28/03/2017 London News

Welcome to BBC London News with me, Victoria Hollins.

The Mayor has told the European Union not

to try and "instil fear" in the Brexit negotiations.

Sadiq Khan was giving a key note speech to politicians and business

He warned it will be a major mistake if the EU tries to "punish" the UK.

From Brussels he travelled to Paris this afternoon where we can join our

political editor Tim Donovan. The men met his opposite number this

afternoon? Yes, arriving in Paris the thought was immediately security

and, the Socialist mayor of Paris met him for trade and said

immediately off the platform, I'm sorry for what happened in London.

But other theme has been Brexit and how London steers a course through

it. At City Hall the Mayor of Brussels

offered his condolences We are together, together

we will face this crisis situation that happened in Brussels last year,

and in London this year. You could tell a lot about London

from those who are injured, Italy, South Korea, China

and the United States. And the capital had gained a lot

from membership of the EU. The EU has funded regeneration

in the poorest communities It's introduced vital workers'

rights and enhanced social welfare. Its entrenched equal pay the rights

of women throughout Europe. It's made us safer,

through cross-border policing, the European Arrest Warrant,

intelligence sharing But the Mayor also warned

today of a punitive That could hurt London,

yes, but also backfire Because companies would flee

to New York, Hong Kong, Singapore. There's no need, as some have

suggested, for the EU to send a message or to instil fear

by punishing the UK. So who did he have in

mind here in Brussels Was it the European Parliament's

chief negotiator? Was it the president

of the European Parliament? I've seen no evidence

during the meetings this morning morning and yesterday,

of any wish on the part of the European Union

to punish the UK or our citizens Before, we need a divorce,

and then the United Kingdom If we have a different

position from London, but its UK's decision

for the future. The mayor was, it seems, referring

to the president of the commission, Jean-Claude Juncker,

and reports he wanted to make example of the UK,

but apparently he too showed no Why did you bring up the issue

of people perhaps punishing the UK and London if it doesn't appear that

anyone here wants to? Well I read the newspapers,

like you do, and I listen to journalists,

like you do, and often you're You wanted to get clarity

from the president of London voters decided to vote

to remain in the European Union. The important thing is when that

Prime Minister serves the article 50 notice tomorrow,

we've heard from the European Union they'll negotiate in good faith

and in a friendly manner. A day of handshakes and warmth

on all sides, but not much he could learn for sure about how

it's all going to turn out Interesting that the Mayor has

chosen to be in Paris when Article 50 is triggered. It is making quite

a point, isn't it? I suppose from his point of view he doesn't feel he

needs to be in London. It is a continent of capitals, he's saying,

they are all very close. Tomorrow he will appear alongside the Brazilian

Mayor and they will make a joint announcement about air quality and

that is a sign they will be co-operating in that area after

Brexit. He wants to see as -- be seen as on that despite Brexit will

carry on promoting London and telling everyone London will be OK,

it will come through this, it might be a struggle but we will find a

way. Today he was also making clear that he wants to fight without fear

or favour for a good deal for London, whether it's in Brussels or

anywhere else. Thank you, Tim. Next - could something as simple

as gut bacteria slow the progression of Motor Neurone Disease -

which kills more than half of those Well, scientists in London have been

given more than a million pounds to investigate

whether there's a connection. It's frustration, as far as being

able to do certain simple tasks, Alan Wright has

Motor Neurone Disease. He says every day he can still walk

and talk is a blessing. The former IT director

can't use his right arm any more, and he knows

the disease is spreading. It's just a slowly progressive

disease affecting my right arm, I've still got some

movement with my hand. My left arm is slowly

going the same way. My mobility is still OK,

but that eventually will be It's just a case

of how long it takes. Every person is different and it's

not knowing how this disease is going to manifest itself

in the weeks and months to come. So I cannot plan for anything,

I don't know which part Doctors have told Alan nobody knows

exactly what causes MND, it's a progressive neurological

disorder leading to weakness There are more than 5000 people

like Alan in the UK suffering It kills more than a third

of patients within a year of diagnosis and more than half

within two years, but now researchers say there is new hope

of slowing the progression of the disease and they believe

the solution may lie in patients' What we'll be looking

at is the connection between the bacteria in your gut

and how it influences the cells in the brain that

control information. We know that those cells are very

important for Motor Neurone Disease and potentially very important

for other diseases like Doctor Sharma's now been

given a research grant of more than ?1 million

from the Reta Lila Weston Trust and hopes to have results

in four years' time. Alan knows it may be too late

to help him but hopes I don't know if it will help me

in the short-term, but at the end of the day if it will be beneficial

for people in the future, Security at Windsor Castle

is being stepped up for the Changing the Guard ceremony,

following the Westminster New barriers are being used

to secure the procession route, Marc Ashdown spent the day

in Windsor and sent this report. A necessary precaution

or security overkill? The people of Windsor awoke this

morning to find a ring of steel surrounding the castle,

barriers at various It follows last week's attack

in Westminster that wasn't prompted by any specific

imminent threat here. Windsor Castle is one

of the country's most popular tourist attractions,

one of the main draws? In April it happens four times

a week, the public get within touching distance

of the guard. These barriers will only be closed

during the ceremony itself, but the new protection measures have

received a mixed reaction. I don't know if these

are actually necessary, but if they think they're necessary

and they're going to prevent people attacking, then that's

what we have to have this. It's better than what was before,

which was just a car in the middle of the road at an angle

across the road, a police car, and that wouldn't have

probably stopped something Thames Valley Police's responsible

for security at Changing the Guard. They told us in a statement

they believe all this is They also say this is consistent

with security deployments in London. The council insists Windsor is safe

and it's business as usual, but these barriers are a reminder

that although the show must go on, when it comes to security,

nothing can be left to chance. A celebrated painting

by Thomas Gainsborough vandalised at the National Gallery just

over a week ago, has Scratches and an x-mark were cut

into The Morning Walk, but the canvas wasn't ripped,

and so experts have been able Well, we're thrilled

that the painting's back on the wall so quickly,

thanks to the work of our conservation department,

the conservatator Paul Ackroyd was able to get to work

on this extremely quickly. He actually came in over the weekend

to start the work of repairing the damage and he's done

a magnificent job. So I think the painting

looks as good as new. That's it for now from me,

but lets find out what the weather's Thank you. A warm day today, 19 in

the sunshine but it turned cloudy in the afternoon. Tonight cloudy with

spits and spots of rain or drizzle. But mild, 9-10. Tomorrow looks like

it will be mild but rather cloudy. This limited amount of sunshine, but

I think mainly dry, after a damp start it will stay pretty cloudy.

Maybe a bit of rain to the North, a few holes breaking in the cloud to a

lifeless and brightness. Top temperature 16 degrees. Southerly

winds on Thursday means we will tap into some of the warmth from the

near continent. It could be the warmest day of the year so far this.

Mainly dry, rather cloudy but given some sunshine we could eat 20, 21

maybe even 22. Into Friday the weekend, turning a little cooler. We

could see sunshine and showers at times, but fairly mild for the time

of year. This stay tuned for the national

of year. This stay tuned for the national weather forecasts with John