0:00:05 > 0:00:08A lifeline for thousands of workers employed by the failed
0:00:08 > 0:00:11company Carillion - many are told they'll
0:00:11 > 0:00:13keep their jobs, for now.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But as work's paused on construction sites run by company,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20its collapse prompts angry exchanges in Parliament.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24It looks like the Government was handing Carillion public
0:00:24 > 0:00:29contracts either to keep the company afloat, which clearly hasn't worked,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34or it was just deeply negligent.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We were a customer of Carillion, not the manager of Carillion, and that's
0:00:37 > 0:00:40a very important difference.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43As politicians argue over the best way to run
0:00:43 > 0:00:45and deliver public services, we'll be looking at
0:00:45 > 0:00:48the impact the collapse of the company could have.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Also tonight:
0:00:50 > 0:00:53More than one in ten nurses is leaving the NHS
0:00:53 > 0:00:55in England every year, as the gap between those leaving
0:00:55 > 0:00:59and joining widens.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02A court hears former Wales manager Gary Speed is one of four men
0:01:02 > 0:01:05who committed suicide after being coached
0:01:05 > 0:01:10by Barry Bennell, who's on trial for child sex abuse.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Severe weather warning - police tell drivers in central
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and southern Scotland to stay off the roads, after hundreds
0:01:15 > 0:01:19were stranded last night.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21And, after almost 1,000 years, the Bayeux tapestry could leave
0:01:21 > 0:01:27France for the first time and be loaned to the UK.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Coming up on Sportsday later in the hour on BBC News:
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Despite facing a charge of affray, Ben Stokes will be available to play
0:01:33 > 0:01:36for England again next month.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Good evening, and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02There's some relief tonight for thousands of people affected
0:02:02 > 0:02:06by the collapse of the construction and services giant Carillion.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09The Government's insolvency service says most private companies carrying
0:02:09 > 0:02:12out work for Carillion, like catering and cleaning,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17will continue to pay their workers until new suppliers can be found.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21The company's collapse prompted angry exchanges in Parliament.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Labour said it was unbelievable that Ministers continued awarding
0:02:24 > 0:02:28contracts to the firm despite a series of profit warnings.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31The Prime Minister said it would have been wrong to use public
0:02:31 > 0:02:33money to bail out the business.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39Our Business Editor, Simon Jack, reports.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46After shutting up shop yesterday, work at Highfield Park in Nottingham
0:02:46 > 0:02:52regime today. They... Is to keep paying for work on Carillion's
0:02:52 > 0:02:55public sector contracts was good enough for one stonemasons
0:02:55 > 0:03:00companies... We held the project off for a day, now we are actually back
0:03:00 > 0:03:03on the project. Our main concern is making sure that those payments
0:03:03 > 0:03:10made. Becausesmall contract is the biggest livelihoods in this, they
0:03:10 > 0:03:14are going to suffer from the impact of this severe problem that has been
0:03:14 > 0:03:18caused by Carillion.Private sector customers like nationwide were given
0:03:18 > 0:03:22just 48-hour decide if they wanted to keep paying for services
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Carillion was providing. Nationwide was among 90% of customers who said
0:03:26 > 0:03:30yes, for now. Great news for thousands of workers. Not according
0:03:30 > 0:03:35to union leaders.I'm encouraged that these clients want work to
0:03:35 > 0:03:39continue, but it is a stay of execution for the people they
0:03:39 > 0:03:42represent. We are not looking for short-term is, we are looking for
0:03:42 > 0:03:46protection by long-term. This is a stay of execution that frankly is
0:03:46 > 0:03:50not good enough.The banking industry promised today that it will
0:03:50 > 0:03:55extend overdrafts and give payment holidays to firms owed money by
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Carillion to help limit the knock-on damage done the supply chain. A
0:03:59 > 0:04:02reprieve for thousands of private sector service workers, and the
0:04:02 > 0:04:06banks are promising to help limit the fallout. Here at this Carillion
0:04:06 > 0:04:11constructions died in King's Cross, activity has come to a stand still.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16-- construction site. Workers cannot get on site to get their tools so
0:04:16 > 0:04:19that they can carry on with other jobs. Talks are advanced on the
0:04:19 > 0:04:25creation of a Cox forced to help limit the ballot so might damage
0:04:25 > 0:04:29done -- to help limit the damage done. The pressure on Chris Grayling
0:04:29 > 0:04:34did not let up today. Why did Carillion land big contract after
0:04:34 > 0:04:41multiple profit warnings?When HS2 awarded the contract last summer, a
0:04:41 > 0:04:46lot of work was done to ensure that if Carillion ran into problems, the
0:04:46 > 0:04:50contract was covered, and that is what happened. Over the years, many
0:04:50 > 0:04:54UK construction firms have had ups and downs and delivered profit
0:04:54 > 0:04:57warnings and they have come through those.Deep ideological differences
0:04:57 > 0:05:03on the role of private companies in the public sector from Dover at
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Prime Minister's Questions.As the ruins of Carillion lie around her,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Wilbur Prime Minister to act to end this costly racket of the
0:05:12 > 0:05:16relationship between... And some of these companies?Theresa May
0:05:16 > 0:05:20reminded Jeremy Corbyn that one third of Carillion's public
0:05:20 > 0:05:25contracts were awarded under Labour, and the model was still valid.We
0:05:25 > 0:05:28want to provide good quality public services and deliver the best value
0:05:28 > 0:05:33to the taxpayer. We are making sure in this case that public services
0:05:33 > 0:05:42continue to be provided, that the workers in
0:05:42 > 0:05:44workers in these public servers is of supported, and taxpayers are
0:05:44 > 0:05:46protected.Outrage was expressed that the owner of this chalet, the
0:05:46 > 0:05:49former Carillion boss, was due to collect his £666,000 salary until
0:05:49 > 0:05:52October. All former payments to directors will now be stopped. That
0:05:52 > 0:06:00may be so much may not be enough to cool tempers back in the UK.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02The collapse of Carillion has caused many projects
0:06:02 > 0:06:04across the country to be halted.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06But some had already run into trouble, like one
0:06:06 > 0:06:09of its biggest projects - the £335 million contract to build
0:06:09 > 0:06:11the new Royal Liverpool Hospital, as our correspondent Judith Moritz
0:06:11 > 0:06:14reports.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20Brick by brick, floor by floor, the new £335 million Royal Liverpool
0:06:20 > 0:06:25Hospital has been taking shape, building work on going. Until this
0:06:25 > 0:06:30week. Since Carillion's collapse, subcontractors here have stopped
0:06:30 > 0:06:34work. Some are owed money and have downed tools for now. Meanwhile,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39next door at the hospital is due to replace, there is restriction., who
0:06:39 > 0:06:43are waiting for the new building to be ready. But until things are
0:06:43 > 0:06:51clear, Hospital bosses know it will be difficult to
0:06:51 > 0:06:53be difficult to get the builders back to work.I would say the
0:06:53 > 0:06:55contractors, please come on site, you will get paid for the work you
0:06:55 > 0:06:58are doing. We recognise there is an issue with the money you are owed,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01but there are guarantees about future payments. We will work with
0:07:01 > 0:07:03the hospital company and the receivers to try and ensure that
0:07:03 > 0:07:07there is some compensation.Is their anger about this?I wouldn't say it
0:07:07 > 0:07:12is and. We feel sorry for the staff and the subcontractors of Carillion.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17It's not anger. Its empathy with the situation they are in, really.The
0:07:17 > 0:07:31old hospital was built in the 1970s and is showing its age. Crumbling
0:07:31 > 0:07:33concrete and rusting pipework. The new building was privately financed,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35but it's progress was slow for various structural reasons, and it
0:07:35 > 0:07:38was sited at the time of Carillion's first profit warning. The new
0:07:38 > 0:07:40hospital should have been completed last March, but Carillion missed
0:07:40 > 0:07:43that deadline. And for every month it was delayed, the company faced a
0:07:43 > 0:07:50bill of £1.5 million. Despite the Carillion chaos, the trust says it
0:07:50 > 0:07:54is confident that work will restart soon. Although it can't say exactly
0:07:54 > 0:07:58when the city will get its new hospital. Judith Moritz, BBC News,
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Liverpool.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Our Deputy Political Editor, John Pienaar, is at Westminster.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The company's collapse certainly sparked fierce debate in the Commons
0:08:04 > 0:08:11today about the best way to run and deliver public services?
0:08:11 > 0:08:16It did, so few. Today we saw the red versus blue, public versus Private
0:08:16 > 0:08:20row. We thought it had been settled by Kate ago and now looks as if it
0:08:20 > 0:08:24is being fought out a fresh, and the Government is having to fight that
0:08:24 > 0:08:27baffle whilst dealing with tough questions and attacks and problems
0:08:27 > 0:08:31here caused by the Carillion collapse. Today we have that
0:08:31 > 0:08:34promised that former executives' pay-outs could be clawed back. There
0:08:34 > 0:08:38were more questions about why fresh contract were given to Carillion
0:08:38 > 0:08:42while the company was in trouble. There will have to be a policy
0:08:42 > 0:08:45response, but the Government's options seem limited. There is
0:08:45 > 0:08:48already early talk that maybe companies would have to come up with
0:08:48 > 0:08:53plans to show how they deal with a potential future graces. In the
0:08:53 > 0:08:56past, ministers have considered the idea of making companies like
0:08:56 > 0:09:01Carillion break-up into Vienna, 50 units. But that idea be dusted off
0:09:01 > 0:09:04again? Is eventually, the Government will have to win this argument that
0:09:04 > 0:09:13says the private sector is the best and
0:09:14 > 0:09:16and most efficient way of delivering what the state has to do. And that
0:09:16 > 0:09:19tough and tight margins on companies like Carillion are the best way to
0:09:19 > 0:09:22get value for the taxpayer. If they can't do that, this could be a
0:09:22 > 0:09:24serious, lasting setback for the Government. Even the political
0:09:24 > 0:09:26watershed that Jeremy Corbyn hoped it would be when Carillion
0:09:26 > 0:09:29collapsed.John Pienaar in Westminster, thank you.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32One in ten nurses is leaving the NHS in England every year,
0:09:32 > 0:09:33according to the latest figures.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And the gap between the number leaving and those joining
0:09:36 > 0:09:39has widened to 3,000 - the highest for at least five years.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42The Royal College of Nursing says the NHS is haemorrhaging staff,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45but the Government says it has plans to boost recruitment.
0:09:45 > 0:09:52Our Health Editor, Hugh Pym, reports.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Voices from the front line. Nurses on the challenges of their jobs in
0:09:57 > 0:10:03the 70th year of the NHS.They do it because it's in their bones, they
0:10:03 > 0:10:07have this desire to care for the most vulnerable people.Just having
0:10:07 > 0:10:15a lot of patience to look after, one member of staff. Patient to staff
0:10:15 > 0:10:21ratio, it's quite high.Much of the work that nurses carry out today is
0:10:21 > 0:10:24the type of work doctors were carrying out when I was initially
0:10:24 > 0:10:29trained.For some, like Mary, the pressures are so great they feel
0:10:29 > 0:10:33they have to quit. She qualified two years ago but found the strain was
0:10:33 > 0:10:37affecting her health so decided to leave.I was so excited at my
0:10:37 > 0:10:42graduation to finally become a nurse and really make a difference.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47There's just so much pressure, so much paperwork, so much bureaucracy.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50So many little things that all add up to take up so much time in our
0:10:50 > 0:10:57days.Even those with decades of experience say the strain is almost
0:10:57 > 0:11:02too much. Sally joined the NHS in the late 1970s. She has enjoyed her
0:11:02 > 0:11:05career, although says the demands are much greater because the role
0:11:05 > 0:11:11has expanded.Never when I started nursing did I imagine I would be
0:11:11 > 0:11:15doing anything like the role I'm doing. I don't think it was even
0:11:15 > 0:11:19heard of.The Government says the number of nurses on the wards in
0:11:19 > 0:11:24England has gone up by nearly 12,000 since 2010. But when you look at all
0:11:24 > 0:11:27nurses, including community and mental health, the figure has barely
0:11:27 > 0:11:34increased over that time. Last year, Wales, like England, saw more nurses
0:11:34 > 0:11:38leaving them joining. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, there were
0:11:38 > 0:11:41more joining. Filling vacancies is certainly a challenge, but for the
0:11:41 > 0:11:45NHS, what such as important is retaining existing staff at a time
0:11:45 > 0:11:49for concern about pressure on the service and what future paid eels
0:11:49 > 0:11:53might be, it's important for employers to do everything they can
0:11:53 > 0:11:59to persuade people to stick with their careers.I'm OK at the
0:11:59 > 0:12:03moment...Berizzo a mentoring scheme at this hospital in Romford. Megan
0:12:03 > 0:12:08was encouraged to date thanks to support from Bev.In my other Trust
0:12:08 > 0:12:11that I work in, you didn't have somebody to turn to to make sure
0:12:11 > 0:12:15that you were in the right environment. She's been amazing.NHS
0:12:15 > 0:12:20England wants to see that approach adopted more widely.We want to work
0:12:20 > 0:12:24with front line staff to understand what matters to them and to listen
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and try and do something about that. Clearly it's difficult at the
0:12:28 > 0:12:32moment.The Government says there are more new nurse training places
0:12:32 > 0:12:36in the pipeline. But in the short term, the pressure is on. Hugh Pym,
0:12:36 > 0:12:37BBC News.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Motorists in central and southern Scotland are being advised to stay
0:12:40 > 0:12:43off the roads tonight, as heavy snow and ice make driving
0:12:43 > 0:12:44conditions treacherous.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47More than 200 motorists were left stranded last night on the M74 -
0:12:47 > 0:12:50the motorway linking Scotland to England.
0:12:50 > 0:12:58Our Scotland Correspondent, Lorna Gordon, is there.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04Yes, their risk a really serious warning in place tonight. -- there
0:13:04 > 0:13:08rose a really serious. In effect, the most severe warning the police
0:13:08 > 0:13:12can get. They are saying this buzz might do not travel if you can add
0:13:12 > 0:13:17all avoid it in most of southern Scotland and central belt areas. The
0:13:17 > 0:13:22road here is, for now, clear. But a very heavy snowfall is expected
0:13:22 > 0:13:24later tonight.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27From the air, it is stunning - a white blanket of snow
0:13:27 > 0:13:29covering much of Scotland,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32gritters cutting a path through the drifts.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35But for those travelling last night, it was a different story.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Traffic on the M74 grinding to a halt in the treacherous
0:13:38 > 0:13:43conditions, stranded drivers stuck for hours.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Terrible!
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Just cars, lorries everywhere, five hours I've been stuck on the M74,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53then I eventually got here.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58A lot of idiots on the third lane, going too fast.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Steady, but it was getting worse, so I chose to stop here,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03now I'm going up to Glasgow.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05These pictures show just how dangerous driving
0:14:05 > 0:14:08in the snow and ice can be - a runaway lorry smashing
0:14:08 > 0:14:11into a car and then a van, after the driver got out
0:14:11 > 0:14:13to help clear the road.
0:14:13 > 0:14:19No-one was injured.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Mountain-rescue teams turned from the hills to the roads,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24checking that those trapped in their vehicles were
0:14:24 > 0:14:27warm and had supplies.
0:14:27 > 0:14:34A lot of vehicles were basically struggling to get grip
0:14:34 > 0:14:37on the snow etc, so the issue was there was a lot
0:14:37 > 0:14:39of lorries jackknifing, which was obviously blocking
0:14:39 > 0:14:41the motorway behind, so we were called in
0:14:41 > 0:14:44by Police Scotland to basically go and check the welfare for the people
0:14:44 > 0:14:45that were in their vehicles.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The difficult weather reached into parts of England too -
0:14:48 > 0:14:50in Halifax in Yorkshire, the public helping out
0:14:50 > 0:14:55after an ambulance responding to a 999 call got stuck.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57In Northern Ireland, some of those missing classes
0:14:57 > 0:14:59took to their sledges instead.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Nearly 300 schools there were shut.
0:15:02 > 0:15:08A similar number in Scotland were also closed for the day.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09Scotland's gritters, with affectionate nicknames
0:15:09 > 0:15:13such as Sir Andy Flurry and Sir Salter Scott, have been
0:15:13 > 0:15:16working round the clock, but with warnings of much more snow
0:15:16 > 0:15:20to come, drivers tonight are being urged to stay off the roads.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25Lorna Gordon, BBC News, Abington.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29A man who was abused by the former football coach Barry Bennell
0:15:29 > 0:15:32has told a court that the former Wales manager Gary Speed
0:15:32 > 0:15:35was one of four men who went on to take their own lives
0:15:35 > 0:15:37after being coached by Bennell.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The 64-year-old is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42He denies 48 counts of sexual abuse against 11 boys
0:15:42 > 0:15:45between 1979 and 1990.
0:15:45 > 0:15:53Our sports editor, Dan Roan, is there.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Well, we are now into the second week of this trial, and today the
0:15:58 > 0:16:02jury heard from a victim who Barry Bennell has admitted abusing back in
0:16:02 > 0:16:071998 when he was handed a nine-year jail sentence. This man told the
0:16:07 > 0:16:12jury that the former Wales manager Gary Speed, who hung himself in 2011
0:16:12 > 0:16:17aged 42, was one of four former youth team members of Bennell's who
0:16:17 > 0:16:21had gone on to commit suicide. The man told the court, whether they
0:16:21 > 0:16:25have taken their lives due to Barry Soley, I don't know, but all I know
0:16:25 > 0:16:30is how it has impacted on me and how it could impact on others. The man
0:16:30 > 0:16:34went on to say he had known other people who had go on to become
0:16:34 > 0:16:38destitute or sub and alcohol problems, and he told the court that
0:16:38 > 0:16:43he tried to get in touch with the family of Gary Speed when he had
0:16:43 > 0:16:46read in the newspapers that they had not been able to get closure because
0:16:46 > 0:16:49they could not and stand the reasons for his death. Earlier today, a
0:16:49 > 0:16:56complainant in this case told the jury that when he played for one of
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Manchester City's junior teams, he had been abused by Bennell more than
0:16:59 > 0:17:04a hundred times, we went on to say that two officials at the club,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09including a former player and chief scout who died in 2010, had known
0:17:09 > 0:17:13about this abuse but I do not think, and he said he wanted an apology
0:17:13 > 0:17:19from the club. Bennell denies 48 accounts of child sex abuse against
0:17:19 > 0:17:2311 complainants. The trial continues. It is just at the quarter
0:17:23 > 0:17:23past six.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Our top story this evening:
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Thousands of workers employed by the collapsed company Carillion
0:17:27 > 0:17:29are told they will keep their jobs for now.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33And still to come - as the Royal Air Force turns 100,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37we hear from one of the last surviving Dambusters.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Coming up on Sportsday in the next 15 minutes on BBC News,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Kyle Edmund breaks new ground at the Australian Open.
0:17:43 > 0:17:50The British number two is into the third round for the first time.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57It's almost 1,000 years old
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and one of the great historical records of the Middle Ages,
0:18:01 > 0:18:02depicting the Norman Conquest of England.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04But now the Bayeux Tapestry
0:18:04 > 0:18:07could be about to leave France for the first time.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10The French President, Emmanuel Macron,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12is expected to announce tomorrow
0:18:12 > 0:18:15that the ancient tapestry is being loaned to Britain,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18as long as experts agree that it is safe to move.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Here's our Paris correspondent Lucy Williamson.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25If anything puts current Anglo-French relations
0:18:25 > 0:18:29in context, this is it - a tapestry from almost a thousand
0:18:29 > 0:18:34years ago describing a very different kind of summit meeting.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Now the French President has given approval for the 50 metre
0:18:37 > 0:18:44Bayeux Tapestry to leave French territory for the first time.
0:18:44 > 0:18:52But moving something this big and is no simple matter.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54It's difficult to imagine all the practical
0:18:54 > 0:18:58to put it in a case and to put it in a train.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00No, we don't know.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04President Macron's gesture highlights France's deep ties
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and long history with Britain, though cynics might say it also
0:19:07 > 0:19:13highlights a crucial French victory over its Anglo-Saxon neighbour.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Art experts say it is a benign telling of the tale,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18with moments of comedy and artistic influences
0:19:18 > 0:19:21from both sides of the Channel.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26There's a lot of excitement from British museums.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The opportunity to get really close to the Bayeux Tapestry
0:19:29 > 0:19:31and explore it and look at it is what's fascinating
0:19:31 > 0:19:34to all of us who have studied the Bayeux Tapestry.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36The exact location of the tapestry's famous battle has long been
0:19:36 > 0:19:39in dispute, but in Hastings today, locals said the artwork
0:19:39 > 0:19:42should be displayed there.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I think a lot of people in Hastings are quite proud of Hastings,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47and if it's returning to Hastings, even better.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Because it, you know, comes from Hastings.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52I mean, you know, the Battle of Hastings
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and all the rest of it, yeah. Yeah, good tourist attraction.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The battle happened here, and there's not enough displays
0:19:58 > 0:20:02of what happened in Hastings, so I think it should come here.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Britain has twice requested the tapestry on loan, the first time
0:20:06 > 0:20:09for the Queen's Coronation, but has always been refused.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13This initiative has the backing of President Macron,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15part of the cultural exchanges
0:20:15 > 0:20:17he promised in his election campaign.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21But the deep ties with Britain have often been tinged with rivalry,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24and one French official was joking today about whether Britain
0:20:24 > 0:20:29would find anything of similar merit to send them in return.
0:20:29 > 0:20:37Lucy Williamson, BBC News, Bayeux.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40North and South Korea have agreed to march under the same flag
0:20:40 > 0:20:41at the Winter Olympics next month.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44The two sides have also agreed to form a unified women's ice
0:20:44 > 0:20:47hockey team for the Games, which will be held in South Korea.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It's the result of the first diplomatic talks
0:20:49 > 0:20:53between the neighbours for more than two years.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55England cricketer Ben Stokes will be available for selection
0:20:55 > 0:20:59for England's tour of New Zealand, despite being charged with affray
0:20:59 > 0:21:04following a fight outside a nightclub in Bristol last year.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06The England and Wales Cricket Board said Stokes,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08who hasn't played for England since the incident,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10is expected to join the squad in February.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Our sports correspondent Joe Wilson is at Lord's.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Why can he play now when he couldn't play in the Ashes?
0:21:20 > 0:21:24It is a good question, and it may well seem illogical to some cricket
0:21:24 > 0:21:28followers. The ECB were waiting to see what the CPS decided before they
0:21:28 > 0:21:32took their next step. We know there is a charge for Ben Stokes of affray
0:21:32 > 0:21:37that he is indeed contesting, and in that context of the ECB are faced
0:21:37 > 0:21:41with a decision. Whilst they wait for the trial, which could be a year
0:21:41 > 0:21:45ahead, do they let their star player, who they are paying
0:21:45 > 0:21:49centrally, to sit on the sidelines? They have said they do not think it
0:21:49 > 0:21:53is there or proportionate to do that, and so he is available for
0:21:53 > 0:21:58selection again. We have seen him playing club cricket in New Zealand
0:21:58 > 0:22:03already, whilst under investigation. Clearly representing England is a
0:22:03 > 0:22:08significant step up. There is the image that it projects, but also the
0:22:08 > 0:22:11practicalities and complexities, and it is likely that in the Mansour
0:22:11 > 0:22:16heads Stokes will miss training, matches even to attend court. -- in
0:22:16 > 0:22:18the months ahead.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It's one of the most famous flying teams in British history.
0:22:21 > 0:22:2375 years after carrying out the daring Dambusters raid,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25the RAF's 617 Squadron is being reformed in the year
0:22:25 > 0:22:27that the Royal Air Force turns 100.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I've been to meet one of the last surviving veterans who played
0:22:30 > 0:22:35a major part in that Dambusters raid.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Amazing aircraft, that, isn't it?
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Absolutely.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42George Johnny Johnson - he's 96 years old
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and the last surviving British member of World War II's
0:22:44 > 0:22:47famous Dambusters raid.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49He joined the RAF in 1940,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52one of many teenagers who signed up to fight for their country.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55He says it was thrilling.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01I felt I was actually doing something useful, and doing it well.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06It was 75 years ago this May that 617 Squadron took off
0:23:06 > 0:23:09in their Lancaster bombers, on their mission immortalised
0:23:09 > 0:23:13in the Dambusters film, to attack dams
0:23:13 > 0:23:18in Germany's industrial heartland using Barnes Wallis' bouncing bombs.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23The planes Johnny Johnson flew are a world away from the aircraft
0:23:23 > 0:23:24used by the RAF nowadays,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and he's fascinated not just by the technology on board,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29but also by the pilots learning to fly them.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I can't understand any of it.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I wouldn't know where to begin.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's a complete stranger.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But, uh...it's not a Lancaster.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43I've always wanted to do it since the age of four...
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Flying Officer Stephanie Searle is one of the RAF's newest pilots,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48in awe of the stories from the past.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I don't know if I can measure up to it, to be honest.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Where I've been lucky enough to choose this role for myself,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56they were thrusted into it,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and they just took to it and did the best they could.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Johnny Johnson was one of 133 men
0:24:01 > 0:24:03who took part in the Dambusters raid.
0:24:03 > 0:24:0553 of them never came home.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08He still remembers that night vividly.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I shall never forget that dams raid.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17The highlight of that trip, for me, was as we came home,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20our route was over what had been the Mohne Dam,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24and we knew by radio broadcast it had been breached.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26There was water everywhere.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29It's gone, we've done it!
0:24:29 > 0:24:31That raid remains, to this day,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33one of the most famous in the Air Force's history.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So as the RAF celebrates its centenary,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39his advice to the next generation?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44You'll find it makes you happy.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Had I had my time over again, I would do the same again,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52and hope to get the same happiness and enjoyment out of it
0:24:52 > 0:24:55that I did for those 22 years I served.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I have to say thank you to the Royal Air Force
0:24:58 > 0:25:02for providing that life for me.
0:25:02 > 0:25:08It was a wonderful life, it really was.
0:25:08 > 0:25:1596 years old, the wonderful Johnny Johnson. Let's look at the latest
0:25:15 > 0:25:17weather with Susan Powell.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23We are contending with another spell of heavy snowfall, into the small
0:25:23 > 0:25:27hours, not causing some new problems as we saw yesterday evening, but the
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Met Office have issued an amber warning. This low will be ploughing
0:25:32 > 0:25:36across the British Isles had quite a pace, bringing rain, sleet and snow
0:25:36 > 0:25:40to Northern Ireland in the next couple of hours, but around midnight
0:25:40 > 0:25:44the weather worsening across southern Scotland and northern
0:25:44 > 0:25:47England, widespread gales, probably only the northern half of Scotland
0:25:47 > 0:25:51spared the strongest winds, as well as heavy rain whipping across much
0:25:51 > 0:26:00of England and Wales, the tail end bringing wintry conditions into the
0:26:00 > 0:26:02north-east of England for first thing tomorrow. For Scotland,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04comparatively quiet start to the day, some snow showers being blown
0:26:04 > 0:26:08into the North and west once again, ice is the biggest issue, probably
0:26:08 > 0:26:12the lying snow as well, and for Northern Ireland some wintry
0:26:12 > 0:26:20showers, a difficult rush but ice is a front
0:26:20 > 0:26:23a front -- eight difficult story. The wind is pretty strong, for the
0:26:23 > 0:26:27south-west of England and Wales, in combination with the high spring
0:26:27 > 0:26:32tides, some very big waves and the risks of coastal flooding. That area
0:26:32 > 0:26:37of low pressure will move out of the way quickly, Thursday morning into
0:26:37 > 0:26:41the continent, still left with keen winds behind it, chilly winds at
0:26:41 > 0:26:45that, but overall, after that spell of intense weather overnight, quite
0:26:45 > 0:26:48quiet on Thursday, more wintry showers for the exposed north and
0:26:48 > 0:26:52west, down into the Midlands. But for many, a pleasant stay with
0:26:52 > 0:26:57winter sunshine. However, without wind, it is still going to be a
0:26:57 > 0:27:04jolly old day to come. If you are travelling, later tonight, do take
0:27:04 > 0:27:06care.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12A reminder of our main story:
0:27:12 > 0:27:15A lifeline for employees of the failed company Carillion, many will
0:27:15 > 0:27:15keep