Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC Newsroom Live 20171031

Good morning. Its tuesday 31st october. Im annita mcveigh. Welcome to bbc newsroom live the bank of england is warning that 75,000 jobs could be lost from britains Financial Services sector if the uk leaves the European Union without a trade deal. Senior figures at the bank of england are said to be using the number as a reasonable scenario in their planning for the future but are thought to be optimistic that negotiations will be successful. 0ur economics editor, kamal ahmed, reports. It will be one of the toughest challenges facing the brexit negotiators, untangling the multitrillion pound Financial Services industry which links the uk with the rest of the European Union. Banks and Financial Companies based in britain pay £67 billion in taxes each year and contribute a trade surplus of £58 billion, helping the uks economy. Many eu countries would like a slice of the sector and see brexit as an opportunity. Frankfurt and paris, for example, are marketing themselves as new places to locate. The bank of england is now preparing for tens of thousands ofjob losses which it believes will hit the uk if there is no new free trade deal. Some will simply disappear as the Financial Sector shrinks across britain and some will be lost to londons competitor cities. Although the bank believes 75,000 job losses is a reasonable scenario over 3 5 years, many are optimistic that a good deal will be signed on Financial Services because both the uk and the eu will not want to disrupt such a vital component of the economy and even with the job losses, britain, with over1 million Financial Services jobs, will still be by far the most important centre for banking in europe. Lets go live to westminster and our assistant Political Editor norman smith. More. The timing of this report from the bank of england could hardly be more crucial, it comes on the day the brexit secretary david davis is briefing the cabinet this morning on the british readiness for leaving the british readiness for leaving the eu, different areas of the economy to assess how prepared they are for life outside the eu with and without a deal and of course the city, such a huge contributor to the british economy, a crucial element in that. Joining me is the liberal democrat leader is vince cable, weve heard warnings before about the impact of exit on the city but let me put it to you, these have been overstated and the city has coped before and will probably cope now with brexit . Its a very Resilient Institution but we havent had brexit yet, the bank of englands estimates about 75,000 job losses, everyone in 12 of the labour force, the middle of the range of numbers that have been talked about. You think it could be higher . The chairman of the London Stock Exchange thought to hundreds thousands, the upper end, and this assumes we do not get an agreement. 0ne assumes we do not get an agreement. One of the problems with the so called World Trade Organization solution, hard line brexiteers, it doesnt protect the Services Sector and particularly Financial Services. Oraround a and particularly Financial Services. Or around a million jobs and particularly Financial Services. Or around a millionjobs in the Financial Sector in the uk, 75,000 isa Financial Sector in the uk, 75,000 is a lock by far a hammer blow to the city and surely it would manage, adapt and continue to grow and remain perhaps the pre Eminent Financial centre in the world . Remain perhaps the pre Eminent Financial centre in the world7m certainly has demonstrated in the pastel of resilience but it would be a big hit but i think the biggest hit would not be in the respective jobs, serious though it is, is about government revenue. I think one of the reasons Philip Hammond is being downbeat about the budget and his inability to spend and deal with the crisis the Government Faces is he knows if there is a hard brexit particularly, government revenue will be massively hit, well over ten press scent of revenue will be massively hit, well over ten press scent of revenue comes will be massively hit, well over ten press scent of revenue comes from the city. What is significant about the city. What is significant about the bank of england statement today, they are being open and transparent opening their numbers to questioning, what is very striking is the government will not release its own estimates which leads people to believe they are not very good. Its own estimates which leads people to believe they are not very goodli was going to ask about that, we know there are 58 reports into different areas of the economy which david davis says would be a mistake to release because it would provide ammunition to people sitting on the other side of the table in the brexit negotiations. Its very disappointing, in the past david davis has been a champion of open government when he was an mp, im disappointed he has taken this position. The eu knows the british economy is vulnerable and if we crash out enormous damage will be done. I think it would be helpful to everybody including the british industry is facing these challenges if the facts were spelt out but keeping them secret actually probably makes people fear they are worse than they are. Given of what we know about the state of negotiations so far, the mood amongst some brexiteers at westminster, how likely do you judge ano westminster, how likely do you judge a no deal outcome . Its increasingly likely, if you had asked us six months ago i think most people felt the government would get the benefit of the doubt, they would negotiate some what is called soft brexit at the time, the options against them are increasing and one of the main reasons is they are increasing as because the government is divided, but hardliners have the upper hand and even if theresa may was able to negotiate some sensible compromise the europeans know that if the ha rdliners the europeans know that if the hardliners would probably overrule it. That makes it increasingly likely that it will happen with devastating consequences. Thank you. We may get more details when we have the midday briefing from the Prime Ministers spokesman about the Cabinet Meeting and for david davis has told colleagues about the level of preparedness in different sectors of preparedness in different sectors of the british economy for life outside the eu. Norman, while you are with us, a question on the continuing response to the issue of harassment at westminster and sir Michael Fallons name drawn into this today . He has been named today and he has confirmed that act in 2002 an incident took place, he placed his hand on the knee of a well known female journalist Julia Hartley brewer, she has treated in response to that in effect saying she does not regard herself as a victim, she does not think that that incident should be put in the same sort of category as Sexual Harassment and warning that it risks trivialising some of the very serious allegations and issues surrounding the position of predominantly young, female researchers and parliamentary aides at westminster working for a very often older male mps. At the same time of course we await to see the start of the talks between the Political Parties on setting up this new complaint received jerk which the speaker yesterday in effect told mps he wasnt going to sort out, he was going to leave it to the Political Parties to sort and i know talking to some mps there is concern that getting agreement between the parties on a new system could be much harder to do than perhaps the rhetoric, certainly from what we heard in parliament yesterday. A new move to tackle problem gambling has been put forward by the government. Its proposing a drastic reduction in the amount of money that can be staked on fixed odds betting terminals. At the moment, people can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds on high speed electronic casino games. The new proposals could lower that amount to as little as £2 every 20 seconds. Critics have described fixed odds terminals as the crack cocaine of gambling; but bookmakers say the move will lead to half of all betting shops closing and 21,000 job losses. The changes would hit revenues which was last year an estimated 1. 8 early in pounds. It could lead to 21,000 job losses. The head of the British Association of bookmakers says the industry is already making efforts to curb problem gambling. You look at the investment by industry has made, look at the controls and checks we have on our machines, unique to our machines. All at how long youve played, allertova how much money you have inserted, interaction with staff, the investments we are making an algorithm is an machines we can identify problem gamblers. This is not an organisation paying lip service and as i understand that the government consultation highlight the need for other sectors to actually start a dog in the measures we have invested in. Start adopting the measures. Me now is our media editor amol rajan. Lets talk about the impact this might have on the retail high street aspect and the people that go into gamble. This review was meant to come out in june, gamble. This review was meant to come out injune, was delayed because of the snap election, its an announcement about a snap consultation, the one hard proposal is this idea to radically reduce the amount people can spend on this fixed odds betting terminals, the bookies clustered in high streets. These terminals have two main features, you can bet very quickly, within 20 seconds you can bet again and again to £100 and tracy crouch the minister said they want to radically reduce that threshold and increase the gap between beds. The gambling industry i am sure in this consultation will be lobbying very ha rd to consultation will be lobbying very hard to say it should come down from 100 to £50, people worried about addiction and the fact these shops tend to congregate in poor areas say they need to reduce it more to £2 to stop people getting into the habit of addictive gambling. Up to us about online gambling, advertising, how might that be impacted by the consultation . Its interesting, because of the higher proposal on fixed betting terminals, people focus on that but the bulk of the review in the consultation is the growth of online gambling. This industry has radically changed because of technology and specifically Smartphone Technology. It used to be you had to go to the gambling, to the bookies, place the bet, will be gambling comes to you and more people are finding the addiction is starting in the privacy of their own homes and kids have smartphones for the department for culture, media and sport is interested in looking at is whether that advertising needs to be regulated in a strict and stringent way and whether or not the law has kept way and whether or not the law has ke pt pa ce way and whether or not the law has kept pace with technological innovation. The internet and Smartphone Technology means people gamble ever more and get addicted in new places and maybe regulation needs to keep up. The government is going to be lobbied heavily by the government ambling industry on this but there will be incoming from those who want to see greater regulation. Do you think at the end of this period we will see significant changes, greater regulation, what are your thoughts . I think we will probably see the threshold for the fixed betting terminals come down, i think it will be closer to £2 and £50, i think the Advertising Standards Authority will get much more involved in this but its worth noting that the shares in william hill and Ladbrokes Coral went up today which suggest the Gambling Companies think they may have got off quite likely. Thank you. Wendy bendel is in our aberdeen studio. Her partner killed himself in 2014 after getting into £30,000 of debt on fixed odd betting terminals. Wendy thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us about a hugely difficult time in your life, your part are mentioned in his suicide note, i believe, his gambling addiction. Yes, lee had been gambling for round about 20 yea rs, been gambling for round about 20 years, the first time i was aware of it properly was when he tried to commit suicide in february, he talked about different methods, going into the bookies, placing bets on football and so on and that was things he got enjoyment from. The fixed odd betting terminals were a different option, he took his life, they are taking thousands of lives over the last couple of years, there is campaigning hard to keep quiet, their time is is campaigning hard to keep quiet, theirtime is up, is campaigning hard to keep quiet, their time is up, we have to be serious, people are dying. As youve said the machines are known as the crack cocaine of gambling because of the severity of the addiction. Was it with this fixed odds betting terminals that lead began to rack up serious amounts of debt . Yes. I wasnt aware of what they actually we re wasnt aware of what they actually were and its only really since lee died that i have become aware of this and the multiple, thousands of people who get in touch to talk about it, these machines, you are putting in £100 every 20 seconds, up to £300 every minute people are losing on these machines, they are dangerous. They are in the high street, you have got four in every high street sorry in every bookies and you walk down any high street you will find so many bookmakers its unbelievable, they are taking over. I dont know why we consistently talk about the damage that will happen when these machines are removed or the stakes lowered because people dont want these on the high street. You say people dont want to find them on the high street, if they stay on the high street, if they stay on the high street at the end of this consultation but with the stick limited to say £2 per gamble, is that going to help in your opinion . Yes, definitely they are still there, still dont believe he should be on the high street, is attracting younger and younger generations are people coming in, thats dangerous in itself but if we take a stake down they are less attractive, the addiction lessons, so yes, it will make a massive difference, two points would be a fantastic outcome to come from the sunday really, truly hope this is what happens. Very briefly, when the association of british bookmakers says cutting the state to £2 wont help problem gamblers but will love a huge effect on the industry, whats your response . Tough, tough quite frankly. They have revelled in this forfar frankly. They have revelled in this for far too frankly. They have revelled in this forfar too long, the frankly. They have revelled in this for far too long, the smug face he has had throughout the campaigning we have done has become a bit tiresome. They have created this issue, business, they are terrified and under lighted. Wendy, thank you very much for talking to us. The headlines. A warning from the bank of england seventy five thousand jobs could be lost from britains Financial Services sector if the uk leaves the European Union without a trade deal. The government is proposing a reduction in the £100 maximum stake on fixed odd Gaming Machines in betting shops. Facebook has said 126 million americans may have come into contact with russian backed propaganda before and after lasts us president ial election. In sport sirmo farah has us president ial election. In sport sir mo farah has left his american coach Alberto Salazar and is returning to the uk. With gary locke, Paula Radcliffes husband set to oversee his marathon career. Salazar is the subject of us and the doping investigation but denies allegations of wrongdoing. Sean dyche mark five years as manager of burnley with victory last night in the premier league, Jeff Hendrick with the only goal of the game, they are seventh in the table and englands cricketers have had their first practice session in australia ahead of the ashes, in perth, facing ahead of the ashes, in perth, facing a team on saturday. I will be back with a full update in 15 minutes. The white house has insisted that criminal charges brought against former aides to donald trump are nothing to do with the president . Two of the aides including his former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort have been placed under house arrest, after pleading not guilty to charges including Money Laundering and conspiracy against the united states. Another former trump adviser, George Papadopoulos the third on the left in this picture has admitted lying to the fbi about his contacts with moscow and is now helping the investigation into alleged links between the trump team and russia. Meanwhile, Facebook Says 126 million americans may have come into contact with russian backed propaganda before and after last years president ial election. Twitter and google also say they were used to share divisive posts traced to russia. The social media giants had initially dismissed complaints about fake news as crazy. The author and journalist Jared Yates Sexton began looking into the trump russia links over a year ago. Hejoins me via webcam from washington. Good to have you with us on bbc news. There is a certain synchronicity between the fact these charges were brought in the Robert Muller investigation yesterday and for the hearing today facebook, google except. I couldnt agree more. This is a really large problem that i think a lot of people have underestimated for a very long time, the facts were there in the election and a lot of people missed the point and a lot of people missed the point and now we are able to see what social media has been able to do particularly when we look at the statistics, over 60 of people rely on social media for their news in this country and now we look at the ability for russia to come in and interfere in our elections, i think these facts coming out together a pretty important. In hindsight its really quite incredible that facebook lands everyone else did not think this could happen. Yes, i think this could happen. Yes, i think these businesses have been in denial about how much sway and power they have had over the process that we have. But the numbers have been never ever, we have seen an we have. But the numbers have been never ever, we have seen an upward trend in their impact and influence on voters and now we are seeing these numbers, 126 million americans are receiving posts on twitter, thousands and thousands of fake russian box, i think we are seeing how russia can come in and close the sovereign elections in the country. In terms of the question of social media and its role in democracy, are we going to see greater regulation or at least attempts a greater regulation of social media giants like facebook, google and so on . U nfortu nately i like facebook, google and so on . Unfortunately i think you would have to see a political party, in particular the republicans, who would be interested in addressing this problem head on. That is something unfortunately we havent seen. Something unfortunately we havent seen. It will probably have to come from the population, if anybody because as we have seen, congress is not interested in admitting russia isa not interested in admitting russia is a problem. Yes, ultimately its down to the individual to be shrewd, sharp, to look at everything in a more questioning way, i guess . Thats right. This is one of those problems we have had, in a lot of ways, because of the way social media has changed our news, we have a lot of uninformed citizens, people have been able to create their own alternate realities or echo chambers, they dont believe its a problem but i think the word are starting to get out. Jarrett, thank you for your time today. Not much regarding breaks it is clear about one of the things we are sure of is that it will trigger changes in agriculture. What impact will future trade arrangements have on farmers and on Food Production and this mean for the british consumer . Throughout the day will be looking at all aspects of uk food uk food and Food Production and post brexit, and now we can go live to our correspondent. Our correspondent Jamie Robertson is at a farm in cambridge mushrooms, lots and lots of mushrooms, out of this factory, every week, it doesntjust do mushrooms, it does celery, salad, spring onions, a lot of the things you will see in your salad shelves in your supermarket, they will come from these shelves and the fields around here near ely in east anglia. But one of the things that is vital for the company is the migrant workforce which comes from all around europe, about two and a half thousand of them that work here. And about another 1700 permanently employed here and about 65 of them come from europe. The other interesting thing about here, its not just a uk interesting thing about here, its notjust a uk firm, all these mushrooms pretty much get sold within the uk, the celery and salad sold within the uk but also, they have operations all around europe, in the Czech Republic, in poland, in spain, producing salad in spain. This is an extraordinary multinational business. We are going to be talking a little bit in a second about how brexit might affect the way this operation works but first, lets go to denmark, Steph Mcgovern has been doing a report on what brexit will mean for foreign companies, eu companies after 2019. Denmark, famous for pastries, legal, carlsberg and bacon to name a view. This country has done well from trading with the uk and in particular selling sport. Back mark selling support. A quarter of the poor products we import to the uk come from denmark and theyve been exporting it to us for over 150 years. This man is the fifth generation in his family to run the business. 35,000 pigs are born on the spine every year. On our farm we are producing specially for the uk market so most of our production is ending up in the uk so of course its an important thing. You worried about it . We are following what is happening at the moment and we will be ready to find new markets for our products but of course we hope that we can keep trading like we have done for hundreds of years. As we leave the farm we head along miles of flat, greenland, its not surprising agriculture is big as nasr. After 40 minutes we arrived at danish crown, the Worlds Largest exporter of pork, at the moment, like all businesses in the eu they dont have to pay any tariffs when trading with us, that could change when we leave. The only thing we know is uncertainty and one thing we asa know is uncertainty and one thing we as a business, we dont like uncertainty. There is a need for import to the uk and we also think the affinity between denmark and the uk especially with food will prevail. We need the uk and rethink the uk needs us as well. Here they are cutting up pork loin, that will be shipped to the uk in the next couple of days and it will be cured and made into back bacon. For the la st and made into back bacon. For the last 40 years anything to do with food has been controlled by the eu so food has been controlled by the eu so from subsidies to safety. At the sport on the west coast some good sleeping here are heading across the north sea to the uk. Food which is put on lorries here will arrive in denmark distribution centres in the uk without facing border checks. Even small delays in time can have effect on some ports regarding trucks in line. We are quite sure if we get at minister at of burdens we wont be able to sort some of those out with the technology but some of our concern is what will go on not what will happen in the uk. Will your economy slowdown . Will the buying power of the british people slowdown . They are optimistic era that trade with the uk will continue after we leave the eu but its clear they are hoping that will be with a deal that doesnt change much from what we already have. Lets come back to the uk and joined by beth dixon, the Group Human Resources director here. What seems to be absolutely crucial is the importance of migrant workers, can you explain find that is . To be honest, they are critical to the operation and in the summer they are the majority of the workforce. We employ two and a half thousand Seasonal Workers to harvest or salads and vegetables and they underpinned 1700 permanent year round jobs, many of which are salary, highly paid staff, the top 300 paid on average £50,000 a year. Why are the migrant, why cant you get them around here . Simply they are not available, we operate and grow in rural areas and the employment rates are so low, in this area in cambridgeshire they are in and around 2 , local people simply arent available. What do you think will happen after brexit, what is perhaps happening already . M will happen after brexit, what is perhaps happening already . If the Current Trends continue then there isa high Current Trends continue then there is a high probability that we will not have enough people to harvest those salad and vegetables next summer those salad and vegetables next summerand in fact, those salad and vegetables next summer and in fact, the those salad and vegetables next summerand in fact, the industry is reporting a 30 shortfall in labour right now in september. What would you do if that happens . If that happens we have got opportunities, as you said earlier we grow in the uk, here, spain, poland, senegaland the Czech Republic. We will grow in poland and the Czech Republic in senegal and bring the salads, what does that mean . Less production in the uk, that import substitution cost for our business is £120 million. But what about machinery, automation . I know these things, washrooms around us, difficult to pick but there is new technology coming along the line that could hit these things instead of using human people . Human workers, sorry, i should say human people. Mechanisation, automation, productivity improvement is paramount for the business, we are ina high paramount for the business, we are in a high value low margin business, we invested around £20 million over the last ten years, we have got great innovative big data programmes going on at the moment to improve the letters production and celery production and in fact we have increased productivity in those areas around 20 . So we are harvesting 10 more of the value of 10 less people so its going in the right direction added slow, takes a lot of investment in many years and we need the people now. Thank you very much. Throw in quite a number of fa cts very much. Throw in quite a number of facts at you, a lot of numbers, lets get a little bit more low down on what those numbers are in terms of migrant workers, in terms of what brexit means for the farming industry. I will find you back to eleanor. Every aspect of our lives will be impacted by brexit the negotiations between london and brussels and Food Production and prices are some of those areas. Something that is central to farming in the uk fund comes to brexit is the Common Agricultural policy or cap. The financial assistant it gives is vital to farmers right across the eu including here in the uk. The cap is one of the biggest areas of eu spending at around £39 billion with each country in the eu paying into the budget to fund the policy. The eu says the payments make up nearly half of the income of farmers across the block, supporting 8 million farmers across the eu aiming to stabilise their incomes and keep prices roughly the same. A few farmers get millions of pounds, but the average payment is between 17 and £18,000 per year. To reassure farmers about what will replace the cap aft brexit, the government has promised to keep the payments until 2022. After brexit. Leave supporters have said that the uk contributes more than it receives in subsidies like these. So the government should be able to support farmers after we have left. Of course, everybody wants to know what our weekly shop will end up being after brexit, more or less expensive. Its impossible to say because there are so many factors like the value of the pound and crucially the weather that impact food prices. We dont yet know how brexit will affect the number of Seasonal Workers who come here and their wages. Another big factor thatll include the cost of food is the nature of the trade deals we strike with the eu and the rest of the world. Because tariffs and the food standards we adopt after brexit all need to be negotiated. Well Brexit Impact food prices . That remains highly uncertain. But if you wa nt remains highly uncertain. But if you want to find out more about all of this go to the bbcs reality check page online where there is more information. Thank you for that. The time is 1132. Lets catch up with the weather forecast. Lucy has the latest. Good morning. Imada day compared with yesterday. Some parts of scotland, 15 degrees warmer than they were first thing yesterday morning. A mild today. But a lot more cloud and outbreaks of rain across Northern Ireland, into scotla nd across Northern Ireland, into scotland and northern england. Heavy and persistent for western scotland. Some bright intervals developing in the east as we move through the day today. Largely dry the central and southern britain with bright intervals and feeling a touch warmer. Just the odd risk of the isolated shower. Well continue to see outbreaks of rain tonight pushing to Northern Ireland and western parts of scotland. That could be quite heavy. It is moving slowly south. Further south, could be quite heavy. It is moving slowly south. Furthersouth, largely dry with clear spells. We could see some patches of mist developing in the south early hours. Tomorrow, starting off with that rain sitting across the west of scotland. We could see some localised flooding and tricky driving conditions. Heading south and breaking up and behind it something brighter but there are showers and a largely bright day for southern england tomorrow. This is bbc news our latest headlines the bank of england has warned that 75,000 Financial Sectorjobs could be lost, if the uk leaves the eu without a trade deal. The government is proposing a reduction in the maximum stake on fixed odds Gaming Machines in betting shops from £100 to just 2. Facebook has said that 126 million americans may have come into contact with russian backed propaganda before and after last years president ial election. The defence secretary sir Michael Fallon confirms he was once rebuked by a politicaljournalist for putting his hand on her knee. The sacked Catalan Leader, Carles Puigdemont, is expected to explain why he fled to belgium leaving spain, where Authorities Say he could face charges of rebellion. And when it happens. We will bring you that live when it happens. And this is sport today, live from the bbc sport centre. Coming up on this programme mo farah splits with coach Alberto Salazar saying hes moving home to london as he prepares for a future in the marathon. They have been together six years. Mo farah returning to the uk with his family. He says the end of their relationship has nothing to do with the anti doping investigation into salazar. Farah won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at both the london and rio olympics but is now focussing on road running. He won the great north run Half Marathon in england last month and is preparing for a new career ultimately in the marathon. Farah says the decision to change coach is based on a desire to return to living in london. I want to thank each member of the project and alberto for all hes done over the years. I am coming back and my new coach will be gavin locke so im excited to start a new project, and i cant wait to be back home and see my team at arsenal and emirates. Sean dyche celebrated things last night in the best possible way, a wind for his team in the premier league. Up to seven after beating newcastle. A win for his team. He has been recently linked with the va ca nt has been recently linked with the vacant evertonjob. Has been recently linked with the vacant everton job. All stay focused on the next game, you know . I have found that it works with the team. It is appropriate. Because the next game is the most important game. We never take anything for granted. You cant do that in this division. Its a tough division. The next game is the most important thing, we take that step and move forward. Ingas cricketers have had their first practice session in australia. They are in perth where they will face a wacca11. Englands cricketers. If you go into the side and do well you get pumped up. It is very rosy. On the flip side, if you are having a tough time that is publicised. It was hard to deal with at times. I thought you should have been doing better than i was. Im thankful to have another opportunity now. Especially in australia against the aussies in an ashes series. Warringtons ben currie replaces sam burgess in englands starting line up had their second match against lebanon in sydney on saturday. Burgess had knee ligament damage during his last game. Ben currie will make his first start. He came off the bench to replace him. The wales coach has made three changes to his squad for their match on sunday, which is against fiji. Joe burke and benenson come in. They we re joe burke and benenson come in. They were heavily beaten by Papua New Guinea in their opener. They played like rank outsiders in that match. Irelands hopes of hosting the Rugby Union World cup in 2023 are all but over. South africa has received the world rugby boa rds over. South africa has received the world rugby boards recommendation to stage the competition. It seems like we are giving an update on tiger woods progress on a weekly basis. His return from another back surgery. He is announced he will return to competition at the hero world challenge in the bahamas. Not a bad place to make a comeback. He will be hosting it at the end of november. He has had a fourth operation on his back earlier this year. But his doctors have given him the all clear. You can get all the latest sports news at our website thats bbc. Com sport. In the next few minutes we are expecting to hear from the deposed leader of catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, who has turned up in brussels, together with five other Members Office government. This is the News Conference. An absolutely packed room. Our correspondent is reporting that the atmosphere is quite extraordinary, as they wait to hear from carles quite extraordinary, as they wait to hearfrom Carles Puigdemont. It is not clear if he will be asking for political asylum in belgium. The Spanish Foreign minister has said he would be surprised if belgium would grant political asylum to Carles Puigdemont. You will remember yesterday that the attorney general in spain was talking about bringing charges, including sedition and misuse of public funds against a number of people related to the cata la n number of people related to the Catalan Independence referendum. Lets look at the background to all of that with sarah caulker. In barcelona, people are asking just what happens next. The Spanish Government is now in charge of running this, the catalan region. Carles puigdemont, the deposed Catalan Leader faces charges of rebellion and he has decided to escape. Translation he comes to belgium because i think it is the capital of europe. But his first. Secondly, he is here legally. Com pletely first. Secondly, he is here legally. Completely legally. He has the right to come here. He isnt hiding here. It is better to be in brussels than barcelona right now. Speculation is growing that Carles Puigdemont is preparing to seek asylum in belgium. He is now potentially a fugitive from spanishjustice. In catalonia, he won the hearts of these supporters by declaring independence on friday. But he has left others, like these pro unity campaigners, furious. What happened here, it is like Carles Puigdemont is a dictator. Thats it. I lost a lot of friends. We talk a lot about politics and this is impossible to talk about. And the stand off is escalating. Yesterday the prosecutor in madrid announced serious charges against Catalan Leaders, carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Translation in order to uphold the law, this office has five charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of funds against the main Catalan Leaders. And the reaction to that from the defacto catalan Deputy President who said he had nothing new to say. And the reaction to that from the sacked catalan Deputy President who said he had nothing new to say. Amid reports of the other former cabinet members are also in belgium with Carles Puigdemont, the potential repercussions of this crisis now stretch across europe. All brussels reporter, adam fleming on waiting for the News Conference to start. He sent us this update a few minutes ago. Waiting for the press conference by ca rles waiting for the press conference by Carles Puigdemont. I have been to a lot of press conferences in my time. Ra rely lot of press conferences in my time. Rarely is the build up to one as chaotic as this. Look at this, tiny room, packed with cruise, cameras, journalists, reporters. Quite senior journalists, reporters. Quite senior journalist fighting with each other for a seat. Standing room only. Well, actually, not even standing room any more, nobody wants to give up room any more, nobody wants to give up their seat because they will not get it back. Its quite a good metaphorfor the get it back. Its quite a good metaphor for the whole situation, actually. And just a reminder that we will be back with that News Conference as soon as back with that News Conference as soon as it begins. Netflix, has insisted its decision to cancel the political drama, house of cards, was made before the star of the series was accused of making a sexual advance towards a teenage boy. Kevin spacey has apologised for any inappropriate drunken behaviour but hes faced criticism for using the same statement to come out as gay. Our north america correspondent, peter bowes, says netflix is still filming the latest series of the show. They are making the six series. It is due to stream next year. They wont be making any more series after that one. They are actually pointing out that they made this decision several months ago. Implying they have not been directly influenced by the news we have heard about kevin spacey over the last 24 hours. But they did release a strongly worded statement, saying they were deeply troubled by the allegations against kevin spacey, who, of course, is the star of the show. Hes a big reason why it has been so successful of this time. Stormont parties have been given another day to resolve the ten month deadlock over the restoration of power sharing. The Northern Ireland secretary, james brokenshire, said the democratic unionists and sinn fein had made progress, but added that theyd made additional requests which needed to be considered by the government. Police helicopters with thermal imaging cameras are being used in the hunt for a missing lynx. The eurasian lynx, about twice the size of a domestic cat, escaped from borth wild animal kingdom, near aberystwyth. The park has been closed as staff try to find the animal. Police say it poses no general danger to the public but have urged people not to approach the cat if they spot it. Prince william attended the pride of britain awards last night which honoured Emergency Service workers following a year of terrorist attacks in london and manchester. And just a warning the following pictures do contain flashing images. The glitzy event at Londons Grosvenor hotel was also attended by the Prime Minister theresa may and actressjoan collins. During the presentation of a special Recognition Award to residents and Community Helpers at the Grenfell Tower fire, the duke praised the inspiring efforts of those who responded to the blaze. It is quarter to 12. Lets take a look at the headlines. The bank of england estimates up to 75,000 jobs could be lost in the Financial Sector if britain leads the European Union without a trade deal. The government is proposing a reduction in the £100 maximum stake on fixed odds Gaming Machines in betting shops. Facebook has said 126 million americans may have come into contact with russian backed propaganda before and after last years president ial election. More than 600 refugees and Asylum Seekers are refusing to leave an australian run Detention Centre in Papua New Guinea just hours before its due to close. The men say they fearfor its due to close. The men say they fear for their safety in the local community and are worried about their future. Human rights organisations are warning of a looming humanitarian crisis. Our correspondent has been following development is from sydney. Theyve come from many, many countries seeking australias protection. A third of the refugees from iran. We have had in the last couple of hours, a message whatsapp on couple of hours, a message whatsapp on message on whatsapp from a detainee is saying that the men are worried and scared. The shutdown is well and truly underway. We understand australian officials have already left, along with local guards. The Australian Government is urging the men to go to other temporary Accommodation Units that have been set up in other parts. Peter dunton said that accommodation will be safe and secure. But the reason why about 600 men are refusing to leave the australian funded centre is they dont believe it will be safe for them if they leave the perimeter fences. Today marks 500 years since the beginning of the protestant reformation. It was the moment the german monk, Martin Luther, is said to have nailed a list of 95 criticisms of catholicism to the doors of a church to the south of berlin. His actions split the Catholic Church and wars were fought in the name of religion. Our religious affairs correspondent, Martin Bashir reports. In the provincial town of wittenberg, 60 miles south of berlin, all the souvenirs are in a row as they prepare to mark todays anniversary. In the church where he preached, luther, who nailed his 95 criticisms to the doors of the university chapel, is pictured in disguise alongside the disciples. The german monks objections began with his anger over indulgences, giving money to the church in the hope of being fast tracked through purgatory. His actions provoked a doctrinal earthquake that spread throughout europe with churches rejecting the authority of the pope. Martin luthers impact went well beyond the church and well beyond germany. And today, here in wittenberg, chancellor Angela Merkel and the german president willjoin a special service to mark 500 years since the start of the reformation. And in Westminster Abbey, a special service of reconciliation will take place at lunchtime when the archbishop of canterbury will present copies of a text aboutjustification by faith alone the doctrine that split the church 500 years ago to catholic, lutheran and Methodist Church leaders. Martin bashir, bbc news. We are going to go back to that News Conference in belgium where, in fa ct, conference in belgium where, in fact, ca rles conference in belgium where, in fact, Carles Puigdemont has fled to belgium from spain over his role in that disputed independence referendum in catalonia. He is there along with five other members of his dismissed government. Catalonia is now under direct rule from madrid. And in that small room it is absolutely packed with media waiting to hear why he is in brussels. And what his next move. Is he going to ask for political asylum . What his next move. Is he going to ask for political asylum . The Spanish Foreign minister saying this morning he would be surprised if belgium would grant Carles Puigdemont political asylum. We are going to stay with this because this should be getting under way at any moment now. The spanish authorities, of course, sacked Carles Puigdemont as regional leader of catalonia on friday. And they suspended catalan autonomy. Now, Carles Puigdemont and five other members of his dismissed government have turned up in brussels. The spanish attorney general has been talking about bringing charges against a number of those involved in the disputed independence referendum, including charges of sedition and misappropriation or misuse of public funds. We are going to listen to this for a second to see if. To hear if this is going to get underway. Our reporter said earlier that it was chaotic, and it certainly seems chaotic at the moment. Our reporter, adam fleming, is there at the moment. He said this was a chaotic scene. And of all of the News Conferences he had ever covered he said this one was quite extraordinary. It sounds like it is getting underway now, so we can listen in. Studio perhaps that was premature of me to say that, because it isnt getting underway. Well, not quite yet. A reminder, if you arejust joining us, you are seeing a News Conference which is about to start from the deposed, the sacked, cata la n from the deposed, the sacked, Catalan Leader, ca rles from the deposed, the sacked, Catalan Leader, Carles Puigdemont, who has arrived in brussels along with five members of his dismissed government. That government that was suspended on friday. We are going to find out if he is going to be asking for political asylum, or why he has turned up in brussels. Hello. , allen. These. Studio another twist on what has been an extraordinary story. We know that ca rles been an extraordinary story. We know that Carles Puigdemont has consulted one lawyer who is a specialist in asylu m one lawyer who is a specialist in asylum cases, but that does not mean he is going to be claiming political asylum. Lets listen to this now. I will ask you please to calm down. Ca rles i will ask you please to calm down. Carles puigdemont will speak for five minutes. Then there will be a round of questions. Only five residents. Ok . Only five questions. We will begin. Thank you, president. Good morning, everyone. Translation im going to thank you by thanking translation im going to thank you all first. Ok. Yes. Hello, we are going to start. I thank you all. I dont know if you can hear me properly. Lets start again. I apologise. I would like to express my thanks for the press club. For hosting this press co nfe re nce. The press club. For hosting this press conference. To allow me to express myself, and also to welcome you. Because i know you have an interest in the subjects that i will talk about now. I will use three languages. I must speak catalan, because catalonia is my country. I will also speak in spanish. And finally i will speak in french about if but finally i will speak in french about if but if somebody has a question in english, there is the problem. I hope what i say will be understood anyway. But if somebody has a question in english, there is no problem. There will be a version in english about my statement. Because i would like to be precise. This is why i would like to use three languages in order to remove any doubts. I want to express, and i dont want any confusion in the future. I would like to speak in cata la n future. I would like to speak in catalan first. Translation last friday night we met. We were starting data. Saying that the Spanish Government was preparing an offence against the people of catalonia. Calling them to be loyal to the Spanish Government. With a lawsuit of the prosecutor yesterday. With. We agreed that the government will prioritise the security. We got the conclusion to find the solution with those conditions. But the Spanish Government were impossible. Since the 1st of october we raised our hand for a dialogue. We are open to dialogue. We offered to suspend the declaration of independence in exchange of a dialogue. It was denied by a political party. They are denying it happen. This is a huge problem in catalonia. There has been a level of violence against thousands of citizens, me, even old people. They have exercised their civic rights since the 1st of october. And extreme right politics. There was an attack against the institution. That has made it impossible for the democratic constitution. Yesterday the presentation, the charges of the prosecutor general of the state about which i will talk later on. Because of this, we were forced commander said it in catalonia on friday at night, when we adopted. We were forced in catalonia on friday. From this perspective, all is the position adopted by the government on friday, following this, in line with peace, respect, plurality, and and we have attempted and tried by the government of catalonia. And force those. But they preferred to guarantee that there would be no violence. You cannot build a republic for everybody from violence. If the Spanish State wishes to protect us from violence its their decision but they cannot drag us with them to a scenario which we the whole Sovereign Movement has rejected. Consistently, coherently. As all Democratic People should. The officials should not have been put in a difficult risk situation, not to force us to take party as a collective because to serve the country and administration above all. If this attitude has the prize that it slows down the deployment of the republic its a reasonable price in europe of the 21st century. It proves the catalan republic will be a different state, we didnt come here to behave in the same way that the Spanish Government has behaved. Yesterday we saw the lawsuit of the persecutor. And this lawsuit of the persecutor. And this lawsuit that confirms the attitude of the Spanish Government towards catalonia. There isa government towards catalonia. There is a lawsuit that cannot be sustained in a legal way. They are prosecuting ideas. The implications are prison, or a preventive prison like happen with social leaders. This lawsuit is in line with the line of the Spanish Government, its aggression, for this reason the spanish, the Catalan Government is preparing his work in for fields. With myself as legitimate president we have travelled to brussels to share the catalan problem at the heart of the european institutions and announce the politicisation of spanishjustice and announce the politicisation of spanish justice and also the absence of impartiality and the will to chase ideas, not crimes, is evident to the world. The seriousness of the democratic deficit which is present today at the Spanish State and resolution and the resolution of the cata la n resolution and the resolution of the catalan people is our commitment to Self Determination and dialogue and for us, to negotiate this resolution. With regard the government including the Vice President and head of the candidature they are acting in catalonia in a legitimate way. It is neither the others nor us, we have never given off to the government, we will continue to work despite the limitations imposed by the strategy of non confrontational, we will defend the ideas demanded by the state, it is a political demand, we will oppose from a political position notjudicial, which means we would not run away from the judicial action, we will not neglect our responsibility with regards to justice but we will face up it politically. The irresponsible injustice that the Spanish Government is proposing. There is in place operations that we will put in place, article 155, is used to dismantle the Catalan Government. Those members of my government. Those members of my government who have stayed in their jobs, we ask them to do Everything Possible to prevent demolition of the catalan system, those who save the catalan system, those who save the schools on the 1st of october, i am sure we will also save our institutions. We are not scared of the democratic challengers, just the opposite. If the Spanish Government has plans to legitimise article 155, we are going to put a city, both in the way that problems can be solved. Not baiting people. The election of the 21st of december is a challenge and we are taking the challenge with all our strength. We will respect the results of the elections going forth, from the 21st of december. Like we have done always, irrespective of the result. I would like to ask the Spanish Government a question . Will it do the same . Article 155 and the spanish block, will it respect the results of the vote . Will it respect the results of the vote . I would like a clear commitment from the Spanish State, i insist, will the state respect the results which could give a majority for independence . Yes . It is clear to know this because now there is a clearing gauge went from a spanish man, there will be a division. The results should be we would now come off what will result will be applied and what respectful the Spanish Government give. As the Spanish Government give. As the Spanish Government ready to respect the result, irrespective of the result of the election . Yes or no . The government, yes, catalan, yes, we have to be clear. This is the official position of all the partisans and the parties, especially the Party Popular and the governments Spanish Government. To conclude, i would like to end with to grow reflections in the International Community particularly in europe, i would like it to act, the European Community to act and ensure now that the case of the cata la n ensure now that the case of the catalan is the case of values on which europe is founded, the mark christie, liberty, and free expression. Hospitality and nonviolence. To encourage the Spanish Government to dialogue and not use balance. Democracy, liberty. It means the end of the idea of europe, this is a mistake. That everybody should pay a price for, notjust us and the price will be high. For the catalonia people, we are facing a state and they understand and use violence and repression having done our political project. Our collective intelligence, our will, we have been fighting with pacifism the only two that makes us invincible are these. I asked a recognition for each one of the ministers of my cabinet. All of them, they know the threat to their family and sons. Democracy were the always one, i repeat, then we had the choice to confront democratically we always one, we will never with the first. We will take five questions. Euro news, are you here to claim political asylum and under what conditions would you return to catalonia and second if i may, whats your message to those catalan people who think you should all be in jail . People who think you should all be injail . The people who think you should all be in jail . The first question, i am not here to claim political asylum. This is not an urgent question, i am here in brussels, the capital of europe, its not a matter of, a question of belgian politics, it has no relationship. I am here in order to act with freedom and safety and surety. Could you repeat request. Under what conditions. Sorry. Translation these guarantees not available at moment. You will have noticed the title of the document, which means there is no desire to see justice applied. Which means there is no desire to seejustice applied. But which means there is no desire to see justice applied. But there is a desire for vengeance and revenge. As long as there are these threats there wont be a guarantee process for everybody, especially for those who have been targeted by the violent who have been targeted by the viole nt groups. The who have been targeted by the violent groups. The objective conditions are not available, we have not ruled out the possibility but we can react in a quiet but i insist on one idea, we are not shunning, getting away from our responsibility. But we need those guarantees, judicial guarantees in place within the European Union scope. Because place within the European Union scope. Because we are place within the European Union scope. Because we are europeans, the free, we can circulate it throughout europe, and there is no doubt about our commitment on this subject. So we see everybody, every day, something new happening. We should work as a legitimate government and we have this idea. The best way to express ourselves and do work about whats happening in catalonia is to account to the capital of europe. The bbc, why have you decided to come to belgian, can you explain, and do you sense how long youre planning to stay . Translation i have decided to come to belgian not belgian but brussels, its very important to know this is because brussels is the capital of europe. So i insist this is a european issue and to make it more evident and to behave in a free ware, without any threats. I came here. But the minute that the Spanish Government had this idea legitimately and illegally, to touch our responsibility to affect all the members of the government including the former interior minister of the police who was in charge in the aftermath of the barcelona attack. Once the Spanish Police took over responsibility from the Catalan Police they decided not to give us any protection to the members of the cabinet including me. And my security has been diminished so to have more security we have decided not to privilege the social confrontation, to prioritise. If we stayed with a state of resistance and an attitude of resistance, i am convinced there would have been a violent reaction. As was witnessed on the ist of october, i dont want to expose my fellow countrymen to this kind of violence, this is not an option that we desire, this is why. In these times, if you allow me. We have to find a way to ease the tensions and not to carry on the confrontation. If there are immediate guarantees, just guarantees and we know from the reaction of the state it is not a neutral, if the state can guarantee us all a judicial and independent chance at separation of power so that the majority. We can see the majority of european countries, and we will go back immediately to catalonia, of course. But we should carry on working, this is why we have decided on friday night about this strategy. Thank you. Possibility if you could answer in indicia could be hugely appreciated, but to people who say you have created chaos in spain and spain and catalonia and simply fled with your accomplices as madrid would see them and a question for you all, i suppose, if you could answer with a nod of the head, you prefer to go to jail for nod of the head, you prefer to go to jailforup to 30 nod of the head, you prefer to go to jail for up to 30 years for what has happened . Are we prefer to go to jail for 30 yea rs . Are we prefer to go to jail for 30 years . Is a fair trial would a third trial be a reasonable outcome . Ask this outcome and you have the answer. Translation we are convinced about what we have done, we are convinced that we have a great will of democracy, we have re enacted principally for the freedom of our country and we have acted in a manner which was calm, civic and democratic and we are convinced that if we had acted on these principles and values its impossible that there is any judgment and values its impossible that there is anyjudgment that would lead us to prison for it would be unbelievable, unthinkable, iwould like to say that this charge of rebellion which asked comparable to terrorism, precisely for us, we have never, ever acted with violence, never. And i want they want to compare us to terrorists and i think its because this is why the president has asked europe to act and to intervene. We have, we need your assistance, we need you to understand us, we are facing a political conflict, a political conflict needs a political solution. We need to talk and sit together. To this day, all these processes, it was this day, all these processes, it was ina this day, all these processes, it was in a very peaceful way, very peaceful way, and the violence from the Spanish Police that broken this way and started the chaos. There is no chaos question in spanish it looks as though thats slightly chaotic News Conference drawing to a close, ca rles chaotic News Conference drawing to a close, Carles Puigdemont, in the centre of the picture, saying spain had mounted an Aggressive Campaign against the catalan people since the parliament, since that referendum on independence. He said that it was the first question he was asked once the first question he was asked once the question and answer session began, are you asking for political asylu m began, are you asking for political asylum in belgium . He said no he was not but that he had come to brussels, to make his views known because it is the capital of europe. He said that spain was showing extreme aggression towards the leaders of the independence referendum with the threat of 30 year jail term referendum with the threat of 30 yearjail term for each of this minister real term on charges including sedition and misuse of public funds. We will have more correspondent adam levin who others news co nfe re nce very correspondent adam levin who others News Conference very soon correspondent adam levin who others News Conference very soon but now. British police are investigating the Film Producer Harvey Weinstein and are now looking at Sexual Assault allegations from seven women. The incidents are alleged to have taken place between the early 1980s and 2015. The producer has unequivocally denied any allegations of nonconsensual sex. Lets talk to lucy manning who is looking into this. How many of these allegations are new beyond the ones that we have already heard about that the net was investigating . It is the met have expended their investigation into how the wine stain. Have expanded. We have 11 separate allegations from seven women, its worth saying these are allegations and four of the women are women who have come forward in the last couple of weeks that we did not know about. The allegations they are making are some from the early 1980s, one woman is saying she was assaulted by him outside the uk in the early 1980s, the met police are passing that on to the local police force from that country, and woman is saying that she was sexually assaulted i hen in westminster in the mid 19 90s, another woman is saying she was sexually assaulted by him outside the country in 2012 but in westminster in 2013 14 one quarter woman is saying she was sexually assaulted by him in westminster in 1994, seven women who have come forward to make allegations against him. The metropolitan police now have a name for this inquiry, looking into the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, they are saying at the moment there are are no arrests made. As the bin any further comment from Harvey Weinstein or his spokesperson . His spokespeople have been clear since any of these allegations have been made that he absolutely denies any allegations of nonconsensual sex but stop i think its worth pointing out that obviously the met expanding this investigation is very serious for mr wine stain, some of the allegations made in america, because they happened allegedly sometime ago, they will be investigated by police in america but the met have a very good track record at these sorts of investigation under beazley taking these allegations very seriously. Thank you for that up to it. Thank you for that update. The defence secretary sir Michael Fallon has confirmed he was once rebuked by a politicaljournalist for putting his hand on her knee during dinner. The radio presenter Julia Hartley brewer said she had not been remotely upset or distressed by the incident, which happened 15 years ago. Ms Hartley Brewer said that it was absurd to treat misjudged sexual overtures orflirting as being morally equivalent to serious Sexual Harassment or assault. Netflix has insisted its decision to cancel house of cards was made before the start of the series was accused of making a sexual advance towards a teenage boy. Kevin spacey has apologised for any inappropriate or drunken behaviour but has faced criticism for making the same statement to come out as gay. The bank of england is warning that 75,000 jobs could be lost from britains Financial Services sector if the uk leaves the European Union without a trade deal. Senior figures at the bank of england are said to be using the number as a reasonable scenario in their planning for the future but are thought to be optimistic that negotiations will be successful. Our economics editor, kamal ahmed, reports. It will be one of the toughest challenges facing the brexit negotiators, untangling the multitrillion pound Financial Services industry which links the uk with the rest of the European Union. Banks and Financial Companies based in britain pay £67 billion in taxes each year and contribute a trade surplus of £58 billion, helping the uks economy. Many eu countries would like a slice of the sector and see brexit as an opportunity. Frankfurt and paris, for example, are marketing themselves as new places to locate. The bank of england is now preparing for tens of thousands ofjob losses which it believes will hit the uk if there is no new free trade deal. Some will simply disappear as the Financial Sector shrinks across britain and some will be lost to londons competitor cities. Although the bank believes 75,000 job losses is a reasonable scenario over 3 5 years, many are optimistic that a good deal will be signed on Financial Services because both the uk and the eu will not want to disrupt such a vital component of the economy and even with the job losses, britain, with over1 million Financial Services jobs, will still be by far the most important centre for banking in europe. The white house has insisted that criminal charges brought against former aides to donald trump are nothing to do with the president . One aide, George Papadopoulos, has admitted lying to the fbi about his contacts with russia and is now helping the investigation into alleged links between the Trump Campaign and moscow. Two other trump aides have been charged by the fbi with financial crimes, and placed under house arrest. Meanwhile, Facebook Says 126 million americans may have come into contact with russian backed propaganda before and after last years president ial election. Twitter and google also say they were used to share divisive posts traced to russia. The social media giants had initially dismissed complaints about fake news as crazy. The West Midlands Community Party has confirmed Derek Robinson has died aged 90. He was a shop steward for much of the 70s and was nicknamed red robbo by the media because of his involvement in a long Running Series of strikes. He also stood as a candidate for the communist party and four general elections in birmingham. The time is almost 12 30pm, lets see how the weather is shaping up. Philip avery has the some tricks and treats, it will be a wet trick or treat across the west of scotland, the cloud at its thickest, an awful lot of cloud across the British Isles but some of it not thick enough to produce rain. At the case for any for three wales, to the east midlands, elsewhere due or on borrowed time. Quite a bit of rain coming through Northern Ireland, the central belt of scotland. Not cold overnight but the met office with a rain intensity warning, total is mounting, wednesday morning, for the commute, the western end of the m8,extending into North Ayrshire, dumfries and galloway. North of that mixture of sunny spells and showers, decent day in prospect further south for england, thursday, the remnants of that weather front moving to the south of england and wales, not much rain left, following behind something brighter and fresher. This is bbc newsroom live our latest headlines. The bank of england has warned that 75,000 Financial Sectorjobs could be lost, if the uk leaves the eu without a trade deal. Police in the uk investigating harvey walle nstei n police in the uk investigating harvey wallenstein are now looking at allegations of Sexual Assault from seven women. at allegations of Sexual Assault from seven women. Harvey weinstein. The government is proposing a reduction in the maximum stake on fixed odds Gaming Machines in betting shops from £100 to just two. The sacked Catalan Leader, Carles Puigdemont, has held a press conference in brussels saying he came to belgium to bring the issue of Catalan Independence to the heart of the eu. The social media giant facebook, has said that 126 million americans may have come into contact with russian backed propaganda before and after last years president ial election. The defence secretary sir Michael Fallon confirms he was once rebuked by a politicaljournalist for putting his hand on her knee. Lets get more on that News Conference in the last short while in brussels with Carles Puigdemont. My in brussels with Carles Puigdemont. My colleague is in barcelona for us now and has been following this story from there. That was quite an extraordinary News Conference. In the very first question he was asked and Carles Puigdemont confirmed he is not seeking political asylum. Yes, which he denied, but then he went on to say that he was there for his safety and the safety of the region. There is a lot of anger amongst his hard line supporters about what hes done. Just to clarify, yesterday he said he would stay and carry on as normal, but in fa ct stay and carry on as normal, but in fact what he did was, and with five other colleagues, take a flight to brussels. He held talks with lawyers there, including a prominent lawyer who defended alleged members of a Basque Separatist Group in the 1990s to fight their extradition to spain. It was a terrorist group which killed 800 people. And Carles Puigdemont saying he did not know when he would come back. But he had to stay there until the Spanish Government gave him guarantees. He is there with five colleagues in belgium, the heart of europe, to push the political case. He has left his Vice President and other members of the catalan parliament, including the president of the parliament, here. We are now hearing that, according to reuters, the Supreme Court is calling for the catalan speaker and other senior lawmakers to testify on november the 2nd and third. Even the Carles Puigdemont says he has fled, a lot of people here think he probably has. So he will carry on with the politics, trying to persuade the Spanish Government to engage in dialogue, which they say they wont, with independent still on the table. Whilst other members of his coalition remain in catalonia. He asked in that News Conference, referring to the Regional Elections for the 21st of december, he said he wasnt scared of the democratic challenges and would respect the results of those elections. I would like to ask the Spanish Government, would it do the same . A challenge thrown down by Carles Puigdemont. Do you think there will be a response from madrid on that specific point . Madrid would say that these are free and democratic elections, which will be monitored and independently and internationally verified, unlike the election you held on the 1st of october. A referendum which was illegal and a lot of people didnt ta ke illegal and a lot of people didnt take part in the vote. Those committed to unity in spain, according to madrid, because it was considered illegal. Ive not heard anything yet about an official response from the Spanish Government. But Carles Puigdemont again is saying to madrid, look, we need to talk, we need to talk about this, you need to give us an opportunity to discuss the referendum on the first. Madrid are saying, that is nothing to do with us. Thats illegal. It is unconstitutional. Madrid has always made that clear. If the separatist independence parties take part in the elections, which it now seems they will, it is unlikely, in fact it is probably an impossibility, that ca rles it is probably an impossibility, that Carles Puigdemonts coalition will eitherfight that Carles Puigdemonts coalition will either fight the elections as a unified group, or some of those parties might not exist. Because there is a lot of anger here about what hes done in terms of fighting for his separatist cause. Saying the people of barcelona would resist direct rule from madrid, even though not violently, and now he has gone to brussels. Thanks. We cannot go to brussels as peter adam fleming who was in that News Conference. An extraordinary scrum. We can now go to brussels as our correspondent, adam fleming, was in that News Conference. Can you shed any more light on how long Carles Puigdemont is staying there . He says he isnt seeking asylum. But he also said he isnt leaving belgium yet. The rumours in the lead up to this news co nfe re nce the rumours in the lead up to this News Conference was whether he would claim political silence here in political asylum here in brussels. It is possible for him to do that. He said he would face those charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of funds back in spain. That made us think he would go. But then we asked when. And he gave an unclear answer. He said he would only go back and face those charges along with his former ministerial government collea g u es former ministerial government colleagues who were sat in the press conference with him, when he could get guarantees they would be treated fairly. One of his ministerial collea g u es fairly. One of his ministerial colleagues said they felt they were being treated in the same way as terrorists. They werent specific about what guarantees they are looking for. In terms of when they can return home. I suppose we are now looking at the case of could it be that the Spanish Government issues a european arrest warrant when these charges become official. And Carles Puigdemont has to be dragged back to spain. Or can Spanish Government give him assurances about the judicial process, which means he will go back voluntarily. Im afraid the answer to your question is pretty vague. But i can shed light on the scenes here in the streets of brussels. This is the brussels Prescott Webb press conferences happen quite often. There has not been one like this in a long time. There were probably about 50, 60 cameras in there. Very Senior Correspondent is fighting to get a seat. This is the brussels press clu b seat. This is the Brussels Press Club where press conferences happen quite often. There were people waving the catalan flags. There were cheers of supporters of the spanish there were jeers from supporters against the spanish authorities. And there was cheering from those on the other side of the argument. Thanks very much. More now on one of our top stories today a government plan to crack down on problem gambling. At the moment, people can bet £100 every 20 seconds on fixed odds betting terminals in high street bookmakers but that maximum stake could be cut drastically under new proposals. We wa nt we want to see industry regulator and charities continuing to drive the social responsibility agenda to make sure everything is being done to protect players. And that those in trouble can access support and help they need. The consultation will close on the 23rd of january 20 18. The government will consider its final proposals and make an announcement in due course. January 2018. I would like to praise the minister in of the i would like to praise the minister for the manner in which this has been conducted. It is a shame that she doesnt have a completely free hand in this policy. Because we think the outcome could have been very different. The response from the government after a year long process of delay after delay, and hundreds of submissions from industry, local government, charities, campaigners, is deeply disappointing. Instead of taking a firm and reasonable action to counter the problems which are well known, the government counter the problems which are well known, the government has simply kicked this process further into the long grass and announced another consultation beyond the budget. Mr speaker, lets look at the Public Policy challenge we face in this house. 430,000 people addicted to gambling. Up a third in three years. A further 2 Million People at risk of developing addiction. £1. 8 billion lost each year. An increase of 79 over the la st year. An increase of 79 over the last eight years. A gambling industry whose yield, the amount they win in bets, has increased up from £8 billion to £13 billion since 2009. Worst of all, 450,000 children who gamble at least once a week. Mr speaker, this action, the Situation Requires action now. There is an old maxim that the bookies always win. And theyve won again today. Their shares are up. Their lobbyists were grinning from ear to ear on their tv interviews this morning. We consistently sent to the government that all gambling laws are no longer fit for purpose. There has been an explosion of online and digital platform gambling that the current act couldnt have anticipated. We have offered to work with the government on a cross party basis to make our laws fit for the digital age. This report could have been a significant starting point for the process. Because even by the most conservative estimates, the associated heart and cost of a gambling addiction is believed to be over £1 billion per year. And i bet the true figure is far higher. The impact is not just the true figure is far higher. The impact is notjust out through the true figure is far higher. The impact is not just out through the losses gamblers accrue, but through the nhs in treatment costs, in our communities, as families struggle and breakdown and in our Police Forces dealing with crime. I would like to ask the minister, what discussions has she had with the home office on how to measure gambling related crime . Does the minister know how many people have received counselling or treatment for gambling addiction in the last 12 months when her review started. And does the minister know how much treatment for gambling addiction costs the nhs each year . She said the numberof costs the nhs each year . She said the number of occasions from the dispatch box but the gambling industry hasnt done enough to fund research, education, and treatment gambling and gambling related harm. But again she has failed to bring the industry to heal. She could have introduced a compulsory levy and we would have supported her in this. This is a missed opportunity. A missed opportunity to settle the issue of this once and for all. Quite frankly we expected more. The government had a strong hand to play, but this is a busted flush. Mr speaker, can i thank the honourable gentleman for his initial kind words to the start of his speech. Im pleased to see his conversion on the issue that tech in the legislation that liberalised gambling and caused the harm that many people have suffered as a consequence of these machines. And it is this government thatis machines. And it is this government that is taking action on this issue. I appreciate his concerns. About the fa ct i appreciate his concerns. About the fact this is the consultation. But its clearly the fact the Labour Government in 2005 rushed through the gambling act without paying a proper focus the gambling act without paying a properfocus on the gambling act without paying a proper focus on these machines which have led to the proliferation. These machines did not exist in 1997 when the labour party came into power. It is this government that has recognised the harm that has been caused and is taking action on this issue. There is a consultation, it is due process, and i expect we will integrate and i expect you to contribute in that consultation. Studio that was an urgent question to the gambling minister from tom watson. He replied to her response by saying he had expected more from the government on these fixed odds betting terminals. He said the government had had a strong hand to play. With me is matt zarb cousin, a former gambler and spokesperson for the campaign for fairer gambling. Thank you forjoining me today. Tell us about your experience. And how you became addicted to gambling. |j first you became addicted to gambling. first went into a betting shop, aged 16. I intended to put a bet on the football match. I saw these machines. I put a few quit in. I won on my first go. Over a period of a week i think i asked about £700 worth of winnings. From then on i was pretty much addicted. You would get addicted to chasing the big win. When you start losing you think you can win it back. You get the adrenaline russia three times a minute. You can bet up to £100 per spin. Then you get desensitised to the lower stakes, which most people can afford. You get the adrenaline rush three times a minute. I close to taking my life. I got help and treatment, thankfully. I was close to taking my life. How did you get that help . Thanks to an intervention by my parents i got help. There is not much help available. At the moment the industry donate £8 million into research and treatment. We probably need something closer to £100 million to treat all of the people suffering in britain. You are talking about money for treatment. Lets look at trying to prevent the problem in the first place and what the government is saying. In your opinion, would reducing the stakes people can place on these fixed odds terminals, would that help . Absolutely. It has been shown time and again that reducing the maximum sta ke and again that reducing the maximum stake is the best way of limiting the harm a product can cause. A reduction to £2 per spin would mean that the roulette game would have to be removed. You cannot operate it at £2 per spin. And thats the really addictive game. Thats the one people get addicted to. It is played three times faster than in a casino. It would limit the damage, limit the financial damage, which must be a huge part of the stress which is incurred if somebody has a gambling addiction, as you explained, i guess it doesnt necessarily limit the impulse to gamble, does it . We have acknowledged that some gambling products are more addictive than others. Nobody is born a gambling addict. Some people are vulnerable, more than others. But in the same way cocaine is a very addictive drug. In the same way people accept nicotine is an addictive substance. Fixed betting terminals fixed odds betting terminals are the most addictive form of gambling. It makes foran addictive form of gambling. It makes for an incredibly harmful product. We wa nt for an incredibly harmful product. We want to stop people getting addicted in the first place. The man in charge of the Gambling Association in the uk said earlier today that this reducing of the state wouldnt actually help gamblers and would put a lot of people working in the gambling business out of work. The reducing of the stake. I spoke to a guest earlier whose partner had killed himself and mentioned his gambling addiction in his suicide note. What is your response to that, the fact that they said tough . They would say that, wouldnt they . More than half of betting shop profits come from fixed odds betting terminals. Thats why the number of shops has gone up but the number of people employed has gone down. It is the biggest destroyer in betting industry. The treasury and government needs to look at the impact on the wider economy. Money spent on fobts is not a labour intensive form of spending. When the government looks at all of the evidence it will conclude that £2 is the appropriate level. Very interesting to to you. Thank you. The headlines on bbc news the cata la n the headlines on bbc news the Catalan Leader, ca rles the headlines on bbc news the Catalan Leader, Carles Puigdemont, says the Spanish High Court has no legal grounds to begin a case against him and his ministers on charges of rebellion. The bank of england estimates up to 75,000 jobs could be lost in the Financial Sector if britain leaves the European Union without a trade deal. And as we have just been discussing, the government is proposing a reduction in the £100 maximum stake on fixed odds Gaming Machines in betting shops. Protesta nt protestant christians are marking the 500th anniversary of the start of the reformation, the day Martin Luther is said to have nailed criticism of roman catholicism to a church door. A service is taking place in Westminster Abbey. Lets cross over to our religious affairs correspondent, Martin Bashir, who is at the service. Tell us more about what is happening there today and how protestant christians now trying to frame this anniversary while maintaining relationships with other branches of christianity. 500 yea rs christianity. 500 years since the protestant reformation. At midday today a Service Started here at Westminster Abbey entitled, a special service of reconciliation. The archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, has just preached. And in a few minutes there will be an exchange of a text, and agreed text, on that much disputed doctrine that actually split the church 500 years ago. The doctrine of justification by church 500 years ago. The doctrine ofjustification by faith. This new statement has been agreed by the roman Catholic Church, and by the lutheran church. The archbishop of canterbury will present that as an act of re conciliation here. It is an attempt to say that after 500 yea rs of an attempt to say that after 500 years of dispute about how salvation is achieved, that is originally of course you will remember that Martin Luther said that buying indulgences was wrong, that actually salvation couldnt be achieved, it could only be received by gods grace. Today there will be an exchange. And there will be a document which agrees around that central doctrine that Martin Luther rediscovered in pauls epistle to the romans 500 years ago. Thanks very much. More than 600 refugees and Asylum Seekers are refusing to leave an australian run Detention Centre in Papua New Guinea, just hours before it is due to close. The men say they fear for their safety in the local community and are worried about their future. Human rights organisations are warning of a looming humanitarian crisis. Phil mercer has been following the developments from sydney. They have come from many countries seeking australias protection. Rohingya muslim from myanmar, others from afghanistan, and a third of the refugees are from iran. We have had in the last couple of hours a message from an iranian detainee on whatsapp who has been in the centre for a while, saying the men inside the facility on manus island are worried and scared. We understand australian officials have already left, along with local guards. The Australian Government is urging the men to go to other temporary Accommodation Units that have been set up in other parts of manus ireland. Peter dunton said that accommodation will be safe and secure. Accommodation will be safe and secure. But the reason why about 600 men are refusing to leave the australian funded centre is they dont believe it will be safe for them if they leave the perimeter fences. Seven yea rs seven years ago huge flames engulfed Hastings Pier in a devastating fire that almost destroyed it. The aftermath saw the Community Come together in an effort to restore it together in an effort to restore it to former glories. Its replacement, which opened to the public last year, is now the front runner for the biggest award in british architecture. The Riba Stirling prize. Our arts correspondent, david sillito, has been to meet the people who helped turn a disaster into a triumph. It gets you in here. You just think, why . You were here when it burned down . I was. People why . You were here when it burned down . Iwas. People that ive why . You were here when it burned down . I was. People that ive never spoken to before were stopping me to talk about the pier. And everybody was devastated. It was really quite upsetting. The fact there had been a massive fire. And it felt like, how do we actually come back from that . Did you think it was all over . do we actually come back from that . Did you think it was all over . I did and a lot of people did. But it was actually the opposite. Seven years after that fire, Hastings Pier has been reborn. These three women are shareholders. The local community now owns the pier and it has been rebuilt. This curtain of glass, it finally gives the people of hastings a panoramic view out to sea. The woodwork here is the original timber from the pier. There are still some of the scorch marks from the fire of 2010. The most important innovation is this, nothing. What they chose not to build, the empty space. There is no end of the pier. And there is a good reason for all of this space. The history of britains peers is a story of recurring disaster. Flimsy wooden attractions that have a habit of going bankrupt and burning down. Attractions that have a habit of going bankrupt and burning downm much to listen to, so much to see, and everything must be the finest in the world, even the potato peeler. The old seaside attractions have gone. In their marketplace . Open space that can be used for a variety of moneymaking enterprises. The victorians had this great concept of walking over the sea. Promenade in. Thanks to then weve got this madness in our society called piers. Madness . Absolutely bonkers. Peter wheeler is the engineer, 3000 tonnes of new steel had been added to try to keep the elements at bay. Its a triumph of hope over reality, isnt it . Yes, and thats the biggest challenge. How does it fund its own maintenance . That is where piers have a problem. Nevertheless, Hastings Pier is in the running now for building of the year. But whatever happens, the residents who helped save it this is the prize they really wanted. What are your thoughts looking out on this now . love it. It isjust thoughts looking out on this now . love it. It is just so peaceful. And you can see all the nominated buildings on the bbc arts website and find out who is the winner of the Riba Stirling prize for architecture live on the bbc news channel tonight at 8. 30pm. In a moment the news at one. First, the weather. Note the cheeriest today not the cheeriest. One big look at the picture shows there is this massive cloud dominating the scene across the greater part of the British Isles. Not without one or two mega holes, but they will be fleeting. The cloud is that it biggest across central and western parts of scotland, and through Northern Ireland. This is where we will expect to see the bulk of the rain overnight. Further south, cool, without being cold, under a blanket of cloud, many will stay in double figures. But the rain keeps coming for many of these western spot in scotland. Especially around the central belt down into the North Ayrshire area, and argyll bute. That is why there is a yellow warning about surface water problems of those commuting down the western end of the m8 as you go into wednesday morning. Away from that particular zone, a half decent start to the day. Rather akin to the greater part of england and wales to what you experience on tuesday morning. Watch out for mist and fog. Into the day on wednesday, we are going to drag this weather feature just that little bit further south. But it is slow. Brighter skies with a gaggle of showers for central and northern parts of scotland eventually. Across the greater part of england and wales its a pretty decent sort of day. A bit of brightness should help us get the temperatures towards the mid teens. This is the situation taking you into thursday. A weakening weather front. Gradually easing its way down across the country. Once it has gone through, you are in with a chance of seeing something brighter following behind. The remnants of that front Still Producing the odd spot of rain. Into friday, a new weather front into the western port of scotland, and maybe into Northern Ireland. Further south, another essentially dry day. A weather front with quite a bit of rain on it affecting the south eastern corner. Gradually pulling away. That means the isobars will crank around again into a north westerly direction. That will usher in some cool air. Temperatures on the way down for the weekend. It means that combination of sunny spells, scattered showers, but it will feel a good deal chillier. Cracking down on problem gambling. The government considers drastic new measures. The maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals which raked in more than a billion pounds last year could drop to as little as £2. The industry says a £2 limit could lead to the closure of around half of all high street betting shops. Also this lunchtime. The uk Police Investigation into Harvey Weinstein widens detectives are now looking at Sexual Assault allegations from seven women. Up to 75,000 jobs could be lost in Financial Services in the uk after brexit according to the bank of england. The sacked Catalan Leader appears in brussels saying hes there for safety purposes and freedom not to claim asylum. And for the show stopper . Prue leith apologises after accidentally tweeting the winners name ahead of tonights Great British bake off. Coming up in sport on bbc news, sir mo farah has cut ties