Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20240713

Theres no more cereals, so i have the last piece of toast. Luckily, mum isnt hungry. Going without food in todays britain a new Study Reveals the massive increase in the number of people using food banks. Scientists say a Climate Emergency will lead to untold human suffering. How big a part will the issue and its solutions play in the election . And coming up on bbc news, saracens have been given a suspended 35 point deduction and £5 million fine for breaching salary cap rules over a three year period. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. Jacob rees mogg, the leader of the commons, has been accused of insulting the memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire after he appeared to suggest that people should have used common sense on the night of the fire two years ago and fled the tower block. In an interview with lbc radio, mr rees mogg said that having read the recent report on the fire he would have ignored the fire brigades advice to remain in the building. He has offered a profound apology, saying he would hate to upset the people of grenfell. 72 people died in the blaze injune 2017. Our special correspondent lucy manning reports. If theres one tragedy its easy to show sympathy with and be sensitive about, its grenfell. The inquiry finding just last week, residents shouldnt have been told to stay put in their flats for so long, yet one government minister has managed to upset the survivors. The more ones read over the weekend about the report and about the chances of people surviving, if you just ignore what youre told and leave, you are so much safer. And i think if either of us was in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building. Itjust seems the common sense thing to do. Marcio gomes, his pregnant wife, and two daughters were trapped on the 21st floor. They filmed the smoke and the darkness that made it almost impossible to escape. Their son, logan, was stillborn after the fire. There is no way you can get out . Floor 21 . Theres no way theres no way. We have tried three times already. The fires here you know, i lost my son and, yeah, it was hurtful. Its not very nice for the survivors, the families, or even the community, as well, what he said. He certainly needs to start thinking a bit more about what hes saying. And if he wants to talk about common sense, then i can quite. You know, turn around and say its common sense not to build houses or flats with flammable material. As he left cabinet, mr rees mogg was asked if he thought Grenfell Residents lacked common sense. Thats not what i said. Not what i said. Do you regret your comments . Thats not what i said. He later said. Do you accept his apology for those comments . No, not really. I think it was just very insensitive. It shows how out of touch he is with everyone. At any time, Jacob Rees Moggs comments would be seen as insensitive, but at the start of an Election Campaign, they suggest a government minister lacking empathy at the very time politicians are trying to connect with people. Grenfell survivors again feeling let down by those in charge. Lucy manning, bbc news. The liberal democrats have launched their Election Campaign saying they are the only party with a clear cut pledge to stop brexit in its tracks. Speaking in central london, party leaderjo swinson said this election could bring about a seismic change in british politics, putting her in number 10. She claimed the economy would benefit from a remain bonus an extra £50 billion to spend on Public Services over the next five years. And brexit was neverfar away as both labour and the conservatives continued their campaigns. Heres our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg. Her report contains some flashing images. 0ur liberal democrat candidate for Prime Minister, jo swinson. A liberal democrat candidate for Prime Minister . Could jo swinson really transform a dozen from 2017 into a group who could govern . This is not a normal election. It is not a typical choice about whether you want the red team or the blue team to be in government. Her ranks have grown, as brexit has rippled through the two big parties. But as a tribe who unashamedly wants to keep us in the eu, the lib dems believe their best chance is now. I never thought that i would stand here and say that im a candidate to be Prime Minister. But when i look at borisjohnson and Jeremy Corbyn, i am absolutely certain i could do a betterjob than eitherof them. Applause honest whispers suggest number 10 is out of reach, so if no one got a majority, would she could she prop up one of the others . I am absolutely, categorically, ruling out liberal democrat votes putting Jeremy Corbyn into number10. You said this morning you want to bring the country together, but how would you do that if your plan is to disregard the vote of millions of people in the referendum of 2016 . As liberal democrats, we are standing up for what we believe in and being very honest and straightforward about that. I recognise there are differences of opinion on this issue. Its a new politics now, and i do think they really have a chance to form a government. Very optimistic and its a really good feeling, actually, going out on the doorstep. Very, very positive feedback. If we get more than 50 80 plus, ill be happy with that. Labour will come knocking with a different proposal for brexit. After months of internal agonies, they are suggesting if they win. Theyd negotiate a different deal with brussels, and then within six months give you another choice of leaving or staying in. A Labour Government will get brexit sorted within six months. It wont be a rerun of 2016. This time, the choice will be between leaving with a sensible deal or remaining in the eu. That is the policy. It really isnt very complicated. Now im a believer. Believe it or not, the official campaign hasnt started but we are speeding through those kodak moments already. The snp refrain familiar too. This is an election about who will decide the future of scotland. If we allow westminster to do that, we risk being taken out of the eu against our will. Of course, more than a third of people in scotland voted to leave. And he has sent everyone to the polls because it hasnt happened yet. Do you feel up for the campaign . All yes, yes you look as though youre full of beans. Will you be back in the government, Health Secretary . However bouncy any of our politicians appear now some of them have chosen this to be their last day. For those who want to stay, this election is a gamble that the grins cant hide. Laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. So, the lib dem leader has made stopping brexit the centre piece of her pitch to the electorate. But with just 20 mps in the Current Parliament including those mps who switched allegiance from both the conservatives and labour what would it take for the liberal democrats to be in a position to deliver their remain pledge . 0ur deputy Political Editorjohn pienaar answers that question and more. Could the liberal democrats stop brexit . Its possible. It may not seem likely, but if the lib dems win outright, they could cancel brexit. If no party wins most seats, lib dems mps could still press for a referendum or block future brexit plans. Would that be democratic . Weve had one referendum. Well, 17. 4 Million People voted to leave, but 16. 1 million voted to remain, and a lot of them, younger voters, and many unhappy labour and tory supporters, could backjo swinsons plan. Frankly, we dont know. But theres a lot we wont know until december the 12th. What would the liberal democrats do to improve the Public Services . All the main parties say theyll pump cash into Public Services, including the nhs, which has become a political totem. The lib dems say staying in the eu could strengthen the economy and generate more taxes and that could create what theyre calling a remain bonus, £50 billion over five years, £10 billion a year for Public Services. Some respected analysts, like the institute for fiscal studies, agree, and so do government estimates that staying in the eu could strengthen the economy. But £10 billion is a relatively small sum compared to the value of the economy in a year over £800 billion. And forecasts have a way of being knocked off course by events. Could lib dem leaderjo swinson be our next Prime Minister . Well, anythings possible in politics, almost anything. But asjo swinson seemed to accept today, and our voting system, it would be a huge surprise if the lib dems won outright and she ended up in number 10. But if the lib dems held the balance of power in westminster, they could have a say in who is to be the next pm. Jo swinson says she wont back Jeremy Corbyn or borisjohnson, since hes a brexiteer who wont rule out leaving with no deal. Therell be no Coalition Government involving the lib dems. They got their fingers burnt afterjoining the tories in 2010. But you wont necessarily need to be in government to have a big say over policy, politics and brexit. That wasjohn that was john pienaar that wasjohn pienaar reporting there. And our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg is in westminster. We heard the lib dems message loud and clear. It is early days, we know, but politicians cant always control the agenda, can they . Thats right, george. The lib dems are aiming high this time. They believe this is a very unpredictable election. And after the crazy politics of the last few years they are probably right about that. By the same token, though, asjohn pienaar suggested, they are not really completely holding a serious expectation thatjo swinson could somehow win out right under the system and end up in no 10, but what they want to do is create a sense that the lib dems believe genuinely that the lib dems believe genuinely that they could take a very significant step forward rather than just edging up and grabbing a few extra mps here and there. So thats really the pitch they are setting out. In an unpredictable time, the result is very hard to know. But what we also saw today, even before the campaign proper gets under way, isa the campaign proper gets under way, is a very, very strong reminder for all the parties that they dont set the agenda. This will be an unpredictable few days, and predictably, if you like, they can lose control. Those remarks by the leader of the house of commons, the conservative Jacob Rees Mogg, were illjudged by any standard and insensitive, certainly, to dangerous politically for the conservatives whose rivals will spend the next six weeks saying to the country, accusing them of being out of touch and simply not understanding how millions of people in the country feel about their lives and the struggle that they have just trying to get by. Despite the apology from Jacob Rees Mogg, that may well be something that sticks in the Campaign Weeks ahead. Laura, thank you very much. A cabinet minister is coming under pressure to resign after the collapse of a rape trial and what he knew about it at the time. The welsh secretary alun cairns says he didnt know about the part one of his aides played in the trial until last week. But the bbc has learned he was emailed about it last summer. 0ur wales Political Editor Felicity Evans is in cardiff. I was looking at the background to this story. It is very complex. Just talk us through the background, please. Certainly, george, yes. In april last year, ross england, a former aide to the welsh secretary alun cairns, gave evidence in a rape trial. As a result of his testimony of thejudge accused trial. As a result of his testimony of the judge accused him of deliberately sabotaging that trial and threw him out of court. Eight months later in december last year, the welsh conservatives selected him to bea the welsh conservatives selected him to be a candidate in the Welsh Assembly elections in 2021. And at that time, he was endorsed by alun cairns as a friend and colleague. When ross englands role in the colla pse when ross englands role in the collapse of the rape trial came to light the party suspended him and alun cairns said that he had become aware of the collapse of the trial some considerable time afterwards and had no knowledge of the role of ross england. But it turns out that mrcairns ross england. But it turns out that mr cairns was sent an e mail by his special adviser in august last year. That e mail says i have spoken to ross and he is confident no action will be taken by the court. Now, the conservative party said today that there is no new information in this leaked document and they say it is consistent with statements made. But the victim wants mr cairns to step down, and in the middle of a general Election Campaign, alun cairns is now under renewed pressure to clarify exactly what he knew about this and when he knew it. Felicity, thank you very much. The former chancellor Philip Hammond ayss he will leave parliament with Great Sadness after deciding against standing as an independent in his surrey constituency. Mr hammond lost the conservative whip after defying borisjohnson over a no deal brexit. He said he wouldnt run as an independent as that would be a direct challenge to the party he loved. Throughout the Election Campaign, the bbc Reality Check Team will be Fact Checking the parties claims, looking at whether the data backs them up. You can find more details at bbc. Co. Uk news or on the bbc news app. The time is 6 15 pm. Our top story this evening Jacob Rees Mogg apologises after hes accused of insulting the families of the grenfell victims. And coming up, delhis pollution crisis. Doctors say growing up there is like being a smoker. Coming up on sportsday on bbc news the latest from englands t20 tour of new zealand, where a batting collapse saw them slip to defeat in game three in nelson. People living with illness or disability, or who are struggling with the benefits system, are most likely to rely on food banks. Thats according to Research Carried out by Heriot Watt University for the charity the Trussell Trust. It described 94 of people who use food banks as destitute. With many living on less than £50 a week. In 2010, the Trussell Trust handed out 41,000 food parcels. By last year, that had increased to 1. 6 million. 0ur social Affairs Correspondent Michael Buchanan reports. I mean, i was bedridden for a few weeks and, yeah, thats when it started to hit that i needed to do something. Misfortune can strike at any time. Donna kennedy was working as a nursing auxiliary when she had two mini strokes. Unable to work, and with little income, money ran out for the single mum, forcing her to go to her local food bank. Its being that person thats been providing for the family for so long and then all of a sudden, its just through illness, its been taken away. Donna remembers clearly her first trip to the food bank, driving around, uncertain if shed go in, sitting outside in tears, feeling embarrassed. Feeling degraded, feeling sort of. Has it had to come to this . And, you know. It just wasnt. Itjust didnt seem fair that it had had come to this. Itjust didnt seem fair that it had come to this. Hi, girls. At the food bank in county londonderry, where donna now volunteers, demand for help has increased each year since it opened in 2015. Here, as elsewhere in the uk, problems with benefits are a key reason people need food. The initial five week wait for universal credit creating particular difficulties. A lot of the families that we would see come to the food bank have tried to survive for five weeks. Theyve borrowed from family members, from neighbours, from whoever they can, to survive. But, actually, when the benefit then comes in, they owe money back to those people and then they find themselves in difficulty and then theyve had to come to the food bank at that stage then. Todays research is intended, in part, to tackle the argument that more people are using food banks because there are more of them. Well, that was a small factor. The major reasons people needed help were to do with a lack of benefits and living with an illness or disability. Single parents were also at much greater risk. Hunger isnt about food. Its about money. And its about how people do not have enough to afford the absolute basics. We found that the average Household Income of somebody whos been referred to a food bank, after theyve paid the rent, isjust £50 a week. And that is leaving people facing real destitution. Theres no more cereal, so i have the last piece of toast. Luckily, mum isnt hungry. This Childrens Book was recently published about a family in need, a sign of how normal food banks have become. Mum doesnt like going to the food bank, but i do. Its a no money day helps explain why more than half a million food parcels were given to children last year. The topic is familiar to this school, as they collect supplies for their own local food bank. Maybe one day, me and mum wont have to worry, but, tonight, because of kind people, our tummies are full. The government has emphasised they spend £95 billion annually on what they call the welfare safety net. But the increase in use of food banks suggests its not enough for many people. Michael buchanan, bbc news. More than 100 families with children at a nursery in south devon have been contacted by Police Following the arrest of one of its employees in relation to multiple allegations of sexual offences. Police began a Major Investigation in july, after one family reported their child had alerted them to an incident at the jack and Jill Childcare nursery, which is now closed. Sarah ransome reports. It was here back injuly when parents were told of an investigation into what police described as a serious incident involving a young child. At the time, one of the nursery workers was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences. Detectives say theyve now identified a number of children as young as two as potential victims but wont say how many. That investigation has focused on a large amount of cctv footage from within the nursery setting. And as a result of the viewing of the footage, we have identified a number of additional offences against other children in the nursery setting. In total, more than 100 families with children attending the nursery have now been contacted by the investigating team. Police say they dont believe other staff here at the nursery had any idea what was going on, and theyre keen to point out that the offences dont include the taking or distribution of any images. Specialist teams are now helping the families involved. We are working closely with our Police Colleagues who have specially trained officers supporting those families depending on the needs of those families. A helpline has been set up for anyone with any concerns. The nursery has had its licence suspended. Sarah ransome, bbc news, torquay. This week, weve reported on the pollution crisis in northern india, where levels of dangerous particles in the air are at well over ten times the safe limits. The elderly and the very young are suffering most, with one lung specalist saying growing up in the capital, delhi, is like being a life long smoker. 0ur south asia correspondent, rajini vaidyanathan, reports. One of the biggest threats to these young lives is all around them. As they play. As they eat. Because they breathe. Here the air is toxic. And its the youngest and poorest most at risk. In one of the worlds most polluted cities. Within minutes of visiting this slum in north delhi, we meet shabarna with her three month old twins. She tells me both have pneumonia and blames the pollution. Three times a day, she uses a nebuliser, rented from a local shop, to get medicine to their lungs. Theyve been sick since they were born. They have fever, theyre coughing, and they struggle to breathe, she tells me. The medicines arent working and were desperate. Weve just done a pollution reading and even inside the levels here are incredibly high, way above what is considered safe by the world health organisation. A study by the who said that every year, some 600,000 children under the age of 15 die across the world because of exposure to toxic air. So this image of a teenager with black deposits lung with black deposits on the lung is not a rarity today. Doctor arvin kumar is a chest surgeon who says hes seeing a growing number of teenagers with damaged lungs. Would you say that this air is killing Young Children . Yes. Its killing our children. Its making their Iq Development lower. Its causing cancers. Breathing kills. This blanket of smog covers indias capital annually. Vehicle emissions, unchecked industrial fumes, and farmers in nearby states burning crop stubble all to blame. Little seems to change. Its hard to see what the future is for the youngest and most vulnerable. Rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. Thousands of scientists across the globe have backed research that declares a Climate Emergency. They say that without deep and lasting changes, the world is facing untold human suffering and that governments are failing to address the crisis. So how important will the issue of Climate Change be in this election and what can the next government hope to do about it . 0ur science editor, David Shukman reports. With a new series, David Attenborough is, once again, attracting huge audiences with revelations about the natural world. Climate change now has a profile like never before. So, do people care about it . Protests by Extinction Rebellion were annoying for some, but inspiring for many others. We love you and the school strikes showed a growing concern thats reflected in some opinion polls. The environment is of particular concern to younger voters. In fact, in our most recent poll, it was seen as being the second most important issue to these voters, second only to the issue of brexit. And i think over this Election Campaign, politicians are going to have to start discussing the issue of the environment, if they want to win over the support of those youngest voters. So, what needs to be done . This solar farm in sussex is one relatively small part of the answer as the uk tries to go low carbon, and no longer add to the rise in temperatures. All the main parties have committed to tackling Climate Change, more or less rapidly, so whoever ends up in charge faces a monumental challenge. And notjust overseeing many more of these, but also wind energy. Thousands more turbines out at sea and maybe on the land as well. Greening our homes, moving away from gas as the main source of heat, and cleaning up how we get around, ditching diesel and petrol. Its a huge task. But is this transformation possible . The modern british economy was founded on carbon burning fossilfuels. Changing that will touch every aspect of our lives. The governments Climate Advisers say that must be attempted. When we think about the things that need to be done to get to that goal of net zero emissions, it is absolutely enormous. It involves things in every sector of the economy and, of course, we need Government Policies in every sector of the economy to deliver that. And we will need to see in the manifestos that come forth in the next election whether those policy commitments are there. Its essential that they are. This comes as we hear that the past month was the hottest 0ctober ever recorded. And as 11,000 scientists have banded together to warn that we are facing a Climate Emergency and that the world has so far failed to respond. David shukman, bbc news. Time for a look at the weather. Heres louise lear. Its bonfire night. Officially it seems to go on for weeks but it is the 5th of november, remember, remember. It could be worse but it could be better. These showers have been a real nuisance drifting in off the east coast, quite frequent at times and some of these in the far north where the cold air has been sitting making it feel quite raw at times. Those showers will continue for the next few hours but we are confident they will start to fade away as the night progresses and with clearer skies, that will allow temperatures to tumble as well. Eventually we will start to see if you shower is starting to ease away particularly in land as temperatures fall to low single figures in a few rural parts, perhaps just below freezing. A touch of frost likely and even some fog with those firework displays. A murky start first thing in the morning when the fog and frost will lift and a few showers along the coast, more frequent to the west. Central and eastern areas should stay dry with some sunshine before the next frontal system pushes into south west england, wales and Northern Ireland by the end of the day. It will be a cold day, however you look at it. Temperatures in scotla nd you look at it. Temperatures in scotland 4 7 and further south 7 10 as the daytime maximum. To add insult to injury, we almost are back to square one. This was the story on monday but another area of low pressure on thursday moves in with frontal systems spiralling around it and bringing some heavy and persistent rain at times. Moving its way up through the south east across east anglia into the midlands, north of england and Northern Ireland into scotla nd of england and Northern Ireland into scotland and the north of that, it stays cold with a few scattered showers and some of them turning wintry on higher ground. That colder feel stays with us throughout the week. Thats all from the bbc news at six so its goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbcs news teams where you are. Hello this is bbc news. The headlines