12/03/2018 BBC News at One

Theresa May will address MPs this

afternoon about the nerve agent

attack on a former Russian spy

and his daughter.

The Kremlin says it's not a matter

for the Russian government,

as hundreds of people in Salisbury

are told to wash their clothes

in case they're contaminated.

We'll have the latest on that

meeting of the Security Council

from Downing street.

Also this lunchtime...

How tickled I am by all this

goodwill. What about you, have you

been tickled by goodwill?

Tributes for the comedy

legend Sir Ken Dodd,

who's died at the age of 90

A row at the top of the Labour

Party, as a Shadow Cabinet minister

is removed from her post and says

she's the victim of bullying.

TV football pundit Jamie Carragher

apologises, after spitting

at a 14 -year-old girl.

And be careful how you feed

the birds in your garden -

a warning it could spread disease.

And coming up in the

sport on BBC News,

a day to forget for

the Winter Paralympics

organisers - the snowboard cross

was delayed following problems

with the start gate.

All the British athletes

were eliminated.

Good afternoon and welcome

to the News at One.

The Prime Minister will make

a statement to MPs this afternoon

on the nerve agent attack

in Salisbury on a former Russian

spy and his daughter.

It follows a meeting this morning

of her National Security Council,

where ministers were

briefed on the latest

intelligence about the attack.

The Kremlin says the attack is not

a matter for the Russian government.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal are still

critically ill in hospital.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people

who visited the restaurant

and pub they went to before

the attack, are being told

to wash their clothes,

after traces of nerve agent

were found at both places.

Richard Galpin reports.

Nine days after the attack, and

police, including large numbers from

Counter Terrorism Command, are

focusing their investigation on who

was behind the attack. As well as

how and where in Salisbury Sergei

Skripal and daughter Yulia ingested

the nerve agent. They remain in a

critical condition in hospital.

Nothing is being said about them

making any recovery. This morning,

senior ministers arrived in Downing

Street for a key meeting with

security officials about the latest

intelligence. The question of who

was behind the attack and how to

respond high on the agenda. And

already some politicians are

expecting the Prime Minister to

accuse Russia.

We are expecting the

Prime Minister to make an

announcement soon, and frankly I

would be surprised if she did not

point the finger at the Kremlin.

It

was Sunday last week when Sergei

Skripal and his daughter headed into

the centre of Salisbury. A few hours

later they were found collapsed on a

bench outside a shopping centre. The

BBC understands that traces of the

nerve agent have been found at the

Zizzi restaurant, where the Skripals

eight on the day. The table was so

come terminated it had to be

destroyed. Staff were told to burn

their clothes. Traces were also

found at a nearby pub they visited.

Several other locations in the city

are under investigation. While

emergency teams and experts use

protective gear as they work

together evidence and decontaminate

areas, last week health officials

were insisting there was no

immediate threat to the public. That

has all now changed, with hundreds

of people who have been in the

restaurant and pub told to wash

their clothes as a precaution,

raising questions about why this

advice had not been given earlier.

Proportion not -- proportion of

additional advice was given when

more information was not about the

nerve agent. It couldn't be given

earlier because they didn't know

what they had. Most people

understand that.

The investigation

is to be making progress. And if the

evidence does ultimately implicate

Russia, the government here will be

under intense pressure to take

robust action in response.

Richard Galpin, BBC News.

In a moment we will speak to our

correspondent in Salisbury.

Vicki Young is in

Downing Street for us.

That meeting of the National

Security Council ended a short time

ago?

Yes. It went on for almost two

hours. All the senior figures here

discussing this. There are many

senior figures in Westminster who do

not think there could be anything

other than Russia responsible for

this attack. Of course, the problem

for the Prime Minister is she needs

the evidence. Who will see point the

finger of blame at? It is one thing

to say it is Russia, another to say

it is the Kremlin are President

Putin. There is still some caution.

The Home Secretary has given an

interview today. She says the

government has do have the facts

first. If they do attribute blame,

they wanted to be completely sound.

She said the government's reaction

has to be cool-headed and take into

account diplomatic relations. The

issue here is if this robust, strong

response does come, it is much more

powerful if it comes alongside other

countries, countries in the European

Union, Nato, perhaps. For that to

happen they need to see the

evidence. Whatever Theresa May has

to say about all of this, she will

say to Parliament in the next couple

of hours.

Thank you very much.

Our home affairs correspondent,

Leila Nathoo, is in Salisbury.

What is the latest there are?

There

is clearly some concern among some

people who have been -- had been

dining at Zizzi restaurant from

Sunday to Monday. And who had been

drinking at the Mill Pub. They were

not informed until now that they

needed to take these precautions and

wash their clothes, potentially wipe

down their phones and glasses. These

are a small number of people. We

have heard from public health

officials saying this is a

precaution. There is no immediate

risk to the public. We have heard

from the council leader saying

people accept this is an

unprecedented situation, and as the

advice changed, so did the advice to

the public. They key is some

concern. We have heard from the

former Chief Medical Officer

Vertonghen saying helplines and

dedicated health centres should have

been set up in the immediate

aftermath to address concerns. As

for the police investigation, that

is now focusing on how surrogate --

Sergei Skripal and you -- Yulia came

to contract the nerve agent. Traces

have been found in the Zizzi

restaurant. That was the first place

they visited. The table they sat at

has had to be destroyed because it

was so contaminated. Police trying

to piece together what happened

before they got to the restaurant.

Thank you.

The BBC News channel will have live

coverage from half past four this

afternoon of the Prime Minister's

statement to MPs updating them on

the latest intelligence regarding

the Salisbury attack.

Tributes are coming in this

lunchtime for the legendary

comedian, Sir Ken Dodd,

who's died at the age of 90.

He found fame on stage,

on television and as

a chart topping singer.

He's been described as the last

of the music hall legends,

and his epic stage performances

often lasted several hours.

Ken Dodd died in the same

house he was born in -

and just two days after getting

married.

David Sillito reports.

The tickling sticks, the wild hair

and surreal flights of fancy were

only a part of it. Ken Dodd was a

torrent of jokes. Shows would often

end in the early hours of the

morning.

Jeronimo! Thank you very

much. What a beautiful day for going

to count von Zeppelin and saying,

you will never sell a sausage that

size!

Offstage he was very private.

One of his close circle of friends

was his joke writer, John Martin.

I

had the honour, and it was an honour

and a privilege, to be one of his

script writers for 30 years. I

always said writing jokes per Ken

Dodd was almost like being asked to

mix the painter Van Gogh, it was

that big an honour.

Tears in 1965 was one of the biggest

selling singles of the 1960s.

His run at the London Palladium

broke records. Summer seasons would

be 15 shows a week, and one of the

aspiring performance alongside him

remember how supportive he was.

He was very instrumental in

encouraging me to get into the

business. I used to support him on

his shows on the Isle of Man, the

Villa Marina and things. I remember

watching his partner in the wings

riding down the jokes so he wouldn't

tell the same jokes again. He just

loved his business.

And Jones was

his partner of 40 years. Piggott

ride just three days ago here in the

house where he had always lived,

Knotty Ash in Liverpool.

I have been overwhelmed by love and

affection, which I have already

received from dear friends and the

public. And I thank you all for

being here.

Thank you.

We got a glimpse of the

Private Ken Dodd in a famous court

case about his tax affairs. They

discovered £100,000 in cash in a

suitcase. But he was acquitted and

it became more material for his act.

It was only a few weeks ago that

ill-health finally stopped him

performing.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome

Ken Dodd!

Is roots were in musical. As a

student of comedy he had had a go at

Shakespeare but his life was all

about laughter and that love being

on stage.

By Jove, Mrs!

Sir Ken Dodd, who has died at the

age of 90.

BBC One will be showing a tribute to

Ken Dodd this evening, with some

special archive programmes from

10:45pm.

A 17-year-old has been jailed for 10

and a half years for attacking six

moped riders with acid,

while trying to steal their bikes.

Derryck John pleaded guilty

to carrying out the attacks

in the north and east

of London in July last year.

He sprayed the riders in the face

with a corrosive liquid,

leaving one of his victims

with "life-changing injuries".

A public row has broken out

at the top of the Labour Party,

after a Shadow Cabinet minister

was removed from her post,

apparently against her will.

Labour says Debbie Abrahams stepped

down as spokeswoman on Work

and Pensions pending

an investigation, but she claims

she's the victim of a bullying

culture within the party.

Ben Wright is at Westminster.

Ben and Briton completely different

versions of events, and an

embarrassment for the Labour Party?

That's right. Debbie Abrahams has

been a member of the Shadow Cabinet

since last summer. But now there has

been an extraordinary falling out

between her and the Labour leader's

office. It has erupted late last

night. Labour said that Debbie

Abrahams had stepped aside while an

investigation could happen into what

the party calls and employment

issue. I understand it does concern

bullying allegations from a number

of complainants. Also last night,

Debbie Abrahams put out an

excoriating statement. A blistering

attack on the Labour leader's

office, completely denying she had

taken part in any bullying. She

denied she had volunteered to step

aside. She said the claims were

spurious. She said that some in the

Labour leader's office had behaved

aggressively, in an intimidating and

wholly unprofessional way. She said

it showed the bullying culture at

Westminster at its worst. It has

been an extraordinary falling out.

She will make a formal complaint to

the Labour Party and the

Parliamentary authorities about

this. Whatever has actually

occurred, and there will be an

investigation into what is going on,

considering how much we have been

talking about the bullying culture

of Parliament recently, this has

been handled clumsily. That is

been handled clumsily. That is safe

to say.

Separately, the government is having

to answer an urgent question by a

backbench MP this afternoon on the

broader claims around the bullying

culture in Parliament. Thank you

very much.

Ben Wright. The authorities in Nepal

say 49 people were killed when a

Bangladeshi passenger plane crashed

while trying to land at Kathmandu

airport.

airport. It appeared to go out of

control and slid off the runway into

a football field.

The trial of the teenager accused

of causing an explosion

at Parsons Green station

in September last year,

has heard evidence allegedly linking

him to the so-called islamic state.

He blamed this country for his

father's death in Iraq.

Ahmed Hassan denies attempted murder

and causing an explosion

likely to endanger life.

June Kelly is at the Old Bailey.

Who has been testifying

this morning?

Katie cable was a lecturer at the

college where Ahmad Hassan was a

tutor. She became a mentor to him.

She had a good relationship with him

and thought him an outstanding

student. She recounted a

conversation they had when he told

her that he held the British

responsible for his father's death.

His father what a taxi driver and

guide it in a bombing in Iraq. He

also said it was his duty to hate

Britain. That comment was made in

August, 2016, a year before the

Parsons Green attack. She said at

the same time she looked at his

phone and on his phone she could see

a WhatsApp message. That said, "IIS

has accepted your donation." The

court heard that he had trained with

Islamic State in. He said he was

taught how to kill by them but in

Iraq he said he was in fear of the

man had tried to get away from them.

On his father's death, she said he

also spoke about events in Iraq very

disparagingly. He spoke about Tony

Blair disparagingly. There was

clearly anger, she said. His anger

was very clear, she said.

Briefly, I think the court has heard

from other people.

Yes, one witness,

Zoe Spencer, who worked somewhere

where he stayed when he first came

to the UK. She said she saw I

propaganda on his phone. She asked

him what he was doing, and he

immediately close the phone. He was

16 years of age, but she felt he was

mentally much older than that. The

court has also heard this morning

that in the run-up to the Parsons

Green attack, Ahmad Hassan was going

through the government's Prevent

programme, which is aimed at

stopping radicalisation.

Thank you.

It is 1:16pm.

Our top story this lunchtime...

Theresa May has been

chairing a meeting of her

National Security Council to discuss

who was behind the nerve agent

attack on a former Russian

spy and his daughter.

And coming up, Great Britain's

wheelchair curlers have

made an impressive start

at the Paralympics, beating

the world champions Norway

in an opening match.

They are currently leading in their

match against Canada.

Coming up in the sport...

The trial of England all-rounder

Ben Stokes will begin on August 6th

at Bristol Crown Court.

That's expected to last up to seven

days, which means he'll

miss the second Test

against India at Lord's.

At the Paralympics, Great Britain's

wheelchair curling team

have made a good start -

they've beaten world

champions Norway and now

they're facing Canada.

But there's been disappointment

for Britain's snowboarders -

all three contenders have been

knocked out of the competition.

Our sports reporter,

Kate Grey, is in South Korea.

Well, it was supposed to be a

historic day for the snowboarders.

The first time Great Britain had

been rigged presented in the sport

at the Paralympic Games. Inset, it

was a day they would rather forget.

The normally fast and

furious snowboard cross

was today more of a flop.

No, the gate didn't open.

Issues with the start gate meant

competition was disrupted,

delayed, and organisers left

scratching their heads.

Unable to fix the problem,

it was back to basics -

rope and a manual start.

Hardly ideal with

the world watching.

Despite all the issues here,

the three British athletes did

manage to make their debut,

but they were affected

by the delays.

They all successfully made it

through qualification, but struggled

in the elimination rounds.

The best result was

James Barnes-Miller,

making it to the quarterfinals,

losing to the eventual

gold medallist.

Britain's flag bearer,

Owen Pick, in the red vest,

had high hopes for this event

following qualification,

but all the uncertainties

and hanging around between runs

ultimately took its toll.

Oh, and he's come really,

really wide there!

There was talks of them...

The coaches all had a meeting,

and there was talks

that they were going to cancel

and do it another day.

And it was like, guys, come on now.

We need to get this...

It's the Paralympics,

we want to race.

It just made people kind of go,

blurgh, if that makes sense.

And, yeah, it's just

a bit annoying, really.

All of a sudden, we've got this

new starting system.

There was a much more positive

mood down by the coast

with the wheelchair curlers.

Their fourth match in 48 hours,

this time against Sweden.

A very dominant performance

by the Brits meant the opposition

could only get one point.

Another convincing win

under their belts.

Next they face the Paralympic

champions, Canada.

Kate Grey, BBC News, Pyeongchang.

We have just found out that Britain

have indeed beaten the Paralympic

champions, Canada, in an impressive

win, 8-1. That means they've won

four round robin matches. So they

are full of confidence and will be

back in action tomorrow.

The former commander of the UK's

Maritime Forces says Britain

is in danger of losing its status

as a "credible military power".

Rear Admiral Alex Burton has called

for an urgent increase

in the defence budget after years

of budget cuts, and said the threat

from Russia is growing.

He's been speaking to our economics

editor, Kamal Ahmed,

who's here with me now.

What has he been saying?

I think it

is a plea for defence not to be

forgotten. We have had huge debates

about hospitals and schools, but he

says, with the threat increasing

from Russia, from rogue states, from

terrorism, that the hardware, our

ships, our submarines, Armed Forces

and soldiers, need to be remembered

in keeping Britain safe. I asked at

the Rear Admiral, who retired from

the Royal navy last autumn, what was

most concerning.

What worries me, and worried me

when I left the front line and was

operating in headquarters, is that

some of the decisions we were

making, and potentially

over the next 12 months,

some of the decisions that will be

made, will affect the

ability to fight and win

on the front line.

Of course, this is all in the

context of the Spring statement

tomorrow, the big announcement on

the public finances and the economy.

The Treasury makes it clear defence

spending is going up. It is the

fastest rising sector for Whitehawk

in terms of its expenditure, and

also that they are looking at other

areas, like education and health.

There could be some warm words on

defence spending tomorrow.

Thank you

very much indeed.

A council with unprecedented

financial problems has been accused

of using millions of pounds

of funding ring-fenced for public

health to prop up other services.

The BBC's Inside Out East

programme has learned that

Northamptonshire County Council may

have to return as much as £10

million to Public Health England.

Tom Barton has the details.

In Northamptonshire,

there are over 1,000

smoking-related deaths each year...

Anti-smoking drives

and healthy eating.

..score is below the UK average.

Every year, the government gives

councils in England grants to spend

on improving the health

of local people.

But now there are questions over how

one council has been

spending that money.

We can reveal that Northamptonshire

County Council is being investigated

over claims that it spent millions

of pounds of public health

money on other things.

If it's found to have done so,

then this hard-up council could be

forced to repay some of that cash.

Northamptonshire's finances

are already in dire straits.

At the start of February,

it became the first council

in nearly 20 years to put itself

in financial special measures,

as officials worried it

might run out of cash.

And it's cutting services,

including axing bus subsidies

and closing 21 libraries.

Opposition councillors say it's no

surprise the authority may

have broken the rules.

I think it tells you a lot

about the bigger picture

at Northamptonshire County Council,

which is that money is really tight.

They are having to scramble around

for every penny they can find

to balance the budget,

and they may be pushing

things a little too far.

And potentially spending ring-fenced

money outside the rules.

That's a big issue, isn't it?

Absolutely it's a big issue.

You would expect people to know

the rules and stick within them.

The council's leader acknowledges

that money intended for public

health may have been spent

on delivering adult social care

services, and she says

the authority is in discussions

with Public Health England over

whether any of that spending

was outside the rules.

Whether it was wrong,

what I can assure people is,

that money wasn't misappropriated.

It may have been spent

on adult social care,

looking after people in some way

or another, that somebody might

judge that wasn't really

public health money,

but at the end of the day,

it's still been spent on the people

in Northamptonshire.

For the last two months,

a government inspector has been

keeping a close eye on how

Northamptonshire

County Council is run.

He is due to complete his report

at the end of this week,

giving more details about what went

wrong at this troubled council.

Tom Barton, BBC News, Northampton.

And if you live in the east of

England, you can see more on that

story tonight on inside out on BBC

One at 7:30pm, and then everywhere

on the BBC iPlayer.

There are over 60,000 people

detained in mental health

hospitals in England -

a rise of more than 40%

in the last decade.

The Prime Minister has said

that figure is too high.

In this special report,

Graham Satchell follows the progress

of one patient as she prepares

to leave hospital and begin

a new phase of her life.

So, any worries?

How are you feeling?

I'm a bit nervous, because obviously

I've been here for quite

a while so it becomes kind

of normal, the routine.

Tee has been locked up for her own

safety for almost two years.

No sharp objects, not even a mirror.

She was detained under

the Mental Health Act

just after turning 18.

I just remember feeling every

emotion under the sun.

I was scared.

I felt upset that I've let my family

down, I felt a bit lost.

Initially it was really horrible

and a really scary process

and I started to realise that

that was what I needed.

They didn't section

me for no reason.

There was obviously a reason why.

Tee has been treated

at St Andrews in Northampton,

one of the biggest secure mental

health hospitals in the country.

It's the first time news cameras

have been allowed to film here.

Tee's problems started

when she was 14.

I used to self-harm so that got more

intense and quite serious

and things like overdosing,

which obviously I look back now

and am glad nothing worked.

Things like that, just spiralled out

of control and I felt

like I couldn't cope anymore.

Tee, it's almost time

to leave hospital.

How do you think you've

done in your time here?

When I first got here,

I was really anxious and thought

I would be here forever.

Tee has worked hard

to get to this point.

With therapy and medication, she's

learned to manage her emotions.

But the number of people

being detained in mental health

hospitals in England has gone up 40%

in a decade.

The majority of our patients

are detained patients.

They are here under a section

of the Mental Health Act.

Sadly, there is an inexhaustible

supply of damaged young women out

there who could replace the ladies

who are leaving.

Why are numbers so high?

The moment of crisis for Tee came

as she moved from child to adult

mental health services.

The criteria for getting help

as an adult is different.

Waiting times are longer.

As she turned 18, Tee had months

of no support and ended

up taking an overdose.

I felt like I was kind

of just left, so that gap,

it really made me worse.

My mental health deteriortated,

I felt like nobody cared,

I pushed the ones I loved the most

away because I thought,

they don't care so I don't care.

It was really difficult having that

period of no support.

Transition is supposed to be

a gradual managed period

from children's mental health

services to adult mental health

services but for many young people,

it's like falling off a cliff edge

and that's how many young people

describe that process.

NHS England told us they're spelling

spending an extra £280 million

a year and trialling new models

of care, young people moving

to adult mental health services

at 25 rather than 18.

But they acknowledge too many young

people are not getting

the treatment they should expect.

Graham Satchell, BBC News.

It is understood that Jamie

Carragher will not appear on Monday

Night Football.

The former England and Liverpool

footballer-turned pundit,

Jamie Carragher, has apologised

after spitting at a 14-year-old girl

in a car while driving.

The 40-year-old had been covering

his former side's 2-1 defeat

by Manchester United on Saturday.

The footage shows the star react

by spitting, after what he described

as being "goaded" -

he later said there was "no

excuse" for his behaviour.

Scientists are warning that feeding

birds in your garden

could spread some diseases,

posing a threat to wildlife.

Experts led by the Zoological

Society of London say feeding tables

and containers need to be regularly

disinfected, as Helen

Briggs reports.

Feeding wild birds. It's a great way

to get close to nature, but

scientists say feeding birds may not

always be good for their health.

So

when people are feeding birds in

their garden, you get a number of

birds coming to the same place, day

after day after day, and you can get

a build-up of disease-causing agents

at those locations.

Data shows new

disease threats to common garden

birds, like chaffinches and great

tips, which cause symptoms like

fluffed up feathers and lethargy.

Birds rely on us feeding them, that

when they gather on bird feeders

like this, they can pass diseases to

each other. Wildlife experts say

anyone who feeds birds should follow

simple precautions. The aim of this

report is to get the message out

that the people that they need to be

responsible if they are feeding

birds. We are not discouraging

people from feeding birds, but if

you put feed out that the birds, you

should be very aware of your

hygiene, about keeping feeders

clean, and what signs of disease

look like. If you see signs of

disease, you should take action.

This bird lover says it's worth

taking the action to keep birds

coming back to her garden.

The

necessity to clean them, the news

about that is a bit of a shock,

because I don't do it very often. It

is rather a pain to do it. We will

just have to bother.

With

populations of some garden birds in

dramatic decline, more information

will help safeguard the health of

the birds we share our gardens with.

Helen Briggs, BBC News.

Time for a look at the weather.

If you were out and about at the

weekend, you would be forgiven for

thinking it is spring. Lots of

sunshine, and high temperatures for

some areas. But now it looks like we

are going to be plunged back into

winter. Sunspots struggling to get

higher than 5 degrees. Today, we

have a troublesome area of clouds

swirling around, especially across

England and Wales. The odd heavy

burst of showers this afternoon.

Brighter in western Scotland and

Northern Ireland. Temperature is not

as high as the weekend, but if you

do get some brightness, and you get

to around 10 degrees, not feeling

too bad. This wet weather towards

the south and the east will not be

any hurry to clear away. Sliding

eastwards as we go through the

night. But out west, skies begin to

Claire, and could be a touch of

frost, mist and fog in these areas.

Temperatures above freezing in most

areas. Tomorrow, likely to start off

with a lot of cloud, especially

central and eastern areas. Where you

don't see cloud, we are expecting

spells of sunshine tomorrow,

especially across the western half

of England, Wales, Scotland and

Northern Ireland. But a change for

the middle of the week. This area of

low pressure trying to squash its

way in. The isobars are squeezing

together, showing that the winds

will be brisk, and could touch gale

force wind western areas. But coming

from the south, so mild air.

Wednesday the mildest day of the

week. A bit of uncertainty as to how

far east this wet weather will get.

Further east, a better chance of

sunshine, and in that sunshine you

could easily get up to 14 or 15

degrees. But that will not last.

Starting to see a change through

Thursday and Friday, particularly in

the north. It will remain quite

unsettled, with some spells of rain

at times. Then we get to the

weekend. It looks like high pressure

will build its way down from

Scandinavia, forcing an easterly

wind in our direction, a cold one as

well. For the weekend, chilly with

brisk winds, and the potential for

some wintry showers.

That's all from the BBC News at One,

so it's goodbye from me -