 on suspicion of GBH, Carla went in voluntarily and after that,

:51:47. > :51:51.it was a load of court cases. In the meantime what were you saying to the

:51:52. > :51:55.police and to social workers? That we hadn't harmed her. And we knew

:51:56. > :52:00.from day one it was medical, but we just needed that little bit of push.

:52:01. > :52:05.How long has this been going on for? Nine months now. Can you try and

:52:06. > :52:11.give a little bit of insight into what it's like not to be with your

:52:12. > :52:16.baby girl as she is growing up? It's horrible. It's one of worst things I

:52:17. > :52:20.think that you can actually go through if you're a parent. What

:52:21. > :52:26.kind of things have you missed while she has been with the foster family?

:52:27. > :52:38.Her first Christmas. And her teeth growing. Her almost, she is almost

:52:39. > :52:43.crawling now and she is saying dadd and mumma and they are the things

:52:44. > :52:47.we've missed out. You are able to see her under supervision. Tell us

:52:48. > :52:54.about that? When we first started it was an hour-and-a-half for three day

:52:55. > :53:01.days a week, but now we can see her every day. How is she? She is doing

:53:02. > :53:04.really well and reached most milestones. What's the medical

:53:05. > :53:10.conclusion about what is medically wrong with Effie? They said it was

:53:11. > :53:16.most likely to have been caused, the first bleed she had would have been

:53:17. > :53:25.from birth. So that put pressure on her head and the EDS caused a

:53:26. > :53:28.rebleed. It is a collection of inherited conditions affecting

:53:29. > :53:32.connective tissues. It is believed to affect one in every 5,000 births.

:53:33. > :53:36.You have been to the Family Court and at that hearing the judge said

:53:37. > :53:40.that your little girl should come back to you and that you've

:53:41. > :53:49.experienced unimaginable horror. Tell us what you felt when you heard

:53:50. > :53:52.those words? It was, it, when she said that it was all over and Effie

:53:53. > :53:58.was coming home, it was just probably the best thing in the

:53:59. > :54:03.world. It didn't sink in properly. What about you, Craig? It felt like

:54:04. > :54:08.a mountain had been lifted from my shoulders. It was amazing and we're

:54:09. > :54:12.the first people that shook the judge's hand. And when will Effie be

:54:13. > :54:20.home? We're hoping Wednesday, but if not, it might be Friday. How will

:54:21. > :54:24.you celebrate? Just being in our new home and enjoy it as a family.

:54:25. > :54:28.Thales valley police said that the decision to arrest the parents of a

:54:29. > :54:32.child that's deemed to be at risk of harm is not one they would take

:54:33. > :54:35.lightly as the head of crime for Thames Valley Police few things make

:54:36. > :54:38.me happier than when the evidence shows that the parents did not

:54:39. > :54:42.contribute to any harm experienced by their child. What do you think

:54:43. > :54:51.about the way the police did treat you? To be honest I think it is all

:54:52. > :54:59.done wrong. I just think the way they conducted themselves and I

:55:00. > :55:02.think it should have been done properly and the collective tissue

:55:03. > :55:06.disorder found out quicker. Do you understand why the authorities would

:55:07. > :55:12.have to investigate? I think they were just doing what they had to,

:55:13. > :55:17.but it was mainly the hospital that made us feel uncomfortable. It was

:55:18. > :55:21.the way the hospital, they looked at us as if we've done something and

:55:22. > :55:22.they spoke to us like we'd done something and they didn't give us a

:55:23. > :55:29.chance to prove that we hadn't. The Chief Nurse at Buckinghamshire

:55:30. > :55:44.Healthcare NHS Trust has told us in a statement this morning,

:55:45. > :55:49."We are sorry for the distress and anxiety that the Stillwell

:55:50. > :55:51.family have experienced. We take our responsibility

:55:52. > :55:53.for our patients seriously in situations where we have concerns

:55:54. > :55:56.we work with partners to provide appropriate support following agreed

:55:57. > :55:57.multi-agency procedures. We recognise that the past few

:55:58. > :56:00.months must have been difficult for the Stillwell family

:56:01. > :56:02.and we would be keen to meet with them to understand and learn

:56:03. > :56:05.from their experience." He's a child protection expert

:56:06. > :56:08.and the former chair of the British Association of Social

:56:09. > :56:10.Workers. He joins us from our

:56:11. > :56:13.Bristol newsroom. Well, what a remarkable couple. I

:56:14. > :56:16.saw no issues about revenge or getting back at anybodiment they

:56:17. > :56:18.just seem to want to get on with their lives and have their baby

:56:19. > :56:21.back, that's remarkable after what happened to them. It's so difficult

:56:22. > :56:23.in these cases. Every day in England there is between 50 and 60,000

:56:24. > :56:26.children who are deemed to be at risk of the people they're living

:56:27. > :56:28.with or caring for them. Making absolute judgements and assessments

:56:29. > :56:30.on every one of the cases is sometimes very difficult. In this

:56:31. > :56:34.case, the police and social services were totally guided as far as I can

:56:35. > :56:39.understand it by the medics. You're to the going to, as a non medical

:56:40. > :56:44.person, disagree with them over that and if they're saying that they

:56:45. > :56:48.strongly suspect that a child has been abused then the chances are

:56:49. > :56:52.that you're not going to err on the side of caution until you've looked

:56:53. > :56:56.into it further. But it has taken nearly nine months

:56:57. > :57:02.for them to be exonerated? I know. I know. I know. It's terrible. This is

:57:03. > :57:06.going to live with them for the rest of their lives. It's great that the

:57:07. > :57:09.baby is coming home. It is great that they have a presentation about

:57:10. > :57:14.it and they are so even headed about it, but at the end of the day,

:57:15. > :57:18.you've just got to go with professional advice to some degree

:57:19. > :57:22.and I'm not sure about various other conditions that there are. There are

:57:23. > :57:27.so many other genetic conditions that cause children to be affected

:57:28. > :57:33.in different ways. I'm thinking of things like pigmentation issues in

:57:34. > :57:36.Afro Caribbean children by is called Mongolian blue spot which is

:57:37. > :57:40.confused with bruising so there is some challenge there of the it is a

:57:41. > :57:43.real nightmare sometimes trying to sort of distinguish between

:57:44. > :57:47.protecting a child and maintaining the integrity of a family.

:57:48. > :57:52.Thank you very much for your tile. Thank you. David Niven child

:57:53. > :57:54.protection expert and former chair of the British Association of Social

:57:55. > :57:55.Workers. On the programme tomorrow we look

:57:56. > :57:58.at whether new rules which limit the amount of time people can spend

:57:59. > :58:06.on bail to 28 days will actually If you want to share our film about

:58:07. > :58:11.personal independence payments and the people who are taking their

:58:12. > :58:17.initial decisions to tribunal and winning, go to our programme page.

:58:18. > :58:35.Thanks for watching. We're back tomorrow at 9am.

:58:36. > :58:38.There'll be a couple of hours of just fantastic music, really,

:58:39. > :58:41.all the Ella classics, as well as some very special guests,

:58:42. > :58:44.we have Mica Paris, Imelda May, Dame Cleo Laine

:58:45. > :58:49.'There's a side to Rory that the public doesn't see.

:58:50. > :58:54.'Rory has suspected for some time that he may have ADHD.