20/12/2017 BBC News at One

An urgent investigation is ordered

into dozens of sex offence cases

after two rape trials collapse

in a week.

The Metropolitan Police says it's

reviewing about 30 cases after two

collapsed because of the late

disclosure of evidence

to the defence.

My right honourable friend

the Attorney General had even before

these cases came up actually

initiated a review into disclosure.

I think it is important that wwe

look at this again to make sure

that we are truly providing justice.

Also on the programme

this lunchtime.

The International Monetary Fund

downgrades its forecast

for Britain's economic growth this

year saying the economy's already

losing out because of Brexit.

The European Court of Justice rules

that the taxi-hailing app Uber

is a transport firm not just an app,

which means tighter regulations.

Sweeping tax cuts are approved

in the United States

in what is the biggest achievement

so far of Donald Trump's presidency.

More than 9,000 people

sleeping rough.

The extent of homelessness

in England is a national crisis

says a group of MPs.

And cheerleaders

in their 70s and 80s.

We'll be talking about so-called

super-agers as scientists

try to defy the ageing process.

And coming up in the

sport on BBC News.

A boost for Birmingham as the city

is set to be confirmed as the host

for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One.

The UK's biggest police force,

the Metropolitan Police,

is reviewing all of its current sex

offence investigations

after the collapse of two rape cases

in the space of a week.

Both prosecutions were halted

because of the late

disclosure of evidence.

The Metropolitan Police

says the same officer

worked on both cases.

The force will now review

about 30 rape cases

which were about to go to court

and many more awaiting trial.

Theresa May has confirmed the

government is reviewing the

disclosure process so justice is

provided.

disclosure process so

justice is provided.

Our Legal Correspondent

Clive Coleman reports.

It has been reported Isaac Itiary

spent four months in jail awaiting

trial on charges of sexual activity

with a child to stop the case

against him was dropped yesterday

when text messages from his alleged

teenage victim's phone

showed that she routinely

lied about her age.

A few days earlier the case

against Liam Allen was stopped

because text messages

showed his alleged victim had

enjoyed having sex with him.

In the last two years I have just

spent worrying and you know, not

really concentrating on anything.

So it has completely

ripped apart my normal

sort of personal life.

The Metropolitan Police is now

carrying out a review

into what happened to Liam Allen.

And of the evidence

in all its current rape

and sex abuse cases.

That review is being conducted

jointly with the CPS,

so with the lawyers in each case

and are investigating officers,

to make sure that those cases

are safe to go to trial,

our priority is those 30 something

where trials are about to start.

I had no reason to believe

that there are any problems

with any of those cases.

It is a pragmatic step

to conduct that check now.

The police and Crown Prosecution

Service have made huge efforts

in recent years to write the wrong

side of the past and ensure that

alleged victims in rape and sexual

assault cases are treated properly.

But some fear that the process

of disclosing evidence

to the defence has been damaged

as a result.

The real issue here is giving

the public confidence

in the criminal justice system.

I do not see how an internal

review by the police

and the Crown Prosecution Service

can give the public that confidence.

Particularly if there has been

a change in culture,

swinging against believing people

who come up with a reasonable

explanation for their behaviour.

This afternoon in the Commons,

the Prime Minister sought

to reassure MPs over the issue

of disclosing evidence.

My right honourable friend

the Attorney General had even before

these cases came up,

actually initiated

a review into disclosure.

I think it is important that we look

at this again to make sure

that we are truly providing justice.

The prosecution's duty to pass

evidence to the defence,

which assists the defence,

is a foundation

of our justice system.

That duty is now under

scrutiny as never before.

And Clive is here.

This has been an issue which has

been around for some time but has

really come to a head now, hasn't

it?

What happens next? The lawyers

have been talking about their

concerns about this for many years.

We've had a review by the Attorney

General, by the Met police and the

CPS, but we've had reviews before

and very recently. In July this year

there was a review by Her Majesty 's

Inspectorate of Constabulary and

they found and this is really

worrying, when they looked at these

disclosure schedules, said Jewels of

evidence gathered by the police who

have a duty to get their evidence

which leads it you like to the

suspect but also away from the

suspect, they found in a fifth of

cases, these schedules were

inadequate, there are clearly

problems in terms of resources,

lawyers say there are problems in

terms of the training of police

disclosure officers, and there are

also issues about the weight of

evidence. In Liam Allen's case there

were 40,000 text messages but the

truth is, the criminal justice

system is built, part of its

foundation is evidence is fairly

disclosed that can assist the

defence and it's disclosed to the

defence. If that is not fixed, the

system of public confidence is

gravely, gravely damaged and one

thought to leave you with. These

reviews are tending to look at

current cases, past cases, but what

about the cases of people who are

maybe in prison who have been

falsely convicted because the

prosecution failed to disclose

evidence that they were entitled to

and could have assisted their case?

Clive, thank you.

The International Monetary Fund has

downgraded its forecast for the UK's

economic growth this year,

from 1.7% to 1.6%.

The head of the IMF,

Christine Lagarde, said that

despite strong global growth,

the impact of the UK's decision

to leave the EU had weighed

heavily on the economy.

Simon Gompertz reports.

A Merry Christmas or is this just

the same old tune from the IMF,

marring festive cheer this time with

doubts. What it offers is a view of

the UK from the outside looking in

and it sees a bit less sparkle here

than before. The Chancellor

introducing this report emphasised

how well he thinks the UK is doing.

In my recent budget, I reported on

an economy that continues to grow,

that has delivered the lowest

unemployment in 40 years, and that

continues to confound those who seek

to talk it down.

But for the IMF,

Christine Lagarde says we are losing

out because of the Brexit about.

Just as she had warned.

We feared it

would most likely entail a

depreciation of the sterling, an

increase of inflation, a squeezing

of wages and disposable income and a

slowdown and probably a reduction of

investment. What we are seeing today

is that that narrative is rolled

out.

The IMF is keen to emphasise

that, while economic growth

elsewhere in the world is pretty

healthy, here it's sluggish. The

growth in national at work will have

been 1.6% this year, it says, less

than it thought before and 1.5% next

year. While Christmas shoppers are

benefiting from pre-Christmas

discounts, it says, on average,

prices, the rate of inflation, will

carry on doing more than we would

like. So how worrying is the outlook

for our industries from building to

finance and manufacturing? Well, the

IMF can see some positives.

Christine Lagarde was careful to say

that things could be

better-than-expected if Brexit

negotiations proceed swiftly and

both sides come to an early

agreement, that will eliminate a lot

of the uncertainty.

A bit of a left

would be welcome because, as things

stand, some businesses and shoppers

are feeling the squeeze.

Our economics editor

Kamal Ahmed is here.

The IMF were heavily criticised

Previa referendum when they made

these warnings. Christine Lagarde

clearly feeling she has been

vindicated.

Today, a fightback from

the experts, to be clear. There were

some positives in this report,

employment at a record high, she

said she welcomed the positive

outcomes of the first phase of those

Brexit negotiations but, yes, on the

overall economy, I asked her

specifically about those critics who

said you are too gloomy and she

said, look, inflation is up, there

is a living standards squeeze,

investment is lower than it should

be and, in a world where growth is

very strong in America, on the

continent of Europe, and in Asia,

Britain, she said, should be doing

better and as far as the IMF is

concerned, it's all down to the

fallout from the referendum result.

Thank you.

The European Union's chief Brexit

negotiator, Michel Barnier,

has said the transition period

after the UK leaves cannot not

continue beyond the end of 2020.

Adam Fleming is in Brussels.

So that could mean effectively three

months earlier than many thought?

How much difference could that make?

Sophie, the Prime Minister in her

famous Florence speech said she

wanted a transition period of around

two years, so it's not hugely

different. It was business

organisations at one point this year

were talking about a transition

period lasting five or even seven

years. The reason Michel Barnier has

meant that date is its pretty

logical because the EU operates a

seven-year long budget cycle which

ends in December 2020. He was also

talking to us at a press conference

about why he thinks a transition

deal is in the interests of both

sides. Here is what he had to say

for stop

It will enable the administration in

Britain to get prepared, to prepare

themselves for the kind of

challenges they will have to face on

their borders which are all our

borders.

And all so for the convocation is --

convocations and also to prepare for

the new relationship and that's why

this transition period is indeed

useful and it is part of withdrawal

from the European Union.

During that

transition period, the UK will be

expected to stick to EU rules and

regulations including the role of

the European Court of Justice until

other things can be implemented and

agreements are put in place. There

was also a repeat of Michel

Barnier's warning that the best the

UK can expect if it sticks to its

red lines is a free-trade deal along

the lines of the deal which has been

arranged with Canada, Japan and

South Korea and he also had a

warning for British civil servants

saying, look, the UK has access to

750 international agreements as part

of its membership of the EU. There

was a warning to Whitehall it's

going to be a massive administrative

task for them to make sure those

agreements apply after Brexit day in

March 2019. Adam, in Brussels, thank

you. Norman Smith is in Westminster

for the transition period must end

in 2020. The response here, Norman?

There was a fascinating moment in

the PMQs just now when Mrs May turn

to Jeremy Corbyn and said, I'm still

here, you are still there, on the

opposite benches, and there is a

sense of relief I think in her

household and haven't got this far,

they've got the divorce agreement

signed off, tonight Mrs May will

properly get her main Brexit a bill

through its main Commons stages so

they have moved kind of from Brexit

-based camp to camp one, but Michel

Barnier has indicated the route

ahead it seems to me is going to get

even harder on steeper because we

are now facing a tighter transition

time, less time for business to

adapt. A clear warning they will be

a special deal for the city. We can

only expect what Canada has managed

to negotiate after years and years.

Mrs May has already said that's not

good enough and in the interim

period will have to accept all

existing EU rules and new rules, so

from her perspective, yes, she can

afford herself the odd mince pie

over Christmas but if I was fair, I

would be checking over my crampons

and axis because the route ahead

next year looks particularly steep

and daunting.

Norman, thank you.

The mini-cab hailing app Uber

is a service used by millions

of people in hundreds of cities

around the world.

It launched here in the UK in 2012

and has proved popular but also

hugely controversial.

Now European judges have ruled that

Uber should legally be considered

a transport company,

not just an app, which means it

will be subjected to tighter

regulations in the European

countries in which it operates.

Theo Leggett reports.

The ride-hailing service Uber has

become a fact of life

in cities around the UK over

the past few years.

It is certainly convenient.

You can call a car, monitor

its progress, and pay for it -

all over the internet.

But what exactly is it?

When Uber first started

operating in Europe,

it tried to present itself as a kind

of digital middleman,

connecting passengers with drivers.

In other words it was just a mobile

phone based app and didn't need

to abide by all the onerous rules

and regulations that apply

to regular taxi companies.

But others, particularly established

taxi drivers, disagreed.

They said that Uber was in fact

a transport services company

and should be subject to the same

rules and regulations

as any other taxi business.

Now the European Court of Justice

has agreed with them.

It says that legally speaking Uber

is indeed a transport company.

For Uber itself there

will not be a huge immediate

impact from the ruling.

It has already given ground

to regulators in most

of its major European markets.

In the UK and many other

countries it is already

licensed as a taxi operator.

But the decision could

affect its future plans.

It said today, millions

of Europeans are still prevented

from using apps like ours.

It is appropriate to regulate

services such as Uber

and we will continue the dialogue

with cities across Europe.

So that is actually

a transport service...

Meanwhile lawyers said

the impact of the ruling

could go beyond taxi

firms and affect other

businesses which operate

in the so-called gig economy.

I think other companies in the gig

economy will be worried by this.

This is showing that the courts

are not going to be distracted

by the technology, they're

going to look at what is actually

happening and how local legislation

should already apply to that.

Free-market campaigners meanwhile

say that is a bad thing.

They think policymakers should be

moving with the times.

If you halt innovation

by applying old systems

and old patterns of regulation,

simply to protect incumbents,

or perhaps even you know with some

sort of idea about passenger safety,

you are constraining

the ability of people to do

things in their own way.

And at the end of the day people

know what is good for them.

This is by no means the first legal

ruling to affect Uber

and it is unlikely to be the last

as courts and regulators come

to terms with the profound impact

companies born in the digital age

have had on traditional businesses.

Theo Leggett, BBC News.

President Trump has secured his

first major legislative achievement,

after the US Senate backed major

changes to the country's tax system.

Critics say the plans

are a giveaway to the super-rich.

But senior Republicans insist

they will boost the economy.

From Washington,

David Willis reports.

The ayes are 51...

They voted along party lines

in the Senate to approve the most

sweeping overhaul of the American

tax system in 30 years.

The tax cuts and jobs act is passed.

A Bill barely six weeks

old and still clearly a little

rough around the edges.

The motion to reconsider

is laid upon the table...

The House Speaker's jubilation

proving premature after it emerged

that certain provisions didn't

conform with the rules

of the Senate.

The House will vote all over again

on a tweaked version

of the bill later today.

But that doesn't change

the essence of the legislation,

or the opposition to it.

The worst bill in history.

Because of the number

of people it affects,

the amount of money it sucks up

to the higher income,

and the impact on future deficit.

Today we're giving the people

of this country their money back.

This is their money after all.

You are lying!

Opponents point out the bill

will add $1 trillion

to the national debt.

But Republicans argue

it will strengthen

the economy and boost jobs.

Merry Christmas!

This is a good day for America,

this is a good day for workers.

This is a great day for growth.

And we are very excited

about this moment.

The bill includes permanent tax cuts

for American corporations

which the Trump administration says

will make those corporations more

competitive and temporary

tax cuts for around 80%

of the American population.

The amount varying according

to their level of income.

Before it emerged that there

was to be another vote in the House,

President Trump tweeted his

congratulations to the great

House Republicans who had

endorsed the bill.

But the President's claim

that the Republican tax plan

will cost him and his

family a fortune is being

questioned in the light

of his continued reluctance

to release his tax returns.

In some ways, particularly

on the personal side,

the president will likely take

a big hit.

But on the business

side, he could benefit.

President Trump could sign the tax

bill into law as early as today.

It is the first major

legislative victory since

he took office in January.

David Willis, BBC News, Washington.

Our correspondent Gary

O'Donoghue is in Washington.

How much of a triumph is this for

President Trump, could it have a

sting in the tail?

It is a triumph,

no question about that. It is a

major overhaul of the tax system.

There are substantial cuts in

particular for business when you

look at the corporate tax rate

coming down from 35% to 21%, people

believed that will make American

business more competitive around the

world. And other cuts for the middle

classes, cuts in taxes for the high

earners as well in particular, the

Democrats say skewed towards the

more wealthy. And Donald Trump

himself of course is expected to

benefit from these tax changes in

substantial ways. The problem is

that at the moment the American

people do not seem to see this as a

positive thing yet. Surveys at the

moment suggest perhaps even as low

as one third support these changes.

That may be because they have not

had them explain to them properly,

the Republican party will have a big

job of going out once the deal is

signed and selling it to their

constituents because come the end of

next year, we have the mid-term

elections, the Democrats hopeful of

being able to wrest back control of

both houses, the Senate and House of

Representatives and if they do that

then they can start to tinker with

the tax code and make changes

themselves.

So a lot to play for.

Thank you.

Our top story this lunchtime.

An urgent investigation's ordered

into dozens of sex offence cases

after two rape trials collapse

in a week.

And coming up our correspondent

Fergus Walsh - beaten

by an 84-year-old woman

in this 100m race -

we'll be talking about the so-called

superagers and how more

of us can become one.

Coming up in sport.

After being suspended by England

earlier this month -

batsman Ben Duckett's been left out

of the Lions squad to play

in the West Indies next year.

Homelessness in England

is a 'national crisis'

according to a group of MPs.

More than 9,000 people

are sleeping rough and a further

78,000 families are in

temporary accomodation.

The committee of MPs says that

government efforts to tackle

the issue are an 'abject failure'.

The government says it's providing

more than a billion pounds,

in the next two years,

to reduce homelessness.

Andy Moore reports.

Just go through this.

When his dad was made homeless,

seven-year-old Billy lived part-time

with him in one room

of this emergency shelter.

Billy had his own bed,

his dad used a folding bed.

So how does it work,

he has to fold it out every night?

Yes, just like this.

It is tough enough for an adult

to be here, but to be year

here with a child and remain

strong is difficult.

He should not be here.

He shouldn't be here at all.

I'm doing what I can

do to be a parent him.

Under these circumstances.

This report says the problem

of homelessness has been growing

for years, with the number of people

in short-term accommodation

up by 60% since 2010.

The MPs said there is

an unacceptable shortage

of realistic housing options.

There are estimated to be 9000

people sleeping rough on the streets

on the streets every night,

more than double the number in 2011.

There are a further 78,000 families

living in temporary accommodation,

often of a poor standard and that

includes 120,000 children.

The committee has described

the situation as shameful.

It has called on the government

to focus on the supply

and affordability of decent housing.

You need to stop being

complacent about this.

It is not enough also

to just throw money at it.

It needs to be money that is fixing

the core root of the problem that

looks at why people are homeless

in the first place,

and you need to be

building more houses,

yes, but they need to be

truly affordable houses.

The committee now wants

the government to come up

with a strategy for tackling

the issue by the middle

of next year.

Labour said this report showed

that the Conservatives had caused

the crisis of rapidly rising

homelessness, but had

no plans to fix it.

Billy and his dad have now found

somewhere permanent to live.

But there are many others

who won't have a place they can call

home over Christmas.

Andy Moore, BBC News.

Police are continuing

to search two properties,

including a community centre,

following anti-terror raids

in Sheffield and Chesterfield.

Four men have been arrested and held

over an alleged Islamist terror plot

that officers say could have been

carried out this Christmas.

Imagine being a cheerleader

at the age of 85 -

or a jazz pianist still performing

at the age of 101.

Some people are blessed with genes

which mean they can continue living

a full and active life well

into their 80s and beyond.

But at the moment these

so called 'super-agers'

are few and far between.

However scientists in America

are working on drugs

which could mean more and more of us

will be able to defy

old age in years to come.

Our Medical Correspondent Fergus

Walsh has been investigating

the medical advances as part

of his series on so-called

'super-agers' and joins me now.

How can more people become

super-agers?

Well if you people are

blessed with protective genes but

very few and far between. The rest

of us have got to work at it. And I

think number one piece of advice

that people should try to follow is

exercise. Exercise, if it was a

pill, would be a magic bullet, and

it can extend life and reduce your

chances of getting all the major

diseases of ageing. I've met a woman

called Irene who beat me as you

pointed out, she's 84. No shame in

that, she's extraordinary, she has

been breaking world records for four

decades in athletics.

She is

remarkable.

Seven seconds slower

than Usain Bolt. But do not let that

put you off because even walking is

very underrated, and even walking

you're going faster than people

sitting down so that all you will

lose it as Irene told me. The other

things are, not just your body but

your mind, stay curious, keep

exercising your mind and stay

socially connected. So many older

people allow their horizons to

narrow.

And what more can find do?

There is a common factor for all

chronic diseases of ageing, cancer,

dementia, heart disease, arthritis,

your chance of getting them all

increase as your are ageing. So

instead of targeting them

individually scientists are trying

to tackle the fundamental molecular

process by which cells in the body

age and drugs are on the horizon

which will help us stay healthier

during old age rather than just

living longer.

You have got some

cheerleaders in their 80s, and

85-year-old cheerleader on the BBC

News At Six tonight so chilling for

that. -- choose in for that.

Turn on your TV at this time of year

and you'll be left in no doubt

that it is Christmas.

But that's not true of other major

religious festivals such as Eid,

Diwali or Passover.

Now the BBC says it is to broaden

its coverage of religions, devoting

more time to non-Christian faiths.

Here's our correspondent

David Sillito.

SONGS OF PRAISE THEME TUNE.

For some it's the best part

of the BBC's output,

but new research has also shown that

traditional religious

programmes are, for large

parts of the audience,

earnest, worthy, and a TV turn-off.

Welcome to Sunday morning Live...

There's also concern that too often

religion on TV is reduced

to an argument or debate.

The BBC wants more stories

about real people's lives

and their faith, and less

studio based confrontation.

Are you going to come and see?

I'm going to be in it later.

There will also be more religion

reflected in mainstream programming.

It is all part of a review of how

the BBC treats religion,

after criticism that it was out

of step with its audience.

It means having portrayal

of people from the wide range

of religious backgrounds,

across all of our programmes.

But you're right, it does mean

taking it more seriously,

making sure that we get it right

as much of the time as possible.

So we're going to have a new unit,

for example in BBC News,

a global religious affairs unit

which will be able to make sure

we have got that expertise

to get the facts right.

Also to tell the story

behind the headlines,

to get to what is really happening,

to the subtleties.

# Once in Royal David's city...

Latest research suggests the long

decline in Christianity in the UK

has over the last few

years levelled off.

Nearly half of us believe

in life after death,

one in four believe in angels.

The BBC says there will be more

Christianity but also more coverage

and explanation of other faiths.

The big calendar events

of the world's main faiths will get

more coverage and rather

than being in decline, religion

is actually growing globally.

The number of people affiliated

with a religion is forecast

to increase from 84% to 90%.

David Sillito, BBC News.

Homes and businesses

will have a legal right to demand

high speed broadband by 2020.

The government says the whole

of the UK should have access

to speeds of at least 10 megabytes.

Our Technology Correspondent Rory

Cellan-Jones is here.

That does not sound like very much.

It is not very fast but actually

getting to all of those homes in the

next couple of years will be

challenging. Ofcom said the other

day 1.1 million homes and businesses

across the UK do not get those kind

of speeds of the minute. The

government is putting in this

universal service obligation, so you

have the legal right to demand it by

2020. BT proposed a voluntary scheme

where it would pump in a certain

amount of money

and get to 99% by 2020.

But the

government said no, we need 100%.

What is not clear is how that will

be done and what technology will be

employed. But people will have the

right to demand it. Thank you.

The actress Heather North,

who provided the voice of Daphne

in the Scooby-Doo cartoons

in the 1970s and '80s, has died.

She was 71.

She entertained viewers as the voice

of the teenaged detective who kept

getting herself in trouble only

to be rescued by her

friends and their dog.

Time for a look at the weather,

here's Tomasz Shafernaker.

Time for a look at the weather,

here's Tomasz Shafernaker.

No change from yesterday. So still

quite mild out there. A couple of

pictures, not very festive. Quite a

lot of fog around. The weather is

mixed across the country right now.

Here is the run-up to Christmas. No

change from yesterday, remaining

mild. And this pattern also has not

changed since yesterday, mild air

across the UK even as far north as

Scandinavia. Through tonight a lot

of grey cloud and bits and pieces of

drizzle around as well. Overnight in

the south no lower than around 10

degrees for example in parts. In

Scotland and especially in east

temperatures dipping away so perhaps

some frost around. But for most of

us that is not the case. So Thursday

quite dull for a number of areas

with some rain around for a time

across Northern Ireland and parts of

Scotland. Some sunshine in the far

north of Scotland. In the South

still gloomy, mild and murky. That

will continue into Friday as well.

So copycat conditions I think on

Friday again and some low cloud

around coastal areas. But look how

mild it is, again 10 degrees for

Yorkshire on Friday. But there is a

bit of a change heading into the

weekend. Low pressure moves to the

north, sending stronger wind and a

weather front across Scotland. So

some gale force winds for a time.

But look at the temperatures, widely

11 degrees. Feeling relatively warm.

Sunday and again the cloud and mild

air. On the big day itself, I showed

you a forecast yesterday, it is more

or less the same. Notice that the

temperatures are starting to dip

away in the far north and Scotland,

and that is a hint of things to come

possibly after Christmas may be from

Boxing Day on words. Things cooling

off just a little bit. So ending

with a nice festive picture even

though we do not expect any snow.

A reminder of our main

story this lunchtime.

An urgent investigation's ordered

into dozens of sex offence cases