Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Five 20180201

Of naked nymphs has been taken down by an art gallery in manchester. Welcome to the bbc news at 5pm. Im jane hill. A man who drove a van into a crowd of muslims near a London Mosque has been found guilty of murder. Darren osborne who was 48 years old ploughed into people in Finsbury Park injune last year, killing 51 year old makram ali and injuring nine others. It was britons fourth terrorist attack in three months. Osborne, from cardiff, was also found guilty of attempted murder and is due to be sentenced on friday. The jury took an hour to return the verdict at Woolwich Crown court after an eight day trial, during which, the father of four suddenly denied he had been driving the van at the moment of impact an Eleventh Hour defence the prosecution dismissed as being conjured out of thin air. In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said Darren Osborne planned and carried out this attack because of his because of his hatred of muslims. We have been clear throughout that this was a terrorist attack, and he must now face the consequences. This report by our Home Affairs Correspondent daniel sandford. It was an act of terror. A large band, its engine revving, smashing into a band, its engine revving, smashing intoa group band, its engine revving, smashing into a group of muslims on a summer night during ramadan. Those he injured terrified that the driver was going to attack again. A few people were really badly hurt and could not move. I thought he was going to kill us. What did you think he was going to kill you with . Maybe a gun, maybe a knife, whatever he could come up with. This, and 999 call made at the time. A lot of people are dying. In a van . The driver tried to escape but was brought to the ground by the angry crowd. A local imam urged him to hand him unscathed to police. Two officers arrived and arrested Darren Osborne, who waved as he was taken to Islington Police station. There are, after a long rant about muslims, he said, have some of that, have some of your own. At least i had a proper go. At about the same time, 51 year old makram ali was declared said at the scene, killed by catastrophic injuries caused by being run over by the van. Darren osborne was born in singapore but his sister says a troubled childhood followed in weston super mare. Friends remember a violent young man. Well, he would stand there like that and stick a glass in yourface. Hes done stand there like that and stick a glass in your face. Hes done that numerous times. Paul downton knives. He has pulled out knives. He has pulled out knives. Thats what he was. To start a new life he moved to cardiff and the house he shared with his partner and children but the relationship was failing and recently he tried to kill himself at least twice. His anger against muslims seems to have begun with a bbc drama about a pakistani gang which groomed girls in rochdale. I buy you things and you give me things. His rage was further fuelled by last years attacks in london and manchester. In the fortnight before his attack he started following this man, tommy robinson, and other anti islamic activists on social media. Baize received a group e mail in robinsons name saying theres a nation within a nation forming beneath the surface of the uk. Its a nation built on hatred, violence and on islam. Detectives believe that area like this had a powerful effect on him. The online material played a significant role in relation to his mindset and how he was radicalised and we believe that thatis was radicalised and we believe that that is what, he became assessed, people around him described it as having a major impact of him on him, brainwashing him and we believe that was, if you like, part of the main driverfor what he that was, if you like, part of the main driver for what he carried out this attack. On saturday, june 17, Darren Osborne decided to act and went to hire a large box van and that evening he was recorded in a pub in cardiff writing a hate filled note data found by police in the van, a misspelt note which rants about feral, inbred, raping muslim men hunting in packs, preying on our children. He caught my attention when he shouted. Callan spends, a serving soldier, was in the pub that night. Callum spends. Serving soldier, was in the pub that night. Callum spends. When i approached him he was in mid conversation with himself or whoever he was talking to, terrorist told bad, iwant he was talking to, terrorist told bad, i want to kill terrorists, im going to take things into my own hands, things like that. The next day, Darren Osborne drove to london. His original target, this pro palestinian march. He told the jury pro palestinian march. He told the jury he wanted to killjeremy corbyn, who had attended in previous yea rs corbyn, who had attended in previous years but road closures meant he couldnt get near. Just after midnight, he came down the Seven Sisters road, swerving across the bus lane at speed and impacting a group of worshippers, his foot hard down on the accelerator. He ran down three people, knocking several more to the side, and smashed into the bollards at the end of the street. His radicalisation complete, hed achieved his aim, to kill. Mohammed mahmoud, the imam who saved osborne from the crowd on the night, says the effects on his congregation have been long lasting. It left people wondering, would there be more, what next . If a car can be turned into a weapon and cause multiple casualties in one go, in an instant, then could this be expected again in the future . Convicted by the jury of murder and attempted murder, Darren Osborne joins the growing list of white, far right terrorists in britains prisons. Joining me via webcam is raffello pantucci, director of International Security studies at the Royal United Services institute. Thank you forjoining us. That is a key point, that daniel ends his report on there, Darren Osborne tonight is another man who has been radicalised, perhaps particularly online, and far right radicalisation. Its something which we seem radicalisation. Its something which we seem to think is now growing in this country. Is that accurate . |j think this country. Is that accurate . think unfortunately, yes. We have seen over think unfortunately, yes. We have seen over the past few years there has been a notable increase in extreme right wing activity. This is both in terms of terrorist incidents but also in terms of some of the groups and Public Discourse around some of these issues. Darren osborne in many ways as and the matic of the types of far right attacks we have had ushered macro is emblematic. We have seen these isolated individuals using extreme ideology to attack their fellow citizens. So much of this is coming from online, from websites, is it accurate to say that oi websites, is it accurate to say that or is that an assumption we make . Well, i think each case is probably slightly different. In this particular case it seems as though he has absorbed a lot of his ideas from the Online Community and watching television, so its difficult but what it does reflect is the fact that the Public Discourse around some of these questions of the discourse around immigration, around our muslim communities, around different communities, around different communities and divisions between them is becoming very aggressive and violent and unfortunately, when you get a Public Discourse that starts steering in this direction, it stirs people up and unfortunately, this is the reaction where you see some people who have disorganised lives and minds, will latch onto these ideas and say, well, there is this very aggressive clash happening in my society, i am at one end and i must do some thing about and then we see this activity. What we see in online spaces is a discussion and discourse which facilitates that shift for someone who is looking for a sort of reason for coming to latch onto. It makes it so much easierfor them to participate. This appears to bea them to participate. This appears to be a lone individual acting on his own but this is an older man, a man with children, i mean, what do you draw from that, if one can draw any thing, if one can generalise . mean, we did a study at my Research Institution where we looked at loan at terrorists from 2000 to 2014 in a european context and one of the patterns we noticed is when you look to violent islamist terrorists they look to be younger but when you look at the extreme right wing it is younger older white men who had relatively settled lives it is older white men who had relatively settled lives they have fallen out of so this profile fits that particular bracket. Thank you for your time tonight. Our correspondent Angus Crawford has been in court. We dont have sentencing yet, angus, but talk us through some of the judges comments on what you have been hearing. The judge sent the jury been hearing. The judge sent the jury outjust before 3pm today and it took less than an hour, 59 minutes, for thejury of it took less than an hour, 59 minutes, for the jury of eight women and four meant to come back with guilty verdict, guilty of murder, guilty verdict, guilty of murder, guilty of attempted murder and osborne in the dock made no reaction at all. What was really interesting about this case was the fact that he didnt come up with any kind of defence until very late in the date. Normally a defence is filed early on, very early on, before the case begins at in this case, his defence came very late and it was, in the words of the prosecution, absurd. He claimed that he was the driving the van at the moment of the attack. He told the court that yes, the plan to come to london and had planned mass murder, the plan to drive a van into a march in london and at that march he hoped to killjeremy corbyn and sadiq khan but he claimed that at the actual moment in Finsbury Park, a man called dave, didnt know his surname a man called dave, didnt know his surname he lived, no cctv of dave, he claimed dave had driven the van and he, osborne, had in changing his trousers. When he was asked by the prosecution well, why is there no cctv footage whatsoever of this man dave getting into the van or in the van . He replied well, hes an illusionist, perhaps he can make himself banished. What was also very clear from this case was that osborne was a very troubled man, a deeply disturbed individual, unemployed for ten years, history of mental illness, history of depression in the months before the attack itself he threatened to kill himself on two occasions and he was known in his earlier life for violence. He would have fights with people in pubs and elsewhere, so this was a man with a great deal of anger and his ex partner in a written statement told the court that the catalyst for his radicalisation was when he watched a bbc drama called three girls which came out last year, about grooming hangs of men from pakistani origins and at that point he became very angry. He became seeking out online far right extremist material and its that the prosecution believes radicalised him to a point where he decided that he was going to kill and, infact, decided that he was going to kill and, in fact, he was on a Suicide Mission and didnt expect to survive. Thank you for now, the latest therefrom which crown court. Woolwich crown court. The Prime Minister says britain and china are enjoying a golden era in their relationship, after meeting the countrys president xijinping in beijing. But on the second day of her trip to try to boost trade between the two countries post brexit, theresa may has also been talking about eu Citizens Rights during the transition period. There is some flash photography in this report from robin brant in shanghai. Day two of her trip, it was time to see the sights. With her husband, philip, at her side, the Prime Minister toured the forbidden city, but there was no stopping talk of brexit following her. In beijing, with one eye on brussels, the Prime Minister signalled she will fight proposals to give uk residency rights to eu citizens who come during the post brexit transitionary period. Theres a pushback, too, aimed at critics on her own side. A tory mp has accused mrs may of governing like a tortoise when what is needed is a lion. The cabinet minister on this trip with her says her doubters need to see things more like her hosts do. They are looking at performance, they are looking to see what the uk is doing, and they look at the Prime Minister in a different way than some of, lets say, the internal tearoom discussions in the uk do. The problem for dr fox is that sometimes the discussions in the tearooms of westminster are similar to whats being talked by the leaders in the teahouses of china. In both cases they see a Prime Minister on the road beating the drum for trade, but they also see a leader weakened by that general election result, with a cloud of uncertainty from brexit hanging over her. Sowing the seeds for the uk china relationship after brexit is part of the focus of this trip. That includes science collaboration, as china tries to rely less on importing food. Then there is britains cultural exports. We know that dr who and Downton Abbey are great successes here in china. Ive just been meeting the Company Responsible for something that i have to confess i havent seen. I have seen Downton Abbey and dr who. I have not watched octonauts, which is a uk childrens cartoon which is apparently being enjoyed by millions of children here in china. Away from entertainment and back to business, this was the most important meeting of the day with chinas president , xijinping. The Prime Minister wants to deepen what she called their global strategic partnership. It was almost certainly one conversation over tea that didnt touch on her leadership problems. We drink lapsang. Robin brant, bbc news, shanghai. As we heard there, theresa may has signalled that shell fight a demand by the European Union that eu citizens who move to the uk during the transition period, after march 2019, will be given full residency rights. The Prime Minister said that in the Eu Referendum people had not voted for nothing to change. Our Political Correspondent iain watson reports. All smiles. In december, the eu gave the green light for talks on trade and on a transition period of about two years after brexit, but now theres a snag. The government thought it was agreed that full eu Citizens Rights to work here would end after brexit in march 2019. Now the eu says those rights should be extended until the end of any transition. In their view, december 2020. To many brexiteers, thats unacceptable. This is an issue that we cant compromise on. We do need to make it absolutely sure that any eu citizens who come here during the transitional period, will not be given the permanent right to reside in this country. Well have left the European Union and the eu cant expect the same provisions to prevail after weve gone. Under pressure from those pro brexit backbenchers, theresa may told reporters on her trip to china that, in essence, brexit means brexit. People coming to britain after march 2019 in the full knowledge that weve left the eu should be treated differently. A point repeated by her ministers in the commons. The Citizens Rights agreement reached in december, set out in the joint report, does give certainty about the rights of eu citizens already here going forward, but this agreement does not cover those arriving after we leave the eu. So what would this mean in practice . Well, the only change that eu citizens would see if they come here during a transition period is that theyd have to register. But if they wanted to stay on beyond that transition period, the government says new rules could be applied. Depending on the negotiations, that might mean the need for a work permit or visa. Government sources say eu citizens wouldnt be thrown out, but labour are more worried that potential migrants, but pro eu campaigners are more worried that potential migrants, who could be needed, will be discouraged from coming in the first place. We already have a huge staff problem in the National Health service, 19 20,000 vacancies across the nhs. We have very few polish nurses or others coming in this country. If we make it harderfor them during the transition period, it will be harder for all of us and i think we should say if were transitioning on the same conditions, it should apply in all aspects. Speculation about theresa mays future continues at westminster and shes been offered apparently helpful advice by the man she sacked as chancellor. The conservative party, which i have worked very hard over my lifetime to put back in a position where it could be the government, must offer to the country a big plan for the future, big ideas, big vision, a plan to engage with the rest of the world, like china, or indeed a form of brexit which is not as economically damaging as some of the forms being proposed. It is becoming increasingly apparent she doesnt simply have to negotiate with brussels but with members of her own party, too. Iain watson, bbc news, westminster. In a moment well get the picture from adam fleming in brussels, but first our chief Political Correspondent vicki young is in westminster. Again, this is an intractable problem or has been in the past. The whole issue of freedom of movement is fundamental as far as most of the eu is concerned. Yes, and it goes back to a long term problem that theresa may or whoever leads the conservative party is going to have to deal with, which is making these compromises, notjust to deal with, which is making these compromises, not just with to deal with, which is making these compromises, notjust with brussels but within her own party. This particularly is about that transition period and that really is going to be adding the next flash point for the conservative party, brussels and the uk want to get the terms of that transition period sorted and they want it sorted around the march time but there are going to be some difficulties. This is particularly about the ongoing rights of eu citizens who come here after weve left but during the transition period should they have the right to remain afterwards, the eu says yes, theresa may says no, there has to be a difference, the uk is leaving, there has to be a difference in the terms that they come here but i think there could be other, more serious problems, certainly around the idea of trade deals, whether the uk would be able to negotiate and sign trade deals with other countries and also about new roles, what happens . The uk will have no say over new wall street that implementation period, will there be some compromise, some mechanism where we can have a say . Will have no say over new rules in that implement shay shouldnt implementation period. Conservatives are concerned they will be punished in the local elections coming up by the electorate. That is very interesting. That is sadly a thought for another day adam fleming is in brussels. Give us a sense of what you have been picking up on there, what the reaction is when theresa may speaks about this transition period and what should or shouldnt happen during it . The mep who chairs the european pa rliaments during it . The mep who chairs the european parliaments brexit steering group, an influential and loud voice in this debate, he is off work sick today that he tweeted from his sick bed to say this is absolutely non negotiable for the eu. The eu would not accept a situation where european citizens who moved to the uk before brexit have one set of rights and then european citizens who moved to the uk after brexit budgerigar transition period have a completely different set of rights to their compatriots. The european commission, the organisation that ru ns commission, the organisation that runs the brexit talks on a day to day basis, one of their Vice President s was asked about it today, he said he did want to comment on state m e nts he said he did want to comment on statements made by the british primers on the other side of the world, he would only react when he saw what the official british position is. They are going to have to wait until both sides sit down and start discussing the details of the transition period and, as yet, there is no date in the diary for that to start, even though the British Government want a very broad agreement in principle by the middle of march so that business can benefit from as much certainty as they can as a result of the transitional arrangement being put in place. Completely coincidentally, some of the actual people in the real world who are affected by this, british citizens living on the continent and european citizens living in the uk, have been in brussels today for a public hearing about this issue and the european parliament. They have been pretty annoyed about whats going on, about the two and fro about what happens in the transition period. They say there are bigger issues to be solved, left over from there are bigger issues to be solved, left overfrom phase there are bigger issues to be solved, left over from phase one, things they say will really affect their lives, like how our professional convocations going to be recognised and what about the right of uk citizens who moved to the eu, remaining 27 countries well before brexit . Will they still be able to move around for work and life in the eu 27 after brexit . They say they dont want those issues, very important for them, to be forgotten when headlines are about other, perhaps more dramatic fall in sound. Adam, thank you very much and vicky young, thank you and lets talk about this for a little bit longer. German mep Hans Olaf Henkel is from the european conservatives and Reformists Group and is in our Berlin Studio for us now. Good evening to you. Good evening. What do you think when theresa may talks about a slightly different system jury the transition period, a different approach to use citizens who come to the uk . Is she making a fair point . Different system jury the transition period, a different approach to eu citizens . Apparently, and that is my conviction, this is a reaction to what barnier, the eu negotiator said last week, he said why is britain in the transition period, it has two swallow all walls and regulations which the other 27 countries has to swallow all rules and regulations. But it hasnt itself got a voice during this period. For me, this is another step off de escalation. I think we have to start to de escalates this sort of thing. By the way on the issue of what right should eu citizens have when they get to the uk, i think theres a possibility of compromise. By theres a possibility of compromise. By the way, compromise between the soft and hard brexit within the uk government on the one hand and between david davis and barnier on the other and that compromise has been proposed by our group called a new dealfor britain. Been proposed by our group called a new deal for britain. Where are the problems, then . Is it, in your opinion, the eu being intractable today on this specific issue of freedom of movement or is it domestic problems at home, as you are pointing to, the fractured nature of the conservative party when it comes to the whole issue of europe . Well, i think the whole thing in my view started with mr barnier because his Division Strategy is very obviously not very fairto strategy is very obviously not very fair to britain. Strategy is very obviously not very fairto britain. I strategy is very obviously not very fair to britain. I give you one example, when he said that there must be a border arrangement between Northern Ireland and ireland before we can start trade talks, by that he has made the whole thing impossible because i dont know of any border arrangement anywhere in the World Without knowing what kind of trade talks you have so britain lost six months because of barnier. As far as our compromise is concerned, its the following, i think we should start to differentiate when one person leaves from country a and goes to country b, we should differentiate how to treat this person, for instance, we could say that inherited benefits should be continued to be paid either country where he came from, or she, and only job related and if it should be paid for by the country where this person works. Thats exactly what David Cameron wanted before the referendum and he didnt get it. Meanwhile, my feeling is that more and more countries believe that thats exactly what the European Union needs. I hope if we come up with that compromise for the transition period, we could basically tear the brexit is in britain, look, you got with you always wanted because im convinced, had this been given to David Cameron before the referendum, the referendum would have gone the other way. Oh, goodness the ithink it is an opportunity. Thats an interesting take in itself. Before you go, you say it needs to de escalates, do you think ultimately all of the men we are talking about today, will they give a little bit more, relax a bit more than they are currently doing . Do you think this is still a deliberate bargaining attempt on their part . They have to be seen to be taking a tough line because they dont want tough line because they dont want to encourage other eu members to do what britain has, is, doing is to mark thats exactly it, what is happening. The reaction is typical. Either way, everybody focuses either way, everybody focuses on the negative economic effects on the uk but i tell you, i have myself been for many years the president of the German Federation of industries, which is the equivalent of the cbi, andi which is the equivalent of the cbi, and i tell you, i hear increasing worried voices on the continent about the negative effects of brexit on the continent. So, it is in the co nsta nts on the continent. So, it is in the consta nts interest that on the continent. So, it is in the constants interest that barnier ta kes a constants interest that barnier takes a different line. We should stop this talk about cherry picking and things like this. The closer britain is to the u eu, the better the deal will also be for the european industries, so it is in our own interests to offer the british the best yield possible and the best deal possible and being part of this movement, a new dealfor britain, ican this movement, a new dealfor britain, i can tell you one thing, the very best thing is to call this whole thing off. Well, theres a thought on which to end our interview we must leave it there for now. Good to talk to you. Thank you for your time tonight. Thank you for joining you for your time tonight. Thank you forjoining us from berlin. Much more coming up on all of todays stories but we will pause now and catch up with the weather prospects. It felt pretty chilly today because of north westerly wind bringing plenty of showers. A big cumulonimbus cloud over staffordshi re cumulonimbus cloud over staffordshire lit up by the Early Morning sunshine. Showers continue to feeding and a clump of rain working in across east anglia heading close to london, i would not be surprised to see some sleet mixed in but overnight showers will continue. There could be some icy stretches on untreated roads as temperatures dipped down close to freezing in towns and as m eta as . . . 541. 57 and lj7 ; 7 as . . . 541. 57 and shim it; 7 both imam stat; which fsfstf ,~,~,, , stat; which has ti . ,~,~,, , both the russian state which has repeatedly denied any involvement in the doping and those cleared. We have waited for the decision for a long time and were hoping for justice and it has prevailed. It is a matter of my life what i do and when you are accused like that it is unpleasant and every thing falls apart for you. We hope we still make it to these olympic games. But with the game is only a week away, and the game is only a week away, and the deadline for registering to compete long past, that looks unlikely. Uk sport have announced millions of pounds of fresh investment for new sports and athletes with strong potential to win medals at tokyo twenty20, there isa win medals at tokyo twenty20, there is a partial reprieve for some sports that lost funding including badminton but only certain athletes will get a slice of the money while climbing, karate and bmx freestyle are among the sports we shall receive National Lottery support as they enter the olympic and Paralympic Programme for the first time. Stewart regan has stepped down for the Scottish Football Association as its chief executive after eight years in the job. He said he recognised the need for change, scotland missed out on qualification for the world cup and have so far failed to find a replacement for the previous manager Gordon Strachan which a former executive described as an embarrassment. Gary caldwell applied for thejob earlier embarrassment. Gary caldwell applied for the job earlier today. That is all of your sport now. Find out more on those stories on the bbc sport website. Sportsday is coming up at 6 30pm. An inquiry will examine how voting rules in parliament can be reformed for mps who are having a baby. During a commons debate this afternoon , mps pressed the case for new mums and dads to get a proxy vote , which would allow another mp to vote for them. Labours Harriet Harman who is the longest serving female mp , led the debate , and we can speak to her now from our westminster studio. It is actually astonishing to read about the lack of a system for an mp who has a child, ifound it staggering in 2018, if you can briefly explain to viewers how it works and what you were trying to improve. Really there is no system at all and it dates back to the era when the overwhelming majority of majorities of mps were men and it was regarded as a matter of expectation that everything to do with the family would be the responsibility of their wives but the house of commons along with every where else in this country has com pletely every where else in this country has completely changed and we have a lot of women, 200 women many younger and having babies in the house of commons which is what should be happening so the house of commons is more representative than it used to be and we also have a lot of younger men whose wives are working and they dont expect that they have no engagement with their new baby, they expect to be the and the same time it is very important to the constituency is still represented and the vote on behalf of the constituency is cast and therefore we need a quite simple straightforward proxy Voting System so if youre off with a baby, if you are ina so if youre off with a baby, if you are in a birthing pool you cannot be casting a vote in the house of commons, you just cant. That issue of the new baby as a man or a woman another mp you choose can vote on your behalf and at least you constituencys vote is recorded and that was agreed today set seems like a tiny step forward bearing in mind we set the rules for everybody elses paternity and Maternity Leave and will do it in respect of the house of commons. That is what is so staggering that you are all legislating telling everyone else in the country to operate in a certain way and those rules do not exist in 2018 in the british house of commons and the sweep of history. Some of the changes you must have seen in your time people know you have been writing about this a lot recently, did you think it would take this long to reach this point on something so fundamental question mark i think once we make this change will think it is mad that we carried on with the system pretending there was no such thing as pregnancy and no such thing as men having babies for so long so once we make that change it will be very very important indeed but what we have at the moment is a kind of informal that if someone is pregnant they can go along to the mps ask they can go along to the mps ask the whips office as a matter of discretion for a pair which means that allows another mp from the other side, then the other sides whip us to agree editors negotiated and about doing favours and there is no specific time limits and nobody wa nts to no specific time limits and nobody wants to do that and at the end of it all you get an abstention, you do not get to cast your vote. It is simple to sort this out but we cannot be setting and improving the standards for Family Friendly employment in the world of work outside the house of commons when we are still in the dark ages ourselves. But this time, today, was a big step forward and what i never thought i would see the day were not only were there so many women speaking in the debate but so many men saying i want to take my responsibilities as the father seriously, my wife and new baby needs me for a short period but my constituency needs me to be cast that vote so it was a moving moment for me. There is so much more we could discuss and plenty happening next week in relation to both the women, i wonder if while you are with us because he will know we have had a verdict in the last hour in relation to the horrific attack at Finsbury Park mosque in london last summer, Finsbury Park mosque in london last summer, a man Finsbury Park mosque in london last summer, a man convicted of murder and afar summer, a man convicted of murder and a far right fanatic, radicalised, a lone actor, it is your party that horrifically lost an mp at the hands of a lone man, a far right fanatic and im curious whether what concerns you have about the apparent rise, what suggests to be an increase in far right fanaticism, what we as a society need to be doing about that. The Security Services and the police are very well aware that the threat of terrorism comes not just very well aware that the threat of terrorism comes notjust from daesh inspired commonality but from extreme right groups but two things are important, one is they need the resources for the meticulous intelligence gathering in order to prevent these things happening they need to use intelligence gathering and that means resources. And also co operation with colleagues in europe because a lot of these networks of radicalisation operate cross border so we must not drink this fog of brexit loses important connections of europol which help keep us safe. We must leave it there. Many thanks. The economic gap between the north and south of england will continue to grow, unless the government prioritises education and skills thats the warning from the Northern Powerhouse partnership, a body set up to try to re balance the uk economy. It says pupils in the north are on average one gcse grade behind those in the south and that the region is being held back by a lack of investment in education. Nina warhurst reports. If your child is born in the north east, their chances of going to an Underperforming School are three times higher than if they were born in london. Todays report asks for £300 million of new money for the north for early years and asks every northern business to play its part by mentoring the young. Weve got to put education at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse and this is a call to arms to say it doesnt have to be the case that schools in the north underperform schools in the south, so weve got a big plan working across the parties with businesses to bring reform, investment and business involvement into our schools. How are you finding the Communications Time on a wednesday . George osborne wants businesses to follow barclays lead. They have more than 500 apprentices across the north. They say they want northern talent to stay here. I think it was an opportunity that i was quite surprised to find that i didnt have to move away for. Because i think my kind of preconception was, you would probably have to move to have a really good career. But now, you know, my views completely changed on that now that ive found the Degree Programme because you can do it from anywhere. The authors of the report focused on northern employers who consistently pointed to poor skills and inadequate training. They also said they worry about the brain drain of northern talent disappearing south, and all of that feeds into a gap in productivity thats getting wider. The government says it is stepping up after being accused of neglecting the north from the day George Osborne left downing street. One of the real unsung bits about our Northern Powerhouse is the £70 million weve put into our Northern Powerhouse school strategy, which goes all the way from early years provision and making sure that is as good as it can be, to the maths and english hubs that we have set up. Were going to do some more division. Its a complicated equation, more government money plus more Business Investment could equal 850,000 newjobs in the north by 2050. But can the maths add up . Nina warhurst, bbc news in darlington. Im joined by collette roche, who is chair of the education and skills group at the Northern Powerhouse project. Good evening to you. You heard some of the government representative saying 70 million is being spent on the schooling in the region, are you saying that is not sufficient or the money is not getting to the right places, what is your key concern . think the key aim is to really drive productivity in the north and that is not just for the productivity in the north and that is notjust for the north but for the uk economy. What we found is a key enabler of doing that is education and skills attainment and we have found in the report that there is a huge gap to the tune of one gcse mark between our students in the north and those down south. And that is something that clearly we need to address. But the government says more money is going m, government says more money is going in, when you say you need to address it, what other specifics, what is not happening in your opinion that really ought to be happening . This is not just about really ought to be happening . This is notjust about money, the government do need to invest but our report is asking for the government to invest in the areas that need it most so focusing on the disadvantaged areas and encouraging and setting specific areas up so schools can Work Together with children at an early age so that is one of the things theyre asking but secondly we are really asking businesses to step up to the plate. Because clearly they have a vested interest, pupils in the north are the workforce in the north and we have a responsibility as businesses to mentor and get involved with our stu d e nts to mentor and get involved with our students earlier on and that is something that can be achieved and something that can be achieved and something we have done in Manchester Airport where we have touched 10,000 pupils. That is interesting, to such an interesting approach i wonder you have given one example, do you get a good response from businesses of all different sizes when you suggest this as an option, do the businesses feel there is something in it for them . Absolutely. We have a lot of evidence to suggest it is notjust one or two big businesses that are doing this. There is a lot of other businesses across the north that mentoring students, that are sitting on board of governors and that our coaching and providing world of work days and Work Experience and it is critical to make sure our pupils in the north get the ambition and get the north get the ambition and get the attainment and support they need to achieve their potential. Very good to talk to. Thank you. Figures from Public Health england sure what the majority of strokes still occur in people over the age of 70, more than a third or first time strokes hit adults between 40 and 69. I had a stroke, i had a stroke. I had a stroke. Adrianjones was just 53 when it happened to him. He says his stroke has changed his life but are used to work 50 miles a week now the struggles over short distances. I didnt feel too great straight away and when i twisted and tried to stand up, i immediately fell over and i couldnt feel, i had no sensation on my left side at all. So, i didnt know what had happened, obviously panicking. The older you are, the greater your chance of having a stroke, but the average age for men having a first stroke has fallen from 71 to 68. For women, its gone from 75 to 73. Figures from Public Health england show almost 60 of first time stroke patients were 70 or over. But theres been an increase in middle aged people being affected. In 2007, about 15 of people having a first stroke were aged between 40 and 59. By 2016, it had gone up to 20 . I think the first thing is awareness that stroke can happen. Awareness how awful stroke can be, and therefore it really is worth making an effort right from the beginning of your life, or as soon as you become an adult, to be thinking about the longer term, not to think that stroke is just a disease for older people. If someone is having a stroke its vital to get help quickly. So a campaigns been launched to help people recognise the symptoms. If people can get to hospital quickly, get the life saving treatment that they need within three hours, it means that not only is their life going to be saved, but also theyre likely to live a life with reduced disability and burden associated with stroke, so please do act fast. Face has it fallen on one side . Arms, can they raise them . Speech, is it slurred . Its worth saying too, 40 to 74 year olds in england are eligible for Health Checks to help spot the early signs of various conditions including strokes. Catherine burns, bbc news. And in a controversial move a gallery in manchester has removed and has removed a victorian painting of naked adolescent girls. Manchester art gallery say they want to encourage debate about how such images should be displayed in the modern age. The painting in question is hylas and the nymphs by jw waterhouse and its removal is part of a new art project by sonia boyce. Some people say it is censorship and should not be allowed , the public have been invited to write their views about the decision on sticky notes and post them in the vacant space. Joining me to discuss this is alistair hudson, director of Middlesbrough Institute of modern art and soon to be director of manchester art gallery. Hello, good evening. We only gave a brief explanation of what has happened. The painting has been taken down, explain why in what circumstances, what the thinking is behind this. I understand it is part ofa behind this. I understand it is part of a project by sonia boyce and artist to herself has commanded a lot of censorship in her career being a british artist connected with black art movement and a woman herself. And she is working with the gallery and the staff and the public to look at issues around debates around representations of women and therefore has part of that project therefore has part of that project the ambition was to look again at the ambition was to look again at the displays of the collection within the gallery which is happening a lot of museums around the world. This is a new agenda of collections, museums and galleries looking at what kind of stories they tell and how they represent culture. As pa rt of tell and how they represent culture. As part of this, the manchester art gallery has maybe as a provocation but to remove this painting from display, not just but to remove this painting from display, notjust censorship but rather to remove the painting to open up the debate. And to ask people how they feel about it and there is nothing like taking something away to generate opinion, debate and the people to realise what they miss or what they missed in its reading or how people understood it. So, to generate debate, interesting you say galleries or art institutions are looking at this, is it as straightforward as saying this is pa rt straightforward as saying this is part of a revaluation of a collection in the light of the mead seam movement and all the sexual abuse issues we have discussed so much, is it that black and white or is there something broader, longer term going on here . No, this is part ofa term going on here . No, this is part of a bigger debate within our history, within society and within a kind of post modern world. Where we are kind of post modern world. Where we a re really kind of post modern world. Where we are really thinking again and looking again at our culture, where it comes from and who decides and a lot of art collections come from a particular place, from particular point of view or the stories associated with them are only told bya associated with them are only told by a certain type of person usually in the art world that somebody he might regard as being the elite or being male. So, this is a different ta ke being male. So, this is a different take on trying to understand how we represent ourselves as a society through museums and galleries. Part ofa through museums and galleries. Part of a decolonisation de gendt, part of a decolonisation de gendt, part ofa of a decolonisation de gendt, part of a rebalancing of the agenda between the male and female representation in galleries. It is pa rt representation in galleries. It is part of a much longer stretch re and ido part of a much longer stretch re and i do not really see it as censorship, i see it more as a consultation because the work is going to go back on display and the work has not been removed from public display, you can still make an appointment to go and see the work, the work is still at the gallery and this often happens with collections, they get taken down and learned at whether institutions and give conservation. This is all part of the mechanisms of howard gallery rotates its collections and displays but thinks about them and who the audience is and what these things are for. So those who say this is an illiberal act, that the arts are and should be liberal and what is going on is clearly not liberal, critics have argued, would you refute that, that it have argued, would you refute that, thatitis have argued, would you refute that, that it is not about getting rid of liberal values . No, it is that it is not about getting rid of liberalvalues . No, it is part of that it is not about getting rid of liberal values . No, it is part of a complex conversation. This is a complicated painting which can be read in many different ways on many different levels. The pre Raphaelite Movement itself was a sociopolitical movement, notjust movement itself was a sociopolitical movement, not just about movement itself was a sociopolitical movement, notjust about making paintings, it was about challenging institutions, it was about the working classes and fighting for rights. And that is mixed up with a complicated history of easel painting and the depiction of bodies within art and in this painting you see that and how these things are read this thread is all part of abbey operates in society. They do not have fixed meanings. What youre seeing here is the meaning of this painting changing with how it is currently operating in our culture. So much more we could discuss but very grateful for your time. Thank you very much. The debate will continue, i am sure. Lets have a look right now at the weather prospects. A chilly day today on account of the strong and gusty north westerly account of the strong and gusty north westerly wind. Account of the strong and gusty north westerly wind. A account of the strong and gusty north westerly wind. A day account of the strong and gusty north westerly wind. A day of sunshine and showers, this was a shower cloud picked out by the red hues of the Early Morning sunrise. It has been quite a cold day, chilly aranda trossachs with some snow on the hills and clear blue skies a vet and ski resorts are looking pretty good. As we go to the next few hours, a clump of rain works across east anglia pushing down towards the south east and may curve away from london but it will get very close. Some sleet mixed in with that and to the rest of the night showers continue, broadly speaking in the same kind of areas where we have seen same kind of areas where we have seen showers by day. The risk of icy patches on untreated roads and surfaces. Temperatures down to between one and four. Tomorrow, showers to start off with across the northern and eastern parts of scotla nd northern and eastern parts of scotland and eastern england, winteriness mixed in and showers become less widespread as we go through the day, increasing amounts of sunshine. The wind is lighter than today, it will not feel as chilly, temperatures between five and eight celsius. The weekend, a mixture of rain and snow working income often cloudy and through the weekend we will develop quite a bitterly cold wind across south east england. The more detail, saturday a band of rain becomes slow moving working in turning to snow on high ground, cross the cumbrian fells the pennines and Peak District and what sta rts pennines and Peak District and what starts off as cold rain across the midlands and parts of southern england could switch over to sleet, maybe even some snow mixed in, hopefully not causing too many problems. A cold dank day with temperatures struggling, highs of four, five or 6 degrees but feeling chilly and a grey leaden skies. More cloud on sunday across england and wales, strengthening wind across the south east making it feel quite bitter and best of the sunshine for the north of scotland and Northern Ireland. Early next week monday night into tuesday a band of snow potentially moving its way in, the main uncertainty is how far east it pushes but nevertheless to monday into tuesday it looks like some of us could be looking at some fairly heavy snow and that is most likely across western parts of the uk. The Finsbury Park terror attack a mans found guilty of murder and attempted murder after ploughing a van into a group of muslims. 48 year old Darren Osborne deliberately killed one man and injured several others near a north London Mosque in an act of terrorism. Radicalised online within weeks, he wanted to kill as many muslims as possible, and waved as he was arrested. The online material played a significant role in relation to his mindset and how he was radicalised. Darren osborne will be sentenced tomorrow. Also on the programme tonight taking tea in china the Prime Minister holds talks with the chinese president as brexit troubles continue to brew at home. A warning from englands chief inspector of schools some parents and religious leaders are trying to actively pervert education. Calls for more home visits to help the elderly and vulnerable trapped in an endless cycle of avoidable hospital readmissions