01/02/2018 Victoria Derbyshire

Hello.

It's Thursday, it's 9 o'clock,

I'm Victoria Derbyshire,

welcome to the programme.

Should EU citizens still

be allowed to settle

in Britain during the two year

transition period after

Brexit day next year?

Theresa May has insisted

that they shouldn't have the same

rights as those already living

in the UK - but will

the EU agree to that?

Let us know what your view is.

We have access to a church where

more than half the congregation are

ex-violent gangsters. The police

welcome their approach. How do they

do it?

Before I became a gang

member, I was stabbed on my way home

from football. I am basically saying

to everybody else that I am proof

that you can make a change.

That

film is coming up at 9.15.

And why are 16-year-olds

in the north of England on average

one GCSE grade behind

teenagers in the south?

That's what a report today shows.

Here's what the man who used

to be Chancellor says.

The real problem comes actually

at secondary school,

where performance does markedly

underperform those of

kids from very similar backgrounds

in the south of England and its

cities like London, and that's

where the real focus

of the effort needs to go.

Hello.

Welcome to the programme,

we're live until 11 this morning.

Question - how do

you handle being late?

I am thoroughly ashamed at not being

in my place, and therefore, I shall

be offering my resignation to the

Prime Minister.

It just seemed so

disproportionate, offering to quit

his job, or maybe not. The Prime

Minister has refused his

resignation. We hope to talk to Lord

Bates on the programme today. What

did you make of what he did?

Do get in touch on all the stories

we're talking about this morning -

use the hashtag #VictoriaLIVE

and if you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate.

Theresa May says she will fight EU

proposals to give EU rights --

residency rise to EU citizens who

moved to Britain during the

transition period. The Prime

Minister said there should be a

difference between people who arrive

in Britain before March 2019, when

the UK is due to leave the EU, and

those who arrived after that. Norman

is in Westminster. Why is the Prime

Minister picking this issue to have

a fight on when everything else in

the transition period were pretty

much look and feel like Britain is

still in the EU?

Because, I suppose,

it is for many people are the key

issue in the whole Brexit saga. What

was the issue which came up again

and again in the referendum? Very

often, it tended to be immigration.

So for many people, it is

fundamental that if we are leaving

the EU, then the current freedom of

movement rules cannot just carry on.

Life can't continue as before. But

the EU say, this transition period

is pretty much a standstill moment.

Nothing is going to change, and that

applies to freedom of movement. So

as they say, during that transition

period, EU citizens will still have

the right to come here. More than

that, there will have the right to

bring their relatives. They will

have the right to education,

benefits and all the rights they

currently have. Mrs May is saying

that is unacceptable. British voters

just will not understand that. So we

are heading for a major clash over

what I suppose was perhaps the

central issue of the whole Brexit

campaign. And bear in mind that Mrs

May is under huge pressure from many

in her own party, particularly the

Brexiteers, who take the view that

she has already caved in to much.

They are unhappy that she has agreed

a sizeable divorce bill of up to £39

billion. They are not happy that

there is even a transition period,

so she is under pressure not to give

more ground. And it seems she has

chosen to make a stand on this issue

of freedom of movement. What it

suggests is that getting agreement

on this transition period is going

to be tougher than any of us

thought. The calculation was that

they want a transition period, so we

should be able to agree it quickly.

If there is going to be a major

showdown over freedom of movement,

that may be quite optimistic and we

could be in for a rough ride if we

are to get a deal on transition.

But

how will fight like this go down

with people in her party and the

wider electorate?

Depends how it

pans out. If she emerges victorious,

fine. If, however, we end up with a

slightly soggy compromise, then it

could be difficult. Bear in mind

that when Mrs May sits down at the

negotiating table, a lot of people

would say actually, the EU have the

whip hand, because whereas the EU to

date have been remarkably united and

they agreed their proposals for this

transition period in two minutes

flat. So they are pretty united,

whereas on our side, we know there

are huge divisions in government.

There is a lack of clarity about

what we are trying to achieve. And

as they know, there is pressure on

Mrs May. So the EU negotiators may

well think they can play hardball

and push Mrs May pretty hard on

this.

Annita is in the BBC

Newsroom with a summary

of the rest of the day's news.

As we've heard, Theresa May

is in China, and she's currently

holding talks with the country's

president Xi Jinping.

Let's go live to Beijing

and our correspondent

there, Stephen McDonell.

Tell us more about what the agenda

is for these talks.

I am standing

outside the great hall of the

people, China's parliament. The

Prime Minister's motorcade has just

raced through the street behind me

on her way to her meeting with

residents see jumping. -- President

Xi. She is focusing on trade talks.

She is meeting one of the two most

powerful people in the world, Xi

Jinping, with hundreds of billions

of dollars of trade talks on offer.

And yet discussions are still being

dominated by the talk of Brexit and

the rights of EU citizens in this

window period. When she meets with

Xi Jinping today, it is also

possible that they will be

discussing moves that the European

Security Council to get tougher on

North Korea. There have also been

talks for her to raise questions

about Hong Kong, the former richest

colony and the fact that people are

seeing their freedoms disappearing.

But all of this is ironically being

swamped by Brexit, and I think

people are seeing this as a

distraction when there are important

economic matters to be discussed on

this trip.

The disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor

Larry Nassar abused more than 265

young athletes in his care -

a judge has told a Michigan court.

Last week Nassar was sentenced

to 175 years after pleading guilty

to sexual abuse charges

and is facing a third

and final sentencing hearing.

Bill Hayton reports.

Another day in court

for Larry Nassar, the former

gymnastics coach exposed

as a prolific paedophile.

Now, time for some of his victims

to break their years of silence.

I lost all motivation

as I was overwhelmed with the truth

of your abuse, but that ends today.

You are the most vile,

disgusting creature I have ever met.

Scum of the Earth is too

high of a title for you.

I hope you realise that

you will never have any power over

anybody for the rest of your life.

Nassar gave medical treatment

to hundreds of young girls.

There are now more than 265 victims.

He's already been sentenced

to 175 years in jail.

But first, he must sit and listen

to the agony his actions caused.

It is imperative that we as

a society do not view this

as an isolated incident.

He was prolific because surrounding

authorities allowed him to be,

because the gymnastics world

allowed him to be.

Because, still, women are not

perceived to be credible.

Many are now suing Nassar

for damages and USA Gymnastics

and other institutions

that they accuse of ignoring

their earlier allegations,

which they say allowed Larry Nassar

to continue to abuse young girls

for more than 20 years.

Bill Hayton, BBC News.

The proportion of people

having strokes in their

forties and fifties has

risen sharply over the last decade.

That's according to figures

from Public Health England,

which show 20% of stroke cases now

occur in those aged

between 40 and 59.

Obesity, diabetes and seven tree

lifestyles are thought to be factors

behind the rise.

The former Chancellor George Osborne

says more must be done to tackle

disparities in education between

children in the north and south of

England. Children in the north are

one GCSE grade behind those in the

south. One quarter of secondary

schools in the north are judged to

be inadequate or in need of

improvement by Ofsted.

The Liberal Democrats have claimed

that a key government target

for treating people with severe

mental health conditions

in England isn't being met.

The party says it's gathered

evidence which shows

people experiencing

a first episode of psychosis aren't

getting a quality care package.

NHS England says more

than three-quarters of patients

are seen within two weeks -

and that the research shows

a partial and "dated" picture

of the services provided.

This would never be tolerated

in cancer or any other physical

healthcare, yet it happens routinely

in mental health care.

We have the evidence

of what you need to do

to have an impact, and yet

across the country,

it's not being funded.

Facebook says its users are spending

less time on the site. Users are

spending one minute and a half less

on the day. They made a change

designed to prioritise posts from

friends and family while reducing

the prominence of content from

businesses, media and other

companies.

Hate crime against Jewish people

in the UK is at a record.

A new report says the Jewish

community was targeted at

a rate of nearly four

times a day last year.

Online abuse is said to have fallen,

but there has been a

spike in reports of violent assault.

MPs have voted to move out

of the Palace of Westminster,

while billions of pounds

of essential renovation

work is carried out.

The move will now need to be

given the final go-ahead

by the House of Lords.

It would be the first time MPs have

moved out of the Commons

since it was damaged by a bomb

in the Second World War.

Britain's biggest stars are expected

to wear black on the red carpet

at this month's Bafta Film awards,

in support of victims of sexual

harassment and assault.

Last month, many actors followed

an all-black dress code

at the Golden Globe Awards

in support of the Time's Up

initiative, which was launched

in the wake of the Harvey

Weinstein scandal.

A letter has circulated around

the British film and TV industry,

inviting those attending the Baftas

to take part.

That's a summary of the latest BBC

News - more at 9.30.

At 9.15, we will bring you our film,

from gangs to God. Here are some of

your message is already on this.

Sarah says, this is great for them,

giving them a sense of purpose and

belonging, but it's sad that the

Church is the biggest provider in

this area. There need to be more

youth community centres to cut to

the root of these issues, which is

often poverty. William on Facebook

says, religion is not the answer.

Another tweet says, I am proud to be

part of this. It has transformed my

life. My Christian life is like

nothing I have experienced before,

and my business life is growing too.

And they tweet from Clement - there

has never been a better time to be

alive than now, to see young people

turning away from gangs and drugs

and crime and becoming a positive

change in their community. Our film

is in about three minutes' time. Let

us know what you think of this

church's approach.

Let's get some sport.

Hugh is here.

It was a record-breaking transfer

window as Premier League clubs

continue to spend massive amounts of

money?

They did.

Well, it's finally over -

the rigmarole for clubs of chasing

down players and getting deals done,

for fans anxiously checking

social media for just

the smallest rumour and for us,

trying to keep you updated

with all the movements -

right down to last

night's deadline day.

And on the finance front, it was

once again a record breaking window.

Dan Jones is here from

accountancy firm Deloitte.

£430 million was spent by Premier

League clubs in January.

Interestingly, that is more than

Spain, Germany, France and Italy

combined. Are we an extreme spending

mould, or are those other countries

just not spending?

It is just in

proportion to how well those leagues

are doing financially. England is

now so far ahead of the rest of the

world in terms of the scale of the

Premier League. There are big clubs

in the other countries, but the

strength and depth of the Premier

League is what stands out. So that

spending on the Premier League is in

standing with their level as the

leading league in football.

Premier

League football seems to be an

economic bubble. I can't think of

anything other than bitcoin which

seems to be consistently going up by

so much. 10 million spent in 2007 in

January, 150 million this January.

Why the huge jump?

Revenues have

gone up across the board. You talk

about it being like bitcoin. Maybe

the pace of growth is not so quick,

but it is consistent growth. There

has never been a dip in the Premier

League. And we don't see that

changing any time soon. The new TV

deals are being negotiated at the

moment. We are expecting more growth

then as well. As long as there is

growth in revenue at the top, that

money will filter its way to

players, wages and transfers,

because that is what people pay to

see. They want the best talent.

And

we particularly see the best talent

at Manchester City. They have a

massive lead at the top of the

table, so that money has turned into

results. They expect more money --

they spent more money on their

goalkeeping and defence than two

country spent on the actual defence

budgets. Why has that club been able

to sustain its spending?

Increasingly successful on the pitch

as well, the more successful you are

on the pitch, the more broadcast and

match day revenue you get, and the

more sponsors want to be associated

with you. They are the real driving

force going forward financially.

Last January it was about the bottom

is expending to stay up. This time

it has been the top six spending to

try to get in the Champions League

for next year.

Thanks so much for

coming into the BBC sports Centre. A

new TV deal as well for Premier

League clubs. All of the moves from

the January transfer window you can

find on the BBC sport website. We

will be back with more sport

shortly.

Welcome to the programme.

We are pleased to have you with us.

Now, this sounds like an unlikely

church congregation -

former gang members.

Former violent gang members.

But it's true.

We've been given exclusive

access

to the Salvation

Proclaimers Anointed Church

in south London, where more

than half the worshippers

used to be in a gang.

The church is on a mission

to save troubled youths,

providing a safe space

where they can go and talk

to someone, and their approach has

been welcomed by the Met Police.

It is the largest force in England

and Wales.

Our reporter Noel Phillips has been

to see how it works.

This is how one church

is using former gang members

to tackle knife crime.

Before I actually became a gang

member, I was actually

stabbed on my way home back

from the football.

The lives of these young men may be

the most remarkable.

Some were once notorious gangsters

but now they have put their past

behind them for one common goal,

to prevent violence and save lives.

If you don't let me walk...

If you do not let me walk away...

If you do not let me walk...

I said give me that.

OK, so these people have been caught

shoplifting by the security guard

and they are not trying

to get caught.

We've had times when people

are coming to the altar

and dropping their drugs

on the altar.

The pastor responsible

for their transformation claims that

successive governments have failed

to get a grip on violent

crime and it is now time

for the church to take action.

Over 55% of the people in the church

were ex-gang members, drug dealers.

Last year, 2017, we had over 1000

people, young people,

came forward to renounce that life.

# No, no, no....#.

We are inside SPAC Nation,

known as Salvation

Proclaimers Anointed Church,

based in south London,

where preachings are tailored

to a different kind of congregation.

Former armed robbers,

drug dealers and gang members.

A far cry from the life

they once lived.

This is not a normal

Pentecostal church.

It's a place where the word

of God is being used

to reform ex-criminals,

like 26-year-old Kevin,

who was recently in prison

for attempted murder.

Last year and this year

is the first, is actually the first

time that I haven't been

into prison, so, do you see

what I'm saying to you?

So it's something that's working.

Do you, are you confident that this

will work and you will stay out

of prison, perhaps for the rest

of your life?

It's working, it's working.

I'm confident, it's working.

The church has over 1,000 members

and is led by this man.

He is basically like our prophet.

He is our teacher, who teaches us

about the Word, and we don't

idolise him but we come to him

because he knows more

about it than we do.

Who you might feel is not worthy,

actually, that is who God uses,

because they've been there.

They know how to go

back to the prisons.

They know how to go

back to the estates.

So I want to know how this

37-year-old pastor has taken some

of Britain's toughest gang members

off the streets and into the church.

I understand that our

approach is different

from a traditional church.

So I've got to look at them,

I've got to connect.

That's really out of my way,

to be honest with you.

I would never have dreamt of wearing

ripped jeans as a pastor.

I mean, that is quite extraordinary.

I mean, you, your jeans are ripped.

You're not in a suit.

You're very casual.

For a lot of people,

that would be quite difficult.

That's not pastoral, is it?

But no, the generations

are changing.

I've got to look like the people I'm

trying to talk to and you do realise

that I've got access and I speak

to the worst of the worst,

the people that have done

the most despicable things.

I sit down with them and we talk.

The son of a preacher,

Pastor Tobi moved to the UK

from Nigeria 12 years ago.

Since then, he has expanded his

church, with over 15 other

branches across London.

The former MP, now chief of staff

to the Prime Minister,

Gavin Barwell, met members last year

and praised the church's approach

to tackling knife crime.

You can't rely on the Government

to change your life on its own.

But labelled as a cult,

people on social media have accused

Pastor Tobi of attracting young men

and women from troubled backgrounds

to his church using materialistic

things such as money and wealth.

If a cult means helping young people

and reducing the number of people

that will be victims of knife crime

or gun crime...

A guy comes to church who is trying

to go to Harvard from Stratford,

you know, and he's not able to go

and then we give them money to go,

if that's what a cult is,

then we've got to be a cult.

This might look like a staged

performance but it is how this

church interacts with their members.

The ministers and pastors you see

here are all self-appointed.

They don't come under

the supervision of any

religious or regulatory body.

In a society that does not always

offer second chances to people

like these young men,

they say they are living proof that

former gang members like them can

make a difference in communities

struggling to cope with knife crime.

Among them is 22-year-old Daniel,

who at the age of 12

was part of a gang.

Do you remember the first time

you carried a knife?

I do, yes, aged 13.

I took it to school but although I

didn't do nothing with it,

it was there for protection.

It's like reckless abandonment.

You don't care what can happen.

You don't care about

the consequences.

You know, you live in a minute,

so you get the knife,

you put it in your pocket.

You don't think about, "Oh,

there's police down the road", or,

"What if I get into a problem that

actually, I have to use this?"

It's just there and whatever

happens, happens, you know?

Have you ever been stabbed?

Erm, yes, I have.

Well, I was caught up

in a rival gang area,

actually around here, in Brixton.

And, erm, I was actually approached

by four members of a rival gang.

I tried to escape but I was

caught and I was actually

stabbed in my leg.

This is now Daniel's life.

He now preaches peace in Brixton,

the very same neighbourhood

where he was once known

as a gang member.

An elderly person who's never been

on the streets of Brixton can't then

tell a gang leader or tell a group

of young boys, "Don't carry

a knife", or give them real reasons

as to why they shouldn't,

you know, carry a knife.

What they need to do

is good partnerships

with community leaders,

who can, who have been in that

position of carrying a knife,

who has been gang members.

Before I came into the House

of Spac, I was known

as a lot of things.

Erm, before I actually

became a gang member,

I was actually stabbed on my way

home back from football.

And the reason why I'm standing

here today is not only

because of, like, what...

It's not only because of, like,

myself, basically, it's like,

I'm basically saying to everybody

else, I'm living proof that

you can actually make a change...

A frightening testimony.

23-year-old Stephen,

who is now an evangelist,

has lived a life of drugs

and extreme violence.

If it wasn't for the church,

I wouldn't, there would

be no change for me.

Basically, in other words,

my job is not only to

target gangs but to,

like, anyone else, like,

in the streets that needs saving,

that's living in darkness,

to bring them to Christ.

That's my job.

There is no organisation apart

from the church that can solve

crime among young people.

You can never solve knife crime

by saying, "We are anti-knife".

Why do you think these young men,

whose lives you have

been able to transform,

are listening to you and perhaps not

listening to their parents

or to the authorities?

What are you saying to them?

I've actually gone to prison doors

on the day a person is released,

taking them, driven them home

and tell them, "You're now living

with me", and the next day,

we have bought them a suit

and a jacket and say,

"Come with me".

If they see a better life,

that's one of the major secrets.

If they see a better

life, they will change.

A vivid reminder of

the consequences of knife crime.

He was sadly taken away from us,

erm, by another young man

using a knife, and...

It actually never gets any easier

for us all the family.

Fico Dougan was just

17 when he was stabbed

through the heart in 2013.

It was a random attack.

But enough for him to be murdered

in front of a toddler by another

teenager with a knife.

Gangs have closely been linked

to the increase in knife crime.

Means comes here often with Fico's

family, who are part of the church.

What we are trying to achieve,

more life, less funerals, you know?

Mums and dads shouldn't really be

burying their children

like what's happened here.

We are trying to prevent this.

We are trying to prevent young

people in prisons, you know.

We are so passionate

about young people, young

black men and women,

you know, achieving their potential,

because what we are heavy

on is literally going out

there on the street, wherever,

wherever young people are.

London has just had its worst

year for knife crime.

80 people were stabbed

to death last year.

26 of those were teenagers.

If you know someone that is in jail,

and you know they're

coming out, you can...

We are in Croydon, south London,

where these pastors

are looking for gang members.

Show the brothers,

you get what I'm saying?

There's not a lot of opportunities.

This is what we are

trying to show you.

What about you, my sister?

Just a general prayer?

Yeah, it's OK, yeah?

All right, we're just

going to pray for you.

A former leader of DSN,

Don't Say No More, one of Croydon's

largest criminal gangs,

Pastor David is on a mission to show

young people a life away from crime.

We've come to bring peace and also

to offer these people help,

so it is a dangerous thing,

but like I said, because we're

coming from the heart,

we just know all is well.

You can even see how bad the area

is because there's a fight

starting right over there.

That's how bad the area is.

Over here, can you see?

David, let's go.

Reuben, who is no stranger to scenes

like this, tells me his role

on the street is not easy when it

comes to gang wars and violence.

My dear, my dear.

We'll deal with it,

we'll deal with it.

If they do not go...

Soft, soft.

Are you a security guard?

Yeah, a security guard.

OK.

This is what I'm saying...!

OK, OK.

So these people have been caught

shoplifting by the security guard

and they are not trying

to get caught.

That's basically what happened.

They've shoplifted and they don't

want to get caught, that's it.

That's Croydon, big man.

That's Croydon.

Dealing with problems before they

get out of control is the essence of

their role.

Back in the church, critics say it

should not be targeting vulnerable

young people in order

to grow its followers but pastors

say they are seeing results.

Pastor Tobi...

Is asking members of

the congregation to make their way

to the front with any knives

or weapons that they may

have in their pockets.

We've had times where people

are coming to the altar and people

are dropping their drugs

on the altar.

We are coming where people are

dropping their knives on the altar.

I mean, last week, a young boy that

came, Ajo, I was praying for him,

I was holding him and he was crying.

A 23-year-old man crying,

because he doesn't

want that lifestyle.

The only reason he's

doing that lifestyle

is because that's all he knows.

Just two years ago, Connor

was facing a 12-year prison sentence

for a string of violent crimes.

He is one of 14 ex-offenders who now

lives with Pastor Tobi at his home.

They need shelter.

That is not shelter from ex-gang

people chasing them.

The mind, the mind is

the factory for everything

and I've got to do that.

Again, I stumbled into this.

It's not a plan.

It is not something we sat down

and said we were going to have.

But I will deal with cases and ask

myself, "Where do I want him to go?"

I know that when he is coming

out fresh from jail,

if I allow him to go back

to the community, the system

will not employ him anyway.

Is it the role of the church to be

getting involved with gangs

and trying to stop knife crime?

Isn't that down to the police

and perhaps the authorities?

Over 55% of the people in the Church

are ex-gang members, drug dealers.

Last year, 2017, we had over

1,000 people, young men,

came forward to renounce that life.

The police and the authorities don't

really know what to do right now.

They, they look to me

like they are confused.

And so, call it a church,

call it whatever we want to call it.

It has to be the role of somebody.

In response, the Metropolitan Police

has told us they want churches

like this to be seen as safe spaces

for young people in order

to help reduce knife crime.

For many of the former

gang members who walk

through these doors,

it was a choice

between life and death.

Most gang members that

you see lack love.

And that's a problem.

They do lack love inside and most

of them might not want to own up

to it but that's the thing,

it's like a lack of love.

But for those given a second chance,

this is an opportunity to make

a real difference and prevent others

from making the same

mistakes they did.

You can read more on that story on

the BBC News website.

And after ten, we'll meet two young

men, both former gang members,

who are now mentors and pastors

and also the MP who chairs

the all-party parliamentary

group on knife crime.

Thank you for your messages. Jamal

says, this has changed the lives of

many ex-criminals by offering

membership and an alternative

lifestyle as well as spiritual

guidance. Wow! Abbey treated us to

say, I have seen lives changed in a

day. Young people are coming to

church and leaving wanting to

achieve more with their lives and

follow greatness. Rachel says, this

isn't about religion, it's about

community and change. If they can do

what others can't, let them do their

job. Walking the streets and

speaking to gang members is not

easy, but if it can change lives, we

should not be quick to dismiss it.

Still to come:

Those who suffer from psychosis

or psychotic episodes are not

getting the early intervention

they need - that's the findings

of new research by the NHS

and the Liberal Democrats -

we'll be speaking to their Health

Spokesperson Norman Lamb shortly.

And a man who had his first

psychotic incident when he was 19.

The group set up to improve the

north of England's economy says the

problems run deep, as GCSE students

in the north are getting worse

results than those in the south. We

will ask why.

Annita is in the BBC

Newsroom with the BBC News

headlines this morning.

Theresa May says she will fight EU

proposals to give residency rights

to European citizens who moved to

the UK during the Brexit transition

period. The Prime Minister, who is

on a three-day visit to China, said

there should be a clear difference

between people who arrive in Britain

before March 2019, when the UK is

due to leave the EU, and those who

arrived after that date.

The disgraced USA gymnastics Doctor

Larry Nassar abused more than 200

and athletes in his care, a court

has told a dead in Michigan. Last

week, he was sentenced to 175 years

in jail after 160 women testified

that he sexually assaulted them.

Another 65 women are expected to

testify in the last of three

sentencing hearings. Yesterday the

US gymnastics governing body

confirmed that all of its remaining

directors have resigned over the

scandal.

The proportion of people having

strokes in their 40s and 50s has

risen in the last decade according

to Public Health England, which says

20% of stroke cases now occur in

those aged between 40 and 59.

Obesity, diabetes and sedentary

lifestyles are all thought to be

factors behind the rise.

Former Chancellor George Osborne

says the government must do more to

tackle poor achievement by children

in the north of England. A study by

the business led Northern Powerhouse

partnerships and found that pupils

in the north are on average one GCSE

grade behind those in the South. It

also revealed a quarter of secondary

schools in the north are judged by

step to be inadequate or in need of

improvement.

A government target for treating

people with severe mental health

conditions in England isn't being

met, according to the Liberal

Democrats. The party says it has

gathered evidence which shows that

people experiencing a first episode

of psychosis are not getting a

quality care package. NHS England

says more than three quarters of

patients are seen within two weeks

and that the research shows a

partial and dated picture of the

services provided.

That's a summary of

the latest BBC News.

And here are some sport now. Jose

Mourinho was left angered by what he

called a ridiculous start to

Manchester United's 2-0 defeat to

Spurs in the Premier League last

night. Midfielder Christian Eriksen

opened the scoring after just 11

seconds at Wembley. That is the

third fastest goal in Premier League

history. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte

wasn't much happier. He admitted

that he felt there was real danger

that his side may fail to reach next

season's Champions League after a

shock 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at

Stamford Bridge. Football's transfer

window ended last night with a total

of £430 million spent in the Premier

League during January, a new record.

150 million of it was outplayed

yesterday alone. Finally, England's

Natalie Sciver has reached the final

of the women's big bash league in

Australia. She hit 38 as her Perth

scorchers side came past Sydney

thunder by 27 runs in their

semifinal in Perth. More sport

later.

Now, I know you have seen this

story, but I want to ask you how you

handle being late.

Is being late a resignation issue?

One minister in the House

of Lords thought it was.

At the despatch box,

Lord Bates stunned fellow peers

by saying he intended to resign

after the "discourtesy"

of arriving late to a session.

My Lords, with the leave

of the house, I wonder

if you would permit me

to offer my sincere apologies to

Baroness Lister for my discourtesy

in not being in my place to answer

her question on a very important

matter at the beginning of

questions.

During the five years in which it

has been my privilege to

answer questions from this dispatch

box on behalf of the government,

I've always believed that we should

always rise to the highest possible

standards of courtesy and respect

in responding on behalf of the

Government to the legitimate

questions of the legislature.

I'm thoroughly ashamed

at not being in

my place and therefore,

I shall be offering my resignation.

BENCHES: No, no!

With immediate effect.

The Prime Minister refused his

resignation. A spokeswoman at Number

Ten said it was unnecessary and Lord

Bates has decided to continue in his

role. Apparently, a couple of years

ago, he also resigned from the

junior Home Office role because he

was going on a 2000 mile long trek.

Anyway! We are going to talk next

about psychosis.

Psychosis or a psychotic episode

is when you think or interpret

reality in a very different way

from people around you.

You might be said to lose

touch with reality.

New research by the Liberal

Democrats and the NHS shows that

early intervention with those

who experience psychosis is not

being properly delivered

in parts of the country.

When the Lib Dems were in government

they introduced plans to make sure

at least half of patients

experiencing their first episode

of psychosis received specialist

treatment within two weeks

of being referred.

But they've found only a quarter

of trusts are providing patients

with the full care required.

Let's talk now to Liberal Democrat

MP Norman Lamb, the former care

minister who established the care

standards during the

coalition government.

Sophie Mei Lan experienced

a psychotic episode whilst at home

with her two-year-old daughter

and says it made her feel paranoid.

Robert Westhead had his

first psychotic episode

when he was 19 years old and says

early intervention is key.

Robert, that first-time you had a

psychotic episode, described that

for our audience. Most people will

have no idea what that means.

Absolutely. Firstly, the word

psychosis and psychotic is a nasty

word. We associate it with mad axe

men being psychotic in a film. What

it means is an acute episode of

severe mental illness. For me, I was

19 and travelling around the world

on a gap year. Suddenly, I was not

having the best time in the world,

but I noticed suddenly that my moods

were starting to significantly go

down. And then after about ten days,

they would go up again. I would be

having the time of my life, and then

my moods would go down again. So I

was having a rapid cycling bipolar

disorder. At the time, it was

terrifying. I couldn't conceive of

what it might be. I knew nothing

about mental illness. I was

wondering what had happened in my

childhood that might have led to

this. It was a baffling experience.

It was only when I got really ill

and I got back home and was detained

in hospital that I began to discover

what it was and begin treatment.

And

you experienced strong delusions.

Explain about that.

When you are on

a manic high but not too ill, you

are the life and soul of the party,

full of energy, nonstop, constant

talking. But at some point, you

start to lose reality and things go

really weird. That is the behaviour

that people associate with madness,

where people have delusions of

grandeur. They might think they are

the Prime Minister.

What were your

delusions?

I thought I was top dog.

Very strangely for someone who is

not religious, I had some religious

delusions, thinking I was on some

kind of mission. I had a sense of

the presence of God, which was

strange. If I have the rustle of

leaves in a tree, somehow that

became associated with the sense of

a presence of God. Very strange and

hard to come to terms with when

those experiences are so alien to

you.

you.

Sophie, when you first

experienced your psychotic episode,

what were you experiencing?

I didn't

realise it was a psychotic episode

at first. For me, it was something

that built up over a long period. I

was rolling around the house

thinking people were after the. I

felt like I was in a computer game.

I didn't know what was happening. I

was running out of the house. Even

going to the supermarket, I would be

dodging people, thinking I was being

shot at. It was my mental health

nurse who noticed it was getting

really bad. Luckily, I had a routine

psychotherapy appointment, and they

pinpointed that I was going through

a psychotic episode.

Norman Lamb,

your findings using Freedom of

Information, what have you

discovered?

We have discovered that

although treatment starts

reassuringly on time for many

people, in other words within the

two-week standard, they then

regularly didn't get the full

evidence -based treatment package

which is part of the government's

standard. And the government keeps

say it is meeting the standard, but

they are not. As you said, only

about 25% of the country is

delivering the full evidence -based

treatment package. You would never

get that encounter. It is like

saying to someone, we will give you

some chemotherapy, but we will not

give you the full treatment

programme. And yet we know that for

every pound spent, you save about

£15 in the long run for the state

because you are giving people the

chance of rescuing them, the chance

of a good life, the life that the

rest of us take for granted.

Why

isn't it happening?

I think it is

the financial strain that the whole

of the NHS is under. When I was

minister, I found that it is always

mental health that loses out the

most. The really important principle

I want to stress is that there

should be equality here. Equal

access whether you have a mental or

physical health problem.

NHS England told us that "10,000

people each year are receiving

treatment through the early

intervention in psychosis programme,

with over three-quarters of patients

getting treatment within two weeks.

Your analysis inevitably gives only

a partial and dated picture

of progress in these services."

That is a grossly misleading and

disappointing statement. This is

data from this year. It is a survey

across the whole of the country.

Analysis by NHS England themselves

shows the same picture. And in fact,

their statement, which only focuses

on starting treatment on time, is a

partial statement because they are

ignoring the fact that people are

not then getting the full evidence

-based treatment package. And that

is what people are titled to. In the

NHS, a publicly funded health

service, the principle of equality

of access to treatment for everyone

is important to reinforce.

Robert, do you believe if you get

early intervention and the full

support and treatment available it

is possible to live a fulfilled and

happy life and manage the psychosis?

There is no doubt about that. I was

lucky in a sense that it was caught

at the age of 19 and I started

treatment. It is common for people

to wait ten years before they get

any treatment at all. People go even

longer than that, decades.

On that

point, let me read a text message

from a viewer. I recently had a

mental health assessment after a 25

year wait of suffering with

psychotic episodes. I am having to

self medicated my episodes with

diazepam, bought online, or

cannabis. I have reached out to many

organisations during the 25 years I

have been suffering, but this is the

first time I have received help.

That is shocking?

It is shocking.

Sophie, with effective treatment and

intervention, do you believe you can

live a happy and fulfilled life and

manage the psychosis question of

I

believe I can manage the psychosis,

but I don't think I can fully

thrive. If I give an example of

today, I actually used to work in

the BBC Leeds office. When I was

having delusions, I thought when I

was driving that I was knocking

people overcome and I had knocked

people down. So, coming here today,

I had to come in a taxi. I don't

drive and there are other things

that limit me. But I do believe if

you get early intervention,

recovery, to some extent, is

possible. I use my blog and my vlog

to do that and talk to other people

going through it, because it is a

very scary time and something that

people don't talk enough about when

it is a psychotic episode, we

associated with psychos.

People are spending less time

on Facebook after the social network

made a complete overhaul

of its news feed.

With me is our reporter

Adina Campbell.

What is going on?

We now know that

officially many of us are not

spending as much time on Facebook.

The latest results show that the

hours were reduced by about 50

million hours every day.

Every day!?

Everyday, translating about two

minutes per user, and there are 4.2

billion users worldwide. Users

dropped in places like the US and

Canada, and it led to a drop in

shares overnight by about 4% in

after-hours trading. It has picked

up a bit this morning.

OK. I mean,

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, has

decided this is the right way to go

to actually safeguard Facebook's

future, because people are demanding

more meaningful... What is the word?

More meaningful interactions?

We

have known for some time that people

are quite simply fed up with

newsfeeds being dominated by

adverts, viral videos, posts from

political parties or media

companies. Visibly wants to find out

what their family and friends are

doing. -- they simply want to find

out what their family and friends

are doing. Mark Zuckerberg has taken

the feedback on board and made an

announcement recently to overhaul

the news feed. That means less

adverts and making sure that posts

from family and friends are higher

up on people's newsfeeds. As you

say, he has used this word

meaningful, he wants to make sure

that people spend a meaningful

amount of time on the social

network. Today's results are not all

doom and gloom for Facebook. It is

still the world's larger social

media network. As I said, 1.4

billion users. Revenue soared last

year by about 47%, to more than £28

billion.

Thank you very much.

Later in the programme we will talk

to two former gang members. This is

coming up after ten o'clock, ex-gang

members, because they have been

converted. They have been turned

away from a life of crime by the

pastors and congregation of a church

in London.

Good morning.

16 year olds in the North of England

are on average at least one GCSE

grade behind teenagers in London.

That's according to the Northern

Powerhouse Partnership -

a group which aims to increase

the contribution of the North

of England to the UK economy -

who say it's crucial we try

and close that gap.

They suggest tech and digital

businesses to build better

links with local schools.

George Osborne chairs the

partnership and has been telling

Radio 4 that schools should be

following the London model.

You know, when I was growing up

in London, the schools in London,

the state schools were among

the worst performing in the country

and they are now among the best.

They were improved in some

of the most challenging

and difficult areas,

where many different languages

were spoken, where people came

from real deprivation.

And it was achieved, yes,

through investment in education

but above all through reform,

starting in Hackney, one

Now I am saying, you could do

something similar with a similar

effort, a similar national focus,

a similar involvement

of local authority leaders,

particularly now we have elected

mayors in the big cities,

and a similar ambition

and that is what we need.

We need an ambition to say,

"We don't have to put up

with this situation".

We can speak now to

Justin Blackhurst, founder

and Director of DigitalNext,

a digital agency in Manchester

which already work with schools

and young people, Patsy Kane,

Executive Headteacher

of the Education and Leadership

Trust which runs three schools

in Manchester, and Ben Houcher -

Conservative Mayor of Tees Valley.

Thank you so much for coming on the

programme. First, let me start with

you, as a head teacher, Patsy. Your

reaction to the fact that

16-year-olds in the North of England

are falling one GCSE grade, on

average, behind those in the south?

Well, we can't argue with the

evidence. What we can do is use the

evidence of what did work in the

London challenge and spread that

around.

Aren't you shocked at that?

Are you letting pupils down?

Are we

letting students down? I think as a

society we have to really focus on

growing young people. I think

proposals in the report are

excellent. It does start pre-school,

helping families get screwed

already, and then it does propose --

helping families get school ready.

If we get that real engagement from

businesses as well, there are some

very positive things coming out of

the report.

Nothing to do with

teachers?

We are struggling to

recruit in teaching. It can be the

most fantastic job. In schools there

has perhaps been difficulty in

recruiting great head teachers who

are passionate and ambitious for the

children in their areas, whatever

the starting point.

Justin, thanks

for coming on the programme. Why do

you think this is happening? Tell me

about the work you do in schools?

I

started my business about eight

years ago. I set it up with my

brother, a family business to start

with. I quickly realised that it was

a massive skills gap, in that

digital field. People in the

industry interviewing for jobs did

not get the situation.

Just be

really specific, what sort of skills

are you talking about?

Well, we

manipulate search engines like

Google for businesses, to grow them

online, and also get people exposure

on platforms like Facebook to really

push their business and grow their

businesses. So, that generation of

people get the technology and how to

use it, how to manipulate it in the

best way. Maybe an older generation

would get it, but they have not

grown up with it and they have not

been... They are not as savvy.

OK.

So, the work you do in schools

involves what?

So, we go into

schools, looking for apprentices,

looking for young kids that really

driven, motivated, interested in the

internet, in working in teams. We

don't look to employ people all the

time, but we put ourselves out there

so that young people come forward

and want to come and work for us. I

remember one of my first staff

members, Chris, who is on the senior

management team now, he just hung

around in the early days, he liked

the vibe that we were creating, and

he has been with us eight years now.

Another young lad I played cricket

with in the early days, he now runs

our office in Melbourne. He has

built a team over there of around 15

people. So, young people have been

great for Digital Next.

Ben,

Conservative Mayor for Tees Valley,

how do you react to the fact that

16-year-olds in the north of England

are falling one GCSE grade on

average behind pupils in the South?

It is massively disappointing for

me. I think we've got to recognise

there is a difference, there are

some very good performing schools

and very specific issues that face

each region in the north. The fact

that on average we are one GCSE

behind the rest of the country means

there is a fundamental issue that

needs to be addressed.

How are you

going to address it?

The report,

actually, set out some very good

points. The £300 million to help

with integration of health

with integration of health services

in the voluntary sector, to get

pupils ready at age five, we all

know that the early years has a huge

impact on a student's ability and

prospects going forward. I think the

refinement of the Pupil Premium

system, recommended in the report,

that is important to make sure that

more money goes to the most

disadvantaged students. One thing

other guests just said was business

engagement. The statistics are very

clear, if a young person have at

least three meaningful engagement

with business, that can have

transformational prospects for their

future career and the future life

chances.

Of these things being

suggested, apart from the focus on a

child's early years, which seems

really obvious, potentially, when it

comes to GCSEs, powder is getting

businesses involved in schools helps

body get higher GCSE grades? Sorry,

I've just pressed Siri!

I think it

is about inspiration and aspiration.

My brother used to work at BAE

Systems, and he had to go into

schools as part of the graduate

scheme into primaries to make sure

they were aware of the opportunities

in Barrow to get into that Company.

We have ICI, that had huge resources

to bring people in and get them

familiar with the careers. Arming

students with information so they

know the breath of careers that are

out there and also the impact

education has on getting that job,

that is something that is not being

done properly to make sure the

students are aware of really what

education means to them and how it

can affect their life going into

their 20s, 30s and long-term career.

Patsy Kane, do you get businesses

coming into your three schools to

talk to pupils?

Massive priority,

right from year seven we have

inspiring people coming in and talk

about their life story. Two of the

schools are girls schools, and it is

particularly important they hear

about different routes and how women

manage a family and a great career.

We have a specific focus on women in

science, technology and maths, we

had engineers from the BBC coming

in, designers from the BBC, another

huge IT company, UK Fast. We need a

wide range of people, these are

exciting opportunities, they are

local, well paid, really interesting

and this is how we got there. It

makes a massive difference.

Final

thought, what would you like at

school? Did you think it was right

for you, or how did you view that?

I

thought all was great, it gave

discipline, it has a bit of

everything, sport. I think that is

key, especially a lot of the staff

members that I have hired from the

past that have been good team

players have come from sporting

backgrounds as well. So, I think

school gives kids a well rounded

education and also gives them the

social skills that they need to

succeed, especially in a corporate

environment.

Thank you very much.

Continued success with your

business, thank you. Patti Kane,

same to you, executive Ed teacher at

a trust that runs three schools in

Manchester. And Ben Howe check, the

Conservative Mayor of Tees Valley.

Thank you about your messages about

psychosis. One viewer says I

struggle with psychosis and have a

major episode in 2015. Since then I

have had counselling and medication

to the NHS and feel like, after 15

years, I have got my life back.

Karen e-mailed to say, my

18-year-old first became sick

18-year-old first became sick in

2016 and we just got appointments to

talk. My son is really bad again and

nobody wants to help, other than

talking. I have seven children and

bipolar is very strong in my family,

but nobody listens to any of us.

They think every young person who

has this is down to the fact that

they smoke cannabis. The latest news

and sport is on the way. Before

that, the weather.

And Simon we've had a rare glimpse

of the super blue blood moon.

Did you see it?

I was asleep by

7.50, that is how I roll!

I was

asleep as well, but I saw it this

morning.

Loads of weather watchers catching

the super blue moon, the blood part

is associated with the lunar eclipse

happening on the other side of the

world. Fantastic photos from the

Asia-Pacific region. Many of us got

to see the big moon in the sky. This

is one shot from London. As I said,

we had loads of photos, really

close-up images of the moon, like

this one in Essex. I am just

selecting a few of them, some of my

favourite ones that we had through

last night and through this morning.

A lovely clear sky to see it. This

one looked a little bit orange

because it is quite low in the

horizon. The atmosphere making it

turn a bit orange. If you were out

last night, looking at that, you

will notice how cold it was. Today,

cold wind coming all the way from

the north. Look at the blue on the

map. All of us on the influence of

this arctic air and a rather brisk

northerly wind feeding in some

wintry showers. Further snow showers

to come across Scotland, settling

snow across the higher ground, down

to low levels, still a bit of sleet

and wet snow at times across

Scotland, Northern Ireland, even

across Wales and parts of south-west

England. Elsewhere, it should be

largely dry. A fair amount of cloud

around. Good of sunshine through

today. It is going to feel quite

chilly, though. Factor in that

northerly wind, these are the wind

figures, one to four Celsius this

afternoon. Through this evening and

overnight we still have a rather

brisk northerly wind. Still

continuing to bring showers across

Scotland. More so down the eastern

side of England, East Yorkshire,

Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk,

some showers here. Clear spells

further west. We could see a touch

of Frost into Friday morning. Those

are the temperatures in towns and

cities. During Friday, quite a

strong wind across eastern areas,

continuing to feed in showers. Not

very pleasant through the day.

Further west, lighter wind and a

good deal of dry weather with some

sunshine for Friday. Temperatures

about six or eight Celsius, feeling

that little bit more pleasant

further west compared to today. How

about the weekend? Running through

the weekend we have a weather front

that is moving in. Then it is going

to stall on the spine of the UK. It

will weaken as we go through Sunday.

It means we will continue to have

this wintry feel. On Saturday, snow

over Scotland, northern England,

perhaps low levels as well. Lots of

cloud, outbreaks of rain and

temperatures four or six Celsius. By

Sunday, a drier day. Still a bit of

cloud for England and Wales. The

best of the sunshine coming across

Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Temperatures again in the mid-single

figures. A real wintry feel as we go

through the next few days. The

buyer.

Hello.

It's Thursday.

It's 10 o'clock.

I'm Victoria Derbyshire.

Should EU citizens still be allowed

to settle in Britain during the two

year transition period after Brexit

day next year?

Theresa May has insisted

that they shouldn't have the same

rights as those already living

in the UK - but will

Brussels agree to that?

Robert says, we are behind you, Mrs

May. Don't be bullied.

Let us know what your view is.

From Gangs to God -

we have an exclusive report

on the South London church

where over half of the congregation

are reformed gang members.

A minister there tells us it's vital

to relate to the young

people they're trying to save.

An elderly person who has never been

on the streets of Brixton can't tell

young boys, don't carry a knife or

give them real reasons as to why

they shouldn't carry a knife. They

need to build partnerships with

community leaders who have been in

that position of carrying a knife,

who have been gang members.

We'll hear from two former gang

members who have now

turned to God shortly,

and speak to the Labour MP

Sarah Jones, the chair

of the all-parliamentary group

on knife crime.

And all women in England

will now have access

to a highly effective breast cancer

drug, which has been approved

The drug - called Perjeta -

can prolong the lives of women

with incurable breast cancer

by nearly 16 months longer

than existing treatments.

Annita is in the BBC

Newsroom with the BBC News

headlines this morning.

Theresa May says she will fight EU

proposals to give residency rights

to European citizens

who move to the UK during

the Brexit transition period.

The Prime Minister,

who is on a three-day visit

to China, said there should be

a clear difference between people

who arrive in Britain before March

2019, when the UK is due to leave

the EU, and those who

arrive after that date.

The disgraced USA gymnastics doctor

Larry Nassar abused more than 265

young athletes in his care,

a court has told

a court in Michigan.

Last week, Nassar was sentenced

to 175 years in jail

after 160 women testified

that he sexually assaulted them.

Another 65 women are expected

to testify in the last three

sentencing hearings.

Yesterday, the US gymnastics

governing body confirmed that

all of its remaining directors had

resigned over the scandal.

A key government target for treating

people with severe mental health

conditions in England isn't

being met, according to the Liberal

Democrats.

The party says it has gathered

evidence which shows that

people experiencing a first episode

of psychosis are not getting a

quality care package.

NHS England says more

than three quarters of

patients are seen within two weeks

and that the research shows a

partial and dated picture

of the services provided.

Earlier on this programme, Liberal

Democrat health spokesman Norman

Lamb said mental health is still not

prioritised in the way serious

physical health conditions.

Only

about 25% of the country is

delivering the full evidence -based

treatment package. You would never

get that encounter. It's like saying

to someone, we will give you

chemotherapy, but not the full

treatment programme. And yet we know

that for every pound spent, you save

about £15 in the long-running Ford

estate because you are giving people

the chance of rescuing them, the

chance of a good life.

The proportion of people

having strokes in their

forties and fifties has

risen in the last decade according

to Public Health England, which says

20% of stroke cases now occur

in those aged between 40 and 59.

Obesity, diabetes and sedentary

lifestyles are all thought to be

factors behind the rise.

Former Chancellor George Osborne

says the government must do more to

tackle poor achievement by children

in the north of England.

A study by the business-led Northern

Powerhouse

partnership found that pupils

in the north are on average one GCSE

grade behind those in the south.

It also revealed

a quarter of secondary

schools in the north

are judged by Ofsted to be

inadequate or in need

of