Injustice anywhere, wrote Martin Luther king, is a threat to justice everywhere. Sometimes the cry of injustice is raised by the accused, sometimes by victims. But this week, unusually, weve heard it from both sides in rape trials. For many, todays government announcement that it will not challenge the parole boards decision to free the black cab rapistjohn worboys, is inexplicable. Lawyers for two of worboys victims have said they instead will challenge the decision to release him. And around the same time that the government abandoned its worboys challenge, prosecutors in guildford formally dropped their case against a man accused of rape. Oliver mears became the fourth man in four weeks to have long standing charges against him dropped shortly before trial because of the late discovery of information suggesting his innocence. Well hear from the director of Public Prosecutions in a moment, asking whether her service far from defending the interests of victims and accused alike is actually failing both, but first heres chris cook. Concern about the police and Crown Prosecution Services handling of rape charges has been mounting on several fronts lately. A month ago, the cps said they were reviewing 30 rape trials that were about to start. We dont know what they have concluded, but we know this, 19 year old oliver mears learned the case against him had dropped after new evidence, a diary, was unearthed. And by now he has already spent two years on bail. Earlier this week another case collapsed after photos on a phone undermined the case, pictures found by an expert hired by the defence. And in september a case of Sexual Activity against a child was dropped after a text showed the alleged victim had lied about her age. And here is liam allen, in his case the police failed to disclose Text Messages which cast doubt on rape allegations made against him. In the last few years ive worried about this and nothing else its ripped apart my personal life. In 2010 11 there were 4200 prosecutions for rape. 2,500 led to convictions and since then the number of prosecutions has risen to roughly 5200 year which has led to around 3000 convictions. The share of prosecutions leading to convictions has not substantially changed over this period even as the volumes have risen but prosecutions have also not kept up with the rising rate in which the crime is being reported. The police recorded 2a,000 complaints of rape in 2015 16. There is also the question for the cps around the release ofjohn worboys, by the parole board. Today we learn his release would not be challenged by the government although victims are bringing a judicial review. After taking expert legal advice i decided it would not be appropriate for me as the secretary of state to proceed with such a case. Honourable members will appreciate i cant expose details of the legal advice i have been given, and i know this will disappoint the victims in this case and members of this house. Given the crimes for which he has been convicted, on a personal level, candidly, i share those concerns. John worboys was tried forjust a small number of the offences for which he was a suspect. Had he been convicted on further counts whether as part of the first trial or since he could have been imprisoned for longer and further evidence could have been deployed against him before the parole board which released him, but the challenge for the cps is whether they should have tried to mount more prosecutions againstjohn worboys. All in all a lot of questions to answer. Studio chris cook, there. Alison saunders is the director of Public Prosecutions i spoke to her earlier today and started by asking her why the oliver mears case had collapsed. It wasnt a disclosure as in late disclosure of material but it was about looking at the case again, and reviewing it. As we have a constant duty to actually review cases and make sure they still satisfy the code for crown prosecutors. But there was some late material that came through and when we looked at everything again, decided that it was not sufficient evidence to prosecute. What should have happened in that case, of course, was that it all should have happened much earlier. And i quite understand and i can imagine how distressing it must be for everybody involved, all of the parties. Two years of waiting. Absolutely. And that shouldnt have happened. And thats why we are looking at, how we make sure that disclosure, which hasnt been going right across the whole system, how that really should happen much earlier in the proceedings. In terms of what happened in the mears case, when you said that information arose at a certain point later on, was that during that two years were talking about or was it late on in the original investigation . Some information came to us very late in the day, as in onlyjust before we made the decision to stop the case. What should have happened is that all should have happened much earlier. And for that i can only apologise to all who were involved in the case because we should have made sure we had done that earlier and taken those decisions earlier to stop the case. Is it essentially, in your view, a resource issue . I dont think its just a resource issue. I think there are real issues for all of us to think about, how do we deal with this new issue. We all wonder around with phones or tablets or some sort of device. We live our lives on these things now and theyre often as big as computers. So, its about, how do we possibly look through. How do the police look through all of that . How do we find that needle in a sort of huge data haystack . And how do we know that its relevant . And also, if its your telephone, or your tablet, do you want people going through your whole life when actually some of it is not relevant and is never going to be relevant . You said resources arent the only issue, clearly, but are you concerned that the police dont actually have the resources, to go through phones and social media material in the quantities they would have to to give both sides in a case like this a fair trial . I certainly think if it was a blanket, you have to look at all this material, we wouldnt have the resources and cases wouldnt be brought before the court because it would just drown us in material. Which is where we have to balance what we can do with a fair trial. Which is why that targeted aspect to look at whats relevant and making sure that when we get whats relevant we disclose that. So the defendant and dean know what and why, so they can question it if we miss something or if they know something that we dont. Now, clearly, what youre trying to do in these cases is look at the rights of the accused but weve also seen in the news a very different equation with the rights of victims. In thejohn worboys case, for example. Hearing what the justice secretary said today. I know you dont run the parole board, you look at it as an informed observer, but do you understand why they wont give their reasons in a case like the worboys . As far as the parole board is concerned, it is outside my authority. I dont oversee it, i dont understand why the decisions are not transparent and thats a matter for the government. The lord chancellor has said hes going to look into that. One of the things which is hard for people to understand about the worboys case is why only such a small proportion of the original victims saw their cases coming into court. Do you think more of them should have been prosecuted . More of those cases. Weve looked back over the decision and we had somewhere in the region of 83 individual complainants referred to us. We prosecuted 14 of those. Of those 83 that were originally referred to us, we couldnt prosecute the rest because there wasnt sufficient evidence. It did not satisfy the code for crown prosecutors. Where we have to have a realistic prospect of conviction. So, we couldnt do that. There were three cases which were referred whilst we were in trial which we did not prosecute for Public Interest grounds because we felt it wasnt going to add to the sentence and it may complicate the case that was already before the court. So, i think we made the right decisions from the evidence that we had at that time, having looked at the review decision. Is there any way that either those three or cases that might have emerged subsequently, could still be put forward for prosecution . I mean, we have certainly said that we will review any cases that the police might want to refer to us. And indeed we are talking to the police about, if there is any action that can be taken or giving them advice if they are asking for it. So, if we get anything new or we look at it again, if we are asked to look at it again, we will look at it in accordance with the code. Butjust to be clear, youre saying that is an ongoing conversation with the police in this case . It is an ongoing conversation, but of course, if we decided there wasnt sufficient evidence, weve got to have evidence to take before the courts. There will have to be something new. Thank you very much. Thank you. That was the director of Public Prosecutions. The Trump Administration is a year old, and never a dull moment. As if to prove that very point, on the eve of his anniversary tonight his administration looks to be hours away from a Government Shutdown as it struggles to pass an emergency budget bill. But while the hacks who try to cover trumps presidency reel from one tweet or leak inspired moment to another sometimes several times in a day what has he actually achieved . And how far has he been able to satisfy the voters who sent him to washington with the mission to make America Great again . The language may be coarser and the lines between business and president ial interests blurred, but perhaps the most salient feature of this first year is the degree to which his achievements have rested on going with the grain in washington rather than draining its swamp. The president of the United States one year on, and wrangling over budgets has left the federal government on the verge of a close down. Its drama, but its also business as usual in washington. President s obama and clinton faced the same crisis. And its a measure of the power that holding the Purse Strings gives congress, whatever trump might have said on the campaign trail. Where better to escape the pressures of the office than the golf course . A lot of pressure, so, a lot of golfing. As for breaking the mould in president ial communications, theres been plenty of that, too, often via Early Morning tweet storms. That hasnt bolstered historically low Approval Ratings, of course. The most immediate salient thing to say about Donald Trumps Approval Rating is that it is historically bad. A lot of people get a honeymoon period. The best he had was basically breaking even to start off with. His Approval Ratings have been more stable throughout the year than is traditionally something that youd see because they didnt have much further to sink. His base does remain solid even if he hasnt built that wall. And the popularity is partly due to roaring economic performance. Make America Great again, and thats what it is. Thats what it is, just make America Great again he will, its going to be great. We will make America Great again. Hes a good businessman and thats what the country needs. To get the thing, get the country back out of debt and get a lot of people working. I think thats what hes doing. Its the economy, stupid, did you ever hear that one . Its the economy. It is indeed. Hes doing something that no one other politician has ever done hes keeping his promises to the people. And partly due to delivery on deregulation and tax cuts. The area where, right from the outset of his presidency, it was clear that the republican control of congress would help rather than hinder the president. On russia, for example, hawkish senators have made it impossible for trump to improve relations with the kremlin. With sanctions staying in place and the us going further in arming the ukrainians than barack obama did. And when it comes to military or intelligence matters, the spooks have also pushed back on the russia policy and the pentagon has largely written its own rules for escalating counterterrorist operations. In reality, his policy is actually not particularly radical. His policies dont really reflect the rhetoric that you see on his twitter account. In fact weve seen a considerable amount of continuity from the obama administration. So while the president s people might point to wins on the tax code or deregulation, what is really notable is how far things have stayed the same. Despite the Campaign Promises to drain the swamp or radically change the way power is bargained inside the beltway. So how do things look from america, and what can we expect for the next three years of trumps presidency . Joining me from boston is former New York Times executive editor jill abramson. In miami is Matthew Oberly from the Young Republican National federation. And well also be speaking to wendy osefo, a political commentator who worked on the obama administrations anti poverty initiative. Shes in washington. Jill, can i start with you . Do you see a single redeeming thing about the Trump Presidency during this first year . Very little. The Strong Economy obviously is a big plus, but i dont really think President Trump can take much credit for it. And if the economy is doing so well, why on earth do we need a big tax cut for the billionaire class . I dont see much, and, you know, i really feel in the past year that as President Donald Trump has shown himself completely unsuitable to thejob, and i disagree with the idea in your piece that things havent changed very much. Because he pulled out of the paris treaty and the environment. Its been a disaster. He named a new Us Supreme Court justice, but one who is extremely right wing. That is also an area where the Congressional Republican caucus. Congress was keen to work with him on, whereas in other areas, where they dont wish to cooperate or cant agree an answer, like healthcare, he hasnt achieved change. Thank goodness healthcare wasnt repealed. Although through other means they have tried to take away some of the major provisions of the Obama Health Care law. And i think americas standing in the world has been hurt during the past year. How would you measure that . I would measure it. In what index would you measure that hurts to americas standing . Well i mentioned a minute ago the paris accord, pulling out of that. America had been one of the leaders in the world towards reducing green gases. And now its not. 0k. I think that he is undependable and people are scared to death about whats happening in north korea right now. Matthew, i believe, i do want to ask you about north korea, but before we go on to that, surely, clearly, you like the man, you think is achieving something. Surely, you would concede he is a uniquely divisive and polarising figure. I would say he is a unique figure, i wouldnt call him a deeply polarising figure. If we want to really get down to measurable results, the president has taken, basically warped, the Regulatory Burden that stops Small Businesses and entrepreneurs from succeeding and put money back into the middle class, into their pockets, be it 500, 200 or thousands of dollars. Talk about health care, people who are healthy, who might not need healthcare, are going to have that penalty put back in their pockets. I truly believe that the american way is to allow the people to decide if, you know, they want to have healthcare or not. I wouldnt call him a polarising figure. I think a lot of where we see the polarisation coming from is the media. Youve got media on the left and right. I truly believe that. I cant, i cant agree that hes a polarising. On the north korea point thatjill made, we were looking at some cbs polling before we came on air, saying 59 of americans disapprove of the way hes dealing with that issue. Its a thing that scares a lot of people including republicans, isnt it . The land which he has used on north korea . I hate to say it but when the leader, dictator of north korea, canjust lob missiles over a sovereign nation such asjapan, i truly think we need to hammer down some tough language and reminds this guy that thats not allowable on the global stage. I think his rhetoric is strong. Can you briefly afford to do that kind of tough talking with two Nuclear Armed states facing off against one another where misconception could lead to disaster . It could lead to disaster. That is a vague statement. We have to remind him, frankly we have to remind other dictators that this behaviour isnt allowable and we will do what is needed to make sure not only america is safe, but our citizens are safe when they go abroad. I think hes using tough language. I want to bring in wendy from washington. Looking at this from a democrat supporter bases, as you do, how are you going to win in the midterm is coming up this year . Wouldnt you expect the Democratic Party to be showing more strongly in the polls . Given how bad the president s Approval Rating is. What is missing in their campaign . The Democratic Party is showing strongly in the polls because the president has had a dreadful year. Hes endorsed a child molester in alabama, waged a war against a free press. He had dilapidated his own local party. Hes given the thumbs up to white to premises and continues to put a hole in our democracy. Its very difficult to do a good job. Its easy to tell something apart. Tear. Our president has chosen the latter. That is the issue. When it comes to midterms, the democrats are going to forge ahead. If we look at the special elections that have happened thus far, in virginia the democrats won, in alabama, the democrats won, these are ruby red states that were not supposed to be won at all by the democrats. So if the special elections are any indication of the tidal wave that is coming for the republican party, i will say that the midterms are going to be something in which you will see a big turn. There is lots of republican seats up for re election. If they want to keep their seats, i would suggest they tell their Party President to put a button on it and stop with the twitter and move forward with policy. You pointed to one or two areas of the country where the democrats are showing well, in special elections, and clearly they were pretty hammered back in the last nationwide election. What is missing at National Level . Where is the leadership . There is no one clearly embodying the democratic challenge to the president at National Level. We have leadership. What youre going to c in 2020 is what we saw in 2016. What youre going to see in 2020 is what we saw in 2016. You will see a wave of democrats come up and say they want to invigorate the nation by running. But whats going to happen, and im going to call this ahead of time, is anyone who decides they are going to lead the Democratic Party has to embody more than just a movement, they have to ignite people, they have to put that same hope, that same feeling of change, similar to that of barack obama. What we have seen with donald trump is hes been highly divisive, hes got a lot of rhetoric that tears up our country, so whoever wins this election is somebody who brings us together and forges a message of unity and hope. Thats what we need right now in a leader. Matthew, can i ask you, a lot of republicans one speaks to the hill imply that if the party takes a beating in the midterms itll be over in terms of the Trump Presidency. Itll be hobbled from that point onwards. How concerned are you buy that possibility . How concerned are you by that possibility . You want to talk about the government shutting down. Americans need nine democrats. Americans, not President Trump or paul ryan, America Needs nine congressman to keep democrats, to keep the government from shutting down while the gop holds a majority in congress. We cant do it without democrats. Americans cant do it without democrats, and i think that is the real important point to make right now. We need to prevent this Government Shutdown and the republicans cant stop Chuck Schumer from shutting it down. We need democrats to rise up and work for americans and prevent the government from shutting down. In 2018 and were going to be able, as the republican party, to go forward and say, you know, the democrats didnt rise up to prevent a Government Shutdown, the democrats didnt rise up and enable those able to protect us to protect us. Jill abramson, lets come back to this discussion we had with wendy about the leadership. Of course, you expect a frontrunner to emerge when the president ial nomination race gets underway in earnest. But you can send. After the 2018 elections. Indeed but are you concerned there dont seem to be the obvious National Figures and contenders pushing their way to the front, that there isnt that National Opposition to President Trump right now . I think that is a good point. Im not here as a partisan spokesman, so im not going to say it alarms me, but democrats in much of the country, that have been so shocked and disappointed by President Trump, theyre aching for some inspiration. They really are. And youre right, so far there isnt a unifying democratic candidate who has emerged to get people very excited. But there is still, you know, quite a bit of time. Thank you all very much forjoining us, jill abramson, Matthew Oberly and wendy osefo. Say what you like about borisjohnson, hes never been at a loss for an idea on how to get people from a to b. Londoners are familiar with boris bikes, boris island site of a proposed airport and the former mayors enthusiasm for a garden bridge over the thames, since scrapped. But it seems the foreign secretary excelled himself during an encounter with the french president this week, raising the prospect of a fixed link across the channel, a dream which has tantalised generations of engineers and decision makers. Number ten has let it be known that theresa may isnt about to cut the ribbon on such a scheme any time soon but could a cross channel bridge go the distance . Its going to be a stretch, cautions stephen smith. The great victorian engineers built railways in the cities. The foundations of our industry and infrastructure. But not even they got around to a grand bridge over the sea to france. Oh, superb but the foreign secretary, at home, at sea or on land is apparently thinking big. Bell dings. Lucky londoners have had or almost had a boris bike, boris bridge, boris island, the boris bus, and now he is planning a channel crossing, it seems. So is he the telford, the kingdom brunel of our day . Or is this a bridge too far . The idea of a bridge over the channel isnt new. Here is something from a 70s drawing board. This design from the 80s imagines a bridge running out into the sea as far as a man made island. From there, a corkscrew chamber led to an underwater tunnel. With matching infrastructure on the french side. And this is how the design team here at newsnight see the boris bridge. Though in sharp contrast to recent high level thinking, this has just been thrown together. Were an island nation with a proud history of maritime engineering. Is a bridge to france beyond us . In principle, it is feasible, because there have been similar project in the past. I should mention perhaps the best known one is probably the one in louisiana in the United States. Which is a bridge with a total length of about 25 miles. So it is really more or less the size we are talking about for the english channel. Boris johnson has form with transport ideas. One design critic gave us his review. I think vision is good and i enjoy follies wherever they may be found, but im afraid boriss record as a practical innovator in infrastructure is not all that great. I mean the famous boris bikes, i mean they are quite good fun, but they have made zero impact on the amenity and facility of londoners actually trying to do work. They are only used by lost tourists who dont know where they are going. And then, of course, there is boris island, the famous airport, which again, like the supposed future channel bridge, the boris airport could be built. There is nothing wrong with that. But they were completely unfunded, the questions of infrastructure of roads and railways necessary to service it. Downing street says there are no specific plans for mrjohnsons channel link. In other words, its chances are zip. It is a wistful might have been. A bridge of sighs. The unabridged steve smith. That is all we have time for tonight. We leave you with a heartwarming tale of transport scotlands fleet of salt spring heroes. There is bears no defeating kings of the road the critters, thousands were gripped today by an online map showing the exact location of the lorries, some of which have imaginative names. As we say good night now to ricky gritty bang bang, but snow walker, this
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