:00:14. > :00:18.Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Roger Johnson — and
:00:18. > :00:19.Annabel Tiffin. Our top story. It's hitting the already hard—up.
:00:19. > :00:25.Labour leader Ed Miliband tells It's hitting the already hard—up.
:00:25. > :00:29.It isn't working, it is unfair and it is a symbol of what the Labour
:00:29. > :00:33.The Labour leader has been speaking exclusively to our Political Editor.
:00:33. > :00:47.The assault case against Liverpool His girlfriend says she did the
:00:47. > :00:56.That sinking feeling — why the naming of Barrow's latest submarine
:00:56. > :01:00.stratosphere — scientists discover life from Mars floating over the
:01:00. > :01:11.And on your bike Sir Bradley! We meet the formidable four—year—old
:01:11. > :01:25.First tonight, it has been dubbed the bedroom tax and has been called
:01:25. > :01:29.the most hated and feared piece the bedroom tax and has been called
:01:29. > :01:34.this government's legislation. Tonight, in an exclusive interview,
:01:34. > :01:38.Ed Miliband has told this programme that if Labour get into government
:01:38. > :01:41.they will scrap the policy. Our Political Editor, Arif Ansari, is
:01:41. > :01:50.The way it works at the moment is here — what's the significance of
:01:50. > :01:53.The way it works at the moment is that if someone has what is deemed
:01:53. > :01:56.to be a spare bedroom it means they get less housing benefit than they
:01:56. > :02:01.would have got previously, which is why lots of people have moved out of
:02:01. > :02:13.their homes. Labour have really weapon eyes that policy, they say it
:02:14. > :02:16.weaponised. The question then is, if it is so unfair, why are you not
:02:16. > :02:27.repeal yet, and now Ed Miliband it is so unfair, why are you not
:02:27. > :02:32.Billy Pickersgill lives in Kirkby on the 13th Floor, and not by choice.
:02:32. > :02:35.We first met Billy in April when he was preparing to leave his three
:02:35. > :02:38.bedroom house. Because he lived alone he was going to lose some
:02:38. > :02:43.bedroom house. Because he lived his housing benefit. He could not
:02:43. > :02:49.You have been in here a couple of His boxes remain on pack. How does
:02:49. > :03:04.it compare to where you used to The neighbours, here you don't have
:03:04. > :03:09.According to the Labour Party, 110,000 people have been affected in
:03:09. > :03:12.have a disability. And the average loss in annual income is £728.
:03:12. > :03:17.Labour opposed it but wouldn't Until now. It is wrong, it isn't
:03:17. > :03:21.working, it is unfair and it is Until now. It is wrong, it isn't
:03:21. > :03:27.symbol of what a Labour government would do and the difference a Labour
:03:27. > :03:32.Do you accept you have been damaged by not taking that decision sooner?
:03:32. > :03:48.No, because I think that what people expected of me, we can show that
:03:48. > :03:52.We cannot continue to spend more than we earn to deal with the debts
:03:52. > :03:58.that we have, because ultimately The policy is symbolic and the
:03:59. > :04:06.political battle lines have now The policy is symbolic and the
:04:06. > :04:13.more clearly drawn. Interesting announcement on our programme? I
:04:13. > :04:17.think partly because he knows this is an issue that resonates in the
:04:17. > :04:20.regions, if you like, and also because he knows he has been under
:04:20. > :04:30.pressure from his own side to change interview with Ed Miliband in this
:04:30. > :04:37.weekend's Sunday Politics. We will also be looking at the wider Labour
:04:37. > :04:40.Party as they head into confidence. Liverpool footballer Raheem Sterling
:04:40. > :04:47.collapsed this afternoon because the evidence against him was so weak. Mr
:04:47. > :04:51.Sterling, who is 18, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in a row
:04:51. > :04:54.over a mobile phone text in August. Mr Sterling had pleaded not guilty,
:04:54. > :04:57.and this afternoon the prosecution withdrew the charge. Our Merseyside
:04:57. > :05:09.Reporter, Andy Gill, was in court Raheem Sterling came to Liverpool
:05:09. > :05:16.Magistrates to answer a charge of girlfriend Shanna Halliday. The
:05:16. > :05:23.prosecution case was that as the couple came back from —— deliberate
:05:23. > :05:26.pool —— to Liverpool from a night out in Manchester. He allegedly
:05:26. > :05:31.assaulted her by pushing and shoving her. They told magistrates they
:05:31. > :05:38.assaulted her by pushing and shoving a recording of 999 call she had
:05:38. > :05:43.assaulted her by pushing and shoving What happened when Shannah Halliday
:05:43. > :05:47.Well, Ms Halliday spoke from behind a screen in the witness box to make
:05:47. > :05:50.it easier for her. But she was barely audible and there were long
:05:50. > :05:53.pauses. In her evidence she agreed there had been an argument in the
:05:53. > :05:57.car on the way back to Liverpool but she said she started the pushing and
:05:57. > :06:02.shoving because she wanted to see what was on Raheem Sterling's phone.
:06:02. > :06:06.What she said in court was much weaker than her account to police at
:06:07. > :06:11.the time. The prosecution then said to magistrates they wanted to treat
:06:11. > :06:14.her as a hostile witness, meaning they could cross—examine their own
:06:14. > :06:19.witness to test if she was telling the truth. Raheem Sterling's defence
:06:19. > :06:29.said although her evidence was disappointing, she was not a hostile
:06:29. > :06:34.witness, and they described the prosecution's move as clutching
:06:34. > :06:36.witness, and they described the Well they agreed with the defence
:06:36. > :06:42.and once they'd decided that the prosecution withdrew the case as
:06:43. > :06:46.The prosecution stood up and said they were withdrawing the case
:06:46. > :06:51.because there was no realistic Magistrates invited Raheem Sterling
:06:51. > :07:03.into the dock where they formally Any reaction from Liverpool football
:07:03. > :07:05.Nothing from the CPS, from Liverpool football club DC this is a private
:07:05. > :07:10.matter and as such the football football club DC this is a private
:07:10. > :07:15.will not be making any further Thank you very much. A man charged
:07:15. > :07:18.with murdering his partner and son who were found with multiple stab
:07:18. > :07:22.wounds in Lancashire has admitted 40—year—old Lisa Clay and six—year
:07:23. > :07:26.old Joseph Chadwick were found at their home in Bolton—le—Sands in
:07:26. > :07:31.April. 34—year—old Paul Chadwick pleaded guilty on the grounds of
:07:31. > :07:39.diminished responsibility. He will A woman has received undisclosed
:07:39. > :07:47.damages from Oldham Council after she hit a pothole and fell off her
:07:47. > :07:52.Operations Director for the cycling unconscious in the town centre three
:07:52. > :07:55.years ago. She also suffered a fractured jaw, cheek and fingers.
:07:55. > :08:04.Oldham Council says there is a they're having to choose which to
:08:04. > :08:07.The flags were out in Barrow today as the latest submarine produced by
:08:07. > :08:10.its famous shipyard was officially named. Artful is the third of seven
:08:10. > :08:14.Astute class subs being built in Cumbria. It was a carefully planned
:08:14. > :08:16.event, and BAE Systems had spent a small fortune staging it. Then a
:08:16. > :08:30.rogue bottle brought everything They have been building submarines
:08:30. > :08:40.here for more than a century, but naming the latest is always a cause
:08:40. > :08:45.shipyard. For the workers, such ceremonies are always special. Joe
:08:45. > :08:50.years. Hannah is one of the newest recruits. They both share a sense of
:08:50. > :08:54.pride. It is always exciting, it is a day where we can show off who
:08:54. > :08:57.pride. It is always exciting, it is are and tell the world that we build
:08:57. > :09:00.the finest boats in the world. It gives me a great sense of pride
:09:00. > :09:00.the finest boats in the world. It I have worked on this product and I
:09:00. > :09:06.can say I have worked on it. It I have worked on this product and I
:09:06. > :09:08.great sense of pride. The great I have worked on this product and I
:09:09. > :09:11.the good gathered to witness the naming of Artful. No matter how
:09:11. > :09:18.the good gathered to witness the your planning, though, sometimes
:09:18. > :09:29.I name this boat Artful. May God bless and all who sail in her.
:09:29. > :09:38.eventuality. It was a case of second Artful is the third of seven Astute
:09:38. > :09:46.So the boat has a name, she has Artful is the third of seven Astute
:09:46. > :09:48.tradition she is not being launched today, that will happen next year.
:09:48. > :09:52.They say it is a more efficient today, that will happen next year.
:09:52. > :09:57.of building modern submarines. The Astute will keep the workforce busy
:09:57. > :10:05.until the 2020s but what happens We are working on the replacement
:10:05. > :10:09.for the existing submarines, the Vanguard submarines. That will —— is
:10:09. > :10:12.subject to a decision taken in Parliament in 2015 and subject to
:10:12. > :10:18.that parliamentary decision we will proceed to build that class of
:10:18. > :10:25.Today, minds were focused on the present rather than the future.
:10:25. > :10:39.An inauspicious start but such a I have been with Wigan athletic
:10:39. > :10:46.An inauspicious start but such a as they follow the team in their
:10:46. > :10:53.competition. And from blue to red at 12 — Manchester's football rivalry
:10:53. > :10:59.You will find out later why we are very relieved to see Richard back
:10:59. > :11:02.safely. Many of us will have had days out in the Peak District.
:11:02. > :11:05.But did you know, it looked quite different a century ago? Climate
:11:05. > :11:09.change, industry and even farming have all taken its toll on the
:11:09. > :11:13.Now there are plans to restore it to conservation project which the
:11:13. > :11:16.National Trust calls the biggest and most ambitious of its kind. Our
:11:16. > :11:22.Environment Correspondent Judy The peak district attracts around 10
:11:22. > :11:26.million visitors every year. The park is close to cities which were
:11:26. > :11:31.at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. Heavy pollution from
:11:31. > :11:35.factories, along with climate change and overgrazing have all taken their
:11:36. > :11:41.toll. This is Derwent Valley and it If you could imagine an area where
:11:41. > :11:48.the shrubs were different heights, there were trees, you could not
:11:48. > :11:51.the shrubs were different heights, hillsides. It was a rich landscape
:11:52. > :11:56.of different colours, soft and wet, and now in a lot of places it just
:11:56. > :12:02.does not look like that, it is dry, The National trust has put together
:12:02. > :12:10.a 50 year, —— conservation plan The National trust has put together
:12:10. > :12:15.It is not just for us, it is for our children's children. If we did not
:12:15. > :12:18.do it now, what heritage will be Peat bogs in the area are drying out
:12:18. > :12:22.and they provide drinking water Peat bogs in the area are drying out
:12:22. > :12:25.soak up carbon. The quality of the water that comes from the movers
:12:25. > :12:30.ultimately ends up in our drinking water. The better that is, the
:12:30. > :12:34.better for all of us. The National trust hopes that in about 20 years
:12:34. > :12:40.there will be more trees, shrubs, Heather here, and with that and
:12:40. > :12:40.there will be more trees, shrubs, And that will bring more visitors
:12:40. > :12:56.here, which is still one of the walking boots on, doesn't it? He is
:12:56. > :13:01.weekend Alex is hoping to become a British cycling champion. He is
:13:01. > :13:05.among the children from a crashed the company who will be competing at
:13:05. > :13:10.Manchester's cycling centre to be crowned the fastest toddler on two
:13:10. > :13:14.They are racing on balance bikes, so they have wheels but no stabilisers
:13:14. > :13:18.or pedals. It is the latest craze in the thinking that I can cycling
:13:18. > :13:40.He has not even started his first year at school yet, but by the time
:13:40. > :13:52.he does, Alex could be a British I get my bike, and then let's go.
:13:52. > :13:56.His balance bike is his pride and He got it just after Christmas.
:13:56. > :14:02.Before that we just rented one from the cycling centre. Since then it
:14:02. > :14:10.He does not so much read it as a fly it around the cycling centre's BMX
:14:10. > :14:23.Why do you like your balance bike? Because it is fast! How long have
:14:23. > :14:27.The bikes have no pedals but no stabilisers, you have your wheels
:14:27. > :14:29.but your feet on the other point of contact. They started to scoot
:14:30. > :14:36.along, gradually get their balance and it proves —— it has been proven
:14:36. > :14:40.to get their balance sooner than Alex has competed in every single
:14:40. > :14:47.qualification event around the country, every time finishing in the
:14:47. > :14:51.This Sunday he will compete in the balance bike Championships here
:14:51. > :14:53.This Sunday he will compete in the Manchester and is hoping to get
:14:53. > :15:03.through to the world finals in What will happen in the final? I am
:15:03. > :15:36.I don't think Niobe is unnatural. I am the fastest toddler on two
:15:36. > :15:40.We are very pleased to see you. I am the fastest toddler on two
:15:40. > :15:44.will find out at the end of the sports bulletin why all the Wigan
:15:45. > :15:50.fans, the management, the players, all now referred to Richard as
:15:50. > :15:57.I should not be allowed out of the heartlessly tell you all about it,
:15:57. > :16:01.but before that some proper sports news. Great news from Trent ——
:16:01. > :16:08.county cricket were like Esher have been crowned champions of division
:16:08. > :16:11.two. Ironically they were helped over the line by the weather, which
:16:11. > :16:14.heavily affected their game at Gloucestershire and that of their
:16:14. > :16:17.only title rivals, Northamptonshire. Both matches ended in draws which
:16:17. > :16:21.means Lancashire can't be caught at Congratulations to everyone at
:16:22. > :16:24.St Helens' Super League season is on the line tonight when they make
:16:24. > :16:27.St Helens' Super League season is on trip to reigning champions Leeds in
:16:27. > :16:31.the play offs. A win will move them to within one game of the grand
:16:31. > :16:34.final, but defeat means their season is over. They will take heart from
:16:34. > :16:38.this match, their last trip to Headingley in May when they won
:16:38. > :16:42.30—22. There will be full commentary from 8pm on BBC Radio Merseyside.
:16:42. > :16:45.The Wigan Athletic manager Owen Coyle has described the efforts
:16:45. > :16:47.The Wigan Athletic manager Owen his team as outstanding in their
:16:47. > :16:52.European debut in Belgium last goalless draw against Zulte—Varahem
:16:52. > :17:00.in Bruges in their opening match in the Europa league. Nearly 3,000
:17:00. > :17:02.in Bruges in their opening match in were there to see the club make
:17:02. > :17:24.That is what I have thought about since I have been knee—high, I never
:17:24. > :17:34.dreamt we would be in Europe and to be here is just... It is just a
:17:34. > :17:35.Watching Wigan athletic from ten years old, this is like a Dreams
:17:36. > :17:43.Some fans have seen the club go years old, this is like a Dreams
:17:43. > :17:49.the smallest of shoots. Like Harold who reported on Wigan in their
:17:49. > :17:53.It is not long ago when a trip to Europe was a trip up the hill to
:17:53. > :18:02.qualify for the FA Cup. To be here after winning the FA Cup — what
:18:02. > :18:04.qualify for the FA Cup. To be here can you be asked? —— what more can
:18:04. > :18:11.You get the feeling that for a lot of fans it is only when they get to
:18:11. > :18:14.the ground it all starts to feel real. What they need now is a good
:18:14. > :18:19.performance and a victory. As it European tie was not exactly a
:18:19. > :18:25.classic, but it was a performance full of character against a team
:18:25. > :18:30.top division last season. James McArthur's cracking shot struck
:18:30. > :18:32.top division last season. James post early on, but increasingly
:18:32. > :18:36.top division last season. James had to defend their own goal, and
:18:36. > :18:38.defend it they did. Chris McCann's last—ditch block summing up the
:18:38. > :18:47.determination to leave with at least All credit, 2500 fans, coming in the
:18:47. > :18:56.driving rain and they were behind Even though there were no goals
:18:56. > :18:58.driving rain and they were behind cheer, it is a dear —— it is a day
:18:58. > :19:03.to cheer for every Wigan fan who was weekend's big footballing event
:19:03. > :19:05.to cheer for every Wigan fan who was it's the first Manchester derby
:19:05. > :19:07.to cheer for every Wigan fan who was the season at The Etihad Stadium.
:19:07. > :19:09.Both managers will be making their derby debuts and both insist they're
:19:09. > :19:29.very important to women, it is one of the most important teams. ——
:19:29. > :19:29.very important to women, it is one We try to win the Champions League,
:19:29. > :19:36.It is what happens come the end We try to win the Champions League,
:19:36. > :19:39.the season, how many points you We try to win the Champions League,
:19:39. > :19:45.two see who is top. These points could be really important to watch
:19:45. > :19:53.depending, so we will go there and There will be full commentary on the
:19:53. > :20:01.match on Sunday. Kick—off is at There will be full commentary on the
:20:01. > :20:04.rivalry, United and city are rivals off it, as well, not least when
:20:04. > :20:04.rivalry, United and city are rivals comes to signing top players. The
:20:04. > :20:07.latest is a Cheshire schoolgirl comes to signing top players. The
:20:07. > :20:15.despite training with City, instead chose to sign for United, the team
:20:15. > :20:20.Now remember him? And him? Course you do — both went from United to
:20:20. > :20:25.City. As a youngster he went from City to United. Which is similar to
:20:25. > :20:36.her — 12—year—old Olivia Dixon's impressing at City keeper Joe Hart's
:20:36. > :20:41.We went on a school trip there with the girl's —— Erols' football team
:20:41. > :20:45.and we got to meet him afterwards, and I have ever met anyone like
:20:45. > :20:52.and we got to meet him afterwards, Even that was not enough to convince
:20:52. > :20:56.The whole family supports Manchester United and as well as there being a
:20:56. > :21:00.good team, I have to support my Both sides are now competing for the
:21:00. > :21:08.best talent in football and that rivalry goes down to under 15 's
:21:08. > :21:11.There are a lot of girls here who are City fans, so the rivalry is a
:21:11. > :21:20.bit of butter, but our goal is for the girls to play football, as I am
:21:20. > :21:25.Even the kitchen colour screen —— She started messing around in the
:21:25. > :21:31.garden with her brother and to hear she is now at a club that all of my
:21:32. > :21:44.family support, it could not be If she had joined Manchester City,
:21:44. > :21:55.represent team GB at the Olympics. Her immediate dream — Manchester
:21:55. > :22:00.Tough decision, that. Now, passport. Where have you gone for 48 hours?
:22:00. > :22:06.How did you cost so much trouble? exaggerated, I am normally very
:22:06. > :22:11.organised, as you know, but to cut a long story short, I had been out
:22:11. > :22:15.filming. I was thinking, this is going well, we were staying in the
:22:15. > :22:19.same hotel as some of the Wigan athletic staff and some fans. I
:22:19. > :22:24.tapped the inside of my jacket and my passport was not there. We ended
:22:24. > :22:30.athletic staff made calls to the consulate trying to get me home
:22:30. > :22:35.The Foreign Secretary was on the Not quite, but fans were looking for
:22:35. > :22:39.it in the city centre. Maybe not quite. Then, finally, they said
:22:39. > :22:41.it in the city centre. Maybe not could get me home without a passport
:22:41. > :22:50.and I looked under a bag and... Richard would like to apologise
:22:50. > :22:50.and I looked under a bag and... The worst thing was, the fans were
:22:51. > :23:06.on the same flight, so they did Next tonight, a sentence I never
:23:06. > :23:09.expected to read on North West Tonight — could alien life forms be
:23:09. > :23:13.living in the skies above Cheshire according to a research team at
:23:14. > :23:15.living in the skies above Cheshire University of Sheffield, is very
:23:15. > :23:19.possibly, yes. Stuart Flinders crossed the final frontier — or
:23:19. > :23:19.possibly, yes. Stuart Flinders Pennines as we call them — to find
:23:19. > :23:27.It's a question we've been asking since mankind first appeared. Is
:23:27. > :23:31.Yorkshire, in outer space. But a team from Yorkshire thinks it has
:23:31. > :23:35.the answer. A balloon carried a collecting tray from Ellesmere Port
:23:35. > :23:40.journeyed across the Pennines to matter. The researchers say it is a
:23:40. > :23:46.basic form of life from outer space. If we are correct, this is a game
:23:46. > :23:51.changer, a completely new take on biology. All of the textbooks will
:23:51. > :23:55.have to be rewritten. It means that Earth is an open system, it is not
:23:56. > :23:59.restricted, it does not have a greenhouse cover on it, it is open
:23:59. > :24:04.to the stars and there is like coming in. This contributes to life
:24:04. > :24:13.on Earth. —— there is life coming You say this biological entity is
:24:13. > :24:22.probably dead but may still be alive. Should we be concerned?
:24:22. > :24:30.Most of our viewers can relax. These are not aliens in the true sense,
:24:30. > :24:33.Except that they had been raining down from space from the beginning
:24:33. > :24:43.of life on Earth. They are not alien scientists dismiss this work. All
:24:44. > :24:47.aspects of science are dismissed at some point. Let me tell you the
:24:47. > :24:51.information. I have actually said, if anyone around the world wants me
:24:51. > :24:56.to come and give a talk on this if anyone around the world wants me
:24:56. > :25:02.major institution, I will go there More tests are planned for later
:25:02. > :25:14.Fascinating stuff. Unfortunately, the weather we have been having
:25:14. > :25:21.Fascinating stuff. Unfortunately, probably going to wash away all
:25:21. > :25:29.Fascinating stuff. Unfortunately, probable, which tends to be what I
:25:30. > :25:31.Yes, good evening, we are still talking about warm weather coming
:25:31. > :25:36.towards us through the weekend. talking about warm weather coming
:25:36. > :25:40.have this continental air coming towards us all through the weekend
:25:40. > :25:49.and hanging around for Monday. It is difference. This is how it looks
:25:49. > :25:56.outside our window now, clouds have rolled then in the past couple of
:25:56. > :25:59.Here it comes from the Irish Sea, pushing everywhere as the night
:25:59. > :26:03.Here it comes from the Irish Sea, on. There may be a couple breaks for
:26:03. > :26:10.predominantly cloudy picture first Temperatures, I think eight or nine
:26:10. > :26:15.in rural areas and towns are cities, ten to 12 Celsius. Most places are
:26:15. > :26:20.fairly grey and overcast when you get up, we have this weather system
:26:20. > :26:23.to content with. There is not much, but it will provide some spots of
:26:23. > :26:28.rain, by Sunday it should be gone, more chance of sunshine on Sunday.
:26:28. > :26:31.First thing on Saturday it is very grey and overcast and for a time the
:26:31. > :26:37.weather front could bring some spots touching the ground in many places.
:26:37. > :26:40.Past lunchtime the cloud cover gradually starts to thin and it
:26:40. > :26:42.Past lunchtime the cloud cover possible in many places the sun
:26:42. > :26:43.Past lunchtime the cloud cover come out after lunch and brighter
:26:43. > :26:49.skies work their way north. The come out after lunch and brighter
:26:49. > :26:51.air and sunshine means temperatures could rise nicely, you could even
:26:51. > :26:57.see a 21. I think Sony could be could rise nicely, you could even
:26:57. > :27:00.brighter picture with brighter skies, a small chance of some spots
:27:00. > :27:02.of drizzle around the Pennines, skies, a small chance of some spots
:27:03. > :27:05.the picture through the weekend skies, a small chance of some spots
:27:05. > :27:10.not bad. It could hold to Monday, as well, but after that I think things
:27:10. > :27:15.will start to change. A warm spell over the weekend, keep your fingers
:27:15. > :27:20.Remember last night we were talking about the conkers that fall from the
:27:20. > :27:24.sky and the scheme at the car park in Manchester letting motorists
:27:24. > :27:29.sky and the scheme at the car park for their parking? Today they have
:27:29. > :27:33.scheme. 1500 conkers worth 20p each have been used to pay for £300 worth
:27:33. > :27:36.of parking fees, so obviously a have been used to pay for £300 worth
:27:36. > :27:43.of people have been hunting for conkers. He has just been hunting
:27:43. > :27:44.Have a lovely weekend. Good night.