Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20240713

A relationship with an employee, where should the boundaries be in the workplace . And in sportsday on bbc news well be reflecting on a sixth f1 title for Lewis Hamilton, just one behind Michael Schumachers all time record. But how many more can he win . Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. Its another tale of financial collapse on the high street, and the possible end of an iconic brand. The baby goods and maternity retailer, mothercare, is now warning its on the brink of closure in the uk. 0nce boasting 425 stores, its now appointing administrators for its british business, with 2,500 jobs at risk. The company has been struggling for some time, losing £36 million last year. Our business correspondent, emma simpson has more details. The 1970s, and mothercare had already become the go to place for all those baby essentials. Including a pram, for six quid. It served generations of new parents, but over the years, this specialist retailer lost its way. Talk to new mums and dads today, and they paint a very different picture of shopping for their little ones. Babys things, we probably tend to shop around, go online, get things that are more local to us, to be honest. Everyone is trying to compete with each other, and the shops are getting cheaper and cheaper, and so the stores which charge a premium, unfortunately, they are being hit when people shop elsewhere. Actually, when youve got a cheap option. Now ill be going and doing my shopping online, more. Which is a shame, because its a good place to go with the kids, as well. They think its fun, there. Mothercares uk business has been losing money for years. Today the company said it could no longer see a return to profitability and called it a day. I think the problem for mothercare is that everything they sell, whether it is baby shampoo, through to prams, somebody else sells it as well. Sells it better, cheaper, and can get it to you quicker. And their shoppers have really changed, because now, they are serving really young shoppers who are completely internet savvy, and want to be able to get things straightaway. At its peak in 2008, mothercare had 425 stores. But by last year it was down to just 79. After a major restructuring to close shops and cut costs. That didnt work, and now 2500 jobs, mostly part time ones, are at risk. Another blow to the high street, already in turmoil as the all important Christmas Trading season gets under way. Its getting really hard for traditional bricks and mortar shops. Costs like Business Rates are going up, and shoppers spent more online. Conditions are pretty brutal for many right now, leaving weaker players like mothercare unable to adapt. Inevitably, there will be more casualties ahead. The stores continue to trade as normalfor now, and mothercares profitable International Business isnt affected, but tonight its long term physical presence here on uk high streets is far from clear. Mothercare isnt yet in formal administration, that is expected tomorrow. This is no surprise, given the long running this business has had. Terrible news for the 2500 workers so close to christmas. Its not clear how quickly things will develop. Will this brand disappear altogether from the high street . Will someone run it as an online brand . Could a retailer do a joint venture with a Successful International arm . These are possible options. Studio thank you. The uk terrorism threat level has been downgraded from severe to substantial its lowest level since 2014. But the home secretary priti patel says theres still a high level of threat and an attack could occur without further warning. The separate terrorism threat level for Northern Ireland remains severe. Doctors and Health Service leaders in england have warned the main parties against using the nhs, as a political weapon during the general Election Campaign. They say theyre already seeing the start of a bidding war with nhs providers, who represent hospitals and other health trusts, saying promises made in the heat of an election battle, risk creating unrealistic expectations. Heres our health editor, hugh pym. It is a familiar story at elections down the decades. Political Party Leaders visiting hospitals. This time, the nhs has dominated the Opening Campaign exchanges, with claims about how much more money is needed, but leaders of hospitals and other trusts in england say the debate has got out of hand. We would ask our politicians to exercise a bit of self control and to make sure that the debate we are going to have his evidence based, mature, and not just political punch and judy. Health leaders say its all the more important to have a considered debate about the future of the nhs as it is under immense strain right now. They say they are worried about the level of pressure, even before winter has really set in. So, how does this hospital chief executive see things . It has been very busy over the summer here at milton keynes. It is really important that we have the right staff available to us, and that we have the physical capacity to look after patients as normal, but the reality is that the patients may have to wait a little bit longer in the emergency departments. Staffing is a problem. There are 107,000 vacancies across the nhs in england and demand is rising, with almost 4 more Emergency Hospital it admissions over the year. Different governments have different ideas. Sometimes they end up missing up ideas. Sometimes they end up missing up things. It just isnt the itjust isnt the same any more. Nobody has got any time for anyone and its a shame because it isnt the staffs fault. Generally i think the staffs fault. Generally i think the nhs does a greatjob. The staffs fault. Generally i think the nhs does a great job. What you think about the political debate . think about the political debate . think its all political, its for their own gains. They saved my sons life last year so ive got nothing but good things to say about the nhs. The westminster election nhs debate is mainly about england, the devolved administrations run their own health systems, but there no doubting the passion for the nhs right across the uk. In the days other election news. Nigel farage has unveiled the brexit partys list of election candidates, with an accusation that the conservatives are trying to shut down debate over brexit. Mr farage has been accused of potentially splitting the pro leave vote, by fielding candidates against tories. Yesterday, mr farage confirmed he wouldnt himself be standing for parliament. The liberal democrats are taking legal advice over itvs decision to exclude them from its forthcoming tv debate between Boris Johnson and jeremy corbyn. The lib dem leader, jo swinson, said hers is the only major Party Campaigning to remain, and she was the only female leader with a shot at becoming Prime Minister. I stand as a candidate to be Prime Minister and as the leader of the biggest and Strongest Party of remain. It is a nonsense to suggest that these debates should go ahead, leave versus leave, with no voice for remain whatsoever. The leader of plaid cymru, adam price, has launched the partys general Election Campaign on anglesey. He accused both labour and the conservatives of having failed wales, and said the nations future, should be independent. And the Resolution Foundation the think tank focusing on people on lower incomes says Government Spending could return to levels not seen since the 1970s, as a result of conservative and labour Party Spending pledges, already made in the Election Campaign. Researchers also suggest taxes would have to rise to cover the costs. Mps are electing a new speaker. It follows john bercows decision to retire after ten years in the chair. 0ur chief Political Correspondent vicki young is in the central lobby of the houses of parliament. Vicki, whats the latest . This is quite a laborious process, it doesnt happen very often. Its a decade ago the last one took place. They are trying to whittle down the candidates from seven to the final one. They are on the third round of voting, they are waiting for one of those candidates to reach 50 of those candidates to reach 50 of those who voted. Lets look at the last three, lindsay hoyle, he is a labourmp and he last three, lindsay hoyle, he is a labour mp and he has been Deputy Speakerfor labour mp and he has been Deputy Speaker for many years. His labour mp and he has been Deputy Speakerfor many years. His pitch today was to say it is all about the referee, its not about being a player. He said Everyone Wants the game to flow and thats what he would intend to do. Next we have eleanor laing, a conservative mp. Shes also been a Deputy Speaker so shes very experienced and used to being in the chair. Many people in the house feel it is time for another female speaker. Third the house feel it is time for anotherfemale speaker. Third in the house feel it is time for another female speaker. Third in the final ballot last time was chris bryant, another labour mp. His pinch was to say hes across the detail, he keeps a copy of the rule book of the house of commons on his bedside table and he also said he wants to stop applause in the house of commons. We may know in the next hour who the newspeak is. Whats been interesting is listening to their pitches, all of them talking about the need to be impartial, not speaking too much, saying its not about them and their profile. Not naming john bercow who has proved pretty controversial over the last couple of years. But if we are heading for another Hung Parliament with brexit still unresolved, lots of people are looking at the role of speak and thinking it could be very important in the months to come. Thank you. The snp leader Nicola Sturgeon has accused Boris Johnson of treating scottish voters with contempt, after ruling out allowing a second referendum on independence. The snp have made another vote a key part of their Election Campaign. Of the tories 13 seats in scotland, over half are considered marginal, that means a swing of 10 or less could see the seat change hands. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith is in one of those constituencies for us tonight. Iand land in i and in stirling where the town and its famous bridge has been the scene of decisive battles in Scottish History and is now a key electoral battle ground. In a campaign which could have far reaching consequences for the whole of the uk, because one of the dominant issues is independence and whether we should have another scottish referendum. In stirling, the fight is tight as it gets. The tories won by less than 150 votes when they took the seat from snp in the last election. No wonder voters are fortifying themselves, ready for a vigorous campaign. I think is going to be independence related, so if all of scotland is covered by snp members of parliament, then that clearly shows something important. I think independence will be a big issue, but there are other aspects to look at as well. Anything they should be looking at . I think they should be, yes. The yes movement, gathered in Glasgows George Square have one clear aim. They believe this election could be the next step towards independence, especially now the snp have chosen to put it at the heart of their campaign. Many people here are impatient to see an independent scotland. They know this general election could be crucial. A good result for the snp will make it that bit harder for westminster to refuse another westminster referendum. So, do you see this referendum is essentially about whether or not scotland should be able to have another independence referendum . That is certainly the big issue at the heart of this election. In scotland. Do we want our future determined for us by the likes of Boris Johnson or, do you want to take our future into our own hands and determine the path we take and the kind of country we want to be . The tories are looking to spread the same message. Independence is a much easier topic for them than brexit in a marginal seat like 0chil and south perthshire. They love it every time Nicola Sturgeon talks about another referendum. What do you think . I think, yippee because every time nicola goes on television and bangs on about independence, we get more votes. Are you sure . Absolutely. I believe the scottish people are sick and tired of the snp going on about independence. So, when Nicola Sturgeon says shes making this campaign about independence, you think thats good for the tories . Fantastic news. Great news. Obviously, the conservatives arent the snps early challenges in this election. Throughout the campaign we will explore other issues and speak to other parties. But the demand for another independence referendum is central. The snp are hoping for a result that will make it hard for the next Prime Minister to say no. Sarah smith, bbc news. And for more coverage of the general election, just visit our website, at bbc. Co. Uk news. The time is 6 17pm. Our top story this evening. Another tale of financial collapse on the high street the baby and maternity retailer, mothercare, is warning, its on the brink of closure putting 2,500 jobs at risk. Champion of the world. Crowned for a sixth time, Lewis Hamilton celebrates being the f1 World Champion and has the record books in his sights. Coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news its a subdued homecoming for englands rugby players, two days on from their Rugby World Cup final disappointment at the hands of south africa. A bbc investigation has found that more and more young people are going missing from unregulated homes thats accommodation providing support to those in care or who have recently left ca re over the age of 16. A freedom of information request indicates the number has more than doubled in england and wales in the last three years. Its also been revealed that more than 60 children were found by councils to have been sexually assaulted or exploited, once they return. The department for education, who declined to be interviewed, says councils have a duty to provide suitable accommodation. Ed thomas has this exclusive report. I was in my care home. A semi independent place. And a car came up in the drive. Didnt know who it was. Then a bag got over my head, got flung in the boot. Got taken to a random house out in the country. Got water boarded, got stripped, got beaten. I was stabbed once in my shoulder and twice in my leg. When i got let go, i was laying on the road, dying. Kidnapped while in care. He is 17 and he has been in care since the age of five. For the past two years he has been living in unregulated homes. Most weeks he goes missing, often to sell drugs. I was going missing every day. For, like, months on end. Did the unregulated home have your phone number . Were they ringing you . How easy was it for you to get involved in county lines drug dealing . Easy. He was repeatedly exploited by drug gangs. I would be at one place. They would take me to another place. To sell heroin and crack cocaine . Yeah. Why didnt you say no . Because if you say no, you are going to get killed, or your family is getting killed. 0ur figures indicate that the number of times young people have gone missing from unregulated homes has more than doubled in the last three years. All the money i got from doing it, i was using it to get home. This teenager was sent hundreds of miles away to north wales. There was no family around me. I had no friends. Everybody was coming up to me because they knew that i wasnt from the area. Can you do this for us . Can you do that . Two months into being there, i lost my mum. When i lost my mum, they didnt try and arrange for me to go to the funeral. So i didnt get to go to my mums funeral. The care system and the social Services Just made me feel like i didnt want to be around no more. Did you try and take your life . I did, a couple of times. What was going through your mind . That i would see my mum for the last time and i could get out of this world, where nobody cares about me. I was on top of the most reported missing list. I was going missing every day. Catching up with my mates or i would be in catching up with my mates or i would beina catching up with my mates or i would be in a county hundreds of miles away in a crack den, doing it all wrong, doing it all wrong. We have estimated last year Police Forces spent at least £50 million searching for missing children in care. This china 16. After years in care this child is 16. After years in ca re this child is 16. After years in care he moved into unregulated homes. Some were surrounded by drugs and violence. My whole world was a drug hotspot, surrounded by crackheads all day long. You want to come on to a safe place, you want to be comfortable, not thinking, am i going to get robbed . They put me out ona going to get robbed . They put me out on a roadside in brighton, ipswich, southampton, aylesbury. He says he 110w southampton, aylesbury. He says he now sells drugs across the country. I was making a little script so i could give my mum a little here and there. Those men who are sending you over the country, why didnt you say no to them . If i did i would have over the country, why didnt you say no to them . Ifi did i would have no credit for my mum, if i said no they would find another person in a care home who would do what they want, it is no problem. We have been told that these pictures show young people in unregulated homes with weapons and drugs. We found out more than 50 people were sexually abused 01 than 50 people were sexually abused or exploited after going missing last year. Our information requests also revealed that around one in six missing episodes featured a young person already known to be at risk of child sexual exploitation. What should happen to these homes . They need to have inspectors and professional people who know what they are doing going on and checking and regulating them. They are running full on crack operations from there and they dont know anything. They are saying that they are there to support you. It is a lie. It is a recruitment game. They are putting kids into their zones and they are going to get recruited. There are more than 5000 Vulnerable Children and young People Living in unregulated homes across england and wales. Tonight, on average, 30 will go missing, often unseen and unheard. Ed thomas, bbc news. The chief executive of mcdonalds, steve easterbrook, has been sacked for having a relationship with one of his employees. The firm says, while it was consensual, hed violated company the chief executive of mcdonalds, steve easterbrook, has been sacked the firm says, while it was consensual, hed violated Company Policy and shown poorjudgment. Mr easterbrook, who was born in watford, is widely credited with revitalising the american fast food chain, improving its menus and restaurants and using better ingredients. 0ur Consumer Affairs correspondent Colletta Smith has more. We wa nt we want to be the best burger business out there. Steve easterbrook admitted being romantically involved with an employee so today he is no longer in charge of the mcdonalds global empire. This man was a mcdonalds store managerfor ten empire. This man was a mcdonalds store manager for ten years and says Everybody Knows the rules. When i worked there you are not allowed to fraternise with colleagues. Do think thats a reasonable rule . Yeah, yeah, when you work there, it can go a bit. Not everyone agrees. I dont think there should be rules against it, because you spend time with people you work with, you are going to meet someone there, arent you . I know people who meet in offices, no problems at all. You cant help you fall in love with, cant help you fall in love with, can you . In recent years mcdonalds has faced hundreds of complaints about Sexual Harassment at work. Since the Metoo Movement they and other Big Companies are keen to stamp out the idea of workplace harassment. Lots of companies have 110w harassment. Lots of companies have now decided to introduce relationship policies, but they are all a little bit different. Everyone from tesco to the nhs to google and facebook, some completely ban managers having a relationship with their staff, whilst others say it just has to be declared. their staff, whilst others say it just has to be declared. I think there is a motivation from employers to put this in place because somehow it shows that they are doing everything that can be seen to be doing in order to protect their staff, particularly women and more junior members of staff. But plenty of bosses think employees love lives are none of their business. People you expect people to work for ryanair to behave as adults, you cannot win on this, so the less i say about it, the better. Steve easterbrook started as a London Store Manager and worked his way to the very top, but despite his business success, his fate has been signed, sealed and delivered. Colletta smith, bbc news, halifax. Lewis hamilton says cloud nine doesnt get close to where he is at the moment, he finished second in the us after winning his sixth formula 1 world title. Grand prix over the weekend to clinch the championship, but refuses to be drawn on whether he can match Michael Schumachers record of seven titles. He did say however, that hes working on a masterpiece, and he hasnt quite finished it yet. Joe wilson has more. Radio champion of the world. Lewis hamilton has heard that before. Six times World Champion. 0nly Michael Schumacher has ever won more. But as hamilton will tell you, this is not a repeat. It is a sportsman pushing himself further than ever. It is the toughest championship that we have had to try and win. Youve got to remember, we won the championship last year, for example. It is not easy to stay in the lead. It is not easy to stay hungry, and try and raise the bar that you created. The us grand prix got interesting when hamilton tried to beat his team mate. Commentator hamilton fights it off, though. He only needed to finish eighth, but he tried to win the race. Thats hamilton. Relentless. The season finishes in december. He is already champion. Hes almost been too dominant this year to get the plaudits that he should get. If he had won it with a dramatic race in the abu dhabi finale, im sure he would get a lot more praise than he does, actually, winning more races earlier on. And winning it with two races to go. Its become, to the outsider, a bit boring. Thatsjust how good he is, really. In the adoration of a texas evening, Lewis Hamilton may have felt a long way from his youth in hertfordshire. His family put everything into his career. His dream, to race, to succeed, to leave. Youll hear different opinions about Lewis Hamilton on the streets of stevenage now but, if you work with teenagers here, you need a role model. Imagine if hamilton came home. I think it would be really nice for him to inspire the young people. It would be nice for him to come and meet some of the young people so that they can hear his journey from stevenage. And all of the hurdles that hes had to go through, to get to where he is today. Six times World Champion. Do these scenes matter less because weve seen them before . Every year, hamilton would argue, they matter more. Joe wilson, bbc news. Time for a look at the weather. Heres louise. Parts of eastern scotland have seen 30 millimetres of rain in the last 24 30 millimetres of rain in the last 2a are as. It has been relentless, driven by a strong easterly wind. That rain will push through and we can through the evening and overnight. Elsewhere, afternoon showers will die back towards the coast overnight. We keep some cloud around so temperatures sitting at around so temperatures sitting at around 7 degrees first thing tomorrow. As we go into tomorrow, we will see a change, or should i say feel a change, is drifts off into the near continent, it allows the back door to open and cold air to flow down from the north, driven along by the north, driven along by along by the north, driven along by a brisk northerly wind. As we go into tuesday, we will start with plenty of showers, chiefly along that east coast, some of them blowing further inland, but sheltered western area seeing some drier, sunnier moments, but you will in the field in the weather in the far north of scotland with daytime temperatures of eight celsius, and staying into double figures further south, but clear skies through the night means that wednesday morning could start off cold and possibly frosty in places, possibly with some patchy fog around, in sheltered central and eastern areas, seeing some dry, sunny weather but out of the west we have weather fronts knocking on the door. Theyll start to bring outbreaks of rain slowly but surely as we go through the day on wednesday. Not very warm, between 610d at on wednesday. Not very warm, between 6 10d at best. This trend is set to continue as we go through the working week. It will stay cold for the time of year, and there will be some rain from time to time. Louise nia, thank you. Thats it. Goodbye from me. Now on bbc hello, this is bbc news. The headlines that make Health Bosses have one parties not to use the nhs asa have one parties not to use the nhs as a political weapon in the Election Campaign. The house of commons is voting to elect a new speaker. The first election for the post in more than a decade. The baby goods we tell them set it plans to call it administrators. Putting 2500 jobs at risk. The uks Terror Threat level is downgraded from severe to substantial. But it still means an attacker could happen without further warning. The chief executive of mcdonalds has been sacked for having a relationship with one of his employees. Lets ta ke lets take a look now i would is coming up this evening. Lewis