19/03/2018 Breakfast

Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

Stranded - heavy snowfall traps

drivers for hours overnight.

More than 70 are sleeping

in an emergency shelter.

The A30 is still closed.

Yellow ice warnings are in place

across much of the country.

Sarah Keith-Lucas will have

the latest forecast.

It is cold and icy to start this

morning, but we are expecting a dry

day, with some sunshine. Things

eventually turning a bit milder

through this week but certainly are

lots of live snow still today. I

will bring you all the details in

about 15 minutes.

Good morning, it is Monday 19 March.

Also this morning: International

weapons inspectors are due in the UK

to examine the nerve agent used

to poison Russian ex-spy Sergei

Skripal.

TV presenter Ant McPartlin

is arrested on suspicion

of drink-driving after a collision

involving three cars in south-west

London.

A significant breakthrough

in the treatment of multiple

sclerosis, as an international trial

shows that stem cell transplants can

stop the disease.

The decline of local newspapers

could be fuelling the rise

of fake news.

That is according to the Government.

I will be looking at why.

In sport, Rory is back.

McIlroy wins the Arnold

Palmer Invitational,

seeing off the challenge

of Justin Rose and Tiger Woods,

with the Masters just

a couple of weeks away.

Good morning.

First, our main story: More than 70

drivers have been stranded

overnight in Devon.

The A30 was hit by heavy snow,

and police say conditions

are changing rapidly

from passable to impossible.

Our reporter Sarah Ransome

is in Devon for us this morning.

An initial yellow warning for part

of the country in South Wales was

issued this morning and a further

area of snow moving west overnight

has produced fresh snow. We will get

all the details in the next few

hours on Breakfast. Roads and

railways are likely to be affected,

longer journey times as a result,

and Sarah will have the actual

forecast later. It sounds like there

are serious issues.

A few hours ago

they were saying it was still

snowing, an emergency rest centre in

Oakhampton, with 80 people and two

dogs, and they are continuing to

help people out who are stranded on

the A30.

International chemical weapons

experts are due to arrive in the UK

later today to test the nerve agent

used to poison former Russian spy

Sergei Skripal and his

daughter Yulia.

President Putin says

claims his country was behind

the attack are nonsense,

but Boris Johnson claims Russia has

been stockpiling Novichok for years.

Tom Burridge reports.

The MoD's top-secret scientific

research centre at Porton Down.

Today, a group of international

chemical weapons experts will travel

there to work out how samples

of the nerve agent used

in the attack in Salisbury could be

transported abroad to be tested

in an independent lab.

The Government says the only

credible theory is that the nerve

agent used to attack former Russian

military intelligence officer

Sergei Skripal and his daughter came

from Russia, something

Moscow denies.

But, as the police in Salisbury

continued their work over

the weekend, the Foreign Secretary

said the Government has evidence

that Russia has, within the past

decade, been stockpiling the type

of nerve

agent used in the attack.

Russia has not only been

investigating the delivery of nerve

agents for the purpose of

assassination, but has also been

creating and stockpiling Novichok.

We still don't know where

the Skripals came in contact

with the nerve agent.

But his car, which was taken away

by the military late on Friday,

is of particular

interest to the police.

They want to hear from anyone

who saw it in the hours before

the couple fell violently ill.

Vladimir Putin has told a victory

rally that Russia must maintain

unity, following his landslide win

in the Presidential election.

He received more than 76%

of the votes, but CCTV footage

from a number of polling stations

appears to show election officials

stuffing boxes with ballot papers.

Some cameras were obscured by things

like balloons as well.

The television presenter

Ant McPartlin has been arrested

on suspicion of drink-driving.

The police say they were called

to reports of a collision involving

three cars in South-West London

yesterday afternoon.

Our correspondent Andy Moore

is in our London newsroom

for us this morning.

What sort of detail do we have on

this at the moment? Is on the front

page of a number of the papers

today.

That's right, photographs of

what happened after the papers, and

you can see that Ant McPartlin's

black Mini came to rest

bumper-to-bumper against another

car. Scotland Yard say a 42-year-old

man was arrested on suspicion of

drink driving after failing a

roadside test. That man was taken to

a South London police station for

questioning. The Fire Brigade and

the ambulance service attended. Some

people were treated for minor

injuries. A child was taken to

hospital for a checkup as a

precaution. Now, Ant McPartlin's

personal problems have been well

documented. Last year he checked

into a rehab clinic, he said he was

suffering from an addiction to

prescription drugs and alcohol, and

this year he announced he was

separating from his wife, Lisa

Armstrong.

Thank you very much for

that. We will have more detail on

that story for you throughout the

morning.

A British woman has been killed

in northern Syria while fighting

alongside Kurdish forces.

It is understood that Anna Campbell,

who was 26 and from Lewes

in East Sussex, died

in the town of Afrin,

which has been the target

of a Turkish offensive.

She travelled to Syria last May.

Her father has told the BBC

she was idealistic, and knew

she was putting her life at risk.

Our correspondent

Emma Vardy reports.

Anna Campbell was a passionate human

rights activist, who travelled to

Syria last May to join the Kurdish

women's armed group, the YPG. She

even dyed her hair so as not to

stand out among the other fighters.

Her father, Dirk Campbell 's, said

he could not prevent his daughter

from travelling to the war zone.

She

was quite adamant about it. I said,

you know, you could be killed. And

she said, I know, dad. There is

nothing I can do to reassure you

about that. But I have got to do

this, because it is the most

important thing for me.

At first,

Anna Campbell had been involved in

fighting with the Kurds against

so-called Islamic

so-called Islamic State in Deir

Ez-Zor, but in January turkey began

attacking the Kurds along the border

around the town of Afrin. It is here

that Kurdish commanders say Anna

Campbell was killed. In a statement,

the YPJ said they tried to keep her

away from the front line, but she

had insisted on being part of the

operation to defend Afrin. Since

2015, seven British men have lost

their lives. Friends of Anna

Campbell in Syria told the BBC she

was killed by Turkish air strikes,

the first British woman fighting

with the Kurds to have died.

Scientists researching the treatment

of multiple sclerosis say they have

made a significant breakthrough.

Results from a decade-long

international trial have shown

a stem cell transplant can halt

the disease and improve symptoms.

Doctors in Sheffield

who were part of the study say

it is a game-changer

for many patients.

Our medical correspondent

Fergus Walsh reports.

This was Louise Willetts in 2015,

undergoing her stem cell transplant

in Sheffield. The treatment involves

chemotherapy to knock out her faulty

immune system, and then a transplant

of these healthy stem cells, taken

from her bone marrow, which rebuilds

her immune system. It has

transformed her health, from being

in a wheelchair during her worst

relapse, she is now symptom-free.

It does feel like a miracle.

Almost have to I pinch myself

and think, is this real,

is it really gone, is it

ever going to come back?

I don't live in fear anymore,

so I actually live every day the way

that I want to live it,

rather than around my MS.

Around 100,000 people in the UK have

MS, which attacks the brain and

spinal cord. In an international

trial of around 100 patients, those

who had a transplant not only

experienced a reduction in their

disability, they were ten times less

likely to see their treatment fail

after three years compared to those

who received drugs. The stem cell

transplant involves a 1-off cost of

£30,000, no more expensive than the

yearly cost of some drugs. It is a

gruelling treatment, and not

suitable for all MS patients, but

Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire

Hospital, part of the international

trial, said it was a game changer,

and it hoped many more MS patients

would receive a transplant.

The gambling commission is to

recommend the government reduced the

maximum stake on fixed odds betting

terminals to £30 or less. Bookmakers

claimed that if the gambling

watchdog has stuck to its original

limit of just £2 it could have

caused hundreds of betting shops to

close and thousands of jobs to be

lost.

Thousands of tiny paws pattered

their way through Greenwich Park

in London over the weekend,

as hundreds of dachshunds

and their owners braved freezing

temperatures for the third ever

Sausage Walk.

The owners were there as well,

taking to the great outdoors despite

the freezing temperatures to take

part in the third ever sausage fest,

created to celebrate the breed.

Lovely dogs.

Another dog update for

you. We know that about 80 people

had spent the night in shelters,

after snow shut stretches of roads

along the A30. We will have updates

on Breakfast this morning. Quite a

few schools closed today as well so

if you are in that part of the

country we will keep you up-to-date

on that. Our correspondent can bring

us the very latest details, but they

may well have a television in that

rescue centre, and if you are

watching, good morning. If you are a

golf fan, the sport is in quite

healthy shape.

The leaderboard of

the Arnold Palmer Invitational looks

to be tasty, Tiger Woods back in

contention, for his last two

tournaments he has been in the mix

and you wouldn't rule him out at

Augusta, and Rory McIlroy has never

won the Masters. It is that one

major which he has really wanted to

complete his career Grand Slam, and

what he really wants. The pressure

he has been under, every time he

goes to Augusta, is whether he is

going to do it this year. He seems

in much better shape than he was

last year. That final putt which he

sang to win the title, and his first

title in 1.5 years -- sank.

With the Masters just a few weeks

away, Rory McIlroy is back in form.

He won the Arnold Palmer

Invitational in Florida

for his first tournament victory

in a year and a half.

Justin Rose finished third,

while Tiger Woods was in contention

once again, finishing

tied for fifth.

The draw for the semi-finals

of the FA Cup has been made,

with Chelsea taking on Southampton

and Manchester United meeting

Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea secured their place

in extra-time, beating

Leicester 2-1 yesterday.

Southampton made the semis

after beating League One side

Wigan 2-0.

The match was Mark Hughes's first

in charge of Saints,

who make the last four

despite struggling in

the Premier League's

relegation zone.

And Roger Federer's incredible run

at the start of this year has come

to an end.

He was beaten in the final of Indian

Wells by Argentina's Juan Martin del

Potro.

It is del Potro's second

tournament win in a row.

And funnily enough, del Potro had

won 17 as well at the start of this

season, and a remarkable comeback

for del Potro. He has had multiple

wrist surgeries, at one point

thinking he would never hit his

backhand again, so to see him

beating the world number one like

that, I know everyone was talking

about Federer, but del Potro's story

is just as good. It was a really,

really good final as well. Back to

our main story, that heavy snowfall

which has caused disruption in parts

particularly of south-west England,

our reporter is in Devon, and the

loan is a little bit affected by

snow, possibly. What can you tell us

-- the line.

Good morning, that

amber warning we had all day

yesterday, it was downgraded

overnight and we now have a yellow

warning, possibly more snow but

predominantly ice. As you were

saying in the introduction, we have

around 70 and possibly 80 people in

a local school, Okehampton College,

who have spent the night because

they were stranded in their cars.

The very high point of the more is

the A30, and people who travelled to

Cornwall on holiday will probably

know you go up over the hill and

then you drop down and very quickly

you end in Cornwall. It is at that

point that the heavy snow, along

with other parts of Devon, there was

a lot of snow yesterday, and late

yesterday evening a number of them

were stuck and were stranded in

their cars, and had to be moved to

this college. Some of them had to

walk, some of them were given a lift

by local rescue groups, Dartmoor

rescue group were out in force last

night, along with other emergency

services. And they were a number of

children there as well. So this

morning we understand that the road

is still closed. A large stretch of

it is still closed. They are working

hard to try and clear it but at the

moment a number of these people are

still in the rest centre, hopefully

having had a bit of a sleep and

maybe a nice cup of tea to wake them

up this morning.

Here's Sarah with a look

at this morning's weather.

That doesn't seem to be much snow in

London but causing problems in some

parts of the country?

I'm on the in

central London, we have a few white

rooftops around London but up and

down the country really it is a

similar pick, a lot of snow and ice

around. Today I think we will see an

improvement in the weather so it

will be a most Lieb dry day. A

return to some sunshine. Ice will be

a problem because what we will see

it is some of the snowfall will ring

out during the day and then re-

freezing once the sun goes down.

Some pretty tricky conditions over

the next few days, disruption also

likely. Through the course of this

week, things will start to change

and feel a little more springlike.

After the cold and the dry start,

temperatures Bradley on the rise.

But reform gradually. -- gradually.

temperatures Bradley on the rise.

But reform gradually. -- gradually.

But across the country, we have got

a largely dry day. A little more

cloud in the far south in one or two

flurries of snow hanging on down

towards the Channel Isles. The cloud

Wolf Dean and break up. Much of the

country a dry day and return to some

fairly feeling sunshine. This

afternoon across southern England

and Wales, still a cold north-east

of the wind so although there will

be some sunshine it will feel cold.

Watch a fall of the lying snow and

icy conditions. In Scotland and

northern Ireland, dry and sunny. For

more cloud the eastern Scotland and

for this England but towards the

west of Scotland and northern

Ireland it will feel quite pleasant

with a light wind and sunshine.

Temperatures still not great,

between 3-7 out there today. Chile,

particularly with the wind chill

across England and Wales. Overnight,

largely dry conditions, more cloud

filtering in from the east across

England and Wales. Scotland and

northern Ireland see the coldest

temperatures so we could well have

-5 or through the central Scotland

tomorrow morning. Through the day

tomorrow, not a bad day. Cloudy in

the east, perhaps one or two rain

showers for Lincolnshire down

towards Sussex. Most other parts of

dry and sunny. Still chile for the

time of year. Through into the

middle of the week, a front moves

into the north-west which brings

more cloud of Scotland and Northern

Ireland and into Wednesday. Patchy

rain also the Scotland and northern

Ireland. England and Wales should

stay dry, again, a lot of fun trying

but you'll chile. Eight or nine

degrees for most of us by Wednesday

but we could just about see the

temperatures creeping into double

figures in one or two spots. A

milder theme as we look to what the

middle and the end of the week but

we're not out of the woods yet, it

is still cold and we have a lot of

ice over the few days.

Thank you

very much, see

ice over the few days.

Thank you

very much, see you later on. When I

heard you were outside I feared the

worst but you don't look too bad.

She has your favourite thing, a big

coat. You know what, sometimes a big

coat is all you need in life! That

is a terrible visions of this time

of mourning.

Let's have a look at today's papers.

The front page of the Telegraph,

they are talking about it, and I

think Steph will talk about this as

well, Facebook, the wild west,

technology firms would Facebook and

Google is over, according to the

cabinet minister responsible for

overseeing them, declaring that

today, saying the silicon giants are

facing greater regulation to control

people's data and ensure they cannot

avoid being proper tax. I think you

were talking about that Stephanie

Brunner to the financial Times has a

big story across both sides of the

Atlantic this morning because here,

Facebook is under increasing

pressure to explain how the data

collect did on 50 million users was

exploited for political gain, and

this is the story that claims the

data firm can reach analytic at

which used leaked information to

help Donald Trump win the US

election. It is a complicated story

but the basic premise of it is there

was lots of data, data is powerful,

isn't it, information about

everyone, and faced or is involved

in somehow these claims, that they

gave the information to Cambridge at

analytic. -- Cambridge analytic.

Vladimir Putin, his landslide

victory. It was confirmed about 9pm

I think the final vote numbers came

through but 75% of the vote for him,

quite a bit turnout, two thirds of

the Russians turned out. And the

watchdog turned away from tough

vetting curbs. And Ant McPartlin is

on the front pages of a few as well.

He makes the front page of the sun,

some of the other tabloids as well.

The mirror, held by police after

drink drive crash, it took place in

Richmond in London and that is the

front page of the daily express.

That is the Guardian, a bit of a

meat batch today. Talking about

Facebook also an Vladimir Putin and

the Daily Mail have a campaign about

plastics and they are talking about

that today. It is also the end of

the Six Nations this week? A lovely

celebration and some photos in the

paper, this is in the Times.

Grinning bare as he shows off the

trophy. -- there. You cannot imagine

the football is flying back after

winning the Champions League on a

private jet. He looks like he is on

some kind of Ryanair flight back to

Dublin. Nothing wrong with that!

Anna Fitzpatrick there as well

winning the gold. I love that photo

of them jumping. And Millie Knight

and Brett Wild won the bronze the

way to finish the Winter

Paralympics. A really interesting

piece in the mirror before Rory went

on to win the other factor for

Arnold Palmer Invitational but he

complains he keeps getting abuse

from people in the crowd and he said

more and more at golf tournament

these days people used to wander

around with a couple of beers but

now people are wandering around with

tales! It has become less big

boozefest and they should think

about banning alcohol because people

were shouting and putting them off

because golf is a game built on

etiquette and respect and silence

and concentration. Justin Thomas had

someone removed, didn't he?

Stefanie? A nice story about a

village in Somerset because their

local villagers have saved the local

pub. The race more than £1 million

to buy it developers. It closed six

years ago, developers were going to

turn it into flats, villagers

rallied around and made £1 million

and bought it back. That is a lovely

story. They did a similar thing in

my parents's village but we still

have to go to the pub than now. You

have sorted it and bought it a knack

you have to go. Would you like to

see a Siberian tiger almost

catching... No. This is, look at

this wonderful picture taken in a

park in China. In Harbin. He doesn't

quite get it. The guinea fowl and

gnawing a tiger, the Tiger tries to

grab it but it escapes the drawers.

Where did the guinea shall come

from? I don't know. We will look

into that guinea fowl later on! When

you say a park, dear me a wildlife

park? Just a public park? I have

another guinea PAL story for you.

But before guinea fowl. Last week we

went to dinner, didn't we. It was a

lunch. We all turned up late and

dinner was on the table and we all

thought it was chicken that would

later found out it was guinea fowl

but we ate it anyway. I did know.

That is my list of great stories.

Thank you, Dan. 623, you were

watching Breakfast.

The use of a breakthrough drug,

which is the first to tackle

the root cause of cystic fibrosis,

will be debated by MPs later today.

Orkambi is available in several

countries including Ireland,

Germany, and the US,

but it's not used on the NHS

because it costs 100,000 pounds

per patient, per year.

Breakfast's Graham

Satchell has more.

Lucy is doing a special workout to

help her condition. She has cystic

fibrosis, and inherited illness that

affects lung and digestive system.

I

do all I can at the moment to try

and sort of keep alive longer. It is

a bit sad in a way that like all of

my friends don't have to worry about

this it would that I am doing it to

stay alive.

Yeah?

Yeah?

Yeah. She is

attempting a new personal best, to

lift 120% of her body weight. Cystic

fibrosis is a devastating illness,

half of the people who have it will

die by the age of 31. Lucy takes a

small mountain of antibiotics to try

and stop infections. There is a new

drug, called Orkambi, the first

treatment that tackles the root

cause cystic fibrosis. It cost is

per year. It is too expensive to the

NHS.

People with it can pick up the

bacteria and can be really poorly so

knowing there is a drugged out there

that would help all that, it is more

than frustrating, it is

heartbreaking.

Dublin in Ireland, 14

you rob Bennett altered a lot of

antibiotics. The Irish government

approved the use of Orkambi last

year, it is make a huge difference

to Bennett's condition.

It has

improved my weight, my height, my

liver function, the overall health,

energy. It is really impacted in a

good way.

Do you feel better?

Better

and more energetic than before I

started taking Orkambi.

Campaigners

say Orkambi will save money in the

long run by reducing expensive

hospital additions but the deal done

in Ireland with the companies that

make Orkambi was controversial,

costing the Irish health service and

more than 100 million Europe.

It is

a lot of money but can you put a

price in anyone's life, especially

your child? And also for the quality

of life, you know, you cannot put a

price on that.

This amount of money

could be spent elsewhere for other

products and services. If you

consider the population that would

be using this kind of treatment

which is around 3000 patients, if

you multiply 3000 patients by

£100,000 per year, this is around

£300 million per year for the NHS.

Back in Preston, Lucy and her mum

about to do physio. It takes one

hour twice a day to clear lungs.

Invictus England say unless the drug

company refuse its price, a deal is

unlikely. We are told they are

dismayed by NHS England's approach

but want further dialogue. What

about the patients like Lucy?

It

shouldn't be about to live, it

should be about what you have.

People may die because it may be

because of a funding issue, it is

unfair.

This will discuss access to

Orkambi in Westminster today but

while the arguments go on, Lucy's

conditions continues to get worse.

You get a sense of how difficult

that is. It is Monday morning, good

morning. We will get some news and

travel wherever you are watching.

Difficult in the south-west of

England with people stuck on the a

30 overnight. The National headlines

in a few

Plenty more on our website

at the usual address.

Now, though, it's back

to Dan and Louise.

Bye for now.

Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

It is 6:30am on Monday 19 March.

Coming up on Breakfast today:

As a global team of chemical weapons

experts descend on Salisbury

to verify the nerve agent used

to poison a former Russian

spy and his daughter,

we will find out what the results

could mean for international

relations with Russia.

Also this morning: Steph will be

taking a look at whether the decline

in local newspapers is fuelling

the rise in fake news.

Strictly's Kevin and Karen Clifton

will be here to tell us how

they are stronger than

ever professionally,

despite their recent split.

Good morning, here is a summary

of today's main stories from BBC

News:

More than 80 drivers have been

stranded overnight in Devon.

The A30 was hit by heavy snow,

and police say conditions

are changing rapidly

from passable to impossible.

Many spent the night at a local

school after a 64-mile stretch

of the road was shut while police

officers and Highways England

cleared the route.

Police say accidents have started to

be reported to them this morning.

They are advising motorists to delay

their journeys in the south-west of

England, and to slow down. It comes

as a new weather alert is in place

in parts of south-west England and

south Wales, where more snow is

expected. We will have a full

weather report in ten minutes' time.

And our correspondent is at the

scene of some of the worst of those

conditions, but we are struggling

technologically to get hold of her.

Yes, because of Guess what... Snow!

International chemical weapons

experts are due to arrive in the UK

later today to test the nerve agent

used to poison former Russian spy

Sergei Skripal and his

daughter Yulia.

President Putin says

claims his country was behind

the attack are nonsense,

but Boris Johnson claims Russia has

been stockpiling Novichok for years.

Official results from Russia show

President Putin has been re-elected

with more than 76% of the vote.

He told a victory rally that

Russia must maintain unity

following his landslide win,

but CCTV footage from a number

of polling stations appears to show

election officials stuffing boxes

with ballot papers.

The television presenter

Ant McPartlin has been arrested

on suspicion of drink-driving.

Police say they were called

to reports of a collision involving

three cars in South-West London

yesterday afternoon.

A child passenger in one of them

was taken to hospital

as a precaution.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said

a 42-year-old man was arrested

at the scene after failing

a breathalyser test.

A British woman has been killed

in northern Syria while fighting

alongside Kurdish forces.

It is understood that Anna Campbell,

who was 26 and from Lewes

in East Sussex, died

in the town of Afrin,

which has been the target

of a Turkish offensive.

Her father has told the BBC

she was idealistic, and knew

she was putting her life at risk.

Scientists have announced

a significant breakthrough

in the treatment of

multiple sclerosis.

Results from a decade-long

international trial have shown

a stem cell transplant can halt

the disease and improve symptoms.

The disabling condition affects

about 100,000 people in the UK.

Doctors in Sheffield who were part

of the study say the new treatment

is a game-changer for many patients.

We will talk about that in a little

bit more depth a little bit later on

Breakfast.

If you are a big golfer, you may be

watching Rory McIlroy producing one

of those... They say when he putts

as well as he can, he is pretty

unstoppable.

He said yesterday he

played the perfect round of golf. I

have no idea what that feels like.

I

am sure very few people do. Can you

imagine playing the perfect round

golf?

He said on Twitter, 529 days

but worth the wait.

He has obviously

been counting the days. It was 25

September 2016 he won his last

tournament, which funnily enough was

the day at Arnold Palmer died, and

the Arnold Palmer Invitational was

the tournament he won yesterday. He

is back, with just a couple of weeks

to go until the Masters.

The Northern Irishman hit five

birdies in the last six holes

to finish on 18-under-par,

three shots clear of the rest

of the field.

Tiger Woods's

rejuvenation continued.

The 14-time Major winner was tied

for fifth, eight behind McIlroy.

All these little barriers that you

have to overcome, whether it be

physical or mental, it is huge for

my confidence going into the next

few weeks. And, you know, I kept

saying I didn't need a win going

into Augusta. I feel like I had a

chance, I just wanted to see signs

of good golf, and thankfully I have

been able to get both today.

Another Brit returning

to form was Laura Davies.

She finished tied for second

at the Founders Cup, in Phoenix.

It is her best finish

on the LPGA tour since 2007.

She said maybe now people will stop

asking her when she will retire.

Chelsea will face Southampton

in the semi-finals of the FA Cup,

coming through 2-1 against

Leicester after extra-time.

It was Pedro's goal that sealed

Chelsea's spot in the final four.

It is their tenth FA Cup

semi-final in 18 years,

and their only realistic chance

of winning a trophy this season.

For sure, if you are able to win a

trophy, it is important. It is

important for the team. At the same

time, the most important thing is

for us to fight until the end for

every competition.

Mark Hughes had a good first game

in charge of Southampton,

as they beat League One side Wigan

2-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

Defender Cedric Soares scored

their second in stoppage-time.

People questioned this group,

clearly, before I arrived,

and maybe questioned my

appointment as well.

So I think it's only

a start, but it's

a statement of intent as well.

We've got a lot of work to do

in the Premier League,

but we'll enjoy this moment.

It's a Wembley semifinal.

Celtic were held to a goalless draw

by ten-man Motherwell,

but they still extended

their lead at the top

of the Scottish Premiership

to ten points.

Motherwell's Cedric Kipre was sent

off for kicking out,

but this was the closest Celtic

came to taking the lead,

Patrick Roberts letting fly late on.

Despite being a man down,

the home side held on for a point.

Roger Federer's incredible run

at the start of this year has come

to an end.

He was beaten in the final

of the Indian Wells Masters

by Juan Martin del Potro.

It is the Argentine's second

tournament win in a row,

after victory earlier

this month in Mexico.

The former US Open champion had

to save three match points before

becoming the first person this year

to beat the world number one.

And the women's final

was won in straight sets

by Japan's Naomi Osaka, who overcame

Russia's Daria Kasatkina

in the final.

It is a first-ever WTA Tour win

for Osaka, who is ranked 44th

in the world.

Ireland's Six Nations

grand slam-winning team

celebrated their success

in Dublin yesterday.

The following images do

contain flash photography.

The Irish team were supposed to be

attending a grand slam celebration

event at the Aviva Stadium,

but it was cancelled due

to bad weather.

Instead, fans got to see the players

showing off the trophy outside

the team's hotel.

Bearers Rory Best and the trophy

reflecting those camera lights --

there is Rory Best.

Scotland finished their Women's Six

Nations campaign in fifth place,

after being well beaten

by Italy in Padova.

On a terrible pitch,

Italy won by 26-12,

with Beatrice Rigoni crossing

to secure their bonus point.

France clinched their fifth

grand slam with Friday's

thumping of Wales.

And this is our favourite story of

the morning so far. Would you be

brave enough to break into Sir Andy

Murray's hotel, a man who

famously...

I wouldn't break into

anybody's hotel!

Michael McIntyre,

the comedian, has done just that.

Take a look at these teachers. He

sneaks in in the middle of the

night. This is for Sport Relief, and

Michael McIntyre does this as part

of his Saturday night show. In they

go, and then all of a sudden...

Andy!

Holy leap Mac.

Welcome to the

Sport Relief midnight game-show --

holy BLEEP..

And Andy Murray needs a

bleep when he is on the tennis

court, let alone being awakened by

one of the world's most famous

comedians. And then Peppa Pig. He is

a very funny chap, is Andy Murray.

He has gone very quickly from being

fast asleep to smiling, which is

admirable.

I like the fact the whole

crew are in tennis gear.

Everyone is

dressed up, they have really gone

for it, haven't they?

The question

which concerns me, does he sleep in

the nerd?

I don't know, I haven't

done that much research!

There is

nothing wrong with that.

But what if

the duvet had slipped, it could have

been a very different story, you are

right.

And Sport Relief is on Friday.

More than 80 drivers have been

stranded overnight in Devon. The A30

was hit a heavy snow and police say

conditions have changed rapidly from

possible to impossible. Many people

spent the night in a local school

after a stretch of the A30 was shut.

Police say accidents are now

starting to be reported this morning

and they are advising motorists to

delay their journeys in the

south-west of England, and perhaps

most importantly, to slow down.

Joining us is Richard, who has been

managing this rescue centre where

many of the motorists took refuge.

We can just about see you, tell us

what has been going on overnight.

How many people have you had to look

after?

We have 82 people here at the

moment, some of them are just waking

up to a very, very cold morning. It

has just stop snowing about 20

minutes ago, but as you can probably

see behind me, there are quite

significant. Snow here. And it has

been -3 for most of the night. So

the snow which has started to melt

has now read Frozen, and it is

absolutely treacherous.

And how was

the mood overnight

the mood overnight refrozen.

--

refrozen. We had medical staff to

make sure that they were OK, and as

soon as they were fine, we equip

them with duvets, with blankets, and

got them to sleep.

So how long do

you think they are going to be

there, and what are you going to

give them for Breakfast?

Well, we

are very lucky. We have a fantastic

Waitrose in Oakhampton, who take

their social responsibility very

carefully, and we have some food

from them for Breakfast. So it will

be Breakfast butties, with lots of

bacon, and cereal for the kid, and a

really hearty Breakfast. The mood

here is absolutely superb. Obviously

people don't want to be trapped in

their vehicles, this is not a

scenario that they envisioned when

they set out, and so it is nice to

come into a centre where it is warm,

where they are being cared for. We

will look after them, and eventually

when the conditions are ready, we

will pop them back in their cars and

get them on their way.

Thank you

very much for joining us, and best

of luck throughout the morning.

Thank you.

Here is Sarah with a look

at this morning's weather.

Here is Sarah with a look

at this morning's weather.

There are still, as we are saying,

those weather reports and concerns

out there.

That's right, good

morning to you both. It is a cold

start to the day, certainly. A lot

of lying snow around the country, a

lot of ice around as well. I am on

the roof of new broadcasting house

in central London, and we have some

lying snow. Not too much of it but

across other parts of the country

there is up to around 20 centimetres

of note. And ice is going to be more

of a problem today as well, because

what we will see some of that snow

starting to thaw out a little bit

during the day and re- freezing once

the sunsets overnight tonight. I

think we are not out of the woods

just yet in terms of the disruption

to the wintry weather, but as we

head through the course of the week

things will start to change a bit.

After that cold, dry start, it will

be gradually turning a little bit

milder, and later in the week there

will be the arrival of some rain as

well. For the here and now this

morning, most of us are dry. A bit

more cloud across southern England,

down towards the Channel Isles,

bringing a few flurries of snow

around here, but most other places

look dry. Plenty of sunshine on

offer. Still quite breezy across

England and Wales, less windy for

Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Through the afternoon it is

certainly looking drive for the

south-west of England, Wales,

through the Midlands and the

south-east of England as well.

Heading northwards, plenty of

sunshine breaking through any of

that cloud across northern England,

Scotland and Northern Ireland. A bit

more cloud just pushing it around

the east coast of Scotland and

north-east England. But for western

Scotland and Northern Ireland it

should feel really quite pleasant

out there today, with the sunshine

and the light winds around as well.

Temperatures still not doing great

for the time of year, so only

reaching around about three to seven

Celsius for most of us out there

this afternoon. Quite a windchill

still across part of England and

Wales, but it won't be as cold or is

windy as it was through the weekend,

and most places staying dry. On into

the evening hours, a bit more cloud

rolls in across parts of England and

Wales as well, whereas Scotland and

Northern Ireland keep the clear

skies in the light winds, so it will

be here that the temperatures will

be lowest overnight. In fact, as low

as about minus five degrees through

the central belt of Scotland first

thing. Further south, not quite as

cold but they will still be some icy

stretches around, perhaps one or two

patches of freezing fog first thing

Tuesday as well. Through the day on

Tuesday we are expecting a bit more

cloud than perhaps one or two rogue

showers across parts of eastern

England but elsewhere dry and sunny.

Less windy during Tuesday and

temperatures starting to nudge up.

We might see around eight or nine

degrees during the day on Tuesday.

Tuesday evening, we will start to

see that cloud in the south and east

slowly clearing away. But then we

are going to see the next area of

low pressure arising from the

Atlantic. So from Tuesday night and

on into Wednesday, more cloud build

across Scotland, in the Northern

Ireland as well. And then overnight

that cloud will bring some patchy

outbreaks of rain to the north-west

of the UK. Through the day on

Wednesday we will continue to see a

bit of patchy rain for Scotland and

for Northern Ireland as well.

England and Wales, though, should

hold onto the slightly drier

weather, with the best of the

sunshine towards the south of the

east. Eight or nine degrees for most

of us, but we could just see double

figures in one or two places on

Wednesday, something we haven't seen

for a little while. So slowly those

temperatures through this week are

starting to creep up but certainly

for today it is a cold and wintry

day, still a windchill around. And

the weather is likely to continue to

cause a little bit more disruption

today.

Did you think that was snow on that

bus or what? That is

Did you think that was snow on that

bus or what? That is what I was

looking at two. We were transfixed.

There are concerns the decline

of local papers could be fuelling

the rise of fake news.

Steph is looking at why.

It is not a surprise is that the

people? The local newspaper sectors

that have tough time, it is more of

us getting our news online the last

week, the culture Secretary Matt

Hancock decided to launch a review

into whether this is feeling better

for fuelling fake news. You look at

how many places have closed since

2005 it is 200 local newspapers that

have shut down to argument is given

that they are not there doing local

journalism what is filling in the

gaps? I went to find out more about

it at the Coventry evening

Telegraph.

By 330,100,000 copy of the paper

have been printed.

Over 100 years

the Coventry evening Telegraph has

been a trusted source of news in

this city. And only once in that

time has its presses stop trolling.

When it was hit by the Blitz in

1940. At its peak it had 600 staff

and sold 130,000 copies every day.

But things are different now. In the

last 12 years about 200 local papers

have closed and the reason is

simple- they are not making as much

money from advertising. The back in

2007 about £3 billion was coming

into local papers from ads. Last

year, it was under 700 million. The

thing is, advertisers are still

spending, it is just going

elsewhere.

A lot of that money is

going online at it isn't coming

online the online newspapers, it is

generally going to big classified

specialist sites like right move or

auto Trader and the Google search

and in the last couple of years,

Facebook, big-time.

This is one of

our old presses that were

state-of-the-art when it was

installed.

The editor of the paper

says although newspaper sales were

down by a fifth last year, more

people than ever are reading the

work its reporters. We can see how

the presses were used in the past,

obviously, all of this kit is

redundant now but the paper

certainly isn't, is it? There is a

much innovation going on.

We still

publish three conditions are day six

days a week but also our website is

absolutely thriving. We reach a

bigger audience now across

interdigital and we have in decades

seven a soldier is great but the

world has changed and we have

changed with it and my reporters are

as adept as doing a Facebook live as

they are at writing 400 words a

copy.

This paper has moved on but as

a matter if others close? The

government is worried the decline of

local newspapers could be filling

the rise of fake news and has

launched a review of the industry. A

recent study by kings College London

found people in areas no local daily

paper Willis engaged in local

elections. And had no petrol less

trusted local institutions. The

heart of the people of Coventry get

their local news? Do you ever by a

local newspaper?

No, no, because it

is easy to access everything that is

going on and crosschecking

everything at the same time, via my

phone.

I have the local Telegraph

delivered every day.

If we need to

find anything, it is Google,

Coventry Telegraph on the up. It is

news rather than having to look at

all of the adverts.

People still

want local news but with the paper

is facing a fierce battle for our

attention online, can they find the

audience and the advertisers they

need to make it pay? If they cannot,

there is a chance we will all be

poorer for it.

I love seeing those old pictures.

What is interesting is the fact that

they don't make as much money from

the online advertising as they did,

from other printing papers, but if

you look at the numbers, they are

growing the online side of things,

we gave you the statistics there

with the Coventry Telegraph, the

Birmingham mail 20,000 they

physically sell but 400,000 look at

their website every day. The

Manchester evening news is huge,

40,000 sell a day but actually over

1 million people are visiting their

website every day, the Liverpool

Echo over 40,000 by the paper, and

700 people are looking online. There

is the growth on the online side of

things and that is what the culture

Secretary wants to get into, is that

enough to make sure that we do not

have a fake news there? It is

interesting because local news is so

important. It is what happens around

you. So many people want to be

journalists, and it is a great way

of learning a trade. And local radio

as well. Look where you are now.

Well! I didn't know why or saying

it, I am passionate about it, OK was

to mark good morning.

Residents of 13 seaside chalets

teetering on the edge of cliffs

in Norfolk have been evacuated

from their homes after parts

of the fragile coastline gave way

during high winds and waves

over the weekend.

Our reporter Robby West

is there for us now.

Robby, have there been any

developments overnight?

Overnight even more of the coastline

has disappeared leaving residents to

really fear that their homes could

plunge into the sea at any moment.

If you look behind you can really

see what a fortnight of strong

winds, rough seas have done to the

cliff will stop repeatedly battering

the shoreline three metre high waves

and on Saturday night wins act of 40

miles an hour and it nearly blew me

off my feet. I spent the weekend

here with a local community and

emergency services to see how they

have evacuated people.

Over the weekend as the tide was

drawing in, lifeboat crews helped

move people's furniture out. Steven

Chadwick knew he had to go after

seeing his garden disappear

overnight.

Yeah, bought it for the

sea views, the beautiful sea views,

and now the sea has taken it away.

Work up this morning, had a cup of

copy out the back door at 730 and I

felt like an earthquake and the

cliff just went. I was in total

shock, watching people, taking my

house apart. I don't think will be

here tomorrow.

Homeowners were

evacuated following a fortnight of

high tide winds that washed up the

coast's natural defence away. The

next morning the damage could be

seen. The council say 13 homes

remain in a precarious position.

They are being expected after each

high tide.

These properties probably

won't be lived in again. The damage

caused, I was up there as I say

Friday, and then Saturday the tune

that was their, a six metre, it was

gone.

Paul Reid joined the lifeboat

crews after seeing his home. He

believes it is unsafe to his wife

and two dogs to return to the house

that they have lived in the past

eight years.

The look out, I think

to myself you know that is my home

and I have lost it. But obviously I

have got to look on the positive

side that I wasn't in their last

night, I have lost their lives or

anything. And everyone looked after

us very well so I have to move

forward although I have lost my

home.

Five years ago here in Hemsby

three homes were washed away

following a storm surge. This

morning, people will return, hoping

history has not repeated itself.

I'm joined now by Keisse with the

chairman of the parish council. How

is the community holding up?

Well

actually, it is a good rally of

support to everyone over the

weekend, the local councils is here

on the weekend, the lifeboat crew

have been fantastic as they always

are, the police, everyone has worked

well, the Fire Brigade were here,

eating is all day yesterday trying

to ensure that everyone is safe so

even Tesco, they have helped with

food, Hemsby Village Hall had

accommodation there, the local pub

has put people up to. This is the

first time this has happened? It

happened a couple of years ago and

with all the government would have

listened to how we were badly

needing the sea defences here.

People 's homes went into the sea,

two or 32 years ago and now could

potentially have six. How many more

houses will it take to go to sea to

get the sea defences sorted out for

Hemsby?

What happens now?

Everyone

will sit around and talk about it

and hopefully it will go back to

Parliament or the government to see

if they can help us down here. We're

in a bad state down here, as you

see.

Thank you very much talking to

us. I understand it is a time but

you have to help people get back on

their feet. This morning, more

people will come back to their homes

to find out if they are still there

and if they will ever be able to

live in them again. The lifeboat

crew said to me this morning there

isn't a chance of if they will go

into the sea, it is more a case of

when.

That is a shame, thank you, we

can see the drone shot and it is a

staggeringly beautiful area but you

can really see and get an impression

of how much danger the homes are in.

Thank you, we will come back to you

later. You can see the power of the

sea. That is Norfolk for you this

morning. We shall be bringing you

the News International headlines

from around the UK in a few moments

time.

You're watching Breakfast.

# Life without you...

Can you believe it's 10 years

since Alexandra Burke won the X

Factor?

She'll join us a little later

to talk about the happiness

and sadness of the last few years.

Time now to get the news,

travel and weather where you are.

I cannot believe it has been 10

years. Victor Anichebe Beyonce in

the final?

in half an hour.

Plenty more on our website

at the usual address.

Now, though, it's back

to Dan and Louise.

Bye for now.

Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

Heavy snowfall traps drivers

for hours overnight.

More than 80 are sleeping

in an emergency shelter.

A 60-mile stretch of

the A30 is still closed.

Yellow ice warnings are in place

across much of the country.

Sarah Keith-Lucas will have

the latest forecast.

Good morning, it is Monday 19 March.

Also this morning: International

weapons inspectors are due in the UK

to examine the nerve agent used

to poison Russian ex-spy Sergei

Skripal.

TV presenter Ant McPartlin

is arrested on suspicion

of drink-driving after a collision

involving three cars in south-west

London.

A significant breakthrough

in the treatment of multiple

sclerosis, as an international trial

shows that stem cell transplants can

stop the disease.

The decline of local newspapers

could be fuelling the rise

of fake news.

That is according to the Government.

I will be looking at why.

In sport, Rory is back.

McIlroy wins the Arnold

Palmer Invitational,

seeing off the challenge

of Justin Rose and Tiger Woods,

with the Masters just

a couple of weeks away.

What a finish. Sarah has the weather

for us this morning.

Good morning.

It is certainly a cold and icy start

to the day to day but it looks like

the cold snap could be easing.

Temperatures slowly on the rise over

the next few days, looking largely

dry through the day. I will bring

you a full forecast in about 15

minutes.

Good morning.

First, our main story: More than 80

drivers have been stranded

overnight in Devon.

A 64-mile stretch of the A30

was hit by heavy snow,

and police say conditions

are changing rapidly

from passable to impossible.

Officers are asking people in Devon

and Cornwall to delay travelling

until around mid-morning at the

earliest.

Our reporter Sarah Ransome

is in Devon for us this morning.

You are near the rescue centre. Give

us an update, as traffic is now

moving.

Yes, good morning. I am here

in Devon at the side of the A38 this

morning, because it was here

yesterday that there were enormous

problems keeping this stretch of the

A38 clear.

A38 clear. Gritters and snowploughs

were working to keep this stretch of

road clear, but overnight we had

those of severe weather warnings in

place and overnight there was a

tremendous amount of snow. We had

about 3-4 centimetres but there was

a real drift over the Highmore,

creating massive problems for a

number of motorists who, for a short

while, were stranded in their cars.

With me from Devon and Cornwall

police is the sergeant. You have had

an update as to what is going on.

How are things looking this morning?

At the moment the A30 is still

closed between Exeter Junction 31

and Launceston, while the operation

is under way to clear the

carriageway of those vehicles which

became stranded. We evacuated 70

people from the A30 to a local rest

centre where they are being looked

after by partner agencies.

So I

guess those 70 are still there, any

idea as to when they might be able

to get back into their cars and get

to where they want to be?

At the

moment it is a little bit of A

Moveable Feast. It has stopped

snowing so we are working hard with

our partners to get that road clear,

get those moved and get it in the

position where we can start getting

back to business as usual.

You were

here all day yesterday as well,

looking after this particular

stretch. Clearly cars are moving

this morning, we can see them behind

you. I guess once you come off this

sort of road, it is still very

tricky out there.

Yes, very much so.

People shouldn't become complacent

and although the A38 and other

primary routes are running fairly

freely, as soon as you get off those

routes, conditions are very

treacherous through this area.

Thank

you very much indeed. Well, the snow

may have stopped here, but of course

there are problems, as Ollie has

just been telling us, and if you

have schoolchildren and are hoping

to get them to school, please check

that their school is open, because

hundreds have been declared shout

this morning. So it is another snow

day for some people today.

Thank you

very much, we will be speaking to

the man running that rescue centre,

they are providing them with

Breakfast and hopefully at some

stage will get them on their way. A

full weather report in ten minutes'

time.

International chemical weapons

experts are due to arrive in the UK

later today to test the nerve agent

used to poison former Russian spy

Sergei Skripal and his

daughter Yulia.

President Putin says

claims his country was behind

the attack are nonsense,

but Boris Johnson claims Russia has

been stockpiling Novichok for years.

Tom Burridge is in Salisbury. We

have had a presence there for quite

sometime. This has been continually

developing story, and again now, as

these nerve agent experts come to

analyse exactly what this is.

That's

right, good morning, everyone. Let's

talk about the timeframe of this.

The international delegation from

the watchdog, the OPCW, will arrive

today and will spend a week here,

most of that time at the Ministry of

Defence's Porton Down facility. The

idea is that samples of the agent

used against Sergi Skripal will be

sent to 20 different independent

laboratories in 16 different

countries. The key question, I

think, is then came the OPCW, the

Organisation for the Prohibition of

chemical weapons, go any further

than confirming the composition of

the nerve agent used, and the

formula to make it. Can it back up

the government's claim that it was

in the government's words, of a type

used in Russia. It is worth noting

that OPCW, the watchdog on banned

chemical weapons, is independent. It

doesn't like to get drawn into

political diplomatic rows and its

independence is vital for its very

existence.

Thank you very much for

that, and we will be talking about

that throughout the morning,

speaking to an expert... What time

is that?

It is just in a few

minutes' time.

That's right, we're

nearly there! That has gone quickly

this morning.

Vladimir Putin has told a victory

rally that Russia must maintain

unity, following his landslide win

in the Presidential election.

He received more than 76%

of the votes, but CCTV footage

from a number of polling stations

appears to show election officials

stuffing boxes with ballot papers.

Some cameras were obscured by things

like balloons as well.

Bent our correspondent is in Moscow

for us this morning. So he has one,

no surprises there. What more

information do we have about how the

election was carried out?

Well, as

you are saying, there have been

violations. Not massive, I don't

think, as far as we have heard. But

there is this election monitoring

organisation which is saying there

have been hundreds of violations.

People have witnessed what they

called Carousel voting, where a

group of people are bussed around,

taken to different polling stations,

and vote multiple times in multiple

polling stations. There was one case

where someone who had actually died

14 years previously was still on the

electoral roll and apparently had

voted. I think perhaps, even more

seriously, there are lots of

allegations that people working for

the state, and also in private

businesses, were put under a lot of

pressure to go out and vote. And

they had to take photographs of

themselves at the ballot boxes to

prove they voted, and I think that

might be a significant number of

voters.

I am sure there will be more

information on that in the coming

days.

The television presenter

Ant McPartlin has been arrested

on suspicion of drink-driving.

The police say they were called

to reports of a collision involving

three cars in South-West London

yesterday afternoon.

Our correspondent Andy Moore

is in our London newsroom

for us this morning.

Good morning to you. As we say, it

is on the front page of many of the

papers this morning, and there is

not that much more detail that we

accede know about it.

No, you can

see from some of those pictures that

Ant's black Mini came to rest

bumper-to-bumper against another

car. He was reportedly travelling

with his mother out walking their

dogs. Scotland Yard say a

42-year-old man was arrested on

suspicion of drink driving after

failing a roadside breath test. That

man was taken to a South London

police station for further

questioning. The Fire Brigade and

ambulance service were called to

this incident. A number of people

were treated for minor injuries. The

child was taken to hospital for a

checkup a precaution. Now, Ant

McPartlin's personal problems are

well documented. He went into rehab

last year, and also earlier this

year announced he was separating

from his wife, Lisa Armstrong, his

wife of 11 years.

Thank you very

much for that.

Scientists researching the treatment

of multiple sclerosis say they have

made a significant breakthrough.

Results from a decade-long

international trial have shown

a stem cell transplant can halt

the disease and improve symptoms.

It affects about 100,000 people in

the UK.

Doctors in Sheffield

who were part of the study say

it is a game-changer

for many patients.

Let's return to one of our main

stories, as inspectors from the

Organisation for the Prohibition of

chemical weapons will arrive in the

UK later today. They will carry out

tests on the nerve agent used in an

attack on a former Russian spy and

this daughter earlier this month. We

have been talking about it for quite

sometime. A chemical weapons expert

is in Salisbury for us this morning.

Thank you for joining us on BBC

Breakfast. Give us your assessment,

what are their priorities when they

arrive, the OPCW?

Well, the key

thing about the OPCW is that they

are the Independent investigators

for United Nations, so it is

critical they will get here, and

they will first go to Porton Down

for a briefing, because Porton Down

will be providing them with the

Sample is they have collected around

Salisbury from this attack. They

will want to visit the locations of

where these attacks happened, and

they will do a detailed

investigation, really in parallel

with what both Porton Down and the

police have done here. Of course,

they then need to verify those

results. This is going to take some

time, I expect. Most critical to

this, they also need to get to

Russia,

Russia, where these Novichoks

originate from and are made, because

until they can crosscheck with a

Russian Sample, it will be difficult

for the UN to a tribute. I

personally have absolutely no doubt

that these Novichoks came from

Russia, that is the only place in

the world they are made, but

President Putin needs to allow them

into Russia. He has signed a

chemical weapons Convention, which

says that he will do it, and we will

now see whether he is as good as

this word.

Yes, I was going to say,

what are the chances they will be

allowed to do that, and go to

Russia, do you think?

Well, again,

it is do we trust the Russians? In a

lot of cases, recently, perhaps we

don't. But President Putin has

signed a chemical weapons

Convention, and he is obliged to

allow the OPCW to go to Russia, and

if he is as innocent as he claims,

the only way of proving that is to

get the OPCW to investigate whether

Novichoks are made, and only a few

days ago a minister admitted Russia

had Novichoks, we know they are only

made there, they were made the 70s

and Mac 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and

we had suggestions from the Foreign

Secretary that not only are they

made there, but they also stock

pile.

It is interesting, because the

Ambassador was on the Andrew Marr

Show of, denying any involvement.

Just tell us more about the

substance itself. A week on from

when we last talk, how do you think

they came into contact with it? Is

there any more information?

Well,

there is a lot. Let me take you up

on the ambassador's comments. They

were pretty ridiculous, but classic

Russian, what we call plausible

deniability, trying to put doubt in

the air. As far as the Novichok

itself, Porton Down have done a

detailed analysis. What we don't

know is whether it was a powder or

liquid. I am erring towards a

liquid, because had been a powder,

they had read it in, through car

ventilation is Tom for example, they

would have died instantly. It seems

more likely that Novichok was

absorbed through their skin, and

therefore taken a lot longer to act

on their nerves. If you breathe in,

it goes straight to your blood,

virtually. There are still a lot of

unanswered questions, and the fact

that the three are still alive gives

great hope that they will make some

sort of recovery. But still a lot of

unanswered questions, and I am sure

also the police and Porton Down are

telling us as much as we need to

know, but would want to verify and

pass that information on to the OPCW

before they give out the full

details of this. And as has already

been said, don't expect results

quickly from the OPCW. They are very

deliberate, and they will take time.

They won't apportion blame, as such,

that will be up to the UN to do

that. Hopefully in a timely fashion,

but we are talking weeks, not days.

Let's bring you up-to-date on the

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