:00:00. > :00:08.Liberal Democrat infighting, a senior Peer resigns
:00:09. > :00:12.saying the party is heading for disaster under Nick Clegg.
:00:13. > :00:13.He tells his supporters to stand firm,
:00:14. > :00:23.dismissing talk of a leadership challenge.
:00:24. > :00:28.People taking potshots at their own side is never OK, one year until the
:00:29. > :00:30.general election. of a leadership challenge.
:00:31. > :00:32.We'll be assessing the fallout from the row.
:00:33. > :00:36.Also tonight, claims the Government was warned three years ago
:00:37. > :00:39.about Muslim hardliners trying to take over schools in Birmingham.
:00:40. > :00:41.Will people in Scotland be financially better off
:00:42. > :00:48.if they vote yes to independence? Conflicting claims
:00:49. > :00:50.in the referendum campaign. Clashes in Calais,
:00:51. > :00:54.hundreds of migrants are evicted from makeshift camps
:00:55. > :00:57.by French riot police. And the American author, poet
:00:58. > :01:05.and activist Maya Angelou has died at the age of 86.
:01:06. > :01:09.Tonight on BBC London, the mayor launches a new contract
:01:10. > :01:13.for landlords and tenants, but how much good will it do for
:01:14. > :01:13.the capital's two million renters? And the congestion charge
:01:14. > :01:34.is to go up by 15% in June. Good evening and welcome
:01:35. > :01:37.to the BBC News At Six. After a week
:01:38. > :01:40.of election disappointment and criticisms of their leader,
:01:41. > :01:44.the Liberal Democrats are facing further controversy tonight.
:01:45. > :01:47.Lord Oakeshott, one of the Lib Dems' most influential figures,
:01:48. > :01:49.has quit the party, saying it's heading for disaster
:01:50. > :01:52.under Nick Clegg. Lord Oakeshott had been facing
:01:53. > :01:55.disciplinary action for commissioning opinion polls
:01:56. > :01:58.about Mr Clegg's leadership. Today Nick Clegg said it wasn't
:01:59. > :01:59.sensible for party members to take potshots at their own side,
:02:00. > :02:13.as Alex Forsyth reports. Nick Clegg has faced huge pressure
:02:14. > :02:18.since his party took a hammering in last week's local and European
:02:19. > :02:24.elections. Now a senior Lib Dem has been scheming to see him ditched as
:02:25. > :02:30.the party's leader. Is there an attempted coup against you? Mr Clegg
:02:31. > :02:34.tried to brush it off. This happens in politics from time to time,
:02:35. > :02:39.people decide to take potshots at their own side, it is never
:02:40. > :02:42.sensible. This is the man causing the problem, Lord Oakeshott, a
:02:43. > :02:45.constant critic of the leadership who commissioned opinion polls
:02:46. > :02:50.suggesting the party would do better without Nick Clegg. When his actions
:02:51. > :02:54.were revealed, he resigned, but not without a departing blow. In a
:02:55. > :03:00.statement, he said, I'm sure the party is heading for disaster if it
:03:01. > :03:05.keeps Nick Clegg, and I must not get in of the brave Liberal Democrats
:03:06. > :03:09.fighting for change. Lord Oakeshott has suggested his friend and ally
:03:10. > :03:12.Vince Cable could be a good replacement. So what did the
:03:13. > :03:16.Business Secretary know about the secret polls? Did you know Lord
:03:17. > :03:22.Oakeshott was conducting these polls? He has been in China on
:03:23. > :03:25.official business. Today he was keeping tight-lipped. But Lord
:03:26. > :03:30.Oakeshott wasn't, he said several weeks ago I told Vince the results
:03:31. > :03:34.of the polls. Only yesterday Vince Cable said, I made it very clear
:03:35. > :03:40.that he, Lord Oakeshott, does not speak or act for me. From within the
:03:41. > :03:43.party's headquarters, senior Lib Dems have insisted Vince Cable knew
:03:44. > :03:49.nothing, but even the hint of division has inflicted more damage
:03:50. > :03:53.on an already bilby did party. One thing - if this was an attempted
:03:54. > :03:59.coup, it looks like it's failed. Well, we could do without it, and
:04:00. > :04:05.Lord Oakeshott's departure was hardly likely to be accompanied by
:04:06. > :04:08.wishing as well. It has been a tough few days. While the party hasn't
:04:09. > :04:15.escaped unscathed, tonight at least it seems Nick Clegg is not going
:04:16. > :04:20.anywhere. And Alex is at Westminster this
:04:21. > :04:25.evening, how the USS the overall scale of the damage here? Lord
:04:26. > :04:28.Oakeshott has gone, some say he has fallen on his sword, and the party
:04:29. > :04:33.will be pleased because there is now some distance between his efforts,
:04:34. > :04:37.which seems to be to undermine the leadership, and the party itself.
:04:38. > :04:41.The real question still remains, what did Vince Cable no? A senior
:04:42. > :04:45.figure in government, a senior figure within the Liberal Democrat
:04:46. > :04:50.party, and in the last few minutes he was asked, from China, what he
:04:51. > :04:55.knew about the polling. This is what he said. I had absolutely no
:04:56. > :04:58.knowledge, I was certainly not involved in any commissioning of the
:04:59. > :05:02.surveys that were done in Sheffield Hallam, Inverness, and indeed I
:05:03. > :05:07.criticised them very severely yesterday. I am here to do a job of
:05:08. > :05:12.work promoting British exports and jobs, that is what I am getting on
:05:13. > :05:16.with. Vince Cable saying he had no knowledge. You can expect the party
:05:17. > :05:20.ranks to close around Nick Clegg now, they know what damage such
:05:21. > :05:24.division will do, but even now we know some local groups are still
:05:25. > :05:28.meeting to discuss the future leadership of the Liberal Democrats.
:05:29. > :05:33.Nick Clegg hanging on for now, but his party not entirely out of the
:05:34. > :05:35.woods yet. Alex, thank you for now. Alex Forsyth.
:05:36. > :05:37.as Alex Forsyth reports. The BBC understands that concerns
:05:38. > :05:39.about Muslim hardliners trying to take over
:05:40. > :05:41.secondary schools in Birmingham were raised with the Government
:05:42. > :05:44.in 2010. A head teacher says he raised
:05:45. > :05:46.the issue three years before an anonymous letter was sent
:05:47. > :05:49.to Birmingham City Council in which Muslim groups were accused
:05:50. > :05:52.of running Operation Trojan Horse, an alleged attempt to force
:05:53. > :05:56.fundamentalist Muslim values on pupils and teachers.
:05:57. > :05:59.Our correspondent Sian Lloyd has this exclusive report.
:06:00. > :06:03.Inside one of the most scrutinised schools in Birmingham,
:06:04. > :06:06.Parkview Academy is one of 21 primary and secondary schools
:06:07. > :06:09.being investigated by Ofsted, the Department for Education,
:06:10. > :06:13.and Birmingham City Council, the authorities' response
:06:14. > :06:18.to allegations made in an anonymous letter
:06:19. > :06:21.made public two months ago of a co-ordinated attempt
:06:22. > :06:26.by Muslim hardliners to take over
:06:27. > :06:28.some Birmingham schools. But this head teacher
:06:29. > :06:31.has told the BBC that he warned government officials
:06:32. > :06:36.of similar concerns more than three years ago.
:06:37. > :06:37.You know, you're beginning to
:06:38. > :06:42.You know, you're beginning some of the motivations that are
:06:43. > :06:45.a tension in Birmingham schools. This is part of the presentation
:06:46. > :06:49.that Tim Boyes took to government in December 2010.
:06:50. > :06:53.under investigation, but he told me he was so concerned
:06:54. > :06:56.about what was happening in other schools
:06:57. > :06:59.he asked for a meeting with the Department for Education.
:07:00. > :07:01.This is a 20-year-old story, and over those 20 years
:07:02. > :07:05.I know of particular places and over those 20 years
:07:06. > :07:09.where these kinds of tensions and politics have exploded.
:07:10. > :07:12.And as a result, head teachers have had nervous breakdowns,
:07:13. > :07:25.they've lost their jobs, schools have been really torn apart.
:07:26. > :07:27.He described events at one school as a bloodless coup.
:07:28. > :07:30.In another school, he reported that staff and governors were in
:07:31. > :07:32.alliance to destabilise the head. In a third school,
:07:33. > :07:35.he claimed governors wanted to remove the head to
:07:36. > :07:38.have a Muslim head teacher instead. But he doesn't criticise officials
:07:39. > :07:43.for not taking things further. He blames education policy.
:07:44. > :07:45.Because of the academy programme encouraging schools to opt out
:07:46. > :07:49.of local authority control, and the local authority family,
:07:50. > :07:52.you've got increasing numbers of schools acting individually,
:07:53. > :08:04.acting on their own. The Department for Education
:08:05. > :08:08.declined our request for an interview, but it has issued a
:08:09. > :08:11.statement. It acknowledges that a meeting with Tim boys did state
:08:12. > :08:17.blaze at a time when the department was looking at ways of making
:08:18. > :08:21.schools more aware of the risks of extremism. -- did take place. There
:08:22. > :08:23.is no place for extremism in our schools, and measures have been
:08:24. > :08:28.taken to combat it. It's been a turbulent time
:08:29. > :08:30.for pupils, parents and teachers in Birmingham.
:08:31. > :08:33.Reports to be published next week are expected to leave some
:08:34. > :08:36.of the schools facing changes in the way they are run.
:08:37. > :08:38.Sian Lloyd, BBC News. Will people in Scotland
:08:39. > :08:41.be better off if they votes yes to independence?
:08:42. > :08:44.That's a crucial question being argued about today
:08:45. > :08:46.in advance of September's referendum.
:08:47. > :08:49.The UK Government says people will be ?1,400 a year better
:08:50. > :08:53.off voting no, but the Scottish Government says
:08:54. > :08:56.voting for independence will be worth an extra ?1,000 per person.
:08:57. > :09:05.Here's our special corresponent Allan Little.
:09:06. > :09:12.Today two sets of data urging travel in opposite directions. Stay on the
:09:13. > :09:17.road you're on, says the UK Treasury, you are ?1400 per year
:09:18. > :09:21.better off in the union. Take the exit marked independence, says the
:09:22. > :09:26.Scottish Government, and you will be ?1000 per year which. The Treasury
:09:27. > :09:32.sent its most senior Scott, rather than George. Danny Alexander said an
:09:33. > :09:36.independent Scotland would start with a budget deficit of 5% of GDP,
:09:37. > :09:42.double that of the UK. Scots should stick with what he called the union
:09:43. > :09:45.dividend. This is the most detailed assessment that the Treasury have
:09:46. > :09:51.published since the five economic tests for joining the euro. This is
:09:52. > :09:55.an impeccable, detailed analysis based on independent sources,
:09:56. > :09:58.looking at the fundamental pressure Scotland would experience under
:09:59. > :10:03.independence. The Treasury says oil revenues will fall away sharply in
:10:04. > :10:06.the next 20 years. Scotland's ageing population will increase pensions
:10:07. > :10:11.and health care costs, and interest rates will be at least 1% higher as
:10:12. > :10:15.international markets would charge more for Scotland to borrow.
:10:16. > :10:18.Releasing their own rival forecast, the Scottish Government said an
:10:19. > :10:22.independent Scotland would inherit strong and sustainable private
:10:23. > :10:28.finances, healthier than that of the UK. -- public. We think the policy
:10:29. > :10:32.choices, the economic choices that Scotland will make will be better
:10:33. > :10:36.run from Scotland, because we think it is an inherent truth that where
:10:37. > :10:38.people live and work in the country, they will make better
:10:39. > :10:42.choices about the future of that country than people who live and
:10:43. > :10:45.work elsewhere. The Scottish Government argues that an
:10:46. > :10:49.independent Scotland would be able to improve productivity with
:10:50. > :10:53.policies tailored to Scottish needs, that economic growth would be
:10:54. > :10:57.stronger, increasing tax deals without increasing taxes themselves,
:10:58. > :11:02.and boost the working age population through better childcare and inward
:11:03. > :11:07.migration. Widely sharp disparity in the forecast? Much of it comes down
:11:08. > :11:10.to oil and gas. -- widely. The Scottish Government is more
:11:11. > :11:15.optimistic about what is left under the sea bed, saying it will bring in
:11:16. > :11:18.?7 billion in tax revenues in the first year of independence. The UK
:11:19. > :11:22.Government says it is less than half that, under 3 billion. The Better
:11:23. > :11:26.Together campaign has a new, more confident spring in its step, they
:11:27. > :11:30.believe the polls have settled, giving them a stable and pretty
:11:31. > :11:35.commanding 60-40 lead, but there is a long way to go, and they know many
:11:36. > :11:39.traditional Labour voters have been crossing over to the independence
:11:40. > :11:46.camp, persuaded by the argument that an independent Scotland would be a
:11:47. > :11:48.fairer and more equal society. Today both sides appealed for Scotland to
:11:49. > :11:52.trust them with the country's economic future, for this, the
:11:53. > :11:55.economy, is the key battle ground. Allan Little, BBC News, Edinburgh.
:11:56. > :11:57.Allan Little. President Barack Obama
:11:58. > :11:59.has outlined his foreign policy aims for the remainder of his presidency.
:12:00. > :12:02.He stressed that diplomacy, rather than military intervention,
:12:03. > :12:04.is the way to resolve crises like those in Ukraine and Iran.
:12:05. > :12:06.He also announced a $5 billion counter-terrorism fund
:12:07. > :12:10.to help other countries fight violent extremism.
:12:11. > :12:15.The American author, poet and activist Maya Angelou
:12:16. > :12:17.has died at the age of 86. The first volume
:12:18. > :12:21.of her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,
:12:22. > :12:24.related her experiences in an era defined by racial segregation.
:12:25. > :12:34.It became a bestseller. Nick Higham looks back at her life.
:12:35. > :12:42.My life ain't heaven, but it sure ain't hell. I'm not on top, but I
:12:43. > :12:47.call it swell. If I'm able to work and get paid right, and have the
:12:48. > :12:54.luck to be black on a Saturday night, hey! Maya Angelou performing
:12:55. > :12:58.one of her own poems. She was charismatic and passionate, a role
:12:59. > :13:02.model who recorded and celebrated the experience of being black in
:13:03. > :13:06.America. She'd grown up in America's deep South, raised by her
:13:07. > :13:10.grandmother amidst poverty, prejudice and racial segregation. At
:13:11. > :13:14.the age of seven, she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She didn't
:13:15. > :13:21.speak for the next five years but read voraciously.
:13:22. > :13:28.# It ain't necessarily so... She appeared on Broadway and toured
:13:29. > :13:33.Europe. In what became an extraordinary career, she travelled
:13:34. > :13:36.to Africa, became a journalist and academic, and back in the States
:13:37. > :13:39.worked with civil rights leaders. But it was her volumes of
:13:40. > :13:44.autobiography that made her name, beginning with I Know Why the Caged
:13:45. > :13:51.Bird Sings, about her childhood in Arkansas. I remember never believing
:13:52. > :13:53.that white folk were real, they couldn't be people because their
:13:54. > :14:01.feet were too small, their skin to white, and see-through. Bill Clinton
:14:02. > :14:06.acknowledged her status when he has stirred to read a poem at his
:14:07. > :14:12.inauguration. History, despite its wrenching pain,
:14:13. > :14:19.cannot be lived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.
:14:20. > :14:23.Barack Obama awarded her the presidential medal of freedom.
:14:24. > :14:26.Martin Luther King told me that he expected there to be a black
:14:27. > :14:31.president in 40 years. I didn't, I thought I would be long dead before
:14:32. > :14:36.it happened. She made movies and documentaries about the black
:14:37. > :14:40.experience, always warm and wise, erudite and encouraging. The
:14:41. > :14:45.excitement is not just to sort of survive but to thrive. And to thrive
:14:46. > :14:53.with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style.
:14:54. > :14:58.Maya Angelou, who's died at the age of 86.
:14:59. > :15:01.Our top story this evening: Nick Clegg tells his supporters to stand
:15:02. > :15:05.firm, dismissing talk of a leadership challenge after a senior
:15:06. > :15:08.firm, dismissing talk of a leadership challenge after a senior
:15:09. > :15:11.Lib Dem peer resigns. And coming up, Google unveils the car that drives
:15:12. > :15:17.itself, but how will people feel about not being in control?
:15:18. > :15:20.Later on BBC London, eight days after the Camden fire,
:15:21. > :15:28.businesses assess the damage and the cost.
:15:29. > :15:29.And as a survey suggests Britons are becoming more racist,
:15:30. > :15:44.we find out how Londoners feel. Police in Calais have spent
:15:45. > :15:47.the day evicting hundreds of migrants from makeshift camps
:15:48. > :15:49.in the port area of the city. Many, from Africa,
:15:50. > :15:52.the Middle East and Asia, have spent months trying to reach Britain.
:15:53. > :15:53.800 people have been living in three camps.
:15:54. > :15:56.The local authorities say the conditions have become
:15:57. > :15:59.unsanitary and that there's been an outbreak of scabies.
:16:00. > :16:05.Our correspondent Paul Adams was at one of the camps.
:16:06. > :16:07.Our correspondent Paul Adams was at one of the camps
:16:08. > :16:10.when the police moved in, and he's just sent this report.
:16:11. > :16:17.First light and they were ready to move. Meagre possessions packed.
:16:18. > :16:24.Wondering what the day would bring. Slowly, carefully, the police herded
:16:25. > :16:29.them out. Inspecting every tent. You're free to go, but you have to
:16:30. > :16:37.leave now they said. We thought France is a European country, we
:16:38. > :16:43.will be safe here in this country, because we run away from war and I
:16:44. > :16:46.am from Syria, but we, we see the opposite.
:16:47. > :16:51.So this whole operation which people have been expecting for the past
:16:52. > :16:56.448-hours are so has been preceding fairly smoothly. Tent by tent the
:16:57. > :17:01.camp is being cleared it is fairly calm but hanging over the process is
:17:02. > :17:04.this looming question, where are these people supposed to go? At
:17:05. > :17:08.first there were no answer, just a stand-off. The refugees fear arrest
:17:09. > :17:12.or deportation, they wonder if we understand what they have been
:17:13. > :17:19.through. Tell all the people in the world,
:17:20. > :17:24.just think about us. He left his home and family in Eritrea, he has
:17:25. > :17:33.been on the move ever since. It is not free, our country.
:17:34. > :17:43.That is why we live alone. Across the desert. Wait a minute, please.
:17:44. > :17:53.A minute. But for some here this moment couldn't come soon enough.
:17:54. > :17:59.Right-wing about visit Lawrence told me it was time. The problem is for,
:18:00. > :18:03.for the town, for Calais, for the image of Calais, it is not good.
:18:04. > :18:07.Back near the port, tempers were frayed. Egged on by local
:18:08. > :18:12.supporterssome of the migrantser recollected barricades. There were
:18:13. > :18:17.scuffles an insults. And back where it started, the
:18:18. > :18:21.bulldozers moved in. The camp they call Syria quickly reduced to a pile
:18:22. > :18:27.of debris. Finally, a deal of sorts. They were
:18:28. > :18:31.told they have one more night here before they have to find another
:18:32. > :18:36.camp outside the city. Claiming his new patch, he prepared
:18:37. > :18:37.for another night in the open. And another leg of his long exhausting
:18:38. > :18:44.journey. and he's just sent this report.
:18:45. > :18:46.The veteran entertainer Rolf Harris has admitted that he complimented
:18:47. > :18:48.a 13-year-old girl when she was wearing a bikini,
:18:49. > :18:52.and that "with hindsight" he may have admired her sexually.
:18:53. > :18:55.But he told a court he did not indecently assault the girl,
:18:56. > :18:57.who was a friend of his daughter. Mr Harris denies 12 counts of
:18:58. > :18:58.indecent assault, alleged to have happened between 1968 and 1986.
:18:59. > :19:13.David Sillito reports. There were no songs today, no show
:19:14. > :19:17.business stories, Rolf Harris's answers were shorter, his tone
:19:18. > :19:20.subdued as the prosecution challenged his account of a
:19:21. > :19:25.relationship with a woman 35 years younger than him. A childhood friend
:19:26. > :19:29.of the woman here, on his right. His daughter Bindi.
:19:30. > :19:34.In court he said the relationship had been consensual. Had begun when
:19:35. > :19:39.she was 18, not as she claims 13. He was asked about a comment made
:19:40. > :19:42.allegedly during a holiday, coming her on her appearance when she was
:19:43. > :20:14.wearing a bikini. It was put to him: He agreed there were no Valentine
:20:15. > :20:17.card, there was barely a conversation, it was put to him this
:20:18. > :20:22.wasn't really a relationship, this was somebody he had groomed from an
:20:23. > :20:30.early age. Someone he had groomed to not say no, to not speak out. He
:20:31. > :20:34.said no, she had been an adult. She had flirted with him. That
:20:35. > :20:38.glittering career, the friendly loveable demeanour, it was put to
:20:39. > :20:44.him it was good at hiding the darker side of his character. He said yes.
:20:45. > :20:50.Four women, 12 charge, Rolf Harris today said they were all making it
:20:51. > :20:54.up. There was one final witness today, a
:20:55. > :20:59.man called Paul Elliott described in court as a king of panto, he has
:21:00. > :21:05.produced 450 Orr the year, 11 with Rolf Harris. He said he was funny,
:21:06. > :21:09.warm, cuddly, a man with a you neebg rapport with the audience and in all
:21:10. > :21:13.the years he has worked with him, never once, he said had there been a
:21:14. > :21:20.complaint about him. The Church of England has outlined
:21:21. > :21:23.details of how it intends to promote the use of credit unions, in an
:21:24. > :21:26.attempt to challenge payday lenders, some of which charge annual interest
:21:27. > :21:28.rates of several thousand percent. The Archbishop of Canterbury has
:21:29. > :21:31.previously said he'd like to put payday firms out of business.
:21:32. > :21:34.A new scheme, which aims to offer community based financial services,
:21:35. > :21:35.is to be piloted in Liverpool and London, as our business
:21:36. > :21:40.correspondent Emma Simpson reports. Years he has worked with him, never
:21:41. > :21:43.once, he said had there been a complaint about him. Payday lender,
:21:44. > :21:46.they offer quick credit, to people in need. But the interest rates can
:21:47. > :21:52.go sky high. Now, they have got competition from
:21:53. > :21:57.the church. They will work with you, how much
:21:58. > :22:02.you can afford a month. Meet Rosa, a financially savvy vicar, she is on a
:22:03. > :22:06.mission to recruit people to her local credit union. Have to borrow
:22:07. > :22:12.some money and then... 18 months ago this grandmother took out a payday
:22:13. > :22:19.loan for ?1200, which spiralled out of control. She has only managed to
:22:20. > :22:25.pay back the ?700 worth of interest. I thought I would be able to pay
:22:26. > :22:30.back, you know, over the period, in the short given time. But it doesn't
:22:31. > :22:35.work, because the plan to do this and then something else comes up. It
:22:36. > :22:39.may not hand out the cash but should the church be given financial
:22:40. > :22:42.advice? Money is a thing that we need to use every day, we can't get
:22:43. > :22:47.away from it, but we have to be responsible with it. We have to make
:22:48. > :22:50.it work for us, and not become slave to it.
:22:51. > :22:55.That is why I think it is important from the church.
:22:56. > :22:59.This is just a trial, but with some 16,000 parish, the Church of England
:23:00. > :23:03.believes that it has the potential to create this biggest branch
:23:04. > :23:08.network in the country. So what is the difference between a credit
:23:09. > :23:14.union, and a payday lender? Well, a credit union is not for profit. With
:23:15. > :23:20.interest at a maximum of 3% a month. So a ?400 loan would cost ?12. A
:23:21. > :23:25.payday lender is a commercial enterprise. Its interest rate is
:23:26. > :23:29.unlimited. That same loan could cost round ?127.
:23:30. > :23:34.But payday loan companies say they fill a gap in the market. Credit
:23:35. > :23:38.unions aren't really interested in getting into the short-term lending,
:23:39. > :23:44.they are more interested in savings and longer term loan products rather
:23:45. > :23:48.than a short-term loan and that is a different product which is something
:23:49. > :23:51.the payday industry will provide. The Church of England is taking them
:23:52. > :23:58.on now, and it hopes there will be many more signing up for its new
:23:59. > :24:01.service. England's cricketers have enjoyed
:24:02. > :24:05.one of their most comprehensive victories ever, in a one day
:24:06. > :24:10.international. They beat Sri Lanka at Old Trafford after bowling them
:24:11. > :24:16.out for 67. Only once before had England dismissed a team for a lower
:24:17. > :24:20.total in this form of cricket. Chris Jordan took five wickets who knocked
:24:21. > :24:22.off the runs without losing a wicket.
:24:23. > :24:25.correspondent Emma Simpson reports. They are already giants
:24:26. > :24:27.of the internet and the world of communications.
:24:28. > :24:28.Now Google has announced it will start building
:24:29. > :24:30.its own driverless cars. The company says it wants to make
:24:31. > :24:32.driving safer by removing human error.
:24:33. > :24:35.The vehicles won't have a steering wheel or pedals,
:24:36. > :24:38.just a start and a stop button. But how will people feel
:24:39. > :24:39.about not being in control ? Here's our technology
:24:40. > :24:48.correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones. No steering wheel, no accuse
:24:49. > :24:52.accelerator, not even a brake. This could be the future of motoring.
:24:53. > :24:57.Belt up, press a button and off you go. There is no steering wheel in
:24:58. > :25:01.the way. The maximum speed is 25mph. Sensors is and software detect other
:25:02. > :25:07.vehicles, and softer materials should make it safer if it did hit a
:25:08. > :25:11.pedestrian. Google is to build 100 of these self-driving vehicles in
:25:12. > :25:18.the next stage of a hugely am be shus project which has evolved
:25:19. > :25:22.adapting existing cars, the promises this vehicle will bring increased
:25:23. > :25:28.mobility to all sorts of people and may cut road accident, many of which
:25:29. > :25:31.are caused by human error. The big car makers are bringing in some
:25:32. > :25:35.automation, this Ford helps you keep in lane, and when it comes to
:25:36. > :25:40.reversing into a tight spot, the car can take over.
:25:41. > :25:44.Now I am not the world's best Parker so the level of automation when you
:25:45. > :25:51.take your hands off the steering wheel and let it happen is fine by
:25:52. > :25:57.me, how happy would we be to let the car take over in all circumstances?
:25:58. > :25:59.The key of course is safety, Google's existing self-driving car
:26:00. > :26:03.has driven hundreds of thousands of miles without an accident. It can
:26:04. > :26:09.for instance spot a cyclist pulling out. Watching this example when the
:26:10. > :26:16.cyclist holds up his arm it exacts his signal and predicts its
:26:17. > :26:17.movement. For this idea to take off would involve big spending on the
:26:18. > :26:22.road system and a change would involve big spending on the
:26:23. > :26:23.attitudes to motoring The major constraints are the
:26:24. > :26:26.attitudes to motoring The major roads, the seven, so you would have
:26:27. > :26:30.to have individual lanes for these car, rather than mixing with normal
:26:31. > :26:32.traffic, and then, are we as human beings ready for that moment where
:26:33. > :26:36.you take away beings ready for that moment where
:26:37. > :26:38.sit in your box, and off you go? Google plans to run a pilot
:26:39. > :26:42.sit in your box, and off you go? programme for its
:26:43. > :26:45.sit in your box, and off you go? near its California head quarters in
:26:46. > :26:49.the next couple of years. It will be a long time before most city streets
:26:50. > :27:00.are ready for motoring rout motorists.
:27:01. > :27:03.There is no way to follow that. It will need windscreen wipers if it is
:27:04. > :27:07.going to be a hit here. It has been a grotty day in many parts, some
:27:08. > :27:10.heavy rain pushing in northern England and Scotland, Northern
:27:11. > :27:15.Ireland, where you have had a reasonably fine day the rain will
:27:16. > :27:20.arrive later on so a change in weather. Nobody immune for dampness.
:27:21. > :27:24.It will be a relatively mild night but misty, a lot of fog forming on
:27:25. > :27:30.the high ground, so be aware of that. It could be nasty and damp
:27:31. > :27:34.start to the gape for many in parts of England. Slow improvements here,
:27:35. > :27:39.but it will be brighter to the south and the north eventually. You might
:27:40. > :27:40.have to be patient, a snapshot mid afternoon, still some grey weather
:27:41. > :27:43.across the heart afternoon, still some grey weather
:27:44. > :27:46.England. Most of the heavy rain should be fading away.
:27:47. > :27:48.England. Most of the heavy rain border, brighter for Scotland, there
:27:49. > :27:51.will be plenty of sunshine, a nice day with light winds, it will feel
:27:52. > :27:57.comfortable. day with light winds, it will feel
:27:58. > :27:59.we will have lost the brightness, dampness hanging on for much of the
:28:00. > :28:03.day. Further south, dampness hanging on for much of the
:28:04. > :28:04.and southern parts of the UK, OK there
:28:05. > :28:09.and southern parts of the UK, OK will be heavy thundery downpour,
:28:10. > :28:11.hit-and-miss, you might get away with it but there will be nasty
:28:12. > :28:15.storms round, with it but there will be nasty
:28:16. > :28:21.Faure, but in the brighter spell, it will feel warmer than it has done.
:28:22. > :28:25.-- affair. The main message as we end the week it will turn drier for
:28:26. > :28:31.most of us, not totally dry on Friday, still the chance of the odd
:28:32. > :28:37.shower in southern areas but most of us will avoid these. With light
:28:38. > :28:40.winds, it should feel reasonable enough, mid, possible high teens in
:28:41. > :28:44.one or two places, for the weekend, a lot of uncertainty, but plenty of
:28:45. > :28:46.dry weather for a time, the threat of rain later on, pushing in from
:28:47. > :28:51.the north-west. correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones.
:28:52. > :28:54.A reminder of our main story. Nick Clegg tells his supporters to
:28:55. > :28:55.stand firm, dismissing talk of a leadership challenge, after
:28:56. > :28:56.a senior