14/02/2018 BBC News at One

Boris Johnson says Brexit

is an opportunity for Britain -

and not something to be feared.

In a major speech before the next

round of negotiations,

the Foreign Secretary was trying

to reassure those who are

anxious about Brexit.

Brexit need not be nationalist

but can be internationalist.

It's not an economic threat,

but a considerable opportunity.

Not un-British, but a manifestation

of this country's

historic national genius.

We'll have the latest reaction

from Brussels and Westminster.

Also this lunchtime:

Minnie Driver quits as a Ambassador

for Oxfam, as the Government says

all charities must have

proper safeguarding policies.

Jacob Zuma says that is no reason

for him to resign as President of

South Africa, despite the ANC saying

he must go.

There's a pervasive lack of trust

among disabled people

about how their welfare claims

are assessed - according

to a parliamentary committee.

She didn't give me

a physical assessment.

I was sat down the entire time.

I was very...

very cross about that.

And at the Winter Olympics, Team

GB's curling teams get off to a

flying start as they launched their

medal campaigns.

flying start as they launched

their medal campaigns.

And coming up in the sports on BBC

News: Liverpool are hoping to follow

the lead of Manchester City

and Spurs in the Champions League

tonight, when they play

Porto in the last 16.

Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One.

The Foreign Secretary has

said Britain's departure

from the EU is an opportunity,

not something to be feared,

and that the decision

to leave cannot be reversed.

In the first of a series of speeches

by government ministers in advance

of key talks with EU negotiators

next month, Boris Johnson said

Brexit will mean Britain will stop

paying huge sums to Brussels,

and will take back control

of its borders and laws.

Our political correspondent, Leila

Nathoo, reports from Westminster.

A not so funny welcome party to

greet Boris Johnson as he arrived to

deliver a speech this morning. The

very people he wants to reach out

to, there is still against Britain's

departure from the EU. His message,

Brexit cannot be stopped. And

understand your ease, but there is

nothing to fear.

Brexit need not be

Nationalists, but can be

internationalist. It is not an

economic threat, but a considerable

opportunity. Not un-British but a

manifestation of this country's

historic national genius. ICI run

the risk in making this case of

causing further irritation. But I

must run that risk.

Boris Johnson

return to familiar themes of the

Leave side of the referendum

campaign, taping back control of

laws and embracing the world beyond

Europe.

Brexit is about we engage in

this country with its global

identity, and the energy that can

flow from that and I absolutely

refuse to accept it is a un-British

spasm of bad manners. It is not a

sign from the cliffs of Dover, it is

a legitimate and natural desire for

self government of the people, by

the people, for the people.

It is

the first in a series of speeches in

the coming weeks in which senior

ministers will set out what Downing

Street is calling a road map to

Brexit. Theresa May will address

security and other Cabinet ministers

will cover the devolution of powers

reclaimed from Brussels,

international trade and workers'

rights. The comet has been under

pressure to settle on a position and

offer more detail about what Britain

wants its relationship with the EU

to look like after Brexit. Boris

Johnson's speech today was heavy on

rhetoric but did not go far enough

for his critics.

This was a big

exercise in hypocrisy frankly from

the Foreign Secretary. First of all,

he made and commit about taking back

control. Of course, the Parliament

on behalf of the people. But every

step of the way during these Brexit

negotiations, he and his government

have withheld information from

Parliament and the people and the

impact of Brexit.

We now have to

accept the fact we have had the

referendum, we are not having a

second, we are not part of the

single market of the customs union

but we are taking back

but we are taking back control.

The

Government hopes the hill divides

and look to the future but ministers

are fast approaching the point where

they must collectively declare what

that looks like -- the Government is

hoping to heal divides.

In a moment, we'll get reaction

from Adam Fleming, in Brussels.

But first, to our assistant

political editor, Norman Smith,

who's in Westminster.

What do we make of it, what the

people make about where you are?

Boris Johnson said an ambitious aim

of trying to reach out and reassure

former Remainers and praising many

for what he called their noble views

and the sceptical Europeans, saying

that the Brexit is not a peace sign

from the white cliffs of Dover. But

at times, it sounded as if we were

back in the blood and gore of the

Brexit trenches, back in the

referendum campaign. And that served

to highlight how divisive the Brexit

issue was and raises the question

about whether opinion really has

moved on or whether we do still

remain a fundamentally divided

nation when it comes to Brexit. And

in that context, whether Boris

Johnson was the relay that message

of reassurance. Because for many

Remainers, he is the bogeyman of

Brexit, a man loathed by many

Remainers for his approach and some

of his claims during that campaign.

It is also quite a long time to

leave it before trying to reach out

to reassure people. More than 20

months since the campaign. And in

terms of detail, there was not much

in the speech. Looking for Remainers

the clasp on to. I am left with the

thought that the person he will be

most reassured by the speech is

Theresa May in Downing Street

because what we did not get today

was Boris Johnson off piste. Slalom

and away on his own version of

Brexit. When he was pressed today

about what sort of deal we should

get committee repeatedly and loyally

stopped, referring back to previous

speeches by the Prime Minister. So I

think Theresa May will be pleased.

As for former Remainers, the initial

reaction has hardly been very

sympathetic.

Thank you.

Adam Fleming is in Brussels.

Boris Johnson's wasn't the only

speech this morning about the EU.

Yes, Jean-Claude Juncker, the

President of the European

Commission, the organisation that

runs the Brexit talks on their side

day-to-day, was doing a news

conference today. He was in a jolly

mood, as he often is, making jokes

about what EU leaders order for

their coffee during the summit. But

his mood change when a journalist

asked about this allegation from

Boris Johnson that he was all about

building an EU superstate. Look at

this.

Some in the British political

society are against the truth,

pretending that I'm a stupid,

stubborn Federalist, that I'm

in favour of a European superstate.

I'm strictly against

a European superstate.

We are not the United

States of America.

We are the European Union,

which is a rich body

because we have these

27, 28 nations.

The European Union cannot be built

against the European nations.

So, this is total nonsense.

Jean-Claude Juncker then went on to

say, to unveil plans about reforming

the EU, it involved and potentially

a bigger budget and is directly

elected President. So some would say

he went on to make Boris Johnson's

point, because that does sound like

something on the road to a EU

superstate. In terms of how the

speech has gone down here, people in

these offices here were listening

and they will read later this

afternoon. But the fact is, it does

not make a huge difference to the

negotiations at the moment. They are

waiting for a formal British

position on the attitude to their

future relationship with the EU

after Brexit and that will come from

the Prime Minister and not Boris

Johnson.

Thank you.

The actor Minnie Driver has resigned

as an Ambassador for Oxfam,

saying she's horrified by the sex

scandal claims at the charity.

It comes as Oxfam's regional

director in Asia has told the BBC

she is aware of past abuse cases

involving the charity's

workers in the Philippines,

Bangladesh and Nepal.

Matt Cole reports.

What happens in Haiti? That is the

focus of the Charity Commission

enquiry which holds its first

meeting with Oxfam today. But now a

senior figure in the charity says

had been largely unreported cases in

other countries as well.

There were

cases in the Philippines. There were

also cases in Bangladesh. There will

be slow as coming forward in

Bangladesh. As far as I know. --

there were whistle-blowers coming

forward. There was also a case in

Nepal.

It was after the 2013 super

typhoon Yolande in the Philippines

that some cases took place but then

and now, the questions about

perpetrators being flagged to other

agencies.

Not yet, but that is a

practice we need to start because

the funny thing about cases like

this is, we always see them as

reputational risks. But the way to

manage reputational risk is not to

keep silent.

A sector wide problem,

then. In matter on which the

International Development Secretary

has today been talking.

No

organisation is too big or our work

with them to complex for me to

hesitate to remove funding from them

if we cannot trust them to put the

beneficiaries of aid first.

On the

specific case of Oxfam, some

supporters have already reacted.

From Friday to Monday, 1270 people

cancelled their direct debits, four

times the normal daily cancellation

rate. And on Monday, 70 81-off

donations were made, a record how

this year. And 44 new direct debit

was set up, the most since March

last year in one day. However, one

celebrity supporter, actress Minnie

Driver, has ended her Ambassador's

role, saying...

Oxfam's major corporate partners are

taking a different approach.

Waterstones has given a statement of

support saying the charity's work is

of great value. Marks & Spencer is

as the co-operative bank and

Heathrow Airport say they are taking

the matter seriously but will

monitor the situation for now. In

the meantime, the international

developers secretary Penny Mordaunt

says as part of her push for a

sector wide culture change, she will

hold talks tomorrow with the

National Crime Agency and all eyes

will turn to Friday by when Oxfam

has been told it must provide

answers about future safeguarding

policies.

South Africa's President,

Jacob Zuma, says efforts

by the country's governing ANC

to oust him from power are unfair.

The party has threatened Mr Zuma

with a parliamentary motion of no

confidence tomorrow,

if he refuses to step down today.

Earlier, police raided

properties belonging

to the wealthy Gupta family,

who are close to Mr Zuma,

and three people were arrested.

The party has threatened Mr Zuma

with a parliamentary motion of no

Milton Nkosi is in Johannesburg.

The ANC have been urging him to go

for

a long time, what is going on?

Yes,

President Zuma is digging in his

heels. He gave an interview to the

local public broadcaster and he is

explaining that he has been

victimised and he has never defied

the organisation. But at the same

time, he said he will give a

statement later today.

statement later today. President

Jacob Zuma's days are numbered,

literally. His governing African

National Congress wants new party

had Cyril Ramaphosa sworn in as

President within the next couple of

days. But in a statement earlier, he

said attempts to unseat him were

unfair.

People are saying is Uma

must go. My problem is that it is

not a new thing, it has been said

the in higher year, including people

saying this, they are all saying it.

They themselves never provided a

result.

The net is also closing on

President Zuma's friends. The

controversial Gupta family. This

morning, on the priority -- armed

police known as the Hawks arrived in

this Johannesburg suburb. Gupta

family had been accused of using

their friendship with President Zuma

to wield enormous influence for

their business interests. They and

President Zuma denied the

allegations. Local media reports say

police have arrested three people

including one of the Gupta brothers.

And so the dilemma that President

Jacob Zuma is basing of whether to

resign or to defy his party is in

part linked to what happened here

this morning. This compound belongs

to his family and friends in Guptas

and the police have come here to

rate them for corruption about

allegations of dodgy government

contracts. Among those who would be

targeted by the police and the

corruption scandal, known here as

state capture, a Minister in Zuma's

Cabinet and possibly President

Zuma's son, seen here with two of

the Guptas. 24 years after the end

of apartheid, South Africa finds

itself at a crossroads again. This

time, with self-inflicted wounds by

those who helped to liberate its

people and white minority rule.

And there you have it. But the ANC

has today on the Parliament to call

for a vote of no-confidence. They

want Cyril Ramaphosa in within days

so President Jacob Zuma's days are

indeed numbered.

Thank you.

There is a 'pervasive lack of trust'

among people with disabilities

in how their welfare claims

are assessed, according

to the Commons Work and Pensions

Committee, which says reports

There is a 'pervasive lack of trust'

among people with disabilities

in how their welfare claims

are assessed, according

to the Commons Work and Pensions

Committee, which says reports

by private contractors

are riddled with errors.

It also says claimants don't trust

assessors to record evidence

of their conditions accurately.

The Government insists

the system works well

for the majority of claimants.

in how their welfare claims

are assessed, according

Anastasia is having a good day.

But it's not always like this.

Most days she is constant pain.

The 24-year-old has

multiple sclerosis.

She used to work full-time, but now

she struggles to leave the house.

On the days she can get out,

Anastasia totally relies on her car.

She applied for a disability benefit

and was assessed at home

by a health care professional

from a private company.

On the days she can get out,

Anastasia totally relies on her car.

She applied for a disability benefit

and was assessed at home

by a health care professional

from a private company.

Anastasia told her assessor

she could only walk 20 metres,

but when the report came back,

it said she could walk further.

She didn't give me

a physical assessment.

I was sat down the entire time.

I was very, very cross about that.

As a result, Anastasia lost her

higher rate disability benefit,

which meant she lost her car.

Although she successfully

appealed that decision,

her experience is far

from a one-off.

Today's report identifies

a culture of mistrust

around the whole process.

It says the government's low bar

for what it is what is considered

acceptable leaves room

for assessment reports to be riddled

with obvious errors and omissions.

It also says assessors risk

being viewed as a best

lacking in confidence

and at worst, actively deceitful.

Nurses are expected to assess four

or five clients a day...

But this former nurse,

who worked as an assessor for a few

weeks before quitting,

has today anonymously told the BBC

she was disgusted with the system.

I had a lady come to my

service, dropped off.

In my mind, in my experience over 20

years working with people

with learning disabilities,

this lady had learning disabilities.

When I made my report

on my observations, it was sent back

and the auditor made me change it

and said there was no evidence

that she had learning

disabilities at all.

We have asked the government

to record all these key

assessments, interviews.

The government said

it is going to put this idea

out to consultation.

We pointed out to the Minister

when she was before the committee

that literally everybody has agreed

except the government

that they shouldn't do this.

So this consultation

clearly is going to be

the government talking to itself.

The government says it is exploring

options to promote greater

transparency and trust and that

assessments work well

for the majority of claimants

who said they were happy

with their overall experience.

But with current contract is up

for review and targets

being consistently missed,

it is uncertain who will carry out

these assessments in the future.

Nikki Fox, BBC News.

Our top story this lunchtime.

In a major speech before the next

round of negotiations,

the foreign secretary tries

to reassure people

anxious about Brexit.

And coming up - high winds

at the Winter Olympics force

organisers to postpone more events -

we'll be live in Pyeongchang.

Coming up in sport.

The Flying Tomato claims

an historic third gold.

American snowboarder

Shaun White wins the halfpipe

title in Pyeongchang.

And with it the USA's 100th gold

in Winter Olympics history.

The prescription tranquiliser Xanax

is being sold illegally to children

by dealers using social media sites,

the BBC has discovered.

Several young people have been left

needing hospital treatment

after taking the drug.

The Home Office says it's taking

action, and has called on social

media sites to crack down

on the practice.

Lauren Moss reports.

When we would by acid,

it would be like £10 a tab and then

he would sell us Xanax on the side.

It's a dangerous

lifestyle that is growing

in popularity.

Chef started using

drugs when he was 14.

Some substances were too

easy to find online.

Weed, MDMA, cocaine, Xanax.

Are dealers using social media

as a platform to sell drugs?

Certain dealers online,

on like social media.

Sometimes you can, it is possible

now to let go on Instagram

and find a drug dealer.

Behind websites usually

used for sharing

photos and contacting family

and friends lurks a criminal

underworld where drug dealers

are hiding behind a screen.

They invite users to message them

through an anonymous at,

-- app.

It's possible to make an order, pay

and arrange delivery all in a matter

of minutes.

One of the dealers I found

an Instagram sent me this

package in the post.

Inside is a free sample

of his product which he

claims is Xanax and diazepam,

tranquilisers usually

used to treat anxiety.

And you can see he

sent me nine tablets.

The dealer hopes if I am satisfied

with this, I will then

place a larger order

and it is all virtually untraceable.

There is some school

of thought, essentially, which

thinks because these are

prescription drugs in some countries

that it is OK and that they

are going to be safe.

That is absolutely not the case.

So when things are bought online,

it is really easy for

dealers to make

counterfeits, for example.

We are not sure of the dosage.

I think there does have to be some

responsibility put on these

social media giants

essentially to tackle it.

I notified Facebook and Instagram

about the accounts and asked

for an interview.

No one was available

but they sent separate

statements saying, "buying

or selling drugs of any sort is not

allowed" on either platform

and the accounts I showed

them have been removed

for breaking community guidelines.

Both sites are asking anyone

who sees this content to report it

and say their teams will work

quickly to take it down.

But it only takes seconds

to set up new accounts and

with the trend among teenagers

apparently only worsening,

it's a war that will not be

easy to win.

Lauren Moss, BBC News.

And viewers in the South East

can see more of that

investigation at 1:30pm,

straight after this programme.

The Kremlin has denied any knowledge

of Russian mercenaries

fighting in Syria,

after a number of its citizens

were among those killed in a US-led

airstrike in the east

of the country.

America says it killed more than 100

fighters in the strikes last week.

The Russian mercenaries are said

to have been hired by private

military firms backing

Syrian pro-government troops.

Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow.

Just two months ago,

Vladimir Putin flew to Syria

to declare mission accomplished.

He told his troops the motherland

was proud of them, and ordered

many of the soldiers home.

But Russians are still

fighting in Syria.

And it's not just their regular

forces who are suffering casualties.

These men are amongst

what is reported to be a large group

of Russian mercenaries

who were killed in the Syrian

Serbian province of Deir Ezzor one

week ago, the result of air

and artillery strikes

by the US-led coalition.

Among those killed

was Stanislav Matveyev.

He went to fight in eastern

Ukraine, and was then

hired to fight in Syria.

"They were sent into

battle like animals,

without any protection",

his widow says.

"The Russian government should seek

revenge for the sake of the wives

and their children".

And what's the Kremlin

saying about this?

Not much.

And the reason the Kremlin has made

little comment about this

is that the Russian authorities have

never spoken before publicly

about Russian mercenaries in Syria,

or about the private military

companies believed

to be recruiting them.

And that's why these

reports of casualties

are so embarrassing for Moscow.

Presidential candidate

Grigory Yavlinsky says

the mercenaries have no legal basis

for being in Syria,

and are a danger to Russia.

When you have in the country some

structures which are almost

military structures,

and you have no control on them,

it's dangerous for the country,

it's dangerous for the people,

it's even dangerous

for the president.

Up till now, this has been

the public face of Russia's

military operation in Syria.

The Kremlin would have preferred

to keep it that way.

Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow.

30 years after one of

the most notorious murders

in British legal history,

there are calls for sentencing

guidelines to be changed to reflect

serious miscarriages of justice.

Lynette White, a 20-year-old

sex worker, was stabbed

to death by Jeffrey Gafoor

in Cardiff in 1988.

But Gafoor was convicted 13 years

after three other men -

known as the "Cardiff Three" -

were wrongly jailed for the murder.

Wyre Davies reports.

20-year-old Lynette White

was stabbed 50 times in a frenzied

attack in a rundown Cardiff Bay flat

which she used to meet clients.

Witnesses spoke of a bloodstained

white man fleeing the scene

but under pressure to get results,

detectives arrested

five local black men.

Innocent!

Despite repeated denials

and a lack of evidence,

three were convicted.

Known as the Cardiff Three,

their convictions were eventually

quashed amid huge public outcry.

A subsequent South Wales Police

investigation unearthed the real

killer, security guard Jeffrey

Gafoor.

But this wasn't the first

miscarriage of justice

and the damage to the force's

reputation was done.

It is somewhat in the DNA

of the force now, I've got to say,

our determination not to fail

in this way again steels my

resolve everyday make sure

that our investigations

are of the highest quality.

Campaigners who say that

Jeffrey Gafoor should've got a much

longer sentence for the sadistic

murder of Lynette White say that

murderers who allow innocent people

to suffer for their crimes

are the most contemptible

criminals of all.

In sentencing Jeffrey Gafoor,

the judge made specific reference

to how he had knowingly contributed

to ruining the lives

of innocent men.

Including John Actie

who was originally charged

with the murder and spent

years in prison.

Jeffrey Gafoor, you know he could be

out of jail any time soon, you know.

We done 16 years between us.

And he could be coming out and he

hasn't even done 16 years yet.

Speaking to BBC Wales Investigates,

one influential voice says changing

sentencing policy to reflect

miscarriages of justice

could be an option.

There certainly are people

who believe that when Jeffrey Gafoor

was sentenced, not enough account

was taken off the fact that he had

allowed innocent people to spend

time in prison as a result

of his actions.

And of course this is a matter

that is being looked

at within the criminal law now.

30 years on this notorious

case left many victims.

Including one who her family say

should never be forgotten.

Wyre Davies, BBC News.

And you can see a special report

looking at the murder of Lynette

White on the BBC News website.

After Elise Christie's crash

in the speed skating final

yesterday, Britain is still looking

for it's first medal

of the Winter Olympics

in South Korea, and focus switched

today to the curling,

which began overnight.

Team GB won medals in both

the men's and women's curling

at the last Games in Sochi,

and both British teams have

got off to a successful

start in Pyeongchang.

Our correspondent David Ornstein

is there for us now.

It really was bitterly disappointing

for Elise Christie and she has taken

to social media to say she is

heartbroken but looking forward to

her remaining events. She still has

more medal opportunities and talking

of medals of the biggest stars of

winter sports was bidding earlier

today to make history and he did not

disappoint.

He needs 95.25 and

the run of his life.

They call him the Flying Tomato.

Shaun White, he of red hair

and snowboarding flair.

He has landed it!

Oh, my goodness!

With his final run, the American

saved his best until last

to stun his rivals and become

the first snowboarder to win

three Olympic titles.

I'm really proud to come out on top

today and I'm really thankful

for those guys honestly

because they pushed me

to get to this point,

to be able to do these

kinds of events.

Elsewhere, the weather continued

to disrupt the games

with the women's slalom and biathlon

postponed, the latest events

to fall foul of high winds.

There were no such problems

at the indoor venues

where if the mere presence

of North Korean skaters

on South Korean ice was significant,

the display of Tae-ok Ryom

and Ju-sik Kim was magnificent.

Supported by a band of more

than 200 cheerleaders,

they qualified for the pairs

final in style.

With Britain's wait for a first

medal ongoing, attention this

morning turned to curling.

The men took silver four years

ago and although this

is a new team, they picked up

where their predecessors left off.

What a win for Great Britain.

With a sudden-death victory over

Switzerland in their opening match.

They're one of the teams you'd

expect to be near the podium

at the end of the week so I'm very

pleased to get off to our first

Olympics in such a good performance.

We kind of struggled a wee bit

but we pulled it together and really

pleased to get the win.

Eve Muirhead would like to try

and finish this here.

Bronze medallists in Sochi,

the women wanted gold here

and started as they plan to go on,

by dominating a team of Olympic

athletes from Russia.

And she has done it superbly well.

Next up, it's the

United States tomorrow.

Well the men's curlers are back on

the ice as we speak, trailing Canada

but still with a long way to go in

that competition. Meanwhile a

potential storm brewing in the

skeleton competition, some nations

are said to be questioning the

legality of the new skin suit to be

worn by the British athletes

including Lizzy Yarnold. Team GB say

they've done nothing wrong and the

governing body of skeleton have

approved those suits. That event is

getting underway tomorrow. Thank you

for that.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Chris Fawkes.

Here's Chris Fawkes.

We had some glorious sunrise

pictures sent in this morning, this

one from the Isle of Wight. And we

have a weather front approaching

from the West today which gave as

those beautiful pictures. But the

weather is going downhill now and

for many it will be a wet afternoon.

A happy band of rain stretching

across the Midlands, and the

south-east at the minute. The rain

quite extensive at the moment. And

up in the mountains of Scotland,

expecting five, ten centimetres of

snow. It is also windy with gusts of

England and Wales around 40 miles an

hour. Higher around the coast. So a

wet afternoon to come across the

south-east. From there the rain gets

more patchy but clears away

overnight. Temperature is not quite

as cold as last night but still a

few patches of frost out in the

countryside. So the risk of some icy

surfaces first thing in the morning.

We are seeing high pressure building

in across England and Wales tomorrow

but low pressure further north and

we have these big contrasts in

temperatures. Cold air filtering in

across much of the UK but across the

South we have wind in a different

direction dragging in warmer air. So

quite a few heavy showers banding

together tomorrow and some snow

contained within those. Across

England and Wales book of the

temperature contrast, cold weather

across the North, quite mild in the

south. Looking towards the end of

the week, the high pressure builds a

little more, we start to see

south-westerly winds just moving

that cold air further north. But

another weather front across the

North West on Friday, rain and snow

involved with this. But some

sunshine for many. Temperatures

again mild in the south. Further

north temperatures rising a little

bit. And for the weekend, the theme

of the weather turning a little bit

milder is set to continue and for

many through the weekend it should

be largely dry. The Mineralstein set

to continue into next week but it

could turn colder towards the latter

part of February.

That's all from the BBC News at One

- so it's goodbye from me -