06/03/2017 BBC News at One

Fears of job cuts at Vauxhall's UK plants as they're sold

More than 4000 people are employed at two sites in the UK -

the new owners say the future of the plants will come down

We believe they understand that they need to build for themselves a

sustainable future based on performance.

A new travel ban from President Trump -

he's expected to announce one today - but this time Iraq

13 potential UK terror attacks have been prevented

in almost four years say

counter-terrorism police as they call on the

The Cumbrian zoo whose future hangs in the balance after hundreds

And 30 years after the Zeebruge disaster which killed

almost 200 people - relatives of the dead and survivors

We could hear the tick from three people and we took them out.

And coming up in the sport on BBC News.

The row between Alexis Sanchez and his Arsenal team mates that

leaves the player's future at the club increasingly uncertain.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC news at One.

There are concerns about the future of more than 4000 people who work

at Vauxhall plants in the UK after the business was bought

PSA - which already owns Peugeot and Citroen -

has agreed a deal to buy Vauxhall in Britain and Opel in Germany

Vauxhall has two factories - in Luton and Ellesmere Port -

and many more jobs rely on the plants.

The Business Secretary, Greg Clark, says he's "cautiously

Our transport correspondent Richard Westcott reports.

It's a deal to create a European car making giant.

Fears the new setup could leave thousands of UK jobs vulnerable.

I trust my Vauxhall employees in the UK, I trust them.

And I trust that they will be in a very good position by working

in a constructive and open manner with PSA group colleagues

As long as we improve the performance and we become

the best, there is no risk they should fear.

They make Astras here at Ellesmere Port on Merseyside.

Although the current deal runs out in four years' time.

A deal to make Vivaro vans just outside London in Luton runs out

30,000 people also rely on those factories.

People working in car showrooms for example.

The new combined group actually has 24 factories

across Europe, all of them now fighting for survival.

I'm asking the government to make certain they are at the table

because the French and the German governments will be.

Batting for our British plants and making certain that Peugeot

The conversations I and the Prime Minister have had both with GM

and PSA tell me that they intend to safeguard the plants,

honour their commitments, and look to increase

the performance and the sales of cars.

So we want to hold them to those commitments but the message

that we have had lead me to be cautiously optimistic.

But the new group boss wants to cut costs.

Almost certainly he's going to have to close plants.

He has too many, running at undercapacity.

Plants use huge amounts of money unless they are really operating

at least 85% capacity and the average of his plants now

is closer to 70% so he has got to make hard decisions and he has

made it clear he will make the bulk of them by around 2020, 2021.

Vauxhall's UK future relies on a strong post Brexit trade deal.

And most of the components come from Europe.

A good deal will leave the UK better off.

Any new tariffs or red tape could make it harder to compete.

Our industry correspondent John Moylan is at Luton.

The Business Secretary says he is cautiously optimistic. What about

the people who work there? Well it is now a shift change, we are about

to talk to them. They will be concerned because since news of the

deal broke two weeks ago, frantic telephone calls and meetings between

the government and her show and Opel and trade unions all trying to get

guarantees and assurances. We know existing production is safeguarded

until 2022. Reduction of Astra boast two until 2020. But asked me to make

a decision on a new car for that plant very soon. Today the new boss

of this huge group said the futures of the workers were in their own

hands. He will set productivity and efficiency targets for all workers

across the group at it will be down to workers to meet them. But some

analysts think the UK is a weak link in this new group because we import

so many of the parts that they use. 60% of parts come from abroad and

that is a weakness. And some of the other car groups in mainland Europe

do not face that. In the short term we have guarantees and reassuring

words from politicians and to an extent from Peugeot today. In the

longer term I think Alice think there are risks about how the UK

production plants will fit into this wider group. -- analysts think.

Well, let's speak to our assistant political editor, Norman Smith,

Does this have anything to do with Brexit? I think it may be wishful

thinking to say so because ministers stressed the economic case for

continued production after 2020, naming ceremony Vauxhall cars being

sold in the UK, but there is no getting away from the fact that

decisions about future lines will have to be made in the middle of

next year which will be slap bang in the middle of the Brexit

negotiation. Of course there will be uncertainty and particularly over

trading relationships. It is possible, that it might be

advantageous to maintain car in the UK but equally it could be hugely

problematic with tariffs and administrative burdens. But the real

difficulty it seems to me is the politics because we will essentially

be in a wrestling match with the French and German governments. And

the French government which partially own PSA Peugeot will not

want to close French plants and Angela Merkel the German Chancellor,

the big beast of the EU, she will call in absolutely every favour to

protect German plants. The issue is whatever the economic arguments,

politically will we have lost our leverage, will be have lost our

muscle to protect those plants post Brexit?

President Trump is expected to sign a new travel ban today to prevent

temporarily citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries

But Iraq has been left off the original list

after his controversial first attempt was blocked by the courts.

And it's thought it also won't apply to green card holders.

Our correspondent Gary O'Donoghue is in Washington.

He is expected to announce this today. You wonder what could stop

this also ended up in the courts. I think it is pretty inevitable it

will end up in the courts whatever he says today because the liberal

groups and people who oppose him are going to challenge this in a sense

whatever he says. But we are expecting, no confirmation at this

stage that Iraq will be taken off the list after lobbying from the

secular state, but also expect more clarity on green card holders,

people who have the right to live and work here in the United States

and potentially existing Visa holders from those countries that

are on the banned list. There's lot of confusion when the ban was

initially introduced about whether they were covered and it looks like

the White House might be heading towards new Visa applications. There

may also be movement on the question of refugees, of course you remember

Syria, refugees from Syria were indefinitely banned and there could

be some movement on that as well. And meanwhile the row over

allegations about phone tapping in the run-up to the presidential

elections continue with the FBI firmly denying it happened. The FBI

denying through various sources, nothing official from them at the

moment, suggesting that the Justice Department should make that clear

publicly. We have the former director of National intelligence

also saying he would know if there was a court order to tap the phones

of Donald Trump during the campaign and there was no such order. So the

moment we have an allegation was nothing to back it up. That is not

stopping the White House of course, Donald Trump believes it is true and

he is calling on Congress to investigate it. So pressure on those

Republican shares of those committees in Congress to open an on

something for which at the moment there is no evidence at all.

There's been international condemnation of the test launch

of four ballistic missiles by North Korea.

The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said three

landed in waters close to the country's north-west coast.

He described the launch as "an extremely dangerous action".

South Korea's acting president has asked for the swifter deployment

of a US-made missile defence shield - due to be installed

BT Sport has paid ?1.1 billion to retain the rights

to show Champions League and Europa League games.

The deal - which will run until the end of the 2020 -

2021 season - gives the broadcaster exclusive rights to show

Police say thirteen potential terror attacks have been thwarted

The UK's most senior counter-terrorism police officer has

also revealed that more than 500 investigations are being

He disclosed the figures as he launched an appeal that aims

to get members of the public to report any suspicious behaviour.

Our home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford reports.

Checking on a huge bag of fertiliser he planned to use for an Al-Qaeda

bombing campaign against nightclubs and shopping centres. Kiam in 2000

unaware he was being watched by police. A woman working at the

storage warehouse had tipped off detectives. Potentially saving

hundreds of lives. If you have a concern about something you have

seen or heard that could identify a terrorist threat, report it. A new

police campaign reminds the public of the important role but they have

in fighting terror. It could be anything but strikes you is unusual.

Detectives say in one third of the most high risk recent

investigations, information from the public has helped. In the background

are the devastating attacks in mainland Europe. The trucks driven

into crowds in Berlin and Nice. The mass shooting combined with suicide

bombs in Paris and Brussels. Also called Islamic State or Daesh

attacks inspired or even controlled from a distance. We have to go

outside. We see increasing use of encrypted communications which can

instantaneously linked terrorists across the world. That brings about

a greater danger across communities that someone in our community could

be influenced by someone working in a terrorist stronghold on the other

side of the world. Counterterrorist police are working with the threat

level of severe. Which means that an attempted terrorist attack is

considered to be highly likely. It has been like that since the end of

2014 and there is no sign of the level coming down in the coming

months or even years. An analysis of where most convicted terrorist lived

has identified London and the West Midlands. One tenth of all those

convicted in the whole of the UK came from just five wards in

Birmingham. It is not surprising that big cities like London and

Birmingham which a large diverse populations, pockets of deprivation,

will have a significant number of terrorists but that should not take

away from the fact that a terrorist attack can take place anywhere in

the country. Police said today they slaughtered 13 terrorist attacks on

the UK in the past four years and there are currently running around

500 counterterrorist investigations at any one time. Daniel Sandford,

BBC News at New Scotland Yard. Pressure continues to grow on French

presidential candidate Francois Fillon.

Mr Fillon is being investigated after allegations that he paid his

family out of public funds, for little or no work.

Our correspondent Hugh Schofield is in Paris.

The latest twist is his rolling out of Alain Juppe, he delivered the

declaration this morning in quite a better fashion. Clearly he is very

embittered and angry and he held Francois Fillon responsible for the

mess the centre-right is in now in France. He said there was no way

that he would stand as this alternative candidate and would not

be the Plan B. So now does that mean it is inevitable but Francois Fillon

is the candidate and the party more or less has got to rally around him.

Well, maybe or maybe not because things are still going on, there are

still negotiations behind closed doors. And the key figure is

emerging, someone we all know, Nicolas Sarkozy, who also fancied

himself as something of a kingmaker in this. Of course he also lost in

the primaries but is still very much there and we understand he is

reading his web as we speak. And meeting -- a meeting is planned of

the political committee of the party this evening and then a meeting with

Nicolas Sarkozy is going to happen tomorrow. He is looking for a three

May -- the three way meeting to try to get some semblance of unity

either behind Francois Fillon or maybe another candidate whose name

we just do not know. An extraordinary position to be in for

France so close to the elections. Absolutely unprecedented. Bizarre.

And for Republicans, the most depressing thing they could have

imagined, that this selection was there is on a plate after five years

of very popular Socialist candidates. But everything that

could go wrong has gone wrong and the two people rubbing their hands

with glee are of course Marine Le Pen on the far right and Emmanuel

Macron who has, from the centre and finds the door is wide open for him.

Fears of job cuts at Vauxhall's UK plants as they're sold

The rising problem of "idling" - pollution caused by cars

keeping their engines running when parked.

In the sport, the BBC secures the rights to broadcast the women's

World Cup in France in 2019. Coverage of every game will be shown

across TV, radio and online. The Zeebrugge ferry disaster

was Britain's worst peacetime 193 people died when the Herald

of Free Enterprise capsized within minutes of setting sail

for Dover in 1987 - all because the ship's staff had

failed to close the bow doors. Today events are being held

in the UK and in Belgium to mark the thirtieth anniversary and this

morning, some of the survivors, rescuers, and families

of the victims went out to see -- to sea to drop flowers in the

water where the ferry overturned. Diane Bunker. Nadine Bunker... It is

one of the iconic, tragic images of Britain's time in history. The

upturned hull of the Herald of Free Enterprise, ship, people, too.

First, the plates slipped gently off the restaurant tables. With the

poignancy of poetry, Kate Adie captured the unfolding horror. Then

suddenly, the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and

downwards. The windows were under water, the water burst in. The ship

was in darkness. It was that darkness that those on board

remember most. All the lights went out. It was completely pitch black,

dark. We could hear the rushing water. Brian Gibbons was that lorry

driver on his first very trip. He was the last to be rescued. With the

screams, the shouts and everything else. Unfortunately, some people did

not make it. The reason I am talking to you today is, I think, people

need to know it happened because of those who did not make it. Sorry.

Today, in Dover, three decades of memories and regrets work on the

collective minds of 200 relatives and friends. Peter Martin...

Catherine Mason... John Millgate... Either Mosley. The sheer number. It

took six weeks for many relatives to learn their loved ones had died.

Agonising enough for adults and an eternity for children, like Kim

Spooner who was eight, and who lost her aunt and uncle. Oh, my goodness!

I remember so vividly from sitting in my front room, hearing something

terrible had happened in Belgium and my mother saying, I think Billy and

Mary were on that ship. I did not really process what it meant at the

time, to be honest. Sitting up all night waiting to hear them all and

hoping they would get in touch and it did not happen. The Herald of

Free Enterprise had sailed with her bow doors open. An attempt to

prosecute crewmembers on the company later collapsed. The victims may

have been British but the horror was universal and profound. In Zeebrugge

today, wreaths for Belgian shared a prolonged anguish. The bell was

brought to its final resting place in Dover. An artefact to go with

recollections of a maritime disaster, whose wake and jaws.

Clearly a difficult day for the families of those who died and for

the survivors as well. Very much so. An incredibly poignant service in

Dover today and another one taking Place in Belgium as well. The key

thing that everybody keeps saying to us, it is hard to believe that all

these events unfolded exactly 30 years ago tonight in these waters of

the Channel here behind me. 193 people, mostly British, day-trippers

and lorry drivers, they perished in those waters. The Herald did go down

and help to change the course of British maritime history. Ship

design has changed, the law of safety has changed. Many changes

came out as a result of this. One thing that does an jaw, that for the

relatives and friends of those who died, is their pain. That was on

show again today, three decades after she went down. Duncan, thank

you. A zoo in Cumbria has just lost its

licence. Government inspectors have criticised it for overcrowding and a

lack of proper welfare for the animals.

Danny Savage is in Barrow in Furness.

This result has just come through. Councillors have been meteor morning

to decide whether or not to grant a licence to the zoo, the South Lakes

Zoo zoo, about four, five miles from here. People who visited, many

posted positive reviews of it in the past but had a very damning

inspection by government appointed vets in January of this year.

Reading their report, well over 130 pages long, it is no surprise really

that the councillors here have now decided to refuse permission for

this zoo to continue. 486 animals died up until September last year.

They included Tigers, drafts, lemurs. The owner of the zoo was

singled out for criticism and basically he saw no problem with

what was going on there with the number of deaths. The inspectors say

they were dismayed. An employee at the zoot them, he was told just to

dispose of any dead bodies and not tell anybody about them. It was an

appalling catalogue of criticism singled out by the inspectors in

January. The zoo will no longer have a licence to operate. What happens

to the animals who are still there? Technically, the local authority may

have to pick up their care and sort out what happens to them next.

Equally, the owner of the zoo can now appealed this decision so things

can continue for some things have, they say, improved now at the zoo

for the people who own it say things are better. It is animal welfare

which is at the heart of this. What happens to them? Do they get taken

into local authority care and get dispersed to other zoos? Will the

new company come in and run the side from now on? Thank you.

A former British soldier has been shot dead by

Tristan Voorspuy served as an army officer in the 70s

and had spent nearly 30 years as a rancher and safari operator.

The killing is part of continuing unrest over the invasion of large

They say drought has forced them to find land

on which to graze their cattle but ranch owners have accused local

politicians of inciting the violence in the run up

Friends have described Tristan Voorspuy as a true of that and a

gentleman. He was shot dead yesterday as he went to check the

remains of a lodge which had been burnt down. For almost 30 years, he

and his wife had run a luxury safari company and branch in the Northern

region in Kenya, one of the most important conservation areas in the

country. Recently, this beautiful region has been turned into a battle

ground for resources. Cattle herders driving their livestock tens of

thousands of them onto private farms and branches. The herders armed and

desperate have pushed owners of their land. Already it is estimated

at least a dozen people have been killed in clashes. Last month, a

group of foreign tourists were evacuated by helicopter. At the root

of this conflict is one simple thing. The need for water to keep

both cattle and people alive. Kenya is in the midst of the drought which

could soon affect 4 million people. TRANSLATION: We are very scared

because our animals are dying. We are losing entire herds if this

continues, we feel we will die as well. As you can see, there is

nothing here. We have no food. But it is also alleged this movement of

cattle is being encouraged by some politicians to secure votes in the

election in August. The conflict in which Tristan Voorspuy lost his life

may well intensify in the coming months.

Talks are beginning in Belfast to try to form

The two largest parties, the Democratic Unionists

and Sinn Fein, are still divided over a green energy scheme

that led to the collapse of the previous administration.

Our Ireland correspondent Chris Buckler is in Stormont.

How much progress are they likely to make in these talks?

That is a very good question. They do not have a lot of time to make

progress. In three weeks' time they will have to elect a first and

Deputy First Minister otherwise it could be a case of Westminster

having to step in for a time and run government in Ireland were

potentially even a new election. They do not want to think about

that. They want to get on with the business of trying to negotiate a

deal. The assembly members arrived at Stormont to be shown their new

offices but actually getting into the business of government depends

on a deal between DUP and Sinn Fein. As she were reflecting, the amount

of things they disagree on our considerable. Brexit, education, the

Irish language and most difficult and divisive of all, the question as

to whether Arlene Foster would be prepared to step aside during an

investigation into a botched energy scheme. They are a very long list of

things indeed. Sinn Fein says it is essential Arlene Foster steps aside

and the DUP says it is totally unacceptable and say they will not

be dictated to by Sinn Fein. It is against that backdrop that James

Brogan Shire, the Northern Ireland Secretary, is meeting party leaders

today that something is to be done to focus minds if they are to get an

agreement within three weeks an independent panel that looked after

the pay of MLAs here have said today in a letter that perhaps the page

should be cut after three months. Just give them three months of pay

and then stop it if they cannot come to an agreement. That may be one way

to focus minds but given the agreement it will be difficult to

get the deal in the three-week window.

It's estimated that 40,000 people in the UK are dying

prematurely due to health problems linked with air pollution.

The World Health Organisation says more than 90 percent

of people worldwide are breathing polluted air.

One problem is the pollution caused by cars keeping their engines

on when they're parked or waiting in bad traffic.

At schools right across the UK there is a quiet revolution under

The problem is idling, parents leaving their engines

running while they wait at the school gates,

so now they are being targeted by and people and controls.

Obviously we are trying to educate people.

It's yet another success for this anti-idling patrol.

These volunteers in Islington have been trained in what to say

to drivers to persuade them to switch off and to deal with some

Campaigners say this is about local people cleaning

Today it's about this street in this area,

trying to reduce pollution levels for the pupils at the school.

So just how much difference can switching off your engine make?

Testing in one location saw that by stopping idling pollution

The bigger message is that it helps people understand

the impact of small actions on the larger problem.

I'm sorry to bother you but your engine's running.

For the past six years as he walks to work in the theatres

of the West End of London, the actor Nigel Havens

A lot of the drivers don't know who the hell I am.

They've said some pretty choice things to me.

But generally speaking people are really aware, they go, "Oh, no,

I hadn't thought of that, OK," and they turn it off.

Admittedly, this is a drop in the ocean, or a particle

in the air if you like, when compared to the global

problem of air pollution, but new research shows changing

habits, switching off engines, can make a difference

in protecting our most precious resource.

Time for a look at the weather. Hello. Most of us have got away with

a decent start to the new week as captured by one about weather

watchers. This beautiful picture sent into us from Douglas on the

Isle of Man. Beautiful blue skies and sunshine. That was not the case

for all. This was the scene in North Somerset. Pretty breezy as well. It

could've been a whole lot worse for the look at this area of low

pressure diving just to the south of us and the very tightly squeezed

isobars that developed earlier this month. That brought some

exceptionally strong winds into coastal parts of north-western

France. The wind gusts of 190 miles an hour. They are not too far away

from the west of the weather. The worst for us were clouds, blustery

winds and rain across the south-west. Still rain here and more

clouds bringing across Northern Ireland as well. That will bring

heavy downpours of rain and showers merging it long spells of rain at

times. Pretty hefty Shasta Northern and eastern parts of Scotland. In

western Scotland and northern England, one or two showers and

sunshine as well. Better afternoon the West Wales and south of England.

A scattering of showers in the East of England is sunshine between the

temperature is about where they should be for the time of year.

Through this evening and overnight we will keep some showers for

eastern Scotland, perhaps fringing into eastern England. Northwest got

them keep the showers as well stop as whether showers will tend to fade

away with light winds and clear skies. It would be quite a chilly

night. Temperature is low enough for a touch of Frost, especially across

northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. A chilies start to

tomorrow. A few showers in the east. -- a chilly start. We will see rain

throwing its way across Northern Ireland, West of Scotland and into

Wales, eventually the Midlands for the temperatures around nine to 11

degrees. The band of rain associated with the frontal system could give

some hill snow for a time to stop generally speaking, as these weather

fronts, bands of rain continued to move towards us join the middle part

of the week, they will also bring a south-westerly wind I have some

pretty mild air. Mild weather does not waste means sunny weather. That

will not be the case on Wednesday. A lot of clout with areas of rain

moving through quite breezy. Heavy showers and blustery and on the cold

side. In the South East, 15 degrees in London. We will stick with the

milder theme as we get towards the end of the week. To sum things up we

will see some rain at times but try spells and sunshine. The milder feel

for a time. As we get into next weekend and beyond, things. To cool

off again. As I said at the start clashes with the start, compared

with the winds across France today, things could be a lot worse.

A reminder of our main story this lunchtime.

Fears of job cuts at UK plasma Vauxhall plants as they are sold to

a French owner.