0:00:04 > 0:00:07A blow for President Trump as his Republican candidate
0:00:07 > 0:00:11is defeated in a key election.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14For the first time in 25 years - the deeply conservative state
0:00:14 > 0:00:22of Alabama has voted in a Democrat for a US Senate seat.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25As Dr King liked to quote: "The moral arch of the universe
0:00:25 > 0:00:27is long but it bends towards justice."
0:00:27 > 0:00:28We'll be assessing the political impact
0:00:28 > 0:00:30of the defeat on Donald Trump.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Also this lunchtime...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Four time Tour de France winner, Chris Froome, is being investigated
0:00:35 > 0:00:39over an apparent breach of anti-doping rules.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42The Prime Minister promises MPs they will be given a vote on any
0:00:42 > 0:00:45final Brexit deal as she tries to avert a possible
0:00:45 > 0:00:47government defeat tonight.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Jailed - Briton's most prolific prison smuggling gang -
0:00:52 > 0:00:56which used drones to get weapons and drugs into prisons.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59A man and a woman in their early 20s appear in court in Manchester
0:00:59 > 0:01:02charged with murdering three children in a house fire.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And needing at least a draw to save the Ashes -
0:01:05 > 0:01:08it's make or break for England - as they prepare to face Australia
0:01:08 > 0:01:11in the third test tomorrow.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15And coming up in the sport on BBC News, Tyson Fury could be given a
0:01:15 > 0:01:18licence to fight as soon as January.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21The British boxing board of control will review his case after he served
0:01:21 > 0:01:25a ban for doping.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44It's being seen as a big blow and personal embarrassment
0:01:44 > 0:01:48for President Trump.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50For the first time in 25 years, the Democratic Party
0:01:50 > 0:01:54has won a Senate seat in the deeply Conservative US state of Alabama.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59President Trump had publicly backed the Republican candidate,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Roy Moore, despite allegations of past sexual misconduct
0:02:01 > 0:02:03with teenage girls.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07The result reduces President Trump's majority in the Senate
0:02:07 > 0:02:10to the slimmest possible margin, as David Willis reports.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16It was a stunning political upset.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor, is the first Democrat
0:02:19 > 0:02:22to be elected to the Senate in this conservative southern state
0:02:22 > 0:02:25in a quarter of a century.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27His victory reduces the already razor thin Republican majority
0:02:27 > 0:02:31in the Senate to just one seat.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36As Dr King liked to quote: "The moral arch of the universe
0:02:36 > 0:02:39is long but it bends towards justice."
0:02:39 > 0:02:42CHEERING.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45If Trump is losing in his deepest of Red states,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48in his Republican states, then the swing states,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50the Blue states, this should send an ominous warning
0:02:50 > 0:02:53to Mr Donald Trump that this is not your country.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55I think they destroyed a good man.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57So I'm feeling bad for Roy Moore.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Because Roy Moore was a good Christian person.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03And I believe he would have been a great senator.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06More, perhaps, than the strengths of the victor this defeat points
0:03:06 > 0:03:11to the weaknesses of his opponent, Republican candidate Roy Moore.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15A firebrand evangelical who believes homosexuality is immoral
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and Muslims should not be allowed to serve in Congress.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22He saw his sizeable lead in the polls start to falter
0:03:22 > 0:03:26after a string of women came forward to claim that he had sexually
0:03:26 > 0:03:29assaulted them, in one case, when the accuser was just 14.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Roy Moore denies the allegations.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Part of the problem with this campaign is we've been painted
0:03:38 > 0:03:47in an unfavourable and un...faithful light.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50We've been put in the hole, if you will,...
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Despite calls from senior members of his own party
0:03:53 > 0:03:58for him to withdraw from the race, Mr Moore continued to enjoy
0:03:58 > 0:04:00the support of President Trump who tweeted tonight,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04"Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard-fought victory.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10"The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win."
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Those so-called write-in votes could prove significant.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18In a further twist to a long and often ugly campaign,
0:04:18 > 0:04:26the vanquished candidate is refusing to concede defeat.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29For this Deep South state to prefer a pro-choice,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32pro-gay rights candidate like Doug Jones
0:04:32 > 0:04:34over a hardline conservative such as Roy Moore is a reflection,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37not only of the weakness of the Republican candidate
0:04:37 > 0:04:41but a major snub to the president who backed him.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45It will also be seen by some as a victory for the victims
0:04:45 > 0:04:47of sexual assault whose claims Roy Moore has consistently
0:04:47 > 0:04:50dismissed as "fake news".
0:04:50 > 0:04:54David Willis, BBC News, Washington.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57In a moment we'll speak to Laura Bicker at the Senate
0:04:57 > 0:05:04in Washington, but first to Gary O'Donoghue in
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Alabama.
0:05:08 > 0:05:16Has Roy Moore conceded defeat yet? No, he hasn't. But he is clutching
0:05:16 > 0:05:24at straws. He is still 1.5% still behind in the overall tally. He is
0:05:24 > 0:05:3620,000 votes a jerk. The last time -- 20,000 votes a drift. The
0:05:36 > 0:05:44Republican party in Alabama has said that they respect the voting process
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and that suggests they are not prepared to pay for a recount. He
0:05:47 > 0:05:53would have to be within half a percentage point for the state to
0:05:53 > 0:05:59decide to do that so he is nowhere near that. He may not concede for a
0:05:59 > 0:06:06few days but I think his Senate run is over at this stage. Alabama has
0:06:06 > 0:06:12its first democratic senator in a quarter of a century.President
0:06:12 > 0:06:18Trump has already taken to Twitter trying to distance himself from Roy
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Moore. How significant is this defeat for him.He said he didn't
0:06:23 > 0:06:28back Roy Moore in the first place because he knew he wouldn't win. You
0:06:28 > 0:06:32are right he is trying to distance himself. The Republican Party will
0:06:32 > 0:06:36see this as a weak candidate rather than a referendum on President
0:06:36 > 0:06:44Trump's policies and his presidency. It does leave him without problem,
0:06:44 > 0:06:50the majority in the Senate is now down to just one. Things like tax
0:06:50 > 0:06:54reform, health reform, building the border wall all just got much
0:06:54 > 0:06:58harder. The president is going to have to work very closely with the
0:06:58 > 0:07:04Republican Party. Establishment Republicans may be breathing a sigh
0:07:04 > 0:07:08of relief, a controversial candidate like Roy Moore taking a Senate seat
0:07:08 > 0:07:15here would be difficult for many to stomach. There were already talks of
0:07:15 > 0:07:18an investigation into those sexual allegations and now all that has
0:07:18 > 0:07:25been avoided.Thank you to you both.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27The four times Tour de France champion, Chris Froome,
0:07:27 > 0:07:28is being investigated by cycling's world governing body
0:07:28 > 0:07:30after an adverse drugs test.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Analysis of a urine sample showed the cyclist had more than double
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the allowed level of an asthma drug in his system, during this year's
0:07:36 > 0:07:37Grand Tour of Spain.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Richard Conway reports.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43He stands alone as Britain's best cyclist.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46A fourth Tour de France title was claimed earlier this year,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50swiftly followed by an historic victory in the Spanish grand tour.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55But Chris Froome's reputation is now under threat, like never before.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58That's because the Team Sky rider was found to have
0:07:58 > 0:08:01exceeded the permitted level of the asthma drug Salbutamol
0:08:01 > 0:08:03when tested in September.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Froome says, on doctors' advice, he did increase his dosage due
0:08:06 > 0:08:09to asthma but insists it was still within the legal limits.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12In a statement, he said...
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Team Sky says Froome has had asthma since childhood
0:08:31 > 0:08:35and regularly uses an inhaler.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Salbutamol is permitted under anti-doping rules when inhaled
0:08:38 > 0:08:43up to a limit of 1600 micrograms over a 24-hour period.
0:08:43 > 0:08:53And no more than 800 micrograms over 12 hours.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Froome is said to have tested at 2000 nanograms but his team say
0:08:58 > 0:09:01the complex way the body processes the substance can sometimes give
0:09:01 > 0:09:03results from Europe that require further explanation.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Different people respond to Salbutamol differently.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07If you gave the same dose to ten different people,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11you'd get different concentrations in their urine.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13So, that's part of the problem, they'll certainly be bringing that
0:09:13 > 0:09:16forward as a defence but I think, actually, Sky have quite a serious
0:09:16 > 0:09:19problem and I think they may struggle to make it go away.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Scrutiny on Team Sky involving Parliamentary hearings
0:09:21 > 0:09:23has increased this year.
0:09:23 > 0:09:30It follows an ultimately inconclusive investigation
0:09:30 > 0:09:33into allegations, all denied, that centred on Sir Bradley Wiggins
0:09:33 > 0:09:35and performance enhancing drug use in 2011.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Froome, though, has taken a strong moral stance on doping issues
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and has been outspoken on the matter of gaining medical exemptions,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42known as TUEs, for usually banned substances.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I didn't feel as if having a TUE in the last week
0:09:45 > 0:09:48of the Tour de France was something I was prepared to...
0:09:48 > 0:09:50It just didn't sit well morally with me.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54That was something I was going to do.
0:09:54 > 0:09:582018 was billed as the year Chris Froome would attempt to seal
0:09:58 > 0:10:02a famous hat-trick of Grand Tour wins in Italy, France, and Spain.
0:10:02 > 0:10:09Instead, the potential ban and the loss of his Spanish
0:10:09 > 0:10:11title both possible, he is merely riding
0:10:11 > 0:10:12into an uncertain future.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Richard Conway, BBC News.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18David Ornstein is in Manchester at the home of British Cycling.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Just how serious is this, not just for Chris Froome but also for Team
0:10:22 > 0:10:32Sky?I'm not sure if you can hear me but this is a huge day for Team Sky
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and cycling as a whole and especially Chris Froome. The
0:10:36 > 0:10:41ramifications could be huge, this is a four-time Tour de France champion,
0:10:41 > 0:10:47the first British rider to win the Vuelta and he was going for
0:10:47 > 0:10:55the-year-old Italia next year. What he needs to do now is provide some
0:10:55 > 0:11:04significant evidence to the UCI, detailed records as to what has gone
0:11:04 > 0:11:08on and perhaps potentially be tested or if found guilty he would be
0:11:08 > 0:11:16stripped of the Vuelta title and could face a lengthy ban. The Vuelta
0:11:16 > 0:11:22organisers say their position is one of extreme caution and this isn't
0:11:22 > 0:11:25the first scandal involving cycling and Team Sky and it is an episode
0:11:25 > 0:11:29they will want to get to the bottom of quickly that it could run on for
0:11:29 > 0:11:33some time yet.David, thank you.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36The Prime Minister has promised that both MPs and the House of Lords
0:11:36 > 0:11:38will get a vote on a final Brexit deal.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Ministers are trying to avert a possible defeat on its Brexit
0:11:41 > 0:11:43legislation tonight.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Conservative rebels want to insert a legal guarantee that MPs
0:11:45 > 0:11:47will have a vote on the Brexit deal.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Here's our Political Correspondent Ben Wright.
0:11:49 > 0:11:55Fired up in the cold and ready for a fight.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57This morning MPs from opposition parties were demanding Parliament
0:11:57 > 0:12:02has the final say on how Britain leaves the EU.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06All we are asking on behalf of our constituents is for the ability
0:12:06 > 0:12:10to sign off on what our withdrawal arrangements from the EU are.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Whether you voted Leave or Remain, I think that is a very
0:12:12 > 0:12:14reasonable demand.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16But the reason ministers are sweating is because a number
0:12:16 > 0:12:19of Conservative MPs seem likely to vote with the opposition
0:12:19 > 0:12:22this evening.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They are urging ministers to guarantee in law a meaningful
0:12:25 > 0:12:28vote for MPs and peers on the final deal done with Brussels.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And a former Tory Attorney General is leading the charge.
0:12:31 > 0:12:39Putting down the crucial amendment that will be voted upon later.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42The government should show great flexibility in the way it approached
0:12:42 > 0:12:44MPs raising legitimate issues and I am quite sure
0:12:44 > 0:12:45that if we do that,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48we should be able to resolve this without my having to rebel
0:12:48 > 0:12:50against the government, something which on an issue
0:12:50 > 0:12:52of national importance, I have never done in
0:12:52 > 0:12:53the course of my career.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55A defeat for the government this evening would not
0:12:55 > 0:12:58mean Brexit is derailed, but it would beef up the power
0:12:58 > 0:13:00of Parliament to scrutinise, approve or even reject the Brexit
0:13:00 > 0:13:04deal Theresa May is hoping to get with the EU.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08And at the moment, potential Tory rebels are not backing down.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Which is why ministers are trying to turn the screws,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14persuade and cajole Tory MPs to stay in line.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17And this morning the Brexit secretary David Davis wrote this
0:13:17 > 0:13:20letter to his colleagues, promising them a meaningful vote
0:13:20 > 0:13:23as soon as the negotiations in Brussels are done.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26The government has also promised that there will be a separate bill
0:13:26 > 0:13:27on the final withdrawal agreement.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Are you facing defeat, Prime Minister?
0:13:29 > 0:13:33And this lunchtime Theresa May tried to reassure her own side.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38We will put the final withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU
0:13:38 > 0:13:40to a vote in both Houses of Parliament before
0:13:40 > 0:13:42it comes into force.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46As we have said, we expect the UK Parliament to vote ahead
0:13:46 > 0:13:49of the European Parliament, so we fully expect Parliament
0:13:49 > 0:13:52to vote well before March 2019.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55But with no overall majority in the Commons, just a handful
0:13:55 > 0:13:58of Tory rebels could inflict defeat on the Prime Minister
0:13:58 > 0:14:00and potentially change the course Brexit will take.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05Ben Wright, BBC News, Westminster.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09Let's speak to our Assistant Political Editor Norman Smith.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14The Prime Minister has promised a vote, will it stave off a rebellion?
0:14:14 > 0:14:19I think we are in showdown country. Tory rebels are saying they won't
0:14:19 > 0:14:24back off and the government say they won't back off and in the Commons
0:14:24 > 0:14:30Mrs May rebuffed an offer from one of the rebels to except their key
0:14:30 > 0:14:36amendment. The vote could be very close and if Mrs May loses she risks
0:14:36 > 0:14:41surrendering her grip on the Brexit process because MPs would gain the
0:14:41 > 0:14:46power not simply to approve any deal before it is signed off but also to
0:14:46 > 0:14:51amend that deal. More than that, it would be a significant defeat for
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Mrs May just when she had got back on her feet after getting that deal
0:14:56 > 0:15:00in Brussels last week. And the day before she has got to go back to
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Brussels to carry on the negotiations. For Mrs May, yes,
0:15:05 > 0:15:13victory would be wind in her sales, the mojo would be back and defeat
0:15:13 > 0:15:19she is back on the canvas looking pretty weak.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The ringleader of the most prolific gang to be caught smuggling drugs
0:15:22 > 0:15:25and phones into prisons using drones has been sentenced to more
0:15:25 > 0:15:26than seven years in prison.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31The group, run from inside prison by former armed robber
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Craig Hickinbottom, he organised at least 49 flights,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and smuggled contraband estimated to be worth more than a million
0:15:36 > 0:15:39pounds into prisons as far apart as the West Midlands
0:15:39 > 0:15:40and Perth in Scotland.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Our Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford has
0:15:41 > 0:15:44this exclusive report.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Cameras originally set up to take pictures of wildlife,
0:15:46 > 0:15:56catching instead Britain's most prolific drug smuggling gang.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59-- drone smuggling.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Recording the pilot Mervyn Foster time and again flying a drone
0:16:02 > 0:16:04from a field outside Hewell prison in Worcestershire.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Its illegal cargo hanging underneath on fishing line.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08From the field, the smugglers had a view directly into the jail
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and the prison block where the drone's cargo was pulled
0:16:11 > 0:16:12in through the windows.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Over the months the gang grew in confidence and sophistication.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18They had started by simply throwing the drugs over the prison wall.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22But then they started using drones and they added to the contraband,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24mobile phones, weapons, screwdrivers, and even a Freeview
0:16:24 > 0:16:29box with a remote control.
0:16:29 > 0:16:36Cameras inside Hewell prison caught one of the ringleaders,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38John Hickinbottom, with an improvised hook used
0:16:38 > 0:16:42to catch the fishing line and recover the contraband.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45The contents of the loads were specifically ordered by inmates.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50The officer who caught the gang told me they had organised the least
0:16:50 > 0:16:5349 flights into jails as far away as Scotland.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56It was across like I say, the West Midlands region primarily,
0:16:56 > 0:17:01HMP Featherstone, Birmingham, Stoke Heath, obviously here.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04But we have also had stuff up in HMP Manchester,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Liverpool and like I say, as far north as HMP Perth.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11All from the same group of people?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Yes.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18The epidemic of drones being used to airlift contraband
0:17:18 > 0:17:21into prison grew from nothing in just four years.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23We didn't see this one coming so the drones
0:17:23 > 0:17:25literally came from nowhere.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29They were flown in and it actually just was a game changer for us.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32So we had to relook at our systems, our procedures and methods
0:17:32 > 0:17:33of gathering intelligence.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36And it gave the gangs an opportunity to actually breach the secure
0:17:36 > 0:17:40perimeters almost effortlessly.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44To crack this case, officers downloaded the memories
0:17:44 > 0:17:47of the drones they seized and linked that to the mobile phone calls
0:17:47 > 0:17:49the smugglers were making.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52The prisons ministers had to invest millions of pounds in a new national
0:17:52 > 0:17:54network of police and prison officers working together,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58which helped catch this gang.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01What we have shown here is this is the most prolific gang we have
0:18:01 > 0:18:05come across and we have been able to deal with them.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10They're going to be serving jail time and that is a huge success.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12The gang, led by armed robber Craig Hickinbottom,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15is thought to have smuggled contraband worth between £600,000
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and over £1 million, continuing even after they had been
0:18:17 > 0:18:21arrested and charged.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23With such huge profits being made, keeping drones away from prisons
0:18:23 > 0:18:25is going to be a lengthy battle.
0:18:25 > 0:18:34Daniel Sandford, BBC News, at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Our top story this lunchtime.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41A blow for President Trump - for the first time in 25 years,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44the deeply conservative state of Alabama has voted in a Democrat
0:18:44 > 0:18:46for a US senate seat.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49And coming up - cracking down on fraud -
0:18:49 > 0:18:51banks say a new scheme to combat scams has led
0:18:51 > 0:18:55to more than 100 arrests.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Coming up in sport.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58More on Chris Froome's adverse drugs test -
0:18:58 > 0:19:01after he's found to have twice the allowed level of a legal
0:19:01 > 0:19:02asthma drug in his urine.
0:19:02 > 0:19:12He's responded on social media this morning.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18A man and a woman have appeared in court charged
0:19:18 > 0:19:21with the murder of three children, who died in a fire at a house
0:19:21 > 0:19:28in Greater Manchester on Monday.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32They're also accused of four counts of attempted murder. But pair were
0:19:32 > 0:19:34remanded in custody.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Dave Guest is at Manchester and Salford Magistrates'
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Court this lunchtime.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45As you say Zac Bolland and Courtney Brierley faced three charges of
0:19:45 > 0:19:51murder. The charges relating to the deaths of 14-year-old Demi Pearson,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54her eight-year-old brother Brandon and sister Lacey, age seven. They
0:19:54 > 0:19:59died as far swept through their home in the early hours of Monday morning
0:19:59 > 0:20:04in Greater Manchester. The pair in the dock today are accused of arson
0:20:04 > 0:20:08and attempting to murder the mother of the dead children, Michelle
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Pierson who is currently seriously ill in hospital. There are three
0:20:11 > 0:20:15further charges of attempted murder relating to a three-year-old girl
0:20:15 > 0:20:19and two boys aged 16 who were also in the house at the time of the
0:20:19 > 0:20:24fire. We're not allowed to identify those three for legal reasons. The
0:20:24 > 0:20:35district Judge Khalid Qureshi said that is what too serious to be dealt
0:20:35 > 0:20:38with at the magistrates court and remanded in custody for further
0:20:38 > 0:20:40appearance at Manchester Crown Court which will happen tomorrow.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Is the Great British jobs boom coming to an end?
0:20:43 > 0:20:45The latest figures show that unemployment has fallen again -
0:20:45 > 0:20:47this time by 26,000 between August and October.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48It now stands at 1.43 million.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50The jobless rate remained at 4.3%, the lowest
0:20:50 > 0:20:51in more than four decades.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54But the figures also show that the UK workforce is shrinking.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00Our economics correspondent Andy Verity is here.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06The workforce is shrinking yet unemployment is falling?It is a
0:21:06 > 0:21:10puzzling situation, we now have been used for a long time to the
0:21:10 > 0:21:13workforce expanding every month, every year going right back to the
0:21:13 > 0:21:181980s with a few exceptions like the 1990s recession and post crashed
0:21:18 > 0:21:232008. The workforce has been continually expanding. One reason is
0:21:23 > 0:21:27women during the workforce and 1980s and 1990s and then the admission of
0:21:27 > 0:21:32the accession states to the European Union. If that is going into reverse
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and we cannot say that for sure, that is a significant change. So
0:21:35 > 0:21:40looking at the total number of people in employment, 32.1 million
0:21:40 > 0:21:46people, that is down by 56,000, that is how it fell between August and
0:21:46 > 0:21:49October and that has happened in spite of what is going on with
0:21:49 > 0:21:55vacancies. The tightest labour market we have seen in a long time,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59798,000 vacancies. The pre-Brexit bowed you would have expected that
0:21:59 > 0:22:02many vacancies to attract migrant workers wanting to fill the
0:22:02 > 0:22:06vacancies. But that's not happening as much any more, we know
0:22:06 > 0:22:09immigration has slowed down and therefore there are fewer people
0:22:09 > 0:22:13joining the workforce from the EU. So we have a strange situation of
0:22:13 > 0:22:20what we have this ultra-tight labour market and yet wages are not rising
0:22:20 > 0:22:24in response.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27A 15-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous
0:22:27 > 0:22:29driving of five people who died when a stolen car crashed
0:22:29 > 0:22:31into a tree in Leeds.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35appeared via video link at Leeds Crown Court this morning.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38He was remanded in custody for reports to be prepared ahead
0:22:38 > 0:22:39of sentencing next month.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40Five people, including three children, died
0:22:40 > 0:22:44in the crash in November.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Banks say a rapid response scheme aimed at combating fraud has already
0:22:47 > 0:22:50saved customers millions of pounds in its first year, and led to more
0:22:50 > 0:22:53than a hundred arrests.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Under the scheme, police arrive at a bank branch within an hour,
0:22:56 > 0:22:57if staff fear someone is being tricked into
0:22:57 > 0:23:00taking out a large sum of money to pay a criminal.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06Simon Gompertz reports.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08A Rolls-Royce.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Some people have their heart so set on getting one that things like this
0:23:12 > 0:23:15are prime bait used by criminals to get hold of your cash.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18When I came into this bit of inheritance, I thought right,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I've always wanted a Rolls-Royce.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Let's have a look.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23It was a dream car for you?
0:23:23 > 0:23:28It's a dream car and they are so comfortable and so easy to drive.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Barry Fox in Essex had a lucky escape.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Thanks to swift action from his bank when he went to withdraw the money
0:23:35 > 0:23:38to buy another fictional Rolls-Royce in an eBay scam.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41The fraudsters tried to lure him into bringing cash to a pick-up
0:23:41 > 0:23:44in the middle of the countryside.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46So what was the danger, then?
0:23:46 > 0:23:47You might have gone there?
0:23:47 > 0:23:48I might have gone there...
0:23:48 > 0:23:50With ten grand in your pocket?
0:23:50 > 0:23:53With £10,000 in my pocket and been knocked over the head
0:23:53 > 0:23:54with a stick or something.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55No car there at all?
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And no car there at all.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Warned off by the bank, he then got this car instead,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03from a local dealer.
0:24:03 > 0:24:11When Barry popped into his local bank and asked for £10,000 in cash,
0:24:11 > 0:24:12there was immediately concern about him.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Now banks often find it difficult to explain to customers
0:24:15 > 0:24:17that they might be being scammed.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20But under the new arrangements, they were able to call 999,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22quote banking protocol, and get a police officer
0:24:22 > 0:24:26round here within half an hour.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30While in the branch, the police checked out the car.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35The situation just didn't seem right.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37It wasn't where it should have been.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40This was all happening in Blackpool and the car was then
0:24:40 > 0:24:41registered in Bristol.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And also we made checks to the business details against eBay.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46It was the correct business name but the contact
0:24:46 > 0:24:47details didn't match.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Banks say they have stopped customers being defrauded
0:24:49 > 0:24:51of £9 million in a year.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55However that is just the ones going into branches.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58£100 million has been lost in just six months by people unwittingly
0:24:58 > 0:25:02paying fraudsters online.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05This is obviously really good news for those that use their branch.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08They are often the most vulnerable, so everything that banks can do
0:25:08 > 0:25:09to help is good news.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14However, more and more of us now back online and certainly have
0:25:14 > 0:25:16to bank online because bank branches are closing.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18So we want to see more done to protect consumers
0:25:18 > 0:25:20from being scammed online.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Automatic, preowned...
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But with the internet playing such a big part,
0:25:25 > 0:25:31it is still a good lesson to be wary of sellers asking for cash.
0:25:31 > 0:25:38I would tell people if they want cash, don't buy.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40The bank-police tie-up which meant Barry did get his dream car,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42will soon be in place across the country.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Simon Gompertz, BBC News, in Essex.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46The comedian, Peter Kay, has cancelled his first stand-up
0:25:46 > 0:25:50tour for eight years and all other personal appearances.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52He's blamed what he called "unforeseen family circumstances",
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and asked for privacy.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Tickets for the tour, which had been due to start in April,
0:25:58 > 0:26:04sold out almost immediately, and extra dates had been added.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Social media companies could face legal action to prevent what's been
0:26:08 > 0:26:11called "vile and threatening behaviour" aimed at people
0:26:11 > 0:26:13standing for public office.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15An independent ethics committee report, commissioned
0:26:15 > 0:26:17by the Prime Minister, found that social media
0:26:17 > 0:26:20was "the most significant factor" in driving harassment,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22abuse and intimidation of candidates in the General Election
0:26:22 > 0:26:23earlier this year.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Here's our Media Editor Amol Rajan.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Many MPs have faced horrific abuse on social media platforms.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30And Twitter in particular.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Stella Creasy endured a torrent of hatred after supporting
0:26:32 > 0:26:38a campaign for Jane Austen to be on the new £10 note.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41After posters of Maria Caulfield MP were defaced, she too suffered
0:26:41 > 0:26:44a sustained campaign of intimidation on social media.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49I guess it started around the time of that Syria vote.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And it really ramped up then and the election we just had
0:26:51 > 0:26:55earlier this year is kind of when it really peaked.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00But you know on a day-to-day basis, it is routine to get abuse, threats,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I've had several death threats.
0:27:03 > 0:27:10I've had my tyres slashed outside my home.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12I've had my office graffitied with threats.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14The man who leads the committee on standards in Public life wants
0:27:14 > 0:27:16to see tech companies take greater responsibility.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18We were not impressed by their takedown rates,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23we were not impressed by their performance data.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27We do know that they are trying to do some good things but we think
0:27:27 > 0:27:29there has to be at least a discussion
0:27:29 > 0:27:31in Parliament about the way in which they actually operate.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Twitter says it has introduced new tools to help users.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37The company is now taking action on ten times the number of accounts
0:27:37 > 0:27:39every day compared to the same time last year.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And using new technology to suspend thousands of abuse of accounts.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48-- abusive.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50But while the report contains familiar statements about doing more
0:27:50 > 0:27:53to remove offensive material, it doesn't make clear how shifting
0:27:53 > 0:27:54vehicle responsibility for harmful content onto the companies
0:27:54 > 0:27:55would actually work.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58The sheer scale of material uploaded online, with 400 hours
0:27:58 > 0:28:01going on Google owned YouTube every single minute, means that this stuff
0:28:01 > 0:28:02is impossible to control fully.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And even if it were practical, asking the likes of Facebook
0:28:05 > 0:28:08to censor material before it is published would fundamentally
0:28:08 > 0:28:11change the nature of the open web.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14The report's recommendations will now be considered by the government,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18who will then decide what if any action to take.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21A consensus is emerging that tech giants should take greater
0:28:21 > 0:28:24responsibility for harmful material, but there is no consensus on how.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Amol Rajan, BBC News.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It's make or break for the England cricket team as they face Australia
0:28:31 > 0:28:35in the third test in Perth tomorrow.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Already 2-nil down and under the spotlight for incidents off
0:28:38 > 0:28:42the pitch, they need a draw to keep their Ashes hopes alive.
0:28:42 > 0:28:47Andy Swiss has just sent this report.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50In one of the most isolated cities in the world,
0:28:50 > 0:28:55one of the loneliest places for English cricket.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59The Waca is where so many Ashes dreams have died.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00So many decades of disappointment for England's
0:29:00 > 0:29:04players, and their fans.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07But here a team trailing on the pitch and in turmoil off it
0:29:07 > 0:29:10know they need something extraordinary.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13It's an opportunity to create history.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16It's a real chance to flip the dynamics of this series
0:29:16 > 0:29:20on its head and if we do come away 2-1 from this game, then it does
0:29:20 > 0:29:23blow the series wide open.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Well, for England over the years the Waca has normally
0:29:25 > 0:29:28lived up to its name.
0:29:28 > 0:29:34They've lost their last seven tests here and have arrived for this one
0:29:34 > 0:29:36with not just their cricket but their conduct
0:29:36 > 0:29:38under the spotlight.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41The latest barroom incident, in which bowler Jimmy Anderson had
0:29:41 > 0:29:43a drink poured over him, has given Australia's headline
0:29:43 > 0:29:46writers another field day.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51And some believe the culture of the team needs to change.
0:29:51 > 0:29:52They do behave like students.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55You know, when they go out they think they're students.
0:29:55 > 0:29:56They are not, they're England cricketers.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59The perception is that they drink too much.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01In terms of everything that's happened to the team,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03the performance levels, the off field antics,
0:30:03 > 0:30:08I would be staggered if England got a victory this week.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12And at a ground famed as a paradise for its pace bowlers,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Australia are ramping up the pressure.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19England are only a couple of bad sessions away from losing
0:30:19 > 0:30:22the Ashes, essentially.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25So you know, we've got to do the basics really well and start
0:30:25 > 0:30:28this Test match well and yeah, as I said, hopefully
0:30:28 > 0:30:30we can get the result we are after at the end
0:30:30 > 0:30:31of this week.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35This will be the last Ashes Test at this atmospheric ground,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39for so long Australia's Western stronghold, but for one
0:30:39 > 0:30:42final time it could watch the sunset on England's hopes.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48Andy Swiss, BBC News, Perth.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Time for a look at the weather.
0:30:50 > 0:30:51Here's Louise Lear.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55Here's Louise Lear.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Good job the schools have gone back because this is what happens to your
0:30:58 > 0:31:05beautifully crafted snowmen. Slightly less cold air has arrived
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and things are melting thick and fast and in fact we have got heavy
0:31:08 > 0:31:17rain. Lots of rain around pushing in from the West and some of that quite
0:31:17 > 0:31:21heavy. As we go through the afternoon some rain down into the
0:31:21 > 0:31:26south-east corner. Some brighter weather and then showers, getting
0:31:26 > 0:31:31wintry as we go through the evening. From the M4 corridor north you go
0:31:31 > 0:31:36see combination of rain, sleet and snow, the snow will be quite wet, we
0:31:36 > 0:31:41do not expect it to cause much disruption but not pleasant to drive
0:31:41 > 0:31:49in and it might make for tricky rush-hour conditions. So some of
0:31:49 > 0:31:55those snow showers are little more frequent, settling chiefly above 200
0:31:55 > 0:32:01metres. But overnight it will be windy, with gale force wind on
0:32:01 > 0:32:06exposed coasts. And temperatures falling away. The ice could be more
0:32:06 > 0:32:10of a concern tomorrow morning so worth bearing in mind, there will be
0:32:10 > 0:32:13some icy stretches out there with temperatures hovering close to
0:32:13 > 0:32:17freezing. As we go through the day tomorrow, not quite so messy. The
0:32:17 > 0:32:23wind falling lighter and most of the showers confining themselves towards
0:32:23 > 0:32:27the west facing coast. Central and eastern areas seeing some decent
0:32:27 > 0:32:34sunny weather and not a bad day although still quite chilly. As we
0:32:34 > 0:32:39move out of Thursday and into Friday the ice bars are vertical, the wind
0:32:39 > 0:32:45coming from the north yet again. A cold day but a quiet day, just a few
0:32:45 > 0:32:50scattered showers and there will be some sunshine around. Hopefully
0:32:50 > 0:32:54helping to compensate a little. The cold air remains with us at the
0:32:54 > 0:32:58start of the weekend but look at Sunday, milder air returning from
0:32:58 > 0:33:07the West. So on Saturday we see sunny weather conditions and by
0:33:07 > 0:33:12Sunday it looks as if it will be cloudy and wet from the West. And
0:33:12 > 0:33:15the mild conditions stay with us for the early part of next week.