:00:00. > :00:04.That is all from the BBC News at six so it is
:00:04. > :01:11.Godfrey Bloom, the UKIP politician for Yorkshire and the Humber who
:01:11. > :01:17.referred to some women as "sluts" is quitting as one of the party's MEPs.
:01:17. > :01:22.He will instead sit as an independent in the European
:01:22. > :01:24.Parliament. The party leader Nigel Farage criticised Mr Bloom after his
:01:25. > :01:28.comments overshadowed the UKIP conference last week, but says he
:01:28. > :01:33.shouldn't be thrown out of the party. In a moment, we'll hear from
:01:33. > :01:37.Godfrey Bloom, but first here's our political editor Tim Iredale.
:01:37. > :01:39.It's goodbye, Godfrey. After being suspended from UKIP following his
:01:39. > :01:43.controversial comments, the outspoken MEP has says he no longer
:01:43. > :01:55.wants to represent the party in the European Parliament. Everybody knows
:01:55. > :02:00.me, they are either a bit like me or they hate me. I have always told it
:02:00. > :02:08.like it is. I am a bit long in the tooth to do political correctness.
:02:08. > :02:11.You have pointed out the colour of peoples's. Disgraceful. This
:02:11. > :02:15.altercation with a Channel four news reporter came on the day that Mr
:02:15. > :02:23.Bloom had described a group of UKIP women activists as
:02:23. > :02:27.people in Rotherham what they made of the row. Are you offended by the
:02:27. > :02:35.term? Yes, definitely. I don't think it is appropriate. He comes from
:02:35. > :02:39.another era of about 30 years ago where attitudes towards women were
:02:39. > :02:43.very different to the way they are today It is not very nice, is it?
:02:43. > :02:46.The UKIP party leadership say his use of the word "sluts" was the
:02:46. > :02:49.final straw, after previous controversies which included claims
:02:49. > :02:59.that woman should clean behind the fridge and claims that aid should
:02:59. > :03:03.not be sent to "bongo bongo land". He has developed support and hey has
:03:03. > :03:08.worked hard for us, but it is a great shame that it has come to this
:03:08. > :03:13.as far as him being an MEP is concerned. He says he intends to
:03:13. > :03:19.remain a member of the party, but he will sit and —— as an independent.
:03:19. > :03:22.That is until his term ends next May. Godfrey Bloom admits his
:03:22. > :03:25.political career is almost certainly over, although he hasn't completely
:03:25. > :03:28.ruled out standing again as an independent. In his words, "never
:03:28. > :03:36.say never." Earlier, I asked Godfrey Bloom if
:03:36. > :03:48.—— he regretted referring to party members as slots. It wasn't as
:03:48. > :03:54.simple as that, was it? If you listen to the clip and I know that
:03:54. > :03:58.you have, you will know that it was a joke and it was taken as a joke.
:03:58. > :04:03.Everyone was there, and everyone took it as a joke. All of our ladies
:04:03. > :04:09.were there and everyone took it in good part and it has been broken ——
:04:09. > :04:14.blown out of proportion. Do you regret saying it? Not really, it was
:04:14. > :04:19.a joke and I think you have no need for many years, Peter, if you cannot
:04:19. > :04:28.have a joke, I think it is a public do. As I always do, on these
:04:28. > :04:31.occasions, I already have 1000 e—mails in support, because I think
:04:31. > :04:35.people in the North of England understand a joke when they hear
:04:35. > :04:39.one. I will be keen to get people's views on that in a moment. You have
:04:40. > :04:47.resigned, is this the end of politics for you? Iraq I shall stay
:04:47. > :04:51.my course as an independent. —— I shall. Never is a long time, but I
:04:51. > :04:56.suspect that I will probably finish in June. It is difficult to commit
:04:56. > :05:00.what may happen in six or seven months, so I will be a bit
:05:01. > :05:05.circumspect, but what I am really after is that I believe in UKIP, I
:05:05. > :05:12.remain a member and I hope that Jane Collins will become our next MEP. It
:05:12. > :05:17.is not right that if you are not an MEP, they haven't chosen you as an
:05:17. > :05:24.independent, they have chosen UKIP, should its not go to the second
:05:24. > :05:32.choice candidate? Well, that might be a point if I had not had and
:05:32. > :05:34.after the speech I made on overseas aid. We have topped over 10,000
:05:34. > :05:38.messages of support, so I think I have the broad support of the
:05:38. > :05:44.electorate and the membership, I have to say, behind me. The answer
:05:44. > :05:49.is I think I am doing a good job in representing the right people. As a
:05:49. > :05:53.general question, do you think with hindsight you have been too
:05:53. > :06:01.outspoken and to saying it how it is and that has cost you this? I think
:06:01. > :06:04.that is probably true. I have a bit of a dinosaur, I have never
:06:04. > :06:09.pretended anything else. Everybody knows me. You know me well enough. I
:06:09. > :06:13.always tell it like it is, I will continue to do so and I think I can
:06:13. > :06:17.do that with a lots more freedom in my final six months of office. More
:06:17. > :06:26.time to stay at home and clean behind the fridge. Indeed and I will
:06:26. > :06:33.be more likely to be supervising and doing it myself.
:06:33. > :06:38.We want to hear from you on this story, was Godfrey Bloom right to
:06:38. > :06:42.resign or do you think we need politicians who speak their mind?
:06:42. > :06:43.Was it just a joke as Godfrey just said? Email looknorth@bbc.co.uk,
:06:43. > :07:09.Text on 81333. We will have some responses before
:07:09. > :07:15.we finish at 7pm. There will be more from Godfrey tomorrow lunchtime.
:07:15. > :07:18.Thank you for watching. In a moment. I'm live in Scunthorpe as
:07:18. > :07:19.councillors promise to invest in an estate criticised on national
:07:19. > :07:31.television. Bite at a level crossing where a
:07:31. > :07:36.—year—old girl were killed —— was killed were not as bright as they
:07:36. > :07:41.should have been. Emma Lifsey was a passenger in the car driven by her
:07:41. > :07:44.grandmother. It was hit by a train travelling at 60 miles an hour, on
:07:45. > :07:48.the line between Gainsborough and Doncaster. The grandmother said she
:07:48. > :07:50.only noticed the lights when she was close to the barrier. The report
:07:51. > :07:55.recommends similar lamps are replaced at other level crossings.
:07:55. > :07:59.Lincolnshire Police are investigating the discovery of a
:07:59. > :08:02.body in Market Deeping. A dog walker found the body this morning in a
:08:02. > :08:05.field near Northfield Road. Police say they're treating the death as
:08:05. > :08:13.unexplained and appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
:08:13. > :08:16.At least 40 nurses from Spain and Portugal are due to start at
:08:16. > :08:19.hospitals in Lincolnshire in the next few weeks. The hospital Trust
:08:19. > :08:22.says its recent recruitment tour abroad has been a great success.
:08:22. > :08:26.Several reports have criticised the United Lincolnshire Trust for its
:08:26. > :08:28.low staffing levels. Our Health Correspondent, Vicky Johnson reports
:08:28. > :08:33.from Madrid. Madrid looks busy and prosperous,
:08:33. > :08:36.but the recession has hit hard. Newly—qualified nurses can't find
:08:37. > :08:42.work in Spain, but NHS hospitals are queuing up to recruit them,
:08:42. > :08:49.including the Trust from Lincolnshire. We have candidates
:08:49. > :08:55.that are scheduled in for today. All of the nurses that have been looked
:08:55. > :08:58.at, they have completed four years and have a similar skill set to what
:08:58. > :09:01.we are looking for. Low staffing levels have contributed to poor
:09:01. > :09:04.patient care, according to recent critical reports. This overseas
:09:04. > :09:12.recruitment drive is part of a £3 million investment. We have reviewed
:09:12. > :09:16.all of our board establishments and that is what has led us to have the
:09:16. > :09:18.understanding that we need to increase the staffing establishment
:09:18. > :09:21.in all of our wards. The Lincolnshire Trust has targeted
:09:21. > :09:27.Spain because of the fierce cuts to its public services. Poor job
:09:27. > :09:34.prospects are driving more nurses away from their own hospitals. In
:09:35. > :09:41.2010, 247 left to work in British hospitals. By last year, that figure
:09:41. > :09:45.had risen to 918. With 20,000 Spanish nurses out of work, that
:09:45. > :09:49.figure could rise even higher. Salaries too are a factor. A Spanish
:09:49. > :09:55.nurse starts on the equivalent of £12,500. In the UK, it's more than
:09:55. > :10:01.£21,000. Antonio has three years nursing experience, but he's
:10:01. > :10:05.struggled to find work. The main thing to me is to get a permanent
:10:05. > :10:18.job, there are a here to get that. The team have so
:10:18. > :10:28.far made around 50 job offers. All of my family, they are very happy
:10:28. > :10:34.for me. I am very happy, thank you. I cannot believe it. It was the
:10:34. > :10:38.first opportunity of a good contract. It's not just the Spanish
:10:38. > :10:45.nurses who are competing for the best offers. We are aware that there
:10:45. > :10:51.are other NHS Trusts that... We are a direct competition with other
:10:51. > :10:55.trusts. Union leaders in Lincolnshire have welcomed this
:10:55. > :11:01.latest recruitment drive. We have historically struggled to recruit, I
:11:01. > :11:05.have worked for 30 years and in all that time, we have struggled to
:11:05. > :11:11.recruit trained nurses. But for union reps in Spain, there are real
:11:11. > :11:16.concerns. TRANSLATION: we can have problems in the future, especially
:11:16. > :11:24.in terms of our nurse and patient ratios. Our inability will have a
:11:24. > :11:29.impact on the population. 80 local nurses start their training
:11:29. > :11:32.tomorrow. Meanwhile, the recruitment team prepared to fly off to Greece
:11:33. > :11:51.for the third and final leg of their European tour. Send us your
:11:51. > :12:01.comments. What is the best way? Give us your thoughts. Start the text
:12:01. > :12:06.with the work Look North. —— words Look North.
:12:06. > :12:09.Residents of the Scunthorpe estate featured on the Channel Four
:12:09. > :12:11.documentary Skint will continue to get help to improve job
:12:11. > :12:14.opportunities. North Lincolnshire Council has already created a task
:12:15. > :12:18.force to help cut unemployment. And tonight it has decided to invest
:12:18. > :12:27.more in the area. Our reporter Simon Spark is live in Scunthorpe tonight.
:12:27. > :12:31.Simon, what's happened there? There were two options at night's meeting,
:12:31. > :12:35.the first was to build on the work started by the task force. The
:12:35. > :12:40.second was to do nothing and that was decided not to be an option. It
:12:40. > :12:44.is not surprising. You must remember that this programme was
:12:44. > :12:48.uncompromising on its focus on some of the most serious issues in the
:12:48. > :12:51.town. If the council has said there has been good work done since and my
:12:51. > :13:02.colleague has been back to the estate to see what has changed. Life
:13:02. > :13:05.goes on 24/7 for some people. Millions tuned in to watch this TV
:13:05. > :13:12.documentary about people living on this Scunthorpe estate. Thanks so
:13:12. > :13:15.much for the people who have turned up. After their area made headlines,
:13:16. > :13:20.residents held meetings to discuss ways to improve life here. But four
:13:20. > :13:24.months on, has anything changed? The community spirit
:13:24. > :13:28.there, it's just been enhanced with more people getting involved in
:13:28. > :13:33.activities. You always get the odd one, whatever
:13:33. > :13:37.estate you're on. But we've got a closer knit community than we had
:13:37. > :13:40.before. A number of local organisations have now formed the
:13:40. > :13:43.Westcliff Task Force and have put together an action plan. But the
:13:43. > :13:46.local council claims there have already been a number of positive
:13:46. > :13:49.achievements for the area, including the enforcement of an alcohol
:13:49. > :13:54.restriction zone on part of the estate. Money management training
:13:54. > :13:57.for a group of local volunteers and the creation of paid work experience
:13:57. > :14:05.placements for 26 of the town's unemployed young people. For those
:14:05. > :14:09.people who have got issues, we are there to support them. And I think
:14:09. > :14:14.they realise we are there listening and working with them. And it's not
:14:14. > :14:18.just going in for one time, but we're there continually working
:14:18. > :14:21.through different issues. There has been some speculation here in the
:14:21. > :14:24.town that Skint would return to our screens, but in a statement Channel
:14:24. > :14:31.four says discussions about further plans are at an early stage and
:14:31. > :14:35.nothing is confirmed. I think quite a lot of people would watch it, even
:14:35. > :14:38.though a lot of people complain about it, everyone watches it. I
:14:38. > :14:48.wouldn't watch it. We've seen it, we wouldn't bother looking at it again.
:14:48. > :14:49.Four months after it was first broadcast, many here say they
:14:49. > :15:00.community is stronger than ever. There are positive feelings from the
:15:00. > :15:06.area and what the council has approved could transform the area
:15:06. > :15:10.even further. They are calling it a can —— community investment project
:15:10. > :15:16.which could see the building of a new community hub which would house
:15:16. > :15:20.help for various things. It would not just be continuing the work
:15:20. > :15:28.already started, it would be significantly investing.
:15:28. > :15:39.Still ahead tonight. Peter Gentle leaves Hull FC after a disappointing
:15:39. > :15:44.end to the season. From the rugby field to another stage, the team
:15:44. > :15:47.that has inspired airplay. The iMac on one hand, you have eloquent
:15:47. > :15:54.women, on the other hand, sees you get on the pitch, they will take
:15:54. > :16:09.your head off. —— as soon as you. Keep the photos coming in.
:16:09. > :16:23.Good evening, young man. People want to know... That it is useful to
:16:23. > :16:25.clean behind the fridge though, isn't it? No, you just read the
:16:26. > :16:34.forecast. It is a quiet one. cloudy, but there will be some
:16:34. > :19:09.brighter spells in places. It was obvious from this game last
:19:09. > :19:15.Thursday that Peter Gentle was unlikely to survive with his job.
:19:15. > :19:20.Hull FC conceded a record number of points. Despite talking about the
:19:21. > :19:26.future... Something about the body language suggested it would not be
:19:26. > :19:32.with this club. We are making progress. You would not think so on
:19:32. > :19:42.the night's performance, but we are. Ultimately, this decision is about
:19:42. > :19:59.bums on seats and making sure FC have success in the future. I
:19:59. > :20:03.want to know what the fans think. Everybody thought he was the answer
:20:03. > :20:08.to the questions, but he has never done it, so he had to go. Put
:20:08. > :20:13.someone in with experience. Someone who makes sense. To sack him and put
:20:13. > :20:18.someone else with no experience makes no sense. Get someone there
:20:18. > :20:26.who can put a good side together. They have the ground and the
:20:26. > :20:29.support. Hull have not had a grand final win since 1996 and yet in
:20:29. > :20:34.terms of attendance, we are still one of the sport's leading clubs.
:20:34. > :20:39.How do you marry this discrepancy between a lack of trophies and a
:20:39. > :20:44.substantial fan base? This is the view of one rugby league observer.
:20:44. > :20:48.They need to get in a situation where players want to come and play
:20:48. > :20:53.for the club. If and when they can do that, the sky is the limit for
:20:53. > :20:59.Hull FC. They have so much potential. They just need to show
:20:59. > :21:03.that they can fulfil it. Is the last to pay with his job. One of his
:21:03. > :21:12.deputies is tipped to replace him. —— he is the last.
:21:12. > :21:14.Swimming coach Jon Rudd, who's originally from Hull, will manage
:21:14. > :21:20.the England swimming team at the Ruta Meilutyte to gold at both the
:21:20. > :21:30.London Olympics and World Championships this summer in Russia.
:21:30. > :21:34.We wish him well with that. Hull City are favourites to go through to
:21:34. > :21:37.the Capital One Cup as they entertain Huddersfield town. The
:21:37. > :21:47.Tigers' game will be live on local radio. Sports talk is on the air now
:21:47. > :21:54.with Bill. His —— Grimsby Town's game against Dartford will be on AM
:21:54. > :22:00.and digital. That is from 7:45pm. BBC Radio Devon and has commentary
:22:00. > :22:06.on Lincoln city's trip to Hereford. The kick—off will be at 7:45pm.
:22:06. > :22:09.Enjoy the football. A group of motor home owners are
:22:09. > :22:12.calling on Lincolnshire County Council to remove a barrier blocking
:22:13. > :22:15.them from a seaside car park. The council says it installed the
:22:16. > :22:18.barrier at Huttoft car terrace, near Sutton on Sea, because some people
:22:19. > :22:25.were camping there illegally. But the motor home owners say they're
:22:25. > :22:31.being discriminated against. Bus to be able to go up in the daytime,
:22:31. > :22:36.obviously, we have camped up there, but we have never been challenged or
:22:36. > :22:41.told we couldn't. People have selfishly been living on the site.
:22:41. > :22:51.Last bank holiday in May, people could not get onto the site as there
:22:51. > :22:53.were so many of these fans. The Bishop of Grantham says he has
:22:53. > :22:57.some surprises ready for tonight's farewell service. The Right Reverend
:22:57. > :23:00.Dr Tim Ellis is leaving his post this week. He's been vocal about a
:23:00. > :23:03.number of controversial issues in the past, including the cost of Lady
:23:03. > :23:07.Thatcher's funeral. A special service will be held for Bishop Tim
:23:07. > :23:12.at Lincoln Cathedral this evening. We have the youth choir from
:23:12. > :23:16.Grantham, the parish church, we have images been projected by the
:23:16. > :23:21.luminous community. We have the hospital chaplains involved and we
:23:21. > :23:32.will have a jazz setting for the Eucharist itself.
:23:32. > :23:35.We wish him all the best. A women's rugby team from Hull is
:23:35. > :23:39.the inspiration of a new play which opens tonight in Hull. Muddy Cows,
:23:39. > :23:42.written and directed by John Godber, tells the story of the Hull ladies
:23:42. > :23:45.and an important match between them and an unbeatable side from New
:23:45. > :23:51.Zealand. Emma Massey reports. Ready for action. The team's been
:23:51. > :23:59.scrumming and crash tackling for five years. But now their game is
:23:59. > :24:06.being played on a different stage. Call it. At the back. Inspired by
:24:06. > :24:09.the Hull—based club, Muddy Cows tells the story of a woman's
:24:09. > :24:15.courage, passion and commitment of their male counterparts but none of
:24:15. > :24:19.the cash, back—up or kit. It makes me feel proud that we had such an
:24:19. > :24:25.input into the play and the subject and the stories that are in there.
:24:25. > :24:29.They feel close to home. And it should do because John Godber, who's
:24:29. > :24:33.written and directed the play, researched the in and outs of the
:24:33. > :24:37.team thoroughly for over a year. I thought they were fantastic. They
:24:37. > :24:41.were straightforward. They were very eloquent, but on the other hand,
:24:41. > :24:47.they will take your head off on the pitch. That seemed to me to be a
:24:48. > :24:53.great subject to investigate. And up. They are a scary bunch and if
:24:53. > :24:57.they work as a unit, if they wanted to have a line—out competition in
:24:57. > :25:04.the bar, we are acting it and they are really into it.
:25:04. > :25:08.On seeing the play, the film felt it portrayed them perfectly. We were
:25:09. > :25:15.turning to each other going, oh, that is you. He got a good idea of
:25:15. > :25:20.us as people. He betrayed us well. One of the characters is loosely
:25:20. > :25:28.based on my character as a social worker. By trade. Hull ladies are
:25:28. > :25:35.hoping it will not only raise their profile but also encourage more
:25:35. > :25:38.women to get involved in the game. Good luck to the cast.
:25:38. > :25:42.The Mayor of Boston has thanked four men caught on CCTV mending a bike
:25:42. > :25:45.rack in the town. The group were given certificates of commendation
:25:45. > :25:51.in a special ceremony and then went for a meal at a local kebab house.
:25:51. > :25:54.Their good deed has become an internet hit, with more than two
:25:54. > :26:01.million people watching the footage online. It shows that we have young
:26:01. > :26:08.people who with a bit of banter have which I think has humoured the
:26:08. > :26:14.people of Boston and we know it has humoured the people of the world. I
:26:14. > :26:17.thank them again and know that it is something that will live with them
:26:17. > :26:25.for the rest of their lives. Well done to the lads. I hope they
:26:25. > :26:28.enjoyed their kebabs. It is 6:55pm. Ed Miliband tells the Labour
:26:29. > :26:32.conference he will freeze gas and electricity bills if they win the
:26:32. > :26:40.next election. Godfrey Bloom resigned as a MEP after a row.
:26:40. > :26:44.Tomorrow's weather, cloudy with sunny intervals, a chance of drizzle
:26:44. > :26:54.in places. Top temperatures of 19 Celsius. That
:26:54. > :27:00.is 66 Fahrenheit. Someone said that they believe it is
:27:00. > :27:03.political correctness gone mad, a support Godfrey Bloom. Richard says
:27:03. > :27:09.that we need more people like him who speak it like it is, we are too
:27:09. > :27:12.politically correct. Tom asks whether Godfrey Bloom has no moral
:27:12. > :27:19.fibre at all? Dave says, taken out of context,
:27:19. > :27:23.shame on you and the media, Peter, jumping on the bandwagon. Bet this
:27:23. > :27:27.one does not get to read out. Wrong, it's dead. It seems that no one can
:27:27. > :27:31.take a joke these days. I am female and wish more people
:27:31. > :27:38.could be like him. Finally, this is from Paul, he says, I think
:27:38. > :27:42.Godfrey Bloom should lose his job, calling women sluts is this
:27:42. > :27:46.respectful. As I said, there will be more from Godfrey Bloom tomorrow at
:27:46. > :27:46.lunchtime. Enjoy your evening, take care,