Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC Newsroom Live 20180208

Its thursday 8th february. Im annita mcveigh. Welcome to bbc newsroom live. Within the next half hour the leader of the house of Commons Andrea leadsom will be presenting the results of a cross Party Investigation into Sexual Harassment at westminster. Well be taking you there live when it starts, but first the findings show that nearly a fifth of people working in parliament have experienced or witnessed Sexual Harassment in the past 12 months. And the report recommends a new code of conduct and compulsory training to help mps understand and prevent harassment. The review was set up last year after several harassment claims against mps and staff. Our assistant Political Editor norman smith is at westminster. We now have a set of proposals which mps will vote on, to revamp procedures for pursuing complaints of Sexual Harassment, a new investigating process, a new code of conduct, but nothing particularly new in terms of sanctions, and that is what will concern many people who work at westminster, around half of them represented by the unite union, and im joined by a them represented by the unite union, and imjoined bya member of unite, you contributed to this, you gave evidence, are you satisfied with what it has come up with . We welcome the report, it is a real step forward in terms of having an independent complaints process. It has been great, what has been great is the working group having gauged with staff and listened to staff concerns. I think it is important that we will have an independent complaints process. We need to go a lot further, there needs to be commitment from the parliamentary authorities, that they will continue to engage with staff, we need a dignity at work strategy, a long term process. We need to ensure that there is a review of the terms and conditions of employment. It is and conditions of employment. It is a very archaic system in parliament, and it needs really to come into the 21st century. And it needs really to come into the 21st ce ntury. We would and it needs really to come into the 21st century. We would like an organisation such as acas to come in and work with the parliamentary authorities, to make sure that there isa authorities, to make sure that there is a better way of employing staff, so is a better way of employing staff, so staff have the confidence that if they make a complaint, they will be listened to, that it will be dealt with confidentially, and that there will be a real sanction and outcome, because otherwise, they will not make complaints. What they need is a working environment with dignity at working environment with dignity at work at its heart, that you come to work at its heart, that you come to work with the confidence that you will not have a stapler thrown at you, or made to work until midnight or sitting in a cold office. With the parliamentary authorities can go further now and engage with staff, have a Union Recognition agreement for staff, then we would be a lot more confident. You mentioned sanctions, the need for sanctions to have people confident in coming forward , have people confident in coming forward, as it stands, they do not seem forward, as it stands, they do not seem to be any new significant sanctions. Parliament has always had the ability to recall an mp, and ask them to step aside and call a by election, that would be something that we would see as a last resort, we would like to see parliament deal with issues informally, if they can come in the first instance, and that is new, having a procedure which enables you to deal with issues early on. But yes. You will know from a union background, if someone in the workplace is accused of sexual misconduct, they are fired,. That is gross misconduct, it is simply unacceptable, but the issue for us is that there is a lot of low level bullying and harassment which goes on in parliament which needs to be addressed. Of course, yes, we would like to see those sanctions enforced by parliament when necessary. What about anonymity, took controversy over the idea that if an mp is accused, he or she has anonymity through the process until they are convicted of anything, suggestion being that that may deter or discourage other complainants from coming forward, when you put a name out in the public domain, people feel emboldened, yes, that person harassed me as well. The key thing is that our loyal members of staff, they are determined and dedicated to they are determined and dedicated to the work they do, they believe in the work they do, they believe in the political organisations they work for. And they make a complaint of harassment, they just work for. And they make a complaint of harassment, theyjust want it dealt with and what happened, what they find, if they make a complaint, it ends up in the media, and then they end up in the media as well. We think the confidentiality requirements through the process while doing an investigation is important so we welcome that as well. Much of the report focuses on changing the culture at westminster, westminster has a particular working environment and particular relationships between mps, close members of staff, working with them. How likely is that to change any time soon . Depends on whether or not mps, political organisations, are prepared to engage with staff, and listen to their concerns, and recognise that actually, everyone deserves dignity at work. It is really important now that there is a former Union Recognition agreement, meetings of staff and mp5, so we can talk through concerned, but in place measures to address what is perfectly honest a very difficult working environment for people to working environment for people to work in. Formal Union Recognition agreement. The final package will have to be agreed by mps. We are expecting the leader of the Commons Andrea leadsom to present that cross party Andrea Leadsom to present that cross Party Investigation, the report on cross Party Investigation into Sexual Harassment at westminster in the commons in the next half hour, we believe at 11 30am, and we will bring that to you when it begins. Nearly all of the local councils in england are planning to raise their council taxes in april, thats according to a survey by the local Government Information Unit which found that more than three quarters of them were worried about financial stability. The biggest pressure on budgets was demand for childrens services, Adult Social Care, housing and homelessness. The government say the Current System strikes a balance between relieving growing pressure on local government and making sure taxpayers do not face excessive bills. Earlierjonathan carr west, chief executive of the local Government Information Unit, told the bbc about the pressures mounting on local authority finances. Over the next couple of years we will see continuing cuts to libraries, leisure centres, parks, continuing tightening of statutory services, tightening of eligibility for care, provision of care at a lower level, but even then, the system is not sustainable, seven out of ten councils have been into their reserves to keep things going, eight out of ten Council Leaders tell us the system is unsustainable. Something big has to change. Lets speak now to marianne overton, vice chair of the local Government Association and also a county councillor for the lincolnshire independents party. She joins us from lincoln. Thank you very much for your time. Good morning. Staring down the barrel of a £5 billion funding gap i2020, barrel of a £5 billion funding gap |2020, just barrel of a £5 billion funding gap i2020, just two years time, in your word, described to us the financial pressures local authorities are under as they look to set a budget for the next financial year. Many of us for the next financial year. Many of us have been paying income tax into the central part, just the same, but the central part, just the same, but the men of money coming back for local spend has been reducing. At the same time, the pressures on the council spend has increased, so for example, many more people, more people who are in greater need, older people with higher levels of need, more children coming into care, there is an extra child that is reported as needing attention, every 49 seconds. This is a huge extra demand on resources, and yet, the amount of money in the pot has got smaller. What do you make of the government response, that the Current System strikes a balance, between relieving pressure and make sure there is not excessive bills, do you think a balance is being struck western mark we have to raise council taxes because of that money not coming back for local spend. Being struck . I believe it is not a good balance, we must resolve this problem where we have increasing needs and not enough money to pay for them. The system currently is broken, we are trying to make sure we are able to keep business rates, for instance, and that would make a help, but it must be shared out fairly. We must fix the system so the councils are funded adequately to make sure that the essential services that our communities need are able to continue into the future. Lots of councils are talking about reducing or getting rid of entirely certain services, your area, for instance, as an example, if something has got to give, what is it going to be . We have already done a great deal, Youth Services have been massively reduced, passed on the voluntary sector, the same with libraries, we are asking much more voluntary people to come in, and take over. Well, to come in and take over. Well, to come in and do the work, to make sure libraries continue. So it is about passing on the cost, it passes on to the public, to individuals, and now having to pay more for services they need, we also have had to use reserves , need, we also have had to use reserves, and we have had to sell off some assets, so, in total, we have quite a considerable package of measures to try to make ends meet. But it comes to a point where we cannot do it any more. The extra tax raising powers that you have, to what extent are those helping . M all councils raise the tax by the full amount, it will raise just about, just over half a billion. 540 million, just over half a billion, and we are 5. 8 billion short. Even if all councils raise by the full amount, it will not be enough to make ends meet. Would you say, because people might ask, are councils being as efficient as they can be, have all the efficiency savings been made in your opinion . Absolutely, we have been working on this since the financial crash in 2008, thereabouts, making efficiency savings at every turn. I do believe we have worked really hard on that, sometimes it is about renegotiating contracts, Getting Better arrangements in place, councils working together, so that we share back services. A great deal of efficiency savings have been done. Now, we are cutting into the front line, and from the publics perspective, that is simply not good enough. I want to ask you about the research from the local Government Association information unit, that 80 of councils are concerned about financial stability. That sounds like another level on from concern about financial pressures, what exactly does it mean . It is, and from 2020, there will be no more core funding coming from central government, that is income tax that was forming quite a substantial part of local spend, and does not anymore. We are getting to the point, particularly 2020, where we will be stuck. A number of councils will be stuck. A number of councils will be stuck. A number of councils will be struggling. Some like northamptonshire have had real big problems, and a number of those councils that have big pressures, particularly from adult and childrens care, that is huge increasing pressures that are extreme it difficult to manage. The situation has to be tackled face up so we have Better Solutions long term, that means making sure we are adequately funded. We have done everything we can, all the things the councils are already doing, we come to a point where we can do no more, if we are to keep the basic services, we must have decent funding. Thank you very much for joining us. You heard there about the increasing demands being made by social care on local government budgets, and in a related story, aduu budgets, and in a related story, Adult Social Care in england is being described as a cinderella service, undervalued and whose workers are poorly paid. Thats according to the Public Finance watchdog. The National Audit office says the government is failing to deal with a shortage of care workers at a time when demand is increasing. Heres more from our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. Its a busy lunchtime at northfields nursing home in sheffield, demanding work for the care staff looking after residents with a high level of need and todays report outlines just how difficult it has become to find the people needed to provide this vital care. Joyce, good afternoon, its only me. Sorry to bother you, darling. Tammy ardron is the nursing lead here. Finding care staff generally is a problem but she says attracting nurses has become a real issue for them. I dont think its as attractive as maybe the nhs where youve got the salary packages, enhanced rates of pay and sociable hours. And i think its hard work. Its busy, its constant, youve got to be on the ball 24 hours a day. The National Audit office says whilst working in care can be rewarding, many staff feel undervalued. In 2016 17, more than half of the workforce was paid £7. 50 an hour or less. In the same year, staff turnover was nearly 28 and 6. 6 ofjobs were vacant. But, it says, there is no Government Strategy for tackling the problems. Only the department of health can produce a workforce strategy that speaks to the National Picture about the problems weve found of low pay, low prestige and high turnover rates which is reducing quality of service for people who are actually receiving care. In response, the department for health and social care says extra money is being put in to caring for Vulnerable People and that it will soon publish a strategy for the health and care workforce. Alison holt, bbc news, sheffield. New figures released this morning show that january was one of the most difficult months on record for hospital waiting times at accident and Emergency Departments in england, with the four hour target missed for the 30th month in a row. The data, from nhs england, shows over two million patients came to a e during the month, a thats a rise of over five per cent in a year. There were particular problems with trolley waits, with some 81,000 waiting over four hours for a hospital bed, while over 1,000 patients faced a wait of over 12 hours. Both figures were the worst since records began in 2010. At the turn of the year, reports from hospitals about how they were really struggling, hospital wards overcrowded. What these figures show is that it was a very difficult month, one of the most difficult on record. Its meant to be ninth 95 , that was a third worst the third worst performance since 2004. The trolley waits, people who need to be moved on to a hospital ward but doctors cannot find them a bed. Patients stuck in corridors on trolleys. It is a testament to the ha rd trolleys. It is a testament to the hard work of the nhs staff, we have seen hard work of the nhs staff, we have seen the worst flu outbreak since 2011, and they say it is a sign of their hard work and dedication. That it did not decline any further. Shows the level of pressure that staff are under, the president of the society for acute medicine has said in response to these figures that they demonstrate the nhs does not currently have a sustainable model to cope during the busy winter months, how much more pressure will be is put on Government Spending on health . Well, i think we are looking at the last couple of winters, they have been among the most difficult there has been. This winter, we now know, no worse than last winter, but the targets have been missed. At the weekend, we heard that nhs england admitted they could not hit the four hour target for at least another year, so we will see plenty more calls on government for more money and more attention on the pressures facing the nhs. A new code of conduct is recommended as fifth of people working at parliament have seen or experienced Sexual Harassment. Almost all councils across england plan to raise council tax this year amid concerns for their financial stability. A spending watchdog warns that desperate changes are needed to combat staffing shortages in social care. And in sport, Lizzy Yarnold has been named as the flag bearer for team gb at this year s Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. The defending skeleton champion will lead the team out tomorrow ahead of the 23rd games in pyeongchang, and says it marks the start of the biggest two weeks of her life. Jonathan joseph will replace ben teare as outside centre for the six nations clash with wales on saturday, the only other change for england sees danny care starting at scrum half ahead of ben youngs. Newport county were beaten by totte n ha m Newport County were beaten by tottenham hotspur, they bowed out at wembley stadium, beaten 2 0 by totte n ha m wembley stadium, beaten 2 0 by tottenham hotspur, who move on to face rochdale next. We will be back with more sportjust after half past. Last year in nigeria there were more female suicide bombers than have ever been seen in a country before. Most were forced to become bombers by the militant group boko haram, some were even children. The women went onto kill more than a thousand people. We can now bring you the story of 13 year old fatama, who was abducted by boko haram, not once, but twice. If you want to get to paradise, this is an easy thing to do. It goes against everything in the society that we live in. Children as young as five strapped with explosives and sent into mosques, markets, into homes, some are sent back into their own homes, and the idea is to strike out in any way that they can, just to continue this carnage, this horror. They did not even have guns, at first, i had no idea that they were boko haram fighters. These young men we re boko haram fighters. These young men were inspired by the ideology of boko haram, we have not seen a single suicide bomber that has offered herself up for a suicide mission. They give you a choice. Marry a fighter, or go on a mission. I told them, i dont want to marry, because lam them, i dont want to marry, because i am still too young. The older girls tell us, they dont care how all that you are, if you marry one of them, they will go to you for private affairs, day and night. They dont care how old you are. Private affairs, day and night. They dont care how old you arem is an incentive for the young men, to remain in the group, if they can get wives, if they can have a family unit. A lot of the girls who offer the reject the offer of marriage are sent on missions. They will say, you are doing this for allah and you will go straight to heaven, they are also told, if you do not do this, then we will kill you. Ijust like the normal conran and had if teaching, but i find their teaching is hard to follow. I just like the normal koran and hadith teachings. But i never think but despite the teaching, i think that killing someone can never be a lawful act. Many have not had any education, of any kind, learning about the koran does not mean that you are learning about islam, because it is being taught in isolation of everything else, the rest of the teaching is ideology. When your time comes they tell you to look for a place filled with non believers, like a church or a crowded marketplace. When you get a nato bomb, they say that you will enter paradise. On my way into town, i decided to ask the first people i met to untying the vest. But the first people i met were also members of boko haram. I spent a month with another group of fighters in a different camp, andjust another group of fighters in a different camp, and just as before, i refused to marry. They tied their own bomb on me, and sent me right back out. This time i ran. Ifi own bomb on me, and sent me right back out. This time i ran. If i was caught, i felt i would surely be killed. I ran and ran. When i stopped, i found killed. I ran and ran. When i stopped, ifound myself killed. I ran and ran. When i stopped, i found myself on a farm. I asked the farmers to help me take off the vest and throw it back into the forest. But they were afraid. They were afraid of me. There is nobody in the north east that has not had some experience with boko haram, directly or indirectly. Almost nobody. Most people have lost somebody as a result of boko haram. I think they look at the act, rather than the girl, and they think, well, this is a young person willing to eliminate our whole community, how can we then take her back. These arcades, first of all, these are victims. These are kids. Taken against your will, lived in these conditions, horrendous conditions, away from everyone you know, then strapped with explosives, you come back to the community, and by the grace of god, it does not go off, and now, the community reject you. It is very sad. The story of faltama and her escape from boko haram. Breaking news, to bring you, in regard to the collapse of korean, another 101 workers have been made redundant, taking the total to 930, thatis redundant, taking the total to 930, that is from the official receiver. Carillion. Others were announced at the end of last week, this week, former executives of the company have been grilled by mps at the house of commons but the official, another 101 workers have been made redundant as a result of the colla pse redundant as a result of the collapse of the construction giant carillion, taking the total so far to 930. With freezing temperatures of minus 20 degrees celsius the south korean Winter Olympics look set to be some of the coldest physically on record. This despite another diplomatic thaw in relations between seoul and pyongyang still technically at war with each other. As the north held a massive military parade celebrating the founding anniversary of its army, it emerged that kim jong uns younger sister kim yo jong, whos blacklisted under us sanctions, will be part of a delegation meeting south koreas president moon jae in on saturday. She will become the first member of the kim family ever to cross the border to the south. And these pictures have come into us of the north korean supporters arriving at the olympic athlete village in pyeongchang, located half a mile above sea level. There will be 22 athletes from north korea taking part in the games which start tomorrow. Heres our correspondent steve mcdonell. What has happened here is the north koreans are trying to downplay their own military parade, believe it or not i think the parade own military parade, believe it or not ithink the parade had been organised a long time ago, before they decided to send the team to the Olympic Games here. Now they have decided to put all their effort into coming to the olympics, with kim jong uns system, with the joint hockey team and the like, they want the focus to be on that. I think they have do have the parade, they are too embarrassed to call it off, they are hoping gnome one will pay much attention to it and really that all the focus will be back on their efforts here in pyeongchang armour for the Winter Olympics. Efforts here in pyeongchang armour forthe Winter Olympics. Here in pyeongchang for the Winter Olympics. Weather forecast, pretty cold here, but not as cold as in north korea and south korea we have some sunshine. Not quite as cold in the south, a lot of dry at the moment, some patchy rain across Northern England into wales, that rain will get heavier as the afternoon goes on across wales and the north west of in particular. Further south and east, drier and brighter weather, brightness across scotland, especially the far north east, some showers in western scotland. Not quite as cold as re ce nt scotland. Not quite as cold as recent days, temperatures up to seven to 10 degrees. Through the evening and tonight, this area of rain, blue and heavier, to the south and east, and then it turns a little more green to the north and the west, that means clear skies and a frost here through tonight, wintry showers affecting scotland, and as we go through friday, we can see the wintry showers making their way further south and east but for many of us, on friday, dry, lots of sunshine. This is bbc news, our latest headlines. Nearly one in five people working in parliament has exeprienced or witnessed Sexual Harassment in westminster, in the last 12 months according to a report from a Cross Party Group of mps. A new code of conduct has been launched to tackle inappropriate behaviour. Councils across england are Planning Council tax increases in april, with more than three quarters of local authorities concerned about financial stability, a report has warned. Adult social care in england is a cinderella service, which is undervalued and whose workers are poorly paid, according to the Public Finance watchdog. And officialfigures show and official figures show january was one of the worst months for accident and emergency admissions in england. Time for a sports update. The Winter Olympics are under way before weve even had the Opening Ceremony. And the news from today is that the skeleton champion of four years ago Lizzie Yarnold will be the teamgb flag bearer tomorrow. She says the Opening Ceremony marks the start of the biggest two weeks of her life. The start of the biggest our Sports Correspondent andy swiss has more from pyeongchang. Lizzie said she was hugely honoured to carry the flag, chosen by her team mates. She has struggled before, but signs in recent weeks shes back to Something Like best and she says shes hopeful she can still retain her olympic title. But such good news for another britons medal hopes. Snowboarder katie ormerod. She had an accident in training yesterday. She fell off the railand training yesterday. She fell off the rail and has fractured wrist mabbutt uses she will still compete in both her events here. The other big talking point is still the weather. It is getting milder, a sweltering 3 it is getting milder, a sweltering 3 here today, but some concerns still for tomorrow nights Opening Ceremony. Fans will be given bla nkets ceremony. Fans will be given blankets and warm conditions as they make their way into the stadium. But officials have said, with some understatement, that spectators need to wrap up and prepare properly. And you can follow the Opening Ceremony in pyeongchang across the bbc live coverage begins on bbc one, the red button and online, from 10. 30 tomorrow morning. And history has been made this morning, with the first Winter Olympics mixed curling competition getting under way this is the usa against canada and you can follow it on the red button and the bbc sport website. Jonathanjoseph will be back in the england starting xv for saturdays six nations match with wales at twickenham. He comes in at outside centre, with ben teo dropping to the bench. Joseph made an impact when he came on in englands victory over italy at the weekend. The other change in eddiejoness side sees danny care become englands most capped scrum half, in place of the injured ben youngs. And scotland have recalled scrum half Greig Laidlaw for their match against france thats one of six changes to Gregor Townsends side after that heavy defeat to wales at the weekend. Over 7,000 Newport County fans made the trip to wembley last night but left disappointed as the league two minnows failed to make it through to the fa cup fifth round. Newport held out for nearly half an hour, against premier league side spurs before falling behind to a dan butler own goal. Erik lamela doubled tottenhams lead with his first goal in almost a year and a half their reward is a trip to league ones rochdale. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says english footballers may now be the masters of diving. On tuesday tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino said that tricking an opponent was now part of the game. Ahead of the Gunners Premier League match at spurs on saturday, wenger said that he didnt necessarily belive pochettino necessarily believe pochettino was talking about cheating. In my personal case, no. We have to get diving out of the game. Remember, there were tremendous cases you when it was foreign players to did it, but i must say, the english players have learned very quickly and might be the masters now. Thats all the sport for now. Ill have more for you in the next hour. Japanese investors in britain, including major car makers, are to meet theresa may at downing street this afternoon to discuss their operations after brexit. The motor industry has said it fears it could face export tariffs and customs delays when britain leaves the European Union. The meeting was arranged after the Prime Minister visited japan last summer. Are business presenters here. The clock is ticking towards that state, march 2019. There are huge questions that remain on the future of treating relation with the European Union and its ability to strike deals with other countries around the world. The stats are pretty stark. Almost half of the 1. 67 million cars produced in britain every year are produced by Japanese Companies that have bases here, production plants here in the uk. For example, nissan has the largest place in sunderland. The chief executive gave assurances that there would be extra help is available in the post better world, but we dont yet know what matters. So all these questions that are likely to be posed to theresa may and the chancellor, really asking for help and reassurance that the trading relationships in the future will be beneficial to try and make sure that these Japanese Companies stay here in the uk. Because most of the cars me there are exported to the cars me there are exported to the eu, so these companies will be looking for some sort of guidance and clarity on what tariffs potentially they might face post brexit. Potentially they might face postbrexit. Yes, if we have a no deal, they fear there could be ta riffs deal, they fear there could be tariffs up to 10 , which would be hugely damaging for the Japanese Companies based there. A leaked government report said that the north east in particular if that is north east in particular if that is no deal, the economy could suffer by around 16 . But its also Drugs Companies, japanese Drugs Companies have invested billions in the economy over the years. And a number of japanese banks. For example, economy over the years. And a number ofjapanese banks. For example, pas sporting rules in place are now in question. All these elements will be up question. All these elements will be upfor question. All these elements will be up for discussion in the talks. What do you think the Japanese Business leaders will be looking to hear today . Some kind of assurance in some direction on the future trade relationship. We have had a Government Spokesperson coming out of the last are saying we have been clear about the deal we want, we will trade that is as frictionless as possible. Writers are saying to theresa may will tell Business Leaders that she is seeking a transition period as soon as possible. The problem is, these companies will want a lot more detail than that. Thank you very much. More people than ever are seeking help for money problems. Short term borrowing has risen four times faster than wages. Bbc news has analysed uk finance data which shows there was £37 billion of unsecured personal debt last year. David rhodes has the details. There are 9 Million People across britain that say their debts are a burden. As the cost of living rises, for some, the debts are mounting up. I was using credit cards to pay for food shopping two days before pay day and i had £5 left and not much petrol in the car so it was a case of using £5 for petrol to get to work or use the £5 to make up packed lunches for my boys for the next two days. Mel fed her children but her debt forced her to seek help from a charity. January was our busiest month weve ever had. We see people in extreme cases of anxiety and depression. Figures from uk finance show households had outstanding personal bank loans worth £37 billion last year. That doesnt include borrowing on credit cards and payday lending but the value of outstanding personal loans has growny by 25 in the past three years while wages for typical workers have grown byjust over 6 . Charities warn banks are beginning to lend irresponsibly but the body that regulates lending has a clear message for bankers. They shouldnt be lending when someone is in a difficult situation where that borrowing would be unaffordable for them. We will always see isolated cases where firms dont follow those rules and where we do, we will take action. With Household Budgets likely to remain under pressure, the temptation for people to borrow is not likely to disappear any time soon. Party leaders in the us senate have struck a two year budget deal that should avoid any repeat of last months federal shutdown. It still needs approval from the house of representatives and many are questioning a 300 billion increase to the deficit. The deadline to avert another shutdown is midnight local time today, and from washington, here is david willis. Acts of bipartisanship have been in short supply in these parts of late. Thats what makes this senate deal unusual. Im pleased to announce that our bipartisan bicameral negotiations on defence spending and other priorities have yielded a significant agreement. But getting such a deal past the house might not be quite so easy. Democrats there want to link it to legislation to protect the plight of the so called dreamers, young people brought to the us illegally, whom President Trump is threatening to deport. But most of all, let us thank and acknowledge the dreamers for their courage, their optimism, their inspiration to make america more american. Thank you. Concluding a marathon eight hour speech, the leading House Democrat nancy pelosi called on republicans to replicate a promise given to members of the senate and bring forward a vote on immigration reform. Many republicans actually support legitimising the status of the dreamers, but they want it to be part of a bill that would also provide funding for a wall along the mexican border, a pet project of President Trump. Coming on top of his recent tax cuts, there are also republicans who oppose the massive increase in the federal deficit that the new budget plan would bring about. His meaning that for all the senates good intentions, washington once again finds itself locked in a game of budget brinkmanship, with a Government Shutdown looming. On and on and on and on and on the most rescue people trapped inside Grenfell Tower. Now nine of those firefighters are planning to run the London Marathon to raise money for those affected. Less than a mile from Grenfell Tower, North Kensington fire station hums with the sound of training. Have you run a marathon before . Ive never run a marathon before. Ive always been quite sporty, but rugbys always been my sport. But this is a whole new ball game for myself. Watch manager Michael Dowden one of nine firefighters here running the London Marathon in april. Its really important for us to run this as a team, to try and help us deal with events that we witnessed on the night of the Grenfell Tower fire. 71 people died at Grenfell Tower. Firefighters were inside the blazing building for hour after hour. In the end, they helped 65 people to escape. We were the first on scene that night. And my main memories are just disbelief, really. Its like nothing id ever seen, even in the movies, really. The tragedy that was witnessed that night by myself and my colleagues was unbelievable. It was on unprecedented scale. I dont think ill ever fully get over whats happened. Its always going to be there in the back of your mind. Its never going to go away, really. Its almost like you have had 40 years of trauma in one night, so for a human being to process that is really, really, really difficult. The firefighters are hoping to raise money for a local charity called kids on the green. Kids shouldnt ever be exposed to that environment. They were, you know, theyve lost people, theyve lost their homes. So if we can do something to further help those children of grenfell, and particularly the kids on the green, then this is a fantastic platform that allows us to do that. We filmed kids on the green when it opened last summer a place for children to play, to draw, to talk if they wanted to, to escape the horror on their doorstep. Through the winter, the charity has moved to a site indoors, but they are still helping kids to be kids. The oldest one woke up at about 5 45am in the morning. Gabby and her husband live opposite Grenfell Tower, with their four children. Kids on the green has become part of our lives. We dont talk about what happened, and we dont talk about the fire very often. But having a place where people have been through the same thing, and understand what has gone on, without having to speak about it, has been really helpful for all of us. There is a huge admiration for the fire service here. Ive felt nothing but gratitude towards the firefighters, and their bravery, their courage. The fact that they want to do more now, on top of what theyve already done, is overwhelming. The firefighters are running not just to raise money. They say it is also helping them come to terms with the terrible events of last summer. Running a marathon is a real chance for us all to get together and do something really productive for the grenfell community. So we can help people, and we can heal ourselves at the same time, as a team. In a moment, a summary of the Business News this hour but first, the headlines on bbc newsroom live a new code of conduct is recommended as fifth of people working at parliament have seen or experienced Sexual Harassment. Almost all councils across england plan to raise council tax this year amid concerns for their financial stability. January was one of the most difficult months on record for the nhs, was waiting times and targets being missed for the 30th month in a row. In the Business News. Shares in talktalk have slumped more than 10 after the firm warned profits would be significantly lower this year than it previously thought. The Telecoms Group expects a key measure of profits to be between £230 million and £245 million, much lower than its forecast made in november. The firm also slashed its dividend and announced plans to raise £200 million by selling shares on the stock exchange. Talktalk is raising the money to invest in a network of fibre cables that would allow much higher broadband speeds. Debenhams is planning to cut 320 in store management roles as part of a programme to reduce costs by £10 million. The high street retailer, which issued a profit warning injanuary, said it aimed to redeploy staff where possible. The move could hit 25 of store management roles across the organisation, with a new structure expected to be rolled out by the end of next month. The electric car firm tesla has posted a loss. They say the outlook is positive and it has learned many lessons from its crucial model three production plans. Investors are waiting for a sense of direction from the bank of england today. The Monetary Policy committee has been meeting and in around 15 minutes time well get their decision on the Interest Rate. The bank is widely expected to keep its benchmark rate on hold at 0. 5 . But its what will be revealed in the minutes of that meeting is likely to be of most interest. In late january, bank of England Governor Mark carney painted quite an optimistic picture of the economy, leading some analysts to pencil in a second Interest Rate hike as early as may. But weve since had some data which could change that. More on that story in a moment. Nissan expects full year operating profit to be 12. 4 lower than last years estimate, as it now believes its Safety Inspection scandal will have a bigger impact on earnings. Last year nissan recalled 1. 2 million vehicles injapan after regulators said safety checks did not meet domestic requirements. Japans second largest car maker also posted a heavy fall in Third Quarter operating profit, as its inspection woes and higher discounts in the us proved to be a drag on earnings. 21st century fox says it still expects the uk will approve its sky takeover, even though a provisional finding suggested the deal was not in the public interest. Chief executive James Murdoch said the firm is working with authorities to resolve concerns. Mr murdoch made the remarks on a call with financial analysts to discuss the firms quarterly earnings. Last year, the firm agreed to sell assets including sky to disney. The uk Housing Market has got off to a subdued start in 2018, with new buyer inquiries falling in january for the tenth month in a row, according to the Royal Institution of chartered surveyors. The average number of properties on Estate Agents books continued to slip back towards the record lows seen at the middle of last year. The tougher conditions have particularly affected more expensive properties, the report said. It comes after halifax said house prices had fallen for injanuary for the second month in a row. Lets check in with the Financial Markets now. So the ftse 100 has fallen again today ahead of that Interest Rate decision and policy outlook. Shares in thomas cook are down. The travel firm sees a bit of turbulence ahead it seems. Despite rising revenues as the travel operator warns on competition and sees profits margins squeezed. Aa the roadside recovery firm and insurer has said it expects full year profit to be in line with its predictions made last september shares have stabilised since then following the abrupt departure of its executive chairman. Some good news from the House Builder bellway. The ftse 250 firm expects half year housing revenues to jump 14 to £1. 3 billion as customer appetite remained strong despite the rate rise to 0. 5 in november. Will be interesting to see if there is much impact on that stock depending on whats in the minutes of the bank of england meeting. A decision on rates expected shortly. Thats all the Business News. Well go straight to the house of commons, with the leader of the houses presenting on harassment to mps. This behaviour clearly deters people from entering politics and threatens our democracy. When dealing with this very real issue, our Parliament Must lead by example. The working group was set up last november by the Prime Minister, and with the support of all party leaders, in response to the very troubling allegations of Sexual Harassment and bullying taking place on the parliamentary estate. We all recognise the need for robust procedures to change the culture in parliament, and for this place to set the best example of a workplace that protects and supports all those working in it. In my first statement, i said urgent action would be taken, and that was the case. The staff helpline was extended to include staff of peers and others, with face to face counselling made available on the estate. Particles of conduct were updated and published online. And since christmas, interim hr guidance has been made available to members of staff. But it was clear from an early stage that there was a substantial amount to do, if we wa nted substantial amount to do, if we wanted to create a sound working environment that properly supports the more than 15,000 people who work for or with parliament. I am hugely grateful to all members of the working group are giving their time, consideration and patience, as we work towards the publication of this report. You were clear, mr speaker, that for the House Commission to ta ke that for the House Commission to take up the new scheme, the response but this had to be cross party. And while there have been some challenging discussions, i am pleased this is what we were able to achieve. The group took extensive evidence, both in person and in writing, from a wide variety of stakeholders, including parliamentary officials, staff of mps and peers, unions, academics, authorities on Sexual Violence and legal professionals. The group also conducted its own survey, which was open to a wide range of people and included a number of pass holders who had not previously been asked for their experience of bullying and harassment. Many people have devoted a considerable amount of time to theirs over the last three months, and after more than 100 hours of discussion and consideration, i believe we have proposed a set of policies that will fundamentally change the working culture in parliament. Mr speaker, iwould change the working culture in parliament. Mr speaker, i would like to turn now to these proposals. They are as follows. Firstly, parliament will agree a shared behaviour code. This will apply to everyone on the estate or engage in parliamentary business, regardless of location, and will underpin the new policy. It will be consulted on and will make clear the behaviour and expectations that everyone in parliamentary community. Secondly, the new complaints and grievance procedure will be independent from political parties. Thirdly, it was acknowledged that sexual had asthma and Sexual Violence are different from other forms of inappropriate behaviour, such as bullying and intimidation. Therefore, separate procedures will be made for those wishing to raise a complaint of Sexual Harassment is opposed to one of bullying. This is an important distinction and while everyone has acknowledged the severity of complaints of Sexual Harassment, evidence from staff made clear that insta nces evidence from staff made clear that instances of intimidation and bullying are in fact more prevalent. Fourthly, mps staff require proper hr advice, something that has been previously lacking and will go a long way to help resolve workplace grievances. Importa ntly, long way to help resolve workplace grievances. Importantly, mr speaker, the new system will be based on the principles of equality. It will be confidential and fair at all parties. It will be in line with the laws of natural justice parties. It will be in line with the laws of naturaljustice and it must command the confidence of all those who will use it. The working group took advice at an early stage, that rather than reinventing the wheel, we should work with and build on the many sound processes and systems already in place. For the benefit of members, i will turn briefly to the process of making a complaint or reading a grievance against the members of this house. As colleagues will appreciate, the process for raising complaints against other members of the parliamentary community, such as peers, members of peers staff, journalists and contractors, will each differ according to their particular role. All procedures are designed for the protection of the staff, parliamentarians alike as has burners at its heart. It is intended that the house authorities will be due to independent services, one to consider allegations of Sexual Harassment and violence and the other to consider Workplace Bullying and intimidation. Both avenues will provide support and where needed, will investigate the complaint. Where informal resolution is not possible and the complaint is upheld, it will be referred to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, in the case of a member of this house. The working Group Proposes that the commissioner role will be expanded and reformed. She will be expanded and reformed. She will have access to legal advice and will have access to legal advice and will be able to impose a new range of lower level sanctions that may include a written apology, mandatory training orfuture behaviour agreements. The commissioner will be able to review any finding by the independent investigator, and where she does so, she will. Well say goodbye to viewers on bbc two, but he ran the bbc news channel, we will continue to watch Andrea Leadsom. These measures will ensure fairness. In the mercedes of cases, the commissioner will refer her findings to the committee on standards. The committee can recommend to the house that an individual is suspended and the house will vote on the recommendation. It is through this route that the existing acts could be invoked. The triggerfor a recall remains the same as it is now and there is no plan for changes to primary legislation. The working group clearly recognise the fact that those who work in this place are that those who work in this place a re often that those who work in this place are often in the media spotlight and that vexatious and malicious complaints are a risk. The new procedures will therefore ensure checks and balances are in place to guard against such complaints. Finally, i will briefly outline the next steps. Eight motion will be brought before the house and debate will take place in the first two weeks after recess. Any necessary equivalent steps will be taken in the other place. It will then be for the other place. It will then be for the House Commission to instruct the house authorities to finalise the agreed processes and carry out their implementation. I am grateful to the clerk of the house by confirming that the house authorities are ready to begin this work, via a series of work streams that will include personally, developing and consulting on a behaviour or the parliament, secondly, procuring the two separate Services Required to support and investigate complaints of Sexual Harassment or bullying, thirdly, including an hr data service for staff, fourthly, developing a handbook for members staff. And that they, identifying and drafting changes to Standing Orders to finalise amendments necessary to the procedures of the commissioner and the committee on standards. Continue as a Steering Group to monitor the work of the house authorities, it is our intention for the work to proceed at pace intention for the work to proceed at pa ce over intention for the work to proceed at pace over the next few months. Finally, six months after the start of the new scheme, an appropriate body covering both houses and having direct staff representation will review the operation of the new processes. Review the operation of the new processes. In conclusion, the working group was formed to bring about change. It is a right, not a privilege, to be treated with dignity and respect at work, and this ambitious report is a major step towards a safer and more professional environment. I hope that honourable and right honourable members across the house will welcome the report, which will, i am confident, ensure that our parliament is among the best in the world. Demonstrating our commitment to equality, justice and fairness. I commend this statement to the house. Thank you, mr speaker, can i thank the leader of the house for her statement and for her leadership of the group. We started this on the 14th of november, and have worked on it until the 29th ofjanuary, and it felt like a long time. All credit must go to the staff, who heard our discussions, made sense of our ramblings and queries and questions, with this resulting document that i think makes some sense. The new scheme when developed will cover 15,000 people working across the estate and hopefully will form part of any contracts on building programmes as well. There is still to be consultation with house staff, as the president of the trade union side has indicated, but the main scheme will cover a new behaviour code. Paragraph 28 refers to the process individuals may choose when it comes to employment or political party, the scheme will reserve the right not to investigate incidents investigated elsewhere, paragraph 31, support services, emotional guidance and other guidance including advice on processes. Paragraph 32, the confidentiality arrangements. There will be a new Sexual Harassment policy and procedure, informal stages of the new procedure are outlined in chapter three, paragraph 15 to 61, complaints handled by a specialist trained Sexual Health adviser are outlined in paragraph 54, a separate process for bullying and harassment policy, and these are outlined in chapter four, paragraph 62 to 75, the hr advice, already up and running, but currently going to be procured for mp5 and staff, is at 74. There will also be cultural change training, which is paragraph 79, because some people may not know what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour. Chapter 79, Chapter Seven outlined possible sanctions and paragraph 92, this sets out the time frame the work will proceed, and the estimate for completion of all work streams. Staff on the working group have had to deal with their own work as well as dealing with this unusual way of working and im pleased there will be a secretary set up dedicated solely to lamenting the recommendations so staff have not had to cover their other hosts and this one. Dr helen, what was a gracious dr helen knott was a gracious dr helen knott was a gracious adviser, and any legal advice which will be in fermented will be at qc level. Studio responding to the statement from the leader of the commons, angela ledson Andrea Leadsom, on the work that has been done by a Cross Party Group of mps on the issue of harassment, bullying and intimidation at westminster, our Parliament Must lead by example, and she has said that they were setting out robust sieges to change the culture. I think we can go to assist in Political Editor norman smith in just a moment. But first, lets bring you some breaking news on Interest Rates. Breaking news on Interest Rates. Breaking news on Interest Rates. Breaking news on Interest Rates that has just come m, Interest Rates that has just come in, the bank of england has left Interest Rates unchanged at a half of 1 , 0. 5 , and has also updated uk growth for this year, and next, so lets get some analysis of that, we can lets get some analysis of that, we ca n cross lets get some analysis of that, we can cross to the city, and speak with our economics editor. That Interest Rate decision, first of all, what are the thoughts on that . You are right, Interest Rates have been held now but actually, a really big warning today from the bank of england, the public should expect Interest Rate rises to happen earlier this year, and rise faster in the future, the reason for that is the upgrade in growth, for 2018 and 2019, Global Growth is much stronger than was expected last year. We are an exporting nation, when Global Growth is good, exports are strong and the uk economy is strong. It has set out that the approach to Interest Rate rises will be more robust, less concern it is used language that will be described as more hawkish on Interest Rate rises, the chance of another Interest Rate rise in may, will go up considerably. Lets keep things in perspective, Interest Rate at 0. 5 still at incredibly low level is, but it does seem to be suggesting that the next Interest Rate rise could be in the spring, obviously, mortgage holders will need to be aware of that. Good news for savers if that happens. It is also said that the next Interest Rate rises after that are also likely to be somewhat faster than expected, not rapid, maybe again not until 2019 but just telling people rapid, maybe again not until 2019 butjust telling people to get ready for more normal, more conventional Interest Rates, in the future, work is of the better economic news, the Global Economy doing well, britain therefore doing better. The bank does warm, still that brexit uncertainty, which is keeping some of that Economic Growth a little depressed, but growth has come back toa depressed, but growth has come back to a certain extent. Talking about getting people used to the idea of more conventional Interest Rates but of course people probably have forgotten of course people probably have fo rg otte n to of course people probably have forgotten to a certain extent about there was no match those more conventional rate, will the bank do more . To try to think about this and readjust their thinking . The bank of england governor, mark carney, in a press co nfe re nce england governor, mark carney, in a press conference at the bank of england in half an hour, and i will be there and there are common he will talk about people need to, when they are thinking about if they are taking on borrowing or taking on a mortgage, they need to think that the cost of that mortgage, the cost of that borrowing will increase slightly more quickly than maybe it was thought at the end of last year. Nothing huge, we are at 0. 5 , before the financial crisis, incest rates at level, almost unheard of. Before the financial crisis, Interest Rates at that level were almost unheard of. There is going to bea warning, almost unheard of. There is going to be a warning, from the governor, that households need to be thinking. We have had this since the financial crisis, coming to an end. Global economy getting stronger. Therefore, Monetary Policy, Interest Rate policy, to control inflation. Global growth increases inflation, increases price rises, Interest Rates used to control the price rises, to call down Economic Growth, those Interest Rate rises are going to come slightly more quickly than expected and slightly more often than expected. Nearly all of local councils in england are planning to raise their council taxes in april, thats according to a survey by the local Government Information Unit which found that more than three quarters of them were worried about financial stability. The biggest pressure on budgets was demand for childrens services, Adult Social Care, housing and homelessness. The government say the Current System strikes a balance between relieving growing pressure on local government and making sure taxpayers do not face excessive bills. Earlierjonathan carrwest, chief executive of the local Government Information Unit, told the bbc about the pressures mounting on local authority finances. Over the next couple of years we will see continuing cuts to libraries, leisure centres, parks, continuing tightening of statutory services, tightening of eligibility for care, provision of care at a lower level, but even then, the system is not sustainable, seven out of ten councils have been into their reserves to keep things going, eight out of ten Council Leaders tell us the system is unsustainable. Something big has to change. Lets speak now to marianne overton, vice chair of the local Government Association and also a county councillor for the lincolnshire independents party. We have to raise council taxes because of that money not coming back for local spend. I believe it is not a good balance, we must resolve this problem where we have increasing needs and not enough money to pay for them. The system currently is broken, we are trying to make sure we are able to keep business rates, for instance, and that would make a help, but it must be shared out fairly. We must fix the system so the councils are funded adequately to make sure that the essential services that our communities need are able to continue into the future. Lots of councils are talking about reducing or getting rid of entirely certain services, your area, for instance, as an example, if something has got to give, what is it going to be . We have already done a great deal, Youth Services have been massively reduced, passed on the voluntary sector, the same with libraries, we are asking much more voluntary people to come in, and take over. Well, to come in and do the work, to make sure libraries continue. So it is about passing on the cost, it passes on to the public, to individuals, and now having to pay more for services they need, we also have had to use reserves, and we have had to sell off some assets, so, in total, we have quite a considerable package of measures to try to make ends meet. But it comes to a point where we cannot do it any more. The extra tax raising powers that you have, to what extent are those helping . If all councils raise the tax by the full amount, it will raise just about, just over half a billion. 540 million, just over half a billion, and we are 5. 8 billion short. Even if all councils raise by the full amount, it will not be enough to make ends meet. If all councils raise the tax by the full amount, it will raise just about, just over half a billion. 540 million, just over half a billion, and we are 5. 8 billion short. Even if all councils raise by the full amount, it will not be enough to make ends meet. Would you say, because people might ask, are councils being as efficient as they can be, have all the efficiency savings been made in your opinion . Absolutely, we have been working on this since the financial crash in 2008, thereabouts, making efficiency savings at every turn. I do believe we have worked really hard on that, sometimes it is about renegotiating contracts, Getting Better arrangements in place, councils working together, so that we share back services. A great deal of efficiency savings have been done. Now, we are cutting into the front line, and from the publics perspective, that is simply not good enough. From the public in a related story, Adult Social Care in england is a cinderella service, which is undervalued and whose workers are poorly paid. Thats according to the Public Finance watchdog. The National Audit office says the government is failing to deal with a shortage of care workers at a time when demand is increasing. Heres more from our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. Its a busy lunchtime at northfields nursing home in sheffield, demanding work for the care staff looking after residents with a high level of need and todays report outlines just how difficult it has become to find the people needed to provide this vital care. Joyce, good afternoon, its only me. Sorry to bother you, darling. Tammy ardron is the nursing lead here. Finding care staff generally is a problem but she says attracting nurses has become a real issue for them. I dont think its as attractive as maybe the nhs where youve got the salary packages, enhanced rates of pay and sociable hours. And i think its hard work. Its busy, its constant, youve got to be on the ball 24 hours a day. The National Audit office says whilst working in care can be rewarding, many staff feel undervalued. In 2016 17, more than half of the workforce was paid £7. 50 an hour or less. In the same year, staff turnover was nearly 28 and 6. 6 ofjobs were vacant. But, it says, there is no Government Strategy for tackling the problems. Only the department of health can produce a workforce strategy that speaks to the National Picture about the problems weve found of low pay, low prestige and high turnover rates which is reducing quality of service for people who are actually receiving care. In response, the department for health and social care says extra money is being put in to caring for Vulnerable People and that it will soon publish a strategy for the health and care workforce. Alison holt, bbc news, sheffield. Studio the headlines mps found guilty of bullying or Sexual Harassment could face training or suspension from their seat under new proposals. Almost all councils across england plan to raise council tax this year amid concerns for their financial stability. January was one of the most difficult months on record for the nhs with record waiting times and targets being missed for the 30th month in a row. Lets get the latest sports news, more on the Winter Olympics. The action is underway, we have not even had the Opening Ceremony, news from today, in south korea, the skeleton champion, or four years ago, today, in south korea, the skeleton champion, orfouryears ago, Lizzy Yarnold, will be the team gb flag bearers tomorrow, Sports Correspondent andy swiss has more from pyeongchang. Lizzie yarnold won the only gold medal at the sochi games, four years ago, today she says that she is usually honoured to carry the flag at tomorrow nights Opening Ceremony, chosen by her team mates for that honour. Lizzie yarnold has struggled for form of art signs in recent weeks that she is back to Something Like her best, she says she is hopeful she can retain her olympic title, not such good news for another britons medal hopes, snowboarder katie ormerod, accident in training yesterday, fell off a rail, and has fractured her wrist, she says she will still compete in both her events here. The other big talking point, still the weather, getting milder, sweltering 3 here today, but some concerns for the Opening Ceremony tomorrow, fans will be given blankets and warm questions as they make their way into the stadium but officials have said with some understatement that spectators need to wrap up and prepare properly after their heavy defeat to wales on the Opening Weekend of the six nations, scotland have made six changes to their line up for sundays game against france. Principal amongs them is the return of former captain Greig Laidlaw. Hes recalled at scrum half in place of ali price. Jonathanjoseph Jonathan Joseph will start for england in their game against wales at twickenham. He comes in at outside centre, with ben teo dropping to the bench. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says english footballers may now be the masters of diving. Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino said this week that tricking an opponent was now part of the game. Ahead of the Gunners Premier League match at spurs on saturday, wenger said that he didnt necessarily believe pochettino was talking about cheating. Tricking your opponent means being clever, that is what i think he was talking about. Was it an apology for diving . Im not sure, i dont think that he would. In my personal case, no. We have to get the diving out of the game. Tremendous cases here, when it comes to foreign players but the england players have learned very quickly and they may well be the masters now laughter he has been stung before. We will be back later. New figures released this morning show that january was one of the most difficult months on record for hospital waiting times at accident and Emergency Departments in england, with the four hour target missed for the 30th month in a row. The data, from nhs england, shows over two million patients came to a e during the month, a thats a rise of over 5 in a year. There were particular problems with trolley waits, with some 81,000 waiting over four hours for a hospital bed, while over 1,000 patients faced a wait of over 12 hours. Both figures were the worst since records began in 2010. Our health correspondent, nick triggle, has been taking a closer look at the figures. At the turn of the year, reports from hospitals about how they were really struggling, hospital wards overcrowded. What these figures show is that it was a very difficult month, one of the most difficult on record. The a e target has been missed for the 30th month in a row, just over 85 seen inside the limit, it is meant to be 95, individually that was the the worst performance since 2004. The trolley waits, people who need to be moved on to a hospital ward but doctors cannot find them a bed. Often seriously ill. Patients stuck in corridors on trolleys. It is a testament to the hard work of the nhs staff, we have seen the worst flu outbreak since 2011, and they say it is a sign of their hard work and dedication. That it did not decline any further. Gives a picture of the level of pressure that staff are under. The president of the society for acute medicine has said in response to these figures that they demonstrate the nhs does not currently have a sustainable model to cope during the busy winter months, how much more pressure will be is put on Government Spending on health . Well, i think we are looking at the last couple of winters, they have been among the most difficult there has been. This winter, we now know, no worse than last winter, but the targets have been missed. At the weekend, we heard that nhs england admitted they could not hit the four hour target for at least another year, so we will see plenty more calls on government for more money and more attention on the pressures facing the nhs. Last year in nigeria there were more female suicide bombers than have ever been seen in a country before. Most were forced to become bombers by the militant group boko haram, some were even children. The women went onto kill more than a thousand people. We can now bring you the story of 13 year old fatama, who was abducted by boko haram, not once, but twice. If you really want to get to paradise, this, they say, is such an easy thing to do. It goes against everything in the society that we live in. Children as young as five strapped with explosives and sent into mosques, markets, into homes, some are sent back into their own homes, and the idea is to strike out in any way that they can, just to continue this carnage, this horror. They did not even have guns, at first, i had no idea that they were boko haram fighters. These young men were inspired by the ideology of boko haram, we have not seen a single suicide bomber that has offered herself up for a suicide mission. They give you a choice. Marry a fighter, or go on a mission. I told them, i dont want to marry, because i am still too young. The older girls tell us, they dont care how old you are, if you marry one of them, they will go to you for private affairs, day and night. It is an incentive for the young men, to remain in the group, if they can get wives, if they can have a family unit. A lot of the girls who reject the offer of marriage are sent on missions. They will say, you are doing this for allah and you will go straight to heaven, they are also told, if you do not do this, then we will kill you. Ijust like the normal koran and hadith teaching. Ifind their teaching hard to follow. But even though i find their teaching difficult to follow, i think that killing someone can never be a lawful act. Many have not had any education, of any kind, learning about the koran does not mean that you are learning about islam, because it is being taught in isolation taught in isolation of everything else, the rest of the teaching is ideology. When your time comes they tell you to look for a place filled with non believers, like a church or a crowded marketplace. When you detonate your bomb, they say that you will enter paradise. On my way into town, i decided to ask the first people i met to untie the vest. But the first people i met were also members of boko haram. I spent a month with another group of fighters in a different camp, and just as before, i refused to marry. They tied their own bomb on me, and sent me right back out. This time i ran. If i was caught, i felt i would surely be killed. Iran and ran. When i stopped, ifound myself on a farm. I asked the farmers to help me take off the vest and throw it back into the forest. But they were afraid. They were afraid of me. There is nobody in the northeast that has not had some there is nobody in the north east that has not had some experience with boko haram, directly or indirectly. Almost nobody. Most people have lost somebody as a result of boko haram. I think they look at the act, rather than the girl, and they think, well, this is a young person willing to eliminate our whole community, how can we then take her back. These are kids, first of all, these are victims. Taken against your will, lived in these conditions, horrendous conditions, away from everyone you know, then strapped with explosives, you come back to the community, and by the grace of god, it does not go off, and now, the community reject you. It is very sad. The story of a 13 Year Old Girl who has escaped from boko haram. Time to take a look at the weather forecast. Contrasting conditions this morning, for some in the south east, very cold and frosty, further north and west, not as cold, more cloud around, and today, we will see rain, which will turn quite heavy this afternoon across northern parts of england, through wales, eventually the south west. Brighter skies in the south west. Brighter skies in the far south east, bit of sunshine, in the final stage in the far north east. Six to 10 celsius in the south east, not as cold as it has been. Rain will continue, as it moves south east, behind it, cold air filtering moves south east, behind it, cold airfiltering in, wintry moves south east, behind it, cold air filtering in, wintry showers as we go through tonight, and colder, turning frost in northern and western areas. During friday, rain in the south east will clear away, for many of us, lots of sunshine on friday, some sunshine, wintry across northern and western areas. Were going straight to the bank of england. We have just were going straight to the bank of england. We havejust heard were going straight to the bank of england. We have just heard that they have left Interest Rates unchanged. Here is the governor mark carney. Celebrating the centenary of women gaining the vote. In the category of words not deeds, today marks a quarter century since the first Inflation Report. The style of the report has changed over the yea rs, the report has changed over the years, but our commitment to explaining Monetary Policy independently and transparently has not. I want to spend a minute to go through the picture painted by the report. I will start with the World Economy. One truth universally acknowledged as the current strength of the World Economy. Global growth is stronger and healthier than it has been for some time. Global growth is its fastest in seven yea rs. Growth is its fastest in seven years. 90 of the World Economy is growing above trend and expansion is increasingly being driven by investment. Uk net traders benefiting from this robust Global Demand and the pastor depreciation of sterling. When is it usually drags on gross, traders can contributing substantially and is likely to continue to support activity over the forecast period. British exporters are in a sweet spot. Of sterling down 16 overall and around 20 against the euro in anticipation of a brexit that has not yet happened. Along with high rates of profitability, low cost of capital and diminishing Spare Capacity, strong global activity is also supporting business investment. Nevertheless, investment is being restrained by brexit related uncertainties. This remains the shallowest Investment Recovery in the uk in more than half a century. Consumption growth has also been sluggish as households adjust to the real income squeeze. Growth in Household Spending has heart since the referendum and is expected to remain relatively subdued over the next three years, reflecting weak real income growth. On the hall and despite projections being conditioned on my support of monetary conditions prevailing in Financial Markets, gdp growth is expected to average 1. 75 over the forecast period, a little stronger than projected in november. While modest by historic standards, this demand growth is still expected to exceed the diminished rate of supply growth over the forecast period. Following its annual assessment of the supply side of the economy, the mpcjudges the very little Spare Capacity remains and that supply Capacity Remains and that supply capacity will grow only modestly over the forecast period, averaging around 1. 5 a over the forecast period, averaging around 1. 5 a year. This reflects lower growth and Labour Supply and productivity grows that rates around half of its pre prices average. With growth in demand outpacing growth in supply, growth in demand outpacing growth in supply, the small margin of excess demand emerges by 2020 and builds thereafter. Turning to inflation, cpi inflation fell from 3. 1 in november to 3 in december. Inflation is expected to remain close to recent rates in the short term, slightly higher than the projection made three months ago, largely as a consequence of recent higher oil prices. Its possible that inflation could rise back above 396 that inflation could rise back above 3 temporarily in the short term. But more sustained above target inflation remains almost entirely due to the effects of higher import prices following sterlings pastor depreciation. This impact of import prices on cpi inflation is still expected to diminish slowly, with import prices pushing marginally up on inflation at the end of the three year forecast period. Will the contribution from external factors solely dissipates, domestic inflationary pressures are likely to firm as the economy moves from excess supply into excess demand. Unemployment has continued to fall, recently reaching its lowest level since 1975. The firming of shorter term measures on wage growth, as well as a range of survey indicators that suggest pay growth will rise further in response to the tightening of the Labour Market, give increasing confidence that growth in wages and unit labour cost will pick up to target consistent rates. The balance of these effects mean that cpi inflation is projected to fall gradually, although it remains above the 2 target in the second and third years of the mpc central rejection. As has been the case for some time, developments regarding the uk withdrawal from the eu are the most significant influences on and sources of uncertainty about the economic outlook. But the fact that brexit negotiations until significant uncertainty does not mean that podcasting is impossible. And its useful to step back to assess how the economy has performed relative to the mpcs expectations, in order to the mpcs expectations, in order to understand the broader forces at work. Over the past year, the mpc has been at the upper end of forecasts for global and uk economies. We have been right about those directions, although the Global Economy has been Even Stronger than be expected, while the uk economy has been broadly in line with our forecast one year ago. The mpc has expected evocation of demand in the uk, away from Household Consumption and towards net exports and investment. This appears to be happening, particularly with net trade contributing importantly to uk growth this past year. Household spending growth has been restrained by the real income squeeze, a squeeze that is expected to ease but not end over the next few years. The mpc has also been expecting a firming of wages as the Labour Market tightens and that greater productivity growth will recover somewhat, both now appear to be under way. Finally, imported inflationary pressures arising from the referendum related fall in sterling have been in line with our expectations and are still expected to be the predominant cause of the overshoot of inflation throughout our forecast. In the exceptional circumstances prevailing since the referendum, the mpc has set policy to balance the trade off between the speed at which inflation returns to target and the support that Monetary Policy provides to jobs and activity. Our understanding of the contours of Economic Development since the referendum has meant the strategy has worked, with employment rising and slack steadily being absorbed, despite the sharp hit to real household incomes. As outlined in my letter to the chancellor today, the steady absorption of slack has reduced the degree to which it is appropriate for the mpc to accommodate an extended period of inflation above target. Consequently in november, the mpc began to remove some stimulus, raising the bank rate bya some stimulus, raising the bank rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 0. 5 . Three months on, the prospect of a greater degree of excess demand an expectation that inflation would remain above target of the forecast period, have further diminish the trade off that the mpc has required to balance. The Committee Judges that, where the economy to evolve broadly in line with its fred perry Inflation Report projections, Monetary Policy would need to be tightened somewhat earlier and by a somewhat greater extent than it had anticipated at the time of the november report, in order to return inflation sustainable to target. All members of the committee agree that any future increases in bank rate at expected to be at a gradual pace and toa expected to be at a gradual pace and to a limited extent. The economic output will continue to evolve. There will be ups and downs in Financial Markets, and that brexit bosses will twist and turn before it is concluded. Whatever happens, the committee will monitor events closely and will respond appropriately to make sure inflation returns sustainably to the 2 target. This approach to Monetary Policy is the best contribution the mpc can make to monetary stability and therefore to the good of all the people of the United Kingdom in these exceptional circumstances. With that, then, dave and i would be pleased to take your questions. As always, please state the name of the organisation you are representing and stick to one question in the first round. Kamalahmed and stick to one question in the first round. Kamal ahmed from the bbc. Governor, this is a warning, isnt it, on Interest Rates, that they are likely to come earlier and then rise more rapidly than you originally expected . Then rise more rapidly than you originally expected . Can then rise more rapidly than you originally expected . Can i also ask for your response of the government impact assessments on the economy in the future, that under any trading scenario, once we have left the European Union, the economy will grow more slowly than it would have done if we had stayed in the European Union. Do you agree with that . 0k. European union. Do you agree with that . Ok. In terms of the first question, i clarify. What the committee has said is that we expect that, in order to return inflation sustainably to target, recognising that we expect the economy to move into a situation of excess demand, and inflation still to be above target at the end of the three year horizon, that in order to bring it back to target under the more conventional horizon, which means moving it in from that three year horizon, that it will be likely to be necessary to raise Interest Rates toa be necessary to raise Interest Rates to a limited degree, in a gradual process , to a limited degree, in a gradual process, but somewhat earlier and to a somewhat greater extent than we had thought in november. That reflects the evolution of the forecast. Stronger worlds, slightly less supply, greater excess demand, change in the trade off. The message is not more rapidly, i would caveat that, in terms of that. Somewhat sooner and to a somewhat greater extent. You may dojump sooner and to a somewhat greater extent. You may do jump from the herb policy horizon to the long term outlook under various brexit scenarios. What i can say about the impact assessments is a following. First, we have not seen them. We didnt participate in the development, we dont have a past of the parliamentary library. We havent seen them, so its hard to comment on reports of reports about the underlying assessments. My understanding of those, based on reports, is that they are what i was called comparative statics. They are looking at the long term impact of various trading relationships, not just with the eu, but with other countries. And they are best thought of as comparisons between each other, as opposed to, not truly forecasts of where the economy would be, but they are best used in terms of comparisons. If you think about the horizon over which those forces come into play, and if you think about where we are today, which is an agreement that has been struck amongst the uk and the eu for a transitional arrangement that will run, is expected until the end of 2020, or effectively just run, is expected until the end of 2020, or effectivelyjust the end of our forecast horizon, before there is a potential transition to those longer term scenarios. Those dynamics are of interest to the mpc to the extent to which they affect the expectations of businesses and households. And what we are picking up, in terms of households, is that households are reacting to the current levels of real income, which have been squeezed, but not making an assessment of longer term, the longer term path of income and wealth that could be affected by whatever brexit scenario that is. And it is detailed in fairly extensive detail in the report. Businesses are reacting to the uncertainty of those beady scenarios. It affects being businesses to varying degrees. Its noticeable in terms of investment in the uk economy and based on a survey of more than 2000 businesses across the country, a so called Decision Maker panel, we are seeing the four Percentage Points of the rate of growth over the past year. Investment has picked up, but not to the extent one wouldve expected, givenjust the extent one wouldve expected, given just how strong the Global Economy and just how positive financial conditions are. Mark carney reacting to a question from our economic s editor, for various brexit scenarios published in full by the government yesterday. In terms of the Interest Rate rises, today, Interest Rates unchanged from the bank of england, but mark carney seeing we expect in order to return inflation sustainably to target, it will be necessary to raise Interest Rates to a limited degree. As caveat was, somewhat sooner and to ease somewhat greater extent than they we re somewhat greater extent than they were vindicating towards the end of last year. Staying with business now. Japanese investors in britain, including major car makers, are to meet theresa may at downing street this afternoon to discuss their operations after brexit. The motor industry has said it fears it could face export tariffs and customs delays when britain leaves the European Union. The meeting was arranged after the Prime Minister visited japan last summer. Im joined by our business presenter ben bland. This is of particular significance if we look at the card industry, for example, because the majority of ca rs example, because the majority of cars built by japanese manufacturers here in the uk are exported to the rest of the eu. Yes, were talking about a huge section of carmaking. Japanese companies, nissan, toyota, honda, they started uk operations in the 1980s and now they built nearly half of the 1. 7 million cars that are made in the uk each year. If tad saddam posed, if britain leaves was no deal and then any exports from the uk to the rest of europe based ta blets, the uk to the rest of europe based tablets, that they could see tariffs of 10 widget on the cars they export. They need to discuss not what the longer term trade deal going into the future, this is still looking at the transition deal, because they still dont know what will happen after the end of march 2019, and thats why they want certainty. You can see what the coming from. Over successive decades governments, theyve been encouraged to build the european bases in the uk and promised a business the base from which to run and export to the rest of europe. They now quite clearly wa nt rest of europe. They now quite clearly want to know what is the ground work going to be like. Its a delicate time to have that conversation, with the Economic Assessment reports, with the Prime Minister seeing the uk will not remain ina minister seeing the uk will not remain in a Customs Union with the eu. What can they expect to hear from the government . What kind of reassurance as can the government gives them . We understand that theresa may will say that she wants a brexit transition deal as soon as possible. To which they may well turn round and say, tell us something we dont know. That is stating the obvious. Just because one side once the transition deal as soon as possible doesnt mean it can happen. There are two sides to the negotiations, and i think that as much as downing street will be trying to reassure these companies, we should see its notjust japanese car manufacturers, there are big japanese banks that will have concerned about the so called passport in. They will want to know, can they still sell their services . Can they do business from their base in the uk, in london, across the rest of the eu post brexit. And Drugs Companies, their fear rest of the eu post brexit. And Drugs Companies, theirfear is rest of the eu post brexit. And Drugs Companies, their fear is that, britains if britains regulations ondrugs different. ,. If britains regulations ondrugs differentto ,. If britains regulations ondrugs different to the e if britains regulations ondrugs different to the rest of europe, are different to the rest of europe, they may have difficulty selling their drugs and exporting to europe. Car companies, Drugs Companies, banks, that a significant chunk of the uks economy. A lot riding on it. Thank you very much. Party leaders in the us senate have struck a two year budget deal that should avoid any repeat of last months federal Government Shutdown. But it still needs approval from the house of representatives, and many are questioning a three hundred billion dollar increase to the bulging federal deficit. Democrats also want to use the deal as leverage to bring in immigration reforms. The deadline to avert another shutdown is midnight thursday local time. From washington, heres david willis. Acts of bipartisanship have been in short supply in these parts of late. Thats what makes this senate deal unusual. Im pleased to announce that our bipartisan bicameral negotiations on defence spending and other priorities have yielded a significant agreement. But getting such a deal past the house might not be quite so easy. Democrats there want to link it to legislation to protect the plight of the so called dreamers, young people brought to the us illegally, whom President Trump is threatening to deport. But most of all, let us thank and acknowledge the dreamers for their courage, their optimism, their inspiration to make america more american. Thank you. Concluding a marathon eight hour speech, the leading House Democrat nancy pelosi called on republicans to replicate a promise given to members of the senate and bring forward a vote on immigration reform. Many republicans actually support legitimising the status of the dreamers, but they want it to be part of a bill that would also provide funding for a wall along the mexican border, a pet project of President Trump. Coming on top of his recent tax cuts, there are also republicans who oppose the massive increase in the federal deficit that the new budget plan would bring about. His meaning that for all the senates good intentions, washington once again finds itself locked in a game of budget brinkmanship, with a Government Shutdown looming. Firefighters who were some of the first to arrive at the Grenfell Tower fire in june last year will be running the London Marathon to raise money for children affected by the disaster. North kensingtons red watch were the First Responders on the scene, and now nine of their crew are preparing to raise money to support traumatised children. Earlier some of them spoke to my colleague chloe tilly on the Victoria Derbyshire programme, and explained how theyre coping all nine months on. There is still a lot of raw emotion for many of our colleagues, particularly North Kensington, but thats something well have to deal with and move forward. And us doing the marathon helps us deal and process the events we witnessed that night. We need to move forward in a positive direction. We need something to work towards and us running the marathon for kids on the green really allows us to do that. Let me take you back to when you got that call, if i can. Did any of you have the sense of the scale of what you were going to be confronted with . When we turned up to that particularfire, at first, it was something we deal with quite regularly. And obviously, in a very short amount of time, it became something unbelievable. So we just did ourjob that we normally on the night, and unfortunately the world saw what happened. When you are confronted with that, clearly, you go into professional mode, but we heard there, there is a human being, there is a human instinct of reaction, isnt there . Yes, youre right, you go into professional mode and you dont consider whats going on around you, its just a case of getting on with the job and doing what needs to be done. But on that night, it was something no one had faced before. How about you, justin . Funnily enough, i wasnt expecting to hear the clip and it brings it back. Quite difficult to cope with. Im still receiving counselling. Our chief, she came out and openly spoke about receiving counselling and stuff like that. So i dont know what the children are going through in that community at the moment, so us running the marathon for this organisation, just to support the children. Because theyre getting counselling as well from this organisation. How important is the counselling for you . Mike was talking there about the processing of the grief. For me personally, i benefited from it a great deal. The fire brigade are supplying us with counsellors. That is a charity run by firefighters. Weve been there as a watch. That was very helpful as well. No training or anything would have prepared us for what happened that night, and as i said, the children who were involved in that fire and even in the community, are all suffering. Thats why we would like to run for them. You have to look at us as firefighters, we have had some kind of exposure to traumatic events in the past. Ive been a firefighter for 15 years and there is a great deal of experience sitting around this group. But the kids and children should not be exposed to those kind of events. As firefighters, we can process that, but how does a vulnerable child process those events . Us Going Forward and running the marathon will help us raise the funds for kids on the green, who are a fantastic organisation. This is at the heart of what we are doing it for. For people who havent been down to the site of Grenfell Tower, they may not realise that its not just the community that was living within that tower. I remember when i was standing there, there was a little girl on her way to school. She was on her scooter and she was stopping and looking at all of the tributes, talking about the tower. And her dad was saying, come on, we need to go. And it must be so hard, day in, day out, you are confronted with that outside your home and school. The shell of the tower is still there and itjust looms over North Kensington, so that looms over the parks and play areas. Its a constant reminder to everyone in the area whats happened. And its a real trigger for post traumatic stress. Kids on the green, the charity we are running for, the organisation we are running for, they look after kids to have probably been missed by the original aid effort that went out nearer the time. So many children witnessed the unthinkable and probably have been and diagnosed with post traumatic stress. This is targeting children from the entire area very good luck to them. Heres a look at the weather. There is some rain around at the moment. A front moving its way in from the north west, it will slice the country into as we close out our thursday afternoon. Some of that being quite heavy, and it will continue to be an issue as we go through overnight period. Behind it, winds s swinging round, bringing in a few wintry showers. The temperatures will fall away. Northern ireland, Northern England and scotland well below freezing. Once we have that rain out of the way, we will see a little line of enhanced showers making its way across the country and these will be the wintry mix. Cold icy start going to be an issue and with those showers falling on those temperatures below freezing, it could be a problem for scotland and Northern Ireland and north west england. He wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow making its way down towards the south east by nine oclock on friday morning, so the Early Morning rush hour could be tricky. Were not too concerned about it, but its worth bearing in mind. As we go through the afternoon, it will be a quieter story. Still a scattering of showers along the north and west coasts. On friday, a ridge of High Pressure building. A cold start to saturday morning. The wind is picking up, gales on exposed coast, and that will bring snow on the leading edge and then it should turn readily back to rain across north west england, wales and south west england. The best of the weather on saturday into the afternoon is in scotland. As the rain clears, we should see some sunny spells. That rain clears the way, again the wind swinging background to a north westerly, and that will dry him further snow showers for the second half of the weekend. Some of that will settle at lower levels. It looks as though we are heading for a wintry flavour to weekend. The cold theme continues. Rain and snow and gales at times. Dramatic new evidence of plastic pollution in the arctic. Animals are frequently trapped in rubbish Scientists Say a pristine wilderness is being contaminated. Ive collected this waste in just a few seconds. Some of the fragments may come from norway, some clearly dont, like this elaborate bottle, for instance, or this butter tub from spain. We have a special report from the norwegian arctic. Also this lunchtime. Stranded in hospital corridors new figures from nhs england say 1,000 people had to wait more than 12 hours for treatment last month. Interest rates on hold, but a warning they could rise soon as the bank of england upgrades its forecast for growth. Uk net trade is benefiting from this robust Global Demand and the past depreciation of sterling. Whereas it usually drags on growth, net