Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Nine 20240714

To ensure the bill to block a no deal brexit goes through parliament. Hurricane dorian is expected to bring a deadly storm surge to the us east coast, after causing devastation and at least 20 deaths in the bahamas. The story of how Police Brought down the biggest human slave gang thats ever been caught in the uk. Coming up. Scientists start to chip away at the mystery of why one in ten people is left handed. And in sport not even a stray beach ball could stop steve smith, as he helps australia into a strong start at old trafford. Good morning, and welcome to the bbc news at 9. Boris johnson will speak directly to the public today, setting out what downing street is describing as the vital choice that faces our country. Thats after mrjohnson suffered his fourth defeat in as many votes in the commons as mps looked to set to keep him in office, but without his working majority. There were two votes last night. First up was the brexit delay bill, thats aimed at forcing the pm to ask for an extension beyond the 31st october brexit deadline if a deal has not been agreed with the eu. Opposition mps and tory rebels ensured it passed by 327 votes to 299. Then, as if events in the commons of late havent been strange enough, the government failed to provide tellers for a vote on an amendment to the bill, meaning they lost it by default. That amendment means mps will now debate and vote on the withdrawal agreement. Thats the deal theresa may brought to the house three times, and lost three times, only with some slight additions and concessions made by the former Prime Minister, in her doomed final bid to get labour mps on board with heplan. Following those defeats, borisjohnson then introduced a motion to try and call a snap general election. Under the fixed term parliaments act, the government needs the support of two thirds of mps to call an election before the five year period set out in law. But labour whipped their mps to abstain, meaning only 298 voted in favour. Jeremy corbyn said his party would only support a general election once the brexit delay bill had become law. Then there was some suggestion that tory loyalists in the house of lords would attempt to filibuster or talk out the brexit delay bills reading in the second chamber, with more than a hundred amendments to vote on, so it could not get royal assent before parliament is prorogued next week. But the conservative chief whip in the lords announced a breakthrough in the early hours after talks with labour. Our Political Correspondent chris mason has this report. Four parliamentary votes as Prime Minister and four defeats. The ayes to the right, 298. The noes to the left, 56. The latest last night, blocking his attempt to hold a general election on october 15th. Borisjohnson argued it was needed because opposition parties had scuppered negotiations by trying to stop a no deal brexit. The house has voted repeatedly to leave the eu and, yet, it has also voted repeatedly to delay actually leaving. It has voted for negotiations and today, i am afraid, it has voted to stop, to scupper any serious negotiations. Labour and the Scottish National party abstained. Jeremy corbyn argued its too soon, and living without a deal should be ruled out first. The offer of the election today is a bit like offering an apple to snow white and the wicked queen, because what hes offering is not an apple or even an election, but the poison of a no deal. So, mr speaker, i repeat. I repeat what i said last night. Let this bill pass and gain royal assent, then we will back an election, so we do not crash out with a no deal exit from the eu. Meanwhile, in the house of lords, they prepared for a very long night. Vote after vote, well into the small hours. But then, at 20 past one this morning, an agreement. The lords will finish its scrutiny of this planned new law by tomorrow night. So, no deal not quite ruled out yet. No election called this time round. But make no mistake, one is coming, and soon. Lets speak to our assistant political editor, norman smith. Good morning. Shall we begin with the house of lords and that packed in the early hours of this morning . It had been thought the brexit delay bill would be basically talked out and the lords were taught for such and the lords were taught for such a long time that they would not get round to voting for it but that didnt happen, why not . Bluntly, because Boris Johnson didnt happen, why not . Bluntly, because borisjohnson has run up the white flag over this bill designed to thwart no deal. Not because he likes it. He still regards it as the surrender bill. But because he has made a calculation that he can call Jeremy Corbyns bluff. By saint mr corbyn, ok, we are going to stop trying to derail this bill by saying. We will let it get through the house of lords and we wont talk it out and it will get royal assent next week, it will become law. You have said once it becomes law, you will give the bombs up to a general election, so come on, give the go ahead to a general election. The bombs up. That is where we are. We are in the territory of borisjohnson pressing are. We are in the territory of Boris Johnson pressing labour to give him the votes to trigger a snap general election. And if in any doubt, listen to sajid javid the chancellor this morning with this tau nts chancellor this morning with this taunts directed atJeremy Corbyn. Weve been clear that we cannot have another extension. We cannot dither and delay. We have to leave in october the 315t. That uncertainty is also damaging. That has the ability to damage the economy having that uncertainty, so we need to re move that uncertainty, so we need to remove it. But what weve seen from the labour party is a constant change in their policy on brexit but iiow change in their policy on brexit but now clearly they have decided that they want to remain, they want to ignore the british people. And they are trying to frustrate the will of the people from that referendum. Who actually controls when today of that election might be . Because clearly, there are differences of opinion on the dates and whether that might suit the conservatives better labour better and so on. Short answer, parliament. Better labour better and so on. Shortanswer, parliament. If better labour better and so on. Short answer, parliament. If you could come a mrjohnson would trigger an election now, but he cant because of something called the fixed term parliaments act, which was passed by David Cameron to reassure his then liberal Democrat Coalition partners that he wouldnt outmanoeuvre them and cut and run for a snap election. So under the new parliamentary rules, if you want to trigger an early election, then you have to assemble two thirds of mps to back one. Which means Boris Johnson need to the say so ofJeremy Corbyn before he can trigger this general election. The difficulty is, although mr corbyn has said, yes, hes happy to have an election as soon as this legislation is through, averting no deal, they are having a bit of a rethink in labour circles and now the tide seems to be moving away from that and they are now saying, you know what, we dont really trust Boris Johnson. Even saying, you know what, we dont really trust borisjohnson. Even if this legislation was passed, we think he might do the dirty on us, we think he might find some way to ta ke we think he might find some way to take britain out of the eu without a deal anyway. So actually, we ought to delay any general election until after october 31st, until we can see we have not left without a deal. And listen to shadow chancellorjohn macdonald this morning, a pivotal figure in labour, clearly indicating that the party is actually looking about pushing an election further back. In my view, later, rather than sooner. So that could be late october or beyond. So, after the date we all know. Well, one of the arguments. Sorry, after october 31st . Yeah, possibly. But one of the arguments thats been put forward is, Boris Johnson says he wants a deal, lets see what he gets at the european council, because then people canjudge whether or not the deal is satisfactory or not, or whether they actually do support no deal. Now, it is notjust a question about whether Boris Johnson now, it is notjust a question about whether borisjohnson can be trusted or not, it is all about election tactics. And on the labour side, they take the view if they have an election after october 31st, when we have not left the eu, borisjohnson has not been able to take us out on no deal, then that means mrjohnson would have to go into that Election Campaign having failed on his central pledge to leave, make a do or die. And interestingly, yesterday ina or die. And interestingly, yesterday in a meeting of labour mps, one of them said, Boris Johnson in a meeting of labour mps, one of them said, borisjohnson has said it is do or die. Well, lets help him die. A lot on the new thing going on. Lets return to the subject of the speech we are now told, the address to the people we are told borisjohnson will address to the people we are told Boris Johnson will make address to the people we are told borisjohnson will make later today. Is that going to make a difference if labour and other parties are absolutely fixed in their minds that they want to push this election date beyond the end of october . Well, what we will see from mrjohnson, which is going to be his tactic, is to basically accuse Jeremy Corbyn which is going to be his tactic, is to basically accuseJeremy Corbyn of being a coward. He will say is refusal to agree to a snap early election is an insult, a cowardly insult to democracy. And the hope is that that will strike a chord with voters, that voters will think, come on, Jeremy Corbyn, what are you running away from, what are you scared of . To crank up the pressure mr corbyn to agree to this early election. And it is interesting because there does appear to be a clear tension between mr corbyn and those around him, hes seen much more ready for a general election, and those like john more ready for a general election, and those likeJohn Mcdonnell and keir starmer, who say we have to be clever and it is much betterfor us if we can delay this general election. But the bottom line is, borisjohnson does election. But the bottom line is, Boris Johnson does not election. But the bottom line is, borisjohnson does not seem in control of events here. We cannot force a general election without the support of mps. And if labour and the other parties decides to play hardball, and an election is delayed until november, then that places borisjohnson in a very difficult position indeed because, as i say, it means he could have to fight an election while we are still in the eu, something he has said he would never do. Ok, norman smith, thank you very much for that. Over the past couple of days, borisjohnson has seen his narrow majority wiped out in the commons. First, the former tory mp phillip lee defected to the liberal democrats, then a further 21 mps were booted out of the party, after voting against the government. Christian fraser looks now at how the numbers stack up in the house of commons. So, lets take a look at the make up of the house of commons, now that Boris Johnson has followed through on his threat to remove the whip from those conservatives who voted against him. It means hes gone from being a Prime Minister with a working majority of one to the leader of a minority government. The conservatives now have 288 mps. They still have the support of the ten dup mps, which means altogether, there are 298 mps who would in theory back the government in the commons. On the opposite benches, there are 2a5 labour mps. The snp currently have 35. There are 15 liberal democrats. And another 15 independents. Plus, five more who belong to the independent group for change. Plaid cymru have four mps. And theres one green. So in total, the opposition parties have 320 mps 22 more than the conservatives and the dup. But on top of that, there are now 21 conservatives who no longer have the whip and have shown themselves ready to vote against the government, which is why people are saying the government now has a majority of 43 or to put it another way, borisjohnson is 22 short of a working majority. Just in case youre keeping count, there are, of course, some other mps in the house of commons who dont vote. The speaker and his deputies, by convention, dont vote. Sinn fein dont take their seats. But looking at the big picture, what is clear from these benches is that with 341 mps who arent with him, the Prime Minister the Prime Minister who promised to take back control has lost control of the commons at least, until a general election, and even that is not within his gift. So, how have the markets responded to the toings and froings in westminster over the past 2a hours . Dominic oconnell is here. What reaction has there been from the markets . We have been going through an extended period of uncertainty. And that uncertainty is reflected in what is happening to sterling. Since town macro became Prime Minister, it has been trending downwards. With these votes and counter downwards. With these votes and cou nter votes, downwards. With these votes and counter votes, it has been up and down and it has mirrored how close you get to a no deal brexit that makes telling weaker and when a no deal brexit receipts, sterling goes up. But in a fairly narrow range. About one us dollar and 22 cents, down to 1 and 18 for a few moments a couple of days ago. But in and around 120, 122, no decisive moves yet and there will not be a decisive move until the political fog has cleared and people know whether it is a no deal brexit or just what is going to happen. And the reason the pound has not moved out of that very narrow range is because of that uncertainty. The traders dont know what will happen as much as you or i dont know. Lets talk a bit about yesterdays spending review, it was quite extraordinary. In normal times, this would be a huge story. It was well down the list of political stories yesterday. But how has business been reacting to what sajid javid had to say . It is interesting because also, this would have been a big dealfor business, a 4. 1 increase in spending, an extra 13 billion, just in one year. Normally, this would have been a very big deal. It was welcomed, but the director general of the cbi has been out and about this morning talking about the spending round and the general situation and she said, it was all overshadowed by businesses preparing for a no deal brexit because even if a no deal brexit looks less likely, she said businesses still had to prepare for the october 31st eventuality of a no deal brexit. Still lots of stockpiling and spending and uncertainty out there. So these big numbers on spending overshadowed like everything by brexit. Very interesting also, chancellor sajid javid said what businesses really feared was a cup in government. Carolyn fairbairn was asked about that this morning and she was equivocal a Jeremy Corbyn government. She said labour had policies they regarded as not business friendly but they also had policies businesses quite light, particularly on training and apprentices and she went out of her weight thats it businesses ready to work with any government. So not quite the condemnation you might have expected. Thank you very much for that, dominic oconnell. Lets speak to ash sarkar from the independent Left Wing Group novara media. And also, im joined by the labour mp for Exeter Ben Bradshaw hes in favour of a peoples vote. Borisjohnson will Boris Johnson will make borisjohnson will make a speech, is ita borisjohnson will make a speech, is it a way to go toJeremy Corbyn into an election . Possibly, but he has lost his majority and authority and every vote he has tried to get through in our parliament. We now need to make him fulfil his promises, lets see these negotiations. Of course, they dont exist. Lets see this great deal he promised to get, that doesnt exist either. And let him fail in his big promise to take this country out, do ordie, at the promise to take this country out, do or die, at the end of october, and then lets have a general election, but i think he will be absolutely | but i think he will be absolutely , what you think the best strategy for labour at this point would be with regards to a general election and what date that election might be on . So, labour will never be the perfect remain party purely because while it does have win back its remainers, it also has to bring leave voters with it. So as well as having a clear policy on brexit. Which i think will consolidate about a position which more likes and unequivocally remain position. But there will also be a transformative Economic Programme and already, you can see the tories are quite frightened by this. Sajid javids spending speech yesterday was really an actor playing catch up to where John Mcdonnell has been for years. The problem for the tories is that they are not going to be trusted on theirspending they are not going to be trusted on their spending commitments. The degree in the areas which have been really ha rd degree in the areas which have been really hard hit notjust by austerity, but decades of deindustrialisation. Brexit is the one tune that the tories know how to play. And on the domestic policy agenda, labour is absolutely light years ahead. Well, let me bring in bradshaw backing on the point you are making. You were saying a second ago you think borisjohnson will be thrashed in a general election, but perhaps not necessarily by labour or ina dominant perhaps not necessarily by labour or in a dominant sense. Because there area in a dominant sense. Because there are a lot of votes going to the liberal democrats as well. Do you think that labour can do as well as it hopes, given it has got to bring on board leave and remain voters . Im delighted to say i completely agree with everything she has just said, we need a transformative and radical Labour Government and a policy on brexit and i am confident, yes, we can. But it is very important we dont fall into the trap that borisjohnson is trying to lay not just for us, trap that borisjohnson is trying to lay notjust for us, but trap that borisjohnson is trying to lay not just for us, but for the trap that borisjohnson is trying to lay notjust for us, but for the other opposition parties including the snp, to agree to have an election before the end of october. Nobody believes a single word this Prime Minister says so there is nothing to stop him changing today there is nothing to stop him are appealing the bill we havejust passed. No, we have to make him sit and sweat in his ownjuices, passed. No, we have to make him sit and sweat in his own juices, deliver on his promises, be exposed for all the lies he has told, failed to meet his october 31st deadline, then lets have a general election. And i am absolutely relishing the prospect ofa am absolutely relishing the prospect of a Labour Government. Do you think labour will need to work with other parties, perhaps have electoral pacts in some areas to basically keep the conservatives out of power . Lam not keep the conservatives out of power . I am not sure electoral pacts is the best way forward because that cannot that can look like these parties are all the same anyway. When it comes to parties which have been taking chunks out of labours vote, particularly in the european elections, the liberal democrats and the greens, impelling, the vote of the greens, impelling, the vote of the greens, impelling, the vote of the greens has largely come back to labour. And the liberal democrats are pursuing a strategy of going for tory remainers because labour and the lib dems are not directly competitive in very many seats. Jo swinson is going to need to pick up seats from the conservatives. So i imagine she will be tilting quite ha rd imagine she will be tilting quite hard in an economically conservative direction to do that. So when you Start Talking about electoral pacts between labour and a party which is fundamentally opposed to the sort of redistributive economicjustice policies that labour is in favour of, you get into very dicey territory indeed. I think the better thing to do is to stake out a very clear policy platform. The appeal of Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 is he didnt look like any other politician. He stood out from the crowd. And it is about naming that insurgency once again. Ben bradshaw, do you think labour underJeremy Corbyn can set outs that clear policy programme thatis outs that clear policy programme that is going to take on board remainers and leavers, or does it need to look at the Bigger Picture and the issue of brexit and whether or not the uk ends up staying in the eu and try to work with other parties . We need to do all of those things and i think you will get, if not an official, but an unofficial nonaggression pact between the remain parties, not targeting each others target seats. One other thing i wanted to mention which is important is morality and character, and whatever you think ofJeremy Corbyn, he is a transparently honest man, straight talking and honest and decent. You cannot say that about the current Prime Minister, even his own conservative mps dont trust him one inch. He lies from day to day, he has lied about almost everything throughout his political career and thatis throughout his political career and that is quite unsettling for traditional conservative voters, many of whom have a strong ethical and moral sense, and many of whom have a strong ethical and moralsense, and i think many of whom have a strong ethical and moral sense, and i think that we re and moral sense, and i think that were played very well for labour in a general election. Lets see what today will eventually be, thank you, ash sarkar and ben bradshaw for your time today. Thank you. Much of the political wrangling currently happening in the house of commons is as a result of borisjohnsons decision to Prorogue Parliament for five weeks. That decision is being challenged by the legal campaigner gina miller in the high court today. Her application for judicial review will be supported by statements from the former Prime Minister sirjohn major, the shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti, as well as lawyers for the scottish and welsh governments. Our legal correspondent, clive coleman, is at the high court. What are the main grounds that gina miller, joined byjohn major and others, are arguing on . Gina miller is back. In 2017, she won a famous victory which prevented ministers from triggering the article 50 process by which the uk leaves the eu, using their own prerogative powers she effectively forced a vote in parliament. Once again, she is making a judicial review based on the fact that the executives the executive is curtailing parliamentary sovereignty. The basis for her challenge is that she argues that the advice given by Boris Johnson to the queen to Prorogue Parliament was an abuse of power, that it was unconstitutional. And what she is looking for is a declaration that that is declared unlawful. Now, the governments position on this. I should say, by the way, events are moving so quickly at the moment that that legal challenge has been somewhat overta ken legal challenge has been somewhat ove rta ke n by legal challenge has been somewhat overtaken by events in the sense that what she was effectively saying was, the Prime Minister is trying to shut down the Uk Parliament at a time of National Crisis and stop it from legislating in a way that would prevent the uk leaving the eu with no deal. Now, since these proceedings were initiated, we have now a bill going through parliament to do precisely that. But nonetheless, this legal challenge continues because proroguing of parliament is due to take place next week. The government position on this is quite straightforward, they have said proroguing was done to bring ina have said proroguing was done to bring in a new legislative programme, we can expect that claim to come under fierce scrutiny from gina millers lawyers today. The government also says, this is high policy, business politics, this is not a matter that a court like this is qualified to adjudicate upon. Gina miller has some very powerful support, as you mention, she has the support, as you mention, she has the support of the former conservative Prime Minister sirjohn major, the shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti shadow attorney general shami chakra barti and the shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti and the welsh and scottish governments. So today, what happens in court is first, she has to gain permission to have a judicial review. I would suggest thatis judicial review. I would suggest that is very likely to be given. Then the full hearing will take place. As i say, if she succeeds, she will get this declaration that the advice given by borisjohnson to the advice given by borisjohnson to the queen to Prorogue Parliament was unlawful. I understand the Prime Minister has said he will abide by any ruling of the court, so if that happens, the proroguing that has been achieved through this order in council, will effectively fall away. So highly charged. Even though we have this bill going through parliament at the moment. This legal challenge still has plenty of bait in it. Just a couple of quickfire questions. In the High Court Case in london, when might we hear the result of that . Secondly, the case in the scottish courts, that is going to appeal, what are the chances of that succeeding . Ok, well, as you say, scottish case is going to appeal. We could get a judgment in this case tomorrow even. What i can tell you is that both of these legal challenges could end up at the uks Supreme Court. There is at the uks Supreme Court. There is a mechanism whereby this challenge here today, and i would suggest if either side loses, they will appeal, it could leapfrog straight to the uks Supreme Court. They have set aside a date for the hearing on the 17th of september and it could well be that both the scottish challenge and this challenge here, and indeed, there is one in Northern Ireland is well, they could all arrive at the Supreme Court and they could all behead together on the 17th of september. Ok, clive coleman, thank you very much. Hurricane dorian is expected to bring a life threatening storm surge to the us east coast, leaving a trail of destruction in the bahamas, where at least 20 people have died. One of the worst hit regions, the abaco islands, have been devastated. Homes, roads and businesses there have been torn apart, as david willis reports. Along the eastern seaboard, they are battening down the hatches. Dorian is on a collision course with the carolinas and people are being urged to leave. Our message today is, if you are still in an evacuation zone, you still have time to get out. But time to get out is running out, because once the wind speeds get up to about 40 or 45 miles an hour, the emergency crews will not be able to come in and get you. Oh, my god in its wake, dorian left a tropical paradise in ruins. The abaco islands of the northern bahamas were torn apart homes flattened, entire communities submerged by one of the most powerful atlantic storms on record. Relief officials are gearing up for a major humanitarian disaster. As the floodwaters recede, the death toll is expected to grow. With the city of charleston, south carolina, now in its path, dorian is expected to bring with it winds of around 120 miles an hour, and a ten foot storm surge that could lead to catastrophic flooding. David willis, bbc news, washington. The Us State Department has confirmed it offered millions of dollars in cash to the captain of an Iranian Oil Tanker if he steered the vessel to a port where it could be seized. The vessel was suspected of moving oil to syria, and was temporarily impounded by uk authorities in gibraltar injuly crime recorded on british railways increased by 12 last year including a rise in the number of violent and sexual offences, according to new figures. But British Transport Police says the statistics show serious crime is rare across 3. 3 billion journeys. Scientists at Oxford University have found the First Genetic instructions linked to being left handed. The differences in dna seem to be intricately involved in how the brain develops, particularly the parts involved in language. The researchers speculate that as a result left handed people may have greater verbal skills. Hong kong chief executive carrie lam has once again said she hopes the withdrawal of the controversial extradition bill will help end more than three months of protests. She was speaking the day after formally withdrawing the bill. Heres what she had to say. So as far as the substance is concerned, there is simply no plan to take forward the bill, in light of the controversy. But since my announcement of a dialogue with society last month, about two weeks ago, we have been meeting a lot of people from different backgrounds, with different political positions. And they gave me this piece of advice, which i now feel was a very pertinent piece of advice, is that if the government wanted to start a dialogue, the government should also take the initiative to provide a basis for the dialogue. But will this be enough to calm tensions or do protestors wa nt more . Heres the bbcs Danny Vincent in hong kong. I think for a very long time, protesters here were asking to hear the word withdrawal. Of course, carrie lam initially said that they were suspended. She then went on to say the bill was dead. This was months ago. Now she used the word withdrawal, but many of the protesters that ive spoken to, they feel the situation in hong kong has changed. The word withdrawal, withdrawing this bill might have been enough two or three months ago, but now what these protesters want, especially the young protesters that take to the front lines and are willing to escalate this protest movement, they want universal suffrage. They want political reform in the city. And it seems unlikely that whats been announced yesterday and today will be enough to back these protesters up. Now its time for a look at the weather. It isa it is a bit chilly this morning but for most of drier and brighter day with a few exceptions. A few showers for parts of Liverpool Bay and into the isle of man but across western scotla nd the isle of man but across western scotland the rain is more extensive and that is going to push across the west of scotland through this morning but it does mean a brighter afternoon. For Northern England, north wales in the north midlands we will see some spots of rain or drizzle. That may affect the cricket during the afternoon. Temperatures 14 to 19 degrees. Tonight more strong winds on the way to scotland and Northern Ireland. That will be in Northern England and north wales by tomorrow morning. A fresh start in the south east where you will start with some brightness but through the day we will see rain spreading southwards turning lighter as it goes. Scotland and Northern Ireland bright and breezy with one or two showers. The year and half an hour. Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines number ten says Boris Johnson will speak directly to the public later today, to argue his case for a general election. It comes after he faced another defeat in the house of commons, when mps rejected his calls for an election. The shadow chancellor says timing is key. This Prime Minister has been defeated four times and has not won a vote because we have been using the right strategy so we had in a situation where we bring people with us situation where we bring people with us and we maximise the date to protect against no deal. A late night pact between the government and labour peers in the house of lords, to ensure the bill to block a no deal brexit goes through parliament. Away from politics Hurricane Dorian is expected to bring a deadly storm surge to the us east coast, after causing devastation and at least 20 deaths in the bahamas. The story of how Police Brought down the biggest human slave gang thats ever been caught in the uk. Time now for the morning briefing, where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. Lets start by returning to our top story. The government has agreed that the bill designed to stop a no deal brexit which was passed in the commons last night will complete its passage through the lords by the end of tomorrow. It would then be ready to become law before parliament is suspended next week. And its not only the uk thats been gripped by the events in westminster, it seems that the rest of the world is paying attention as well with a number of front pages mentioning the situation. The New York Times calls it a sobering day for a politician whose bombast and supreme self confidence finally met a wall of opposition. With his purge of rebels, it adds, mrjohnson may have fractured the conservative party. Frances le figaro shows a picture of the pm on its front page it explains how the commons snubbed his request for a general election next month, and called for an extension to brexit until the end of january. The Washington Post tells its readers that mrjohnson is seen as a crusading hero for british independence by his fans and an untrustworthy, undemocratic charlatan by his enemies. It reports that the public are angry and frustrated by a National Emergency that wont seem to end. The german newspaper frankfurter allgemeine asks what David Cameron would think about the state of british politics and the conservative party now. It claims that its borisjohnsons commitment to exit the eu at any price that makes him so dangerous and the idea that he can reach a deal at this stage is unreal. And the japan times claims mrjohnsons brexit plan is in tatters after suffering a humiliating defeat in the commons. This morning, weve also been gauging reaction closer to home. Earlier, bbc breakfast spoke to the shadow chancellorJohn Mcdonnell. This legislation that is going through at the moment to prevent a no deal brexit we are going to look at when that gets royal assent, we are going to consult the other opposition parties and our own party itself, and then we will look. We are taking legal advice on this, look at how do we maximise our chances of preventing no deal . That could be, for example. The Prime Minister says he wants to negotiate a deal with other european partners. The Economic Council is coming up in late to mid october. That could be around that time we wait for him to come back and see what deal hes got. At the moment the problem that weve got is he tells us he is negotiating a deal but the European Union has said hes never put any proposals to them. People watching this this morning are saying labour have got all the cards in your hands right now, you have been calling for an election for years, this is your moment, im asking when is the election, and you cant cant give an answer. Because we are doing exactly what we have done up until now to win. We have held all the opposition parties together. We have held our own party together, and thats the way. This Prime Minister has been defeated four times. He hasnt won a vote in parliament yet. Why . Because weve been using the right strategy. Now we are in that situation where we bring people with us and we maximise the date to protect against no deal and thats and thats what we are doing. The chancellor, sajid javid, also spoke to bbc breakfast. He said an early election is essential. The Prime Minister, from the moment he took office, has been absolutely focused on delivering our central promise, which is to leave the European Union on october the 31st. We are trying to do that with a deal. There has been a huge amount of work that has gone into that and continues to go into that, but weve also been clear that if we cant get a deal then we will have to unfortunately leave without a deal, and thats been our central focus. Of course, what weve seen in parliament this week has been uncertain. No one wanted it this way, but what we have now is a situation where the leader of the opposition is trying to get his way, which is to basically make sure we never leave the European Union, and he is trying to do that by kiboshing the negotiations the government are carrying out on behalf of the british people. Boris johnson was selected by your party because he was thought to be a winner but hes lost his majority, hes lost the by election, hes lost 21 mps, he is now lost four votes in three days, he is not a winner anymore, is he . Well, actually, yesterday what you saw in parliament, the final vote was something that i never thought would happen, certainly so soon, which was a vote to see if we could have a general election, and thats not something i wanted to see. I didnt want to have a general election earlier than necessary, but what we have now is actually three years, or certainly since the 2017 election we have had a parliament that keeps saying what it doesnt want when it comes to brexit but its not deciding on what it wants, and i think weve just got to the point now where we have to let the people decide who should govern this country. That there will well clear the house of lords. Vegetarian diets linked to a higher stroke risk. A report published in the british medical journal, a study of 48,000 people forup to 18 years, journal, a study of 48,000 people for up to 18 years, and it says plant based vegan and vegetarian diets although the lower the risk of heart attack the increase the risk of stroke. A quick look at the most watched. Number one a delightful story about a black bear that decided to take a nap in a hotel, climbing through the window of the room in montana. You can see the bear. It climbs through the window and fell asleep on the basins in the bathroom, a little bit like goldilocks in reverse. Once he was asleep he was tranquilizer stand brought outside. You will see eve ryo ne brought outside. You will see everyone turning up at their cameras moment to catch the energy. It was brought to a remote area and area and released and he was unharmed. That is number one most watched. A bit of a contrast with politics. Thats it for todays morning briefing. Sport now. Good morning. The first day of the fourth ashes test was all about the wind, the rain, and, almost inevitably, steve smith. Not even a rogue beach ball could distract him on what was a really autumnal day at old trafford. England started the day well, taking the wicket of david warner with just the fourth ball of the morning. Another followed shortly after, and that meant the introduction of steve smith, who batted brilliantly alongside Marnus Labushagne to guide australia to 170 for 3 at close of play. Steve smith and that beach ball making just about all of the back pages of this mornings newspapers. Lifes a beach is the line in the telegraph. The guardian one of many this morning to say that smith was seeing the cricket ball like a beach ball. And the sun says oh bails in reference to the fact that it was so windy yesterday, that the umpires decided just to take them off. So play starts again at 11 oclock this morning, and england will try again to get steve smith out. How can it be done . So, whilst the weather forced the players off, the fans well they always know how to keep themselves entertained. So play starts again at 11 oclock this morning, and england will try again to get steve smith out. How can it be done . Thats what i asked the former england captain alastair cook. He has a phenomenon. Both the meetings i used to have when i was involved in the england team were to ball him with all of his movements. You think there is a few areas you can but he has brilliant coordination. He does not miss the ball. He hit it pretty much on all fours. That shows how brilliant he has. He is a phenomenal player. The records he is doing, 853 in a row is extraordinary. We have seen some pretty dramatic matches and that incredible match at headingley, ben stokes with heroics, uber commentating, did you miss it . |j dont miss it. It is sad to say. I had an unbelievable 12 years of experience in moments like that being involved in the team to sing our dreams being involved in the team to sing ourdreams and 160 being involved in the team to sing our dreams and 160 test matches. My mind were saying it was time to move on. I was very lucky to be able to sit and watch them, watching ben stokes play the best earnings i have ever seen. Stokes play the best earnings i have ever seen. Hopefully in the future i can do that and see that, it was extraordinary. I was shouting know when jack leach extraordinary. I was shouting know whenjack leach was running. I did not realise Glenn Mcgrath had taken his headphones off and throwing them on the ground. To new york next, where rafael nadal has made it through to the semi finals of the us open. He beat Diego Swartzman in straight sets. Remember, both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are already out, so it looks like its opening up for nadal to win his 19th grand slam title, leaving him just one short of federers record. He plays the italian Matteo Berrettini in the last four. Also opened up in the womenss draw, heres Bianca Andreescu the canadian teenager at the bottom of your screen booking her place in the last four. She beat elise mertens. Shes only 19, but has won two titles this year. Shes up to 15th in the World Rankings and into herfirst grand slam semi final. Jamie murray, meanwhile, had a busy day at flushing meadows. First, he qualified for the semi finals of the mens doubles with british partner neil skupski, then he went one better in the mixed doubles, reaching the final alongside the american bethany mattick sands. There have been some unusual routes to the top of football, tyrone mings can attest to that. The aston villa defender lived in a homeless shelter as a child, and worked as a Mortgage Broker before breaking through as a footballer. He could make his england debut in the next few days as they play a couple of euro 2020 qualifiers. I cannot say that while i sat at my desk cold calling or trying to help people remortgage, that playing for england was an achievable goal. But as i have worked with some great coaches and been able to play for some great clubs everything has come together to get me to this point. At different times i have had to reassess goals, because of injuries and the like, but it makes it almost sweeter to be sitting here right now. Play will get under way at old trafford around 11am and the weather is not looking as bad as yesterday with the chance of a few showers later this afternoon but fingers crossed we should get more play today than yesterday. The headlines on bbc news number ten says Boris Johnson will speak directly to the public later today, to argue his case for a general election. It comes after he faced another defeat in the house of commons, when mps rejected his calls for an election. Labour say the timing of the election, is key. Hurricane dorian is expected to bring a deadly storm surge to the us east coast, after causing devastation and at least 20 deaths in the bahamas. Thousands of people across britain are being forced into human slavery by ruthless gangs. Tonight panorama follows West Midlands police as they investigate one of the biggest ever cases of modern slavery in the uk. Its the story of a polish gang which held hundreds of people captive, set them to work, stole their wages, made them eat from skips, wash in canals and threatened to kill them if they tried to escape. Lets talk now to Caroline Haughey qc the barrister who led the case against the slave gang. Give us a bit more background on how the people held by this gang fell into their clutches and what sort of existence they had. All the victims had a rare case where polish nationals who were recruited in poland. They were 98 male, all of them vulnerable, many homeless, alcoholics, many having just been released from prison. All of them vulnerable in that they had transient existences. Rarely did they have a home or a job and they we re they have a home or a job and they were beguiled and offered jobs in the United Kingdom and between £200 and 300 p a week with accommodation and 300 p a week with accommodation and transport to and from the jobs and transport to and from the jobs and food and each of these victims fell victim or were beguiled by this promise of a job which was something they were looking for. How did they get into the uk . They came and mainly by coach. Some are driven. What was apparent in the recruitment process was that each victim was told that they would have to take thisjob opportunity told that they would have to take this job opportunity almost immediately, so little time to tell family and friends where they were going and what was happening, but they were legitimate entrants into they were legitimate entrants into the uk, it was when they arrived at things started to go wrong. |j the uk, it was when they arrived at things started to go wrong. I am interested to find about the process of bringing this to a successful prosecution. I was the gang caught . It was a twofold process. There was an organisation in birmingham called hope forjustice, a charity, and one of their workers in a church noticed there was an increase in the number of polish speaking nationals scamming and looking for soup and the soup kitchen and he was hearing the soup kitchen and he was hearing the same story over and over, and ultimately he was able to persuade two of the complainants to come to the police, and as the number of stories and people reporting the story and christie took them to the police. They were going to Different Police. They were going to Different Police stations and it took superintendent nick dale and his tea m superintendent nick dale and his Team Michelle and mike to put the pieces together and saw that not only was it a large number of people telling the same story but about the same persons are using slightly different names, so it was fitting the jigsaw pieces together between the jigsaw pieces together between the charity and the police. How big a problem as this, these sorts of gangs operating, Holding People as sleeves, eight people in this gang, but you think that is the tip of the iceberg . Yes, sadly. The problem has many facets. It is happening in plain sight. The onions that were being picked by error victims are the engines you buy in the supermarket. The flavours they were taking and tending to infrared companies are what we will be buying on the high street. The recycling they were sifting is for big plcs. The rubbish they were sorting out the companies you and i would know every day. The fact is manual labourers required and none of these victims came here. inaudible you can hear more about this case as well as gripping first hand testimony. And you can hear more about this case, as well as gripping first hand testimony, on panorama the hunt for britains slave gangs, tonight, on bbc one at 9 oclock. A theory on the existence of the loch ness monster remains plausible according to scientists. Teams have carried tests in the loch and are due to unveil theirfindings later this morning. Our reporter Iain Macinnes has been down to the waters edge. Its a mystery which endures just what exactly lies beneath the murky waters of loch ness . And this is what you saw. How big was it . From here to the tail, oh, as big as a bus. The sightings of nessie stretch back hundreds of years, but as yet, no definitive explanation has been found. A team of scientists led by new zealands Otago University has been testing water samples and collecting environmental dna from all forms of life in the loch, including plants, fish and mammals. You basically take a litre or two of water and you filter it out, and in the stuff that is filtered out will be dna. And using that dna, you can then sequence it, and on the basis of the sequence identify are present in the water. The Scientists Say their research discounts most theories, but details of one which they claim remains plausible will be revealed later, as the search for nessie goes on. Well bring you the weather in a moment, but first have a look at these pictures of princess charlottes first day at school. There she is, being walked in with her brother Prince George and with her parents, to Thomass Battersea in south west london. She was greeted with a handshake by members of staff, and her father Prince William said she was very excited about her first day at school. So many children around the uk going through that experience this week, of course. Now its time for a look at the weather. After yesterdays blustery day it is going to be a quieter day across the uk. Still some showers in the forecast but not as many as there were yesterday and the winds are not as strong. A few showers cropping up in Northern England and one or two could affect the test match at old trafford. For most of us it is going to be dry with some sunny spells and temperatures getting into the mid to high teens. This evening rain is going to move through scotland. Temperatures for many of us in double figures, perhaps below in single figures across eastern parts of england but the brain is linked into this weather front and an area of low pressure which is going to move away towards the east. High pressure starting to build and will come into play over the weekend. During friday this band of rain will break upa during friday this band of rain will break up a little bit. Patchy rain for southern parts. Showers will follow behind but increasingly sunny across Northern England, Northern Ireland and scotland. Temperatures mid to high teens. Into the weekend the weather system will clear away and there is starting to build. Still a warm front moving its way into the west of scotland. I dont think we will see much of any rain or not so for most of us it is dry on saturday. The occasional shower across eastern parts. A touch of a brisk northerly wind might make it feel chilly across the north sea coast. Temperatures 16 to 19 celsius. By sunday that where the front bringing a bit more cloud to the west of scotland. It is dry and fairly settled day on sunday with sunny spells towards england and wales. Temperatures 15 to 19 celsius. Hello, its thursday, its ten oclock, im Victoria Derbyshire at westminster. Good morning. An election is coming. And downing street are treating today as the first day of their Election Campaign. But when will it be . Weve had a parliament that keeps saying what it doesnt want when it comes to brexit, but it is not deciding on what it wants, and i think weve just got to the point now that we need to let the people decide who should govern this country. Labour say bring it on, but only if no deal brexit is ruled out first, and the election date suits them. Well, im trying to be the adult in the room. Dealing with Boris Johnson is like someone dealing with a two or three year old having a tantrum, i want this and im saying, great, we want a general election as well,