24/08/2017 BBC News at Six

Tonight at six, new migration figures set off a debate about

Net migration to the UK falls to the lowest level for three years.

And there's a surge in the number of EU nationals leaving -

many feel they're no longer earning enough in pounds.

We want to go there because we can find good jobs for the same money.

We'll have a close look at what's driving these migration changes.

In England these were the first students to take new, tougher exams.

Kim Briggs died after she was hit by a cyclist -

now her husband calls for new laws to tackle reckless riders.

I'm doing it in Kim's name, but I'm also doing it

to ensure that, just perhaps, we can stop this happening again.

Once they were thriving communities - today people in mining towns claim

disability benefits at up to three times the national average.

A walk a day keeps the doctor at bay - but millions don't even manage

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News, after guaranteeing

qualification last night, Liverpool are one of six British clubs who

discover who they will face in this season's Champions League.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

There's been a sharp fall in net migration to the UK -

that's the difference between the number of people

It's at the lowest level for three years.

Let's have a closer look at the numbers.

Net migration now stands at 246,000 in the year to March 2017.

That's a fall of 81,000 compared with the previous 12 months.

More than half of that change is due to a fall in net migration of EU

But remember, this still means there are twice as many EU nationals

Here's our home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford.

For many Eastern Europeans, the time has come to go. The triggers, Brexit

and the falling pound. Among the crowds at London's coach station,

Daniel, who is handing back to Romania at Christmas. He said Leave

voters had driven him out. I think they are a little bit racist with

the European people. For that reason. That is why you are planning

to leave? Yes, and also because sterling is going down, you know? We

want to go there, because we can find good jobs for the same money.

At this chicken hatchery in West Oxfordshire, they have become

reliant on workers from countries like Poland that joined the EU in

2004. It allowed their business to expand, year-on-year. But today's

figures show that suddenly almost as many people from those countries are

leaving as arriving. The owner is losing staff and struggling to find

new ones. The referendum was when people really thought about it. Over

the last 12 months or so, it has got worse and worse. People have thought

about it more and more and it is now becoming a reality. This isn't

something that might happen in the future, in 2019. People like myself,

recruiting staff, it is a problem today. Further up the chain in

chicken production they are even more reliant on EU workers. For the

first time in years, he is planning to shrink the business, not grow it.

Rightly or wrongly, huge sections of the agricultural, food production,

hospitality and manufacturing industries in the UK have become

reliant on a ready supply of workers from the European Union. Now, all of

a sudden, that supply is drying up. Today's figures show the total

number of people arriving in Britain to live, study or work, minus those

leaving, is still almost 250,000 a year. But the headline figure is

dropping and the single biggest factor is that fewer Europeans are

coming, and more are leaving. It is good to see that we have net

migration coming down, but we can't be complacent, we won't be

complacent. There are still a lot of work to do, and we will continue to

do that to deliver ultimately on the long-term ambition to see it fall to

sustainable levels. Of course, millions of EU citizens are still

working in the UK commonplaces like this Scandinavian cafe, and many

will stay. But it is becoming less attractive. The UK economy is now

performing less well, perhaps, than some of the eurozone economies.

Another one is that the value of the pound has declined, which means,

firstly, it is more expensive to live in the UK, things cost more.

Also, if you are earning money in the UK and you want to

spend it in another country or send it home to your family, it is worth

less. The figures are the strongest sign yet of a Brexit effect on

immigration. The question is, what will the knock-on effect be on the

economy? We have looked at the Brexit effect,

but there is another aspect, students? There has been concern

that some people might have been using the route of coming to Britain

to study as a sort of back door into the UK. The Government spent a lot

of effort on closing down fake colleges that were being used as an

illegal way of coming to Britain. Now, some work has been done to look

at people who come on a student fees, what happens next? Actually, a

very positive result for the Government, 97.4% of people that

come here on a student Visa then leave and do not overstay in any

kind of illegal manner. That is quite positive news for them. What

the Government wants to lock-out is whether or not having this large

number of international students have a positive effect on the

economy, so having got the thing under control, they are now keen to

show that this is actually something that is a net positive affect the

economy, not something that does not have any great benefits all.

Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland there's been

a slight dip in the number of students getting the top grades.

In England, this was the first year when pupils taking English

and maths were sitting new, tougher exams.

And they're marked differently - the old A* and A has been

replaced by grades 7, 8 and 9.

But it wasn't just students in England who faced some changes -

as education editor Branwen Jeffreys reports.

A jumble of letters and numbers. Mainly Cs... Two sixes and a five.

Making sense of the GCSE results. The first 16-year-olds to take the

tougher exams. There is new content that you have to learn. There is not

much time to learn it in. We are learning a level stuff as well as

GCSE. It is really difficult. It was a shock. It's making sure smart

people get the grades they deserve, I think. Maybe? At this

Nottinghamshire school, tears mainly of relief. For the kids this year,

the new GCSEs have been a real culture shock. They have had to

learn so much more, remember so much more, and their grades have all

rested on these final exams. The results here, much better than last

year. But at a cost. They couldn't teach it all in the school day. We

have had a compulsory session after school, particularly focused on

English and maths, but on a rotation other subjects, for the increased

content. That will get even tougher as we move towards the new GCSEs in

all of the other subjects. The pass rate in England for 16-year-olds

moved just a little. In English language, 69.9% got a four or above,

a little better than in the old exam last year. In English literature, it

was 72.5%. In maths, 70.7%. Both just slightly down, because the

great points are moved to avoid a big drop in results. -- grade

points. Three A*s, the rest Bs. In Wales, the results included six new

GCSEs. Many took exams a year early. As a result, fewer pupils got good

grades, still counted here in A* to C. This is where they pick up the

pieces. In England, maths and English resits are compulsory, for

anyone getting a three this year. Does that help us be a better

skilled nation? It is a significant concern for us. Not just about how

they are going to do it, but also the appropriateness. A lot of young

people come to colleges to go into vocational education, into technical

education and GCSEs, traditional GCSE routes. Are there was the right

routes? Today's results are just the beginning. What children learn in

England is changing, with more tough GCSEs to follow.

Amongst those receiving their results today

She sat one of her exams in the days after she found out that her brother

Martyn Hett had died in the Manchester Arena bombing.

The 16-year-old from Stockport Grammar was trying

to revise while the rest of the family was waiting

Or did you get in your GCSEs? 11 A*s! Her school said they would

accept her predicted grades when they heard her brother, Martyn, was

killed right in the middle of her GCSEs. But Nikita wanted to sit her

exams. She said they gave her something to focus on, which helped

her deal with the pain of losing her brother. Was a massive shock. I

think the shock lasted a long time. I wasn't really focused on sadness,

it was more... It was just weird. Everything was really weird. Then

exams are something that was something else. Her family were

impressed by her performance. Her brother said, my little sister is an

actual hero. 11 A*s grades. I've never been more proud or amazed by

anyone. Her parents couldn't quite believe it. After everything that

had happened, I think we were just hoping she would get... Do well, but

we expected there to be some sort of repercussion in the results and it

affect her performance in some way. I thought, well, if she didn't do

well in some subjects, she could resit them next year. So to see that

result, just... Unbelievable. So, what would Martyn think of his

little sister's achievements? Who would be so happy, tweeting about

it. More excited than I am. And she will continue to do her brother

proud. She plans to go on to study A-levels in maths, further maths,

physics and classics. A woman who made up a string

of false rape and sexual assault allegations has been jailed for ten

years for perjury and perverting Jemma Beale, who's 25,

was found guilty in July. One of the men she wrongly accused

spent time in prison. The prosecution said investigating

all of her claims had cost at least Yesterday we brought you the case

involving Kim Briggs, who died after she had been knocked down

by cyclist Charlie Alliston. The case has sparked off an argument

about whether the law as it stands is fit for an age when more and more

people are travelling on two wheels. In court, the jury convicted

Alliston of wanton and furious driving, a crime which dates back

to Victorian times. Kim's husband, Matt,

is now calling for a new law - She had this mantra

of make every day count. Enormous believer in filling life

with experiences, with travel. A wife and mother who died after

suffering serious head injuries. She was hit by a bike that shouldn't

have been on the road. It was designed for the velodrome -

fixed gear and with no front brake. Charlie Alliston, in

the middle, was riding. He was cleared of manslaughter,

but convicted of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving,

under a law from Victorian times. I'm just asking that the law

catches up, as it is doing This case raises some broader issues

about how cyclists and pedestrians But the key question is how much

responsibility should cyclists have Should that responsibility be

at the same level as car drivers? It's prompted plenty of debate,

especially amongst cyclists. We all have a responsibility

to each other on the roads. I think, you know, if someone's

causing death by dangerous cycling, why should that be different,

in a sense, from causing death You regularly see bikes that

aren't fit for the road, basically and shouldn't be out

on the road. Bikes with freewheels,

that have brakes that don't work, which are more dangerous

than a fixed-wheel without brakes. Some cycling groups want to see

all traffic laws reviewed The problem we've got is there's

a stack of offences in relation to the conduct of people

on the roads, where we use careless, reckless, furious, wanton,

dangerous, and there's Matt Briggs rides a bike himself,

but he thinks a change This is the right thing to do and,

yes, I'm doing it in Kim's name, but I'm also doing it to ensure

that, just perhaps, we can stop Many more pedestrians and cyclists

are killed by vehicles. But our streets are getting

busier, with the potential Net migration to the UK falls

to the lowest level for three years and there's a surge in the number

of EU nationals leaving. And coming up, a tune

for a British summer. Test Match Special

marks its 60th birthday. Coming up in Sportsday on BBC News,

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says his back to finish what he started at Manchester

United, he has signed a new one-year deal after his debut season was

ended by injury. You'd have thought a ten-minute walk

a day is not asking much but you'd be surprised how

few of us manage that. Officials at Public Health

England have found that over 40% of adults aged between 40

and 60 don't manage even one brisk That has a cost - one in six adult

deaths are linked to inactivity. And it turns out we are 20% less

active then we were in the 1960s. Here's our health

correspondent Dominic Hughes. In the Derbyshire Peak District,

these walkers are about to head to the hills. I believe the weather is

going to be fine, we hope! The beauty of walking is it's free, you

don't need any special training or kit, and there are physical and

mental benefits. People like Liam Quigley who joined this club after

putting on weight in his 50s. Psychologically it's great, if you

feel a bit down and you come to an area like this, get a few miles

under your belt and you get home feeling 100% better. Nothing seems

as bad as it did before. Now Public Health England says not enough

adults are getting activity, but walking briskly at around three

miles per hour for around ten minutes per day can significantly

reduce the risk of ill-health. That's the advice GP Doctor Zoe

Williams offers her patients. Practising what she preaches, she

uses a smartphone app to measure her progress. Millions of adults are

missing out. Four in ten adults between the ages of 40 and 60 are

not managing to achieve ten minutes of brisk walking per month, which

sounds unbelievable, and lots of those people will be walking but not

walking at a brisk pace and it's important to walk briskly because

that's when you get the health benefits. But for many, time is the

biggest obstacle to exercise. Generally I will rather drive them

walk because I need to get there in a hurry. We do go for a walk but not

always brisk. You can always make time. One less cake, one more walk.

This advice from health experts to do ten minutes of brisk walking per

day sounds simple enough but many struggle to work that kind of

activity into our everyday lives so here are some tips if you use public

transport to get to work you could hop off a stop early and continued

the rest of your journey on foot. Once you get to work, don't take the

lift, use the stairs. If you get a lunch

hour, you could use that time to stretch your legs. Walking can help

with weight loss, back pain, long-term conditions like diabetes,

even reducing the risk of cancer. Now we are all being urged to get up

and get moving. Shares in Dixon Carphone slumped

by almost a third this morning Its blaming falling

sales of mobile phones. Our Technology Correspondent Rory

Cellan Jones is here. Now with falling out of love with

our mobile phones? I don't think so but it seems we may be deciding not

to upgrade them so often. Dixon carphone saying it will cost them a

lot of money. You only need to take a look at a handful of modern mobile

phones, they all look exactly the same and every new phone has got

maybe some slight wrinkle in it but people are finding it hard to

justify the added cost and that's the other factor, they are just

getting more expensive. The fall in the pound has led to big rises in

prices. We saw Samsung issue a phone which will cost ?869 as a starting

price, and there are rumours that the new iPhone may cost up to ?1000

so beginning to bite, that price rise. OK, thank you very much.

Coal mining used to be one of the biggest industries in the UK

but its demise has taken a heavy toll on many former miners

Around half 1 million people in those areas are claiming

disability benefits - in some places it's three times

Our Disability Affairs Correspondent Nikki Fox reports now

from the village of Horden in County Durham.

The old mining village of Horden, nestled along the north-east coast.

The industry is gone, but the people remain.

And, most of all, some understanding.

The strength is absolutely going out of me.

And that's why I am grateful for any help that I get.

Both these men have spent years at the coal face.

Like so many on these terraced streets, their lives have been

For Nick, that's looking after his recently disabled wife, Dot.

When she leaves hospital, he'll become her full-time carer

It is one hell of a struggle, financially.

Whereas when I worked in the pit, you never really

It was a dangerous job that left its mark on the miners

who risked their lives, leaving many with hearing loss, lung

Once part of a thriving community - now neglected, forgotten.

High rates of unemployment, poverty and three times as many

people claiming disability benefits than the national average.

These people gave their life to this country to produce coal,

they've just been left to wither on the vine.

You shouldn't be treating people with disabilities

Ron worked here for more than 40 years.

His life underground left him deaf, and now he's blind.

He no longer feels he belongs in the village he once loved.

There's nothing in this area for us. Nothing.

And I couldn't. I couldn't.

The community is trying to regain what it's lost.

I didn't know what I was entitled to...

This friendly drop-in centre offers locals the chance to meet and get

help with the very basics, like food, housing and transport.

What we'll do is speak to the carers...

Nick is one of those getting that help, a referral

A proud miner who has hit rock bottom.

Anybody asked for anything, I'd be there straight away to do it.

Now, if it's me needing help, I don't know.

The demise of the coal-mining industry has left

It's unlikely this generation will see the investment that's

so badly needed to improve the lives of disabled people who live in these

Test Match Special is celebrating its 60th birthday today

Teams of celebrities coached by the BBC's cricket correspondent

Jonathan Agnew and the former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott

have been playing at the University of Leeds.

Our Media Correspondent, Amol Rajan, looks back

It's the sound of the English summer and this year it turned 60. He got

there in the slips! Four sixths decades, Test Match Special has

marked the fluctuating fortunes of English cricketers at home and

abroad, and in 1991 it delivered perhaps the most famous episode of

cricketing commentary ever when Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew

caught the giggles. He just didn't quite get his leg over. For

goodness' sake, stop it! It's obviously funny because people laugh

at it and it's amazing really, it captured everything about Test Match

Special I think. There are people having fun in the commentary box,

that innuendo that goes on at the same time. It's a bit charming and

silly. Cricket lends itself to talk radio. The long pauses and epic

drama which unfolds over five days have to be filled with something,

and that's something for the past 60 years has been the eccentrically

English banter in the commentary box. Cricket itself has changed

irreversibly over that period and Test Match Special celebrating today

has always tried to move with the times. It's the stories, the

characters behind the microphone that bring the sport we love so much

to life. Ebony played as a professional and is now part of the

Test Match Special team. It was a fast, dynamic way of getting into

the game, and more women have got involved with different types of

games and shown we are adaptable across all formats. The game,

because it has moved on, it has kept up with the times. In recent decades

television rights and then the internet drugs this most traditional

of games into modernity but before then it was the old transistor radio

that being the latest score to an engrossed public. And 60 years on,

Test Match Special is bowling over new audiences as never before.

The UK's only female giant panda, Tian Tian,

Her keepers at Edinburgh Zoo say they don't have an exact due date

Tian Tian was thought to have been pregnant several times before

but has never given birth to a live cub.

I suspect we will have to wait a little while to see if we get the

baby panda and we will have to wait and see if the weather changes as

well because it's not going to change much over the next few days.

The sort of whether you had today is the sort of whether you will get

over the next few days so Northern Ireland for example seeing some rain

at times, not all the time and it will feel fairly cool. Further south

and east largely dry, not too many showers and pleasantly

warm in any sunshine, as it was for this weather watcher in Kent

earlier. We have this low pressure to the west but rather than moving

through quickly it will spin around aimlessly over the next few days. It

will continue to feed rain into western Scotland and Northern

Ireland overnight. Tomorrow, very little changes. Still outbreaks of

rain into Northern Ireland and western Scotland, nothing

desperately heavy. Eastern Scotland and northern England seeing a few

showers. More cloud developing into the afternoon but the vast majority

will stay dry. While temperatures in Glasgow and Belfast will top out at

16 or 17 degrees, in London we could be seen 25 degrees. Into the start

of the weekend our area of low pressure spinning aimlessly to the

north, but one subtle change, a weather front which will introduce

some cloud across England and Wales on Saturday. Maybe the odd shower.

Some spells and sunshine in between, 17-25d. As we get into the latter

part of the weekend, Sunday and Monday, a bank holiday for many,

central and eastern areas should be dry, further north the chance of a

shower on Sunday. That's all from the BBC News at Six

so it's goodbye from me - and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.