07/09/2017 BBC News at One

The scale of the devastation left by Hurricane Irma as it tears

through the Caribbean is beginning to emerge.

Barbuda has suffered massive destruction to its roads, schools,

The extent of the destruction in Barbuda is unprecedented.

In fact, I'm of the view that as this stands now,

This is the moment it struck St Martin, severing communications

What we experienced, it's like something

Last night was a horrible experience.

My mum cried and my brother woke me up.

As the United Nations warns that as many as 37 million

people could be affected, we'll have reports

MPs begin their scrutiny of the Government's main Brexit

bill, which aims to end the primacy of EU law in the UK.

This bill simply brings European Union law into UK law,

ensuring that, where ever, possible the rules and laws

Tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees continue to pour

into Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar.

And Prince George is dropped off for his first day

And coming up in the sport on BBC News:

An early wicket for James Anderson in the deciding Test

against West Indies at Lord's, as he edges ever closer to becoming

the first Englishman to take 500 Test wickets.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

One of the most powerful storms on record - Hurricane Irma -

is continuing to devastate parts of the Caribbean.

It has almost completely destroyed the islands

of Barbuda and St Martin - ten people, including

a child, have been killed - and it's feared that

The storm has now moved past Puerto Rico,

where it knocked out power for around a million people.

It is currently heading for the Dominican Republic,

and is due to hit Cuba tomorrow, and Florida in the United

There are fears for the safety of a number of Britons in the area.

This morning, the Government announced it was making ?12 million

In a moment we'll be speaking to our correspondents live

in Cuba and Florida, but first with all the latest,

Hurricane Irma - a storm the size of France -

On the tiny island of Barbuda, barely a building left untouched.

It was seven of us, and all we had to do was to pray and call for help.

I didn't know this was going to happen to me.

Last night was the most devastating experience

I ever had in my life, and I'm almost 60.

Me and my family of seven, including an infant of two months,

Hundreds of families here now find themselves homeless.

My house, I lose my home, I lose my shop, also my vehicle,

And right now, I don't have nowhere to go to sleep.

We had cars flying over our heads, we had containers, 40 foot

containers flying left and right, and the story that you're getting

from most of the residents here is that the eye of the storm

Persons were literally tying themselves to their roots

Barbuda's Prime Minister said the island was now barely habitable.

I would say that about 95% of the properties will have suffered

They would have lost at least a part of their roofs.

Some have lost the whole roof, some properties have

With much of the island's infrastructure destroyed,

aid agencies now face the difficult task of getting help

The damage in Barbuda is none like we've ever seen before.

We're talking about everything being completely destroyed.

It's electricity, it's roads, it's water, it's

it's churches, it's supermarkets, shops, everything.

There is literally nothing that currently exists

And imagine the terror of being caught up in this.

This is the neighbouring island of St Martin, getting hammered.

Sustained winds of 185 miles an hour.

More than 70,000 people live on the low-lying island

which is made up of Dutch and French territories.

Shipping containers tossed around like Lego bricks.

The authorities here are warning the death toll is likely to rise.

And it's not over yet. The UN is now warning Irma could affect 37 million

people. These remarkable pictures,

taken from the International Space Station, show the storm tracking

north-west towards the Dominican Its forecast to hit the Florida

coast at the weekend. Irma is far from finished and

already on the horizon in this brutal hurricane season, are

hurricanes Jose and Katya. Well, let's get the latest

on the path of Hurricane Irma and where it's heading,

here's Chris Fawkes. Thank you. You might remember

yesterday we were talking about this category five hurricane, the second

strongest hurricane outside of the Pacific basin that we have seen on

record. Their strongest was hurricane Alan in 1980. You might

remember it came onshore first of all yesterday, making its first

landfall in Barbuda. It has caused catastrophic damage here. Indeed,

the Prime Minister Gaston Revol described Bermuda as being barely

habitable. We expected winds gusting to 225 miles an hour. This was a

storm at its peak, Barbuda was in the wrong place. From their

networked north-westwards made a second landfall across the island of

St Martin. Again, causing catastrophic damage. One of the

local councillors on the island talked about 85% of the building

being damage. -- 95%. Then it went north-west enduring yesterday

evening time, our time, it went across the British Virgin Islands,

particularly the Northern group, bringing huge falls of rain, really

strong winds and a massive storm surge is expected as well. Since

then, overnight bringing torrential rain to Porto Rico but the centre of

the storm, with the strongest hurricane winds have stayed off to

the north coast. The ring could still cause problems. For Dominican

Republic and Haiti, brain as well. This is heading towards the Turks

and Caicos Islands. About midnight hour time, about seven o'clock local

time, we are expecting it to make landfall once again. We could see

some big damage here because the winds are still gusting to around

220 miles an hour, so is still a very powerful category five

hurricane. As well as that, we talked about the storm surge

yesterday, the big wall of water you get with hurricanes of the storm

surge that will be working into the Turks and Caicos Islands and across

the Bahamas could reach 20 foot high in places. That will cause

catastrophic damage. It is not just about the winds, but the storm surge

and torrential rain to come. As a storm does widespread damage and

then swinging up towards Florida just in time for Sunday.

Thank you. The latest from Puerto Rico now,

where at least half of the island's homes and businesses have

been without power. Our correspondent

Laura Bicker is there. How are people coping?

As the hurricane came through overnight, people took shelter.

There was real concern, especially having seen what had happened in the

Eastern Caribbean. Bits of Ruth went flying, there is debris on much of

the road. However, the real concern right now is the power supplies. At

least 22 hospitals without power, running generator power and we're

hearing from the power company could be 4-6 months before full supplies

are restored. We heard from authorities here that are trying to

get in touch the thousands in remote areas of this island, to make sure

they are safe, but there is a feeling here, as they emerge in the

daylight and realise right now many of the structures remain intact,

there is a collective sigh of relief. Remember, the eye of the

Hurricane brushed the top of this island that did not give a direct

hit and that may have saved many lives. Thank you, Laura Bicker

there. Our correspondent Will Grant

is in the Cuban capital Havana. The Hurricane is heading to Cuba,

people must be bracing themselves? They are. They are watching these

images coming out of the eastern Caribbean and listening to those

testimonies we've heard with real trepidation. There is great

nervousness here now. It has picked up over the last 24 hours, as people

have appreciated just how severe this storm will be. People are going

out and trying to find sufficient supplies of clean drinking water,

Petros, to run generators with, to board up their homes as best they

can. The government has issued evacuation orders for part of the

eastern tip of the island from Guantanamo to Matanzas province.

There are thousands of tourists caught up in this as well. Many

holiday-makers from all over the world who are relying on the Cuban

government to help them get away from those low-lying coastal areas,

where the popular resorts are, and on their own embassies as well.

There are questions in Cuba that remain about how severe this storm

will be and how much rainfall it will dump, affecting not just Cubans

on the Cuban government that governments around the world who are

focusing on their people who are here at the moment. Will Grant, many

thanks. CBS Correspondent Meg Oliver

is in Miami, Florida. Hurricane Irma is expected to hit

Florida at the weekend. What sort of precautions are being taken?

Mandatory evacuations are going into effect here along Miami Beach. At

noon today. There are people out along the beach right now and a few

people even in the water, taking a last minute dip but authorities are

urging people to take precautions. People are boarding up, they are

filling up their tanks with gas and hitting the road. The big thing with

this storm, they do want anyone to get stuck on the highway. They are

urging people to do their preparation today, tomorrow at the

absolute latest, and Saturday the wind and rain will start to pick up

before storm makes landfall on Sunday. They don't want anyone on

the road on Saturday or Sunday. Meg, thank you. CBS reporter Meg.

MPs have begun debating the EU Withdrawal Bill,

which will end 40 years of the supremacy of EU law in the UK

and will convert existing EU laws into domestic ones.

Many MPs, including some Conservative backbenchers,

Labour will vote against the bill as it stands, calling it a power

Our political correspondent, Chris Mason, reports.

Take back control, the winning mantra of the Leave campaign in the

EU referendum and now the government's job to make a reality.

That means bringing back powers from Brussels to Westminster, and it's

what the EU Withdrawal Bill is all about.

Secretary David Davis studied up this lunchtime the man responsible

for turning it into law told MPs it was vital, because... It insures on

the day we leave businesses know where they stand. Workers' rights

are upheld and consumers remain protected. This bill is vital to

ensuring that as we leave, we do so in an orderly manner.

And so begins the wrangling in fair, in Parliament, on delivering Brexit.

This planned new law intends to change everything by changing

nothing, cutting and pasting vast swathes of EU law and turning it

into UK law the day after Brexit. It will dominate proceedings here for

months to come. Labour say ministers are trying to

avoid scrutiny of their plans. The decision to leave the EU has

already been taken. What we are concerned with is how that should be

done and the government is essentially saying that is down to

us, we don't need the involvement of Parliament. It is a real power grab.

Today's debate is generating international attention. The biggest

change in how we are governed for over 40 years. Unprecedented,

complicated and the source of many a row still to come. Chris Mason, BBC

News, at wet -- Westminster. Our assistant political editor,

Norman Smith, is in Westminster. How big a battle is Mrs May facing

over this Brexit bill? You get a sense of just how high the stakes

are by listening to the Brexit secretary David Davis, who told MPs

this bill is crucial, essential, vital. Why? Because it paves the way

for our departure from the EU. It is the legislative gangplank to

quitting Europe, because it repeals the legislation which took us into

the then European Common Market, way back in the 1970s. For that reason

it is a big green brute of a bill. More than 60 pages, which means

there is ample opportunity for critical MPs to tackle numerous

amendments for staying in the single market, the customs union, demanding

MPs have more say over the shape of legislation. It provides many

possibilities to delay, to dent or even derail Brexit. And that means

Mrs May has to tread an extraordinarily precarious path,

because she has a tiny majority. I think the truth is we are at the

start of possibly months of attrition or tussle here in the

House of Commons, with endless late-night debates, knife edge votes

as Mrs May tries to steer through the Commons the legislation taking

us out of the European Union. Norman, thank you.

So, what are the details of the bill being debated and why

are opposition parties threatening to try to block it?

Chris Morris, from our Reality Check team, can tell us more.

It began life in a Prime Ministerial speech as the Great Repeal Bill,

then it became simply the Repeal Bill and now we're

working with its official title, the rather more prosaic

Here's where it'll end up - with all the other vellum scrolls

in the Houses of Parliament going back centuries.

Well, it's a complex mix of constitutional change

Firstly, it repeals the 1972 European Communities Act that took

the UK into what was then known as the European Economic Community.

The repeal would come into effect on the day of Brexit -

which, until anyone decides otherwise, will be March 29th, 2019.

Secondly, the bill will transfer EU rules and regulations

wholesale into UK law to avoid legal and financial

We're talking here about an estimated 19,000 separate

pieces of legislation, a vast body of law that has

So, a new category of domestic law will be created

After Brexit, any of it could then be amended or repealed

Thirdly, and perhaps most controversially,

the bill will channel this man, Henry VIII, who knew a thing or two

about trying to take back control from Europe.

This is all about what are known as Henry VIII clauses,

named after the Statute of Proclamations of 1539,

which gave Henry the power to legislate by proclamation.

The modern-day equivalent gives ministers and officials the power

to make changes to some laws without full parliamentary scrutiny.

This has set alarm bells ringing in many quarters.

There are those who argue that it will undermine the ultimate

sovereignty of parliament, and those who worry that EU laws

that cover things such as workers' rights or environmental protection

The Government says none of that is going to happen,

but there is another point of contention - the role

of the devolved parliaments and assemblies in Scotland,

The first ministers of Scotland and Wales have described

the Withdrawal Bill as a naked power grab because it returns

all powers from the EU to the UK Parliament,

rather than to the devolved administrations.

All in all, then, there are massive challenges for the Government,

as it embarks on the daunting legislative task of turning Brexit

Well, let's cross now to our correspondent in Brussels,

Damian Grammaticas, who's been listening to a news conference

Yes, there are a couple of highlights to pick out from this.

Michel Barnier first talked about the issue of Ireland. The EU has

released a new paper which says it is determined to try to minimise

impacts to the people of Ireland, north and south of the border, but

interestingly, the EU says the onus is on the UK to come up to that --,

with the solutions because it is the UK's decision to quit the customs

union and single market. The UK wants to use Ireland as a kind of

test case for the future of that EU- UK customs relations. This will not

happen. Creativity and flexibility cannot be at the expense of the

integrity of the single market Michel Barnier basically saying they

would be flexible on Ireland, that would not extend to the rest of the

deal on board as elsewhere. But interestingly on the financial

settlement, I have been very disappointed by the UK position, it

appears to be backtracking on commitments made at the start of the

negotiation process to honour its financial obligations and he urged

the UK to go back, look at the legal argument, because that EU position

as the financial commitment was approved by David Cameron as Prime

Minister, approved by the UK Parliament and must, as things

stand, he cannot recommend there is sufficient progress to move on to

the interim position deal either future trade deal. Thank you. Our

top story this lunchtime... Hurricane Irma has left Ireland is

destroyed and at least ten people killed. The extent of the

destruction in Barbuda is unprecedented. As it stands now, it

is barely habitable. Birmingham has been named

as the English candidate to stage They beat Liverpool to the honour,

but the Government must now decide 164,000 Rohingya Muslim

refugees have now fled into Bangladesh from neighbouring

Myanmar, which was formerly Burma. They say they've been escaping

an upsurge of violence against them. In a moment, we'll hear

from our correspondent, But first, this report

from Sanjoy Majumder on the Bangladesh

side of the border. More Rohingya refugees have come

into Bangladesh today from Myanmar. And you can just see how

congested it has become. Now, over here, they have

brought in bamboo. This is to construct new tents

for the fresh arrivals. The existing camp itself

is in dreadful shape. Extremely crowded,

conditions unhygienic. Now, aid agencies

are very concerned. They say, apart from food,

there is an urgent need MSF, the humanitarian agency,

says many of the new refugees have gunshot wounds,

injuries, and therefore, they need Earlier, our correspondent,

Jonathan Head, sent this account from Rakhine State,

in Myanmar, from where the Rohingya It does not normally allow

journalists or any foreigners into this region without special

permission because it wants to challenge the narrative

that the rest of the world is hearing from the many refugees,

the tens of thousands who have been So they have been taking

us to various sites, showing us examples of destruction

and letting us talk to people and all of them

are sticking to the same story which is that it is the Muslim

militants who have infiltrated Of course, they don't

use the word Rohingya. It is pretty much banned

in this part of the world. But they are saying

that the Muslim communities were infiltrated by these militants

and it was the militants themselves What you can see here is the remains

of perhaps four or five houses, apparently lived in by Muslim

inhabitants who are now being looked after next door in the Buddhist

temple that you can see behind me. It is very hard for us

to challenge this narrative. Everyone we are speaking to,

we are doing so while in the company of police, heavily armed police,

and government officials. We have heard some dissenting views

when we have been able to talk quietly to people,

but this is the message the government wants to get across,

that it is not their fault. The security forces have

denied any abuses at all, all those allegations of rape

and shooting, and they are saying that all of the burning,

the hundreds of villages that have been burnt down, every part

of it is the responsibility of the militants themselves

and nothing to do Jonathan Head there reporting from

Myanmar. Universities in England could face

fines if they fail to justify paying their vice-chancellors more

than the Prime Minister's Universities Minister Jo Johnson

says he wants to see greater Gillian Hargreaves is

at Brunel University Is this effectively a cap

on vice-chancellors' salaries? Well, it certainly sounds like a

government minister trying to clip the wings of vice chancellors. This

morning Jo Johnson went eyeball to eyeball with some of the leaders of

our universities and said he wants them to show leadership and

restraint when it comes to their own pay packages. He went further and

said he was tired of opening newspapers and reading about

salaries thinks are perhaps too generous or unjustified in some

cases. The plan is they will be fined if they cannot prove there is

a very justifiable reason for a vice Chancellor to get a generous salary.

On average, vice chancellors get something in the region of ?250,000.

For some universities that can go much higher. The Vice Chancellor of

the University of Bath owns a salary of ?415,000. That of course in the

face of rising student debt, people going to university this September

will be charged ?9,250 in many cases per year for their university

course. The ministers are trying to say, restrain yourselves a bit, draw

your horns in a bit, but in practical terms, what he will be

able to do right now, we're not sure, because of the university can

say, we are worth it, we are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds to

this country, then I think the status quo will probably remain.

Thank you. One in five people who are gay,

lesbian or bisexual have experienced a hate crime -

that's according to But more than 80% of

the victims don't report Stonewall say that three out of five

gay men don't feel comfortable holding their partner's hand

in the street, so today, they are launching a campaign -

"come out for LGBT". England have begun their third

and deciding Test against Jimmy Anderson began the day just

three wickets away from becoming only the sixth bowler in history

to take 500 Test wickets. Our correspondent,

Joe Wilson, is there. The floodlights behind me at Lord's

has been used already today, reminding us of the first Test match

of the series, and lights that adjusts them with the pink ball when

the West Indies were overwhelmed. -- under the lights at Edgbaston.

Anderson chasing history. A classic Lord Smith jar of novelty and

nostalgia. Perhaps we value the sunshine more in September, a late

burst of energy at Lord's. The last match for Test Match Special

commentator Henry blow felt, dressed to stop the traffic, you will know

him by his voice. Very good to be here. How are you feeling this

morning? Pre-match nerves? No, I am waking up still, I have not been

through a full infantry of how I am. We're hoping for a revival for West

Indies? It would be lovely if they won the series. These players are

sporting representatives of the Caribbean and at a time of deep

distress and much of that region, they know their role, to inspire.

But they had to face James Anderson. Bull-macro, he has put another down!

That should have been his 498 Test wicket, his old pal there, Alastair

Cook. Sorry, mate. You cannot keep Anderson down for long. Someone has

got to hold a catch. Gone, 11:45am, and the unprecedented 500th wicket

in reach. One opponent of cricket that you can never overcome. Rain

interrupted play but only briefly. At 12:39pm, 499. Anderson intends to

keep going, not just here, but for years. West Indies will resume

shortly on 35-2, needing more of the concentration and conviction we saw

in the second Test match. James Anderson just about finishing his

lunch right now and he will come back and he will be as hungry to

bowl again as ever in his long career, I think. Thank you. Joe

Wilson there. This morning was his

first day at school. He was taken there

by Prince William. His mother, the Duchess

of Cambridge, couldn't attend as she's pregnant with her third

child and suffering Our royal correspondent,

Nicholas Witchell, reports. It is a daunting day

for any four-year-old, no matter who you are,

and George arrived looking, well, understandably a little nervous

for his first day at the new school in south London his parents

have chosen for him. Dad was there to take his hand and

carry his schoolbag, but not Mum. She had to remain at

Kensington Palace, suffering Each day at Thomas's School

in Battersea starts with a handshake George knew what was required,

as did his father. And then it was time for those shiny

new school shoes to head for the classroom to find the peg

for George Cambridge and to meet the 20 other four-year-olds,

boys and girls, who will be For William, it may have prompted

memories of the day 30 years ago when he was taken by his mother

for his first day at school. Back then, it was all

rather more formal. A boys only school complete

with a school cap. Fast forward 30 years and George's

school offers a broad curriculum with a strong emphasis on sport

and human values. It is a choice of school

which represents a bit of a break Nothing too radical, of course -

it is still private and fee-paying, but it is coeducational

and the school has a strong George will find that "be kind"

is one of the guiding principles for pupils here,

together with courtesy and humility. All useful qualities

for a future king. Nicholas Witchell,

BBC News, Battersea. Hurricane Irma first making landfall

in Barbuda, leaving the island barely habitable. A direct hit to

sign more than, 95% of buildings destroyed according to locals. Not

heard much about the British Virgin Islands yet, they took a direct hit

yesterday evening, the northern islands. The latest satellite

picture, Irma offshore from the Ricoh and the Dominican Republic.

Torrential rain. There is an island here and I think it could be hit by

Hurricane Irma and it could make landfall here as we get on towards

midnight. The damage from the storm is not done. It is not just the 220

mile an hour gusts of wind, but it is the massive storm surge. Up to 20

foot high in places, that will cause further catastrophic damage over the

coming days. It is then heading to Florida later this weekend.

Satellite picture in the UK, showing quite a bit of cloud across the

north-west. Slippery slide to something rather more unsettled the

next few days. A band of rain sinking south into northern England

from Scotland and Northern Ireland. Turning down with patchy rain in

Wales and the south-west. The odd shower for the Southeast and East

Anglia. Feeling cool in the winds. Overnight tonight, this band of rain

sinking south. Heavy rain for a time in northern England, pushing across

Wales, the Midlands, reaching southern counties of England by the

end of the night, when strengthening. Plenty of showers

working into the North and west of the country. The forecast for

Friday, a day of sunshine and showers for many, not much in the

way of sunshine perhaps between the showers, coming in thick and fast on

the brisk winds. It will feel cooler times in the Northwest. A band of

rain in the south accompanied by a fairly strong winds and potentially

some rumbles of thunder. Temperatures easing back. Looking to

the weekend, low pressure still in charge, staying unsettled. Showers

continuing to be widespread, often quite cloudy and it will turn

increasingly windy as we get towards the latter part of Sunday, even with

the risk of burials. I will keep you up-to-date with the latest on

Hurricane Irma, on the BBC weather website or on Twitter. Back to you.

A reminder of our main story this lunchtime.

Hurricane Irma has ploughed a devastating path through the

Caribbean, leaving islands destroyed and at least ten people killed.

That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me.

On BBC One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.