06/11/2017 Victoria Derbyshire

Hello it's Monday, it's 9 o'clock,

I'm Victoria Derbyshire.

Welcome to the programme.

Our top story today -

at least 26 people have been killed

by a gunman in a Baptist Church

in the US state of Texas.

The tragedy is worsened by the fact

it took place in a church, a place

of worship, where these people

were innocently gunned down.

The suspect - 26-year-old

Devin Patrick Kelly -

was found dead nearby.

We'll get reaction

from eyewitnesses.

As the Westminster abuse scandal

continues to engulf politics...

a former Conservative Party activist

who informed the House of Commons

authorities of an alleged rape tells

this programme her complaints

were completely ignored.

I felt as if my experience

wasn't important.

And that the experiences of others

who have had similar

things happen to them

weren't important either.

We'll get reaction to that exclusive

story in around 15 minutes' time.

And the people who manage

the Queen's finances have

defended their investments,

following the revelation that some

of her wealth has been placed

in two offshore funds.

We'll bring you the details.

Hello, welcome to the programme.

We're live until 11:00am.

The Prime Minister Theresa May

is due to give a speech

in the next hour on Westminster

abuse and Brexit.

We'll bring it to you live.

We're really keen to hear your

thoughts on the unfolding

Westminster abuse scandal.

Is this a tipping point when it

comes to men in positions of power

across all industries and the way

they treat women and sometimes other

men. Is this a seminal moment in our

country where things really are

going to change, where the dinosaurs

will leave?

Do get in touch - use

the hashtag Victoria

live and if you text,

you will be charged

at the standard network rate.

Our top story today...

26 people, including several

children, have been killed

in the latest mass shooting incident

in the US.

The attack happened

at the First Baptist Church,

in the small town of

Sutherland Springs in Texas.

Authorities say the youngest

victim was just five years

old, the eldest was 72.

Our North America correspondent

Peter Bowes has more.

The scene of America's

latest mass shooting.

A tiny church in a Texas town.

A Sunday morning gathering that

turned into a massacre.

More than two dozen dead

and many more injured.

The ages of the victims

range from five to 72.

The motive of the

gunman is not known.

We are dealing with the largest mass

shooting in our state's history.

There are so many families who have

lost family members.

Fathers, mothers,

sons and daughters.

The tragedy, of course,

is worsened by the fact that it

occurred in a church,

a place of worship, where these

people were innocently gunned down.

The gunman fled the scene

and was later found

dead in his vehicle.

It is unclear whether he shot

himself or died of a gunshot wound

inflicted by a local resident

who pursued the suspect,

armed with his own rifle.

This close-knit community has been

left shattered and distraught.

Stay with us as we learn

to deal with this...

As people wait for news

of their loved ones,

many are overwhelmed by the scale

of the tragedy.

There's no words.

This happens in New York,

in big cities.

No-one is safe.

My dad has already taught

me how to get the gun

from the safe and load it.

If it can happen here,

it can happen anywhere.

President Trump, who

is on a tour of Asia,

condemned the shooting

as an act of evil.

Through the tears and through the

sadness, we stand strong, oh so

strong.

The shooting comes just over one

month after the deadliest mass

shooting in modern US history

when a gunman in Las Vegas

killed 58 people.

Now, another community has

joined the roll call.

More lives lost and more

families asking why us?

As they struggle with their grief.

More on that come throughout the

programme.

Now to the BBC Newsroom

with a summary of the rest

of the day's news.

The people who manage

the Queen's finances have

defended their investment practices

after the revelation that some

of her wealth has been placed

in two offshore funds.

It follows a huge new leak

of financial documents,

dubbed the "Paradise Papers",

revealing how the rich and powerful

invest their money in tax

havens around the world.

The BBC does not know

the source of the leak,

which contains more than 13 million

documents, mostly from one finance

firm based in Bermuda.

The vast majority of

transactions did not involve

any illegal activity.

Here's our economics

correspondent Andy Verity.

Bermuda.

Where the law firm at the heart

of the biggest leak

in offshore history,

Appleby, has its head office.

The Queen is the head of state

here but until now we did not know

that some of her private money

was invested in tax

havens like this one.

The Duchy of Lancaster,

the private investment

vehicle for the Queen,

put £10 million, a small fraction

of its overall investments,

in offshore funds with $7.5 million

of that in one fund

in the Cayman Islands.

In 2007, it was asked to put

£350,000 into investment projects

including the purchase

of two retailers.

One was the company that owned

Threshers that later went bust

owning £70 million in tax,

and the other was BrightHouse,

the controversial rent-to-own

retailer which was recently forced

to compensate a quarter

of a million customers.

I am pretty furious with those

who advise her and that are bringing

her reputation into disrepute.

It is so obvious that

if you are looking after the money

of the monarchy, you have got to be

cleaner than clean and you must

never go near the dirty world

of money laundering,

tax avoidance, tax evasion or making

money in dubious ways.

The Duchy told us that

all of the investments were fully

audited and legitimate.

The documents also reveal that

Donald Trump's commerce secretary,

Wilbur Ross, has business links

with Russian allies

of president Vladimir Putin.

Mr Ross has a secret stake

in a shipping company

called Navigator Holdings.

One of its major clients is Sibur,

a Russian energy company.

The associate of Vladimir Putin,

Gennady Timchenko, is a shareholder,

and sanctioned by the US

government in 2014.

Mr Ross told us none of the funds

he managed ever owned a majority

of Navigator shares and he never

met Gennady Timchenko.

More revelations are to come.

A former Conservative activist has

told this programme she was ignored

when she told the House of Commons

authorities she'd been raped

by a man who worked for a Tory MP.

The woman, whose identity

is being protected, told us

she was assured by Commons officials

that it would be "passed on"

to senior party figures -

but now says her report

was not taken seriously.

When you seen so much happen

and nothing happened

on all of those occasions as well,

it's arrogant to assume I would be

anything that stood out.

treated any differently,

that my claim would be

anything that stood out.

I'm a number, a name, not a person.

I'm just an allegation.

Probably one of many.

And there is no importance

attached to those.

It only becomes important

when it becomes a problem.

And it becomes a problem

when it is picked up by the media.

Meanwhile Theresa May will meet

the other political party leaders

today to discuss a new parliamentary

complaints system to deal

with allegations of sexual

misconduct by MPs.

The deputy prime minister,

Damian Green, will be interviewed

today as part of a Cabinet Office

investigation into claims that

pornography was found on a computer

in his parliamentary office.

He strenuously denies

all allegations against him.

A commuter train has derailed

at a station in south-west London.

British Transport Police

say around 250 people

were on board the service

from Basingstoke to Waterloo,

when it came partially off

the tracks at Wimbledon station just

after six o'clock this morning.

There are reports of

some minor injuries.

The children's commissioner has

called for more mental health

support for children in care -

saying there should be a presumption

that it is essential.

Anne Longfield told

the Victoria Derbyshire programme

that more should be done to help

children recover from

traumatic upbringings.

Almost half of those in the care

system have a diagnosable

mental health disorder,

and looked-after children

are four times more likely

to have a mental health condition.

A Saudi Arabian prince and several

other high-ranking officials have

been killed in a helicopter crash

close to the country's border

with Yemen, according to reports

on state media.

Prince Mansour bin Murqin

was a deputy governor,

and a son of the country's

former crown prince.

It's not yet known why

the aircraft crashed.

The deposed Catalan leader

Carles Puigdemont has been released

from custody by a judge in Belgium.

Mr Puigdemont and four

of his ministers surrendered

themselves to police

after the Spanish government issued

an EU-wide warrant for their arrest.

They've been told they are not

allowed to leave the country

and are expected to appear

at a Belgian court in

the next two weeks.

Police in Devon say they've made

a breakthrough in a twenty year

old murder investigation.

14-year-old Kate Bushell

was attacked as she walked her

neighbour's dog near her home

in Exeter in 1997.

Police now believe that her killer

may have been wearing bright

orange work overalls,

after discovering fibres

on her body and clothing.

Starting today, some NHS patients

will be able to access GP

consultations via video calls

on their smartphone 24 hours a day.

The Royal College of GPs is warning

that some patients could be left

behind and complex conditions

may be misdiagnosed.

But the team behind the project say

it will bring health consultations

into the 21st Century.

It's high time that NHS patients

were giving the opportunity to

benefit from technology to improve

access to health care. We have

benefited from this kind of

technology in so many different

aspects of our lives, whether be

shopping or banking, and it's time

we were able to do that in health

for NHS patients.

It's been described as one

of the biggest shocks in Strictly's

history as Aston Merrygold was voted

off the show last night.

Aston was one of the bookies'

favourites to win but the JLS star

and his dance partner

Janette Manrara failed to impress

the judges with their Jackson 5

inspired Viennese Waltz.

Judge Craig Revel-Horwood

only gave them a four.

I've had friends that have done this

show before and they have said, you

will have the most amount of fun

from start to finish and they

weren't lying. From this lady to

every single person in here, you can

your guys, yourself, Claudia, you

amazing lot I get to see and spend

so much time with and learn from and

make some amazing friends. Honestly,

I've had the best time and it's been

amazing.

That's a summary of the latest BBC

News - more at 9.30am.

A friend text me last night after

the results show saying she was

literally going to boycott watching

Strictly. I replied saying, I bet

you don't! This morning, do you

think the revelations about sexual

harassment, and you have told as it

happens in the NHS, taxi firms,

schools, offices and factories, and

we now know it happens at

Westminster. Do these revelations

represent a tipping point where

people in positions of power stop

abusing that privilege by harassing

those in less senior positions. Do

you genuinely think this will lead

to sweeping changes in how we all

behave?

Do get in touch with us

throughout the morning -

use the hashtag Victoria LIVE

and if you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate.

A tweet from Kathleen, sexual

harassment will not disappear. Not

much faith there.

Let's get some sport

with Kathryn Downes.

And Manchester City may be eight

points clear at the top

of the Premier League

after beating Arsenal but it's

Arsene Wenger's post-match comments

making the headlines.

What's he had to say?

We hear all kinds of excuses in

football. A couple of weeks ago we

heard Manchester city manager Pep

Guardiola blaming the ball for a bad

performance from his side. This one

is a little more standard, blaming

the referee. Arsene Wenger having a

go at the officials after the match

yesterday, saying he feels the

referees do not work enough. The

level drops every season at the

moment and overall it is not

acceptable. This after his side were

beaten 3-1 by Manchester City,

dropping down to sixth in the

Premier League. He was grumpy about

this challenge on Raheem Sterling,

when he claimed Sterling dived.

Replays showed he was pretty much

ploughed into. The third goal for

Manchester City, where replays show,

it looked offside. Even the City

players looked surprised to be

allowed to play on. We have was the

result with Arsene Wenger not happy

at all about the officiating. This

is what he had to say.

I believe it

was no penalty. It was a provoked

penalty by Sterling. We know he

dives well, he does that very well.

And the third goal was offside. I am

very upset because at 2-1 we were in

the game and looks like we could

score. We had many dangerous

situations.

That third city was

offside, but Alan Shearer was strong

in his criticism of Arsene Wenger,

saying it is unacceptable to pick up

one player like Raheem Sterling, and

that he owes him an apology.

To

deflect from his team's inadequacies

and deficiencies, it's another want

to question somebody's integrity and

be run. He owes Raheem Sterling an

apology. No way that a dive, and it

was a penalty.

Whether or not Arsene

Wenger apologises to Raheem

Sterling, we will have to wait and

see. Managers can be fined for

speaking out against referees and

officials. Jose Mourinho had a

couple of times last season after

being outspoken against refereeing

mistakes, as he saw them. But it

seems the stakes are so high in the

Premier League that managers can't

keep a lid on their frustration. And

the fines do not match the salaries

they earn so they make no impact

whatsoever.

A former Conservative Party activist

has told this programme she reported

an alleged rape to House of Commons

authorities but was completely

ignored and left feeling worthless.

She says she told the Commons clerk

a "toxic, heavy drinking and sex

driven culture within Westminster"

had contributed to the alleged

attack, which "destroyed" her.

In an exclusive interview, Amanda -

whose name has been changed

to protect identities -

says she was raped by someone

who worked for a Conservative MP.

After it was reported to police

and due to go to trial she spoke

to the House of Commons Clerk

and says she was told her concerns

about the culture and the alleged

rape itself would be passed

to the then Chief Whip,

Gavin Williamson,

who is now the Defence Secretary

and Andrea Leadsom,

the Leader of the House of Commons.

The Commons Clerk says he did not

formally report the rape allegation

as there was already

a criminal case under way.

But he did pass on her

general concerns.

Both MPs say they were not told

about the allegation of rape,

but Andrea Leadsom admits

she was told about concerns over

the culture at Westminster.

Catrin Nye has this

exclusive report.

I was raped by someone senior to me

in the Conservative Party.

It was violent, it wasn't

in Westminster, and it

shouldn't have happened.

And I remember the attack,

during the attack, I remember

the room disappearing around me

and thinking I was going to die.

When he left the next

day, I was at a police

station within an hour.

And I reported it.

It's destroyed me.

And I question how I could be

so stupid as to get into that

political scene, and I blame myself

for doing so because it led

to what happened to me.

If I hadn't have got

into that scene, I wouldn't

have been attacked.

It's as simple as that.

The criminal case progressed

and was due to go to trial.

Amanda, whose name we've changed

to protect the identity of both

parties, says she decided she wanted

to talk to Commons officials

about her alleged rape and how

she felt the culture of Westminster

contributed to it.

We've confirmed that she had

a 25 minute conversation

with the House of Commons clerk.

Parliamentary authorities let me

know that they were passing it

on to the Chief Whip,

who was Gavin Williamson at that

time, and the leader

of the House, Andrea Leadsom.

But that was never followed up.

As Chief Whip, Gavin Williamson

was in charge of the conduct of MPs,

and Andrea Leadsom was in charge

of the day-to-day

workings of the Commons.

Amanda says she left that

conversation believing she had

secured a meeting with them.

Gavin Williamson has since been

promoted to Defence Secretary,

and Andrea Leadsom has since said

parliament would take a

zero-tolerance approach

to allegations of sexual misconduct.

The clerk of the House of Commons

refused to tell us who he spoke

to about what he'd been told,

but did say that Amanda's views

on the culture in Parliament only

were informally reported onwards

and were acted on, though no-one

will tell us how exactly

it was acted on and Amanda

was not told either.

We've confirmed that

concerns about the culture

were passed to Andrea Leadsom,

but both Leadsom and Williamson

insisted they were not told

about the rape claims.

Senior Conservatives say they're

shocked the allegations did not

reach the Chief Whip's office.

I never received contact

from either of them.

The Parliamentary authorities never

followed it up with me either.

I've heard nothing.

How did that make you feel?

I felt as if my experience wasn't

important, and that the experiences

of others who had had similar things

happen to them weren't

important either.

And how do you feel about

the culture in Westminster now?

It's toxic.

It is not a place I would advise any

young, particularly young women,

but young people as a whole

to get into.

Can you tell me more

about the culture, what it's like?

Heavy drinking, sex driven.

Very much...

self-interested.

I've lost count of the number

of women that I have seen plied

with drink to the point

that they couldn't stand up,

and then being escorted out of bars

by senior staffers and MPs.

I've lost count, and people

don't bat an eyelid.

Women are meat.

New intern, new meat.

You really think it's that bad?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I don't think it's that bad,

I know it's that bad.

You don't realise until you get out

quite how bad it was,

and it's only now looking back

into that environment that

I can see those things.

I'm pretty sure there are those

who are still within it

who don't see these problems.

So did you think it was

normal at the time?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I've had men

stick their hands up my skirt,

I've had men ply me with so much

drink, again, that

I couldn't stand up.

I was party to all that.

I, in fact, at one point I saw it

happen to other women,

and I just accepted it as normal.

Do you think they care

about the reputation,

about what these kinds

of allegations do to

the reputation of Parliament?

Only if they hit the press.

Only if they're picked up

by the media and attract attention.

But allegations in themselves,

they can be brushed under

the carpet, they can be ignored.

Amanda is also critical

of Theresa May.

I don't think women in politics get

where they are by serving

the interests of other women.

I think...

particularly within the Conservative

Party that rings true.

We've had two female

prime ministers -

that should tell that,

you know, politics is still a very

male-driven space and in order

to succeed you have to act

like a man and push feminine

interests aside, and particularly

anything with feminism

within the Conservative Party,

anything tainted with the name

feminist or similar is met

with mockery and contempt.

The man Amanda had accused of rape,

who was not an MP, strongly

denied the allegation,

and the case was eventually dropped

after a review of the evidence.

But when she told the Parliamentary

authorities about it,

and her concerns about the culture,

the case was due to go to trial,

and she says she was ignored,

despite their obvious seriousness.

Why didn't you do something?

Why?

Not surprised in the slightest.

I'm resigned to the fact that

nobody does anything

about these things now.

You must be disappointed?

Yeah.

Well, a bit, but when you've seen

so much happen and nothing happen on

all of those occasions as well, it's

arrogant to assume that I would be

treated any differently,

that my claim would be

anything that stood out.

I'm a number, a name, not a person.

I'm just an allegation,

probably one of many.

And there's no importance

attached to those.

It only becomes important

when it becomes a problem,

and it becomes a problem when it's

picked up by the media,

when somebody stands up

for the people that these things

have happened to.

What do you hope's going to happen

as a result of you speaking to us?

I would hope that a code

of conduct is introduced,

and a no-tolerance policy equally

introduced to monitor

the behaviour of all individuals

working in Parliament,

regardless of their status.

I would also like to hope

that the licensing requirements

are reviewed in the bars

on the Parliamentary estate,

and that consent workshops

are compulsory for anybody

in employment within

Parliament, MP or staffer.

It sounds petty, it sounds

like very, very small actions,

but the fact that this has happened

for so long, these small

actions need to be taken,

and their needs to be a no-tolerance

policy, and any allegation

that is made has to be properly

investigated and treated

as a serious, serious offence.

Andrew says a deeply powerful story.

Mummy says, "This story is

heartbreaking. Sort it out

Westminster." A number of you asked

why the woman didn't go to the

police. She did. It was as it was

proceeding and she went to the House

of Commons clerk and the case was

dropped.

Let's get reaction to that story

from Conservative MP, Mims Davies,

who is the chair of the all-party

Parliamentary group

for Women in Parliament.

And Labour MP, Rupa Huq,

who says she was sexually harassed

by an MEP when she was in her 20s.

Mims, how do you react to the fact

that an alleged rape was brought to

the attention of the Parliamentary

authorities as it was proceeding to

a criminal trial, but seemingly no

action was taken?

Well, first of all

I'm so sorry to hear this experience

of someone who in politics who hoped

to have a good experience by getting

involved with the party. Obviously

there is an issue here with it being

off the Parliamentary estate and

what was reported to the House

authorities. But the reality is, if

this is endemic as an underlying

culture, then certainly what has

been coming to the fore over the

last couple of weeks, we absolutely

need to deal with so that victims or

people who were concerned about any

behaviour of anybody who works for

the House of Commons, any experience

within Parliament, that they feel

there is due process to go through.

I'm delighted about the code of

conduct that we have all

Conservatives in fact, I raised a

ten minute rule Bill seven months

ago about enshrining the noble

principles for councillors and I

would like to see that culture going

cross party and I now Rupa across

the weekend on different news

programmes saying there is a lot of

good in Parliament as well and we

need to make sure that's what people

see rather than what appears to be

unpleasant behaviour, but it is not

my experience of being part of the

Conservative Party. It has been a

positive experience being an MP, but

it appears that some staffers and

some people being involved in all

parties, are having very unpleasant

experiences and our party is

certainly not the only party that

needs to be really looking at itself

and all the procedures around it.

Is

it conceivable to you that a 25

minute conversation of this nature,

between this woman, and the clerk of

the House of Commons, involving a

rape allegation against a man who

worked for a Conservative MP would

not be passed on to the Chief Whip

or Leader of the House of Commons?

My understanding of the difficulty

is this happened off the

Parliamentary estate and because

there were legal proceedings already

happening. Obviously, Gavin

Williamson and Andrea Leadsom were

mentioned in the piece that we just

heard. My experience of them in

their roles has been very much

taking their responsibilities on the

Parliamentary estate incredibly

seriously. Now, if there is a

disconnect between what happens off

the Parliamentary estate and on,

that's what we need to be dealing

with and as I say, this lady who has

come forward, with such a powerful

story, we applaud her for what she

has done and we have to learn all

the lessons cross party from all

these brave women who are coming

forward and showing that their

experience of politics is not a very

good one.

The clerk says he didn't

formerly report to Andrea Leadsom

and Gavin William and there was a

rape allegation because the clerk

says there was a criminal case

proceeding. He refused to tell us

who he did speak to about what he

had been told, saying only that

Amanda's allegations were informally

reported onwards and were acted on.

No one can tell us exactly how it

was acted on and Amanda wasn't told

either. Why do you think that would

be?

I'm sorry, Victoria, I just

can't tell you.

Could it be because

nothing was done?

I don't believe so

because I have a spent several

conversations this weekend with our

new Chief Whip who is going through

every issue relating to an MP and

making sure that the code of on duct

and the proper procedures are put in

place. We have got the Prime

Minister meeting with other leaders

today. So, I don't believe that the

culture that we are moving forward

to, we would ever have that

experience, but I don't know what

happened in this situation. My

understanding is if the drinking

culture is reported, that should be

dealt with. I certainly, as I say,

Andrea and Gavin, I have been a new

MP since 2015, himself issues that I

have been concerned about, I have

always had good responses from both

of those people. There must be a

disconnect there somewhere.

Now, the

Defence Secretary and now the Chief

Whip, who says we can confirm the

rape allegation was never reported

to the then Chief Whip. If it was,

we would have taken that allegation

serious and referred to the police.

On the Parliamentary estate if there

is already legal proceedings going

on, that is the difficulty here. But

that doesn't help that young lady.

Andrea Leadsom confirmed she was

told about the complaints regarding

culture, but not the rape

allegations. But again, nothing

seems to have been done?

She described a toxic heavy drinking

culture.

These quotes, heavy

drinking, sex driven, very much self

interested. I've lost count of the

amount of women I have seen plied

with drink to the point where they

couldn't stand up, and then being

escorted out of bars by senior

staffers and MPs. Women are meat.

Newington, new meat. -- new intern.

The way she has described that,

that's grotesque.

My experience,

having come through the conservative

women's organisation is absolutely a

very respectful and positive culture

within the Conservative Party more

broadly. I came to Parliament in

2015, the first time I had ever come

other than a morning shadowing

another MP. My experience has been

wholly positive. I have been very

clear in this role, both as a

constituency MP and in the all-party

group, that I want Westminster to be

a welcoming and positive place for

women to succeed. Clearly

historically that is a very

different experience to the one I

have had and am currently having,

but it doesn't mean we can't do

something about that perception.

Every week in our constituency

surgeries, where processes have gone

wrong and people have been let down,

MPs are doing the best for their

constituents. We need to be seen to

be doing this in Parliament. On the

whole, many of us do great work and

this is very damning. It's a

terrible scourge.

Rupa Huq, Labour

MP, you were sexually harassed as a

student by a male NEP at the

European Parliament in 1995. Do you

think this is now a turning point in

the way people in positions of power

across Westminster and across all

sectors behave?

I do. I think the

dam has been broken, the genie has

come out of the bottle, whichever

expression you want to use. About a

week ago we were talking about the

sex toy minister. That's not the

title of the Minister we were

talking about. We have had

revelations of all this time and my

worry was we would get something to

patch up the crisis, a one off. But

now there has to be something

systematic to deal with these

processes that are not there at the

moment. I do think it's a turning

point. We saw it with expenses.

There are a lot of regulations about

financial impropriety but nothing

really about sexual misconduct, and

I think the time has come because of

all the stuff we have seen.

The

Prime Minister will meet leaders of

all Westminster parties in the House

of Commons this evening. What

proposals would you like to see

introduced?

The case with Amanda is

gut-wrenching and stomach churning

me awful, what happened to her. I

would like to say it's completely

shocking, but in the last week we

have seen things that it's turning

into something unshockable. The Bex

Bailey case for incidents. There is

no real place to report this. There

are several Commons clerks, I not

clear who it is, so who is this

person? And if it is off the

premises, there is no clear chain of

command to how to report this. We

the and independent body. Somebody

not connected to the House of

Commons or to any of the parties. --

we need an independent body.

Could

the committee of standards in Public

life extend its remit? Is that a

credible body?

That committee is

about selflessness, the Nolan

principles and financial stuff.

Apparently in 2012 there was a code

of conduct that was vetoed by the

whips. The culture of the whips, and

these mysterious terms to people on

the outside, Chief Whip, if you're

not in the system you don't know

what this means. Their job is to

shore up their own party. That's why

there has been such reluctance. We

need something independent and rules

for them to uphold. At the moment

the rules are lax, if nonexistent.

There is no sexual harassment

policy, no HR in the House of

Commons.

What about consent classes

for MPs and those who work for them?

I think all these things should

hinge on consent. What happened to

me 22 years ago, the case of a male

NEP with wandering hands, putting

them somewhere I didn't want them. I

rebuffed him and that was the end of

it. It left me startled more than

anything else.

What was he thinking?

This person is not very tall

good-looking, but he had power

because he was an MEP. You have

these massively asymmetrical power

relations wherever there is politics

because it's an insecure working

environment where loads of people

want to get into. It's the same as

any zero hours working culture where

people want to get on so they don't

speak out. And women don't like

speaking out, because to bring a

prosecution, the body of evidence

you need, the witness statements,

and for Amanda it must be traumatic

to be reliving all of that. He was

probably thinking... I can't imagine

I was the only person he was doing

that too. There are lots of interns

continually arriving at Strasbourg.

One person has tweeted, it's about

time the police were stopped.

Another says get rid of the

Westminster bar subsidy and use it

for an HR department. Mahamat says

he finds it difficult to believe

nobody in the Conservatives or

Labour knew about it. Really

interesting to know if this will

change things across all

professions, jobs and sectors. Thank

you to Rupa Huq, thank you for your

time.

Still to come:

The Prime Minister

Theresa May is due to give a speech

in around 15 minutes' time

where she'll talk about Westminster

abuse and life after Brexit -

we'll bring it to you live.

Plus, we'll look at the Queen's

finances following that huge leak

of financial documents

which is being called

the paradise papers.

Time for the latest

news - here's Annita.

26 people, including several

children have been killed in a

shooting in a church service in

Texas. The attack happened at the

first Baptist Church in the small

town of Sutherland Springs.

Authorities say the youngest victim

was five years old, the eldest was

72. Police found the suspect dead in

his car. There is currently no

indication as to his motive.

The people who manage

the Queen's finances have

defended their investment practices

after the revelation that some

of her wealth has been placed

in two offshore funds.

It follows a huge new leak

of financial documents,

dubbed the "Paradise Papers",

revealing how the rich and powerful

invest their money in tax

havens around the world.

The BBC does not know

the source of the leak,

which contains more than 13 million

documents, mostly from one finance

firm based in Bermuda.

A former Conservative activist has

told this programme she was ignored

when she told the House of Commons

authorities she'd been raped

by a man who worked for a Tory MP.

The woman, whose identity

is being protected, told us

she was assured by Commons officials

that it would be "passed on"

to senior party figures -

but now says her report was not

taken seriously.

That's a summary of

the latest BBC News.

Here's some sport now

with Kathryn Downes.

Here are the sports headlines.

Arsene Wenger has accused Raheem

Sterling of diving and says the

refereeing in the Premier League is

getting worse by the season. Arsenal

lost 3-1 to Manchester city, who are

now eight points clear at the top of

the table. Chelsea beat Manchester

United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, Jose

Mourinho on the losing side as he

returns to his former club.

Kilmarnock chalked up a much-needed

victory in the Scottish Premiership,

beating Hearts under new manager

Steve Clark, taking them out of the

relegation zone. Justin Rose is

making a late bid to finish the year

as Europe's number one golfer.

Victory in Turkey gave him

back-to-back wins and he is closing

in on Tommy Fleetwood at the top of

the standings.

The people who manage

the Queen's finances have

defended their investment practices

after the revelation that some

of her wealth has been placed

in two offshore funds.

The Duchy of Lancaster,

which provides the Queen

with an income, held funds

in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.

Here's how it works.

A small amount of the Queen's money

went into a buy-to-rent retailer

called BrightHouse -

a company which has been criticised

for irresponsible lending.

Last month, the UK's financial

regulator said BrightHouse,

which sells electrical goods

and furniture predominantly

to people on lower incomes

via weekly installments,

had not acted as a "responsible

lender" and ordered it to pay

£15 million compensation

to 249,000 customers.

Last year, in an exclusive

report for this programme,

the former Labour leader Ed Miliband

called for better regulation

on buy-to-rent firms

such as BrightHouse.

BrightHouse have 300

stores across the country,

often in the poorest areas.

One of them is in Doncaster,

my constituency.

I'm concerned that BrightHouse has

taken advantage of people

on benefits and working

on low incomes.

But in the course of our

investigation, I have been really

shocked to find BrightHouse

is selling to people

with mental health problems

and learning disabilities.

Paul, not his real name,

he asked us to hide his identity.

He has learning difficulties

and mental health problems.

You are a customer of BrightHouse?

Yes.

And do you want to just tell me,

from the receipts, what you owe

them, and what goods

you have with them?

That's that.

That's the sofa?

Yeah.

Telly, CD.

So you have on this

receipt, five items.

How have you ended up with that

number of items, do you think?

You must have started off with one?

I started off with one.

I don't know how it works,

I really don't know.

The disclosure is among the first

from a leak of millions

of confidential documents relating

to investments made

through tax havens by wealthy

individuals and companies.

They've been dubbed

"The Paradise Papers".

They were obtained by

the German newspaper

Suddeutsche Zeitung and shared

with the International Consortium

of Investigative Journalists -

including the BBC's

Panorama programme.

David McClure is with us

in the studio this morning -

he's author of Royal Legacy,

an investigation into

the royal finances.

And with us on webcam

is Richard Brooks -

a former tax inspector at HMRC

an author of The Great Tax Robbery.

And we can speak to Jo Galazka,

whose family had years

of bad experiences with

the rent-to-own company BrightHouse.

Wee mate interrupts this

conversation if the Prime Minister

begins her speech at the CBI's

annual conference. -- we might

interrupt. Why is it controversial

that the Queen's private estate

invested £10 million in offshore tax

havens?

I think the controversy is

over what these tax havens do, and

as the report said, there is no

evidence of direct tax avoidance by

the Duchy of Lancaster, the Queen's

fund. But the money has gone through

the Cayman Islands, which is

associated with secrecy, which is

involved in tax avoidance by other

companies with corruption, tax

evasion, and it's not the place the

Queen's advisers should be putting

her money.

If there is no tax

advantage for her doing it there,

why do it there?

I think there are

other marginal regulation type

advantages for the funds involved.

These tax havens do not just

specialise in tax avoidance, they

also offer light regulation that

appeals to fund management

industries. That's why the money is

there in the first place. It's not

really a tax issue in this case.

Would the Queen know where the money

is going?

It's extremely unlikely.

She does not have hands-on control

of the Duchy. That's done by the

Council, and below that there is a

series of about 18 fully employed

officials of the Duchy. She would

not know of the individual

investments going on.

Why would all

those expert people think it

appropriate for the British Monarch

to invest money in offshore tax

havens?

Well that's a very good question.

Someone should have looked at it

more closely. Does this look bad?

Nothing illegal has happened. It

damaged the brand. Someone should

have said, "Hey, why are we

investing in these funds?"

It seems

inconceivable that no one said that.

You would like sensible people would

say, "What would this look like to

the British public if it ever came

out?

Maybe they thought it would

never come out.

Jo, your family's

experiences as a BrightHouse

customer?

My family, we have had a

number of goods and items from

BrightHouse and we are one of the

families that Ed Miliband referred

to, that have been exploited. My mum

has got severe mental health

problems and yes, she has been

completely exploited by BrightHouse

and it resulted in goods being

returned, despite her paying

hundreds of pounds for them. Even a

sofa being taken away. It is a

scandal and I'm really disappointed

to see that the Royal Family have

shares in such a company like

BrightHouse.

They don't have shares in

BrightHouse, but they invested in a

company that has links with

BrightHouse. What do you think of

that?

I'm truly horrified because

you know what does it say to

families like mine and you know

people in this country who have got

mental health problems who have been

exploited by BrightHouse. Has it

given it the green light and the

go-ahead to practise practises like

that.

BrightHouse says it provides

services to millions of British

people who are unable to access

traditional lines of credit.

I would

have to disagree with that. With my

mum, they were constantly harassing

her, asking her, do you want

ad-ones, do you need this? It is

coming up to Christmas, the children

may want a games console, they may

want a lap toop and as far as I am

concerned, they ex-plotted my mum.

She is on benefits and clearly can't

afford the repayments and at one

time she was paying up to £50 a week

in repayments. So tell me how that

is responsible? I disagree with that

and they're going to say that, but

families like mine are the tip of

the iceberg, there is much more if

we scratch below the surface.

Do you

know if your mum will be entitled to

any of the compensation?

She is has

made contact and they said they

would be in touch by the end of the

year. Yes, she does qualify as one

of those people.

David, it was a relatively small

amount of money from the Queen's

private estate, just over £3,000

that ended up in the company behind

BrightHouse. Does the amount of

money matter?

It doesn't matter.

It's a small sum, but it looks bad.

It damages the brand. And someone

should have seen that this it would

cause embarrassment. So, it's a

small amount, but the individual

amount is small, but there is about

£10 million invested overall in the

off-shore tax havens so it is part

of a much bigger sum.

Do you think

it will lead to greater transparency

and inn what the duchy does with the

Queen's money?

I think it will add

to the pressure for Parliament to

try to impose greater scrutiny over

how the duchy is run. In the past,

they have, they have there have been

a few odd Parliamentary Committees

that looked into, but they have not

got a handle on how the money is

spent.

Richard, is it possible tond

tax havens?

It's difficult. I mean,

the process is beginning, very, very

slowly, but you know the irony is

that we are all, tend to be agreeing

that the Queen's money should not

have been put into a tax haven.

I'm

going to interrupt you, sorry. The

Prime Minister, Theresa May, is on

stage at the CBI conference. Let's

listen to what she has to say.

It is a pleasure to be with you

today. Last year I spoke to you

about my belief in a well regulated

free-market economy. I said it was

the very best way to spread

opportunity, and lift people out of

poverty. We should never under

estimate the immense value and

potential of open, innovative,

free-market economies when they

operate under the right rules and

regulations. Around the world, over

the last century, it has been those

countries with well functioning free

markets which have enjoyed the

greatest economic, social and

technological advancements. At its

best when a free and open market

place is combined request the rule

of law, individual freedom, equality

and Human Rights, in a

representative democracy, great

things are possible. People live

longer and more secure lives. They

have the freedom and the means to

fulfil their ambitions and make the

most of their potential. To bring up

their families, care for one another

and give something back to their

local communities and to wider

society.

And I believe that the approach I

set out to this gathering last year,

for a more co-operative partnership

between business and government, is

the right one to build the even

stronger economy we all want to see.

An economy fit fort future. Ready

for the next decade, delivering

greater opportunity and prosperity

right across the country. I believe

that the opportunities ahead for our

country are enormous. And the

Government I lead is determined to

support British business in making

the most of them. Over the last 12

months, I've led trade delegations

to India and Japan. I'm always

hugely impressed by the businesses

and entrepreneurs I take on these

trade trips with me and who I meet

week in and week out and I'm

immensely proud of what they have to

offer international investors. Last

year, Britain enjoyed record levels

of foreign direct investment. Across

the UK, we have seen Toyota announce

a £240 million upgrade to their car

plant in Derbyshire and BMW announce

they will build a fully electric

version of the Mini in Oxford, the

train manufacturer is expected to

create 200 skilled jobs in its new

factory following a £30 million

investment, with the support from

the Department of Trade, Elite in

Enniskillen won contracts worth over

£4.5 million and bus manufacturer t

secured a £44 million deal toks port

double-deckers to Mexico City.

Supporting hundreds of jobs in

Falkirk and Guildford. Here in

London, Google will open a new

London office with £1 billion of

investment. As we celebrate this

good news, we should keep in mind

what it all really means. It is not

simply numbers on a balance sheet,

but an investment in people's

livelihoods, and the economic

security of families across Britain.

It is a vote of confidence in the

UK, in our talents, our skills, and

our infrastructure, and our ideas.

And the reason we want a strong and

thriving economy and successful

businesses is because we want to

help more people to lead full and

happy lives with good quality jobs,

and rising living standards. To

build a country that works for

everyone, and an economy that is fit

for the future. For the last decade,

the biggest economic challenge

facing the Government has been

dealing with the consequences of the

financial crash, and the great

recession which followed it. Thanks

to the innovation and the

entrepreneurship of British

business, the hard work and

sacrifice of the British people and

the Government's clear economic plan

that situation has now been

transformed. The deficit has been

cut by over two-thirds, and the

economy has grown for 19 consecutive

quarters. Since 2010, over three

million more people now have the

security of a job. There are nearly

one million fewer workless

households. 3.4 million new

apprenticeships have begun. Income

equality is at its lowest level

since 1986. And the number of people

living in absolute poverty is at a

record low. British businesses, and

indeed, the CBI itself, can take

their share of credit for what

Britain has achieved in the years

since the financial crisis. But our

job now is to look to the future. If

the last ten years have seen us

weathering the storm of the

financial crisis, and rebuilding our

fiscal and economic position, the

next ten years must see the

beginning of a new chapter in the

story of the British economy.

Because for all our progress there

is still a long way to go. So today,

I want to talk about my vision for

the stronger, fairer, and better

balanced economy we need to build in

the years ahead. The Conservative

Government's plan to deliver this is

very clear - we will get the best

Brexit deal for our country.

Guaranteeing the greatest possible

access to European markets, boosting

free trade across the world, and

delivering control over our borders,

laws and money. We will take a

balanced approach to government

spending, ensuring debt is falling

and at the same time, investing in

our key public services, and keeping

taxes low. We will help businesses

to create more good jobs across the

country, with a modern industry

strategy that invests in the skills,

industries and infrastructure of the

future. We will build the homes our

country needs. Sew everyone can

afford a place to call their own and

all the security that brings.

We will carry on improving standards

in our schools and colleges, so our

young people can get on in life. We

will back the innovators and wealth

creators who deliver growth, jobs

and lower prices, and greater

choices for consumers and step in if

businesses don't play by the rules.

And we will work tirelessly to

tackle the injustices that hold

people back from achieving their

true potential. By following this

plan, a balanced approach to public

spending, the best Brexit deal for

Britain, and active industrial

strategy, more homes, higher

standards in our schools, backing

innovation and wealth creation and

fighting tirelessly against

injustice, we can create a country

with a stronger economy, and a

fairer, more caring society. One

that will guarantee a better future

for the next generation. Central to

this plan is our modern industrial

strategy. The Government will be

publishing our industrial strategy

White Paper later this month and we

will speak in more detail about it

then. But let me just set out today

some of the underlying principles

which are driving our work. For a

free-market economy to succeed in

delivering economic and social

progress for everyone, the

Government has a vital role to play.

That starts by setting the right

rules, and making sure they are

adhered to. And some say it's role

should end there too. But I believe

the proper role of government goes

beyond that. Through how it invests

public funds, how it provides an

education system for the next

generation, how it commits to

long-term goals and how it supports

business, people and places, a

strategic state has a major

influence on the economy. In

exerting that influence, governments

must inevitably make choices and in

a democracy, be held to account for

them. The choice which this

government makes is to deploy this

influence in a thought through way,

taking decisions for the long-term

because while the power and

potential of the market is immense,

I also strongly believe in the good

that government can do.

We've already seen this approach

work for one sector of the economy,

the financial services sector. Over

decades, governments of all parties,

pursued the aim of making the UK the

world's centre for financial

services. They worked with business

to set a clear, long-term framework

for the sector to succeed and it now

accounts for 7.2% of the British

economy. It contributes over £70

billion to the exchequer annually

and employs over one million people

across the UK. Here in London, yes,

but also in Edinburgh, Cardiff,

Bournemouth, Leeds and in other

towns and cities.

And when the regulatory structures

governments put in place fail, and

the irresponsible practises of a

minority damage the economy as a

whole, as happened during the

financial crisis, government has a

duty to step in. When British banks

suffered during that crisis,

government did not turn its back on

the sector wasting decades of effort

and forfeiting our global position,

instead we were steadfast in our

commitment to fixing things and

making the sector even stronger than

before. Government worked to create

a more stable and defective

regulatory framework and in doing

so, strengthened resilience and

reputation of the UK's financial

sector and contributed to the

strengthening of the global

financial system. This has been a

success story for Britain and that

success has been enabled by

strategic support from government.

And a long-term commitment from

Conservative, and a previous

generation of Labour politicians to

provide certainty and follow

through. That model, a strategic

long-term partnership between

government and a vital sector,

effective and evolving regulatory

frameworks and incentives, has led

to global pre-eminence for the UK.

Good quality jobs across the

country, and tax revenue to fund

vital public services like schools

and hospitals. By setting the right

frameworks, and investing in skills

and infrastructure, we can help

broaden our economic base. Build a

more balanced economy, and make

Britain a true global leader. Of

course, we cannot and we will not

try to make a plan for every corner

of our economy. We believe in the

free-market and won't attempt to

shield the economy from market

forces. So we will have to make

strategic decisions about whether

government can and where it cannot

best support key sectors of our

economy. Such an approach avoids the

failed state interventionism of the

1970s. But it also learns from the

past failures of governments to give

sectors and places across the

country the long-term support they

need to cope with economic change

and compete in a changing glopeble

market place.

As we take the industrial strategy

forward, I want the CBI and

businesses represented here to work

as local enterprise partnerships and

elected mayors to ensure all parts

of our country benefit. Our approach

to industrial strategy reflects our

ambitions for the British economy as

we leave the European Union. A more

productive, dynamic, innovative

world leading economy, which

embraces technological change and is

globally focused. In my Florence

speech in September, I made a

generous offer to our European

partners. I am pleased EU leaders

responded to it positively. The

council acknowledged the progress we

have made and called for a further

acceleration. Since I spoke in

Florence, I am pleased there has

been further progress on citizens

rights, including an agreement on

reciprocal health care and pensions

and further alignment on a range of

social security rights. Our EU

negotiating team is now preparing

for the next phase. I particularly

welcome the beginning of internal

discussions among the EU 27 about

their position on our future

relationship and the implementation

period. When sufficient progress has

been agreed, we want to move as

quickly as possible on both of these

issues. Throughout this process, I

have been determined to give

business and industry as much

certainty as possible. Achieving

that maximum certainty was the first

objective I sat in my Lancaster

house speech in January. It has

remained fundamental to our

negotiations to date. We want to

forge an ambitious economic

partnership out of the single market

but with a new balance of rights and

responsibilities between us and the

European Union. One which respects

the freedoms and principles of the

EU, and the wishes of the British

people. We should be excited by the

possibilities which this new

relationship presents for the

future. Just as we are realistic in

acknowledging that it will take time

to finalise. I have made clear that

a strictly time-limited

implementation period will be

crucial to our future success. I

know how important it is for

business and industry not to face a

cliff edge and to have the time it

needs to plan and prepare for new

arrangements. During this period,

our access to one another's market

should continue on current terms,

and I want us to agree a detailed

arrangements for the period as early

as possible. But we should also be

able to develop our relationships

with countries outside the EU in new

ways, including through our own

trade negotiations throughout the

world. And that world is changing in

profound ways. The technologies

which are emerging today will have

as profound an impact on our economy

and lives in the 2020 Horrell and

2030s is the Internet and smart

technology have over the last 20

years. Britain is already a world

leader in a number of fields. The UK

is ideally placed to be the world's

hub. In artificial intelligence, I

believe Dame Wendy Hall and Jerome's

independent review into the sector

argued that we should seek to make

the UK the best place in the world

for artificial intelligence

businesses to develop, start, grow

and thrive. The economy fit for the

future which we must build over the

next decade, will be driven by

science and innovation. As well as

supporting economic growth and

helping to create good jobs of the

future, scientific and technological

advancements also have the potential

to transform and improve our lives,

with life-saving medicines, new

sources of clean energy and

breakthroughs in digital technology

that we use everyday. Last year at

this conference I committed to a

record increase in public spending

on research and development with an

£2 billion by 2021. I want to make

Britain a international centre for

the transformative technologies of

the future. We are playing our part

by increasing public sector support

for research and develop it to

record. Levels. We will say more in

the industrial White Paper. Today I

put the challenge to you and to

industry across the UK to do the

same. Because the immense benefits

that investment in research and

development can bring you will

develop the products and services

that will convert scientific

discovery into real improvements in

people's daily lives. Today, for

everyone pound of government support

for research and development,

British businesses invest around £1

70. But in America businesses invest

around £2 70, and German businesses

invest around £2 40. So I want you

to work with us to drive up business

investment. To help develop the next

generation of technology is here in

the UK so we can deliver more good

jobs across the country and improve

living standards for everyone. This

is a goal we all share and one I

know the CBI has long campaigned

for. And Britain has always been at

the cutting edge, the birthplace of

the first Industrial Revolution, the

home of more Nobel prizewinners than

any country outside the United

States. We must see these coming

technologies as forces for good with

huge potential for our economy and

society. For our industrial

strategy, the government will help

ensure Britain makes the most of

them. As is our duty, we will also

work with and support those who are

disrupted by that change as well.

That will mean ensuring the UK has

modern and efficient infrastructure

which delivers for taxpayers and

businesses across the UK. Add

considerable progress has already

been made. More than a quarter of £1

trillion has been invested in UK

infrastructure since 2010. We are

getting impartial expert advice on

crucial decisions of the future. As

well as investing in the physical

infrastructure, we also have a duty

to invest in the skills of our

workforce. For too long, technical

education in this country was

regarded as second best and our

economy suffered as a result. We are

changing this. Our new T levels

backed by substantial funding will

overturn education levels in

England. We will cover digital,

construction and education and

childcare. These will be of

equivalent status to a levels and

will give young people who want to

pursue a technical career a better

and clearer path to follow. But

improving our offer on technical

education takes nothing away from

the importance of higher education.

I want to see more people from more

diverse backgrounds, both going on

to university and enjoying the

benefits of higher-level study of

all kinds. Our international

competitors are producing more and

more skilled workers and we need to

do the same. These are exciting

times for our country. I am

optimistic about the future we can

build for our young people if we

continue to press ahead with our

reforms. Better schools, improve

technical education and more

accessible universities, giving

everyone the chance to get on in

life with a good quality job, the

chance to get a secure home and

raise a family. That's what our

industrial strategy is there to

deliver. I have talked this morning

about how government and business

can work together, to pursue a

modern industrial strategy and build

an economy that is fit for the

future. But gathered here today, we

cannot ignore the ongoing

allegations of serious abuse and

harassment in Parliament and across

Westminster. As representatives of

British business, you know that your

firm 's only truly succeed when you

provide safe, secure and

professional environments for your

employees. Parliament and Whitehall

are special places in our democracy,

but they are also places of work,

too. And exactly the same standards

and norms should govern them as

govern any other workplace. What has

been revealed over the last few

weeks has been deeply troubling, and

has understandably led to

significant public unease. Women and

men should be able to work free from

the threat or fear of harassment,

bullying and intimidation. But for

too long the powerful have been able

to abuse their power and their

victims have not been able to speak

out. Let me be very frank, political

parties have not always got this

right in the past. But I am

determined to get it right for the

future. So I have already published

a new code of conduct and grievance

procedure for the Conservative