31/08/2017 Victoria Derbyshire

This morning: Britain has the gayest parliament in the world -

but what's it like for a poltitician when they come out?

This morning, Kezia Dugdale, the former leader of

Scottish Labour, tells us she was outed by

I didn't have complete control over coming out.

I came out in the middle of an incredibly intense

It was the 2016 Scottish parliament elections.

It wasn't under my control, and I do regret that,

And one Conservative MP tells us he thinks he was turned down

for a Government job because of he's gay.

That full exclusive report in 15 minutes' time.

Also on the programme, tributes are being paid

to Diana exactly 20 years after she was killed

To have something so traumatic as the death of your mother

when you're 15, as very sadly, many people have experienced,

and no one wants to experience, it leaves you...

It will either make or break you, and I wouldn't let it break me.

We will talk about her legacy with her former bodyguard who worked with

her for six years. Plus - Theresa May says she's not

quitting and plans to carry on as Prime Minister to fight

the next general election. We'll get reaction

from Conservative Mps - let me know what you think of that

statement, whoever you vote for Welcome to the programme,

we're live until 11. Throughout the morning,

we'll bring you the latest news and developing stories

and as always, rEally keen to hear from you on all the stories

we're talking about. After ten, we will be talking to a

young woman who has been on 77 first dates in two years in the hope of

finding the right bloke. So far, none of them have been good enough,

apparently. Tell us about your first dates, the triumphs and disasters.

The details on your screen. The Prime Minister, Theresa May says

she wants to lead the Conservatives saying she's in it

"for the long term". The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

has given his support but backbench Conservative MPs have told the BBC

they're sceptical she'll be able to stay in the job

until the next general election. Theresa May is currently

on a three-day trip to Japan. Our political correspondent

Ben Wright is with her. There has been an awful lot

of speculation about my future that There is a real job to be done

in the United Kingdom. It's about getting the Brexit deal

right, it's about building that deep and special partnership

with the European Union for the future, but it is also

about building global Britain, trading around the world, yes,

dealing with injustices that remain inside the United Kingdom,

but also going out around the world ensuring that we can do those trade

deals which bring prosperity to our economy and bring jobs

to the United Kingdom. Chris Rogers is in the BBC

Newsroom with a summary The former Scottish Labour leader

Kezia Dugdale has exclusively told this programme she had to come out

as gay after being The Member of the

Scottish Parliament - who recently quit as leader -

says when she asked for her quotes on her sexuality not to be included,

her request was ignored. Dugdale is one of a number of

politicians asked by this programme about what it was like opening up

about their sexuality. I would always answer honestly,

but then I would say And up until that day,

everybody had respected that. And then that one journalist

decided it was a story, I had to make some phone calls,

speak to a few people, tidy it up, make the best of it that I could,

but it wasn't under my control, We will bring you more on that story

in the next few minutes. A law banning so-called legal highs

in the UK is to be reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service,

after the collapse of the first ever contested cases under

the new legislation. Two separate trials of people

accused of intending to supply nitrous oxide -

more commonly known as laughing gas - at music festivals were stopped

after the courts heard the drug is exempt because it is used

as a medicinal product. The drug charity, Release,

claims the new law is The brother of the Manchester Arena

bomber will go on trial in Libya in the next two months in connection

with the attack that left 22 people dead. Hashim Amla a deep was

arrested shortly after the bombing in May, by his brother, Salman. His

father has been released. Rescuers are searching for up to 40

people thought to be trapped in a collapsed building in India's

financial capital, Mumbai. The four-storey building

gave way after two days of heavy monsoon rains,

which have already resulted The governor of Texas has warned

the amount of federal government aid it will need in the aftermath

of Hurricane Harvey, is likely to be far in excess

of the 100-billion dollars made available - the storm that

devastated New Orleans At least 33 people are now known

to have died since the storm Pipelines and fuel production have

been shut down and overnight, the owners of a flooded chemical

plant warned that it would explode The NHS in England has issued new

guidance for the victims of acid attacks. The advice is to report the

attack, remove contaminated clothing and rinse the skin immediately.

Surgeons say quick treatment is vital in minimising the extent of

injuries. Providing appropriate first aid in a timely fashion can

have a dramatic effect. Not only because it will reduce the immediate

effect of the trauma of the acid on the skin, but also the possibility

of unwanted life changing injuries. 20 years ago today Diana,

Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris

after being pursued A range of public events have been

organised to remember her death and flowers, cards and other

tributes are again being laid Her sons, Princes William

and Harry, will mark The Home Office has apologised

after telling a 21-year-old who has that he must leave or face

the prospect of being jailed. Shane Ridge, of Colne,

in Lancashire, was told he had "no lawful basis

to be in the UK", according to The blunder occurred when it failed

to establish that his mother, who was born in Australia

while her family lived there for a short time,

had dual Australian-British That's a summary of the latest BBC

News - more at 9.30. Thank you very much. We are going to

talk to various gay politicians in an exclusive report made by SNP MP

Hannah by Dell and a few minutes time. I wonder if you are a gay man

or woman, when somebody in the public eye comes out, does that help

you? S know your experiences. To the sport, and it is the final

day of the transfer window. We always say it is going to be manic,

it isn't always manic, but are we expecting it to be hectic today? I'm

expecting pure lunacy today, it will be like the wild West. I don't know

what it is like working on the money side of sport, but a few players and

agents will feel like it is Christmas come early today. It will

be pretty tense. Fans waited to see who their clubs are going to bring

in, and one who will be the winners, will be the losers? We can barely

predict what is going to happen next. There will be a lot of

stressed faces on mobile phones and we will try to keep you up-to-date

across the day, but it won't be easy. Over ?1.16 billion have

already been spent, that is a new record, and the spending will

continue, so it is difficult to say where people are going to be going

at this stage, but one thing we can bring you is an agreed fee of ?40

million as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now on the verge of joining

Liverpool from Arsenal. You won't get much of this today, but it is

worth pointing out he has taken a ?60,000 a week smaller offer than he

was given by other clubs to join Liverpool. They usually get a lot of

bad press, but 15 million over five years, he will be taking less to go

to Liverpool, it is the club he supported as a boy, so maybe money

isn't everything today. What other things we expecting over the course

of the day? Just about every club in the Premier League B link with

players at the moment. In the age of social media, we hear lots of

rumours, all, to catered at the moment by the international window,

the players are dotted all over the world. Alexis Sanchez is in Chile

country at the moment, and he has been part of a rejected bid for

Manchester City, but that could be as much as ?70 million and could be

repeated today. Riyad Mahrez is set to leave Leicester City. Algeria say

he has left the international come to formalise a transfer, to wear, we

don't know. This is supposedly him at a Paris airport with a fan

earlier today, apparently going to Barcelona. But we do know he won't

be going to Arsenal. Another saga that can come to an end today,

Philippe Coutinho currently away with Brazil, you can see him

training here. He could be going to Barcelona for a huge fee. Liverpool

have already turned down ?114 million for him. So much going on.

Chelsea have had bids rejected for Ross Barkley and Danny Drinkwater. I

could go on and on, and to be honest, I will probably have to

today. You keep your ion the app. It will be a very busy day indeed. And

breathe! Thank you, see later. Next: what happens when

politicians come out? Former Scottish Labour leader

Kezia Dugdale has exclusively told this programme she had to come out

as gay after being The Member of Scottish Parliament -

who quit as leader this week - says when she asked for her quotes

on her sexuality not to be included in an interview

with the Fabian Review, The Fabian Society says it's

"very sorry" she was The first ever Conservative

MP to come out - Sir Alan Duncan - has told

us his sexuality prevented him from getting a role in former

Prime Minister They've been speaking to SNP MP

Hannah Bardell as part of a report for this programme

about gay politicians. We now have a record

number of 45 LGBT MP's - that's 1 in every 14 MPs -

making Wesminster the gayest I am Hannah Bardell,

the SNP MP for Livingston. I came out to myself

during the 2015 general election, to family and friends just after,

and publicly last year after taking part in this historic photo

of LGBT parliamentarians. And since the 2017 general election,

there are now a record 45 I am on a mission to meet

colleagues who have paved the way for people like me,

to look at other politicians' experiences of coming out,

the criticism levied against them, and how things have changed for LGBT

politicians since the first MP came Over the last 30 years we have seen

huge steps forward in gay rights. The age of consent

was lowered to 16. We have rights to adopt

and to marry, but many politicians who have come out in that time

have faced hostility. Sir Alan Duncan is a Foreign Office

minister and was the first Conservative MP to publicly come

out in 2002. When he came out he was greeted

with a mixed reaction, including one article

which headlined, "I'm sorry, Mr Duncan, if you're gay,

you are not a Tory." He also said he was turned down

for a job in government Sir Alan, you were the first

Conservative MP in 2002 to come out. What was that experience like and

what was the reaction that you got? I had reached the point having been

in Parliament for ten years by then that I thought I was senior enough

not to be dismissed as irrelevant. But I really had to be honest,

I thought, and the time had come When I was first an MP,

a senior officer in the party took me out to lunch and was sort

of probing, but did not It was like saying have you got

a secret criminal record? And someone on the conventional

right of politics just And so I thought, right,

I'm just going to say it. So you said that you didn't

hide your sexuality from your colleagues,

but you felt it was Can you talk us

through what happened? Well, it's sort of, "Don't make him

a whip or a minister because it will all be over the Mail one

day, you know." The Daily Mail would be

the permanently bouffanted Alan Duncan, or the over-neat

Alan Duncan, all these In fact I know I was blackballed

from the whips' office in the John Major Parliament,

not by him, but by a couple of fellow whips who just thought it

would be too high risk. You said afterwards when you came

out you had some really interesting, positive reactions, particularly one

lady who came to you Someone I met actually

at a Conservative Party function came up to me,

she was perhaps about 75, and said She said my granddaughter is gay

and thank you because I now feel comfortable with it and you have

made me feel respectable. Lord Chris Smith made history

when he became the first MP of any We brought him together

with Nia Griffith, the Labour MP for Llanelli, who also came out

when I did last year, and Labour's Chris Bryant

who came out in 2000 So, Chris Smith, you came out just

a year after I was born, But you were really a pioneer

for the LGBT community and obviously you made that very public

declaration about your How difficult was that

both personally and For nine years, I was the only

openly gay member of Parliament. Since then, I haven't regretted

making that decision In terms of on the doorsteps

in your constituency, Was there any anxiety,

were there any comments? I was terrified and no one had

ever done this before, so I had no idea what the reaction

was going to be. There was no social media in those

days, thank goodness. But I did get letters from people

all around the country and a lot of them were saying,

"Well done, congratulations". But the ones that really

meant the most to me "Thank you, it has made

it easier for me". Obviously, your friends, family,

colleagues, had known for all the time that

you were a parliamentarian up until the point that

you and I were both in that famous Yes, it's a rather strange

situation, really. Bizarrely for me, after a long-term

relationship came to an end, It was because I couldn't

cope with the grief, not And so bizarrely, that was

the moment I came out party and they were then

campaigning with me. So you are actually asking other

people to defend you as well. You are standing on a list of X

amount of councillors standing in one ward or whatever

and you are obviously I have got to say,

they were fantastic. And, Chris, your experience,

you have been such a vocal proponent of LGBT rights,

but you were in the clergy before. That I was a priest

in the Church of England. Did you feel you had to choose

between religion and sexuality? It took me quite a long time

to work out that I was gay. I probably wasn't meant

to have a girlfriend as I was training to be a priest

in the Church of England In the past, the Church of England

has always been kind Then it became "We want to know

everything about everybody". But that was their sort

of strange world. This is why I think there

will always still be a moment of coming out because you sit down

at a dinner and someone says, And in your head you are

going, now do I say, "Fine,

thank you very much"? Which is what I did say once

to the papal Nuncio and he said, I said, "No, no, I am

married to a man." He then said to me here

in Parliament, "You are more danger to civilisation

than climate change." At the time of recording,

Kezia Dugdale was leader She has since resigned, saying

it is time to pass on the baton. This is the first time

she has spoken publicly You were put in the position

where you had to say something before maybe

you would have chosen to. I didn't have complete

control over coming out. I came out in the middle

of an incredibly intense election campaign, it was the 2016

Scottish parliament elections. I'd done an interview

with a publication. I've done hundreds of

interviews with journalists, I do them every week,

and it wasn't the first time I had been asked about my sexuality

or about my relationships. I would always answer honestly

and then I would say, "But I would prefer you didn't use

that, I don't talk about it, And up until that day,

everybody had respected that. And then that one journalist

decided no, it was a story, speak to a few people, tidy it up,

make the best of it that I could, but it

wasn't in my control. I do regret that,

I think that was unfair. The journalist involved denies

being asked to take it out. Kezia, you are one of four out

of six Scottish party leaders I mean, that's quite an incredible

statistic for a start. Does it make you proud

to be part of that group? I am immensely proud, but I think

it is worth just contemplating for a second that Nicola

Sturgeon, by the very nature of being straight,

is in a minority group in Scotland. One of three women, but what immense

progress we have made in that time. Obviously, there has been quite

a bit of press recently about your relationship

with my colleague, SNP Jenny Gilruth,

but what was interesting about that was when there

was commentary and coverage of two female parliamentarians

being in a relationship, it was about two female

parliamentarians who were That seemed to be the thing people

were upset or intrigued about. Does that in a strange way

represent progress to you? I mean, I think it is fascinating

when you stop and think about it. People were not in any way bothered

that we were together, that the idea that two women

were together, they were more intrigued that it was two people

from two different political parties and that divide was a much bigger

deal than their different Scotland is one of the most

progressive countries in the world in terms of LGBT rights,

but that was not always the case. Many LGBT people were put off

politics because they thought their sexuality was incompatible

with a political career. That was the case for my friend

and colleague Joanna Cherry QC. So, Joanna, tell us a bit

about your coming out. In many ways, I had quite a positive

coming out experience, but in relation to my career

choices, it definitely affected them because in my teens and early 20s

I was a member of the Labour Party and when I was growing up

it was really my passionate But when I realised I was gay

and I saw what happened to Peter Tatchell in the Bermondsey

by-election, the really terrible homophobia that he faced

from his main opponents, the Liberal Democrats,

but also I think, to be fair, from people inside his own party,

I thought to myself as a gay person, a career in politics is not

going to be open to me, So I chose instead to concentrate

on my legal career. When you got elected in 2015,

how did you find the environment I have experienced,

like most gay politicians, quite a lot of homophobic

abuse on Twitter. But generally in the media, I have

not experienced any homophobia. You come to Parliament,

you become a politician and your personal life

becomes public property. I didn't come into politics to be

a professional lesbian, I came into politics to achieve

social justice and But on the other hand, I am very

proud to be out as a lesbian in politics and I hope that I can be

a role model to younger women who can see that you can be an out

lesbian in public life. Politicians come out at different

stages in their careers. Some feel that in order to fit in,

they have to hide their sexuality. That was something I grappled with,

so much so that I nearly did not run until my friend and former SNP

leader Alex Salmond talked A number of politicians

come out later in life. He was married with children before

coming out at the age of 54. He is a Conservative

MP and the Secretary Obviously because you had been

married and had children, that must have been very difficult

for you, for them. How did they react to that

and how difficult was that? Firstly, my children were very

positive that I didn't Because at my age, people think this

might be one of those But they were very positive

and I think that is because young people have such a completely

different outlook. Do you think your life

would have been different, your career would have been

different, if you had come If I was at this point

in my life 20, 30 years ago, it would have been a much

more difficult situation. Maybe 20 years ago, I might have had

to resign from the Cabinet. I have not really so far

encountered any prejudice I have not found any

in my constituency either. I met one person on the doorstep,

actually in my son's election campaign to the Scottish Parliament,

who said that they could not vote Yes, I know, but that is still

somewhat surprising. I think obviously, we were not very

positive to him and he fundamentally disagreed with that and we left

it at that. Following the 2017 general election,

the Conservatives chose to form an informal coalition

with Northern Ireland's Democratic They hold controversial

views on gay marriage. I think one of the concerns I know

that people in your own party have expressed are the concerns

around dealing with the DUP and what that means, because some

of their views have been really abhorrent to people

in the LGBT community. I don't think you bring about change

by demanding that people do things. You have got to campaign,

you have got to seek to influence You have got to encourage voices to

be heard and show your solidarity. My final stop is the

magical Highlands. It's where my family have come

since I was a wee girl on holiday and it is where I had the first

conversation with my mum She brought my brother and I up

on her own and being politically active herself, has been

absolutely instrumental in my One of the things I wanted

to talk about was, I suppose, what it was like

for you when I came out. Other than I didn't want

you to be hurt in any additional way because of that

and because you are And in terms of being

from a single-parent family I mean, the world has just moved

on hugely about all sorts of things And that was a revelation,

how long you had been thinking about it and trying to figure it out

and the things that inhibited I waited until after the election

to tell you, although I pretty well I guess that was because I knew how

much you were so involved in my campaign, you were giving me

so much support, you were worried about my stress levels,

I did not want to add any more worry I thought it was quite

sensible in some ways, I have talked to colleagues

across the political spectrum whose experiences have in many ways

mirrored society's changing But we must be mindful of the work

that still needs to be done across our communities,

in our country and around the world. And you can read more about that

story on the BBC News website. It is the most read story and has been

since 6am. Regarding the allegation

Kezia Dugdale makes that she felt she was "forced" to come

out by a magazine, in a statement that they were "very

sorry that Kezia Dugdale was upset The article's author,

Mary Riddell, said "at no point

during the interview or afterwards did Ms Dugdale ask me not

to publish her comments, which were recorded

with her agreement. Nor has she ever complained to me

that her on-the-record comments relating to her relationship

had been published." Lee says, when I came out, I was

bullied school. And this from kit, seeing an influential person, it

helps normalise it. Graham says he thinks people like

Gareth Thomas help, because they are just regular blokes, deems to be

least stereotypical. And Luke says, interesting report on gay

politicians and the difficulties of being, and even being forced out.

Your own inexperience is really welcome. After ten, we will hear

more. On the 20th anniversary of Diana's

death, we'll talk to her former personal protection officer

Ken Wharfe about his memories And the woman who's been on 77

first dates in two years, Your stories of first dates

are welcome this morning. Here's Chris in the BBC Newsroom

with a summary of today's news. Theresa May says she wants to lead

the Conservatives into the next general election. The Conservatives

including Boris Johnson have rallied behind her. Labour has accused Mrs

May of deluding herself. The former Scottish Labour leader

Kezia Dugdale has exclusively told this programme she had to come out

as gay after being The MSP

says when she asked for her quotes on her sexuality not to be included,

her request was ignored. Dugdale is one of a number of

politicians asked by this programme about what it was like opening up

about their sexuality. A law banning so-called legal highs

in the UK is to be reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service,

after the collapse of the first ever contested cases under

the new legislation. Two separate trials of people

accused of intending to supply nitrous oxide -

more commonly known as laughing gas - at music festivals were stopped

after the courts heard the drug is exempt because it is used

as a medicinal product. The drug charity, Release,

claims the new law is Rescuers are searching for up to 40

people thought to be trapped in a collapsed building in India's

financial capital, Mumbai. The four-storey building

gave way after two days of heavy monsoon rains,

which have already resulted The governor of Texas has warned

the amount of federal government aid it will need in the aftermath

of Hurricane Harvey, is likely to be far in excess

of the $100 billion made available for the storm that devastated

New Orleans 12 years ago. At least 33 people are now known

to have died since the storm Pipelines and fuel production have

been shut down and overnight, the owners of a flooded chemical

plant warned that it That's a summary of the latest

BBC News - more at ten. It's the dreaded final day

of the football transfer window but there are plenty of deals that

could still be concluded. Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez has

been given permission by Algeria to leave the international camp

and formalise a transfer. Arsenal won't be the destination

though, it's expected Manchester City are reportedly

chasing a deal for Alexis Sanchez. They've had a bid of ?50 million

rejected but could go back in for him, with his contract

at the Emirates finishing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlian

will definitely be leaving Arsenal. He's heading to Merseyside to join

Liverpool after the two clubs agreed The England midfielder expected

to sign a 5 year deal. Maria Sharapova made it

through to Round 3 at the US Open. She came from a set down to beat

Hungray's Timea Babosh in what's her frist major tournament

since returning from When Diana died: "all

of us lost somebody", "still the people's princess",

"her legacy lives on in her sons", "the popularity

of the monarchy is down to her" - just some of the tributes

to Princess Diana on the 20th This next film has some flashing

images. The body of Diana, Princess

of Wales is lying tonight Her close friend Dodi Fayed

is being buried in a Muslim cemetery And all less than 24 hours after,

by all accounts, one of the happiest Around the wreckage of their lives

is already running a bitter debate about what part in her death

was really played by the squad of determined photographers

who dogged her every step until it all unravelled in the horror

of a high-speed crash At seven o'clock this evening,

an RAF plane brought her Over time, people seem to forget,

or have forgotten, what an amazing thing she did and what an amazing

presence she was. She was wonderful in their honour

was Harry and I can tell You would have to meet

her to understand it. If you ask people who met her, they

will tell you how amazing she was. We were lucky to

have her as a mother. There's not a day that goes

past that we don't think Because she was a massive

example to both of us. And it's one of those

things that's very sad, but you learn to deal with it

and there are plenty of other people out there who have the same or worse

problems than we have had. The nicest thing is the fact

that she was our mother. She had a public site

and a private side, and the private side was very

small in comparison to the public side,

but the memories we have got of her,

we are lucky to have those memories You see her get slated

for such and such, but the personal memories

we have of her are very much private

and that's hopefully Today, St David's Day,

we are celebrating a great occasion which promises to become a milestone

for the city of Cardiff, for the county of which it forms a part

and for the principality. She put everybody first

and herself very much last. She was our mother,

so we would say that. She did everything because she felt

it was right and it was She didn't go by what she thought

was the best thing to do or be told to do something,

she would do it from the heart We were left in no doubt

at all that we were the most After that, it was everyone

else, all her charities She loved caring for people

and she loved helping. Both of us are really glad

we were able to feel that. Really caring, so sweet and very

much missed not only by us, And that's all that needs

to be said, really. I think one of the hardest things

to come to terms with is the fact that the people that

chased her into the tunnel were the same people that

were taking photographs of her while she was still dying

on the back seat of a car. We've been told that numerous

times by people that know She'd had quite a severe head

injury, but she was very much And those people that caused

the accident, instead of helping, were taking photographs of her dying

on the back seat. And then those photographs

made their way back to news When you have something

so traumatic as the death of your mother when you're 15,

as, very sadly, many people have experienced and no one

wants to experience, It'll either make or break you,

and I wouldn't let it break me. I wanted her to be proud

of the person I would become. I didn't want her worried,

or the legacy to be that William and/or Harry were completely

devastated by it and that all the hard work and all the love

and all the energy she put into us when we were younger

would go to waste. Diana's sons, Princes William

and Harry, will be marking the anniversary of

her death privately. Yesterday they laid flowers

outside her former home - Kensington Palace -

and took time to look at some of the many flowers members

of the public had left, just He was a bodyguard to

Princes William and Harry from 1986 and became Princess Diana's personal

protection officer in 1988, In 1997 he oversaw security

at Diana's funeral. He has just written a new book about

her called Guarding Diana. What is her legacy? I don't think I could

put it any better than what we have just seen from her sons. They

succinctly tell us all what her legacy is. And it is exactly that. I

remember Diana, working with her, as somebody that was fun and caring,

and William was right, she put everything away, behind that, her

children always came first, and seeing William on his first day at

school, it was important for Diana to be there taking him to school and

to be there when he came home, which was a real break from the tradition

of royal education. And that was her priority. If she could do that,

everything else was possible, and her work did come second. Her work

certainly was, and it broke new mould in terms of royal duty, but

behind all of that, it was always, wherever we were in the country,

even abroad, it was, I must get back and see boys, because they were

crucial in her life. It is very moving to see those pieces, because

no one can argue or disagree with what her sons say, because they were

central to her life. She was an incredibly funny woman. The book

that I have just written is all about the places we visited, and

with new anecdotes all about the fun she had, and I've one particular

story that my office, and the room was very near to the nursery, and

Harry Kane might one afternoon, looking for something to do or play,

and I said, I can't play, I've got a guide with your mother, and then

Harry disappeared to the kitchen and asked the chef for something to

putting Ken's Bath, and the chef sent up this red car cochineal. So

she generated the fun as well as recognising... She generated the fun

with her kids, but also with us on tour. These were massive events in

this country and abroad, but she was always the entertainment manager in

it, and was always find something to make people laugh. And it was a big

family, from the chef to the housekeeper, the dresser, the

chauffeur. Everyone was an integral part in making this work. And

William and Harry were not kept locked up in the nursery away from

all of this. They were encouraged to go to the chef, go to see the

housekeeper or the bottle, the cleaner, however. And this is what

we see, and this is the legacy. She was a very caring person, probably

very much at home with the man and woman on the street. She could talk

to anyone. She could, and so often, the Queen's representative, the Lord

Lieutenant, would say, you must come back and we will have lunch, and she

would say thank you, but I would much rather have lunch with people I

have come to see. And that is what she was like. And I think what we

now see, and particularly with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

winding down, William and Harry now see their role as an important one,

and they are using their mother's template, because they know it is

one that works, and it does. Her work ethos that endeared her to the

public, not in this country but internationally, it was Strawberry

to watch it. Angela says Diana obviously loved

her kids. It is so sad. Ian says, as a royal photographer, I remember her

laughter, her sense of fun and how she turned from a person being very

awkward to a photograph to one who could show great feeling through her

imagery. I took William's first official Christmas baby shots. I

took some of her last photos at an event before she died and many in

between. I remember watching her compete with Charles in photography

sessions. Her legacy lives on. How did she change the monarchy, in your

view? You had a eye view. -- a bird's eye view. Well, initially, in

1981, no one handed her a manual on how to become a royal princess. She

was just a natural at it and did the opening of shopping malls so forth

and obviously a signed herself to a number of charities quickly. And she

did that with relative ease. I remember that trip to Australia a

bit before my time and the crowds that were there to stop there was

that famous speech with the Prince of Wales, who quipped about it and

makes a lot of laughter when he said, the next time I come, I will

bring two wives. I think that was a sign, because in my view, the Royal

Family were pleased that Diana was on board, as it were, but they have

a problem dealing with her popularity. They didn't know how to

harness this new arrival. How do we channel this? And what Diana was

really after was someone to say, well done, we appreciate what you

are doing. Had that been said a bit more, who knows, it may have changed

the course of events. But four years after she was there as a princess,

she changed and became involved in what she considered to be more

important aspects of royal duty by getting involved in the mid-80s into

the Aids crisis, which was a big problem for a lot of people at that

time. And for a princess to get involved, even the Queen said, why?

Why don't you do something nice? It wasn't a criticism, but that was the

feeling at the time. But if you get the changes Diana made in that field

and her relationship with Elton John, and now Harry himself publicly

continuing that legacy by himself getting involved with it, send out a

clear message that the legacy is obvious. Thank you very much.

We can now speak to our Correspondent Sophie Long

who is at Kensington Palace where flowers are

Yes, we are outside Kensington Palace by the golden gate. If I move

out of the way, you can see that quite a few people have come to lay

floral tributes and look at the pictures and read some of the

messages that people have been leaving on the 20th anniversary of

Diana's death. I was speaking to one couple, a mother and daughter who

have come from Bulgaria. They came to London specifically for this

occasion, to look back at the 20 years that have passed. John, you

have been here since 3am. You are wearing a Diana T-shirt. Tell us why

this day is so important to you? Because we are remembering the 20th

anniversary, and it's important for us to be here. Her most important

legacy was her two sons. We saw them yesterday, talking about them

other's work. It is special for us all, because we are here to see it.

I was moved by how much William and Harry have them other's ways. She

always embraced you. No other royals had done that. She was the first.

She was born with two hearts, want to give to people and one for

herself. Diana was our special princess, and she is one of the

Lord's angels. What does it mean to you to see people from coming from

all around the world, two decades after her death? I know you helped

design the banner there and you have been here since three in the

morning. How important is it that her legacy does end your? Two days

ago, I was here and an Indian man and an African man came up to me was

that they knew I was here to put flowers down. He said, Diana was a

special person. And the Indian person said the same thing. I said,

you summed it up. You could put Diana in a room. You could be in a

bad mood and she would turn the light switch on and bring happiness.

Throughout her life, she brought happiness to everybody. John, thank

you very much. People will be coming here throughout the day to pay

tribute to Princess Diana. People are pausing and remembering. At ten

o'clock, we will bring you all the news and sport.

Coming up: And the lady's not for quitting.

Theresa May has announced she has no intention of giving up

We'll get reaction from members of her party.

A chemical plant near the flooded city of Houston is expected

to explode or catch fire in the coming days.

During heavy rainfall from Hurricane Harvey,

the Arkema plant at Crosby lost refrigeration of chemical compounds

which need to be kept cool, and there is no way to prevent

a possible fire, the company has said.

At least 33 people have been killed in the aftermath of the storm,

large parts of Houston are under water and 32,000 people

And yet more rain is expected to fall.

We can speak now to Amanda Trost,

who has been delivering food to those in need.

You have been fortunate, but not everyone was? Yes. It is about 82 or

three mile radius around my house, but there are a lot of people still

under water. And how have you been helping? The first couple of days,

everyone was stuck in their house. As soon as we could get out on

Saturday, we checked on neighbours. The school that I work for sent out

an SOS to go employees and students to make sure they were OK and to see

if they could volunteer. We provide hot meals for anyone who could get

there, and then we took a bunch of meals and drove around as far as we

could go in each direction without running into water, to see where

food was needed. Thankfully on Tuesday, when we did the same thing,

all of the shelters in the area had been filled with supplies and

volunteers. So it was neat to see people come out and surpass the need

we have had. You are a teacher. In terms of the school where you work,

how have the pupils been affected? We started school two days before

the storm came and some of the students were already reaching out

and making sure people were OK and how they could help each other. We

spent quite a bit of time as a community, making sure students were

OK and try to confirm that they were safe. The stories we heard are

heartbreaking, but it was good to get in contact with people and sleep

easier knowing that they are alive and have somewhere to stay. What

sort of stories have you heard from your peoples? The thing that sticks

out to me most is that, I have never been a Facebook person before, but

Facebook became our lifeline in Houston to check on each other.

Countless stories from friends and acquaintances and family members

that would post" I think we are OK, the water is coming up the driveway"

. The next hour" the water is at the front door". And then expose would

be "I am stuck and I am scared". It was a helpless feeling to know you

can't do anything about it. I think your school is trying to distribute

about 250 meals a day, is that right? Correct. That is an amazing

effort. There are three campuses, actually. So we are able to reach

different parts of the city. Well, thank you for talking to us.

Right, some messages from you about the film that SNP MP Hannah Bardell

made for us, talking to politicians who have come out. Sarah says,

powerful feature on how far parliament and the UK have

progressed when it comes to LGBT rights. Annie says this piece was

well executed and sensitively handled. Boris says years ago, I

asked my maternal uncle, why have I not been asked by anyone if I was

gay? He replied, does anyone ask whether the Pope is a Catholic! News

and sport on the way. Let's get the latest

weather update with Carol. Today is a day of sunshine and

showers. It has been a chilly start to the day, but temperatures are

rising nicely in the sunshine. The showers could be heavy and thundery.

We have had a lot of showers in the West and the south, you can see a

cluster of them in north-west England, particularly the Blackpool

area, where they have been happy and thundery. But Liverpool is dry as a

bone. Showers will become more widespread, some of them again the

heavy and thundery, some of them with some hail. In the sunshine in

between a feeling quite pleasant, especially across parts of Northern

Ireland. For Scotland, prolific showers, but in between we will also

see some sunshine. The showers are fairly hit and miss. In northern

England, we carry on with the showers. You might be lucky, your

friend may not. In the Midlands, East Anglia and the south-east,

temperature-wise we are in better shape than yesterday, back to where

we should be at around 20 or 21. In the south-west, we have a mixed rub

right sunshine and showers, as we do across Wales. Overnight, we will

slowly start to lose those showers. There will still be clusters of them

near the coast and under clear skies, it will be a cool night.

Temperatures may be low enough for a touch of grass frost. A loss of

sunshine around, but we will see some showers. Few are towards the

West. For Saturday, another chilly start to the day, with another touch

of grass frost. A lot of dry weather. Later, the cloud will

thicken across Northern Ireland, heralding the arrival of a weather

front bringing wet and windy weather. Through the course of the

day, it is going to slowly meander eastwards. The further east you are,

the drier and brighter it is likely to be.

Britain has the gayest parliament in the world -

but what's it like for a poltitician when they come out?

This morning, Kezia Dugdale, the former leader of

Scottish Labour, tells us she was outed by a magazine

I didn't have complete control over coming out.

I came out in the middle of an incredibly intense

It was the 2016 Scottish parliament elections.

It wasn't under my control, and I do regret that,

Have high-profile gay politicians helped you, I'd? -- helped you out?

The Government is being forced rethink its new law introduced last

year to ban so-called legal highs after the first contested

We will explain the background to the story.

It's never easy meeting "the one" - we meet a woman who has been on 77

Do get in touch and let us know tales of your first dates.

How many has it taken you to meet Mr or Mrs Right?

Chris Rogers is in the BBC Newsroom with a summary

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, says she wants to lead the

Conservatives into the next general election, saying she is in it for

the long-term Mrs May is on a three-day trip to Japan where she

spoke to our political correspondent Ben Wright. The second day of the

trip is being dominated with discussions on trade, the security

operation, UK troops will be training with Japanese troops. But

this trip will be remembered for Theresa May's unplanned yet very

blunt declaration on her own political future and her intention

to lead the Conservative Party into the next general election in 2022,

trying to scotch the rumours since the botched general election in June

that she is not long in the job. She wants to make it clear now that not

only does she want to see Britain through Brexit, but she wants to

take it beyond that. People within her party in parliament will be

perfectly comfortable with that. There is no clearly Bishop rival

waiting in the wings. But long-term, ultimately Theresa May's fate is in

the hands of her party, and if they decide that it is untenable for her

to be continuing that long into the future, then frankly, she won't be.

The former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has exclusively told

this programme she had to come out as gay after being

The MSP says when she asked for her quotes

on her sexuality not to be included, her request was ignored.

Dugdale is one of a number of politicians asked by this programme

about what it was like opening up about their sexuality.

A law banning so-called legal highs in the UK is to be reviewed

by the Crown Prosecution Service, after the collapse of the first ever

contested cases under the new legislation.

Two separate trials of people accused of intending

to supply nitrous oxide - more commonly known as laughing gas

- at music festivals were stopped after the courts heard the drug

is exempt because it is used as a medicinal product.

Rescuers are searching for up to 40 people thought to be trapped

in a collapsed building in India's financial capital, Mumbai.

The four-storey building gave way after two days

of heavy monsoon rains, which have already resulted

The governor of Texas has warned the amount of federal government aid

it will need in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey,

is likely to be far in excess of the $100 billion made

available for the storm that devastated New Orleans

At least 33 people are now known to have died since the storm

Pipelines and fuel production have been shut down and overnight,

the owners of a flooded chemical plant warned that it would explode

20 years ago today, Diana Princess of Wales died in a car crash in

Paris after being pursued by photographers.

A range of public events have been organised to remember her death

and flowers, cards and other tributes are again being laid

Her sons, Princes William and Harry, will mark

That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 10.30.

Thank you very much. Do get in touch throughout the programme. We are

going to talk to some gay politicians in the next few moments.

I will read out some more of your experiences.

Does it help if you are gay man or woman? He was back with all the

sport. It is the final day of football's transfer window.

Over ?1.2 billion has already spent by Premier League

clubs in this transfer window - that's a new record -

Riyad Mahrez won Player of the Year two seasons ago and he's set

Algeria say he's left the international camp

Leicester say there haven't been any bids made.

This is supposedly him in Paris airport with a fan.

He could be going to Barcelona - we do know, though, he won't be

That's a move that had long been rumoured.

Talisman Alexis Sanchez could leave Arsenal.

Their top scorer, with 24 league goals last term,

of a ?50 million bid frm Manchester City.

It was rejected, but with Sanchez into the final year of his contract,

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will definitely be leaving Arsenal.

He's heading to Merseyside to join Liverpool after the two clubs agreed

The England midfielder is expected to sign a 5 year deal.

Tottenham are expected to complete the signing of Paris St-Germain

defender Serge Aurier for ?23 million.

The deal had been held up due to work permit complications.

And you can follow all the deals on the BBC Sport website,

which will have a live page with updates until the window closes

Scotland get another hour till midnight.

5 Live have a special programme from seven this evening and there's

a special Football Focus at quarter to 11 on BBC One.

Kyle Edmund is the last British hope at the US Open.

He beat American Steve Johnson in straight sets to get

Aljaz Bedene and Cameron Norrie both went out.

He injured his shoulder losing to fellow Australian John Millman.

It didn't seem to hamper him though when he smashed his racket

beyond repair after losing the third set.

Kyrios is one of a number of players to have suffered

injury trouble recently, with 5 top players having withdrawn

The last three months for me has been a nightmare. I said it before,

I had such a good Indian Wells, Miami, and then Davis Cup, we had a

good win over America, and think things went down hill from there,

really. Caroline Wozniacki is out

but another former world number one - Maria Sharapova -

is through to the third round. The Russian, playing her first

Grand Slam since a 15 month doping ban, came from a set down to beat

Timea Babos. I know I can do this, I have done it

before and I want to have that feeling again. There is also the

realistic understanding of you have been in this situation for awhile,

it is going to take a little time, so managing the expectations is part

of it, and learning as you play the match is something that I haven't

done. Remember the BBC Sport website

an app has the latest on the transfers -

we will have more here This country has the gayest

parliament in the world - But what's it like for politicians

when they come out? Kezie Dugdale - the former leader

of Scottish Labour - has told us she felt

forced to come out by a national magazine,

and Alan Duncan, the first

Tory MP to come out, tells us he feels he was turned down

for a job in government They've been speaking

to Hannah Bardell - a lesbian SNP MP -

for a report on gay politicians. We bought you her full film

earlier in the programme - Sir Alan Duncan is a Foreign Office

minister and was the first Conservative MP to publicly come

out in 2002. When he came out, he was greeted

with a mixed reaction, including one article

which headlined, "I'm sorry Mr Duncan, if you are gay,

you are not a Tory." So, Sir Alan, you were the first

Conservative MP in 2002 to come out. What was that experience like and

what was the reaction that you got? The time had come where why

the hell should it matter? When I was first an MP,

a senior officer in the party took me out to lunch and was sort

of probing, but did not It was like saying, "Have you got

a secret criminal record?" And someone on the conventional

right of politics just And so I thought right,

I am just going to say it You said you did not

hide your sexuality from your colleagues,

but you felt it was Can you talk us

through what happened? Well, it is sort of, "Oh,

don't make him a whip or a minister because it will all be over

the Mail one-day." And of course the Daily Mail

was always "the permanently bouffanted Alan Duncan,

or the over-neat Alan Duncan", I actually think, in fact I know,

I was blackballed from the whips' office in the John Major Parliament,

not by him, but by a couple of fellow whips who just thought it

would be too high risk. At the time of recording,

Kezia Dugdale was leader She has since resigned, saying

it is time to pass on the baton. This is the first time

she has spoken publicly You were put in the position

where you had to say something before maybe

you would have chosen to. I did not have complete

control over coming out. I came out in the middle

of an incredibly intense It was the 2016 Scottish

Parliament elections. I had done an interview

with a publication. I have done hundreds

of interviews with journalists, It was not the first time I had been

asked about my sexuality or about my relationships

and I would always answer honestly and then I would say,

"But I prefer you don't use that, I don't talk about it,

I don't think it matters." And up until that day everybody

respected that and then that one journalist decided no,

it was a story. So I just had to suck it up,

I had to make some phone calls, speak to a few people,

tidy it up, make the best But no, it was not in my control

and I do regret that, The journalist involved denies

being asked to take it out. And obviously there has been quite

a bit of press recently about your relationship

with my colleague and friend SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth,

but what was interesting about that was when there

was commentary and coverage, it wasn't about two female

parliamentarians being in a relationship, it was about two

female parliamentarians That seemed to be the thing that

people were upset or annoyed about. Does that in a strange way

represent progress to you? I think it is fascinating

when you stop and think about it. People were not in any way bothered

that we were together, that the idea was of two women

being together, they were more intrigued that it was two people

from two different political parties and that divide was a much bigger

deal than that sexuality or outlook. On that claim that Kezia Dugdale

was forced out by a magazine - the magazine in question,

the Fabian Review, told us they're "very sorry"

she was upset by the interview. The journalist who wrote

the article - Mary Riddell - told us "at no point

during the interview or afterwards did Kezia Dugdale ask me not

to publish her comments, which were recorded

with her agreement. she ever complained to me

that her on-the-record comments relating to her relationship

had been published." Let's speak now to Hannah Bardell,

the SNP MP for Livingston, Stuart Andrew, who has

been the Conservative MP for Pudsey since 2010 -

he came out in 1998, and Lloyd Russell-Moyle

is the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown -

he was elected for the first Welcome all of you. Good morning,

hello. I am going to ask you all, and I will start with Lloyd, has

your experience of coming out been a positive one? I was out before I

stood to be a member of Parliament, and I represent a relatively liberal

gay area of the country in many respects, and so for me it was

something I went through as a young man here in Sussex, and something

that I was quite resigned to. I know a number of my colleagues in local

seats, some who are still MPs, some who are no longer MPs, struggle much

more. Particularly colleagues who were of an older generation. And I

suspect that is changing. But it is difficult still for some politicians

I know to feel totally comfortable with coming out, and worried that

that then dominates the headlines rather than the policy issues that

we are standing on. Stuart Andrew, what about your own experience,

positive? I grew up on the island of Anglesey in North Wales, so it was

quite remote, and you might imagine back in the 90s, things were very

different then. It was quite hard, I have to say, quite fearful of what

the repercussions might be. But I was incredibly fortunate to have the

support of my family and all of the friends around me were a great

support to me. But now I have lived in this constituency for 20 years, I

have been a councillor here, prior to becoming a member of Parliament,

and I have to say it has been a very positive experience. What I find is

that most people want to see how good you are at your job rather than

your sexuality. Absolutely. Hannah Bardell, in your film, Joanna Cherry

told us that every gay MP receives homophobic abuse still. Yes, and

that is surprising in some ways, but Twitter seems to bring out sadly the

worst in people at times. But I think it is a signal that, and this

programme really shows that the experiences of the MPs mirror

society changes and attitudes towards LGBT rights, but it shows

there is still a lot of work to do, the fact that people still receive

abuse, and I know Joanna has received a lot of it, and so have

others. I haven't, my experience was very positive, it was a personal

struggle more than a public one. For me it was tied up in being from a

single parent family and as a child viewing society as heteronormative,

getting sent home with a family tree to fill in your mum and dad, and I

thought, I am already strange and different, I don't want to be any

more different, they think that has changed a lot as well, so we have

moved on. Do you know politicians who are in

the closet? I can't think of the top of my head, but things have changed

so much that there could be people who have not come to terms with it

yet. Lloyd, do you? I wouldn't be able to comment on current

politicians. I know very recent former politicians who were still in

the closet until only a few years ago.

It's a personal issue, but it is harder if you enter politics and you

were not out, to then suddenly have to make an announcement. That is

something that will hopefully dissipate over time. I am very proud

that in Worthing East, we ran a transgender candidate for the Labour

Party and the campaign was not about the fact that Sophie was trans-, it

was about the issues. But that was not universally supported. There

were even people in her own local party that raised eyebrows. So we

have a way to go. Stuart, do you think if you are an elected

politician in the public eye and you are gay, that you have a

responsibility to come out? I would agree with Lloyd. It is a personal

decision and you have to weigh up what you think is right for you. In

my experience, I felt it was something I had to do. I was beaten

up for being gay in 1998, and I realised then, because the media

were interested because I had stood for general election in 1997, I

thought this was something that could be hanging over me if I want

to continue working in politics. So that was what made me decide, and

also because I want to look my electorate in the face and say, this

is who I am, and be open about it. Lloyd makes a valid point that it is

difficult if you have been elected and you are then struggling with the

decision over when or if to come out. Do you use gay dating apps?

Hannah? I have been on one app which some people use for dating, others

use for events. And I did think to myself, is this something I should

be on as a politician? And I thought, why not? I am not on there

today, I have a partner. I am on there to engage with the community.

Lloyd, have you used gay dating apps? Yes, I do. I am a single gay

man in Brighton and I sometimes use gay dating apps and go for nice

coffee is with people. And sometimes I meet people in bars and sometimes

I don't. That is a normal way of life and the point of politicians it

is to try to live as your constituents do. Many of my

constituents use them and enjoy them. So we need to move away from

it being an issue. Stuart, do you object to me asking if you are on

Grindr? Well, considering that I am considerably older than Hannah and

Lloyd... Hey, you are looking good! Well, I have been with my partner

for 17 years. Fair enough. Hannah Bardell, do you think that one day,

we might have a gay Prime Minister in Britain? I would like to think

so. There is no reason why LGBT people, women, people with

disabilities, should not be in senior positions. We have to ask

ourselves why they haven't been until now. In Scotland, we are

proportionally one of the guest column in the world and one of the

most progressive countries in terms of LGBT rights. LGBT candidates have

been better than their straight allies in the most recent general

election am according to a study -- they did better in the most recent

general election. It is a personal choice, but I certainly felt a

personal responsibility. We are role models and we have a responsibility

to the next generation to make it more equal. On that point, it is

still not easy for young people to come out in some parts of the

country, and you met a teenager in your constituency. Let's have a

look. Hopefully, it makes it easier

for young LGBT people to come out. And it's so apparent

at the Glitter Cannons, a local group for young LGBT people

held in my constituency. After catching up with the group,

I spoke to Kieran. Tell us a bit about yourself,

how old you are now and how old you were when you came out

and what that experience was like. I'm 14, and I came

out when I was 13. When I came out to my friends,

it was all fine and dandy. Everyone accepted me apart

from a few boys in my year. But they don't really

bother me any more. When I came out to my mum,

because she was the first one I came out to, she got a bit angry

and anxious, because she thought I How much of that have

you experienced And sometimes it does

get to me a bit. But as time passes,

I just forget about it. It's been going on for years,

because they always suspected I was gay because I've never

had a girlfriend. And what have you done

about the bullying? Nothing, because it

doesn't bother me. I feel like if I tell someone,

it will just cause more problems and it will give me more stress

to worry about. Talk to me about the Glitter Cannons

and how that group is helping you. Before this, I used to be

very sad and depressed. But since I've been

at Glitter Cannons, I've stopped How important is it, do you think,

to have role models, people, whether like myself,

MPs or other folk, do you think it's important to have

people in public life? You need a role model for motivation

for what you want to do in life. Role models make you motivated

to be yourself in life, because if they can be themselves

in life, you can be Really interesting. Let me read

these two e-mails to you all. The first is from Nick. It contains some

strong language. Watching your programme this morning and the

brilliant feature on gay MPs coming out. When you come out, it never

really becomes easy and the fear of homophobia is ever present. I should

know. My partner and I were recently the victims of homophobia. Our

neighbours sang a song at us including the words fag, queer and

fairy, which we recorded, took to the police and eventually, it went

to court. However, even with all the evidence we have, and after the CPS

had downgraded the offence because they were afraid it was difficult to

prove intent, the three magistrates found our neighbours not guilty, as

they felt the words satirical, and there was no intent. Peter says,

watching your feature about coming out, I came out aged 41, 11 years

ago. It took me a long time and a lot of courage to do it. Thankfully,

it went better than I had anticipated. I had built it up to be

a nightmare scenario and I seriously considered taking my own life. I

couldn't see a life ahead being in the closet, and I couldn't see a

life ahead as being an out gay man, so taking my life seemed like the

best option. I had been married for 23 years to my childhood sweetheart

from the age of ten, and we had three children. They were all

brilliantly supportive, although it was an upsetting time for me and my

then wife. It's a real challenge for many people, Hannah. It is. What

Kieran's interview shows is that there are still challenges. We have

come a long way, there wasn't anything like that group when I was

growing up and I am sure colleagues across the political spectrum, it

makes me proud that we have something like that in Livingston,

but it shows me how many young people there are out there and like

those who have e-mailed in who are still struggling. So it is about

visibility and role models, but it's also about having a more inclusive

society in general and saying we need to be more accepting. We cannot

lock people out of society because of their sexuality, their religion,

the colour of their skin, their disability, and continuing to push

those boundaries. Quick reaction from at least two out of three of

you. I can't ask our Conservative MP for his reaction to Theresa May

saying she will be leader of the Conservative Party into the next

general election, because he is a government whip. He is part of the

leadership office, so it might be unfair to put him on the spot. Let

me ask Hannah and Lloyd, as a Labour MP, what do you think of Theresa

May's comments? I say bring it on. She's a dead woman walking, as

Osborne said, and if she wants to run the Conservative Party until the

next election, I think people will make sure she is booted out. She has

flip-flopped on so many things, it is no surprise that she has changed

her mind on this. It seems she does not have the support of all of her

party. Grant Shapps' comments this morning were very telling. Time will

tell. Thank you all for coming on the programme.

Let's talk more now about Theresa May's future.

Katie Perrior, a former Press Secretary

I think Theresa May's position has not really changed. She's not going

to quit. She is in the middle of Brexit negotiations, so she needs to

show a strong hand. But if the Conservative Party at any time in

the future want to put forward other candidates, that is for them to do.

And if she is ask the question, are you going to lead the party into the

next general election, it is like asking the England manager if they

are going to win the next game. There are not many answers you can

give. You can avoid the question or you can address it head-on. When she

goes on a trip to Japan or any foreign trips, they are very well

scripted answers. They will know the media would want a response to the

Daily Mirror story last week, whereby they picked the date out of

thin air and said she would be leaving in August of when to 19. She

responded strongly to that and said there is no date planned for her to

leave. And there was no vacancy at the top of the Conservative Party.

Conservative MPs love to plot. It is a bit like an addiction to crack

cocaine, they can't get enough of it, but I don't think it will come

to much. I don't sense that there is any appetite to replace Theresa May.

Thank you very much. We will bring you the latest headlines in a

moment. Let me bring you this news from Texas. Two explosions have been

reported at a chemical plant. AFP are reporting this, a French news

agency. They say local emergency officials reported two explosions at

a flood of chemical plant in the Texas town of Crosby. At two a:m.,

we were notified of two explosions and black smoke coming from the

plant. As a precautionary measure, officials had already ordered the

evacuation of an area of three kilometres around organic peroxide

plant, which operators said was at risk of exploding due to a critical

issue triggered by Hurricane Harvey's torrential rains.

The area had already been evacuated, thank goodness, and the operators

new there was potentially the risk of an explosion because of those

torrential rains. Theresa May says she wants to leave

the Conservatives into the next general election, saying she's in it

for the long-term. Prime Minister is currently on a three-day visit to

Japan. Senior Conservatives including Boris Johnson have

publicly rallied behind her. Labour has accused her of deluding herself.

The former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has exclusively told

this programme she had to come out as gay after being

The MSP says when she asked for her quotes

on her sexuality not to be included, her request was ignored.

A law banning so-called legal highs in the UK is to be reviewed

by the Crown Prosecution Service, after the collapse of the first ever

contested cases under the new legislation.

Two separate trials of people accused of intending

to supply nitrous oxide - more commonly known as laughing gas

- at music festivals were stopped after the courts heard the drug

is exempt because it is used as a medicinal product.

A residential building has collapsed in a crowded part of Mumbai, killing

seven people. Rescuers searching for many more people.

The four-storey building gave way after two days

of heavy monsoon rains, which have already resulted

That's a summary of the latest BBC News.

It's the dreaded final day of the football transfer window

but there are plenty of deals that could still be concluded.

Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez has been given permission by Algeria

to leave the international camp and formalise a transfer.

Arsenal won't be the destination though, it's expected

Manchester City are reportedly chasing a deal for Alexis Sanchez.

They've had a bid of ?50 million rejected but could go back

in for him, with his contract at the Emirates finishing

Tottenham are expecting to complete the signing of Serge Aurier, that

had been held up due to permit convocations.

Maria Sharapova made it through to Round 3 at the US Open.

She came from a set down to beat Hungray's Timea Babos

in what's her frist major tournament since returning from

I will be back with more after 11 o'clock. Thank you very much.

The number of serious incidents involving ambulance patients has

An investigation by the BBC found these incidents include

an allegation of rape, a wheel falling off an ambulance

and the death of a patient after paramedics lost the keys

Let's talk to Jonathan Fox, a paramedic for more than 30 years,

years, now semi-retired, and Alan Lofthouse, a former

paramedic and the ambulance lead with the union Unison.

Why do you think these incidents are rising? We have seen a 30% increase

in demand an Ambulance Services, and that was, the same time as the

Government has only increased the funding by 15%. The main thing to

think about is these incidents RF, and they need to be looked into.

These are highly dedicated professional staff dealing with

emergency care, and lessons need to be learned and shared among other

staff. Jonathan Fox, how do you react to the nature of some of these

incident, the allegation of a patient being raped, paramedics

losing the keys to the vehicle? There is a human dynamic to this,

but I agree with your Unison colleague. The Ambulance Service is

responding to nearly 7 million calls a year, and thankfully these serious

incidents is a very small, but nevertheless they need to be

investigated. One thing you must remember is it is not on the

individual that the onus of responsibility is, but also a

corporate responsibility, and trusts end up being the recipients as well.

In terms of potentially trying to moderate or reduce the workload of

paramedics, is it simply down to money, recruiting more? The

Ambulance Service has become the default service as people struggle

to get appointments with GPs. They look to the Ambulance Service much

more, and mental health services are still being built. More ambulances

are needed, more staff, and we have a situation where it is pretty

intolerable out their family lets workers, and many are taking the

decision to leave and do other work. We need to do something to stem the

levers that are leaving the service. Thank you both very much.

Before the end of the programme we are going to talk about the final

day of the football transfer window and the massive amounts of money

swirling around, and maybe acknowledging that that is a good

thing for football and football supporters. Your views are welcome.

Now let's speak to the woman who's been on 77 first dates in two years

I don't know what she has been looking for.

How are you. What are you looking for? I'm good, thank you. What am I

looking for, good question. I would say someone with a good sense of

humour is a must, not someone that takes himself too seriously, because

clearly I don't. I also find ambition really attractive in men,

someone that in their work is ambitious but also in their personal

life, wants to try new things, go to new places, I could be with someone

who just says, I don't mind where we go, or just happy doing the same

thing. I would also say dress sense, nice dresser, that is important,

someone who takes pride in their appearance. And out of those 77

first dates, you haven't found somebody who is a little bit of all

of those? Not really. It is also a feeling that you get when you have a

first date and you are excited to see them again. I have been on

second and third dates, but it hasn't been passed that because I

haven't felt buttocks item at where I think it could go somewhere. I

feel for you, because you know we need go on a first date, you build

yourself up, you do your heroine make up, you think about what you're

going to wear. 77 times, you have done that! And you are still single.

Yes, when you put it like that! Let's imagine there is a swathe of

single young blokes watching you right now and thinking, OK, I don't

wear brown shoes, I might do for her. What are your top tips for

those guys watching right now? Just someone that wants to get to know

me, and... If someone wants to try something

new, a new place, or maybe an activity date. Where something nice,

a nice shirt, jeans, smart shoes, and just be yourself, really, I

think. It is always weird when someone says be yourself, because

you try, but we have lost her anyway. Be yourself.

Tonight, the most expensive football transfer window ever closes

as Premier League clubs splash the cash.

We'll be looking at the most eye-watering deals.

Is it time to acknowledge that the money in the game is now a good

thing? The government is being forced

to think again about a new law it brought in last year to ban

so-called legal highs. The law bans the production

or the sale of any substance that affects a person's mental state

or behaviour but in the first case of its kind a judge has ruled

that they can't do that. The case collapsed and now there's

to be a review by Crown prosecutors I'm joined in the studio

now by Mike Trace, a former deputy drugs tsar and chief

executive of the Forward Trust of Legal Services at Release,

the national centre Welcome to the programme. How do you

react first of all to this case collapsing? It is Kirsty. I beg your

pardon, I'm so sorry. We warned the Government when we were bringing in

the draft legislation that the ability to bring in a ban on

psychoactive substances was unworkable, so it is unsurprising.

And Nic Ede with the particular collapse of this case is it was to

do with nitrous oxide, which is laughing gas, which if you look at

the legislation actually says there is an exemption for medical use. As

Kirsty says, this could have been predicted. The Government were

trying to do something reasonable last year in trying to say we need

to encompass all categories of drugs in one legislation, but you then

have to write definitions of what you mean by psychoactive drugs, and

those are broad categories that are going to be challenged, and this is

the first challenge and succeeded in court. OK. So it makes you wonder

why the CPS brought the case, doesn't it? Absolutely, and

particularly in the most recent case yesterday, it was the prosecution's

own expert that agreed that nitrous oxide fell into medical exemption,

so it is surprising they didn't check that before going to court and

wasting time and resources. Does that mean there will have to be a

rewrite of the legislation? It is going to be very challenging to try

to ban so-called legal highs. Certainly a rethink is necessary,

but what that leads to, the Government will have to take it

forward. What they are trying to do with this act was get some control

over a market that had lots of different substances in it, new

substances being invented a weekly basis. What looks to have happened

is that their attempt to do that by including all psychoactive

substances under one single legislation is now called into

question. What they do about it obviously depends on what we want

the drug laws to achieve, and what we try to do is reduce the harm that

comes from drug use, particularly in terms of what we used to call legal

highs. There are overdoses, psychosis, and we want to minimise

the health harms that people have. Whether this law has achieved that,

we don't know, because there is no real clear evaluation, but certainly

doesn't seem to have stopped the problem from the perspective of us

treatment agencies, there Rhys Turner problem out there. So the

legislation so far has made no difference? They have achieved their

initial aim of closing down some of these retail outlets that were legal

last year. But it looks like the trade has gone underground and there

is still a trade, and my area of interest, which is people who were

marginalised from society, prisoners, homeless people, the

level of use seems to have gone up since last year. Kirsty, as you are

ahead of the national expertise on drug law, what is the impact from

your own experience of this legislation? None that we can see.

But we know that as well, that if we are looking at wider drug policy,

the Government themselves know that, they had their own investigation. So

it isn't just a young piece of legislation? No, it is the

Government's whole attitude to John policy. They had their own report in

2014, and came to their conclusion that there was no significant

correlation between the law enforcement approach that country

takes and the levels of use in that country. So if law enforcement is

causing harm by criminalising people and disproportionately affecting

black and ethnic minority communities, then those are wider

harms that are being caused without achieving the aimed that the

Government set out to do. So if you were in charge of drugs policy in

this country, what would your approach be? We need to have a

complete rethink. Meaning what? Looking at different models. The

first step would be to decriminalise personal possession of all drugs to

remove the harms of criminal records. And bring problematic drug

use into the public health sphere and look at recreational drug use in

terms of education and reducing the harms of that. When something is

illegal, then people don't access accurate advice and they also don't

go to treatment services because they are scared of being

criminalised. I'm reading a Home Office statement. Nitrous oxide is

covered by the psychoactive substances act and is illegal to

supply for its psychoactive effect. However the act provides an

exemption for medical products. Whether a substance is covered by

this is based on the circumstances of each individual case. And it goes

on to talk about the legislation, since the psychoactive substances

act came into force last you, over 300 retailers have either closed

down or are now no longer selling the stuff. Able have arrested the

suppliers, and action by the agency has based in the removal of UK-based

websites. It goes on, these dangerous trucks have already cost

far too many lives, and the act is sending out a clear message. This

Government will take whatever action is necessary to keep our families

and communities safe. You said they close down various retailers, but

the blaster using it. Yes, that is the dilemma for governments around

the world, you can close down shops and websites, but the fundamental

market still goes round. What we are trying to achieve his less harm from

that market, less people dying, less people having health problems

associated with their drug use. Those indicators will tell us

whether laws are helping or not. In the case of new psychoactive

substances, we know from our experience at Forward Trust the

people we deal with, prisoners, homeless, marginalised people, they

are getting access to these drugs at a greater rate than they ever have.

The other thing we worry about is purity and potency. One of the

indicators of harms is how pure or potent any drug use, whether it is

mephedrone, cannabis, the more pure and potent, the more likely harms

you will get. One of the real risks of taking a Criminal Justice Act

approach is you are creating... I apologise for interrupting, because

we are going to Japan where the Prime Minister Theresa May is

holding a news conference. TRANSLATION: We are now living in an

age of change and uncertainty. The international order founded on the

rule of law is faced with serious challenges in a variety of ways. In

this context, there is a growing importance of cooperation between

Japan and the UK, which are global strategic partners sharing basic

values like democracy, rule of law, human rights and so forth. North

Korea resorted to an outrageous act of launching a missile that flew

over our nation. This is an unprecedented and serious threat. We

do not tolerate the nuclear and missile development by North Korea.

Today, to increase our pressure on North Korea, we agreed with Prime

Minister May to strengthen the pressure and to that end to seek

China. Today, we issued our joint statement demonstrating our resolute

determination of our two nations, which is also an important outcome

of our discussion. Three today's talks, Prime Minister May and I

agreed to advance Anglo Japanese relations to a new stage, centred on

the areas of security, economy and global prosperity and growth. We

issued a joint vision statement on security cooperation and cooperation

for prosperity. Firstly on security, we as partners in maritime stability

agreed on elevating our security cooperation to a new height

including cooperation on ensuring a free and open in the Pacific Ocean.

This is of great significance for the peace and stability of the

world. I welcome Prime Minister May strengthening her engagement in the

Pacific region. Great Britain is an important player in the Asia

Pacific. Henceforward, we will be promoting cooperation in areas such

as joint exercise, defence equipment technology cooperation and support

for capacity building. In the area of counterterrorism and cyber

attacks, I confirm to have closer collaboration with Prime Minister

May. For the successful delivery of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020