14/11/2017 BBC News at One

The battles over Brexit laws begin

as MPs prepare to scrutinise the key

piece of legislation that

will the way for the UK's departure.

They will begin pouring over

the detail of the EU withdrawal

bill this afternoon -

nearly 500 amendments

have been put forward.

With the potential for a rebellion

against the Government.

Deeply loyal backbenchers,

many ex-ministers, people of real

standing and credibility,

are so cross about this

that they may well vote

against their party's whip.

We'll be live in Westminster.

Also this lunchtime:

Theresa May makes her strongest

attack to date on Russia -

accusing it of using technology

and fake news to sow

discord in the West.

The earthquake in Iran -

the death toll rises to 530 -

more than 8,000 are injured.

Rescuers have given up hope

of finding more survivors.

Another rise in food

prices last month,

but inflation remains at 3% -

a five-year high.

What a moment for Sir Mo.

Britain's most decorated

athlete receives his

knighthood from the Queen.

Where does this rank in terms

of your achievements?

It's definitely way up there, close

to my Olympic medals, for sure.

And heatbreak and disbelief in Italy

- for the first time in 60 years,

the former champions won't be

going to the World Cup.

And coming up in the

sport on BBC News...

A blow for Wales.

Centre Jonathan Davies

will miss the autumn

internationals and the Six Nations

with a foot injury.

Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One.

MPs will begin their line by line

scrutiny of the central piece

of Brexit legislation

in the next few hours.

Hundreds of amendments have

been tabled by Labour

and Conservative rebels.

The EU Withdrawal Bill aims to bring

all existing EU law into UK law.

Yesterday, the Government announced

that Parliament would be given

a vote on the final deal

agreed with Brussels,

although MPs were told

that if they voted against the deal

the UK would still leave the Union.

Here's our Political

Correspondent Alex Forsyth.

Pages and pages long. This is the

bill that will bring all EU law into

UK law, ready for the day of

departure, so there is no legal

black hole when we leave. But

several MPs are worried about some

of the detail in this bill.

Secretary David Davis. Yesterday,

the Government gave in and try to

offer an olive branch to those

concerned, promising a new act of

Parliament on the Brexit a deal.

Parliament will be given time to

debate, scrutinise and vote on the

final agreement we strike with the

European Union.

This future act

would put the withdrawal agreement

between the UK and the EU into law

once it was negotiated, including

things like Citizen's rights, the

financial settlement, and details of

any transition period. The

Government says MPs will be able to

examine and vote on the deal when

both sides to reach agreement.

They

have said they want to achieve a

withdrawal agreement deal by October

next year. That would give plenty of

time for Parliament to vote on and

discuss this legislation and make

sure that Parliament has the final

say on both the withdrawal agreement

itself and of the implementation

period.

So, according to ministers,

MPs will have a crucial say.

Do you

think this is a meaningless vote

being offered?

Not all agree with

the Government. Their critics say

take the deal or a week without one

isn't a choice at all.

Not only does

it not give MPs the final say

because they are being offered a

false choice, but it could come very

late on the 23rd hour, which

wouldn't give us time to do anything

to stop it or ask the Government to

think again so it is completely

meaningless.

The Government had

helped by putting the

final Brexiteers into law, promising

a vote, it would appease MPs with

concerns.

It doesn't seem to have

worked. In fact, now there is

opposition to Theresa May's plan to

set the final Brexit date into law,

with some of her own MPs threatening

to vote against her. A lot of

people, more than I would have

imagined, who are deeply loyal

backbenchers, many ex-ministers and

people of real credibility, are so

cross about this that they may well

vote against their party's whip.

So

Parliament is set to become

something of a Brexit battle ground.

This is just the start of complex

laws that must be passed. Each one a

test of the Government's authority.

Let's speak to our Assistant

Political Editor Norman Smith.

Who is in Westminster. This will be

a long and drawn-out process.

Theresa May has promised a final

vote on any deal, but it doesn't

look as if there will be enough to

win over her critics. Just before we

came on air, a Brexit supporting MP

came up to me and said, "Let the

hand to hand fighting begin." And it

seems to be like that. We seem to be

heading for a parliamentary extra

mashed because if Theresa May offers

another vote to confirm the deal,

her critics view it has a gun to the

head because if they do not accept

the deal we will leave anyway, but

without any deal, which is their

nightmare scenario. But huge

pressure is now coming on Mrs May's

Tory critics, who are being told, if

you help to defeat Mrs May over this

bill, you will be doing Jeremy

Corbyn's work. You may even pave the

way for a Jeremy Corbyn Government

because they defeat over Brexit

would be tantamount almost to a vote

of no-confidence in the Government.

At the same time, ministers know

there are about half a dozen, maybe

more, Labour MPs, who are willing to

support the Prime Minister over this

bill. So difficult days ahead. Knife

edge votes, late night debates. But

privately, quietly, the Brexiteers

believe Mrs May can get through this

without significant defeat. Norman

Smith in Westminster. Thank you.

Theresa May has made her strongest

attack yet on Russia,

accusing it of using technology

to undermine the

international order.

Speaking at the Lord Mayor's banquet

in London last night,

the prime minister said state-run

Russian organisations

were planting stories,

meddling in elections and using fake

news to undermine societies.

It is seeking to weaponise

information, deploying its state-run

media organisations to plant fake

stories and Photoshopped

images in an attempt

to sow discord in the West

and undermine our institutions.

So I have a very simple

message for Russia.

We know what you are doing

and you will not succeed.

The Prime Minister speaking last

night.

Our correspondent Steve

Rosenberg is in Moscow.

And the response from Moscow? Well,

they heard what she was saying, but

they didn't like it. One Russian

senator dismissed these today as

groundless allegations. Another said

that Theresa May had made a fool of

herself, so the message from Moscow

is clear. We don't care what you

think, we are doing it. Part of the

reason the Russians do not care

about being criticised by the

British Government is that Moscow

views Theresa May as a weak leader.

This is a country which invented the

phrase I related to describe

Margaret Thatcher in the 1970s, but

Putin's Russia does not see Theresa

May as a iron lady. It views as a

weak Prime Minister and it is that

weakness which dilutes the strong

message was trying to get across in

that speech. But there's another

reason the Russians don't care about

being criticised. As bizarre as it

may sound, I think they see a

benefit in being criticised by

countries psych Chas -- such as

Britain because there will be an

image created of Russia as a

besieged fortress to rally the

people around the current President

Vladimir Putin, which would get him

re-elected in the coming vote.

The death toll from Sunday's

powerful earthquake in Iran has

risen to 530, with more

than 8,000 injured.

Officials have called off

the rescue operation,

saying it's unlikely that more

survivors will be found.

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

has visited the affected area.

Richard Lister reports.

The earthquake shook

much of the Middle East,

but this is where it

did most damage.

Hundreds of people in Sarpol-e Zahab

lost their lives, tens

of thousands lost their homes.

Many of these buildings

were built by the

Government as cheap

housing after the war

with Iraq in the 1980s.

The question some

here are asking is why

did so many collapse in an area long

prone to earthquakes?

Visiting the town today,

Iran's president

pledged that anyone who'd failed

to follow proper building standards

would be held accountable but, for

now, he's focusing on the survivors.

TRANSLATION:

We'll provide tents

for those who need them,

and give loans and grants

to all those whose houses

were damaged and are unsafe.

We will give money

to everyone who needs

temporary accommodation.

An estimated 70,000 people

need emergency shelter.

Helicopters are bringing them

supplies, while many

roads are still blocked

by landslides.

The challenge is to keep these

survivors healthy as the

winter temperatures

continue to fall.

This is another challenge for

the authorities - the town's only

hospital was so badly

damaged it's unusable.

More than 1,000 of the injured

are being treated at

hospitals around the region.

They are far from

home and many won't

have houses to return to.

Across the border in Iraq,

hundreds were injured,

but only a handful were killed.

Aid agencies there

say they are ready to

assist Iran if needed.

In case of any need

from our Iranian...

Brothers, we will definitely

provide, across the border, the

support they ask for.

Sarpol-e Zahab had to be

rebuilt after the war with

Iraq.

Now it will have to be

rebuilt all over again.

Richard Lister, BBC News.

Inflation remained unchanged

last month at 3% -

a five-year high -

despite a rise in food prices.

Earlier this month, the Bank

of England raised interest rates

for the first time in a decade

to try to deal with the threat

of higher inflation.

Our Economics Correspondent

Andy Verity reports.

Upward pressure on prices. This

Bristol-based manufacturer makes

high-pressure safety valves used in

everything from refrigeration to

transport. The raw materials it uses

that once passed through Bristol's

nearby docks have to be bought in

foreign currencies, from the Euro to

the dollar. Because of the weaker

pound, you need more to buy the same

amount of copper to make the valves.

We have seen a 37% increase in raw

material prices since January of

last year. That is a really

substantial issue for us. That is

about, two thirds of that, is

weakness of the pound and one third

of that is caused by commodity price

changes, increases.

The company

can't risk passing on those higher

costs to its customers, saw its

profits being squeezed.

Meanwhile the workers face higher

prices on the supermarket shelves.

Cost of living goes up,

cost of things in shops, food etc.

We do seem to stay

at a certain level.

Your paying with the same

money than in the

past.

Spending more.

3% inflation might

not seem too high,

but then you see what is driving

it, food and clothing.

And low income households

spend more of their money

on those items, so they are hit

harder in this new bout of

inflation.

The overall rate of inflation

was 3.0%, slightly less

than expected, but food and soft

drinks rose by 4.1%, the fastest

rise for four years.

However, there are some

signs that inflationary

pressure is easing with the raw

materials at more than 8% in

September, but less

than 5% in October.

The reason why inflation rose

is principally down to the drop

in the value after the EU referendum

and we do not expect the pound to

fall dramatically

further, not to the same

extent and what that

means is that what

probably close to the peak inflation

as a result of that fall

in the value of the pound.

Head teachers representing more

than 5,000 schools across England

have sent a joint letter

to the Chancellor,

Philip Hammond, warning

of inadequate funding.

They say they are increasingly

having to ask parents for donations.

The government has already promised

to move £1.3 billion

of education funding into schools.

But head teachers say they need

another £1.7 billion

of new money.

Evidence from a 'so-called' loyalist

supergrass will be used

against a man accused of murdering

two Catholic workmen 23 years ago.

Gary Convie and Eamon Fox were shot

dead as they sat eating lunch

in a car at a building site

in Belfast city centre in May 1994.

Chris Buckler reports.

Gary Haggerty was a leader within

the Ulster volunteer Force, a

notorious loyalist paramilitary

group, responsible for hundreds of

murders during years when conflict

and killings were only too common in

Northern Ireland. Haggerty was

responsible for some of them.

Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty

to more than 200 crimes, among them

shootings and kidnappings,

conspiracy to murder and directing

terrorism. He was given five life

sentences for the five murders he

admitted. But those jail terms will

be significantly reduced because

Haggerty has agreed to give evidence

against a former friend, James

Smith.

The reported suspect will be

prosecuted for the following

offences. The murder of Gary Convie,

the murder of Eamon Fox.

Gary Convie

and Eamon Fox were shot dead simply

because of their religion. They were

Catholic workmen, murdered in 1994

by the UVF, as they had lunch in

their car. The case will be what is

known as a supergrass trial a case

where the word of an offender is key

to the prosecution. There were a

series of them here in Belfast in

the 1980s. However, the system

collapsed because of concerns about

the credibility of the evidence

given by the so-called supergrasses.

The law was changed a decade ago to

begin safeguards for these kind of

offenders. The evidence is not

sufficient to prosecute killings by

more than a dozen other people.

Our top story this lunchtime...

Battles over Brexit wars begin as

MPs prepare to scrutinise the key

piece of legislation that will pave

the way for the UK's departure.

Coming up...

Remembering Paddington

creator Michael Bond -

the author who delighted generations

of children

Coming up in sport...

Not bothered by the

Aussies - Joe Root

says "bring it on" as he is singled

out by Australia ahead of the first

Ashes Test.

Arise, Sir Mo.

This morning the Olympic champion

went to Buckingham Palace

and received his knighthood

from the Queen.

He came to the UK from Somalia

as a young boy, and went

on to become Britain's

most decorated athlete.

This summer Sir Mo called time

on his track career to concentrate

on running marathons.

He's described the knighthood

as a dream come true.

Our sports correspondent

Richard Conway reports.

He is Britain's most

successful track athlete,

and after a career that has brought

four Olympic golds and six

World Championship medals,

today it was time to add

yet another title...

Sir Mohammed Farah,

for services to athletics.

With the Queen on hand to confer

Sir Mo's knighthood.

It is recognition for a career that

has scaled the heights.

Sir Mo is only the second athlete

in modern Olympic history to win

both the five and 10,000 metre

titles at successive Games.

This is definitely way up there.

Close to my Olympics

medals, for sure.

To, you know, to come

here to Britain at the age of eight,

not speaking a word of English,

and to achieve what I have

achieved over the years,

and to be knighted, it's just,

you know, there's no

word really to describe.

Well, a moment like this

in a sports star's career,

with a visit to the Palace

and a shiny medal normally indicates

the end of their career.

Not so in this case.

Sir Mo has plans for his future,

albeit with a slightly

different focus.

She asked if I was retiring and I

said no, I am going into the roads.

She said that as far too long. I

said it is. She was like, you have

been going for too long as well.

Something like that. She asked what

I would like to do when I stopped

running and I said I would like to

help the next generation of kids get

involved.

A switch to the roads

and marathons now awaits,

with the prospect he may compete

for Britain at the Tokyo

Olympics in 2020.

And having recently split

from his controversial

coach Alberto Salazar,

who remains under investigation

by US authorities, Sir Mo is also

returning to live in London.

It is a city that in 2012 bore

witness to his ascent

to the peak of world athletics,

and that now celebrates

a momentous career.

Richard Conway, BBC News,

Buckingham Palace.

There's been a big rise

in the number of people who've had

bailiffs knocking at their door

in England and Wales,

according to a charity.

The Money Advice Trust says bailiffs

were brought in by local authorities

to collect debts more

than two million times in a year -

that's a rise of 14% over two years.

The charity says it's

deeply worrying.

Our personal finance correspondent

Simon Gompertz reports.

It is upsetting,

sometimes frightening.

Bailiffs have the power to seize

certain possessions if you let

them into your home,

or if they find a way in.

You're on my property.

I'm not trespassing,

I was sent here by the courts.

Daniel Bostock in Nottinghamshire

filmed bailiffs trying

to enforce parking fines

he thought were unfair.

Have a nice day, chaps.

I thought, I'm not paying this.

I've got principles,

I've not caused a hazard,

I've not interrupted anybody's

rights of access, I've not

interrupted the flow of commerce,

I've not caused a hazard.

They usually make two visits,

face-to-face visits, the bailiffs.

And who are the top users?

Not banks or credit card companies,

but councils - up 10%.

Getting bailiffs to enforce council

tax debts, that's the biggest one.

Up 27% giving bailiffs

parking fines to deal with,

and bailiffs retrieving overpaid

housing benefit, that is up 20%.

You can imagine a knock

on the door from the bailiff,

especially if you have small

children, is distressing.

We hear about sleepless nights.

And it's adding to the cost

of debts, because the bailiffs' fees

are simply added on.

We think councils should be

trying more progressive

ways of collecting debt,

as other sectors are doing.

It's an easy option for councils

to send bailiffs to your door.

The fees are £75 for the initial

letter, that is added to your debt,

then £235 for the visit and £110

for selling your possessions.

But councils say elderly

care has to be paid for,

as well as services for vulnerable

children and things

like collecting rubbish.

They have a duty, they say,

to raise the money they can.

Simon Gompertz, BBC News.

Motorists should be forced

to have their eyes tested

every ten years, according

to the Association of Optometrists.

They say too many people who've

been told their eyesight

isn't good enough are still driving.

Their campaign is being backed

by the family of Natalie Wade,

who was killed by a partially

sighted driver.

Ali Fortescue reports.

If she walked into a room,

as the saying goes, she lit it up.

She enjoyed every moment

and was so looking forward

to getting married.

28-year-old Natalie Wade died

on her way to buy a wedding dress.

She was hit by a 78-year-old

driver with poor eyesight.

There's always an empty chair,

and Christmas, birthdays,

the day she would have been married,

they are still very painful.

The driver who killed Natalie

was blind in one eye and partially

sighted in the other,

but he died before being tried

for dangerous driving.

But Natalie is just one of 70 people

who are killed or seriously injured

in similar incidents involving bad

eyesight last year.

The legal standard for eyesight

involves being able to read a number

plate from 20 metres,

but that's something that's

only tested when you

first take your test.

At the moment, everyone needs

to fill out a form like this every

ten years to renew their driving

license and that involves answering

a question about their eyesight

and if you're over the age of 70,

you have to fill out

a slightly more comprehensive

form every three years,

but it's still a question of just

putting a tick in a box,

there's no requirement to take

an actual eye test.

The mechanism of self reporting

isn't always reliable.

We know that vision can change

gradually over time,

so drivers might not be aware

of a deterioration to their vision.

The Association of Optometrists

don't have a legal requirement to do

anything if they're concerned

about a patient's driving -

it's down to the driver.

More than one in three

of their optometrists surveyed have

seen a driver in the last month

who continues to drive

despite being told their vision

is below the legal standard.

Nine in ten of them

believe the current sight

tests are insufficient

and they want to see a change

in the law.

What we're calling for is vision

screening to be carried out

The Department for Transport say

that all drivers are required by law

to make sure their eyesight is good

enough to drive.

They also say that if a driver

experiences any changes

to their eyesight or has a condition

that could affect their driving

they must notify the DVLA

and speak to an optician.

Ali Fortescue, BBC News.

It's time to dig out any old £10

notes, because from March first next

year they will cease

to be legal tender.

The decision follows

the introduction of the plastic

replacement in September.

The paper notes can still be spent

ahead of the cut-off date,

but after that must be exchanged

at a bank.

Now have a look at this.

It's the largest diamond of its kind

ever to be sold publicly,

and it goes under the hammer

in Geneva tonight.

It was found in Angola last year.

It has taken ten months to cut it.

It's 163 carats, and has no flaws.

And, not surprisingly,

it's expected to fetch

an awful lot of money -

around £22 million.

Italy is in a state of shock.

For the first time in 60

years their national team will not

be at football's World Cup finals.

Last night they lost

a play-off to Sweden,

who beat them 1-0 over two legs.

Our sports correspondent Olly Foster

reports on joy for Sweden

but heartbreak for Italy.

Despair and disbelief -

generations of Italian players have

taken it for granted.

Every four years they

go to the World Cup.

Next summer will be strange.

Spaghetti without the bolognese.

The headlines in Italy today

described the team's demise as

an apocalypse, a disaster.

A national shame,

the fans last night

had already come to that conclusion.

TRANSLATION:

What can I say?

We were pathetic, we were terrible.

Italy not qualifying

for the World Cup is

an embarrassment, an embarrassment.

TRANSLATION:

They really played

so badly, I've come miles to

see this match and they

lost against Sweden.

Thanks a bunch!

They finished second behind Spain in

their qualifying group.

Italy had these two play-off matches

against Sweden to make it to

Russia, even after their one-nil

defeat in Stockholm last week in the

first week they were favourites

to progress in Milan.

It was a desperate call this

night for the Italians.

-- a desperate, goalless night.

Their manager, John Pierre

adventurer, has two years left on

his contract and is not expected to

see at the week.

TRANSLATION:

I have to apologise

for this result, certainly

not because of the commitment,

the will of the players,

but because of the

result, that is the main

thing, I know it.

Only Brazil have won the World Cup

more times than Italy, the Azurri

lifted their fourth trophy in 2006,

a member of that team, Buffon,

won his 175th cap last night.

It was his last.

He described his 20 years of service

as a beautiful journey.

Sweden's journey continues

to their first World Cup

since the year Italy last won it.

An historic night for them

when they crashed what was

supposed to be an Italian party.

Olly Foster, BBC News.

A memorial service has been held

at St Paul's Cathedral this

morning for Michael Bond,

the man who created Paddington Bear.

Hugh Bonneville - who stars

in the Paddington films -

was among the hundreds of guests

at the service.

Michael Bond, who wrote more

than 200 books, died in June.

Our arts correspondent

David Sillito is at St Paul's.

Michael Bond first started writing

when he was in the Army in the

1940s. 13 years after that, one

evening, looking for inspiration, he

looked to a shelf and saw a forlorn

little bear he had bought one

Christmas Eve. 60 years after that

evening, St Paul's Cathedral has

celebrated the life of the creator

of Paddington Bear.

Dear friends, we are gathered here

in this Cathedral church to give

thanks to God for the life and work

of Michael Bond. So let us give

thanks for a bear called Paddington,

who fitted our world is perfectly,

because he was different.

Generations have grown up with

Michael Bond's characters, and today

some of his most devoted readers

were here for the memorial service.

Amongst the reading is one, of

course, from... A bear called

Paddington, read by his

granddaughter, Robin.

Paddington

removed his hat and laid it

carefully on the table.

Michael himself was a gentle, kind,

polite, friendly man. Not allowed,

not boisterous, not like most of us.

He was a really decent soul, a

lovable man in the way that

Paddington is a lovable, polite bear

and raises his hat.

It is more than a memorial, it is a

celebration of bodies. The values of

a friendly, polite young bear from

darkest Peru. -- it is a celebration

of values.

Would you excuse a moment?

And from

Paddington's latest on-screen

adventures, a reading of tributes by

another admirer of the little bear,

Hugh Bonneville.

I love Paddington Bear as much today

as I did as a child in the 70s.

We can all identify with him, we

have been a stranger in a strange

place trying to fit in, in a new

school, a new town, a new country.

Over and above that, his spirit of

adventure, his optimism, resetting

the doughty positive when things go

wrong, and they always do, I think

there is a great characteristic for

us to latch onto.

A memorial and a celebration of both

the writer and a polite and

thoroughly decent little bear from

darkest Peru.

Among the tributes today, one caught

my eye. It was from a woman who was

a student in France and when she

first arrived there, she said, not

knowing anyone, I found myself

sitting on the pavement with my

suitcase, feeling very sorry for

myself. But then thought, Paddington

managed it, so shall I.

Sophie. David, thank you.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Phil Avery.

Here's Phil Avery.

I know what it is like not to have

many fronts, as a weather forecaster

of many years standing.

Aaah, all together now! Generally

speaking there is a lot of cloud

across the British Isles, much of

its height, some other just about

thinking of two bridges the odd bit

abuse of rain. You get the odd sense

that there will be break this to the

eastern side of the Pennines, parts

of Scotland doing well. The only

other thing you need to note is the

afternoon is not cold, double-figure

temperatures rule the roost. Not a

great deal changes over the evening

and into the night. You might pick

up more rain than through the day

that it will not ever amount to very

much at all, not a cold night

either, eight to about 11, 12 of 13.

My real concern about the night is

there could be some holes in that

cloud, and as a consequence in dense

fog patches. The word patches is the

really relevant one. Just because

you step out first thing, if you are

travelling a distance you might move

into one of those areas that will

see them. My sense could be part of

East Anglia, Lincolnshire, Southern

Wales, some spots in the Midlands

and perhaps into Northern Ireland,

gaps appearing here overnight, parts

of central and southern Scotland. By

that in mind, because after much

rather dull start, I am hopeful that

the day, once it gets going, could

brighten up quite nicely in one or

two spots and with the breeze coming

somewhere out of the south-west for

the most part, it will not be a cold

day again.

Single figure temperatures across

the north, South, 12 or 13 degrees

or so is not too buyer for the time

of year. For that we have to thank

the fact that we are sandwiched in a

wedge of relatively mild as, with

the breeze coming in from the

south-west, such as it is. Not 1

million miles away towards the

north-west of us, cold air, becoming

a bit of a player as we move into

Wednesday into Thursday. The feature

that introduces that colder air to

many of us is this cold fronts. The

morning works to Scotland and the

morning, it will feel fresh and the

skies will brighten, but the

temperatures will dip away. Not

freezing by any means, but fresher,

which introduces us to Friday, where

all parts of the British Isles have

a much fresher regime. Windy across