06/01/2017 London News

Tonight on BBC London News - millions of commuters face major

travel disruption as talks to avert a Tube strike breakdown.

Nightmare, absolute nightmare. It stinks, it is not good especially

with what is going on with Southern at the moment.

So where does this leave the Mayor's relationship with the tube unions?

Also tonight - a claim that people died after a computer meltdown

at the London Ambulance service on New Year's Day.

The people of London were failed on New Year's Eve.

They were watching their loved ones and their friends

suffering, waiting, not knowing if and when help is going to arrive.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -

the security measures bringing about a change in tradition.

hoping for a giant killing - we speak to one of the FA Cup's

Good evening and welcome to the programme.

Millions of commuters face major travel disruption next week

after talks to avert a 24-hour Tube strike collapsed this afternoon.

Industrial action is due to start on Sunday and will pretty much

shut down all Zone 1 stations on Monday.

The ongoing row is over job cuts and the closure of ticket offices.

Here's our Transport Correspondent, Tom Edwards.

Arriving for talks, there was some optimism that this

long-running, acrimonious dispute could be resolved.

Is this about the unions showing the mayor who is boss?

Absolutely not, it is about having a safe London Underground

for the 4 million people that use it nearly every day.

This dispute goes back to the closure of the Tube ticket

offices under the previous mayor Boris Johnson in 2015.

The unions always hated the policy, saying it was unsafe,

But the closures happened and around 840 jobs went.

London Underground says it saves ?50 million annually.

Now under a new mayor, both sides agree more staff

are needed on the Tube but the sticking point is how many

And by three o'clock, talks had collapsed.

No agreement on extra station staff numbers.

Very disappointed to find London Underground were unable today

to put one additional job on the table that they

hadn't put on before. A miserable response

from them to a crisis across London Underground stations.

We are now in a total crisis situation, so there needs to be

something fairly drastic immediately as well as a longer-term solution

Tonight, commuters were disappointed.

From the last strikes, there were hours of delays.

It took like four hours when normally takes like half an hour.

These strikes are not good, especially with what has

The bad news for commuters is there is going to be considerable

disruption from Sunday at 6pm and all day Monday.

On Monday, all Tube stations in Zone 1 will be shut.

The Victoria and the Waterloo City lines won't run.

And there will be a severely reduced service on all other lines,

What we will be doing is adding 50 additional buses

What we will be doing is adding 150 additional buses

We are putting our travel ambassadors out into the stations

as well, to help to give people advice and our clear advice

to people is to make sure that they check before they travel

All sides concede a lack of staff on the Tube is a problem and this

strike is a blow to the new mayor who wanted better

It is also a blow to commuters who face wretched journeys next week.

Well, our Political Correspondent, Karl Mercer, joins me now.

Karl - a new year, a new Mayor but the same old story on the Tube.

And one that has haunted previous mares at City Hall as well. Sadiq

Khan spent a lot of his first eight months saying that he wanted to talk

to unions, that was how to avoid strikes. In February he told a

newspaper that he would be the mayor who delivered zero days of strikes

on the Tube. That clearly hasn't happened. They believe Transport for

London had offered a good deal on this. When I caught up with him

earlier, I put it to him, what would it mean if the strikes were to go

ahead. Will it be a sign of personal

failure if this strike did go ahead? You've put a lot of store by their

not being strikes on your watch. I think strikes are

a failure on all sides. If strikes take place and that

means trade unions, TFL, all of us have failed

in resolving this amicably. Acas are doing their bit

and the trade unions have been doing their bit to give them credit,

they have been talking. They have been speaking

on Wednesday, Thursday and today and we are going

to carry on talking. It can't be beyond our width

to resolve this amicably. We have heard since one of the

unions will be back talking tomorrow, the RMT will not be back

on the mayor has given us an updated statement saying the strikes are

unnecessary and he urges the unions to call it. He says it will cause

misery and disruption to millions of Londoners. It is not the end of the

dispute either, remember. All the latest on that as it happens.

And of course the Tube network isn't the only rail system

We are broadcasting a special debate about the ongoing rail

crisis with Southern - you'll be able to watch that

on Monday 9th January at 7.30pm here on BBC One.

Lots more to come including - the nightclub that was closed

after a number of drug-related deaths reopens with

A whistle-blower has claimed that people lost their lives as a result

of a computer failure at the London Ambulance Service.

BBC News can reveal that at least one 999 patient died

during the technical failure in the early hours

The service say staff were trained effectively in using a manual

back-up system and continued to prioritise patients

in the same way. Jon Ironmonger reports.

With an investigation under way into the technical meltdown

at the London Ambulance Service, one death is now being looked

at to see if the computer problems were a contributing factor.

The BBC has heard damning claims from a whistle-blower that the real

The people of London were failed on New Year's Eve.

They were watching their loved ones and their friends suffering,

waiting, not knowing if and when help

Do you think there is a chance that people might have died as a result

of this computer failure? Without a shadow of a doubt.

If you've had a cardiac arrest, we aim to get

you within eight minutes. It wouldn't have happened.

Shortly after midnight when the streets of London

were packed with people, the multi-million pound computer

system which logs emergencies and assigns ambulances, collapsed.

For five hours, control staff were forced to process hundreds

The service say they had been given effective training.

The BBC has seen leaked photographs of the internal staff Facebook page

which suggests that some employees felt under extreme pressure

on New Year's Day, one member questions why so many patients

had to suffer, while workers are described as being

in tears, shell-shocked, frustrated and angry.

Staff are trained to cope in the event of technical

difficulties and it is not the first time that the computer

But never before, we understand, for such a long period

We are very sorry to anyone who experienced delays during those

issues on New Year's Day, we are obviously taking

the matter very seriously. And to that end, we have

launched a full and comments extended investigation.

In 2015, the London Ambulance Service was placed

Since then, it has taken steps to improve.

The Care Quality Commission said it would follow up concerns

about control room problems during a planned

It's a British tradition which has become one of London's most popular

But the Changing of the Guard is to be 'changed' -

under new security measures brought in by the Met.

Frankie McCamley is at Buckingham Palace with more on this.

Police here say there is no evidence of a planned attack here. However,

they have decided to bring in extra security measures early because they

have been taking into account those planned terror attacks in Berlin and

Nice which were particularly targeted at large crowds of people.

The hope is, that this age-old tradition will continue to run as

smoothly as possible. It's one of London's

most popular ceremonies, dating back to the 17th century,

when the old guard responsible for protecting Buckingham Palace

and St James' Park formally hands over responsibilities

to the new soldiers on duty. Thousands of people come to see

the Changing of the Guard every single week but those crowds, paired

with the location of this ceremony at Buckingham Palace,

makes this a high-profile With a bomb attack in the '80s

by the IRA leaving 11 soldiers and seven horses dead,

with many more injured. And since, the recent attacks

in Europe have led to security Extra barriers are being put

in place, the roads around Buckingham Palace are to remain

closed throughout the ceremony and the days the Changing

of the Guard takes place It will make the area and that

event considerably safer. The intention of the police

in planning for this is to protect the public,

protect crowds that gather for this iconic occasion

and in creating distance, closing roads, stopping hostile

vehicles getting near the event will obviously make it safer

for everybody attending. It's also hoped the Changing

will make it easier for drivers It is very sad but it seems

like a sign of the times. Because here we are in London

and we are just as likely to have a terrorist attack

as anywhere else It surprises me that they want

to put it on the same day every week because that seems rather

predictable and I would have thought they would want to be a bit less

predictable than that. If you are going to put

more guards around it, you make people more

nervous around things. They would rather have more manpower

implemented on the place so that they can move

around between the crowd so that they can move around

between the crowd and check things. The main security measures are now

undergoing a three-month trial. If successful, they could become

a permanent fixture in the capital. Video footage of a teenager

being attacked in a Brixton takeaway The 18-year-old was stabbed

and whipped with a belt in Dallas Chicken on 2nd January

by three masked men. One man has been arrested,

but the Met are hoping this CCTV will help find

the four other suspects. A new victim of the Hatton Garden

burglary has come forward - claiming to have lost up

to ?7 million. The heist - over the Easter Bank

Holiday weekend of 2015 - is believed to be Britain's

biggest ever burglary. If this new claim is true - the sum

stolen would reach ?21 million. The six men convicted of taking part

in the heist were sentenced to between six and seven

years in prison. An explosion on a boat in south-east

London sparked a huge fire It took more than 80 fire fighters

to control the blaze which spread The former Royal Navy minesweeper

was being used as an arts venue, after being salvaged by a group

of friends almost 20 years ago. The cause of the fire

is under investigation. One of London's most famous

nightclubs is to re-open this evening after it was closed

because of safety concerns. Fabric in Islington was criticised

and had its licence taken away after a number

of drug-related deaths. Its owners say a raft of strict

new security measures Marc Ashdown's report

contains flashing images. Once voted the best club

in the world, the party The doors reopened for the first

time tonight after its forced closure last year following

the drug-related deaths Its owner says the past

year has been tough. I don't think there is any kind

of pleasure or relief that we have We are obviously delighted

we will be reopening but I don't think we will be looking back over

this particular chapter with any kind of fond memories,

let's just say that. Islington Council took away

the club's license in September, Fabric had been involved in six

drug-related deaths in four years. The drug culture was

prevalent in the old club These deaths, theae are real people

and this is a real family that has been devastated.

It is my job to protect people. An inquest this week heard how

18-year-old Jack Crosley died after smuggling drugs into the club

in his underwear. Today was just about understanding

what happened to Jack, how it happened and how we can avoid

it happening to anyone If Fabric shuts, there will be

another club opening up, another venue. There is a new scanning

system and there will be tougher security searches. Once inside the

club, there is better lighting, more CCTV and covert security staff will

be patrolling and anyone caught in possession of drugs, faces a

lifetime ban. 150,000 people signed a petition to save the club,

including top DJs and artists. This isn't only a club, if you look at

pop music today or pop culture, drugs are littered throughout the

entire culture. So the idea that dance music culture is to blame is

ridiculous. Extra police will be patrolling tonight for the grand

reopening. The club insist it will operate a zero tolerance policy. It

is up to customers to make sure it stays open.

From London stadium where it is West Ham against Manchester City tonight.

To Sutton united taking on AFC Wimbledon, we will be looking at the

FA Cup third round weekend. And after a couple of cold, crisp

mornings, it is out with the frost and in with the cloud

for the weekend. All this week we've been looking

ahead to the Government's crucial Brexit negotiations in March

and what they may Immigration and the free movement

of people from the EU will feature So - would it be damaging to London

if we saw the end of unlimited We'll be discussing that

in a moment, but first here are the views

of two London firms. We employ about 240 people and about

70% UK, 20% Europe and 10% rest of the world. My vote was to stay in

but I am quite excited and there are lots of good things happening as a

result of moving out. The reality is, any restrictions, we will

manage. We have got 60 million people in the UK and we can work

with them. We have 10% of our staff coming from either side of Europe so

we manage with them. So it is nothing to worry about, we will sort

it may be. We will sort it. I am Chris Williamson and we have a

people working in our architects in London, probably about 35 people

from the European Union. The biggest concern most people have is the

uncertainty and we need to know a bit more clarity about whether

people can stay and whether we are going to still be able to attract

the brightest and the best people, which is what we want to do. Andreas

moved over from Spain with his family and he came for an interview

and we offered him a job. He moved here in February. It is not a great

situation to be in. I know a lot of architects worried about the

investment, will it still flow into London and into the UK? A lot of

projects have been put on hold while people look at what might happen.

Let's get more on this now from an organisation

which represents London's business community - London First

You've published a report today on the challenges London is facing

in the run up to Brexit - what have you found?

I think our top point is whatever you think about Brexit in the long

term, whether it will be great or difficult, it is going to absolutely

create uncertainty for the next five or ten years. What we need to do is

double down and take the actions we can. What you might think of as the

no regret actions, we need to make sure we tell the world we will

remain a business and we need to invest in our infrastructure. We

have been saying we will remain open for business but in concrete terms,

what do you want to see? Our report says firstly, around immigration and

make sure we signal to the world that after Brexit, we will remain

open to the will's talent. We of course need to re-emphasise our own

efforts to train people in the country but we also need to be open

to global talent. The other thing we need to do is to keep the city

working by investing in the housing crisis and transport. Remaining open

to talent in policy terms, what policies do you want to see to

enable that to happen? We want to see a liberal visa regime. At the

moment, something like 80% of those people from the European Union who

are working in London and the rest of the country would not be eligible

for a visa. If we switch that off overnight, that would be a calamity

for our economy. We can find these talented people from a larger

market, the rest of the world? And that is great. As long as we have an

immigration regime allowing businesses across the country to the

other acts as the people it needs to generate the wealth of the country

as a whole, that will work. But nobody will disagree with you in a

way, everyone says we want an open system and the best people. I'm not

sure that is true. If you set arbitrary targets and the number of

people you will have Andrew Netto that off, that is not a system

allowing people to recruit who they need. We have run out of time but

thank you. Now there's a weekend of FA Cup

action to look forward to - it's the third round which is

when the Premier League teams join the competition and lower league

sides hope to cause a shock. First up is West Ham

who host Manchester City. Chris Slegg is at the London Stadium

for us ahead of tonight's kick-off. The first FA Cup action here at the

former Olympic stadium. The young mascots warming up. West Ham could

do with some FA Cup magic because the problems in the Premier League

all season. Manchester City, big spenders, they will be favourites.

But no reason why Slaven Bilic's hammers cannot go on an extended cup

run this year. Crystal Palace got to the final last season. Wigan beat

Manchester City in the final. This is the Premier League elite.

Tomorrow across the capital, there is a tie that uses FA Cup history.

AFC Wimbledon travel to Sutton united who caused one of the

greatest third-round shocks of all time.

Emotional scenes here at Gander Green Lane, Sutton.

Few among the 8,000 crowd present that day will ever forget non-league

For 18-year-old Kelly, it was particularly special.

27 years on, she is still moved by the memories.

So emotional because it was my brother Matt Hanlon

Just an incredible moment, one of those things you dream

about happening but never actually think it is going to.

Who was the chap you were with in the crowd that day?

He was my boyfriend James and today, he is my husband.

That is the romance of the FA Cup for you!

Also on the terraces that day, Geoff Martin, who has been

inspired to write his own FA Cup third-round song.

# Tell you about the day we beat Coventry!

The FA Cup history of Sutton United just goes before us and nobody

involved in this club will ever forget the achievements of the past

but now we are looking to build the achievements of the future.

This fixture also strikes a chord with aficionados of AFC

The re-formed club played their first ever fixture here -

a pre-season friendly in July 2002. They lost 4-0.

They will be hoping for a better result

on Saturday and of course, plenty has changed since that day.

In Round 2, the Dons came from 3-0 down with ten minutes

left to beat Curzon Ashton, and now want to do justice to the original

I know it probably doesn't carry all the way to the top any more

but it's massive to be able to know what might be round the corner

and Wimbledon obviously have their own history

but we desperately want to do well in the Cup.

Sutton caused a mini shock in Round 2 with a 96-minute winner,

seeing off League 2 Cheltenham, but which south London

team will be singing when they are winning tomorrow?

So much excitement about that time, also live on BBC London tomorrow,

digital radio, Millwall take on Bournemouth. Uncertainty about their

long-term future at the den, for Millwall. Tonight, West Ham against

Manchester City live on BBC One. Coverage starts at 7:30pm.

Now let's check on the weather with Ben Rich.

Chris had a job keeping warm there. It was freezing. He was modelling

the scars very nicely! Scars may not be so necessary over the weekend but

neither will sunglasses. We will lose the cold and crisp start to the

day and we will see more cloud spreading in. We will stick with

that cloudier theme as we go through the weekend.

It would be quite as cold. A lot of clout through today and some of that

actually no spreading its way southwards and eastwards across the

London area and bringing some outbreaks of rain. Fairly light and

patchy for the most part. A pretty soggy story if you are heading out

and about this Friday night. The temperatures, well below freezing.

Tomorrow morning we start off perhaps with some patchy rain but

that will clear quickly and are largely dry day. You have to squint

at the map to see much in the way of brightness. Some cloud will be quite

low and there could be some misty nuts on the hills. Double digit

temperatures. This is a selection of the FA Cup fixtures.

Largely dry and mild as the story for Saturday night. A lot of cloud,

some murkiness on the graphics, particularly over high ground but

temperatures again holding up. Sunday, it is more of the same. More

cloud and mist and murkiness and largely dry weather. Some breaks in

the cloud and perhaps some sunny spells. A change into the start of

next week. This weather fronts swinging southwards on Monday

bringing rain late in the day. Blustery winds with that as well.

For the weekend, largely cloudy and dry and not as cold as it has been.

Say goodbye to the frost from now. A terminally ill man has begun

a legal fight for the right Noel Conway, who's 67,

has motor neurone disease. The case will be the first

High Court challenge since MPs rejected an attempt to introduce

assisted dying in 2015. Donald Trump is being briefed by US

intelligence chiefs on their claims that Russia attempted to interfere

in the American presidential The President-elect has repeatedly

dismissed the allegation. Modern diesel cars produce more

than twice as much toxic emissions as a lorry or bus of the same age,

according to new analysis from the International Council

on Clean Transportation. I'll be back later during

the Ten O'clock News, but for now from everyone

on the team have a lovely evening. Panorama investigates

the deadly terrorist attack