18/12/2013 BBC News at One

Unemployment falls by 90,000 to its lowest level since 2009. The drop is

sharper than expected and has been welcomed by the Prime Minister.

Everyone back in work means greater stability for them and greater help

for their families. But the plan is working, let's stick at it and get

unemployment down even further. Also this lunchtime... Preventing

benefits tourism - the Government is rushing through legislation to

counter an expected influx of job-seekers from Romania and

Bulgaria. The jury in the trial of two men

accused of murdering the rid we has learned that the pair wanted to

scare police officers into killing them in a bid for martyrdom. The

most infamous of the great train robbers, Ronnie Biggs, has died at

the age of 84. Plastic fantastic - the Bank of England will be

introducing polymer banknotes from 2016. Later on BBC London, the

council criticised for its Christmas cards warning tenants to pay their

rent. Hello and welcome to the BBC News at

One. Unemployment has fallen by just

under 100,000. Official figures for the three months to October show

there are now 2.39 million people out of work. This means that the

unemployment rate now stands at 7.4%, its lowest since early 2009.

This is better than analysts had expected. The figures also show that

the number of people claiming job-seeker's Allowance last month

fell to 1.27 million. Our industry correspondent John Moylan has more.

At this printing firm in west London, the signs of growth are all

around. Business is booming, they have invested in new equipment and

taken on nine more people this year. My confidence is as high as it

has been for the last five years. We have seen some sustained activity,

which has had no drop-off in terms of employment and investment, it is

about as good this is going to get for me. Across the UK, the jobless

total fell by 99,000 in the three months to November. It means almost

2.4 million people are out of work, but that is down almost 10% from the

peak. But the number in work jumped by a quarter of a million, taking

the total to more than 30 million for the first time. We are seeing

improvements in vacancies across the board, not just in the south-east

but throughout the country, particularly Yorkshire and the

north-east, and it is growth in the utilities and the business and

finance sectors. This latest snapshot of the labour market will

be a big pre-Christmas boost for the Government, but it could have wider

economic consequences. The Bank of England has stated that it will not

consider raising interest rates until unemployment falls to 7%. On

the basis of today's figures, that day is coming ever closer. The

consensus at the minute is that the first interest rate hike from the

Bank of England will come from the middle of 2015 onwards. But today's

figures show the economy growing much faster than we had expected,

which raises the risk of an interest rate hike earlier than that. But

there are still 1 million people more out of work than before the

financial crisis. Spencer is living at home and can only find part-time

jobs. It has been a lot of I thought I would have a job by now. It has

been difficult. I have had a couple of interviews more recently, but not

a paid, full-time position yet. And there is little festive cheer in

terms of pay. Earnings are growing by just 0.8%, less than half the

rate of inflation. So, household budgets will still be stretched this

Christmas, but the prospects for the jobs market are looking up.

In a moment, we will talk to Norman Smith, who is at Westminster for us.

But first, our chief economics correspondent, Hugh Pym, is here.

Clearly, good news for people who are seeking work, but does this have

indications for interest rates? Very much so. There is enough in this

latest set of statistics to tell you a lot about the British economy.

Unemployment is at its lowest in four years. The number of job

vacancies is at its highest since 2008, at the start of the recession.

But as John Moylan was declining, there is this added by mention of

the Bank of England. They said they would not consider raising interest

rates until unemployment got to 7%. Back in August, it did not seem

likely that unemployment would get down to 7% until 2016. But

everything has moved a lot more rapidly on that front, compared to

what the Bank of England thought. It now looks as if that 7% threshold

could be reached maybe even late next year. The message from the Bank

in recent weeks has been, we never said we would raise interest rates,

we only said we would start thinking about it, and we would look at a

whole load of other things. The message now is, never mind 7%, could

be a little bit further than that. A bit confusing for households and

businesses, but there is a lot riding on this, with millions of

people with mortgages, and savers also being affected by interest

rates. Let's go to our chief political correspondent, Norman

Smith, at Westminster. Where does this leave the political argument?

For some time, Labour have been chiding the coalition that their

policies are not working... Prime Minister's Questions today in many

ways typified the political story this year on the economy, which has

seen the Government stressing the recovery, and Labour are seeking to

stress the cost of living. But with each bit of better economic news, be

it on growth or on record numbers of employment, you just sense the

balance is beginning to shift in the Government's favour, that it is

getting harder for Ed Miliband to make his case on the cost of living,

that the argument begins to sound almost as if you are carping about

an economy which is getting better. But there is a second chink in the

armour of Labour, which centres on the position of the Shadow

Chancellor, Ed Balls, who you will remember had a difficult day when

the Autumn Statement was announced, with all sorts of rumblings

afterwards about whether Ed Miliband might try to move him. Today, he had

another difficult day, when he was motioning downwards, and David

Cameron said he really should be motioning goodbye. Also today, the

Speaker said, we are going to go on and on, as long as it takes, and the

Tory MPs cheered, they wanted to carry on, because they think the

momentum on the economy is now moving their way.

And you can find out much more on the latest unemployment figures at

bbc.co.uk/business. That also includes details of inflation,

economic growth, interest rates and house prices across the UK.

From first January, new migrants from the European Union will have to

wait for three months before they can apply for out-of-work benefits.

The measure - one of a series of restrictions on EU job-seekers set

out by David Cameron - is being rushed through Parliament, so it can

be in place when remaining work controls on Romanians and Bulgarians

are lifted. Our political correspondent Chris Mason reports.

There are just 14 days to go. You might call it last-minute, or the

11th hour, or in the nick of time. In a fortnight, plenty of people

will have a New Year's Day hangover, and plenty of Romanians

and Bulgarians can come here to work. But they, along with other

European migrants already here, will now have to wait three months before

they can apply for out of work benefits. This will kick in in a

fortnight. We should have done I have had to go out and check with

many other nations, to see what their systems are, to demonstrate to

myself that this was feasible. I have come back, we have taken a

legal opinion on it, and decided that this can be done in time for

the beginning of January. What about the 13 years that Labour had to sort

this? How come this was not done by you guys in government. Well, we are

a we have got the transitional controls put in place for January.

We supported those. We recognise that people need to make a

contribution if they are coming here for benefits. Why this arms race to

sound muscular on immigration? Some say the problem of migrants'

benefits is a problem which does not really exist, but Westminster has

woken up to the fact that immigration matters to a lot of

people. It has also woken up to the political threat of the UK

Independence Party. The public have been concerned about this for years.

At one minute to midnight, David Cameron comes out with gesture

politics. He has got his last chance to get our borders back at the EU

summit tomorrow and Friday. If he does not do that, there is no point

in him returning. For the Conservatives, this is just the

opening skirmish with Brussels. David Cameron wants to take a look

at the whole principle of the free movement of labour in Europe as part

of a renegotiation of our membership of the European Union. The thing

is, free movement is a central idea of the EU, so changing it will not

be simple. The jury at the trial of two men

accused of murdering the soldier Lee Rigby near Woolwich Barracks in May

has been hearing closing arguments. Michael Adebolajo and Michael

Adebowale both deny the charge. Our correspondent June Kelly is at the

Old Bailey. This morning we heard from the barrister representing the

second defendant in this case, Michael Adebowale. Michael Adebowale

chose not to go into the witness box, so this is the first time we

have heard anything of his defence. His barrister said he would be

relying on the same defence as Michael Adebolajo. They both see

themselves as soldiers of Allen, and they both regarded the killing of

Lee Rigby as an act of war. -- soldiers of Allah. Both men are

facing a second charge of attempting to murder a police officer. The jury

has seen footage of them approaching the police with weapons. But the

jury heard today that Michael Adebolajo said the gun he was

holding that day was not loaded, and he said he knew he could not do any

harm to the police. The barrister said his client wanted to be

martyred by the police. This afternoon, we will have the judge's

closing speech, and tomorrow, the jury will be sent out to consider

their verdicts. One of Britain's most notorious

criminals, Ronnie Biggs, has died at the age of 84. He was jailed for his

part in the ?2.5 million Great Train Robbery of 1963. After escaping from

prison, Biggs spent more than 30 years on the run - most of it in

Brazil. In 2001, he returned to Britain and was sent back to jail,

before being freed when his health deteriorated. Nick Higham reports.

Ronnie Biggs in Rio, playing the lovable rogue, who stuck two fingers

up to war for tea, living it up in the sun. But Ronnie Biggs had been a

minor member of a violent gang who robbed the Glasgow to London mail

train in Buckinghamshire in August 1963, making off with ?2.5 million.

The train driver, Jack Mills, was knocked unconscious, and never fully

recovered. Convicted and sentenced, Biggs escaped by scaling the wall of

Wandsworth prison and lowering himself into a waiting van. The

length of his sentence, 30 years, had astonished him and the public.

The robbers became folk heroes to some. 50 years on, the crime has

become part of modern myth. There is a BBC drama about it starting

tonight. Ronnie Biggs, ever the self publicist, would have relished the

coincidence. After his escape, Biggs fled to Brazil. In 1974, he was

merely extradited, but then he had a son by his girlfriend, and under

Brazilian law, he was safe. He made a living by exploiting his

notoriety, helped by a steady stream of visiting journalists, and he

showed no resource. I do not regret the fact that I was involved in I am

quite pleased with the idea that I was involved in it, because it has

given me a little place in history, I have made a mark for myself. My

poor old doubt used to say to me, I know you will make good one day. I

have made good in a curious way, by becoming infamous. Part of his

secret was his considerable charm. He had a lot of charisma, the women

always fell for him, they said it was his sparkling eyes. He would

captivate people totally. It did not matter whether it was a police

officer, another crock or some rock star, they were all in all of this

guy, who had no airs and graces about him. But by the 1990s, his

health was failing. He had suffered a series of strokes. A tabloid

newspaper flew him home, and he was jailed. Eight years later, unable to

walk, talk or feed himself, he was released into a nursing home close

to his family. His last public appearance was at the funeral of

fellow train robber Bruce Reynolds. He made sure the photographers got a

good picture. Our top story this lunchtime...

Unemployment falls by 90,000 to its lowest level since 2009. The drop is

sharper than expected and has been welcomed by the Government. And

still to come... If you have a spare million pounds or so, how about this

Stradivarius for Christmas? Later on BBC London, cutting pollution in the

capital, new electric buses are put to the test. And from Dick

Whittington onwards, a round-up of some of the family entertainment on

in London over Christmas. The controversial use of drones, or

unmanned aircraft, in Afghanistan has been defended by the Defence

Secretary. Philip Hammond was visiting RAF Waddington in

Lincolnshire, the operation centre of the UK drone programme. Cameras

were allowed to film inside for the first time, and our Defence

Correspondent Jonathan Beale was there.

From an airfield in Lincolnshire to Afghanistan. For the first time, we

have been able to witness preparation for a mission. Here,

they do not climb into a cockpit, but a windowless room. This is

flying, but not as we know it. This air crew on the ground in

Lincolnshire are making decisions about life and death thousands of

miles away in Afghanistan. Have you ever had to fire weapons? I have,

but it is not something I like to talk about. It is part of my job. It

is what we do. Are you confident that you have hit the right target

and not killed civilians? Without fail. The target procedures are so

robust. There is a reason the Ministry of Defence has released

these carefully selected videos. This is what the drone can be seen

thousands of metres in the air, even the weapon being fired by an

insurgent. The RAF says this is proof of how civilian casualties are

avoided. As a suspected insurgent enters a compound, the missile is

diverted to avoid collateral damage. People have got a right to be

worried because mistakes have been made in Afghanistan. There is one

incident in which we are aware of civilian casualties out of 400 uses

of weapons systems by remote piloting. There have also been

incidents involving land aircraft and I am afraid the nature of

warfare is you can never guarantee 100% that there will not be

collateral damage. The military shuns the word drone. It prefers the

words promoted piloted or unmanned air system. It insists there is

always a person in charge. Debate about their use has only just begun.

Ian Watkins, the former singer of a Welsh rock band, is due to be

sentenced this afternoon for a series of child sex offences. He was

described by a prosecutor as a determined and committed paedophile.

He pleaded guilty to 13 charges at Cardiff Crown Court last month.

We have heard this morning that since he pleaded guilty, Ian Watkins

has been making light of his convictions. In a recorded phone

call from the prison he told one person that he did not know why

people were freaking out. He said that no baby had been harmed, that

he was not really a paedophile, he had only pleaded guilty to avoid a

trial. That was in stark contrast to the mitigation put forward by his

defence barrister, who claimed he had been appalled at his actions,

that he was a fragile individual and had been on suicide watch every 15

minutes in prison. We have heard defence on behalf of the two women

who stood beside him, both mothers of his victims. We heard that one

was a 17-year-old A-level student when she first met Watkins. The

other woman had been told by him, both you and your baby now belong to

me. Although all three defendants have put forward guilty pleas, the

judge has already indicated that that will not give them any credit.

He is due to deliver his sentencing just after two o'clock.

The family of a British doctor found dead in Syria has dismissed the

offer from Damascus to said an official to the prison. Abbas Khan,

a surgeon from south London, was arrested in Syria last year after

entering the country to help victims of the civil war. The Syrian

authorities say he committed suicide. But the Foreign Office says

his death amounts to murder. Dr Khan's brother believes the British

authorities could have done more to help him. Although they said they

were watching closely, they did nothing. It was as if he had broken

a trivial law, like a drunken man on a Dubai beach. If they had treated

it with sufficient respect, this was an innocent man caught up in a

horrible conflict and they could do something to save his life. They

just might have been able to do that.

A former personal assistant of Nigella Lawson and her ex-husband,

Charles Saatchi, has denied she was a fantasist and a shopaholic.

Francesca Grillo and her sister are alleged to have spent thousands of

pounds on credit cards belonging to the television cook and her

husband. Tell us what has happened at court today.

Francesca Grillo has finished giving evidence. She spoke for a short time

this morning. Due denied that she denied being a liar, fantasist and

shopaholic. She said her and her sister contributed recipes to one of

Nigella Lawson's cookbooks. She says, it is difficult for people to

understand how close I was two people. Closing speeches began. The

prosecution reminded the jury about the evidence. For example, texts

that Francesca Grillo had sent to Charles Saatchi's accountant after

he confronted her with credit card statements. One said, let me know as

in as possible how much I have to pay back. Another said, other

consequences or shall I give myself up to the police? She said she did

not realise she was being accused of making unauthorised payments. The

defence for her sister made their speech. They asked the jury to

consider why Charles Saatchi expected his accountant to involve

only the Grillos, and was this attacking Nigella Lawson by proxy?

The trial continues. Councils in England have been told

that the amount of money they have to spend on services next year, will

be reduced by almost 3%. Ministers say they have tried to be fair to

every part of the country. Our local government correspondent Mike

Sergeant reports from Newcastle on the decisions facing the local

council there. Newcastle thinks it has had a raw

deal, as do many of the big cities in England. The council leader says

the funding crunch is getting ever more severe. We are seeing the

systematic destruction of local governor as we know it. It is clear

that councils will not be able to survive for more than another few

years with the current cuts. Amanda is more than -- one of more than

1000 Newcastle council employees made redundant. We knew there would

be cuts but we did not think they would delete a whole service that

had been around for an awfully long time. What did you think when they

told you? Absolute devastation. Services are under pressure. A

campaign to save Newcastle's city swimming pool ended in failure this

year. This is a stark illustration of how the money has been drained

out of part of local governor. These old buildings can only tell part of

the story. In many areas, services have been maintained or even

improved, despite reductions in funding. Ministers said today was a

good news day for local government, with average funding reductions of

less than 3% next year in England and extra money to maintain the

council tax freeze. This is fair to all parts of the country, rural or

urban, district or county, city or shire. Councils can deliver sensible

savings while protecting front-line services. Many communities are

already finding new ways to keep moving. This Newcastle dance set

appears to thrive even as local authority funding is cut. Today,

councils across England are finding out just how tight the money will be

next year. The government wants them to keep council tax down and keep

the most important services going. That may not be possible everywhere.

Not everybody likes them, but plastic bank-notes will be

introduced here from 2016. After a public consultation revealed that

87% of the population approve the change from paper, the Bank of

England will go ahead, following in the footsteps of Australia and

Canada. The fiver with Winston Churchill on it will be first in

circulation, followed by the ten pound note featuring Jane Austen.

Emma Simpson reports. Here at the Bank of England museum

you can see how our money has changed over the years. Centuries of

tradition are about to be broken. We are all used to having the old

crumpling ?5 note in our wallets. By 2016, they will be made from

plastic. Look similar, but it feels very different. You can crumple it

or bend it. More than two dozen other countries already use plastic

notes. The governor told me it was time for change. They are more

secure, so they protect us against counterfeiting. Secondly, they are

cleaner. They do not suffer from the deterioration that we have seen with

other notes. Thirdly, are they more durable. Because of that, they are

more cost-effective and will save the taxpayer money. We will seek

plastic ?10 notes as well by 2017. The bank has been testing public

opinion. It says most are in favour. So, what did people make of the new

note today? I like it. They dislike the Australian version. It is all

right. If it gets wet and goes through the wash it will be fine.

These are big steps for the bank. The first note will feature Winston

Churchill, followed by Jane Austen on the tempo note. As for Scotland

and Northern Ireland, it is up to the banks are to decide if they want

to follow suit. A Stradivarius violin that was

stolen in London three years ago from the soloist Min-Jin Kym will be

sold at auction this afternoon. The violin, which was made in Italy more

than 300 years ago, was recovered this year. It's expected to fetch up

to one and a half million pounds. Colin Patterson has more.

When this violin is sold at auction today, it won't be going for a song.

The reserve price of ?1 million has already been reached and bedding is

expected to go a lot higher. -- heading. It is one of around 600

Stradivarius violins left in the world and was made in Italy in 1696

by the master, Antonio Stradivarius. It is like playing in a vat of warm

honey. It has got that surety and sweetness of sound that other

violins do not have. This is me holding something worth ?1 million.

Possibly more. Two years ago at auction, a Stradivarius reached a

world-record price of ?9.8 million. Up and coming musicians tend to not

have those sums of money readily available, so price tags have to be

about more than simply music. Why is a Jackson Pollock worth so much? It

is just a canvas and paint. Same thing with a Stradivarius, but it

means a lot more. It is what everyone has wanted for the last 300

years and, frankly, it is a supply and demand issue. There are fewer

every day. They are not making more of them. Today's auction closes at

two o'clock. A figure around ?2 million is expected. 300 years on,

it is clear that Strad is no fad. Time for a look at the weather...

We have seen a lot of wet and windy weather of late. More to come into

Christmas week and for many of us, it start as early as this evening

with gale force winds and heavy rain. If the cloud is not new year

at the moment, it will be in the next few hours. The drama confined

to the southwestern quarter of the British Isles. Winds in excess of 50

mph already. Elsewhere, lots of cloud and wind. There is enough

clout for there to be quite a lot of rain and drizzle around. And then,

the the cloud makes its way across and the rain strengthens. We are

looking at a very wet and windy weather across the Irish Sea. We

could have costs of 70 mph. We will see problems across Northern Ireland

and the southwestern quarter of Scotland. Getting towards the top

end of low pressure appear. I will come back to that. Further east, no

great dramas. There will be cloud around and some rain and did Breeze

will be freshening, but there will not be a problem for rush-hour in

this neck of the woods. -- and the breeze will be freshening. This

weather feature is on the move. It is driving ever further towards the

east. Notice the isobars. There are yellow warnings for the strength of

the wind. As the low pressure comes into Northern Ireland and the North

West of Scotland, we could see costs of 80 mph or so, possibly isolated

spots of 90. That goes on into the start of Thursday as well. By that

stage, the rain is away and it is a bright and blustery day and a cold

day as well. Wintry showers from the word go for Scotland and Northern

Ireland. Later on, something a bit more organised into the south-west.

There could be snow to low levels and in the middle part of the

afternoon and towards the evening rush hour, it works its way into the

south east into the Greater London area. All of the wild, it keeps the

snow coming. The accumulation is significant in Scotland and Northern

Ireland. Having had the cold and blustery day on Thursday, Friday,

rewind, we are back where we started, wet and windy. Lots of

details right into Christmas week on the BBC weather website.

At half past one, a reminder of our main story this lunchtime...

Unemployment has fallen by 90,000 to its lowest level since 2009. The

drop is sharper than expected and has been welcomed by the government.

Much more this afternoon on the BBC News