0:00:05 > 0:00:07Hello, it's Tuesday, it's 9 o'clock, I'm Victoria Derbyshire,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11welcome to the programme.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Our top story...
0:00:13 > 0:00:15A former Russian agent who also spied for the UK
0:00:15 > 0:00:17is critically ill in hospital.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Police are trying to identify what caused him
0:00:20 > 0:00:22and a female companion to collapse on a park
0:00:22 > 0:00:27bench in Salisbury.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31An older guy and a younger girl, she was sort of Lent in on him, it
0:00:31 > 0:00:36looked like she had passed out, maybe. He was doing strange hand
0:00:36 > 0:00:39movements, looking to the sky.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40So, was he poisoned?
0:00:40 > 0:00:42And, if so, was it by the Russian state?
0:00:42 > 0:00:44We'll tell you what we actually know so far.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45Also on the programme...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47If you're taking Xanax as a recreational drug you're
0:00:47 > 0:00:50dicing with your death - that's the warning this morning
0:00:50 > 0:00:53as we reveal a rise in the number of young people taking it,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55some as young as 13.
0:00:55 > 0:01:03How long have you been using?I would say about... About nine
0:01:03 > 0:01:09months.How often do you use? Probably once every two or three
0:01:09 > 0:01:09weeks.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11That full exclusive story in about 15 minutes.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17We're keen to hear your experience of Xanax too -
0:01:17 > 0:01:19if you've taken it, do get in touch in the usual ways.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Food companies have been told they must cut the calories
0:01:22 > 0:01:24in their products by a fifth within six years, and we're
0:01:24 > 0:01:28being told to go on a diet and eat 400 calories for breakfast and 600
0:01:28 > 0:01:29calories for lunch and dinner.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Is that sensible advice?
0:01:30 > 0:01:37Do let us know what you think.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Hello.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Welcome to the programme, we're live until 11am.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Throughout the morning we'll bring you the latest breaking news
0:01:49 > 0:01:57and developing stories.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00A little later, Britain's most senior counterterrorism police
0:02:00 > 0:02:05officer will tell us in his final provides television interview before
0:02:05 > 0:02:10retiring from his post that social media companies have a moral duty to
0:02:10 > 0:02:14tip of police about individuals posting extremist content online.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16As always, we want to hear from you.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning -
0:02:19 > 0:02:20use the hashtag #VictoriaLive.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23If you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24Our top story today...
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Police are trying to identify a substance which caused a former
0:02:27 > 0:02:28Russian double agent to fall critically ill in
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Salisbury yesterday.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Sergei Skripal was convicted by a Russian court of passing
0:02:32 > 0:02:34state secrets to MI6, but was later given refuge in
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Britain as part of a prisoner swap.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Leila Nathoo reports.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Police are racing to establish just what happened here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Last night, officers were examining the contents
0:02:44 > 0:02:46of a bin near to the bench where Sergei Skripal
0:02:46 > 0:02:52and a 33-year-old woman were found unconscious on Sunday afternoon.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54A high-street Italian restaurant nearby was closed,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57the staff inside questioned.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Detectives are trying to piece together the events that led
0:02:59 > 0:03:02to the police being called out to this shopping precinct
0:03:02 > 0:03:04in the centre of the city.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06There was a couple.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08An older guy and a younger girl.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10She was, sort of, lent in on him.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12It looked like she had passed out, maybe.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15He was doing some strange hand movements, looking up to the sky.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17I felt anxious.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18I felt like I should step in.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But, to be honest, they looked so out of it that I thought
0:03:22 > 0:03:26even if I did step in, I wasn't sure how I could help.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28The two remain in a critical condition at Salisbury Hospital.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Sergei Skripal was a former Russian secret service officer,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33convicted of treason in 2006 after he was accused
0:03:33 > 0:03:37of spying for Britain.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But he was pardoned in Russia in 2010 and handed over to the UK
0:03:40 > 0:03:43in a swap when he and three others were exchanged for
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Russian spies in the US.
0:03:46 > 0:03:52Police say they're keeping an open mind about this incident and don't
0:03:52 > 0:03:55yet know whether a crime has taken place, but given Sergei Skripal's
0:03:55 > 0:03:59background, it's likely to be a sensitive investigation.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04And Leila Nathoo joins me from Salisbury.
0:04:04 > 0:04:14What is the latest?You can see there is a bit of police activity,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19picked up a bit this morning when we first arrived earlier. Police are
0:04:19 > 0:04:23still remaining tight-lipped about the identities of the two who were
0:04:23 > 0:04:27found here. We expect to hear a little more from them later today,
0:04:27 > 0:04:34perhaps with an update. So far they are only confirming a 66-year-old
0:04:34 > 0:04:37man and a 33-year-old woman were found here and conscience. Police
0:04:37 > 0:04:41say they were known to each other and are working to determine why and
0:04:41 > 0:04:46how they fell unconscious. There was a big decontamination method in the
0:04:46 > 0:04:51aftermath of when they were found. That has now cleared that there is a
0:04:51 > 0:04:56white police caught in place. Last night we saw more officers in
0:04:56 > 0:05:00protective suits, as I saw in my report, wearing masks, scarring the
0:05:00 > 0:05:05bins. There is no sign of that sort of activity going on yet, but it is
0:05:05 > 0:05:11clear the is of substantial interest to police as they try to piece
0:05:11 > 0:05:15together the movements of the two before they appeared on the bench.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The restaurant was closed last night, there is still a police
0:05:18 > 0:05:24presence. That is clearly one focus of the inquiry. It still looked like
0:05:24 > 0:05:32police are some way off confirming exactly who was here and what
0:05:32 > 0:05:33happened.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Annita McVeigh is in the BBC Newsroom with a summary
0:05:35 > 0:05:37of the rest of the day's news.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Water companies have been working through the night to restore
0:05:39 > 0:05:41supplies to thousands of homes across south-east England affected
0:05:41 > 0:05:43by burst pipes after last week's cold weather.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Production at two of Jaguar Land Rover plants had to be
0:05:46 > 0:05:48halted temporarily to allow water to be prioritised by emergency
0:05:48 > 0:05:52services and hospitals.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Tom Burridge reports.
0:05:56 > 0:06:04After the big freeze, the thaw, and cracked,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06leaking water pipes in several parts of the country.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09So this the only supply for thousands of people
0:06:09 > 0:06:11for several days.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Thames Water is handing out bottles of water to its customers in parts
0:06:14 > 0:06:17of London which are cut off.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Thousands of homes in Scotland, Wales and southern
0:06:19 > 0:06:21England are affected.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I've got five kids, and literally without water for like -
0:06:24 > 0:06:26since 6:00pm yesterday morning.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27It's terrible.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Washing the bottles is just a bit difficult.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32There's a lot of stuff covered in baby poo that
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I can't wash at the moment.
0:06:34 > 0:06:377:30am in the morning they sent me a message, the water's fixed.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Nurseries and schools have closed.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Some say the water companies should have planned more.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48This is a national crisis in our water industries
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and it is clear they are not fit for purpose.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53At the very least, one would have thought there would be some
0:06:53 > 0:06:54kind of public inquiry.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57People will be interested to know whether they will get compensation
0:06:57 > 0:06:59for what has happened.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Several water companies have apologised.
0:07:01 > 0:07:09They say they were working overnight to get people connected again.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Counterfeit Xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller have
0:07:11 > 0:07:16become a party drug among some young people - but Public Health England
0:07:16 > 0:07:20have warned this programme users are "dicing with death."
0:07:20 > 0:07:24The drug is widely prescribed in the US to treat anxiety and can
0:07:24 > 0:07:28be obtained on private prescription in the UK.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31But among some teenagers and young adults in the UK it has become
0:07:31 > 0:07:34a popular recreational drug used illegally.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37One of the country's most senior police officers has said
0:07:37 > 0:07:40that the threat from far-right extremist groups is growing.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43The Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism chief,
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, told this programme
0:07:44 > 0:07:47that the rise of organisations such as the now-banned,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51National Action, was alarming.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Particularly concerning that the end of 2016,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57the Home Secretary prescribed, that means she banned,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59as a terrorist organisation, National Action,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03which are home-grown.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05They are, sort of, white supremacist, neo-Nazi.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07They want things like whites-only towns.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10They are a very unsavoury group.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12And they are plotting violence, they are trying to undermine Britain
0:08:12 > 0:08:16and they are starting to make international connections.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That's a matter of grave concern.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21I don't pretend it's the same as the threats...
0:08:21 > 0:08:24It is of grave concern that's growing up in our communities.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27And you can hear Victoria's full interview with Mark Rowley
0:08:27 > 0:08:30at around 10:45 this morning.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33A new unit is being set up to tackle gang activity and organised crime
0:08:33 > 0:08:36being carried out within prisons in England and Wales.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39The Justice Secretary David Gauke is concerned that too many prisoners
0:08:39 > 0:08:42are able to smuggle drugs, mobile phones and weapons
0:08:42 > 0:08:45into their cells, fuelling violence amongst inmates.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Under the changes, set to be announced later today,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51inmates who get involved with crime behind bars could be moved
0:08:51 > 0:08:59to higher security jails.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Public Health England have challenged the food industry
0:09:01 > 0:09:03to cut calories in products like ready meals, sandwiches,
0:09:03 > 0:09:04pizza and snacks.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06It's hoped the plans, targeting some of the most
0:09:06 > 0:09:08popular family foods, could lead to a drop
0:09:08 > 0:09:11in the number of obese children
0:09:11 > 0:09:14The packaging industry in England has denied claims that it is greatly
0:09:14 > 0:09:17exaggerating the amount of plastic it recycles.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19It follows the release of a report today by waste
0:09:19 > 0:09:22consultancy group Eunomia, who say the industry's figures don't
0:09:22 > 0:09:27add up and companies aren't paying enough towards the £2.8 billion
0:09:27 > 0:09:34annual cost of collecting and processing plastic.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull has announced that
0:09:36 > 0:09:41he's been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45He tweeted the news late last night and has undergone chemotherapy.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48He says he is in good spirits and hopes to be
0:09:48 > 0:09:49around for some time yet.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53He was at Breakfast for 15 years before leaving the sofa in 2016.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Bill was diagnosed at the end of last year
0:09:55 > 0:09:57during the recording of The Great Celebrity Bake Off
0:09:57 > 0:10:05For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.
0:10:06 > 0:10:14I was getting pains in my legs and my hips, particularly. And they
0:10:14 > 0:10:18would come and go and I thought this is old age. Eventually the pains got
0:10:18 > 0:10:24so bad I thought, well, I'd better see my GP. He said, well, I'm just
0:10:24 > 0:10:29going to give you a blood test, just an MOT, just to check if few things
0:10:29 > 0:10:34out. The next morning he called me and asked me to come in pretty
0:10:34 > 0:10:38quickly. The doctor said it is fairly clear from this that you have
0:10:38 > 0:10:42advanced prostate cancer. Bill Turnbull.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 9.30am.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50I would like to send our love and strength to Bill Turnbull.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -
0:10:53 > 0:10:54use the hashtag #VictoriaLIVE.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Let's get some sport.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04Olly Foster is with us this morning.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06We spoke yesterday, Olly, about that DCMS doping report
0:11:06 > 0:11:08that claimed that British Cycling had crossed an ethical line.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Sir Bradley Wiggins said he would have his say
0:11:11 > 0:11:12and he certainly has.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Yes, he'd sort out our sports editor damp Roan, gave an hour-long
0:11:16 > 0:11:21interview yesterday defending himself against what was the main
0:11:21 > 0:11:27thrust of the DC MS report that he and Team Sky, the professional
0:11:27 > 0:11:31cycling team, had crossed an ethical line in the use of prescribed asthma
0:11:31 > 0:11:39and allergy medication. A very powerful steroids, to enhance
0:11:39 > 0:11:44performance. He says he is the victim of a smear campaign, that the
0:11:44 > 0:11:48source quoted in the report is being militias. He says he feels let down
0:11:48 > 0:11:53by his former head coach Shane Sutton Hoo said the use of this drug
0:11:53 > 0:11:58was unethical. Wiggins did admit that his completely legal use of the
0:11:58 > 0:12:02drug might have had performance enhancing benefits.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07The intention, I think that is the key. Was there a performance
0:12:07 > 0:12:12enhancements? You tell me there was. There may well have been. But they
0:12:12 > 0:12:17were the rules at the time, and to treat this problem that is what I
0:12:17 > 0:12:25was prescribed. I can't change the last five years.Wiggins went on at
0:12:25 > 0:12:32length to categorically deny he had 100% never cheated throughout his
0:12:32 > 0:12:36career.And he talked about the damage to his personal life?You
0:12:36 > 0:12:41says it has been hellish, really, really difficult to keep himself
0:12:41 > 0:12:45together. Keeping his counsel for the duration of this report. All
0:12:45 > 0:12:51this DCMS
0:12:51 > 0:12:55this DCMS hearings in the past 18 months in which his reputation and
0:12:55 > 0:13:00that of British cycling has slowly been eroded. He says he has found it
0:13:00 > 0:13:06so tough. The widespread effect of the family
0:13:06 > 0:13:13is horrific, I do not know how I will put that back together. I don't
0:13:13 > 0:13:18how to deal with that as well as salvage my reputation. I would not
0:13:18 > 0:13:22wish it upon anyone. I have worked and have had the passion I have had
0:13:22 > 0:13:29for this sport for 15 or 20 years. I have been writing a book all morning
0:13:29 > 0:13:33about the love of the sport. To do that to the sport. It is just
0:13:33 > 0:13:39absurd. It is the worst thing to be accused of, I have said that before,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43but it is the hardest thing to prove you have not done. We are not
0:13:43 > 0:13:48dealing in a legal system. I would have more rights in this process if
0:13:48 > 0:13:53I had murdered somebody. Much more of that interview,
0:13:53 > 0:13:58gripping at times and fascinating to hear his defence, with our sports
0:13:58 > 0:14:02editor Dan Roan on the BBC sport website. The headlines in half an
0:14:02 > 0:14:06hour, a fantastic Manchester United winger. And a really interesting
0:14:06 > 0:14:10chat with Serena Williams on her comeback.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16That is after 10am. I have tweeted a link to the full trumps big -- full
0:14:16 > 0:14:19transcript of Dan Roan's interview with Bradley Wiggins and I would
0:14:19 > 0:14:24urge you to hear the -- read the whole thing, I really would.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Counterfeit Xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller have
0:14:26 > 0:14:28become a party drug among some young people.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Now Public Health England has told this programme users
0:14:30 > 0:14:33are dicing with death.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35The drug, also known by its brand name alprazolam,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38is widely prescribed in the US to treat anxiety and can be obtained
0:14:38 > 0:14:43on private prescription in the UK.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45But among some teenagers and young adults in the UK,
0:14:45 > 0:14:50it has become a popular recreational drug used illegally.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51Our reporter, Noel Phillips, has been investigating.
0:14:51 > 0:14:59His report contains scenes of drug taking.
0:15:03 > 0:15:10You can experienced tremors, cold sweats, sleepless nights
0:15:10 > 0:15:17and it takes a toll on your mental health, like, extreme anxiety.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19I feel really, like, drowsy.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20I feel, like, a lot like a cloud.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22He was going everyday to get it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Every single day, ten tablets.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29It's a tranquilliser, it's an antidepressant,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31so it's not actually on the market or out there to make
0:15:31 > 0:15:32people enjoy themselves.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Typical customer...
0:15:33 > 0:15:41INAUDIBLE.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Whatever is in the drugs they buy could change
0:15:43 > 0:15:45from one batch to another.
0:15:45 > 0:15:53It's dicing with death, really.
0:15:53 > 0:16:01In clubs and house parties across the UK, there are teenagers,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09some as young as 13, getting high illegally on an anti-anxiety
0:16:09 > 0:16:10prescription drug.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13It's so popular this American rapper has made a cake out of it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15We celebrating with a Xan cake!
0:16:15 > 0:16:23Xanax is something you're more likely to find in a medicine
0:16:23 > 0:16:25cabinet, also known by its brand name alprazolam,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27the psychiatric drug which is used to treat
0:16:27 > 0:16:28anxiety caused by insomnia.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30But this medication isn't curing a mental disorder.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Instead, young people are using it to get high.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34This man appears to be in a zombie-like state
0:16:34 > 0:16:37and is struggling to stay conscious after taking several pills.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41It's even been glorified in mainstream music.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45# Pop a couple Xans for somebody.#
0:16:45 > 0:16:46But Xanax is not only being abused.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48If mixed with other drugs, it can kill.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50November, 2017.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52El Paso.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54I took six Xanax.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55This is Lil Peep.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00A 21-year-old rapper.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Just hours before he overdosed on Xanax mixed with fentanyl,
0:17:02 > 0:17:10a painkiller 50 times more powerful than heroin.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13He was open about his addiction, posting a series of disturbing
0:17:13 > 0:17:15videos of the very pills that would later take his life.
0:17:15 > 0:17:23He did it!
0:17:24 > 0:17:28# Xanax all over my dash.#
0:17:28 > 0:17:3619-year-old Kristello from Birmingham used to take Xanax.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Just describe that feeling of when you were using Xanax.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Where did it take you to?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Because we hear stories about people, you know,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49experiencing some kind of a high.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52How did it make you feel?
0:17:52 > 0:17:56The high felt like, you know, it was very floaty.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Any worries you had melted away and you didn't
0:17:58 > 0:17:59have a care in the world.
0:17:59 > 0:18:06You were happy.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08You were on a level where you weren't afraid
0:18:08 > 0:18:09of anything, really.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12And if you fight the sleep, if you don't sleep on Xanax,
0:18:12 > 0:18:13the high does get stronger.
0:18:13 > 0:18:19And you feel a lot more warm inside.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25To many people, it is a nice feeling, but the thing you've got
0:18:25 > 0:18:28to take into account is what happens after you take Xanax.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29That's where the problems really, really start.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Kristello first started using the tranquilliser
0:18:31 > 0:18:33in 2017 at parties and soon after experimenting,
0:18:33 > 0:18:39it became a habit.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40# Ghost of me.#
0:18:40 > 0:18:48But he's now changed his tune.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52He is sharing his story in the hope that it will
0:18:52 > 0:18:58prevent other young people who might be misusing the drug.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Before you stopped using Xanax, how much were you taking?
0:19:00 > 0:19:01It varied, really.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03When it started to get to, like, a daily basis,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05it was usually one tablet a night.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Maybe two.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07Or maybe just a half.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10But one, you know, that's four times the recommended dose.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13So, when you are self-medicating, you don't have any knowledge of how
0:19:13 > 0:19:14much you're supposed to take.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17It's just how much you want to feel away from being sober.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Why were you doing it?
0:19:18 > 0:19:19I underestimated what it could do.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I didn't know it was as addictive as it could be.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27So when it did take a hold of me, it was a surprise.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32You know, in hindsight, how quick...
0:19:32 > 0:19:33It kind of came on.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36And that's why the authorities are sounding the alarm.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Referred to as its street name, Xan or Xanny, there are no figures
0:19:39 > 0:19:42available to know how widespread the use of Xanax is that
0:19:42 > 0:19:44in England and Scotland, the drug has been linked
0:19:44 > 0:19:46to a number of deaths.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48There was no chance of saving Scott that night.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52I dream of him, but he can't come back, can he?
0:19:52 > 0:19:58You know, all the tears in the world, do I blame myself?
0:19:58 > 0:20:05Because maybe I should have...
0:20:05 > 0:20:07You know, I wasn't strict with them growing up.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I wasn't, because Richard was always in prison.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Anne McDermott believes Xanax played a role
0:20:11 > 0:20:12in the death of her son, Scott.
0:20:12 > 0:20:18She says the pills he took may have been a counterfeit.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Up until he was taking Xanax, Scott had had problems
0:20:21 > 0:20:22with drugs for 17 years.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25There was no overdoses, there was no admissions to hospital.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30There was nothing like that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32When he took Xanax, the first time he took it,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35he was completely out of it.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38He went back the next day, the next day and the next day.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41And that's what happened.
0:20:41 > 0:20:48It was an extremely powerful, potent drug.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52That will cause many more deaths in Edinburgh, as all over.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54But Scott's dependency to heroin was the start of a life
0:20:54 > 0:21:02blighted by addiction.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Anne says before he was found unconscious at his home,
0:21:05 > 0:21:06he was hooked on Xanax.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08He was going every day to get it.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09Every single day.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Ten tablets.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Its early evening in Birmingham and I've arranged to meet
0:21:12 > 0:21:14an 18-year-old who goes by the name Stephen.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17He's a former dealer who used to sell Xanax
0:21:17 > 0:21:25on the streets of the West Midlands.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Say I was selling ten Xanax, I would say do
0:21:33 > 0:21:35two at a time maximum.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Sometimes people would take too many and I would hear them doing
0:21:38 > 0:21:39EXPLETIVEthings.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Getting themselves into trouble.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41But it wasn't on my mind.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42I've sold it.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44If they want to do something stupid, get caught up
0:21:44 > 0:21:46in the moment, that is their responsibility.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48It's a shame but that's not on my mind.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50A chilling glimpse into a world where the lives
0:21:50 > 0:21:53of users are at the hands of their dealers.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54Who is your typical customer?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Typical customers, the people my own age.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I'm talking mature people in year 11,
0:21:59 > 0:22:00in high school.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02College students and university students.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05You know, they take Xanax, you know, for the
0:22:05 > 0:22:09weekends, to go clubbing.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12But I also have customers in their 40s, in
0:22:12 > 0:22:14their 60s, for some reason, still getting high.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17So, why are so many young people up and down the country
0:22:17 > 0:22:22taking a drug which has been described as a zombie pill?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I've been invited to a flat just outside
0:22:24 > 0:22:31Birmingham in Dudley by a group of young people to find out.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33The venue is an ideal den for these teenagers -
0:22:33 > 0:22:36the ultimate consumers.
0:22:36 > 0:22:43They've asked for their faces not to be shown
0:22:43 > 0:22:46but allowed our cameras into the party as they got high on the
0:22:46 > 0:22:47illegal drug.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50If you're wanting to experience the height of Xanax, then
0:22:50 > 0:22:51the best thing...
0:22:51 > 0:22:53You should try and stay awake because it can send you
0:22:53 > 0:22:55very sleepy and very drowsy.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56It does make it feel very comfortable.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58No matter what...
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Like, if I were sitting like this, I could fall
0:23:02 > 0:23:04asleep, lie back like this and it would just feel comfortable.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06I wouldn't feel any strain on my neck.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09The best way to describe it is that you feel like a marshmallow.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Jordan and Kiernan, which are not their
0:23:11 > 0:23:15real names, both 18.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17They say they've unintentionally taken
0:23:17 > 0:23:18counterfeit Xanax, spiked with fentanyl.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And getting hold of the drug tonight was not hard.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Can you show us what you bought?
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Yes.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Two Xanax.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25How much have you spent?
0:23:25 > 0:23:27I've spent £5 for this.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28How long have you been using?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I'd say for about nine months.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37How often do you use?
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Probably once every two or three weeks I would say.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Would you describe yourself as an addict?
0:23:43 > 0:23:44No, not at all.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46But you are dependent?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Not really.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Xans are the best things to use.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55If you're using other drugs and you feel really
0:23:55 > 0:23:57uncomfortable afterwards...
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Because of the come-down effects of other drugs can be quite,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02like, powerful on your body.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Taking a Xanax really helps to, like, stop
0:24:06 > 0:24:09that feeling and make you feel comfortable with yourself.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12On an average night, Jordan and Kieran say they take
0:24:12 > 0:24:16up to two Xanax bars.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Xanax washed down with alcohol.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21A lethal combination.
0:24:21 > 0:24:29At best, users only have a vague idea of what's in their drugs.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37But the authorities are now acknowledging the scope
0:24:37 > 0:24:40and severity of this problem.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42We've been told by Pfizer, the company that produces Xanax,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46that over 96 of the pills they've analysed in their counterfeit labs
0:24:46 > 0:24:50have turned out to be fake.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55How big a problem is Xanax at the moment?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It is a real and immediate concern amongst the groups of young people
0:24:58 > 0:25:01with whom it seems to be a drug of choice.
0:25:01 > 0:25:07And, of course, people buy things from the internet.
0:25:07 > 0:25:14They have no guarantee of what they're getting.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19Whatever is in the drugs that they buy could change
0:25:19 > 0:25:21from one batch to another.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23So it's dicing with death, really.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Because these things are very dangerous.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31And one of the drugs causing concern is fentanyl,
0:25:31 > 0:25:32a powerful painkiller which is usually prescribed
0:25:32 > 0:25:38to cancer patients.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The National Crime Agency says 113 people have died having used it
0:25:41 > 0:25:42in the last 12 months.
0:25:42 > 0:25:49The great disaster is that when these tablets are supplied
0:25:49 > 0:25:57between friends and one friend gives it to one friend without realising.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03And they kill a friend without realising because they've sold them
0:26:03 > 0:26:09something that they didn't think it was.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Until last year, Tony was the most senior anti-drug
0:26:11 > 0:26:12detective in the country.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14He saw first hand how fentanyl was a favourite of addicts.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18This type of tablet is the type of tablet that I would expect
0:26:18 > 0:26:19criminals to use, substances like fentanyl, to
0:26:19 > 0:26:20create a counterfeit.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24The danger we've got here is that young people who are used to taking
0:26:24 > 0:26:27drugs or young people that are new to taking drugs, who think
0:26:27 > 0:26:28they know what they're doing...
0:26:28 > 0:26:31It's now 20 minutes since Jordan and Kieran each took a Xanax pill
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and the after effects couldn't be more apparent.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36But I feel really, like, drowsy.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I feel, kind of, like, I feel a lot like cloud.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I don't know, I just feel comfortable, really.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48I'm feeling fine, honestly, I'm feeling fine.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49I'm just...
0:26:49 > 0:26:51relaxed.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53The drug only lasts 12 hours in total.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Say, when I fall asleep, I'm going to have a really,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57really comfortable sleep.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59You're exposing yourself to all sorts of potential
0:26:59 > 0:27:00risks by using Xanax.
0:27:00 > 0:27:01Yeah.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04You're aware of that, aren't you?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07We are 100% aware of the risks, they can be a factor.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09But we are level-headed about it.
0:27:09 > 0:27:15We wouldn't go over the limits that we take.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17But that doesn't make it OK, does it?
0:27:17 > 0:27:23It doesn't make it OK, but it's just fun for us.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24I understand why people don't like it.
0:27:24 > 0:27:31I just don't really care.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33What I've seen here shows pretty convincingly the challenges
0:27:33 > 0:27:35the authorities are up against in tackling
0:27:35 > 0:27:38the misuse of Xanax.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Say I was to take a Xan today, I wouldn't feel like I needed
0:27:41 > 0:27:42to take another one.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I wouldn't go out of my way to go and get it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Like, it would just be a case of, like, when it's next round.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51That's when I will maybe do it.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52# Flashing lights, my stage is bright #
0:27:52 > 0:27:54When Kristello first started misusing Xanax,
0:27:54 > 0:28:01he wasn't aware of the devastating impact it would have on his life.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06Now, unlike other musicians, he's sending a message about its dangers.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08You can experience tremors, cold sweats, sleepless nights and it
0:28:08 > 0:28:11takes a toll on your mental health, as well.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Like, extreme anxiety and paranoia.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15You can experience blackouts with memory loss.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Your long-term memory can be affected as well,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21your memory and your timeline will just be blank because you don't
0:28:21 > 0:28:29remember anything from Xanax.
0:28:37 > 0:28:43If you use or have used Xanax, or a family member of yours has,
0:28:43 > 0:28:49please do get in touch and tell us your experience.
0:28:50 > 0:28:58We appreciate that means you have used it illegally. You can remain
0:28:58 > 0:29:01anonymous. It is about getting an insight into why you are using this
0:29:01 > 0:29:03drug.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06If you want help or advice about some of the issues
0:29:06 > 0:29:08raised in this item, please go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
0:29:08 > 0:29:09Still to come...
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Health officials are telling us to go on a diet.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Apparently we should all eat 400 calories a day
0:29:14 > 0:29:16for breakfast and 600 at lunch and dinner -
0:29:16 > 0:29:18we'll get reaction from health experts.
0:29:18 > 0:29:24And an in-depth interview with tennis legend Serena Williams
0:29:24 > 0:29:27on her campaign to reform gun laws in the States, equal
0:29:27 > 0:29:35pay and how she's being inspired by her daughter.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38Time for the latest news.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41The BBC News headlines this morning...
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Police say they are keeping an open mind about how and why a former
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Russian double agent became critically ill after apparently
0:29:46 > 0:29:53coming into contact with an unidentified substance.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54Sergei Skripal, and a woman found with him, are being treated
0:29:54 > 0:29:56in hospital in Salisbury.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Sergei Skripal was given refuge in Britain eight years ago
0:29:59 > 0:30:03after being involved in a spy swap.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05In Syria, the first aid convoy for three weeks
0:30:05 > 0:30:07has delivered supplies to the rebel-held
0:30:07 > 0:30:10territory Eastern Ghouta.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12But aid workers were forced to cut the mission short
0:30:12 > 0:30:15after dozens of people were killed by shelling from
0:30:15 > 0:30:17pro-government forces.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Nearly 400,000 people are thought to be trapped
0:30:19 > 0:30:22in the enclave which has been the focus of heavy
0:30:22 > 0:30:25fighting in recent months.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Water companies have been working through the night to restore
0:30:32 > 0:30:35supplies to thousands of homes across south-east England affected
0:30:35 > 0:30:38by burst pipes after last week's cold weather.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42Yesterday London MPs called for an inquiry into why 25,000 people had
0:30:42 > 0:30:47water supplies cut off over the weekend, and production at two
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Jaguar Land Rover plans had to be halted to allow water to be
0:30:51 > 0:30:55prioritised by emergency services in hospitals.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Public Health England has asked food manufacturers and retailers to
0:30:58 > 0:31:03reduce the number of calories by a fifth. It wants the whole industry,
0:31:03 > 0:31:10from processors to restaurants, to achieve that by 2024.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Former BBC breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull has announced he has been
0:31:13 > 0:31:19diagnosed with prostate and bone cancel. A 62 Which? Classic FM host
0:31:19 > 0:31:22told the region Times magazine he was diagnosed after the end -- the
0:31:22 > 0:31:26end of last year after blaming long-term aches and pains on old
0:31:26 > 0:31:28age. He is encouraging other people to get tested.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30That's a summary of the latest BBC News.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Here's some sport now.
0:31:33 > 0:31:39Olly Foster is back. Sir Bradley Wiggins says he is the victim of a
0:31:39 > 0:31:44smear campaign after a DCMS report claimed he and Team Sky crossed an
0:31:44 > 0:31:47ethical line in the use of prescribed drugs that may have also
0:31:47 > 0:31:51enhance performance. Wiggins says he has 100% never cheated on his
0:31:51 > 0:31:57career. From 2-0 down, Nemanja Matic scored
0:31:57 > 0:32:00an injury time wonder goal as Manchester United beat Crystal
0:32:00 > 0:32:04Palace 3-2. They are second in the table. 14
0:32:04 > 0:32:09months after her last match and six months after giving birth, the 23
0:32:09 > 0:32:12time Grand Slam singles winner Serena Williams makes her comeback
0:32:12 > 0:32:18on the women's tour this week. I will have a full update after
0:32:18 > 0:32:2010am. Welcome to the programme, good
0:32:20 > 0:32:21morning.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Police are trying to identify a substance which caused
0:32:23 > 0:32:25a former Russian agent, who allegedly spied for Britain,
0:32:25 > 0:32:26to collapse in Wiltshire.
0:32:26 > 0:32:27Sergei Skripal, who is 66,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30and a woman in her 30s were found slumped on a bench
0:32:30 > 0:32:33in Salisbury on Sunday and are now critically ill in hospital.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37He was convicted in 2006 of passing state secrets to MI6,
0:32:37 > 0:32:42Britain's foreign intelligence service, but he was later
0:32:42 > 0:32:45given refuge in the UK as part of a prisoner swap.
0:32:45 > 0:32:53Freya Church witnessed the couple looking unwell.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03I had just finished training at my job, I walked up this past year on
0:33:03 > 0:33:07the right-hand side, on the bench, there was a couple. An older guy and
0:33:07 > 0:33:11a younger girl. She was sort of leaning in on him, it looked like
0:33:11 > 0:33:15she had maybe passed out. He was doing strange hand movements,
0:33:15 > 0:33:20looking up to the sky. I felt anxious, like I should step in, but
0:33:20 > 0:33:24to be honest they look so out of it I was not sure how I could help even
0:33:24 > 0:33:26if I did step in.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28We do not know as yet what caused Sergei Skripal
0:33:28 > 0:33:31to collapse on that bench in Salisbury, but the parallels with
0:33:31 > 0:33:33what happened to another Russian, Alexander Litvinenko,
0:33:33 > 0:33:34rang immediate alarm bells.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36He was killed in 2006 after being poisoned
0:33:36 > 0:33:44by tea which was laced with polonium 210 in a hotel in Mayfair.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52We can speak to Sir Tony Brenton.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56He was the UK's ambassador to Russia until 2008.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59During that period Alexander Litvinenko was fatally poisoned.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03What do you think the parallels between the Litvinenko assassination
0:34:03 > 0:34:10and what we know so far regarding Sergei Skripal?There are obvious
0:34:10 > 0:34:15parallels but there are obvious differences. Litvinenko and script
0:34:15 > 0:34:21were both Russian intelligence agents at some point in their
0:34:21 > 0:34:26careers. --
0:34:26 > 0:34:29careers. -- Litvinenko and Skripal. Litvinenko is dead because of
0:34:29 > 0:34:33polonium, we do not know what Skripal has taken or been given. But
0:34:33 > 0:34:41the differences, Litvinenko fled Russia and was... I don't know being
0:34:41 > 0:34:44pursued but had left a lot of bitterness because he had written a
0:34:44 > 0:34:48book attacking the Russian government for blowing up lots of
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Russian citizens. Skripal was released by the Russians and was
0:34:52 > 0:34:57pardoned by the Russian president, Medvedev, at the time. So we should
0:34:57 > 0:35:00not draw any swift conclusions, particularly since we do not yet
0:35:00 > 0:35:06know it was unfair play with Skripal, but we should be looking
0:35:06 > 0:35:15carefully at it.We do not know if it is foul play. If that ends up
0:35:15 > 0:35:21being the conclusion, what could the UK do, if anything?It will be very
0:35:21 > 0:35:25difficult. At the time of the Litvinenko affair, relations were
0:35:25 > 0:35:28reasonably good with Russia and there were actions we could take
0:35:28 > 0:35:33which we knew her to the Russians. We took a bit of time, accumulated
0:35:33 > 0:35:37evidence, got it very clear that we knew who had done it and we had a
0:35:37 > 0:35:42case against him and we pressed for his extradition, and when they
0:35:42 > 0:35:48refused to extradite we imposed sanctions in the Russian
0:35:48 > 0:35:50intelligence agencies and Russia more generally, we threw out some
0:35:50 > 0:35:54diplomats, we made it harder for Russian officials who might have
0:35:54 > 0:35:57been involved in this sort of thing to get into the UK. We know the
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Russians resented those actions. Relations with Russia have got much
0:36:01 > 0:36:06worse since then, there are other sanctions on Russia at the moment.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Contact artificial ministerial level are very intermittent. It is really
0:36:10 > 0:36:14quite hard to see what we can do to intensify pressure on Russia, which
0:36:14 > 0:36:18is part of the general problem. We have opposed all be sanctions, the
0:36:18 > 0:36:24West as a whole. The Russians' response if anything has been to
0:36:24 > 0:36:28toughen their response. They see us as trying to diminish and you
0:36:28 > 0:36:31mediate them and threatening their national security. Things have gone
0:36:31 > 0:36:36from bad to worse. A very low point, whatever we conclude whether
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Skripal, being when Putin demonstrated a load of nuclear
0:36:39 > 0:36:43weapons last week which they may or might not have but are developing
0:36:43 > 0:36:47and emphasised his willingness to use them when necessary. It seems to
0:36:47 > 0:36:51me we need to find their way back from the brink we are at now of
0:36:51 > 0:36:56getting back to a serious old Cold War type of nuclear confrontation.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59You think we are on the brink of that?
0:36:59 > 0:37:07I lecture a bit here at Cambridge, five years ago I used to say to my
0:37:07 > 0:37:10students the world we're handing on to you is not perfect but at least
0:37:10 > 0:37:13we have removed the shadow of mutual nuclear annihilation from the
0:37:13 > 0:37:16threats facing you and your children. I can no longer say that.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19There has been a very major deterioration in the quality of the
0:37:19 > 0:37:22world we are passing on and it seems to me there is a duty on our
0:37:22 > 0:37:27generation to do what we can to fix that deterioration.
0:37:27 > 0:37:34Stay with us, said Tony Brenton, I will also bring in Yuri Felshtinsky,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38an historian who was a friend of Alexander Litvinenko. He joins us
0:37:38 > 0:37:47from Paris. I am going to ask you about what
0:37:48 > 0:37:51about what search Tony Brenton has just said. But as a friend of
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Alexander Litvinenko, what did you think when you heard of the collapse
0:37:53 > 0:38:00of Sergei Skripal?Unfortunately these types of murders are attempted
0:38:00 > 0:38:07murders sent... Tend to be an Austin event. Alexander Litvinenko was the
0:38:07 > 0:38:13first one, and it was majorly. ... Documented. There was a businessman
0:38:13 > 0:38:25poisoned in London, there were people who died... There were also
0:38:25 > 0:38:30people poisoned in Russia as well. This is not the first case at all.
0:38:30 > 0:38:43This is not unusual. I think the change which initially
0:38:45 > 0:38:49took place when the group was exchanged for Russian sleepers in
0:38:49 > 0:38:58the US (INAUDIBLE) . Never change a Russian spy for
0:38:58 > 0:39:03spies abroad, they exchanged foreign spies but not Russian. Because of
0:39:03 > 0:39:10this they probably wanted to send Russian spies back to Russia. But
0:39:10 > 0:39:17deep inside they knew they would use the opportunity (INAUDIBLE)
0:39:17 > 0:39:28. What I think they did.Sorry to interrupt, it is quite difficult to
0:39:28 > 0:39:35hear, serve. I apologise to the audience.I am sorry.Don't worry, I
0:39:35 > 0:39:39will try to make the line clearer. The images we were showing when you
0:39:39 > 0:39:43spoke well of your friends Alexander Litvinenko in hospital, an image he
0:39:43 > 0:39:52approved the release of two show what had happened to him.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54I will bring in Keir Giles, who is an expert on Russia
0:39:54 > 0:39:55at the international
0:39:55 > 0:39:57affairs think tank, Chatham House.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Let me ask you about the Russian former agent fighting for life in a
0:40:01 > 0:40:05British hospital, Sergei Skripal. What can you say about him?He was
0:40:05 > 0:40:10convicted of espionage on behalf of the UK and sentenced to 13 years
0:40:10 > 0:40:13imprisonment in Russia, then exchanged as part of the spy swap
0:40:13 > 0:40:18you have just heard about in 2010. Since then he has lived apparently
0:40:18 > 0:40:21very low profile life, he has not been a prominent critic of Russia.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26He is not the only individual that has arrived in the UK as part of
0:40:26 > 0:40:30that spy swap. Really nobody had heard of him since the swap until a
0:40:30 > 0:40:36couple of days ago. But at Yuri Felshtinsky just told you, this is
0:40:36 > 0:40:40not an isolated incident, it is part of an extended pattern of people who
0:40:40 > 0:40:45have embarrassed the Russian state or costed leadership money dying in
0:40:45 > 0:40:49suspicious circumstances.As you pointed out, not a prominent critic,
0:40:49 > 0:40:54pardoned by Putin but embarrassing Putin would potentially be enough to
0:40:54 > 0:40:58be assassinated on foreign soil? This is not an instance where
0:40:58 > 0:41:04embarrassment would be the prime motivation for a revenge attack, but
0:41:04 > 0:41:10he was pardoned by President Medvedev, not Putin. That makes a
0:41:10 > 0:41:15difference. Given that legal decisions in cases like that are
0:41:15 > 0:41:18really of little significance in Russia, let's not forget we should
0:41:18 > 0:41:21not necessarily assume he was actually spying for British
0:41:21 > 0:41:24intelligence coming he was merely convicted of it, this really carries
0:41:24 > 0:41:29very little weight when weighed against long-standing Russian
0:41:29 > 0:41:37practice of how they deal with, as they put it, traitors.If you speak
0:41:37 > 0:41:41against your homeland then you risk death?Acting against the homeland
0:41:41 > 0:41:51rather than speaking. They are reported to have passed over detail
0:41:51 > 0:41:54of Russian intelligence operation through the West to British
0:41:54 > 0:41:58intelligence, meaningless operatives were seized. He was a career army
0:41:58 > 0:42:02officer and is meant to have supplied information on specific
0:42:02 > 0:42:06military units to British intelligence. All of those was con
0:42:06 > 0:42:10-- would constitute grounds in the Russian sense of a revenge attack
0:42:10 > 0:42:17regardless of the legal status. Let's try Yuri 's line in Paris
0:42:17 > 0:42:22again, if we may. How do you think Britain is handling Russia, broadly
0:42:22 > 0:42:34speaking, at the moment?We know it is very difficult. We know it took
0:42:34 > 0:42:40several years to officially come to the conclusion that the Russian
0:42:40 > 0:42:46government was behind it. But in that time Russia invaded Georgia,
0:42:46 > 0:42:54Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia interfered with
0:42:54 > 0:42:55interfered with elections (INAUDIBLE)
0:42:55 > 0:43:03Terrible speech in which Putin was blackmailing the whole world with
0:43:03 > 0:43:07nuclear. It is very difficult to deal with Russia now, to argue with
0:43:07 > 0:43:17Russia now, to react to what Russia is doing. They are able to commit
0:43:17 > 0:43:22crimes without punishment. (INAUDIBLE)
0:43:22 > 0:43:27.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31. Attempted murder to defectors, who they considered to be enemies of the
0:43:31 > 0:43:37state. I am afraid there is not much we can do.Nothing much we can do.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41Thank you all very much. More on that story through the day on BBC
0:43:41 > 0:43:44News.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49Coming up...
0:43:49 > 0:43:52People taking the anti-anxiety drug Xanax illegally are dicing with
0:43:52 > 0:43:54death. That is our top story.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56We'll be hearing from a mother whose son died
0:43:56 > 0:43:58after overdoing on the drug Xanax in January.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02If you have taken Xanax as a recreational drug, get in touch and
0:44:02 > 0:44:07let us know your experience. It is absolutely fine to message is
0:44:07 > 0:44:08anonymously, of course.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10The portion sizes of some of Britain's most popular
0:44:10 > 0:44:13foods are to be cut, with health officials telling us
0:44:13 > 0:44:14it's time to get on a diet.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Public Health England is targeting pizzas, ready meals,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19processed meat and takeaways in a new obesity drive.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21The government agency has also urged the food industry to start
0:44:21 > 0:44:24using healthier ingredients and is encouraging us all to opt
0:44:24 > 0:44:26for lower calorie foods, saying we should eat 400 calories
0:44:26 > 0:44:28at breakfast and 600 at lunch and dinner.
0:44:28 > 0:44:36It is all part of a drive to cut calorie consumption by 20% by 2024.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42With us now is Kawther Hashem. She's a nutritionist
0:44:42 > 0:44:48for Action on Sugar at Queen Mary University of London.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Julie Clarke, who is also a nutritionist who helps
0:44:50 > 0:44:51families eat healthier.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53And Ciara Attwell, founder of the blog My Fussy Eater,
0:44:53 > 0:45:01which was set up to encourage her children to eat more a varied diet.
0:45:06 > 0:45:12400 calories at breakfast... Looks like this. Porridge, blueberries, if
0:45:12 > 0:45:17you're still feeling hungry, you can have a banana. I did including my
0:45:17 > 0:45:21calculations a cup of tea or coffee with milk and I think this is a
0:45:21 > 0:45:27fairly decent amount of calories and it is quite filling breakfast.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Filling for who? Filling for a
0:45:29 > 0:45:33ten-year-old but not for a grown man, potentially?This is the kind
0:45:33 > 0:45:37of cup you would get from most outlets, it might look a bit small
0:45:37 > 0:45:42because of the poll, but this is about 400 calories, it is what you
0:45:42 > 0:45:46would typically get if you are buying a pot of porridge in the
0:45:46 > 0:45:52supermarket -- because of the
0:45:52 > 0:45:55supermarket -- because of the bowl. You can make it with milk and it
0:45:55 > 0:46:02would still be under 400 calories. No toast
0:46:03 > 0:46:13No toast ...Croissant would take you close to the 400 calories.Is
0:46:13 > 0:46:16porridge a carbohydrate?Yes, it has carbohydrates, but it is fibre.
0:46:16 > 0:46:27Lunch?This is dinner, actually. These are savoury cheese and spinach
0:46:27 > 0:46:31muffins, a basic muffin recipe but made savoury so it has vegetables,
0:46:31 > 0:46:37cheese, and on the side, lots of fruit and veg, so you get part of
0:46:37 > 0:46:43your five day, another bit of cheese, you can use protein like
0:46:43 > 0:46:51chicken, maybe chickpeas. And cookie is treat.That looks very dead
0:46:51 > 0:46:54interesting and potentially very tasty but not very much of it, 600
0:46:54 > 0:47:07calories -- that looks very tasty. For a child, two is enough, for an
0:47:07 > 0:47:15adult...This is a chicken results so, leftover chicken from a roast
0:47:15 > 0:47:20dinner -- chicken risotto. As a side, a salad, extra vegetables, to
0:47:20 > 0:47:25make it up to 600 calories. That is the portion size you are looking at.
0:47:25 > 0:47:32And no pudding?No pudding in the 600, I'm afraid.Public Health
0:47:32 > 0:47:39England say we underestimate the calories we eat.People associate
0:47:39 > 0:47:45some foods...We underestimate commie should have corrected me! We
0:47:45 > 0:47:51eat way more than we think we do. Definitely. Because foods we know
0:47:51 > 0:47:59are particularly unhealthy, we will say, I had a slice of cake, you had
0:47:59 > 0:48:04a biscuit, but you will say you did not have as many biscuits as you
0:48:04 > 0:48:08actually did have, so people generally underestimate foods they
0:48:08 > 0:48:14associate with being particularly unhealthy.The report is really
0:48:14 > 0:48:17shocking, obesity is the norm, it suggests, in this country. It also
0:48:17 > 0:48:22says in
0:48:27 > 0:49:13says in quite clear terms, we need
0:49:31 > 0:49:39What will happen to you if you eat too much healthy food? If you don't
0:49:39 > 0:49:44do any exercise...?You will have to store it as fat in your body.Lots
0:49:44 > 0:49:55of work to do.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59Serena Williams is about to take to the court again for her first
0:49:59 > 0:50:03singles tournament since giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia
0:50:03 > 0:50:07six months ago. She says motherhood will only make her a better player
0:50:07 > 0:50:12as she attempts to overtake Margaret Court in winning the most Grand Slam
0:50:12 > 0:50:17singles titles ever. 24. In a wide-ranging interview talking about
0:50:17 > 0:50:22equal pay, her charitable work and, of course, her baby daughter, she
0:50:22 > 0:50:26has spoken exclusively to the BBC.
0:50:26 > 0:50:32Very good to see you back on tour and playing here in New York. What
0:50:32 > 0:50:37do you make of this Tie Break Tens format and the potential for it in
0:50:37 > 0:50:42the future of tennis?I think it is a really great for much, really fun,
0:50:42 > 0:50:47fast, exciting, boom, boom, boom, you can get a lot of different
0:50:47 > 0:50:53players in it, lots of people involved. You have more than just
0:50:53 > 0:51:04one hour and a half of one two our much.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08much.Getting yourself back into the shape you have been into complete
0:51:08 > 0:51:11until once again, it is hard to imagine what you must have been
0:51:11 > 0:51:15through. How brutal has it been to try to regain full fitness after
0:51:15 > 0:51:20such a combo gated birth?It has been hard. There have been so many
0:51:20 > 0:51:25days, even still when I am like how my going to keep going.-- after
0:51:25 > 0:51:29such a complicated birth.It has been really difficult but I keep
0:51:29 > 0:51:36going, I might not be at my best yet but I am getting there. Every day is
0:51:36 > 0:51:40a new day and every day I should be getting better. As long as I am
0:51:40 > 0:51:46moving forward, even if it is at a total's pace, I am OK.Do you
0:51:46 > 0:51:54genuinely feel ready?If
0:51:54 > 0:52:04genuinely feel ready?If I am
0:53:32 > 0:53:39Scheduling can be an issue at times. Women often put on first thing in
0:53:39 > 0:53:44the morning when fewer people are inside the stadium?Outside of some
0:53:44 > 0:53:50marquee players but it is just a handful, the women's matches are at
0:53:50 > 0:53:56this time and the men's at the more marquee tents.Would that be a
0:53:56 > 0:54:03member to Wimbledon? They normally schedule two men's matches to one
0:54:03 > 0:54:09women's.I felt they put two women on last year. I think they are
0:54:09 > 0:54:13getting better at that but I definitely applaud them. There is a
0:54:13 > 0:54:19lot of progress.One of the other issues you have commented on, and
0:54:19 > 0:54:24you wrote a very eloquently about this in your CNN article, is the
0:54:24 > 0:54:28fact that there are black mothers in the United States who you say are
0:54:28 > 0:54:32three times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth, it is a big
0:54:32 > 0:54:35issue in the developing world, as you know in your role as a Unicef
0:54:35 > 0:54:43Goodwill Ambassador. Why do you think that is?
0:54:43 > 0:54:47Doctors are not listening to us. I was an unfortunate situation where I
0:54:47 > 0:54:53know my body well, and I am who I am, and I told the doctor, something
0:54:53 > 0:54:59is wrong. She immediately listened, she was great. I had a wonderful
0:54:59 > 0:55:04doctor. Unfortunately, a lot of African-Americans and black people,
0:55:04 > 0:55:09not just African-Americans, and minorities as well, they do not have
0:55:09 > 0:55:13that same experience that I have had, so it has been really educating
0:55:13 > 0:55:18to me to learn that we are dying three times more likely, and also,
0:55:18 > 0:55:23there are some things we are genetically predisposed to that some
0:55:23 > 0:55:32people are not. So knowing that going in, some doctors not caring as
0:55:32 > 0:55:44much for us, it is heartbreaking. Because of what I went through, it
0:55:44 > 0:55:48would be difficult if I did not have the health care I had to imagine all
0:55:48 > 0:55:51the women who go through that without the same health care and
0:55:51 > 0:55:58without the same respondents, it is upsetting. A strong element of
0:55:58 > 0:56:02prejudice involved, do you think? Does it boiled down to who has the
0:56:02 > 0:56:06health insurance?I don't know. There is a lot of prejudging, that
0:56:06 > 0:56:14definitely goes on. It needs to be addressed.There are so many issues
0:56:14 > 0:56:20to address. As you are only too well aware, the gender pay gap,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24diversity, sexual harassment, I do not know if you saw Francis
0:56:24 > 0:56:28McDormand receive her best Oscar actress the other day, she received
0:56:28 > 0:56:34the award, she put down the Oscar, she directly addressed the Hollywood
0:56:34 > 0:56:38executives in the audience, addressed some of the issues. Is
0:56:38 > 0:56:42that is what is required from sports stars and musicians and actors, time
0:56:42 > 0:56:47to get a bit feisty and to really take the fight to another level?I
0:56:47 > 0:56:53can't say that it is not time to get feisty. Maybe it is. You have to
0:56:53 > 0:56:59stand up. I heard someone say have conversations that are not
0:56:59 > 0:57:01comfortable, be comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations.
0:57:01 > 0:57:08We deserve to be paid what a guy does, we deserve to be treated
0:57:08 > 0:57:13fairly, the same way. Conversations in 2018 we should not have to have.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17It is important to have that and important to speak up loud and clear
0:57:17 > 0:57:24and say, this is not right. Treat me the same way that you were
0:57:24 > 0:57:28treating... How will I explain to my son he is getting more? How will I
0:57:28 > 0:57:31explain to my daughter she is getting less than my son? It
0:57:31 > 0:57:39possible to explain this.Your fund is about two things, equality in
0:57:39 > 0:57:43education and helping the victims of what you describe a senseless
0:57:43 > 0:57:48violence which unfortunately you have to much experience.My fund is
0:57:48 > 0:57:56about equality in education and the way it is about helping bring
0:57:56 > 0:58:00resources to those who have had to deal with senseless violence, which,
0:58:00 > 0:58:04like you said, I have had to experience through the death of my
0:58:04 > 0:58:09sister. I want to bring awareness to that. Another cause really near and
0:58:09 > 0:58:16dear to me, raising awareness for women to Unicef, for mums going
0:58:16 > 0:58:22through pregnancy and Third World countries and African-Americans and
0:58:22 > 0:58:25minorities and having a better experience throughout the whole
0:58:25 > 0:58:30pregnancy.And what can you do actively for the victims of
0:58:30 > 0:58:36violence? Do you campaign in your own way?We keep raising money. We
0:58:36 > 0:58:41are trying, everyone is trying, speaking up on it now, teenagers,
0:58:41 > 0:58:46that has been great, we keep raising awareness and money. It has affected
0:58:46 > 0:58:50me personally so it has been really trying.Final question, strong
0:58:50 > 0:58:57connection with Africa, for many reasons, your fund being one of
0:58:57 > 0:59:05them, tennis in Africa is not a huge sport. It seems to me a double -- a
0:59:05 > 0:59:10WTA event in Africa would be that is it something you have thought about?
0:59:10 > 0:59:15I would like to keep thinking about it. I am glad you brought it up. I
0:59:15 > 0:59:21think it would be amazing. So fun. To go down, and the awareness and
0:59:21 > 0:59:25the athletes and the amazing players that would come out of Africa, it
0:59:25 > 0:59:29would be unbelievable.Great to talk to you. We wish you the best of luck
0:59:29 > 0:59:37for your comeback in Indian Wells. Thank you.Serena Williams talking
0:59:37 > 0:59:40to our tennis correspondent. Very good he is but it too. Now the
0:59:40 > 0:59:45weather.
0:59:45 > 0:59:49We have a band of rain, sleet and snow pushing north, eventually
0:59:49 > 0:59:52becoming confined to the far north of Scotland. Further south, sunshine
0:59:52 > 0:59:57and showers. The latest snow and radar picture, that shows exactly
0:59:57 > 1:00:01where we have the sleet and snow, especially across the hills, some to
1:00:01 > 1:00:06lower levels across Scotland. It will continue to migrate north, cold
1:00:06 > 1:00:09wind blowing at around, brightening up. In Scotland and northern
1:00:09 > 1:00:13England. Northern Ireland, fairly cloudy day with rain and drizzle.
1:00:13 > 1:00:19England and Wales,
1:00:19 > 1:00:21England and Wales, some bright spots, even sunny spells, but also
1:00:21 > 1:00:23showers and some could be heavy. Quite mild in the South. Still cold
1:00:23 > 1:00:27in the North. This evening and overnight, the snow distribution
1:00:27 > 1:00:31changes, moving to the Northern Isles, northern and western
1:00:31 > 1:00:36Scotland, even at lower levels. For the rest, quiet night, some showers,
1:00:36 > 1:00:41frosty, the risk of ice and patchy fog which could be dense across
1:00:41 > 1:00:46parts of East Anglia and the south-east.
1:00:46 > 1:00:48Hello, it's Tuesday, it's ten o'clock, I'm Victoria Derbyshire...
1:00:48 > 1:00:51Our top story today - Russia says it would be open
1:00:51 > 1:00:52to helping investigate
1:00:52 > 1:00:54the suspected poisoning of a former double-agent, who collapsed
1:00:54 > 1:00:59in Salisbury two days ago and is now critically ill.
1:00:59 > 1:01:01This morning we've had this warning from a former British
1:01:01 > 1:01:08ambassador to Russia.
1:01:08 > 1:01:14A very low point, whatever we conclude about Surman Sergei
1:01:14 > 1:01:17Skripal, being when Putin demonstrated a load of nuclear
1:01:17 > 1:01:21weapons which they may or may not have that are developing, and
1:01:21 > 1:01:23underlined his willingness to use them if necessary.
1:01:23 > 1:01:26Plenty more reaction to come throughout the programme.
1:01:26 > 1:01:27Also on the programme...
1:01:27 > 1:01:28Health officials warn that
1:01:28 > 1:01:31if you use Xanax as a recreational drug, you could end up dying.
1:01:31 > 1:01:36Children as yet as 13 are using the drug recreationally.I did not know
1:01:36 > 1:01:42it was as addictive as it could be, when it took hold of me it was a
1:01:42 > 1:01:49surprise in hindsight how quickly it came on.
1:01:50 > 1:01:54came on.Do get involved with your own experiences.
1:01:54 > 1:01:56Britain's most senior counterterrorism officer tells us
1:01:56 > 1:02:01that social media companies have a moral duty to tip-off police to
1:02:01 > 1:02:05potential terrorist activity. When you have such complex global
1:02:05 > 1:02:08issues, I am not sure there are simple legal levers you can pull. I
1:02:08 > 1:02:13think there is a moral duty. Looking at the banks, it got -- it took
1:02:13 > 1:02:19quite a long time to get where we are. My guess is over many years it
1:02:19 > 1:02:21will be persuasion and regulation which will move the relationship
1:02:21 > 1:02:24with the tech sector in the same way.
1:02:24 > 1:02:31That full exclusive television interview before 11 I am.
1:02:34 > 1:02:35Good morning.
1:02:35 > 1:02:38Here's Annita in the BBC Newsroom with a summary of today's news.
1:02:38 > 1:02:40Police say they are keeping an open mind
1:02:40 > 1:02:43about how and why a former Russian double agent became critically ill
1:02:43 > 1:02:45after apparently coming into contact with an unidentified substance.
1:02:45 > 1:02:47Sergei Skripal and a 33-year-old woman found
1:02:47 > 1:02:52with him are being treated in hospital in Salisbury.
1:02:52 > 1:02:55Sergei Skripal was given refuge in Britain eight years ago
1:02:55 > 1:02:58after being involved in a spy swap.
1:02:58 > 1:03:00The former UK Ambassador to Russia, Sir Tony Brenton,
1:03:00 > 1:03:02said the incident was a symptom of the increasingly strained
1:03:02 > 1:03:09relationship the UK has with Russia.
1:03:09 > 1:03:12We have been imposing all these sanctions aren't so one, not just us
1:03:12 > 1:03:18but the West as a whole. The Russian response has a very thing being to
1:03:18 > 1:03:22toughen up our approach. They see as those trying to diminish and Milik
1:03:22 > 1:03:25them, threatening their national security. Things have gone from bad
1:03:25 > 1:03:30to worse. A very low point, whatever we conclude about Skripal, being
1:03:30 > 1:03:33when Putin last week demonstrated a load of nuclear weapons which they
1:03:33 > 1:03:37may or may not have but are certainly developing and he
1:03:37 > 1:03:44underlined his readiness to use them if necessary. It seems to me that we
1:03:44 > 1:03:47need to find a way back from the brink we are now on and getting back
1:03:47 > 1:03:49into a serious old Cold War type of nuclear confrontation.
1:03:49 > 1:03:51Britain's most senior counter terrorism police officer has told
1:03:51 > 1:03:54this programme in an exclusive interview that social media
1:03:54 > 1:03:55companies have a moral duty to tip-off police
1:03:55 > 1:03:57to potential terror activity.
1:03:57 > 1:03:59Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police says that
1:03:59 > 1:04:01whilst tech companies have worked with officers on individual cases,
1:04:01 > 1:04:04more needs to be done.
1:04:04 > 1:04:06He says that, in time, regulation will be needed
1:04:06 > 1:04:14to ensure their co-operation.
1:04:14 > 1:04:18When you have such complex global issues, I am not sure there are
1:04:18 > 1:04:22simple legal levers you can pull. I think there is a moral duty. Looking
1:04:22 > 1:04:26at the banks, it took quite a long time to get to where we are with a
1:04:26 > 1:04:29mature relationship with them added to the combination of persuasion and
1:04:29 > 1:04:33regulation. My guess is that over many years, persuasion and
1:04:33 > 1:04:35regulation will move the relationship with the tech sector in
1:04:35 > 1:04:38the same way.
1:04:38 > 1:04:40And you can hear Victoria's full interview
1:04:40 > 1:04:43with Mark Rowley at around a quarter to eleven this morning.
1:04:43 > 1:04:45In Syria, the first aid convoy for three weeks
1:04:45 > 1:04:46has delivered supplies to the rebel-held
1:04:46 > 1:04:47territory Eastern Ghouta.
1:04:47 > 1:04:50But aid workers were forced to cut the mission short
1:04:50 > 1:04:52after dozens of people were killed by shelling from
1:04:52 > 1:04:53pro-government forces.
1:04:53 > 1:04:55Nearly 400,000 people are thought to be trapped
1:04:55 > 1:04:57in the enclave which has been the focus of heavy
1:04:57 > 1:04:58fighting in recent months.
1:04:58 > 1:05:01Water companies have been working through the night to restore
1:05:01 > 1:05:03supplies to thousands of homes across south-east England affected
1:05:03 > 1:05:11by burst pipes after last week's cold weather.
1:05:13 > 1:05:17Yesterday London MPs called for an inquiry as to why 20,000 people had
1:05:17 > 1:05:19water supplies cut off over the weekend.
1:05:19 > 1:05:21Production at two of Jaguar Land Rover's plants had to be
1:05:21 > 1:05:24halted temporarily to allow water to be prioritised by emergency
1:05:24 > 1:05:25services and hospitals.
1:05:25 > 1:05:28Counterfeit Xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller
1:05:28 > 1:05:31have become a party drug among some young people - but Public Health
1:05:31 > 1:05:34England have warned this programme users are dicing with death.
1:05:34 > 1:05:36The drug is widely prescribed in the United States to treat
1:05:36 > 1:05:40anxiety and can be obtained here on private prescription.
1:05:40 > 1:05:42But among some teenagers and young adults in the UK,
1:05:42 > 1:05:49it has become a popular recreational drug used illegally.
1:05:49 > 1:05:51Former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull has announced that
1:05:51 > 1:05:55he's been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer.
1:05:55 > 1:05:59He tweeted the news late last night and has undergone chemotherapy.
1:05:59 > 1:06:02He says he is in good spirits and hopes to be
1:06:02 > 1:06:04around for some time yet.
1:06:04 > 1:06:08He was at Breakfast for 15 years before leaving the sofa in 2016.
1:06:08 > 1:06:10Bill was diagnosed at the end of last year
1:06:10 > 1:06:12during the recording of The Great Celebrity Bake Off
1:06:12 > 1:06:19For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.
1:06:19 > 1:06:25I was getting pains in my legs, in my hips particularly.
1:06:25 > 1:06:28And they would come and go, and I thought this is old age.
1:06:28 > 1:06:30Eventually the pains got so bad that I thought,
1:06:30 > 1:06:34well, I'd better go and see my GP.
1:06:34 > 1:06:37He said, well, I'm just going to give you a blood test,
1:06:37 > 1:06:42just a sort of MOT, if you like, just to check a few things out.
1:06:42 > 1:06:45The next morning he called me and asked me to come in pretty
1:06:45 > 1:06:48quickly, and the doctor said it's fairly clear from this that you have
1:06:48 > 1:06:56advanced prostate cancer.
1:06:57 > 1:06:59Bill Turnbull.
1:06:59 > 1:07:01That's a summary of the latest BBC News.
1:07:01 > 1:07:02More at 10:30am.
1:07:02 > 1:07:04Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -
1:07:04 > 1:07:05use the hashtag #VictoriaLive.
1:07:05 > 1:07:13If you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.
1:07:14 > 1:07:18You can use Whatsapp, Facebook or e-mail for free.
1:07:18 > 1:07:24A few people have commented on the portion sizes which Public Health
1:07:24 > 1:07:26England are suggesting our good sized portions in terms of calorific
1:07:26 > 1:07:32content for what we should it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 400 at
1:07:32 > 1:07:37breakfast, 600 at lunch and dinner. Where I come from, dinner is at
1:07:37 > 1:07:40lunchtime, but you know what I mean. Michael says those meals are a joke.
1:07:40 > 1:07:46I am six foot three and 16 stone, I am not overweight and they would in
1:07:46 > 1:07:53no way even touch the sides, let alone fill me up. David says I am
1:07:53 > 1:07:5767, six foot four and around 15 stone. I have stayed relatively slim
1:07:57 > 1:08:02without the benefit of anyone telling me what to eat. I despair of
1:08:02 > 1:08:05the continuing trend of experts taking the fun out of life.
1:08:05 > 1:08:06Thank you for those.
1:08:06 > 1:08:07Here's some sport now.
1:08:07 > 1:08:10Sir Bradley Wiggins says he is the victim of a smear campaign
1:08:10 > 1:08:13after a DCMS report claimed that he and Team Sky crossed
1:08:13 > 1:08:17an ethical line in the use of prescribed drugs.
1:08:17 > 1:08:20Wiggins says he has 100% never cheated in his career,
1:08:20 > 1:08:25but speaking to our sports editor, Dan Roan, he did concede
1:08:25 > 1:08:29that the legal use of a powerful corticosteroid to treat his asthma
1:08:29 > 1:08:37and pollen allergy may have led to performance enhancement.
1:08:39 > 1:08:44I think intention is the key. Was there a performance enhancement? You
1:08:44 > 1:08:50tell me there was.There might well be.There may well have been. But
1:08:50 > 1:08:55they were the rules at the time, and to treat this problem that is what I
1:08:55 > 1:09:01was prescribed. I can change the last five years.Do you feel let
1:09:01 > 1:09:09down by what you are advised to do? -- I can't change. I think I have
1:09:09 > 1:09:14been let down since in terms of the last 12, 15 months, what has
1:09:14 > 1:09:20happened. The packages on the outcome of this report based on
1:09:20 > 1:09:24anonymous sources. I think the least I deserve through this now is some
1:09:24 > 1:09:30hard evidence. If that is the accusation, where is the evidence to
1:09:30 > 1:09:34support it? Much more on the BBC sport website.
1:09:34 > 1:09:36Manchester United were 2-0 down at Selhurst Park last night
1:09:36 > 1:09:39but stormed back to beat relegation strugglers Crystal palace 3-2
1:09:39 > 1:09:40and return to second in the table.
1:09:40 > 1:09:43Palace had taken an early lead through a deflected Andros Townsend
1:09:43 > 1:09:45goal and they doubled that soon after the break.
1:09:45 > 1:09:48But Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku pulled them back in to it before
1:09:48 > 1:09:53this injury time wonder goal from Nemanja Matic.
1:09:53 > 1:09:56That was his first goal for the club.
1:09:56 > 1:09:58Jose Mourinho revealed that he hadn't been happy with Matic
1:09:58 > 1:10:01for his performance up until then, but the Serbian found the best way
1:10:01 > 1:10:08to get back in the good books.
1:10:17 > 1:10:20He almost killed me with one action inside of our box where they almost
1:10:20 > 1:10:26scored because he took an eternity to clean it. So one minute he was
1:10:26 > 1:10:34killing me, the next minute he pushed me to satisfaction.
1:10:34 > 1:10:35Satisfaction.
1:10:35 > 1:10:37England's cricketers are preparing for the fourth one-dayer
1:10:37 > 1:10:40against New Zealand this evening and they have received a boost ahead
1:10:40 > 1:10:41of their test series.
1:10:41 > 1:10:46Uncapped batsman Liam Livingstone will be fit for the tour.
1:10:46 > 1:10:49He had pulled out of the Lions' tour to the West Indies recently
1:10:49 > 1:10:53with an ankle problem but will link up with the main squad this weekend
1:10:53 > 1:10:57ahead of the first test at the end of March.
1:10:57 > 1:11:01That is all for now, I will be back with the headline is a bit later.
1:11:01 > 1:11:02Thank you very much.
1:11:02 > 1:11:04This morning, a warning that counterfeit Xanax pills laced
1:11:04 > 1:11:07with a powerful painkiller have become a party drug
1:11:07 > 1:11:08among some young people.
1:11:08 > 1:11:10Public Health England has told this programme users
1:11:10 > 1:11:11are dicing with death.
1:11:11 > 1:11:13We showed you our reporter Noel Phillips' full report earlier.
1:11:13 > 1:11:16Here's a short extract.
1:11:16 > 1:11:18It does contain some graphic references to drugs use
1:11:18 > 1:11:26which you might not want children to see.
1:11:55 > 1:12:01Jordan and Kieron, not their real names, are both 18. They are users
1:12:01 > 1:12:04of Xanax, a psychiatric painkiller used to treat anxiety and insomnia.
1:12:04 > 1:12:17How long have you been using?About nine months.How often?Probably
1:12:17 > 1:12:23once every two or three weeks.
1:12:24 > 1:12:26once every two or three weeks.This is not peering a mental disorder, it
1:12:26 > 1:12:33is being misused. It is a psychiatric painkiller used to
1:12:33 > 1:12:43choose, retreat anxiety and insomnia. The authorities are
1:12:43 > 1:12:51acknowledging the scope and the risks. How big a problem is Xanax.
1:12:51 > 1:12:58It is a real and immediate concern amid groups of young people among
1:12:58 > 1:13:02whom it seems to be a drug of choice. When people buy Mac with
1:13:02 > 1:13:09things from the Internet they have no guarantee of what they are
1:13:09 > 1:13:15getting, so whatever is in the drugs that they buy could change from one
1:13:15 > 1:13:24batch to another. It is dicing with death, really.
1:13:41 > 1:13:42batch to another. It is dicing with death, really. It was a surprise how
1:13:42 > 1:13:47quick it came on.There were no figures available to know how
1:13:47 > 1:13:50widespread it is being used, but in England and Scotland, the drug has
1:13:50 > 1:13:56been linked to a number of deaths. Up until he was taking Xanax, Scott
1:13:56 > 1:14:02had problems with drugs are 17 years. No overdoses, no admissions
1:14:02 > 1:14:08to hospital, nothing like that.
1:14:08 > 1:14:10When he took Xanax, the first time he took it,
1:14:10 > 1:14:12he was completely out of it.
1:14:12 > 1:14:15He went back the next day, the next day and the next day.
1:14:15 > 1:14:23And that's what happened.
1:14:29 > 1:14:33The company that produces IMAX says they are alarmed by the amount of
1:14:33 > 1:14:40drugs that are counterfeit.We are 100% aware of the risk that it can
1:14:40 > 1:14:50affect us. But we are level-headed. What I have seen shows pretty
1:14:50 > 1:14:53convincingly the challenges the authorities are up against in
1:14:53 > 1:14:59tackling Xanax misuse.
1:15:00 > 1:15:03Let's talk now to Michael - that's not his real name -
1:15:03 > 1:15:06he's 18 and used to take Xanax twice a week.
1:15:06 > 1:15:07He stopped taking it recently.
1:15:07 > 1:15:09Anne McDermott, who you saw a few moments ago,
1:15:09 > 1:15:13her 35-year-old son, Scott, died after using Xanax in January.
1:15:13 > 1:15:15Dr Adrian Harrop, a GP who has just finished working
1:15:15 > 1:15:20as an emergency medicine doctor at Scarborough Hospital.
1:15:20 > 1:15:22He's seen first-hand an increase in emergency cases.
1:15:22 > 1:15:24Labour MP Bambos Charlambous has written to the Home Office
1:15:24 > 1:15:32about his concerns about the drug.
1:15:35 > 1:15:42Let us begin with you, Michael. Tell us why you were taking Xanax, you
1:15:42 > 1:15:47were not using it at parties, but you were using it illegally.I
1:15:47 > 1:15:50suffered from anxiety, I had displeasure with my life at sixth
1:15:50 > 1:15:56form, I started taking benzodiazepines to deal with it, and
1:15:56 > 1:16:02I became addicted. I have always been aware Xanax was similar in the
1:16:02 > 1:16:06effects when I came to university I got hold of it and I was under the
1:16:06 > 1:16:16assumption that they were legitimate pills, I was not aware they were
1:16:16 > 1:16:22counterfeits.What effect did they have on you?Sluggish, memory loss,
1:16:22 > 1:16:27very lethargic, sleep for hours on end, lacking motivation, lacking
1:16:27 > 1:16:31short-term memory, a reason why they call it the zombie drug, that is
1:16:31 > 1:16:41what it does.You do not want to say where you got them from, but was not
1:16:41 > 1:16:45a GP, a private prescription, but it was not online, you did not go
1:16:45 > 1:16:49through legitimate route to get the drugs and therefore you did not know
1:16:49 > 1:16:55how many to take.I kind of did my research and I understood that
1:16:55 > 1:16:58moderation was the key when dealing with the substance like this because
1:16:58 > 1:17:03I had been through dependency with benzodiazepines so I was struck with
1:17:03 > 1:17:06my usage, I never allowed myself to do more than what I thought was
1:17:06 > 1:17:12necessary.You were self-medicating. You are not a trained professional
1:17:12 > 1:17:17like Adrian Lewis, for example.Yes. I am very aware with the stigma
1:17:17 > 1:17:21surrounding mental health and it is something I would rather not have on
1:17:21 > 1:17:26my record because it is something that follows you for ages, mental...
1:17:26 > 1:17:29You did not want to talk to a health professional in case how your
1:17:29 > 1:17:35medical records emerged later run. No one knows me better than myself,
1:17:35 > 1:17:40I deal with my issues are my own way, I have a great support system,
1:17:40 > 1:17:45friends and family. I felt that I did not need Xanax so I was not in
1:17:45 > 1:17:54the point I wanted to escape.As a trainee GP, Adrian, we have two
1:17:54 > 1:17:58issues, people using this drug illegally, recreationally, and
1:17:58 > 1:18:02people like Michael who are self-medicating because they are
1:18:02 > 1:18:06anxious, for whatever reason. What do you say about this drug if you
1:18:06 > 1:18:13use it for whatever purpose?Xanax is a strange entity in this country
1:18:13 > 1:18:18because when it is obtained by anyone in the UK, it is as a drug of
1:18:18 > 1:18:24abuse, really. It is not prescribed in the UK in the same way as lots of
1:18:24 > 1:18:30benzodiazepines are.You can get private prescriptions?But the
1:18:30 > 1:18:34numbers are tiny.Any other way, you are using it illegally.For the vast
1:18:34 > 1:18:39majority of cases, yes. The places it is being obtained from, no way of
1:18:39 > 1:18:44regulating the quality of it. In America, this drug is very widely
1:18:44 > 1:18:47prescribed so you can verify the quality of the drug when you obtain
1:18:47 > 1:18:51it from a pharmacist. In the UK, that is not the case.Potentially
1:18:51 > 1:18:57extremely dangerous. What sort of admissions were you seeing relating
1:18:57 > 1:19:05to Xanax at Scarborough Hospital?An immense range. In low doses of
1:19:05 > 1:19:13alprazolam or other benzodiazepines, dissimilar to alcohol, being
1:19:13 > 1:19:19inebriated, a bit sedated, slightly larger doses. -- not dissimilar to
1:19:19 > 1:19:24alcohol. But it can range up to anything including stopping
1:19:24 > 1:19:28breathing and falling into a coma and ultimately dying and everything
1:19:28 > 1:19:33in between. It depends on how much has been taken and in what form and
1:19:33 > 1:19:36most importantly alongside what other substances? Often it is the
1:19:36 > 1:19:49jewel use of Xanax alongside other drugs -- dual use of Xanax alongside
1:19:49 > 1:19:56other drugs such as alcohol.Tell our audience about your son, Scott,
1:19:56 > 1:19:59and although we are waiting for the postmortem results, why you are
1:19:59 > 1:20:05convinced Xanax contributed to his death.Scott was a heroin addict,
1:20:05 > 1:20:13currently on methadone prescription, Valium prescription, and of pre-GABA
1:20:13 > 1:20:17prescription. From the GP. He still took heroin, unfortunately, I will
1:20:17 > 1:20:24not lie. And then Xanax came along. Xanax is the only difference think
1:20:24 > 1:20:31that Scott was taking. He had always took the same thing. And he went won
1:20:31 > 1:20:41the day, the next day, the next day -- and he went one day. One tablet,
1:20:41 > 1:20:45two tablets, five tablets. His partner said they were cut into
1:20:45 > 1:20:53four, quite large tablets. I do not know if you have seen that?
1:20:53 > 1:21:00Unfortunately, Scott became addicted very quickly to Xanax and he was out
1:21:00 > 1:21:09of it, totally out of it. He fell from the sofa onto the floor
1:21:09 > 1:21:14zombie-like, as Michael said, and it was awful. We got a phone call to
1:21:14 > 1:21:20save the paramedics were with Scott. They did not think there was much of
1:21:20 > 1:21:25a chance for Scott. He had been starved of oxygen for over an hour.
1:21:25 > 1:21:32They were working on him. He went to hospital.
1:21:32 > 1:21:39hospital. At 722. He got there at 758. He died at 520 the next
1:21:39 > 1:21:49morning. Very difficult.You have found...A diary. From before. I
1:21:49 > 1:21:56must say, this is not to do with Xanax. Related to all drugs. It has
1:21:56 > 1:22:04six of drugs, -- sick of drugs, feel like a tramp, who would want to be
1:22:04 > 1:22:09with me like this any more? Get back to being me. But better. Being
1:22:09 > 1:22:17myself again. Together. I need to stop feeling like this.And that was
1:22:17 > 1:22:23written in 2016, December. When he was, as you have explained, addicted
1:22:23 > 1:22:27to heroin. And I wonder if that in part answer is a not very
1:22:27 > 1:22:33sympathetic message I have the users of all the drugs -- the abuses of
1:22:33 > 1:22:38all drugs, suggesting it is a choice, they know the dangers,
1:22:38 > 1:22:42people choose to take risks, my sympathy, says this man, is for
1:22:42 > 1:22:45their parents and friends but not for those who die as a result of
1:22:45 > 1:22:50taking any drugs.I do not think Scott deliberately meant to die. I
1:22:50 > 1:22:56think by this time he was so addicted to these tablets, he was
1:22:56 > 1:23:01going there once, twice a day, which he was not with heroin. I appreciate
1:23:01 > 1:23:07what the man says, but I think... Everyone says, I feel so sorry for
1:23:07 > 1:23:13you, I feel sorry for you. That is lovely, but Scott paid the ultimate
1:23:13 > 1:23:18price. I feel sorry for Scott. He will not see his children get
1:23:18 > 1:23:23married. He will not see his grandson who is three months old. He
1:23:23 > 1:23:28will not see any of that. Though I appreciate that person was a point
1:23:28 > 1:23:33of view, he did not know Scott. You cannot categorise everybody.You are
1:23:33 > 1:23:39being very generous towards that message. Let me bring you in as a
1:23:39 > 1:23:44Labour MP, yesterday writing to the Department of Health to voice your
1:23:44 > 1:23:47concerns. Why the Department of Health rather than the Home Office
1:23:47 > 1:23:53out of interest?A number of issues about Xanax, we need to raise, the
1:23:53 > 1:23:57first about awareness, a lot of people are not aware about the
1:23:57 > 1:24:00issues around Xanax, so having a public awareness campaign would be
1:24:00 > 1:24:05helpful. Also supporting young people, making sure there is more
1:24:05 > 1:24:10support for young people in relation to mental health and those who are
1:24:10 > 1:24:13addicted, young people who are addicted, it may not be relevant for
1:24:13 > 1:24:17them to go to hard addiction services, maybe more tailor-made
1:24:17 > 1:24:20services for them. And more research, we do not know enough
1:24:20 > 1:24:25about how many people are using Xanax.That is probably true in this
1:24:25 > 1:24:31country. Do you not think people do know, if they're not getting it from
1:24:31 > 1:24:33their GP, not getting it from the chemist, not getting it from a
1:24:33 > 1:24:41legitimate source, then, as Adrian was saying, they know they are
1:24:41 > 1:24:45taking it illegally? Or do you not think young people know that or
1:24:45 > 1:24:51care, you think you are invincible when you are 15?Maybe. But it has
1:24:51 > 1:24:56been glamorised in rap music and it is widely available in America and
1:24:56 > 1:25:01it is seen as being OK so it does not have the stigma of the hard
1:25:01 > 1:25:05drugs do and I think that is why young people think it is OK to take
1:25:05 > 1:25:09it.This is a particular problem I have noticed as well when you look
1:25:09 > 1:25:13into the social media aspects of this particular drug, Xanax.
1:25:13 > 1:25:20Extremely popular in the rap music genre in America. It is very much a
1:25:20 > 1:25:23normalised, the taking of Xanax as an anti-anxiety option for young
1:25:23 > 1:25:28people. The reason for that majorly is that in the US it is a very
1:25:28 > 1:25:32common drug of prescription and very widely available and in the UK we
1:25:32 > 1:25:36simply do not use it that way. When you are talking about it the way the
1:25:36 > 1:25:41rap artists do in the UK context, it means an entirely different thing.
1:25:41 > 1:25:47Understood. OK. Thank you very much. We appreciate your time. Thank you
1:25:47 > 1:25:56so much. We appreciate your time. And your views are welcome.
1:25:56 > 1:25:59If you want help or advice about some of the issues
1:25:59 > 1:26:07raised in this item, please go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
1:26:08 > 1:26:14Breaking news. The woman in hospital who collapsed alongside the former
1:26:14 > 1:26:18Russian spy is his daughter. Let us talk to our correspondent. Fill in
1:26:18 > 1:26:31the audience.We have known that alongside Sergei Skripal, a woman
1:26:31 > 1:26:37was found with him unconscious on the bench behind me, but we cannot
1:26:37 > 1:26:43confirm that the woman is in fact his. We believe that she was
1:26:43 > 1:26:51visiting her father in the UK. Relatives have told us they have
1:26:51 > 1:26:55been unable to contact her on her phone for the last two days. When
1:26:55 > 1:27:02Sergei Skripal was brought to the UK, remember, he had been partnered
1:27:02 > 1:27:09by the Russian government after being arrested in 2006 for allegedly
1:27:09 > 1:27:14spying for Britain and he was handed over to the UK in 2010 in what was a
1:27:14 > 1:27:22swap for Russian spies going from the US to Russia. In 2010, we
1:27:22 > 1:27:26believe Yulia Skripal move to the UK with her father when she left her
1:27:26 > 1:27:29for some time before moving back to Moscow but she was a regular visitor
1:27:29 > 1:27:34to the UK where she visited her father who lived here in Salisbury.
1:27:34 > 1:27:43We also believe Sergei Skripal had a 43-year-old son who died last year.
1:27:43 > 1:27:49After his death, we believe Yulia Skripal was visiting here more
1:27:49 > 1:27:54regularly, we believe the sun died in St Petersburg on holiday. -- the
1:27:54 > 1:28:02son. Relatives say they deny Sergei Skripal was involved in any way with
1:28:02 > 1:28:07MI6, as was alleged by the Russian government. But we believe now that
1:28:07 > 1:28:11Yulia Skripal is the woman who was found on the bench unconscious with
1:28:11 > 1:28:17her father on Sunday afternoon. They are both still in a critical
1:28:17 > 1:28:21condition in hospital and police are working to find out how exactly they
1:28:21 > 1:28:26came to be found unconscious here on Sunday afternoon.Thank you very
1:28:26 > 1:28:31much. That breaking news that the woman found collapsed alongside the
1:28:31 > 1:28:36former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is his daughter, Yulia Skripal, who was
1:28:36 > 1:28:40visiting her father from Moscow. Much more to come on that story
1:28:40 > 1:28:46throughout the day on BBC News. Also still to come, but I'm's most senior
1:28:46 > 1:28:51counterterrorism officer tells a social media companies have a moral
1:28:51 > 1:28:55duty to tip off the police about potential terror activity. That
1:28:55 > 1:29:01interview in the next half an hour. And over the last week, more than
1:29:01 > 1:29:07120 mostly female immigration and eating these have been on hunger
1:29:07 > 1:29:10strike at the Yarl's Wood detention centre. They are protesting about
1:29:10 > 1:29:13conditions in the centre. We will talk about that in the next 30
1:29:13 > 1:29:22minutes.
1:29:22 > 1:29:24Time for the latest news - here's Annita McVeigh.
1:29:24 > 1:29:26The Russian government has denied having any knowledge
1:29:26 > 1:29:29of the circumstances that left a former Russian spy critically ill
1:29:29 > 1:29:30in hospital in Salisbury.
1:29:30 > 1:29:33Sergei Skripal, who was freed from jail in Russia in 2010,
1:29:33 > 1:29:36was found on a bench on Sunday alongside a woman who -
1:29:36 > 1:29:38as we've been hearing - has been confirmed to be
1:29:38 > 1:29:40his daughter, Yulia.
1:29:40 > 1:29:42Police are trying to establish whether they were exposed
1:29:42 > 1:29:45to an unknown substance.
1:29:45 > 1:29:47In Syria, the first aid convoy for three weeks
1:29:47 > 1:29:49has delivered supplies to the rebel-held
1:29:49 > 1:29:51territory Eastern Ghouta.
1:29:51 > 1:29:53But aid workers were forced to cut the mission short
1:29:53 > 1:29:55after dozens of people were killed by shelling from
1:29:55 > 1:29:59pro-government forces.
1:29:59 > 1:30:01Nearly 400,000 people are thought to be trapped
1:30:01 > 1:30:03in the enclave which has been the focus of heavy
1:30:03 > 1:30:06fighting in recent months.
1:30:06 > 1:30:09The packaging industry in England has denied claims
1:30:09 > 1:30:12that it is greatly exaggerating the amount of plastic it recycles.
1:30:12 > 1:30:14It follows the release of a report today
1:30:14 > 1:30:18by waste consultancy group Eunomia who say
1:30:18 > 1:30:20the industry's figures don't add up and companies aren't paying enough
1:30:20 > 1:30:22towards the £2.8 billion annual cost of collecting
1:30:22 > 1:30:30and processing plastic.
1:30:33 > 1:30:38The family of a seven-year-old girl killed in a car crash in the icy
1:30:38 > 1:30:40conditions last week have described her as beautiful, caring and kind
1:30:40 > 1:30:45and say she will never be forgotten. Maisie Duncan died when a vehicle
1:30:45 > 1:30:50hit her and crashed into her house when she was playing in snow in
1:30:50 > 1:30:53Cornwall last week. Police say no arrests have been made as inquiries
1:30:53 > 1:30:58are continuing.
1:30:58 > 1:31:00Public Health England have challenged the food industry
1:31:00 > 1:31:02to cut calories in products like ready meals, sandwiches,
1:31:02 > 1:31:03pizza and snacks.
1:31:03 > 1:31:06It wants the whole industry, from processors to restaurant, to achieve
1:31:06 > 1:31:11the goal of cutting calories by a fifth by 2024.
1:31:11 > 1:31:13Former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull has announced that
1:31:13 > 1:31:16he's been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer.
1:31:16 > 1:31:20He told the radio Times magazine he was diagnosed at the end of last
1:31:20 > 1:31:24year after blaming long-term aches and pains on old age. He encourages
1:31:24 > 1:31:26others to get tested.
1:31:26 > 1:31:28That's a summary of the latest BBC News.
1:31:28 > 1:31:31Here's some sport now with Olly Foster.
1:31:31 > 1:31:33Thank you.
1:31:33 > 1:31:34These are our headlines.
1:31:34 > 1:31:38Sir Bradley Wiggins says he is the victim of a smear campaign
1:31:38 > 1:31:39after a DCMS report claimed that he and Team Sky crossed
1:31:39 > 1:31:42an ethical line in the use of prescribed drugs that may have
1:31:42 > 1:31:43also enhanced performance.
1:31:43 > 1:31:50Wiggins says he has 100% never cheated in his career.
1:31:50 > 1:31:53From 2-0 down, Nemanja Matic scored an injury time wonder goal
1:31:53 > 1:31:54as Manchester united beat Crystal Palace 3-2.
1:31:54 > 1:32:00They are back up to second in the table.
1:32:01 > 1:32:0514 months after her last match and six months after giving birth the 23
1:32:05 > 1:32:08time Grand Slam singles winner Serena Williams makes her comeback
1:32:08 > 1:32:14on the women's tour this week. One bit of breaking Rugby union news,
1:32:14 > 1:32:18the England winger Jack Nowell is a doubt for the Six Nations match next
1:32:18 > 1:32:22weekend away in France. I will be back on BBC News after
1:32:22 > 1:32:2411am. Thank you.
1:32:24 > 1:32:26More than 120 mostly female immigration detainess have
1:32:26 > 1:32:29been on hunger strike at the Yarl's Wood Detention
1:32:29 > 1:32:30Centre in Bedfordshire for over the last week.
1:32:30 > 1:32:32They're protesting about conditions within the centre, including
1:32:32 > 1:32:35the fact that England is the only country within the EU where
1:32:35 > 1:32:40detainees can be held indefinitely.
1:32:40 > 1:32:43The Home Office has sent letters to some of those on strike
1:32:43 > 1:32:44suggesting their deportation proceedings would be
1:32:44 > 1:32:52accelerated if they continue with the hunger strike.
1:32:52 > 1:32:59We can speak now to a woman currently in Yarl's Wood.
1:33:00 > 1:33:04She has been on hunger strike for two weeks. She is originally from
1:33:04 > 1:33:08Botswana, she came to the UK 14 years ago and is now 27.
1:33:08 > 1:33:11Here in the studio is Jess Phillips, Labour MP who has a constituent
1:33:11 > 1:33:16being detained in Yarl's Wood.
1:33:16 > 1:33:18-- has had various constituents detained in Yarl's Wood but has
1:33:18 > 1:33:24always got them out so far. Can you hear me OK, a la gas from
1:33:24 > 1:33:34Yarl's Wood?Yes.When did you last eat food?A lot of people have not
1:33:34 > 1:33:38been eating over the last couple of weeks. I have been having lots of
1:33:38 > 1:33:44fruit and veg just to keep my energy going.Are you saying there are
1:33:44 > 1:33:52people alongside you who are not taking in food or fluids?Correct.
1:33:52 > 1:33:58What is the point of them doing that?Lots of people just want the
1:33:58 > 1:34:07Home Office to do what is right for them, really. People have been
1:34:07 > 1:34:14brought into detention unlawfully, I've not been
1:34:14 > 1:34:17I've not been told at all or being forewarned that they would be
1:34:17 > 1:34:25brought to detention. Lots of women want that to be brought out and
1:34:25 > 1:34:32overturned, really. As well as many other issues that have happened,
1:34:32 > 1:34:36like the indefinite detention for many people.When you say they have
1:34:36 > 1:34:42been brought unlawfully, what do you mean, Opelo?Standard procedure
1:34:42 > 1:34:50really is that the Home Office has a letter with the decision to your
1:34:50 > 1:34:54legal representation as well as sending a message to yourself, a
1:34:54 > 1:34:57letter to yourself. In that time you're supposed to have some sort of
1:34:57 > 1:35:02appeal released a response to the Home Office before they can proceed
1:35:02 > 1:35:10with whatever action they want to take. For lots of people, virtually
1:35:10 > 1:35:16no one gets a chance to appeal any decision and is brought straight to
1:35:16 > 1:35:21detention. Lots of them are then deported.Last weekend you were
1:35:21 > 1:35:32moments away from being deported, correct?Year.What happened?
1:35:32 > 1:35:34correct?Year.What happened?We were called by the legal department
1:35:34 > 1:35:40here and the officers told us that the Home Office will have told us
1:35:40 > 1:35:44you are going to be getting deported, we're taking you into a
1:35:44 > 1:35:50van and you will be taken to Heathrow where you will be put on a
1:35:50 > 1:35:56flight to Botswana.Why didn't it happen?
1:35:56 > 1:36:00happen?Wii has (INAUDIBLE) Helping to intervene in the
1:36:00 > 1:36:07situation, but if that had not have happened we would not still be here.
1:36:07 > 1:36:10Tell us about the conditions inside the centre, which is part of the
1:36:10 > 1:36:16reason so many women have been on hunger strike?Of course, first and
1:36:16 > 1:36:19foremost, being brought into detention is quite traumatising in
1:36:19 > 1:36:28itself. And then you are met with so many problems like... People who
1:36:28 > 1:36:32have been here for months and months on end and they teddy bear stories,
1:36:32 > 1:36:38which really break your heart. -- and they teddy bear stories. Equally
1:36:38 > 1:36:44having to deal with the immigration issue in detention causes so much
1:36:44 > 1:36:48depression, anxiety and panic attack in so many people. A lot of people
1:36:48 > 1:36:51struggle with the people together and a lot of the time we urge is
1:36:51 > 1:36:58given paracetamol and told that is all they can give you and nothing
1:36:58 > 1:37:03more, really.For those women who have not been eating or taking in
1:37:03 > 1:37:10fluids, how are they?On a psychological level, because they
1:37:10 > 1:37:14are fighting for something that they believe in, that we believe in, we
1:37:14 > 1:37:18are very strong. But lots of women are really struggling and obviously
1:37:18 > 1:37:24very weak, because you need food. We are continuing to carry out the
1:37:24 > 1:37:29process.I will bring in Jess Phillips, Opelo Kgari, I hope you
1:37:29 > 1:37:34will be able to hear her. I am sure you will. Let me ask you about the
1:37:34 > 1:37:37offers the Home Office sends which suggested the deportation of some of
1:37:37 > 1:37:42the detainees would be accelerated if they continued the hunger strike?
1:37:42 > 1:37:46Well, that is absolutely disgusting. There is no basis for it in law. The
1:37:46 > 1:37:51Home Office has no leg to stand on with making that the case. These
1:37:51 > 1:37:57people are
1:37:57 > 1:37:59people are partaking in peaceful protest, they are not hurting
1:37:59 > 1:38:02anyone, not rioting in the prison... In the detention centre. And we have
1:38:02 > 1:38:05seen over the past few years outbreaks of different protest in
1:38:05 > 1:38:10the prison. This is a very peaceful protest and the Home Office, I
1:38:10 > 1:38:16think, have very, very badly missed the tone.You have managed to get
1:38:16 > 1:38:19constituents out of there. How? The blurb I think it is important to
1:38:19 > 1:38:23mention that 85% of the women detained in Yarl's Wood and are
1:38:23 > 1:38:28becoming back out into the community to continue to fight their case
1:38:28 > 1:38:34legally -- end up coming back out. When my constituents and up in
1:38:34 > 1:38:37there, completely wrongly, one constituent rang the police because
1:38:37 > 1:38:41she had a threat to kill by her violent husband.It was not the
1:38:41 > 1:38:46police who assisted her, it was an immigration ban. What message does
1:38:46 > 1:38:51that send to vulnerable women, if they have insecure migrant status we
1:38:51 > 1:38:55are not interested in their safety, only interested in carting them to
1:38:55 > 1:39:00detention? You will appeal to Home Office processes and always there
1:39:00 > 1:39:03are ongoing cases and those women should not be detention, their cases
1:39:03 > 1:39:08are often being heard by a tribunal or the Home Office systems
1:39:08 > 1:39:12themselves, which are incredibly slow through no fault of the women
1:39:12 > 1:39:15detained. The Home Office say last year's 92%
1:39:15 > 1:39:21of people at Yarl's Wood were detained for four months or less and
1:39:21 > 1:39:27nearly two thirds for less than a month?But the standard was meant to
1:39:27 > 1:39:32be 28 days. Indefinite detention... Detaining people are no grounds
1:39:32 > 1:39:36should be a human rights concerns of the entire nation. Imagine if this
1:39:36 > 1:39:42happened to you. I believe Pam has lived here since she was 13, there
1:39:42 > 1:39:47are children in my children's class who could exactly live the same life
1:39:47 > 1:39:51as Opelo, exactly like us. Imagine you are picked up in the night,
1:39:51 > 1:39:55taken off to detention with very little legal help? My constituents
1:39:55 > 1:40:00often do not know where they are. One said they have taken me to
1:40:00 > 1:40:05Bradford, she had never even heard of Bedford. That is not due process
1:40:05 > 1:40:09for a vulnerable woman who was a victim of domestic violence to end
1:40:09 > 1:40:15up not knowing where they are. The idea that four months is an
1:40:15 > 1:40:21acceptable time to detain somebody without real reason... Four daters
1:40:21 > 1:40:24too long. Opelo Kgari, what do you say that
1:40:24 > 1:40:32happened to you if you were deported to Botswana?
1:40:32 > 1:40:36to Botswana?I have never (INAUDIBLE)
1:40:36 > 1:40:40Outside the UK, really, having spent so much time here. It is really
1:40:40 > 1:40:46difficult for me to try to think, gosh, what will I then be doing upon
1:40:46 > 1:40:52arrival.I caught most of that answer, I think you are saying
1:40:52 > 1:40:56because you came here when you were 13 with your mum... Why did your mum
1:40:56 > 1:41:03come here?My mum was a student.So because you have been brought up
1:41:03 > 1:41:10here, your life is here, is that the point?Yes. I spent my formative
1:41:10 > 1:41:16years here, all of my most important memories have been spent here. My
1:41:16 > 1:41:2421st birthday, my 18th, my 16th. I just... I couldn't imagine all of
1:41:24 > 1:41:31those being taken away and being told we are taking you away to... To
1:41:31 > 1:41:36a country altogether in a whole other continent that you are
1:41:36 > 1:41:40altogether unfamiliar with.Jess Phillips, is that a legitimate
1:41:40 > 1:41:45reason to let Opelo Kgari stay in this country?I think it is. I think
1:41:45 > 1:41:49Opelo Mycoplasma Kate is quite rare in that her mother came as a
1:41:49 > 1:41:53student, the vast majority of women ending up in Yarl's Wood are coming
1:41:53 > 1:41:58here on spousal visas and then suffer issues of domestic and sexual
1:41:58 > 1:42:02violence, trafficked to the UK. I visited two women in Yarl's Wood
1:42:02 > 1:42:06last time I went to had been trafficked, the Home Office
1:42:06 > 1:42:09explicitly states they will not keep trafficked women there, and on a
1:42:09 > 1:42:14very quick risk assessment I did they had both been trafficked to the
1:42:14 > 1:42:19UK for six. There are all sorts of stories of very vulnerable women in
1:42:19 > 1:42:24there, and women like Opelo. You don't need to have a very, very sad
1:42:24 > 1:42:33story of abuse to
1:42:33 > 1:42:35story of abuse to think that this is a kid who grew up in the UK. We are
1:42:35 > 1:42:39wasting tax payers money trying to fight this case when she has
1:42:39 > 1:42:41something to offer to the UK. Absolutely I would rather she was
1:42:41 > 1:42:45allowed to stay, allowed to work, offer something to the nation. At
1:42:45 > 1:42:49the moment we are treating her as a problem, that is costing the country
1:42:49 > 1:42:54money. She will inevitably, I feel fairly confident to say, be allowed
1:42:54 > 1:42:58to stay in the long run.The Home Office say we take the welfare of
1:42:58 > 1:43:02all those in immigration removal Centre is very seriously and any
1:43:02 > 1:43:07detainees who choose to refuse food and/ or fluid are closely monitored
1:43:07 > 1:43:13by on-site health care professionals. It was is our duty to
1:43:13 > 1:43:15ensure that detainees are informed about how their actions might
1:43:15 > 1:43:19jeopardise their health and also make clear it will not prevent their
1:43:19 > 1:43:23case from being progressed. Thank you to the Labour MP Jess
1:43:23 > 1:43:28Phillips and to Opelo Kgari, we will talk to you regularly from there, or
1:43:28 > 1:43:33from outside, whatever happens if your case. Thank you, Opelo.
1:43:33 > 1:43:35Britain's most senior counterterrorism police officer has
1:43:35 > 1:43:37told this programme in an exclusive interview that social media
1:43:37 > 1:43:40companies have a moral duty to tip off police
1:43:40 > 1:43:42to potential terror activity.
1:43:42 > 1:43:45Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley of the Met Police says, in time,
1:43:45 > 1:43:48persuasion and regulation will need to be implemented to ensure
1:43:48 > 1:43:56co-operation from tech companies.
1:43:57 > 1:44:01He also warned Brits that we're going to have to live
1:44:01 > 1:44:04with a severe terror warning - meaning an attack is highly
1:44:04 > 1:44:06likely - for some time.
1:44:06 > 1:44:09He retires at the end of this week and has been speaking to us
1:44:09 > 1:44:12in his final TV interview in post.
1:44:12 > 1:44:15I started by asking him what was known so far
1:44:15 > 1:44:22about the critically-ill former Russian spy.
1:44:23 > 1:44:27As you would expect in an unusual case like this, the key for us is to
1:44:27 > 1:44:33get to the bottom of what caused the illness. Is it foul play or a
1:44:33 > 1:44:37natural cause? Wiltshire Police are leaving the investigation, they did
1:44:37 > 1:44:40a statement last night -- are leading the investigation. The
1:44:40 > 1:44:44specialist resources from the counterterrorism network and other
1:44:44 > 1:44:47sources are assisting as we do toxicology and other research to get
1:44:47 > 1:44:52to the bottom of the cause.Alarm bells are ringing because there are
1:44:52 > 1:44:56similarities to what happened to another former Russian spy on
1:44:56 > 1:45:00British soil, Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned in a London hotel?
1:45:00 > 1:45:03The wild, the London counterterrorism team picked that up
1:45:03 > 1:45:06and were complemented by the Djurdjic did the public inquiry, who
1:45:06 > 1:45:10concluded there was state actors involved -- complemented by the
1:45:10 > 1:45:15judge who did the public inquiry. It is important these cases are taken
1:45:15 > 1:45:21seriously. Sometimes exiles generate conspiracy theories with no
1:45:21 > 1:45:25foundation. But as Litvinenko illustrated, foul play is possible
1:45:25 > 1:45:29and we had to throw all the resources specialist technical
1:45:29 > 1:45:35expertise to get to bottom of it.
1:45:35 > 1:45:40You have been head of counterterrorism further years, last
1:45:40 > 1:45:47year, we saw five terrorist attacks, is the growth of home grown right
1:45:47 > 1:45:52wing terrorism as alarming for you as Islamist terrorism?In many ways,
1:45:52 > 1:45:57it is. One of the reasons I focused on it last week is because as both
1:45:57 > 1:46:04threats have grown, there is a danger the smaller of the two gets
1:46:04 > 1:46:08drowned out and not acknowledged which is why I highlighted it last
1:46:08 > 1:46:17week. It is particularly concerning that end of 2016, the home threats
1:46:17 > 1:46:25or -- the Home Secretary proscribed a home-grown white supremacist
1:46:25 > 1:46:30group, they want things like whites only towns, very unsavoury group,
1:46:30 > 1:46:34and they are plotting violence, trying to undermine Britain and they
1:46:34 > 1:46:37are starting to make international connections. It is a matter of great
1:46:37 > 1:46:46concern. I do not persuade it is... The Home Office have been grappling
1:46:46 > 1:46:49with the definition of the streamers. How would you define it?
1:46:49 > 1:46:54You know it when you see it, but finding an exact definition is very
1:46:54 > 1:46:59difficult. -- the definition of extremism. Terrorism and extremism
1:46:59 > 1:47:03are different things. Extremism is a recruiting ground for terrorism.
1:47:03 > 1:47:08Whether it is right wing or Islamist, the sorts of things they
1:47:08 > 1:47:13do, they try to create intolerance, encourage communities to withdraw
1:47:13 > 1:47:18and isolate and be fearful of others, they try to undermine the
1:47:18 > 1:47:21state, cannot trust the state to look after us, look after ourselves,
1:47:21 > 1:47:27and they do maligned things to try to provide practical support to the
1:47:27 > 1:47:30isolated group to isolate it further and create a sense of anger and
1:47:30 > 1:47:34grievance which has all sorts of social ills and sometimes provides a
1:47:34 > 1:47:39recruiting ground for terrorists.Is that where white only foodbanks come
1:47:39 > 1:47:43in which is something else you have recently highlighted which you say
1:47:43 > 1:47:47are being used to recruit vulnerable people?Exactly. The extremist
1:47:47 > 1:47:51groups have more influence over the vulnerable so whether you look at
1:47:51 > 1:47:58the ghastly case convicted last week in east London where a man has been
1:47:58 > 1:48:05trying to radicalised people with awful material, that is an Islamist
1:48:05 > 1:48:08extremist preying on the vulnerable, the other end of the spectrum,
1:48:08 > 1:48:15extreme right wing people looking for vulnerable deprived people we
1:48:15 > 1:48:19have come across in more than one time setting up things that are
1:48:19 > 1:48:23effectively white only foodbanks, we will look after you, no one else
1:48:23 > 1:48:28cares, creating a sense of isolation, anger and grievance.
1:48:28 > 1:48:32Pulling communities apart. That is when I talk about our whole society
1:48:32 > 1:48:37approach, there are many agencies, we all have to think about how we
1:48:37 > 1:48:42hold communities together, not let these small unpleasant groups pull
1:48:42 > 1:48:47them apart.How many whites only foodbanks are there in Britain?I am
1:48:47 > 1:48:54aware of a small number of cases. Two three?That sort of number.How
1:48:54 > 1:49:00do we counter that question you say YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, the
1:49:00 > 1:49:04security industry, they need to do more?The private sector, whether it
1:49:04 > 1:49:10is the physical world, the virtual world, in the virtual world, a few
1:49:10 > 1:49:15years ago, some of those big companies were very reluctant to get
1:49:15 > 1:49:18involved in any of the safety issues. They have moved a long way
1:49:18 > 1:49:23they are working increasingly well with us on individual cases, being
1:49:23 > 1:49:27responsive, that is welcome, but an awful long way to go. They are
1:49:27 > 1:49:32readily identifying people on their sides sharing all of gruesome, awful
1:49:32 > 1:49:38terrorist material, they will clean them out, but they do not always
1:49:38 > 1:49:42tipped us off, they never tipped us off gradually, which is
1:49:42 > 1:49:46disappointing.Why don't they?They do not see it as their
1:49:46 > 1:49:51responsibility. The banks, compare it to the banks, the banks now see
1:49:51 > 1:49:57it as their responsibility to spot dirty money going through the
1:49:57 > 1:50:00system, we have not got mature relationship with the social media.
1:50:00 > 1:50:05Do you think you need legislation to make it a requirement for social
1:50:05 > 1:50:11media companies to tip it off or is it a moral duty?When you have such
1:50:11 > 1:50:14complex global issues, I do not think there are simple legal levers
1:50:14 > 1:50:20to pull. Looking at the banks, it took quite a lot of time to get to
1:50:20 > 1:50:22where we are and it took a combination of persuasion and
1:50:22 > 1:50:26regulation and my guess is over many years it will be persuasion and
1:50:26 > 1:50:30regulation which will move the relationship with the tech sector in
1:50:30 > 1:50:34the same way.Last week he suggested convicted terrorists could
1:50:34 > 1:50:37potentially have their children removed from them, like convicted
1:50:37 > 1:50:43paedophiles do. Why?I was trying to illustrate the different sectors
1:50:43 > 1:50:48about how we approach extremism and how we protect vulnerable people who
1:50:48 > 1:50:52are extremists prey on and one example we have been wrestling with
1:50:52 > 1:50:58with cases over the last two, three years, extremists radicalising young
1:50:58 > 1:51:02children and it seems to me that perhaps the whole system from
1:51:02 > 1:51:08police, social services, the courts, it is not used to dealing with this
1:51:08 > 1:51:14and in my mind, maybe not in everybody else's, a parent who has
1:51:14 > 1:51:17the interest in paedophilia is obviously a risk to the child,
1:51:17 > 1:51:20whether or not they have done anything to them yet, and I would
1:51:20 > 1:51:25say the same about a parent who is a proven terrorist. Someone who is
1:51:25 > 1:51:29proven to have shared radicalising material with others, has
1:51:29 > 1:51:33convictions, I would argue they pose the same Mr the development of the
1:51:33 > 1:51:39child as the paedophile does.The sharing of information would be
1:51:39 > 1:51:50enough, as long as convicted?If someone believes in
1:51:50 > 1:51:52someone believes in violence and violence against innocent people,
1:51:52 > 1:51:56terrorism, and they are trying to encourage that, encourage a warped
1:51:56 > 1:52:01view of a particular religion or faith, warped ideology, then if they
1:52:01 > 1:52:07are that hard on that -- hard and committed and pushing that and
1:52:07 > 1:52:11convicted for it, you have to take the view they will do that within
1:52:11 > 1:52:15their family. We did research in London where we looked at a group of
1:52:15 > 1:52:22people across a known terrorist network and the children, about half
1:52:22 > 1:52:26were being home-schooled, they had been taken out of mainstream
1:52:26 > 1:52:29education, that is completely disproportionate to anything else
1:52:29 > 1:52:32you would see, where it is a fraction of a percent across the
1:52:32 > 1:52:36rest of the country, it is about isolating your own children. There
1:52:36 > 1:52:41are risks that we allow the small number of people with wicked views
1:52:41 > 1:52:46to corrupt the vulnerable and we need to intervene.A mum of five was
1:52:46 > 1:52:50convicted of posting terrorist propaganda in this country on social
1:52:50 > 1:52:54media. Should her five children have been removed from her?I do not want
1:52:54 > 1:53:00to talk about individual cases.That is a real living example. She was
1:53:00 > 1:53:03convicted of posting terrorist propaganda on social media, she has
1:53:03 > 1:53:07five children, the judge spared her a jail sentence so she could go home
1:53:07 > 1:53:12to look after the kids. He said, she was remorseful. She had shown
1:53:12 > 1:53:18remorse.Every case needs looking at on its merits. My point is, if
1:53:18 > 1:53:21people are determined and committed to radicalising others and they have
1:53:21 > 1:53:27children, that has to be a matter of concern.The Government has been
1:53:27 > 1:53:30giving extra money to counterterrorism in this country.
1:53:30 > 1:53:34The number of police officers is at its lowest number for decades. Is
1:53:34 > 1:53:38there a link in your mind between fewer officers on the streets,
1:53:38 > 1:53:43gathering local intelligence which might be picked up and potentially
1:53:43 > 1:53:47help thwart terrorist plots and the number of terrorist plots that there
1:53:47 > 1:53:52have been in this country, including the ones you have stopped?I would
1:53:52 > 1:53:57not try to draw a direct causal link to the events of last year, many
1:53:57 > 1:54:01other factors.The Police Federation absolutely did draw a link.I would
1:54:01 > 1:54:05not make the direct causal link but community policing is a critical
1:54:05 > 1:54:09part of our model. It is easy to see what I do as being responsible for a
1:54:09 > 1:54:13load of specialist officers investigating counterterrorism
1:54:13 > 1:54:20cases, but the connection of the specialists
1:54:26 > 1:54:29into community policing teams is critical, a lot of information comes
1:54:29 > 1:54:30from that, our ability to operate in communities dealing with dangerous
1:54:30 > 1:54:32people and maintaining positive relationships with the rest of the
1:54:32 > 1:54:34community, it depends on the strength of community policing.
1:54:34 > 1:54:38There are ports, an example from the inspectors of policing, HMIC, saying
1:54:38 > 1:54:41community policing is degrading across the country -- there are
1:54:41 > 1:54:45reports. That is the way they have described it and I would share that
1:54:45 > 1:54:48concern because strong community policing is the British model and in
1:54:48 > 1:54:54the 21st century, it
1:54:54 > 1:54:58the 21st century, it as is -- it is as important as ever.Brexit, do you
1:54:58 > 1:55:01have concerns about sharing of information after Brexit?At the
1:55:01 > 1:55:06moment in terms of sharing, going from strength to strength.We have
1:55:06 > 1:55:12not left yet.If you were to listen to the horror stories you might
1:55:12 > 1:55:17imagine support is withdrawn, it is not, sharing is getting better. It
1:55:17 > 1:55:21is not for police officers to try to work out what the legal and
1:55:21 > 1:55:25political solutions are.Do you have any concerns?We have been clear
1:55:25 > 1:55:31with government. We need solutions as good as we have today, at least.
1:55:31 > 1:55:33That is supported by the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister and
1:55:33 > 1:55:36that is what they will look to negotiate. I do not know what sort
1:55:36 > 1:55:42of treaties that will be. We need to be able to operate in Europe and
1:55:42 > 1:55:45further afield for counterterrorism and routine crime inquiries. When
1:55:45 > 1:55:51offices in London arrest a shoplifter in the country a month,
1:55:51 > 1:55:56from Europe, further afield, it is useful to know whether it is a
1:55:56 > 1:56:00one-off offence or whether they are a rapist on the run from some
1:56:00 > 1:56:04far-flung part of the world and you only know that through sharing
1:56:04 > 1:56:07information.Final thought about Islamist terrorism, do you think it
1:56:07 > 1:56:16will ever be fully counted? Will it ever end? Can you stop it?That
1:56:16 > 1:56:20requires the crystal ball way beyond my abilities. If you look at the
1:56:20 > 1:56:24threat at the moment, as we have described over the last six months,
1:56:24 > 1:56:28more of it, going faster, more difficult to detect. The challenges
1:56:28 > 1:56:32we face at the moment, we expect them to continue at that level for
1:56:32 > 1:56:38another year or two. Beyond that, so many issues around global politics,
1:56:38 > 1:56:42the stability or not of countries around the world, too difficult to
1:56:42 > 1:56:48predict.In terms of the threat level to this country, it is severe
1:56:48 > 1:56:52and has been for a while, it was critical after the Manchester attack
1:56:52 > 1:56:56and it was reduced. Is that just part of our daily life now that we
1:56:56 > 1:57:01have to live within this country?We have been at severe now for I think
1:57:01 > 1:57:04three and a half years which means an attack is highly likely. The
1:57:04 > 1:57:09highest level it can be at a sustained level a critical mean
1:57:09 > 1:57:13something is imminent, when we are in a particular time of concern like
1:57:13 > 1:57:17after the Manchester attack. It does look like it will be severe for some
1:57:17 > 1:57:22time to come. Is why, in the speeches I have made before I depart
1:57:22 > 1:57:26from my job, I will be talking about whole society response. What we do
1:57:26 > 1:57:31with dangerous people as part of the solution, but the work of private
1:57:31 > 1:57:34sector do, fantastic work with us, stuffed with the travel industry,
1:57:34 > 1:57:38doing things with those who organise pop concerts, sporting events, as
1:57:38 > 1:57:43well as working with people online, more we can all do to make our
1:57:43 > 1:57:47communities safe and strong to protect against terrorism, at the
1:57:47 > 1:57:52sustained high period of threat we are seeing at the moment.Assistant
1:57:52 > 1:57:55Commissioner Mark Rowley. News regarding the former Russian spy
1:57:55 > 1:58:03treated in hospital, we are told two police officers dealing with the
1:58:03 > 1:58:09Salisbury suspected poisoning work admitted to hospital yesterday after
1:58:09 > 1:58:12minor symptoms but they have been released. The transgender model has
1:58:12 > 1:58:19stood down from her position on the Labour Party's LGBT advisory board,
1:58:19 > 1:58:23she says because of the endless attacks on my character by the
1:58:23 > 1:58:28conservative right wing press and endless online abuse.