Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240713

Bulk left there will be some spells of sunshine. More cloud in northern scotland, where temperatures again get to 10 celsius. Starting to see something milder pitching into the pa rt something milder pitching into the part south west of england. This frontal is a simple search extend across england and with nine to wednesday, bringing some adverse of rain cheaply across scotland. Then, we start to see some milder air pushing through the whole of the uk as we go into thursday. To sum up the week ahead, cold at first, milderfrom the north, risk of the week ahead, cold at first, milder from the north, risk of the uk as we go into thursday. To sum up the week ahead, cold at first, milderfrom the north, west cobbold on tuesday and wednesday and then wetter. Hello this is bbc news. The headlines Cambridge University confirms that the woman killed in the London Bridge attack was a former student. The Prime Minister tells the bbc that 7a people jailed for terror offences and released early will have their licence conditions reviewed. I absolutely deplore the fact that this man was out on the streets. It is absolutely repulsive. That repulsive thing happened under the conservatives. It was conservative legislation and a conservative regime. A failure to recruit has left huge staffing shortfalls, with staff supervising more cases than ever expected, posing again a serious risk to our security. You cant keep people safe on the cheap. Applause an irish woman who travelled to syria to join the Islamic State group is arrested after arriving back in dublin with her two year old daughter. Throughout the election campaign, we are asking your questions to all of the main parties. With me to answer your questions is the Lib Dems Foreign Affairs spokesman, chuka umunna. Thank you for coming in. For the second time in one day in this building. You know your way around by now, i should imagine. Building. You know your way around by now, ishould imagine. We building. You know your way around by now, i should imagine. We have had plenty of questions. You wont be surprised that a lot of them are to do with brexit, partly because your party has taken a very clear view on this as being one of your central campaigning themes for this election. Lets start with jeff central campaigning themes for this election. Lets start withjeff in cambridge. The lib dems are standing candidates in seats which only the conservative or labour might win. Why are you not putting the National Interest first instead of gifting seats to the tories and forcing us all out of the eu . Jeff, what i would say is that we have done something unprecedented among the main parties. We are a pa rt among the main parties. We are a part of a remain alliance with two other parties, which involves 60 seats. In addition, we have stood aside for leading remain candidates Dominic Grieve and anna soubry. No other party amongst the main parties is doing that. Unite to remain, a remain alliance organisation, did approach the labour party to be part of those arrangements in spite of the fact that labour denies it is a remain party, and as the bbc has been reporting this week, is selling its leave credentials to the country. But they dismissed any form of alliance or arrangement out of hand. I would say tojeff, the nominations are in now, and it is up to your viewers to decide what they wa nt to to your viewers to decide what they want to do, and they have a choice. Either give borisjohnson a majority and a blank cheque to take us out of the eu without a trade agreement at the eu without a trade agreement at the end of next year, or you can ensure there is the parliamentary arithmetic to deliver a peoples vote to stop brexit. The more lib dems mps you deliver, the more you are likely to see that happen, not least because we can take seats from the conservatives in a way that labour cant. White maggot has a lwa ys labour cant. White maggot has always been a standard claim from the lib dems, we can win here, and try to persuade people to look at the arithmetic. In 1997, the election which tony blair won back with such a large landslide, that was in part because there were effectively people tactically voting on the ground, making those calculations. How should voters make that calculation, do you think . It is interesting that you bring up 1997, because we got 16. 8 of the vote then, delivering 42 seats. We are currently at 14. 5, so a couple of more points and we are in that territory if people are tactically voting. According to our poll this week, we are second or winning in 134 seats. In order to be able to see where those seats are, there are lots of different websites you can use. Lots of different websites you can use. There are two remain organisations for voters on how to vote and where. You can make a real difference, because particularly in seats in the southern regions in london, we are poised to unseat the conservatives, but we need some help in that, and that is where you need remain voters, labour remained voters in particular, to lend us your support in tory lib dems marginals, where it is a wasted vote to cast your vote for the labour party because, in many of these seats, the labour party simply wont be able to win. If you back the lib dems, you can unseat the tories. Janet asks jo swinson has said she won tform a government with labour or the conservatives, so why should we vote for the lib dems if they re committed to being an Opposition Party . Because we have seen what can be achieved in opposition in the last parliament. Remember, we should be out of the eu now, we should have left in march, but because of a coalition of anti Brexit Forces in the house of commons, we stopped us being dropped out of the eu in march. We did the same again in october, so when you have a Hung Parliament with a minority government, and it could be the case after this election, with the conservatives as the Biggest Party but not having a majority in the commons, they are not in charge of what happens next, and by having the most liberal democrat mps, and all of ours are committed to not only supporting a peoples vote but campaigning to remain in the eu, you can be sure that if you want to stay in the eu, you will have a strong voice there to help make it happen. Remember, ina voice there to help make it happen. Remember, in a Hung Parliament, the government is not in charge as it is when it has a majority. The house of commons determines things that happen, and if borisjohnson, in spite of the fact that he hasnt won an election but is the Biggest Party, tries to legislate for his deal, we can amend the legislation to provide for a peoples vote and there is nothing he can do if there isa there is nothing he can do if there is a majority for that. Graham from norwich says the liberal democrats stated that if they won a majority in the forthcoming general election they would take this as a mandate to revoke article 50 and stop brexit. Will the lib dems accept that if the conservatives win a majority that the electorate have given the pm a mandate to deliver brexit on the deal agreed with the eu and stop trying to overturn the result . In the end, this is why what you do in ten days time really matters. We said we would seek to revoke article 50 if there was 327 lib dems mps or more in the house of commons. That is not going to happen, so in order to stop brexit, we do that through a peoples vote. 0n the issue of revoking, people forget that 6 Million People signed the most popular parliamentary petition ever to revoke article 50 without any reference back to the people at all, so reference back to the people at all, so this idea that somehow it is not popular and people dont want to do it is not borne out by the figures. The way we will stop brexit in a new parliament is to peoples vote. If the questioner is saying, how can you see general elections is giving a mandate, in a way, i have some sympathy with where they are coming from. What might people vote on lots of things. Yes, but also our Voting System is unfair, undemocratic and outrageous, and we should get rid of it and replace it with proportional representation. It is rigged in favour of the cartel of labour and tory parties. If you tactically vote, you can override what it is trying to do, which is to force you into a situation you dont want to be in. A lot of these questions are about brexit, you wont be surprised. It is a brexit election. Allen asks why have you thought it is ok to alienate 17. 4 Million People by saying that they didn t know what they were voting for in the Eu Referendum . I havent said that the. That is often what is put in the mouths of remain campaigners. I am saying that brexit in the form it was promised to the british people, its not about whether people knew or not but about whether people knew or not but about the promises that boris johnson, an inveterate liar, and other people involved in the 2016 vote lead campaign, the promises they made to the british people. Lets remember they said we would get £350 million extra a week going to the nhs as a result of brexit. That hasnt happened, nor will it. They said we could get all the benefits of the club of eu membership without paying the subscription fee or abiding by the rules. That has proved to be a load of nonsense. And they said they would have new trade deal is ready to go at the point that we leave the eu. There are none of these trade deals to be seen. That is the problem here. Brexit in the form it was promised to the british people has proved in prom impossible to deliver. If you have another referendum, the big difference between 2020 and 2016 is that 2016 was basically a whatever you wanted to be brexit on the ballot paper. If we have a peoples vote in 2020, it will be a defined form of brexit. We will be a defined form of brexit. We will know what it is that is actually on the table, and that is the difference. The final point on this is, there are over 2 million young people who were not able to vote in the original referendum who, if we held a referendum in 2020, would be able to vote. This will affect their future more than any other group, and affect their future more than any othergroup, andi affect their future more than any other group, and i dont think it is for us older generations to rob those younger generations of the opportunities and benefits of Free Movement when they are the ones who will have to live with it the longest. Josie asks leadership is all about compromise. What is something the lib dems would compromise on, for the sake of moving forward and uniting the country . We have accepted that unless we get a majority, we would not be able to succeed in revoking article 50. So we a cce pt succeed in revoking article 50. So we accept that the campaign we co founded, the peoples vote campaign, is the route forward on that. That is something that we have accepted, a compromise that has been made. I will give you another one, josie. We are not going to lie to people and say that by leaving the European Union we will solve all the problems in the nhs. We wont lie to people and say that if we spray u ntold people and say that if we spray untold amounts of money around on the nhs, it will solve all the problems. You cant have scandinavian style Public Services with american levels of taxation, and that is why we have been honest and that is why we have been honest and say to people likejosie, we will all have to pay a little more to get the nhs we want. 1p on the poundin to get the nhs we want. 1p on the pound in income tax is a levy to fund the nhs. We are not saying, you can have all this wonderful stuff and not pay for it. You have told us what the penny on income tax is for the what the penny on income tax is for the nhs. What the penny on income tax is for the nhs. Simon asks how will the lib dems fund 35 hours a week of Free Childcare for all 2 4 year olds . We have committed, just to recap for the viewers, and we have the most extensive Free Childcare offer of the main parties, that will kick in when your child is at nine months if you are working parent, and you will get so many hours of Free Childcare. Between the ages of two and four, whether you are a working parent or not, you will get child care. Far beyond what the conservatives and labour are offering. And it will be paid for by changes to the way that cgt allowa nces paid for by changes to the way that cgt allowances work in the main, and also Corporation Tax going up to 20 . The people who will get the benefit of more skills in the market in people being able to work and manage their family commitments and businesses, we think it is only fair that they should make a contribution. Chuka umunna, from the lib dems, thank you very much for being with us. Coming up next, the travel show. We are starting off in iceland this week. It is one of the best places in the world to see whales in their natural habitat. But its also now providing a home for a pair of these amazing mammals whove spent their lives in captivity. They are now looking forward to their retirement in an environment that is closer to their natural home. And cat has been to meet them. Here, just off the coast of iceland, we are searching because, apparently, there is something in the water. Notjust one of them either. There are 23 species of them. Every now and then, someone points in a direction and the whole boat rushes over, trying to see what is happening. And then someone points in another direction so we rush that way. It is like whack a mole, you never know when they will pop up. Whale watching boats cast off to sea each day in iceland in the hope of catching a glimpse of these mammals. You have a great spot up here. The best one on the boat. Minke whales, two oclock. Minke whale at two oclock. How do you even try to find a whale in such a vast area . What are the tell tale signs . The easiest one is the body. When their black body comes up and you see the triangle shape dorsal fin. But also the blows. When you see their breath, you know what species you have. Really . You can tell the species from the breath . Yes. Thats incredible. How often do you see whales on these tours . We basically see them almost every trip that we go out. In the end, its the food. We have nutrient rich waters because it is cold. The colder the water, the more oxygen and with that the more life that you have. Elsewhere in the world, travellers contact with whales is often in captivity, where they are kept for public entertainment. Globally, hundreds of whales are thought to live this way. But public appetite for holding these intelligent and social animals appears to be shifting. Just last year, greenpeace drew attention to dozens of beluga whales and orcas that had been caught and kept in poor conditions in russia, destined for Entertainment Parks in china. In recent weeks, they were released after a public outcry. Fortunately, these whales had only been captive for a short time so they could cope with life back out at sea. But what happens when themepark owners agree to release their whales who are unable to fend for themselves in the ocean . So, the next morning, i travel to the south of the island and to the westman island, a short ferry ride from the mainland. I had heard that here in iceland a new kind of sanctuary was being created. There are so many beautiful coves around iceland. Why this particular place . It is a beautiful surrounding for them. The cliffs protect them from the wind and the icelandic weather and then also having the water temperature more like the arctic and sub arctic, where they would be found in the wild. Two beluga whales called little white and little grey will soon be the first released into the bay. They had until recently been performing at an Entertainment Park in china, but after the operators decided to end the practice, they tried to find new homes for the animals where they could live out their lives. What is the plan for tourists, so they are not too overwhelmed . The plan with tourists is to manage boat trips. We have a partner who will be bringing visitors out. They will not get out on these pontoons but they will be able to see them from a distance, like a whale watching trip, and hear about the project and learn why little white and little grey are here. Little white and little grey were carefully flown on the long journey from china to iceland, but they could not be released straight into the bay. They have, for the last few months, been acclimatising in the nearby Sea Life Centre and working with handlers to learn how to take the final journey into the bay. Oh, my goodness. Wow. These are incredible. Can i come down . Hello. They are so graceful in the water, arent they . What do you love about them . Beluga whales are a friendly animal. They will not hurt you and you can work with them peacefully and so it is great fun to work with them. Beautiful gentle giants. Yes. So, which is the naughty one . This one . This countrys relationship with whales is complex, being one ofjust a few places in the world that still legally allows some hunting of the animals. But projects like this, and the various whale watching experiences on offer, are ways to encourage understanding and protection. Would you like some more fish . Yum iwillgive you. The whale burps. 0h, was that a burp . She keeps wanting more. Oh, if you insist. If you insist there we go. Whale burps oh, there is another little burp. Up next, we meet two women who are part of the unique team that took on an incredible journey across america. So, race across america is 3,070 miles from the west coast of america to the east coast of america. It was a different kind of cycling to anything id ever done before. So, from california to maryland and had to be completed in nine days. It was an idea that id had in the back of my mind, that i wanted to put a team together. I had seen two teams of wounded guys do it, and seeing that there had been no females in that team, i wondered why not. There was eight riders, all who had Different Health challenges, be that physical or psychological or both. Half the team were civilian and half of them were military. I met sally through some invictus training camps. The one main concern i had was the fact that i am visually impaired. I had a brain injury when i was injured in the army, quite some time ago now, 1996. So, for me to be cycling on the other side of the road, when i am completely blind to the left, was always going to be something i had never done and, quite frankly, didnt really know how that was going to go. We all went over the start line together. What then had to happen was, as a non stop race, the team of eight riders broke down into two pods, so there were four people in each pod and the support crew. The first team carried on cycling for a nine hour period, so within that nine hours, every 20 minutes, we would change riders. The other pod in that time had moved forward and they were having to get their rest in, which is quite difficult when you have just had the adrenaline at the start and then suddenly go, right, you need to go to sleep. I can remember seeing a lot of road. When youre cycling, youre concentrating on cycling as fast as you can. Looking up is not something you necessarily do. I looked up, and im so glad i did. We were the pod that was very, very fortunate to cycle through monument valley. A lot of colour, a lot of red rock formations thatjust stand in this vast array of countryside. Its almost indescribable. There had been a lot of doubts in everybodys mind. There is often times when you wonder if you can carry on because things are hurting and, for me, i look back and reflect on the time when my depression was at its worst, when i didnt think there was any reason to live. Id look back on that time and think, this isnt as difficult as that, to try to overcome. The race finished in annapolis, maryland. Eight of us cycled down the road. And everybody was cheering. Im incredibly proud to have been able to have had an opportunity to take part in such an extreme event. It has forced me to sort of go out of my comfort zone, i suppose. We were able to achieve something quite incredible, and hopefully others will be able to look back on what we have achieved and inspire them to go and take on their own race across america. Cloud will fade away across england and wales this evening, clear skies and wales this evening, clear skies and a cold night, colder than the nightjust gone. For and a cold night, colder than the night just gone. For scotland and a cold night, colder than the nightjust gone. For scotland and Northern Ireland, more clout, bringing outbreaks of rain into northern scotland overnight, and milder air, so northern scotland overnight, and milderair, soa northern scotland overnight, and milderair, so a real northern scotland overnight, and milder air, so a real contrast compared to the nightjust gone, much milder in northern and western scotla nd much milder in northern and western scotland and Northern Ireland. England and wales, widespread frost, temperatures down to minus four celsius. A cold and crisp stock to the day. Cloudy for Northern Ireland and scotland, the rain moving east, becoming patchy as it does so. Cloudy but mainly dry for Northern Ireland, cloud increasing across Northern Ireland in north wales in the afternoon. It will feel a bit milder across the far north and west of scotland. The week ahead is cold at first, slowly turning milder from the north. The risk of fog on tuesday and wednesday, wetter and windier for all of tuesday and wednesday, wetter and windierfor all of us by tuesday and wednesday, wetter and windier for all of us by friday. This is bbc news, im shaun ley. The headlines at 3pm Cambridge University confirms that the woman killed in the London Bridge attack was a former student. The Prime Minister tells the bbc that 74 people jailed for terror offences and released early will have their licence conditions reviewed. I absolutely deplore the fact that this man was out on the streets. I think it is absolutely repulsive, and we are going to take. That repulsive thing happened under the conservatives. It was conservative legislation and a conservative regime. 0ur Public Services are the glue that binds our a failure to recruit has left huge staffing shortfalls, posing again a serious risk to our security. You cannot keep people safe on the cheap. An irish woman who travelled to syria to join the Islamic State group is arrested after arriving back in dublin with her two year old daughter. Former wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas says he wants breaking the stigma around hiv to be his everlasting legacy in an interview with prince harry to mark world aids day. Watford sack manager qu que Sanchez Flores afterjust 85 days in the role. And claims that bullying is rife in the Beauty Industry well have that and other stories in Victoria Derbyshire the week in review. Thats in half an hour. The Prime Minister has told the bbc that 74 people