Passengers on routes to and from london euston, due to Emergency Repairs on downed overhead power lines. And in half an hour, the week in parliament looks at reaction in westminster to the us president s retweet of a british far right group. Good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. All four Board Members of the governments social Mobility Commission have stood down in protest at what they say is a lack of progress towards a fairer britain. Ex labour minister alan milburn, who chairs the commission, said he had little hope the current government could make the necessary progress. The resignations also include the former conservative cabinet anister gillian shephard. Downing street insists it is working to provide opportunities for all. Heres our political correspondent, alex forsyth. Your chances of getting a job, finding a good school for your children, and being able to afford somewhere decent to live issues at the heart of social mobility. And from day one in power, tackling inequality was a personal priority for theresa may. The mission to make britain a country that works for everyone, means more than fighting these injustices. For everyone means more than fighting these injustices. If you are from an ordinary working class family, life is much harder than many people in westminster realise. But for the former labour cabinet minister alan milburn, who was in charge of monitoring the government s progress on social mobility, not enough is being done. What is lacking is transferring words into deeds. What is lacking is meaningful Political Action transferring words into deeds. In politics it is not about what you talk about, it is what you do. Im afraid the divisions in britain are becoming wider, socially, economically and geographically. Downing street said they already told mr milburn they planned to appoint a new chair, so is the former ministers public resignation sour grapes or political point scoring . Well, alan milburn and i both care deeply about social mobility and equality of opportunities. He said that and he said you wanted to keep him on. Is that true . I am not going to get into the discussions we had inside government. He had done a fantasticjob, but his term had come to an end. I think it was about getting fresh blood into the commission. The education secretary went on to defend the governments record. We are seeing standards in our schools rise, and critically we are seeing the attainment gap narrow, this is the difference in outcomes between disadvantaged children and their better off peers. In the report they found childrens life chances vary in every part of england. Children with the best chance of success are in london, but many rural, coastal and former Industrial Areas are being left behind. In the midlands is one of the worst performing regions in england. Deprived areas registered some of the highest support for leaving the european union. The government is facing criticism that it is so focused on brexit that it is ignoring the reasons which led people to vote for it. Jonathan blake, bbc news. We can speak now to christian guy, formerly David Camerons special adviserfor social reform in number 10, who was a member of the social Mobility Commission. Thank you very much forjoining us this afternoon. Do you think there isa this afternoon. Do you think there is a serious danger that what theresa may said outside number ten on the day she became Prime Minister, about social mobility, about opportunity for all, that that is in danger of becoming simply rhetoric . I think it is easy to make a speech like that, especially in the moment when you become Prime Minister and take office. What you mustjudge the government on is what it does, as alan milburn said earlier. And the commission, which are used to be a part of, on balance, they are saying they dont see much prospect for, but i think there are some good initiatives taking place in government but i dont know if there is the leadership, the dynamism and the courage to really grip some of britains deepest social challenges and make this a real priority of the government, and i think that is the challenge, and alan is flagging the issue of brexit, but i think there issue of brexit, but i think there isa issue of brexit, but i think there is a general lack of determination to deal with these issues. One of the problems, there is almost no ability to win legislation in the house of commons, so i think there is some fair challenges here and this is a big moment for the government, a big blow to the Prime Minister. So it is about the dynamics in parliament, the focus on brexit. Is it also about a lack of money . Money does matter, but you find money for the things you believe in. I mean, they havejust found a lot of money, billions of pounds, to do a deal with the dup, so there is money there when you wa nt to so there is money there when you want to make something a priority. It is not all about money. You can achieve a lot in government without spending big sums of taxpayers cash, but shortly after the budget i think alan and the team have taken a view that there is not the priority financially or potential in terms of focus, investment of time in government, that they want to see. And alan took a lot of flak for doing thatjob, and alan took a lot of flak for doing that job, and and alan took a lot of flak for doing thatjob, and i used to be on this commission, and got a lot of fla k this commission, and got a lot of flak for working under conservative government and then our coalition government, alan, but he thought it was worth doing it because it was progress and there was a listening ear in the government. Not everything got done, but he thought he was making progress, and now i think he has taken the view that there is very little chance for progress, and that is a big blow, and this government has to respond now with massive determination to prove him wrong. The response is very important. You tweeted earlier, christian, that the commission was a rare source of big ideas for government, even if a thorn in the side at times, and needs strong replacement now. Do you think the government will appoint four new members to the sport, or is there a chance they might scrap this commission potentially and try to come up with Something Else . Four new members to this board. That could happen. They make me legislation. This is a big moment. We had 10 12 commissioners at one stage and now there is zero, so they have to do something big. It is not a lwa ys have to do something big. It is not always easy. I sat in number ten, and it is not always easy to have commission challenging with the big ideas, it is uncomfortable, but if you believe in it you have to bring in people like alan and the brilliance of alan, a former labour cabinet minister, the ability to have cross Party Support for this, so the now have to stack this commission with seriously impressive people who can reach across our divided politics and find the ideas. Because politics is a battle for ideas and we need some big ideas no to reach the parts of this country that feel completely disconnected from politics, people working very ha rd from politics, people working very hard but just not from politics, people working very hard butjust not seeing any return on that hard work, and that determination to better life for them and their families. Determination to better life for them and theirfamilies. So it is a big challenge for the government, andi big challenge for the government, and i think it would be bad to scrap it. Christian guy, we appreciate your time this afternoon. Thank you very much. Leading brexit supporters have urged the Prime Minister not to settle the uks divorce bill unless the eu agrees to a series of conditions. The leave means leave group, which contains former cabinet ministers, says brussels must end the European Court ofjustices jurisdiction over the uk. It also wants freedom of movement to the uk for eu citizens to stop when britain leaves the bloc in march 2019. Theresa may is to hold more meetings next week on the terms of the uk exit. One of those signatories was the conservative mp jacob rees mogg. He told the Bbcs Andrew Marr show that paying the divorce bill reduces the uks hand in negotiations. Its very important that we dont hand over a great deal of money, unless we have an agreement. The risk is, that we pay the money from the day we leave, and that reduces our negotiating clout to get the trade deal finalised, if it hasnt been done before the 29th of march 2019, and that seems an obvious point. The Irish Foreign minister says his government cannot and will not allow the re emergence of a hard border with ireland. Simon coveney warned the brexit talks cannot move onto phase two without having some credible answers on the border issue. It comes amid reports that the irish cabinet are to hold an emergency meeting ahead of tomorrows talks between theresa may and jean claude juncker. Joining us now from belfast is our correpsondent Louise Cullen. Louise, first they more detail on what the Irish Government is saying on this . Simon coveney, the minister for Irish Foreign affairs, and recently appointed irish head of state, they are seeing ireland seeking assurances there will not be a hard border post brexit. They said they need the wording ahead of the summit on the 14th and 15th and the deadline set tomorrow by donald tusk ahead of that is rather focusing that. He says ireland is asking questions that need credible answers before any brexit negotiations can move on and donald tusk said of course if the uk offer on the border is not acceptable to ireland it will not be to the eu. At that special Cabinet Meeting tomorrow morning in dublin Simon Coveney and the shock will brief their cabinet members. We know that the former Prime Minister tony blair has warned about the effect on the Peace Process but that has drawn some criticism from politicians in northern ireland, hasnt it . Yes, tony blair is one of the architects of the good friday agreement, and he said that agreement is now at risk. He said the uk and irish membership of the eu was central to it, as was the concept of free movement. Now, hard border, he said, would create tensions on the island but ian paisley of the dup who are of course the tory partys partners in government, he said that is simply a rekindling of project there. Louise, thank you very much for that, Louise Cullen in belfast for us. Children will be able to get access to Mental Health support at schools or colleges in england under plans announced by the government. Its a joint initiative between the departments of health and education. Campaigners say the measures are welcome, but long overdue. Edward curwen reports. I didnt have any therapy. It was sort ofjust to talk about things. One Young Persons story of suffering from an eating disorder and depression for five years. She waited two years before she got help. Ifeel i have not been properly treated for the mental side. Theyjust sort of put me in hospital when my physical side is bad and dont treat anything else, and then they wonder why it keeps happening and i have to go back into hospital. The hospital she was sent to, hundreds of miles away, a nightmare scenario which the government now promises no family should face. So ministers chatting here with pupils in east london are publishing plans to provide support in schools for so many children who face issues regarding their mental well being. Teachers will be trained at spotting problems early. I put excessive pressure on myself wanting to achieve high grades. And there will be new Mental Health support teams, the idea to bridge the gap between schools and the nhs. If your child has a Mental Health issue, we want to make sure you get the help much, much earlier than happens at the moment, and if possible, we want to work within the schools system, to prevent that condition deteriorating. But labour claims Mental Health care in england has been desecrated by cuts. Services are really overstretched and children are waiting years for that vital support that they need. This is a drop in the ocean and paired with the cuts that Many Services have faced. The government is facing up to the scale of the issue. It now hopes schools can spot problems and address them early. Rail passengers travelling to and from the west country from londons euston station have been told not to travel after all train lines from the station were closed. The disruption has been caused by Emergency Repairs which were needed after overhead power lines came down. Our correspondent lisa hampele is at euston station and we can speak to her now. Lisa, do bring us up to date. What is the state of play . Is anything moving yet . Well, ivejust is the state of play . Is anything moving yet . Well, ive just been looking at the departure and arrival boards, and they are getting back to normal now. They say preparing, boarding, some cancelled but not so many now, and there are delays. What caused this was power lines came down near here, along the line in north london. This was on friday afternoon. And they did Emergency Repair work this morning, 5000 metres of wires, and there were no services at all this morning but at midday they started running again, and all three lines affected have opened again, and they are running. People are being told they can take other routes and that will be paid for, or they can use todays tickets and use them tomorrow. We have been assured there will be in normal service during the rush hour tomorrow morning, and things will be back to normal by then, but at the moment there are quite a lot of people queueing up and waiting, but nobody seems particularly angry here. They were warned yesterday about this repair work, and as i say it is getting back to normal. The Services Affected and still being affected a re Services Affected and still being affected are virgin, london midland, and overgrown services. So that is services coming from birmingham new street, manchester big at the, liverpool, glasgow, and from watford as well. So they are slower to get away and to arrive here, less room on the trains. People will be packed m, on the trains. People will be packed in, but about 40,000 people come to the station every day and that includes this weekend because of christmas shopping, so a lot of people coming in and out, but the destruction continues but it is getting better. Lisa, thank you very much for that update. Lisa hampele. The usual advice applies, check before you travel, if you can. The headlines on bbc news the chair of the governments social Mobility Commission quits along with the rest of the board, while the Prime Minister claims to be building afairer Prime Minister claims to be building a fairer britain. Warning that the Prime Minister is failing to build a fairer britain. Children in england are to get to Access Mental Health support at school or college under government plans to improve services. Its 50 years since the world First Successful heart transplant the surgery revolutionised the way Heart Disease is treated. And lets get more on that story now. Pioneering surgeons successfully completed a human heart transplant for the first time 50 years ago today a procedure which has changed the way Heart Disease is treated. The youngest person on the uk transplant list, eight week old baby charlie, is making Good Progress following a nine hour operation where he received a new heart. Duncan kennedy reports. A tender moment Tracie Wright thought she would never have with her baby, charlie. Charlie was born with only half a heart. Hospitals across europe were contacted to find an organ donor. This week, a heart did become available. And now, atjust eight weeks old, charlie has had a transplant. His skin colour was just amazing. I cant describe it. From going so blue, he wasjust blue all the time, to being so pink and peachy and perfect. Charlie was the youngest patient on britains transplant waiting list. His doctors say the operation went well. He was extremely lucky, considering his condition and his size, to get a heart, a suitable donor heart, on time. Its not known if the family who donated their babys heart know about charlie, but charlies mother says theyve given her a precious gift. Its the bravest thing anyone could do. Theyve given my boy a Second Chance at life, and for that, ill be forever thankful. I cried for them. Charlie is expected to be Strong Enough to go home in the new year. An unbearable loss in one family that became unrestrained joy in another. Duncan kennedy, bbc news. I can now speak to kieran sandwell, who received a heart transplant in 2009. Kieran, it is really good to be able to talk to you today. Let me just tell our viewers a little about your background. You were born with a heart defect, transposition of the great arteries, you had heart surgery at three, a heart attack at 13, then you had a think trick mac heart transplant at 38. Quite an astonishing story. Then you had a heart transplant at 30. Tell us about what it was like for you, before and after . Transplant at 38. Before, i deteriorated and went into end stage heart failure, so any form of exercise, i would be breathless, tired all the time, and towards the end my cardiac output was down to 11 which meant i was just tired all the time. And, yes, life was pretty grim, to be honest. And i was extremely grateful to get the transplant. And afterwards, well, a few years afterwards, you run the London Marathon, so i think that tells us everything, doesnt it . Yes. Straight from the moment i left the hospital, after 18 days, i could do things that i couldnt usually do. I was like a child almost, wanting to do new things, and running was one of them, so i ran the London Marathon in 2012 and then in 2014, and i havejust continued to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things with my brand new life, as i like to think of it. It is a brandnew life, and tell us what youre doing currently in support of the british heart . |j am in support of the british heart . am in support of the british heart . am the British Heart Foundation. Iam am the British Heart Foundation. I am walking round the coast of britain. I started this year in february and i have walked 2600 miles, anticlockwise, so i have gone up miles, anticlockwise, so i have gone up to john ogroats miles, anticlockwise, so i have gone up tojohn ogroats in scotland and iam now up tojohn ogroats in scotland and i am now back down in wales currently, and hoping to finish about march next year. This is all for British Heart Foundation research, yes. So my website is a tale of two hearts, which is how i figure my life is. Two lives, two hearts. Have you ever found out anything about the person whose heart you know have . Yes, i wrote to the donors family and i was very lucky to receive a reply back, so i know some bit about my donor, and it is wonderful that i can just carry on doing Amazing Things with her heart. And on this anniversary have you been reflecting on those pioneering surgeons, the people who went through those early heart transplants to read to the point where you were able to have such a successful transplant and have been able to live a new life . Yes, my surgery i had when i was three was pa rt surgery i had when i was three was part to the mac pioneering, all brand new surgery. My generation of congenital Heart Patients were told we probably wouldnt reach 16, adult or anything like that when i was three it was pioneering, all brand new surgery. So all the doctors have started to do this and the obviously do Great Research into the obviously do Great Research into the after care. The reason why they are so successful is really from the after ca re are so successful is really from the after care now. And the immune suppressant drugs and things like that, it is all much better nowadays. So, yes, iam eternally grateful. Kieran, so good to talk to you. And we wish you continued good health, and good luck with the rest of your trek around the coast of britain as well. Thank you very much, kieran sandwell, himself the recipient of a donor heart. Donald trump has denied asking the head of the fbi, james comey, to drop an investigation into his former National Security advisor, michael flynn, after he was sacked for lying about his russia connections. In a tweet, mr trump said the allegation was just more fake news covering another comey lie. Mr trump was referring to a memo written by mr comey and presented to a congressional investigation saying that in february, the president had asked him to go easy on mr flynn. The metropolitan opera in new york has said it will investigate allegations that its former music director sexually abused a teenage boy in the 1980s. The met said it was deeply disturbed by media reports about james levine, who stepped down last year after 40 years in the role. Hes reported to have denied the allegations. The British Red Cross is calling for syrian Refugee Families who are being resettled in the uk to be allowed to bring their young Adult Children with them. Around 9,000 syrians have been allowed into the uk under the home offices Vulnerable Person resettlement scheme. But the British Red Cross says its wrong that refugees who have come in under a different programme are being forced to leave their over 18s behind. June kelly reports. Born in syria, but this 14 year old is growing up in glasgow. Hes really good at what he does. We wa nt we want to think about her story in terms of human rights. In this lesson on human rights, she describes how her home was bombed. Beside her, her brothers. My brothers face got burned, half of it. Whats it been like in scotland . You can go to school, you can go out. Youre not scared of anything. Their parents are grateful to the uk for giving their family refuge. But this family was fractured when the rules forced them to leave their eldest child behind in syria. Their daughter here, growing up with her sister and brothers, was barred from coming to the uk. This is because she was 19 and so legally an adult. Her parents decided she had to get married, just to have someone to protect her. Now this is how they all keep in contact. Translation i couldnt come with my family. I had to get married because i had no one left at home. I had to give up university and the prospect of getting a job. This had been my dream since i was a little girl. Three years on, she is now a mother of two. After paying people smugglers, she embarked on a treacherous journey and finally followed her new husband to germany. But the uk is still refusing to let her in. Translation this law that stopped her coming here is a war against families. I managed to bring my entire family, except for her. She had to stay behind. This law is helping to bury her. In a statement the home office said. The British Red Cross believes these cases shouldnt be left to the discretion of case workers. Lets be clear were talking about children that are part of the family unit. People watching this now, think of your family, the children who still live at home, children who are maybe away studying. Thats what we are talking about. Lets bring those families back together. Families belong together. This family will always be thankful to the uk, but having endured the horror of war, they are still suffering the trauma of separation. June kelly, bbc news, glasgow. Something to look out for later on. The moon will move closer to the earth tonight and appear larger and brighter in the sky a phenomenon known as a supermoon. Astronomers say sky watchers will get the most spectacular views this afternoon and tomorrow morning. I will definitely be looking out for that tonight. Lets take a look at the Weather Forecast and head across the Weather Forecast and head across the Weather Forecast and head across the weather room to join ben. Hopefully clear skies for that . Yes, thatis hopefully clear skies for that . Yes, that is the critical factor. There will be large amounts of cloud around but there should be some starry skies ahead for some of us. This is how it looks for our weather watcher in lowestoft, suffolk. During tonight you can see we will have some clear spells particularly for central and eastern areas but there will be a touch of frost and some fog patches as well. More cloud in the mix at west and here it will be that bit milder. Enter monday, basically a plain sailing day. Some fog patches for east anglia and the south east and bear that in mind for the morning commute. Then some spells of sunshine. Generally big lumps of cloud floating around in the sky, which could produce the odd spits or spots of rain. Temperatures not doing too badly for this time of year, 8 11 degrees, but things get more exciting deeper into the week because after that quiet mainly fine start we will see some wet and windy weather then it will turn colder for the end of the week and some of us will see snow. Hello, this is bbc news with annita mcveigh. The headlines. All four Board Members of the governments social Mobility Commission have resigned in protest at what they see as a lack of progress towards a fairer britain. The government, probably for understandable reasons, is focused on brexit and seems to lack the bandwidth to be able to translate the rhetoric of promoting social justice into reality. The government sets out plans to make it easierfor children in england to get access to Mental Health services. Schools and colleges will be encouraged to appoint staff wholl work with the nhs to provide specialist support. Its 50 years since the worlds First Successful heart transplant the surgery revolutionised the way Heart Disease is treated. There is more from me at three oclock. Right now on bbc news, it is the week in parliament. Hello and welcome to the week in parliament. And much of it was dominated by donald trump and his