02/06/2017 London News

Question Time audience. You can watch it on BBC One at 8:30pm.

And whatever we have to go through to give him

the chance he needs, we are more than willing to do.

Doctors here say he should be allowed to die with dignity.

The mayor of Tower Hamlets is accused of Islamophobia

and sexism by his deputy, she resigns in protest.

After the delays and disruption, BA is under fire again.

This time over the handling of expenses claims.

And stripping off in the sun, the campaigners who want the right

to sunbathe naked on Hampstead Heath.

Good evening and welcome to the programme.

"We will fight until the bitter end for our son."

The words of a father who's baby boy has a rare and life

Charlie Gard is on a life support machine at

Great Ormond Street Hospital, his parents say his only chance

of survival is in the US where they want him

But doctors here say Charlie's condition is irreversible

and he should be allowed to die with dignity.

Charlie Gard is fighting for his life. A rare condition has led to

severe brain damage, life support, breathing on a ventilator. Speaking

on the Victoria Derbyshire programme today, his parents say he is still

fighting. He is putting on weight. His hair is growing. And he is still

stable. He is fighting, he hasn't done what they said he would do. So

he is still there, still good. After raising the money online, they want

to take their son to the United States for experimental treatment

yet to be tested on Charlie's conditions. It is an oral

medication, a powder that goes into his milk. And, you know, if it was

an invasive treatment for a three-month period that was going to

harm him and cause him pain, we wouldn't be sitting here now. For

consultants at Great Ormond Street, the therapy being proposed is

experimental and wouldn't help. It doesn't reverse the effects of

structural brain damage. And that live support is merely prolonging

the process of dying for Charlie. It is for these reasons they are

refusing to let him go. They basically kept him a prisoner there.

And our parental rights have been stripped, the minute we took him

there. In hindsight, we lost him. This conflict has played itself out

in the legal system. A High Court judge has sided with Great Ormond

Street that palliative care is the best option but, next week, the

Supreme Court will decide if there are grounds for a final hearing.

Making this decision the court will be looking at a number of factors.

It'll be looking at Charlie's right to life, his parents views, and

their rights to a family life, the rights which are enshrined in law.

They will also be looking at the views of his doctors and treatment

team and those representing Charlie. The court's job is to consider these

factors and take a step back and take an objective decision. Give him

a chance! This is a medication which won't harm him in anyway, it has got

no side-effects. He is fit to fly, let us take our son to a hospital

that wants to save his life if the court decides against, Charlie's

life-support will be turned off on midnight that day.

This was last weekend, disruption and delays which hit tens

of thousands of passengers using British Airways.

Well BA is facing yet more criticism for advise it gave on how those

Well BA is facing yet more criticism for advice it gave on how those

A week is a long time in the airline industry and this must rank among

one of the longest ever for British Airways.

75,000 people stranded over the weekend and a series of

PR issues as the company deals with the fallout.

This latest row relates to expenses for hotels, meals,

refreshments which passengers incurred while they waited

This is British Airways website to make a claim

The first thing it asks is do you have any travel insurance.

It then asks have you claimed or do you intend to claim your expenses

If you click no, a little box comes up saying you should make a claim

with your travel insurer in the first instance

and if you're unsuccessful comeback to British Airways.

Standard practice is for the airline to foot the bills.

Insurers only step in if, for some reason, they can't or won't pay up.

Anyone who's suffered a delay is going to be anxious.

They're probably going to be quite agitated and being passed

from pillar to post, which is what this risks,

And I think it's the last thing we want to see.

We want people who have been affected by this disruption,

as I'm sure BA do, to receive compensation as quickly

And there are thousands of them, like Paul Barker, who was left

stranded in Budapest and spent hundreds of pounds

We are now facing problems with both BA and our travel insurance company.

They are saying we should contact BA because we are covered with them.

And BA are saying we are covered with the travel insurance company.

We're going round and round in circles and no one

British Airways says it is encouraging customers

to submit claims for expenses and, after three days, has this evening

An investigation is also under way into what caused the IT blackout

which grounded planes and left passengers posting holiday horror

snaps which continue to haunt the airline.

Next, this programme can reveal that the Mayor of Tower Hamlets has

been accused of Islamophobia and sexism by his deputy.

Shiria Khatun says she's been the victim of bullying tactics

But Mayor John Biggs denies the allegations.

This job at the top and Tower Hamlets. They are both used a

smiling for the cameras and now they are at war. Although Shiria Khatun

remains a counsellor she has resigned as a deputy mayor. She says

that is because of Islamophobia. She says ever since she started wearing

an open long coat and the hijab, she's been the subject of

disparaging comments from her boss, the mayor, John Biggs. When you

asked continuously why I'm wearing the job, when I was going to take it

off, how long I was going to wear it for, and the last straw for me was

what I was hiding under my long coat. I was stunned. To me it meant

I was hiding a bomb or something. It was a very serious thing to say and

an insensitive thing to say to me. She also accuses him of making

sexist comments, describing a counsellor as coming from Bollywood.

They are accusations the mayor the committee desires. She says UR

Islamophobics. I've never made such a comment. I am very respectful of

my Muslim constituents. I am a man who respects people of faith and

there are no circumstances in which I would do that. And what about the

other comments? I made reference to Bollywood. I am not an expert but

both actors and actresses dressed splendidly and she was in line with

that. I don't take a lot of time preparing myself, I have the fortune

of being a man so I do have a reputation for self-deprecating

humour. So I might have said I wouldn't have spent that much time

getting ready myself because that is simply the way I prepare myself. The

politics of Tower Hamlets has been pretty toxic in recent years. For

example, the current mayor, John Biggs, was a victim of a dishonest

campaign to portray him as a racist by his rival and predecessor. What

makes these allegations different as they come from his own inner circle

which is why the mayor believes these allegations are nothing more

than sour grapes after he switched his deputy's role in a cabinet

reshuffle. Tower Hamlets is once again at the centre of a bitter

personal row. A 238th running of the Derby at

Epsom takes place amid heightened security. We look at the most open

Derby for years. And it has been a hot day on Hampstead Heath but how

would you feel about naked sunbathing? There are calls for a

nudist area to be allowed here. I'll have the full details.

It's a key election battle ground, the future of the NHS.

In a moment, we'll look at what the political parties

But, first, a look at growing challenges

This is a process that hasn't changed much over the years.

And nor it seems have the frustrations of the capital's GPs.

Pathe news visits a doctor in a North London borough who shares

with his two partners a large and mainly working-class practice.

This was back in 1957, during a dispute over

Doctor, how do you feel about this personally?

Well, my own feeling and I think the feeling of most general

practitioners is one of frustration and disillusionment.

And listen to the views of Adrian Richardson,

His Willesden practice nearly shut last year as partners

left, and the workload and paperwork increased.

Over a period of a year, these things crept up on us.

It was like a rolling down a hill and thinking,

But the ravine was coming closer and closer.

So, we lost two or three partners and we also lost a number

of clinical and administrative staff as well.

Across London, nearly half of GP practices

have a doctor who will retire in the next three years.

For years and years and years, particularly in London,

they've been underfunded and just about managing.

For the last two years, we've seen a dramatic

decline in people's morale and their willingness

If primary care is finding it hard, the battle over the future

Across the capital there are five-year plans for the future.

Many involve changing, or closing services.

We're seeing rationing and, in some cases, complete withdrawal

of certain NHS services, ambulance services, A closures,

And we're seeing levels of understaffing, which means that

wards are struggling to keep their patients safe.

This protest in Hammersmith reflects many across the capital.

But experts say there may be more pain to come for London's NHS.

The gap between what London needs to treat in its growing population,

who have increasing expectations and for whom we can do more,

The parties are all pledging additional money

None of these go anywhere near closing that gap.

If the money isn't forthcoming, changes to services may well be.

Talk about the NHS and inevitably the issue of money comes up. Here is

how someone well placed in the NHS put it to me, that relationship

between the NHS and money. They said it is like feeding straw brews to a

donkey, essentially it'll gobble up as much as you throw at it. Which I

guess it'll tell you why the parties are promising more money for the

NHS. Independent analysis saying Labour more than the Lib Dems,

slightly more than the Conservatives but all of them, they say, not

promising enough. Why? In London, the NHS spends ?18 billion every

year. All the NHS bosses have looked at the plans and say if we carry on

doing the same were doing in the same way, there will be a ?4 billion

hole in the budget in the next four years. Doesn't end there. There are

plans to rebuild some areas, Epsom and St Helier, whips cross, those

areas, those grounds alone, 1.5 billion pounds. And fixing the

estate? About ?2 billion so not small figures. Isn't just about

funding, is it? We also have the issue of closures of services,

moving services around and there has been a lot of protest, places like

Chase Farm when the accident and emergency was close there. West

London and south-west London about plans to move the emergency services

but other services will have to be moved under these plans, things like

maternity or specialist services. The clinicians will say people get

treated better. Opponents say no, it isn't, it is because you've not been

given enough money. We've heard all of these things before, during and

we will hit after the. Thank you. the latest of our Constituency

profiles looking at Tonight to Enfield North,

a seat which gone back and forth between the Conservatives

and Labour. Ayshea Buksh has been

finding out what might sway It's London's northernmost

constituency and, come election day, For many years now, this seat has

swung between Labour At the last election,

there were just 1000 votes Both parties will also be

trying to woo Ukip voters, whose candidate last time

polled 4000 votes. Labour's Joan Ryan was first

elected when Tony Blair At the last election,

she took the seat back One of the issues then

was Chase farm hospital. The Labour government under

Gordon Brown signed off plans to downgrade it and,

in opposition, David But, later, as Conservative Prime

Minister, both the maternity and A Can local people trust

the Conservatives on the NHS, I think local people do trust us

with what is actually happening with health care because they know

we had a party and the government that will continue to keep

the economy strong, to fund those We are already seeing

now that these CCG has effectively There is only a Labour

government that would protect and properly invest in the NHS,

available free at the point of use. They've made it clear

how they'll pay for it. I think it is important

that the Labour Party has Like many other parts of London,

Enfield's also recently seen As MP, Nick De Bois worked

to amend the legislation. Those convicted twice of possession

of a blade would be given We've had now 11th stabbings,

three of which were fatal, We've lost 188 uniformed

officers off the streets of Enfield since 2010,

since the Tory government. In that very same period, we've seen

a doubling of file and crime. Austerity cuts under

the Conservatives haven't helped. Cuts to local youth services,

cuts to the police force. First of all, in terms of the police

force, when I arranged for the Home Secretary to come

here to Enfield two weeks ago, we met with the borough commander

and he was absolutely clear he's got the resources to do the job,

and he's echoed that since. This election in some

other marginal seats Ukip haven't fielded candidates,

where pro-Brexit Is Ukip still relevant,

given the Conservatives' Because, you know, Theresa May

could backslide at any minute. We have to be there to be fully

pushing the buttons and be there, a force to be reckoned with,

to keep her on her toes. With just a few days of canvassing

left, all the candidates running in Enfield North will be working

hard to get their message across. And you can see a full list

of all the candidates standing in Enfield North

in next week's election. There's more information on our

website, bbc.co.uk/election2017 . There's heightened security at one

of horse racing's biggest events, Around 100,000 spectators

are expected at Epsom racecourse And armed police are on site

this year as a result Chris Slegg is there

for us this evening. And has it affected

the atmosphere at all? It was certainly noticeable, we were

told it would be noticeable. It isn't the first time the police have

been here but it is the first time they've been visible in public

areas. Surrey police stressed no intelligence of a specific threat

against the festival, a matter of public reassurance, it would seem,

in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks and it didn't affect the

atmosphere. Everyone has had a great day here. Tomorrow, the Derby

itself, the 238th Derby gets under way at 4:30pm. The Queen will be

here. A prize purse of 1.5 to ?6 million makes it the richest ever in

this country and one of the most open Derby 's for years. One horse

was fun panted as Eminent. His trainer says he was at one point a

fold that no fancy but now he is fully ready for the race. He will go

the distance, which is terribly important to this thing. He is bred

in the right way to be a Derby winner. He looks the part. He is

going to be a is going to be able to switch off, and he's coped with

everything we've asked to do, no earthly reason why he doesn't have a

chance on Saturday. Another some of Frank all cult is also running.

Speak to someone who has a lot of responsibility, the clerk of the

course, Andrew Cooper. Huge DataMirror, huge day tomorrow, what

keeps you awake? ? Use worry about getting it right, and my main job is

to make sure the service is as good as it can be so that is the main

thing. The Oaks, the featurette is, a huge thunderstorm seconds before

it started, Frankie Dettori going on to win. What would that sudden

change of conditions have affected everyone involved? It was probably

uncomfortable to ride in. In terms of the ground conditions, not a good

deal of impact and we think that is the fastest oaks ever run despite

the rain. So it was good. What sort of conditions can we expect tomorrow

and who will it favour? I think we can expect... We will look at the

weather forecast but we think it will be a dry day, cooler than

today. I quite like the horse you talked about, Eminent. We shall see.

A glorious day of racing at Epsom today and they're getting ready to

do it all again tomorrow. Thank you. Now, it's one of London's largest

and most popular open spaces, and this week Hampstead Heath

attracted thousands of sun worshippers taking advantage

of the good weather. But should visitors

to the North London park be able That's exactly what some campaigners

want as Sonja Jessup reports. Sunning themselves on Hampstead

Heath, but some like to get And throw caution and

clothes to the wind. It's the sense of freedom,

a sense of well-being. Harvey Allen is among a group

of naturist squalling He insists there is nothing shameful

or suspicious about it. What about people who might be

offended or upset by this? I would say they are in the minority

and they should look at themselves in the mirror occasionally

because they've got There's only two variations

on the human body, male and female. Being naked in a public place

in England isn't actually illegal. It only becomes an offence if it can

be proved the intention was to shock But the city of London Corporation,

which manages the Heath says that public nudity is banned

under its by-laws and it says that naked sunbathers

could face prosecution. Harvey, who I should point out

was wearing shorts today, insists anyone found to be acting

suspiciously with sexual motives We don't have a culture in the UK

of nude sunbathing as, And, so, people sensitivities,

I think would be affected. But it wouldn't offend

me, particularly. I think it's fine for me,

if it's in a designated area. So I think people should be able

to opt in or opt-out. I'm not sure it's something

I would want to do or see. If there is an area where people

want to bathe naked, that's fine. Harvey is hoping to persuade more

people to warm to the idea but he's They say sunbathers must

keep their clothes on. Now for the weather. Jane is dressed

for the occasion, thankfully. This afternoon, not ideal weather for

sunbathing. Lots of thunderstorms! This is the

view of the Barbican, big puddles forming quickly, the rain was

torrential. Here is the rain Darcy plans, starting well enough, quite

quiet but those bright colours are the thunderstorms drifting over

North and east. Over the next few hours, those showers will fade away.

And it is going to be a very warm light again. Ethical for sleeping.

The next few hours, a risk of some thunderstorms but generally speaking

by the end of the night we should be fine and dry pretty much anywhere

but it should be a warm light, 15-17 in the centre of town. Tomorrow, we

might start off warm but gradually things will turn fresher through the

day and it will be a decent day with good spells of sunshine. It starts

off cloudy but most places will be fine and dry, brightening up into

the afternoon with good spells of sunshine. Fresher than recent days

but still pleasant enough with temperatures getting into the low

20s. Through the evening, if you've got plans for going out on Saturday

nights, no problem. If you're staying in, it is a much better

night for sleeping. Temperatures getting into single figures. Second

part of the weekend looks good, a bright start to Sunday, it'll stay

fine and dry so a good opportunity for getting out and about. And it is

a little bit fresher, 20 the top temperature. Many places just in the

upper teens. Start of the new week, Monday starts pretty reasonably but

it is going down hill from the West. It will turn pretty grave. Not such

a bad weekend ahead, Monday is wet and windy but then things should

improve again by Giusto. Glad to hear it!

Theresa May has come under attack from Labour

and the Liberal Democrats for her response to President

Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris accord

Mrs May declined to join other European countries in signing

I will be back later during the ten o'clock news, but for now

from everyone on the team have a lovely evening.