17/03/2017 Breakfast

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt.

The war of words over a second Scottish independence referendum

The SNP accuse the Prime Minister of running scared, but Theresa May

vows to fight for what she calls the precious union.

Also this morning: A warning that secondary schools in England face

losing an average of six teachers because of funding changes.

More than a million people work in the so-called gig economy,

but many miss out on holiday pay and pensions.

So are the jobs flexible extra income, or just exploiting staff?

I'm at Cheltenham, where it is Gold Cup day.

I will have all the sport from here shortly.

Elsewhere, Manchester United are through to the quarter-finals

of the Europa League after a 1-0 win against FC Rostov at Old Trafford.

And we join the cast of the rom com Love Actually,

as they film a remake for Comic Relief.

Good morning. It is a little bit chilly out that if you are about to

head up the door but while southern and eastern areas will see dry and

bright weather throughout the day, North and west can expect cloud and

outbreaks of rain. Details on that and a full forecast coming up.

First, our main story: The SNP will today accuse the Government

of being too scared to allow a second independence referendum.

Deputy Leader Angus Robertson will open his party's spring

conference by saying the Conservatives have a desperate

desire to prevent anyone rejecting Brexit.

But Theresa May will tell her own party conference in Cardiff

that she will fight to keep what she calls the precious union.

Our Scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.

Two leaders, both talking tough in the battle over Scotland's future.

Theresa May and rejecting a referendum on independence before

the UK leads the EU, saying now is not the time. Nicola Sturgeon

determined it should go ahead, and at a time of her choosing. I think

it would be completely unacceptable and outrageous, and almost

antidemocratic, for a Conservative government with one MP in Scotland

to seek to block the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament, and

stand on the way of the Scottish people having the right to choose

their own future. Miss Sturgeon will use her party conference in Aberdeen

to keep the spotlight on her argument that Downing Street's

position is unsustainable. 2000 party members who will pack this

hole later will likely agree. Elsewhere in the Granite city the

views were mixed. Maybe sometime in the future we can vote on it. As far

as it was announced, what they were proposing, I don't think... For me,

that is not something I would like to vote on. Although Theresa May

says to wait until a deal, the deal is about being taken out of Europe,

so I don't think Theresa May has any right to stop her. It has been two

make you since people of Scotland first loaded on whether to leave the

United Kingdom, for now they will be none of this. Both sides are instead

focused on trying to persuade people in Scotland that they are right

about the timing on any possible second independence referendum.

Our political correspondent Mark Lobel is in Westminster for us.

Mark, both sides showing no sign of backing down on this.

Indeed, Theresa May upping the anti again today in the Times, writing

that it would be fundamentally unfair for the Scottish people to

have to face this decision in the timeframe outlined by the SNP which

is holding the referendum by spring 2019 -- ante. She thinks it would

not be good to be the energies she needs to get a good Brexit deal

against those needed to hold a referendum, in fact last night she

launched her plan for Britain including some technical errors

which was a gift for opponents, at one point saying it wasn't working,

and her objectives for Brexit being to strengthen the union. She will

refer to the Conservatives as the Conservative Unionist party. Words

echoing what she said on Downing Street when she took up the job.

Things have changed on Downing Street. It has become such a hot

potato, because of Nicola Sturgeon is adamant that next week she will

hold a vote on the Scottish Parliament and formally asked the

Westminster government to allow them to hold an independence referendum,

even though she knows the answer is no, not now. Angus Robertson will

accuse Theresa May of running scared at their conference in Aberdeen.

Theresa May hasn't ruled out a referendum but the big question for

her is going to be, and will continue to be, if not now, when?

Every secondary school in England could lose the equivalent of six

teachers by 2020, according to a think tank.

The Education Policy Institute says schools will see cuts on average

of nearly ?300,000 in the next three years, but the Government says

funding is at an all-time high and will continue to rise.

Parents and pupils in Cheshire, protesting last month about a lack

of funding for their schools compared to other areas.

The Government has plans to redistribute funds,

and it says that at ?40 billion this year, school funding in England

However, a report has concluded that no school will avoid a real terms

cut in budget over the next few years.

Schools are facing significant cost pressures.

The cost of running the school increases, rising number of students

and from local authorities having less money to spend.

So while the distribution of money may be fairer there is simply not

enough money in the system to meet those pressures.

The Education Policy Institute estimates that by 2020 the average

real terms lost funding per primary school will be ?74,000,

and per secondary school, the average cut will be ?291,000.

That equates to every primary school losing two teachers,

and every secondary school losing six.

The Government says it does recognise the pressures schools

in England are facing, and is helping them to make savings.

Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ has described claims

that it was asked by President Obama to spy on Donald Trump

The unusual move to issue a statement came after

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer quoted claims first made

on US TV channel Fox News earlier this week.

He didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA, he didn't use the FBI and

he didn't use the Department of Justice. He used GCHQ. What is that?

Is the initials of the British intelligence spying agency. Sintered

base sang to them the President needs transcripts of the

conversation of con, conversations involving President Trump, is able

to get it and there are no American fingerprints on it.

The UK's biggest-ever fine for river pollution is expected to be imposed

The company has admitted to breaching more than

Stretches of water in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire were heavily

Haddock caught west of Scotland and in the North Sea has been taken

off a list of sustainable fish to eat.

The Marine Conservation Society says stocks declined last year,

and action is needed to boost the number of breeding-age fish.

A woman in Peru has had a miraculous escape after being swept away

in an avalanche of mud and other debris, after heavy rains.

The 32-year-old woman had fallen into a raging river,

but somehow managed to get out onto a riverbank,

and was helped to safety by onlookers.

At least 12 people have died in the floods.

I was about to say, why isn't the person filming going to help her?

You can see that there are quite a few people there.

A BBC team of journalists and several tourists had to run

for cover after they were caught in the middle of Mt Etna

A flow of lava mixed with snow led to explosions,

as we have just seen, sending fragments of rock flying

It was the third eruption in the last three weeks,

and this image from a European Space Agency satellite caught the ferocity

We will be speaking to the BBC science correspondent, getting her

first hand account, as she and her team were uninjured, but shaken. She

was saying it has only just dawned on me, what has just happened. It is

one of my favourite days of the year, Gold Cup Day at Cheltenham.

And Friday. I am with you on that. Good morning everyone. It is such a

special day, such a special feeling standing here. A lot of people asked

me why it is so special, I think it is the history, that they have been

doing this since the 1800s. First of all, racing on top of Cleeve Hill

before it came down here onto the flat. This iconic slope takes you

down to the winning post. It is St Patrick's Day as well, and having

gone down a little bit earlier, it was like a mini Dublin. Everyone was

singing a certain song, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, of course, by the Kaiser

Chiefs. Four winners for Ruby Walsh, and they will look to repeat that

Now, when it comes to Cheltenham's big prize, the Gold Cup,

trainer Paul Nicholls is the most successful since the 1960s.

He says it is very much a team effort at his stables in Somerset,

Dawn over the ditch it, and even before the sun rises, the stables

are staring. It is 5:15 a.m.. I can hear noises out other -- Ditcheat.

It is because, within the hour, the stable lads and lasses, the jockey

on the trainer, were into their morning routine. After starting here

after school and college, Shannon may work over ten hours, six days a

week, looking up five horses, but it is worth it. I write this letter

every day as well so when I see him go to the races and do well, it is

such a good feeling. And when he wins a race at Cheltenham... Exactly

right. In the great thing is if he wins at Cheltenham on Gold cup day,

Shannon and all the stuff you will get some of the spoils, share some

of that prize money. If Shannon wanted to go on and become a jockey

she would need to pass the fitness course at jockey school. I have

painful memories of my failure that when I joined Sam Twiston-Davies on

the simulator to taste the pain they endure every day before he tried in

vain to teach me how to fall. Sam roads Sapphire in the cup today.

While following Sam to shop in is this man, who leads the championship

for young riders. I had three rides last year, and there are so many

people, and the buzz is amazing. If we can get a winner this year it

will be a dream come true. Making the true is the trainer. Paul

Nicholls himself, who has already lifted the Gold cup four times in

his career. You need a great team behind you to make it work. Talking

to the staff, they have played such a big role. So many crumbs make a

kick. Horses, the raw materials. They are athletes, at the end of the

day, and they all need to be treated as individuals to get the best out

of them. The big thing is fitness. Spotting their well-being. It is

important to look after them. Back in the Commodores as must look their

best for the spotlight, and while Paul wouldn't let me anywhere near a

saddle, there was at the tail end of the team... A beautiful tale, a

really bushy one, that one. I was made to feel especially welcome down

the local, where so many winners have been toasted. Ten years since

they first won a gold cup at Cheltenham. Really special memories.

I knew my place there at the back end of the horse, but 124 horses,

has Paul Nicholls got, at his yard there. That goes on with every one

of those, indeed. Everybody here, there are 70,000 in the stands

letter on and everyone has a bet. They feel part of that team as well,

so I got the feeling it is like being in an FA Cup final but was not

just two teams, say there are 20 horses in a race, you have 20 people

involved, everyone cheering on their particular horse, their particular

team. I have been told you can see my thermals, that is this black

thing here. It is actually a thermal vest poking up from under my shirt,

I will tuck that in. It is about two degrees this morning, so it is

pretty chilly. I have a hat as well to keep me warm. This is a style of

hat made popular a few years ago by David Beckham. Are you laughing? I

can't quite work out, it is kind of a Dickensian character, isn't it, is

it the Artful Dodger? No, I am going back to work at the bakery. It keeps

my head warm, it is effective! The most important thing at Cheltenham

is to stay warm and I am glad we know that is not just a vest, that

is a thermal vest. We know probably too much, if we are honest.

We get out. How is looking this morning?

Is a little bit colder then this morning. Let's Levett it averages. A

few degrees above freezing, not just in Cheltenham. Cardiff, Bristol,

nothing and Aberdeen. A little bit colder than it has been recently. A

little bit of ice around far north of Scotland. We have rental and cool

services there. Western Scotland, quite a damp day on the way.

Northern Ireland, St Patrick's Day rain. On an. East of Scotland,

north-east England, not too bad at the moment. Should be driving a

morning commute with some sunshine. Increasing cloud in northern

England. Dry in Wales, but a little chilly. Light winds at the moment,

but hazy sunshine around. It will stay dry through much of the day

across southern areas. The cloud will increase. Nor the Scotland will

continue to see a little bit of sunshine at times, but cloudy

outbreaks of rain at other times. Increasing weight for north-west

England, the Midlands, and north-west Wales. She's a dry

towards the south. Temperatures have been average of the study. If you

are heading to Cheltenham, don't let the slight bit of rain and wind

destructive. The brutal blows more clouds throughout the UK. Always

wettest in the west. Not too much rain across eastern areas. That will

keep it averages up as we head into dawn on Saturday morning. Colder

conditions where the clearest of the skies are. That up in Scotland. Into

Saturday, pretty grey to start for Scotland. Best of the sunshine in

the morning. The cloud looked in and break east of high ground. But

through many other areas expect rain at times, especially in the

afternoon. The splash of red getting into eastern areas, but most will

stay dry through the bulk of the day. Slightly milder air pushing its

way they can. Temperatures could hit around 15 degrees in the south-east.

One word of caution: Through Saturday night, wet and windy

weather will spread across the northern half of the UK. -- windier.

Mild winds, temperatures should hold up nicely. Western areas again, the

degree in Scotland and north-west England will see rain at times on

Sunday. Further south and east, you will actually get away with a dry

weekend. Temperatures back up a bit competitive today. That is how it is

looking. Back to you both. It's 6:18am and you're watching

Breakfast from BBC News. The SNP is accusing the government

of being "too scared" to allow a second independence referendum

to take place before talks A think-tank is warning

that the average secondary school in England could see its funding

drop by nearly ?300,000 by 2020. Then it here this morning as well.

Good morning. We will now go and have a look at the front pages. The

Daily Telegraph, that story we have been talking badgers there. Theresa

May is telling Nicola Sturgeon that she is going to wait for six years

for the next referendum vote. Just want Toshiba is picky here, too,

because lots of the pictures are talking about Bake-Off, today. Yes,

the new lineup has been announced. On the Daily Mail, we have the

patients who had to enjoy the humiliation of being in a mixed sex

hospital ward having tripled in recent years. This is an ongoing

issue and they then tried to make sure that they have people staying

in separate wars, but according to these figures, it is getting worse.

This is a new lineup as a safe or Bake-Off. It is nor fielding. The

new judge will be pruning. That is nor fielding there in one of his

characteristically flamboyant outfits. -- the new judge will be

Prue Leith. I think the format will stay the same, just different

presenters. The Daily Express has a health around the front page. They

said that Staton 's raise the risk of diabetes. Experts suggest there

should be some concern for pensioners. -- statins. At a picture

of the Queen leading Chelsea yesterday. And the story of the

Financial Times that broke yesterday. A vote of confidence in

UK carmaking. Toyota has invested ?240 million and it is thought that

this will be spent on making the factories more efficient. Pertamina

's announcement, and if they design a new model, or the factories have

two compete for the business. -- to compete. So this is a sign that they

might have some faith in the UK being very much over the business.

This story here about Larry the Cat, they are calling this story a

disaster. Easy this mousy? Very cute. Larry the Cat completely

failed to catch the mouse yesterday. Led around for a bit. This is the

cat from Number ten. Even as the mouse runs away laughing. There were

lots of cameras they yesterday. We can tell our houses as well. The

looked at house prices on Coronation Street and now despair. And how much

they will increase. Can has seen his house increase in value that now

would go for ?142 million. ?85,000 for another place. And what you

think Argos were now? 85... In 1985, it was ?85,000. -- can you guess

what it is worth now. ?495,000. That was a good game. You need a

catchphrase! Let's not go there. Here is another one from the

Guardian. Where could be talking about this were now. Nicola Sturgeon

Theresa May. We like to hear more today because of course it is the

SNP party conference on today. And they are also injures and what they

are calling the new Melon Sue. Rising numbers of parents in England

are submitting complaints because their child has been denied

free school transport. The Local Government Ombudsman says

this can put children with disabilities at a disadvantage

who may need extra help to Breakfast's Graham Satchell met

Leanna Forse who had to give up her job because she couldn't

afford to pay ?500 a month Billy is on his way home from

school. He is 16 and has a wreck chromosome disorder. It means he

cannot walk or talk, needs help to dress, it, with everything. Local

authorities have a legal obligation to provide transport to and from

school for children like Billy up to the age of 16. After that, each

council has its own policy. He does well. He is progressing. He has all

the things he needs at school. It is just accessing it. We're just asking

for this tiny bit of help to get in there. When he turned 16... The

local authority has a statutory duty until the age of 16 to provide that

transport. And then they have a secretary duty to provide it from

19. -- statutory duty. Between that it is discretionary. Funding for

Billy's transport was withdrawn in September. The bigger picture is

that council budgets have been cut every year since 2010. The Local

Government Association told ask councils want to provide a

high-quality service, but it is becoming increasingly difficult in

the face of such sustained challenges. A lot of authorities are

reinterpreting or changing their policies. The local government

ombudsman for England has seen a significant rise in complaints from

the public. We understand the financial pressures on local

authorities. It is not be to say if that is driving some of these

changes. The only driver? What we would say to local authorities is

expected to change policies, they need to explain as to the public so

they can make an informed choice. That is little comfort to this

mother who left school at 16. She now works full-time as an English

teacher. She is currently paying for Billy's travel to school herself. It

is now costing me ?500 a month in taxi fees and you pay for the

Escort. Can you afford that? No. So what happens? 80 weeks ago I handed

in my notice because I cannot work and take Billy to school each day.

It is just not possible. -- A few weeks. Billy will continue to go to

school, that means that this mother's career is over. As the

government struggles to balance the talks and cuts continue to bite,

there will be more hard cases like this. Graham Satchell, BBC News.

You hear rouseabout budgets and so on, but then you personal story like

that. So thank you to Leanna Forse for joining Graham Satchell.

Could your fish and chip supper be under threat?

We'll hear why your local chippy may have to haul its haddock from afar

as numbers in the North sea and Scotland dwindle.

Time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are.

Hello, this is Breakfast with Charlie Stayt and Sally Nugent.

We will have the latest news and sport in just a moment,

and coming up on Breakfast today: Unexpected eruption.

We will hear from the BBC film crew about the moment Mt Etna exploded.

It is a multibillion-dollar industry which threatens

We will speak to an undercover reporter exposing the trade

Except me, I am the only one who looks exactly as they did 14 years

ago. We are catching up with all

the stars on the set of the hotly anticipated remake of Love Actually,

which is being made specially But now a summary of this

morning's main news: The SNP will today

accuse the Government of being too scared to allow

a second independence referendum. Deputy Leader Angus Robertson

will open his party's spring conference by saying

the Conservatives have a desperate desire to prevent anyone rejecting

Brexit, but Theresa May will tell her own party conference

in Cardiff that she will fight to keep what she calls

the precious union. Our Scotland correspondent

Lorna Gordon reports. Two leaders, both talking

tough in the battle over Theresa May rejecting a referendum

on independence before the UK leaves Nicola Sturgeon determined it should

go ahead, and at a time I think it would be completely

unacceptable and outrageous, and almost antidemocratic,

for a Conservative Government with one MP in Scotland to seek

to block the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament,

and stand in the way of the Scottish people having the right

to choose our own future. Ms Sturgeon will use her party

conference in Aberdeen to keep the spotlight on her argument

that Downing Street's 2,000 party members who will pack

this hall later will likely agree. Elsewhere in the Granite City,

the views were mixed. Maybe sometime in the future

we can vote on it. As far as it was announced,

what they were proposing, For me, that's not something

I'd like to vote on. Although Theresa May says

wait until after a deal, the deal is about being taken out

of Europe, so I don't think Theresa May has

any right to stop her. It has been two years

since the people of Scotland first voted on whether to leave

the United Kingdom. Both sides are instead focused

on trying to persuade people in Scotland that they are right

about the timing on any possible Secondary schools in England

could lose the equivalent of six teachers by 2020,

according to a think tank. The Education Policy Institute says

schools will see cuts on average of nearly ?300,000 in the next three

years, but the Government says funding is at an all-time high

and will continue to rise. Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ

has described claims that it was asked by President Obama

to spy on Donald Trump The unusual move to issue

a statement came after White House Press Secretary Sean

Spicer quoted claims first made on US TV channel Fox News

earlier this week. He didn't use the NSA,

he didn't use the CIA, he didn't use the FBI, and he didn't

use the Department of Justice. It's the initials for the British

intelligence spying agency. So simply, by having two

people saying to them, the President needs transcripts

of the conversations involving President Trump,

he's able to get it, and there's no American

fingerprints on it. The UK's biggest-ever fine for river

pollution is expected to be imposed The company has admitted

to breaching more than Stretches of water in Oxfordshire

and Buckinghamshire were heavily Haddock caught west of Scotland

and in the North Sea has been taken off a list of sustainable

fish to eat. The Marine Conservation Society says

stocks declined last year, and action is needed to boost

the number of breeding-age fish. A woman in Peru has had a miraculous

escape after being swept away in an avalanche of mud and other

debris, after heavy rains. The 32-year-old woman had fallen

into a raging river, but somehow managed to get

out onto a riverbank, and was helped to

safety by onlookers. At least 12 people have

died in the floods. Really desperate scenes that, but

she escaped safely. Mike is at Cheltenham,

where it is Gold Cup day. Good morning to you. Yes, good

morning. Already it is a hive of activity. We haven't seen any horses

yet, that tends to happen after seven a.m.. But lots of people

sweeping, cleaning, there is a big sweep at making a bit of noise at

the far end. On the course, a few seagulls and that is about it. A few

people driving around and having a look. It is a sea of green, because

not only is it Gold cup day, it is St Patrick's Day as well. Knowing

that, 30% of all the tickets sold to this were sold to people living in

Ireland. Extra flights were put on last night. The Cheltenham folk were

dressing in green to welcome those tens of thousands of Irish fans

coming over, who are celebrating as well, and calling it ruby Thursday,

because of the achievements of Ruby Walsh.

Ruby Walsh rode four winners on day three of the Cheltenham Festival,

After riding favourites Yorkhill and Un De Sceaux to victory earlier

in the day, Walsh won the Stayers' Hurdle,

on board the 10:1 shot Nichols Canyon.

He finished clear of the odds-on favourite Unowhatimeanharry.

Walsh also won on Let's Dance later in the afternoon.

They just kept -- my mouth just kept opening an opening as he was coming

up the straight. It was unexpected. I was hoping he would run well but

the way our team have been running all we can, I was thinking it would

be too good to have three on the day. I really enjoyed it.

They will have high hopes for their horse Djakadam.

Manchester United are into the quarter-finals

of the Europa League, after a 1-0 win over FC Rostov last

night sent them through 2-1 on aggregate.

The win did come at a price for United, though, with record

signing Paul Pogba forced off early in the second half

He is expected to be out for at least a couple of weeks.

Juan Mata grabbed the game's only goal, to send United into the draw

for the last eight, which takes place later.

Leicester City will be in the Champions League draw.

It is the final weekend of the Six Nations, with England

looking to win back-to-back grand slams when they play

Number eight Billy Vunipola and wing Anthony Watson return

A win would be a record-breaking 19th consecutive victory

I have had Will Carling texting me, reminding me how great his team was,

he called it his team. I am very aware, and we are not seeing it as a

daunting thing, going to Ireland. We are very much excited by the

opportunity that resents itself, and why not? We should be excited --

presents itself. It isn't a scary thing to do.

And Ireland will be without Conor Murray for that match.

He has failed to recover from a shoulder injury

That is one of three changes for Ireland.

Ireland certainly have bragging rights so far, leaving the English

trainers here. They are looking ahead and backing Djakadam today. We

have heard already on Breakfast if you were up early what it is like to

be a stable lass or lad, a jockey. What about being an owner? Maybe

owning a 20th of horse. Let me grab this microphone you owned a 20th of

the horse as part of a syndicate, Ditcheat thoroughbreds. Which bit

would you like to own? Well, the best bit is the nose, because that

goes over the line first, or maybe the tail because you don't have to

feed that! Tell us how you got started, because you had no interest

in racing until one day you were sipping a cup of tea and a few

horses went by. It wasn't a cup of tea, it was a beer! But I chatted

with Paul Barba and his family and I asked how much it was to own one of

these things, and that is how I got started and I had half of one horse

and it went from strength to strength. Now you are part of a

syndicate of 200 people, Ditcheat Thoroughbreds. There will be 200

shareholders when it is full, but basically over the yards, all the

owners are there and I noticed more and more syndicates' names are up

there. I thought I could do this, and I started by buying some really

nice horses with Paul Nicholls and making them Saturday horses, which

are very, very expensive. Most of us don't want to spend that kind of

money. I thought why don't I buy one and divided into 20 people and go

out and have a lot of fun? We have ended up with ten of those horses,

and yesterday we had our first run at the festival. How did you get on?

We didn't win but she ran very well. We were absolutely delighted, the

owners were out in force. So why have a bit of spare change, how much

money do I need to own the ear of a horse? We started with ?6,500 for

half a season including all the training fees. Absolutely

everything, there is no extra money on top of that. That is not a small

amount of money, at a lot better than a few hundred thousand. And you

have a lot of fun, and at the end of it if the horse is sold you get some

money back. It can be an investment. I wouldn't say it is an investment,

I would say you will get your money back and what you will do is have a

lot of fun. We have some pictures of you watching racing with your team,

celebrating. Why is it different to being a punter? It is just the most

amazing feeling. If you like having a bet, which makes it much more

interesting, I must admit, having an ownership of the horse, even if it

is 5% of the horse, you feel like you own it. It is the most fun you

can have when you are fully dressed. OK, fantastic. Any tips for the Gold

Cup? I am going to go on Native River. And another Somerset trainer.

Thank you very much indeed. I am just thinking, if we all have a whip

around, I can have one year, he can have another ear and Sally can have

a nose. -- one ear. Is Friday fish and chip night in your house? Would

be. Something to bear in mind

if you fancy fish and chips tonight - haddock has been taken off

the list of sustainable fish. Once championed as an alternative

to cod, stocks in the North Sea and the West Coast of Scotland

have fallen, according Samuel Stone is their

head of fisheries. He joins us now from

our Cardiff studio. Thank you very much for your time

this morning. Explain to us in layman 's terms, if you can, what is

happening with haddock? So basically last year, every year the scientists

undertake News assessment for most of the fisheries in Europe and last

year they updated the stock assessment for the haddock

population and that new stock assessment showed that what we

thought was a sustainable level of fish they were taking out was not

quite right. So they have had to revise that, and basically we need

to reduce the proportion of fish we are taking out of that population.

Remind us where we are in relation to cod in that same debate. Well,

cod was overfished for a long time and has been recovering for about 20

years and it is steadily recovering at the moment and we hope that keeps

recovering. At the moment cod in the North Sea is an underrated but we

expect that to improve this year. So what does this mean for consumers?

People listening to you, hearing what you are saying, what should

they do in terms of what they buy and their choices? We are definitely

not saying that haddock is all of a sudden going to run out and we will

have a big shortage of haddock. The key message we want to get across to

consumers as we have enormous pressure on our seas, overfishing,

pollution and climate change and we want people to have the lowest

impact on the seas as possible, and choose more green rated seafood and

less red rated seafood. You talk about these green and red ratings,

talk us through what the ones are we possibly should be steered towards

more often. So there are still some green rated haddock fisheries in the

north-east arctic and Iceland, as well as cod, the Marine Conservation

Society certified fisheries are a good choice. Certified hake, and

then there are other species like mackerel and plenty of green rated

fish out there. And how do we know? You mention these green and red

ratings, what about on the items we purchase? If we buy in the

supermarkets, how do we know whether we are making the right choices they

are? We really want people to look at the labels, look at how and where

the fish is caught and farmed, take a look and make an informed choice

and it is really important to look for eco- levels like the Marine

stewardship Council. Look at labels and see where the fish are caught

and farmed, check the guide and look for the labels. Thank you very much

for your time this morning. Thank you. You may have seen yesterday the

news that a team of journalists had to run for cover after an eruption

at Mt Etna. We are going to take you there live right now, to see how Mt

Etna looks this morning at 6:45am UK time. Yesterday a flow of love are

mixed with snow caused explosions, sending fragments of rock all over

the place Some people were injured, that most

got away with minor injuries. We'll be talking to our science

correspondent all about this later on in the programme. She was caught

very much in the explosion. Those are live images there. It gives you

a sense of the place. Very dramatic. As we said, yesterday, another a

number of people were caught up in a dangerous situation. But we will get

Rebecca's personal experiences soon. A lot of Taurus go there to get

close to an active volcano. -- tourists. One woman was very caught

up in the explosion and the blast which threw her off a little bit.

But she is fine. But we will go to that later on. We are going to go to

Matt now. Matt, you must have found that fascinating. There is giving no

major impact for plane travel. That is true string down to was Tunisia.

We'll keep a close eye on that. But behind the plumes, some clear skies.

Some clear skies across the south of England for our Weather Watchers in

the Sussex. Different northern West. The mood caught very nicely there in

Fife. Grand Fleet. -- grey and wet. Some snow on higher ground of the

Highlands and because the little bit of ice, as well. Some of that rain

will fall and a cold ground. You will need waterproofs in Northern

Ireland. Brain on and off all day. -- rain. Not a desperately wet day

by any means. Much of Wales, England, southern areas,

temperatures around where they should be for this time of year. Not

quite as warm as it has been. We are sunshine, best of which in southern

areas in the morning. Clouding over into the afternoon, but most and

dry. Getting north, lots of rain. Breezy conditions to take us into

the afternoon. Some rent to the east of Scotland and the north-east of

England at times. Temperatures at about nine or 13 degrees. You are

heading to Cheltenham for the job in Festival, a bit more breeze. Back

clout might threaten and odd spot of rain. But for most of the day it

should stay dry with temperatures about ten or 11 degrees doesn't.

Through tonight, rain on offer are many western areas in particular. A

few splashes cities. Christ and clearest will lead to the far north.

Generally speaking, a mild enough start to the weekend. But the

weekend will have a lot of clout, particularly on Saturday, which will

be very great. Dentist of all in south-west England and Wales.

Turning wet up to the north again. Some rent to the eastern parts of

Scotland and England, but not a huge amount. Some would say they could

stay completely dry. Temperatures up a little bit on today's values. It

is wet and windy as we head into Sunday morning thanks to those --

thanks to this little area of pressure. Eastern areas like on

Saturday will be dried and brightest in the West. But the most, staying

We will speak you very soon. -- staying on the mild side. But we are

going to hear a bit about the gig economy. Then with the details. Yes,

this is people doing flexible work through now for a website, doing

jobs or errands, that sort of thing. But big business. Good morning to

you guys. We have heard a lot about it. 1.3 people working out in the

so-called gig economy. They get their work through apps and

websites. This survey says that the majority choose to work this way

because they get higher pay. At the same time, you don't get any

employment rights, including guaranteed hours, holiday pay, or

pensions. And that is the case for Ruth, who is an IT specialist

working in the gig economy in Manchester. Taking the first step is

the scariest bit, because you are worried you will not get any work.

And they did, luckily, that you know, it it was still a big first

hour. Sometimes there is an element of uncertainty which can be

unsettling at first. It is something you need to adapt to. The

flexibility is good because I am able to work hours that suit me. I

try to do 9-5 because it is ingrained in you. That being able to

work around it is a definite benefit to me.

Ben Wilmott is head of public policy at the CIPD -

1.3 million people. It is hard to put a number on it. It is very

different definitions of who works in the gig economy. How did you work

it out? We said people who traded their time and skills over the

Internet in some way. So we exclude people that were using a B or

eBay. We were looking at those workers. -- AirBnB. Were looking at

odd job worker is. People doing local job work or a range of

different things. It is amazing how quickly it has boomed as a result of

technology. There are pros and cons of it, obviously. And your research

suggests that a lot of people are doing this because it is flexible.

And in some cases they will earn more money. So that is good news. On

the money boy, I think it is a mix Tory. But there are pluses and

minuses. In terms of the positives, people are satisfied with their work

as other people in more traditional jobs. They tend to be more positive

about the flex ability and autonomy they enjoy, and they also seem to be

doing it mostly out of choice. So just 14%, just over 10%, work in the

gig economy because they were not able to get a job in the regular

labour market. -- tractability. On the negative side, you have a

significant number of workers who do not know what their employment

rights are. -- flexibility. Always go if feel exploited. The question

is if they are really self-employed. -- or where to go. You said that 57%

of people felt they were being exploited by the firm to grow

quickly. Others were worried they would not get work. Though

statistics are quite general about how people feel about the gig

economy, not their personal experiences. They are more likely to

agree and disagree that they make decisions to sacrifice job security

and benefits for independence. So mixed feelings about. But we do know

from our interviews and the survey Gata that some workers, even though

classified as self-employed, feel that they are controlled by

employers. -- survey data. So you don't have the autonomy and

independence of completes of employment, or the rights that they

would be getting if they were workers. It is very interesting to

talk to you about disk, then Willmott. Nice to talk to you. More

from me after 7am and back you guys now.

Who are some of the guest romantic lead characters you can think of?

Four years on, filmmaker Richard Curtis has brought

the original stars of Love Actually back together in a special sequel

I caught up with the cast during filming and even managed

It has been almost 14 years since we took the characters of love actually

into our hearts and wondered, ever since, how did life turn out for

them. -- Love Actually. Now Richard Curtis has reunited the cast for a

1-off Red Nose Day special. And he has called for extras. We are going

to go into do our filming. I am still unclear about what we are

going to do. We are going to go down the staircase, and see what happens.

Our scene is set in Downing Street with a press conference for it grand

as Prime Minister. Plenty of shouting from producers than action,

for some. -- Hugh Grant. Your performance was wonderful. A huge

range of emotions from light-hearted to thoughtful too concerned. This

acting game is not easy, you know? Even when you have no words to say.

You need to be innocent. Surprised everytime he said what he had to

say. And you have to laugh every time, too. I am not being funny, but

how, did not get many lines? You just late. You are not the first or

the most attractive. I felt that I was the spear carrier. Laich carried

spears to Ron Atkinson. So you and I have a lot in common. The plot is

being get secret, but we do know that Hugh Grant is still dancing and

there are rumours about his future with Natalie. 'S nightmare with

Richard happens every year. Some can fob him off with me. I can say I am

not doing that, here is a jack. -- this nightmare. This brought back so

many lovely memories. Such an amazing cast. That's the fingers not

happen every day. Andrew Lincoln returns with those infamous cards.

We properly shouldn't expect to find him together with Keira Knightley's

Juliet, at least judging by these behind-the-scenes photos.

After that heroic airport dash by Sam, did young love blossomed? The

two young actors have been backfilling once again, and looking

slightly older. It is great fun to come back to the characters, as

always. Yes, happy to be back. And it is all the charity. It is great.

They have all aged except me. I look the same as aged 14 years ago. It is

true to extend his kids, especially, is. Because he was 11 or 12, you

know? And this time it do make the castle be part of something much

bigger. The people involved be said to be responsible for saving the

millions and millions of people's lies. And it demonstrates in a world

that gets weirder and weirder that people are still driven by their

compassionate sensibility and they can take time out to concern

themselves with somebody else's welfare. And if you're wondering, I

have no idea about the plot. We were just wheeled in and then wheeled

out. Big stars all back in. Keira Knightley, clean isn't it Hugh

Grant, they all back in it. And the whole thing, the Love Actually

sequel, that is going to be on the BBC at 7pm on Red Nose Day.

Time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are.

But it is not going to be wet all the time.

In fact, there will be some showers and wet weather,

too, but a lot of dry weather around, as well.

And the best of the breaks of the cloud will see temperatures

But it will be quite windy, particularly so on Sunday.

I am back with the latest in around half are now.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt.

The war of words over a second Scottish independence referendum

The SNP accuse the Prime Minister of running scared, but Theresa May

vows to fight for what she calls the precious union.

Also this morning: A warning that secondary schools in England face

losing an average of six teachers because of funding changes.

not all airport shops passing on VAT savings to travellers. That is

despite promises to crack down on those flouting the rules. I will

have the details. I'm at Cheltenham,

where it is Gold Cup day. Elsewhere, Manchester United

are through to the quarter finals of the Europa League,

after a 1-0 win against FC Rostov We have been on set for the remake

of a classic British comedy. It is Love Actually,

and we will take you behind the scenes with Hugh Grant,

Martine McCutcheon and Liam Neeson. Good morning. It is chilly out there

this morning for many of you but while many southern areas have the

sunshine out, which will continue through the morning, cloud amounts

are set to increase and in the north and west we are expecting to see

some rain. More details in 15 minutes.

First, our main story: The SNP will today accuse the Government

of being too scared to allow a second independence referendum.

Deputy Leader Angus Robertson will open his party's spring

conference by saying the Conservatives have a desperate

desire to prevent anyone rejecting Brexit, but Theresa May

will tell her own party conference in Cardiff that she will fight

to keep what she calls the precious union.

Our Scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.

Two leaders, both talking tough in the battle over

Theresa May rejecting a referendum on independence before the UK leaves

Nicola Sturgeon determined it should go ahead, and at a time

I think it would be completely unacceptable and outrageous,

and almost antidemocratic, for a Conservative Government

with one MP in Scotland to seek to block the democratic

will of the Scottish Parliament, and stand in the way of the Scottish

people having the right to choose our own future.

Ms Sturgeon will use her party conference in Aberdeen to keep

the spotlight on her argument that Downing Street's

2,000 party members who will pack this hall later will likely agree.

Elsewhere in the Granite City, the views were mixed.

Maybe sometime in the future we can vote on it.

As far as it's next year, that they're proposing,

For me, that's not something I'd like to vote on.

Although Theresa May says wait until after a deal,

the deal is about being taken out of Europe.

So I think Nicola Sturgeon has a right to hold that,

and I don't think Theresa May has any right to stop her.

It has been two years since the people of Scotland first

voted on whether to leave the United Kingdom.

Both sides are instead focused on trying to persuade people

in Scotland that they are right about the timing of any possible

Our political correspondent Mark Lobel is in Westminster for us.

Interesting, isn't it, seeing those images at the end of the report with

the two leaders together. That was a moment in time, it is very different

now. Very different now. The government in Westminster is not

ruling out a referendum on independence at it is insisting it

needs to be legal, fair and decisive and within the time frame set out by

the SNP, to have won by 2019, that is not going to happen according to

Theresa May. In a hardline article she writes...

She says it would pit the energy is Britain needs to strike a good

Brexit deal against that drained by the energy is needed to hold an

independence referendum at the same time. She has launched her plan for

Britain, and the website went up last night and to the glee of its

opponents, it crashed and said it is not working, and within it are her

12 objectives for a Brexit deal, the third being to strengthen the union

by striking a deal for Britain and Scotland. This is the main deal she

will be taking to the party conference in Cardiff later today

where she will understand it is to conserve -- underlying it is the

conservative Unionist party. That issue has become a hot potato

because Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, is adamant

she will hold a vote next week and the Scottish Parliament to ask for

the government, the British government, to hold this

independence referendum. In just one quick quote from Angus Robertson,

who has upped the ante. Well, the big question for Theresa

May is, if she is not going to hold a referendum now, when will she hold

one? Every secondary school in England

could lose the equivalent of six teachers by 2020,

according to a think tank. The Education Policy Institute says

schools will see cuts on average of nearly ?300,000 in the next three

years, but the Government says funding is at an all-time high,

and will continue to rise. Parents and pupils in Nantwich,

Cheshire, protesting last month about a lack

of funding for their schools The Government has plans

to redistribute funds, it says, more fairly,

and it says at ?40 billion this

year, school funding in England Despite this, today's report

confirms no school will avoid a real terms

cut in budget over Schools are facing

significant cost pressures. The cost of running the school

increases, rising number of students and from local authorities having

less money to spend. So whilst the distribution

of money might be fairer, there is simply not

enough money in the system The Education Policy Institute

estimates that by 2020 the average real-terms loss of funding

per primary school will be ?74,000, and per secondary school,

the average cut will be ?291,000. That equates to every primary school

losing two teachers, and every secondary

school losing six. The Government says it does

recognise the pressures schools in England are facing,

and is helping them to make savings. Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ

has described claims that it was asked by President Obama

to spy on Donald Trump The unusual move to issue

a statement came after White House Press Secretary Sean

Spicer quoted claims first made on US TV channel Fox News

earlier this week. He didn't use the NSA,

he didn't use the CIA, he didn't use the FBI, and he didn't

use the Department of Justice. It's the initials for the British

intelligence spying agency. So simply, by having two

people saying to them, the President needs transcripts

of conversations involving Candidate Trump, conversations

involving President-elect Trump, he's able to get it,

and there's no American The UK's biggest-ever fine for river

pollution is expected to be imposed The company has admitted

to breaching more than Stretches of water in Oxfordshire

and Buckinghamshire were heavily It is now back to being a wildlife

haven, but in 2013 the Environment Agency was called to the River

Thames near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire to investigate

pollution. When I got hero couldn't believe what I was seeing. The river

was visibly polluted, bank to bank, with sewage. It was great, it was

lifeless, there were dead fish floating on it and it was polluted

as far as the eye can see both downstream and upstream. It was

really sad to see such a beautiful river so polluted that the worst

pollution I have ever seen. Sewage had poured out of a treatment works

I'll wait. Aylesbury Crown Court heard there had also been spills at

four other sites in the Thames Valley. As the pollution pollution

spread, people in Buckinghamshire formed a campaign group. It was

appalling, what was going on, but we were not aware of it. People did see

some symptoms in the river but we have in the case the prosecution

talking about there being floating, disgusting material, sewage, raw

sewage. Thames Water has admitted 13 breaches of environmental laws. The

company says it has since invested millions in better equipment, at the

extent of the company's sailings between 2012 and 2014 is expected to

result in a record fine. Haddock caught west of Scotland

and in the North Sea has been taken off a list of sustainable

fish to eat. The Marine Conservation Society says

stocks declined last year, and action is needed to boost

the number of breeding-age fish. A woman in Peru has had a miraculous

escape after being swept away in an avalanche of mud and other

debris, after heavy rains. The 32-year-old woman had fallen

into a raging river, but somehow managed to get

out onto a riverbank, and was helped to

safety by onlookers. At least 12 people have

died in the floods. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

are starting a two-day visit It is Prince William's first

official visit to the French capital since the death of his mother,

Princess Diana, 20 years The royal couple will also meet

survivors of the Bataclan A BBC team of journalists

and several tourists had to run for cover, after they were caught

in the middle of Mt Etna A flow of lava mixed

with snow led to explosions, sending fragments of rock

flying in all directions. It was the third eruption

in the last three weeks, and this image from a European Space

Agency satellite caught the ferocity The BBC's science correspondent was

among those who had to run for safety.

Look at this. This hole was made by one of the incredibly hot pieces of

volcanic rock which rained down upon us. We really thought we were all

going to die. We had a very, very narrow escape.

We will be chatting more with Rebecca later this morning. This is

the image we can show you live. It is such a beautiful image, Mt Etna

this morning, it is much calmer today. We have those blue skies, and

the Tourists in a very similar situation. They went up Mt Etna

yesterday and then the situation emerged. We know that one of the

tourist who was there with a guide was a 78-year-old woman who had been

very close to the blast, but like all the others, including Rebecca

and our team who were there, the BBC team, they are all managed to reach

safety. Rebekah Wilson Allah the story of what it was -- Rebecca will

tell us the story of what it was like being up close to such an

extraordinary event later this morning.

It has taken just 24 hours for ?7 million to be raised by the public

to help families facing starvation in East Africa,

with a further ?5 million contributed by the UK Government.

The Queen is among those who have donated.

The Disasters Emergency Committee says at least 16 million people

in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan are on the brink

of starvation, and in urgent need of food,

It is being described as the region's worst famine

In Somalia, conflict has made the effect of a two-year drought

even worse, and forecasts for upcoming spring rains are poor,

which means people will need emergency aid throughout the year.

Joining us from our London newsroom is Matthew Carter,

the humanitarian and emergencies director of CAFOD, one

of the charities which is part of the Disasters Emergency

Good morning to you. This sounds like a tremendous amount of cash

raised in a very short space of time. How much of a help is it, how

much a significant amount of cash is this to you?

Phenomenal health. ?12 million in five hours. On 5 million from the

government. This is still a drop in the ocean in responding to, as

people have said, one of the worst disasters across the region we have

seen in many years. 60 million people, 800,000 young children in

desperate need of emergency food aid. You have worked in some of the

areas affected before. Can you put that in context, happy situation is

now? I have worked in all four countries and lived and worked in

those countries. We have just had teams return from the centre of

South Sudan. They have just spoken about the plight of women and

children in particular. We have seen images of women boiling leads to try

and create some sort of food or their children. Really, really

frightening images. In those areas, we are providing emergency food,

water, and sanitation. And as a critical services. I think the other

important thing to the public to be aware of is that these areas are

really difficult to access. But the work that the DEC is doing is

amazing. Supported by the British public. When you go along and visit

the places that you're working in, how much power do you feel you have?

How much help do you feel you can give the people, they are? All of

the DEC members at working through local organisations, who understand

the context. -- there. They are able to work alongside those communities,

and I think that is the Ukraine in this the way aid is now delivered.

-- I think that is the uniqueness. People who can work and live

alongside communities. That is so important. And they see a need as

support from the international community. And particularly in this

case, the British public. Some people have raised concerns that the

money going out there, Piccadilly to countries with civil war in the

past, they could be going to rebel forces or to the government. How

sure can you be that it is going to the right place? Very sure. The DEC

prides itself on the work it does. They work with an alongside local

communities and understand the context really well. Being able to

direct food and support, directly to women and children, and those most

vulnerable people. So that is something we are proud of in our

response and how we are able to work and provide aid to those in need.

The responses you have said has been huge and significant, certainly from

air, hasn't it? Are you not frustrated that perhaps some

pre-emptive worker to stop the situation getting so bad? Well.

These are emergencies that is usually protracted. You have seen

the Yemen appeal a couple of months ago of. Yours in what is happened in

Nigeria, reported so well by the BBC. This is long and protracted. We

are still a head of the game. And that is really important, that the

UK government and the British public keep giving generously so that we

can deal with the emergency now and not see it run on and on for the

months ahead. Matthew Carter, thank you for joining us.

It's 7:18 and you're watching Breakfast from BBC News.

The SNP is accusing the government of being "too scared" to allow

a second independence referendum to take place before talks

A think-tank is warning that the average secondary school

in England could see its funding drop by nearly ?300,000 by 2020.

Here's Matt with a look at this morning's weather.

Let's Shiu what it looks like. Cheltenham today ahead of the cup,

those pictures there now. -- Cup. If I was to read that picture, I was a

looks a bit overcast. -- let's show you. These are not is rising

beautifully, that! Lovely start. A pretty chilly start. Temperatures

only around two or three Celsius. But it will warm up. She's a largely

dry. The best of the sunshine this morning. It is rich in each. You're

about to head out the door, this is a feel of the temperatures outside

this morning. Just a few degrees above freezing on the outs for --

outskirts of Oxford. Those are temperatures you expect this time.

Little colder than as been to recent mornings. The risk of ice to the

final to Scotland. That is because rain is falling on some coal

services and some snow to come across the tops of the Highland. --

cold surfaces. Very gentle western Scotland. Being St Patrick's Day, it

is going to rain on an offer Northern Ireland throughout. And

into Cumbria and other parts of north-west England that will spread.

The rest of England will start the way dry. The best of the sunshine to

the south. We still see some sunny spells across southern and eastern

areas of England through the day. And also to the far north steep of

Scotland. Plenty of cloud and the day England, will north-west

Midlands, and north Wales. Rain on and off in Northern Ireland and

Scotland. Missing is over the tops of the hills. Temperatures where

they should be so this time of year at around nine to 30 degrees. 10

Celsius to those heavy to Cheltenham. Our seat few spots of

rain and is a breeze, but a story of increasing cloud and staying largely

dry. In tonight, most of us will see a little bit of rain at some point.

Heaviest on the hills in the west. Sporadic light rain and drizzle

further to these. A bit of rain and some hill fog in Scotland. Remaining

windy into the morning. Temperatures will not drop must for many. --

March. A little bit of ice and fog in Scotland. The best of your

Saturday sunshine. Patchy rain and drizzle in England and Wales to

begin with. Sebright is for a time in eastern areas. Then Northern

Ireland and into western Scotland, after a dry start, it will turn with

again and a damp afternoon across parts of northern England Nvidia.

Temperatures higher than today's values. Mild air will stick with us

through Saturday into Sunday. Brizzi into Sunday morning, especially in

the Northerns part of the country. The rain will be heavy through the

night into Sunday. Wait for of Northern Ireland, western England,

and Scotland. The wretches stay dry. Temperatures still on the reasonably

mild side. Back Thank you very much, Matt. -- back

to you both. The Teletubbies. Then, due not am talking about?

Absolutely. But it is too flat. Today, we will start with the news

about people working in the gig economy. This is where you dry

taxis, deliver take a race, that's the stuff. New reports is a pupil

Dauphin reflected the extra cash from working. But figures also show

that more than 60% of those workers now want the government to introduce

better regulation to stop firms exploiting workers. We've talked a

lot about that already. At on that later. Elsewhere, the stock market

hit a record high in London yesterday. That was this by a rise

in interest rates in America. The Federal reserve increased the cost

of borrowing. Investors will also breathe a sigh of relief after the

pub is Freedom Party failed to secure victory in the Netherlands.

That was the 100 close at a record high of 7450 and a bit. That is good

news investors, and anyone with a pension or savings. And many airport

shops still not handing back VAT savings to travellers. It emerged

last year that Apple Johnston had to pay the 20% VAT on sales if you are

travelling outside the EU. -- last year that airports do not have

toupee. Many airports are not passing that back to clients. And we

will talk about that what your rights are at the airport in about

20 minutes time. Sir John myth that. Thank you Ben. -- so we will talk

about that. Rising numbers of parents in England

are submitting complaints because their child has been denied

free school transport. The Local Government Ombudsman says

many of these relate to children with disabilities

who are being put at a significant disadvantage because their needs

aren't being adequately assessed. Breakfast's Graham Satchell met

Leanna Forse who had to give up her job because she couldn't

afford to pay ?500 a month Billy is on his way

home from school. He is 16 and has a rare

chromosome disorder. He needs help to dress,

eat - with everything. Local authorities

have a legal obligation to provide transport

to and from school for children After that, each council

has its own policy. He's got all the things

he needs at school. We're just asking for this tiny

little bit of help to get in there. So the local authority

has a statutory duty until the age of 16

to provide that transport. And then they have a statutory

duty to provide it from But between those times, it -

it's discretionary. Funding for Billy's transport

was withdrawn in September. She appealed, but her local

authority said, in their view, The bigger picture, here, of course,

is that council budgets have been The Local Government

Association told us councils want to provide

a high-quality service, but it's becoming increasingly

difficult, in the face A lot of authorities

are reinterpreting or Michael King, the Local Government

Ombudsman for England, has seen a significant rise

in complaints from the public. We understand the financial

pressures on local authorities and, you know,

it's not for me to say whether that's driving

some of these changes... What we would say to local

authorities is if you're going to change your policy,

you need to be clear You need to explain them

to the public so people can make She's a single mother mum

who left school at 16. Later in life, she went

to university, and now works She's currently paying for Billy's

travel to school herself. It's now costing me ?500

a month in taxi fees, A few weeks ago I handed

in my notice, because I cannot work Billy will continue to go to school,

that means that this mother's As the government struggles

to balance the books, and cuts continue to bite,

there will be more hard That was Leanna Forse that speaking

to Graham Satchell about that very difficult situation she is in in the

moment. Thank you. I will be back in around

half are now. Plenty more on our website.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Charlie Stayt and Sally Nugent.

The SNP will today accuse the Government of being too scared

to allow a second independence referendum.

Deputy leader Angus Robertson will open his party's spring

conference by saying the Conservatives have a desperate

desire to prevent anyone rejecting Brexit, but Theresa May

will tell her own party conference in Cardiff that she will fight

to keep what she calls the precious union.

Secondary schools in England could lose the equivalent of six

teachers by 2020, according to a think-tank.

The Education Policy Institute says schools will see cuts on average

of nearly ?300,000 in the next three years, but the government says

funding is at an all-time high, and will continue to rise.

Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ has described claims

that it was asked by President Obama to spy on Donald Trump

The unusual move to issue a statement came after

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer quoted claims first made

on US TV channel Fox News earlier this week.

He didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA,

he didn't use the FBI, and he didn't use the Department of Justice.

It's the initials for the British intelligence spying agency.

So simply, by having two people saying to them,

the President needs transcripts of conversations involving

Candidate Trump, conversations involving President-elect Trump,

he's able to get it, and there's no American

The UK's biggest-ever fine for river pollution is expected to be imposed

The company has admitted to breaching more than

Stretches of water in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire were heavily

Haddock caught west of Scotland and in the North Sea has been taken

off a list of sustainable fish to eat.

The Marine Conservation Society says stocks declined last year,

and action is needed to boost the number of breeding-age fish.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are starting a two-day visit

It is Prince William's first official visit to the French capital

since the death of his mother, Princess Diana, 20 years

The royal couple will also meet survivors of the Bataclan

A woman in Peru has had a miraculous escape after being swept away

in an avalanche of mud and other debris, after heavy rains.

The 32-year-old woman had fallen into a raging river,

but somehow managed to get out onto a riverbank,

and was helped to safety by onlookers.

At least 12 people have died in the floods.

You can see how incredibly lucky she was to make it there.

Coming up on the programme, Matt will have the weather.

Mike is at Cheltenham, where it is Gold Cup day.

Good morning. And you have got the cup, as well! I have got the cup

indeed. The sunshine is bouncing off it. It is incredibly light. I have

lifted a lot of trophies, not having won them, but for work, of course,

in my time. This has to be the lightest, ten ounces of gold. The

great thing is the winning owner gets to keep it, and I am sure the

Irish will be hoping it returns to Ireland today. I have seen a seagull

and a pheasant in the distance, very exciting because in about 30 seconds

we are going to see our first horse of the day as well. Can't quite spot

who it is as yet but if I swing around we will see the first course

coming out for a practice up the gallops in the sunshine. One of the

horses perhaps hoping to get a win today ahead of the Gold Cup, which

you can hear on 5 Live this afternoon. There is the clerk of the

course. Any idea who it is? The grand annual horse Pair of Brown

Eyes. Let me Hamburg Gold hand the Gold Cup back.

Ruby Walsh rode four winners on day three of the Cheltenham Festival,

After riding favourites Yorkhill and Un De Sceaux to victory earlier

in the day, Walsh won the Stayers' Hurdle,

on board the 10:1 shot Nichols Canyon.

He finished clear of the odds-on favourite Unowhatimeanharry.

Walsh also won on Let's Dance later in the afternoon.

My mouth just kept opening and closing as he was coming

I was hoping he would run well, but the way our team have been

running all weekend, I was thinking it would be too good

Manchester United are into the quarter-finals

of the Europa League, after a 1-0 win over FC Rostov last

night sent them through 2-1 on aggregate.

The win did come at a price for United, though, with record

signing Paul Pogba forced off early in the second half

He is expected to be out for at least a couple of weeks.

Juan Mata grabbed the game's only goal, to send United into the draw

for the last eight, which takes place later.

Leicester City will be in the Champions League draw.

Warrington Wolves' poor start to the Super League season

continues, as they were beaten 22-8 at Leigh.

Two tries from Gareth Hock helped condemn Warrington

It is the final weekend of the Six Nations, with England

looking to win back-to-back grand slams when they play

Number eight Billy Vunipola and wing Anthony Watson return

A win would be a record-breaking 19th consecutive victory

I've had Will Carling texting me, reminding me how great his team was,

I am very aware, and we are not seeing it as a daunting thing,

We are very much excited by the opportunity that presents

And Ireland will be without Conor Murray for that match.

He has failed to recover from a shoulder injury

Ireland certainly had bragging rights ahead of the rugby at

Cheltenham yesterday. I wonder if they will once again today with the

likes of Gordon Elliott? Will be speaking to him at 8:30 a.m., and

Willie Mullins. A couple of guests with me, the big loss of the whole

area and the clerk of the course. Thank you for joining us, gents. Can

we talk drinking? Has been a lot of publicity about the shift in

emphasis at all racecourses after last year and those pictures that

went worldwide of footballers urinating into a glass. We had a

couple of unsavoury incidents a year ago, we wanted to take some action

to tighten our drinking policies, to deter a few silly people coming

doing stupid things on the race course. What sort of measures have

been brought in? We have been more vigilant in serving of alcohol to

people who might be slightly inebriated and we have restricted

the number of drinks they can take at a time from the bar and so far

for the last three days or so it has been a fantastic three days, we have

been able to concentrate on the racing, the atmosphere, and

everything the festival is about without any problems. And a lot more

emphasis on the number of bread rolls and the coffee being drunk

rather than the amount of stout and champagne. Absolutely, we want

everyone to come here and have a great time, but occasionally with a

bit of water and something to eat as well. It is also St Patrick's Day.

30% of tickets sold were sold to people in Ireland and I heard

yesterday that you have got one of the most important jobs in Irish

sport, and you are based in Cheltenham. It was once described as

having the most important job in the Irish fixture, or staging the most

important meeting in the Irish fixture list, which I think Simon

and I and the rest of the team do. Is at the history, the whole thing

with Arkle, the rivalry? Yes, there has been a wonderful collaboration

and rivalry for a number of years and there is no other sporting event

which has the number of Irish here, possibly the biannual England

Ireland match in Dublin, but this is just fantastic, to have the Irish

here makes the atmosphere, and it is what makes the festival. Sorry to

leave you out there for a few minutes, I will bring you in. What

is the going like? We had a dry night, we did little bit of watering

on Wednesday and we had good to soft yesterday. A few riders said it was

riding a bit dead. The whole idea is to make sure that ground conditions

today are perfect so after a dry day yesterday and last night I am

describing the ground all the way around is good. It is in great nick.

There is a fresh strip of ground for the steeplechase, eight yards wide,

and they haven't set foot on it for months. A shame not to see Thistle

Crack here, but the starter 's favourite at the moment? It would be

great for the West Country, especially with England so far

behind in the Irish challenge. I have just seen Outlander go down,

and Cue Card and Native River looking really well, and Willie

Mullins was on fire, and Djakadam going well. And T4 to? She was the

first grade one winner will jumping, so wouldn't that be a wonderful

story as well -- Tea For Two. What about an outsider? Wobbly Nigel

Twiston Davies, we saw him on the gallops a week or two back and he

was in fantastic form. -- probably. It is a glorious day, we have seen

the horses going down and you can follow the big race on 5 Live from

around 1pm this afternoon. Lovely to see you looking so elegant and

getting into the spirit of Cheltenham with the Tweed but we

think that you might have left the label in the back of your new hat.

Turnaround! Turnaround! Anyone who knows me... The other side? Well,

look, anybody who knows me, who has worked with me, family, they will

know it is a common problem I have. Sometimes the label stay on,

especially if they are behind me, on my back, or even weeks. I am sure

you have noticed it on the sofa when I have a new suit on. And I

understand you will be speaking to Mr Grima sale a little later at the

racecourse. -- Grimsdale. And I have to give it back, I wouldn't normally

be wearing it. It is what you where every Saturday, isn't it?

Scientists have developed a machine which can lipread with more accuracy

than humans. Researchers at Oxford use lip movements from thousands of

hours of ABC news programmes including Breakfast to develop the

software. Here is out technology correspondent. At the action for

hearing loss charity, Edward is trying to have a conversation with a

colleague. With lots of news to make noise coming into the office from

the street, his lipreading comes in useful, but he admits it is

difficult. It can be hard, as well. Some words can be lipread the same,

so talking about getting it in context and seeing what people are

actually talking to you about. Art in Oxford research is under way to

teach the difficult part of lipreading. It involved training and

artificial intelligence system using thousands of hours of BBC News

programmes. So the area around the lips as the region that the system

is seen. The scientist whose project is his shares Edward's view of the

challenges of lipreading. So lipreading is a challenge, because

there are visual ambiguities. By endlessly watching clips of

Breakfast, Newsnight and other BBC News programmes, the computer

teaches itself to the read. What the system does is learn things that

occur together. So in this case, the mouth shapes and the characters, and

what the likely upcoming characters are given the previous characters.

Let's try it with some words it already understands. The Prime

Minister is at a European Union summit. The system has heard those

words in that context for so it copes very well but to get better it

will have to chew through a lot more data. There is a long way to go but

the hearing loss charity is optimistic about this technology.

This will help people when they are watching subtitles on television,

when they are out and about in very noisy environment and it is by no

means a technology which will replace a professional lipread. It

is technology which will support professional that breeders, to

improve the accuracy of the work they do. Right now the technology

only works on full sentences in recorded clips. The next stage is to

make it work live. First the computer is going to be watching a

lot more television. And we will be speaking to a

representative from the Association of Teachers of Lipreading for

Adults. It makes you think about the movements you make when you are

reading, and not being too lazy with your diction. We will talk about

that a bit later on, he says stumbling over his words!

It's 7:45 and you're watching Breakfast from BBC News.

But we go to the weather. Good morning to you both. Actually start

this morning. But Tory glorious start, Weather Watchers in the south

of England have caught these lovely blue skies. This was above Devon.

Different story to the north and west. It is a day where you might

want to stave behind the window in Motherwell. Rain is falling there at

the moment, as it is in many parts of western Scotland. It will tell

most of the day. In the far north, you might stay dry. Some ice around

this morning. But even through central south-eastern parts, the

rain is spreading in. There will be rain on and off throughout the day

in Northern Ireland, and turning wet in north-west England. Already got

rain in Lancashire and Cumbria. Increasing cloud pushing down the

north-west. But most should start the day dry, Chile, but were

sunshine they had. And this will continue with some sunshine across

the southernmost counties. Some sunshine to the north-east of

Scotland. And in between, plenty of clout around. It will turn weather

today in many areas. Rain to these the Pennines. Northern Ireland and

the south-west. Temperatures are where they should be that this year

between about nine and 30 degrees. About ten or 11 degrees if you go to

Cheltenham for the Gold Cup. It will not stay sunny there all day.

Increasing cloud throughout the day could threaten the odd splash of

rain. But it should stay by and large dry. If a little greedy. Any

breezy evening and night across the UK. Rain possible just about

anywhere. The most will be the hills in the West. Sporadic patchy late

rain and drizzle in the east. It will not be a cold night for many of

you. There are skies in the northern Scotland and patchy fog into the

weekend. Northern Scotland will properly see the best of the

Saturday sunshine. Elsewhere, lots of clout. Rain and drizzle across

western part of England and Wales initially, and this will spread into

Northern Ireland, was in Scotland through the afternoon. Odd splash

range of eastern England in the afternoon. By that breaks in

Scotland, with temperatures of about eight to 10 degrees. Overnight, wet

and windy weather. Another spell of heavy rain spreads its way into

Northern Ireland and southern Scotland throughout the day. There

will be Sebright he weather to the north-east of Scotland. -- brighter

weather. The best of the brightness to the east of England where

temperatures could hit 14 or 15 Celsius. By and large, some sunshine

around this weekend. Plenty of clout, and wettest of all in the

West. If you need a bit of a boost, after they mention of grey skies,

let me get you to California. After the recent drought, they have seen

huge amount of rain. There have been spectacular early blooms of spring

flowers, there. Gorgeous scenes. Back to you. You can take us all to

California. Had you get there? You got a plane.

And what is then go to talk about? Planes. -- how do you get there. Yes

but I will be talking about because the planes.

You might remember the row last year when many shops at airports

were found to be charging passengers VAT, but then claiming it

WHSmith was at the centre of the controversy but also applies

The point is they can claim back the VAT if you are travelling outside

the EU. That is currently 20%. The shops know you're leaving

the European Union by looking at your boarding pass and once

they know that they should then give Since then most of the airport

retailers have signed That means they are now more up

front about what happens to the VAT. Last year WHSmith said it

would refund the VAT are still keeping some

or all of the VAT. The Retail Ombudsman has told BBC

Breakfast all should now have changed their practices and Boots

really should have done Charlotte Turner is a travel expert

from TRBusiness Magazine and joins Why are we still tell you that this?

This was a big controversy last year. They also that we would change

how things are done. And they're not. It is a big question in one

that needs to be answered. But it is a competent process. You have to

realise there are lots of different retailers, lots of different company

pricing policies that we are hoping to level of playfield across many

these companies. It is an extraordinary process. There is a

code of conduct as you mentioned which along with the airport

operators association that has been implanted. Unfortunate, retailers

have signed up to that across UK airports. -- and fortunately. Now

there is pressure on Boots to come forward and reimburse its customers

the VAT. What is pushing them to do this? Is the bad reputation, as we

said, one was at the centre of this before. Why is it taking so long?

Boots have conducted a year-long review, and this is the outcome of

it. I think previously, some of the companies were using this to offer

low prices to all of its customers across its network of stores inside

or outside the airport. That was part of their pricing policy and

their business model. Of course, now Boots have come out and said they

can offer this VAT scheme additionally is Woelfl products over

?6. So that's talk about the rules. If I went to an airport today, what

can I expect to pay for travelling outside of the EU? If you are

travelling outside the EU, is different retailer, if you are going

into Boots, for instance, if you going outside the EU, you can claim

back that 30% VAT, providing, obviously, that you show that

boarding pass, which is a requirement, now. Will I just be

offered a discount at the till, or do I need to fill in forms? No, no

forms are required. But you will need to have your boarding pass scan

to get the really. And there are different rules for duty-free, as

well. Duty-free is a different set of regulations at the 10-time, as

well. -- same time. Shallow Turner, thank you for joining us. And more

from me after eight o'clock. -- Charlotte.

Now, 14 years on, filmmaker Richard Curtis has brought

the original stars of Love Actually back together in a special sequel

So what happened next? Either doing about the plot... -- I don't know.

But I caught up with the cast during filming and even managed

It's been almost 14 years since we took the characters

of Love Actually into our hearts, and wondered, ever since,

Now Richard Curtis has reunited the cast for a 1-off

He's also introducing new faces. Extras, for a day, like me.

We are going to go into do our filming.

I am still unclear about what we are going to do.

We are going to go down the magnificant staircase,

Our scene is set in Downing Street with a press conference

Plenty of shouting from producers and then action,

A huge range of emotions from light-hearted,

This acting game isn't easy, you know?

Surprised everytime he said what he had to say.

And you have to laugh every time, too.

I am not being funny, but how come I did not

There was a long list and you were not the first

The reason I am a writer is because I was a terrible actor.

The plot is being get secret, but we do know

that Hugh Grant is still dancing and there are rumours

This nightmare with Richard happens every year.

I can say I am not doing that, here is a cheque.

When I got the message from Richard, my heart skipped.

This brought back so many lovely memories.

This sort of thing doesn't happen every day.

Andrew Lincoln returns with those infamous cards.

We properly shouldn't expect to find him together

with Keira Knightley's Juliet, at least judging by these

After that heroic airport dash by Sam, did young love blossomed?

-- After that heroic airport dash by Sam,

The two young actors have been back, filming once again,

It is great fun to come back to the characters, as always.

It is a nice relaxed atmosphere on sat.

I look the same as aged 14 years ago.

It is true to extend his kids, especially,

And this time it do make the castle be part of something much

The people involved be said to be responsible for saving the millions

And it demonstrates in a world that gets weirder and weirder that people

are still driven by their compassionate sensibility

and they can take time out to concern

themselves with somebody else's welfare.

And the whole thing, the Love Actually

sequel, that is going to be on the BBC at 7pm on Red Nose Day.

I have no idea of the plot. He really does not. We will find that

next week. It is just about to read o'clock and it is time to get

But it will be quite windy, particularly so on Sunday.

That is it from BBC London News. Back in about half

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt.