01/12/2017 BBC News at One

The First Secretary of State denies

new allegations that he watched

pornography on his Commons computer.

The claim against Damian Green

were made by a retired Scotland Yard

detective who says he was shocked

by the amount of

pornography he found.

There's a lot of them,

so I was surprised to see that

on a parliamentary computer.

But Damian Green has again today

vehemently denied the allegations.

I've maintained all along,

I still maintain, it is the truth,

that I didn't download or look

at pornography on my

computer but obviously

while the investigation's

going on I can't say any more.

We'll have the latest

from Westminster.

Also this lunchtime.

RBS is to close more than 250

branches with the loss

of nearly 700 jobs.

It says more of us

are now banking online.

MPs say border controls

between Northern Ireland

and the Irish Republic

are inevitable - if the UK leaves

the EU single market.

And, hundreds of people turn out

to cheer Prince Harry

and Meghan Markle on their first

official public visit

since announcing their engagement.

And coming up in the sport

on BBC News, the second

Ashes Test starts tomorrow.

Moeen Ali may not be fit to bowl

while Craig Overton joins the squad.

Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One.

A former Scotland Yard detective

claims he was shocked by the amount

of pornography on a Parliamentary

computer seized from the office

of the now First Secretary

of State, Damian Green.

Neil Lewis says he examined

the device during an inquiry

into government leaks in 2008,

when Mr Green was an

opposition spokesman.

Damien Green, in effect

Theresa May's deputy,

has again this morning strongly

denied looking at pornography

on his computer.

Scotland Yard says it's

examining allegations

that the former detective had

disclosed confidential information.

Our home affairs correspondent

Danny Shaw reports.

He's Theresa May's oldest

and most trusted political ally.

But now, Damian Green is facing

a battle for political survival,

with claims he viewed pornography

on his work computer.

Mr Green has vehemently

denied the allegations.

But now, the detective who examined

the device has given me his account.

The shocking thing was,

as I was viewing,

I noticed a lot of pornography,

thumbnails,

which indicated web browsing.

But a lot.

There was a lot of them.

So I was surprised to see that

on a Parliamentary computer.

How many images did you see?

Thousands.

Thousands of pornographic images?

Thumbnail images.

The computer had been seized

in 2008, after police raided

Damian Green's offices.

The MP, then in opposition,

was the subject of an unrelated

enquiry into Home Office leaks.

He was never charged.

How can you be sure

that it was Damian Green

who was accessing that pornography?

There's a sort of phrase,

you can't put fingers on a keyboard.

So I can't say that,

but the computer was in Mr Green's

office, on his desk,

logged in to his accounts, his name.

In between browsing pornography,

he was sending e-mails

from his account, his personal

account, reading documents,

writing documents.

Outside his home in Kent today,

Damian Green maintained

his innocence.

A Cabinet Office enquiry

is continuing into his conduct.

Mr Green...

I've said I'm not

commenting any further

while the investigation

is going on.

I've maintained all along,

I still maintain, it is the truth

that I didn't download or look

at pornography on my computer.

But obviously, while

the investigation is going on,

I can't say any more.

And one of Mr Green's political

allies rallied to his defence.

Mr Green has been absolutely

emphatic in what he has said.

He's said repeatedly that he never

downloaded nor viewed this material.

And I think that Mr Green

is entitled to be believed.

After all, you are not guilty

until proven so in this country.

Scotland Yard has said for the first

time that it is cooperating

with the Cabinet Office enquiry,

though Neil Lewis has not been

asked to give evidence.

The force is also looking

into the circumstances of how

Mr Lewis apparently put confidential

information about Mr Green

into the public domain.

Danny Shaw, BBC News.

Our political correspondent

Iain Watson is in Westminster.

Where does this go now, do you

think?

Well, there is this Cabinet

Office inquiry continuing but we

have to step back from this a little

bit. When these allegations first

surfaced in the Sunday Times at the

beginning of last month Damian Green

denied the allegations as he put it

about the computer and the material.

Since Neil Lewis spoke out he has

recalibrated if you like his denial

a little, he is saying he didn't

download or view pornographic

material on his computer. He is

obviously sticking to his denials.

What his friends are doing at the

moment I think are trying to change

the focus of this a little bit.

They're saying, look, he was in a

shared office, are people sure this

was something which he would use on

his own? Effectively, today I think

the question isn't so much about

pornography, it's about who do you

believe, is Damian Green telling the

truth? His allies are also trying to

shift the focus of attention in this

story on whether any of this should

have got into the public domain at

all. . They're saying even former

police officers should have a duty

of confidentialality and information

they found in the course of an

unrelated police inquiry should

never have got into the public

domain. We now know that those

allies are rallying around and are

even more senior than Andrew

Mitchell that we heard in that

report. The Brexit Secretary, David

Davis, is warning Number 10 Downing

Street not to get rid of Damian

Green on the basis of these

allegations. He too believes that

information should have remained

confidential. As I said, there is

this wider Whitehall inquiry into

Damian Green's behaviour, not about

historical allegations, but about

recent allegations, whether he

behaved appropriately for example

towards a young female journalist,

right now we can not say when that

inquiry reports t will be soon, that

Damian Green is safe in his job.

What we can say is he and allies do

not believe there is reason for him

to resign on basis of new

allegations today.

Thank you very much.

Prince Harry and his fiancee

Meghan Markle are on their first

joint official public engagement

since announcing theirs.

The couple spent half an hour

chatting to crowds in Nottingham

who had gathered to see them,

before their visit to

a World Aids Day charity fair hosted

by the Terrence Higgins Trust.

The Prince and his bride-to-be chose

Nottingham for their first walkabout

because it's a city close to Harry's

heart as Helena Lee now reports.

A big moment for this newly engaged

couple and a big moment for

Nottingham. A city proud to welcome

them on their first public

engagement. I am so happy, said one

woman to Prince Harry. Many, no

doubt, keen to congratulate them on

their recent engagement news.

She

seems really full of life and down

to earth as well.

Yeah. She didn't

mind us touching her hand or

nothing.

No, no, lovely. Was really

nice.

So happy. So happy.

I think

she's great. Good addition to the

Royal Family.

Definitely. She's used

to publicity but she looked amazing

from what we could see.

They

delighted the hundreds of

well-wishers, many of whom waited

hours in the cold for their arrival.

For Meghan Markle, an actress, there

were no signs of nerves, confident

and at ease with crowds, generous

with her time. This is Prince

Harry's third public visit to

Nottingham over the past year, a

city that is said to be very special

to him which is why he chose it for

their first public engagement. And

today the couple are supporting a

number of causes, a visit to a

Terrence Higgins Trust charity fair

to mark World Aids Day and they'll

meet eachers and pupils at a nearby

school and will see a programme

Prince Harry set up that helps

prevent young people turning to

violence and crime. -- teachers.

This visit to Nottingham is part of

a six-month tour for the couple

ahead of their wedding in May. And a

chance for Meghan Markle to get a

glimpse of her new life in a country

she now calls home.

Our Royal correspondent

Nick Witchall is in Nottingham.

I don't think we should be priced

really, it was pretty good turnout

this morning -- surprised.

Not huge

crowds, hundreds rather than

thousands. It wasn't a huge area

actually in the centre of Nottingham

where they had the first part of

this visit to the city. A city which

Harry knows well, the third time he

has been here this year alone.

They're expected here in the next

couple of minutes. She, Meghan,

looking relaxed, very confident.

Very composed and she's used to this

sort of thing, as an actress she's

used to meeting people and fans,

it's a different context and a

different country, of course, that's

one of the things she said she wants

to get to know, the crowds, the

British public. And certainly a very

confident start on this, for her

unforgettable, first official

encounter with the British public.

Thank you very much.

More from you later in the day.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has

announced it's to close 259 RBS

and NatWest branches with the loss

of 680 jobs.

The state-owned company said more

people are now choosing to bank

via computers and mobile phones.

Our personal finance correspondent

Simon Gompertz reports.

The cull of bank branches is

speeding up. This one is on the list

in Stockwell in London. It's the

biggest closure programme

RBS-NatWest has ever announced.

They've closed the post office.

There is nowhere for anybody to go.

We have no other bank in this area

at all.

Well, we need it. It's very

useful to this area.

We are getting

more modern, aren't we? We have to

roll with the times.

There are 58

branches going in London and the

south-east. 62 in Scotland, in Wales

and the south-west 69. Many more in

the Midlands and the north of

England. Here is the reason. So many

of us doing banking on mobile phones

instead or the internet. But there

will still be an impact.

The people

most affected are the ones who can't

access online banking because they

live in areas with poor mobile

connection or poor broadband and

people who are maybe older, more

vulnerable or simply don't trust

those systems and prefer to bank

face-to-face.

Here they're promising

to keep the cashpoint going. The

rest shuts in six months.

RBS-NatWest says that most of its

customers don't go into a branch

more than once every three months

whereas it's getting 3500 log-ins

per minute from people using mobile

phones to do banking. So the

question is should they be keeping

more of these open for the people

who still want them? Even though the

bank says they're uneconomic.

Remember in 2008, the British

taxpayer bailed out RBS. We still

own 71%. It's a British bank owned

by the British people. They've not

been consulted about these branch

clesures or job losses. We want the

banks to provide a service to the

public. A service to the

communities. If we own the bank we

should have some say in whether

branches stay open or are closed.

This branch near Inverness is

another one going, it's a heavy blow

for customers in less populated

areas.

There will be no banks in the

area, there is none in the next

village or the next two.

The village

has been developing, a lot of people

have been doing things, it will be

hard to understand they'll have no

bank in the village.

RBS says it's

providing banks on wheels in remote

places and community bankers to help

customers find services after the

closures. But this is the end for

hundreds more branches that people

have depended on.

Thousands of Morrisons staff whose

personal details were posted

on the internet have won their case

for compensation

from the supermarket.

It follows a security breach three

years ago which leaked personal

and payroll information.

Morrisons argued it

could not be held directly

liable but the High Court

ruled against them.

The supermarket has been given

permission to appeal.

MPs have cast doubt

on the government's plans

to avoid a hard border

between Northern Ireland

and the Irish Republic.

The Commons Brexit committee also

says it's difficult to reconcile

leaving the customs union and single

market, with the Republic's

demand that goods flow

freely across the border.

The Irish Foreign Minister,

Simon Coveney, says

it is a hugely important issue

for the island of Ireland.

Chris Page is in Belfast for us.

This really has become an enormous

problem within the whole Brexit

debate.

That's right. The Irish

border has emerged as the key

sticking point in the Brexit talks.

What all sides agree on is they

don't want new checkpoints. But

there is a difference of opinion as

to how that can be achieved. If the

Republic of Ireland continues to

follow EU customs rules. The Irish

Foreign Minister has told the BBC

this morning that checks would be

difficult to avoid unless Northern

Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

continue to follow the same

regulations but that would raise the

possibility of some - it's something

the British Government has so far

ruled out. Over the summer the

Government published a paper

proposing technology could help to

resolve this, for example, big

companies could make online

declarations and goods could be

electronically monitored as they

cross the border. Today the Commons

committee has brought out a report

which casts doubt on that. The

committee says the proposals are

untested and to some extent vague

and the committee wants more

details. As far as the Brexit talks

are going, EU negotiators and

British negotiators have stepped up

discussions on the border issue this

week and there is an important

meeting in Dublin this afternoon

when the President of the European

Council is meeting with the Irish

Prime Minister.

The time is 1:16pm.

Our top story this lunchtime:

The First Secretary

of State Damian Green denies

new allegations that he watched

pornography on his Commons computer.

And coming up:

The eyes of football fans around

the world will be on Moscow

this afternoon and the draw

for next year's World Cup.

Coming up in Sport:

The build up to the Rugby League

World Cup final begins.

England will be without captain

Sean O'Loughlin,

but Sam Burgess

steps into the breach.

Health inspectors have ordered

a review of all NHS radiology

services in England,

after a hospital in Portsmouth

failed to spot

three cases of lung cancer.

The investigation by

the Care Quality Commission

also found that 20,000

chest scans had

not been assessed correctly

at the Queen Alexandra Hospital.

The trust has apologised

to all the families affected.

Our Health Editor Hugh Pym is here.

Does this suggest bigger problems

around the country, what does this

tell us?

Possibly a bigger problem,

certainly the Care Quality

Commission are making it clear in

the case of Pawson -- Portsmouth's

Hospital trust, it is not a case

being repeated with added 3000 x-ray

images not reviewed by a qualified

clinician, or a radiologist, some

given to junior doctors that said

they didn't feel qualified. And in

three cases, patients suffering

harm, because their lung cancer was

diagnosed in a timely fashion. The

Care Quality Commission now says it

wants to get information from all

hospitals around England on

backlogs, of scans, and other

imaging. There is no proper target

for delivering results of scans.

They want to find out what is going

on. The Royal College of

radiologists welcomes this, saying

they have warned for some time that

there is a problem here, the demand

for scans, MRI and CT has risen

rapidly. Patients want to get scans,

understandably, there is more

sophisticated technology available,

but demand is rising three times

faster than the number of

radiologists equipped to read the

scans. And in many cases, there are

scans and x-rays lying unreported

for more than a month. They say

there is a big workforce problem

here that needs to be dealt with and

the CTC will no doubt address that

problem as it carries out its

review.

Thanks

Pope Francis has been

continuing his tour of Asia and has

met Rohingyan refugees

in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka.

Earlier the Pope thanked Bangladesh

for its humanitarian response

to Muslim refugees fleeing Myanmar,

but still avoided using

the term Rohingya.

The Pope was criticised by rights

groups for not using the term

when he visited Myanmar,

which does not recognise

Rohingya as an ethnic group.

From Dhaka our correspondent

Yogita Limaye has sent this report.

their plight has overshadowed his

visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, and

today, a group of Ranger refugees

met Pope Francis in the car. One by

one, they had a chance to tell them

what they had been through. Up until

now, Pope Francis had avoided using

the term Rohingya, which is how

these people identify themselves.

But a word that Myanmar refuses to

recognise. But today, the Pope was

more outspoken. At a meeting of

religious leaders, the Pope asked

for forgiveness from Rohingya

refugees for the hurt they have

enjoyed, and for the indifference of

the world. It's a crisis that has

overshadowed the Pope's visit to

Myanmar and Bangladesh. Regardless

of the politics around the Pope's

visit, many people from the Catholic

community of anchor desk, it was a

chance to see the leader of their

religion in person. They are a tiny

percentage of the population of this

country, but you couldn't tell that

by looking at the crowds here, tens

of thousands have come from

different parts of Bangladesh. And

they weren't disappointed. Before he

said Mass, Pope Francis took a quick

tour through the crowd. For some, it

was a moment they will remember

forever. He's the first Pope to

visit Bangladesh in more than 30

years.

I'm so happy and blessed that

I got to get here in this space, so

there are lots of people that

couldn't come over here. So I'm so

lucky! I can see the Pope so near.

I

was in tears when I saw him. When I

saw him, I thought I was seeing

Jesus. I was saying, God bless you.

I'm so happy to see you again.

For this small community, the Pope's

visit is reassurance that they are

part of something bigger. But for

another minority, it brought hope

that one of the most influential

leaders of the world could help

them. Yogita Limaye, BBC News,

Dhaka.

The Argentine navy has abandoned

efforts to rescue the crew

of a submarine that disappeared two

weeks ago, with 44

people members on board.

The search for the vessel

will continue, but there's growing

anger at how the affair has been

handled, as Alexandra

Mackenzie reports.

It was a routine mission.

Some of the crew had been working

on the San Juan for several years,

but hopes of finding any survivors

had already faded.

The Argentine navy has now confirmed

it's no longer a rescue effort,

but a mission to recover the vessel

from the South Atlantic.

than double the number

of days that would make rescuing

the crew a possibility.

Having analysed the proof

received by our unit,

different countries and agencies

that have participated in

in the operation,

the Defence Ministry

in the Navy declare it is time

to move to the next phase.

The San Juan left the southern tip

of Argentina two weeks ago,

she was on a 2000 mile journey back

to Mar del Plata when she reported

an electrical failure.

The same day, there was a sound

of a suspected explosion.

It's further devastating news

for the families of the 43 men

and one woman on board -

the 35-year-old was the first female

officer in Argentina

to serve on a submarine.

It was an international

air and sea search.

It included 4,000 personnel

from more than a dozen countries.

They were challenged

by the water depth and rough seas.

This was the view from

the Royal Navy ship, HMS Protector.

But nothing was found.

An investigation into the

submarine's disappearance has been

ordered by Argentina's president.

Some family members have accused

the Navy of lying to them

and giving falsehood.

The Navy and I is any failure

in the search operation.

Others say a lack of investment

and corruption in the Armed Forces

could have made the San Juan unsafe.

Alexandra Mackenzie, BBC News.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan

is to take over control

of the London Stadium,

the home of West Ham United.

It comes as an independent review

is published into the stadium's

conversion after the London 2012

Olympics.

The report says there

was a catalogue of disasters

which has cost the taxpayer

millions of pounds.

Our sports correspondent

Joe Wilson is here.

What on earth has gone on here?

Strong stuff from Sadiq Khan today.

There has been a perception, for

one, that what the West have got a

goodie out of it. What they put

towards the conversion costs have

been small. Sadiq Khan has

commissioned a report published, in

his words, the deal that was done

beggars belief. In particular, the

accountants have looked at the

estimation of the cost of converting

the stadium, and the reality, and

there has been a discrepancy of some

£130 million. It is a football

stadium, but it also has to be an

athletic Stadium, the cost of

retractable seating at that area has

been fastly underestimated. So Sadiq

Khan is critical.

Can anything be

done financially?

He says he will

try to maximise resources

financially. The vibe from his

predecessor, Boris Johnson, he says

a legacy has been secured, millions

of people come to that part of these

London. If you are a landlord, can

you change the tenant? West Ham say

they welcome the intervention, but

have signed a 99 year lease, which

Jane Com is watertight and legally

binding. Where do you move from that

position?

Jo Wilson, our sports

correspondent.

The England football manager,

Gareth Southgate, says the team

is prepared for 'whatever comes'

when the draw is made this afternoon

for next year's World Cup in Russia.

Richard Conway is in Moscow.

It is a classic peak Russians seem,

we are inside the Kremlin compound,

rare access for foreign journalists,

but that speaks to the importance of

this tournament to Russia and to its

President Vladimir Putin. He will be

here this afternoon for the draw

itself, it gets underway in around

one hour and a half. All 32

qualifiers will get to find out

where they will be playing and who

they will be playing next,

where they will be playing and who

they will be playing next,. This is

Russia's big moment.

The power and the common today's

World Cup draw will take place

in the very heart of the Kremlin,

Russia's moment in the sporting

spotlight has arrived once more.

The tournament itself is now

within touching distance.

Fifa and the Russian government

presenting a united front today,

despite the issues still facing them

ahead of next June's opening game.

From what I've seen so far,

I'm convinced that Russia 2018

will be the best World Cup ever.

As for England, the team will be

based in the village

just north of Saint Petersburg.

It could mean long journeys if drawn

to play in the south

or east of the country,

and England's manager believes

the camp will provide a relaxing

environment for the players.

We've looked at what's best

in terms of hotel paired

with training ground,

paired with travel,

paired with climate.

Of course, when you're

looking at any venue,

you never get absolutely everything

that you'd like, but we feel that

that was the best option for us.

Star attractions both on and off

the pitch will draw thousands

of fans here to Russia next summer.

Now, organisers say everyone will be

welcomed for what they believe

will be a festival of football.

Nevertheless, the game here has

had problems in the recent past,

specifically with racism

and violence, but campaigners

are cautiously optimistic that

things may be improving.

We've moved from

a position of denial to a state

where the Russians understand

that they need to clean up

the stadiums, deal with some

of the fans that are the hard-core,

otherwise people won't want to come,

and it may well rebound back at them

during the World Cup.

Today, though,

the focus is on the big draw,

with all 32 teams keen

to discover their footballing fate.

Well, this morning in the rehearsal

draw, England got Argentina, Panama

and Sweden, I am not sure Gareth

Southgate would be happy with that.

We will know what happens for real

within the next two hours.

We will,

Richard. Thank you. Richard Conway

in Moscow.

In better weather,

England's cricketers

begin their second Ashes test

against Australia tonight.

They lost the first,

and are perhaps not off to the best

start with the fitness

of all-rounder Moeen Ali in doubt.

He suffered a cut finger

in his side's 10-wicket

defeat in Brisbane.

But there are perhaps some reasons

for optimism in Adelaide,

as Andy Swiss reports.

Under the spotlight in every sense.

As Adelaide prepares

for a day/night match,

England are preparing for revenge.

Their defeat in the first Test

was marked by Australia's verbal

targeting of Jonny Bairstow

over an incident in a bar

with one of their players.

Afterwards, Australia skipper

Steve Smith was in tears

of laughter, and that's left

England's skipper unimpressed.

I think, looking at the whole

situation, if that's not motivation

to get the lads up for this week,

I don't know what is.

I'd like to think that

it was about the situation.

I don't really know Steve that well,

but I'd like to think that he has

a bit more respect for our team

than to be mocking us

because in cricket those sort

of situations can come back

and bite you.

Smith, though, insists

he wasn't mocking England,

and hit back at claims

from their bowler Jimmy Anderson

that Australia are bullies.

I think it's interesting,

coming from Jimmy,

calling us bullies and big sledgers.

I think he's one of

the biggest sledgers in the game,

to be perfectly honest with you.

To me, in particular,

I remember back in 2010 when I first

started and wasn't any good.

He was pretty happy to get

stuck into me then.

Well, the fallout from the first

Test has only ramped up the tension

between these teams,

but Australia know another win

here and the Ashes will be

within touching distance.

The cool weather here should

help England's bowlers,

but they know this is

almost make or break.

Is this must-win for England?

I think so.

Yes, I do.

I think if you're two down

here and going to Perth

where England haven't won

for generations, I think that

would probably make winning

the Ashes very difficult.

And to add extra intrigue,

in New Zealand, Ben Stokes

is making his comeback this weekend.

Could he yet play in the Ashes?

Well, for now, England have

more pressing concerns.

A Test with little room for error.

Andy Swiss, BBC News, Adelaide.

Back home now, let's catch up with

the weather.

We start with sunshine, yesterday we

had snow showers, this is from the

south-west of England, Cornwall.

Beautiful blue skies. We still have

snow around, and here is one from

Scotland, very snowy scene here, but

the snow will be melting over the

next couple of days, because it will

turn that little bit milder over the

next 24 hours. Let's look at the big

picture. This is happening right

now. The jet stream coming from the

north, just about dragging in cold

air. A big wedge of warmth across

the North Atlantic, and that will

come our way later today. The wind

will shift vibration and things will

turn milder, even through the course

of this evening. Let's look at the

scene around 6pm tonight. The

temperature in Northern Ireland

getting up to six or seven. In the

lowlands of Scotland, three, and

still quite cold across many parts

of England and Wales. It will take

time for the mild air to move in. On

the south coast in Southampton,

still four. Showers around, not a

completely dry evening, very few

around and they are of rain. No snow

in the forecast this evening.

Northerly wind into the night,

starting to develop this west,

north-westerly, that is the Atlantic

air coming in. Cloud with it as

well. Temperatures, a touch of frost

around where the sky clears, but for

major towns and cities, above

freezing. Here is the picture for

tomorrow, the Saturday, this is the

jet stream that I showed you first,

the mild air pushing in across the

UK. When I say mild, not desperately

mild, but less cold than what we

have been used to. Saturday, cloud

across northern and western areas,

drips and drops of rain. Sunshine

most likely to the east of the

Pennines, maybe southern areas as

well. Temperatures creeping up. 6

degrees in Leeds. Saturday into

Sunday, it will be a slightly

brighter day. Look at the

temperatures, back up to double

figures, in hole, ten, London

getting to 11. Slightly milder

weather continuing into Monday. The

indication is that a bit later on

Internet which -- next week, it will

turn colder. Over the weekend, mild,

cloudy,